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White House Disputes Report Of Israel-Saudi Deal; Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg Discusses Final Day For Vets To Apply For Burn Pit Benefits; $1.58B Mega Millions Winning Ticket Sold In Florida. Aired 1:30-2p ET

Aired August 09, 2023 - 13:30   ET

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

[13:30:00]

CHELSEA DAVIS, REPORTER, "HAWAII NEWS NOW": So, they are flying people over to Honolulu, where there are much more resources, a lot more hospitals, doctors, nurses, staff that can take care of those burn victims. But we don't have an exact number of how many there are.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: All right. Chelsea Davis, live for us on Maui.

There's, of course, going to be so much more information that you're going to be getting throughout the day and we'll be trying to stay in touch with you so we can bring that to these viewers.

These pictures coming in, they are stunning. This is something we have never seen on Maui there.

Chelsea, thank you so much for the live report. We do appreciate it.

Jim?

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN HOST: Just devastating scenes there in Hawaii.

Overseas now, a deal is in the works that could change the diplomatic landscape of the Middle East. How Israel and Saudi Arabia could be on the path to normalizing relations.

And later, Pope Francis has issued a warning about artificial intelligence. We'll give you details. Do stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:35:33]

SCIUTTO: The White House is playing down a "Wall Street Journal" report that the U.S. and Saudi Arabia have agreed on a general outline of a deal for Saudi Arabia to recognize the state of Israel and normalize relations between those two countries.

"The Journal" says negotiators hope to cement an agreement within the next 12 months. The White House says a lot of negotiations are still necessary before any such agreement can be signed. CNN national security correspondent, Kylie Atwood, joins us from the

State Department.

So a year is a long time. It sounds like there's still more to be worked out. At least that's the message from the White House?

KYLIE ATWOOD, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: That's right. What we do know, Jim, is that the Biden administration is focused on this, right? They are working behind the scenes, they have been for years now, and in an accelerated way in the last few months, to see if they can actually secure a deal that would normalize relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia.

But the "Wall Street Journal" coming out today with a story saying that the broad contours of what that deal would look like have been agreed to. And the White House is saying that that mischaracterizes where they are.

But there are still a lot of conversations that need to be had to essentially figure out what could be agreed to on both sides on the side with Israel, the side with Saudi Arabia, to get the two to actually agree.

We're also hearing from Israel's national security adviser today saying that any sort of agreement here isn't expected before the end of the year.

So what that tells us is that these efforts are just, you know, still in intense efforting phases right now. They're not in a place where they're going to, you know, hammer out the nitty gritty. The broad contours are still being figured out.

We should also note that President Biden sat down with "New York Times" journalist, Friedman, earlier this summer.

And what he said to him was that he is considering some sort of mutual security path between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia that would include potentially the normalization of relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia.

But what U.S. officials want to be very clear in that sort of potential agreement is that the Palestinians are not left behind.

And they would want Israel to provide some sort of concessions to the Palestinians to make sure that a two-state solution between those two countries would still be in the realm of possibility.

What those concessions would look like is one of the many remaining questions here -- Jim?

SCIUTTO: Yes. Of course, looming large over all of this is Iran, a top threat to all three of those countries.

Kylie Atwood, at the State Department, thanks so much.

Brianna? KEILAR: It is deadline day for veterans who were exposed to toxic burn

pits and also other exposures to sign up for retroactive benefits. Transportation secretary and Navy veteran, Pete Buttigieg, will be joining us to talk about that, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:43:08]

KEILAR: Today is the final day for veterans affected by toxic burn pits and other toxic exposures, like chemically contaminated water at Camp Lejeune, to file a claim for retroactive benefits.

President Biden signing the PACT Act into law about one year ago and it lets veterans get tax-free monthly payments backdated to August 10, 2022.

Burn pits were commonly used to incinerate biohazardous waste, munitions, chemicals, plastics, all kinds of things at military sites in Iraq, Afghanistan and other paces.

Millions of military servicemembers were exposed to these toxic fumes that could lead to serious health issues, things like cancers and respiratory diseases.

Joining us now is Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. He's a Navy veteran. He deployed to Afghanistan in 2014.

Sir, thank you so much for being with us.

We know veterans can still apply after today, but if they want to see the retroactive payments, they do need to file by the end of today.

And, no doubt, this is an anniversary oof a huge achievement. But I've personally heard from Gold Star family members just finding out that they may be eligible, they're rushing to get their paperwork filed.

How concerned are you about some people may be slipping through the cracks of this deadline?

PETE BUTTIGIEG, TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY: I do want to emphasize this is not a deadline in order to get benefits. It's a deadline for those to be retroactive.

But we do urge everyone who is covered or who thinks you might be covered, if you haven't already signed on with the V.A. Web site to go ahead and start that process.

They're not even requiring you to complete the process, just that you start it in order to qualify for those benefits that are retroactive back to last August.

This was an extraordinary moment. I was there when the president signed that bill almost a year ago. I've got to tell you, out of a lot of events at the White House, it was by far the most emotional event for me. [13:45:06]

Because there are so many people who served not just post-9/11 veterans like me, but veterans of the Vietnam War and other conflicts, many of whom knew the dangers that they were facing going into a war zone but had no idea that one of those dangers was just in the air that they were breathing, that we were breathing.

This dramatically changes those eligibilities. Already hundreds of thousands of veterans have filed for claims and hundreds of thousands have gotten benefit.

But this, to be clear, is a commitment that lasts a lifetime for -- you know, when you raise your right hand and you promise to put your life on the line for your country, that is a blank check that people are writing to the United States of America, which is why it deserves to be met and responded to with a lifelong commitment.

That's exactly what this administration, and under this law, future administrations will be upholding for everyone who served under these conditions.

KEILAR: Yes. Look, it was an amazing day. I was there as well. It is one of those events where you think, man, I wasn't sure I was going to ever see this.

But DOD has mostly, at this point, stopped using burn pits after 2010. They, though, still used as a last resort in some places like Syria.

We have recently seen this water crisis at a military base in Hawaii that affected so many families.

You have that Military.com reporting about Marines who were poisoned by water on the "USS Boxer" and the Navy covering it up for years. The Navy didn't acknowledge it until it was uncovered by reporters this summer.

What will it take to change the culture of the military when it comes to what they expose servicemembers to, and convince them to be proactive?

BUTTIGIEG: Well, I think it takes vigilance, it takes oversight and it takes leadership. President Biden has been very clear to everybody in this administration and in the cabinet the priority that he places on taking care of veterans.

General Austin -- or Secretary Austin lives and breathes the well- being of those who serve. And so does Secretary McDonough, who leads the V.A.

But there's no question, no one can be satisfied when you see reports like this about what people are facing who are serving today or what people faced as a consequence of their service.

That is why the PACT Act, which represents the biggest leap forward in 30 years when it comes to taking care of the veterans who were exposed to toxic substances or fumes that resulted in service, is an example of what it takes to raise the bar and to never be satisfied with yesterday's norms, when it comes to taking care of today's veterans.

And, of course, today's active-duty servicemembers.

KEILAR: Just this week, I was speaking to a former Marine JAG, who has severe Parkinson's after he was exposed to chemically contaminated water at Camp Lejeune.

And one of the things he says is it's too late for him. He knows that. He's fighting for future servicemembers.

But one of the things that we've been seeing is this trend with recruitment numbers in the military. Do you think that problems like this are contributing to the recruitment crisis?

BUTTIGIEG: If we want to recruit the next generation of servicemembers, we have to demonstrate this is a country that will take care of them. We'll take care of you while you're serving. And that if anything happens to you because of your service, we will take care of you the rest of your life.

The PACT Act is an example of how we can make good on that commitment. Several other measures that the Department of Defense and the V.A. have taken with this administration, I think, continue to reflect that.

But there's no question that recruiting is an important reason. Of course, the most important reason is just it's the right thing to do.

I think about -- I had one tour in Afghanistan. I think about people I served with who were there on their third, fourth, fifth tour, and some of them went back a couple of more times before that conflict ended.

We have to do right by the men and women who put their lives on the line and, again, wrote that blank check to the United States of America saying they would give whatever it took to secure our ability to remain safe here at home.

KEILAR: Everyone is writing a check, right? Most people are writing checks to the government, because this is taxpayer money that pays for this.

Do you think there's increasingly an understanding that it would be cheaper to just make sure that these things don't happen, rather than deal with them on the back end when they get so expensive.

I mean, we're seeing what the costs financially is, even to people who have not served.

BUTTIGIEG: That's exactly right. Any idea that you can somehow save a taxpayer dollar by going on the cheap when it comes to fundamental issues like protecting our servicemembers, that is an illusion, to say nothing of the moral cost.

[13:50:07]

The financial cost to taxpayers, you know, sooner or later, that bill comes due. And we're not shying away from stepping up.

Look, I don't think any of the people who were involved in the PACT Act, in shaping it or signing it, none of them were decisionmakers during the Vietnam War, for example.

And yet that was an action where they took responsibility, really on behalf of the American taxpayers, took responsibility for taking care of the people who were affected by the way things were done with Agent Orange and munitions there. Same thing for the more recent conflicts.

But, yes, I know that these things can be expensive. That's one of the reasons it took a lot of work to get that PACT Act through.

I think it's something now that we think of as obvious. Of course, we're going to take care of veterans. Why wouldn't we?

Actually, it took some fighting. A lot of servicemembers, like the one you described, who were already facing severe, sometimes terminal conditions, some of them camped out on Capitol Hill saying you've got to get this done.

Members of both chambers and both parties agreed. The president strongly agreed and signed that bill. And so we can see how progress is made.

Any idea that it's not worth it, I think just values far too cheaply the service of the people we count on every day, whether we realize it or not, to make the American way of life possible.

KEILAR: That's why we wanted to talk to you about this today. There are still hours left in the day for folks who need to pay attention to this important deadline for them, for these back benefits.

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, we appreciate your time today to talk about this. Thank you.

BUTTIGIEG: Thank you. Appreciate you having me on.

KEILAR: Jim?

SCIUTTO: Coming up on CNN NEWS CENTRAL, wildfires just devastating Maui. Hospitals are overwhelmed as the state of Hawaii faces possibly the worst natural disaster it has seen in a generation.

We're going to speak with a top emergency management official at the top of the next hour. Please do stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:55:48]

SCIUTTO: We are following what is the largest jackpot in Mega Millions history. Someone hit it. A single ticket worth $1.58 billion -- that's a thousand millions -- was sold at a Publix grocery store in Jacksonville, Florida.

CNN's Amara Walker is there.

Amara, goodness, a billion and a half dollars. What do we know?

AMARA WALKER, CNN ANCHOR & CORRESPONDENT: Yes, I would be tongue-tied, too, thinking about how much money this person has just won. $1.58 billion is what the winner will be getting from this winning ticket, this Mega Millions ticket.

It was sold here, like you said, in Neptune Beach, Florida, 630 Atlantic Boulevard. It is the largest jackpot in this lottery's history.

And of course, everyone wants to know who defied the odds, the crazy odds of one in 303 million. And of course, what kind of payout will this winner opt for.

Will it be the lump sum of $783 million? That is the estimate. But of course, you have to factor in the fact that Uncle Sam will want a piece of that prize, so the take-home money will be closer to about $500 million. Or will this person choose to have the annual payments over 29 years?

We spoke to a few people here at this Publix. One woman admitted she did play the lottery but she did not purchase her ticket here. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I got a couple phone calls from a couple of friends asking me did I win this morning because it was -- you know, Atlantic Beach. And I was like, are you kidding? I was like, no, I didn't play at Publix.

But it was such a riot to get the phone calls from my friends saying is it me, is it me, is it me. I would have loved if it had been me.

(LAUGHTER)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: But that said, I mean, it's awesome, that close to home. I like it. I hope it happens again.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALKER: So, Jim, when will we know who this winner is? You have to keep in mind, it could be a few months because this person has up to 60 days to claim the prize, if they are claiming the cash payout.

And there's a 90-day grace period, according to Florida law, that protects the identity of this person unless they opt to release their name sooner.

I also want to mention, Jim, I am one of those winners. No the million dollars. But I did get that Mega Ball 14 correct, so I am $2 richer. I may share it with you.

SCIUTTO: Fantastic. You're buying dinner next time for the whole team.

Amara Walker, thanks so much.

Brianna?

(LAUGHTER)

KEILAR: The National Guard has now been deployed to Maui to help get the hurricane-fueled wildfires there under control. We're live from Hawaii, next.

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