Return to Transcripts main page

New Day

NHL to Pause Season; Josh Earnest is Interviewed about Holiday Travel; Biden's Get Puppy. Aired 8:30-9a ET

Aired December 21, 2021 - 08:30   ET

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

[08:30:00]

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Convinced he had Covid, had all the symptoms, took him in, tested positive for flu. Was sick, but it was flu, no Covid. So I'm sure you're seeing a lot of that right now.

Do you have enough tests? I mean how -- how close are you to running out of the materials you need to meet this testing demand?

DR. NEAL SHIPLEY, MEDICAL DIRECTOR, NORTHWELL HEALTH - GOHEALTH URGENT CARE: Right. So, we don't have testing shortages right now. You know, we're part of the Northwell Health System. We have, like I said, four different testing modalities in our centers. And we have the backup, Northwell Laboratory, as a reference laboratory, and they can test thousands and thousands of samples a day.

So, what we really need is a little bit of breathing room. You know, people who are asymptomatic, if you don't have to travel, consider, you know, not traveling. If you're asymptomatic and you can get a home test, which is a challenge these days, take a home test. What we really want to do in the urgent care is test the sick and the ill and help distinguish those who have Covid from those who don't, like your son who had flu. So, what we need is a little bit of breathing room.

BERMAN: That is interesting. If you're asymptomatic and don't need to travel, you may not need a test right now, at least not in person, the PCR test.

Dr. Neal Shipley, thanks so much for being with us.

SHIPLEY: Our pleasure. Thank you for having me.

BERMAN: So, how safe is it to fly during this new Covid surge? Can you get a refund if you cancel? A top airline executive joins us live.

ERICA HILL, CNN ANCHOR: But, first, the NHL's sudden shutdown as more players test positive and the possible impact on the Olympics.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:36:01]

BERMAN: New overnight, the NHL is pausing its season for a holiday break amidst an outbreak of Covid cases among players.

Joining me now, Elliotte Friedman, he's an NHL reporter for Sportsnet.

Elliotte, thanks so much for being with us.

What led the NHL and the players union to make this decision?

ELLIOTTE FRIEDMAN, NHL REPORTER, SPORTSNET: Well, John, good morning.

Basically, what happens is every year there's a three-day break over Christmas built into the schedule. It's normally the 24th, the 25th and the 26th. And they decided to move it up. As you said, the cases were growing.

And one of the reasons they do it is, they test every day, and you can't test, however, on what's called an off day or a non-workday. And so what they did was they were trying to play games on the 27th, and if they wanted everybody back in on the 26th to test, technically they couldn't do it if it was part of the Christmas break. So this way they made the 26th a working day, and in return they moved their break up earlier to get everybody their time off over the holidays.

BERMAN: I do get that there are some specific logistical concerns, like you're saying here, but there's also this concern that, look, omicron is just bursting into the reality for a lot of people, in sports and out of sports. I'm just curious, what happens when they start testing again if huge numbers still come back positive?

FRIEDMAN: Well, what we're basically seeing is, last weekend there was a rumor that they would potentially shut down until the winter classic, which is on January 1st, a major event on the calendar, which has their outdoor game. And what I was told was, look, they are going to try every -- try to play every game that they possibly can. If you look at what the NFL is doing and you look at what the NBA is doing, they seem to have the same rules, try to play every game that you possibly can. And there's no guarantee they're going to be able to play or resume their full schedule next week.

So, I think what they're doing is just calling a brief time-out, giving the players the time and the staff, the time that they normally get, and we'll see where we are on Boxing Day. I think it's just play it by ear and try to play as many games as you possibly can. But as you see every league right now, John, that's the rule they're basically using.

BERMAN: The NFL is adjusting its rules at this point. They're not testing asymptomatic player as regularly. The isolation period they may try to reduce that for asymptomatic, fully boosted players. Is that something the NHL will do or need to do?

FRIEDMAN: There's a challenge with that here. The NHL has an issue that the NFL doesn't have and the NBA only has with one team, and that is Canada and the Canadian border. We started to see more players and staff call for that. You know, the Hall of Famer, Steve Yzerman, mentioned that. Ryan O'Reilly, the captain of the Blues, in 2019, when they won -- now the captain of the Blues and they won the Stanley Cup in 2019, they -- some of those players have said, people have said, should we consider that? But the Canadian government is not thrilled with that idea. And you

have to cross a border, right? So, until they know they could be able to do that, I don't think that's going to be possible in a broad stage in the NHL.

BERMAN: What's going to happen with the Olympics, where there were plans for NHL players to go?

FRIEDMAN: Yes, we're expecting an announcement. It could be as soon as today, but it is on the radar to happen that the NHL and the players will officially announce they are not going. On Sunday, when there was a shutdown of the -- across border games. So Canadian teams and U.S. teams couldn't play each other temporarily, the NHL let it be known that it triggered an option of theirs to leave the Olympics because there had been a material disruption of the schedule.

So, in the last couple of days, what the league and the Players Association have been doing is discussing how they want to make the announcement. They're going to officially let the IOC know, but the players are aware and the teams are aware that they won't be going to the Olympics, unfortunately.

BERMAN: That will be -- that will be big news, but I do think all the players have now come to accept, I think, the reality of that.

[08:40:05]

Elliotte Friedman, terrific having you on. Thanks so much.

FRIEDMAN: Thank you, John. My pleasure.

Here's what else to watch today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ON SCREEN TEXT: 9:00 a.m. ET, Ghislaine Maxwell jury deliberations.

1;00 p.m. ET, White House press briefing.

2:30 p.m. ET, Biden speaks on Covid response.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: Holiday travel in full effect. Will the airlines have enough pilots to deal with the holiday travel rush? We'll ask United next.

BERMAN: And a first look at the new first dog. A puppy at play in the White House.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HILL: The surge in Covid cases is not stopping millions of holiday travelers from getting on a plane for that much awaited getaway for many people, maybe a family reunion that they missed last year. The TSA says it expect to screen 30 million travelers over the next two weeks alone and just logged 2 million screenings for the fifth straight day in a row.

[08:45:06]

Joining me now is Josh Earnest, chief communication officer for United Airlines. He, of course, also served as the White House press secretary under President Obama.

Good to see you this morning.

As we look at those numbers, both the numbers of travelers and the rise in cases that we're seeing, any changes because of this increase from United in terms of its policy to cancel or change your flight if you have a positive test?

JOSH EARNEST, CHIEF COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER, UNITED AIRLINES: Well, Erica, the policy that we put in place more than a year ago is we actually got rid of change fees. So if there is a reason that people want to -- do make a change to their plans, it's more flexible than it ever has been to travel with United.

But, you know, what we're actually seeing, Erica, this year is a lot more confidence in the safety of air travel. And there's a good reason for that. Certainly we're seeing a lot more people vaccinated, and all of United's customer facing employees are vaccinated. That should give people some confidence. United was among the first to put in place a mask requirement for people who are traveling on board our aircraft.

And the thing that we have learned over the course of the pandemic is that the aircraft environment, the way the aircraft -- the air is circulated inside the plane, with hepa filters, screening out pathogens in the air, that being inside an aircraft is actually about the safest indoor public place that you can be. So, there's a reason that people can travel with confidence, if they take the right measures this holiday season, and, you know, reconnect with those loved ones that many of us didn't actually get to connect with during the holidays last year.

HILL: You know, I heard you say that people have also gotten used to the mask requirements. As you know, as we saw, Sara Nelson from the Flight Attendants Union testifying last week that it's been -- it's a real challenge. And I know you know about this for flight attendants at United as well.

Do you think the message is starting to get through to passengers that it's not the time to take this out on flight attendants, on the flight crews, on the gate agents, is that message getting through? Are people starting to behave better?

EARNEST: People are starting to behave better. People are getting used to wearing masks. We've actually seen our mask-related incidents decline pretty dramatically over the course of this year. They're down 60 percent since the beginning of the year. That is certainly an indication that people are getting more used to wearing masks. But mostly I think this is a testament to the professionalism of our flight attendants who do a really good job of de-escalating these incidents, not provoking a confrontation, but actually insuring that people follow the rules, and do it in a way that keeps everybody safe.

And, you know, thanks to the professionalism of our front line employees, particularly our flight attendants, you know, the number of incidents that we've seen about this have declined. And, again, that should give people confidence that when you show up to the airport, people are going to be following the rules. There's a mask requirement in the airport. There's a mask requirement on board the planes. People generally -- the overwhelming majority of people follow those rules and it keeps all of us safe.

HILL: Let's hope it stays that way over the holidays.

United was, I believe, the first major U.S. airline to institute a vaccine mandate. I know you're -- you're encouraging boosters at this point. Will they be required?

EARNEST: Well, we're going to continue to watch the data and sort of see exactly whether or not that requirement is necessary. We do have in place a requirement for all of our employees to get vaccinated. We are recommending that our employees get boosters. And I know a lot of our employees have gotten boosters. So that -- we do know that as -- it puts in place a very important protection to keep people safe.

And, look, we're really proud that we were among the first major companies and certainly the first major U.S. airline to successfully implement our vaccine requirement. We did that because nothing is more important than the safety of our people and the safety of our customers. And that has certainly saved lives. We're really proud with the way that our employees have responded to this. And it is going to make everybody safer this holiday season.

HILL: United's CEO recently said 100 planes were grounded because of a pilot shortage. I know there are efforts at United to beef up the ranks of pilots. Should people be, though, concerned this week as they start to travel for the holidays that there may be a pilot shortage, that their flight may not take off?

EARNEST: What Scott Kirby, our CEO, was talking about is, that as we sort of think about the next couple of years in the airline industry, airlines are going to have to change the way they operate because there is a shortage of pilots. And so one of the things that we're doing at United to address this longer term problem is we actually are the first major U.S. airline to own and operate our own flight training academy. This means that we can recruit pilots from sort of all walks of life, make sure they go through a rigorous training program that's up to the high standards that have been established by United Airlines, that we proudly fulfill, and get pilots acclimated to the United ecosystem. That will improve the flow of pilots to our airline.

The other thing that we can do is we can actually take important steps to begin to diversify the cockpit. So what we have said is that over the next ten years, as we admit people to that pilot training program, we're going to -- we want to make sure that at least half of those people are women and people of color because diversifying the cockpit is something that's long overdue. [08:50:06]

It's also going to be necessary to address this shortage of pilots. If there actually is an industry wide shortage of pilots, we can't just keep going to the same universities and recruiting from the same places. We need to expand the pool of candidates. And there are a lot of qualified people out there. And if we keep those rigorous training programs in safe, we can -- rigorous training programs high, we can make sure that we keep people safe when they're traveling.

HILL: Real quickly, before I let you go, something that came up in a discussion I had with Sara Nelson last week was about to-go alcohol in airports, and she raised concerns about the impact that's having, specifically on flight attendants in the cabin.

Is that something United has been discussing with various airports and would you like to see either a ban or a reduction when it comes to to- go alcohol sales?

EARNEST: Well, one of the things that -- one of the rules that's already in place, Erica, is that people are not allowed to bring on board their own alcohol and consume it while they're traveling. So, to-go cups for alcohol are not allowed, unsurprisingly. That is a --

HILL: But they can be in the gate area?

EARNEST: I'm sorry?

HILL: But -- but they can have them in some airports in the gate area, you can have them before you board?

EARNEST: That -- you get -- that is true.

HILL: Yes.

EARNEST: And we are actually allowing alcohol sales on board the plane because, again, we are pivoting back to customer service. And we do want people to have a comfortable journey. But we also want people to do it safely. And I think the evidence that we've seen about the pretty dramatic decline of mask incidents over the course of the year is a good indication that our professional flight attendants are doing an excellent job of maintaining safety on board the aircraft, but also making people a little more comfortable when they travel.

HILL: Josh Earnest, appreciate it. Thanks for joining us. Happy holidays.

EARNEST: Happy holidays, Erica. Nice to see you.

BERMAN: I wanted to take a moment this morning to remember a lovely man and a great reporter. Wayne Slater, the retired long time awesome bureau chief and political writer for "The Dallas Morning News," he was killed in a car crash yesterday, and it is such a loss. He joined the Austin bureau in 1985. He covered Ann Richards and George W. Bush. I got to know him in 1999 and 2000 when Bush ran for president. Wayne and other members of the Texas press corps, they were our tour guides through the intricate world of lone star politics for a generation of young reporters. We were punks. Wayne was a prince. So generous, so kind, so dogged.

I scoured my files overnight trying to find a picture of us together. I couldn't. Maybe because he was always a step ahead of me. But I did find this photo that I took of him at a Bush rally in Texas in 2000. It's perfect. Wayne, under a press riser, in the rain, wearing cowboy boots, writing. That is what he did so well.

My thoughts are with his family. May his memory be a blessing.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:57:24]

BERMAN: All right, time now for "The Good Stuff."

Introducing the newest member of the first family, Commander.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: Hey, pal. How you doing? How are you?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: President Biden and the first lady have a new puppy, a purebred German shepherd, who comes with music, apparently. Commander was a birthday gift to the present and arrived at the White House yesterday.

You know who broke this story? CNN's Kate Bennett.

HILL: Yes.

BERMAN: Live in Washington with all of this and more.

Kate.

KATE BENNETT, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: I mean, you know, look at those ears, though. What an adorable puppy.

HILL: I love his ears.

BENNETT: So, yes.

So, the president had a birthday last month, his brother and his sister-in-law got him this dog. And Commander was born September 1st, so he's about three and a half months old.

You know, sad news for Major. I'm going to preface this by saying all dogs are good dogs so we don't get letters, you guys don't get viewer mail. But Major did have some issues, you know, living at the White House and part of yesterday's news that I was told is that Major is now living with family friends full time. They really tried to acclimate him to the White House. It just didn't work out. So hopefully Commander will have a better time there.

And also, I will say, a lot of people said -- the cat people out there said, what about the cat? Because Jill Biden had been promising this cat for a long time. And I was told yesterday that the cat will arrive in January at the White House. So, expect the cat. It's a female cat. It's already been picked out. It's being fostered by friends locally. They've just been waiting for the right time to bring it into the White House.

But, you know, it's nice to see a puppy and some animal activity at the White House. And I know the president and the first lady really missed Champ, who passed away in June.

HILL: Yes.

BENNETT: And so -- after 13 years. So this is nice to see a little -- a little life there.

HILL: Berman's really excited about the cat.

BENNETT: Lots of people are, Berman. You're not the only one.

HILL: See, you're not alone, Berman.

BERMAN: Well, I just -- I just don't understand why you need both. I mean, take a stand, right?

HILL: Oh, no. My -- we had a dog and a cat forever who loved each other dearly. Jake and Lulu, may they rest in peace.

BENNETT: Yes, I have a dog and a cat. I have two dogs and a cat.

HILL: See.

BERMAN: All right, this is --

HILL: Yes, (INAUDIBLE).

BERMAN: This is going really well. This is --

BENNETT: Dogs and cats living together. There will be anarchy.

BERMAN: This is going very well for me.

The president does like German shepherds, right? German shepherds are a breed that he's been a fan of for a long time.

BENNETT: He does. And I'm not under the impression that this dog is a rescue. So I think this is -- this gift to him is more like Champ was. You know, the first lady told me, I spoke to her after Champ died, and she said, you know, Champ would follow us to every room.

[09:00:02]

And so I think he's looking for a companion again and German shepherds provide that for him. So -- so, best of luck. HILL: Oh, they're such great dogs They're such good dogs. And those ears, I'm with you.