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National Guard Going Door-To-Door In Buffalo To Check For Victims & 34 Dead In Erie County Alone; Mitch Nowakowski, (D), Buffalo Common Council Member, Discusses Recovery Efforts Following Deadly Blizzard; Online Weight Loss Trend Wipes Out Supply Of Diabetes Drug; Top-10 Entertainment Stores for 2022. Aired 2:30-3p ET

Aired December 28, 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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[14:30:09]

SARA SIDNER, CNN HOST: The National Guard is going door to door in Buffalo, checking on people impacted by the deadly blizzard. At least 34 people have died from storm-related events in Erie County alone.

One of the victims was 22-year-old Andel Taylor, who was found dead after being trapped in her car. She was just six minutes away from her home.

CNN's Athena Jones brings us the latest from Buffalo.

That is heartbreaking to hear, how close she was.

Athena, there's still a driving ban in Buffalo, correct?

ATHENA JONES, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Sara. That's exactly right. Authorities want people to stay off the roads. They say, though, they'll readdress, they'll take a look again at this idea of a driving ban overnight depending on how much snow they're able to clear.

I want you to look at this mountain of snow behind me. That has been building up since this morning. In fact, earlier this morning, trucks stopped dumping snow here, thinking maybe it was too much. They started a new pile.

You can probably make out the truck driving away. He just came to dump a new load. Part of that load is frozen in the back of his truck.

We also have some drone footage that was shot by our CNN photojournalist, Jeff Mills, which gives a closer look of the mountain of snow, which, by the way, is at least two or three stories high. It's higher than the two-story houses around here.

He also shot footage of neighborhoods around here showing what it takes to get more than four feet of snow out of the way. That is continuing.

As you mentioned, the National Guard this morning doing door-to-door checks both in the city and suburbs where people lost power to make sure they have what they need, if they don't have food and help that they get help there.

We also know police and others are going door-to-door to check on folks that they weren't able to respond to during the blizzard. There were some 1,100 unchecked emergency service calls. They were unchecked because the roads were impassible. This is why people got stuck and died.

And so they're now down, as of a couple hours ago, they were down to about 200 to 300. That's a lot of door-to-door checking.

Of course, the continued effort to clear the snow from the streets.

The goal, according to the Erie County executive, Mark Poloncarz, to make sure one lane of traffic is open in every single street of Buffalo so that the city can operate well, so emergency services can operate well.

Here's what he had to say about the importance of checking on people, though, in these neighborhoods. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARK POLONCARZ, ERIE COUNTY EXECUTIVE: We are fearful that there are individuals who may have perished living alone or two people who are not doing well in an establishment, especially those that still don't have power.

But I think it's important. This is going to happen in the city and the suburbs. So, anyplace that lost power, the National Guard is going to come down.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JONES: And the last thing to keep in mind is that city and county officials are concerned about the possibility of the flooding.

So that's one more reason they have to remove as much snow as possible, especially in certain strategic areas that they know don't drain very well.

The next couple days temperatures are getting to the 50s so that's a lot of rapid snow melt -- Sara?

SIDNER: Athena, you have the National Guard there checking on people and 911 calls backed up, because, as you mentioned, like so many of the emergency services couldn't make it through all of that snow.

Is there any indication how long they're going to keep the roads closed?

JONES: They say they're going to-evaluate it overnight, so late tonight and in the morning hours. The goal is to have at least one lane cleared everywhere across the city of Buffalo by tomorrow morning. The county executive said the county roads, the area that the county

is in charge of, they believe they'll have those roads cleared mostly by 7:00 p.m. tonight.

So, the idea is to work as much as possible. We've seen loads and loads and loads of trucks picking up snow all around the city. Snow that's been piled up in one neighborhood. And bring it to the larger piles here. So that is going to continue.

We've also seen a lot of snow melting already. It's just above freezing. It's only going to melt faster as it gets warmer -- Sara?

SIDNER: We were just seeing video of the city using their snowmobiles. Not every city has that. And Buffalo, certainly used to snow, but this is unprecedented.

Athena Jones, thank you and your crew so much for your reporting.

Joining us now with more, Mitch Nowakowski, a Buffalo Common Council member.

Mitch, can you give us details on the recovery efforts that are taking place, as we speak?

MITCH NOWAKOWSKI, (D), BUFFALO COMMON COUNCIL MEMBER: I do. And I want to follow-up on the reporting that just happened.

It's super important for folks to know that the National Guard and police services will be knocking on doors to do welfare checks for neighborhoods that lost power, for an extreme amount of time, about 48 hours to 72 hours.

[14:35:07]

And I have a specific neighborhood that was hit very hard with power outages and that's the old First Ward.

And I want folks to know that when power outages that going on this long the most vulnerable often suffer. That's senior citizens, that's people that are using machinery to keep themselves alive every day, people with disabilities that you need equipment to keep themselves alive.

So, we're praying that when the National Guard goes and does welfare checks that we don't discover more fatalities.

SIDNER: I just want to mention we're looking at scenes from above from our CNN air team, a drone showing just -- I mean, a mountain of snow that's been dumped from other places, just to give a scale of how big this is.

Now, I know and we all know that Buffalo has dealt with a lot of snow in the past. Just in the recent past, you had five feet or six feet of snow, just last month.

But in this case, we hear it's the winds that were the problem that kept people from being out on the roads, as well as the snow.

Are there reports of people missing that the city is trying to figure out what happened to them as well?

NOWAKOWSKI: That's the unfortunate, you know, place that we're in right now, is we just don't know. Because as we dig ourselves out, we're really trying to put those pieces together, to see if people are still missing. Or recovered in vehicles or recovered in their homes.

And also delayed a response, since we haven't had power, where some of these roads have been impassible, people just haven't been able to reach one another. And officials have not been able to respond to these residences.

So, we are really taking it, you know, an approach that is, unfortunately, very hard, when we are recovering from this.

SIDNER: Mitch, we're looking at all of the different things that Buffalo has to deal with snow. It's pretty impressive. Lots of different kinds of machines to move it out of the way.

But I do have to ask you some back and forth that has happened because politics does come into play in the days after something like this happens.

The Erie County Commissioner Mark Poloncarz and the Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown, the commissioner is criticizing the mayor in the cleanup, saying the mayor hasn't been in daily contact with other municipalities that seem to be doing better.

What are your thoughts on this? And has there been communication from your vantage point?

NOWAKOWSKI: Yes, look, I'm just going to tell the truth. And the fact of the matter is, when municipalities don't work together, residents suffer. And the county executive has been in contact with me throughout the storm and says that he has not had contact with the mayor's administration.

And I just -- at this time, don't want to put politics -- because we're still digging ourselves out of this storm.

But we are going to have to do an autopsy after this blizzard and figure out how municipalities can work together to better address disasters like this.

As you said, the city of Buffalo, we're prone to snow and we're prone to extreme weather like this. So we really need to get on the best foot forward for our residents.

SIDNER: And the mayor, I spoke to him yesterday. He said they're doing everything they can. We will see.

Like you said, you don't want to play politics because there are people in potential need and in danger.

Mitch, I thank you for coming on and giving us a real look at what's happening in your city.

Now to people with type 2 diabetes. They're being faced with a shortage of drug all because it's being used off label for -- you guessed it -- weight loss. Why the shortage could get worse in the coming year.

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[14:43:08]

SIDNER: The drug Ozempic, which was meant for people with type 2 diabetes, is now in short supply. This is after becoming a viral weight loss hit on apps including TikTok and Facebook.

Senior medical correspondent, Elizabeth Cohen, is joining me now.

There are some huge articles on this that I have been seeing. It's become a favorite in a lot of places, including Hollywood.

How big is the problem? And what's it doing for those people who actually want to use this for the thing it was meant for, which is diabetes?

DR. ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: So, Sara, this is becoming a problem for some people with diabetes. They rely on this medicine to control their blood sugar levels. And they're not able to get it because people are using it for weight loss.

Now, to be clear, weight loss is also a legitimate use for this drug if you're over a certain weight. The problem is that people are using it where it's not necessarily clear that they really medically need it.

And that can be taking it away from people who do medically need it for diabetes.

So, let's take a look at what the maker of this drug says. The makers of Ozempic say, "There are intermittent supply disruptions of some dosages of Ozempic, due to the combination of incredible demand, coupled with overall global supply constraints."

So, they do have some parts of their Web site where they sort of help guide people through. And they explain all of this.

But really, that's a fancy way of saying there are shortages, for some people, in some parts of the country. And doctors are having to really try hard to figure out how to help their patients -- Sara?

SIDNER: Elizabeth Cohen, thank you for that. It's a problem. And I hope they get it sorted out.

[14:44:51]

Now, despite the growing uproar surrounding Congressman-Elect George Santos, House GOP leadership -- silent. Why is the Republican Party not calling out these blatant lies? We'll discuss, coming up. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SIDNER: From the slap, to Kanye West, or Ye, to onset gossip, it was a wild year for entertainment.

Here's CNN's Stephanie Elam.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: It's time.

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): "Stranger Things" time travels to the '80s.

(SINGING)

ELAM: While Beyonce's "Renaissance" skyrockets to the top.

[14:50:02]

TOM CRUISE, ACTOR: This is your captain speaking.

ELAM: And the triumphant return of blockbuster movies.

(on camera): Hollywood forged full steam ahead into 2022, and it was a wild ride from start to finish.

Here's a look at the top entertainment stories of the year.

(voice-over): At number 10 --

UNIDENTIFIED CORRESPONDENT: Hollywood stars, Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez, have finally said I do.

ELAM: Second time's the charm for this love story 20 years in the making. The pair met in 2001 on the set of the rom-com, "Gili."

BEN AFFLECK, ACTOR: Hello. Do we know each other?

JENNIFER LOPEZ, ACTRESS & SINGER: Not yet.

ELAM: They got engaged a year later, but after a whirlwind romance, they called it quits three years after that.

But the couple found their way back to each other last year and exchanged vows at an intimate ceremony.

At number nine --

UNIDENTIFIED ACTRESS: The one thing they ask of us is to stay here.

ELAM: Drama on the set of "Don't Worry Darling." Harry Styles, Chris Fine, and Florence Pugh.

The all-star cast generated a lot of buzz for its behind-the-scenes gossip. It starred when Shia LeBeouf, the original male lead, left the project

and was replaced by Styles, who was reportedly in a relationship with director and co-star, Olivia Wilde.

Then there were tensions between Wilde and lead actress, Florence Pugh.

And video seemed to show Styles spitting on Chris Pine during a press tour, which his spokesperson denies.

But would the very public off-screen chaos hinder it at the box office? Turns out there was nothing to worry about. "Don't Worry Darling" won the box office on opening weekend.

At number eight --

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: See you on the other side.

UNIDENTIFIED ACTRESS: On the other side.

ELAM: Small screen hits dominate pop culture. "Stranger Things" took audiences into a time machine, fast forwarding to 1986.

The show's fourth season brought back Kate Bush's "Running Up that Hill," Metallica's "Master of Puppets," and paid homage to '80s trends and styles.

On ABC, critics credited breakout series "Abbott Elementary" for bringing back the TV sitcom.

UNIDENTIFIED ACTRESS: These two keys I made must too fit.

ELAM: While "The White Lotus" on HBO traveled to exotic locations and brought home 10 Emmy Awards.

And on Netflix, "The Addams Family's" "Wednesday" proved to be a huge winter hit with audiences logging over one billion hours of screen time.

Number seven belongs to the queen bee herself.

(SINGING)

ELAM: Beyonce smashed records with her seventh studio album "Renaissance."

Things got off to a Rocky start when the tracks were leaked online, but her fan base came to her rescue.

The bey hive rallied fans on social media to wait for the official release so everyone could enjoy it together. And that they did. "Renaissance" blasted to the top of the charts giving us nods to jams of the past.

Number six --

UNIDENTIFIED CORRESPONDENT: Tom Cruise's "Top Gun: Maverick" had the biggest Memorial Day opening weekend of all-time.

ELAM: Blockbuster movies are back.

CRUISE: This is your captain speaking.

ELAM: The summer blockbuster raked in nearly $1.5 billion worldwide.

CRUISE: We're going into combat.

ELAM: And "Black Panther" fans turned out for "Wakanda Forever."

Marvel's iconic superheroes led the charge at the box office.

But another epic release is nipping at its heels, "Avatar: The Way of Water" is setting up for the next big wave.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Footlocker is joining the growing list of companies cutting ties with Kanye West.

ELAM: At number five, Kanye's controversies. After making a series of anti-Semitic remarks and wearing a shirt with the slogan linked to the Ku Klux Klan, Ye's business partnerships ended.

Balenciaga and Gap also pulled the plug. And Adidas ended their longtime flagship deal. Meta and Twitter suspended his accounts. And Ye announced he would acquire Parler, but that deal went bust, too.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Isn't it possible they're both guilty? Isn't it possible they both said defamatory things?

ELAM: Number four, Johnny Depp and Amber Heard's courtroom battle.

UNIDENTIFIED ATTORNEY: Do you find that Mr. Depp that has proven that Ms. Heard acted with actual malice? Answer, yes.

ELAM: Amber Heard stoic as a jury found she did defame Johnny Depp in a 2018 op-ed in "The Washington Post." The jury awarding Depp millions in damages.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: As against Amber Heard, we the jury award compensatory damages in the amount of $10 million.

(CHEERING)

ELAM: As Depp fans cheered outside the courtroom, another $5 million in punitive damages was awarded.

On Heard's counterclaim, Depp was found liable for a statement by his lawyer, claiming Heard set up Depp. The jury awarded her $2 million in damages.

In December, her and Depp reached a settlement on the defamation case. But Heard said this is not an act of concession.

ELAM: Number three, saying good-bye to Hollywood legends.

[14:55:00]

UNIDENTIFIED CNN ANCHOR: Actor and comedian, Bob Saget, has died.

ELAM: It started with the sudden death of one of TV's most beloved stars.

(SINGING)

ELAM: And then Olivia Newton-John lost her battle with cancer.

And sadly, the list of entertainers we lost this year grew to include some of our favorites.

(MUSIC)

ELAM: Number two -- Taylor Swift's Ticketmaster fiasco. A concert for the eras. Millions of fans queued up to buy tickets for Swift's highly anticipated worldwide tour.

As soon as Ticketmaster's pre-sale began, the heavy demand snarled Ticketmaster's Web site.

Thousands of Swifties were in line for hours, and many left empty- handed when Ticketmaster suddenly canceled the pre-sale.

Swift blamed Ticketmaster for the snafu, saying it's been excruciating, but nothing stopped her ultra-loyal fans from supporting the pop star.

She became the first artist ever to claim all 10 spots on the Billboard Hot 100, following the release of her latest album "Midnights."

At number one -- the slap to the jaw that had jaws dropping. A showdown on stage at the Oscars as Smith confronted Chris Rock for making a joke about his wife.

CHRIS ROCK, COMEDIAN: Jada, I love you. G.I. Jane Two. Can't wait to see it.

Oh, wow. Wow. Will Smith just smacked (EXPLETIVE DELETED) me.

ELAM: The audience inside the Dolby Theater and around the world stunned.

WHOOPI GOLDBERG, CO-HOST, "THE VIEW": There are consequences.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I physically felt ill and I'm still a little traumatized by it.

ELAM: Smith resigned from the Academy and was banned from attending any of their events, including the Oscars for the next 10 years.

He apologized to Rock and is trying to move on. He's currently seeking redemption in Apple TV's "Emancipation," already getting some 2023 Oscars buzz. (on camera): There are big things to come for our newsmakers on our

list. Beyonce says "Renaissance" is act one of three she recorded during the pandemic.

And the cast of "Stranger Things" is poised to start shooting their fifth and final season.

In Los Angeles, I'm Stephanie Elam.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SIDNER: That's my girl. Thank you for that, Stephanie.

Relief is still days away for many Southwest customers. The airline is still trying to fix what Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg called "a complete meltdown." We'll have a live update for you next.

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