Return to Transcripts main page

CNN News Central

Record Flooding Prompts Evacuations, Rescues in Washington State; Indiana Republicans Defy Trump, Reject His Redistricting Push; Sources Say, FDA Plans Black Box Warning for COVID Vaccines. Aired 7- 7:30a ET

Aired December 12, 2025 - 07:00   ET

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

[07:00:00]

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: The rivers across Washington State are bursting their bank. Towns are underwater. Evacuations and rescues are underway by the Coast Guard. The governor is warning that this next 24 hours will be the most critical and dangerous.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: And we are standing by to see the former Michigan College football coach in court, former because he was fired and then jailed. Maybe today we'll get an explanation for what allegedly happened.

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: And a massive blast. What caused this boom that sent shockwaves through a California neighborhood.

I'm Sara Sidner with Kate Bolduan and John Berman. This is CNN News Center.

BOLDUAN: The breaking news this morning, rivers in the western parts of Washington State are surging, shattering records and forcing people onto their roofs even to get to safety. There is new video in coming from the Coast Guard rescuing four people. We're showing you it right here. The four people were inside -- I mean, just look at the water levels. They were forced into the attic of this home surrounded by eight to ten feet of water, the crew hoisting them up to safety one by one.

That is part of what is becoming a big effort in this area, flood waters are reaching as high as 15 feet in places. Farmers on tractors, volunteer firefighters helping to rescue their neighbors in the midst of all of this. In one county, at least 33 people have been rescued over just the last day. Swift water rescuers responded to dozens of calls, we're told, for help.

This morning, they are keeping a very close watch on the Skagit River, which could hit a peak of more than 38 feet near Mount Vernon. The governor is warning late last night that this next 24 hours are most critical and potentially dangerous as they wait for the rivers to crest.

CNN Meteorologist Allison Chinchar is tracking all of this for us this morning. What is the situation right now and what are you seeing for the rest of the day?

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: All right. So, the situation is that we have an enormous amount of water that is just kind of sitting in place for some of these areas. Look at this video. Now, this portion of Washington is extremely far north, up near the Canadian border. You can see all of this water. I mean, this is normally a roadway that would be right through here, and it is entirely underwater because of not just the rain that has fallen but a lot of the water that has kind of come out of the banks of some of the nearby rivers, creeks, and streams.

And this is just one of many. We have several more rivers, creeks, and streams that are either at or above their flood stage right now and are expected to stay that way through at least the rest of the day today. So, you look at all of these dots or these tiny little squares on the map, and these indicate all of the river gauges that are either at minor, moderate or major flood stage. Keeping in mind that some of them may not even crest until later on today, or even perhaps very early Saturday morning.

Now, one of the rivers we've been keeping a close eye on, this one here, the Skagit River near Mount Vernon. Again, you can see, we don't know if it's still going to keep rising and by how much. The forecast crest is about 38.5 feet, but it's already at 37.7, which means we've already broken the previous record. At this point, anything above that really becomes a moot point. It's just going to continue to break its own record at this point.

We've already seen the impacts from that in the form of a lot of those roads and streets just inundated by all of the water. The good news is we are seeing much less rain coming down at the moment. This is a look at the radar. This was much fuller yesterday morning when we were showing this to you. We still have rain out there, just not quite the volume that we were seeing at this same time, just 24 hours ago.

Now, you've also got a lot of the flood watches in effect, but some of these are also even in anticipation of the next event that's coming. Because while we have less rain today, the rivers are slowly falling, we have heavier rain that will return on Sunday.

BOLDUAN: Oh my goodness. They're going to get maybe, potentially just a moment of reprieve and then more rain coming back on Sunday. My goodness, this is a situation to watch.

Thank you so much. I really appreciate it, Allison.

[07:05:00]

And we are going to have some residents, some people from that area joining us a little later in the show to talk about what they're up against. John?

BERMAN: All right. This morning is President Trump's iron grip on the Republican party slipping? In Indiana, Republicans in the State Senate crossed party lines to reject the redistricting effort the White House had been pushing so hard for. This is how the president reacted in defiance.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: It is funny because I won Indiana all three times by a landslide. And I wasn't working on it very hard. It would have been nice. I think we would have picked up two seats if we did that.

It's a great place. I love the people there. They love me. You know, we won in a landslide all three times.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: Now it is not true he did not work very hard, by all accounts. He'd been calling lawmakers in most reports. After this defeat, the president also took aim at the Indiana Senate Republican leader, Roderick Bray, predicting he would lose his next primary.

Let's get right to the White House now. CNN's Alayna Treene is there this morning. This is really a setback for the White House, their redistricting efforts.

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: I would actually argue, John, that this is one of the biggest defeats we've actually seen the president and his team, certainly his political team have seen yet. They have resoundly, Indiana Republicans, rejected this administration and the president's push to really use the Hosier state as kind of the example to have this mid-decade redistricting push.

Now, the reason this is so important is because the president and his team have made no secret of what their overall political strategy is when it comes to the midterms, and it very much has hinged on wanting to redraw seats any number of different states. And this is really a huge loss for them. They essentially robbed them of two potential seats that could have gone to Republicans in the House ahead of the midterms. And, of course, that is two seats that now they will not be able to count on for having the majority potentially and trying to win the majority again after 2026.

Look, part of this, I think, and the reason this is so important because it gets to that overall strategy and the president has really tried to use this to make sure that he can insulate house Republicans for what could be some stunning losses in next year's elections.

But part of the reason that is so important is it's not only about, you know, having control of not only the House but potentially the Senate, how that could get in the way of really the president's ability to do any major legislation in his last two years, it would, of course, make him more of a lame duck president than he will already be.

But it's also this idea that if Democrats end up getting control of the House, that means a lot of investigations, a lot of subpoenas, a lot of hearings on Capitol Hill, all things, of course, that the people in this White House, many of whom worked with him during his first administration as well very much want to avoid. Now, one thing that's interesting as well, you talked about how the president said that he wasn't very much involved in this. That's not exactly true. If you looked at what his team is saying, the vice president, J.D. Vance, went to Indiana twice to meet with the state's Senate Republicans to try and pressure them to get behind this push. We also know that they've hosted Indiana Senate Republicans here at the White House, where many members of the president's team sat down with them and urged them to get in line behind this effort.

The president of himself, of course, has also been posting about this on social media all along, even at times saying that any Republican who goes against them could face what he said was a MAGA primary in the spring. All to say this is a major loss, and it also comes after other losses we've seen in places like Ohio, Utah, Kansas, and potentially Missouri.

And so this is a very big deal and it's going to definitely impact their political strategy moving forward.

BERMAN: Yes. And by all accounts, there were Republicans in Indiana in the State Senate who simply didn't like the way the White House was going about pressuring them. And we'll see if that lingers beyond the Indiana borders.

Alayna Treene at the White House this morning, thank you very much for that. Sara?

SIDNER: All right. Ahead, former University of Michigan Head Football Coach Sherrone Moore expected to make his first court appearance today, what led up to his arrest just hours after he was fired.

A new CNN reporting this morning, why the FDA intends to place its most severe warning label on the COVID vaccine.

And an incredible rescue, a woman pulled from her burning car by police officers telling her story for the very first time.

Those stories and more ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:10:00]

SIDNER: New this morning, exclusive CNN reporting. Sources telling us that the FDA intends to place its most serious safety label, what's known as a black box warning, on COVID vaccines. This designation is normally reserved for drugs with risks of death or life-threatening reactions, though the plan has not yet been finalized.

CNN Medical Correspondent Meg Tirrell joining us now this plan going forward, we know who the head of HHS is, who's been very skeptical, if not cynical about vaccines. What are medical experts saying about this plan?

MEG TIRRELL, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, they're shocked they're both shocked and sort of unsurprised because it's just the latest sort of salvo in this current administration, their health officials targeting of the COVID-19 vaccines. We know Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has been a long critic of these vaccines, casting doubt on their safety and efficacy.

And now we're learning that FDA officials under Kennedy are working to put this warning on COVID-19 vaccines. That is, as you said, its most serious warning, when a doctor opens a box of a vaccine, pulls out the prescribing label, it's right there in the top in a box, that warns that there could be risks.

[07:15:08]

And we don't know exactly what the language is going to say here because they are in the process of working on this now.

But our reporting suggests they could sort of reveal these plans by the end of the month, and this comes after a memo from the FDA's chief of vaccines, Dr. Vinay Prasad, in late November said that FDA staff had tied the COVID vaccine to deaths of at least ten children.

Now, this was a claim that outside experts said they needed to see the data to understand how they were supporting this and this is still what we're hearing from outside experts now, if this label update, this black box warning, is tied to that and experts don't know, they say, they're not sure that that's supported by the data.

And the process to putting one of these warnings on a medical product typically goes through a very public process. They announce to the public they're doing this. Sometimes they convene an advisory committee of outside experts to discuss whether it's needed and they go through that kind of process.

Now, we have checked in with the Department of Health and Human Services about this. They tell us, quote, unless the FDA announces it, any claim about what it will do is pure speculation. But they add, the FDA takes very seriously any death that is attributed to a regulated medical product. And they emphasize that they are going through all the normal rigorous procedures the FDA would go through to assess safety of a product.

SIDNER: Do you think in the end, you know, this is going to affect people's confidence once again about using the vaccine, which it should be noted that President Trump was the one who pushed this through and got it through quickly as COVID was ravaging the country and the world.

TIRRELL: Yes. During his first term, this was a crowning achievement of President Trump's first presidency, one that multiple Republican senators are now calling for him to get the Nobel Peace Prize for. And so there is concern among experts that this will further weaken confidence in the COVID-19 vaccines.

And we should note they are still recommended, especially for the elderly, people with immune systems that aren't as strong, and also for children under the age of two who are at high risk of being hospitalized with COVID as well. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends the vaccine for that group. And we should note vaccination rates are quite low for COVID already, 7 percent among children, 15 percent among adults, 33 percent for adults over 65. That's for this current season of COVID vaccination.

SIDNER: Meg Tirrell, I know you'll be watching us to see what the FDA actually does in the end with this potential plan. I do appreciate you. Thank you. Kate?

BOLDUAN: Closing arguments are set to begin this morning and the murder trial of Brian Walshe, the man who admits to disposing of his wife's body, but says he did not kill her after a shocker of a twist just yesterday in court. What are they going to tell the jury today?

And a father and son are rescued after being stranded in the Florida Everglades. Look at that. How they were able -- how they got there, and how they were able to make it out.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:20:00]

BOLDUAN: We are getting ready for one of football's most storied showdowns, Army-Navy preparing to meet for the 126th time. And Navy's coming in with some bragging rights after last year's 31-13 victory.

CNN's Coy Wire has much more on what really is a wonderfully epic rivalry.

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Epic, well said. Dating back to 1890 with the pageantry, the tradition, future defenders of our nation, some of the best and brightest, most dedicated and disciplined young leaders fighting for bragging likes that are going to last them a lifetime. Army-Navy game is the greatest rivalry in American sports in large part because of the respect the players have for their rivals. It is palpable. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRIAN NEWBERRY, NAVY FOOTBALL HEAD COACH: It's an opportunity to shine a spotlight on these young men and for people to see what we see on a daily basis.

ANDON THOMAS, ARMY TEAM CAPTAIN/LINEBACKER: It means a lot to be able to represent those service members who, you know, risk their lives daily for us.

BLAKE HORVATH, NAVY-CO-CAPTAIN, QUARTERBACK: You know, on this one day in December, you know, we're enemies. But it's one day a year where it's, you know, bitter hatred.

JEFF MONKEN, ARMY FOOTBALL HEAD COACH: It's a representation of two branches of our armed forces and just the pride behind that. And it just is a really special football game. LANDON ROBINSON, NAVY CO-CAPTAIN/DEFENSIVE LINEMAN: You go out there and it's a battle of culture. It's a battle of pride. Just being able to go out there and represent everything that your service academy represents. It means everything.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WIRE: Now this game is loaded with tradition, right? Ten sitting U.S. presidents have attended. President Donald Trump expected to attend for a fifth time as president. But for the Navy players, perhaps the greatest tradition is their stud quarterback, Blake Horvath's mom baking sweet treats for the boys. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HORVATH: She's always done that just as a way to recognize the offensive line and the guys who may not give as much credit. But you know, if they don't do their job, I'll probably end up getting hurt. And so, she loves them. That's her -- you know, that's her favorite position is the offensive line. And so, it's just her way to thank them for everything they do each week.

And so my favorite treat, just probably the brownies. You can't mess that up.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WIRE: Yes. Oh you can mess up brownies. I know firsthand, but those brownies may be the reason Navy is 9-2. They want to share their conference title and are favored by 6.5 points tomorrow, the 126th edition of Army-Navy Games tomorrow at 3:00 Eastern, first meeting here in Baltimore, Kate, since 2016. It will be hype.

BOLDUAN: I mean, I really, I actually really admire the thought going into that mama. She's like, I'm going to keep you guys happy, keep you fed. You protect my baby. You protect my baby. I really love that. That's amazing.

All right, Coy, I can't -- you're going to be there for it, the man with the most fun job of all time, Coy Wire.

[07:25:00]

Thank you, Coy.

BERMAN: A little extra heft is always good for the offensive line too.

BOLDUAN: That's what I'm thinking. I mean --

BERMAN: Yes. One position group you want to be eating dessert a lot is the offensive line, to be sure.

BOLDUAN: Ah, I see. I see. Lesson learned.

BERMAN: Excellent. All right, quote, the next 24 hours could not be more critical, dangerous flooding in the Pacific Northwest expected to break even more records today. We're getting brand new video of helicopter rescues now.

And this morning, we still don't really know what is alleged to have happened. The former University of Michigan head football coach expected to make his first court appearance today after being fired and then arrested.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:30:00]

BERMAN: All right. Just moments ago in Baltimore, we heard from Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who was freed after.