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New Covid Measures for China Travelers; Brutal Weather in Buffalo; House Leadership Silent on Santos; A Look At Dionne Warwick's Career; Diabetics Struggle to get Key Drug. Aired 9:30-10a ET
Aired December 28, 2022 - 09:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[09:33:51]
JESSICA DEAN, CNN ANCHOR: This morning the U.S. joined several other countries in considering new Covid measures for travelers arriving from China. And that's because China is easing its own Covid mandates and restrictions, even as the country is seeing cases surge.
CNN White House correspondent Arlette Saenz joining us now live from St. Croix, where the president is vacationing with his family.
Good morning, Arlette.
Walk us through what's on the table here.
ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Jessica, the U.S. is considering adding some new travel measures relating to Covid-19 for travelers coming from China. And they say that this is due to concerns over the rise in cases in China, as well as what officials have described of a lack of transparent data. Now, these decisions are being made by public health officials here in the U.S. And one U.S. official told me that a decision on possibly adding a testing requirement for those travelers could be made soon.
Now, some of the concerns about that data is that public health officials want to ensure that they have as much information as possible to try to identify if there are any new variants and if they need to put any new measures in place to try to protect people.
[09:35:00]
So that is why you hear officials expressing some concern about that today.
Now, this all comes as some other countries have also -- already announced that they are going to put some new Covid measures in place when it comes to travel from China. For instance, Japan announced that at some point in the coming week they will be requiring a negative Covid test upon arrival for those traveling from mainland China. So, the U.S. officials here have said that they are looking at all of the options and determining whether they want to impose some additional measures here. They've been closely watching the end of that zero Covid policy in China and the resulting rise in cases that they've seen.
DEAN: All right, Arlette Saenz for us in St. Croix. Thank you so much for that update.
Let's go now to Buffalo, New York. A mess still unfolding there as the city digs out of nearly 52 inches of show. At least 31 people have died in Erie County, New York.
We're also hearing some truly incredible rescue and survival stories. One close call unfolded on Facebook Live after a woman discovered an elderly man caught outside in the storm with severe frostbite.
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SHA'KYRA AUGHTRY, HELPED SAVE FROSTBITTEN MAN FROM BLIZZARD: I've called the National Guard. I have called 911. I've called everybody. Agents keep telling me I'm on a list. I don't want to be on no list. I don't care about nothing else. This man is not about to die over here on 111 (ph). Y'all need to get this man some help.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DEAN: That's Sha'Kyra Aughtry. First responders could not reach her. A lot of those first responders couldn't clear any of the roads, couldn't get to where they needed to go. Others saw her live stream, though, and helped her get that man, Joe White, to the hospital, where he's now recovering in the ICU with severe frostbite burns. White's family says he's developmentally disabled and may have gotten disoriented after leaving his group home on the 24th.
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SHA'KYRA AUGHTRY, HELPED SAVE FROSTBITTEN MAN FROM BLIZZARD: My family, you know, always taught me, you know, to have compassion. And that's what I did. It was - you know, I just had to jump in. I just had to jump in and do what I can do. And I tried to as long as, you know, to help him come to me, me and -- me and his sister just, you know, we bonded over the time throughout the course of the time of him being with me.
YVONNE WHITE, HER BROTHER SUFFERED SEVERE FROSTBITE IN BLIZZARD: Honestly, I'm sure he would have perished. Like I told Joey, we gained a family. I'm - I'm looking at my sister.
AUGHTRY: Yes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DEAN: Such love and compassion. Really amazing story.
The snow, thankfully, has finally come to an end there. Temperatures will warm to 50 degrees later this week.
CNN's national correspondent Athena Jones is live in Buffalo.
Athena, what are officials saying today as they continue to dig out because as recently as yesterday it was still hard to get - get around. They were still trying to get the roads passable.
ATHENA JONES, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Jessica. That's exactly right. That's been the focus of the last several days making sure at least one lane of traffic could be opened on every single street in Buffalo precisely so that those emergencies can be dealt with. A lot of these emergency calls went unanswered. More than 400 of them during the height of the storm. And so they want to make sure that life- saving measures can take place all over the city.
That is something that's already happened. You can look at this street here in downtown Buffalo. It's pretty clear. There are, of course, mounds of snow on each side. And those mounds of snow, those are actually smaller than what we saw on the way in. And that work continues today.
In fact, a driving ban is still in effect for Buffalo. Police say more than 450 pieces of snow removal equipment are out on the streets. We've seen several trucks going by in order to try to continue to dig out from this more than four feet of snow and so they're begging folks just to still remain off the roads in terms of individual drivers.
The mayor did tweet, though, that several bus lines are going to be coming back into service this morning. Rail lines will begin service again around 11:00. So, some things are beginning to return to normal.
But one of the big concerns, and this speaks to what we saw on the way in yesterday, we drove in on a passable road, but the sides of the roads were piled up with snow, and some of the deaths, some of the people who lost their lives in this storm were found in vehicles. So that's something we're going to be concerned about as officials, you know, begin looking and doing welfare checks in homes and checking vehicles.
We do expect to get an update from Erie County officials at about 10:00. So not long from now. We hope to get an update on the death toll and on how the efforts are going on right now.
Jessica.
DEAN: All right, we'll certainly keep an eye on that. I know officials very concerned about when they started doing more of those welfare checks what they might find.
Athena Jones, live in Buffalo, New York, thanks so much.
Still ahead this morning, at least one Republican now calling for an ethics investigation after GOP Congressman-elect George Santos admitted to lying about several things in his resume. We're live on Capitol Hill.
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[09:44:06]
DEAN: Republican Congressman-elect George Santos still vowing to take his seat in the House next week, even after admitting to a long list of falsehoods and outright lies about his background, which he called overstatements and embellishments.
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GEORGE SANTOS (R), NEW YORK REP.-ELECT: It's not false at all. It's - it's debatable. I can - I can sit down and explain to you what you can do in private equity, in capital (INAUDIBLE) via servicing limited partners and general partners. And we can have this discussion that's going to go way above the American people's head. But that's not what I campaigned on.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So, you're saying that you can't explain it in a way that your constituents would actually be able to understand.
SANTOS: That's not what I'm saying. I can explain it in a --
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DEAN: Just to be clear, he had said he had worked at some places. There was no evidence of him working at those companies at all.
One of his fellow incoming House Republicans says he should face an ethics investigation.
CNN congressional correspondent Lauren Fox joining us now.
[09:45:00]
Lauren, so far Republican leadership has been pretty silent on this.
LAUREN FOX, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it's really a striking juxtaposition, Jessica, because, like you said, the one person who is standing up and calling for an ethics investigation is a new member of Congress, Representative Nick LaLota, in another neighboring district. And I want to read you just part of his statement. He said, as a Navy man who campaigned on restoring accountability and integrity to our government, I believe a full investigation by the House Ethics Committee and, if necessary, law enforcement is required. New Yorkers deserve the truth and House Republicans deserve an opportunity to govern.
And, Jessica, that really is the key distraction when lawmakers come into Washington next week. House Republicans are supposed to take the majority, and yet they are going to be in a position where everyone is going to be answering for George Santos. This incoming freshman lawmaker, who is determined to take his seat in Congress.
The other question is going to be coming to those leaders, Kevin McCarthy, Steve Scalise, those leaders have not spoken up about what they think needs to happen to George Santos. And one thing that people back home may not realize is that up here on Capitol Hill, reporters are everywhere, constantly approaching members, trying to get that kind of accountability. So George Santos, next week, when he comes to Washington, he's going to be answering a lot of questions, as is Kevin McCarthy and Steve Scalise.
Jessica. DEAN: Yes, they're going to have the whole Capitol Hill press corps around them.
All right, Lauren Fox for us on The Hill. Thanks so much.
And still ahead this morning, diabetics are struggling to find a drug they need because it's now become part of a new weight loss fad.
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[09:50:36]
DEAN: If you'd like to end 2022 as a multimillionaire, you still have a shot at it. There's one more Mega Millions drawing for the year. The jackpot is up to $640 million. If you want in, buy a ticket before the next drawing Friday night.
This New Year's Day, a new CNN film tells the story of legendary singer Dionne Warwick. She brought us countless hits over the decades. But "Don't Make Me Over" tells the intimate stories behind her rise to global superstardom.
Our Victor Blackwell has a closer look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DIONNE WARWICK, SINGER (singing): The moment I wake up, before I put on my makeup, I say a little prayer for you.
VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Dionne Warwick is a global music superstar.
WARWICK (singing): Do you know the way to San Jose. I've been away so long.
BLACKWELL: But her impact extends far beyond music.
Warwick's singing career started at her grandfather's church in New Jersey. Her talent and drive propelled her from the church choir to the most famous stages around the world.
WARWICK (singing): This girl's in love with you.
BLACKWELL: But when she started touring in the south, Warwick encountered a level of bigotry that she had not seen growing up in the north.
Her response was clear.
WARWICK (on camera): Blacks were on this side. Whites were on this side. The stage was straight ahead. And I remember Sam saying, Dionne, do not turn your back on the white folk. The first thing I did when I went out there, I walked straight to the band and turned my back and played to the ones that looked like me.
CROWD (chanting): It's a state of emergency. BLACKWELL: When the HIV/AIDS crisis struck in the '80s, Warwick was quick to act.
WARWICK (singing): And I never thought I'd feel this way.
WARWICK (on camera): And I became very, very vocal and very public with the AIDS issue based on the fact that we were losing so many people.
WARWICK (singing): That I do believe I love you.
WARWICK (on camera): Something had to be done.
WARWICK (singing): Keep smiling. Keep shining,
ELTON JOHN, SINGER: Dionne was definitely a hero of mine and a hero to a lot of people. She was really the first person in the music business to actually speak up about it.
WARWICK (on camera): My role as ambassador of health.
BLACKWELL: Her efforts prompted then President Ronald Reagan to name her his U.S. ambassador of health to advocate for AIDS awareness and research around the world.
Today, Warwick continues to make an impact through her colorful Twitter commentary.
Collaborations with young artists.
CHANCE THE RAPPER (ph): Now go break a leg and break the bank and make a honest, living.
WARWICK (singing): Nothing's impossible if you believe.
BLACKWELL: Pop culture presence.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Dionne, why are you perfect?
WARWICK (on camera): Darling, I'm not perfect, I'm just very, very good.
BLACKWELL: And ongoing charity work. And at 82 she continue to share her legendary music with audiences around the world.
WARWICK (singing): Keep smiling, keep shining -
BLACKWELL: Victor Blackwell, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
DEAN: And, again, the all-new CNN film, "Dionne Warwick: Don't Make Me Over" premieres New Year's Day at 9:00 p.m.
Still ahead this morning, the nightmare travelers simply cannot wake up from, another day and more than 2,500 Southwest Airline flights canceled. What's the resource for passengers to get reimbursed?
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[09:58:26]
DEAN: A key prescription drug used to control blood sugar is flying off the shelves, but not for diabetes. It's called Ozempic and it was recently approved for weight loss. And that's put it in very high demand.
CNN's senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen joining us now live.
And, Elizabeth, there's been a lot of celebrities promoting this drug. How is this affecting the people who really need it, people like diabetics?
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it really is having an effect, Jessica. So, let's be clear, this is one drug sold under two names, but it's the same drug. One for diabetics, and one for people who are trying to lose weight. Both are legitimate reasons, but the problem is, is that this drug has become so popular for weight loss that the diabetics - many, not all, but some people with diabetes are having trouble getting it.
Let's take a look at what the manufacturer has to say about this. They say there's an intermittent supply disruptions of some dosages of this drug called Ozempic due to the combination of incredible demand coupled with overall global supply constraints.
So, this really is spelling trouble for some people with diabetes who really rely on this drug. It's an interesting drug when for weight loss what it does is it works on hormones that regulate appetite. And so it's really been a godsend for many people. It can lead to, say, 10 percent, 15 percent weight loss. But that doesn't help the folks with diabetes who are really in need of this drug, some of whom are having a lot of trouble finding it.
Jessica.
DEAN: All right. All right, Elizabeth Cohen for us, thanks so much.
[10:00:06]
It is the top of the hour. I'm Jessica Dean in Washington.
