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At least 55 Killed in Maui Wildfires; Maui Residents Struggle to Find Supplies; Lauren Henrie is Interviewed about Help in Hawaii; Hearing in Trump Case; Jason Rezaian is Interviewed about Americans in Iran. Aired 9-9:30a ET

Aired August 11, 2023 - 09:00   ET

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

[09:00:37]

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: An apocalyptic scene in Maui. The death toll is soaring as we get new reports from the devastation.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: And, back in court. Donald Trump's legal team is about to appear before the judge in the 2020 election case for the first time, as prosecutors are now asking to start the trial in January. What is the judge going to say?

BERMAN: Five Americans wrongly detained in Iran on the verge of freedom after the U.S. strikes a deal with Tehran.

I'm John Berman, with Kate Bolduan. This is CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

This morning the scenes in parts of Maui are apocalyptic as rescue crews reach new areas. The death toll, it rose sharply overnight to 55. The governor estimates some 80 percent of buildings in Lahaina were destroyed. It's hard to get a firm number because nearly everything there has been turned to ash.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHIEF JOHN PELLETIER, MAUI POLICE: When the mayor said it's all gone, it's all gone. It's all gone. It's gone.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm telling you, none of it's there. It's all burned to the ground.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: The mayor says the death toll is likely to rise. They have only been able to count bodies found outside structures, and many people are still unaccounted for. Today, search and rescue teams from California and Washington state will join the effort in hopes of finding more people alive. Among the missing is Linda Vaikeli. Her family has not heard from her since Wednesday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BETH MCLEOD, MOTHER-IN-LAW MISSING: They're looking, but we have not heard anything yet. And from what I've seen, it looks like their apartment complex is completely gone.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: Also missing, disabled veteran Timm "TK" Williams. His family last heard from him on Wednesday when he sent them photos of the fire. He told them he was trying to find shelter, but his family still does not know if he made it.

More than 11,000 customers are still without power. Cell service nearly nonexistent. The scope of the loss is just overwhelming.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FLORLAN BAYOL, LOST HOME IN FIRE: There's a lot of people, more than 36 people that didn't make it. I tried to warn a lot -- as many people as I could. We tried. There was a lot of people like -- I think there's just like so chaotic that nobody knew. There was no phone connections. And as much as I was trying to save and let people know there was no options. I just had to go. I don't mind being homeless. I just more like caring for the community.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: It is so hard.

CNN's Bill Weir is on the ground in Maui this morning.

Bill, thank you for being with us.

Give us a sense of what you're seeing and what the situation is.

BILL WEIR, CNN CHIEF CLIMATE CORRESPONDENT: It is so devastating, John. Your heart just breaks for these people. So many people on this island, affected. Even those who didn't maybe live in Lahaina, work in the -- on the west side of Maui here. That's where most of the tourists come. So, this will affect hundreds of thousands of people on this island.

And right now the Camp Fire of 2018 in California which took 85 lives there in Paradise, California, is the deadliest in U.S. history. This probably will exceed that. They are worried that the number could reach into the hundreds because so many people were caught between this wall of flame and the Pacific Ocean. Those who did try to evacuate were stuck on the road in bumper-to-bumper traffic there. Many others we know went into the waves to try to find relief, spent hours there, others didn't survive either from smoke inhalation or taking by those choppy waves. You've got to remember, the wind at this time was 60, 70 miles an hour.

I talked to one farmer, Eddie Garcia, who had fought the flames himself, was trying to build a fire break on his farm when he saw a tornado, which has never been seen in this part of the world before. It took part of his equipment away. But you can see the emotion as he describes how many lives were affected by this one disaster.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) WEIR: But you were telling me that this is not just one village on Maui, this will affect all of Maui.

EDDIE GARCIA, FARMER IN MAUI: Every single person.

[09:05:00]

Every one of my friends lost their job because the building they worked at. So much of the people that live here, work here on the west side. It's like where the hotels are. It's where all the tourists come. It's the reason we don't have beaches, you know. So it's like, everyone's lost their job, they've lost their house, they've lost their family. I think there's going to be hundreds of people dead. And I don't say that as any conspiracy theory. I just look at how fast it moved.

And I know how people are around here. We're all in slippers. You know, it happens -- what happens? How are you going to get out that fast? It's all wooden houses super close together in that neighborhood.

You've probably been here on vacation. If there's a way you can help, it's your turn. Help here because it's needed. Every single home in Lahaina is gone. It's like I said before, it's apocalyptic.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WEIR: You know, in the best of times, on an island like this, in the middle of the Pacific, like a gallon of milk is $12 here. So now they have to deal with a whole new level of hardship, cutoff supply lines, no electricity, no communication now. And that's really, John, the most excruciating part for families just waiting for proof of life from someone they love.

BERMAN: Bill, obviously, you know, it's 3:00 a.m. where you are now. It's dark. But you and I were speaking, I was hearing from you by phone when you were first arriving on Front Street in Lahaina last night. Just give me a sense of what was it like when you first arrived there. What did you see?

WEIR: Well, the first thing is the smell. You can smell the burning chemicals, the boats that had melted in the harbor there. It's just acrid smoke sort of thick in the air. There are very little life. There were some work crews out just sort of cleaning up the roads, helicopters overhead, National Guard helicopters, the big Chinooks there as well.

And then just utter devastation. Just, you know, bent and burned and charred pieces of people's lives, their businesses. Saw one of the most vibrant tourist spots really in the United States there just laid to ash everywhere. Everywhere you look there's that iconic Banin (ph) tree which, thankfully, looks like that survived, which will be a boost -- morale boost for people now.

But it's so many pieces to pick through, John. So many lives to account for right now. It's really just - it's just taken the wind out of people's emotional sails here. It's going to be a hard road in the next couple days.

BERMAN: It really is hard to process some of the images we're seeing of buildings just flattened there or, in some cases, melting in on themselves.

Bill Weir, thank you for being there for us. We look forward to speaking to you again throughout the day.

Kate, really it is just extraordinary to see.

BOLDUAN: And hearing that they don't even have an estimate of how many people are still missing, it's just so hard.

BERMAN: They haven't been able to get inside the structures yet where maybe so many people have been trapped.

BOLDUAN: Yes. Exactly.

These wildfires that just ripped through Maui, they've already become one of the deadliest fires in U.S. history. And the federal government is stepping in, sending the FEMA administrator in today for one. Maui's mayor spoke -- for one thing. Maui's mayor spoke to NBC this morning, laying out their top priorities right now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR RICHARD BISSEN, MAUI COUNTY, HAWAII: We have not yet searched in the interior of the buildings. We're waiting for FEMA to help with that search as they are equipped to handle the hazmat conditions of the buildings that have been burned.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: Which, as we were just talking about, which means the death toll could very easily and quickly rise once they are able to get inside these structures.

President Biden has approved a disaster declaration that will send in and free up more federal aid. And it is clear people on the island are in great need.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ARLYN CAMPO, STRUGGLING TO FIND SUPPLIES: We need formula, diapers, ice, water and just food.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What's going through your mind right now?

CAMPO: I'm - I'm a little worried because I have a four month old and a two-year-old.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: Oh, my gosh.

CNN's Priscilla Alvarez, she's at the White House following this angle for us.

Priscilla, what is the White House doing? What is the administration saying this morning? What are they doing to help?

PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kate, this disaster declaration is a key step in mobilizing federal resources to these communities that have been devastated by the wildfires. So, as you mentioned, President Biden approved this disaster declaration just yesterday. And it will unlock a couple of things here, including grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans for uninsured property losses and other programs to help individuals and businesses recover.

Now, a White House official also told me that Hawaii has asked FEMA for shelter supplies, like water, cots, food, blankets. And President Biden himself has talked to the Hawaii governor. We know that he did just yesterday. And that he also spoke to how he plans to have federal assets continue to go to Hawaii and shore up resources.

[09:10:05]

Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I've ordered all available federal assets on the island, including the U.S. Coast Guard and the Navy third fleet and the U.S. Army to assist local emergency response crews along with the Hawaiian National Guard. We're working as quickly as possible to fight these fires and evacuate residents and tourists.

In the meantime, our prayers are with the people of Hawaii. But not just our prayers, every asset we have will be available to them. And we've seen - they've seen their homes, their businesses destroyed and some have lost loved ones. And it's not over yet.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ALVAREZ: Of course, all of those assets will be important to their recovery. We also know that the FEMA administrator is headed to Hawaii today where she, too, will survey the damage and report back to the White House.

Kate.

BOLDUAN: Priscilla Alvarez at the White House. They are going to need to help. Just take a look at those pictures we're seeing coming out of - coming out of the island. You need to see nothing more than that.

John.

BERMAN: No, really, the pictures do tell the story. And a reminder, thousands of people have lost their homes there.

Joining me now is Lauren Henrie with Maui Rescue Mission.

Lauren, thank you so much for being with us. The official death toll overnight rose to 55. I know you have fears

that it will likely rise much higher. Why?

LAUREN HENRIE, COMMUNICATIONS SPECIALIST, MAUI RESCUE MISSION: Yes. Thanks, John.

So, I'm here at a hyper local level working with nonprofits. So, Maui Rescue Mission is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. We are a mobile outreach to the homeless. And we've been here before the disaster and will be here after.

Our concerns are that we, as a local nonprofit, are not able to even access anything west of Mt. Alia (ph). West Maui is completely cut off from communication and power. Our local Facebook groups, which are really important to a really tight-knit community here on Maui, we're seeing a list of 1,400 names missing. That's very fluid. But that's sort of what we're seeing at a hyper local level.

We're sending materials -- churches, nonprofits are sending materials via boat to west Maui and via air because the two ways to access the west side of Maui are closed off to everyone except emergency personnel right now.

BERMAN: Yes, you can't even get in by road unless you're the emergency personnel, is that correct?

HENRIE: That's right. And to orient your viewers a bit, if you don't understand the geography of Maui, it's going to be hard to understand the scope of the devastation here. So, the center of town is - is called Kahakuloa (ph), and that is in the valley. So, there's two mountain ranges on Maui. So there's the West Maui Mountains and Haliapala (ph), and the central valley is in the middle there. And that's where the only Walmart, Target and Costco is for the whole island.

And so transportation and access to resources is something we work with on a daily basis at Maui Rescue Mission, getting resources to the homeless. And, you know, before this we were working with a homeless woman on the west side to try to get her to fly to Oahu for emergency surgery because oftentimes Maui residents have to fly to Oahu for things like specialist doctors appointments and surgeries. And so burn victims are being flown to Oahu.

BERMAN: What's your sense of the greatest need in the affected areas right now?

HENRIE: Yes, so as a - as a sort of local nonprofit, we are -- we are waiting for the approval to be able to access the areas that we can drive our trailer that has showers and laundry and hygiene items. Like, we're waiting to access those areas of greatest need. So, to be honest, we don't know. The scope is not clear. This is going to be an unbelievable recovery.

But, John, the fires are still raging here. There's not 100 percent containment. There's three different wildfires. And so we're still in the middle of this thing. But from a local level, as FEMA comes in and as we get all of this help, like, please just (INAUDIBLE) up with the local leaders here, the local reporters, like, because they're here, they know the terrain, they know the communities. It's a very unique place here, Maui. And - but the Maui police -- the police chief referred to Lahaina, the entire town, as a sacred burial ground in the news conference yesterday.

BERMAN: Yes.

HENRIE: And so we just ask that everybody share their aloha. A collaborative spirit is really what we need. And we're so grateful that the president is sending resources. And we -- we're going to need it.

[09:15:05]

And so if your viewers are feeling like they want to do something, if you can give to a local 501(c)(3) that is on Maui that has been here, like I said before, the disaster and will be here after, doing things like hygiene kits, like what Maui Rescue Mission is doing, please do that. Give to a 501(c)(3) that's local here. That would really bring the greatest -- because we are looking at years, years of recovery here.

BERMAN: It's going to take a lot of time, a lot of work and a lot of heart. They're lucky to have you there.

Lauren Henrie, thank you very much for being with us this morning. Appreciate it.

HENRIE: Thank you, John.

BERMAN: She was just saying what people can do to help. For more information about what you can do, go to cnn.com/impact or text "Hawaii" to 707070 to donate.

Kate.

BOLDUAN: Coming up for us, it is the first hearing in former President Trump's 2020 criminal case, as prosecutors are making a big new ask to start the trial in the beginning of January. It's all happening next hour.

Plus, five Americans, including these -- well, we will show you -- these three men who are right now detained in Iran are a big step closer to coming home as the U.S. announces a prisoner swap deal with the Iranian regime. Jason Rezaian, the journalist who was wrongfully detained himself in Iran for 544 days, he joins us to talk about what the road ahead looks like.

And a CNN exclusive, the captain of the Alabama riverboat at the center of that massive brawl speaking out for the first time. What he says happened.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JIM KITTRELL, CAPTAIN OF HARRIOTT II: But, you know, I saw it, like everybody else saw it. It looks like white people attacking a black man.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:20:51]

BERMAN: A landmark day in the January 6th case against Donald Trump. The first hearing before Federal Judge Tanya Chutkan. This is the first time we will hear from her as prosecutors just filed a motion to start the trial in January. Today we're looking for any signs for how she might proceed.

CNN's senior legal affairs correspondent Paula Reid is outside the court.

Today's hearing isn't about timing exactly, Paula, but everything at this point seems like it's about timing.

PAULA REID, CNN SENIOR LEGAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: You are absolutely right, John, everything in this case is about timing and about speed because the defense strategy is to delay, delay, delay, which you also have prosecutors asking for a speedy trial.

Now, we'll get to that in a second. Today's hearing is about the rules for handling sensitive evidence in this case. And this will be the first time they're appearing before Judge Chutkan. She is an Obama appointee. She's been on the bench for a decade and overseen dozens of January 6th cases. And both sides will have the opportunity to present their arguments for how they think the most sensitive evidence should be handled as it is shared between prosecutors and defense attorneys leading up to a trial.

Now, just yesterday, prosecutors said that they believe this trial should start on January 2nd, 2024. John, by any objective measure that's a pretty quick timeline for a case like this. But prosecutors say it's in the public interest to move this case along quickly.

Defense attorneys have another week before they have to weigh in and offer their suggestion for a possible trial date. And we'll all be back here in three weeks, on August 28th, when Judge Chutkan says she intends to set a trial date for this case.

But we'll be watching today to see how quickly she makes the decision on these rules and really just her demeanor, how she's going to handle this case because this is her first test before the media, before these lawyers, and this is going to definitely be likely the biggest case of her career.

BERMAN: It will set the tone today for what we will likely see in the weeks and months ahead.

Paula Reid, great to have you there. You'll be giving us updates as quickly as we can get them from inside the courtroom.

Thank you.

Kate.

BOLDUAN: Also this morning, five Americans, all wrongfully detained in Iran, are one step, and a big step, closer to freedom. Siamak Namazi, Emad Sharghi and Morad Tahbaz and another American who did not want to be identified, are now out of the notorious Evin Prison in Tehran and on house arrest, along with a fifth American. While all still will be under guard, this marks a big move and really is the first indication in years of any progress in negotiations for their release.

In exchange for their return, we're learning that the United States will release some $6 billion of Iranian funds that have been locked up over sanctions in South Korea. Also under the terms of the agreement, Iran would only be able to use the money for humanitarian purchases, like food and medicines.

Joining us right now is "Washington Post" global opinions writer Jason Rezaian, who was wrongfully detained himself in Iran, in that same prison, for 544 days, finally released in 2016.

Jason, thank you for coming back in.

JASON REZAIAN, GLOBAL OPINIONS WRITER, "WASHINGTON POST": Thanks for having me.

BOLDUAN: This is a step. Still a long road, though, from getting them home. What could these final weeks, days and final hours look like? How many complications could there be?

REZAIAN: Well, Kate, I can tell you that, in the final days and hours of my detention, in an Evin Prison, there were many complications. And the whole thing almost fell apart right at the end on the last night. So, I -- look, I -- I'm glad to hear this news. I'm very happy that these five Americans are out of Evin Prison. It's one of the last places in the world anybody would want to be. I think it's a step towards their freedom, but -- but I want to remain vigilant and caution viewers and everybody in the media reporting on it to understand that things could still go sideways.

BOLDUAN: We know about the $6 billion becoming more available, but after so many years, and we are talking about five people, I mean, do you think that Iran is going to be getting more than what is so far out there in return?

[09:25:12]

REZAIAN: I don't know the precise details of what would be made available to Iran, but what I will say is that they've been doing this for a very long time. And in almost all of the cases that I'm aware of, it was in an attempt to get some financial gain. But we have to remember that these funds were oil revenues that were in an account in South Korea, that the South Koreans held on to as really a favor to the U.S. government, essentially saying, hey, we're not going to make this money available back to Iran without the permission of the United States. Other countries have had similar accounts and made the funds available

to Iran without any sort of signoff from the U.S. So, this was leverage that we had. And if we're going to use leverage for anything, it should be for the safety of American citizens. That's what I think.

Is it good to give access to money to Iran? I don't think so. But unfortunately, we don't have a lot of deterrents in place. So, you know, I -- until we do, you can expect to see more and more of these cases. It's not going to stop until there's something credible standing in the way. And that just doesn't exist right now.

BOLDUAN: You know, one of the last times -- I was looking back, Jason. One of the last times we spoke you were - you were on my show with Emad Sharghi's sister, Neda. We -- I know you have and I've followed this case very closely. I want to play something that she said during our conversation back in September.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NEDA SHARGHI, BROTHER DETAINED IN IRAN: Bringing Americans home will always unite our nation. And not doing so will really cause harm and divisiveness and damage to sort of the identity of who we are as Americans. We don't leave our Americans behind. We need to bring them home.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: Same time you have people like, just one example, Mike Pence speaking out after the announcement of this, questioning at what cost to bring Americans home. Pence put out a Twitter statement, Jason, saying that -- calling this "the largest ransom payment in American history to the Mullahs in Tehran."

What's your perspective on this given your experience, of course? I mean the cost of securing Americans' freedom in exchange for other prisoners and the $6 billion we've talked about?

REZAIAN: What I would say is that I'm proud and grateful to live in a country where my government cares about my freedom and my safety. Right now, because we don't have other mechanisms to stop the phenomenon of hostage-taking, it's really a binary choice. Leave people behind to languish in prison for years and years, or potentially die or be murdered, or negotiate with their captors. It's that simple.

And, you know, I'm not in a position to know if a better deal was available or not available, but administrations, going back to Thomas Jefferson, have negotiated for the release of Americans, including the Trump administration. So, it's really disingenuous for former Vice President Pence to come out in that way.

I think, you know, there's still a lot of details that we don't know about that we'll get and made clear hopefully when these men and one woman apparently are ultimately freed. But in the meantime, I think Americans should rejoice in the fact that our citizenship still matters to our government because many countries do not negotiate for their citizens being held hostage.

BOLDUAN: Yes. If anyone knows, you do, Jason.

It's good to see you again. Thanks for coming in.

REZAIAN: Appreciate it.

BOLDUAN: Thanks.

John.

BERMAN: Butter sculptures and accusations of treason. It must be the Iowa State Fair. The Republican candidates descending on this political festival with Mike Pence already facing the fury of Trump supporters.

House Republicans moving ahead with a plan to impeach President Biden. While they don't appear to have direct evidence linking him to his son Hunter's financial dealings, they now say they don't need it.

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