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School Meal Program Reduced Kids' BMI; Ben Ratner is Interviewed about Toxic Chemicals after Train Crash; DeSantis Waging Battles with Woke Agenda. Aired 6:30-7a ET

Aired February 14, 2023 - 06:30   ET

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

[06:30:00]

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: The gunman setting off a manhunt. Students were forced to hide in their dorms, some listening to police scanners. Police say the 43-year-old suspect died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. He was not affiliated with the school and authorities have yet to establish a motive. Straight ahead here on CNN THIS MORNING, we're going to speak with the mayor of East Lansing as his community mourns their loved ones and a CNN national security analyst who was on campus when the active shooter alert went out.

KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: And as we wait for more updates on that, we're also learning about a big change to school lunches that actually had a significant effect on the health of kids. A new study shows the school nutrition standards that were put in place in 2010 actually significantly decreased the body mass index of kids and teenagers.

Joining us now with the story is CNN's senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen.

Elizabeth, no one better to talk about this with.

What is it about the changes that helped change those numbers?

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Kaitlan, these were such basic changes that went into effect in 2012. But people fought really hard for them for a long time and they really do seem to have worked. As you said, it brought down children's BMI. You could see it in schools when they put these in place.

Now, does that mean that any one child lost a lot of weight because of these? No. But there were enough small changes that if you look at it across the entire U.S. population of children, it really does make a big difference.

So, let's take a look at the changes that were put in place starting in 2012. The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act said lets have more whole grains, more fruits and vegetables, more low-fate dairy products, let's have less sodium and fat and let's have age-specific serving sizes so that we're not just overfeeding children. And so these things seemed to have made a real difference. This is a huge study of, you know, many, many, many millions of children.

Kaitlan. COLLINS: That's kind of fascinating for a lot of teachers and parents who are paying close attention to that.

Also, Elizabeth, it is obviously Valentine's Day. I'm wearing pink. You're wearing red. But you're learning something new about chocolate, which is often a gift that people get, as the FDA is now allowing for some health claims to be made on the food labels of certain chocolate products. What can you tell us about this?

COHEN: Yes, so we've seen these health claims allowed by the FDA for various foods. For example, oatmeal has been able to make claims for many years now and now cocoa can. So, not necessarily chocolate, but actual cocoa. And there's a -- several different labels that they can put on. Let's take a look at one example. Cocoa flavanols in high flavanol cocoa powder may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. This is the interesting part. Although FDA has concluded that there is very limited scientific evidence for this claim.

So, that's sort of FDA speak. I'm going to do it in plain people speak. There's some evidence that these flavanols are good, that they can lower blood pressure. But there's not overwhelming evidence for this.

But the bottom line is, if you are going to eat chocolate this Valentine's Day, go for the darkest chocolate you can find. That appears to be the healthiest, not just for blood pressure, but for other types of heart health as well.

Kaitlan.

COLLINS: All right, good to know. We are rooting for the flavanols. Elizabeth Cohen -

LEMON: Why are you staring at me when she said that?

COLLINS: Because you love chocolate.

LEMON: I do.

COLLINS: And I know you do.

LEMON: I do.

COLLINS: I know you're listening closely to that.

LEMON: Dark chocolate. Dark chocolate, right, Elizabeth Cohen?

COHEN: Right. Yes. Yes, sir. Yes, sir.

LEMON: Thank you.

It is Valentine's Day. Eat up, everyone. It's only one day a year.

So, officials conducting air quality screenings of homes and other buildings amid mounting health concerns in Ohio after a train carrying ten hazardous materials derailed near the town of East Palestine. What authorities are saying about the risk, next.

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[06:39:01]

LEMON: OK, everyone, look at this. This video right at the top of your screen there, you see it. That is a train. That derailed in East Palestine, Ohio. And this surveillance video is from 20 miles away before the derailment. See that glow under one of the cars? "The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette" says this is a malfunctioning axle on fire. National Transportation Safety Board says that they believe that a mechanical issue with an axle is responsible for the crash.

COLLINS: And there are big questions on how all of this happened, but also what comes next because, as you know, hundreds of people were evacuated from East Palestine for several days as the company vented and burned cancer causing chemicals. The EPA now says that it has not detected, quote, levels of concern since the crash and it has monitored more than 290 homes, 180 more of them still actually need to be screened.

But this morning, people who live there are still concerned. Some report that they've seen dead fish and frogs in sources of water.

[06:40:01]

Others say that they've experienced headaches and nausea.

So, joining us now is Ben Ratner, who lives in East Palestine. He played an extra actually in the Netflix disaster film, that's actually eerily similar to what residents are facing right now.

And, Ben, I want to get to that whole aspect of it in a moment. But what we're hearing from officials is that they say the water is safe to drink, the air is safe to breathe. Do you feel comfortable, though, with those - those assurances from officials?

BEN RATNER, RESIDENT OF EAST PALESTINE, OHIO: I honestly feel like the immediate danger, as far as the fire and the explosions of the tankers and things, that is - that part is gone. And the initial chemical everybody was worried about was the vinyl chloride, and that was able to be, they said, dissipated into the environment.

There's new things now that I think are the issue and going to be an issue going long term. Don had said that there's ten chemicals. There's actually ten volatile chemicals, but there's over - over 20 chemicals that - almost 20 chemicals that are actually on the train. One of the bigger ones that were lost was the petroleum lube oil. Each tanker carries about 30,000 gallons of that. And there's two tankers unaccounted for. So that's almost 60,000 gallons of that petroleum lube oil that spilled out into our local soils.

LEMON: So, Ben, let me ask you then, so you ended up evacuating your home, right?

RATNER: Yes. LEMON: Where are you now? Are you back in?

RATNER: We're back at home. Our home - the VOC's (ph) were tested. We're not using our water as much as we can. There's been over 200 homes that have been tested. And they've all come back cleared for the VOC situation. And I think that actually is kind of telling that there's been such a focus on the air during this point, there's not been any new water reports since the 9th and there hasn't been any soil reporting actually put out there as far as I can see. I keep checking the EPA's response website. And that's where I actually saw the full list of chemicals. There hasn't been a full list given by the railroad company. This is actually coming from the EPA.

COLLINS: And, Ben, how long have you lived there?

RATNER: I've lived here since 2007. I met my wife right at the end of high school. We lived in Pennsylvania for about four years. And then we got engaged and bought a house in 2007 here in East Palestine.

COLLINS: And do you want to stay, or does this make you rethink staying in the area?

RATNER: It's definitely called into question the long-term situations here. I think, like I said in the short-term, it seems like we're OK. But just, like, we bought this house in 2007. We were 20 and 21. Thought we had an investment for the future here. And hopefully that's something that is going to be figured out as this goes on.

But, you know, we have a small cafe in a couple towns over and it would be nice to put a cafe here in the town that we live in. And it's just hard to make an investment in something like that or even feel good about paying our mortgage whenever there might not be any value to those things in the future. That's something tough to come to grips with.

LEMON: So, there was this large plume of black smoke visible last week after that control release of hazardous material. This is a clip from a movie that we're going to put up that shows a very similar scene of it, if we have it.

I'm just wondering, what this -- when I asked you what this experience has been for you when I said how long -- there it is. Are you still -- can you take us there, what it's like? Are you still smelling things? You said you're not using water. What is it like for people who are living there? Take us to the ground.

RATNER: There's been, I think, just an ever-changing mix of emotions and feelings, just right from the outset, just the amount of unknown that was there. And then as things became more known, it was not better. They were finding more gases and chemicals. And then a couple days later, the gases inside of these tankers were heating up. And that's whenever they decided to do a controlled burn.

They evacuated the area. They put child endangerment charges out as a threat if you were in the area with your children. You know, it was alarming. Grabbing the clothes that you can, getting your animals out the best you can and have no idea when you're going to be coming back.

We have four kids ranging from two to 15. And it's a lot to try to manage and keep them comfortable and happy and also safe at the same time and keep your own sanity through the whole situation.

COLLINS: Yes. We don't know how you're doing that. I mean that's so unsettling to be --

LEMON: We didn't ask him about the disaster scene that we said -- what was the disaster scene that you were in, in Netflix, that was similar to this?

RATNER: Oh, yes. Yes, I was going to speak to Kaitlan. We have had a lot of support, and that's been partially why it's been decent for us to get through everything.

As far as the disaster movie, I had no idea anything was going to mirror real life in this situation. It was just something exciting to be a part of. I thought it was interesting that Netflix was, you know, Noah Baumbach and Greta Gerwig, Adam Driver, Don Cheadle were going to be filming a movie in our area, and so it was exciting to be involved in that.

[06:45:02]

And we're around trains. I really didn't think that this was something that we'd ever be facing in actuality here. It's just eerie. The book, the airborne toxic cloud is the evacuation event. And that's exactly what we had here in East Palestine.

COLLINS: Yes, unsettling when something like that becomes your real life.

Ben, though, we're thinking of you guys. And thank you for sharing that with us because it's really important to hear what it's like to actually be there and living through this.

RATNER: Thank you.

COLLINS: So, thank you.

RATNER: Thank you.

LEMON: Take care.

RATNER: Thank you. We've got to keep fighting for some more testing. Appreciate it.

COLLINS: Yes, absolutely. And we will stay on top of it here for sure because it really matters to their everyday lives.

Also this morning, we have been talking to sources in former Vice President Mike Pence's orbit. They have now told us what he is going to do. How he'll handle that subpoena that he got from the special counsel when it comes to Trump's push to overturn the election. LEMON: And Florida Governor Ron DeSantis plowing ahead with his anti-

woke agenda. How he is preparing for a presidential run announcement that may only be months away. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: All right, we are now learning this morning that former Vice President Mike Pence is expected to fight a subpoena that he recently got from the special counsel who is investigating former President Trump's efforts to overturn the election and what he did surrounding January 6th leading up to it on that day, after that day. Mike Pence is going to fight the subpoena, we are told, by two sources familiar with the situation, based on the grounds that he was president of Senate - of the Senate at the time and therefore they believe has -- was part of the legislative branch and therefore can argue that he is shielded from the subpoena that he got from Jack Smith.

Jack smith, as you know, is the special counsel who is investigating not only the classified documents that Trump took with him to Mar-a- Lago, but also the efforts around January 6th. This is notable because obviously Mike Pence is one of the people when it comes to that January 6th investigation who had these one-on-one conversations that we talked about last week with Trump.

[06:50:04]

And so he did speak to them. That is what they want to know. But we are told now that he is expected to fight that. We'll see how the special counsel's office handles that.

LEMON: Didn't he say once, if I am called that I would gladly testify? I mean, I could be wrong.

COLLINS: He said he drew a difference in the January 6th committee and if the Justice Department subpoenaed him.

LEMON: Yes.

COLLINS: He said he would treat them differently because they did not see the committee coming from the - or the subpoena coming from the January 6th committee as enforceable really. He said he would handle this differently. They are handling it differently. People thought he would make the argument on executive privilege. He's actually making it on being president of the Senate, saying he's part of the legislative branch and should not have to testify.

LEMON: We'll see - have to see where this one lands because there have been a lot of people fighting subpoenas other the last couple of years and some of them really have gotten away with it, especially when it was for testifying in front of, as you said, the January 6th committee and others.

COLLINS: Yes.

LEMON: So, we'll see where what -- this happens -- what happens with Mike Pence. COLLINS: Yes, and the special counsel is trying to wrap up his work

before we get into the heat of the 2024 season, when Pence is expected to run.

LEMON: Which is coming very soon.

COLLINS: Yes, absolutely.

LEMON: Florida's governor, Ron DeSantis, who is eyeing a potential run for president in 2024 -- speaking of, right, the election season -- has been waging a culture war to win conservative support. From critical race theory to gender ideology, he has taken multiple high- profile and controversial battles to the next level in the past year without support from MAGA true believers.

So, Jeff Zeleny joins us now from Tallahassee, Florida. Jeff is always in the middle of the hot, political season.

So, Jeff, good morning to you.

Could this strategy take him all the way to the White House? That's the question.

JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Well, good morning, Don.

That certainly is his hope. And as this Republican field is taking shape really week by week here, Governor Ron DeSantis is hoping his work here in Tallahassee, signing those bills, proposing new legislation for this coming session, will really give him a calling card to those primary voters across the country. But it's also drawing the ire of former President Donald Trump, who now, of course, is one of his constituents.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GOV. RON DESANTIS (R-FL): Florida is where woke goes to die.

ZELENY (voice over): And for Governor Ron DeSantis, Florida is where presidential aspirations come alive.

DESANTIS: So help me God.

ZELENY: Six weeks after starting his second term, he's putting the finishing touches on the DeSantis' playbook.

DESANTIS: Freedom lives here in our great, sunshine state of Florida.

ZELENY: Taking his record from Florida's capital to the national stage, as one of the country's youngest governors with one of the loudest voices on conservative policies. It's a driving force in the latest chapter of the culture wars, already shaping the 2024 campaign.

DESANTIS: When other states can sign their people's freedom to the dust bin, Florida stood strongly as freedom's lynch pin. ZELENY: The governor has introduced himself as a leading culture

warrior, with a growing list of what he calls anti-woke laws and proposals.

DESANTIS: And this bill takes three main steps.

ZELENY: Like the Parental Rights in Education Act, which critics have dubbed the don't say gay bill that bans instruction of sexual orientation and gender identity from kindergarten through third grade. Under his watch, transgendered children in Florida can no longer access certain treatments. And he eliminated state funding for LGBTQ mental health programs.

He's also called for bans on mandates for Covid-19 vaccines and masks, used state funds to expand a controversial migrant relocation program, and is locked in a battle over an advanced African American studies course that he says goes against state law for how race can be taught in Florida classrooms.

DESANTIS: Why don't we just do and teach the things that matter? Why is it always someone has to try to jam their agenda down our throats?

ZELENY: He spends his time signing laws passed by the GOP-controlled Florida legislature, rather than sounding off on social media, like his one-time supporter and now rival, former President Donald Trump, who now mocks DeSantis with a nickname.

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: Ron desanctimonious (ph).

ZELENY: The governor is releasing a new book, "The Courage to be Free" at the end of February, and setting out on tour with stops in Texas, California, Alabama and beyond.

On the floor of the Florida senate, Democratic Senator Jason Pizzo has blasted the ambitions of DeSantis.

JASON PIZZO (D), FLORIDA STATE SENATOR: Of a speech that's going to be given in Iowa in a couple years.

ZELENY: And told us today the governor has cast his entire agenda as the backbone of a presidential bid.

PIZZO: It's a playbook that I think is squarely set towards a national audience because it's certainly not remedying or curing any problems here.

ZELENY: DeSantis is building a national team, CNN has learned, with plans for an announcement in late May or early June, after the Florida legislature enacts even more of his agenda that can serve as a road map for his political future.

DESANTIS: We will fight the woke in the businesses. We will fight the woke in government agencies. We will fight the woke in our schools. We will never, ever surrender to the woke agenda.

(END VIDEOTAPE) [06:55:07]

ZELENY: Now, talking to a top Republican who's close to the governor, he told me yesterday, yes, he is running. And next week he's holding a conference for donors in Palm Beach, right near Mar-a-Lago.

Of course, we should point out, this is not a two-man race with Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis. Nikki Haley, the former South Carolina governor, she announces tomorrow.

Don.

LEMON: Oh, well, here we go. It's starting already.

Thank you very much, Jeff Zeleny.

COLLINS: Also this morning, we are following developments in the Michigan State University shooting that has killed three people. We have actual dispatch calls from overnight as we are standing by for a news conference that we are told is coming up in the 8:00 a.m. hour.

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