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7.4 Earthquake Hits Colombia, Reports Of People Trapped; Now: RFK Jr. Hosts "Major Food Policy Celebration". Aired 11-11:30a ET

Aired August 10, 2026 - 11:00   ET

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

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: And then so did his goal. Now you see him. Now you don't. Speaking of that, you didn't hit a trap door on our boy, Wolf, did you?

[11:00:07]

PAMELA BROWN, CNN ANCHOR: You know what? Wolf is enjoying some much needed time off. That man is the hardest working man in television, so he deserves it.

WIRE: No doubt.

BROWN: So I'm here holding down the board. Coy Wire, great to see you. Thanks so much.

The next hour of The Situation Room starts right now.

Breaking news, people run as an earthquake rattles Western Colombia. We are getting some new pictures of all of this damage as officials fear there could be significant casualties.

And any minute now, we expect Health Secretary R.K. Jr. to announce a new crackdown on companies that put chemicals in your food without letting regulators know.

Welcome to our viewers in the United States and around the world. I'm Pamela Brown. Wolf Blitzer is off today and you're in The Situation Room.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is CNN Breaking News.

BROWN: We begin this hour with that breaking news, a powerful 7.4 magnitude earthquake has struck Western Colombia. Oh, wow. Terrifying. One official says there is severe damage to buildings. You can only imagine seeing that video and that people are trapped. The mayor of one city says at least two people are dead there. And the U.S. Geological Survey warns that the level of shaking could mean significant casualties.

The epicenter was located about 250 miles west of Colombia's capital. CNN meteorologist Derek Van Dam is keeping a close eye on this story. So, Derek, the initial quake was 7.4. What sort of aftershocks are we seeing here?

DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: We've already had aftershocks of magnitude 5.0 and greater. So what you're looking at now is one of six airports that have sustained damage from the original earthquake, that magnitude 7.4. I'm going to show a series of videos because we're going to tie all these pieces together. You're looking at Cali, Colombia near the epicenter. And I want you to see all the dust in the background here from this elevated position.

These are buildings that have sustained severe damage, if not full collapse. And there have been reports coming out of this region that at least 20 buildings have collapsed. Of course, people trapped under the rubble. That is not good news. And then we take you to the ground. And this is what it looks like in Cali, Colombia.

And you can see rescue efforts, first responders digging through the rubble amongst the aftershocks that are happening as we speak. So, again, this is about 250 miles west of Bogota. The epicenter was actually about 100 kilometers below the surface. That's important. I'll tell you why in a minute. Let's talk about what the USGS does in these moments.

They take previous earthquakes in similar tectonic plates and they can compare them with the magnitude and give an estimate on the potential number of fatalities. It's a grim subject to discuss, but it's the reality we're facing. And they say, according to this analysis from the USGS, nearly one in three chance that there are over 1,000 fatalities from this particular earthquake.

This is an intermediately deep earthquake, the epicenter. If it was near the surface, I would expect even more widespread damage than what we've seen. But regardless, we've got nearly 2 million people that have felt the very strong shaking from this powerful earthquake. And we expect aftershocks to continue. In fact, on average, we see with a 7.4 original earthquake, we have on average about 10, 5.0 or greater aftershocks, maybe even a 6.0 or greater aftershock. That is certainly possible.

These types of earthquakes and this power are very rare. We only get about 15 of them worldwide per year. And of course, anything above an 8.0, that is very, very rare. But going back to these videos, Pamela, terrifying moments. We have reports of damage to airports. So that's infrastructure, of course, buildings that have collapsed and the rubble here that you can clearly see in these first few videos now we're getting out of Western Colombia.

BROWN: All right. Thanks, Derek.

Let's go live now to CNN correspondent Stefano Pozzebon. Stefano, I know you've covered Colombia. What more can you tell us about this quake?

[11:04:59]

STEFANO POZZEBON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Well, we can understand, Pamela, that this quake has hit one of the most sparsely populated areas of Colombia. Colombia itself is a highly urbanized country where more than 70 percent of the population actually lives in cities or urban area. And thankfully, the epicenter of this earthquake was in an area densely covered by jungle and the rainforest.

However, the majority of the damage seemed to be concentrated in the area of Pereira, the city of Pereira, which is a city of about half a million people right in the center of Colombia. It's at a high altitude on top of the mountain, of the Andes Mountain, and where we understand that at least 18 people have been killed by the earthquake, according to the local mayor. Substantial damage has been impacted on the local airport, which, of course, is a crucial aspect of this story, because one thing that I've definitely learned covering the Venezuelan earthquake a couple of months ago is that reaching the areas most affected by this sort of natural disaster is particularly challenging when you don't have the support of aviation.

Colombia is also a very hilly country. The region that has been impacted by the earthquake is definitely more mountainous than the plains, and you can imagine that they will need to put the airports back into running as quickly as possible if they want to have supplies in the upcoming hours and days. So the fact that the airport in Pereira has been substantially damaged, of course, is a cause of concern.

Like we were saying, at least 20 people killed so far. I was checking with friends and loved ones on the phone as we learned the news. Luckily, all of the people that I was in touch with when I was living in Colombia for the last six years have been rescued. We were just chatting if they were able to speak with their relatives or loved ones in the areas most impacted by this quake. Luckily, the number of casualties seems to be minor compared to the ones in Venezuela a couple of months ago. But that, of course, is the comparison.

The story of Venezuela really has shocked the region, South America as a whole, with two earthquakes impacting one in short succession from the other one. It seems like this is the case for Colombia as well, where several aftershakes have been continuously hitting in the capital. A couple of friends that just texted me a few moments ago saying that they were in Bogota and they could still feel the aftershakes, Pamela.

So we'll try to understand more. The president of Colombia, Abelardo de la Esperia, who has just sworn in. He's just at the beginning of his mandate. He was sworn in only on the 7th of August, and he's now facing a major challenge, a major natural crisis, natural disaster crisis that, of course, will challenge the unity of its government. He has called for an emergency meeting of his cabinet. He posted a video from his presidential jet saying that he was heading to the capital, Bogota, to chair this emergency meeting and to make all of the resources necessary available.

But, of course, we are here still in the very early stages of this story, and we'll bring you the latest as soon as we hear more from the authorities, Pamela.

BROWN: Yes, I mean, 7.4 magnitude earthquake. You know, Colombia is a country that is no stranger to earthquakes, but this is a really large scale. And I'm wondering during your time living there what the concern was for an earthquake of this magnitude and just the preparations or ability to respond on a mass scale.

POZZEBON: Yes, the level of preparation, of course, is different throughout the country. Colombia is a very uneven country. You live in the city, especially the area where I was living, the center of Bogota. You don't really have an experience that is so different from living in the west, in the U.S., for example. But, of course, the countryside is a completely different matter.

While I was living in Colombia for the last six years, I did experience several earthquakes. None of them was of this magnitude. Friends that I've been messaging or calling throughout the afternoon here in Italy have all been saying it's the worst that I've experienced.

I've never experienced something so bad. Several people have actually been awakened by this earthquake because it hit at 7:30 a.m. in the morning in Colombia. And so several people, they just said that they were being thrown off their beds by the magnitude of this quake.

The city of Bogota itself, you can see, I remember that you will go into buildings and you will hear and see the notices on the walls saying that these are quake-safe buildings with building techniques that are made up to resist to the impact of an earthquake. Of course, the countryside is a completely different matter.

[11:09:55]

All large structures such as the airport, as I was saying, in Pereira, that is the area that for me now is the biggest area of concern because it's very hard to travel around the countryside in Colombia and you need air travel to get the supplies that the first responders will need in the areas that are most impacted by the earthquake. So I hope that they will be able to have the airports and the runways up and running as quickly as possible, Pamela.

BROWN: Yes, that's a really important point. Stefano Pozzebon, thank you so much.

And still ahead, right now the Health and Human Services Secretary is announcing a policy change when it comes to certain foods. What we're learning.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's beyond expensive, so it's a lot of choice making.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: The cost of child care, how American families are being forced to deal with an affordability crisis when it comes to child care. You're in the Situation Room and we'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:15:33] BROWN: Breaking news, right now, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is announcing a major policy change about the food we eat. The Secretary of Health and Human Services is applauding a long-awaited plan to close a loophole on food additives. And it's all part of the Trump administration's Make America Healthy Again agenda to crack down on ultra-processed foods and encourage Americans to eat healthier.

So I want to bring in CNN senior White House reporter Kevin Liptak to learn a little bit more about what we've heard so far, Kevin.

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Right. And what Kennedy is saying is that this loophole that existed at the FDA, which essentially allowed food companies to put chemicals that were generally regarded as safe into the food supply without notifying the FDA, Kennedy is saying that they had exploited that.

The food companies had, "hijacked the loophole and drove enormous trucks through it." And what he's announcing today is that those food companies will now be required to inform the FDA when they are adding these chemicals into the food supply. And just to describe for you how this all has unfolded over the last 70 years, really, the FDA in 1958 included in, you know, their rules that food companies would be allowed to put these chemicals in if they were generally believed to be safe.

And at the time, that included things like table salt, vinegar, black pepper, you know, ordinary food products. But over time, it had involved and evolved to include things like preservatives, stabilizers, some low-calorie sweeteners, things that, according to Kennedy, had been permitted to be put into the food supply without any sort of rigorous study. And this is really kind of a crowning achievement for RFK in his efforts to reshape the U.S. food supply, to help convince Americans to eat much healthier than they have been.

The other aspect that HHS is announcing today is sort of a development in their long-stated efforts to define what ultra-processed food is. Now, RFK has been talking about this today. Listen to a little bit more of what he has been saying.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROBERT F. KENNEDY JR., HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES SECRETARY: We cannot spend our way out of a chronic disease epidemic while ignoring the things that are making Americans sick. Food is the most powerful weapon that we have in our arsenal to change the trajectory of the chronic disease epidemic. Parents should not need a chemistry degree to understand what their children are eating. Americans deserve real transparency. They deserve real food.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LIPTAK: Now, when it comes to this question of ultra-processed food, those are foods that studies have shown could be linked to heart disease, to type 2 diabetes. What the HHS wants to do is to provide a better definition for that, so that research can be more rigorous going forward about what exactly that is doing to Americans' health. And so it's a major announcement from the health secretary today, and really sort of puts into practice some of what the MAHA movement, the Make America Healthy Again movement, has been trying to profess over the last several years.

BROWN: All right, Kevin Liptak, thanks so much.

Let's continue this conversation with Marion Nestle, a prominent food policy researcher and the author of "Safe Food: The Politics of Food Safety." Marion, great to have you with us. I know that this is an issue that is near and dear to your heart. How significant is this policy change on food additives?

MARION NESTLE, NUTRITIONIST: Well, my first reaction to it is, oh, it's about time. And is this all? This is all they're doing about the grass loophole? They're still not regulating it. The only change that they have made is to require companies to at least inform the FDA that they're doing this. That's a step forward. Food advocates have been calling for this for decades. And it seems to me the most obvious thing to do.

I don't know why it took so long. And I understand there's a federal register notice. If that's true, then this is the first regulatory action that MAHA has taken. MAHA has stated officially that they think that regulation is nanny state. They don't want to interfere with companies with unnecessary regulation. Here's a regulation.

[11:20:15]

They're requiring companies to report if they're using new additives and tell the FDA about it. The FDA's procedure for dealing with those additives is exactly the same as it always has been. And what they haven't been talking about is how they're going to enforce this.

Where are they going to get the FDA science staff who will be capable of reviewing what the companies submit? The companies will still be submitting their own science and their own review panels, decisions about these additives. Where is the FDA personnel who are able to deal with this when so many people have been fired or have retired?

So I want to see how this works. But I think there were two other things that they said in this press conference that were really important. And one is they're going to talk about the real food safety issue these days, which is cyclospora. And they're going to talk about rules for producing vegetables safely tomorrow. And they're going to, at some point, do something about the ultra-processed food definition.

But they're not saying what it is. I want to know what it is. I can't wait to see it.

BROWN: You are like almost giddy about all of this. Clearly, you're passionate. This is an area you've been writing about for decades. And you think that they should have gone even further. And I'm just wondering, when it comes to these additives, they're talking about that now these companies have to alert the FDA that it is putting these additives in the food. What is the evidence? What does the science show about them? Because I know it's different depending on the additive, correct?

NESTLE: Oh, I mean, first of all, there are tens of thousands of additives.

BROWN: Yes.

NESTLE: I mean, there are really a lot of them. And most of them have been around for a long time. It's very difficult to prove that they're harmful. It's really hard because they're consumed in extremely small quantities. And you can't lock people up and feed them different diets. You have to ask people what they eat and compare the health outcomes of people who claim that they eat a lot of foods with additives or without additives.

It's really complicated to do this research. And so it's been very difficult to pinpoint additives, even additives about which there has been an enormous amount of controversy. The studies just don't carry the kind of weight that they would if they were better controlled. And there are thousands of them. So it's hard to know how this research can be done.

The companies in their notifications will be appointing a panel of people to review the literature, to say what literature they've reviewed, and to say that this literature shows that this additive is generally recognized as safe at the amounts typically likely to be consumed. That's how the FDA has always done this, and it will continue to do it that way.

BROWN: All right, Marian Nestle, great to have you on. All right. Thanks so much.

NESTLE: Thank you.

[11:23:27]

BROWN: More when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BROWN: Happening now, Iran has a new list of demands for reopening the Strait of Hormuz, including compensation for damages from the war. President Trump is downplaying any quick resolution. He tells Axios, "We are only semi-negotiating with Iran." With us now is CNN military analyst and retired Air Force Colonel Cedric Leighton and CNN global affairs commentator and former deputy Pentagon press secretary, Sabrina Singh. All right, so Sabrina, Iran keeps moving the goalpost. What do you think needs to happen here? I mean, what does semi- negotiating tell you?

SABRINA SINGH, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS COMMENTATOR: Well, they keep moving the goalpost also because the U.S. position changes too. And so, you know, when the MOU fell apart and you had this naval blockade get reinstated, I think Iran just saw that as, OK, we're going to use this as a hard line and we're going to continue to try and control the Strait. I think what this administration is trying to do right now is use economic pressure to get Iran back to the table. Already right now in Iran, you look at basic groceries, it's at 400 percent inflation. This is not sustainable for Iran and they know that. And so they're the economic levers that this administration can pull. I think that's what they're trying to do rather than pursuing the military efforts at this point.

BROWN: Is under more pressure right now. You think in this war, Iran or the U.S.?

SINGH: Economically, Iran. Politically, the U.S. I mean, with the midterms coming up, we're 85 days out from the midterm elections. You're looking at the polling. I mean, I think President Trump right now is in the high 20s. That is historically low for a president going in to a midterm election where Republicans up and down the ballot are going to have to defend the choices that this administration has made with the Iran war as their constituents go to the gas pumps. So politically, it's the U.S. but economically, Iran is struggling a lot.

BROWN: And Colonel Leighton, Iran, has replaced its security chief. Can you tell us why that move matters right now?

[11:29:57]

COL. CEDRIC LEIGHTON (RET), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Yes. Pamela, he is somebody who's a veteran of the Iran-Iraq war. So going back all the way to the 1980s. And it matters because what it shows is that this is a more hardline position. Hardline --