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HIV Vaccine Induces Immune Response in Early Clinical Trial; FDA to Draft New Guidelines that May Allow Gay Men to Donate Blood; LeBron James Accuses Media of Burying Jerry Jones Scandal; Female Prime Ministers Call Out Male Reporter's Sexist Inquiry. Aired 2:30-3p ET

Aired December 01, 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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[14:33:34]

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN HOST: It's World AIDS Day, and researchers just announcing an experimental HIV vaccine that shows promise in early clinical trials.

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN HOST: So studies show it induced immune response, specifically rare antibodies. A development that scientists are calling an important step forward.

The Biden administration also just announced a new global strategy to end the HIV and AIDS pandemic by 2030.

CNN health reporter, Jacqueline Howard, is here now.

Jacqueline, tell us what we know. First, we need to know about this trial. It sounds like this is really good news.

JACQUELINE HOWARD, CNN HEALTH REPORTER: That's right, Victor. This is really exciting science. Now, I should say this is a phase-one clinical trial. So it was done on a small group of volunteers.

And I spoke with one of the researchers just moments ago. She said they are doing another phase-one study that's currently under way.

But these early results are promising. And here's why. The researchers looked at 48 healthy volunteers. Half of them were given the vaccine as a two-dose regimen. The others were given a placebo.

In the vaccine group, some of the participants were given a low-dose regimen, some were given a high dose. But overall, almost all of the participants in the vaccine group, except for one, showed vaccine- induced broadly neutralizing antibodies.

Now, again, these are rare antibodies that the researchers were specifically looking for. And this is a sign that this vaccine regimen could potentially offer some protection against HIV infection.

[14:35:05] Again, early results, phase-one study. The researchers are doing more research in this space. But they say that this evidence, this data suggesting that this vaccine could induce an immune response, specifically these broadly neutralizing antibodies, that's an important step forward and that's what's exciting here -- Victor?

CAMEROTA: For sure.

So, Jacqueline, also tell us about how the FDA is considering revising some of its rules around blood donation.

HOWARD: Right. So I will say currently the FDA guideline says that men who have sex with men should wait three months after sexual activity to donate blood. That's what could potentially change.

The FDA is considering, instead of targeting a broad group, they're considering instead, asking potential donors to submit questionnaire responses to kind of gauge individual risk.

And instead, they're going from this broad requirement, they're considering changing it to looking at a more individual-based risk assessment.

Many people say that that's more so based on science. And right now, the policy appears to be based on stigma. And it's based on this long history that you see here of the FDA's blood donation guidelines.

In 1983, for this demographic of men who have sex with men, they were banned from donating blood. And then, in 2015, that changed to a 12- month time span after sexual activity to donating blood.

And then you see here, in 2020, that changed to three months. That was during the pandemic when we didn't have many blood donations coming in. So that could change again.

We're keeping a close eye on this space to see if the FDA will, in fact, change its guidance -- Victor and Alisyn?

CAMEROTA: Jacqueline Howard, thanks for explaining all that.

BLACKWELL: LeBron James was repeatedly asked questions about the controversy surrounding fellow NBA Star Kyrie Irving. And he wants to know why he's not been asked to weigh in on the controversy surrounding Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones. Watch him turn the tables on the reporters in the room, next.

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[14:41:42]

CAMEROTA: LeBron James turned the tables on reporters at a post-game presser last night, asking why no one ever asked him about the recent controversy involving Jerry Jones, the owner of the Dallas Cowboys.

A photo of Jones, who was a teenager at the time, recently surfaced showing him participating in a protest against black students trying to enter his recently desegregated high school in Arkansas.

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LEBRON JAMES, NBA BASKETBALL PLAYER: I have one question for you guys before you guys leave. I was thinking when I was on my way over here, I was wondering why I haven't gotten a question from you guys about the Jerry Jones photo.

But when the Kyrie thing was going on, you guys were quick to ask us questions about that.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: OK.

JAMES: Hold on. Hold on. Hold on. Hold on. And I don't even want you guys to say nothing.

When I watched Kyrie talk and he says, I know who I am, but I want to keep the same energy when we're talking about my people and the things that we've been through.

And that Jerry Jones photo is one of those moments that our people, black people have been through in America.

And I feel like, as a black man, as a black athlete, as someone with power and a platform, when we do something wrong or something that people don't agree with, it's on every single tabloid, every single news coverage. It's on the bottom ticker. It's asked about every single day.

But it seems like, to me, that the whole Jerry Jones situation, photo -- and I know it was years and years ago and we all make mistakes. I get it.

But it seems like it's just been buried under like oh, it happened, we just -- we just move on. And I was just kind of disappointed I haven't received that question from you guys.

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BLACKWELL: Joining us now is Carron Phillips. He's a senior writer and editor at "Deadspin."

Carron, good to see you.

What do you think about what we heard from LeBron? Is he right?

CARRON PHILLIPS, SENIOR WRITER & EDITOR, "DEADSPIN": He's absolutely right. And what LeBron was doing the other night, he wasn't talking about Jerry Jones because, you know, while this is who is at the center of this discussion and this topic that people have been weighing their opinions on, he is talking about the media.

And how many people in our industry, particularly sports industry where I work, we don't have the same energy for everything across the board like we should. Two things can be true at the same time. We can grill Kyrie Irving all

day and all night, and rightfully so, for the things he's done and have said and want answers from him.

But at the same time, that same amount of energy and the same amount of questions need to be posed about Jerry Jones. And we should ask LeBron about Jerry Jones in the same way that we ask about Kyrie Irving.

I understand there are similarities between LeBron and Kyrie. They play together. They won a championship.

But I'm old enough to remember LeBron being asked about Trump and voting rights and voting and all these other racial and social issues that have come to the forefront since 2016, particularly since Colin Kaepernick kneeled.

[14:45:05]

So we asked him questions about that. Why aren't we asking questions about this? It's because this country, and in this industry, far too many times, we shrug at anti-blackness.

Just because Jerry Jones was 14 doesn't mean anything. Because the last time I checked Emmett Till was 14, too.

CAMEROTA: I thought it was fascinating. I thought it was a fascinating reality check from LeBron. And he delivered it in such a sort of rational, calm way. It really made me think.

And so you think that it's the media. We just what, have blinders on in terms of not being able to see these as equal things worth questioning and talking about?

PHILLIPS: It's not so much the media. It's society as a whole. But if you want to bring it to the media, this is one of those examples of why communities of color scream so much about diversity in the media, so that there are enough reporters in the room who would go up to LeBron and ask him this question.

Because, look, everything that happened to Kyrie Irving and all those questions and the backlash he deserved. He earned that. He did those things. He was a grown man who willingly participated in that.

In the same way that Jerry Jones now -- if you read the "Washington Post" story and read the answers he gave, and that is a part of a series about black coaches in the NFL and how Jerry Jones and other people have not done enough.

The answers and responses that Jerry Jones gave to what he did at 14 are not good enough for the amount of power a man has, who owns, you know, one of the most-wealthiest and richest sports franchise on this planet.

If you're going to be the owner that is more popular than your team, then what comes from that is answering questions like this. And the answers he gave to the "Washington Post" and the great journalists who wrote this story were not good enough.

BLACKWELL: Do you think this exchange with LeBron James changes anything?

PHILLIPS: We'll see. I know LeBron has previously spoken about how he grew up as a Dallas Cowboys fan and he fell back from that because of the way Jerry Jones personally handled players kneeling and his comments on Colin Kaepernick.

But will we see, you know, more report reporters, especially sports reporters, ask athletes about other racial and social issues outside of what's happening in their particular sports? We will see. Will I be surprised if it doesn't happen? No.

But I really hope this is a moment where people look at and realize that they need to do better and realize some of the things that's really going on because, like LeBron said, again, keep that same energy.

BLACKWELL: Carron Phillips, good to see you. Thank you.

CAMEROTA: So New Zealand's prime minister claps back at a reporter's question that seemed to imply that girls just want to have fun.

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[14:51:58]

BLACKWELL: New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Arden is being lauded for a mic-drop moment during a press conference. Arden and her Finnish counterpart met in Auckland to discuss trade relations and support for Ukraine.

CAMEROTA: But one reporter's question annoyed them.

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UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: A lot of people are wondering are you meeting just because you're similar in age and, you know, got a lot of, you know, common stuff here, and you got into politics and stuff, or can Kiwis actually expect to see more deals between our two countries down the line?

JACINDA ARDEN, NEW ZEALAND PRIME MINISTER: My first question is I wonder whether or not anyone ever asked Barack Obama why they met because they were of similar age.

We, of course, have a high proportion of men in politics. It's reality because two women meet, it's not specifically because of their gender.

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CAMEROTA: Joining us now is CNN political commentator, S.E. Cupp.

One of the best parts was the body language, when she listens and tilts her head back. S.E. CUPP, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR; Right.

CAMEROTA: So let me do something. Let me play devil's advocate, S.E. Because, you know, just for fun.

So I think what the reporter, inartfully, was trying to say was, you guys, you know, New Zealand and Finland are not known as trade partners. So are you guys hatching out a deal here or are you just meeting here because you have a lot personally in common?

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BLACKWELL: Devil's advocate. Devil's advocate.

CUPP: You and I are talking because we have a lot of stuff in common too, right? No. Listen, I'm offended by that question as a woman, but more as a journalist.

Like, that's your question? What a waste of an opportunity. You have two prime ministers in front of you, and you're asking about their stuff in common and stuff. So I think that was -- that was bad.

But, listen, this is why representation matters, because, if you are not -- you know, matters in politics. It matters also in board rooms and in popular culture.

Because if you are not seen that often, you ask stupid questions like that. Stupid questions like that come out of your mouth because it is novel to see two heads of state in the same room.

And so, you know, yes, it's important that we elect more women into politics and also everywhere else. But representation and seeing that more and more matters so that you know to ask smart questions, not just about their stuff in common and stuff.

BLACKWELL: You know, S.E., the question was sexist, but that's not primarily what I heard. I didn't hear that first.

CAMEROTA: What did you hear?

BLACKWELL: I thought it was dismissive because of their ages. It was, like, you two are young. Are you just getting together to talk? You're not really handling anything like you're heads of government or anything.

But I thought it was dismissive because of their age first.

CAMEROTA: Ageism.

BLACKWELL: Yes.

[14:55:00]

CUPP: I mean, that happens, too, and it's part and parcel. The fact they're both two youngish, attractive women, I'm sure was novel to this person. So I think, yes. There was a lot of condescension and I think ignorance and dumbing down in one question. And I think you're right to see that as part of it.

But, man, what an opportunity to have asked these two women, impressive women who know a lot about their countries, obviously, some, like, stuff about their countries and not just imagine that they're going to, like, braid each other's hair and have a pillow fight because they're two women of the same age and stuff.

CAMEROTA: S.E. Cupp, never minces words.

S.E., we love seeing you. Thank you.

BLACKWELL: Thanks, S.E.

So the family of Paul Whelan, an American detained in Russia, is raising some new concerns about his well-being after he was reportedly moved to a prison hospital. Ahead, we'll speak with Paul's brother.

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