>> THAT WAS THE REACTION BY SOME
PASSENGERS WHEN LEARNING THAT
THE TSA WILL NOT ENFORCE A MASK
MANDATE ON PLANES AND PUBLIC
TRANSIT.
THIS COMES AFTER A TRUMP
APPOINTED FEDERAL JUDGE IN
FLORIDA SINGLE HANDEDLY STRUCK
DOWN THE CDC'S REQUIREMENT
RULING THE FEDERAL AGENCY OVER
STEPPED AUTHORITY.
WE GOT BREAKING NEWS, BIDEN
ADMINISTRATION OFFICIALS SAY THE
JUSTICE DEPARTMENT WILL APPEAL
THE FLORIDA JUDGE'S RULING IF
THE CDC SAYS MASKS ARE
NECESSARY.
THE DOJ WILL NOT SEEK AN
EMERGENCY STAY OF THE ORDER. EARLIER TODAY PRESIDENT BIDEN
EARLIER TODAY PRESIDENT BIDEN
BRIEFLY WEIGHED IN.
>> DO PEOPLE NEED TO WEAR MASKS
ON PLANES?
>> MANY U.S. AIRLINES WERE QUICK
TO DROP THE MASK MANDATE AFTER
THE RULING WITH UBER, AMTRAK AND
PUBLISH TRANSPORTATION IN NEW
JERSEY, PHILADELPHIA AND NEW
JERSEY.
QUESTIONS AND FEARS REMAIN AS
CORONAVIRUS CASES ARE RISING
AGAIN IN MAJOR CITIES.
QUESTIONS REMAIN OVER FILING OF
APPEALS.
FORMER WHITE HOUSE SENIOR
ADVISOR ON THE NATION'S COVID
RESPONSE AND THE HOST OF "IN THE
BUBBLE PODCAST" AND
INTERNATIONAL PRESIDENT OF THE
ASSOCIATION OF FLIGHT ATTENDANTS
ATTENDANTS.
WHERE TO BEGIN?
I WANT TO START WITH THE
REACTION THAT WE SAW ON THAT
FLIGHT, SARAH.
LET ME JUST PLAY -- I WANT TO
PLAY FOR YOU, THIS IS CUT FOUR
FOR MY PRODUCERS.
I'M SKIPPING AROUND A BIT.
I UNDERSTAND WHAT PEOPLE ON
PLANES HAVE BEEN DEALING WITH
BECAUSE I'VE FLOWN A LOT IN THE
LAST SEVERAL MONTHS, A LOT MORE
THAN I THOUGHT I WOULD AND
PEOPLE'S ATTITUDES ARE FOR ME A
LOT.
I DON'T HAVE TO WORK WITH THEM
AND FLY -- I DON'T HAVE TO DO IT
EVERY DAY.
LET ME SHOW PEOPLE A LITTLE
TASTE OF WHAT NIGHT ATTENDEMTS HAVE
HAVE BEEN DEALING WITH.
>> TURN AROUND!
>> GET HIM OFF!
GET HIM OFF!
>> THAT SAID, DID ANNOUNCING THE
END OF THE MASK MANDATE
LITERALLY IN THE MIDDLE OF THE
FLIGHT KIND OF LET THOSE A-HOLES
WIN?
>> NOT JUST THAT, JOY.
IT'S THAT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE
FLIGHT, PEOPLE TOOK OFF WITH ONE
SET OF RULES AND LANDED WITH
ANOTHER.
AND THE CREWS, ONCE AGAIN, ON
THE FRONT LINES ARE LEFT HOLDING
THE BAG TO DEAL WITH THIS.
SO YOU HAD PEOPLE ON THE PLANE
WHO WERE IMMUNE COMPROMISED, YOU
HAD PEOPLE ON PLANES WITH LITTLE
KIDS BELOW THE AGE OF 5 WHO
DECIDED TO FLY ONLY BECAUSE THE
MASK MANDATE WAS IN PLACE EXAND
THEY COULDN'T GET THEIR KIDS
VACCINATED, THIS IS REALLY NOT
FAIR TO PUT THE FLIGHT CREWS IN
THE MIDDLE OF MANAGING THIS ON
OUR PLANES WHEN PEOPLE ARE
EXPECTING ONE THING AND GETTING
SOMETHING ELSE AND THAT HAS BEEN
THE PROBLEM THROUGH THIS WHOLE
PANDEMIC IS THAT THIS HAS BEEN
ABOUT SAYING THAT THE MASK
MANDATE OR ANYTHING TO DO WITH
THIS PANDEMIC IS POLITICAL, ATOR
THAN A PUBLIC HEALTH ISSUE AND
WE DID NOT TAKE A POSITION ON
WHETHER OR NOT TO EXTEND THIS
MASK MANDATE.
REMEMBER, IT'S ONLY SUPPOSED TO
BE IN PLACE UNTIL MAY 3rd.
WE DID NOT TAKE A POSITION
BECAUSE WE HAVE FLIGHT
ATTENDANTS WHO HAVE BEEN VERY
TIRED OF DEALING WITH THAT EVERY
SINGLE DAY, DEALING WITH PEOPLE
WHO CHECK A BOX WHO SAY THEY
AGREE TO WEAR A MASK WHEN THEY
BUY THEIR TICKET AND CHECK IN
FOR THE FLIGHT.
THESE ARE GROWN ADULTS WHO SAY
THEY WILL FOLLOW THE RULES AND
THEY'RE NOT DOING IT.
THEY'RE TIRED OF DOING IT AND
WEARING THE MASK FOR 14, 15, 16
DAYS.
WE ALSO RECOGNIZE THAT AIR
TRAVEL IS ONLY POSSIBLE IF WE DO
THIS WITH THE SPIRIT THAT WE'RE
ALL IN THIS TOGETHER AND WE HAD
OTHER PEOPLE WHO WERE EXPRESSING
SERIOUS CONCERNS ABOUT GOING TO
WORK IN A SPACE WHERE WE HAVE NO
IDEA WHETHER OR NOT PEOPLE ARE
VACCINATED, WHETHER OR NOT
THEY'RE SICK OR BRINGING THAT
INTO OUR SPACE AND IT'S A
CONFINED SPACE WHERE YOU CAN'T
WALK AWAY IF YOU THINK THERE IS
TROUBLE.
>> HERE IS THE THING, ANDY.
THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE.
YOU'RE IN A TUBE WHERE I FEEL
LIKE PEOPLE COUGH MORE.
YOU GET ON A FLIGHT AND
EVERYBODY IS HACKING UP A LUNG
AND PEOPLE LIKE YAY, WHIPPING
OFF THE MASKS.
TO THE POINT SARAH MADE IS
CORRECT.
IF I GOT ON THAT FLIGHT AND
THERE WAS AN ANNOUNCEMENT MID
FLIGHT, I CAN'T GET OFF THE
PLANE AND BECAUSE THIS JUDGE,
WHO WAS RATED UNQUALIFIED, LIKE
SHE WAS AN INTERN LIKE SIX YEARS
AGO IS NOW A FEDERAL JUDGE THAT
GOT ON AT 33 YEARS OF AGE.
TRUMP'S
APPOINTMENT, SHE'S BASICALLY ONE
OF THE PEOPLE TIRED OF WEARING A
MASK AND RULED AS SUCH.
I DON'T SEE ANYTHING -- THIS IS
PART OF HER RULING.
THIS IS THE GENIUS RULING.
WEARING A MASK CLEANS NOTHING.
AT MOST, IT TRAPS VIRUS DROPLETS
BUT IT NEITHER SANITIZES THE
PERSON WEARING THE MASK NOR
SANITIZES THE CONVEYANCE.
THIS IS A LADY THAT NEVER TRIED
A CASE IN COURT.
HER ONLY EXPERIENCE IS AN INTERN
IN COLLEGE.
FOR HER TO BY HERSELF BE ABLE TO
SAY BY HERSELF SAY NO MASK
MANDATE IS OUTRAGEOUS.
YOUR THOUGHTS?
>> DONALD TRUMP APPOINTED 234
JUDGES.
THIS IS A JUDGE HE APPOINTMENTED
AFTER HE LOST THE ELECTION.
SHE WAS A CLARENCE THOMAS CLERK
AND SHE'S GOING FAR BEYOND WHAT
YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE DOING AS A
JUDGE.
SHE'S GOING FAR WE YONLD WHAT
THE LAW ALLOWS HER TO DO.
THE PUBLIC, WHEN YOU'RE A FLIGHT
ATTENDANT OR PASSENGER ON A
PLANE, YOU DESERVE TO HAVE THE
DECISION MADE BY PUBLIC HEALTH
EXPERTS, NOT MOB RULE, NOT CEOs
OF AIRLINES, NOT A JUDGE IN A
DISTRICT COURT.
BUT YOU WANT SOMEONE THAT WILL
LOOK AT THE DATA AND SAY HEY,
WE'LL DO THIS SOFTLY AND
CAREFULLY AND INDEED, IT MAY
HAVE BEEN ABOUT TO COME DOWN BUT
WE CERTAINLY DON'T WANT IT TO
HAPPEN THIS WAY BECAUSE THIS IS
NOT HOW THE PUBLIC IS GOING TO
HAVE THEIR BEST INTEREST LOOKED
OUT FOR.
>> ANDY, DO YOU THINK THE CDC IS
LIKE -- I MEAN, IF IT'S UP TO
THEM, THEY HAVE SHOWN THEMSELVES
TO BE OCCASIONALLY SEEMINGLY
INFLUENCEABLE BY POLITICAL SORT
OF NEEDS AND CORPORATE NEEDS AND
GOT A LOT OF CORPORATIONS THAT
ARE SICK OF HAVING TO BE THE
FRONT LINES OF, YOU KNOW,
ENFORCING THESE MANDATES.
YOU GOT A LOT OF BUSINESSES THAT
WANT THE MANDATES OFF.
WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF THE FACT THE
CDC NUMBER ONE IS THE ONE THAT
WILL GET TO DECIDE WHETHER THE
JUSTICE DEPARTMENT APPEALS AND
WHAT FEELS LIKE A RELUCTANCE TO
APPEAL, WHICH I ACTUALLY
UNDERSTAND.
I DON'T THINK I WOULD WANT TO
APPEAL ANYTHING WITH THOSE SIX
JUDGES ON THE COURT BECAUSE AT
LEAST FIVE OF THEM ARE, YOU
KNOW, THEY ARE ABSOLUTESTS.
THEY HAVE A CERTAIN IDEOLOGY I
THINK I KNOW HOW THEY WOULD
RULE.
>> WELL, LOOK, PEOPLE DON'T
FULLY APPRECIATE HOW DIFFICULT
THE JOB OF THE CDC IS.
THEY HAVE TO MAKE DECISIONS THAT
WILL BE UNPOPULAR WITH ABOUT
HALF THE PUBLIC AND PEOPLE
ALWAYS THINK THEY'RE A LITTLE
TOO SLOW OR A LITTLE TOO FAST.
THEY HAVE TO MAKE TOUGH
DECISIONS WITH I'MMPERFECT
INFORMATION.
THE THING THE BIDEN
ADMINISTRATION HAS TO BE CAREFUL
OF, THEY HAVE A RULING THAT'S
NOT PRESIDENTIAL.
THE MOST IMPORTANT THING FOR THE
CDC AND ALL OF US IN THIS
COUNTRY IS TO PRESERVE THE
ABILITY OF THE CDC IF WE SHOULD
HAVE A WORSE EMERGENCY, IF WE
SHOULD HAVE A BIG BREAKOUT OF
CASES IN THE FALL OR WINTER TO
BE ABLE TO USE BASIC PUBLIC
HEALTH MEASURES AND THE WORRY IF
THEY APPEAL IT IS THEY FIND A
JUDGE LIKE ONE OF THE OTHER 233