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North Carolina Woman Sues For Right to Post Ballot Selfies; Interview With Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon; Hurricane Milton Targets Florida. Aired 11:30a-12p ET

Aired October 07, 2024 - 11:30   ET

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

[11:31:54]

PAMELA BROWN, CNN HOST: Florida is staring down its second major hurricane in less than two weeks, and concerns are growing about FEMA's capacity to help impacted areas clean up and rebuild.

White House correspondent Arlette Saenz joins us now.

Does the Biden administration have the resources to handle both Helene and this upcoming monster storm? That's a question on a lot of people's minds today.

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it really is Pamela as the White House is now grappling not just with those response efforts after Hurricane Helene, but also bracing for the impact of Hurricane Milton, which could hit Florida a bit later this week.

Now, President Biden actually just declared an emergency declaration for Florida in anticipation of Hurricane Milton. And just last week, President Biden was warning congressional leaders that they would need additional disaster relief funding in the near future.

Now, Biden has said that FEMA and DOD likely have enough money to deal with the immediate recovery efforts under way, but they likely will need more as the response and recovery is expected to continue for quite some time.

The president also warned specifically that there might need to be more funding made available to a disaster relief program through the Small Business Administration. That is a program that helps business owners and homeowners as well recoup property and equipment that they might have lost in this storm and potentially anything that's coming after Hurricane Milton.

Now, so far, House Speaker Mike Johnson has been resistant to the idea of Congress coming back early to address disaster relief funding. Take a listen to what he had to say just over the weekend.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. MIKE JOHNSON (R-LA): We will be back in session immediately after the election. That's 30 days from now. The thing about these hurricanes and disasters of this magnitude is it takes a while to calculate the actual damages and the states are going to need some time to do that.

I'm from Louisiana. We're a hurricane-prone state. We're experts at disaster recovery. We have done this.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAENZ: So, a lot of questions about how this back-and-forth will play out at a time when the president has warned that there are specific programs like the Small Business Administration disaster relief program that could need more funding.

One official is saying that they need about $1.6 billion in additional funds to deal with the influx of new applications that they're getting not just from small business owners, but also homeowners who are suffering after this disaster as well.

But, certainly, the White House at this moment is now confronting this disaster relief on two fronts, as they are still grappling with everything that's happened post Hurricane Helene and now anticipating what -- the hit that could come to Florida in the coming days with Hurricane Milton.

BROWN: Yes, Arlette Saenz, thanks so much.

And in the wake of Helene, former President Donald Trump has tried to weaponize FEMA's potential lack of funds this hurricane season, falsely claiming President Biden rerouted the money to handle the surge of migrants at the border and housing them.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES (R) AND CURRENT U.S. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: They stole the FEMA money, just like they stole it from a bank, so they could give it to their illegal immigrants that they want to have vote for them.

[11:35:01]

We're missing a billion dollars they gave them to the migrants that came in and now we don't have the money. We will do it. But they don't have the money to take care of -- that's why they're giving you lousy treatment in North Carolina in particular.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: Fact-check, false.

To discuss, we're joined by Axios media reporter Sara Fischer. She's also a CNN media analyst.

It's so -- it's been really kind of sad for me to see how many people have fallen prey to the misinformation around Helene. I know just responses I get on social media people saying, when I fact-check, oh, you're -- how do you live with yourself? Your family should be ashamed of you. And we're just putting out facts.

How have these statements been received by the public? Tell us about what's going on.

SARA FISCHER, CNN MEDIA ANALYST: So, there's a definite lack of trust in big public institutions, whether that be the mainstream media like us or government institutions like FEMA.

And when the former president is viewing falsehoods about the recovery effort, what that does is, it causes people to not trust the institutions responsible for taking care of them and take matters into their own hands, Pamela. That's actually made the misinformation problem worse, because people are seeing clips of things online and they're making false assumptions, which makes recovery a disastrous problem.

For example, we're seeing pictures online of dams being clogged and people starting to spread misinformation that those highways are not drivable or that they need to evacuate. Both in many cases are not true. We're seeing misinformation about water not being drinkable.

We have seen officials in South Carolina have to come out with press conferences and say that's not true. And the reason people are taking this matter into their own hands is because they don't trust a lot of the institutions to be handling this because of misinformation like former President Trump is giving out.

BROWN: Even as so many Republican officials in these Southern states have come out and said, don't believe the misinformation. There actually has been a good federal response. We're working with our partners.

It's interesting to me that they're still not listening to that, right?

FISCHER: Yes.

BROWN: And that they're just listening to what they're seeing online and what they're hearing from the former president.

And I want to also play this sound from RNC co-chair Lara Trump pushing the same false narrative with my colleague Dana Bash.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LARA TRUMP, CO-CHAIR, REPUBLICAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE: Kamala Harris did come out and say it's $750 per family right now.

The idea that we have spent $650 million in fiscal year '24 on the migrant crisis that Kamala Harris was responsible for stopping and, by all accounts, she created by having an open door policy at our southern border, is infuriating to citizens of this country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: We should know a couple of things. Donald Trump actually did reroute money, FEMA money, to detention facilities for migrants and so forth. And the $750 Kamala Harris referred to is to be given up front for

immediate assistance, not the long-term recovery resources that are expected to be made available. The FEMA director called these false claims a truly dangerous narrative and not helpful to people.

You laid out some of the reasons why it's not helpful to people. You have to wonder how much this upcoming election is fueling these categorically false claims.

FISCHER: Yes, so any time you have a big natural disaster or any sort of breaking news, anybody who could be a bad actor, a foreign actor, a politician who is politically motivated will come in and leverage the uncertainty of that moment to perpetuate claims that help them achieve their goals.

And so that's why you're seeing a lot of political misinformation from political figures in this very grave time. But one thing about FEMA I want to know, and the White House, they are recognizing in real time the dangers of this misinformation, and so they're trying to stop it by putting out a lot of their own fact-checks. Of course, the media is putting out a bunch of fact-checks.

But if you go to FEMA.gov, they do have an entire list of all the false rumors with resources and link-outs to what is actually correct. And I encourage people and viewers of the program to go and take a look at that, because that's where you're going to find the best resources, not necessarily from random politicians, but from the agency itself.

BROWN: The problem is, so many people, as you pointed out earlier in the conversation, distrust these institutions.

FISCHER: Yes. Yes.

BROWN: So even...

FISCHER: Chicken-and-the-egg problem, right?

BROWN: Yes, exactly. And we're going to continue this conversation, because I think, unfortunately, this is sort of foreshadowing what we could see in terms of misinformation around the upcoming election. If it's this bad around Helene, what does this mean for the upcoming election? We saw it in 2020, and we're expecting it again in 2020.

FISCHER: And, by the way, and for Milton, right?

BROWN: Yes.

FISCHER: We have another hurricane coming right now.

(CROSSTALK)

BROWN: ... Tampa mayor about that, yes.

FISCHER: Exactly. You have a compounding problem of misinformation that will only get worse. And, Pam, while you note the upcoming election, the upcoming election

is gravely important, but we're talking about hundreds of thousands of lives At stake in the Tampa Bay area. You want to just make sure and hope that the same misinformation problems don't cause the same issues again.

BROWN: Yes. And the Tampa mayor talked about that. They're having to use resources to combat that. They're already gearing up for that, rather than actually doing everything they can to combat this storm and its damage.

FISCHER: Yes.

BROWN: Sara Fischer, thank you so much, important conversation.

Back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:44:09]

BROWN: Right now in Israel, a day of profound sorrow and anguish. It has been one year since the October 7 attacks, when Hamas terrorists carried out the deadliest day for Jewish people since the Holocaust.

Joining us now is the Israeli ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon.

And thank you for coming on.

Just a few minutes ago, we spoke to family members of hostage Keith Siegel. Let's listen to them and talk on the other side.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID SIEGEL, BROTHER OF AMERICAN HOSTAGE: We haven't felt encouraged that Prime Minister Netanyahu has placed bringing the hostages home as his number one priority, let alone a cease-fire, but to really focus on the American citizens, the Israeli citizens who remained -- who remain captive.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: They're saying that Netanyahu isn't making the release of their loved one and the other hostages a priority. How do you respond?

[11:45:03]

DANNY DANON, ISRAELI AMBASSADOR TO THE UNITED NATIONS: Pamela, today, we commemorate the massacre.

And, as you mentioned, we are in deep pain. But we have to realize that we are dealing with a very hostile, radical regime in Gaza. Even after a year, we -- as you mentioned, we are not able to bring back all of the hostages. We have 101 hostages still in captivity. We continue -- we will continue to put pressure on Hamas, both

militarily and diplomatically, until we bring all of them back. But, today, a year after, you look what's happening in Israel, we are still under attack.

Despite the year that passed, 30 minutes ago, we intercepted a ballistic missile that flew from Yemen into the center of Israel. We know the situation with Iran is very tense. So, we are still under attack, but we are determined to go all the way, to bring back the hostages, to defeat Hamas, and to allow the northern communities to go back to normal life.

BROWN: You mentioned Iran.

We are expecting -- Israel is vowing to retaliate against Iran for its missile barrage last week. Exactly when can we expect that to happen? And what will it look like?

DANON: So, we will choose the timing and we will choose the targets.

But one thing I can tell you, that we will retaliate. We have no doubt about that. After what we have experienced, very aggressive 200 ballistic missiles that were launched into population centers, no country will sit idly by.

We are thinking about the options we have, but we have to realize that, that Iran is a threat not only to Israel. It's a threat to the Muslim countries in the region, to Europe, to the U.S. We happen to be today in the front line, but they are threatening all the entire world.

BROWN: President Biden has urged Israel to not strike Iran's nuclear facilities. Former President Donald Trump supports Israel striking those nuclear sites and says Prime Minister Netanyahu is not listening to Biden.

Whose side are you on?

DANON: Well, we are consulting with our allies. That's part of the process. We appreciate their support.

But, at the end of the day, the decision is for us to take. It's our destiny, our future, our children. So we will have to take the decision ourselves.

Regarding the nuclear capabilities, you know what, we have to be very worried about it, because, when you see the intention of the Iranian regime, and you see what they are capable of doing by sending so many ballistic missiles, one should ask yourself, until -- when should we wait? Until they will -- actually will be able to assemble the bombs, put it on a ballistic missile, and then we should be worried about it?

I think it shouldn't be only the question that we raise. It should be discussed in the U.K., in the U.S., all around the world. We have to work together to block Iran from having these capabilities. BROWN: So, you clearly have not taken off potentially targeting the

nuclear facilities, Iran, off the table, as President Biden has encouraged Israel to do.

Trump's presidential opponent, Kamala Harris, is saying in this interview, this recent interview with "60 Minutes," that Washington has significantly influenced Netanyahu's strategy. What do you think about that? How do you respond to that? Is that true, in your view?

DANON: So, we have discussions. We have discussions. We will listen to our friends and allies. But, at the end of the day, we do what is good for us.

History has taught us that, at the end of the day, it's about us defending ourselves. We don't expect the U.S. to come and protect us or to fight our wars. But they should stand with us. Today, we are in deep pain. It's very similar to the pain that the Americans felt after 9/11. Again, no provocation, no reasoning, we were attacked by radicals.

That's why we are continuing to think together, to strategize together. But the decisions themselves will be taken only by us.

BROWN: All right, I know it is a very difficult, painful day, as you noted.

Ambassador Danny Danon, thank you very much.

DANON: Thank you.

Coming up, here's President Biden right now, first lady Jill Biden, are set to observe a moment marking this one year since the attacks on October 7, since that Hamas terror attack in Israel.

We will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:53:44]

BROWN: In this video, you see President Biden, first lady Jill Biden lighting the candle, commemorating one year since the horrific Hamas attacks on Israel, the deadliest attack on Jews since the Holocaust, a very somber moment there at the White House, with this candle lighting there with the president, a very dark day.

I'm going to turn now to another story we're following. It's quite a case. One North Carolina woman is suing for her right to take a selfie. This is Susan Hogarth. She's holding a photo of the selfie that earned her, get this, a misdemeanor in the state, where it's illegal to take a picture with your ballot.

And in just a few hours, her case will be heard in a federal court in the state.

Chief legal affairs correspondent Paula Reid joins us now. Walk us through what's happening here, Paula.

PAULA REID, CNN CHIEF LEGAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Pamela, I love this story. It's a great question.

Do you have a constitutionally protected right to take a selfie with your ballot? Here, you just showed Susan. She took a selfie with her ballot back during the primaries in March. And a couple weeks after she posted it, she got a letter from the North Carolina Board of Elections saying that she had to take it down or she would face misdemeanor charges. And, of course, she refused.

[11:55:02]

Now, photos and videoing is illegal throughout the state of North Carolina in and around elections. And specifically, when it comes to taking a picture of your completed ballot, that is banned.

Now the state argues they are trying to combat purchasing ballot schemes. Now I think they're going to have an uphill battle when it comes to proving that that's sort of a widespread problem in the state of North Carolina that would override your constitutional right.

But, today, she's in court and she is fighting for her First Amendment right. I will note that she is running as a Libertarian for a state office and she wants this issue resolved by November, so that she can once again take a ballot selfie.

BROWN: Take her selfie. Wow.

All right, Paula Reid, thank you so much.

We also just want to note, I'm hearing in my ear, that Milton has reached Cat 5 strength. Hurricane Milton has reached Category 5 strength, and it is barreling towards the coast of Florida. It's expected to arrive there Wednesday.

Joining us -- thank you so much for joining us. I'm Pamela Brown. You can follow me on Instagram, TikTok and X @PamelaBrownCNN. I want to hear from you.

Stay with us. "INSIDE POLITICS WITH DANA BASH" starts after a short break.