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Kevin McCarthy Faces Challenge To His Speakership After Short- Term Funding Deal; Congress Reaches Last-Minute Deal To Avoid Government Shutdown; Interview With Representative Ro Khanna (D-CA) About Stopgap Spending Bill; Largest Ever Healthcare Strike Could Start Wednesday; Thousands Of Migrants Are Being Dropped Off On San Diego's Streets; Chiefs Vs. Jets Could Be Biggest TV Audience Of The Year SNF; FDA Adds Warning To Ozempic Label About Risk For Blocked Intestines; Off-Duty Police Officer Caught On Camera Rescuing Choking Child. Aired 4-5p ET

Aired October 01, 2023 - 16:00   ET

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

[16:00:00]

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Back over to LaCava. The caddie seemingly having a conversation, like, hey, this isn't supposed to happen in golf.

All right, finally in pop news. Ticket prices surging for a potential Taylor Swift appearance tonight at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford. Apparently there's an NFL game happening, too. Speculation that Swift will appear to see Travis Kelce and Chiefs take on the Jets that set tickets to the game soaring 40 percent. Many wondering if the global pop icon is dating the NFL star after she cheered on the Chiefs while sitting next to his mom last weekend.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: Well, something's going on.

All right, Coy Wire, thank you so much.

All right, hello, again, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

All right, back from the brink. Today our nation's military service members don't have to worry about missing paychecks. TSA agents, same thing. National parks are open as well. Just a few hours before a midnight deadline to shut down the U.S. government, the Senate overwhelmingly passed a bipartisan bill to keep the nation's government open for at least another 45 days. The breakthrough came after House Speaker Kevin McCarthy surprised everyone by pushing a short-term spending bill through the House with Democratic help.

It's a deal that may cost McCarthy his speakership. Republican hardliners are now vowing to bring a motion to the floor to oust the leader for ignoring the spending cuts conservatives were demanding in a package.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. MATT GAETZ (R-FL): I do intend to file a motion to vacate against Speaker McCarthy this week. I think we need to rip off the band-aid. I think we need to move on with new leadership that can be trustworthy.

Look, the one thing everybody has in common is that nobody trusts Kevin McCarthy. He lied to Biden, he lied to House conservatives. The only way Kevin McCarthy is speaker of the House at the end of this coming week is if Democrats bail him out.

Now they probably will. I actually think that when you believe in nothing, as Kevin McCarthy does, everything is negotiable.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right. We've got a team of correspondents covering these developments. Arlette Saenz is at the White House where President Biden is responding to this averted crisis. Let's begin with Eva McKend in Washington with this threat to Kevin McCarthy's speakership.

Eva, how is McCarthy responding to this warning about the future of his job?

EVAN MCKEND, CNN NATIONAL POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fred, the speaker will need 218 votes to keep his job. He doesn't have that support right now in his conference. He's clear-eyed about what lies ahead. He says he'll survive challenges to the speakership, all but daring his right flank to bring it on. Let's listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. KEVIN MCCARTHY (R-CA): Yes, I'll survive. You know, this is personal with Matt. Matt voted against the most conservative ability to protect our border, secure our border. He's more interested in securing TV interviews than doing something. He wanted to push us into a shutdown, even threatening his own district with all the military people there who would not be paid only because he wants to take this motion.

So be it, bring it on, let's get over with it and let's start governing. If he's upset because he tried to push us in a shutdown, and I made sure government didn't shutdown, then let's have that fight.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MCKEND: So you can hear there that he's ready to go to battle with his own members. We're likely entering a historic week. McCarthy would become the first to have his gavel challenged in over 100 years. If Congressman Matt Gaetz is successful in his quest to oust the speaker, it's not clear who would succeed McCarthy. Thus far Democrats have shown very little indication they want to bail him out but some have indicated they would entertain a power sharing agreement.

Though this is such unchartered territory, it's unclear what that would look like, Fred. This is also a test for Democratic minority leader Hakeem Jeffries as his caucus is all looking to him for guidance. And now, new today, Arizona Congressman Eli Crane, who's one of the hardline Republicans who's been critical of McCarthy, well, he says that he supports ousting the speaker as well.

WHITFIELD: All right. Eva, thank you so much.

Arlette, to you at the White House, what's the president saying about this latest round of high stakes drama?

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fred, Washington is breathing a momentary sigh of relief. But President Biden says it is now time for Congress to get to work and pass additional government funding. Now the White House has really taken this hands-off approach when it comes to negotiations. But what the president has been trying to do is exert this external pressure on how Speaker Kevin McCarthy in the lead-up to last night's vote, he had called for Congress to adhere to that agreement that they had made back when the debt ceiling deal was brokered in the spring.

And the president is repeating that now, saying that the House and Senate need to pass a year-long funding bill sticking to those budget agreements that House Speaker Kevin McCarthy had made with the White House.

[16:05:04]

And take a listen to the president as he lamented the brinksmanship that is occurring in Washington.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I'm sick and tired of the brinksmanship and so are the American people. There's no excuse for another crisis. Consequently, I strongly urge my Republican friends in Congress not to wait. Don't waste time as you did all summer. Pass a year-long budget agreement. Honor the deal we made a few months ago.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAENZ: Now, as the next funding agreement deadline looms about 45 days away, the White House is also confronting the additional challenge of trying to secure additional aid for Ukraine. That is something President Biden had asked Congress to do in this initial request. He had asked for $24 billion in aid for Ukraine. But ultimately in the end that was stripped from these proposals that were weighed just yesterday.

And the president and House Democratic leadership have said they believe McCarthy will bring up a vote, a separate vote on a Ukraine aid bill at some point soon, though the House speaker has not detailed exactly when that might be. But the president will also have the task of trying to convince allies that aid for Ukraine will be there in the long run, especially as they are about to hit this winter, colder season of fighting in Ukraine, and the president is trying to stress that there will be that aid there, though he is warning that time is running short.

WHITFIELD: All right. Arlette Saenz, Eva McKend, thanks to both of you. Appreciate it. All right, let's talk further now with Congressman Ro Khanna. He's a

Democrat from California.

Congressman, great to see you. So, oh, boy, that was quite the touch- and-go yesterday, I'll say. And what was it, you know, about this continuing resolution that convinced you and fellow Democrats to get on board and then ultimately vote yes?

REP. RO KHANNA (D-CA): I'm glad Speaker McCarthy finally did the right thing. We've been saying this for months. Just fund the government and don't make drastic cuts in school funding, don't make drastic cuts while we have an affordability crisis and people getting food stamps, don't make drastic cuts to rental assistance. McCarthy agreed. He gave, McCarthy, and our caucus everything that we wanted other than the Ukraine funding, and we said OK. Finally he's standing up to the extreme wing and we're going to about to keep the government open.

WHITFIELD: And so now what is your reaction to these, you know, growing threats by hardline Republicans, I mean, mostly led by Matt Gaetz, you know, who say they now want to oust him from his speakership for caving to Democrats? That's the way he's looking at it.

KHANNA: Look, politics is about doing the right thing. These are extraordinarily privileged jobs and positions to be in. I'm glad that McCarthy put the country first and made sure that troops were going to get paid. We'll see what happens. I'd be surprised if these motions are successful.

WHITFIELD: So you serve, you know, on the House Armed Services Committee, and you now have 45 days in which to, you know, craft a new spending bill or at least agree to it, et cetera. Are you hoping it will include funding for Ukraine or is it your feeling that there will have to be a separate measure?

KHANNA: We need to fund Ukraine. Look, even those folks who want a diplomatic solution or who want to figure out what the end game is, can't just yank the funding. You know what happens if you yank the funding. Tomorrow Putin marches into Kyiv. All of the funding we've given in the year and a half with Zelenskyy would go down the drain and you'd basically be handing over Ukraine to Putin.

So I don't care what the mechanism is. If we have to have a separate vote because people want to vote your conscience on Ukraine, fine, do it that way. If we can get it as part of the budget deal we'll do it that way. But we have to fund it. And I have been one of the voices supporting the president but saying at the same time pursuit diplomacy, that means, though, you've got to continue to fund Ukraine.

WHITFIELD: And just yesterday, you know, after the House voted for this stopgap measure, you know, your colleague, Mike Quigley, said this is a win for Putin because it excluded the aid of Ukraine. How long do you believe, you know, Ukraine can go without this additional support? Can it afford to wait, you know, 45 days until the end of this stopgap measure or do you believe there has to be something worked on more urgently? KHANNA: My understanding from the administration is that the resources

are there right now for Ukraine to be able to defend themselves, but that we need to quickly move to get them resources at least within this 45-day period. What I would say is it should be taken up Monday when we're back in session because as you know these things take time. And what I wouldn't want to see happen is these 45 days go by and we don't pass anything. At some point it is going to strain Ukraine's ability to defend themselves.

[16:10:08]

WHITFIELD: Do you worry that in the last 24 hours, you know, this sends a message to Russia, that it gives it, you know, added, you know, rhetorical ammunition to carry on, to cement its position, to potentially take further advantage of Ukraine, despite the fact that the U.S. is invested in and offered and delivered on a lot of money and aid?

KHANNA: Well, Russia should not underestimate the United States' resolve. They should just look at the votes we had over the last week on giving aid to Ukraine. I voted for those bills every single time. It was about 300 plus members of the House were for Ukraine aid, about 100 or so were not. And the Senate is overwhelmingly for it. So we're going to get the aid to Ukraine. But, you know, this is going to be a big question in the 2024 presidential election.

The candidates have very different visions. President Biden is for standing with Ukraine and making sure Putin can't just march into Kyiv, and on the other side you've got President Trump who is saying end the war and basically hand Ukraine to do whatever they want to Russia. And that's going to be a big issue in the campaign.

WHITFIELD: All right. We'll leave it there. Congressman Ro Khanna, thank you so much.

KHANNA: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right. Still to come, another industry on the verge of a strike. Thousands of Kaiser Permanente workers might take to the picket line in what could be the biggest healthcare strike in U.S. history. Plus, President Jimmy Carter turning 99 years old today. We'll bring you all the celebrations.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:15:53]

WHITFIELD: All right. The stage is set for 75,000 unionized healthcare workers to walk off the job this week in what would be the industry's largest strike in U.S. history. Talks with their employer, Kaiser Permanente, fell short of reaching a labor deal before the workers' contract expire Saturday night and now those employees could join the picket line Wednesday unless a deal is reached.

CNN national correspondent Camila Bernal joining me now with details on all of this. Camila, so what can you tell us about the staff members joining the

strike potentially?

CAMILA BERNAL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, well, they're exhausted. But they say they're going to continue to do this because they have so many concerns. I talked to one union member who told me that her biggest concern is a shortage of workers. And so she told me it's a domino effect. It affects the patients at the end of the day because she says, look, it's going to take so much longer when you go to the hospital to see a nurse or to see a doctor to get something like an x-ray.

And it's also going to take a long time to get your next appointment. She says, you know, sometimes the next available appointment is three, four, five months in advance. And so it's really difficult, she says, to do the job of two or three people while also realizing that it also has an effect on the patients themselves. Here's how she described it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIRIAM DE LA PAZ, WARD CLERK TRANSCRIBER, SEIU-UHF: Healthcare workers are exhausted. We're tired. We are -- as healthcare workers, we feel that we did so much during the pandemic. We lost so many co-workers that they were never replaced. They were never replaced and we are still having to do that work for those co-workers that weren't replaced. And on top of that, we were already facing the short staffing crisis.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERNAL: So in addition to the shortage of workers, what the union or the coalition of eight unions are demanding is higher wages across the board. They want job protections against outsourcing. They want updates to retiree medical benefits and they want advanced notice for workers that are returning to the office.

And, look, this is going to impact people all over the country. It's here on the West Coast like California and other states, and also on the East Coast like D.C. and Virginia. So we're talking about 75,000 workers that may go on strike on Wednesday.

Now, Kaiser says that they're at the able, that they're negotiating, they're hoping to get this deal done. They have said that they've made progress in some of the areas but have also said that if there's a strike, that they're prepared to keep some of the hospitals open. They said hospitals and emergency rooms would remain open.

I did ask the union member that I talked to, you know, are you worried about closing or potentially just impacting a lot of these hospitals. And she said, yes, of course it's worrisome but she says she's fighting for her patients. And at the end of the day that's what it's all about -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Camila Bernal, thank you so much.

Want to talk more about all this right now with Michelle Gaskill- Hames. She is the president of Kaiser Foundation Health Plan and Hospitals of Southern California and Hawaii.

Michelle, good to see you. So when you hear that workers, you know, talk about these issues of short staffing, they want to get paid more, they're absolutely exhausted, and that, too, is at the root of the threatening strikes, what is your reaction?

MICHELLE GASKILL-HAMES, PRESIDENT, KAISER FOUNDATION HEALTH PLAN AND HOSPITALS OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA AND HAWAII: Yes, thank you, Fredricka. You know, my heart goes out to our employees. We have as an industry been incredibly challenged across this country with the pandemic. We saw the great retirement. We saw the great burnout in the industry of our frontline caregivers deciding they need healthcare. It's been tragic that they left healthcare after taking care of so many.

And so we really pushed the Kaiser Permanente to get ahead of this, and to ensure that we could recruit and retain. And so from a retention standpoint we're very proud. Our turnover rate is 7 percent. That's higher than we would like but the industry is typically right now 21 percent. So we are faring at keeping our employees better and we're really leaning in to recruit and to hire.

[16:20:05]

And we've been successful actually, and last year 22,000 new employees came into our ranks. This year we're on pace to out-track that. We were very concerned with our coalition partners earlier this year. We sat down to set a goal for recruitment and we set a goal from April to the end of the year to try to bring in 10,000 new workers, specifically to this coalition's areas. And we're on pace to hit 10,000 and it's only October.

So we're at 9800 and in another couple of weeks we'll hit that 10,000. And we're going to go beyond. We are committed, even in the midst of the national healthcare crisis to recruiting. We're seeing some successes retaining and part of that is by having healthy wages. Wages that are 10 percent above the market. And that's our stance. We've had a long partnership with labor. We are at the table now and we are committed to continuing those conversations and hopefully get into resolution before Wednesday.

WHITFIELD: So while the recruitment and the hiring perhaps of 10,000 more will help in the long run, especially when you listen to the hospital care workers that we just had on the air who say, you know, they're exhausted, you know, they feel like they're doing a lot and, you know, shouldering a lot more responsibilities because a lot of people have left, especially during pandemic, post-pandemic.

But then what do you say to them right now, when you say we're at the table, they say they want raises like right now, they want job protections right now, they want retiree medical benefits right now which don't seem to be predicated on your hiring goals?

GASKILL-HAMES: Yes, it's a great question about our wages. And, you know, I would encourage our employees to get the facts about the deals that are at the table. We have no takeaways. When we look at our current wage position, we are above the market in every single market that we're in. We're talking about eight markets. And in every single market, we're above the market.

In Southern California, my market, if we look at that, we are 20 percent above the market right now. And so if our employees were to leave Kaiser Permanente, it would take a 20 percent pay cut when they look at the benefits they would get. We know that we have richer benefits than almost everyone in the market. And the deal at the table, conversation at the table to enrich that, we actually have a four-year deal that would add an increase of 12 percent to 14 percent. And we have richer benefit elements to that as well.

So it's a very fair -- it's a very fair stance and it continues to push us as a leader in this space. It's one of the reasons that we've been able to recruit better, we've been able to retain better than others. We've been voted as the best place to work because of the fair wages and the benefits. We have to balance that with being reasonable and being good stewards of our members' dollars, and so we think 12 percent over four years, 12 percent to 14 percent across America is more than fair and it keeps us above the market, keeps us among the best in the industry.

WHITFIELD: So while hospitals and emergency departments will remain open if there indeed is a strike, what should patients be preparing themselves for? What should they expect if indeed there is a strike come Wednesday?

GASKILL-HAMES: Thank you, Fredricka. And as you said, we're working hard to prevent it. But thank you for calling out. Our hospitals will remain open. Our emergency departments remain open. And in many cases our services will continue. We are focused on high quality care, having no disruption to that. If there any disruptions, they should be minimal. We've been preparing for the last several weeks and months.

And I would encourage those on our market who have questions. We're in eight different places so the information is on our Web site, KP.org, for what you can expect. But you should know that we have experts coming in, we have care providers to try to keep it as seamless as possible as we work our way through this.

WHITFIELD: All right. Michelle Gaskill-Hames, thank you so much for taking the time with us today.

GASKILL-HAMES: Thank you, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right. If Kaiser Permanente workers go on strike, they won't be alone. The SAG-AFTRA Actors Union which has been on the picket lines for nearly 10 weeks heads back to the bargaining table tomorrow. They'll meet with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers to work out new contracts that address streaming residuals and artificial intelligence. Union president Fran Drescher tells CNN that while they're happy the Writers Guild came to a tentative agreement last week one size does not fit all.

And this comes as the United Auto Workers union expanded its strike Friday to include additional General Motors and Ford assembly plants bringing 43 locations to a halt. They said progress with Stellantis kept them from expanding the picket lines there.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHAWN FAIN, UAW PRESIDENT: We've had good discussions. Such times we think we're getting somewhere and then things just stopped, so -- and it's not just Ford.

[16:25:04]

It's all the big three, and you can pick an issue. It's just the same. We'll make headrails at some issues. You know, we're nowhere near where we need to be and that's the problem. We've got to get there. And we got a lot of work ahead of us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Union president Shawn Fain fought back against Ford's claims that they were close to reaching a deal saying they're still far apart on core economic proposals.

All right, still to come, migrants are making the desperate journey to the U.S. southern border with thousands arriving every week. A CNN team walked with them to see what that journey looks like.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: The migrant surge at the southern border is now flooding into Southern California. Officials in San Diego County say in just 10 days over 7,000 migrants were dropped off on the city streets. County officials now declaring a humanitarian crisis and pleading for the federal government to step in and help. And many of the migrants traveling for weeks up to Mexico from South America. CNN's David Culver traveled with a group of them to witness their journey firsthand.

[16:30:24]

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVID CULVER, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): They stick together throughout, no one left behind. From falls to steep climbs.

CULVER (on camera): A lot of young children, so some of them are just basically being carried up.

CULVER (voiceover): To dead ends.

CULVER (on camera): They started to go the wrong way for the moment, and now they're backtracking a little bit.

CULVER (voiceover): Setback after setback.

CULVER (on camera): He's saying that they paid, were promised another pickup on the other side. But it seems like that driver just took off with their money. CULVER (voiceover): This just part of a day's journey for these

migrants. A day that started not here in southern Mexico, but across the Suchiate River in Guatemala. With passports stamped, we take the official land crossing, stepping into a vibrant Tecun Uman. In the shade of the town square, we meet two families from Venezuela traveling as one.

CULVER (on camera): They're saying they're ready to cross.

CULVER (voiceover): They welcome us to join. Seven years old, a 15 minutes stroll to the river. After 18 grueling days on the road, Jamila Rodriguez (ph) tells me it's been costly.

CULVER (on camera): She says going through the jungle is like dealing with the mafia. She says you have to pay in order to leave, and they had to pay $250 a person.

CULVER (voiceover): As they arrive at the river, another expense the crossing. Meanwhile, we go back to the Mexico side using the official entry, and hop onto a raft.

CULVER (on camera): We're waiting for the two families that we met to make their way across and they're about to board a raft and meet us in the middle as they cross illegally to Mexico.

CULVER (voiceover): Their raft drifts over the border and we meet again in Mexico.

CULVER (on camera): He's saying they're headed to the land of opportunity.

CULVER (voiceover): Migrant children scramble to help tug them to shore. They step off and into Ridalgo, a small border town. It allows for just a moment of joy, if only for the kids. Their goal tonight Tapachula to get Mexican transit documents. They learn it's not as close as they'd hoped. 20 miles, normally an hour's drive. But there's a catch.

CULVER (on camera): Is that your van? Yes. OK, they're getting on right now.

CULVER (voiceover): Because they never entered Mexico legally, they need to avoid the multiple migration checkpoints. Otherwise the Mexican drivers could be accused of smuggling. Every crevice of the van filled. Then they're off on the road for only about 10 minutes. We watch as they pull over just before the first checkpoint. Everyone out. They walk the direction they think they're supposed to head.

CULVER (on camera): You can tell they're basically just trying to figure out their way as they go. They have no real guide. They were told some general instructions and now they're just trying to figure it out.

CULVER (voiceover): Weaving through brush and high grass. Up and down hills. They skirt around the first migration checkpoint. But on the other side, the same driver who they paid to wait for them has taken off.

CULVER (on camera): So they're trying to figure out they can get another van or they keep walking. Looks like for now, they're just going to keep walking.

CULVER (voiceover): A few minutes pass, another van pulls up. 15 minutes later, another stop. Another checkpoint. Walk around. 30 minutes after that, yet another. This one takes them on a bridge directly over the migration checkpoint. Back on the van, they go.

Before sunset, they make it to Tapachula. Relieved? Sure. Also overwhelmed. Thinking about the unknowns ahead, but determined to keep moving north, smiling and waving. We'll see you later, they tell us. David Culver, CNN, Tapachula, Mexico.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And that's just one gigantic leg of the overall journey. David Culver, thank you so much. All right, straight ahead, Damar Hamlin is appearing in his first regular season game since suffering cardiac arrest on the field nearly nine months ago. More on his remarkable comeback, next.

Plus, Thavis, Traylor, Swelcy. Oh, we're having way too much fun with this one. How the rumored Taylor Swift-Travis Kelce romance is lighting up ticket sales and NFL viewership.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:39:00]

WHITFIELD: All right. DeMar Hamlin made his regular season comeback today for the Buffalo Bills. And as he participated in the opening kickoff in the Bills home game against the Miami Dolphins, you can hear the crowds. The Bills safety is appearing in his first regular season NFL game since suffering cardiac arrest on the field nearly nine months ago.

The 25-year-old Hamlin was on the inactive list for the Bills first three games of the season, but did play in Buffalo's three preseason games.

All right, Sunday Night Football is getting a big boost thanks to the Taylor Swift effect. Tonight's game between the Kansas City's Chiefs and New York Jets is expected to have a whole lot of eyeballs watching. And that's because Taylor Swift will reportedly be there watching her favorite Chiefs player, Travis Kelce. CNN's Polo Sandoval is at MetLife Stadium in Jersey. All right, Polo. Any Taylor Swift fighting?

[16:40:05]

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Not yet, but you know, the game is still a few hours away, so we'll have to see if that changes. There'll probably be some Swifties amongst the fans, clearly, because as you mentioned, there really is no escaping this Taylor Swift effect. Not that you'd want to if you're the NFL since her surprise appearance at the at last week's Chiefs game, the NFL has seen significant increase in sales on multiple fronts.

For example, there's the Travis Kelce jerseys. Those are up about 400 percent, according to NFL officials. And ticket sales alone for tonight's primetime game between the Chiefs and the New York Jets, that was up about 40 percent according to TickPick, the online retailer telling CNN that they experienced the largest single day sales for a Chiefs game this season thus far, Fred. So call it trailers, false, whatever you want to call it. This is certainly a critical and important, not just cultural, but also business moment as well.

Those numbers alone tell you everything you need to know. By the way, this is the part where I have to tell you that neither one of them have confirmed this romantic link. But just look at the pictures, right? Those are pretty telling.

WHITFIELD: Well, I mean, there's a certain little charm going on between them, I guess. Sunday Night Football, you know. It has also used Taylor Swift's song "Welcome to New York" in the promo for tonight's game. Let's take a look at that.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TAYLOR SWIFT, AMERICAN SINGER-SONGWRITER: Welcome to New York, it's been waiting for you Welcome to New York, welcome to New York. The lights are so bright, but they never blind me, me. New York.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Interesting. Who and what is behind NBC Sunday Night, you know, Football, you know, coming together like that and using her song and coincidentally, Kelce's team, or should I just say Kansas City's team?

SANDOVAL: It certainly hits a possible sighting tonight. We should be clear that the singer has now confirmed that she'll be in attendance, but all signs seem to point to that.

WHITFIELD: Sure.

SANDOVAL: And look, if you were watching the game last week, it was very clear that she was there. There were many of the shots that we saw showing Taylor Swift. So tonight, I'm sure that if she is here in New Jersey at MetLife Stadium, that control room will be taking that Taylor cam constantly, I'm sure.

WHITFIELD: Oh, my God. Oh, yes. And then there's the game, you know, if cameras trained on her and she's in the game.

SANDOVAL: Of course, t here's a game today.

WHITFIELD: Yes, there's a game. OK. We'll all be watching. I mean, everybody. The universe will be watching. All right, Polo Sandoval, thank you so much. We'll be right back.

SANDOVAL: Thanks, Fred.

WHITFIELD: Thank you.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:47:21]

WHITFIELD: All right, now that we're in the month of October, those with student loan debt are preparing to pay up. Federal loan payments were paused in March of 2020, and borrowers will resume payments sometime this month now with varying specific due dates.

Last month, interest returned with the same rate as before the freeze after effectively dropping to 0 percent.

Ozempic has been called a miracle drug for weight loss by some, and its sales are soaring. Well, now it also has an updated warning label after dozens of reports of intestinal issues. CNN's Jacqueline Howard has details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JACQUELINE HOWARD, CNN HEALTH REPORTER (on camera): Some people using Ozempic have reported that they're experiencing blockages in their intestines. And now the label on the medication has been updated to acknowledge that. Specifically, this gastrointestinal disorder called ileus, or having blocked intestines, may be related to how semiglutide drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy work.

You see, they mimic a hormone that the body naturally makes to slow down the passing of food through your digestive system. So that's what helps make people feel full longer, leading to weight loss. But it also could be related to these reports of having blocked intestines or possibly even stomach paralysis, which also is rare, but has been reported previously in some people using these medications.

Now, the company Novo Nordisk, which manufactures Ozempic and Wegovy, told CNN in a statement that it's working closely with the FDA to continuously monitor the safety profile of its medications, and it, quote, stands behind the safety and efficacy of Ozempic and all of its medicines when used consistent with the product labeling and the approved indications. Back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Jacqueline Howard, thanks so much. All right. Still to come, Jimmy Carter turns 99 today, and birthday wishes are pouring in for the oldest living former president. More on the birthday celebrations, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:53:56] WHITFIELD: A Michigan police officer is being hailed a hero after saving the life of a three-year-old boy who was choking. The officer had actually just finished his shift when heard of the emergency. He went beyond the call of duty and rushed to the scene. Here's. CNN's Brynn Gingras.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRYNN GINGRAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's not often a police officer fresh from the academy.

LT. ROBERT KENNALEY, MELVINDALE POLICE: I'd like to present this life saving award to Officer Mohammed Hacham for a job well done.

GINGRAS: Is recognized as a hero.

OFFICER MOHAMMED HACHAM, MELVINDALE POLICE: I think everything was at the right place at the right time.

GINGRAS: Such is the case for Melvindale Michigan Police Officer Mohammed Hacham.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Awesome to have you.

GINGRAS: You got home from work after doing the night shift, right?

HACHAM: I got home from work. I was setting up my gear on my duty belt and I left the radio right here and it went off.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're having a report of a three year old not breathing.

HACHAM: After I heard that, I was like, okay, there's yelling. Kendall and Gould is like 30 seconds from where I live.

[16:55:04]

GINGRAS: And that's when you see Officer Hacham on surveillance video sprinting to the emergency.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The three year old male was possibly choking.

GINGRAS (on camera): What did he look like?

HACHAM: When I got him, his eyes were rolled back. His face was like, bluish. I thought I'm actually something he has a little response or anything, but it was nothing at all.

GINGRAS: No response?

HACHAM: Nothing at all. In my head, when I held the baby, I was like, OK, I know what to do.

GINGRAS (voiceover): Hacham zeroed in on the life saving training he received just a few months before in the academy.

HACHAM: Turned the baby over, gave the baby back compressions one time, two times, three times.

GINGRAS (on camera): Did it just by hitting the baby?

HACHAM: Yes, I did it, like, six times, and none of those times were in my head was like, give up. I was like, I'm not going to give up.

GINGRAS (voiceover): Finally, the little boy coughed up food.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He's breathing. He's conscious.

GINGRAS: Hacham saving his life. The boy's dad grateful.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm happy, and my kid is good.

GINGRAS (on camera): What does it say to have someone who's a cop that will go out of his way when he's off duty will take the initiative?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think it's phenomenal. I mean, that's the philosophy that we need to have nowadays, because you're building trust. You're building that relationship to where we're not just a machine in uniform, we're actually a human in this uniform.

HACHAM: I think we're all heroes. I honestly do, because I honestly think everybody does something in life. Everybody can make a change in someone's life.

GINGRAS: Brynn Gingras, CNN, Melvindale, Michigan.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And he definitely did that indeed. All right. Today, former President Jimmy Carter turns 99 years old. He's the oldest living former president and the first U.S. president born in a hospital. With the government shutdown averted, celebrations at the Carter Center can continue today. Birthday wishes are coming in from all over the world. In fact, this morning, my colleague Jake Tapper spoke with President Carter's grandson Jason about today's milestone.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JASON CARTER, JIMMY CARTER'S GRANDSON: They're going to be like they always are, at home in Plains and with each other, in love, at peace, excited about spending some time with family today. So we're all thrilled that we made it here, and we're frankly surprised at this point, but nothing that they do surprises us anymore.

JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: So obviously, President Carter's overcome some intense health scares before he survived seemingly incurable brain cancer in 2015, brain surgery in 2019. It has now been more than seven months since he entered hospice care. How is he doing now?

CARTER: He's doing OK. I mean, he is coming to the end, as we know, but we all believed when he first went into hospice that we had a few days, and it's turned out to be this great blessing of several months.

And so he's doing okay, but still, of course, very physically limited. But he's alert, he's excited, and he's gotten to witness this remarkable outpouring of support and respect over these last seven months, which is a real blessing.

TAPPER: How is he approaching these final days, this last chapter? Is he at peace? Is his faith playing a role in navigating these last few days, weeks, months?

CARTER: Well, as you know, Jake, I mean that faith story for him has been a fundamental part of who he is throughout his life. And these last chapter, as you called it, there's parts of the faith story that you only get to live at the very end. And I think he is cherishing that aspect of it.

He certainly is confronting these moments with. the knowledge that you don't get more from a life than what they got. And he's together with his wife. He's at peace. He knows where he has been. He knows where he's going. And this last few days and this last chapter is going to be, in that way, the most that you could possibly expect.

TAPPER: Your grandparents have one of the great love stories in American history. Married an incredible 77 years. President Carter told me a few years ago in an interview that the key to his marriage was simply taking the time to enjoy the family life.

Now, I know your grandmother Rosalynn is struggling with dementia, but how have the two of them been spending this time together?

CARTER: You know, like the song says, they're the flagship of the fleet. Their relationship is unparalleled in so many ways, and the love story impacts all. that they've done together. These last days they are together. They're in love in a way that is truly just amazing to watch.

And yes, we are the ones that are struggling with the dementia. Right? She is in a joyous place and he is worried about her, she's worried about him. But they're living out these days the. way they've lived everything else, which is in this incredible partnership.

(END VIDEO CLIP)