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First Military Shipment Of Formula Arrives In U.S. As Supplies Dwindle; Biden Arrives In Tokyo Amid Tensions Over North Korea Weapons Tests; Ukrainians Refugees Find Shelter, Comfort In Moldova. Aired 3- 4p ET

Aired May 22, 2022 - 15:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[15:00:46]

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: All right, hello again, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me, I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

All right now, the U.S. government taking a pivotal step in restocking the critically low baby formula supply. The first pallets of emergency formula arriving from Europe via a U.S. military plane just a short time ago, and now going through inspection.

The product is a specialty formula for infants who are intolerant of protein in cow's milk and will be distributed to hospitals, pharmacies, and doctors' offices.

CNN's Polo Sandoval is live for us in Indianapolis where that first shipment landed.

Polo, this is just the first of what's expected to be many baby formula flights.

And it is certainly more than just a drop in the bucket. Fred, you're talking about 35 tons of that prescription baby formula that landed here in Indianapolis earlier today, manufactured in Zurich by Nestle transferred to Germany and then airlifted yesterday, flew all night to finally get here.

But as you mentioned, again, this will not serve the general needs of parents who have been desperately looking for a solution. In fact, turning to -- asking the right administration to act. We did see a representative of the Biden administration Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, who was here for the unloading of the supplies here.

I want you to hear from him as he basically describes what the next step will be now that this load of specialized baby formula is now in the United States.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TOM VILSACK, U.S. AGRICULTURE SECRETARY: Now this shipment is going to essentially get off this cargo plane, then the Federal Express folks are going to take it from there. They're going to deliver it to a distribution center that the Nestle-Gerber folks have here in Indiana, and then it's going to go on trucks, and it's going to be delivered in hospitals, and home healthcare clinics all across the country, providing support and help.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: So here's the possible impact of just this cargo alone. According to the Secretary, it has the potential to help up to 9,000 babies up to 18,000 toddlers over the course of a week. So it certainly is going to go to help some of the most vulnerable children here.

But the question now for the majority of parents is when can their store shelves expect to be stocked? What I heard today from the interim head of FedEx, who again, plays a crucial role in this says that they're already scheduling a flight for the coming days, possibly as early as Wednesday. And that, according to FedEx is likely going to be some of that sort of general use formula, which you might find at your grocery store. And that's the biggest impact right now.

So again, though, this is more than just a drop in the bucket, and it has potential to help many families. There are still many, many, many more that are frustrated with what they have seen so far, calling on the government to act, and what we heard today as part of this -- there was certainly a photo-op element to this, but nonetheless, we also saw a lot of hard working men and women that were unloading this, including the service members who flew this all the way here who are hoping that this will be just the first of many, while U.S. production begins to really ramp up and as we heard the Secretary say today, Fred, he does hope that we will begin to see less empty store shelves in the coming weeks hopefully marking the beginning of the end of this crisis.

WHITFIELD: This shipment can't come soon enough for a lot of families, but still, you know some relief that some of it has arrived.

Polo Sandoval, thank you so much.

All right, turning now to President Biden's trip in Asia, his first in the region while in office. Earlier today, he landed in Tokyo where he is expected to meet with leaders from Japan, Australia, and India this week. Those meetings taking place after new intensifying missile tests by North Korea.

Let's go to CNN's Jeremy Diamond who is traveling with the President joining us from Tokyo right now.

So Jeremy, what is the latest?

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well listen, Fred, President Biden wrapping up his visit to South Korea without that North Korean ICBM missile test actually taking place, something that U.S. Intelligence officials had warned was a possibility while President Biden was in South Korea.

Now, that's not to say that that test won't still possibly occur while President Biden is here in Japan, but the President, as he left South Korea, making clear that he is prepared for that possibility and also offering a brief message to the North Korean leader. [15:05:10]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

QUESTION: Are you concerned by North Korean missile tests while you're here?

JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We are prepared for anything North Korea does. We've had -- we've talked through how we'd respond to whatever they do, and so I'm not concerned if that's what you're suggesting.

QUESTION: Do you have any message for Kim Jong-un while you're hear?

BIDEN: Hello. Period. Thank you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DIAMOND: And that brief message from President Biden really showing you how much has changed since the last administration when President Trump met three times with the North Korean leader, exchanged what he called love letters with Kim Jong-un, and ultimately, it reflects this broader shift in strategy that President Biden has been undertaking on the North Korea strategy.

It is focused more on trying to get lower level meetings with the North Koreans incremental progress. Of course, none of that has materialized so far, despite the U.S.'s best efforts to reach out to the North Koreans, they have refused to engage in any kind of substantive diplomacy. And instead, they've ramped up the pace of these ICBM tests over the last several months, 15 so far this year.

Now as for the possibility of North Korea carrying out a missile or a nuclear test while President Biden is still in the region, the National Security Adviser, Jake Sullivan, saying that it's still very much a possibility and he also said if North Korea acts quote, "We'll be prepared to respond" -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right, Jeremy Diamond thanks so much.

All right. Still ahead, since the start of the Russian invasion in Ukraine, more than six million Ukrainians have fled. How one neighboring country is helping families find needed shelter and comfort, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:10:53]

WHITFIELD: Hard to believe but it's been nearly three months since Russia invaded Ukraine and since then, the U.N. says more than 6.4 million Ukrainians have fled to neighboring countries including Moldova.

CNN's Randi Kaye shows us those refugees are being met with open arms, warm beds, and much needed comfort. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RANDI KAYE, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): This 33-year-old mother is from Odessa, Ukraine. Tata Milakoskova says she fled across the border to Moldova when the Russian bombs started dropping.

KAYE (on camera): There's a spirit here of wanting to help.

TATA MILAKOSKOVA, UKRAINIAN REFUGEE: Yes, yes, yes. It's very important for us, because now we're feeling bad, but these people helped us.

KAYE (voice over): Tata brought her young daughter named Shine with her to Moldova, but her husband stayed behind to fight.

MILAKOSKOVA: My daughter perfectly -- she has really not understood what happened, yes, and she thinks that it's some play game, some game, yes.

KAYE (on camera): She thinks you're on vacation.

MILAKOSKOVA: Yes, yes. She thinks that she is on vacation, but always, she asked "Father."

KAYE: Where is her father?

MILAKOSKOVA: In the War. Yes.

KAYE (voice over): Tata had no idea where she would stay when she arrived, then this woman opened her home to her. She has two sons of her own, 11 and 13, and now has a toddler in the house.

What is it like having such a young child in the house again?

(UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE speaking in foreign language.)

KAYE (voice over): She tells me it reminds her of when her boys were young, and it's nice to have toys in the house again. She and Tata have bonded, too. They tend to garden together and cook in the kitchen.

And it's not just this home, throughout the country, there has been a wave of goodwill among Moldovans.

CONOR O'LOUGHLIN, CATHOLIC RELIEF COUNTY REPRESENTATIVE: Families have spontaneously opened up their doors for Ukrainian refugees.

KAYE (voice over): Conor O'Loughlin is heading up Catholic Relief Services operation here in Moldova and Ukraine. Their mission, he says is to provide humanitarian assistance to the refugees that have streamed into Moldova.

Not only does CRS provide food and water, but they are connecting refugees with host families who they can live with.

O'LOUGHLIN: It is worth remembering that Moldova is a poor country. It's one of the poorest countries in Europe. So even host families here do not have a huge amount of disposable income to support Ukrainian refugees as well.

That's why Catholic Relief Services is giving some cash assistance, just to help sustain that accommodation support that they are providing for our Ukrainian refugees.

KAYE (voice over): So far, Catholic Relief Services says it has given out about $9 million in aid across Moldova. The group has provided cash assistance to nearly 40,000 refugees and more than 800 host families and they are also putting money into upgrades for homes and apartments so people can live comfortably.

O'LOUGHLIN: It is an extraordinary feature of Moldova here that we see host families and communities open up their houses for refugees. We are not running large camps here that you would maybe normally see in a refugee crisis.

KAYE (voice over): When we met refugee Marina Skulku, she was nine months pregnant. She had fled the region of Odessa in Ukraine, seeking safety for her growing family in Moldova.

KAYE (on camera): People talk about the spirit of Moldova, people opening their homes and helping strangers like yourself. Do you feel that spirit?

(MARINA SKULKU speaking in foreign language.)

KAYE (voice over): She tells me she felt the spirit from day one, that the kindness of the Moldovan people brings tears to her eyes. She is very grateful, she says.

And now, she will deliver her third child on Moldovan soil, but still her heart remains in Ukraine.

KAYE (voice over): Do you want to go home? You want to go back to Ukraine?

(MARINA SKULKU speaking in foreign language.)

TRANSLATION: We are entirely sure we will go back home. As soon as this finishes.

KAYE (voice over): Randi Kaye, CNN, Chisinau, Moldova.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[15:15:05]

WHITFIELD: And he spent 1,000 days nearly in Russian hands before returning to the U.S. just last month. And former Marine Trevor Reed has harrowing details of the conditions that he experienced while in prison at a Russian psychiatric treatment facility.

Blood all over the walls, people walking around like zombies, he says, just some of what he describes in our own Jake Tapper's interview with him.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR: What was the worst conditions that you had, that you experienced during that time?

TREVOR REED, RELEASED FROM RUSSIA: The psychiatric treatment facility I was in there with seven other prisoners in the cell, they all had severe serious psychological health issues. Most of them, so over 50 percent of them in that cell were in there for murder or like multiple murders, sexual assault and murder, just really disturbed individuals.

And inside of that cell, you know that was not a good place.

There's blood all over the walls there. Prisoners had killed themselves or killed other prisoners or attempted to do that. The toilet is just a hole in the floor and there's you know, crap everywhere, all over the floor, on the walls.

There's people in there also that walk around, they look like zombies.

TAPPER: What are you afraid of your life?

REED: I mean, I did not sleep there for a couple of days. So I was too worried about you know who was in the cell with me to actually sleep.

TAPPER: You thought they might kill you?

REED: Yes, I thought that was a possibility.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: And you can watch the full special report, "Finally Home: The Trevor Reed" interview. That's tonight at eight Eastern only on CNN.

Also coming up, as wildfires increase in size and strength, one state turns to an unlikely source to battle the blazes.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:21:34]

WHITFIELD: All right, extreme heat and drought conditions continue to fuel fires out west and in Texas. The Mesquite Fire near Abilene is one of several wildfires burning in Texas.

In California, to help prepare for the growing wildfire threat in that state, California has changed a state law allowing ex-convicts who helped battle blazes in prison to get jobs as full time firefighters.

For more on this, let's bring in Paul Vercammen in Los Angeles. Paul, good to see you. So what can you tell us about this program?

PAUL VERCAMMEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, we'll call it rays of sunshine going through all that fire smoke. It's the Ventura Training Center or the VTC. What happens is these former inmate firefighters after they're released from prison can train there. They have to stay there for quite a while, 18 months.

They sleep overnight, five nights a week and they get extensive training. There is also mental health counseling or addiction counseling if they need it. And we're seeing some huge, huge numbers of success.

We have some 136 firefighters now after this program, it started with a trickle in 2018, 136 have received full time jobs, most of them in fire departments.

We're also seeing another 56 in camp right now. John Reyna is one of them, and he is gushing with pride as he's getting close to getting a job as a full-fledged firefighter.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN REYNA, EX-CONVICT IN FIRE TRAINING: We start serving the public, have an integrity doing the right thing. And it starts here, but you also take that with you. For example, I'll go to Walmart, I see trash on the floor, I'll pick it up. I've never done things like that.

It's just something that they teach you here, not just to do, but the integrity, the honest part, the giving back to the community has been awesome.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VERCAMMEN: And I spoke with a prosecutor who put away John for manslaughter. He said he is fine with these former inmates becoming firefighters, because the last thing he wants to see is them just sitting around or not being productive.

And he adds that you have to jump a lot of hoops. You have to go through a lot of rules and regulations to become one of these inmate firefighters and then later, go through the VTC the Ventura County Training Center and become a firefighter. So he says, this prosecutor, it's a win-win -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: And that's fantastic. I mean, everybody wants purpose. Everyone wants to be needed. Right? So you also talked off camera to several felons now working as well. And you talked to them about the transition of being in the workforce.

What's that conversation? Where did that take you?

VERCAMMEN: One of these firefighters said to me that he walks right up to his new crew and shakes their hands and says, look, I'm an ex-con, I just want to know -- I want you to know that upfront. He said he was very well-received.

And another was gushing with pride. His son was playing "Fortnight," that game where you put the headset on and play with others in other cities. And he said he overheard his son say, "Yes, well, my dad does a little something. He fights fires." He was just so proud of that moment.

WHITFIELD: That's fantastic. We're proud of all of them, too. Thank you so much, Paul Vercammen. Good to see you.

All right in the northeast, more than 20 million people remain under heat advisories. The scorching hot temperatures stretch from Virginia to New Hampshire.

For the very latest, let's bring in meteorologist, Tom Sater in the CNN Weather Center. It is hot out there. I mean, stifling it seems, all along the east coast.

[15:25:04]

TOM SATER, CNN METEOROLOGIST: You know one more day, Fredricka and that's good news. This cold front has made its way from western U.S. across the entire country. Ahead of its shattering record heat, temperatures more like you'd see in July and August, but also the contrast in the air masses.

Severe weather like the deadly tornado we had in Michigan yesterday. Another dozen or so records will be broken today. We're going to find that heat all the way up into New England where we do have advisories.

On the left, air temperatures, but on the right when you factor in humidity, it already feels like it's in the mid-90s yesterday into the upper 90s, so that heat index is getting close to 100.

Heat advisories in effect does not include New York, but does include Boston. So, if we get through today, we go from the 90s on Tuesday, Boston from 93 to a high of 61. So it is refreshing air mass.

However, we still have to put up with severe weather. We have severe thunderstorm watch that is now in effect, Washington D.C., that's 9:00 PM tonight, and then the one further to the northeast until 10:00 PM. So once that front moves through, you're going to notice an air mass change.

Now, we're also watching something going on in the Gulf of Mexico, believe it or not. Here we go, National Hurricane Center, 10 percent chance of tropical development, Fredricka, in the last seven years we've had a named storm in the month of May before hurricane season begins on June 1st. But we're going to be watching this for heavy rainfall as well.

But just a crazy couple of days. Colorado was into the 90s, and the next day eight to 10 inches of snow, two feet in the mountains. So a pretty strong cold front.

WHITFIELD: Crazy indeed.

All right, Tom, thank you so much.

In the meantime, we're just now two days away from a major primary in the State of Georgia pitting Donald Trump's candidate against Mike Pence's candidate, where this key race stands. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:31:20]

WHITFIELD: All right, the issue of abortion continuing to prove divisive in American politics and religion. A conservative Archbishop in San Francisco says he is barring House Speaker Nancy Pelosi from taking the Holy Sacrament of Communion.

In a letter, the Archbishop told Speaker Pelosi she needed to quote, "Publicly repudiate" her support for the procedure if she wanted to receive Communion again. The Speaker's office has not commented on the letter.

This Tuesday, all eyes will be on Georgia as voters there head to the polls to vote in the primary elections. It is the latest test of Donald Trump's muscle in the Republican Party after backing former Senator David Perdue over incumbent Brian Kemp in the state's primary for Governor.

CNN's Jeff Zeleny shows us now why Kemp may not need Trump to win.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GOV. BRIAN KEMP (R-GA): We're in a fight for the soul of our state.

JEFF ZELENY, CNN U.S. CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Georgia Governor Brian Kemp is also facing another fight for the future of the Republican Party.

KEMP: We need to win and win big on Tuesday, and then we will unite and do what we have done again, and that is beat Stacey Abrams in November.

ZELENY (voice over): The next big stop of the midterm election season is the Georgia primary on Tuesday.

Kemp is trying to project strength by looking ahead to a potential rematch with Stacey Abrams. But long before that, he must overcome vicious criticism from the loudest voice in the Republican Party.

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Brian Kemp is a turncoat, he is a coward and is a complete and total disaster.

ZELENY (voice over): Georgia has been the object of Donald Trump's obsession since narrowly losing the state in 2020. He's never forgiven Kemp and other GOP officials for refusing to meddle in the election.

TRUMP: Brian Kemp, he sold you out. He didn't look -- he didn't want to look, he didn't want anything to do with it.

ZELENY (voice over): Trump convinced former Senator David Perdue to challenge Kemp, a bet that is now looking increasingly risky. Sixty percent of Republican primary voters support Kemp, according to a new FOX News poll while 28 percent back Perdue, a healthy increase in the Governor's advantage since March. Gone are the days when Trump, Perdue, and Kemp were all part of a

unified Republican family. Deep divisions rooted in the big election lie are now at the heart of the Georgia primary.

DAVID PERDUE (R), GEORGIA GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE: So what I'm frustrated with is that we can't get our Republican leaders to investigate. They say, Well, we've audited we looked at it all, they have not. They have not done that.

ZELENY (voice over): At rallies --

TRUMP: They attacked and cheated on our elections, and they did it right here in Georgia also.

ZELENY: And in TV ads --

TRUMP: Brian Kemp let us down. We can't let it happen again.

ZELENY: Trump blames others for his defeat.

ZELENY (on camera): President Trump has called you a turncoat, a coward. What do you say to Georgians who are making up their mind right now whether to -- if they should listen to him or listen to you?

KEMP: I will tell Georgians I can't control what other people are saying. They want some nice bite for them, they're not worried about people from around the country that have been criticizing us.

ZELENY (voice over): Kemp goes to great lengths to ignore the criticism. Some supporters do not.

SUSY ALLEN, GEORGIA VOTER: President Trump has a lot to say about a lot of things, but the best person to unite Georgia is Governor Kemp.

KERMIT MOODY, GEORGIA VOTER: He needs some Band-Aid and put over his lips.

ZELENY (on camera): A Band-Aid over his lips?

MOODY: Yes. He needs to learn to control his speech. And I am a Trump supporter all the way.

ZELENY (voice over): As he flirts with another presidential run, Trump has plenty reasons to keep Georgia on his mind.

He endorsed Congressman Jody Hice to challenge Secretary of State, Brad Raffensperger, who also declined to help Trump overturn the election. He is supporting former football great Herschel Walker for Senate, those two Republicans along with Perdue make up the Trump ticket.

[15:35:08]

TRUMP: We first have to defeat the RINO sellouts and the losers in the primaries this spring.

ZELENY (voice over): The biggest question of all is whether Republicans will come together after the divisive primary.

ZELENY (on camera): After all that President Trump has said about you, if you went on Tuesday, will you seek his endorsement to help unify the party?

KEMP: The only endorsement I'm worried about is the people of Georgia's on Tuesday.

ZELENY (voice over): Jeff Zeleny, CNN, Evans, Georgia.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right, let's now discuss this critical race with two people who have covered Georgia politics for years now. Here to share their insights, Lisa Rayam, the host of NPR's "Morning Edition - Atlanta" on WABE and Bill Nigut, executive producer of Georgia Public Broadcasting's "Political Rewind." We couldn't think of anyone better than you two to talk to us about Georgia politics and all that is at stake in just two days.

Good to see you both.

All right, so Bill, you first, you know, what is the lay of the land right now? Who seems to have the greatest influence in its endorsement of a candidate? Is it you know, Brian Kemp with Pence or David Perdue with Trump?

BILL NIGUT, EXECUTIVE PRODUCER, GEORGIA PUBLIC BROADCASTING'S "POLITICAL REWIND": Well, I think the real question here is whether Donald Trump has persuaded Georgia Republicans that they should join him in trying to defeat Brian Kemp. And the answer, according to the polls, as you just heard in your reporting, is that Kemp is leading by a very wide margin. It is likely, he'll win without a runoff.

And at the same time, Georgia voters, Republican voters continue to give Trump very high approval ratings, but they're also saying, we like Donald Trump, but we'd rather he didn't try to tell us who we should vote for, for governor.

WHITFIELD: Yes, which I find very confusing. I mean, Lisa, one has to wonder if the outcome of this race, gubernatorial race, is a litmus test on a former President's influence in perhaps other races or period, you know, come November?

LISA RAYAM, HOST, NPR'S "MORNING EDITION -ATLANTA": Yes. You know, he's weighed in on races all across the nation, right? And some candidates have been winning in the midterms. But here in Georgia, I think the conversation really needs to be the Trump factor that wasn't and clearly in this race, you know, I kind of started smiling after Jeff's story when he said, Kemp will likely win Tuesday. Kemp will win Tuesday.

And, you know, the Trump factor did nothing at all for Senator Perdue. You know, our reporters at WABE have been following this for several weeks, several months now. They've been taking the temperature checks, and David Perdue's campaign began to just kind of teeter, you know, in the past month or so. So, Trump's voice did nothing in this big -- this huge race for Republicans.

WHITFIELD: So Lisa, you call it teetering? I mean, Bill, you know, former Senator Perdue is ending this, you know, race kind of low on cash. No television ads this weekend, "New York Times" says his own supporters are calling him -- I'm using their words -- lackluster and distracted.

I mean, ouch. So who will be, you know, scarred more from a defeat? Perdue or Trump?

NIGUT: Well, I think in Georgia, given that David Perdue has not been a good candidate from the start, given that he has not really told voters why they should elect him, other than that he's been promoting the Big Lie. That's a whole rationale for his campaign. Join me in defeating Brian Kemp, because he refused to try to overturn the 2020 election.

So I think in many ways, he, David Perdue has spearheaded his own fate, regardless of Donald Trump. The race to watch in Georgia that will really be a test of Donald Trump's strength in endorsements will be Secretary of State. Brad Raffensperger, of course, is one of his top targets because Raffensperger as we all know, from that infamous vote call, refused to go along with Trump in finding the votes Trump needed to win.

So it's going to be fascinating to watch whether Trump in endorsing Jody Hice can in fact, get Jody Hice over the finish line, probably won't happen without a runoff, but will Hice beat Raffensperger in the long run.

WHITFIELD: I mean, Trump and --

RAYMAN: I have to disagree there.

WHITFIELD: Go ahead. Go, Lisa.

RAYMAN: I was going to say I disagree there because yes, it may be running to a runoff but I think the Trump factor really isn't playing here as well because it's Brad Raffensperger that's playing into this because he jumped out very vocal about these lies and speaking out against him and was extremely vocal and open Georgians' eyes to so many things from the beginning.

So, you know, his support in the Republican Party just kind of deteriorated early on.

WHITFIELD: And people remember him -- people are perhaps going to remember -- voters will remember him resisting the pressure on that phone call from Trump and he is using it to his favor perhaps.

RAYMAN: Those numbers are Brad Raffensperger's numbers. Right.

[15:40:10]

WHITFIELD: So Trump overall has invested a lot of money, though, right? Not only endorsement but time. I mean, he recorded ads for Perdue, giving him $2.64 million to groups helping Perdue. That is a lot of money, Bill, coming from another candidate to support, you know, lift up another candidate. Why did Trump feel like this was money well spent?

NIGUT: Well, I think right now, Donald Trump is backing away from David Perdue. There has been reporting in the last few days that he thinks Perdue has run a bad campaign. Trump vehemently denies that reporting, but we've seen signs where Trump is starting to back away from him, and has for a while now.

Trump himself put $500,000.00 of his own money into the Perdue campaign. That's pretty unusual, because Trump doesn't open his purse for many people. The rest of that money came from a PAC associated with Trump, but it still hasn't been enough, as you pointed out, Fred. Perdue is barely on the air in the final weeks of this campaign. He doesn't have the money to compete.

WHITFIELD: All right, so Bill, you say the Secretary of State race is one to watch. Lisa, what about Herschel Walker, you know, in this U.S. Senate primary. I mean, polls are showing him actually pulling ahead of the Republican competition. He is a Trump pick from the very start. It was Trump who has encouraged him and they're good friends to say, run. So how does it look? I mean, what are his chances?

RAYMAN: Yes, surprise, surprise. It looks like he may come ahead, you know, according to the polls on Tuesday, and he's doing this, you know, he mounted this whole campaign, I'm not going to debate my candidates. Really hasn't touched on the key issues of what Georgians want to hear.

WHITFIELD: But he's got name recognition.

RAYMAN: But still his popularity has -- yes.

WHITFIELD: Yes, name --

RAYMAN: It has put him over the hills. Yes. November -- November is going to be the true test going against Raphael Warnock if that indeed is the matchup.

Warnock, a well-known orator who taps the issues daily and knows the issues and talks about it. So a lot of Republicans are now saying they are concerned about how he will fare in November. They're looking ahead to the General Election. So that's one we'll have to watch and see.

WHITFIELD: Okay. All right, Georgia politics has become, I mean, quite the race. Quite fun, especially with you guys. Lisa and Bill, thank you so much. We'll see you soon.

RAYMAN: Oh, it's a pleasure. See you later, Bill.

WHITFIELD: All right, and this quick programming note, Stanley Tucci sets out to explore how Italian immigration has transformed the food scene in his adopted hometown of London, in a brand new episode of Stanley Tucci "Searching for Italy." (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The mashed potato here.

STANLEY TUCCI, CNN HOST, "SEARCHING FOR ITALY": Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Scallops.

TUCCI: Oh my God.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is just going to go to the grill.

TUCCI (voice over): Two minutes on the grill, and then it's time for some pyrotechnics.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is dangerous here.

TUCCI: That's nice.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So, now, a few drops of a lemon that's all.

We added the two main ingredients. This is dembuja (ph).

TUCCI: It's like a candy practically.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is quite unusual, but --

TUCCI: Whoa.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Okay.

TUCCI: Whoa.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Now, salsa verde, bread soaked in vinegar, anchovy, parsley, capers, egg whites and garlic. Calabrian extra virgin olive oil.

TUCCI: On my.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Some juniper branches here, just to give a bit of decoration to the dish.

TUCCI: Right.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Clam check.

TUCCI: That's beautiful.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Yum. That's beautiful and it looks so tasty.

All right, the new episode airs tonight at 9:00 PM Eastern and Pacific right here on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [15:48:28]

WHITFIELD: All right, as of this weekend, 92 confirmed cases of monkeypox are under investigation in 12 countries according to the World Health Organization, and one of those cases is here in the U.S., and Health officials say the disease is likely to spread.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. ASHISH JHA, WHITE HOUSE CORONAVIRUS RESPONSE COORDINATOR: I would not be surprised, Martha, if we see a few more cases in the upcoming days, and I think the President is right, anytime we have an infectious disease outbreak like this, we should all be paying attention.

But I feel like this is a virus we understand. We have vaccines against it. We have treatments against it. And it's spread very differently than SARS-CoV-2. It's not as contagious as COVID, so I am confident we're going to be able to keep our arms around it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Monkeypox is essentially a cousin of smallpox. They both come from the same family of viruses. Monkeypox begins with fever, headache, muscle aches and exhaustion, symptoms similar to but milder than smallpox.

The main difference is that monkeypox causes lymph nodes to swell while smallpox does not.

Dr. Syra Madad joining me right now to discuss. She is a Senior Director with the Special Pathogens Program at New York City Health and Hospitals. We're still trying to work on the signal, and it looks like suddenly our signal is not working as I was introducing Dr. Syra Madad. So we'll try to reconnect and we'll come back to it if we're able to reconnect.

All right, the makers of Jiff, the peanut butter, are recalling both creamy and crunchy versions along with at least 40 other products. The FDA and CDC are investigating a salmonella outbreak possibly linked to the peanut butter made at a Kentucky plant. The company is urging customers to check the lot code near the "Best By Date" on the jars. A full list of affected products and how to identify them can be found on the FDA's website.

[15:50:34]

WHITFIELD: Okay, so actually, now the technology gremlins are working on our side now. We now have Dr. Syra Madad there. We can see her and hopefully you can hear me clearly, and we were talking about monkeypox and how there are confirmed cases globally. And right now one that's under investigation, particularly in the U.S. is underway.

All right, so help us better understand monkeypox and how it differs from smallpox. I gave it a bit of a scenario and some of the symptoms et cetera. But how, you know, effective might some of the vaccines that the U.S. already has access to be against monkeypox?

DR. SYRA MADAD, SENIOR DIRECTOR WITH THE SPECIAL PATHOGENS PROGRAM, NEW YORK CITY HEALTH AND HOSPITALS: Yes, so great question.

Monkeypox may seem very scary, and certainly, you know, it is an infectious disease that we should all be paying attention to, especially as we're seeing more cases pop up. And as the World Health Organization, and as Dr. Jha just mentioned, you know, in the video you showed, we are going to probably see more cases here in the U.S. In New York City, there is a presumptive positive case, you know, as I speak, so we're probably going to see more cases here locally and around the world.

But it's important to understand that it's not a new infectious disease. It's a virus that we have known about and we have tools and resources like vaccine, antiviral treatment for it.

When we talk about the current cases that we have of monkeypox, luckily, even here in the U.S. and around the world, there have not been any deaths that are reported yet, or significant hospitalizations. And so that's a good sign. But at the same time, you know, the threat level can increase and as we learn more, you know, things will continue to change.

If we've learned anything from the COVID-19 pandemic, it is that, you know, when we are early on in an outbreak, we're gathering information, we're doing public health investigations, so things can change and evolve over time. So, we just need to be cognizant of that and cautious.

WHITFIELD: Okay. And while the White House COVID-19 Response Coordinator, Dr. Jha seemed optimistic, he says, you know, we, the U.S. has vaccines, we have treatments against something like monkey pox, still we want to know how is it spread? And when you say it is likely to spread? How is it spreading among us?

MADAD: Yes, so when we talk about monkeypox and the dynamics of transmission, we look at first direct and indirect, so direct transmission could be through close, sustained contact through respiratory droplets. You can also have indirect transmission, for example, touching, you know, fomites, bedding, linens also contact with lesions, things like that.

We are learning more. Right now one of the cases that we have, there is a large cluster among men that have sex with men, really important, we do not stigmatize or marginalize any group of individuals, but we are learning more about transmission based dynamics, and may just be that the sexual act itself is close contact that may be driving it, or there may be potential sexual transmission, and that is under investigation right now.

WHITFIELD: So, how quickly are we talking that it might spread? I mean, you know, we've all gotten used to how COVID spreads, you know, and how symptoms may arise some five days later, but what's the pattern for monkeypox? MADAD: With monkeypox, I think what's also concerning is that it's a

very long incubation period, so anywhere from five to 21 days, which means that individuals can, you know, travel far and wide and that's what has happened in this current outbreak. It's the largest monkeypox outbreak outside of Africa, and Africa usually sees thousands of cases of monkeypox every single year.

So just to put that in context, again, it's not a new virus. Africa does tend to see thousands of cases every year, particularly in the DRC. But this is a largest in terms of outside of Africa.

So you're seeing many cases, and you know, U.K., Spain, Portugal, Canada, things like that. And so there is obviously a lot of investigation happening right now. So, as we learn more, we'll probably understand a little bit more about the transmission based dynamics, but the incubation period is 21 days.

So it starts with fever, kind of flu-like symptoms, and then it can progress to lesions or rashes. So it is really important, the CDC and various health departments have put out a health advisory, particularly for healthcare providers, as they are looking at patients coming through the healthcare system. If anyone is complaining, of you know, rashes or fever that they investigate for potential monkeypox.

WHITFIELD: All right, we're going to leave it there for now because it looks like that signal -- that bad signal is coming back. All right, Dr. Syra Madad, glad we could get you in for the amount of time that we did.

MADAD: Sure.

WHITFIELD: Thank you so much.

MADAD: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right, and thank you, everybody for joining me today. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. The CNN NEWSROOM continues after the break, but first this week's Taking Care of Business.

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(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALICIA FERGUSON, OWNER, FOUNDER, ON DEKALB: Take a deep breath here inhale.

PARIS ALEXANDRA OWNER, FOUNDER, ON DEKALB: My name is Paris Alexandra.

FERGUSON: And I'm Alicia Ferguson.

ALEXANDRA: And we are the owners and founders of On DeKalb, which is a wellness inspired coffee shop --

FERGUSON: And --

ALEXANDRA: BK Yoga Club, a Black woman owned body positive yoga studio in Brooklyn.

FERGUSON; What inspired us was just realizing there was a lack of representation in the wellness field.

ALEXANDRA: Inclusion is at the center of our business.

FERGUSON: We have learned that people do come to our classes, because of the diversity.

ALEXANDRA: Beautiful everyone.

FERGUSON: People of all backgrounds, all ages, all like abilities, not incomes feel like they can be their full self. We're not preaching it. Like we're seeing it there's a sense of just belonging, there's a sense of community.

ALEXANDRA: At the original location, we would have space to have tea and coffee, and people would stay for like an hour or more after class. And so, it just made sense to combine yoga with a coffee.

FERGUSON: Revenue-wise, we are up 50 percent. Our attendance during COVID was at like a 20 percent occupancy rate and so right now we're like, maximum classes.

ALEXANDRA: The possibilities are endless, and we're just going to keep going.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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