Return to Transcripts main page

CNN News Central

FIFA Moving Forward With Controversial Plan Despite Outrage; American Red Cross Declares Second-Ever National Blood Supply Crisis; Federal Judge Hears Live Nation's Bid To Overturn Monopoly Verdict; Jurors Visit Crime Scene In Clancy Trial; Heat Domes To Scorch Western U.S. This Weekend; FDA Advisers Support Easing Restrictions On Six Peptides. Aired 1:30-2p ET

Aired July 31, 2026 - 13:30   ET

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

[13:30:00]

CHRIS WITTYNGHAM, CBS SPORTS GOLAZO COMMENTATOR: But I think the biggest thing is how little transparency there is around this plan and this idea.

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN CO-ANCHOR OF "CNN NEWS CENTRAL": We'll see if it moves forward. Chris Wittyngham, thanks so much for joining us.

WITTYNGHAM: Thank you.

SANCHEZ: Of course, still ahead, the American Red Cross declaring the second-ever national blood supply crisis. We'll talk about what's causing the shortage, when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ERICA HILL, CNN CO-ANCHOR OF "CNN NEWS CENTRAL": The American Red Cross has just declared a national blood supply crisis. This is only the second time in its history it's done so. The organization says donations fell to a four-year summer low, and that deepens a shortage, which now threatens the availability of life-saving blood for patients across the country.

SANCHEZ: Joining us now to discuss is Dr. Baia Lasky. She's the Executive Medical Director for the American Red Cross. Doctor, thanks so much for sharing part of your afternoon with us. So, how is this impacting hospitals and patients?

[13:35:00]

DR. BAIA LASKY, EXECUTIVE MEDICAL DIRECTOR, AMERICAN RED CROSS: Well, because of this -- our blood supply has dropped by about 25 percent in June. And so because of this, our type O blood in particular, the Red Cross is having to limit distributions because of this shortage. And how that impacts patient care, every two seconds, a blood transfusion is delivered or needed for trauma patients, for cancer treatment, for surgeries of other types. And so when hospitals don't have the inventory, surgeries and care may be delayed.

HILL: What is -- do you have a sense of what's behind this four-year summer low when it comes to blood donations?

LASKY: Summer is usually challenging anyway, but this year, we have the extreme heat, the poor air quality, these widespread food-borne illnesses that are really contributing to the lower donor turnout this summer.

SANCHEZ: Yeah, you mentioned type O blood a moment ago being of significant importance, why?

LASKY: Group O blood is universal. It can be transfused to patients of any blood type. So it's most commonly used for trauma when blood type is unknown and other situations where type O is needed.

HILL: And so obviously, giving blood --

LASKY: It's the most valuable.

HILL: The most valuable, giving blood is obviously one way to end this supply crisis. I mean, give us a sense of, is there anything else that people can do? If people can't get blood, is it about also helping maybe get people there, driving people if you can?

LASKY: Absolutely. We encourage people to make an appointment if you're able to donate. About half of the population has type O blood. So you're contributing to a very precious resource if you're able to donate. And we encourage people to visit redcrossblood.org, our blood donor app, or call us at 1-800-RED-CROSS.

We would also encourage people, if an appointment is not immediately available, to please look into the days and weeks ahead because we have a lot to make up for the shortfall. And in fact, if we have just three additional people at each drive, we can close that deficit.

But absolutely, if you're not able to donate yourself, tell others, you can sponsor a drive. You can volunteer. There are a lot of ways to get involved.

SANCHEZ: Yeah, and I guess every bit counts. Dr. Baia Lasky, thank you so much for joining us.

LASKY: Thank you.

SANCHEZ: Happening now, a court hearing that could affect millions of concert goers across the country and how much they pay to go see shows. A federal judge is hearing arguments on Live Nation's motion to reverse a jury verdict that found the company and its subsidiary, Ticketmaster, operated as a monopoly.

HILL: So the verdict from earlier this year, you like remember, this (ph) filed a complaint that was filed by a coalition of states which accused the ticketing giant of stifling competition, driving up fees for fans. Anyone who's tried to buy a concert ticket could relate.

CNN's Kara Scannell has been monitoring this hearing. So, how does it look like things are trending, Kara? KARA SCANNELL, CNN REPORTER: Well, Erica, Boris, we are two-and-a-half hours into this hearing and the judge has focused his questions very directly, very pointedly asking the states, where is the evidence that we saw at the trial that supports this claim or that claim? So he's gone through more than 10 questions at this point, really pressing them and then also asking them what is the case law? What other cases do you have that would support your theory here? So he's being meticulous.

He's asking these specific questions. He's also asking it of the defense, asking them to respond to the states and some direct questions to them as well. But he is really going through this to see what evidence was in the record to support the different elements that one needs to support the verdict in the case.

The judge saying at one point, it may be a little boring for everyone, but it's very helpful for me. And one of these questions he asked was, can you show me evidence in the record that an artist, a musician did not want to use Live Nation's promotion services when it was going on its tour?

At one point, one of the Live Nation's lawyers said that there isn't any evidence and that the states have never called an artist to say that it's horrible, that they were forced to use Live Nation because of the monopoly. So, really fighting here because there is a lot at stake.

This of course, the jury verdict here, once the judge rules on this verdict, whether it stands in full, whether he reverses any elements, then there will be a second trial to figure out what the remedy here is because the states, if they are successful, what kind of relief do they get?

Of course, the states want a breakup of the company. A lot of people think that's very unlikely though.

SANCHEZ: So if there's a decision that results in some form of compensation, does that mean that fans are going to see fees come down, perhaps a reimbursal?

SCANNELL: Well, that's the hope for a lot of fans, but it is really going to depend on exactly what this remedy is.

[13:40:00]

And as I was saying, that's not going to happen anytime soon. There will be a second trial. So this will come down the road. But, you know, if there is a remedy that does open up the field to more competition, whether that's on more promotion competition, more arena competition, it is possible that some fees could be driven down because more people enter the market, more competitors come in and enter the market.

But if you talk to people who are close to the Live Nation camp and in that space, they will tell you that this is an issue of supply and demand. Basically, a lot of people want to go see Harry Styles. (LAUGH)

HILL: I have tickets, actually.

SANCHEZ: Is that right? For Harry?

HILL: Yes. I'm seeing Harry October 24th.

SCANNELL: Me too.

(LAUGH)

HILL: So, yeah.

SANCHEZ: Well.

HILL: Karen, I have excellent taste in music, perhaps you've noticed.

SANCHEZ: Thanks for the invite, I guess.

HILL: And I probably overpaid. But there's that.

(LAUGH)

SANCHEZ: Kara Scannell, thank you so much.

SCANNELL: I'll see you there, Erica. I look forward to it.

SANCHEZ: Have fun, ladies. All right. Coming up, an emotional day for jurors in the murder trial of the mom accused of killing her three young kids. The jury visiting the home where Lindsay Clancy lived with her family in Massachusetts. The latest on the triple murder trial, when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:45:37]

SANCHEZ: Today, jurors visited the Massachusetts home where Lindsay Clancy is accused of fatally strangling her three young kids, and they heard further testimony from medical experts and detectives about disturbing things they saw and heard three years ago. CNN's Brynn Gingras is following the case for us.

So Brynn, jurors have already seen photos from inside and outside the home. What did they see in person?

BRYNN GINGRAS, CNN U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, I mean, Boris, there's nothing like actually going to see the scenes of everything that you're hearing about in witness testimony over this past week. And so that's exactly what jurors were doing, hope -- prosecution and defense, obviously hoping that the visuals would help aid in their eventual deliberation process.

So what they did first is those jurors, as you saw that bus right there, they piled into that bus and drove by the CVS location as well as a restaurant that Lindsay Clancy's ex-husband, Patrick Clancy, went to when he ran those errands during the time Lindsay Clancy allegedly, or there's no denying that she killed her three children inside that house.

And then after driving by those two locations, they did go to the Duxbury home, the scene of the crime. And what they were instructed by the judge was they would go inside the house. They would also go on the outside, because remember, Lindsay Clancy was found outside a window in the backyard on the ground, semi-conscious at the time after she tried to kill herself. And then they also went inside the house. They were instructed to not touch anything.

They couldn't open any doors. They couldn't open any drawers. They just had to see with their own eyes while the prosecution and the defense were pointing out things inside that home. And really, it was just the morning that they did this, and then they piled back into the bus, and they went back to court to hear some testimony.

SANCHEZ: And Brynn, what kind of testimony did they hear today?

GINGRAS: Yeah, Boris, actually, I just do want to mention that Lindsay Clancy was -- she had the option to go on that, what they call, you know, the view of these sites, but she chose not to -- just so you know. But as far as the testimony, as soon as jurors were back in the seats and everybody was back in the courtroom, heard from a lot of people that were in the hospital.

Some of the first responders who went to the home, to the scene of the crime, giving sort of visual representations, again, of what they saw when they were at the house, how Lindsay Clancy was outside of that bedroom window, semi-conscious, their efforts to sort of bring her back to life. But also then, medical professionals who were at the hospital, very emotional testimony coming from some of these medical professionals as they talked about what their efforts were to revive two of the three Clancy children who were brought into their care, as well as Lindsay Clancy.

Actually saw some pretty graphic photographs that were shown in court of the wounds that, you know, she made -- she had done to herself in an effort to try to take her own life after killing her three children.

Remember, in this case, there is no dispute that she killed her three children. The question here defense is trying to argue is that she should not be held criminally responsible and that she was in postpartum psychosis when this happened. So that is the question here that jurors are going to have to be deliberating.

SANCHEZ: What should we expect to happen next in the case, Brynn?

GINGRAS: Yeah, so Boris, this was a very emotional week in court. There have been multiple times where Lindsay Clancy has just been sobbing, you know, sitting there, listening to all of this testimony, including from her ex-husband who testified for two days this week, the father of those three children. She was crying again today as these, you know, medical professionals were talking about the efforts they were making to revive the two of the three children.

So it was a pretty emotional week. Many days, actually, jurors were sent home early, probably for the gravity of this case. It is expected to last about six to eight weeks. So this is the first week done. I imagine just based off of where they stop today, we'll hear from some more medical professionals who were, you know, taking care of Lindsay while she was in the hospital. And then again, six to eight weeks until this case hopefully wraps up. And it does appear that they are going at the speed that they have been, you know, scheduling for.

SANCHEZ: Brynn Gingras, thank you so much for that update. Erica?

HILL: Let's take a look at some of the other headlines we're watching at this hour. An unusually strong heat dome is set to scorch the Western U.S. this weekend, bringing the hottest temperatures so far this year to nearly 50 million people.

[13:50:00]

At least 12 states, from California to Colorado, are impacted here, expected to see record highs. One of the hottest place is expected to be Phoenix, Arizona, where temperatures will soar to 117 on Saturday.

An outbreak of Legionnaires' disease linked to seven deaths in New York City is now over. The city's health commissioner says the two- week incubation period for any new cases has passed, and also that the source of the exposure has been eliminated. They believe these cases are linked to bacteria found in building cooling towers. Dozens of those towers tested positive for Legionella bacteria. Their owners were ordered to drain, clean, and disinfect the towers. Officials say there are currently 92 documented cases. Five people remain hospitalized.

Health and Human Services Secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. stepping into the kitchen, launching his own cooking show, which will reportedly focus on budget-friendly recipes, highlighting the revised dietary guidelines released by the Trump administration earlier this year. The guidelines actually flipped the food pyramid to prioritize protein and also recommend limiting ultra-processed foods. The show's first 20-minute episode was released on Kennedy's YouTube channel.

Still ahead here, six peptides, which are popular among wellness influencers, are now one step closer to being available at your local pharmacy. We'll take a closer look at what those peptides are and what they actually do, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:56:12]

HILL: Chances are you've seen them on your social media feed, and even if you haven't, by the time the segment is over, you're going to be inundated. It's one of the hottest trends in wellness, and now an FDA advisory panel is backing a plan to ease restrictions on six peptides, recommending last week that the drugs be made available to consumers through compounding pharmacies. The pharmacies say they still don't have the green light to move ahead just yet. CNN Health Reporter, Jacqueline Howard joins us now. So, first of all, before we even get into what's changing, there are a lot of peptides in the world. What are these specific peptides that we're talking about, and what do influencers (ph) and others actually claim that they do?

JACQUELINE HOWARD, CNN HEALTH REPORTER: That's right, Erica. The term peptides can mean so many different medications, like GLP-1s that are used for diabetes and obesity, they're peptides, and so is insulin, which has been around for years.

But the difference between GLP-1s and insulin and the peptides we're talking about right now is that GLP-1s, insulin, and other medications that you may be familiar with, those are FDA approved. The peptides that the FDA advisory committee looked at are technically experimental. They're usually typically used for research purposes only, but recently they have found their way into the wellness world.

And so that's why the advisory committee sat down to talk about these peptides, because they're not FDA approved. So the advisory committee looked at, should we green light these for compounding pharmacies so that there is a, what the advisers called, a safe way for people to access them? And the six experimental peptides that the FDA advisory looked at are these. We should have a list, starting with BPC-157.

Now, many people use these different peptides for many different reasons, but the FDA panel specifically looked at BPC-157 as a possible treatment for ulcerative colitis. And this peptide is also associated with wound healing. The other peptide, KPV, was looked at for wound healing and inflammatory conditions.

TB-500 was looked at for wound healing. And Erica, it's interesting, sometimes people use BPC-157 and TB-500 together. And in the wellness world, Erica, that's called the Wolverine stack, because people use it for healing, and it's named Wolverine after the X-Men character.

And then there's a peptide called MOTS-c. That was also reviewed by the panel. That was looked at as a possible treatment for obesity and osteoporosis. Semax for certain neurological disorders. And Epitalon, the panel looked at this for insomnia, but some people in the wellness space also use this for anti-aging, and it's even been called the fountain of youth. So those six peptides are what were discussed among the FDA advisers, and the committee narrowly voted to allow them for compounding.

The votes were pretty close, Erica, like 8-6 --

HILL: Wow.

HOWARD: -- to allow these for compounding. So that's what we saw happen with that committee.

HILL: So now that they -- by that narrow margin, right?

HOWARD: Yeah. HILL: They're recommending them for compounding, what does that change? What happens next?

HOWARD: So even though the committee did recommend these for compounding, they're not available quite yet. There are some more steps to take. One, the FDA has to formally adopt that recommendation. Then there has to be a rule published in the federal register to allow these to be added to a list of ingredients for compounding pharmacies to use.

So those regulatory steps still have to take place. No one knows when that might happen. But Erica, Health and Human Services Secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has been a big proponent of this. He's been advocating for this to happen, so he could expedite that process. We have to wait to see.

HILL: We will be watching, and I know you'll be there to help us walk us through it as well. Jacqueline, appreciate it. Thank you.

A new hour of "CNN News Central" starts right now.