Return to Transcripts main page
CNN 10
U.S. Government Promotes Vaccines For Younger Kids; Thanksgiving Grocery Bills Could Set Records; Machine In India Could Clean Air. Aired 4- 4:10a ET
Aired November 04, 2021 - 04:00:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CARL AZUZ, CNN 10 ANCHOR: Hi, I`m Carl Azuz. Got some quick hitting headlines to start today`s show, so let`s get to it. First, the U.S.
government has made a COVID vaccine available for children ages five to 11. This is for a shot from the companies Pfizer and BioNTech.
It has been authorized for emergency use, which means it can now be given to kids during the ongoing pandemic but it`s not the same as full
government approval which requires more research and testing. The vaccine comes in two shots, given at least 21 days apart. After that, a child is
considered fully vaccinated. The dose for younger children is 1/3 of that given to people ages 12 and older. Pfizer hopes the smaller dose will
reduce any potential side effects.
The company says its vaccine`s more than 90 percent effective in preventing kids from getting sick from COVID-19, and U.S. President Joe Biden called
the vaccine safe and said it`s a major step forward in the country`s fight to defeat coronavirus.
But while the Food and Drug Administration voted 17 to zero to authorize the vaccine, one of the doctors on the panel said it was a tough decision,
acknowledging that serious side effects are possible, and saying officials would never know for sure how safe the vaccine would be unless they started
giving it. Safety and a lack of information about potential long-term effects are reasons why some Americans are hesitant to get a COVID
vaccine. Health officials say the disease`s overall survival rate is higher in children than in adults.
Next, Tuesday`s addition of our show explored the significance of two U.S. gubernatorial elections. In Virginia, CNN projects that businessman Glenn
Youngkin, a Republican, has defeated former governor Terry McAuliffe, a Democrat. In New Jersey, the race was still too close to call when we
produced this show.
A razor thin number of votes separated incumbent Governor Phil Murphy, a Democrat, from Republican and businessman Jack Ciattarelli, a Republican.
These two particular elections are seen as indicators of how Americans might vote in next year`s mid-term Congressional elections. Finally, we`ve
been discussion inflation this year. The rising prices of the things we buy. One place people have noticed this is in their grocery bills, and the
"New York Times" says that Americans should plan for the most expensive Thanksgiving meal in the history of the holiday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Inflation is your uninvited guest for the holidays this year. Ag economists are saying, grocery stores are saying
they expect a run on turkeys, a run on birds as people gather again this year. Take a look at this. We`re expecting the price to top a record high
of $1.36 per pound this holiday season.
That`s nearly $22 bucks for a 16 pound turkey. Your sides, that`s a problem too. All of those prices are rising for potatoes, for biscuits, for
vegetables and apples, all of these are up since last Thanksgiving. Potato prices up 3.5 percent, biscuits up four, that`s since just last year.
Mixed vegetables up almost four. Those apples to make your signature pie up nearly 8 percent, and driving over the river and through the woods to
grandmother`s house is more expensive this year because of the surging gas prices. A national average for a gallon of gas $3.40 right now. Look at the
difference from last year, it`s up some 38 percent.
So why? We`ve been talking about this. Right? The global supply chain is still a tangled mess. More people are expected to gather this year, that
means more demand. There are labor shortages, high transportation costs, bad weather effecting -- hurting crops around the country.
The early bird, in this case, gets the turkey. Ag economists warn the risk is everyone at the same time will be trying to buy their ingredients. Be
flexible. Shop now. If you wait, you might not get the size bird you want. Heritage birds may not be available near you or they might not be in your
budget.
So that means, get shopping. The National Grocers Association says there`s plenty of food in the supply chain, but consumers should secure those must
haves in a timely fashion to have the favorites on the holiday table.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
AZUZ: 10 Second Trivia. Which of these countries has the highest population density? India, Israel, Singapore or Bahrain. In terms of density the
answer is Singapore, though India has the largest overall population on this list.
Behind China, India has the second largest population on Earth, with more than 1.3 billion people, and many of them are breathing unhealthy air. In
fact, of the 30 most polluted urban areas on the planet, 22 of them are in India. There`s been a bit of a break this year.
The seasonal monsoon rains lasted longer than usual, and India has been swept by more wind than usual. That`s given the 31 million people who live
in the capital of New Delhi their cleanest air in years according to the Reuters News Agency, but that`s expected to change this month.
India`s air quality typically gets worse in the fall, after the winds die down, colder air moves in and farmers get rid of their leftover crop
stubble by burning it. Add that to other types of waste burning, traffic pollution, road and construction dust, and you have a problem that various
efforts haven`t been able to solve in the past. Still, new ideas on how to improve India`s air are always being developed.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VEDIKA SUD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: These sprawling farmlands near India`s national capital New Delhi will soon be spewing thick plumes of smoke. Year
after year, the toxic haze in parts of northern India is so dense it can be seen from outer space. Agricultural residues, in this case rice straws, is
burned by thousands of farmers to clear the fields for winter crops.
Many farmers opt to burn this stubble, which often leads to high levels of pollution in the region. Thirty-year-old Indian (inaudible) is hoping to
bring back cleaner air through sustainable energy to Delhi and its neighborhood. Along with his co-founder, they have developed a small-scale
portable machine in the year 2018, that converts agricultural waste into bio-fuel.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We feed in agricultural waste such as coconut shells or rice straws or rice husks into the machine. It undergoes a thermal process
just like the process of roasting coffee, it`s called torrefaction and what that does is, it takes out low energy containing molecules in the form of
gases. And leaves behind a dense carbon-rich materials, which is then conveyed, cooled and packaged to be used to make viable products such as
fuels and fertilizers.
SUD: The process of removing moisture from a bio-mass to create bio-coal is not new. Some observers say the high cost of creating (inaudible) solutions
have so far prevented the widespread adoption of torrefaction, but (inaudible) confident his device will be more affordable. A pilot run of
the machine`s latest version is also being tested in a forest area on the Pacific West Coast. The team along with state forest officials is currently
looking into converting wood-based residues into marketable products.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: As compared to open burning of agriculture waste, our equipment prevents up to 90 percent of smoke emissions.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE TRANSLATED: (Inaudible) farmer Kalif Hooda (ph) says burning of crop residue is making their lands barren, but remains the
cheapest option.
SUD: (Inaudible) sustainable technology could be a game changer for the farm community and provide additional revenue.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE TRANSLATED: This will help us the most. They have told us to give them the crops stubble and they will give us carbonized fertilizer
which will reduce our costs as farmers and help our crops. There will be lots of benefits.
SUD: The young Indian efforts have already been recognized by the United Nations Environment Program. He was also recently awarded Prince William`s
Inaugural Outshot (ph) prize. Molan`s (ph) low-cost innovation should hit the Indian market within a year. He believes 100 million tons of carbon
dioxide can be reduced annually. A hopeful solution that could break India`s toxic smog chain. Vedika Sud, CNN, New Delhi.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
AZUZ: Don`t know if this actually happened during "Taco Tuesday" on the ISS, but we do know that astronauts recently enjoyed a taco dinner after
harvesting a mini-crop of chili peppers grown in the orbiting laboratory. It took a while, four months to grow the peppers in space, and while they
were enjoyed by astronauts who can lose some of their ability to taste and smell in zero gravity. They`ll be studied for their viability on long-term
space missions.
Now "taco" moment to cook up a few corny puns. They`re always "flouring" here. They help "season" our show, and one without puns like a space
station without peppers. Just "IS" isn`t as flavorful. Have you ever seen such a thing as "space tacos"? We hear they`re out of this world?
I`m Carl Azuz and there`s the "beef" on CNN 10. Nevada High School, yes that`s pronounced Nevada, thank you for watching from Nevada, Missouri. We
hope you and everyone else enjoy the show and we look forward to seeing you right back here tomorrow.
END
