Return to Transcripts main page

CNN News Central

U.S. Set to Destroy 500 Tons of Taxpayer-Funded Emergency Food; UK Researchers: 8 Healthy Babies Born From 3 People's DNA; Trump Says Coca-Cola Will Switch to Cane Sugar in the U.S. Aired 3:30-4p ET

Aired July 17, 2025 - 15:30   ET

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

[15:30:00]

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: The U.S. is set to destroy nearly 500 metric tons of emergency food meant for starving people around the world. A former USAID official tells CNN it has been sitting in a warehouse for months and will expire soon. The aid was funded by U.S. taxpayers and it's going to cost additional tax dollars to destroy this.

CNN's Kylie Atwood is with us now. Kylie, this is happening, of course, while children are starving around the world. What are you learning?

KYLIE ATWOOD, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's right. These are nutrients-dense biscuits and they are really critical because they can be used in disaster-like scenarios to provide the nutrients that the people need who can't get their hands on water, can't get their hands on access to food. And the expectation is that these are going to be destroyed. It's going to cost about $100,000 to do that.

Now right now, they're being stored at a warehouse in Dubai and we should note that their whereabouts and the fact that they're going to expire have been known for quite some time, according to a former USAID official who told CNN that this is the definition of waste, effectively making the case that this would not have happened if the Trump administration hadn't dismantled USAID. There would be a use for these nutrients-dense biscuits somewhere in the world because, as you noted, Brianna, there are so many thousands, hundreds of thousands of people who are starving around the globe.

Now, the State Department did confirm that these biscuits are going to be destroyed. They made the case that this is not a unique situation, that there have been situations in the past where there has been food that has been destroyed because it just doesn't have a place to be used. They said that this was purchased as a contingency for needs beyond projections.

But of course, former USAID officials who have been let go from the U.S. government are really concerned about the fact that this good food could have gone to very, very needed use.

KEILAR: How many people could it feed or have fed?

ATWOOD: 1.5 million children for a week. So if someone, a child particularly, were to eat two of these nutrients-dense biscuits a day, that keeps them alive. Obviously, it is not a substitute for real meals that they need to provide them longevity to allow them to grow. But this is essentially a stopgap measure when they don't have anything else, when they are in transit, when they are in a disaster- like scenario.

KEILAR: All right, Kylie Atwood, thank you so much for that.

[15:35:00]

Eight remarkable babies have been born in Britain, all the result of a breakthrough technique aimed at preventing disease. We'll have details after a quick break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN HOST: Researchers in the U.K. are touting what they say is a medical milestone. Doctors there are reporting the birth of eight healthy babies born from the DNA of three people rather than one mother and father. Now the experimental technique used to create these three-parent babies was developed to avoid passing rare genetic diseases from parent to child.

[15:40:00]

I want to bring in CNN Health reporter Jacqueline Howard, who's following this for us. So Jacqueline, can you just tell us more about how this works, how this is supposed to work?

JACQUELINE HOWARD, CNN HEALTH REPORTER: Yes, Omar, so the technique is very similar to traditional IVF, but as you mentioned, a third person is involved. And the reason why is to reduce the risk of a mitochondrial disease being passed down from the mother to the baby. So here's how it works in three steps.

I'll start with step one, just like in IVF, In a lab, the mother's egg is fertilized with the father's sperm. And in the lab, researchers extract the nucleus from that fertilized egg, and they leave behind the mitochondrial DNA from the mother that could contain harmful mutations that could lead to the baby having a rare mitochondrial disease. So they extract the nucleus, leave the mitochondrial DNA.

In step two, they take that nucleus and insert it into a fertilized donor egg. This is where the third person comes into play. And the donor has healthy mitochondrial DNA. So in the fertilized donor egg, you now have the nuclear DNA, the nucleus from the mother and father, and then the mitochondrial DNA, which is the healthy mitochondrial DNA from the donor.

In step three, the researchers then take the fertilized egg, implant it in the mother, hoping to lead to a healthy pregnancy and healthy child. And in this research out of the UK, the scientists are saying that now that they've seen eight healthy babies from this technique, they see this as reassuring.

Here's one of those scientists, Dr. Bobby McFarland, saying how he is cautiously optimistic. Have a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PROF. BOBBY MCFARLAND, DIRECTOR, NHS HIGHLY SPECIALIZED SERVICES: We're cautiously optimistic about these results. And then to see babies born at the end of this is just amazing, really. And know that they're not going to be, you know, getting mitochondrial disease at the end of that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOWARD: And Omar, now that we have these eight healthy children, it is showing that there is hope that this could work. But this is still experimental. And here in the United States, it's not clinically available.

In fact, some clinical research here in the U.S. is restricted if it involves this technique. So this is all still experimental, but it kind of gives a glimpse into what the future may hold -- Omar.

JIMENEZ: Yes, I mean, at least progress for us to continue to monitor. Just to set perspective for people, I mean, how many people could this help? How many people are affected by mitochondrial diseases?

HOWARD: It is estimated that one in 5,000 people have a genetic mitochondrial disease. And some of these diseases include, for instance, Lee syndrome, which can cause seizures and developmental delays, or there's Mila syndrome that can cause stroke-like episodes. So many of these illnesses can be seriously debilitating or even deadly. So that's why there is active research in this space at the moment.

JIMENEZ: All right, Jacqueline Howard, appreciate the reporting as always.

All right, just ahead, President Trump says Coca-Cola is changing its American recipe. But what's the beverage giant saying about that? Stay with CNN. We'll talk about it.

[15:45:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KEILAR: President Trump is taking credit for what could be a sweet change for Coca-Cola. He says the company will start making Coke with cane sugar in the U.S. It's currently made with high fructose corn syrup or a sweetener that HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has railed against.

CNN's Betsy Kline is with us now on this. OK, what is Coca-Cola saying about this?

BETSY KLEIN, CNN SENIOR REPORTER AND WRITER: Well, President Trump popping in to take credit for a bubbling beverage development, Brianna, the president saying, I'm sorry, posting on social media, quote, I have been speaking to Coca-Cola about using real cane sugar in Coke in the United States, and they have agreed to do so. He goes on to say, I'd like to thank all of those in authority at Coca-Cola. This will be a very good move by them. You'll see. It's just better.

As you noted, real Coke has high fructose corn syrup. That is an ingredient that the Make America Healthy Again movement and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. have really railed against and advocated for ending.

But we did hear from a spokesperson for the Coca-Cola company who appeared to indicate that this change isn't happening just yet. The president may have gotten over his skis there.

They said, we appreciate President Trump's enthusiasm for our iconic Coca-Cola brand. More details on new innovative offerings within our Coca-Cola product range will be shared soon.

Of course, Mexican Coke, real Coke's counterpart, also has real cane sugar in it. Prompting the question, is this the president's next Gulf of America?

KEILAR: OK, so we don't actually know.

KLEIN: Not yet.

KEILAR: OK. All right. Stay tuned -- well, I will stay tuned. I think a lot of people will want to know. Now, Diet Coke, which is the president's preference, maybe that makes it a moot point. That's not going to have cane sugar in it.

KLEIN: That's right. The president's love of Diet Coke, which is sweetened with aspartame, has been well documented over the years. The president has that push for Diet Coke button on the Resolute desk in the Oval Office. A valet -- a presidential valet will come and bring him a cup with ice and a glass of Diet Coke.

He also has sparred with the company. Back in 2021, he took aim at them after they advocated against laws in Georgia restricting voting access. That's their home state. Their relationship appears to have sweetened before the inauguration. Their chairman presenting the president with a commemorative Diet Coke bottle for his inauguration.

[15:50:02]

KEILAR: You're so punny today, Betsy. I love it. Betsy Kline, thank you for the update on this. We appreciate it -- Omar.

JIMENEZ: I think we've got a taste test in our future here. Just saying.

All right, we've got obviously -- a bunch of other headlines we are following this hour, including one man killed and more than a dozen people were injured after a lightning strike at an outdoor archery range in southern New Jersey. Many of those hurt in the strike were young children who were part of a Boy Scout troop. The youngest child injured, just seven years old. The area was under a thunderstorm warning when the lightning hit. Storms have been slamming the state and much of the East Coast for days now.

Plus, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem says the liquids rule during airport screenings could be changing. You might have more shoes off, more liquid as well. Since 2006, the TSA has required liquids and carry-ons to be limited to 3.4 ounces and stored in a clear bag. That's because that came after, I should say, British police foiled a terrorist plot to detonate liquid explosives on flights.

As I kind of alluded to, this would be another big change for the TSA in recent weeks after the shoe removal policy was rolled back as well.

And this just in, former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi lashing out at the Trump administration as senior cabinet officials weigh turning the tourist attraction Alcatraz back into a prison. Here's what she told CNN's Manu Raju.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA): I have said very clearly that with stiff competition, mind you, this notion of turning Alcatraz back into a prison was the stupidest initiative coming from this administration, with stiff competition for that honor. So yes, I know we knew they were coming. And again, it was closed decades ago, maybe 60 years ago, because it was too expensive to run as a prison.

To convert it back to prison will cost billions of dollars, at the same time as they are increasing the national debt to the tune of a trillion dollars, to give tax cuts to the richest people in America, taking food out of the mouths of children with their ugly budget, as well as millions of people off of health care. It's just ridiculous. And on the same day, as we're doing a rescission package to say to people who want to cooperate with America for our national security and the goodness of helping their children and the rest, they're going to go to Alcatraz.

It's interesting. It's, you know, within my district, it's important, but it's not an emergency. The rest of this is an emergency. This is brutal, cruel, and stupid.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JIMENEZ: Clearly holding back there. Pelosi went on to say that this effort could never succeed because it would get blocked by Congress.

All right, also, a new episode of the CNN original series, "BILLIONAIRE BOYS CLUB", follows Joe Hunt's ascension as the leader of the Social and Investment Club. But as tensions and pressures escalate within the group, a series of high stakes decisions pushes the Billionaire Boys Club into dangerous territory. Here's a preview.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I felt that he was a real good friend. I mean, a real good friend in which he would do anything for.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think Joe Hunt wanted Jim Pittman to be his right arm to manipulate people in a harsher way.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Joe pretty quickly begins to introduce Jim as the BBC's head of security. Jim only seemed to really respect Joe, but all the rest he saw as dweeby white kids.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You know, he got to drive nice cars and go out to fancy meals, and he had expensive suits paid for, and, you know, he had a pretty good life with the BBC.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

JIMENEZ: An all new episode of the CNN original series, "BILLIONAIRE BOYS CLUB", airs this Sunday at 10 p.m. Eastern.

When we come back, a Capitol Hill rivalry, and we are not talking Democrats and Republicans. Stay with us.

[15:55:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

JIMENEZ: All right, everyone. I don't know if you know, we're in the presence of an athlete here, because on the mound for the press corps at this year's Congressional Women's Softball game was our very own Brianna Keilar. You teamed up with other members of the press. What was the team name?

KEILAR: Bad News Babes.

JIMENEZ: Yep, yep. There you go. Look at you there. Charity game to raise money for young women battling breast cancer, and, of course, as you always do, Brianna brought the heat.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Met with her for all of maybe 30 seconds, and she had to go back for yet another vote.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This one drilled down the line, fair ball, and the bases will be, uh-oh, uh-oh, uh-oh.

Somebody ran through the stop sign, and Fedorchak scores the first run for Congress with a big smile.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She actually dove into home plate.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're not supposed to slide in this game.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, can you dive?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't know about diving.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Uh, that doesn't happen very often. The bat girl was out there. Yes.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

JIMENEZ: What was happening here?

KEILAR: OK, what's happening here is there's a kid on the field, confused the whole situation. They ended up with a run from that. OK, all right, do you hear my bitterness? It's competition. It's because we lost.

All right, we lost, 5-3, because actually there was a lightning threat in the fourth.

JIMENEZ: That's really what it was.

KEILAR: As we were making a resurgence I might add, Omar, but this is -- I mean, this is all for good cause.

[16:00:00]

It raises money for the Young Survival Coalition, and I actually got to play in honor of our lovely colleague and breast cancer survivor, Sara Sidner, which made it even more special.

JIMENEZ: Yes, I mean and that's why you were playing so hard.

KEILAR: Yes.

JIMENEZ: Because, look, Sara on the mind, you got to ride for Sara, always.

KEILAR: That's right. I was also playing hard because it's not so often that you get to throw a ball right at a lawmaker, which is kind of fun, you know? Playing hardball there.

"THE ARENA" with Kasie Hunt starts right now.

END