Return to Transcripts main page
CNN News Central
At Least 36 People Dead In Catastrophic Maui Wildfires; Ecuador Presidential Candidate Assassinated During Rally; Biden Marks 1 Year Since Signing Toxic Exposure Bill For Veterans, But More Work Is Needed; Inflation Heats Up For First Time In A Year. Aired 2:30-3p ET
Aired August 10, 2023 - 14:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:32:27]
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: Returning now to paradise lost. Just catastrophic wildfires in Maui. Countless families are agonizing this hour, unable to reach loved ones after the historic town of Lahaina burned to the ground.
Listen to one Lahaina resident as she saw the devastation from her boat in the harbor.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, my god.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: Here is what we know at this hour. There are 36 confirmed dead. More than 2,000 people are in shelters. There are more than 270 buildings that are either ashes now or they are damaged.
Joining us now, we have Malika Dudley, a meteorologist and Maui County correspondent for our CNN affiliate, KITV4.
Malika, listen, I know your family has been through a lot. And I want to talk to you about that first.
Tell me a little bit about your situation. I understand you have a 10- month-old, a 7-year-old, a 10-year-old, and a foreign exchange student, and there was some worry about what was happening with your house.
Take me through what you and your neighbors have been going through.
MALIKA DUDLEY, MAUI COUNTY CORRESPONDENT, KITV4: Yes. Thank you for having me on.
It's really important to get the word out. And we really do need help here. Back when I was directly impacted, we didn't know that it would come to this.
At 1:00 a.m., I smelled smoke. And as a meteorologist I report on this all the time. We have red flag warnings pretty regularly. So we knew that there would be really, really high winds. We knew that there was low humidity and lots of dry brush. We had no way of anticipating this.
At 1:00 a.m., when I smelled the smoke, it was alarming but not a panic. At 1:30, woke my husband up again, 2:00, again. He kept saying, it's probably far away. We're going to be fine.
At 3:00 a.m., we got a call from our neighbors that said get out. Looked out the window, and the sky was red.
So ran downstairs, woke up all of the kids, threw them into the car with our important documents and our bug-out binder, just grabbed whatever, a suitcase, and threw stuff into it.
As we were driving out, we passed firefighters and tried to get information. They were basically -- had to hold off. They were there to protect life and property if it came to that.
But at that time, they were just allowing the fire to burn through the brush and waiting to see what would happen. Unfortunately, they couldn't do water drops because the winds were so high.
[14:35:08]
And as we were leaving -- and it was dark. It was the middle of the night, 3:00 A.M. As we were leaving our neighborhood, we saw police officers at every single house evacuating our neighborhood.
So the response initially was very quick, you know, all hands on the ground. Only one subdivision at that time was being impacted.
And so we are safe. Our home is still standing. Although we had a couple of close calls over the last couple of days.
My husband is there right now. He said the fire is still active. We aren't going to be going back because there's no power. The floor is covered in ash. Everything's covered in ash.
It's just not safe to be there right now, especially since we haven't had the all clear.
KEILAR: I'm so thankful that your house is OK. There are so many people obviously not in that position, some of them your neighbors.
Tell us what you are hearing from other people, and also people who don't necessarily know where their loved ones are. Because we know that there are some concerns about communications and being able to get in touch with people.
DUDLEY: Oh, yes. So since then, the situation devolved pretty quickly. Multiple fires started. So Maui is like a turtle. It's the big part of Maui and the head of the turtle is where Lahaina is.
And there were multiple areas of fires. Then Lahaina also had a fire. So if you can imagine just how the resources had to be spread out. And 100 firefighters were on duty for 24 hours. And that was calling
all hands on deck. At the time, it seemed -- it was overwhelming. It seemed like we really didn't have the help that we needed.
Now fast forward to yesterday. We started to get help from the national government, the federal government, and I think that has really helped.
The winds have come down a little bit, so that also helped with the fire-fighting effort.
What I'm hearing from people -- and if you can imagine, in Lahaina, 29 power poles went down. So the winds blew the power poles down, the power poles -- this is my personal opinion because, obviously, there have not been investigations done yet on the cause of the fire.
But when a power pole comes down, it sparks, and we've heard this from witnesses, as well. And with winds gusting into 80-mile-per-hour or more, that is how the fires spread very, very quickly.
The power lines are down, so that means also no power. And fiber optics have been impacted in Lahaina.
So in Lahaina, it was just the perfect storm of all of the wrong ingredients to create this situation.
And on top of that, no one -- people could not get in touch with others. People are missing. And we still don't have communications.
Right now, we've had buses taking the people from the shelter in Lahaina to an area where now they're finally getting cell reception. We're just starting to have names trickle in of survivors.
KEILAR: Which is so important. I mean, waiting all of this time for those family members is excruciating.
We spoke with the state senator from Lahaina. He said they need food, they need fuel, and they need tourists who have travel plans in that area to stay out.
What else -- what else do people need?
DUDLEY: This is going to be a very long, difficult process for all of us here on Maui. We already have a housing crisis. So when I think about the long term, that's what concerns me the most. Where are people going to live?
You know, we already have Hawaiians -- native Hawaiians, this is their land -- that have to leave and move somewhere else, somewhere that isn't their land.
And when something like this happens, I personally feel like that should be made a priority to keep our people and our residents here on the island.
And that plan has not yet been outlined by our government. I think that's something that we are eager to hear what the plan is.
But obviously, there are immediate needs to shelter people. With hundreds of people now at the War Memorial Center, community center, fortunately, I should say.
Fortunately, there, they do have food and lots of donations coming in. My best friend worked there all day yesterday. And she said support has been overwhelming.
And they've been just sorting things all day long. Everything from diapers to really whatever you need. So that's the good news.
[14:40:00]
The other need is monetary support. If you are anywhere in the world and you want to help us on Maui, please go to Hawaii Community Foundation's Web site and donate.
That is a reputable organization this is going to make sure that that money stays here on Maui and helps Maui people in the best way possible.
There's also Maui United Way, Maui Food Bank. Those would be my top three for donations.
And you can go to Mauirapidresponse on Instagram. They're also working on a Web site. I'm not sure if it's up yet, but it's Mauirapidresponse.org.
And that is where you can offer your help in services. Things like -- construction companies are reaching out and saying I've got trucks, does anyone need a giant dump truck to haul something? You know, some things like that.
KEILAR: Malika, that is incredibly helpful. I know that our viewers are going to be very interested.
We're grateful that your family is OK.
Malika Dudley, thank you for being with us and for spreading the word.
DUDLEY: Thank you.
KEILAR: And if you are interested to know how you can help Hawaii wildfire victims, just go to CNN.com/impact. You can also text "Hawaii" to 707070 to donate.
Alex?
ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN HOST: It will be a long road to recovery.
Now the government in Ecuador has declared a state of emergency after a presidential candidate was assassinated on the campaign trail.
The attack appears to have been caught on camera. Look at this. Candidate Fernando Villavicencio was leaving a rally near the capital
yesterday. As he gets into that waiting car, you can hear the shots fired.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(GUNFIRE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MARQUARDT: Journalist David Shortell is following this for us.
David, this is obviously an active investigation. What more are you learning about it?
DAVID SHORTELL, JOURNALIST: Yes, law enforcement just gave a briefing earlier this morning. I'll take you through a few of the pieces of new information that we just learned.
We now know that there were six men arrested in a series of overnight raids around the capital city of Quito. That's according to the interior minister of Ecuador who said the men are all believed to be foreign nationals.
The interior minister also said they're believed to be connected to organized criminal groups operating in the country. Although, he didn't say or specify which gangs they're believed to be involved in.
Those raids turning up a real cache of weapons. Among them a machine gun, three hand grenades.
Now those capping what was an explosive evening in Ecuador just 10 days ahead of the presidential elections.
To reset, it was around 6:15 p.m. when Villavicencio left the campaign rally to go to a school in the capital city of Quito. He was walking to a car, as you see on that video, when we hear the sound. About 12 gunshots rang out.
We're now learning more about his security detail that evening. According to the interior minister, he had three levels of protection within his details. Among them, several police officers and two patrol cars at the site of the rally that evening.
Now apparently, his campaign also had an armored vehicle in their possession, but it was in a different city in Ecuador that night, so it was not with him at the campaign rally.
Alex, this is obviously a very important time for Ecuador. They are going forward about their elections in 10 days' time. Some candidates have suspended their campaigns.
But it's going to move forward. This obviously a very important topic of discussion.
MARQUARDT: Very important. And an extraordinary attack that has shaken that country right before this election.
David Shortell, thank you very much for that report. Appreciate it.
Brianna?
KEILAR: Still ahead, President Biden today talking up the one-year anniversary of a bill to help veterans who were exposed to toxic burn pits and other toxins. A reality check on the progress made and the work that still has to be done, next on CNN NEWS CENTRAL.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:46:15]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We have many obligations as a nation. We only have one truly sacred obligation, and that's to equip those we send into harm's way and care for them and their families when they come home and when they don't.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: President Biden there commemorating the one-year anniversary of the PACT Act, which provides benefits to veterans exposed to burn pits, Agent Orange, and other toxins.
The law also allowed victims of water contamination at Camp Lejeune, the Marine base in North Carolina, the ability to file lawsuits against the government.
That includes Eddie Peterson, who served as a military lawyer at Lejeune back in eight 70s. Later went on to be an assistant D.A. in Tennessee and was forced to give up his successful law career as Parkinson's disease took over his body.
A new study, by the way, shows poisoned Lejeune veterans are 70 percent more likely to have Parkinson's.
Eddie and as many as a million other young Marines, civilian staff and their family members, who served and lived on base from the 1950s to the 1980s, had no idea they were bathing their children in, washing clothes in, and drinking water so contaminated that it would later be linked to 15 categories of cancers and other conditions.
Eddie's speech is now severely affected by his advanced Parkinson's so we have subtitled him so that you can understand him.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
EDDIE PETERSON, AFFECTED BY TOXIC CHEMICALS AT CAMP LEJEUNE: A crime against humanity. A crime against -- responsible for misdeeds.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: He wants those who are responsible for this held responsible for their misdeeds.
And while many veterans already benefited this past year from the PACT Act, many lawsuits brought by Lejeune veterans, like Eddie, are proceeding at a crawl through the courts and increasingly becoming wrongful death claims.
Among them, Corporal Daniel Thomas Clark, who died from kidney cancer and lung cancer in February at just 63 years old. Clark served in the Marine Corps for eight years straight out of high school.
Then in early May, Shelby Jean Hunter, a former civilian employee at Lejeune who served as the base housing clerk and librarian, died of breast cancer.
A day later, Corporal Alfred Eugene Benson passed away from bladder cancer and kidney failure.
In his obituary, his family highlights his two tours in Vietnam and later his government work providing top-secret communications for government officials, including then-Secretary of State Henry Kissinger during peace talks in the Middle East during the '70s.
In early June, Private First-Class Danny Lee Williams died from bladder cancer.
Later that month, James Arthur Thomson, from Medford, Oregon, passed away from kidney cancer at just 63 years old.
Their families now taking up their legal battles alongside living plaintiffs like Eddie.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PETERSON: I can't forget -- it happened to Marines and wives and daughters and sons. It's atrocious. Nobody can make me whole again. Nobody can give me back 22 years. Nobody can give a husband back and my two daughters a daddy back.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: Just three weeks ago, judges in the Eastern District of North Carolina, who are overseeing all Lejeune-related civil cases, finally named a leadership team of seven lawyers representing plaintiffs to shepherd thousands of cases and settlements through the legal process.
I did speak with a partner for the Bell Legal Group, which handles the majority of the civil cases currently pending, including Eddie's, and they're expecting a year to a year and a half to be seeing trials and settlements. So quite some time ahead still.
[14:50:09]
Alex?
MARQUARDT: So important to stay on that. New today, consumer prices ticking up for the first time in more than
12 months. How that's affecting our daily lives. That's next on CNN NEWS CENTRAL.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MARQUARDT: A cooling streak snapped. For the first time in more than a year, inflation is back up. A new report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows consumer prices jumped 3.2 percent annually over last July.
Here's what's driving it. Stubbornly high costs for food and housing with the latter accounting for 90 percent of that July increase.
Thankfully, other prices continue to cool, but hikes for some goods and services are still coming in way too hot.
CNN's Nathaniel Meyersohn has more details.
Nathaniel, what are you seeing?
NATHANIEL MEYERSOHN, CNN CONSUMER REPORTER: Alex, one thing that's pretty interesting that was not in the report today is that it's going to be more expensive to watch some of your favorite Disney movies.
Disney said yesterday it's going to hike prices on Disney Plus, the streaming service.
Back in 2019, when Disney first introduced Disney Plus, it cost $6.99 a month. Now it's $10.99. And in October, it's set to go up to $13.99 a month. So that's a 20 percent increase in just over a year.
[14:55:05]
And it's really a sign of trouble in the streaming industry. Investors are putting a ton of pressure on these companies to make money, and so Disney is hiking prices.
MARQUARDT: Yes. Those streaming subscriptions up all across the board.
Nathaniel, we're also seeing impacts with orange juice, which is a staple for so many families. Explain what you're seeing there.
MEYERSOHN: So, Alex, most of the orange production in this country is in Florida, but Florida suffered from hurricanes and a citrus disease that has led to short orange supply.
So last year, orange futures were at $1.08 a pound and now jumped to $3 a-pound. And that's going to mean higher prices for customers at the grocery store on orange juice in the coming months.
MARQUARDT: All right. Nathaniel Meyersohn, we know you're all over it. Thank you very much.
Brianna?
KEILAR: Orange juice.
So at least -- and this is the number we have at this point -- 36 people have been killed in Hawaii's wildfires. Thousands now evacuating in the ongoing struggle to contain the flames.
And we are still looking for details that are evolving here. We have the state's lieutenant governor joining us in the next hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
