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Global Economy Outlook; COVID Vaccine For Children Under 5?; CDC Monitoring Six People For Possible Monkeypox Infection; First Overseas Baby Formula Shipments Arrive in U.S.; President Biden Commits U.S. to Defend Taiwan Against China. Aired 2-2:30p ET

Aired May 23, 2022 - 14:00   ET

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

[14:00:23]

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN HOST: Hello, everyone. I'm Alisyn Camerota. Welcome to CNN NEWSROOM. Victor is off today.

So, what did President Biden mean in Japan today when he said the United States would intervene militarily if China attempts to take Taiwan by force?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

QUESTION: Are you willing to get involved militarily to defend Taiwan if it comes to that?

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Yes.

QUESTION: You are?

BIDEN: That's the commitment we made.

We agree with the one China policy. We have signed on to it and all the attendant agreements made from there. But the idea that it can be taken by force, just taken by force, is just not -- is just not appropriate. It will dislocate the entire region.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMEROTA: Now, those comments were a deviation from the standard strategic ambiguity that the U.S. had been using. And they even caught Biden's own top administration officials off guard.

The administration downplayed the comments, saying the stance on China and Taiwan has not changed. But some of the president's own aides tell CNN they did not expect him to be so unequivocal on the topic.

CNN's M.J. Lee is in Tokyo.

So, M.J., China did not like these comments. What was their response?

M.J. LEE, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Alisyn, there's no question that Beijing has been watching President Biden's trip here to Asia very carefully, really listening to every word coming out of his mouth to see what kind of posturing they're seeing from the president on issues related to Asia, and particularly, of course, China.

And so, yesterday, when the president was so unequivocal when he was asked by a reporter, would the U.S. get involved militarily to defend Taiwan, and he answered there "Yes," that certainly made some big waves here in Asia, and the Chinese government was pretty quick to respond.

Let me just read you a part of the statement that we got from a spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry. It said that the U.S. "should honor the important commitment of not supporting Taiwan independence, be cautious in words and deeds on the Taiwan issue, and not send any wrong signal to pro-Taiwan independence and separatist forces."

It also said that the U.S. should not stand in the way of 1.4 billion Chinese people, so really trying to flex its muscles there. Now, importantly, after this press conference room where the president made these comments, there was another separate event.

And when he was done speaking, a number of reporters tried to ask him precisely about this. I shouted a question at him asking him if he would like to respond to this statement from the Chinese spokesperson. The president did not engage.

But, Alisyn, even after that sort of clarification attempt from the White House, all in all, what this trip has shown is that the U.S. is taking a much more aggressive stance on China, both on the military front and then on the economic front as well.

CAMEROTA: And, M.J., in some way, in some ways, these comments overshadowed President Biden's announcement of this new trade pact to counter China's influence.

LEE: That's right.

I mean, it certainly did sort of consume the headlines on a day when the president was keen to unveil and really bring attention to this new economic framework.

And what it is, is, the U.S. and 12 other countries in the Indo- Pacific region are getting together and setting up sort of this bloc, this group of countries that would sort of work together, of course, again, with the bigger goal of countering China.

Now, the devil is going to be in the details. This is sort of a loosely aligned sort of framework. We don't have the full details of what exactly this will look like. But you can imagine, when 13 countries like this are coming together, whatever agreement, whatever sort of policies they take on, that there is going to be some real strength behind it.

Now, the backstory, that is important here, of course, as you know, is that former president, U.S. President Donald Trump, he had taken the country out of the TPP trade agreement. And so this sort of serves a purpose of filling a void that that has created.

And, again, the president here trying to set and reset sort of the economic policy going forward in the Asia region -- Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: OK. M.J. Lee, thank you very much for your reporting.

So, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin just weighed in on the president's comments on China and Taiwan.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LLOYD AUSTIN, U.S. SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: Our one China policy has not changed.

He reiterated that policy and our commitment to peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. He also highlighted our commitment under the Taiwan Relations Act to help provide Taiwan the means to defend itself.

[14:05:08]

So, again, our policy has not changed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMEROTA: OK, let's get to CNN's Barbara Starr at the Pentagon.

So, Barbara, the secretary seemed to have a different, I would say explanation than the president.

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's really hard to decipher all this, because, at the heart of it, everybody is still, there's no question, dodging the real answer.

Now, the secretary, you notice he said there help Taiwan, give Taiwan the means to defend itself. So one of the key questions here, is the president actually referring to sending Taiwan additional weapons, defensive weapons, if there was a Chinese action against them? We don't know the answer.

But that is a us commitment to help Taiwan defend itself. What did the president mean? How much further would they go? Would they actually send U.S. troops to Taiwan? We simply don't know the answer. The secretary here at the Pentagon sticking firm to the one China policy, but not saying all the implications right now of what that might mean -- Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: Barbara, you also have new reporting on the Biden administration considering sending special operations forces to Ukraine to protect the embassy in Kyiv?

STARR: Yes.

I mean, this is in the earliest stages, we should emphasize. No decisions had been made. There is no actual plan yet. But what we do now know is, the U.S. Embassy reopening in Kyiv needs additional security potentially. And the key question the table there is, are U.S. special operations forces best position to provide the kind of security that would be needed in that embassy compound. Have a listen to what General Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs, had to say about it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEN. MARK MILLEY, CHAIRMAN, JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF: Planning efforts that are under way at a relatively low level have not yet made it into the secretary or myself, for that matter, for refinement of courses of action and what's needed.

At the end of the day, any reintroduction of U.S. forces into Ukraine would require a presidential decision. So, we're a ways away from anything like that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STARR: A ways away from anything like that.

But make no mistake, Pentagon-speak, they are thinking about it. And so that is going to be something to very carefully watch. Would U.S. special forces go into Ukraine to protect the embassy? What would be the rules of the road for them? How will they keep them out of any potential combat situation?

If there was to be an emergency at the embassy, how will those special operations forces get themselves and embassy personnel out in a crisis? -- Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: All vital questions.

Barbara Starr, thank you very much.

Joining us now to discuss all of this, we have CNN global affairs analyst and staff writer for "The New Yorker" Susan Glasser and CNN military affairs analyst and retired Air Force Colonel Cedric Leighton.

Susan, I want to start with you about what President Biden said today, which was not strategic ambiguity. It certainly didn't sound like it. It sounded clear. And it's not the first time that he has said this.

Back at a CNN town hall in October, he said something very similar, so let me play this for you.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BIDEN: I don't want a cold war with China. I just want to make China understand that we are not going to step back, we are not going to change any of our views.

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST: So are you saying that the United States would come to Taiwan's defense if China attacked?

BIDEN: Yes, we -- yes, we have a commitment to do that.

(END VIDEO CLIP) CAMEROTA: Susan, does it sound to you like he is saying direct military intervention?

SUSAN GLASSER, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: Well, look, Alisyn, yes is not a very ambiguous word, is it? So it's hard to say you have a policy of ambiguity when the answer to whether you're going to have military defense of something is yes.

However, there are so many unclear details that it may be ambiguous in terms of the actual meaning of what this policy is right now. I think what you're seeing from President Biden is a reflection of the fact that, in this sort of post-Ukraine invasion by Russia, both China and the United States are giving another very serious look at Taiwan, understanding that this could be an even bigger and more catastrophic flash point.

And both sides are really positioning right now to try to understand, what is the fallout from Russia's war on Ukraine? Does that may conflict with Taiwan more likely? I think the answer is, we don't know what the U.S. military commitment really is to Taiwan at this point in time, although it exists.

CAMEROTA: Colonel Leighton, it sounded like the defense secretary was trying to say, well, this would be the Ukraine model. Of course, we would provide weaponry to Taiwan.

But that is different than the way President Biden answered it today. How did you hear it?

COL. CEDRIC LEIGHTON (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Yes, Alisyn, it is different.

And the way I heard it was, we have -- from President Biden, we have a commitment, and we're going to fulfill that commitment. So, it seemed to me more of a warning to the Chinese that, if they did try to do something in the same manner as the Russians tried or are trying with Ukraine, that the United States would respond, and would respond very forcefully to hopefully prevent that kind of an outcome in Taiwan.

[14:10:05]

So, it does seem as if the policy of strategic ambiguity has become -- become a little bit less ambiguous at this point.

CAMEROTA: But, Colonel, I mean, militarily, how complicated would it be for the U.S. to actively defend Taiwan?

LEIGHTON: Well, in a word, very, Alisyn.

And the military has spent a lot of time over the years planning for just such a contingency. There is an operations plan that is out there that is -- when it was first started, was very sensitive.

But the basic idea all the way back to the Reagan administration was that they would defend Taiwan, or at least have plans in place to do so. Of course, if you have a plan in place, it does not necessarily mean that you're going to execute that plan.

But the U.S. would have to move naval forces between the Chinese mainland and Taiwan in the Taiwan Strait. They would have to have air cover. They would have to have missiles set up, like the Patriot, as well as other missiles, that would be used to shoot down not only Chinese aircraft, but also Chinese missiles.

And they would have to have a pretty coherent effort in place to protect Taiwan. It's a very difficult military problem set, and especially now, with Chinese capabilities being much more than they were in the mid-'90s, the last time something like this got a bit serious. It's really pretty clear that it would be a much tougher thing for the U.S. to respond to.

CAMEROTA: Susan, I want to ask you about what's happening in Ukraine, because the president talked about that as well.

And, basically, he was suggesting that Russia's mission has changed in terms of what Vladimir Putin really wants. So let me play that for you.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BIDEN: I believe what Putin is attempting to do is eliminate the identity of Ukraine, the identity. He can't occupy it, but he can try to destroy its identity.

And the reason I bother to mention that is, he has to pay and Russia has to pay a long-term price for that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMEROTA: I know the audio was not great there, but, basically, he was saying that he thinks that Putin is trying to eliminate the identity of Ukraine.

And that's obviously different than just a land grab of the Donbass or trying to have some sort of land bridge connecting Crimea. That's a different mission.

GLASSER: Well, that's right.

I think that has been the concern of many Russia analysts going back to if you look at Putin's extraordinary manifesto that he wrote last summer, essentially denying the legitimacy of Ukraine as an independent state. Then you look at the extraordinary and horrifying propaganda we have seen from Russian government stations during the war itself.

This increasingly sounds like a war of extermination. You look at the evidence of war crimes on the ground, the filtration camps that Russians are setting up in areas they have occupied, the deportations, mass deportations of civilians, echoing the worst of Stalin's crimes, and you get a sense that Ukraine itself wants to be wiped off the map by Vladimir Putin, that that, in fact, is his goal.

So I think that President Biden, unfortunately, is reflecting the increasing reality as the war is playing out.

CAMEROTA: Susan Glasser, Colonel Cedric Leighton, thank you both for the insight.

Well, the first foreign shipment of desperately needed baby formula has arrived in the U.S. just as more babies are hospitalized.

And monkeypox, we're now seeing cases in 15 countries, including the U.S. What you need to know -- next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:18:04]

CAMEROTA: New York City's mayor declaring a state of emergency over the shortage of baby formula.

Meanwhile, the first shipment of formula from Europe arrived in Indianapolis Sunday to be distributed to hospitals and home care facilities.

CNN senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen joins me now.

So, Elizabeth, when can we expect the second shipment of formula to arrive?

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: We are told by the folks at Ramstein Air Force Base in Germany that that should arrive on Wednesday.

And so it will be very similar to the process that we saw last weekend, when I was there. And that means that they're loading up the boxes, they get put on a plane, and they get sent to the United States.

So, let's take a look at where we are so far with Operation Fly Formula. So, its total between the two flights going to be 1.5 million eight-bottles between those two flights. The first flight landed Sunday with hypoallergenic formula. It's for hospitals, for pharmacies, for doctors. You mentioned home care, Alisyn. So people are not going to see those on store shelves.

And the second flight is expected Wednesday, also hypoallergenic formula. We're not sure where that's going to go. It'll be interesting to see if they do put that on store shelves. Many parents have children who are allergic to cow's milk. Not all of them necessarily are going to be at a hospital. And so it'll be interesting to see if they put those on store shelves -- Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: And so, Elizabeth, we do know that at least four babies at one South Carolina hospital have complications because of the formula shortage. So what are you learning?

COHEN: That's right. And they're not the only hospital.

And these are very sad stories. These are for the most part children who take specialty formulas, like even sometimes more than just hypoallergenic. Sometimes, they're even more specialized than that.

The parents having trouble finding it, they try to find an equivalent. It doesn't go very well. The children can become dehydrated. And many of these children end up with feeding tubes in their stomach because they are dehydrated. Now, I don't want to say that there's lots and lots of these children. We don't have a number.

[14:20:03]

But there are enough that we're hearing from various hospitals. So, let's take a listen to a dietitian in South Carolina.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KRISTI FOGG, PEDIATRIC CLINIC DIETITIAN: The majority of what we have seen is when patients are on, like, specialized formulas for, like, feeding intolerance or milk protein allergies or something specific related to their disease state, and they try and alternative, and it doesn't go well.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COHEN: And so it's really hard to hear these stories, Alisyn.

I mean, I have been speaking with these parents for pretty much daily for weeks. Sometimes, they're crying on the phone. It's really hard for them to find a formula that works for their child -- Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: OK. Elizabeth Cohen, thank you very much for the reporting.

COHEN: Thanks.

So, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy opened the World Economic Forum this morning with a virtual address, and he urged the global community to impose maximum sanctions against Russia, including a full oil embargo.

Meanwhile, the International Monetary Fund's managing director warned of multiple headwinds threatening the global economy, including the war and the ongoing pandemic.

CNN anchor and business editor at large Richard Quest is in Davos.

So, Richard, tell us more about that warning.

RICHARD QUEST, CNN BUSINESS EDITOR AT LARGE: The warning is really blunt.

It says, wherever you look, there are such serious and deep problems, that the cascading effect will have, first of all, famine, or at least hunger. There will be an increase in inequality and poverty. There's going to be recession in some countries. We don't know who, when and how.

And the overall architecture of the global economy is under such strain at the moment that something's going to give. Now, the problem, of course, is you have got two extraneous events, if you will. You have China still in large lockdown. And that's creating enormous problems for supply chain, which is why prices are going up, frankly.

And you have the war in Ukraine, which is causing food insecurity, food instability, and energy problems, again, another reason. So, for people like the Fed, who have to actually manage inflation down from 8 percent, it is a Herculean task of great difficulty.

CAMEROTA: Richard Quest, you have explained it perfectly. Thank you very much.

Well, Pfizer reports positive results from trials in its COVID vaccine for children as young as 6 months old. We have more on the timeline that parents should expect next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:27:10]

CAMEROTA: For the first time since February, the daily cases of COVID-19 infections is topping 100,000.

Now the youngest children may be getting closer to getting some protection. Today, Pfizer is reporting that three child-sized doses of its COVID-19 vaccine are safe and effective for kids aged 6 months to 5 years.

Here's what we know about it. The trial had two doses three weeks apart, and then a third dose two months later. The size of the shot is one-tenth of the dose used in adults.

Joining us now is Dr. William Schaffner. He's a professor in the Division of Infectious Diseases at Vanderbilt.

So, Doctor, what do parents need to know about this data? And when might this be available for these kids?

DR. WILLIAM SCHAFFNER, DEPARTMENT OF PREVENTIVE MEDICINE CHAIRMAN, VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY: Well, the first thing they need to know, Alisyn, is that it's not ready just yet, because the company has submitted its information to the Food and Drug Administration, and it has to be reviewed, but, as you said, effective.

It's a three-dose series. We have got to think of this as a three-dose vaccine. And it's very safe. So, as soon as it does become available, we hope pretty soon, we hope pretty soon, parents, take your children into the pediatrician and get them protected against COVID.

CAMEROTA: And, just as a reminder, three doses is not unusual for childhood vaccines. I mean, there are all sorts of vaccines that all -- vaccinations that all of us got, from diphtheria, to tetanus, that were three doses or more.

SCHAFFNER: Exactly.

And we have begun to think about even the adult COVID vaccines as really a three-dose vaccine, the first two doses, and then that booster, which really does provide the best protection against serious disease and hospitalization, so three doses. Children know how to do it. Pediatricians know how to do it.

And I hope that lots of parents take advantage of this and bring their kiddies in once it becomes available.

CAMEROTA: Well, I mean, there you have it. I know so many parents who are ready to do that and want to bring their kids in.

Is there any way to expedite it?

SCHAFFNER: We want the FDA to review these data very carefully.

And as soon as they give the thumbs-up and emergency use authorization, within a day or two, it'll go to the CDC's advisory committee, and that -- that will go just lickety-split, and we will have the answer.

But we have to have the FDA review all of the information quickly. We can't do it on the basis of a press release.

CAMEROTA: I want to ask you about monkeypox, which sounds horribly alarming, and the pictures do as well.

But I know that these are obviously isolated cases. However, it's now in 15 countries. There have been cases reported in 15 countries. So, how concerned are you?

[14:30:00]