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Over 100 Million Americans Under Heat Alerts; Soon, Biden To Unveil New Steps To Battle Climate Change Amid Extreme Heat; Biden To Announce New Executive Action After Manchin Says Won't Support Climate Bill; Dr. Ashish Jha, White House COVID-19 Response Coordinator, Discusses FDA Recommending Novavax COVID Shots, The Rise In Omicron BA.5 Cases; Biden Speaks On New Steps To Confront Climate Crisis & Extreme Heat. Aired 2:30-3p ET

Aired July 20, 2022 - 14:30   ET

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

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[14:31:30]

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN HOST: A prescient heat all across the country. More than 100 million Americans are under heat alerts today.

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN HOST: Several cities set new records today but especially in Texas. There's a heat emergency there again today, and it could threaten the state's power grid.

Some places are hiring heat officers to lead their city's response.

CNN's national correspondent, Athena Jones, is in New York's Central Park.

I imagine it's a little toasty out there. How is it?

ATHENA JONES, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It's very, very, very, very hot, Victor, but it's fine in the shade. We've been here all day talking to folks.

You know, we're talking about dangerous heat levels affecting much of the country. More than 80 percent of the U.S. population is going to see high temperatures above 90 degrees over the next several days.

And we've been talking about the heat in the south and the west. That heat wave has certainly reached the northeast now.

There are heat advisories up and down the coast, Philadelphia, here in New York City, Boston. Boston's Mayor Michelle Wu declaring a heat emergency.

And so folks here are doing everything they can to stay cool.

I spoke to someone here who's from West Africa. She said it's hot where she's from, but she can't handle the heat here. And she's worried about what this says about a warming planet and even things like food security.

Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was even thinking today will we have like even food to eat if, like -- or to keep warming up it this way, like what's going to happen. It's really scary for me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JONES: And so I spoke with Mariama (ph) here at this playground with sprinklers. This has been a very popular spot to beat the heat.

New York City officials telling folks, stay inside as much as you can, drink plenty of water, and be sure to check on your neighbors -- Victor, Alisyn?

CAMEROTA: OK, Athena, thank you very much for being out there for us.

BLACKWELL: In just a few minutes, President Biden is expected to make remarks about the climate crisis.

He's in Massachusetts. He'll be speaking at a defunct coal plant now used to make wind turbines. The president will unveil new steps to battle extreme temperatures.

CAMEROTA: His hopes for a legislative solution fell apart when West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin announced he would not support it.

CNN's chief national affairs correspondent, Jeff Zeleny, live in Massachusetts.

So, Jeff, what's the plan today?

JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Well, look, the president clearly picking an apt day to talk about global warming and climate crisis.

He'll be addressing this crowd in Somerset, Massachusetts. It is a former coal plant, one of the biggest in the northeast, that is now helping to make offshore wind energy, adding that energy to the power grid.

That is going to be one of the examples that President Biden is going to use as he announces the first of what his aides say will be several executive actions in the coming days and weeks.

One of them will be to simply increase funding for communities struggling to pay for cooling assistance.

One also will be to expand the investment spent on offshore wind energy plants. Look for something major on that we are told potentially in the Gulf of Mexico.

This is also a time when the president is going to say, look, if Congress will not act, he will act with the authority of his executive action with the authority of his pen, if you will. But we must note, this is a much more modest step than he's certainly campaigned on, than he certainly hoped he would be announcing.

Certainly, Congress has been unwilling. Specifically, Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia effectively blocked the president's Build Back Better agenda.

[14:35:03]

You'll remember that was the economic plan that had all of these climate change proposals in it to create new jobs, et cetera. He says the inflation is too high to make those investments now.

The president, I'm told, will not mention Senator Manchin directly, but he will say -- you know, call out Congress for not acting here.

So he's arrived here in Massachusetts on a very hot day here as well, and he'll be making those announcements here shortly -- Victor and Alisyn?

BLACKWELL: All right, the president's scheduled to begin in 10 minutes. That could shift. When it happens, we will bring it, of course, to everyone live.

Thank you, Jeff.

CAMEROTA: OK, meanwhile, COVID infections are rising with this new Omicron subvariant. So what does that mean for all of us? The White House COVID response coordinate is going to tell us next.

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[14:40:19]

CAMEROTA: Another COVID vaccine will soon be available in the U.S. The CDC yesterday recommended Novavax's two-dose shots as an option for adults 18 and older. Now, Novavax uses different technology compared to those developed with mRNA, Pfizer, Moderna.

COVID cases are surging across the country again, driven by the latest Omicron variant.

Joining me now to discuss is the White House COVID-19 response coordinator, Dr. Ashish Jha.

Doctor, good to have you back.

Listen, let's start with two maps here. The first one shows the level of community transmission across the country right now. The presence of COVID almost all red across the country.

The second map shows the strain on hospitals and health care systems. Plenty of red here. But we're not seeing the reimplementation of masking mandates or any major mitigation measures.

Is now the time to do that? DR. ASHISH JHA, WHITE HOUSE COVID-19 RESPONSE COORDINATOR: Yes,

Victor, first of all, thanks for having me back.

You're absolutely right. There are a lot of infections out there, about 120, 130,000 cases, but we think that's a substantial under count, hundreds of thousands of infections every day. Hospitalizations and particularly deaths are relatively low relative to other surges.

I do think people should be doing things to reduce risk of infection. So I think if you're in a crowded indoor space, I think wearing a mask is clearly beneficial in reducing your risk of getting infected, of spreading it to others.

Rapid testing is a really important mitigation technique.

There's a lot of effort being done on improving ventilation, being outdoors. There's a lot of things we can do to reduce infection.

BLACKWELL: What I heard is personal responsibility. My question goes to, should there be some ordinances, governments reimplementing mask mandates like L.A. Was considering?

JHA: Yes, so I think, look, first of all, it's not just personal. It's available, doing a lot on improving ventilation, making masking free, making masks widely available. So I think there's an important role for government there.

In terms of mask mandates, you know, Victor, I have been very clear on this for the last two years.

I really believe mask mandates are decisions made best by local community leaders. Different communities are different. Transmission modes are different. Effectiveness of mask mandates vary.

I think it's a decision that local leaders, mayors, governors, really need to be making.

BLACKWELL: OK. Let me ask you about the boosters. I know you are promoting that people who are eligible for these boosters get them. We also know that the vaccine manufacturers are now working on variant specific boosters for the fall.

For someone who has the first booster, is eligible for the second, should they wait for something that is tailored for this BA.5?

JHA: It's a good question. I'll tell you -- I'll give you the advice I've given my elderly parents, the advice I've given friends and family, which is, if you're above 50 and you have not gotten a shot this year in the year 2022, go get one now.

Two reasons. One, it will protect you for the summer into the early fall when there are a lot of infections as we discussed. It's a great way to protect yourself, keep you out of the hospital, keep you from dying,

And second, it will not make you ineligible, or let me put it positively. You'll still be eligible for those variant specific boosters once they become available later in the fall.

BLACKWELL: So we've been on this roller coaster for three years now. We were on the downside, and then Delta came. And then we took a dip, and then Omicron. And now we're climbing again with this new variant.

Does this variant have the potential to interrupt daily life the way we saw Omicron do in the fall and winter, closing offices, canceling events?

JHA: Yes, it's a very good question. Look, the good news is here we are two and a half years into this pandemic, a year and a half since this administration took office. We have built up the capabilities to avoid all of that.

We don't have to shut down businesses. We don't have to shut down schools. We don't have to let this disrupt our lives.

But we've got to use the tools that we have. Right? We've got to make sure people are up to date on their vaccines. We've got to make sure people are getting treated once they have a breakthrough infection. We've got to use tests and masks and ventilation.

If we do all of that, Victor, absolutely possible to bring that normalcy back to our lives and protecting people's health and well- being.

BLACKWELL: All right, Dr. Ashish Jha, thank you very much.

JHA: Thank you.

CAMEROTA: OK, as we said, President Biden is speaking right now in Somerset, Massachusetts. He's about to announce some new actions to try to combat the climate crisis and extreme heat being felt across the country.

[14:45:07]

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: -- native, Gina McCarthy.

Gina?

(APPLAUSE)

BIDEN: There she is.

(APPLAUSE)

BIDEN: My national climate adviser is leading our climate efforts here at home.

It's an honor to be joined by your neighbor, by your neighbor from Rhode Island. He's not a bad guy at all. I live in his house. Sheldon Whitehouse, a great champion

(APPLAUSE)

BIDEN: A great champion of the environment. He's been banging away.

I come here today with a message. As president, I have a responsibility to act with urgency and resolve when our nation faces clear and present danger, and that's what climate change is about.

It is literally not figuratively a clear and present danger. The health of our citizens in our communities is literally at stake.

The leading international climate scientists call the latest climate report nothing less than, quote, "code red for humanity." Let me say it again, "code red for humanity."

These are not a group of political elected officials. These are the scientists.

We see it here in America in red states and blue states, extreme weather events costing $145 billion, $145 billion in damages just last year.

More powerful and destructive hurricanes and tornados. I've flown over the vast majority of them out west and down in Louisiana, all across America.

It's amazing to see ravaging 100-year-old droughts occurring every few years instead of every 100 years.

Wildfires out west that have burned and destroyed more than five million acres. Everything in its path. That is more land than the entire state of New Jersey from New York down to the tip of Delaware. It's amazing, five million acres.

Our national security's at stake as well. Extreme weather is already damaging our military installations here in the states, and our economy's at risk. So we have to act.

Extreme weather disrupts supply chains causing delays and shortages for consumers and businesses. Climate change is literally an existential threat to our nation and to the world.

So my message today is this, since Congress is not acting as it should and these guys here are, but we're not getting many Republican votes, this is an emergency, an emergency. And I will -- I will look at it that way.

I said last week and I'll say it again loud and clear, as president I'll use my executive powers to combat the climate crisis in the absence of Congressional actions, notwithstanding their incredible actions.

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BIDEN: In the coming days, my administration will announce the executive actions we have developed to combat this emergency. We need to act.

We just take a look around, right now 100 million Americans are under a heat alert, 100 million Americans. And 90 communities across America set records for high temperatures just this year, including here in New England as we speak.

And by the way, records have been set in the Arctic and Antarctic, temperatures that are unbelievable, melting the permafrost.

It's astounding the damage that's being done. And this crisis impacts every aspect of our everyday life.

That's why today I'm making the largest investment ever, $2.3 billion to help communities across the country build infrastructure that's designed to withstand the full range of disasters we've been seeing up to today, extreme heat, drought, flooding, hurricanes tornados.

Right now, there are millions of people suffering from extreme heat at home. So my team is also working with the states to deploy $385 million right now.

For the first time, states will be able to use federal funds to pay for air conditioners in homes, set up community cooling centers in schools where people can get through these extreme heat crises. And I mean people in crises, 100 to 117 degrees.

An infrastructure law that your members of Congress have delivered includes $3.1 billion to weatherize homes and make them more energy efficient, which will lower energy costs while keeping America cool in the summer and warm in the winter and not using too much energy.

My Department of Labor, led by a guy named Marty Walsh, he talks funny. He's a hell of a guy.

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BIDEN: But all kidding aside, Marty was a great mayor. And I know he knows how to get a job done.

And he's doing two things for me. First of all, as secretary of labor, he's developing the first ever workplace standards for extreme heat saying, under these conditions, you cannot do the following. You cannot ask people to do certain things.

[14:50:01]

Second, he's sending folks out from the Labor Department to make sure we hold workplaces and to those standards that are being set. They've already completed over 500 heat-related inspections of workplaces across 43 states. And the end of the day, it's going to save lives.

Now, let me tell you why we're at breaking point. Five years ago, this towering plant that once stood with cooling towers 500 feet high closed down, a coal plant.

And Brayden Point was the largest of its kind in New England, 1,500 megawatts of power, enough to power one in five Massachusetts homes and businesses. For over 50 years. this plant supported this region's economy through

their electricity they supply, the good jobs they provided, and the local taxes they paid.

But the plant, like many others around the country, had another legacy, one of toxins, smog, greenhouse gas emissions, the kind of pollution that contributed to the climate emergency we now face today.

Gina McCarthy, a former regulator in Massachusetts, was telling, on the way up, that folks used to get a rag out and wipe the gunk off their car windshields in the morning just to be able to drive.

Not very much unlike where I grew up in a place called Claymont, Delaware, which has more oil refineries than Houston, Texas, just across the line in Pennsylvania.

I just lived up the road in an apartment complex when we moved to Delaware. And just up the road a little school I went to, Holy Rosary Grade School.

And because it was a four-lane highway that was accessible my mother drove us. And rather than us be able to walk, and guess what, the first frost, you know what was happening? You had to put on your windshield wipers to get literally the oil slick off the window.

That's why I and so damned many other people I grew up with have cancer, and why Delaware had the highest cancer rate in the nation.

But that's the past. And we're going to get -- we're going to build a different future. One with clean energy, good paying jobs.

Just 15 years ago, Americans generated more than half of its electricity from coal, coal-fired plants. Today, that's down to 20 percent. Because there's a big transition happening.

Many of these fossil fuel plants are becoming sites for new clean energy construction. Others are switching to new clean technologies.

Look at Brayden Point. Today, it is one of the frontiers, on the frontier of clean energy in America.

On this site, they'll manufacture 248 miles of high-tech heavy duty cables. Those specialized subsidy cables are necessary to tie offshore wind farms to the existing grid.

Manufacturing these cables will mean good paying jobs for 250 workers. As many workers as the old power plant had at its peak.

(APPLAUSE)

BIDEN: And the port --

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BIDEN: The port here, 34 feet deep, was used to carry coal into the power plant. Now we're going to use that same port to carry components of wind power into the sea.

The converter station here and the substation nearby are the assets that move energy across the power lines. They'll now move clean electricity generated offshore by the wind.

(APPLAUSE)

BIDEN: Enough power to power hundreds of thousands of homes on to the grid, putting all assets to work delivering clean energy.

This didn't happen by accident. It happened because we believed and invested in America's innovation and ingenuity.

One of the companies investing in the factory here joined me at the White House this month, Vineyard Winds, whose CEO told me about the groundbreaking project labor agreements they have negotiated with good union paying jobs.

(APPLAUSE)

BIDEN: And I want to compliment Congressman Bill Keating for his work this this area.

I'm also proud to point out that my administration approved the first commercial project for offshore wind in America, which is being constructed by Vineyard Winds.

Folks, elsewhere in the country, we are -- we are propelling retrofits and ensuring that even where fossil fuel plant retires, they still have a role in powering the future.

In Illinois, for example, the state has launched a broad effort to invest in converting oil power plants to solar farms, led by Governor Pritzker.

In California, the IAWB members have helped turn a former oil plant into the world's largest battery storage facility. The world's largest facility.

In Wyoming, innovators are chosen to a retiring plant for the next site, next generation nuclear plant.

[14:55:01]

And my administration is a partner in that progress. Driving federal resources and funding to the communities that have powered this country for generations. And that's why they need to be taken care of as well.

I want to thank Cecil Roberts, a friend and president of the United Mine Workers of America, and so many other labor leaders who we'll work with on these initiatives.

Since I took office, we have invested $4 billion in federal funding, the 25 hardest hit coal communities in the country, from West Virginia to Kentucky, to Wyoming, to New Mexico. Through the infrastructure law, we're investing in clean hydrogen,

nuclear, and carbon capture, where the largest grid investments in American history.

We've secured $16 billion to clean up abandoned mines and wells, protecting thousands of communities from toxins and wastes. Particularly methane.

And we still, and we're going to seal leaking methane pollution and power greenhouse gas that's 40 times more dangerous to the environment than carbon dioxide.

(APPLAUSE)

BIDEN: And, folks, with American leadership back on climate, I was able to bring more world leaders together than we got 100 nations together to agree that the major conference in Glasgow, England -- I mean, Scotland -- to change the emissions policies we have. We made real progress.

But there's an enormous task ahead. We have to keep retaining and recruiting building trades and union electricians for jobs in wind, solar, hydrogen, nuclear, creating more and better jobs.

We have to revitalize communities, especially fence line communities that are smuggled by the legacy of pollution. We have to out-compete China, and in the world, make these technologies here in the United States not have to import them.

Folks, when I think about climate change -- and I have been saying this for three years -- I think jobs. Climate change, I think jobs.

(APPLAUSE)

BIDEN: Almost 100 wind turbines going up off the coast of Massachusetts and Rhode Island with ground broken and work underway. Jobs, manufacturing, 2,500-ton steel foundations that anchored these offshore wind farms to the floor.

Jobs, manufacturing a Jones Act vessel in Texas, to service these offshore wind farms.

We're going to make sure that the open is ocean for the clean energy of our future, and everything we can do to give a green light to wind power on the Atlantic coast where my predecessor's actions only created confusion.

And today, we begin the process to develop wind power in the Gulf of Mexico as well for the first time. A real opportunity to power millions of additional homes from wind.

Let's clear the way. Let's clear the way for clean energy. And connect these projects to the grid.

I've directed my administration to clear every federal hurdle and streamline federal permitting that brings these clean energy projects online right now and right away.

(APPLAUSE)

BIDEN: And some of you have already come up and talked to me about that.

And while so many governors and mayors have been strong partners in this fight to tackle climate change, we need all governors and mayors. We need public utility commissioners and state agency heads.

We need electric utilities and developers to stand up and part of the solution. Don't be a roadblock.

(APPLAUSE)

BIDEN: You all have a duty right now to our economy, to our competitiveness in the world, to the young people in this nation, and to future generations -- that sounds like hyperbole, but it's not, it's real -- to act boldly on climate.

And so does Congress -- notwithstanding the leadership of the men and women that are here today -- has failed in his duty. Not a single Republican in Congress stepped up to support my climate plan. Not one.

So let me be clear, climate change is an emergency. And in the coming weeks, I'm going to use the power I have as president to turn these words into formal, official government actions through the appropriate proclamations, executive orders, and regulatory power that a president possesses.

(APPLAUSE)

BIDEN: When it comes to fighting climate change, I will not take no for an answer. I will do everything in my power to clean our air and water, protect our people's health, to win the clean energy future.

[14:59:49]

This, again, sounds like hyperbole. Our children and grandchildren are counting on us. It's not a joke. It's not a joke. If we don't keep it below 1.5 degrees centigrade, we lose it all. We don't get to turn it around.

And the world is counting on us. This is the United States of America.