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New Day Saturday

Long Lines Forming At Airports Amid Busy Amid Busy Travel Weekend; Flight Cancellations Plague Airlines As Millions To Travel This Weekend; Pilot Shortage Major Factor In Summer Flight Woes; Cost Of July 4 Barbeques Increased One Percent Compared To Previous Year; Some States Seeking To Block Out-Of-State Travel For Abortions; Navy Investigation Finds Failures Led To Hazardous Fuel Leak; Two Brothers Killed In Tragedy Had Dream Of Reaching United States; HHS Orders 2.5 Million Monkeypox Vaccines To Combat Outbreak. Aired 7-8a ET

Aired July 02, 2022 - 07:00   ET

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

[07:00:00]

CAROLYN MANNO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Boris and Kristin in what she just said. That's the mission. That's how she's trying to do.

This is to ditch the stigma like so many of these other athletes are, and help them mitigate these mental health challenges by actually having support and real treatments and treating mental health, like they do physical health, which is what they take so seriously.

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: A champion on the track and off as well. Very inspiring. Carolyn Manno, thank you so much.

The next hour of new day starts right now.

KRISTIN FISHER, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning and welcome to your NEW DAY. I'm Kristin Fisher.

SANCHEZ: Good morning, Kristen. I'm Boris Sanchez. We're looking at live pictures coming out of Atlanta Hartsfield Jackson Airport. You can see long lines forming already and travelers are in for it this weekend.

Hundreds of flights already canceled or delayed. Our Nadia Romero there. She's tracking the travel situation at airports and on the roads as well. We'll go to her live in just a moment.

FISHER: Plus, as anti-abortion laws go into effect across the country, we've got a look at how Democrats are trying to protect providers and women who traveled to different states for an abortion.

SANCHEZ: And new CNN reporting on former President Donald Trump on January 6th, berating his Secret Service detail. The stories that have been swirling inside the agency and how it plays into this week's stunning testimony on Capitol Hill.

FISHER: Plus, monkey pox cases on the rise in the U.S. and now reported in more than two dozen states. The steps that the government is trying to take, to try to slow the spread here. SANCHEZ: Saturday, July 2nd, just two days away from fireworks and hotdogs and all sorts of fun. We appreciate you getting up early for us and beginning your weekend with NEW DAY. Good morning, Kristin.

FISHER: Good morning, Boris. And you know, just seeing those lines at the airport. I mean, already, it's getting bad out there.

SANCHEZ: It is major travel disruptions at airports across the United States threatening to spoil the holiday for millions. Airlines being put to the test as the number of people traveling by plane this Fourth of July weekend climbs to near pre-pandemic levels.

But there are staffing issues and there are cancellations and even the weather is hurting the situation; summer storms causing headaches for travelers and airlines alike.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We got to get home. We got a flight. It is going to be, you know, canceled, then you let us know now so we can know what to do.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's saying that my flight was last seen near New York. It's not really saying. It's not really telling me what's going on.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FISHER: Nearly 400 flights have already been canceled for today with hundreds of additional flights delayed. AAA predicts three and a half million people will fly this weekend and an additional 42 million people are expected to drive to their holiday destination.

The silver lining for those drivers, gas prices have dropped more than nine cents over the past week. But I mean, come on, that's still $1.70 more than it was about a year ago.

SANCHEZ: Oh, yes. CNN's Nadia Romero joins us now live from Hartsfield Jackson International Airport in Atlanta. Nadia, according to Flightaware.com, already 400 flights plus canceled in the United States, 600-plus delayed looking at the faces of some of the folks behind you, there is worry in that line, isn't there?

NADIA ROMERO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Good morning, Boris and Kristin. Yes, a lot of people asked me, have you ever seen it worse than this? And I said, yes, you didn't want to be here the day after Thanksgiving, it was terrible.

They actually ran out of wheelchairs at one point when I was here, reporting on the day after Thanksgiving. But today is still not a great day if you're a traveler to come out to Atlanta's Hartsfield Jackson Airport.

This is the TSA line for general boarding. So, when you get to this point, you're about a third of the way through. There are two different rounds of boarding.

So, this group is stopped right here, and then they will get the OK to be able to go forward to the other side of the security checkpoint.

And then when you get over here, you think you've made it, maybe not because look at all of the long lines that you have to weave in and out of just to try to get up to the front. This is general boarding.

So, you still have to take out your laptop, take off your shoes, and, and go through all of your bags. It takes quite a while.

A lot of people say that it's going to be about 30 minutes or so to get through this entire process. But we're seeing that line wrap all the way around to baggage claim, so not quite. All right, so let's talk about what happens once you make it to your final destination. You're going to be paying a lot more this year than you were paying last year.

So, last year, you're going to see those hotel prices, they're up 23 percent more than they were last year: gas prices up 52 percent, more expensive than a year ago. Even though Kristin just told us they're down over the past couple of days, if haven't travelled really since last summer, you're going to notice a big difference.

Car rentals have decreased the rental rates, 34 percent compared to last year. So, maybe that's your silver lining. But if you haven't really tried haven't traveled since before the pandemic, you're looking at $40.00 more a day on average compared to 2019.

Air travel, airfare is up 14 percent more than last year. Now, we know that a lot of people are still going to be raving these long lines and paying more just to get out and enjoy the July 4th weekend. But TSA is warning you and you saw the lines, be ready to wait. Take a listen.

[07:05:33]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERT SPINDEN, TSA FEDERAL SECURITY DIRECTOR: TSA is expecting a very busy summer travel period. Nationwide, we're expecting to screen over two million passengers per day with some days exceeding travel volume from 2019.

Here at Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta, the world's busiest airport, we are expecting to screen over 80,000 passengers per day through our security checkpoints with nearly 500,000 passengers this holiday weekend alone.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERT: All right, so AAA tells us that about 88 percent of Americans, and the majority of Americans will actually be traveling by car. But if you make it out to the airport, please expect long lines.

Pack your patience, is one of my least favorite sayings that you hear from travel experts, but maybe you should. If you're traveling today or Kristin and Boris, maybe this would be a great time for a staycation. SANCHEZ: Not a bad idea to stick around at home avoid those high gas prices, those really serious lines behind you. Pack your patience. Pack some patience for your fellow travelers as well. We've seen what can happen out there in the air when people don't necessarily get along. Nadia Romero, thank you so much as always.

So, as we mentioned just a short time ago, the weather is going to be a factor this weekend. Let's bring in CNN Meteorologist Karen Maginnis. She's live with the weather center. Karen, a lot of the United States is going to see heavy rain and thunderstorms.

KAREN MAGINNIS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, it is going to be a mess. And I drove what would typically be a five-hour trip from Florida, was seven and a half hours because of very heavy thunderstorms. There were traffic accidents a lot of places. So, these thunderstorms may not be day long events, but they are still going to impact the road travel.

Now, this is a look at the current airport delays. I will point out this does not include the cancellations. Those are up to the airlines. There are weather-related day, delays, there are equipment delays, meaning there's a problem with an aircraft or something.

So, those factor into this as well, and then we've got the thunderstorms that will erupt this afternoon. So, not typically weather-related days during the early part of the day. But as we go into the afternoon, different story.

Different story. Now, we've got a tropical storm. This is very different it formed overland, essentially the center was overland. The bulk of the heavy convection is offshore North and South Carolina, those beautiful beaches of Myrtle Beach and Pawleys Island, and Wilmington.

You'll be impacted. Rip current, heavy downpours, heavy rainfall as this makes its way off towards the northeast, it'll move fairly quickly.

It's only moving about eight miles an hour. But once it moves out into the Atlantic, it's going to be picking up some speed. So, watch out for that. It may be kind of a washout in some of those coastal areas, so be aware of that.

Heavy rainfall across the deep South, also into the Northeast. And by the afternoon, the chances for significant precipitation in storms and that Northeastern corridor, I-95, and portions of Dakotas. Lots to talk about today and back to you guys.

SANCHEZ: Karen Maginnis from the weather center. Thanks so much.

FISHER: Joining me now. Kathleen Bangs, she's a Spokeswoman for the flight tracking Web site, FlightAware, and a former airline pilot. Good morning, Kathleen.

KATHLEEN BANGS, SPOKESMAN, FLIGHTAWARE: Hey, good morning. Great to be here. FISHER: Thanks for coming on the show. So, as you know many airlines

are now preemptively cutting back on scheduled flights with Delta alone, saying that it could cancel more than 100 flights a day through the summer. Do you think that that's a smart move these pre-emptive cancellations?

BANGS: Oh, yes. And this is really unprecedented because as you're probably aware, when the airlines execute one of these big travel alerts, when it usually has to do with some kind of weather event.

We saw them the last winter with the big ice storms and with the nor'easters. But this time, Delta tried to get out ahead of this weekend really just because of traffic, just because of capacity. And it's unprecedented also and that it is system wide.

So, if you have any Delta flights and you want to change or rebook them, you have until July 8th to do it with no fees, and that's not something that we see, but this was a smart move because the one thing they can't predict is how bad the weather is going to get.

They've been lucky so far, but keeping our eye on where the thunderstorms are, that's really going to have a lot to do with how things cascade or don't this coming weekend.

FISHER: Despite these cancellations, of course, we now know that pilots are working much longer hours. Do you think that we are at the point where this is actually creating a serious safety concern?

[07:10:08]

BANGS: Well, it's interesting that you bring that up. And what people are going to see around, a lot of the major airports this weekend, are airline pilots, informational picketing. So, they are not actually picketing, they're not striking. In other words, they're not taking time away from work.

But for these pilots to come in on their off days on a holiday weekend tells you this is a serious issue. They are fatigued. One of them was wearing a sign that actually said, if I look tired, it's because I am.

And they've -- we've seen increases in over 30 percent in fatigue calls. That's where pilots are just simply too tired to take another trip. And really, what they're saying is they flew in more overtime in 2022, than in all of 2019.

So, yes, I think the airlines need to sit down and negotiate because right now it's American, Alaska, Southwest, Delta, they're all in pilot negotiations for these union contracts right now.

FISHER: So, in addition to these pilot shortages and staffing issues, the airlines also say that there's an air traffic controller shortage. But you know, CNN, the Transportation Secretary, Pete Buttigieg, said, he really pushed back on that, and he told CNN's Pete Muntean that, you know, the majority of the delays and the majority of the cancellations here have not been caused by air traffic control staffing issues. The Transportation Secretary says that the bottom line here is that

these airlines are selling tickets, and they need to have the crews and staff to back up those sales. So, who do you think is at, is at fault here? The FAA, the airlines, or is it a combination of the two and other factors?

BANGS: Well, there's plenty of blame to share around. But one of the issues, of course, the airlines took that bailout, but they went into self-preservation mode. And they offered pilots long leaves, which when they come back from those leaves requires a lot of training, which takes months to get them through the pipeline.

And those early retirement packages. In some carriers, 10 to 15 percent of their pilot force took that, and they can't come back. Even if those pilots wanted to come back with the seniority list in place, they can't.

They come back at the bottom of the list. So, it doesn't make any sense. So, has there been some air traffic control issues? Yes. Certainly, in Florida, on the east coast.

They've been a little short staffed, because they didn't, they weren't able to do enough training for air traffic controllers during COVID.

Is that, maybe part of it? Do we see more ground stops this year? Do the airlines track this? Yes. But really, what we're seeing is, what we're seeing in everyplace: staffing is the biggest issue.

FISHER: So, what can passengers do to make flying as smooth as possible? If not for this weekend, then, you know, perhaps for the next trip?

BANGS: Well, for the next trip, if you don't already have it, please go online and get TSA pre-check, you'll be happy you did come Labor Day. But use the FlightAware app.

And if you're a person who doesn't want to download a free app, then just go to the FlightAware Web site, which you'll be able to know where your flight is. You'll get alerts often before the airlines will even alert you.

FlightAware will know because they power over half of all estimated time of arrivals in the U.S. And it's such a great tool for people that need to pick you up at the airport or you need to pick them up. It'll send you alerts via text or e-mail.

And there's even a great function on there that says where's my plane? So, if you're sitting at the gate in Denver, wondering when your flight to Seattle is going to leave because you don't see a jet parked at the end of that jetway.

You just go in there and say where's my plane and you can figure out maybe even before the gate agent knows that, wow, you're looking at a serious delay or even a cancellation. So, that's one quick recommendation. FISHER: All great points. And get to the airport early. I came this

close to missing a flight. Three hours was not enough time going from London to D.C. Kathleen Bangs, thank you so much.

BANGS: Well, thank you.

FISHER: Yes, you bet. So, if you think that staying home and throwing a cookout this holiday weekend is the cheapest option? You may be wrong. A new American Farm Bureau Federation survey finds that July 4th barbecues will cost 17 percent more than last year. It's not just gas prices, Boris, that are going up.

SANCHEZ: Everything is more expensive right. Experts say, the higher prices come from a mix of constant supply chain issues, inflation, and the war in Ukraine. CNN's Christine Romans has the details for us.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That annual ritual celebrating American independence from the guests in the car to the fireworks in the sky, everything costs more this year and the barbecue is no exception.

The American Farm Bureau estimates this year's barbecue feast on average will cost you $10.00 more this year. Up 17 percent from a year ago. 69 bucks to feed 10 people. This covers 12 barbecue items the Farm Bureau tracks.

The price of the barbecue fell from 2020 to 2021 and has now roared back. Beef and rib prices up sharply; beef, 36 percent more expensive than last year. Chicken breasts up 33 percent. And potato salad up big too.

Maybe load up on the chips and the strawberries here. These prices a bit lower. Overall inflation is running the hottest in 40 years because of supply chain glitches' huge demand as people gather again and the war in Ukraine hurting gas and food supplies. In New York. I'm Christine Romans.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[07:15:18]

SANCHEZ: You heard it from Christine: the chips and strawberries that's the path this Fourth of July. Don't forget to join in for coast-to-coast fireworks and incredible music from some of the biggest stars. Celebrate the Fourth of July in America live July 4th at 7:00 p.m. Eastern only on CNN.

FISHER: It was a decision that devastated abortion rights advocates. Now, some states are hitting back against the decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. Plus, after a week of damaging testimony on Capitol Hill, we're learning new details about Donald Trump's anger on January 6th, then the stories that were circulating inside the Secret Service.

And the U.S. stepping up efforts to fight the monkey pox outbreak. We'll tell you what's being done and which parts of the country are getting hit the hardest.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:20:15]

SANCHEZ: The fallout over the Supreme Court overturning Roe vs. Wade has been swift. Anti-abortion activists are now reportedly drafting new laws that would block pregnant women in states that ban abortion from traveling to other states where it's legal to undergo the procedure.

The Justice Department has warned that it's going to challenge those laws saying that they violate the right to interstate commerce, while other states where abortion rights are protected are trying to thwart those efforts.

With us to discuss is Connecticut State Representative Matt Blumenthal. He sponsored the Reproductive Freedom Defense Act or the RFDA, a law that prevents other states from investigating or prosecuting abortions performed in Connecticut.

Matt, great to have you on, appreciate you sharing part of your holiday weekend with us. First, I want you to walk us through exactly how your law works.

REP. MATT BLUMENTHAL (D-CT): Sure, so the Reproductive Freedom Defense Act aims to protect providers, residents, and folks who come here for care from out of state legal attack. It does that through a suite of legal protections.

Those protections include a ban on any state or local agency, including law enforcement, cooperating or assisting in any way, any out of state investigation into reproductive health care that's legal in our state.

It also includes bans on our courts honoring criminal summonses or civil subpoenas for information related to such care in our state. It blocks extradition for such care, unless the care would have been illegal here in the state of Connecticut or the person is fleeing from the state seeking extradition, and it has privacy protections.

And perhaps, the most innovative portion is the private cause of action that would allow anyone sued under a Texas-style (INAUDIBLE) law related to care here in Connecticut to sue their persecutor right back in Connecticut state court for damages attorney fees and costs.

SANCHEZ: So, you mentioned that Texas SBA, that law that allows for private citizens to sue anyone who is either seeking or assisting someone seeking an abortion, your law effectively allows those people who may get sued to countersue, is that right?

BLUMENTHAL: That's exactly right. And the idea of that provision is more than anything to deter anyone in Texas or one of these other states from utilizing these bounding laws against folks who have gotten or provided care here in Connecticut, because it's not going to be worth their time. The other protections are really meant to make Connecticut, an

investigative black hole. So, people can come here, get the care. Hopefully, no one is the wiser. But if it is discovered, this new law will help block the other state from getting the evidence needed to either prosecute or successfully sue the individual involved.

SANCHEZ: You've predicted that this sort of back and forth between states passing laws to counter laws in other states, that's going to lead to an era of legal battles similar to Antebellum, pre-Civil War, when we had these kinds of battles between states over the rights of slaves. How do you expect all of this is going to play out in court?

BLUMENTHAL: It's really hard to tell, you're exactly right. This situation is not unprecedented, but it recalls some of the darkest times in our country's history, specifically, in the wake of the fugitive slave law of 1851.

States like Connecticut and other northern states passed Liberty Laws, Personal Liberty Laws, to protect the black Americans in their borders from being essentially kidnap to slave states.

It's really uncertain how these legal battles are going to work out more generally, although we're highly confident that our law is perfectly legal and constitutional.

The irony of the situation is for a long time, the conservatives on the Supreme Court have essentially been saying that they should overturn Roe so they can get out of the business of ruling on abortion-related matters. The truth is, really the opposite.

They're going to be adjudicating matters related to abortion laws on a scale, on a complexity, on a novelty across the country that's really unprecedented. So, the coming legal battles are going to be tremendously complex.

And they're going to require the court's intervention in a number of ways. We're confident that our laws will protect Connecticut residents, Connecticut providers, and folks who come here for care to the greatest extent possible.

But there's going to be a lot of battles in the courts, state versus state, federal versus state, individuals versus both state and federal government.

SANCHEZ: And ultimately, how concerned are you that something like this law could wind up in front of the same Supreme Court that overturn Roe versus Wade?

[07:25:02]

BLUMENTHAL: It's, it's certainly possible. We consulted with a number of legal experts in the areas of conflicts of law and other important constitutional areas to ensure that our law respected, all doctrines related, to the legal matters in play. So, we're highly confident that the law will be sustained in the courts, but there's no doubt that we expect legal challenge. Our Attorney General has said very clearly that he's prepared to

defend it vigorously, and that he's confident that it will be sustained as well.

So, we're not going to shrink here in Connecticut from protecting our residents, or providers and folks who come here for legal abortion care in the state of Connecticut.

SANCHEZ: We got to leave the conversation there. But this is not something that's going away anytime soon. So, we hope that you'll come back with us to chat once it is potentially challenged in court. Connecticut State Representative Matt Blumenthal, thanks so much.

BLUMENTHAL: Thanks for having me.

SANCHEZ: Of course.

FISHER: The January 6th investigation heating up, now sources are revealing new information about stories that were spreading inside the Secret Service about Donald Trump's behavior on the day of the riot.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:30:22]

FISHER (on camera): The Navy is in hot water after an investigation revealed that a series of military failures caused a fuel leak at a Hawaii military facility that poisoned the drinking water of nearby families.

SANCHEZ (voice-over): And November of last year, the Navy shut down its Red Hill well, after families on base who use the well reported various health conditions.

CNN's Oren Liebermann has a closer look for us.

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Boris and Kristin, the Navy laid out in detail a cascade of failures that led to the November fuel leak at the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility in Hawaii that led to not only the shutting down of the facility, but also the sickening of 100s in the area that relied on a well that was right near this fuel storage facility that had this leak.

The fuel spill that we know about was in November, and that's when 1000s of gallons potentially leaked from the facility. But according to the Navy's command investigation, this all began some six months earlier.

In May, workers at the facility improperly went through operating a fuel transfer that caused a surge in pressure and the rupture of two piping joints and the leak of what they thought was only about 1,500 gallons.

In reality the Navy found in its command investigation. It was about a 20,000 gallon fuel leak and the vast majority of that fuel was held in a retention pipe as part of a fuel suppression system. LIEBERMANN (voice-over): Fast forward six months to November. That fuel has been sitting there in these pipes this entire time, causing these plastic PVC pipes to sag.

And when a worker inadvertently was taking an underground passenger cart through the tunnels there, it struck one of the valves there. And all of that fuel leaked out.

The Navy was able to recover the more than 10,000 gallons or so, but they still were unable to account for some 5,000 gallons, just about that number.

And that they fear may have leaked into the ground there, and may have leaked into the runoff, the well, and into the drinking water, and the water of the homes in the area.

LIEBERMANN (on camera): The Navy said it was this cascade of failures and crucially that the facility commanders and those in charge of that facility didn't carry out any exercises or any drills or any training following the May leak and the May issues that may have prevented the November leak and shown to those operating the facility that there was a risk to the well there and to the drinking water of those who lived in the area.

Listen to this from the vice chief of naval operations how strong his warning is in the failures that led up to this.

LIEBERMANN (voice-over): He writes that the "deficiencies endured due to seams and accountability and a failure to learn from prior incidents that falls unacceptably short of navy standards for leadership, ownership, and the safeguarding of our communities."

LIEBERMANN (on camera): Given that kind of language, you would expect that there would be administrative actions of some sort of disciplinary measures, not only perhaps against those in charge of the facility, but also others in the area who had the responsibility and accountability here.

The Navy says those decisions are part of a disposition authority that is going forward at this point led by a four star admiral that will run its own course, and the Navy will announce what actions they'll take against individuals when those decisions have been made. Boris and Kristin?

SANCHEZ (on camera): Oren Lieberman, thank you so much.

We're learning that one of the men charged in that horrifying human smuggling incident in Texas, where 53 migrants were killed was already under investigation by Homeland Security. That's according to a criminal complaint filed on Wednesday.

SANCHEZ (voice-over): Officials say he was communicating with this man, who was driving the truck, and now says he was unaware the air conditioning in the truck had stopped working. FISHER (voice-over): Officials are calling this the deadliest human smuggling incident in U.S. history. If charged, both men could face the death penalty.

FISHER (on camera): For many of those bold enough to make the dangerous trip across the border. You know, it's really a chance at a better life.

SANCHEZ (on camera): CNN's Rafael Romo has the story of two brothers killed in the tragedy, who shared the same dream of reaching the United States.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN SENIOR LATIN AMERICAN AFFAIRS EDITOR (voice-over): The two brothers shared a dream they would travel together by land through Central America and Mexico hoping to reach the United States in less than two months.

We plan that all as a family so that they could have a better life, their mother says. We wanted them to make their dreams come true.

23-year old Alejandro Miguel Andino Caballero, and his 18-year-old brother Fernando Jose Redondo Caballero were among the 53 migrants found dead in sweltering conditions inside a tractor trailer this week in San Antonio, Texas.

[07:35:01]

ROMO: A homeland security investigations agent says this is the deadliest human smuggling incident in U.S. history.

REP. SYLVIA GARCIA (D-TX): It's just horrific that any human being would treat another human being like this. It's just horrific. And the sooner that we can get the investigation top to bottom to give us more detail, the better off we are.

ROMO: The brothers we're not travelling alone. 24-year-old Margie Tamara Paz wife of the older brother was also found dead in the tractor trailer.

28-year-old Adela Ramirez was also among the four Honduran nationals who died there. A friend of hers in her native Cuyamel, Honduras says she wanted to travel to the United States to be reunited with her family.

I'm going to leave, she told me, because the whole family wants to be together. My mother and my two sisters.

Most of the migrants found trapped in the tractor trailer it came from Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico.

ROMO (on camera): The Bexar County Medical Examiner's Office, which is processing the bodies of the deceased has asked for patients. In a statement, it said that a large number of victims and the expectation that most or possibly all our citizens of foreign countries will likely lead to a prolonged process.

ROMO (voice-over): Among the 16 survivors is the grandson of Bonifacia Sanchez, who lives in a rural area in the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca. Asked why her grandson risked his life to get to the United States --

Because we're poor, she said. There are no jobs here to make a living. The need is great. An answer that explains why so many continue to seek a dream that this week ended in tragedy for dozens of migrants. Rafael Romo, CNN.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: Rafael, thank you for that report. The Biden administration is stepping up its response to the monkeypox outbreak.

SANCHEZ (voice-over): Next, we're going to tell you what the federal government is doing to tackle the virus. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:41:42]

SANCHEZ (on camera): Yesterday, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services ordered an additional 2-1/2 million doses of the vaccine used to combat monkeypox and smallpox.

Right now they are in limited supply, but the administration says it will expand access to the shots in areas with the highest rates of transmission.

As of yesterday, the CDC updated their numbers, 460 probable or confirmed cases of monkeypox in 30 states D.C. and Puerto Rico.

Let's unpack all of this with emergency medicine physician and assistant professor of Emergency Medicine. Dr. Anand Swaminathan.

Dr. Swaminathan, always appreciate getting your expertise on these matters. First, I want to take a step back because we've heard all the symptoms and the way that COVID is spread.

But I don't know that a lot of people know exactly how monkeypox is spread and what symptoms they should be looking out for. So, give us your perspective on how best to avoid this virus.

DR. ANAND SWAMINATHAN, EMERGENCY MEDICINE PHYSICIAN AND ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF EMERGENCY MEDICINE: The monkeypox starts with a nonspecific kind of symptoms, fever, headache, some muscle aches, but the telltale thing is a rash that develops.

And starts as little spots, they become bumps, and then, they almost become like pimples that can be very diffusely spread over the body. And it is that rash that really helps us to diagnose this disease.

It's really transmitted through close contact, the majority -- vast majority of cases are going to be by very close contact with somebody else who has monkeypox at that time.

There is some potential for a short airborne spread. But we don't think that's a major factor in spreading of this disease right now.

SANCHEZ: Doctor, do you think that the small number of reported cases in the United States represents the actual number of people infected?

SWAMINATHAN: This is one of the really hard things that we're seeing. We talked about just a couple 100 cases. We say Europe has a much larger problem with 1,000s of cases. But the real difference is in the ability to test.

Europe has a much better ability to test patients to find out if that's what they have, whereas, our testing is woefully inadequate right now.

And when you think about a public health emergency that is about an infectious disease, it really is all about testing.

We need to know who has it, where those cases are, so that we can do things like getting vaccine to the places where it can be the most beneficial, where we can release more public health helpers to really -- to find out where the disease is due contact tracing, so we can help to quarantine people who are at risk, and also, to really target our communication to help people avoid getting monkeypox in the first place.

SANCHEZ: And Doctor, who should be seeking this monkeypox vaccine?

SWAMINATHAN: Well, right now we are targeting the high risk groups because we just don't have enough vaccine. We've ordered 2-1/2 million doses, but we're not going to get those until a couple of months from now.

So, we have a limited supply at this time. And really the risk right now, the major risk is in men having sex with men, that is where the disease appears to be spreading more, and we need to be targeting the vaccine is to areas where we are seeing more cases, so we can capture that group.

The good thing about the vaccine is it does have a big role in post exposure profile access. So, even after you've been exposed to monkeypox, the vaccine still plays a role in preventing you from actually developing it.

SWAMINATHAN: So, this is advantage of this particular vaccine.

And again, we need better communication to get this and target the right populations.

SANCHEZ: So, 2-1/2 million doses have been ordered. You make the point that we're not going to see all 2-1/2 million at once. It's going to take a while. But is that enough?

SWAMINATHAN: That's the big question. The only way that it can be enough is if we work really hard now to combat and also to control this outbreak. And again, that's going to be the targeting of those vaccines to groups.

And really communication. Make sure that people understand what to be looking for with sexual partners that may be developing this so that they can get treatment, they can become isolated, so they are not spreading. And also to understand how we can prevent getting it in the first place.

If we can do those things, if we can really ramp up and improve our communication, I think we can control the spread so that, that may be enough vaccine to really stem this off before it becomes a larger outbreak.

SANCHEZ: Dr. Anand Swaminathan, as always, thanks so much for your time.

FISHER: Well, Republicans went after Cassidy Hutchinson after her explosive testimony in front of the January 6 committee this week.

Next, we'll have new reporting about the stories that were swirling inside the Secret Service that appear to corroborate her story.

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[07:50:36]

FISHER: Explosive testimony from former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson sent shockwaves through Washington this week.

FISHER (voice-over): Hutchinson testified that she was told then- President Trump demanded to go to the Capitol on January 6th, when Secret Service said it was unsafe. She said Trump became irate and tried to turn the wheel himself.

A Secret Service source told CNN, Hutchinson source denies telling her that story.

SANCHEZ (voice-over): Now, CNN has now learned that various stories about that specific incident have been circulating among Secret Service agents since it happened back in 2021.

Other Secret Service sources say they were told that an angry confrontation did occur and that Hutchinson's account lines up with those stories. The sources though say they did not hear about Trump trying to grab the steering wheel of the Beast, that vehicle that he travels in.

SANCHEZ (on camera): Hutchinson said that told her about Trump lashing out at his security detail that day, and former White House Deputy Chief of Staff Tony Ornato told her about Trump lashing out at his security detail that day.

And members of the January 6 Select Committee have invited Ornato to share his side of the story under oath.

FISHER (on camera): CNN's Tom Foreman has more on the concerns about Ornato's credibility. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CASSIDY HUTCHINSON, FORMER AIDE TO TRUMP CHIEF OF STAFF MARK MEADOWS: The president said something to the effect of I'm the effing president. Take me up to the Capitol now.

TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Cassidy Hutchinson story of then-President Trump lunging at Secret Service agents January 6th, spurred a quick denial from the man she says told her the tale. Tony Ornato.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: According to the Secret Service source, Ornato was saying that this did not happen.

FOREMAN: So, who is Tony Ornato? As a high-ranking Secret Service agent, Ornato protected presidents for years. But under Team Trump, he was given leave to be elevated to a new, unusual and powerful role, Assistant to the President and Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations.

There, he oversaw 1,000s of employees and worked so closely with the president that the Washington Post identified him as one of several people tied to the Secret Service facing criticism for appearing to embrace Trump's political agenda.

Some colleagues are also speaking up. A former communications director for Trump and now a CNN commentator says she warned Ornato of potential problems before this chaotic clash with protesters at the White House in 2020. Only to have Ornato, deny the conversation ever occurred.

ALYSSA FARAH GRIFFIN, CNN COMMENTATOR (on camera): He is someone I don't -- I know to have been dishonest in the past.

FOREMAN: Ornato also disputed talking about moving Vice President Mike Pence from the Capitol during the January 6 attack. Spring another colleague to tweet, "Tony Ornato sure it seems to deny conversations he's apparently had. Those of us who worked with Tony know where his loyalties lie."

For now, Trump is defending Onato and his service.

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: This are great people, they have devoted their lives to it.

FOREMAN: And blasting the hearing.

TRUMP: And I think they will very embarrassed by it, because it makes them sound terrible.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

FOREMAN: But the January 6 committee, which has spoken with Ornato does not seem as impressed from one member --

REP. STEPHANIE MURPHY (D-FL): Mr. Ornato did not have as clear of memories from this period of time, as I would say, Miss Hutchinson did.

FOREMAN: And from another, there seems to be a major thread here. "Tony Ornato likes to lie.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOREMAN: CNN has reached out to Ornato for any reply to these claims. So far, the only response has come from the Secret Service. Saying, he is willing to sit under oath and answer questions. We'll just have to see if that actually happens.

Tom Foreman, CNN, Washington.

SANCHEZ: Tom, thank you for that report.

When we come back, millions hoping to enjoy their holiday weekend could instead be facing cancelations and delays.

[07:54:31]

SANCHEZ (voice-over): We'll take you to the world's busiest airport just moments away. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FISHER: As a girl, she heard doctors say that she'd never walk again. As a woman, she proved everyone wrong, and became one of Hawaii's best adaptive surfer -- surfers in today's "THE HUMAN FACTOR".

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MEIRA VA'A NELSON, ADAPTIVE SURFER: When I paddled out the first time I was pretty scared, but when I caught my first wave, the fire did not stop. My name is Meira Va'a Nelson and I'm a para surfer. A para surfer is a disabled surfer or adaptive surfer.

I was 14 when I got into an accident. This was back home in Taiwan. I came to Hawaii, went to Shriners, they fixed me up. I was paralyzed from the chest downs. I was an incomplete T6, spinal cord broken spine.

I used the wheelchair for six years before I was able to walk with two canes. Now, I'm just using one cane.