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China Doubles Down on Strict Zero-COVID Policies as Anger Mounts; Heavy Rain May Snarl Post-Thanksgiving Travel; Adidas Launches Investigation into Kanye Misconduct Claims; U.S. Facing England in Highly Anticipated Soccer Showdown; Study: You Don't Need 8 Glasses of Water a Day. Aired 2:30-3p ET

Aired November 25, 2022 - 14:30   ET

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

[14:30:00]

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN HOST: Selina Wang for us there. Thank you so much.

Let's talk with Dr. F. Perry Wilson, an associate professor at Yale University School of Medicine. And he's the author of the upcoming book, "How Medicine Works and When It Doesn't."

Dr. Wilson, good to see you again.

Let's start with this record number of new daily cases in China. Despite all of the lockdowns and the mitigations, why is this happening?

DR. F. PERRY WILSON, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR, YALE UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE & AUTHOR: Well, China's quite literally the last place on earth where the majority of the population has not been infected with COVID. And so there's a huge susceptible population.

The vaccination program in China has been OK. But using vaccines that might not be as potent as the vaccines that are available in the West.

And furthermore, and potentially more concerning, the distribution of vaccination in China is almost exactly the reverse of what you see in the U.S., where older people are less likely to be vaccinated than younger people.

And that's a real recipe for disaster, because, as we all know by now, COVID is much more severe the older people are.

So, I think there might be a lot of pain, a lot of hurt coming in the future.

BLACKWELL: There's probably a political answer to this as well.

But from a public health perspective, are they overreacting in some of these ways that they're trying to lock down the population? Zero- COVID, apparently, from what we're seeing in these numbers, just is not possible.

WILSON: I mean, I won't speak to the politics. But I will say that they're really trying to hold back the tide here on two fronts.

Number one, they're dealing with variants of the coronavirus now that are eight to 10 times more transmissible than the original coronavirus.

So, maybe it would have been possible back when this all started years ago, to attain some zero-COVID. It's not now. The level of contagion is simply too high.

The second thing they have to fight against is the will of the people to tolerate these policies.

And despite, you know, conditioning by what amounts to a totalitarian regime, you can see that, you know, humanity can only be pushed so far before they start to push back.

And I think this is a losing battle for the government of China at this point.

BLACKWELL: Let's bring it home now. Fifty million-plus people travelled for Thanksgiving. Most of the time spent indoors with family and friends.

What are you expecting our national COVID case picture will be a week or two out from the Thanksgiving weekend?

WILSON: It's a great question, and I don't have a great answer.

You know, we know that there are new variants spreading, the BQ.1 and 11 variants, which are probably more transmissible and can evade vaccination.

So epidemiologically, yes, I would expect we would see an increase in cases with people gathering indoors like this.

The big question is, will our level of vaccination keep the people hospitalized and dying with COVID steady? If so, people will miss work and that will be problematic.

But if we can keep the hospital beds open for people with other conditions, we might be able to get through this patch.

BLACKWELL: How clear will the picture be considering that a lot of people are relying on at-home testing now. They're testing themselves, not calling the Health Department.

And also we're not getting those daily reports from cities and states like we did at the peak of the pandemic.

WILSON: Yes, I mean, most of my colleagues and I have really stopped looking at case numbers at all as indicators of where we're going on the pandemic curve. We're looking at those hospitalizations and deaths to tell us what's going on?

BLACKWELL: All right, Dr. F. Perry Wilson, always good to have you. Thank you, sir. WILSON: Thank you.

BLACKWELL: Severe weather may threaten your travel plans this holiday weekend, depending upon where you are. Storms are moving through the southern U.S. right now, with more on the way.

Let's go to Meteorologist Jennifer Gray in the CNN Weather Center for us.

What should we expect over the next couple of days?

JENNIFER GRAY, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes, you're right. We do have a storm system that's basically developing across the south. And that's going to impact not only the south south/southeast but a huge chunk of the east coast as well.

We've had some showers this morning across the eastern seaboard. Those are clearing out. If today is your day to travel, you're in luck.

But if you're waiting until later in the weekend, you are going to have problems. We have rain and snow developing across west Texas right now. So, things are looking good. Friday, current airport delays, not bad.

But once this system starts to intensify, it's really going to spread rain, not only all the way through the south -- here's Saturday, the Mississippi River Valley -- but then it strengthens and goes through the Ohio Valley, the southeast on Sunday.

So, your airport delays are really going to be centered across the south for tomorrow.

But then, by the time we get into Sunday, then we're going to start seeing more airport delays. Could see some pretty moderate delays across places like D.C., New York, and Boston, Victor, by the time we get into Sunday.

So, if your travel plans are delayed and you're not getting out until Sunday, you may have to wait at the airport a little bit once these storms reach you. Could cause some delays there, Victor.

[14:35:03]

BLACKWELL: Oh, great. I'm flying back on Sunday evening.

Thank you, Jennifer.

GRAY: You're welcome.

(CROSSTALK)

GRAY: Just the messenger.

BLACKWELL: Thanks so much.

Just what I needed. Jennifer Gray, thank you.

GRAY: Thanks.

BLACKWELL: Fresh off its decision to end its partnership with Kanye West over anti-Semitic remarks, Adidas is now launching an investigation into alleged workplace misconduct. That story, ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:40:00]

BLACKWELL: Adidas is launching an investigation into misconduct allegations against the rapper formerly known as Kanye West.

"Rolling Stone" obtained an anonymous letter sent to the company by unnamed high-ranking employees of Ye's brand, Yeezy. They accused the rapper of verbal abuse, bullying, offensive remarks, especially towards women.

The letter also claims that senior leaders at Adidas turned a blind eye to the abuse.

The company ended its partnership, you'll remember, with Ye after he made a series of anti-Semitic remarks in recent marks.

CNN's Vanessa Yurkevich is with me now.

So do we know yet how Adidas is handling these accusations that got in the letter?

VANESSA YURKEVICH, CNN BUSINESS & POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: They are currently investigating right now. This is because a "Rolling Stone" report laid out that they received this anonymous letter from high- level employees at Yeezy that was sent to the executive board at Adidas, laying out this misconduct.

And also encouraging the board to investigate Kanye West and address these issues and, quote, "the toxic and chaotic environment" that Kanye West created.

Some of these alleged misconduct allegations include verbal abuse, bullying, offensive remarks, particularly aimed at women, and also sexual harassment.

The letter, exclusively obtained by "Rolling Stone," also lays out that Adidas knew about Kanye West's behavior, did nothing about it, and ignored it.

Now we have Adidas coming out with a statement on this. And it reads in part:

Quote, "It is currently not clear whether the accusations made in an anonymous letter are true. However, we take these allegations very seriously, and have taken the decision to launch an independent investigation of the matter immediately to address the allegations." And of course, Kanye West and Adidas had a very successful partnership

for about 10 years, until the company decided to end that partnership because of anti-Semitic remarks that Kanye West made.

Also right now, Kanye West does not have a publicist, and he does not have a lawyer representing him in this matter.

However, we did reach out to an associate of Kanye West and the brand, Yeezy, to try to get comment on these allegations. We have not heard back yet.

But of course, Kanye West is back on Twitter. He can make a statement publicly on this, which he is known to do on past issues. But, Victor, we haven't heard anything from West just Yet -- Victor?

BLACKWELL: All right, Vanessa Yurkevich, for us, thank you.

Eight glasses of water a day. Drink eight glasses a day. You've heard that so many times. Well, now there's a study that says, eh, maybe not.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:46:55]

BLACKWELL: Right now, a huge showdown at the World Cup. The U.S. battling England. The Brits are favored, but the upset factor has been dominant this year.

We're live at dueling cross-Atlantic pub watches. Andy Scholes in Atlanta. Anna Stewart at a pub in London.

Andy, you're up first.

How's the crowd there?

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Hey, Victor. We just stopped a corner kick, so it's good news here in downtown Atlanta.

The fans, I tell you what, they are just waiting for any reason to erupt. It actually just went to halftime. So all the fans are getting a nice break.

The game has been tense. I tell you what, lots to cheer about for Team USA so far. They outplayed England in this game. On their side of the field the entire time.

The fans here so pumped for this game, Victor. Been waiting eight years. Didn't make the World Cup last time around.

Some of the fans I talked to have been here since 9:00 in the morning. Capacity here is about 600 people. There's a line around the building of people wanting to be in here to watch this game in this moment.

Here with Mike right here.

Mike, what do you think of the first half so far?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, you can only win if you get shots on goal. We're shooting it out there, trying to kick it, trying to get it in. You do it enough times, it'll go in. I feel good about our chances.

SCHOLES: Thanks, Mike. Pace yourself.

Victor, a lot of the fans I've been talking to have been pointing to the Revolutionary War in 1776, the upset back in 1950 as reasons of why the U.S. is going to win today.

Not only -- not sure how rational that is. But they're optimistic here. And by the first half, they have reason to be.

BLACKWELL: They're referencing -- I heard a 13-colony reference there. That's what they're leaning on? I did hear during the mic check chants of "I believe we can win." So that's good.

Anna, let me come to you where you are.

What are you seeing?

ANNA STEWART, CNN REPORTER: All right. So I would say about 45 minutes ago, there was excitement, especially in England. This is the spiritual home. They have been throwing gold when they score. It is 0- 0 in hard time.

What do you think is happening so far? Are you getting worried now?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I came in a lot more confident than I am now. I'm not going to lie, Yes. I thought we had this one in the bag, but USA's looking hot.

STEWART: What was your prediction going into this in terms goals and what now?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was thinking 2-1, 2-0 maybe. I would be happy with a draw.

STEWART: Oh. Don't say that too loudly around here. I don't think people are going to like that.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're flying the flag.

STEWART: We're still flying flags, Victor. We are still trying to keep our feet about this.

Did you know that the last two games between England and the U.S. in the World Cup have not ended in an England victory.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I hope not. I mean, I would like to see them pick it up in the second half. Maybe they'll get a little team chat, come back home for them.

[14:50:05] STEWART: Yes. Fighting on. It's not over yet. And I cannot -- it's not over until it's over. And I think we'll get the mood picking up again -- Victor?

BLACKWELL: Anna, I don't know if there's ever a bad time to get a beer.

Anna, let me stay with you.

There are some U.S. players who play in the Premier League there in the U.K. Do they have any fans today?

STEWART: There are no American friends that I have seen here. And if there are any, they are keeping themselves incredibly well hidden. I feel like this would be an interesting place as an American.

But you know what? There are lots of burger bars around. Bunch of American vibes.

And when the match is over, we may have to dry our eyes. Who knows? For now, the focus is England.

BLACKWELL: OK. Perfect pitch there.

Andy, back to you.

And remind us of what is at stake here.

SCHOLES: Well, you know, quite a bit, Victor. The United States, the men's soccer team, you know, we haven't had much to talk about for a very long time. We didn't make the World Cup four years ago.

I think there's just been a lot of buildup. I wouldn't call it aggression, but these fans want something to go nuts about. They didn't get it in the Wales game. It ended in a one-one tie.

As long as the U.S. doesn't get blown out in this game, which is looking like a great possibility now considering it's 0-0, it's all going to come down to that Iran game earlier next week.

These fans want to win this game today very badly. There's a good contingent of England fans here that's making this pub, Victor, a great atmosphere because they go back and forth and back and forth. Pulisic almost made that goal, and this place went nuts.

Here's hoping the U.S. fans get more to cheer about than the England fans the rest of the way.

BLACKWELL: All right, Andy Scholes, Anna Stewart, thank you both. Have fun. We'll check back with you later.

The Coast Guard is calling it a Thanksgiving miracle. Details on the incredible rescue of a man who went overboard on a cruise ship and survived up to 20 hours floating in the Gulf of Mexico.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [14:57:01]

BLACKWELL: How many times have you heard drink eight glasses of water each day every day to stay properly hydrated? We've all heard it for years. Is it true? There's a new study that says, no, somebody made that up.

Let's bring in CNN's senior medical correspondent, Elizabeth Cohen.

What are the facts around how much water we need?

DR. ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: You know, Victor, it's so interesting. No one knows exactly where that "eight cups of day" comes from.

Some people think it was a 1945 government recommendation that got misunderstood. So it was ages ago. And it was misunderstood. So not clear where it came from, but it's basically sort of an adage at this point.

When you go to the CDC Web site, they don't have any particular amount. They don't say get X number of glasses of water.

And we don't get all of our water from drinks. We get a lot from the food that we eat.

But this new study is so interesting. What these researchers did is they looked at 5,600 study participants from all over the world.

They gave them water to drink. And the water had isotopes in it so that they could follow how much was being used by their bodies and how much was being excreted out.

And they had some interesting findings. What they found was that what people used every day, it ranged from four cups a day for some people to 25 cups a day for others. That's a huge difference.

That's why the CDC doesn't make a single recommendation. Everyone is so different.

One of the biggest differences here is the amount of physical activity. That's going to make a big difference.

Gender makes a difference. Men use up more water than women do. Size, your weight also makes a difference. And so does climate. If you live in a hot and humid place, you are going to need more water.

So for that reason, the CDC doesn't make a specific recommendation. This study found human beings need such a wide variety, differences in amounts.

BLACKWELL: How do I know if I'm getting enough?

COHEN: That is the question, right? So I wish I could give you a number, but we can't. We're going to put a stop to that "eight cups a day." What you can do -- and, Victor, and I hate to be graphic but there's

no way around this-- you can look at your urine. Look at your pee. Look at the color.

The Cleveland Clinic does a wonderful job of laying out what color you should be looking for.

If your pee is, like, a pale kind of straw color, that's great. You are well hydrated.

If it's sort of an amber or honey color, that means you're dehydrated and you need to be drinking more.

If your urine is more of a syrup color, the color of, say, brown ale, that's not good. You should drink more. If it stays that color, you could have a medical problem and you need to see your doctor.

That's really the only way to try to get a feeling for how much you need. Just take a look, it'll tell you a lot.

BLACKWELL: All right. We will pay attention then.

Elizabeth Cohen, thank you very much.

[14:59:56]

COHEN: OK.

BLACKWELL: Hey, there. I'm Victor Blackwell. Welcome to CNN NEWSROOM. It is good to have you.

The official start of the holiday shopping season now across the country.