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CNN This Morning
UPS Workers Threaten Walk Off; Doctors Call for more Studies into Ozempic and Wegovy; Alabama Woman Not Kidnapped. Aired 6:30-7a ET
Aired July 25, 2023 - 06:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[06:31:42]
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STEVEN COURY, PASSENGER ON DIVERTED DELTA FLIGHT: And, you know, it's terrifying now that I'm thinking back and how close to actual death we came on that flight.
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POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR: Oh, terrifying to hear. This morning we are learning about an absolutely terrifying experience on a Delta flight. It sustained damage, severe damage, from an intense hailstorm. Take a look at this. This is a hole in the nose of the plane. This was taken after the plane bound for New York from Milan, Italy, was diverted, forced to land in Rome. The passenger who took that photo explained what it felt like on board.
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STEVEN COURY, PASSENGER ON DIVERTED DELTA FLIGHT: The turbulence became violent. Like a roller coaster. You could feel us changing elevations very quickly. And one thing that we heard - and, you know, I'm a rather experienced flier, and I've never heard it before, was hail hitting the airplane. A very large -- very loud banging sounds on the top of the plane and the wing.
There was hand-holding. There were screams.
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HARLOW: Thankfully, no one was hurt on board. That passenger praised the captain and the Delta crew for safely landing the aircraft. Added, though, that he had no idea how bad the damage was until he got off.
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STEVEN COURY, PASSENGER ON DIVERTED DELTA FLIGHT: When I got to the bottom of the stairs, I looked around at the plane and saw that the nose of the plane had been pretty much ripped apart. We didn't know that the nose had been punched in, that the navigation system was likely knocked out, that the damage to the wings had occurred, that one engine had a hole in it and had burned out and that the other engine had also sustained damage.
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HARLOW: In a statement, Delta did not describe the damage but did say the flight was diverted to Rome after experiencing a weather-related maintenance issue shortly after departure. It added, the flight landed safely and that evaluation of the aircraft was being conducted.
Glad they're OK.
ERICA HILL, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, absolutely.
We are now just a week away from a potential UPS strike. One which analysts say could cripple the nation's supply chain.
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CROWD (chanting): (INAUDIBLE).
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HILL: The union representing hundreds of thousands of workers is heading back to the negotiating table today. The first time since those talks broke down over the July 4th weekend. But the say if they don't reach a deal on the new contract within the next week, they are ready to walk off the job.
CNN's Vanessa Yurkevich has been following this closely for us.
So, how close are they at this point? Where do the negotiations stand?
VANESSA YURKEVICH, CNN BUSINESS AND POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: Close but not close. Both sides say they're 95 percent there, but it's that remaining piece of the puzzle that send both sides walking away from the table over that July 4th weekend.
Now, the union says that UPS makes historic profits but UPS says that they have provided a historic deal for the union. Today will set the stage for what's to come.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE)
CROWD: (INAUDIBLE).
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And what do we want?
CROWD: Contract (ph).
YURKEVICH (voice over): The largest single-company strike in U.S. history could be just a week away. UPS and the teamsters back at the negotiating table today. The two sides haven't met since they walked away following a marathon session over the July 4th weekend. SEAN O'BRIEN, GENERAL PRESIDENT, INTERNATIONAL BROTHERHOOD OF
TEAMSTERS: UPS knows they need to pay our members.
YURKEVICH: Since then, the teamsters, who represent 340,000 UPS workers, have taken to the streets for rallies and practice pickets.
[06:35:06]
President Sean O'Brien leading the charge.
O'BRIEN: This week is going to be our defining moment in the teamsters union. It's going to be the defining moment for labor. We have organized. We're strategized. Now it's time to pulverize.
YURKEVICH: Both UPS and the union say 95 percent of the contract is done, but the 5 percent left unfinished is the biggest piece of the pie, pay.
ELIZABETH LASTER, PART-TIME UPS WORKER: This stuff doesn't go anywhere unless we move it. We're the ones that are making all that money and stuff that we don't see it. Any of it.
YURKEVICH: Part-time workers make up the majority of UPS employees, who exclusively handle and load packages. Part-time pay starts at $16.20. But after 30 days, the average wage rises to $20. UPS says they get the same benefits as full-time workers, but the latter make $42 an hour on average.
O'BRIEN: So, we've got to - we've got to drive up the starting rate for part-timers, but we also have to reward the long-term part-timers that have been there.
YURKEVICH: UPS moves a quarter of all packages in the U.S., amounting to 7 percent of U.S. GDP. FedEx and USPS don't have the capacity to fill the vacuum. A ten-day UPS strike could cost the U.S. economy more than $7 billion with $4 billion directly impacting consumers and small businesses.
ABE ESHKENAZI, CEO, ASSOCIATION OF SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT: There will be shipping delays. More than likely we're going to see higher volumes or higher costs with other shippers that are picking up some of the slack.
YURKEVICH: UPS said their offer was historic. The teamsters said it wasn't good enough. In a statement UPS said in part, we started these negotiations prepared to increase the already industry-leading pay and benefits we provide our full and part-time union employees and are committed to reaching an agreement that will do just that.
So far the two sides have agreed to air-conditioning in new vehicles, retrofitting old ones with fans, recognizing Martin Luther King Day, and paying weekend employees the same as weekday workers.
O'BRIEN: I'm pleased with everything we have negotiated because there is not one concession. We've got tremendous leverage. And we're not giving one thing back. (END VIDEOTAPE)
YURKEVICH: Now, both sides say they believe that they can come to a deal eventually without outside intervention. We know that the teamsters president has asked the Biden administration specifically not to intervene in negotiations.
The last time we saw a strike was in 1997. And think about this, they lost market share during that time and they recouped about 90 percent. But now analysts are saying that if there was a strike, UPS potentially would only be able to recoup 70 percent. And that's a problem, obviously, for the company, but also for jobs. Less business, fewer jobs.
HILL: Yes.
YURKEVICH: So, we'll lose/lose in the end.
HARLOW: Those -- what you just said about them asking the Biden administration not to get involved. We all remember the near rail strike months ago.
YURKEVICH: Yes.
HARLOW: The Biden administration had the power to step in there and prevent and Congress had power. Do they have that kind of power here?
YURKEVICH: They do not unless they invoke this sort of old-time act that exists.
HARLOW: OK.
YURKEVICH: But they did have the power in the rail strike. They do have someone that is involved right now in the UAW negotiations with the big three auto manufacturers. But both sides really clear, they do not want anyone to get involved in this.
One way or another, if it's before strike or after a strike, they do believe that they can reach some sort of deal. Just timing is so, so key here.
HILL: Yes, it's just the when. It is. The countdown clock is ticking.
YURKEVICH: Ticking.
HILL: Vanessa, thanks.
YURKEVICH: Thank you.
HARLOW: Just in this morning, a new warning from doctors there could be a troubling side effect from this very popular new weight loss drug.
HILL: And some really remarkable video here. It shows a baby in south Texas being rescued from a hot car. The parents accidentally locked their keys inside the vehicle. Frantically then trying to get in. You see the father here smashing the front windshield, trying to get into that car. The temperature in the area was hovering around 101 degrees at the time. Well, a woman was able to climb through that broken glass, get inside the car, get the infant, hand the baby to dad. Police say the baby is doing fine. No charges filed here.
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HARLOW: So, some doctors are calling for more research into the side effects of very popular diabetes and weight loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. They say that new side effects may be emerging as the demands for these medicines skyrocket.
Our Meg Tirrell, our medical correspondent, is here.
What are the doctors worried about?
MEG TIRRELL, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, so we know that the way these drugs work is they mimicking a hormone in the gut called GLP1, and that stimulate the body to produce insulin, can also curb hunger and it slows the stomach from emptying. And it's that last thing that doctors are focused on now.
Our reporter, Brenda Goodman, talked with three patients who had sort of a severe effect of that, that actually caused - or their doctors think perhaps caused stomach paralysis or gastroparesis, a severe form of that, and that can cause severe vomiting and nausea.
But, of course, GI effects are known side effects of these medicines. You can see in clinical trials, nausea was felt by 20 percent of patients on Ozempic, 44 percent of patients on Wegovy, which is a higher doze of Ozempic essentially for weight loss.
But the stomach emptying effect is something that Novo mentions in the drug's label, but only really to warn patients it can affect - you know, if they're taking other drugs, the metabolism of those medicines as well. Not that it can cause this effect.
The FDA has said it's received some reports of stomach paralysis among patients taking the medicines. They don't know if the medicines caused this. They did say in some cases that hadn't stopped even after a patient stopped taking the medicine.
[06:45:04]
HILL: Oh, wow.
TIRRELL: And the American Society of Anesthesiologists warned last month that patients should stop taking these medicines if they're having elective surgery, maybe a week before, because having a full stomach before surgery can be really dangerous if you're going under general anesthesia.
And so this is something that is known, but doctors are saying, we really don't understand this effect well enough and patients should really be aware of it. If they're having severe vomiting, for example, that's not a good thing.
HILL: Right. So what are the companies then saying? They're -- they were saying initially, to your point, look, these can be some of the side effects, but they weren't saying it could be this severe.
TIRRELL: Right. Exactly. So, Nova Nordisk, which is the maker of both Ozempic and Wegovy, says that these drugs and the class of medicines has been on market, you know, for 15 years for diabetes, eight years for weight loss. They say they've been extensively studied both in clinical trials an since they've been on the market. They say there's something like 9.5 million patient years of experience with these medicines. And so they - while they note that this can happen, they don't say it's a severe side effect of the drug and it hasn't been proven to be causative.
HARLOW: Stomach paralysis though is just scary when you hear it.
TIRRELL: Yes.
HARLOW: Think hard about this before you start it, I guess.
TIRRELL: Yes, and be aware that it does slow stomach emptying. That's a known effect.
HARLOW: Yes.
Thanks, Meg.
TIRRELL: Thanks, guys.
HILL: Well, the Alabama woman who claimed she had been kidnapped after trying to help a stranded toddler on the side of the road, now offering a much different story. Could she also be facing charges?
HARLOW: And Senator Mitt Romney, a former presidential candidate himself, has just called on Republican donors to pressure some of Trump's rivals in the primary to drop out of the race. In or next hour we'll be joined by Republican presidential candidate Chris Christie. What does he think of that?
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HILL: The Alabama woman who went missing for 49 hours after calling 911 about a toddler wandering alone on the highway now admits none of that ever happened. She was never kidnapped. Police say they received a letter from Carlee Russell's lawyer saying she lied to 911 dispatchers. There was never a missing child. And she, herself, was never missing. And now she could be facing charges for that hoax.
CNN's Ryan Young is live in Atlanta this morning.
Ryan, there was so much concern and so much confusion when this initial story came out.
[06:50:00]
And now she made that all up according to police?
RYAN YOUNG, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, that is the claim right now. You look at all that police did to try to find this woman. You understand why so many in the community and across this country are wondering why this happened.
That initial phase where Carlee Russell was driving down that road and they saw the flashing lights using the surveillance camera. They were trying to figure out whether or not there was a toddler missing. You remember that news conference where the chief talked about the car moved 600 yards down that road. They were able to track that GPS to see exactly how far it went after that 911 call saying a toddler could never have crossed that much road while she was driving and calling 911.
So much went into this. You think about the community, the other police departments, the federal law enforcement, all went looking for Carlee Russell. And then they put out the search history where she Googled the movie "Taken," and she also tried to see what would happen during an Aber Alert. All this added up to this news conference yesterday.
Take a listen to the chief.
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CHIEF NICK DERZIS, HOOVER POLICE: There was no kidnapping on Thursday, July 13, 2023. My client did not see a baby on the side of the road. My client did not leave the Hoover area when she was identified as a missing person. My client did not have any help in this incident. But this was a single act done by herself.
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YOUNG: Yes, to say this galvanized a lot of people and made them upset about this would be an understatement because you think about all the resources. Now charges could be coming her way. There was a question asked yesterday during the news conference, how much did this all cost in terms of this search? That question wasn't answered just yet. It will be up to the district attorney to figure out whether or not to press charges.
When you think about her family and all the people in the community who were actively trying to find out where this young woman was, we still don't have those answers. Forty-nine hours of fear for all those people in the community.
HILL: Yes.
YOUNG: A toddler missing. A young woman missing. So many questions.
HILL: Yes. Absolutely. Ryan, appreciate the update this morning. Thank you.
YOUNG: Absolutely. HILL: A relentless heat wave in Greece is fueling these out of control wildfires across that country. And there's a new study out this morning which reveals just how human-caused climate change is contributing to what is being called this heat hell.
Plus, Poppy sat down exclusively with the head coach of the Washington Commanders football team. What he says is next for the Commanders after controversy, including maybe a name change?
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HARLOW: You going to stay the Commanders?
RON RIVERA, HEAD COACH, WASHINGTON COMMANDERS: That's a great question.
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[06:57:27]
HARLOW: Welcome back.
The head coach of the Washington Commanders is not ruling out a potential name change again for the NFL team as new owners take the reins. A group led by billionaire Josh Harris bought the Commanders last week. And the sale, of course, comes after a controversial era for the franchise under previous owner Dan Schneider. Schneider faced sexual harassment allegations, a league investigation and congressional investigation in December. The House Oversight Committee and Reform found that Schneider established a culture of fear within the NFL organization and attempted to intimidate witnesses from cooperating with investigators. Schneider has denied all the accusations.
But Commanders head coach Ron Rivera is entering his fourth season with the franchise. And in his first sit down interview since the sale of the Commanders was complete, I spoke to him about all of these issues and what the future holds.
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HARLOW: You sit here as head coach of the Commanders. And for the entire time you've been head coach, you have been coaching through chaos around the organization. Through congressional investigations into the Schneider ownership, to allegations of sexual harassment. Now the team is sold. Is it a relief because you've been the one having to field all these questions?
RON RIVERA, HEAD COACH, WASHINGTON COMMANDERS: It is a relief. It's one of those things that you kind of feel like the burden has been taken off the shoulders. That now the focus can be on primarily football, what's important. You know, the interesting stuff now truly is aside.
HARLOW: But that stuff was, is important.
RIVERA: Yes.
HARLOW: Especially these serious allegations.
RIVERA: Yes. But to football players, to us, what we do on the field, it's interesting. And that's how I was trying to keep it separate that way so that we could keep the focus on playing the games.
HARLOW: So, what does this new ownership team mean to you?
RIVERA: It has moved all this to the side and now, for us, with the new leadership coming in, it will be about just the football side of it. Just that aspect of it.
I've had an opportunity to talk with Mr. Harris and several of his other partners. And it is - it is a different approach, a different look at things.
HARLOW: You going to stay the Commanders?
RIVERA: That's a great question. I mean, believe me, it is one of those things, because, you know, it is hard for me because I grew up a Red Skin fan back in the day. And a lot of it had to do with Charlie Taylor, who played for the team. His dad was a sergeant that worked with my dad. And so, watching Charlie was, you know, was something that came naturally just because there was an association there.
HARLOW: So the name may be changed?
RIVERA: Who knows. I mean that's -- that's up to - that's up to what Mr. Harris wants, what the ownership group wants, and what they can get worked out.
[07:00:02]
HARLOW: What does coach want?
RIVERA: I want the name that fits this team to be the best.
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HARLOW: Appreciate the time with him. We're going to have a lot more of our sit
