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CNN This Morning
Rep. Carlos Gimenez (R-FL) is Interviewed about Hurricane Milton; Tampa Prepares for Hurricane Milton; Hurricane Recovery Becomes Political; Rep. Jake Auchincloss (D-MA) is Interviewed about Biden and Netanyahu; $47.5 billion is Helene's Estimated Property Damage. Aired 6:30-7a ET
Aired October 09, 2024 - 06:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[06:31:59]
KASIE HUNT, CNN ANCHOR: All right, we're back now with more on the powerful hurricane set to hit Florida's Gulf Coast. Tampa's Tropicana Field Stadium transforming into a base camp for thousands of emergency personnel who are there to help residents as they brace for a storm surge that public officials warn could be life-threatening.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: For the areas where the eye itself is going to make landfall, and areas directly south of that, we are expecting ten to 15 feet of surge. And as you see here, 15 feet is to our roof.
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HUNT: Wow.
All right, joining us now, Republican Congressman Carlos Gimenez. His district, in the Florida Keys, expected to be first impacted by Hurricane Milton's storm surge.
Congressman, thank you very much for being with us this morning.
I do want to note that you also, before joining Congress, where a career firefighter and paramedics, so you have looked at these kinds of incidents from a variety of angles.
What is your message to your constituents at this hour as this storm approaches, and what are you most worried about?
REP. CARLOS GIMENEZ (R-FL): Well, for my constituents, we don't expect to feel the brunt of this storm. Key West will probably be - be the most effected. Something like what happened with Helene. I think we have like maybe up to three to five feet of storm surge. And I think that's something that Key West can - can handle. But, you know, need to prepare for localized flooding.
On the other hand, the Tampa Bay down to Fort Myers areas, depending on where that - the eye actually makes landfall, it's going to make all the difference in the world in terms of - of the - the height of the storm surge. And so, my message to those folks are, if you were ordered to evacuate, evacuate. Most people that parish in a hurricane do so - do so from the storm surge. So, if you're in its path, you need to get out. You know, you need to get out and you need to get out now. It's better to be safe than sorry. You know, your life is worth a heck of a lot more than any property that you want to protect.
HUNT: Congressman, one of your Republican colleagues in Congress, Congressman Chuck Edwards of North Carolina, he's, obviously, trying to help his constituents recover in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, which hit just two weeks ago. He had to put out a statement debunking a variety of myths, conspiracy theories that - that reads, "Hurricane Helene was not geoengineered by the government. FEMA is not stopping trucks. The FAA is not restricting airspace. FEMA has not diverted disaster response funding." And he says that misinformation is really causing problems for the recovery.
What would you say to people about what they should believe in times like this, and what would you say to your fellow politicians about how they should be conducting themselves in this moment?
GIMENEZ: Well, look, whenever there's a disaster, I think we should all come together, give out the right information, and - and - and help people. That's - that's what we did in Miami-Dade.
Look, I was the mayor of Miami-Dade County. It was non-partisan. And so, for me, it was always about saving lives, making sure that the folks in Miami-Dade County were safe. Restoring power, you know, getting - making sure that people were who needed help, got the help they needed and then moved on.
[06:35:09]
So, you know, there's all this stuff that we get now with - with all the social media, et cetera. You know, listen to all the information that you can and then, you know, follow what you think is - is right. There's no - there's no place for misinformation, especially when it's on purpose, at times like this.
So, that's my message. And - and, you know, and hope - hopefully we can get the people in North Carolina the help that they need. I think the response has been a little bit slow, to be honest with you. In Florida, we - we - we do things pretty well. We have a great governor.
And, look, when I was mayor of Miami-Dade, really didn't - you know, my - after Hurricane Andrew, I was also the emergency manager of the city of Miami when - when Hurricane Andrew hit and the federal response wasn't what it needed to be. We - we made up our minds that we were going to be self-sufficient, and we were going to carry this through. And then whatever the - the - however and whenever the federal government came, it was great. They came with money, which is fine. But it's up to us really to - to help our own - our own citizens. And it's up to the citizens themselves too to be self- sufficient for at least 72 hours, knowing that - that if it's a really severe storm, it may take us, you know, some days to get to you because of the severity of the storm and the damage that a storm may cause.
HUNT: Well, here's hoping that people have heeded the warnings from there officials and are - are mostly getting out of dodge.
All right, Congressman Carlos Gimenez. Sir, very grateful for your time this morning. Thank you very much.
GIMENEZ: It's my pleasure.
HUNT: All right, unimaginable anxiety gripping Floridians this morning as Hurricane Milton makes its march toward the Tampa area. There's a run on gas in the region. More than 20 percent of stations are already dry, making it even more challenging for residents to evacuate in these final hours. This is, of course, the second major storm hitting the area in just two weeks.
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SHERIFF CHAD CHRONISTER, HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE: We have an area that's already heavily saturated. We're already recovery and healing from the last hurricane.
When you dump five to ten inches of rain on top of ten to 15 feet of storm surge, the systems already overburdened and full, the drainage and sewage system, there's no way for - where for that water to go. It's going to be catastrophic.
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HUNT: All right, CNN's Ivan Rodriguez joins us now live from Tampa.
Ivan, good morning to you. What are you seeing out there at this hour?
IVAN RODRIGUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kasie, we're beginning to feel some of those outer bands now from Hurricane Milton. Light rain, when not too much of a factor now, but progressively as the day goes on, we know conditions are going to deteriorate vastly. By midday we could begin to feel some of those tropical storm conditions. Later this evening, some parts of Florida's Gulf Coast could begin to feel those hurricane conditions as well.
We're standing right here by the water, where we'll be now for several hours as we begin to see some of that rain pick up. The Tampa skyline, right behind me. Officials are urging people still this morning to get out while they still can. There's still a window of time to do so. But at this point, they're also asking people to seek shelter. We know thousands of people are currently in shelters in different counties across the state of Florida. Tampa's general hospital also putting up their AquaFence. We know that during Hurricane Helene it actually kept out floodwaters as well.
Hear what one doctor at the hospital told us.
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DR. MEGHAN MARTIN, PEDIATRIC EMERGENCY PHYSICIAN: I'm - honestly, I'm a little nervous, but we are going to - you know, we're going to keep working. We're going to keep the hospitals functioning. We're going to be taking care of the kiddos that come in and just kind of do our best here.
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RODRIGUEZ: And, Kasie, a big talking point, and perhaps for this hurricane, has been debris collection. Here in Hillsborough County, that's actually going to wind down at noon. So, you're already getting that sense of things beginning to shut down. And debris is a big concern. When those winds pick up, that could become dangerous projectiles.
HUNT: All right, Ivan Rodriguez for us this morning. Ivan, stay safe out there. Thank you very much for the important work that you're doing.
Still to come here after the break, politics getting in the way of disaster relief? How the Biden administration is fighting disinformation during this hurricane season.
Plus, a new book from the famous writer, Bob Woodward, offering new insights into Donald Trump's relationship with Putin.
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JIMMY KIMMEL, HOST, "JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE": Trump once made a senior aide leave the room so he could have a private call with Putin, which, hello, Donald, what are you wearing? I'm shirtless on my horse again.
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[06:43:51]
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REP. CHUCK EDWARDS (R-NC): I'm not going to defend FEMA's honor. They've made a lot of mistakes. They continue to make a lot of mistakes in our recovery efforts here. All of the rumor, the falsities were more getting in the way of us trying to help the people here in western North Carolina recover from Helene.
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HUNT: From the damage already done by Hurricane Helene, to preparing for what's next with Milton, the Biden administration's ongoing recovery efforts have been hampered by misinformation.
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REP. STEVE SCALISE (R-LA): FEMA, among a whole bunch of other fellow agencies, had been using your tax dollars that are supposed to help you as American citizens if you get some kind of disaster. And every community gets them. They used that money helping illegals here that they brought into America.
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HUNT: The House majority leader, Steve Scalise, repeating a debunked claim. FEMA writing on its webpage dedicated to addressing false rumors that no disaster relief money is being diverted to border- related issues.
President Biden has this to say.
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DONALD TRUMP (R), FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT AND 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: This is un-American. It really is. People are scared to death.
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HUNT: All right, our panel is back.
[06:45:00]
Kristen Soltis Anderson, the congressman we saw at the top there, Congressman Edwards, who represents one of the hardest hit areas of North Carolina, having to go out there and debunk, put out this really remarkable press release, like point after point after point, we just talked about it there with Congressman Gimenez, debunking misinformation in the wake of this storm.
That said, the politics of this are incredibly complicated and difficult for any incumbent administration if there are real failures here. How do you see the landscape as we barrel toward Election Day?
KRISTEN SOLTIS ANDERSON, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST AND POLLSTER: People are going to judge elected officials on how the recovery actually happens. Is it a good recovery or is it a botched recovery? We have seen two examples of this. One, Hurricane Katrina. You saw George W. Bush's administration, his numbers absolutely plummeted in the wake of people seeing the - the botched recovery there. But then the flip side, people still - Republicans still have not yet forgiven Chris Christie for hugging Barack Obama in the wake of Superstorm Sandy, where there was a sense, hey, this was a tough storm, but the recovery went well. And it was a moment that looked good, both for Chris Christie, frankly, may have helped with his re-election, that he was considered a competent leader during that. And so how politicians handle recoveries is a big piece of their legacy and is a big piece of how voters will assess them when they are next up at the ballot box.
HUNT: What is, Kendra, Kamala Harris' role here, because, on the one hand, you've got Republicans who are trying desperately to convince their voters that she is actually in charge and that all of the failures of the Biden ministration are her failures. On the other hand, Ron DeSantis is refusing to take her calls and arguing she has nothing to do with it.
KENDRA BARKOFF, FORMER PRESS SECRETARY TO JOE BIDEN: Yes, I mean, I think it is the Republicans that are playing the politics here. I mean she did reach out. She tried to have a call with him. You've seen the president out there. You saw - I saw a montage actually last night on CNN with every Republican governor saying, we have heard from everybody in this administration. They are doing what they need to do. They are giving us the funds. They are doing, you know, all that - all that they need to be doing with this recovery effort. And she's out there. You know, she went to Florida - she went to, excuse me, North Carolina. She is doing exactly what she needs to be doing and exactly what the vice president needs to be doing.
ZOLAN KANNO-YOUNGS, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: It seems like in the past you would have seen - there - you would see a brief hiatus from sort of the partisan bickering around at least those first few days after a natural disaster. You mentioned Obama and Chris Christie. I mean, Joe Biden and Ron DeSantis during a building collapse. I remember that scene of him reaching over and touching the governor's hand at that point while they were trying to plan the way forward. You're just not seeing it this time.
I mean, almost immediately after Hurricane Helene, you have former President Trump say the misleading claim that the Georgia governor was struggling to reach President Biden as well for hurricane recovery.
So, you are seeing just - it's a sign of just how polarized this country is, that even at a time of natural disaster we're seeing sort of the cruel reality of politics also take shape, you know, in the days ahead.
HUNT: Yes, another hallmark of living in the Trump era really it seems to me.
KANNO-YOUNGS: Right.
HUNT: All right, turning now to this new reporting this morning. President Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are expected to speak by phone in just a few hours as Israel weighs how to retaliate against Iran. Netanyahu reportedly telling Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant to postpone his planned Tuesday trip to Washington until after Netanyahu speaks with Biden. All of this coming amid fresh revelations from Bob Woodward's new book, "War," about Biden's frustration with Netanyahu over the past year, and how the president talks about him and others behind closed doors.
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JIMMY KIMMEL, HOST, "JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE": Joe Biden, in private, refers to Trump as that f-ing a-hole, which tracks. Of Bibi Netanyahu, Biden said, that son of a (EXPLETIVE DELETED bad guy, he's a bad f-ing guy. And he referred to Trump's Covid buddy as that f-ing Putin. I don't know why Joe Biden only curses behind closed doors. You're on your way out. Start doing press conferences. Like - like Richard Pryor on the Sunset Strip (ph).
It's Joe time at the Apollo. Have some fun already.
(END VIDEO CLIP) HUNT: All right, joining us now to discuss, Democratic Congressman Jake Auchincloss of Massachusetts.
Congressman, welcome back to the show. Thank you so much for being here.
Let's start with Israel and Netanyahu, because there is this report that Biden called Netanyahu an SOB, a bad guy. This was in the spring as everything was unfolding between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. The Rafah situation as well.
And "The Wall Street Journal" has reported that these two men have not spoken since August 21st. Now, Netanyahu puts a pause on Gallant's visit and says, I got to talk to him first. What do you anticipate they're going to talk about today?
REP. JAKE AUCHINCLOSS (D-MA): Well, first, salty language behind closed doors is nothing new in politics. And the U.S./Israel relationship as much stronger than the vicissitudes of Biden and Netanyahu's personal relationship. And, in fact, I think a majority of Americans and a majority of Israelis strongly agree, one, that Israel has a right and an obligation to defend itself against this ring of fire encircling it to the south and the north and the east.
[06:50:04]
And also that Prime Minister Netanyahu has not articulated and executed a coherent strategy that can galvanize the Israeli public and the free world to its side. So, I think this really underscores actually how aligned the two nations are on the - on the core objectives of this war and on their frustrations.
As to the conversation today, clearly it's going to focus on Iran and the scope, time, place, and manner of the attack against Iran. This - this reprisal is fully justified. Iran launched the biggest missile attack in middle eastern history against civilian population centers. It can't do that and not expect to have a response. But again it needs to be vested within a larger strategy that Israel can articulate. And that has been the frustration from the beginning with the prime minister.
HUNT: Would you be comfortable with Israel striking Iran nuclear sites as part of the retaliation?
AUCHINCLOSS: I can't speak to that because I don't have the briefings on Israel's weaponry and on the state of Iran's military infrastructure. And you really have to understand how those two things pair up with each other to understand if that strike could be successful. What is absolutely an imperative is that Iran cannot be allowed to gain access to a nuclear weapon. If that can be achieved through a unilateral Israeli strike against those sites, then I think that absolutely is a legitimate consideration. But I just don't have the information about whether that's feasible or not. And that's at a classified level.
HUNT: Congressman, let's also talk about what Woodward reported around Vladimir Putin, which is that Trump has had multiple calls with Putin since leaving office, and also that Trump sent a Covid test machine to Putin for his personal use at the height of the pandemic when the access wasn't there for many Americans. Now Trump, in an interview with ABC, denied - he said both of those things were false.
What's your reaction?
AUCHINCLOSS: It falls under the header of shocking but not surprising, right? Trump's always been a Putin fan boy. And he's now, I think, spoken to Vladimir Putin seven times, Woodward reports, since leaving office. And, you know, the question I have is, well, we know that Trump had classified documents at Mar-a-Lago. We know that Trump has been rooting for Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine and has called it brilliant and has indicated that he would hand Ukraine back over to Vladimir Putin, no questions asked. We know that Trump trusts Russian intelligence more than U.S. intelligence. He's said that himself repeatedly.
So, during those seven phone calls, you know, they weren't pleasantries that were being exchanged. What were they talking about? Were they talking about and planning around Russia's invasion of Ukraine? Was Trump giving Putin, not just assurances of his acquiescence to Putin's invasion should he take back the Oval Office, but actually actionable intelligence about how to best do that invasion? These are legitimate questions to be asking.
HUNT: Congressman, on another topic, the vice president and Democratic nominee for president, Kamala Harris, has been doing a series of interviews over the course the last 48 hours. She went on "The View" and was asked how she might be different from her current boss, President Biden. Let's watch that.
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KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE U.S. (D) AND U.S. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: There is not a thing that comes to mind in terms of - and I've been a part of - of - of most of the decisions that have had impact.
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HUNT: She says, there is not a thing that comes to mind in terms of how she's different from President Biden. Do you think that's a satisfactory answer for swing voters who are unhappy with the Biden administration?
AUCHINCLOSS: I think there are things that she can point to that she would do differently in a stronger way. Let me give a few thoughts. One is on housing. You know, the Biden administration has made moves on housing, but Kamala Harris has put forward a bold proposal to try to construct 3 more -- million units of housing in this country.
HUNT: Sure.
AUCHINCLOSS: The cost of housing is the single biggest share of the wallet for - HUNT: I think my question is, why didn't she say that? Because I get where you're going.
AUCHINCLOSS: Yes. Because the Biden administration has been a successful administration. She has been a partner in it. And I think that she respects the president and wants to see the rest of his tenure be a success.
But I do agree, I think there's room to say, and here's what I would be doing. Another example is on drug pricing, right? She has called for more transparency with pharmacy benefit managers and with taking out the middlemen and the drug pricing supply chain to put more money in the pockets of patients and to rationalize our drug pricing supply chain. That's another area where she can say, hey, Biden ministration made a good start. I'm going to go even further.
HUNT: All right, Congressman Jake Auchincloss for us this morning. Sir, always grateful to have you. Hope to see you again soon.
AUCHINCLOSS: Good to be with you.
HUNT: All right, 54 minutes past the hour. Here's your morning roundup.
Talks to try to end a month-long strike at Boeing breaking down. Thirty-three thousand union machinists walked off the job over pay and the lost pension plan. No new talks are currently scheduled. Both sides do say that they're willing to go back to the table.
The cost of your shot at the Mega Millions about to go up. The price more than doubling from $2 a ticket to $5. Lottery officials say this will improve the odds of winning bigger prizes.
[06:55:04]
The increase begins in April of next year.
And this. Wow, end of an era. Just an hour ago, the Tropicana Hotel imploded on the Las Vegas Strip. The third oldest casino in Vegas closed in April after welcoming guests for 67 years. The demolition clearing land for a $1.5 billion baseball stadium for the relocating Oakland A's.
All right, with Florida bracing for yet another devastating storm, new estimates reveal that Hurricane Helene alone caused up to $47.5 billion in losses for property owners. If you're looking to buy a new home, you'll soon see that Zillow will include climate data in its listings, showing their flooding, fire, and heat risks amid more frequent and severe natural disasters. For Florida homeowners in particular, the financial impact of these weather events is clear. Insurance premiums in Florida are up as much as 400 percent over the past five years in certain areas. One of the fastest increases in the country, "The Wall Street Journal" reports. One Florida resident recently spoke to CNN about her experience after her home was destroyed by Hurricane Ian two years ago.
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AMY HAWK, FLORIDA RESIDENT: I remember looking at my policies and thinking I'm covered. I'll be able to build and be OK. I ended up with almost $8,000.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Out of - what was it supposed to pay?
HAWK: I had a $300,000 policy.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And they gave you eight?
HAWK: Yes, it was around eight. I was just in shock.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How much have you spent so far?
HAWK: I'm probably close to 250 by now.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Why stay here?
HAWK: This was the house I had with my husband before he passed. We loved it here. And I have great memories here with him.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNT: All right, our panel is back.
Kristen Soltis Anderson, you're from Florida originally. There is this bigger question, as these storms continue to bear down, there have been all these people moving to Florida lately, that seems to be reversing in trend as well, but how do we justify continuing to build an areas when the weather is trending the way that it is?
ANDERSON: Well, you're right, I grew up in Florida. I love Florida. Florida is a wonderful place to grow up. I understand why people want to move there. It's beautiful most of the year, maybe not in the summer it's a little bit hot. No income taxes. But you're right, that with the threat of these natural disasters, and if we say that they're going to become more and more frequent, flooding is more of an issue. You go down to Miami during a rainstorm. The downtown gets flooded a lot more easily. There is a real question about resiliency and the need to build in ways that are prepared for the long haul.
KANNO-YOUNGS: And this is a real sort of sensitive and difficult conversation amongst a broader conversation about resilience in the United States. A lot of communities right now throughout the country are having this debate about how much to invest in communities that are in flood zones, that are in areas that are prone to natural disasters.
You know, my colleagues and I have reported on this, and FEMA even has a program that has ramped up in recent years that basically invests in relocating residents and entire communities at times to move away from flood zones.
So. I think we're going to see more of this, of a certain conversation around whether or not, you know, you're going to see people continue to move to communities that are in areas that are prone to natural disasters.
BARKOFF: And I was going to say, I think that is - makes the plan that Harris put out even more important about housing because I think housing, not just in Florida, but across the country, is - with the weather patterns we're seeing with climate change we're seeing is going to make those things so much more important that we're building in a way that is smart and sustainable for the future, which makes her plan even more important on housing.
HUNT: Kristen, at what point does the insurance market just break?
ANDERSON: I mean it seems like we may be headed in that direction. You hear stories from people in Florida about property insurance going up. They want to move to a new home, and that becomes an issue. And I think especially after what is likely insurers are going to have to pay out after Helene and Milton and the expense of that, I think it could be a real, real problem.
HUNT: Yes. Zolan, how do you think that impacts things here in Washington? Because, obviously, the way this debate often - there's always a loser in this kind of a conversation is the challenge, right?
KANNO-YOUNGS: Sure, sure, sure. And, you know, I mean, how much do you continue to take taxpayer money and invest in - in recovery efforts for areas that are going to continue to be hit by these different natural disasters. Do you take that taxpayer money and actually try to invest more in resilience, some of the programs that I described. You know, because you're going to have a choice. It cannot just continue to be a response that's centered on sort of the immediate disaster response, sending trailers, moving people into hotel rooms, paying for flood insurance program that will continue to rebuild homes that will be hit again.
[07:00:02]
You're seeing more and more momentum around sort of the long term sort of emergency response, which does involve, you know, not just resilience, but also investing in areas that aren't as prone to natural disasters. But this is difficult.
HUNT: Yes.
KANNO-YOUNGS: I mean, when we've talked to people in these communities, we're talking about retreating at times from your home, from the place where you've grown up. And that's a difficult conversation to have.
HUNT: Very emotional (ph).
All right, thank you all for being here this morning. Thanks to all of you for joining us as well. I'm Kasie Hunt. Don't go anywhere. "CNN NEWS CENTRAL" starts right now.
