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New Day Saturday

Pfizer Boosters Now Available For Millions In U.S. Who Qualify; M.A. Hospitals Struggle Amid Surge Of COVID-19 Cases; Progressives, Moderates Fight As Biden Works To Keep Agenda Alive; Thousands Of Haitians Return To Mexico After Del Rio Bridge Cleared. Aired 7-8a ET

Aired September 25, 2021 - 07:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:05:21]

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning and welcome to your new day. I'm Boris Sanchez.

CHRISTI PAUL, CNN ANCHOR: Hi, Boris, I'm Christi Paul. COVID booster shots are available now for millions of you across the country. The bigger concern though, is getting the initial shots into arms. The new round of mandates coming next week that could push the vaccination rate higher.

SANCHEZ: Plus, a stalemate Democrats working through the weekend to resolve their differences over President Biden's spending bill trying to keep his economic agenda afloat and avoid a government shutdown.

PAUL: And the results of that sham audit in Arizona confirmed yet again. President Biden won that state even though the truth prevailed. The question is, has the damage to democracy already been done?

SANCHEZ: And talk about awkward. Why two hosts of "The View" were asked to leave this set on live T.V., just minutes before they were set to interview Vice President Kamala Harris?

We're so grateful that you are with us. Good morning. Appreciate having you. Good morning, Christi.

PAUL: Good morning, Boris. It's always good to see you. Yes, thank you so much for keeping us company here today. So, let's talk about the CDC Director.

SANCHEZ: Yes, Rochelle Walenski is standing by her recommendation to make a third dose of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine available for the millions of frontline workers who are at risk because of their job.

PAUL: Members of our agency's vaccine advisory board voted against the authorization but after Walensky says the final decision is ultimately up to her.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. ROCHELLE WALENSKY, CDC DIRECTOR: I want to be very clear that I did not overrule an advisory committee. This was an -- I listened to all of the proceedings of the FDA advisory committee and intently listened to this exceptional group of scientists that publicly and very transparently, transparently deliberated for hours over some of these very difficult questions and where the science was. This was a scientific close call, and I think you can tell by the duration of the meeting, and the, and the discussions that this was a scientific close call. In that situation, it was my call to make.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: So, the latest CDC data shows 75 percent of eligible Americans have received at least one dose of the vaccine. 32 states have now fully vaccinated more than half of their residents. But hospitals across the country are still stretched thin as severe infections among the unvaccinated continue to surge.

PAUL: In Central Massachusetts, where cases are rising, the area's largest hospital system says it's at a crisis point. It's so overwhelmed with patients. It actually ran out of ICU beds this week. Hospitals in Worcester have struggled for weeks as severe COVID-19 infections continue to climb across the state. And another issue in this current crisis is this ongoing strike of more than 700 nurses. Without those nurses, nearly 100 ICU beds are going unused. Dr. Eric Dixon is with us now, he's the president and CEO of UMass Memorial Health based in Worcester there.

Dr. Dixon, we so appreciate the work that you're doing and your teams are doing. Thank you for taking time to talk to us. I know that you're an E.R. Physician, I understand you have 144 intensive care beds, and they were all full Wednesday. And then we're still at that point, at least five people stuck in the E.R., help us understand what it's like where you are right now.

DR. ERIC DIXON, E.R. PHYSICIAN: Well, right now, just this morning, I talked to our transfer center. All 144 ICU beds that we have online, are full or taken for patients that are coming out of the O.R.s. We have 10 patients across the healthcare system that did need ICU level of care that are either in the post anesthesia care unit, sitting at a community hospital trying to get to the academic medical center, or in the emergency department. So, it's been a very, very challenging situation for us now, this past week.

PAUL: So, if somebody say had a heart attack, or they were suffering from something other than COVID, what do you believe would be the wait time in an emergency room right now?

DIXON: Well, for patients that are having a heart attack, they'd be brought right back in and they'd get the treatment that they need. The challenge is once you've taken care of that heart attack, open that artery, they then need to be in the ICU for constant monitoring. Without a bit available in the cardiac care unit, they'll typically have to stay in the emergency department.

[07:05:10]

And they'll get good care. They've people, they're capable of taking care of them. But it's not the same as being in the ICU where you have remote monitoring, you have your EICU team, watching the patient and official to the local team. So, it's just a suboptimal situation.

PAUL: I know that we all know what healthcare workers have been through just in the last year and a half here. Um, you obviously see it with her technology, you feel it, I have no doubt about that. I read an article talking about you and how you were told by one healthcare professional, who confessed, they were crying, they were in tears when they were on their way to work, what is your level of concern for the people you work with, and people across this country in your field, not just short term, but long term at this point.

DIXON: Mostly worried about the short term and this because right now, today, a nurse coming into work, might not get to go home at the time they expect to go home. You're going to take care of really sick people, expect to leave at 4:00, but yet be held for mandatory overtime, because we just desperately need them. And while this is going on in our city, we have 600 nurses sitting on the sidelines and 100 beds -- and that just adds to the stress of our team here at UMass Memorial that's trying to take care of those patients.

PAUL: I know Massachusetts has one of the highest vaccination rates in the country, and COVID cases, they're still really realistically lower, much lower than in other areas of the country. Can you put into perspective, why even states that have done everything right, for the most part, are still having this struggle?

DIXON: Like the states that were hit hardest by COVID early on, where a lot of care was put off, is now seeing the pent up demand for care. COVID reduced cancer screening by 90 percent. Cancer screening works. And so, if you stop doing it by 90 percent, you're going to later see later stage cancers that are going to require even more care.

And that's what's really driving this tightening of beds here and Massachusetts. COVID is a part of it. But it's a relatively small part of it, compared to that pent up demand for things that were put off during our two COVID surges here that we had to get through in Massachusetts.

PAUL: Yes. Well, Dr. Eric Dixon, we appreciate you taking time to talk with us. And we are keeping all of you in our prayers because we just cannot imagine what it's like for you right now and you're doing some of the most important work out there. Thank you.

DIXON: Thank you. God bless you, all you caregivers.

PAUL: Absolutely. Amen to that. OK, switching over to the political arena here, democrats are divided ahead of a key vote next week the throwing President Biden's economic agenda, let's say in a bit of limbo, Boris.

SANCHEZ: Yes, that's about right. Speaker Nancy Pelosi says the house is going to move forward with plans to pass an infrastructure and a reconciliation bill. But the fact is there are very sharp disagreements between moderate and progressive Democrats that threatened to derail that plan. CNN White House Reporter Kevin Liptak joins us now live from the White House. Kevin, lawmakers working through the weekend to try to keep President Biden's economic agenda alive. The president himself spending the weekend away from the White House. But as we understand it, manning the phones.

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, this is going to be a very intensive stretch for President Biden. And it's really not an overstatement to say that this is the most critical period for his early presidency. The -- all of his basically all of his agenda is tied up in these two massive spending bills. And you put that on top of the stakes for the American economy, when you think of the debt ceiling that needs to be raised, government funding that needs to be passed. This is a very important time for President Biden.

And just to bring you up to date on what's happening this morning, there is no final agreement, no top line number, no sort of plan for Democrats to come together to pass these two bills. Now, the house is planning to vote Monday on that massive infrastructure package. But it's not clear they have the votes to pass it. Progressives say that they won't get behind this bill unless there's this accompanying social spending plan that the President wants to pass and it's not clear how those two things will be reconciled going forward.

Now, we expect lawmakers to talk to each other this weekend. White House aides are expected to man the phones this weekend as well. President Biden is up at Camp David and I would also expect him to get on the phone with lawmakers if that becomes necessary. His schedule has been mostly been cleared out for the start of next week. As these talks proceed.

[07:10:03]

LIPTAK: Now, bottom line here, we're ending last week basically where we started it. No agreement on how things to come together. The President did speak with lawmakers in the Oval Office this week. One thing that's frustrating him, I think, is this inability to get moderates to say exactly where they stand, exactly what they want to see in this final bill, and you've heard him talk a little bit about that yesterday, listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: What, what are your priorities, and several of them when they go through their priorities, it adds up to a number higher than they said they were for. Because I think this is -- we were getting down to the hard spot here. People are having now to go in and look in detail as to what it is specifically before.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LIPTAK: Now, we're told the President also spoke to Democratic leaders in Congress yesterday, the White House said that there was broad agreement on the principles, but that's not sounding anything close to a final agreement, guys.

SANCHEZ: Kevin Liptak from the White House, thank you so much. So, coming up next, the Republican Arizona audit results are in and they confirm the obvious: Joe Biden won the 2020 election, but that's not stopping yet another state from attempting its own on.

PAUL: Also, many Haitian migrants have already been deported back to the home country after crossing the U.S.-Mexican border. Well, when we come back, we're going to show you how other migrants are waiting on the Mexican side of the border for their chance to cross.

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[07:15:41]

PAUL: For the big lie suffers a big blow. A sham audit of more than two million ballots in Maricopa County, Arizona reveals what we knew that President Biden won the 2020 election. In fact, in the report by the company cyber ninjas, President Biden actually gained 99 votes. Donald Trump lost 261 that won't stop Trump and his allies in their effort to undermine confidence in the election process. Want to get some insight here from Larry Sabato. He's Director of the Center of Politics at the University of Virginia. Larry, it is so good to have you here. Thank you, first of all, your, your reaction to the results in Arizona.

LARRY SABATO, DIRECTOR OF THE CENTER OF POLITICS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA: What's really sad is, it's still news. It shouldn't be news. This has been over since early November. And anyone with a grain of sense knows that. The problem is, when you have a cult, as we have in the United States connected to Donald Trump. It really doesn't matter what the facts are. They believe what they're told to believe and Donald Trump has told them that the election was corrupt and fraudulent, even though every bit of objective evidence says it was not.

PAUL: Have you ever seen anything like this, Larry, that seems to still have life going into the one year mark? I mean, we have 11 months behind us in the rearview mirror of this election, and we're still talking about it.

SABATO: Not in the United States, at least not in the 20th century on. There were some disputed elections in the 19th. But this is unprecedented because we haven't had someone like Donald Trump, who was unwilling to accept the obvious mandate of the people for the other candidate. This is deeply disturbing, because we're not just refining 2020. They're focusing Trump and his acolytes are focusing on 2024.

Trump wants to run again, from every indication that we have. His key people are supporting certain candidates for Secretary of State in the swing states. Remember, the Secretary of State has a lot to do with certifying the election results or not certifying them. So, this is all being aimed at 2024. Trump is trying to keep all of his troops excited and angry and ready to go out for revenge the next time around.

PAUL: So, I want to ask you about Texas, we know that there's this recent poll from actually from CNN that 78 percent of Republicans believe that this was an illegitimate election, we know that Texas has launched this review of the 2020 election itself, after Trump wrote a letter to the governor, saying Texans have big questions about the November 2020 elections, do they?

And this is why I asked with all of these artists to come out and all of the 60-plus judges who didn't take this up because they said there was no evidence, do you see a crack in the people who support President in the amount of people who support former President Trump, based on the fact that in the last 11 months, there's been zero evidence that supports what he's saying?

SABATO: Christi, I wish I could be an optimist, but I'm not. And I think at this point, it's pretty clear in Texas and everywhere else. As you noted, your poll recently showed 78 percent, nearly 80 percent of Republicans believe that the election was fraudulent and that Joe Biden is an illegitimate president. Completely totally, absolutely wrong.

And a majority, a majority of Republicans thinks they're think there's evidence to prove it. There is no evidence there's none. Trump's own security chief for the elections, said that it was the safest election in American history, by the way for his trouble, he was fired by Trump on Twitter.

PAUL: Yes, so, I want to move ahead to January 6th, the insurrection and the committee we know has called on some subpoenas from some top Trump supporters, we know from the White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows has been subpoenaed, Former Adviser Steve Bannon. What is the likelihood that any of those men are going to speak?

[07:20:10]

SABATO: Well, I'm sure they'll try and fight it. But I think in the end, they're going to have to come through. A lot of it's up to the current attorney general who was appointed by Joe Biden, though he's been sometimes hesitant to, to take action against the Trump people. We'll see whether that happens. But the important thing is this: when you focus on January 6th, you also have to focus on the detailed plans that Donald Trump and others made to steal, steal another term for him as President.

This this was going on for weeks prior to January 6th, and as we were just saying, we're now in a new phase, post January 6th, where it's aimed more at 2022 electing friendly secretaries of state and 2020 for the next presidential election.

PAUL: Larry Sabato, we appreciate you taking the time to talk with us this morning. Thank you for being here.

SABATO: Thank you, Christi.

PAUL: Of course. So, the last remaining migrants have been cleared from that makeshift camp in Del Rio, Texas. We're going to show you what it looks like on the other side, but on the Mexican side of the border, where a lot of migrants are holding out hope that they are going to get that chance to cross. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:25:38]

PAUL: Well, the last migrants have cleared out from that makeshift camp under a bridge in Del Rio, Texas after thousands of Haitians arrived at the southern border. This was more than a week ago. Look at that. They were hoping to seek refuge in the U.S.

SANCHEZ: The Biden administration has faced criticism from all sides, both for not doing enough to deter the migrants. And for expelling thousands of Haitians under Trump era public health rules. CNN's Matt Rivers is on the Mexican side of the border where some Haitian migrants have chosen to stay.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MATT RIVERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Christi and Boris, we know that the camp on the Del Rio side of the border, the U.S. side of the US- Mexico border has now been cleared out. There are no Haitian migrants there anymore. But that is not the case here on the Mexico side and Cuidad Acuna, we're in the middle of what is left of the encampment here where there are dozens of Haitian migrants that have made the choice to stay here in Mexico, and essentially take the gamble of going through the immigration process here.

We know that they're thinking, OK, we saved here because if had they gone to the United States, they were worried that there was the chance that they were going to get deported. Many people here thought if we stay here in Mexico, we have a better chance of not getting deported back to Haiti. We know that immigration officials here in Mexico have actually come here to this camp to encourage people to leave. They're saying if they go to a shelter, not that far from here, they will be able to go through the immigration process, but some people here have told us they're not convinced that that's actually the case.

They're too afraid that if they leave this spot here, we can show you a little bit more of it. If they leave this spot, they're afraid they are actually going to get deported. And getting deported is such a real fear for all of these people, many of whom have made this long trek up from South America after leaving Haiti years ago. And one thing that really struck our team here, when we listen to the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security in the United States on Friday, Alejandro Mayorkas basically talked about the decision that the United States made to deport so many Haitians back to Haiti.

He said that the United States government had actually studied the conditions in Haiti, and said that they believe that the Haitian government and they and the country of Haiti could actually absorb these thousands of people that they're sending back there, and that is simply not our experience. You know, my team and I spent most of July and August reporting in Haiti, both after the presidential assassination, when presidential no more East was killed on July 7, and then also, after a devastating earthquake that struck that country on August 14, our takeaway was that poverty, there remains an incredible issue that gang violence remains as bad as it has ever been.

And that there are already thousands and thousands of internally displaced people after so many structures were destroyed during that earthquake. The idea that Haitians can simply be absorbed thousands at the same time back into that country that is already reeling in so many ways, is a difficult idea to accept, frankly. And if you talk to Haitians here in this camp, people who have migrated, they feel the same way. Let me play one sound bite with one man we spoke to and asked is the time right for Haiti to accept all these people that the United States is deporting.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There is no condition to return to Haiti. If you watch the news, things are bad. There are a lot of criminals. How can a man live where there are so many guns and so much crime? So now there are no conditions to return to.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RIVERS: And so, you heard him there. He says, now is not the time for so many people to be going back to Haiti and yet Christi and Boris that is what is happening, not only United States, but also there's the chance that that happens here in Mexico, too, with so many Haitians that are now inside this country also facing the risk of deportation. Christi, Boris.

SANCHEZ: Matt Rivers, thank you for that reports. With the last of those migrants under the bridge in Del Rio being removed, there are lingering questions, not only about what comes next for those migrants desperately seeking help, but also how the United States handled them. And we'll deal with immigrants moving forward, especially as these troubling images from the scene with law enforcement on horseback confronting migrants, sparking outrage.

Joining us now is Alex Desulme, he's the chairman of the National Haitian American Elected Officials Network, and also a Councilman for the City of North Miami. Alex, we appreciate you joining us this morning.

Needless to say that the images we saw from Del Rio are painful to watch. You spent several days there on a mission to help those that were camped under the bridge. I'm curious about what you saw and what the people there shared with you.

[07:30:10]

DR. ALIX DESULME, COUNCILMEMBER, NORTH MIAMI, FLORIDA: Thank you, boys, and thank you for having me this morning. It would -- is painful, disgusted -- I mean outrage. I went there, just to assist the Haitian Bridge Alliance, an organization that's been on the ground for a couple of years working along the border -- along the borders.

But this was the first time we were at that particular area in Del Rio. I went there to just have an overnight, stay and came back the next day. I got there Saturday night, and I just got in this morning. So, it's troubling.

SANCHEZ: And you've said that you believe that this was all coordinated? I'm curious about what evidence you have to support that claim. Why do you think that this happened now?

DESULME: Well, I think the image -- the images that we all seen from Del Rio, Texas, under the bridge, there is no way all these folks would be able to, you know, all gather, or however they got through to be under the bridge, this was almost 15,000 people.

Most of them, 95 percent are Haitian -- you know, Haitian descent. And there was some Africans, I mean, some others, but it had to be something that's coordinated for all of them to be there at one particular time. So that, that part, I know that is true.

SANCHEZ: And what do you mean by coordinated? Like, was there misinformation spread about how they might be received at the border? Where did it come from? I just wonder what that means. Exactly.

DESULME: Well, the coordinate -- coordination in terms of -- I know there was a lot of miscommunication. That's how we got to this particular -- and that's -- that is troubling, because information received by us, by the DHS, apparently by the administration, when the border was open, everybody thought the border was open.

So, how they all gathered to make the journey is another question. But that's part of the coordination I was talking about that they all got a message that the border was open, and in fact, it was not.

So, there was a lot of miscommunication going on in there. And that's -- part of the reason is because we are not getting access -- you know, there's not enough information that's coming out from the administration, as we speak right now.

There's a lot of questions we have, other people have, and I was -- I was on the ground since Saturday night, and I was only getting access on Thursday to go in. And by Friday, the bridge was cleared. There was no one under there.

SANCHEZ: And you know that many of the migrants are Haitian nationals or of Haitian descent. Many of them haven't actually been in Haiti for years. They had been living in countries like Chile and Brazil before trying to get to the United States.

Many of them are being repatriated back to Haiti, which remains as Matt Rivers pointed out ensnared in crises. How do you think the United States should be handling these migrants?

DESULME: First of all, a couple of weeks ago, my organization, NHAEON, we went on a fact-finding mission after the earthquake to assess the situation in Haiti to see how the U.S. government, as well as the Haitian government, was handling the crisis up there.

And this is right after the, you know, the earthquake, and then the tropical storm. And it was clear to us that the government -- the Haitian government, really did not have a plan. Prior to this, we have not really been, you know, that the 2010 earthquake has not really been -- nothing has really happened there. And when I saw and talk to the prime minister, it was clear that they had no plan.

I mean, school was delayed, they didn't know when school was going to open, there's no job there. So, for the fact that the Haitian government would say they are able to accept this migrant when they are repatriated back to Haiti is a problem of -- you know, itself.

SANCHEZ: Yes, it is a sad and troubling situation. Alix Desulme, thank you so much for the time. We appreciate your effort, sir.

DESULME: Thank you, Boris. Thank you.

CHRISTI PAUL, CNN ANCHOR (on camera): So, two Canadian men in prison for nearly three years have been released by China.

PAUL (voice-over): That they were detained back in 2018, on espionage charges there in China after the arrest of a Huawei executive in Canada on a U.S. warrant.

So, China has denied that the cases well connected, but the release came after the Huawei executive was freed from home detention in Canada after reaching a deal with the U.S.

[07:34:59]

PAUL (on camera): Up next, a little drama. Just a little unfolded on "The View" yesterday.

PAUL (voice-over): Two hosts are told to leave just moments before Vice President Harris was to come out on set.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: So, things got a little bit awkward on "The View" yesterday. A pair of positive COVID tests that apparently later turned out to be false nearly derailed their interview with Vice President Kamala Harris.

[07:40:02]

PAUL: Yes, this was, of course, on "The View" yesterday as he said, host Sunny Hostin and Ana Navarro were the ones that were asked to leave the set right before that interview started.

Here is CNN's Brian Todd.

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): On the popular ABC show, "The View" on Friday, an awkward unscripted moment for co-hosts Sunny Hostin and Ana Navarro, after an exclusive interview with Vice President Kamala Harris had been promoted.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) JOY BEHAR, CO-HOST, THE VIEW, ABC: Hey, we're back. And there seems to be something happening here that I'm not 100 percent aware of. Can someone please apprise me of the situation?

BRIAN TETA, EXECUTIVE PRODUCER, THE VIEW: I need the two of you to step off for a second.

BEHAR: OK.

(CROSSTALK)

TETA: OK. And we're going to bring it back later.

BEHAR: Ana and Sunny have to leave.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

TETA: Yes.

BEHAR: And we'll tell you why.

TETA: More information later. It's a tease.

TODD: As Hostin and Navarro made their way off the set, more awkwardness.

BEHAR: So, shall I introduced the vice president?

TETA: Yes.

BEHAR: OK. So, vice president --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.

BEHAR: No.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.

BEHAR: OK, shall we dance? Let's do a tap dance.

TODD: Another commercial break. Then, host Joy Behar returned with the news.

BEHAR: OK. So, since this is going to be a major news story any minute now.

SARA HAINES, HOST, ABC: Yes.

BEHAR: What happened is that Sunny and Ana both apparently tested positive for COVID. No matter how hard we try these things happen. They probably have a breakthrough case and they'll be OK. I'm sure because they're both vaccinated.

TODD: The vice president didn't appear until a half-hour later, in the very last segment of the show. She appeared remotely and she was on for less than eight minutes.

KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Sunny and Ana are strong women and I know they're fine.

TODD: CNN's Brian Stelter reports The View's hosts are usually tested for COVID twice a week, but that they were tested an extra time this week because of the vice president's arrival.

A White House official says Vice President Harris, who's received two doses of the Moderna vaccine did not interact with Sunny Hostin or Ana Navarro before the show. But one medical expert says this could have been a close call for the vice president and speaks to the risks she and the president often face.

DR. SAJU MATHEW, CNN MEDICAL ANALYST (on camera): Anytime you are surrounded by so many different people from so many parts of the country on a daily basis, you are potentially exposed to that virus every single time.

TODD: And Dr. Saju Mathew is critical of how the show handled this.

MATHEW: I think the ball was dropped somewhere. Why did these anchors not know about their test before the show began? Especially on a day when you're interviewing Vice President Harris?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TODD (on camera): Those are among questions we posed to publicist for "The View" in e-mails and phone messages. When were the test done? Why did the host not learn about the results until the show was on the air live? Was there a breakdown in communication? The publicist haven't gotten back with us nor has Sunny Hostin.

I did reach Ana Navarro who is also a CNN political commentator. She's told me that she's shocked by this, that she feels great that she's really glad the vice president is safe.

Now, two sources have since told CNN's Brian Stelter and Oliver Darcy that both Ana Navarro and Sunny Hostin have subsequently tested negative for COVID twice since Friday morning. Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.

SANCHEZ: Thanks for the update, Brian.

Let's switch some gears here and talk about golf. Team USA off and running at the Ryder Cup. Wait until you see where this shot ended up.

PAUL: So, welcome to CNN "UNDERSCORED". This is your guide to the best in tech, style, health, and travel. Because the editors at "UNDERSCORED" they really work hard to find and test and rate products to help you make informed decision because it's your money that you're spending.

So, Mike Bruno is here. He's the editorial director for CNN "UNDERSCORED", and we are digging into some earbuds today, because we want them, our kids want them, everybody wants these things. MIKE BRUNO, CNN UNDERSORED EDITORIAL DIRECTOR (on camera): Absolutely, I mean, it's amazing how it's transformed from the days of having big wired earphones.

PAUL: Yes.

BRUMO: To then, they -- these are true wireless earbuds, all of these.

PAUL: OK.

BRUNO (voice-over): True wireless, meaning, each independent earbud has no wires. There's no wire connecting and there's no wire connecting to the device from which it's amplifying giving you sound.

Over the years as that pivot has taken place, the gold standard kind of in true wireless earbuds are pick overall, is the Apple AirPods Pro. The soundstage, that's the separation of left right, and center, bass, and treble. It's just they're beautiful and they have best-in- class active noise canceling. Meaning, there's a microphone listening to ambient sound, and then speakers inside that cancel that out to give you that really nice quiet.

PAUL: Wow.

BRUNO: You could be in the middle of the most chaotic scene and you could have your classical music playing just perfectly quiet.

BRUNO (on camera): That's active noise canceling.

PAUL: That's the way to zone out.

BRUNO: They also pair perfectly with iPhones. You open it up, you can read them right away, you can check your battery, it's just wonderful. On the Android side, those are the Galaxy Buds Pro. That's our pick for the Android.

PAUL: OK.

BRUNO: They're similarly in sound, maybe the sounds a little bit better. Maybe the noise canceling is a little bit less than the Apple. But give or take, they're both the best in class for Android.

[07:45:05]

BRUNO: But here is the thing, these cost $170, the AirPods Pro and up. The Galaxy Buds are another $170, $160, $170. That's a lot of money.

BRUNO (on camera): We set out to test budget air buds, and we found the EarFun Air right here in the middle.

PAUL: This is this one right here?

BRUNO: Yes.

PAUL: OK. BRUNO: They are $60 -- $40 on Amazon. Quite a bit cheaper. And they have also very, very good sound. The truth to the matter is these EarFun Air, in a quiet controlled environment, meaning, not a lot of noise, the sound is just as good.

But these two have a nice waterproof rating, sweat and rain is fine in these. They have a good microphone so the telephone works just fine. And the cool thing about these as well is you get seven hours of playback on a charge. The other two are actually five. So, you're even a little bit better on the playback from those.

PAUL: Really?

BRUNO: Yes.

PAUL: Wow.

BRUNO: One thing we should we wanted to point out with the -- with the EarFun is that these are the EarFun Air that we recommend. There are other EarFun models out there, including the EarFun Pro, which we do not recommend. They're not quite as good.

So, check our web site, make sure you get the right once. The EarFun Air are the ones to get.

PAUL: Thank you so much. So, you can learn all about these products. Just visit cnn.com/underscored.

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[07:51:03]

PAUL: 30 minutes past the hour here. The NBA has denied a request from a Golden State Warrior's player he was requesting a religious exemption for COVID vaccine.

SANCHEZ: Yes, Coy Wire joins us now. And Coy, if Andrew Wiggins doesn't get the shot, he may not be allowed to play home games.

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Yes, this is big -- good morning, Boris and Christi. The NBA indeed issued a statement yesterday, stating it that it reviewed and denied Golden State Warriors guard Andrew Wiggins' request for religious exemption from COVID-19.

WIRE (voice-over): And that he would not be able to play any of the team's home games until he fulfil San Francisco's vaccination requirements.

The city requires people 12 and older to be vaccinated in order to attend large indoor events, though that does not pertain to visiting teams. New York City, similar regulation. But the New York Knicks announced yesterday that all of its players are already fully vaccinated.

Officials for the Brooklyn Nets say that they aren't -- they are quite yet, but they do expect to be at 100 percent when the NBA regular season tips off in less than a month.

Let's go to baseball now. In Boston, Yankees entering Friday night two games back at the Red Sox in the A.L. wild card race, make that one. Third inning, John Carlos stand, blithering a three run blast right into Boston's bullpen. Yanks up six zip.

Then few batters later, same inning, Boston fans start booing they're (INAUDIBLE) Sox after they let this routine pop up drop. It would have ended the inning, but no, it allows another run to score.

In the end, the Yankees win eight to three. Putting them in position to tie the Sox in the standings this afternoon. On the line, home field advantage in a potential one and done wildcard games.

Let's go to wider cup action now. The GOAT Michael Jordan in Wisconsin to watch the U.S. take on Europe at whistling straits. And his frequent golf buddy Dustin Johnson drains a clutch pot at 11 for team USA. The fist up right there for D.J., fist up for M.J., and for a (INAUDIBLE). Johnson won both of his foursome matches yesterday.

Shot of the day, though, Jordan Spieth. On a steep hill, roughest of roughs at 17th. And then he has to sprint to keep his balance, Boris and Christi. His shot though drops within five feet of the hole.

Look at this greenery. He nearly had to kneel on the slope just to pull it off, and he does. I mean that thing went almost straight up and straight down. But how about the athleticism, the wild scramble down the hill to avoid crashing right into Lake Michigan. Oh, an incredible shot that he never even saw live in action.

But my goodness, that was some fun stuff to share this morning.

SANCHEZ: This skill to not fall in the water almost as impressive as the actual shot. That take a lot.

WIRE (on camera): I've fallen -- I've fallen on miniature golf courses. Let alone something like that. Very impressive.

PAUL: It's true, yet.

SANCHEZ: Hey, miniature golf can be extreme. Coy Wire, thanks so much then.

PAUL: All righty, we have more NEW DAY for you in just a moment. Stay close.

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[07:58:23]

ANNOUNCER: "FOOD AS FUEL" is brought to you by noom. Noom is based in psychology, for lasting health and weight loss results.

PAUL: Welcome to your weekend here. You know, some say weekends are the perfect time to get grocery shopping done. So, here is something to think about. There is double duty, a nutritional powerhouse, and a green cleaning solution for your house all in one. Yes, it is true. Here is this week's "FOOD AS FUEL.

JACQUELINE HOWARD, CNN HEALTH REPORTER (on camera): When life gives you lemons, rejoice. In fact, make sure your fruit bowl is always full of lemons. Here is why.

HOWARD (voice-over): Lemons are full of vitamin C and antioxidants. And drinking a glass of lemon water in the morning is a great habit to get into. It helps you hydrate and the lemon provides vitamins.

Lemon water can be helpful in preventing kidney stones as well. Swapping in a daily lemon water instead of a sugary soda or even a coffee with sugar is both good for your health and your waistline.

And if you don't like lemon water, consider making a healthy salad dressing or marinade out of freshly squeezed lemon. Lemons are also useful around the house. Lemon juice is good as a cleaner with antiseptic and antibacterial qualities.

Mixed with vinegar, lemon juice is a great surface and glass cleaner too. Some quick lemon tips, store them at room temperature, keep them out of direct sunlight, and use them as quickly as you can.

HOWARD (on camera): Lemons are best right after they're picked.

PAUL: Welcome to your Saturday. We are so grateful to see you. I'm Christi Paul.

[08:00:00]

SANCHEZ: And I'm Boris Sanchez.

The surge in coronavirus cases is pushing morgues to the brink. Forcing workers to bring in refrigeration trucks to stack bodies.