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Trump Ramps Up Anti-Immigrant Rhetoric; Interview With Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-MI); Interview With Former FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate; Interview With Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL); Rescues Continue in Florida. Aired 1-1:30p ET

Aired October 11, 2024 - 13:00   ET

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

[13:00:16]

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: Milton's wrath leaving Florida reeling, and one sheriff pleading, get out now. The water is not going down. Rescues are still taking place in some areas today, and, others, the daunting process of recovery begins.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: And playing the fear card. Former President Trump set to campaign in the Colorado city that he claims has been taken over by Venezuelan gangs. But the city's own Republican mayor disputes that. Why Trump is betting big on immigration. We're live in Aurora.

And the hopey, changey guy back on the campaign stage, former President Obama making the case for Vice President Harris and delivering a searing indictment of his White House successor.

We're following these major developing stories and many more all coming in right here to CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

Hello. I'm Brianna Keilar, along with Boris Sanchez.

I'm glad you're back.

SANCHEZ: Nice and dry. I forgot socks. I'm not wearing socks.

(CROSSTALK)

KEILAR: We're going to forgive it today.

We are standing by for an update from President Biden and Vice President Harris on the federal government's response to Hurricane Milton and Hurricane Helene. We're going to bring that to you when it happens.

In the meantime, in Florida, search and water rescues are still under way in Milton's devastating wake. First responders are scrambling to locate people who are trapped in homes and buildings on Florida's west coast. That includes this 91-year-old who was carried out from her home earlier today.

We also just got this brand-new video of rescuers pulling people from inside their flooded home. You can see them wading through murky knee- deep water using a yellow rope to guide those inside safely -- inside to safety. The sheriff in Hillsborough County warning residents living near the Alafia River to get out now because water levels are expected to keep rising.

SANCHEZ: Yes, it is a delicate situation.

We're also learning stories of survival, this incredible video showing a Coast Guard helicopter saving a man found clinging to a cooler. This is 30 miles off of Florida's Gulf Coast. The Coast Guard says he likely experienced up to 25 foot seas and up to 90 mile-an-hour winds and that he survived because of a life jacket, a locator beacon and that ice chest.

The death toll from the powerful storm has now risen to 16. At least six of those were killed in St. Lucie County, where several powerful tornadoes touched down. More than two million customers, meantime, remain without power in the Sunshine State.

Want to go straight to the White House now with CNN's Kayla Tausche.

We also have CNN's Isabel Rosales, who has been witnessing these rescues firsthand in the Tampa Bay area.

And, Isabel, you have Senator Rick Scott with you.

ISABEL ROSALES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Boris.

Yes, I have Senator Rick Scott and also Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister here.

Let's start with you, Senator.

You're here to witness for yourself the devastating impacts of Milton even days later.

SEN. RICK SCOTT (R-FL): Yes.

First, I want to thank the sheriff. Hillsborough is blessed with a great sheriff, somebody that's out there. He's working 24 hours a day trying to save people's lives. The most important thing we can do is save people's lives. So I'm here to make sure the federal resources are here. I spoke to the president yesterday.

Talked about the fact that we need to make sure FEMA is fully funded, the SBA is fully funded, Department of Agriculture, HUD, all of them are funded, and they're a partner. It takes you as an individual. Takes local and state and federal to work together.

So I'm here to make sure that we're going to do that. And I know the sheriff is going to do everything he can to keep everybody alive. But it takes you. Don't drive in standing water. Don't touch a downed power line.

These people are -- they're touching these downed power lines. And we have heard stories of people cutting -- cutting power lines. I mean, that's -- I mean, it's crazy. Don't use a generator inside your house. Don't use a chain saw if you don't know how to use it. You got to keep yourself safe.

I mean, the sheriff, all of our first responders are doing everything they can, but you got to do your part.

ROSALES: Yes. And we heard from the FEMA director, Deanne Criswell, that there's enough money there in the fund to take care of Helene, to take care of Milton, but they're going to need Congress' support, they're going to need Congress to step up to the plate with some supplemental funding.

Will you support that?

SCOTT: Yes, I talked to the president. The president called me yesterday, and he thanked me for coming out early on, saying, we need to go back and make sure that -- well, first off, we need to make sure the FEMA has money.

But on top of that, the loan program is through the SBA. The loan program for houses and businesses, they're out of money. They don't have actually any money. I also talked to the president about the fact that we need to do block grants from department -- federal Department of Ag.

The way we -- the way you do that is you allow our State Department of Ag to follow federal rules, but get the money out faster. Even since Ian, a lot of our farmers and ranchers, they're really struggling. So we have got to make sure all these -- all these are funded.

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But, in the short term, everybody's got to stay alive. We can rebuild all this. It looks horrible right now. We're going to go out on the boat. It's -- it looks horrible. You feel sorry for these families, but be careful.

And I know the sheriff's going to do everything he can.

ROSALES: Yes, and let's give the sheriff a chance to talk a little bit.

Sheriff, can you bring us to, what's your biggest priority? What is the situation out there? You mentioned that there's a dam also nearby that's of concern.

CHAD CHRONISTER, HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, FLORIDA, SHERIFF: Yes, we had a dam that was going to be compromised that they had to open up. It was going to get compromised anyway.

We're seeing a little bit of effects of that water. We're around 20 feet now. We're expecting it to be 25 feet. So there's still some room. And the unfortunate part is that, as the water flows greater, more area of this community is going to be affected. And that's my concern. They know that, hey, listen, you want help getting away from your

home, we will take whatever belongings we can for you. But we're going to be here for you.

ROSALES: Yes, can you tell us about the rescue operation,how many families you have been able to help, what you have seen, what stories you have heard?

CHRONISTER: It's been a busy 24 hours, as you're well aware being boots on the ground here. We have done so many rescues. I'm so proud of the men and women of fire rescue and the sheriff's office out here. They have worked. They have been tireless out here making sure that they're here to be that helping hand and to be that helping hand when it comes time to heal too.

I'm so proud of them.

ROSALES: And do you feel supported by state and federal resources?

CHRONISTER: We have been. The governor has been in contact: What do you need? Other sheriffs have sent us. We have other sheriffs and their marine assets here help us. That's one great thing that sheriffs do is, OK, you need the help, we will send help to you.

And when it comes to Senator Scott, he's usually -- I'm usually the first call. What's happening in Tampa? What do you need? What can I do to help? And there's no surprise that he's here because I usually get a phone call once a week. What do you need? How are things going? And a little update. Usually, it's on a Sunday morning too.

ROSALES: Thank you both so much. I appreciate your time. Thank you. I know you have got to get at it, rescues happening under way.

Let me leave you guys with this. I want you -- to give you a shot of this community underwater. The Alafia River is a mile away, yet all of the torrential rainfall has overflown this river and just devastated this community.

We know from our meteorologist Derek Van Dam, he told me that this river is expected to crest tonight at midnight, so these water levels should only continue to increase up to 25.5 feet. That is the forecast. That is major flood stage, so clearly a serious situation, as we have seen so many people get rescued and try to leave out of here.

Take a look right there -- all right, guys, back to you.

KEILAR: Really unbelievable there. Isabel, thank you so much for that interview with Senator Rick Scott. We do appreciate it.

Let's go now to Kayla Tausche, who is at the White House.

Kayla, what are we expecting to hear from the president and the vice president? Clearly, the president has been busy burning up the phone lines to lawmakers. KAYLA TAUSCHE, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Brianna,

nearly every day, the president and the vice president have been briefed by their senior-most administration officials on the scope of the damage from Helene and now Milton and also the scale of relief efforts that will be needed and have already been deployed.

Based on my conversations with some senior administration officials, here's some of the numbers to put behind some of those programs that Senator Scott was just saying will be needed to be re-upped.

That Small Business Administration loan program that provides homeowners and businesses alike between $100,000 and $2 million to rebuild destroyed or damaged property and also replace things like cars, that program needs $1.6 billion, I'm told, and has already run out.

And then there is rental assistance. It's provided through the Department of Housing and Urban Development for people who have been displaced from their homes and are expected to be for quite some time. I'm told that program needs roughly $5 billion. And then there is the Department of Agriculture.

You just heard Senator Scott talking about those block grants. I'm told that the programs for food support for both the crops that have been destroyed, as well as the grocery distribution that's been upended, that that program needs somewhere in the ballpark of $10 billion. So there's quite a growing need for various programs, even beyond FEMA and the Department of Defense, which have been the tip of the spear for these recovery efforts.

But that's why there's been some confusion, because you have the administration saying that FEMA and the Pentagon are OK for now, they can meet immediate needs, even as you have President Biden saying that Congress needs to come back and do something soon -- guys.

SANCHEZ: Yes, and there's division as to whether they actually should come back early among lawmakers.

Kayla Tausche, thank you so much for that update from the White House.

Let's discuss the latest on Milton recovery with Craig Fugate. He's a former FEMA administrator who led the disaster relief agency for eight years under President Obama. He now runs Craig Fugate Consulting.

Craig, thanks so much for being with us.

Obviously, the Hillsborough County sheriff is urging residents to evacuate because floodwaters continue moving downstream. There's one river that's expected to crest above 25 feet. I'm wondering how now, almost two days later, this persistent flooding complicates rescue and recovery efforts.

CRAIG FUGATE, FORMER ADMINISTRATOR, FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY: Well, this is due to that heavy rain we saw when Milton came through.

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So that water's got to get back out. And that's where the flooding's taking place. But while it's getting a little bit worse there and they're having to prepare for that, by tomorrow, it should crest and we will see that improve.

And then across most of the state, the areas that you get into, they have completed most of the search-and-rescue. It's only a few of these areas where we still have water rising that they're having to work. And then we're starting to see power come back on. And I think some of the early reports from the power companies is, a lot of the state's going to come back in a matter of days.

But areas that were hard-hits going to take longer and they're still getting those assessments done.

KEILAR: And, Craig, nearly three-quarters of the gas stations in the Tampa Bay area are out of fuel. The mayor of Tampa actually says there's plenty of fuel at the port, but flooding there is making it difficult to distribute.

Do you expect that fuel is going to be brought in from someplace else?

FUGATE: Yes, unlike a lot of other states, Florida gets almost all of its fuel out of three main ports, and so Tampa, Port Everglades down in Fort Lauderdale and JAXPORT up in Jacksonville, Florida.

So what we have had to do in previous storms is actually have tankers haul gas from the unimpacted ports to where it's needed. And, again, this is a short-term chronic problem as people are trying to get back in. I expect that to begin improving over the next couple of days.

But this is not unusual. We see this. This is something that, as much as you plan for until the storm hits and you know what you have had, it's -- you just can't get that get back in fast enough, given what people are trying to do.

SANCHEZ: Yes, I just want to let our viewers know we're looking at live images now from Hillsborough County, where, as of yesterday, there had been upwards of 200 rescues completed by local officials. Obviously, those are ongoing as the water continues to move downstream. And, as Craig said, it has to go somewhere.

I'm wondering, Craig. FEMA spent $9 billion of its immediate needs funding in a bit over a week. How concerned are you that FEMA funding might run out before Congress returns in November?

FUGATE: I'm not worried. Again, a lot of these were contracts that were issued for the duration of the response. So a lot of this money that they're spending is actually going to be spent by the -- by either the Army Corps of Engineers or other contractors over the next several weeks.

So they just got all that in place quickly to get that going. I'm more concerned, as you heard about, Small Business Administration, because that's a key part of the initial recovery. Florida does have a program called Operation Bootstrap, where they provide loans to begin that process for businesses to recover.

But it's going to be really critical that SBA get funded, because, IT says small business, but it's also going to be a lot of the funding that homeowners could get to do repairs and rebuild, particularly those that don't have flood insurance or were underinsured then the storm hit.

SANCHEZ: Craig Fugate, former FEMA administrator,. we have to leave the conversation there. Thanks so much for being with us.

FUGATE: Thanks for having me.

SANCHEZ: There are a lot of folks who need help in Florida right now, and you could lend them a helping hand.

For more information about how you can help these Hurricane Milton victims, go to CNN.com/Impact.

Still ahead this hour on CNN NEWS CENTRAL: Former President Trump is heading to the city that he's falsely depicted as a war zone, expected to amplify false claims that Venezuelan gangs are taking over Aurora, Colorado. We have a reaction from the city ahead.

Plus, we're standing by for President Biden. He's expected to make remarks any second on the hurricane response effort.

Stay with CNN. We're back in just a few minutes.

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KEILAR: Today, former President Trump will be holding a rally in the Denver suburb of Aurora, Colorado. And it's a state that Trump has little chance of winning, of course. It's been 20 years since Colorado has gone red in a presidential election.

But it appears that Trump has a different motive for the stop.

SANCHEZ: Yes, as you may have seen, Aurora has been at the center of a right-wing-fueled disinformation campaign, where the former president and allies have repeatedly claimed without evidence that Venezuelan gangs are taking over the city.

CNN's Kristen Holmes is there for us covering this story.

Kristen, what's the Trump campaign's calculus for this rally in a state that hasn't gone to Republicans in a long time?

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Boris and Brianna, you have to keep in mind a couple of things.

One is that Donald Trump's campaign fundamentally believes at the end of the day the media landscape has changed and events like this that draw hundreds of people that are in places like Aurora, California -- or, tomorrow, he's going to be in Coachella, California -- these are obviously blue states -- can still be amplified on social media and get enough attention and reach those swing state voters.

Plus, there is controversy around these videos -- around these trips. One thing to keep in mind here is what you were just mentioning, which is this idea that Donald Trump wants to amplify his rhetoric on migrants, this fear-based rhetoric that these migrants are coming into these towns and taking over.

And Aurora has been, as you noted, at the center of all of this. And just to give you a statement here from the mayor kind of pushing back on Donald Trump's trip, but putting an optimistic spin on it, he has denied there's any problem here in Aurora, as has the governor.

But this is what he said about Donald Trump coming here. He said: "Former President Trump's visit to Aurora is an opportunity to show him and the nation that Aurora is a considerably safe city, not a city overrun by Venezuelan gangs. My public offer to show him and our community and meet with our police chief for a briefing still stands. The reality is that these concerns about Venezuelan gangs activity have been grossly exaggerated."

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But I don't know if he's going to get any relief here, Boris and Brianna, because, if you can see behind me, there are signs all across the stage that have mug shots of what appear to be gang members. And it says "Get migrants out of our country."

We saw one giant slide that had people, a picture of people in hoods with guns that said, "Your apartment complexes if Kamala Harris is president." So, not entirely sure that the statement the mayor gave there is going to be received by Donald Trump and that he's going to prove the point that he was hoping it would.

KEILAR: Well, Trump was speaking to the Detroit Economic Club yesterday, Kristen, laying out what he says is going to happen if Harris is elected. Let's listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES (R) AND CURRENT U.S. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The whole country is going to be like, -- you want to know the truth? It'll be like Detroit. Our whole country will end up being like Detroit if she's your president. You're going to have a mess in your hands.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: Quite a bold strategy there, Kristen, trashing Detroit while in Detroit.

HOLMES: Yes, Boris, I wouldn't really call that a strategy. I don't believe this was something they planned on Donald Trump staying when he took the stage there.

I will just remind you right before the Republican National Convention, he trashed the city of Milwaukee, which was hosting the convention, not only hosting the convention, but working hand in hand with Donald Trump's campaign and the RNC to put that on.

So I believe this is one of those instances where he just ended up speaking. But just to kind of reiterate what he's doing there, same thing that he's doing here, which is this fear-based messaging, whether it's on the economy, whether it's on immigration. And when you talk to people close to him, they point to recent poll numbers that show that this race with Kamala Harris is neck-and-neck.

That indicates from these advisers that he's not going to change his messaging any time soon, that this is resonating with some voters out there. So despite the pushback that we have heard from the local officials in Aurora, from the local officials in Detroit, from local officials in Springfield, Ohio, there is no indication that Donald Trump is going to stop putting out this kind of misinformation, because voters are showing up in these polls

And it shows the race is close and they believe that could help propel Donald Trump to the right White House in November.

KEILAR: All right, some pipes behind you there, Kristen Holmes. Thank you so much for the report and for the musical interlude. We appreciate it.

Democrats making a play for Michigan.

Today, Tim Walz holding a rally just outside of Detroit in the northern suburbs of Warren. And next week, Harris is going to be in the Motor City for a town hall with radio host Charlamagne tha God. It's part of the campaign's push to reach black male voters. Charlamagne, whose real name is Lenard McKelvey, has millions of followers. His show reportedly boasts around eight million listeners per month and more than half of them are black.

It's a key demographic that could help Harris win Michigan, as new polling continues to show the vice president in a dead heat with Trump.

We have Democratic Congresswoman Debbie Dingell of Michigan joining us now.

Congresswoman, thanks for being with us again. You actually -- you sounded concerned about a week-and-a-half ago when last we spoke about out Harris' appeal with some key groups in your state, union workers, Arab Americans and Jewish Americans who are affected by the war in Israel.

And we are now seeing some numbers that maybe back up some of that concern in your state. Is the Harris campaign listening to you?

REP. DEBBIE DINGELL (D-MI): I am very lucky that I do talk to the campaign regularly and they do listen to me.

The third category you and I talked about 10 days ago was young African-American men. Jim Clyburn came into Michigan last weekend and had some very candid discussions, and you heard those concerns again. So, I think her trip to Michigan on Tuesday and her talking to that

audience is very important. They need to see her, hear her, understand her.

KEILAR: And former President Obama was speaking directly to black men in Pittsburgh last night. Here's what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: You're thinking about sitting out or even supporting somebody who has a history of denigrating you, because you think that's a sign of strength, because that's what being a man is, putting women down?

That's not acceptable.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: Do you think that would resonate in Michigan?

DINGELL: Absolutely, I think it will resonate in Michigan

And he's a much better message deliverer to certain constituencies. So it is my hope that he will come in and that we will see him in the next few weeks.

I don't believe either candidates have won Michigan. Donald Trump thinks he can. He's looking for that same surprise in 2016, when I told you at this point he was going to win Michigan. I think the vice president and Tim Walz, Governor Walz, have to be in here. They are. He's in Macomb County, today, a very targeted county, talking about jobs, talking about manufacturing.

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And I think that's -- this is going to come down to who votes on Election Day. And we got a lot of work to do to make sure people know the truth and understand what's at stake.

KEILAR: We were just speaking with our last reporter, Kristen Holmes, about Trump yesterday saying what he said about Detroit in Detroit, kind of bashing Detroit -- well, yes, bashing Detroit while he was in Detroit.

Conventionally, I think one would think it was a misstep. She seemed to understand that it was not a strategy. But I have also spoken with a Democrat who's working very hard to get Harris elected who is worried that it could actually resonate with some people there.

What do you think?

DINGELL: So, I actually was in the audience, a member of the group that he spoke to. And they try to keep it bipartisan at all times.

So I went. And I think it plays both ways. I have been in Detroit again this morning, and was at a big breakfast. And people were really, really angry.

On the other hand, I do think, by the way, Donald Trump is Donald Trump, and he says what he thinks, and he just goes off. And I think this was not a strategy. I do think it was one of his go-off moments and he really said what he thought.

But he plays these moments. He plays to people's insecurities, their hate, their everything. And we have to push back on this. By the way, Detroit is a thriving city. I want him to come tour the city with me, see how people have come back, see the restaurants, see the train stations, see how young people, not people of my age, young people, are living in Detroit.

But people of certain generations have an image that's an old and outdated one. And Donald Trump just says what he thinks, but what he thinks sometimes plays to others' insecurities, anxieties and old beliefs.

KEILAR: It's really interesting.

Congresswoman Dingell, thanks so much for being with us.

DINGELL: Thank you.

Rescues are under way in Florida, as floodwaters continue to rise, trapping people inside of buildings and homes. And any second, we will be hearing from President Biden and Vice President Harris on the rescue and recovery efforts.

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