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USGS: 4.4 Magnitude Quake in Southern California; Officer Fighting for His Life After Protests in Ferguson, Missouri; FDA Okays Nasal Spray Alternative to EpiPens; Numerous Cities Will be Too Hot to Host Future Olympics. Aired 3:30-4p ET

Aired August 12, 2024 - 15:30   ET

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

[15:30:00]

DEAN: This just in, a 4.4 magnitude earthquake just felt in Southern California. CNN meteorologist Chad Myers is joining us. Chad, what do we know about this and how does it compare to other earthquakes that they've felt recently?

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: It was a good jolt. I mean, from what I can tell and the people that I've talked to, it was a big jolt because it was right near Pasadena. That would be the epicenter of that jolt.

So it wasn't 30 miles away in some remote area. And it was only about 7.5 miles below the earth's surface, which means there's not as much padding. Let's say if it's 100 miles south or below the earth's surface, then it has 100 miles of attenuation to get up to the surface.

Well, this was a very shallow quake, a jolting quake. And right now, 4.4, it was magnitude higher. It was like 4.6 earlier. But a lot of times, USGS, the Geological Survey, will take a look at these, reevaluate the numbers. And so right now we've landed at 4.4. But I'll have more as this continues.

Not hearing about any significant damage, but it certainly would have rattled nerves and it would have rattled the pictures on your wall and maybe even the plates in your China cabinet.

[15:35:00]

So, yes, this was a this was a shocker, I think, as people were finally just getting going here around lunchtime, 12:00, 12:20 Pacific time zone.

DEAN: And social media, people saying that they've lived there for a while. This one, they really felt this one. All right, Chad Myers, I think we're going to check back in with you later this hour -- Brianna.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: Right now, a police officer in Ferguson, Missouri, is said to be fighting for his life after protests there turned violent. Officials say that Officer Travis Brown was severely injured Friday night as demonstrators marked 10 years since the fatal police involved shooting of Michael Brown. CNN's Stephanie Elam is here with more on this. Stephanie, the city's

police chief is not holding back his frustrations here. This news is terrible. What's he saying?

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, he is very angry and you can hear it in his voice as he was speaking about this, Brianna. What we do know is that on Friday, which was exactly 10 years after Michael Brown was killed by a Ferguson police officer, a police officer who's no longer with the department, I might add, there were protests that were demonstrating peacefully throughout the day, according to the police department. But at the end, there were some people who started shaking the fence and then they came back and shaking the fence more and more.

At some point, they started to break off parts of the fence and break through it. And that's when the chief there said that he sent out some officers to go make arrests. And one man, they said, charged Officer Travis Brown with his shoulder, knocking him back and he hit his head, leading to that brain injury.

What we know about Officer Brown is that he used to be with the St. Louis County Police Department, but joined the Ferguson Police Department in January. And in fact, when you listen to the chief, Troy Doyle, talk about Officer Brown, he had some strong words for people as he remembered just how dedicated this man has been to being a police officer. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHIEF TROY DOYLE, FERGUSON POLICE: This young officer, Travis Brown, got into this job because he was inspired to do the right thing. He wanted to be part of the change. He wanted to make an impact in our community.

He's the type of officer that we want in our community. And what happens? He gets assaulted. I had to look his mother in the eye and tell her what happened to her son.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ELAM: And Chief Doyle also going on to make the case that the Ferguson Police Department of 2024 is not the same one of 2014, pointing out that there were three black police officers back then, and now there's over 50 percent of black officers there and that they've increased the number of women in the department, now making up 23 percent, he said, in that press conference as well. So he's saying there's maybe four police officers that are still here that were there then. He's like, we've done the changes. We are -- we have changed. They even changed their uniforms, he said, so that it would be better policing being done in the community.

Still, when you look at the suspect, I can tell you the latest that we know about him. His name is Elijah Gant. He's 28 years old. He's being held on a $500,000 cash only bond. And he has five charges that he is facing, including assault on Officer Brown -- Brianna.

KEILAR: So terrible. Stephanie Elam, thank you so much. We'll be monitoring this story.

And next, Greece asks its European neighbors for air and ground help as a wildfire tears through neighborhoods just outside of Athens.

Plus, the FDA has just approved a needle free alternative to EpiPen. So how it works, who can use it and how much it costs.

[15:40:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KEILAR: Here are some of the headlines that we're watching this hour.

Greece is asking the European Union to send ground and air support as a wildfire tears through Athens suburbs already burning through an estimated 20 miles in less than 24 hours. Entire towns have been ordered to evacuate including the city of Marathon, which of course is the namesake of the Olympic sport. Its mayor calls the fire a quote biblical catastrophe.

Also, this is all that is left of a home outside Baltimore after it exploded on Sunday due to a suspected gas leak. Officials say the homeowner and an electric and gas company employee were killed in the blast. A neighbor who was inside her own home at the time was also injured. Authorities tell us it's unclear right now whether the explosion at the home, which was listed for sale, was intentional or accidental.

And a tropical storm warning has just been issued for Puerto Rico. The National Hurricane Center says that a group of thunderstorms in the northeast Caribbean will turn into Tropical Storm Ernesto by tomorrow morning and then just hours later it's expected to hit Puerto Rico and test its already vulnerable power grid. Ernesto is forecast to strengthen in the Atlantic, eventually turning into a hurricane -- Jessica.

DEAN: The FDA has just approved the first nasal spray for emergency allergic reactions. That drug offering a needle-free and pain-free alternative to EpiPens. CNN medical correspondent Meg Tirrell is here with more on this.

And Meg, this is obviously a major breakthrough for millions of allergy sufferers. What more can you tell us?

MEG TIRRELL, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Jessica, we've heard from doctors and we've been hearing from families who have been waiting for this because doctors say sometimes when a needle-based epinephrine was the only thing that was available, people might hesitate or not be sure if they should use it. And really when you're in a life- threatening emergency reaction called anaphylaxis, you need to administer epinephrine right away.

[15:45:00]

So the FDA has now approved the first nasal spray version. It's called neffy. You can see the device there. It's the exact same device that's used to administer Narcan or nasal spray naloxone for an opioid overdose. So you squirt it up the nostril. It can be administered again if needed into the same nostril.

The FDA has approved it for adults and children who weigh more than 66 pounds. The company's CEO told me on Friday they also are about to file for approval of a lower dose for children who weigh down to 33 pounds. And this is expected to be available to folks within about eight weeks.

Now, it's approved based on tests showing similar levels of epinephrine in the blood as when you use an injectable form like an EpiPen or a similar model. They also saw similar reactions in heart rate and blood pressure. So a lot of folks are very excited about potentially being able to use an option where you can squirt it up the nose. You don't have to use a needle, Jessica.

DEAN: Yes, that is a game changer for sure. What about the cost?

TIRRELL: Yes, that has been something that has been a big problem for EpiPens and similar drugs for a long time. They can cost about $700 out of pocket for a two-pack. And this one, neffy, we just learned this morning, is going to have a similar what's known as list price.

That's the price before insurance or any discounts or coupons kick in. $710 for a two-pack. There are generic auto-injectors of epinephrine which have lower list prices, $300 to $500, for example.

Insurance coverage can be difficult. The company that makes neffy is pledging to make this accessible to folks. If they have commercial insurance that covers it, they're pledging a $25 copay.

They say they're offering a cash price of $199 for a two-pack for certain people. And for people who still can't access it, they say they will have patient assistance programs that will provide it for free. But this is something that I hear about from doctors and patients a lot.

It's hard to afford these. You have to keep them up to date. The other ones, epinephrine auto-injectors, have 18-month about-shelf lives.

This new one, neffy, has a 30-month shelf life, so that's better. But you still do need to replace them. And folks who are at risk of food allergies, medication allergies, bee sting allergies, they need to carry these with them all the time.

DEAN: They have to have them. Truly life-saving. All right, Meg Tirrell, thanks so much for that update.

Up next, too hot to host. A new scene and analysis showing cities vying to hold the Olympics might not be safe for the Games.

[15:50:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) KEILAR: The Olympics bid farewell to Paris on Sunday and perhaps forever. New climate data suggests the city may be too hot to safely host the summer games ever again. And countries vying for the honor down the road like India, Indonesia, Qatar, they may be off the table as well due to temperature concerns.

CNN meteorologist Chad Myers is here. All right, Chad, what does the data reveal?

MYERS: Well, if you want to hold the summer Olympics in the dead of summer, it's going to be hot. That's just how summer works. But let's go back 100 years when Paris had the Olympics before.

It is now 5.5 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than it was on average. So you take the high and the low, divide by two, add them together. And then all of a sudden, you're getting to places that are warmer than this.

Let's say Beijing, Rio, Athens, maybe even toward Atlanta, that may in the future not be able to get below the threshold other than maybe holding some of the outdoor sports in the very early morning. There are so many places now across the globe that get to this what we call wet bulb temperature.

When you walk outside in Atlanta in the summertime, you just begin to sweat. There's not much you can do. The water hits you in the face, just like Miami. It's always hot in the morning.

And that's where a lot of this threshold begins to kind of take shapes like, OK, if we can't even do it at seven o'clock in the morning, can we do it at all?

Look at India. I mean, these are the lines here. This is the line right here that says that's the threshold. We're not doing it any hotter than that. Well, for most of India's summer, it's above that.

And even when it's the monsoon season and it's very, very wet, they're still not getting those average temperatures down. The orange line is in the sun. The green line is in the shade. So even these events like in Qatar, you're not going to get them in the shade or in the sun. This is just how this is going to run for the next couple of days, next couple of years.

It's already where we are at this point in Paris. If it takes another 50 or 60 years for them to get it again, that line is just not going to keep going up. It's just going to continue to rise over and over and over until we get this carbon dioxide, methane, greenhouse gas emissions problem under control -- Brianna.

KEILAR: Yes, it's kind of interesting. We should note after Los Angeles, Brisbane, Australia is hosting the Olympics in July of 2032. Of course, it's winter in Australia, right, at that time of year. So could that really be the new reality? Summer games, but it's in the southern hemisphere. So it's actually winter there.

MYERS: Sure, I mean also like a place like Montreal or Ottawa, you know anywhere in Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Alberta, those places are going to be fantastic. Even talk about Duluth, Minnesota or parts of Oregon, Washington, anywhere along the coast. But it's just -- it's an easy thing to do it, put it below the southern hemisphere, put it below the equator and all of a sudden you have the perfect winter time temperatures there because we're still thinking here in the northern hemisphere where we live that it's summer.

[15:55:00]

But down there, it's going to be 15 to 20 degrees cooler than anywhere up here. So could you do it down there? Absolutely. There's plenty of places below the equator that would love to host an Olympics.

KEILAR: Yes, Brisbane will be lovely in the winter. It'll be gorgeous there. Chad, thank you so much. We appreciate it.

Now speaking of the Olympics, McDonald's France is getting a little spicy after team USA men's basketball win. You want a little cheese with that wine, Mickey D's?

You'll love the story next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KEILAR: Basketball riding high, they beat the host country France in this weekend's gold medal round. You could say America was loving it. You know who wasn't, France?

[16:00:00]

So the Instagram account for McDonald's France feel a little saucy. They took a not so thinly veiled shot at Steph Curry who hit eight amazing three pointers to seal the win. So this is what McDonald's France posted -- Jess.

How's your French?

DEAN: Not great, but then one translated this for us. So for obvious reasons we are considering removing the sauce and it included a picture of the chain's classic Curry dipping sauce A spokesperson from McDonald's France went on to clarify. It's a joke. No one freak out. Wait, OK, but everyone wants to know if I can make a basket.

KEILAR: You can do it.

Oh, look at that one more. "The Lead" starts now.

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