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Corey Dunham, Syracuse COO, Discusses State Of Emergency As Massive Storm Arrives In NY; Migrants Wait In Cold At Border For Chance To Request Asylum; WH Cautiously Optimistic About Economy In 2023 On Heels Of New Data; Winter Storm Impacting Shipping For Last- Minute Gifts; Iowa Sports Reporter Not Happy About Filling In On Weather Coverage; Empty Pharmacy Shelves Shine Light On U.S. Drug Supply Problems. Aired 2:30-3p ET

Aired December 23, 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]

KRISTIN FISHER, CNN HOST: So New York Governor Kathy Hochul has declared a state of emergency as this massive storm begins to move across the state. Blizzard and windchill warnings are in effect throughout New York as are coastal flood warnings.

And the temperature is just now starting to plunge in the central part of the state. Syracuse bracing for snow today and windchills to drop to 25 below on Saturday.

Corey Dunham is the chief operating officer for the city of Syracuse.

Corey, wow, there's a lot to be concerned about. What's your biggest concern for the Syracuse area?

COREY DUNHAM, CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER, CITY OF SYRACUSE: I mean, I think right now our main concern is whether or not we're going to be able to get ahead of this flash freeze that's happening.

You know, right now, this morning, it was 41 degrees, you know, pretty balmy at least for Syracuse in December. And now we're down to 21, but it feels more like six.

It's just getting those plows out to get salt down on those roads to make sure we can get ahead of these icy conditions.

FISHER: Yes. They're coming in quick.

So New York State is banning nonessential driving on some major interstates. How much is Syracuse impacted by those road closures?

DUNHAM: I mean, you know, a lot of it is in the throughways and highways that surround Syracuse. So there's not too much in terms of local traffic that we're concerned about.

And you know, three to five inches for Syracuse is nothing. That's a walk in the park. But with the wind blowing and, again, icy conditions, it just makes driving anywhere pretty treacherous.

FISHER: Three to five inches, a walk in the park. I know my family in Texas would not agree with that.

So what about power outages?

DUNHAM: Nothing --

FISHER: You are well prepared in Syracuse for these types of storms. Do you have more plans to open more warming centers if it gets really bad?

DUNHAM: Yes. We've been in close contact with emergency management to make sure that city residents have what they need in case of emergency.

We've been in touch with our local utility provider, national grid. We've got our forestry crew ready to go in case we have any trees and downed power lines. So you know, we're ready.

We're not expecting the huge snow amounts that we usually get, but we'll be ready.

FISHER: Any final advice to the people in your area? I mean, they're definitely better prepared than most Americans for storms like this. You seem like you're very prepared but not too rattled by it.

I mean, this is a bad one, and it's hitting right before Christmas. Any advice to the people who live where you are?

DUNHAM: Yes. I mean, I think we've been pushing for the last few days for people to take their time with where they're going and to drive carefully, drive safely.

And make sure that if you need to travel, you know, it's because you need to and you're not making any unnecessary trips.

We're used to large accumulations of snow, but ice is not something we generally deal with entirely on its own. But again, our plows are out there, they're salting the roads. We're ready.

FISHER: That's nice to hear.

Happy holidays, Corey. And thank you so much for taking the time to talk to us.

DUNHAM: Thank you.

FISHER: Right now, the entire state of Texas is seeing temperatures below freezing. Texas, of course, not used to being as well prepared to storms like this as places like Syracuse.

And that includes the southern border where thousands of migrants are outside in the cold hoping to request asylum.

A federal court was set to lift Title 42 on Wednesday, which would have allowed more migrants to cross. Now the Trump-era migration policy, it remains in legal limbo.

CNN's Ed Lavandera is live in El Paso, Texas.

So, Ed, first of all, what's the weather like, and how are the people behind you handling these cold conditions?

ED LAVANDERA, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's been an extremely dangerous situation here in El Paso. Late last night, there were emergency teams from the city of El Paso driving around this area.

This is just outside the Sacred Heart Church shelter in downtown El Paso. They normally can fit 130 people inside this shelter. Last night, they upped that to 200 because the temperatures got down to 19, 20 degrees. Absolutely excruciatingly painful.

One person we talked to a while ago said -- who slept out here last night -- said it felt like they were a passenger on "The Titanic," it was so cold. And the concern is, is that that will continue to happen here.

And the other dynamic that has changed here is that many of the migrants you see here do not have the immigration -- proper immigration paperwork because of the holdup with Title 42.

Many of these people have crossed repeatedly and been expelled. And they have gotten to the point now where they no longer trust the process, they don't want to continue going through all of that.

So quite frankly, they have decided to enter illegally into the U.S. And that complicates matters because there are some shelters that can only take people who have the proper paperwork because of federal and state law. So that really changes the dynamic out here.

But city officials were so concerned about what was happening last night, they were going around essentially pleading with people to go inside some of the shelter space that had been opened up at churches miles away from this downtown area.

[14:35:04]

But there is such a concern among these migrants that they would be turned over to border authorities, they didn't want to go. They said they would much rather endure the painful cold than the prospect -- or the possibility of being expelled from the U.S. -- Kristin?

FISHER: Choosing the cold over possibly being expelled from the U.S. Hopefully, they get some answers from the Supreme Court soon on Title 42.

Ed Lavandera, thank you so much.

So fresh indicators show that inflation is headed in the right direction. And now the White House officials are projecting confidence about the economy's ability to bounce back next year. What this means for your wallet is next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [14:40:05]

FISHER: New economic data out today shows that a key measure of inflation continued to cool in November. The White House says it's cautiously optimistic about what that might mean for 2023.

CNN's Vanessa Yurkevich joining us now.

Vanessa, this inflation measurement is said to be the Fed's favorite. What exactly did it show?

VANESSA YURKEVICH, CNN BUSINESS & POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, this is the personal consumption expenditure price index, also known as PCE. It showed that inflation cooled in November, about 5.5 percent year over year.

That is a significant drop from where it was in October when it was 6.1 percent. And that is the lowest annual increase since October 2021, when we started seeing really high inflation.

Then month over month, you see there .1 percent. That's great compared to what it was in October when it was .8 percent.

And the Federal Reserve likes to see these numbers. This is the last big economic inflation report that they are getting before 2023. And it's a good indication of where they need to go next year.

Of course, 5.5 percent still a bit high. They want to see that number at 2 percent.

But this is also encouraging for the White House, who is saying that they are cautiously optimistic. They like to see these cooler inflation reports. We've seen a couple over the last month.

They're also seeing a strong labor market. They're seeing low unemployment. And they're seeing consumer sentiment rise. For them, they're feeling pretty good about 2023.

The only thing they're keeping an eye on is what is happening with the war in Ukraine. That does impact U.S. food and energy prices. It's uncertain what's going to happen in the next year or so there. They're keeping an eye on that.

But so far, cautiously optimistic.

FISHER: That's good news.

On the flip side, there's a lot of last-minute gifts that may not make it for Christmas because of this massive winter storm we've been covering.

What are companies like FedEx and UPS saying about our packages and all these last-minute gifts?

YURKEVICH: Yes, they are feeling the impacts of this storm just like Americans across the country. If you procrastinated and ordered your Christmas gifts last minute and you're expecting them to arrive today or tomorrow, they will likely be delayed.

The U.S. Postal Service saying that they've had to close 89 locations mainly in South Dakota, North Dakota, Nebraska, Minnesota, and Iowa.

And then you have FedEx saying that they've had major impacts at their hubs in Memphis and Indianapolis. Amazon having to close some locations presumably in the Midwest.

And what these shippers are asking us to do, you to do, is to be patient because they are truly trying to get everyone their Christmas gifts on time.

But they are fighting against Mother Nature. And of course, their biggest concern is keeping their employees safe.

So a little patience will go a long way. Gifts maybe not in time for Christmas, but what's another day or two?

FISHER: That's what you get for last-minute shopping, right?

(CROSSTALK)

FISHER: I'm guilty. You know it's always a possibility this time of year.

Vanessa Yurkevich, thank you.

So a local sports reporter fills in for his station's weather coverage, and he is not happy about it. Now his candid thoughts have gone viral.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARK WOODLEY, SPORTS REPORTER, KWWL-TV: The good news is that I can still feel my face right now. The bad news is I kind of wish I couldn't.

Can I go back to my regular job?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FISHER: He's going to join us next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:48:14]

FISHER: A once-in-a-generation winter storm is keeping Americans indoors. And a local sports reporter in Iowa is keeping it real after being forced to go outdoors.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED KWWL ANCHOR: Mark, how you feeling out there?

WOODLEY: Again, the same way I felt about eight minutes ago when you asked me that same question.

I normally do sports. Everything is canceled here for the next couple of days.

So what better time to ask the sports guy to come in about five hours earlier than he would normally wake up, go stand out in the wind and the snow and the cold, and tell other people not to do the same.

I didn't even realize that there was a 3:30 also in the morning until today.

Can I go back to my regular job?

I'm pretty sure, Ryan, that you guys added an extra hour to the show just because somebody likes torturing me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FISHER: That clip of CNN affiliate, KWWL, Reporter Mark Woodley is going viral.

And Mark is with us now for my favorite segment of the day.

Mark, I spent almost a decade in local news doing exactly what you were just forced to do. And I can't tell you how many times I wanted to say what you did but didn't have the guts to.

So I have to know, were you planning to say this ahead of time, or did it all just come out live?

WOODLEY: I think that's just a bit of who I am. You know, on air, I love to give my co-workers grief.

I think the fact that I didn't find out until the day before that I was working the morning show -- I knew I was going to do weather on Thursday, but a guy called in the afternoon and I found out it was the morning show.

And I normally do the 10:00 show, get off work about 11:00 and go to bed. I didn't work on Wednesday, but I didn't have that time to adjust my sleep schedule.

[14:50:03]

I don't think I fell asleep until about 11:00. And I was running on about three hours of sleep at that time. And some things maybe I wouldn't have said if I had slept for eight hours. But, you know, it is what it is.

We cover these things every single year. It's all the same. And I think sometimes viewers might tune it out. And I thought maybe if I bring attitude to it, people might pay attention.

It's a serious storm. I took it very seriously. You're seeing 90 seconds out of 15 to 20 minutes over my time. The rest was serious, making sure people, you know, know that they need to do to be safe.

But it's just kind of who I am. And thankfully, bosses are, at least right now, they're on board with it.

FISHER: Yes. I mean, you had fun with it. You've gone viral. You now have tons of fans. I have to know how did your managers and field directors feel about it? Did you get in trouble?

WOODLEY: You know, I had some concerns about that because, like I said, the actual segments, they didn't come off like that.

But, when you splice it all together, you know, it's like a movie trailer for a bad comedy film. All the funny parts are in the trailer. The funny parts were the stuff that you didn't see.

Nobody thought about it when we were done with the morning show. And then I cut that stuff up together and I wasn't planning on putting it on Twitter. It was my sister-in-law who said, you've got to tweet this.

I just put it on Facebook for my friends and family to kind of laugh at. I put it on Twitter, thinking, 20, 30 people are going to see this, and the managers aren't going to care because it's not going to go anywhere.

And within hours, I'm getting these text messages, like, dude, you're going viral. Judd Apatow retweeted you. David Cross -- David Cross is one of my favorites. It was insane. Rich Eisen.

And at this point, 90 percent of me is kind of giddy about it. The other 10 percent is, like, am I going to get in trouble for this? Because sort of, in my own way, I call out the station. For me, it was in good fun.

Was there some truth to it? Oh, absolutely. I think every reporter who has done this has wanted to say that, and I was tired enough to let it come out.

FISHER: I'm one of them.

Any chance you'll switch from sports to weather?

WOODLEY: There have been so many comments like, he's going to be the new weather guy. Blizzard coverage from now on. That is my absolute nightmare.

I mean, you know, we're a bit shorthanded like every newsroom in the country, and that's why I was in the situation in the first place.

My G.M. came out and shot some of those later live shots on that morning show. But -- so I'm a team player. If I'm asked, sure, I'll do it.

But that would be my absolute nightmare. So I hope to god they do not ask me to ever do that again. FISHER: Well, Mark Woodley, a sports reporter who is not going to turn

into a weather reporter no matter -- or a meteorologist no matter how much anyone of us would like it.

Mark, you're now a personal legend and hero to myself, but to probably all the local news reporters current and former all across the country for saying what we've all thought so many times.

Thanks so much.

And can I just say I wish you had been outside for this. You. Look way too comfortable in there.

WOODLEY: I feel way too comfortable. Actually, I feel really good right now. I don't think -- it's actually -- I believe worse today than it was yesterday out there. The wind is so bad. So no. No.

But thank you so much for having me on and happy holidays.

FISHER: All right. Happy holidays to you, too.

So meanwhile, the nation is facing a shortage of children's pain medication. CNN is speaking with parents and pharmacists about the dire situation unfolding across the country, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:58:16]

FISHER: A shortage of several high-profile prescription drugs has some patients searching pharmacies and rationing pills. In fact, some parents are having to hunt for over-the-counter pain medications for their sick kids.

CNN's Athena Jones has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MELISSA HALFON, MOM LOOKING FOR KIDS' MEDICATION IN NEW YORK CITY: It's pretty brutal for all of us.

ATHENA JONES, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Melissa Halfon's 18-month-old twins are teething -- a painful process.

HALFON: We just had an infant a few days ago where one of them didn't eat for three days because he had so much teething pain.

JONES: Lately, the Brooklyn mother has struggled to find medicines to treat her boys, Walt and Henry, who generally fall ill at the same time.

HALFON: Every drugstore within walking distance of me is totally bare. My husband did have to drive all the way across Brooklyn.

JONES: As communities nearly everywhere battle a surge in respiratory illnesses like the flu, COVID-19 and RSV, which can be particularly dangerous for young children, increased demand is driving a shortfall across the country of prescription and over-the-counter medicines for children.

The result, empty shelves and limits on the amount of medicine you can buy at CVS, Walgreens, and Rite Aid, leaving parents and pharmacists frustrated and concerned.

From Reno, Nevada --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They get really bad fevers -- our kids -- so I was pretty scared. Nowhere over here, they didn't have anything in stock, so I had to drive 30 minutes to Carson to find some.

JONES: -- to Los Angeles --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Really, really hard to order Tylenol generic brand, ibuprofen general brand, cough syrup, especially for kids.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How are you?

JONES: -- to Spartanburg, South Carolina, where children's Tamiflu is out of stock.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's not a delivery date to my wholesaler, which is in North Carolina. So -- and they can't -- they're telling me they can't get it from the manufacturers.

JONES: At Cherry's Pharmacy in Manhattan --

CHARLES TABOUCHIRANI, CHERRY'S PHARMACY, NEW YORK CITY: This is absolutely extraordinary.

[14:59:59]

JONES: -- now, even alternatives to liquid medicines, like chewables and suppositories, are unavailable.

TABOUCHIRANI: It really is a huge problem in our community and across the country.