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The Fight Over Transgender Services Members Goes to Court; Acting Social Security Commissioner Resigns; 14 Dead in Kentucky from Flooding and Extremely Cold Temperatures. Aired 10:30-11a ET

Aired February 18, 2025 - 10:30   ET

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

[10:30:00]

PETER GOELZ, CNN AVIATION ANALYST, FORMER NTSB MANAGING DIRECTOR AND SENIOR VP, O'NEILL AND ASSOCIATES: -- helpful to the investigation.

PAMELA BROWN, CNN ANCHOR: You know, the passengers who have spoke afterwards said, look, it was clear there was like snow on the runway and it could be a dicey situation. Obviously, didn't expect this to happen. Steven, what do you think -- I mean, I know hindsight's 20/20. It's should a plane not have landed on that runway? I mean, walk us through your thinking on this.

STEVEN WALLACE, FORMER DIRECTOR, FAA'S OFFICE OF ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION: Well, sort of similar to the accident that happened in 2005 at the same airport, another miraculous accident where everybody survived, where the Transportation Safety Board of Canada, a highly competent authority that will definitely get this accident right, said attributed that accident to unfavorable weather conditions and poor landing decisions. So, that will be a focus of this investigation. Those two things.

I would add to what Peter said that the video shows very clearly, in these two videos we just saw this morning, it shows very clearly at first -- the first video shows a hard impact and a fire initiating, and it does seem to be slightly right-wing low. And, you know, you can crab into the wind or you can tip the wing down low, or do a combination of both, which is what that looked like, but you see the right wing fails, but the airplane is still going quite fast, and that left wing is generating a tremendous amount of lift. And so, that immediately causes the airplane to roll inverted. That's quite clear from that video we just saw this morning.

BROWN: Peter, you've said if this crash had happened just 16 years ago, not everyone might have survived like in this case, what has changed?

GOELZ: Well, what's changed is that all commercial aircraft have seats that are locked in place on the tracks in -- as part of the fuselage that can withstand up to 16G's of impact. That means that in a crash landing like this, if you're strapped in correctly, you're going to survive the impact and have a chance to escape. And when you combine that with advances in fire retardant material to inside the cabin to increase burn through rates of the skin, you really have a good chance to make it if you follow directions. BROWN: So, you know, you have to wonder about these injuries and whether because these passengers had to unbuckle their seatbelts while hanging upside down, if that's a big reason why we had these injuries, what do you think about that, Steven?

WALLACE: Well, I've heard different reports about the injuries, but, you know, everyone survived this horrific accident, and certainly, for the reasons that Peter attributed, the dynamic pulse tested 16G seats. And so, you know, to have a certain amount of injuries from, first of all, everybody's hanging upside down, most unusual, and this is, of course, aircraft accidents never happen like they're supposed to.

So, you know, we do evacuation demonstrations with the airplane sitting right side up on its landing gear, then an accident like this happens, and the airplane is on its roof. And so, I think that you would expect a certain number of injuries and hope that in a situation like this, I think they're unavoidable, you just hope that they are not life threatening.

BROWN: All right. Steven Wallace, Peter Goelz, we certainly hope that everyone is OK. I know some passengers are in the hospital. We appreciate your insights.

And happening now, the legal fight over the new policy involving transgender service members is before a judge. Up next, I'll speak to a transgender Air Force candidate whose dream of becoming a para rescuer has been put on pause and the impact it's having on him and his family.

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[10:35:00]

BROWN: Right now, a lawsuit over the new policy that keeps transgender individuals from joining the military is playing out in a D.C. courtroom. Several transgender military members and others are suing. The policy also pauses all procedures associated with gender transition for service members. Clayton McAllister joins us now. He is transgender and his plans to join the Air Force next month are now on hold because of this policy. Thank you for coming on to share your story.

First of all, can you explain where in the process of joining the Air Force you are and what your reaction was, what the impact has been for you when Trump signed the order and your plans were paused?

CLAYTON MCALLISTER, TRANSGENDER U.S. AIR FORCE CANDIDATE: Yes, absolutely. I had already, yes, actually signed my contract. So, I was supposed to ship out on March 4th. I had quit my job. And two days later, I got the call that I was put on hold. So, it was less than 30 days before my ship date.

So, yes, the news was traumatizing to hear because I have -- I've been working really hard for this and it's really set my family back on our plans that we had -- we kind of planned out and this was kind of the basis for all of them. BROWN: Yes. You're married, right? I read you have a child. You have applied to be part of an elite Air Force special warfare team that specializes in rescue missions. Part of President Trump's executive order says, quote, "expressing a false gender identity divergent from an individual sex cannot satisfy the rigorous standards necessary for military service."

Knowing what your program entails and what you already had to get through to get to the point where you were, what do you think when the president says transgender troops can't meet rigorous standards?

MCALLISTER: Right. Yes. It's definitely hard to hear. Because I've been working really hard to get to where I am. Like I said, I train all the time, just like everybody else. And when I go out to my training events that I try to go to once a week I'm usually I'm at the top of the standards.

[10:40:00]

There's a lot of people that come in and can't pass the fitness test that it takes to get even a contract for a rescue, and I've met and exceeded those multiple times. So, to say that we aren't able to meet those standards is inaccurate at the least. And yes, definitely, we're all capable of being there.

BROWN: The battle over this issue seems to be influenced by who occupies the White House. Just to remind our viewers. Former President Obama lifted a ban on transgender troops in 2016. The following year, Trump announced a new ban, but district courts temporarily blocked it, saying that it violated the Constitution. In 2019, the Supreme Court let it take effect but did not rule on whether the ban was constitutional. But in 2021, then-President Biden rescinded Trump's ban. Now, this. What do you make of this continued uncertainty?

MCALLISTER: It's hard to be living in, I guess. Like I said, my family, we've planned our life heading into the military and I had that contract signed and I passed all the standards and been medically cleared and there's really no reason that we shouldn't be able to go out there and serve just like everybody else.

I always say that, you know, we're not looking for a handout, we just want our equal chance to serve our country just like everybody else, and we're willing and capable to do so.

BROWN: Transgender troops have served openly for several years since Biden revoked Trump's previous ban. Critics of transgender service members say that the medical treatments can interfere with their ability to deploy arguing that, you know, even if you have a tooth issue or something like that, you can't deploy, let alone gender reassignment treatments. Of course, everyone who is, you know, reassigning their gender or transitioning are in a different phase of that. What do you say to those critics who argue that?

MCALLISTER: To that, I would say that, you know, the -- any kind of procedure that a trans person would go through is the same downtime for someone that needs to have knee surgery. You know, I know a lot of active-duty people that have to have knee surgery or anything like that, or I mean, a woman gets pregnant or something and needs that time off, it's all the same.

And also, a lot of trans people don't want surgery. So, there's nothing saying there's not a step by step for trans people to -- as far as medical treatment and stuff. So, a lot of us don't want surgeries or have already had surgeries before coming in and the downtime is the same as any other medical procedure that people have in active-duty all the time.

BROWN: Clayton McAllister, thank you for coming on and sharing your story.

MCALLISTER: Absolutely. Thank you for having me.

BROWN: Coming up, another federal official resigns over DOGE access to sensitive information, this time the acting commissioner of the Social Security Administration. So, what information does DOGE want? That's next.

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[10:45:00]

BROWN: The acting head of the Social Security Administration is the latest to join the growing list of federal officials turning in their resignation letters. A source tells CNN Michelle King stepped down from her role over the weekend because of concerns over DOGE staffers and access to sensitive information.

CNN's Alayna Treene joins us now from the White House. Alayna, what happened that led to the commissioner stepping down?

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN REPORTER: Right. And just to give you a sense -- more of a sense about Michelle King. She's someone who's worked at the Social Security Administration for several years and was named last month as Acting Commissioner. But she resigned on Sunday, I'm told, after employees with the Department of Government Efficiency were attempting to seek access to highly sensitive government records related to, of course, Social Security.

And just to give you a sense of how broad Social Security is, because we've heard about these concerns from others, right? This idea of Department of Government Efficiency employees getting access to these very highly sensitive systems. Just to give you a sense, like I said about Social Security, it touches 72.5 million people -- 72.5 billion people receive Social Security benefits, that includes retirees, disabled people, and children.

Now, I think it's notable, again, that this comes after we've heard a lot of skepticism and criticism from all corners of Washington, from Capitol Hill to the courts, about whether or not DOGE has the authority, of these different employees have the authority to access these highly sensitive systems.

We were just speaking yesterday, Pamela, about concerns around a DOGE employee getting access and seeking access to the IRS's highly sensitive taxpayer system. So, this isn't the first time, of course, we've seen something like this.

I do want to read you just part of the statement from White House spokesperson Harrison Fields. He told me, quote, "President Trump is committed to appointing the best and most qualified individuals who are dedicated to working on behalf of the American people, not to appease the bureaucracy that has failed them for far too long."

Now, Pamela. Michelle King's departure also comes as we know that Social Security has increasingly become a political flashpoint in recent years. It was a key issue during the 2024 election. President Donald Trump has said that he plans to protect Social Security. However, he has offered so far very few details about how he would for Social Security's looming insolvency.

So, all of that kind of playing in the background of this. But again, her departure comes as there's been a lot of questions and skepticism around whether or not DOGE should be accessing this different type of records. Pamela.

BROWN: All right. Alayna Treene, very fair questions to be asking. Thank you. We'll be right back.

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[10:50:00]

BROWN: This morning, Kentucky's governor announced 14 people have now died in that state from the widespread flooding and extremely cold temperatures. The cold is complicating recovery efforts in communities devastated by flooding over the weekend. Temperatures in the local area are forecast to stay below freezing through Friday.

We're going to have much more news after a short break, but first, this week's chasing life with Dr. Sanjay Gupta.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: I'm Dr. Sanjay Gupta, host of CNN's Chasing Life podcast. Knee pain is one of the most common complaints in the United States, and total knee replacement is one of the most common operations performed.

Now, most times it is due to osteoarthritis in the joint, but research shows that you might be able to slow down the progression or even avoid the condition by strengthening your leg muscles. Simply put, people who had more leg muscle mass had a lower risk of knee osteoarthritis.

[10:55:00]

Now, that increased muscle mass can sort of protect the knee, taking some of the strain off the joints. Experts say it's important to start strength training slowly, also maintain a healthy body weight, and just keep moving, keep active. Beyond walking, that could include practicing squats against a wall. Or if you want something easier to start, practice going from a sitting position in a chair to standing without using your arms.

You can hear more about how to optimize your health and chase life wherever you get your podcast.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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