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New Day

American Airlines Flight Diverted; FDA Postpones Vaccine for Under 5; Garrett Graff is Interviewed about his Watergate Book; Gas Prices on the Rise. Aired 6:30-7a ET

Aired February 14, 2022 - 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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[06:32:03]

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: This morning, word that an unruly passenger forced an American Airlines flight to make an emergency landing. Witnesses say the man was trying to get into the cockpit and pry open the door. That's when the flight from L.A. to D.C. began rapidly descending to Kansas City.

CNN's Whitney Wild joins us now.

This sounds nuts, Whitney.

WHITNEY WILD, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely. And there were two incidents, John. So there were two separate American Airlines flights diverted Sunday due to unruly passengers. A theme -- a terrible trend we've seen over the last year.

Let's talk about the first flight. This first flight from Los Angeles International Airport to Washington, D.C., was diverted due to an unruly passenger who tried to interfere with the flight crew. That's according to a Kansas City Aviation Department spokesperson.

An eyewitness on that flight, on that Airbus A-321, told CNN that the passenger was trying to get into the cockpit and open the plane door. And as a flight attendant was trying to subdue that passenger, more people -- more good citizens went to help that flight attendant hold that passenger down.

Luckily, Flight 1775 landed safely at Kansas International Airport.

American Airlines says in a statement that law enforcement was requested to meet the flight on arrival, handling the situation with the utmost skill and professionalism. The FBI, which will take over the case, has confirmed the incident to

CNN, adding that the individual here has been taken into custody.

The second flight, second American Airlines flight, left from Phoenix. That was supposed to go to Hawaii, Honolulu. It was forced to return to Phoenix due to a passenger disruption. Again, that's according to the airline.

So far this year, John, there have been 394 reports of unruly passengers. Last year was a terrible year for this kind of behavior in the United States. And 5,981 cases were reported by the Federal Aviation Administration. And of those, around 4,300, nearly 72 percent, John, were mask-related incidents. It's still unclear if this case is related to a mask mandate while on board a flight. But, certainly, terrible behavior in the air has not calmed down. It was certainly a theme of 2021 and clearly 2022 is not shaping up to be much different, John.

BERMAN: It's atrocious behavior and it's dangerous to boot.

WILD: Right.

BERMAN: Whitney Wild, thank you so much.

The new frustration for parents of young children who were hoping for a Covid vaccine.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN ANCHOR: Plus, Eminem's final move in his halftime sow performance has everyone talking this morning.

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[06:38:54]

KEILAR: A major and frustrating setback for parents waiting to vaccination their children as the FDA seeks more data before authorizing the vaccine for kids under the age of five. It is no longer expected to be available for the youngest children here in the coming weeks.

And CNN's Jacqueline Howard is joining me now.

Jacqueline, I am the mother of a child who fits into this age category. And all of the parent friends that I have, I mean we are just frustrated. It feels like this is such a back and forth.

JAQUELINE HOWARD, CNN HEALTH REPORTER: Yes, it definitely does feel that way, Brianna. And I, you know, was excited about this vaccine for my three-year-old niece, and yet there is this temporary delay.

But what happened, it's important to note, that this postponement of the review for the authorization of this vaccine was not due to safety concerns. What happened, when Pfizer submitted a request for its child-size vaccine to be authorized for kids younger than five, the request was for a two-dose series to be administered. And on the, you know, side, Pfizer has also been studying a three-dose vaccine series. Well, data on that three dose has been coming in pretty quickly.

[06:40:01]

And the FDA decided, you know what, let's postpone a meeting of our vaccine advisers, let's postpone our consideration of this vaccine authorization until the three-dose data come in, so that way the agency has a full, complete dataset on what this vaccine looks like when it comes to efficacy when you look at three doses compared with two doses.

So that's what happened, Brianna. Really that's what we're seeing.

And Pfizer says it expects to have its data on three doses in early April. So possibly around then is when we can see this consideration of authorizing the vaccine continue.

But, of course, many parents are frustrated. But, again, Brianna, this is all about having complete data on efficacy and hopefully we can see these discussions resume in the coming months.

Brianna.

KEILAR: So if that happens, Jacqueline, in early April, what is the estimate, the soonest that we might see vaccines available?

HOWARD: Well, what we can expect -- so the original meeting of the vaccine advisory committee was scheduled for tomorrow. And we were expecting the vaccine in coming weeks. So if that meeting is actually going to resume in early April, then possibly we could see in the weeks following early April a vaccine for this age group. So, just as a guess, as an estimate, possibly late April, possibly early May. But, again, this all depends on seeing the complete data.

KEILAR: Incredibly frustrating. Jacqueline, thank you.

So, prices are going up at the pump. What is causing it, and when can we expect to have them come down? We have some answers for you.

BERMAN: Plus, what I think might be the best book on Watergate I have ever read. And that is a wicked high bar. Why the author says it was all much weirder than you think.

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[06:46:00]

BERMAN: This morning, you thought you knew Watergate. Think again. I spent the weekend reading a book that blew my mind. "Watergate: A New History," by CNN contributor Garrett Graff. It's out tomorrow. And it really will reframe how you think about the whole thing.

And Garrett Graff, the author, joins me now.

First of all, it's wonderful, right? And one of the things you note is it was all weirder than you could ever imagine or ever knew. What do you mean? GARRETT GRAFF, AUTHOR, "WATERGATE: A NEW HISTORY" AND CNN CONTRIBUTOR: So, America has sort of learned Watergate imagining that it begins with a DNC burglary. But it's sort of like walking into the second act of a play. What America only has realized with time is that Watergate had actually been -- it was a whole corrupt and criminal mind-set that had been underway for more than two years at that point and sort of the maxim (ph) that we've all learned in the wake of Watergate, the cover-up is worse than the crime, actually doesn't bear out. The crimes were phenomenally terrible.

BERMAN: And there's an "s" there, as in plural, and they were happening even before Nixon was elected. You write extensively in ways that I haven't really read the detail before about the Madam Chennault -- did I say that right?

GRAFF: Yes.

BERMAN: Affair. Explain what that was.

GRAFF: So, this was an episode from the 1968 campaign, closing days of the election, where we actually see some of the only credible treason allegations against a U.S. president in U.S. history where Richard Nixon, as he battles Hubert Humphrey for the '68 presidential campaign, comes -- intervenes in the Paris peace talks to try to push the south Vietnamese to delay the talks, let him win, and keep the war in Vietnam going. And it's covering up that scandal that begets all of the rest of Watergate over the years ahead.

BERMAN: And it happened right from the very beginning. Which just goes to show, it was weirder and longer and bigger.

One of the things that I did not know, as we talk about the tapes, the Nixon tapes, Nixon spent a lot of time prior to his ultimate resignation, while all these hearings were going on, actually listening to the tapes himself

GRAFF: This scandal begins in June 1972 with the DNC break-in and the arrest. Unfurls for more than two years thereafter. And really, day by day, consumes the Nixon presidency. And those final months -- really the final year in office, he is doing almost nothing but dealing with this scandal, personally with an ever-shrinking pool of advisers.

BERMAN: He's drinking a lot and sitting in his office listening to these tapes. So he knew -- he knew that there was this smoking pistol, as you say, there waiting for him.

Now, you also note that this is the first real, comprehensive history written since we all now know who "Deep Throat" was, Mark Felt.

GRAFF: The FBI deputy director, as you say, this was -- this is the first time anyone has ever tried to put his revelation of that identity as "Deep Throat" in context of the full scandal. And it really changes the way that we think of what we saw transpire because what we learned is that Mark Felt wasn't out for Richard Nixon, he was out for Pat Gray, the acting FBI director, the guy he thought had stolen his job in the wake of the death of J. Edgar Hoover. And so everything that we sort of thought was "Deep Throat" being this good watch dog, this good government guy is actually just sort of brutal, back room succession politics.

BERMAN: No one loves Carl Bernstein more than I do, and Bob Woodward for that matter, and I love the work that they all did. But you note, if not for all the other journalists also reporting on this story, the outcome might have been different.

GRAFF: Yes, this was one of the things that really surprised me as I researched was, we are so used to the sort of Robert Redford, Dustin Hoffman version of Watergate that actually we forget that there were a half dozen reporters, Sandy Smith from "Time" magazine, Walter Rugaber from "The New York Times," Jack Nelson from "The Los Angeles Times," Seymour Hersh, actually, for "The New York Times," who had some of the biggest stories of Watergate in that first year. All of them outsiders. All of them who sort of didn't come rubbing elbows with Henry Kissinger at Georgetown cocktail parties.

[06:50:07]

And so they had no reason to believe Richard Nixon's denials.

BERMAN: We didn't even talk about Spiro Agnew, which in and of itself could be one of the biggest scandals ever to take place in the White House.

Garrett Graff, the book. "Watergate: A New History," it is genuinely terrific. People who care about this era need to go out and read it right away.

GRAFF: Thanks so much, John.

BERMAN: Thanks so much for being here.

More on our breaking news.

The Russian skater who failed a drug test will be allowed to compete. But, if she wins, no medal, at least not at the Olympics.

KEILAR: Plus, Ukraine's president staring down a potential Russian invasion. What he is requesting of President Biden.

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KEILAR: The pain at the pump is getting worse, you probably noticed, as rising gas prices are affecting drivers across the country.

[06:55:01]

And at the pace that oil demand is outpacing supply, the predictions are not at all reassuring.

CNN's Gabe Cohen is live for us in Alexandria, Virginia, with more.

Tell us this story. GABE COHEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Brianna, we are watching these

gas prices climb week after week. It hasn't been this expensive to fill your tank in nearly eight years.

As you mentioned, the oil industry has really been struggling to keep up with the massive demand for fuel. And now the situation on the Ukrainian border could make things even worse for American drivers.

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COHEN (voice over): Add gas prices to the list of surging costs weighing on Americans' wallets.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The price has been a little bit more each time.

COHEN: The national average now around $3.44 a gallon, up more than a dollar from a year ago, and the highest since 2014.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is like, damn, like it changes the way I pump gas.

COHEN: And it's only getting worse, approaching the record national average of $4.11.

COHEN (on camera): Do you think we could hit that record in the months ahead?

PATRICK DE HAAN, HEAD OF PETROLEUM ANALYSIS, GAS BUDDY: I think we have a very good chance.

COHEN (voice over): It's an issue of supply and demand dating back to the start of Covid. Just look at this roller coaster chart of U.S. gas prices over time. In March 2020, prices plummeted. Americans weren't on the road. Oil producers, including OPEC, cut back on investments and operations. They had nowhere to store extra oil.

HELIMA CROFT, GLOBAL HEAD OF COMMODITY STRATEGY, RBC CAPITAL MARKETS: They laid off employees. They didn't work the rigs.

COHEN: But when the vaccines rolled out, demand for fuel skyrocketed, more than experts expected. And the oil industry didn't have the supply. They're still playing catch up.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You can't just turn on a spigot. These are long cycle projects.

COHEN: So gas prices have been surging for 14 months. Only briefly dipping during omicron. Demand is back at pre-pandemic levels. Even AAA can't explain that.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They're trying to kind of figure it out right now.

COHEN: And the conflict on the Ukrainian border is adding a new strain. Russia is the world's second largest oil producer. If the crisis escalates, JP Morgan says oil prices could soar from $91 a barrel to $120. CROFT: If we were to see Russia potentially withhold energy exports,

the question would be, who could make up for that?

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I'm going to work like the devil to bring gas prices down.

COHEN: It's a huge, political problem for the Biden administration, which says it's now engaging with oil-producing countries to increase production, preparing to go after firms that manipulate prices, and considering dipping back into the strategic petroleum reserve. In November, they announced the release of 50 million barrels from that supply.

DE HAAN: And that resulted in very little, more like negligible impact.

CROFT: At this price point, you'll start to see more production come back. But there's still a gap that needs to be filled.

COHEN: One source of hope, new talks with Iran over a nuclear deal. If that gets done, western companies could start buying more Iranian oil. But as of now, oil prices are expected to keep rising for months, adding fuel to inflation on everything from groceries to store goods and driving price hikes at the pump.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's not just my car. It's every single aspect of my life is impacted by gas prices.

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COHEN: And, right now, some American oil companies are making massive investments to actually ramp up production, even as some in the industry say there's uncertainty and even some tension with the Biden administration over regulations. But that process, that is going to take time, Brianna. And the experts at the company Gas Buddy, they are projecting that the shortages and, as a result, these high prices could continue into late summer.

KEILAR: Wow. These are the things that really shake tight budgets, Gabe. Thank you so much for telling us that prognosis.

And NEW DAY continues right now.

BERMAN: Good morning to viewers here in the united states and all around the world. It is Monday, February 14th.

Happy Valentine's Day, Brianna Keilar.

KEILAR: Happy Valentine's Day, John.

BERMAN: I'm wearing all red in honor, just like you.

So, it was a night to remember in Los Angeles. They've had a football team for five years. They finally got the Super Bowl they deserve on home turf. They did it in dramatic fashion, coming from behind to beat the Cincinnati Bengals, 23-20. Matt Stafford hit Cooper Kupp for the game-winning touchdown pass with just over a minute left. Kupp was awesome. Everyone knew they were going to throw to him and he still caught it. He was the Super Bowl MVP and deserved it.

This is the second title franchise in franchise history. The first one was when they were in St. Louis. This is the first Los Angeles Rams Super Bowl. The L.A. Raiders won it in the '80s.

For Matt Stafford, this is a big deal. Look, he spent 12 long years in Detroit where he suffered through a lot of losing seasons, but he came to the Rams this year and got his Super Bowl.

[07:00:04]

KEILAR: The first year. Amazing.