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CNN This Morning
Biden Talks with Sunak; Biden Meets with King Charles; Biden Pushes Back at Criticism; Airline Travel Turbulence over Last Few Years; Schumer Calls for Investigation of Prime Energy. Aired 8:30-9a ET
Aired July 10, 2023 - 08:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[08:32:11]
PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN ANCHOR: You're looking live at pictures of Windsor Castle. President Biden currently meeting with King Charles III. The first engagement between the two since the royal coronation in May. You see the two of them earlier (INAUDIBLE) the Guard of Honor.
Earlier this morning, the president sat down with U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak ahead of Tuesday's NATO summit in Lithuania.
CNN's Max Foster joins us live from Windsor. Nic Robertson, he's in London. And Astead Herndon is back with us here in Washington, D.C.
Nic, I want to start with you because the White House has been downplaying some uneasiness we've heard from allies about the decision to send cluster munitions to Ukraine. Here's what National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan had to say.
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JAKE SULLIVAN, NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: We have heard nothing from people saying this casts doubt on our commitment, this casts doubt on coalition unity, or this casts doubt on our belief that the United States is playing a vital and positive role as leader of this coalition in Ukraine.
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MATTINGLY: The context, of course, being that more than a hundred countries, including the U.K., are signatories to a ban on using cluster munitions. I guess the question is, does this create any real friction for the alliance heading into this NATO summit, or is the national security adviser correct?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yes, and it's interesting, isn't it, because just last year the U.K. was -- actually held the presidency - the rotating presidency of that convention. It does -- it is a little awkward in some ways, and I think we got a sense of that over the weekend, when Rishi Sunak put out that press release saying that, you know, the U.K. is a signatory and these are the reasons why, and this is what we're not going to do, and this is why we don't do it as part of that convention.
His press spokesman this afternoon, after meeting with President Biden, said actually, Rishi Sunak, in the format of that tea in the gardens at the back of Number Ten here, did raise the issue, did say he put forward, as he is obliged to do, per the convention, to discourage the use of cluster munitions. So, it does seem that this did come up for a conversation.
But I think the tag line to what the press secretary said at the end of that was they understand, the British understand that this was a tough decision for President Biden. So, I don't think this is going to break any bridges. There's certainly the obligation on the British prime minister to do this. He was always going to be questioned about it. It was one of the first questions to his press secretary following the meeting. And he raised it. So, I think, that does tell you, it's an issue, but not a massive one.
PAMELA BROWN, CNN ANCHOR: I'm going to bring in Max. You've been there at Windsor Castle following everything with this meeting between President Biden and King Charles. And we know they're discussing climate change. That is a centerpiece of the agenda today. But do we expect any concrete, tangible steps to come out of this meeting on climate -- as it relates to climate change, Max?
[08:35:04]
MAX FOSTER, CNN ANCHOR AND ROYAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's possible, isn't it? It's interesting that King Charles getting a lot more time with President Biden than Rishi Sunak did. They have a huge, shared interest in the climate. So, as I understand at the moment, they're having tea. I'm sure they're discussing climate. Possibly some level of Ukraine, as well, because King Charles has voiced his sport for Ukraine in the conflict against Russia. But I think it will be kept very superficial. Much more detail on climate. And they've got this meeting with a group of philanthropists and finance experts, trying to deal with climate change in the developing world and emerging markets. So, they're going to brief Charles and President Biden on the conclusions of their meeting. So, they will have some suggestions for change. So, there could be something concrete that comes out of that. You can imagine one of the pioneers in climate change, King Charles, and the president of the United States, if they supported some changes there, that could be quite significant, actually.
We're also going to probably get some images of King Charles showing President Biden some American artifacts from the royal collection. So, they're having quite an afternoon of it here in Windsor. And you've got that big, red carpet moment as well where President Biden was invited to inspect the Guard of Honor. So, some pomp and pageantry to go with this royal event.
BROWN: Yes.
MATTINGLY: You know, Astead, we've been talking earlier about how these are two men of a certain age.
ASTEAD HERNDON, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Yet. MATTINGLY: They've kind of followed similar career trajectories, though very different on many levels. The issue of age is obviously one that kind of hangs over everything President Biden does, as the oldest president in history, both this morning, and tomorrow morning, and the morning after that, to some degree as well. But he was actually asked about this by Fareed Zakaria in the interview - the exclusive interview Fareed had.
I want you to take a listen to it.
HERNDON: Yes.
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JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I think we're at an inflection point. I think the world is changing and I think I -- there is one thing that comes with age, if you're being honest about it your whole life, and that is some wisdom. I think we're on the cusp of being able to make significant positive changes in the world. Really, honest-to-God do.
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MATTINGLY: This is something that his advisers have kind of made clear behind the scenes, right, that this is a double-edged sword. Yes, age is an issue, but experience matters, as well. And there's probably no place that he's demonstrated that experience matters more so than on the world stage.
HERNDON: Yes.
MATTINGLY: What's your read on that?
HERNDON: Absolutely. I mean when I was looking at those images from London and thinking about him going to Lithuania for this summit, I was thinking about how this experience gives Biden the kind of unique ability to thread a really tough needle on this issue. And you've had kind of universal praise from him from the Democrats and I think some Republicans who have acknowledged that this is kind of a role that maybe only Biden could do.
And so I think as we head into the election, when age certainly, to your point, will be a concern, this is what the White House is going to try to pitch, that this is the positive of that age. That he has the experience and that he has been able to show that particularly on this issue.
The question is whether voters are valuing that in the same type of way. You know, when we were talking to people about how they feel about Biden, there's no -- there wasn't dissatisfaction with his actions as president, it was a kind of implicit feeling, that they felt like he was supposed to be a bridge to a next generation and maybe that -- in running for re-election, that he's kind of breaking that promise, right?
And so that has nothing to do with the facts or the substance of his actions. And I think that that's what you're really going to see as the tension for the next year. There's a real benefit to experiences they can specifically point to on something like Russia's war, but there's also going to be the question of whether voters are valuing that in the same way that the White House or diplomatic communities are who have given him kind of universal praise for the tough line that he's walked on this issue.
MATTINGLY: Yes, bridge got four years longer to some degree.
HERNDON: Yes. Yes. The bridge is slightly getting bigger.
MATTINGLY: All right, guys, thank you very much. Astead, thanks for coming in, buddy.
BROWN: Thank you.
HERNDON: Thank you.
BROWN: Appreciate it.
Well, rising ticket costs and near-collisions on the runway. Just how turbulent has air travel gotten over the years? Harry Enten is up. He's up next with this morning's number.
MATTINGLY: There he is.
BROWN: There he is. The one and only Harry!
MATTINGLY: There's our guy.
BROWN: We'll be with you soon, Harry.
MATTINGLY: Haircut still looks good.
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[08:43:11]
BROWN: From roller coaster ticket prices to near-collisions on the runways, the airline industry has been seeing plenty of turbulence, and not just in the skies, right? So, what's ahead for flyers?
CNN's senior data reporter Harry Enten is here with this morning's number.
All right, good morning, Harry. What is it?
HARRY ENTEN, CNN SENIOR DATA REPORTER: Good morning, Pam.
All right, this morning's number is four. Why? Airline fares in the last ten years are actually down 4 percent. It's one of the best bargains you can get. That's even as the price of the average goods have risen by 31 percent. And I know this because I just recently flew to Bermuda, and it turns out that the fares this year were cheaper than the fares were last year. You could go to Bermuda round trip from New York for less than $200. So the fact is, airline ticket fares are one of the best bargains around at this particular point.
Phil. Pam.
BROWN: I think I have to verify that. I don't know. Less than $200?
MATTINGLY: Yes, I don't actually believe this.
BROWN: Yes.
MATTINGLY: But also like highfalutin vacation. Good job, Harry. You're a man of the people.
BROWN: I know. Let me just throw that - casual throw-in, yes.
MATTINGLY: All right, Harry, earlier - earlier this year we heard about near collisions at the airport. What are we seeing now?
ENTEN: Yes, all right, Phil, so remember that we ran all of those stories about all those near-collisions. But, look, in January to February of this year there were five of them that the FAA graded at least a significant potential for an accident. But guess what's happened over the last few months. From March to May, look at this, zero. So it turns out that as we're getting out of the Covid era and we're getting more and more passengers, more and more flights, the airlines are adjusting and the fact is those friendly skies are becoming even friendlier, they're becoming safer, considerably safer than they were at the beginning of the year.
BROWN: You mentioned the Covid era. How is the airline industry doing overall after problems during Covid?
ENTEN: Yes, so, look, airline passengers, right? We're back, baby! We're back! That's exactly what I would say. Airline passengers, through July 6th, look at this, 426 million.
[08:45:05]
That's way up from where we were in 2020 when it was just 182 million. And we are back to that pre-Covid level baseline when it was $426 million. So, we're matching it perfectly. So, there are a lot of people like me. Perhaps they're not going to Bermuda. Maybe they're going to a domestic location, I don't know, like Huntsville, Alabama, where I can visit my dear Aunt Clara.
Guys
BROWN: Trying to balance yourself out there. Bermuda, Huntsville, Alabama.
MATTINGLY: It's not working.
BROWN: Nice try, Harry. Nice try.
MATTINGLY: With the elites. Listen -
BROWN: But, you know what, I just got back actually from California. Not to, you know, throw that in, because California's great.
MATTINGLY: Yes.
BROWN: But it was - I mean the airports were packed.
MATTINGLY: Yes.
BROWN: So, I'm not surprised to see those numbers.
MATTINGLY: I'm not surprised, but I do feel like Harry is trying to challenge Pete Muntean in the aviation correspondents space.
BROWN: Yes. Yes.
MATTINGLY: And I just want to tell you, Harry, no shot, man. You don't have the hair. Like, you've got good hair, but you don't have Pete Muntean hair. I just want to put that out there right now. I mean, I got your back.
ENTEN: I'm nowhere -
BROWN: Of course that is a key criteria for covering airlines.
ENTEN: I'm nowhere near as good looking as Pete, but he thankfully allows me to play in his space from time to time.
MATTINGLY: He's a good colleague like that.
BROWN: He's a generous guy.
MATTINGLY: Thanks, buddy.
BROWN: All right, Harry, thanks so much. Great to see you.
ENTEN: Be well.
MATTINGLY: Well, it's the influencer-backed energy drink that's flying off the shelves.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The fastest growing sports drink in history.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We want Prime.
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BROWN: So, do your kids drink this? Apparently this is really popular amongst kids and now some lawmakers are calling on the FDA to investigate it. We're going to tell you why, up next.
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BROWN: This morning, a popular energy drink is under scrutiny. Prime is the beverage brand founded by YouTube stars Logan Paul and KSI. Prime energy is especially popular with kids, even though there is a warning label that says it is not recommended for anyone under age 18. Senator Chuck Schumer is now calling on the FDA to investigate the drink over its high caffeine and the way it markets itself.
[08:50:03]
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SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D-NY): A lot of parents may never heard of it, but their kids have, because Prime is engaged in a vast advertising campaign aimed at kids, even though kids aren't supposed to drink a drink with this much caffeine.
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MATTINGLY: Well, CNN has reached out to the FDA and Prime for comment on its energy drink. Not yet received a response.
We should note, the company also makes a Prime hydrate beverage, which does not include caffeine.
Joining us now is CNN medical correspondent Meg Tirrell, and CNN business and politics correspondent Vanessa Yurkevich.
Meg, I want to start with you.
You know, the Senate majority leader saying kids shouldn't drink the amount of caffeine in Prime. How much caffeine does this drink have and how much is safe for kids to consume?
MEG TIRRELL, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, so this drink has about 200 milligrams of caffeine in a 12-ounce can. And to try to put that into some context, that's about two bottles of Red Bull. Those are smaller bottles, about 8.4 ounces in a Red Bull can, or about six cans of Coke. So, that's in one of these cans.
And according to the American Academy of Pediatrics, really kids shouldn't have any caffeine. Some pediatricians say for kids who are, you know, 12 and older, maybe up to 100 milligrams per day. That's a soda or two.
For adults, the FDA usually says about 400 milligrams per day generally doesn't affect people.
But for kids, the warnings are, you know, this can affect their sleep, it can cause dehydration, higher blood pressure, anxiety, and there are concerns about too much caffeine's impact on their development in terms of neurological development and their cardiovascular systems, guys.
BROWN: You see Chuck Schumer really taking aim at the marketing here.
So, Vanessa, on that note, how is Prime cornering the market and getting the attention of kids?
VANESSA YURKEVICH, CNN BUSINESS AND POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: Well, Prime really exploded on social media. On TikTok alone they have 3.4 million followers. 42 million likes.
This is also driven in part by Logan Paul, the co-founder, who has millions of followers himself. He does a lot of the advertising for the brand.
But it's important to note that this is the energy drink side of the brand. There's also the sports drink side. But the energy market is huge. In 2022 alone sales were at about $58 billion. Billion dollars. This year we're going to see about $62 billion globally. And projected in the next four years, $83 billion. And most of those sales are happening right here in North America.
Another way that this brand has gotten sort of their face on the map is they're sponsoring sports teams. They're sponsoring the L.A. Dodgers. They're sponsoring Arsenal, the soccer club Barcelona, also Base Sports Group, which is a sponsorship group for youth sports. They are in good company. You have Adidas also sponsoring Arsenal. You have Nike and Coca-Cola sponsoring Barcelona. So, clearly, they are trying to make a play and get their name out there and it seems to be working, guys.
MATTINGLY: Yes, it's not subtle.
I'm slightly confused how you consume the energy drink because all the promos have them like pouring it on their heads. But, Meg, I do think, on a serious note, some of the Prime products say it's, quote, not recommended for children under 18. If you're the FDA and you're -- you do actually take a look at this, is that enough?
TIRRELL: Well, it really depends. I think, from the FDA perspective, from what I've been hearing from experts this morning on whether they're hearing about instances of actual harm coming from this. I was talking with former FDA commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb. He pointed out, when he was in the role, you know, he issued public health advisories around things like this. So that's just to let people know about the situation, basically put out a warning and some information so that parents know about this. That is sort of a softer way of getting at the issue than actually taking any kind of enforcement action, which I'm hearing from experts is a much harder thing for the FDA to do here. But really it's, you know, is this actually causing harm. And the marketing, the nature of it, is that it's specifically bringing more children into the product.
BROWN: Yes, it's becoming quite the status symbol among children, right, to have these drinks in hand. It's no longer the shoes or whatever, you know, kids - popular around kits. It's about the drink. So this is really a fascinating conversation. Thank you so much, Meg, Vanessa, we appreciate it.
MATTINGLY: Well, a historic first for professional baseball. Two college teammates, Bayou Bengals themselves, takes spots one and two in the Major League Baseball draft.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Pick Paul Skenes. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And Dylan Crews.
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[08:58:52]
MATTINGLY: Welcome back.
For the first time in history, two college teammates took the top two spots in the Major League Baseball draft.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: With the first pick of the 2023 MLB draft, the Pittsburgh Pirates pick Paul Skenes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Washington Nationals select Dylan Crews.
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MATTINGLY: Love that. The two LSU players celebrated with family and friends as the announcements came in one after the other last night. Pitcher Paul Skenes and outfielder Dylan Crews dominated college baseball this season. The two teammates eventually led the Tigers to a national championship just last month. Only two other times in history did two teammates make the top picks, both going one and three, which happened in 2011, and in 1978.
BROWN: Wow.
MATTINGLY: Best part about this story, Dylan Crews, who was picked number two, could have been a first round pick out of high school. Decided not to go professional. Decided to go to LSU. Became the national player of the year. Won a national championship. Now the number two overall pick.
BROWN: Wow.
MATTINGLY: Bet on himself. Bet on himself. And that's awesome.
BROWN: So, you know a thing or two about baseball?
[09:00:02]
MATTINGLY: I know some -
BROWN: Maybe because you were a baseball star in college, everyone.
MATTINGLY: Star, definitely not in college, but played. Star -- if any of my college teammates saw you say I was a star in college, they would be like, yes, no you weren't, no you weren't.
BROWN: Always a (INAUDIBLE). Don't be so humble. Don't be so humble, Phil. All right, well, we are keeping a close eye on the president's trip to Windsor Castle. He is meeting with King Charles at this hour.
"CNN NEWS CENTRAL" picks up coverage right now.
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