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Winter Storms Threaten to Disrupt Thanksgiving Travel; Texas Pivots to Providing Border Security Blueprint for Trump; 7 Million- Plus Americans Could Get Medicare or Medicaid Coverage for Anti- Obesity Drugs Under Biden Proposal. Aired 7-7:30a ET

Aired November 26, 2024 - 07:00   ET

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

[07:00:00]

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: So, the turkey may have to wait. Mother Nature threatening travel plans for millions of Americans rushing to get to Thanksgiving.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: An elect says he's going to slap huge tariffs on trade partners on his first day in office. Is this a threat or a promise? One world leader says the fallout could be devastating.

And breaking overnight, President Biden also pushing for Medicare and Medicaid now to cover weight loss drugs, like WeGovy, for millions of Americans.

I'm Kate Bolduan with John Berman. Sara is out today. This is CNN News Central.

BERMAN: This morning, holiday travel with a side of storm and blast of cold. Millions of Americans are setting out on the roads or skies for Thanksgiving, but wintry weather could put a wrinkle in travel plans. You know what? It is putting that wrinkle in. Air traffic controller shortages, add that in, and travelers could be in for headaches, before they even sit down to watch a parade, which we will be broadcasting live, by the way. It's part of a first ever CNN special. So, don't miss that.

Derek Van Dam is tracking the latest forecast for us. Ryan Young is on the ground in Atlanta. Ryan, let's go first to you. What are you seeing? I'm not going to turn around and look at you.

RYAN YOUNG, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, guess what, John? I've already asked Derek how the weather was going to shape up today because it was raining here in Atlanta earlier, which might have slowed traffic down to get started. If you look behind us, yes, we're known for the airport here in Atlanta, but traffic through Metro Atlanta is always a big deal.

And guess what, somewhere, somebody's drinking some coffee, getting ready to hit the road today. We know from AAA, they expect 71.1 million travelers hit the roads. And, John, I know you're already asking, how much more is that than last year? It's 1.3 more million drivers than last year. And, in fact, the good news for those who are getting ready to hit the road, gas prices are down from last year this time. It's about an average of $3.07.

And as we were talking to people yesterday, they felt that impact. They feel like, look, sometimes they can't afford those expensive air flights with their family of four, so they want to get in the car and make that trip maybe to grandma's house for some turkey time.

We know we've been talking to AAA as well. They tell us this is one of those years, they want people to pay attention to the roads in front of them. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MONTRAE WAITERS, AAA SPOKESPERSON: No cell phones, folks. You know, again, it's about having the focus on the road so everyone can get to their destination safely.

We don't have to be looking at the screen and trying to drive because that navigation now also speaks to us as well, right? So, it's about using all your senses, but making sure your focus is the focus of driving.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

YOUNG: And, of course, John, we have to get in your life, and Kate as well, we want to show you the best travel times, according to AAA. Today, it's before 10:00 A.M., and then 1:00 to 7:00, and almost the same tomorrow where before 10:00 A.M., and then 1:00 to 5:00.

But, look, so many cars now are full of all these screens. Of course, kids with iPads, you got to make sure you charge those up before you get on the road, so you don't hear, mommy, how long before we get there.

These are all things people are considering as they hit the roads. We know traffic is going to be a beast, especially through the metro areas. And then on top of all that, we do have some slick weather ahead. So, guys, you really don't have to get ready for this one in terms of getting that coffee. Hopefully, we'll have a smooth sailing when it comes to driving on the roads and at our airports as well. Kate, back to you.

BERMAN: All right, I'll take it, Ryan. Instead of the screens, may I suggest meaningful conversation? Meaningful conversation always makes the rides go quickly.

All right, Derek, to you now. What is the forecast? What can we expect in terms of the weather? And if I can ask a personal question, for the parade on Thursday?

DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: As a father of two children, I know meaningful conversation does not cut it. So, anyway, for the parade, to answer your question, John, it's going to be wet. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but that's the reality we're facing because of this series of storms that are moving through the country. Ryan was just on the tail end of this cold front that's impacting the eastern seaboard right now. There it is. And that trailed right into Atlanta. That could cause some delays, but we do expect the conditions to clear up nicely for Atlanta, Hartsfield Jackson International Airport. New York all the way down to D.C., not the same, the cold front is just approaching there, and that's going to bring some rainfall to them.

There is some high elevation snowfall Northern New England.

[07:05:01]

So, the roadways there could be a bit on the slick side, but this is all of the liquid variety, not frozen variety in New York. So, JFK to LaGuardia could see some knock-on effects as we go through the course of the morning at the airports here all the way down to Logan International. You can see that the rain has moved south of the Atlanta Metro region.

Let me show you what's happening out west. This is the big weather maker that will impact us for Thanksgiving Day. I'll show you why in just one moment. Snowfall mainly west of Denver International Airport, but Salt Lake City seeing some impacts, so is San Francisco.

This is the storm system that I'm talking about. On Wednesday, this actually may be the key time for you to travel if you're hitting the roads or the airways because you can see no travel concerns along the East Coast. But look what happens a day later, roughly 12 hours, the storm explodes along the eastern seaboard. This will be a major impact storm for the major East Coast cities, but this is for Thursday, so perhaps get settled into grandma and grandpa's house before the storm sets in behind it. Coldest air this season will knock on the lake effect snow machine behind it, and that's going to bring several inches, if not feet of snow downwind from the Great Lakes.

This cold air could go all the way to the Gulf Coast, could see temperatures below freezing in some locations for the first half of next week. Check out these day time highs.

And just for you, John, here it is. Unfortunately, Snoopy is going to be blowing around at Macy's on Thursday morning. Bundle up. I'll know you'll be out there.

BERMAN: I'll be out there. It's a good day to sit inside by the fire and watch silly television anchors get very, very wet outside.

VAN DAM: I'll be watching you.

BERMAN: All right. Derek Van Dam, all right, thank you very much. Kate?

BOLDUAN: I can't wait. Breaking overnight, a threat or a promise. And is he serious? Big questions now, as Donald Trump says he is going to impose new tariffs on Mexico, Canada and China as soon as he gets into office, the pending impact on consumers.

And Donald Trump's new border czar is heading to Texas today. There is new CNN reporting at the same time on the blueprint that Texas officials are laying out now for the incoming Trump administration.

And Dictionary.com out with their word of the year, and, of course, it's inspired by a viral TikTok trend.

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[07:10:00]

BOLDUAN: Today in Texas, Donald Trump's incoming border czar is meeting Governor Greg Abbott and other state officials at the border, setting the stage for how the incoming Trump administration is going to crack down on the border and expected to work closely with states like Texas to do so, what will be a notable shift from the level of cooperation or lack thereof that we saw between the state of Texas, the governor there and the Biden administration.

Joining us right now for more on this with new reporting is CNN's Priscilla Alvarez. This is this will be quite a -- you could call it a pivot or just quite a big shift when it comes in Washington.

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN REPORTER: That's exactly right. There has been one through line over the course of the Biden administration, and that has been the ongoing feud between President Biden and Texas Governor Greg Abbott over the handling of the U.S.-Mexico border. But now, with Donald Trump in the White House, it's going to be a markedly different relationship and one where the state of Texas is now serving as a blueprint for Trump's immigration plans.

Now, we'll get a preview of what that's going to look like later today when the incoming border czar, Tom Homan, joins Abbott along the border to deliver remarks, and he gave a sense of what exactly he'll be saying in an interview with Fox this morning.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TOM HOMAN, BORDER CZAR FOR PRESIDENT-ELECT TRUMP: We're not waiting to January 20th. We're already planning what we're going to do to lock down the state of Texas.

Congress needs to change the asylum laws, but I'm not counting that to happen. So, President Trump's got to come in with executive orders, like he did the first time. President Trump was a game changer with remain in Mexico.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TREENE: Now, the Texas governor had launched Operation Lone Star in 2021 almost immediately after President Biden took office and as an affront to the Biden administration. That included the buses of migrants to those Democratic-led cities blocking a part of the border for two federal agents and those buoys along the Rio Grande.

Now, all of that led to lawsuits by the Justice Department against the state of Texas. But now this is going to be a White House, the Trump White House, that's going to welcome these moves. Sources tell me that the Trump team is planning how states are expected to coordinate with federal law enforcement when it comes to border security, and they're using the state of Texas to build that road map. Now, in addition to all of that, Donald Trump is also weighing the Texas border czar, Michael Banks, to join his administration potentially as commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection. So, that alone gives you a sense of how different it's going to be under the incoming administration.

But, again, Kate, the bottom line here is that a relationship that has been quite fraught over the last three years here at the White House between Texas is about to evolve significantly, to be one where the White House embraces what Texas is doing and expects the same of other states along the border.

BOLDUAN: Priscilla, great reporting on this, as always. Thank you so much.

Coming up for us, millions of Americans with obesity could soon be eligible to have expensive weight loss drugs, like WeGovy or Ozempic, covered by Medicare or Medicaid.

[07:15:01]

The new move just announced today by the Biden administration on this.

And if you are afraid of heights, this is most definitely not for you, friends. A new tourist attraction in China called the Sky Ladder looks like a party. It's nearly 5,000 feet in the air.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BERMAN: All right. New this morning, a move that could impact millions, the Biden administration is proposing to expand coverage for anti-obesity medications for people with Medicare and Medicaid. This could just have huge implications. It could cut out-of-pocket expenses for drugs like Zepbound and WeGovy by nearly 100 percent. As we said, this would be a very big change and politics will come into play.

[07:20:01]

Let's get right to CNN Health Reporter Jacqueline Howard. Jacqueline, honestly, I think of all stories that people are going to be interested in today, it might be this one. It will have a huge impact.

JACQUELINE HOWARD, CNN HEALTH REPORTER: Oh, absolutely. What's being proposed here is that for patients with obesity, they will receive coverage for these medications under Medicare and Medicaid. Currently, the coverage is to cover these medications specifically for people who have certain chronic conditions, like diabetes. But with this change, it would include anyone with obesity, whether they have a diabetes diagnosis or not, they will get coverage under this proposal.

And like you said, this would potentially impact millions of people out there. We know these medications come with a cost of about $1,000 a month without coverage. So, this could save people a lot of money out of pocket.

Now, what's interesting here, though, John, this proposal is coming towards the end of Biden's term. So, how quickly will this proposal be finalized, we have to wait to see. It could run up against January, which means, to be finalized, it may have to rely on the Trump administration to finalize it. So, we could see politics come into play here because we don't know what the timeline is exactly. But we do know there are many patients out there who could potentially be excited by this proposed rule.

BERMAN: Yes. We say politics may come into play. RFK Jr., Mehmet Oz, these are the people who could have a major say in it after January 20th.

We say millions of people. How many people are we talking who could be affected by this?

HOWARD: So it looks like this could help an estimated 3.4 million people with Medicare to get coverage for these medications. This could potentially impact 4 million people with Medicaid. So, these are the numbers that we could see when it comes to patients who could get coverage for these medications. And we know just in general, obesity impacts about 40 percent of U.S. adults. So, there are so many patients out there who could potentially benefit from these anti- obesity drugs.

BERMAN: Look, we brought up Zepbound and Wegovy, what about Ozempic?

HOWARD: It's interesting because Ozempic is FDA approved specifically for type-two diabetes. What this new rule addresses, or what this proposed rule, I should say, addresses are anti-obesity medications, specifically FDA approved for weight loss, like Zepbound, like WeGovy. So, that's the difference here when we think about the different kind of drugs that are out there and popular at the moment.

BERMAN: All right. This is something that definitely bears watching. We'll have to get comment from the transition team on all of this.

Jacqueline Howard, very much.

All right, this morning, the new promise from President-elect Trump that could majorly increase the price of your cars, your furniture, your alcohol. Stay tuned.

And you might not see as many sales and deals this holiday season. Why some major retailers are being extra stingy this year.

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[07:25:00]

BERMAN: This morning, a source tells CNN that Special Counsel Jack Smith plans to release his final reports on his investigations into President-elect Donald Trump before Trump takes office in January. Frankly, he has to. This comes after he asked for both the election subversion and the classified documents cases against Trump to be dismissed.

CNN Senior Crime and Justice Reporter Caitlin Polantz is with us now. Good morning to you. What's the latest here?

KATELYN POLANTZ, CNN SENIOR CRIME AND JUSTICE REPORTER: Well, John, those reports, the report from Special Counsel Jack Smith, it is likely to be released once he has all of it finalized. But what's new there is probably not very much and that we have seen the shape of both of these cases against Donald Trump. We've seen them in court. We've read a lot of documents about the evidence that the prosecutors have. And so all of that is going to be compiled.

But what the Justice Department did yesterday is something for the history books, John. It is the end of the two federal criminal cases against Donald Trump, which were both filed against him last year in courts in D.C. and Florida. Specifically, the reason is that you can't prosecute a president. That is what the Justice Department decided, not only within the office special counsel, but they also got the department to set some policy here. They also say that the cases themselves didn't change, but the circumstances had here.

So, the government still backs up what they said in court in trying to bring these indictments against Donald Trump, trying to take him to trial. But now that he's going to be inaugurated the president in January, that is the circumstance that has changed that makes it impossible to continue a case against him.

Special Counsel Jack Smith wrote in the filing asking to dismiss the January 6th case. The department's position is that the Constitution requires that this case be dismissed before the defendant is inaugurated. And the judge signed off on it pretty quickly.

BERMAN: If the case was dismissed, the cases were dismissed without the prejudice, which I know technically means they could be revived once Trump leaves office, but really?

POLANTZ: John, I can't predict the next 24 hours, let alone four years from now. So -- but this is an important legal concept because this entire thing that's happening here, Donald Trump is cheering it.

[07:30:03]

He's saying that I won. I persevered against all odds. These cases were junk. But, actually, what the department's doing here.