Return to Transcripts main page
Connect the World
Mandatory Evacuations as Hurricane Milton Nears Florida; Hezbollah Official Endorses Lebanon Ceasefire Effort; Presidential Election Four Weeks Away, Candidates in Final Sprint for Finish Line; Kamala Harris On a Campaign Media Blitz; U.S. State Sue TikTok, Accuse it of Harming Younger Users. Aired 10-11 am ET
Aired October 08, 2024 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:00:11]
OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to our second hour of Connect the World. I'm Omar Jimenez in for my colleague Becky Anderson.
It's 10 a.m. here in New York. And in Washington, D.C., where U.S. President Joe Biden is expected to address the nation this hour on
preparations for Hurricane Milton, we're monitoring that. The storm is now a powerful Category 4 and is expected to bring widespread destruction
across Florida.
Our other top story this hour, a top Hezbollah official says the group is open to a ceasefire deal. This as the Israeli military further expands
operations in southern Lebanon.
Get out now or you're going to die. That grave warning from the mayor of Tampa as Hurricane Milton bears down on central Florida. Forecasters say
Milton will slam into the state's west coast as a major hurricane late Wednesday and they're warning residents to expect catastrophic damage.
And this is happening as Florida is still trying to recover from the impacts of Hurricane Helene. Milton dropped to Category 4 intensity. But
the key word there is dropped because it could build back up to a Category 5 later today after earlier reaching speeds of 180 miles per hour. That's
290 kilometers per hour.
Officials are sounding alarm bells as the storm approaches.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JANE CASTOR, TAMPA FLORIDA MAYOR: Helene -- Helene was a wakeup call. This is literally catastrophic. And I can say without any dramatization
whatsoever, if you choose to stay in one of those evacuation areas, you're going to die.
Some of the predictions are saying that Pinellas County to the south of us, the entire county is going to be underwater. So this is something that I
have never seen in my life. And I can tell you that anyone who was born and raised in the Tampa Bay area has never seen anything like this before.
People need to get out.
RICK SCOTT, FLORIDA SENATOR: It seems like another week, another hurricane. We -- I just got off the phone a few minutes ago with the National
Hurricane Center. And the most important thing, everybody standing up here wants to keep you alive.
All right, you guys keep yourselves alive. I mean, this is your responsibility. Nobody up here can save your life if you put yourself in
harm's way.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JIMENEZ: And you hear that from Florida officials. Mandatory evacuation orders are in effect across 12 counties in central Florida. Brian Todd
updates us on storm preparations.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: In Pinellas Park, Florida, just across the bay from Tampa, residents use large pails to fill as many sandbags as they
can. Hurricane Milton, which has already exploded into a Category 5 storm, could hit the Tampa Bay area directly. It would be the first major
hurricane to strike within 50 miles of Tampa in more than 100 years.
Some residents in at least six counties told to evacuate. In Hillsborough County, the evacuation order is mandatory in some places. That means
authorities cannot force people from their homes. But --
JASON DOUGHERTY, HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY FIRE CHIEF: If you remain there, you could die. My men and women could die trying to rescue you.
TODD: What makes this especially dangerous in places like Tampa and Fort Myers is that those cities are still recovering from Hurricane Helene,
which has killed more than 230 people in six states, with the death toll still rising. For those in the mandatory evacuation zones who decide to
stay put, Florida officials have a dire warning.
ASHLEY MOODY, FLORIDA ATTORNEY GENERAL: You probably need to write your name and permanent marker on your arm so that people know who you are when
they get to you afterwards. And we are still seeing, as we're uncovering folks on the beach who thought they could stay there, and the storm surge
got them.
TODD: With Milton forecast to make landfall late Wednesday, Governor Ron DeSantis warns the window for evacuation is closing fast.
GOV. RON DESANTIS (R-FL): You have time to execute your plan, but you've got to do it now. Time is going to start running out very, very soon.
TODD: Helene made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane that caused widespread damage, leaving tons of debris that still hasn't been cleared. Debris that
residents worry could still harm people if it starts flying around when Milton hits.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The debris on the beach and whatever's going on is a little cause for concern because there is not enough time and not enough
manpower to take everything and put it where it needs to be off the island.
TODD: The international airports in Tampa and Orlando closing ahead of the storm. Tolls are being suspended on major highways throughout western and
central Florida to help those evacuating.
Governor DeSantis says the assets that Florida lent to North Carolina for Hurricane Helene have had to be brought back to Florida. But North Carolina
is still dealing with the horrific aftermath of Helene. More than 100,000 customers are still without power there. And around Asheville, dozens of
people are still missing a week and a half after Helene tore through the area.
[10:05:07]
ROY COOPER, NORTH CAROLINA GOVERNOR: We're still working to reach communities. We still have search and rescue occurring as we speak.
TODD: And even as Florida braces for Hurricane Milton, we're getting daunting numbers on the property damage from Hurricane Helene. According to
the data analytics firm CoreLogic, Helene caused up to $47.5 billion in losses for property owners. Much of that flood damage to residents who
don't have flood insurance.
Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
JIMENEZ: And Carlos Suarez is with us this hour from Fort Myers, Florida. Carlos, I mean, what do you -- I see some preparations going on behind you.
What are you seeing there ahead of Milton's landfall?
CARLOS SUAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Omar, good morning. So the folks that live here in Fort Myers, Florida in Lee County have been taking this storm
serious because just two years ago, Hurricane Ian really destroyed a good part of southwest Florida, including Lee County. And so folks have that in
mind as they get ready for whatever impact southwest Florida is going to get from this hurricane.
They're really dealing with their experience with hurricanes in the sense that, again, two years ago when Hurricane Ian moved in, the storm surge out
here, we're told, was about four feet. And so the folks out here know what these powerful storms can do. They've been putting up plywoods and sandbags
and they've been trying to just get ready for Hurricane Milton.
The current forecast calls for anywhere between 6 to 10 feet of a storm surge if Milton ends up tracking just to the north of here. So to give you
a sense of where things were two years ago with Hurricane Ian, the waterline, we're told, was probably around here. If that storm surge holds,
it's obviously going to be a little bit above this waterline here.
The Caloosahatchee River, which is about two blocks over from where we are, is a prime area of concern. That river connects out to Lake Okeechobee in
the central part of Florida. And when all of that water rushes through, when all of that rainfall in here in southwest Florida, between six to
eight inches of it, when all of that kind of comes together along with high tide, that river is going to rise. It is going to crest. And based on where
we are, all of that water is going to rush in.
And so, Omar, the concern for the folks in southwest Florida right now, if this path holds, is the storm surge. It's going to be the tropical storm
force winds that will move through the area. But the flooding is going to be the main concern out here.
Yesterday, on our drive in from Miami, we ran into folks that are trying to evacuate going to Miami. And so Interstate 75, which connects both coasts,
the western coast of Florida and the eastern coast of Florida, folks were driving over Alligator Alley. And then, of course, when you get further
north, closer to the Tampa Bay area, the folks there are stuck in traffic because they're trying to evacuate either to go north in Florida or they're
trying to get more into the central part of Florida, kind of the Orlando area.
And so if it's not traffic and if it's not evacuation orders, the one other thing that's top of mind with folks right now is gasoline. It's becoming an
issue across the state of Florida, especially along the west coast. The governor this morning said that the state of Florida is aware that gas
stations are starting to run low on a supply. And so what they've decided to do is they're tapping into the Florida's gas reserves to get some of
these shipments out so that folks, some of these gas stations are able to have a supply.
But you can see here, Stu, if you can show it to my right, folks out here are just trying to take in today as probably the last day that they can get
their storm preps in order, their plywood up on their businesses. And, of course, just hope that some of this is enough to keep some of this expected
storm surge from hitting.
JIMENEZ: Yeah, there's some parts of Florida that could see up to 15 feet of storm surge, four and a half meters of storm surge. It's -- I mean,
that's -- it's an incredible, incredible amount, unsurvivable in many places. Carlos Suarez, really appreciate the reporting.
Now, we want to update you all on other major headlines we're following, including in the Middle East, where Israel says it's expanding its
operations against Hezbollah into southwest Lebanon.
Now, this comes as a top Hezbollah official for the first time ever endorses work toward a ceasefire. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NAIM QASSEM, HEZBOLLAH DEPUTY SECRETARY GENERAL: This is something no one can overlook. We support the political efforts led by President Berri, with
the primary goal being the ceasefire. In any case, once the ceasefire is firmly established and diplomacy can reach it, all other details will be
discussed and decisions will be made collaboratively. Don't rush into the details. The principle itself has not yet been achieved. For us, before the
ceasefire, any other discussion has no place.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JIMENEZ: Now, for weeks, Israel has been pounding parts of southern Lebanon in an effort to push back the Iranian-backed militants. Just look at this
video of a border village. Massive, massive devastation here.
[10:10:00]
CNN's Jomana Karadsheh joins us from Beirut. So, Jomana, I mean, let's start with what do you make of the comments from the Hezbollah commander
there?
JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's very interesting, Omar. This is Naim Qassem, Hezbollah's number two. He is the Deputy Secretary
General of Hezbollah. This is the second time we hear from him since the killing of the leader of Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah. And that first
appearance really raised questions about morale within the group.
But this time, it appears that he is putting on a much more defiant position there, saying that they are going to continue fighting. But at the
same time, for the first time publicly, we are hearing him saying that they endorse these attempts and efforts to reach a ceasefire. And some would
point out that he's not linking it to a ceasefire.
And Gaza has been Hezbollah's position for the past year. But, you know, shortly after that address aired, Omar, you saw that large barrage of
rockets targeting Israel, targeting Haifa, targeting the Upper Galilee. Much of the barrage was intercepted, but there were a couple of impacts, as
we understand, from Israeli authorities.
And some are looking at this and saying that perhaps Hezbollah here is using the carrot and stick approach, open to a ceasefire, yet still putting
on this fight, still carrying out these attacks. And, you know, both sides at this point are very much intensifying their attacks. And it really
leaves people wondering if there is room right now for a ceasefire.
And a lot of people that you speak to here, officials that you speak to in this region, feel that the United States could be doing more and should be
doing more. I've heard from senior officials here saying that it has the leverage and it should be using it. Yet what we're hearing from U.S.
officials is that right now there is no active -- they're not actively attempting to reach a ceasefire agreement. What they're trying to do is
limit the Israeli operations.
JIMENEZ: And what of the Israeli operations right now? Because it's happening as the IDF continues to expand its push in the south. What do we
know about their operations at this point?
KARADSHEH: Well, what you're seeing is the Israelis are announcing that they have more troops who are being pulled into what they announced last
week, this ground operation. But our understanding, Omar, from sources is that so far there's been no full-scale invasion. What you have seen is
limited raids, sporadic raids, as they've been described by our sources, where troops come across the border and cross back into Israel.
And it does appear that they are facing some stiff resistance as well. There have been a number of casualties over the past week amongst Israeli
troops. And, you know, this leaves people, especially in the south, when you talk about hundreds of thousands of people who have had to evacuate,
leave their villages and towns, it leaves them with this real fear that this is not going to be a limited or targeted operation as it's being
described by the Israelis. They really fear that they may not see their homes ever again.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KARADSHEH: And picturesque. It's what Aalma El Chaeb once was. Today, much of this Lebanese border village lies in ruins.
The destruction is horrific, says Hannuh Zareb (ph). Homes in Aalma El Chaeb are destroyed, completely devastated by strikes. The face of the
entire area has changed. He says war hit his village long before most were paying attention.
It began on October 8th when Hezbollah launched attacks against Israel under the banner of solidarity with Gaza, sparking a year of tit-for-tat
cross-border attacks. Homes in Aalma El Chaeb were destroyed. Almost its entire population, including local officials, Zareb, was forced to flee.
The border conflict has now expanded to all-out war.
The last 10 days, no one can imagine the level of brutality, Hannuh says. They began using different weapons against the village. Whenever there's an
airstrike now, it destroys a whole neighborhood. Five to six homes destroyed at the same time.
Hannuh thought like previous wars, their Christian village would be spared the worst of the violence. He believes its strategic position, right on the
border overlooking Israel, has turned it this time into a battlefield for both sides. And its people are paying the price.
[10:15:06]
Like 90-year-old Umm Jameel (ph), she was too old to leave. Killed late last month in an Israeli strike on her home. Hannuh, like many of his
generation, has seen every war in Lebanon since the 1970s. He says the Israeli onslaught in recent weeks is like nothing he'd seen before. He
doesn't name Hezbollah, but he questions those who started this war.
Was that banner of solidarity with Gaza worth all the pain, destruction and displacement, he asks? Now we talk about help for Lebanon and have
forgotten that solidarity.
Hannuh and his wife, Saad, show us what's left of the neighborhood where they grew up. When these homes were hit, I felt like a part of my
childhood's gone, Saad says. The memories are gone. It was all erased in an instant. The pain is unbearable. It hurts so much.
Aalma El Chaeb is now a ghost town. The last of its residents have now fled. Their livelihood, these agricultural lands, olive trees, gone.
The big question is, will we ever return to our homes? Will we ever go back to our village, Hannuh says? Will we rebuild it again, and who will rebuild
it? If this had stopped 10 days ago, maybe. But now, with this level of destruction and devastation? War has spread far beyond their small village,
home now the mountains above Beirut. What will become of their village and their country has never been so uncertain.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KARADSHEH: And, you know, Omar, people like Hannuh (ph) and Saad (ph) and the people of Aalma El Chaeb have been able to leave their village. Some of
them, of course, as the fighting intensified, as they were facing serious danger as they were trying to get out in recent days. But there are still
thousands of people, we understand, who are trapped in some of these southern villages, some close to the border, who are running out of food
and water, and they can't get out because no one can evacuate them.
And you look at how many villages so far the Israeli military has ordered to evacuate, more than a hundred villages in a matter of days. And every
single day, almost, in the past week, we have heard from the Israeli military putting out these warnings, telling people from these villages
that they should not return until further notice.
And it's really raising questions amongst the people of southern Lebanon and this country as a whole about what the Israeli plans are for southern
Lebanon. Because if you recall, back in 1982, the Lebanese heard the line about a limited incursion by Israeli forces that turned into a full-scale
invasion and many years of Israeli military occupation in southern Lebanon. And more recently, they look at what happened to Gaza, where they heard
limited and targeted as well there in the south of Gaza, Omar.
JIMENEZ: And all the while, as you mentioned, hundreds of thousands displaced in that part of the country, wondering when any sort of solution,
or answer for them at least, will come.
Jomana Karadsheh, really appreciate the reporting from Lebanon.
Meanwhile, we are learning that the United States is no longer pushing to revive a proposal for a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah. CNN's
Natasha Bertrand has that reporting. So what more can you tell us on that front?
NATASHA BERTRAND, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY REPORTER: Well, Omar, if you'll recall, a few weeks ago, the U.S. and France, they put forward this
ceasefire proposal that would have ceased hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah for 21 days. And they were really on the brink of clinching that
deal when Israel went ahead and conducted an assassination, a strike on Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah, in Beirut, which really upended
the entire ceasefire.
And so following that, which was really a huge blow to the U.S. after a long time of trying to get this ceasefire deal to a place where it was
actually feasible, the U.S. now says that it doesn't appear that Israel has the political will that would be necessary to actually enter into a
sustainable cessation of hostilities with the militant group in Lebanon.
And so they're now focusing their attention, they say, on trying to limit and shape Israel's operations in Lebanon. That is where they believe their
political capital is going to be best spent with the Israelis moving forward, not necessarily trying to get them to enter into a ceasefire deal
that perhaps they don't even want to enter into at this point as they try to dismantle Hezbollah in Lebanon, but actually trying to have some kind of
influence over Israel's military operations in the country in a way that the U.S. didn't necessarily have over their military operations in Gaza.
So the main concern at this point for the U.S. is that the Israelis have told the Americans that they are going to keep this operation in Lebanon
limited, but that that is not actually going to be the case, that there is going to be mission creep here.
[10:20:04]
And that is something that State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller actually said publicly yesterday. He said, we are very aware that in the
past the Israelis have told us that they were going to do a limited operation, and in fact they stayed for months and even years.
And so right now that is where the U.S. has shifted their focus. Now, it is interesting that Hezbollah has come out and said now that they are willing
to perhaps engage in ceasefire talks and that they support that effort. But still, you know, the ultimate wild card here is Bibi Netanyahu, is the
Israelis.
And that is something that, you know, the U.S. is saying, look, what we can control at this point is the military advice that we're giving them and try
to use some little leverage that we have remaining at this point to try to keep things more limited in Lebanon, to keep things from spiraling even
further, Omar.
JIMENEZ: That is the hope, that it doesn't spiral even further. Natasha Bertrand, really appreciate the reporting.
Meanwhile, in the political world, four weeks to Election Day in the United States, Donald Trump and Kamala Harris are reaching out to voters, trying
to move the needle. And the polls are moving, but just a smidge. We'll catch you up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
JIMENEZ: All right, everyone, breaking news to bring you just in from the White House. The U.S. president is postponing a trip to Germany and Angola
because of the approaching hurricane. Now, Joe Biden is expected to deliver remarks on the government's preparations for Hurricane Milton, as well as
recovery efforts after Hurricane Helene.
We're going to bring you bring that to you live as it happens. But, of course, the President was considering postponing this trip, given the
immediacy of the impending hurricanes.
And less than a month to Election Day in the United States, both the presidential candidates are in full campaign mode. A new poll from "The New
York Times" and "Siena College" finds Kamala Harris is making some progress among likely voters. Harris listed here with 49% to Trump's 46% of those
polled nationally. In that same poll last month, the two were tied, but both have really shown no clear leader here.
Meanwhile, Harris appeared on the in-depth news program "60 Minutes," where she faced tough questions on a number of issues, including immigration.
This, as Trump once again stokes fear about undocumented migrants using heightened rhetoric. A lot to talk about.
That's why we've got CNN reporters on the campaign trail. Alayna Treene and Priscilla Alvarez are standing by in Washington. So let's start with you,
Alayna, because Donald Trump is once again leaning into that, that old playbook to demonize migrants. We've heard some of that rhetoric even going
back to 2016 when he first ran for office. So what's he been saying?
ALAYNA TREENE, CNN REPORTER: That's right. This is a well-worn playbook that Donald Trump has used. And I think it's important to keep the context
of this in mind because he has repeatedly tried to stoke fears about immigrants in this country. And it's a strategy that in some ways did help
him get elected in 2016. And his campaign, I know from my conversations with them, believe it will help him again.
[10:25:01]
Now, this most recent conversation and comment that Donald Trump made suggesting that immigrants in this country who commit murder have bad
genes. He said that during a radio interview with Hugh Hewitt. I want you to take a listen to exactly what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, U.S. REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: She has no clue. How about allowing people to come to an open border, 13,000 of which were
murderers? Many of them murdered far more than one person. And they're now happily living in the United States. You know, now a murderer. I believe
this. It's in their genes. And we got a lot of bad genes in our country right now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TREENE: So a couple of things about this, Omar. One is that he is massively distorting this number and also not giving it the proper context. That
13000 number that he referenced is not just from the Biden administration or what he's arguing is Harris allowing these people to come into the
country.
This is a figure that has been tracked and is accounted for -- for several decades now, spanning several administrations. We also know that that
figure does include some people who are currently in prison or have been released and -- have been released after serving their time. So I'd keep
that in mind.
But I think to take a step back and just give you a sense of how this fits into Donald Trump's broader language on this issue, we know that he has
repeatedly received a lot of backlash and criticism for some of the comments he has made regarding immigrants recently. Of course, he has been
touting, as has his running mate, J.D. Vance, this idea that Haitian migrants in Springfield, Ohio, are eating pets. We know he said that on the
debate stage back in September, but also has repeated that claim since something that is just completely not true. And we know from Republican
officials on the ground that they say that there is no evidence for that.
But he's also used this type of language regarding bad genes or immigrants, blood in the past. Last year, he argued that immigrants or illegal
immigrants, I should say, are poisoning the blood of the country. Something we know has been tied back to language that Nazis used when describing
Jewish people.
So, again, very controversial. But I don't think Donald Trump is going to change this language as we look ahead to November, because they recognize
that immigration is an issue that he's pulling better on. And so they do think this fear mongering is working.
JIMENEZ: Yeah. And we've seen him try to put that issue on other aspects of the race, including the economy, including public safety, things of that
nature as well.
Priscilla, I want to bring you in here, because the Harris-Walz campaign, look, we're less than a month to the election at this point. And the
Harris-Walz campaign is continuing its media blitz. She was on "60 Minutes" Sunday. What are they -- "60 Minutes" this week, I should say, what are
they trying to accomplish in this final stretch here?
PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, they're trying to reach voters across the spectrum. Of course, the Vice President has been running a
truncated campaign. Voters are still getting to know her. We see that in the polls. And so they are trying to make up for that by doing this media
blitz and doing it when early voting is already underway in some states, and also as we inch closer and closer to Election Day.
So in addition to the "60 Minutes" interview, she also had her "Call Her Daddy" podcast where she talked about reproductive rights. Of course, that
has millions of listeners, mostly women.
And then today she's going to be on "The View," where she's going to talk about a new proposal for long-term care of senior citizens. Then the
"Howard Stern Show," a mostly male audience. And then "The Late Show With Stephen Colbert."
So certainly a blitz here by the Vice President for voters to try to get to know her better.
Now, she was asked specifically about this during the "60 Minutes" interview and why voters perhaps have some hesitancy about her, given her
changes on some positions compared to her previous campaign. This is what she had to say to that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KAMALA HARRIS, U.S. VICE PRESIDENT & DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: In the last four years, I have been vice president of the United States, and I
have been traveling our country, and I have been listening to folks and seeking what is possible in terms of common ground. I believe in building
consensus. We are a diverse people geographically, regionally, in terms of where we are in our backgrounds.
And what the American people do want is that we have leaders who can build consensus, where we can figure out compromise and understand it's not a bad
thing, as long as you don't compromise your values, to find common-sense solutions. And that has been my approach.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ALVAREZ: Now, from the very beginning, something I've been hearing from Harris advisers is that they know they have to introduce and reintroduce
the Vice President to voters. So that is partially what this is. And that answer you heard from there, sort of similar to what she told CNN's Dana
Bash when she sat for her first joint interview with Tim Walz, where she said that during her time as Vice President, her positions changed because
she has learned more, or rather spoken to more, been in government.
[10:30:03]
So, again, the Vice President and her campaign clearly trying to increase exposure, amplify the message, knowing, of course, that we're getting
closer to Election Day and that the polls are deadlocked.
Omar.
JIMENEZ: Yeah. We will see. We're getting ever closer to the big day. Alayna Treene, Priscilla Alvarez. Appreciate you both.
All right up next, as Hurricane Milton heads toward Florida, we're going to talk with the police chief trying to get residents out of harm's way. Stay
with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
JIMENEZ: Welcome back to Connect the World. I'm Omar Jimenez in New York in for my colleague Becky Anderson.
Hurricane Milton is barreling toward Florida and due to make landfall on Wednesday. The sheriff of one County warning of catastrophic damage once it
hits. And officials are warning people to expect several hours of congestion when getting out of the area. You can see what some of the
highways looked like there. Hundreds of thousands have been told to leave their homes, gas stations running out of fuel.
Governor Ron DeSantis says the state is opening up additional shelters. Atlanta Motor Speedway is opening its campgrounds to people evacuating
their Florida homes. You can see those cots set up there. Now Derek Van Dam is at the CNN Weather Center tracking Hurricane Milton.
So that's some of what's going on, on the ground there. What are we seeing on radar? What should folks be expecting here?
DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yeah, Omar. We're waiting for that 11 a.m. critical update from the National Hurricane Center. So we'll get that
information passed along to you once we do get it. But as we're analyzing this in real time, we started to notice what we thought was another eye
starting to clear out, showing some strengthening trends.
But just in the past few frames of this and noticing some cooling in the infrared cloud tops. So that means the cloud tops are not getting as high
into the atmosphere, showing perhaps some leveling off on this -- this storm at the moment.
145 mile-per-hour winds, but that was again from the 8 a.m. update. So 11 a.m. will tell a lot. And it will also tell a lot about the future of
Milton where it's about to head. This trajectory has it, as it stands a landfalling major hurricane late Wednesday into early Thursday morning for
the western and central coastline of Florida.
But what's new this morning as well? We want to pass to our viewers is that a hurricane warning extends from the west coast of Florida to the east
coast so from the Gulf, all the way to the Atlantic. That is saying something because there we believe that a particular point during this
landfalling hurricane that hurricane force wind gusts could be experienced across much of the central interior not just the coastline of Florida. So
that's going to of course expand the damage threat with the wind.
Now, as this storm expands in size, it's literally going to double its current size that it is now. That means the impacts will be felt well
outside of the center. It's going to maximize its potential in building up that storm surge. And of course with it extending over 300 miles. We're
going to see the impacts from storm surge extend far out from where the actual center makes landfall.
[10:35:16]
So, you're focusing probably on that purple, 10 to 15 foot of storm surge. Will that be realized into places like Tampa Bay, for instance? Well, of
course, the exact landfall point is so critical. This is a game of miles. One thing's for sure, we do believe there will be a significant rise in the
ocean here right along the southwestern and central portions of the Florida coastline along the Gulf of Mexico, something that will be unsurvivable for
many.
Now, when we talk about the rainfall threat, the inland flash flood threat works against the surge that's trying to come in. So the rivers and the
canals that line the coastline here, all that water's going to work against each other and it's only going to go up. So when we see over a month, two
months' worth of rainfall fall from the sky, that is going to not only make the inland flash flooding worse, but it's also going to help create higher
tide levels or higher surge levels as well. We have a very rare, high risk of extreme rainfall that could lead to flash flooding for the central parts
of the state on Wednesday.
And the beauty of the time we live in, Omar, is that we can see real-time data from hurricane hunters. Their job is solely to fly into the middle of
the storm, gathering and collecting very critical information so we can fine-tune our weather forecast leading up to landfall.
This is what it looks like from inside one of those hurricane hunters. You can see their onboard radar as they fly directly in to the eye of Major
Hurricane Milton. Kind of cool. Wow.
JIMENEZ: Wow. Look, data can save lives, so we appreciate every bit we get. Derek Van Dam, appreciate it.
Meanwhile, we've got John Barkley, who is Chief of Police in Treasure Island, which is right on the Gulf of Mexico, west of Tampa. Chief, really
thank you for being here at this time. I know you guys got a lot going on.
And I want to start with what's being forecast to hit your area right now, because the National Hurricane Center is forecasting 10 to 15 feet of peak
storm surge for Treasure Island, or three to four and a half meters, and is expected to take a direct hit from Milton. And I saw on the city website
that starting tonight there will be no access to the island. So what preparations are you putting in place right now? What are you preparing
for?
JOHN BARKLEY, TREASURE ISLAND POLICE CHIEF: Well, the interesting thing is we've been in storm mode, recovery mode, and back in storm mode now for two
weeks straight. So, you know, Hurricane Helene, which was a different type of storm, that paralleled the coastline. That wasn't a wind event. It was a
water event for us. Brought over eight foot of storm surge here.
We had residents who, for Helene, were shoulder-deep in their homes in water because we had a lot of people who chose to stay. It seems like a lot
of people have heeded the warnings. At 7 p.m. tonight, we locked down access to the island. We are constantly driving through all our
neighborhoods now, making sure people have left, encouraging those to leave.
I look out my office window right now, and fortunately, it seems people have heeded the warning because the streets are empty except for emergency
vehicles.
JIMENEZ: And look, as you mentioned, you guys have been in hurricane mode for two weeks now. This is happening less than two weeks after Helene
officially hit. And I was talking to Tampa's mayor a few days ago, and she told me that their crews were really trying to gather up as much debris as
possible because, you know, she didn't want them to become projectiles when Hurricane Milton came through.
And I wonder how much of a dynamic that is for you all on Treasure Island, and if that's an effort you all are seriously trying to get done.
BARKLEY: Yeah, that's something that's unique for this. You know, in Floridians, you learn one of the first things you do prior to a storm is
you want to remove any debris that could fly around. And what Hurricane Helene did, it inundated people's homes with water.
So our debris piles, which unfortunately still exist in many parts of the city, consist of drywall, carpeting, appliances, furniture, all sorts of
things that I can't even imagine what it's going to look like if this thing hits us with the amount of winds it's forecast to. It's -- that's something
that's very unique to this situation. And, you know, the governor sent down extra resources, and they've opened up landfills and stuff to try to get
this stuff off the streets as quickly as possible.
But in reality, it's not going to be in time. So that's going to add a completely different dynamic to this storm.
JIMENEZ: Yeah. And maybe aside from projectiles, from an infrastructure perspective, how does -- how does Helene's damage complicate withstanding
Milton here?
BARKLEY: Yeah, it's compounding it. You know, that was enough. If we had a choice, obviously we don't want any more. And Helene on its own, just being
a water event without a wind event, it was going to take months, if not years, to recover. And now this thing is coming behind it with a wind and
water event and possibly multiple feet above what we just had.
So it's kind of like you're starting all over again. I think people had pretty much resigned themselves to the fact that, OK, we can rebuild, we
can get this thing going. I don't know what this is going to look like after this storm passes by.
JIMENEZ: And look, I'm sure you've been in Florida for a while, you used to live in Florida for a time. I mean, Floridians are used to sort of
hurricanes, storms, you name it, coming through, evacuating, not evacuating, boarding up, not boarding up, sort of wrestling with those
decisions.
[10:40:09]
I heard you a little bit say that it does seem people are listening to the warnings there on Treasure Island. Was it more difficult or less so to
convince people this time versus when Helene came in?
I just wonder how you -- how -- at what point people realized, OK, actually, this is something really serious that we've got to get out of
town for.
BARKLEY: Well, I hate using this term or I hate hearing this term when they talk about weather events. But, you know, unprecedented was used for Helene
because we had an unprecedented amount of storms here in the Tampa Bay area. So that woke a lot of people up.
I mean, a lot of people like, yeah, we've had a few feet of water before. We'll anchor ankle deep in our home, mop it out and we'll be good to go
again. This was completely different. It scared a lot of people. And unfortunately, we had fatalities right here on Treasure Island from people
that did not evacuate. People actually drowned in their own homes.
And that's avoidable. I think that really hit home with a lot of people that really hit hard. And, you know, they realize that there isn't any
possessions in their home that's as valuable as their lives.
JIMENEZ: Now, you can always replace objects in your home, can't replace life.
John Barkley, Treasure Island Chief of Police, really appreciate you taking the time and keep us posted on how things go. We'd love to check in as the
storm hits.
BARKLEY: Absolutely. Thanks for having me.
JIMENEZ: Of course. All right, everyone. And still to come, Kamala Harris' broad communication strategy from the old guard, "60 Minutes," to the mega
popular podcast, "Call Her Daddy." We're going to discuss with CNN Chief Media Analyst Brian Stelter coming up. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
JIMENEZ: So earlier in the show, we talked about Kamala Harris' appearance on "60 Minutes" Monday night, which is considered pretty standard operating
procedure for U.S. presidential candidates in the run-up to an election, though I should mention former President Trump denied or said he wasn't
going to do the interview this time despite longstanding tradition there.
The Vice President, though, has made a few other appearances that are historically less conventional, including Sunday's 40-minute interview on
Alex Cooper's widely popular podcast Call Her Daddy. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALEX COOPER, HOST, "CALL HER DADDY": Saw the governor of Arkansas said, my kids keep me humble. Unfortunately, Kamala Harris doesn't have anything
keeping her humble. How did that make you feel?
HARRIS: I don't think she understands that there are a whole lot of women out here who, one, are not aspiring to be humble. Two, a whole lot of women
out here who have a lot of love in their life, family in their life and children in their life. And I think it's really important for women to lift
each other up. And you know, I'll tell you, Alex, one of the things that --
COOPER: Bunch of these guys up in the state capitals.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[10:45:00]
JIMENEZ: And "Call Her Daddy" is one of Spotify's top five podcasts. I want to bring in CNN Chief Media Analyst Brian Stelter for more on all of this.
So, Brian, ahead of the interview, the former Senior Advisor to Barack Obama tweeted, this isn't what the Beltway media meant when they demanded
that Kamala Harris do more interviews, but it is absolutely the right way to reach the voters she needs.
So let's talk about that. What do you make of this media strategy here?
BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDIA ANALYST: I think some of the critics of the Harris campaign are never going to be satisfied by her media strategy. And
that's the reality of campaigning in 2024. You know, these candidates are doing what they believe will help them win, both Harris and Trump.
And that mostly avoids, that mostly means avoiding tough questioning and going on more non-traditional unorthodox platforms. Trump is doing the same
thing by talking to his friends on "Fox News" and going on very bro-ey influencer podcasts.
Harris, you know, deserves credit for doing the "60 Minutes" interview because that was a tough interview with some probing questions about
immigration. She had a hard time answering questions about the immigration surge of the southern border. And so she deserves credit for that
interview.
But today what we're going to see, Omar, is Harris going on friendlier platforms, "The View," Howard Stern, Stephen Colbert, and really pushing a
get out the vote strategy.
These interviews are very specifically timed to voter registration deadlines and early vote efforts. She is trying to reach voters at a key
moment in early October to say, get your vote plan ready. There's less than a month until Election Day.
JIMENEZ: And we know that's when most voters typically start paying attention, is right when we get into the final aspect of this race here.
And look, Trump has also been pursuing a similar strategy to reach younger voting age men. I know you mentioned it there.
Live stream chats with Elon Musk, he went on Lex Fridman's podcast, on with Logan Paul as well. All of them racking up millions of views. But so
clearly they're reaching people. But the question is, are they reaching the right voters here? What do you think?
STELTER: I think there are very few platforms to reach undecided voters, actually undecided voters. The very small percent that are actually
undecided and so persuadable tend to be tuned out. You know, those are the voters that don't really like either candidate and are not that interested
in the election.
When I see Harris going on "The View," when I see Trump going on the Laura Ingraham show on "Fox," I see them trying to reach their base audiences and
try to make sure those voters actually turn out.
But, you know, for all the critiques we're hearing from the Beltway media, from, you know, kind of journalists, the media elites about Harris and
Trump avoiding tough questioning, I think we should recognize sometimes these non-journalistic interviewers actually make a lot of news.
Remember, Harris went on Oprah Winfrey for a glorified fundraiser and talked about how she would shoot someone if they invaded her home. That was
a news making soundbite. Same thing with Alex Cooper. There was a lot of news in that "Call Her Daddy" interview. If people haven't listened to the
podcast, it's really worth checking out.
So it is, you know, useful to point out that sometimes these influencers and podcasters, even when they don't consider themselves journalists, they
still take the assignment seriously and they end up revealing a lot about the candidate sometimes.
JIMENEZ: And look, before we go, I'm going to give you more of an existential question here because I mean, look, when candidates agree to do
interviews like this, they clearly are looking to gain something from it, whether it's getting out their message or getting people to vote, whatever
it may be.
Clearly, as Kamala Harris and Donald Trump choose these platforms, especially some of those shows, whether it's "Call Her Daddy" or Trump is
on with Theo Von or something, are we in a world where the quote-unquote "mainstream media" is becoming less important for candidates to reach their
voters, or at least they feel like they don't need to go through some of the quote-unquote "mainstream media?"
STELTER: In a fragmenting media environment, candidates have to do all of the above. They have to care about broadcast and cable and streaming and
podcasts. You know, sometimes people like to say it's the TikTok election or it's the podcast election. I'm sometimes guilty of trying to come up
with those catchphrases to summarize what's going on.
The answer actually is it's an all of the above election, right? These candidates have to do a little bit of everything, a little bit of this, a
little bit of that, because otherwise they're not going to be able to reach the tens of millions of people that they have to reach.
JIMENEZ: Yeah. If everyone's in their own little world, you got to go visit those worlds to try and get --
STELTER: Everyone.
JIMENEZ: I don't know how to summarize that in a good phrase. That's on you. Good luck to you. Brian, appreciate you being here.
STELTER: Thank you. Thanks.
JIMENEZ: All right. Still to come, U.S. states -- speaking of TikTok -- are suing TikTok, accusing the platform of using intentionally addictive
software. We have the details next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:51:16]
JIMENEZ: All right. Welcome back. TikTok is being sued by 14 U.S. states as attorneys general file lawsuits across the country. They allege that the
social media platform has used intentionally addictive software and harmed young people's mental health.
Let's get over to CNN's Clare Duffy in New York. So what are states accusing the platform of? I mean, the lawsuits have been filed separately,
but this is -- this is a coordinated effort from multiple states. Why?
CLARE DUFFY, CNN BUSINESS WRITER: Yeah. And bipartisan state attorneys general, Omar. These lawsuits are taking issue with the wide range of
TikTok's features and business practices, which they claim have harmed young users' mental health and well-being.
Things like the auto endlessly scrolling feed that they say keeps users scrolling because they feel like they need to see what the next video is
going to be. Late night push notifications that the attorneys general say impacts young users' sleep.
They also claim that the platform hasn't done enough to address TikTok challenges, which are these viral trends where users try to replicate
videos created by other users that can encourage them to engage in dangerous behaviors.
Omar, you'll probably remember earlier this year, a New York teenager was killed after riding on the outside of a subway, which is known as subway
surfing. And the complaint claims that his mother found TikTok videos encouraging subway surfing on his feed after he was killed.
And so the attorneys general say that despite the fact that TikTok has implemented features, made changes, done things like default time limits,
screen time limits for teens and has incorporated parental oversight tools, that that is not enough to keep these young users safe on the platform.
JIMENEZ: And I mean, look, as a TikTok user myself, the algorithm can suck you in. The question here, of course, is does it rise to a legal threshold?
Any response from TikTok yet?
DUFFY: TikTok has not yet responded to this lawsuit, but of course, TikTok has faced these claims in the past. Just recently, the U.S. Department of
Justice filed a claim that alleged that TikTok has violated young users' privacy. You have, of course, the U.S. ban that is still sort of in limbo.
TikTok is fighting that law. So TikTok has faced a number of these legal challenges, including over children's safety. And the company has
repeatedly said that it thinks its platform is safe for young users.
Again, it's implemented some of these new features that are trying to keep users safe. And so it's pushed back on these claims before. But we haven't
yet heard from the company about this particular set of lawsuits.
JIMENEZ: And of course, as this plays out, could have a lot of ramifications across the social media world. So we'll be watching it very
closely. Clare Duffy, I know you'll be watching it even closer. Thank you so much.
All right. This year's Nobel Prize for physics goes to a pair of computer scientists for their work on machine learning. John Hopfield and Geoffrey
Hinton were honored for laying the foundations for the technology that powers many of today's artificial intelligence products.
Hinton, nicknamed by some the godfather of artificial intelligence, predicts that A.I. could revolutionize areas such as health care. He also
cautions, and this is important, there could be dangerous consequences if humanity allows A.I. to become too powerful and take control.
Also, we're following a lot of other stories, including a curious koala was seen making its way onto a train platform in Australia. The koala spotted
on CCTV. Where is it? Oh, there. Well, by itself, casually roaming through the station, climbing the stairs, checking out the elevators, an alert was
issued to trains in the area, warning them to slow down for the furry explorer.
A low-speed chase with police ended with the koala jumping the fence into the bushland on the other side. Keep an eye out for him. Let's stay in this
world because we're going to go from koalas to raccoons, because a woman in Washington state, she called the sheriff's office last week because her
home was surrounded by about 100 raccoons.
[10:55:04]
Yeah, yeah, that's -- that's I'm not counting everyone, but that looks like 100. As you can see, they were everywhere. I'd be calling the sheriff's
office too. Local station, King 5 reports, the woman has been feeding raccoons for more than 30 years, but the numbers showing up for free
handouts recently exploded.
Sheriff's deputies told the woman to contact animal control for helping -- for help removing the raccoons. They also said this is a reminder not to
feed wild animals, at least unless you want 100 raccoons there. I'm going to pass on that.
That's it for Connect the World, though. I'm Omar Jimenez in New York.
Reminder that we're still waiting to hear from President Biden. He's expected to deliver remarks on the government's preparations for Hurricane
Milton, as well as recovery efforts after Hurricane Helene. We'll have it right here on CNN when we get it. Newsroom with Rahel Solomon is up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
