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Reena Ninan is Interviewed about Russia's War; Investors Reeling from Strong Jobs Numbers; New NFL Concussion Protocols Have Immediate Impact; NFL Updated Concussion Protocol; Ft. Myers Residents Return Home to Survey Devastation. Aired 6:30-7a ET

Aired October 10, 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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[06:33:18]

ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN ANCHOR: More now on those deadly overnight strikes all across Ukraine. At last check officials say that 11 critical infrastructure facilities across Ukraine were hit, including this pedestrian bridge in Kyiv. Officials say that at least five people have been killed and 12 have been wounded.

With me now is veteran foreign affairs correspondent Reena Ninan.

Rina, so great to see you this morning.

Let's start with Ukraine. How much do you think these strikes in Kyiv, all across the country, by Russia this morning, are an escalation of this conflict?

REENA NINAN, FORMER ANCHOR, ABC NEWS AND CBS NEWS: Alex, it's so hard to ignore that this has to be considered a significant escalation. In fact, U.S. embassy in Kyiv, just a short while ago, releasing a message asking for American citizens there to shelter in place and to leave as soon as they potentially could.

It's interesting to see the reaction from within the region. Just a short time ago, Zelenskyy also said that he's going to address the G-7 to talk about this. French President Emmanuel Macron came forward saying there would be more military aid coming to the region. So, while the Russians have been targeting the areas, significant energy infrastructure, basic infrastructure and citizens of that county, the international community has just, in the past few minutes and - and within the past hour come forward saying they're going to support -- continue to support Ukraine through all of this.

MARQUARDT: That -- it's an excellent point because Ukraine has long been asking for bigger, better, more sophisticated weapons. Of course, the west, NATO, have been pouring weapons into Ukraine. But Ukraine has been asking for more. So, do you think this is a turning point where they will get what they've been asking for in terms of air defense, longer range missiles?

NINAN: It's interesting you mentioned that. I, a couple weeks ago, was in D.C. and was talking to some Ukrainian officials.

[06:35:03]

And one of their big concerns leading up to the elections is the concern that maybe the international community might grow tired and not continue to support their efforts as aggressively as they have with billions of dollars in aid. They are very aware at some point this war will have to end, but the fight and the willpower and the resolve of the Ukrainians is so strong, they want to see this to the end.

There were concerns that the international community might back off. But I think as the Russians were trying to weaken the infrastructure in Ukraine, I don't believe the international community will back away. I think it's only going to help strengthen their cause even more.

MARQUARDT: Yes, the U.S. and others in Europe have said that it is up to Ukraine to decide when they go to the negotiating table. And there's no sign that Ukraine intends to do that anytime soon. They've been doing quite well lately.

Reena, I do want to switch gears and talk about Iran.

We've seen these protests for weeks now. At last count 185 people have been killed in protests, including 19 children. So where do you think these protests stand?

NINAN: It's so hard when you see people taking to the streets and risking their lives. Women taking the hijabs off and really putting their life on the line. An we've heard reports that a large number of 15-year-old girls have largely been rounded up.

What's interesting to me, from the start of this, is what we haven't seen is young women standing beside older women who are all taking to the streets. We saw state TV this weekend come down with a picture of the supreme leader all up in flames.

There was something interesting that I saw that caught my attention this weekend, which is an Iranian journalist in Germany was saying that there is a port where some of the oil is dealt with, and that the truck workers who work at that port were considering going on strike. And I think that is something of a new thing that we haven't really seen before is while, in 2009, the green movement, they were largely made up of young people and people from the middle class. And if we are seeing people in the energy sector, which is so significant to the Iranian economy, start to step up and say that they're going to take a stand, I think that is a significant movement in this situation.

MARQUARDT: Right. Many have called this a watershed moment.

NINAN: Yes.

MARQUARDT: It is unclear which way this is going to go.

The regime, rather predictably, has talked about a plot by Iran's foes, including the United States. How much harsher do we expect this crackdown to be, to snuff out this most recent wave of protests?

NINAN: Alex, you know, this is really their only way that the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, the Iranian government, can counter is by getting more and more gruesome. When you think it can't get any worse, it absolutely does.

We have seen some access to the Internet. Some images that are still continuing to come out. As long as those images come out, people know exactly where the Iranian people and the world stand.

I think what is different, what is interesting is, when you see revolution lead to change, particularly regime change, it's often that people on the sidelines who are part of the security forces, who are part of the military establishment, they stand silently and they don't enact and enforce these brutal tactics. We haven't seen that yet in Iran, and I think that is really significant to mention.

But I do believe we're dealing with a different generation of younger people who are absolutely fed up. And the fact that this is continuing to spread all over Iran isn't good news for the Iranian government.

MARQUARDT: That's a very good point. We saw that back in 2011 in Egypt when Hosni Mubarak was - when he fell.

NINAN: Yes, that's exactly right.

MARQUARDT: Reena Ninan, thank you so much for your time and expertise this morning.

NINAN: You bet.

MARQUARDT: Really appreciate it.

NINAN: You bet.

MARQUARDT: All right, well, a busy week ahead for the U.S. economy. Christine Romans is here to -- with the reports that we are all watching.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN ANCHOR: And, controversy around rapper Kanye West growing this morning after he posted an anti-Semitic tweet.

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[06:42:57]

KEILAR: It's a big week ahead for the U.S. economy, but many are still wondering what happened last week. What looked like a promising streak to kick off the month on Wall Street ended in stocks tumbling just before the weekend.

So, let's bring in CNN chief business correspondent Christine Romans.

Christine, what's on investors' minds?

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Look, it was a mini freakout. This is what happened on Friday. I mean those are big losses for one day. And it was a freakout over those still strong jobs numbers. And that will cast a shadow definitely over this week.

Look, you had the jobless rate that fell to 3.5 percent. That matches the lowest in 50 years. And job growth moderated, right? That's a good thing at this time of the pandemic, but not moderating quickly enough for Wall Street's taste.

Consider this, I wanted to make this chart for you to really show you what we're talking about. It's 3.8 million jobs that have been created so far this year. Those last two bars, that's 10.5 million jobs created since the beginning of 2021. Context, that is a job creating machine.

A decade ago, just 2.1 million jobs were created in a whole year. In 2013, it was 2.2 million. The best of the pre-pandemic decade was 3.1 million right here. We are blowing that away still.

And the jobs growth has been widespread. That's another thing that we're seeing. The job market continues to move along here. Widespread job growth in the most recent month, Brianna.

KEILAR: I like the use of mini freakout as an economic term.

ROMANS: Yes.

KEILAR: I will tell you that.

OK, so a strong jobs report last week. What's on the agenda this week?

ROMANS: So, it's another really busy week because everyone's trying to figure out what the Fed is doing here? What is the Fed guessing that we have to deal with? We have PPI and CPI. By now everyone knows, those are inflation numbers, what you pay at the grocery store, at the - at the mall, and what factories are paying at the factory gate. We get minutes for the Fed's most recent meeting. That will be scrutinized for how the Fed members feel about really strong rate increases. And we have jobless claims and retail sales for September. So, this is going to be a really big week here overall.

And then Friday we start in earnest the earnings season.

[06:45:01]

We're going to hear from top companies about whether higher inflation and higher interest rates are hurting their business. So, this is what I'm very interested in here, what's happening on the company level, what are they saying about their earning overall.

And how are we starting the week? Well, down a little bit here. I wouldn't say this is a big downdraft, but these are slightly lower here. You have the stock market open today, the bond market is closed, the federal government is closed for a holiday, of course, and the big banks are closed, but you still have stocks open. So, we'll watch them here today to see if they can get any kind of rebound after what was really a rotten day on Friday. But plenty, Brianna, plenty of information this week for Wall Street

to consider here.

And I think, bottom line, is that this main street good news, which is the really strong jobs numbers, was bad news for Wall Street because it shows that the Fed's medicine hasn't really kicked in the way they'd like to see it yet.

KEILAR: It's really interesting.

All right, Christine, we'll be watching with you. Thank you so much.

ROMANS: You're welcome.

KEILAR: The NFL's new concussion protocol going into effect Sunday. And it did not take long for it to come into play.

MARQUARDT: And New York City now under a state of emergency over the influx of migrants being bussed into New York. We'll have the message from the mayor coming up.

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[06:50:21]

KEILAR: The NFL's new concussion protocols have an immediate impact on the field during yesterday's games. So, let's get right to Coy Wire. He has more in this morning's "Bleacher Report."

Coy.

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Brianna.

Just one day after the NFL and the Players Association announced details for their amended concussion protocol after their chief medical officer said there would be a more conservative approach when deciding whether players are well enough to return after suspected head trauma, one of the players taken out of Sunday's game was the starting quarterback for the team that sparked the change. Teddy Bridgewater, starting for the Miami Dolphins, in place of the injured Tua Tagovailoa, was hit hard by Jets' rookie Sauce Gardner on Miami's first play of the game. Bridgewater went to the locker room for further valuation after a spotter in the booth noticed him stumbling. The Dolphins said he passed his concussion test, Brianna, but he was still ruled out for the rest of the game.

Here's his coach.

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MIKE MCDANIEL, MIAMI DOLPHINS HEAD COACH: Basically, what happened is a spotter saw him stumble. He -- under the new rules -- changes is ruled out and placed in protocol. He doesn't have any symptoms and he's passed his evaluation, but he'll be now, under the new regulations, in the concussion protocol moving forward.

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WIRE: I spoke to one high ranking NFL executive last week, Brianna, who said that -- felt that a lot of the spotters, the trainers, the doctors had gotten a bit, quote, lackadaisical when it came to evaluating these players for a concussion and there needed to be a hard reset. That feels like what we've gotten in these amended rules.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Yes.

WIRE: WE hope that they will help keep the players a bit more safe.

MARGARET BRENNAN: But also, Coy, he doesn't have any symptoms but he stumbled. I mean isn't stumbling a symptom?

WIRE: That's exactly right. And that's where there's a lot of confusion. I mean, let's be clear here, if you see someone stumbling, that's a very serious symptom, right, Brianna?

KEILAR: Yes.

WIRE: And so we're not talking about an ankle or a knee, we're talking about a brain that could have long term devastating effects. So, let's hope that we can continue to change the language, the narrative around this, because, guess what, collegiate levels are watching, the young kids are watching what these coaches, what these executives, what the league is saying about concussions.

KEILAR: So important.

Coy, thank you so much.

MARQUARDT: Yes, hard to watch that hit.

For more on the NFL's new concussion protocols let's bring in senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen.

Elizabeth, what are the new criteria for pulling a player off of the field?

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: So, Alex, let's take a look at the whole list. These are called no go signs. So, there were several that were already in play for years now, loss of consciousness, gross motor instability, that's a fancy way of saying stumbling or falling, but for neurological reasons, not because say you twisted your ankle, confusion, and there are various tests for that, amnesia, various tests for that.

Here's the new one, the new, new one, ataxia. Let's take a look at what ataxia means. The NFL says it means abnormality of balance, stability, motor coordination or dysfunctional speech. Again, for both of those, when caused by a neurological issue, not something else.

Let's take a listen to the NFL's chief medical officer, Dr. Allen Sills.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) DR. ALLEN SILLS, NFL CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER: We want to become even more conservative. And if we think that ataxia is present, let's just go ahead and assume that it's coming from the brain and we'll hold someone out, because if we're going to be wrong, we'd rather hold someone out who doesn't have a brain injury, but we're being cautious, than to put someone out who might have a brain injury and we weren't able to diagnose it.

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COHEN: Dr. Sills did not explain why ataxia wasn't on the no-go list from the beginning. These are classic signs of a concussion, and these rules have been around for years. Why wasn't ataxia on the list to begin with?

Alex.

MARQUARDT: Yes, nice to see them addressing all of this now, at least - or perhaps a little bit too little too late.

KEILAR: Yes.

MARQUARDT: Elizabeth Cohen, thank you very much.

KEILAR: So, ahead, more on the overnight strikes across Ukraine. We are live in Kyiv. We're going to speak to witnesses on the ground when our special live coverage continues.

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[06:58:41]

MARQUARDT: New this morning, people in Ft. Myers Beach in Florida, who left their homes, are returning to survey the damage in the wake of Hurricane Ian.

CNN's Nadia Romero is standing by at Lee Memorial Hospital in Ft. Myers.

Nadia, what can you tell us?

NADIA ROMERO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Alex, this is still a mega trauma center behind me at this hospital. Normal operations shutdown, largely expanded for people who have been impacted by the storm.

And I want to introduce you to a registered nurse who's been working over 13 years, even though he's a storm victim himself and he lost everything because of Hurricane Ian, he still has been showing up to work every day, working 12 hour shifts to help others.

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JIM PUCCIO, HURRICANE IAN SURVIVOR: I called my boss and she said, you're crazy. You know, stay safe, stay where you are. I decided to come in that night. And, looking back, it was kind of the best thing I did, because it really took my mind off of everything that was happening around me and I got to focus on somebody else's problems for a little bit.

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ROMERO: And so this is now an expanded system. You can see that the border patrol security is here helping with the disaster medical assistance team from the federal government because they just have an overflow, Brianna, of people coming in needing help.

KEILAR: And residents have been told the city has a 7:00 p.m. curfew now.

[07:00:02]

Do they have to leave each night? How does this work?