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Interview With Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke: Hawaii Wildfires In Maui; 5 Americans Detained In Iran Release on House Arrest; Drug Shortages In U.S. Nearing Record Levels. Aired 3:30-4p ET

Aired August 10, 2023 - 15:30   ET

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

[15:30:00]

LT. GOV. SYLVIA LUKE, (D) HAWAII: You know, this all started because of the impact of Hurricane Dora, but it wasn't a direct impact. And usually we would expect significant amount of rain and flooding. We -- this is very devastating because what resulted was significant amount of wildfires because of the already dry condition and wind gusts upwards of 75 to 85 miles per hour.

You know, we are -- our hearts and prayers go out to individuals who have lost their family members, people who have lost their homes, businesses lost their -- all their investments in businesses, small businesses, the entire town of Lahaina was burned. And we were able to do -- we were able to get an ariel view with the Coast Guard yesterday afternoon, and some parts, as you recognize on Maui, are still burning. Lahaina is burnt down. And there was just -- just deeply sad and just shocking to see an ariel view where once a vibrant town, it was a significant, historic area and a place that many visitors and local residents visited, and it was just -- ashes and black and it's --

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: Yes, it's horrific. It's horrific, as you see it there. We spoke with one survivor.

I want to talk to you about the death toll because it is officially 36 at this point in time, but as we've been talking to people from the Lahaina area, they're telling us, you know, they have to go to certain little areas just to be able to text family or just to be able to call. And one survivor told us that he believes there are still hundreds that are missing. How concerned are you that the death toll is going to rise and maybe considerably?

LUKE: We are very concerned. You know, all these things just happened in the last few days, as of yesterday morning, the lives lost was six, and then by yesterday afternoon, late into the evening, it was confirmed 36. Search and rescue teams are still on the it ground looking for individuals that they can help. But at the same time, we are also getting calls from individuals. In fact, we have gotten calls nationally, family members looking for individuals that they cannot connect. And the fact that we have Coast Guard helping, we have National Guard helping, we're just so thankful for the federal support.

This morning the president signed a national declaration signifying that this is a disaster area, and with that we will get much more federal support. But clearly, as you recognize, the cell service is down, internet is down, because all the infrastructure is burnt down. And because of that, people are having a hard time making calls and they need to get to a satellite station or we need to actually go and do -- take a satellite phone from places to places just to connect people. And this is just so difficult and so tragic. And you know, we have -- we're sending individuals to help from other islands. We're deploying people, so this is just --

KEILAR: Are you sending people in, Lieutenant Governor -- are you sending people in with satellite phones or with some sort of infrastructure that is going to provide a signal so that people can get the message out to family members or to other people outside of the affected area?

LUKE: Yes. We're working very closely with Maui County and we have National Guard service, and they have satellite service and that's something that is already being done or more deployment will happen. Coast Guard members were -- have been flown in and out almost regularly. We actually landed Kahaluu yesterday to pick up a bunch of individuals who had to rescue people from the ocean to escape the flames. And if it wasn't for the help of many of the federal officials, Coast Guard, especially, rescuing individuals they took yesterday.

[15:35:00]

They took a bunch of supplies with mobile capability. So it has been a team effort and all the islands are pulling together to help this community.

KEILAR: What do you need? We were talking to someone in the Lahaina area, they said in addition to needing coms, they need food, they need fuel. They said people were actually running out of fuel because the infrastructure is gone there. What else do you need?

LUKE: Yes. You know, in addition to all the businesses, homes, we understand that even dialysis center was burnt down. So individual who needs medical attention are not able to get medical attention. We have confirmation like gas stations were burned and that's why we don't have fuel. You know, if you go on the Maui County, if you just go to Maui County website, they have a site available so people can make donations. We are delivering water, food, resources, but this is an all-hands-on deck, where the community needs great support. And overnight, they lost -- they lost everything.

KEILAR: Yes. No, these pictures are -- it's cataclysmic and we know there is a long road ahead for the residents there on Maui. Lieutenant governor, thank you so much for taking the time to be with us. We know you're very busy.

LUKE: Thank you.

KEILAR: And we know that for our viewers, you may want some more information about how you can help Hawaii wildfire victims. You can go to CNN.com/impact or text Hawaii to 707070 to donate. And we'll be right back.

[15:40:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN HOST: There is breaking news out of Iran. Five Americans who were held for years in an Iranian prison have now been released, but on house arrest. It is the first step in a deal between the United States and Iran that would include making $6 billion in frozen Iranian funds more accessible to Tehran.

KEILAR: Siamak Namazi, Emad Shargi, Morad Tahbaz, and then there's also fourth American not identified publicly. They were moved from Tehran's notorious Evin Prison today and the fifth American who also has not been publicly identified was also under house arrest.

We're joined now by someone who knows what it is like to be wrongfully detained at that very prison. Jason Rezaian, who was Tehran bureau chief when he was detained. He's now a columnist for the "Washington Post," he was held there for a year and a half between 2014 and 2016. Jason, thank you so much for joining us. What is your reaction to this news?

JASON REZAIAN, WRONGFULLY IMPRISONED IN IRAN FOR 544 DAYS: Well, I'm cautiously optimistic, Brianna. This is a day these families have been waiting for, for a very long time. But as you indicated in the introduction there's still a long way to go. They are not in the Evin Prison. And any day free from that hell hole is a good thing.

But you know, they are far from completely free. And they won't be free until they've left Iranian air space. And I know all too well from my own experience that, you know, the last hours, the last days, you know, there can be complications in these cases. So I'm hopeful. At the same time, you know, the tension and the anxiety for these five Americans and their families is going to remain high until they're all out of Iranian air space.

MARQUARDT: OK, so about the deal itself that has been struck? We understand that $6 billion are going to be unfrozen. That comes with conditions that there will also be prisoners who are sent back to Iran. What do you think of this deal that appears to be -- that is still, as you noted, a work in progress?

REZAIAN: Look, I think the details of the deal will become clearer in the days ahead and probably we won't know the full scope of it until it's actually completed, but my understanding is that these are frozen funds that have been held by the Korean government, subject to U.S. sanctions, but not under U.S. control. And that, you know, Korea had every right to send them back to Iran early. Other countries who have had similar sanctionable accounts in their countries have given, you know, direct access to Iran to those funds. So you know, it's not a gift to Tehran or, you know, a payment from the U.S. government.

But you know, aside from that, you know, the question that folks keep asking me, you know, is the merits and the wisdom of doing these kinds of deals. And the reality, Alex, is that if you don't do a deal, you're leaving Americans behind. And unfortunately, this is a phenomenon that is affecting American citizens, citizens of many of our allied countries on an increasing level, and I'm hopeful that Biden administration is doing more to cultivate deterrence to the horrible practice of taking hostages.

KEILAR: Because you know, Jason, you referred to Evin prison as a hell hole and you know, especially in the case of one of these detainees, seven and a half years, you know what it is like to be there.

[15:45:00]

Words that you spoke here on CNN during an interview where you talked about some of the things you did to reclaim some little bit of control that you could, are something I remember frequently. And if you could speak a little bit about what they have been going through because it's something that is going to change their lives forever.

REZAIAN: Certainly. I think I remember having that conversation with you about four years ago now, Brianna, and the experience of being in Evin, you know, it's more than seven years since I was released, it's still with me every day. And during that time that I was there, you do whatever you can to sort of maintain a sense of basic humanity, right, and agency. All choice is stripped from you, all opportunities to connect with the outside world are taken away from you. All of your rights are denied during that time.

So to come out of that is, you know, on the one hand very exhilarating, but at the same time, quite confusing and jarring. And these Americans have a long road ahead of them. And as I said, you know, they aren't free yet. Once they are, there'll be a lot of work to be done, you know, individually and I hope that they all are able to recover from what is really a kind of abuse of power that very few people can fully understand.

MARQUARDT: To that point, Jason, what would you recommend to these, you know, these prisoners who are coming home, some after many, many years? Obviously, everybody's experience is individual and unique, but what would you say to them?

REZAIAN: Well, I would say a couple of things. Take it slow. As someone who has been on the other side of this and now reports on these cases, I never ask for an interview of a hostage until they make it clear that they're ready to talk. Because you don't really know what your experience means to you until you have some distance from it.

And also, just, you know, take your time, be deliberate. Make the choice to be with your family as much as possible and gravitate towards people who make you feel good and avoid things that don't make you feel good. It sounds really simple, but, you know, when you come back to a sort of tornado of requests and information and access to information that has been denied to you for so long, it's not something that anybody is really naturally equipped to deal with. So the learning curve is steep, and it takes time, and I urge them to give themselves that time. But again, we're not there yet. KEILAR: Yes. Look, we're hoping that is advice that they are going to

be able to take very soon, and we are holding our breath as we wait to see what happens. It's not over until they're out of Iranian air space as you said. Jason Rezaian, thank you so, so much for being with us.

REZAIAN: Thank you for having me. I really appreciate it.

MARQUARDT: The medication shortage is growing in almost every state in the United States right now. 300 common prescriptions on the list. We'll tell you what is most difficult to find and who could be affected. That's ahead.

[15:50:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KEILAR: New this afternoon. America's drug shortages nearing a record level. More than 300 drugs are currently in low supply in the U.S. An alarming new survey out today shows it's a growing problem that can critically impact the type of care that patients receive. We have CNN's Meg Tirrell with us for more on this story. So important, Meg, what type of drugs are we talking about here?

MEG TIRRELL, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, so the American Society of Health System Pharmacists surveyed 1,100 of its members and they really signal that there are problems across all different therapeutic areas. But the one where they most frequently said there were critical shortages are for chemotherapy drugs. 57 percent of the health pharmacists who responded in the survey said that chemotherapy drugs were at a critical level in terms of the shortage. Now that means they had to ration care or even delay care cancel or cancel treatment altogether with these medicines.

We also saw them saying critical levels were seeing with other drugs like corticosteroids or oral liquids like of drugs like amoxicillin. Any parent of young children, of course, is very familiar for that one for things like ear infections -- it's bad not to be able to access that. And this really affects patient care. 85 percent of these respondents said they had to ration. 42 percent said delaying or canceling care -- Brianna.

KEILAR: Wow. OK, so you're also report today on a continuing shortage of another kind of drug, which is the weight loss medicine Wegovy. What's happening with that?

TIRRELL: Yes, this is a completely different situation. This is a very new drug but the demand is just so high for this medicine. The company told me today that they are continuing to have to essentially restrict starter doses of this medication into 2024. Previously they had said that should end by September but it's still hard for them to meet demand. And we're seeing this for Eli Lily seeing with its drug Mounjaro as well, that we are seeing spot shortages of that drug too. Very different reason, still drug shortages.

KEILAR: Yes, all right, Meg. thank you so much for that -- Alex. MARQUARDT: All right, well you've heard of the wild demands from some

celebrities to change things in their greenrooms backstage. You had Van Halen who reportedly wanted all the brown M&Ms in their M&Ms jar removed. Adele wanted packs of Marlboro lights. Well today we learned about the world number three golfer and what his number one request is. Stay with us.

[15:55:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KEILAR: So before we go, we want to show you a fun moment from the world of pro golf. This week Spanish player Jon Rahm was asked what he would change about the PGA tour. If he could change anything, anything at all. Prize money? No. Different courses? No. Listen to what he wants.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JON RAHM, PROFESSIONAL GOLFER: If I have to -- if I go by request -- I know this is going to sound very stupid. But as simple as having a freaking port-a-potty in every hole. I know it sounds crazy but I can't choose when I have to go to the bathroom. Right? You know, I told the tour this many times, as simple as that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MARQUARDT: Thank him for his honesty.

KEILAR: It's just a little want in life.

MARQUARDT: Yes.

KEILAR: Reading into this was hilarious. Because if you go back and look at the Masters, Brooks Koepka, you know, was leading going into the final round and Jon Rahm ended up winning. But Brooks Koepka blamed part of his like falling apart on the fact that there was slow play and part of it was, he said, that Jon Rahm peed seven times during that final round. So yes, he wants a toilet.

[16:00:00]

MARQUARDT: It's like four hours of play.

KEILAR: Yes.

MARQUARDT: How many miles? Six to eight miles and you're in the sweltering heat. I get it. It's hard doing a three-hour TV show without running down the hall.

KEILAR: Which we didn't. As a former golfer and someone with children, I would say you go when you can go. That's what you do. And then you just figure it out.

"THE LEAD" with Jake Tapper starts now.