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Idalia On Track To Make Florida Landfall As Cat 3 Hurricane; Climate Crisis Making Hurricanes Intensify At Faster Rate, Become More Deadly; Hurricane Idalia & Labor Day Could Send Gas Prices Higher; Paul Whelan Seen Inside Russian Prison In Rare Video; Officials: ISIS- Linked Smuggler Helped Migrants Enter U.S.; 10 Mothers Competing At U.S. Open In Singles Draw. Aired 2:30-3p ET

Aired August 29, 2023 - 14:30   ET

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

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[14:31:13]

BRIANNA KEILAR CNN HOST: At least 22 Florida counties have issued evacuation orders ahead of Hurricane Idalia's expected land fall tomorrow morning. This is a storm that gained additional strength early this morning.

It's compounding what scientists have been warning for the last several hurricane seasons, which is that climate crisis -- the climate crisis we're seeing is making hurricanes intensify at a faster rate, and that's creating potentially deadly storm surge conditions.

My next guest is Michael Mann. He's the director of the Penn Center for Science, Sustainability and Media at the University of Pennsylvania.

He has a new book about the climate crisis called "Our Fragile Moment," which is a very appropriate moment that we are in right now.

Tell us a little bit, Michael, about what you're seeing and how the climate crisis is affecting this particular storm as we see this unusually warm water in the gulf.

MICHAEL MANN, DIRECTOR, THE PENN CENTER FOR SCIENCE, SUSTAINABILITY AND MEDIA: Yes, thanks, Brianna. It's good to be with you.

And you put your finger on it. We have bathtub-level warmth with these waters in the Caribbean and the tropical Atlantic. It's been a record year. It's been the warmest year we've ever seen when it comes to Atlantic Ocean temperatures. And global temperatures as well.

A piece of that could be this transition we're undergoing from a La Nina to an El Nino event, that's a sort of natural fluctuation in the climate. But it's riding on top of this tide of an ever-warming planet from carbon pollution, from the burning of fossil fuels.

And the heat isn't just at the surface. It's penetrating deeper into the ocean layers. And that's when you see the sort of intensification, these rapid intensification events, when you have warm waters, not just at the surface, but below the surface.

Because the hurricane churns up those deeper waters. And when they're cold, that dampens the hurricane because it's the warmth of the water that drives, that strengthens the storm.

But when the churning of those waters doesn't bring up cold water anymore, because that warm water is penetrating deeper and deeper, that's when you see these very rapid intensification events.

And there's a real worry among a number of observers right now that Idalia could, in fact, strengthen into a cat 4 hurricane before it makes landfall.

KEILAR: Wow.

MANN: That would be catastrophic when it comes to the storm surge that would lead to. And the inland flooding will be a real problem as well.

KEILAR: Michael, I mean, that's a category 4. We're talking serious business here.

When you saw that number that was reported last month, those buoys off the southern tip of Florida registering over 100, which may actually be a world record, what did you think about how that would portend for a very bad hurricane season ahead?

MANN: Yes, I mean, almost unbelievable, right? Those are hot-tub temperatures. You're wading into the ocean and it feels like a hot tub. That's the sort of warmth we have seen in that part of the world this summer.

And, you know, some of us, we're looking at this emerging El Nino event. It turns out El Ninos, the warming of the tropical Pacific, it impacts weather patterns around the world.

It actually leads to more of what we call windshear. Wind going at different speeds or different directions as a function of height. And that tends to interfere with the nice vertical pattern that a hurricane wants to form.

And so El Nino years, with a greater windshear in the Caribbean and tropical Atlantic, tend to be relatively quiet hurricane seasons.

[14:34:56]

So we were looking at that thinking, well, you know, it's warm in the tropical Atlantic, but, you know, there's an El Nino, that's a mitigating factor, it will be, you know, above average, but not a hyper, sort of active season.

What surprised us all was the excessive warmth that we've seen. It went well beyond what the forecasts held. And that excessive warmth is overcoming what would be the typical dampening effect of an El Nino event.

And you know, these storms, again, when they encounter that very warm water, they can intensify quickly, and they can reach a higher maximum intensity.

So sea surface temperatures throughout the tropical Atlantic, the Caribbean right now are going to support this major, monster category 4 and category 5 hurricanes if they have the chance to form.

KEILAR: It is very scary.

Michael, thank you so much. We are at a fragile moment, and we appreciate you explaining it to us. Thank you so much.

MANN: Thank you, Brianna.

KEILAR: Jim?

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN HOST: With the Labor Day holiday around the corner, Hurricane Idalia could cause disruptions in gas refineries, which might lead to higher gas prices.

The storm could take gas line facilities offline. It's already leading some producers to evacuate oil platforms.

CNN's Paula Newton has been following the story for us today.

This is always a concern with big storms, either damage to those facilities or they get taken offline for a bit. Do we know how many and where and what expected impact this will have?

PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Jim, we have had the announcement already from Chevron that at least three would be taken offline. All eyes on the Gulf of Mexico now to see exactly how this storm wobbles. And again, they will continue to assess the situation.

There's two things I want you to remember about gas prices, Jim. In the short term, even if this hurricane doesn't affect you, it could affect your gas prices.

And even in the long term, throughout the entire hurricane season, you do want to keep ahead of that forecast because it may affect what you pay at the pump.

Let's get first to the prices, Jim. Right now, the price today is $3.82, the national average, up $0.07 from about a month ago. And it's getting very close to that all important $4 a gallon price.

And the problem there is that both psychologically and for inflation, that's a bad thing.

What could still affect it? Jim, it's all of those things that Michael was just talking about.

And what happened was the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration upped their hurricane forecast. We now have not a normal season on the horizon, but about a two in three chance of a worse-than-expected hurricane season.

That will certainly impact gas prices if that comes to fruition. We were just discussing Chevron. They said three already evacuated. More to come if this storm intensifies.

And again, they're expecting it to be temporary. How great is the damage? They want to keep people safe. How long does it take before those facilities get back online? That's all important, Jim.

And again, we have to wait and see what the hurricane season brings. It will directly affect the prices you pay at the pump over the next few weeks, at least -- Jim?

SCIUTTO: Yes. And you make a good point. You don't have to live close to the refineries for it to affect you in terms of gas prices where you live.

Paula Newton, thanks so much.

Brianna?

KEILAR: Still to come on CNN NEWS CENTRAL, Russia releasing rare footage of wrongfully detained American Paul Whelan. We have details on that and how his family is reacting to the video, next.

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[14:42:49]

SCIUTTO: Now, to a rare glimpse of American Paul Whelan, who is detained at a prison camp inside Russia. This comes from state-run Russian media.

Whelan has been held there for more than four years, serving a 16-year sentence on a charge the U.S. government deems not valid.

His brother, David, says this footage is the first time he has seen what Paul really looks like going back to June 2020.

In the video, Whelan speaks briefly to a reporter.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL WHELAN, AMERICAN HELD IN RUSSIAN PRISON: So you understand when I say that I can't do an interview, which means I can't answer any questions.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCIUTTO: That's pretty much all he said.

CNN's Kylie Atwood joins me now from the State Department.

Kylie, does the State Department have a view as to why Russia released this video now, given it was shot three or four months ago?

KYLIE ATWOOD, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: No, and that's the main question here, Jim. State Department spokesperson saying that they have no comment on the timing of this video. As you said, it was shot in May. That's according to his brother who spoke with CNN about the video at

the time.

But there's a few things that we should note. You know, first of all, this is rare, it's quite interesting to see him in prison, you know, going about what is presumably his daily life.

It does reflect what we have been told is included in his daily life in Russian prison.

But the other thing is as you said, this comes from R.T., which is Russian state media. This is propaganda video.

So it's all tied to the Kremlin. We know that the Kremlin has, of course, you know, direct control over R.T., direct control over the Russian prison itself.

And interestingly, David Whelan, who is Paul Whelan's brother, told CNN that after this video was shot and Paul Whelan, you know, declined to actually engage in the interview, he was retaliated against by the prison because of that.

But nonetheless, of course, the family is -- you know, they were happy to see him. It was the first time in years that they had actually seen what Paul Whelan looks like.

I want to read you a quote from David Whelan telling CNN, quote, "I wish I could see Paul under better circumstances, but it was good to see him again and to see the fight remains in his eyes. It's good to know Paul remains unbowed."

[14:45:03]

Of course, we're taking all of this with a hefty grain of salt. But we should also, you know, try and consider the fact that this happens. This comes out as U.S. officials are clearly still working behind the scenes to try and get Paul Whelan.

And of course, Evan Gershkovich, who's wrongfully detained in Russia out of prison.

Both of them wrongfully detained. But we haven't seen any substantiative movement on either of those cases in recent months -- Jim?

SCIUTTO: And as you said, it's a propaganda video, so we have to take with a grain of salt some of the things we see in it.

Kylie Atwood, in the State Department, thank you so much.

Brianna?

KEILAR: Now to a CNN exclusive. We are learning that a smuggler with ties to ISIS helped migrants enter the U.S. from Mexico, setting off alarm bells across the government. And the FBI is working to identify the individuals who gained entry.

And officials say some migrants are being closely watched as possible criminal threats.

CNN's Katie Bo Lillis is joining us now with more on this exclusive reporting,

Katie Bo, what else did you find here?

KATIE BO LILLIS, CNN REPORTER: So, Brianna, this is really a case of bad timing. Months ago, this cohort of Uzbek nationals traveled to the United States across the southern border and sought asylum in the U.S.

They were vetted according to standard U.S. procedure and then they were released into the country pending a court date, as is typical in this kind of situation.

It wasn't until later, in recent weeks, that the U.S. Intelligence Community learned that these people traveled to the United States with the help of a smuggling network that included an individual with some pretty troubling ties to ISIS.

This obviously raised a lot of alarm bells across the federal government. The FBI really kind of scrambled into action to try to locate all of these people, assess them, investigate their backgrounds, determine whether or not they're a threat.

Work that we should emphasize is ongoing. So big response inside the federal government to this.

KEILAR: What is the U.S. saying about this?

LILLIS: So one of the first things that the U.S. government did was to try to disrupt the smuggling network, right? And so, at U.S. request, the Turkish government arrested members of this network, including the ISIS-linked facilitator.

And that allowed the U.S. to quickly get a sense that this person was not actually a member of ISIS. He's more like an independent contractor with some personal sympathies for the group, right?

And so that gave them some confidence fairly early on that this was more likely kind of a run-of-the-mill human smuggling case rather than a potential terrorism case.

And U.S. officials are saying on the record at this point that there is no indication that any of these individuals inside the United States are planning any kind of ISIS plot or part of any active planning or even have connections to the terror group at all.

But that said, Brianna, there are counterterrorism and intelligence officials inside the U.S. government who we spoke to in the course of our reporting who said this whole episode really illustrates a pretty troubling vulnerability.

It illustrates the possibility that terrorist groups could try to sneak across the southern border, sort of hiding in the kind of surge of migrants seeking asylum in the United States.

Obviously, long been kind of a boggy man on the political right. But for some counterterrorism officials in the U.S. government, they say this is the test case that shows the chink in the U.S. armor.

KEILAR: Yes. It shows how it could happen, which is scary (ph).

Katie Bo Lillis, thank you so much for the great reporting. We appreciate it.

Jim?

SCIUTTO: Ahead, women in tennis proving they are elite athletes and mothers like never before. We're going to tell you about it.

Stay with CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

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[14:53:07]

KEILAR: The U.S. Open is under way and several of the players in this year's women's draw have something very special in common, their moms. In all, there are 10 mothers competing in singles this year all trying to balance the competition on the courts in New York while also holding serve at home.

CNN's Carolyn Manno reports.

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CAROLINE WOZNIACKI, FORMER WOMEN'S NUMBER ONE RANKED PLAYER: I was just looking at the clock, actually. My kids are napping right now, which is awesome.

CAROLYN MANNO, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR (voice-over): These days, Caroline Wozniacki is playing doubles off the court. After retiring three years ago and having two children, she's back in tennis' spotlight.

WOZNIACKI: After being a mom and being a role model for my kids and, you know, for them to be able to see me play, I'm very excited about that.

MANNO: The former world number one is one of 10 women in this year's U.S. Open singles draw who are mothers, disproving the notion that women must choose between sport and starting a family.

CHRIS EVERT, WON 18 GRAND SLAM TITLES, INCLUDING SIX U.S. OPENS: A mother is torn in a lot of different directions. You know, when she's competing at such a high level, it's got to be difficult.

MANNO: Fresh off a semifinal finish at Wimbledon, 28-year-old Elina Svitolina's game is seemingly stronger in her return from maternity leave.

RENNAE STUBBS, TENNIS COACH AND FORMER PROFESSIONAL PLAYER: I think it's good that they're doing it.

Because it's also showing some of these younger players like in their early 20s that, oh, you know, if I really -- if I want to have kids, maybe I could have a child, like a Svitolina, and come back and actually have a successful career afterwards.

MANNO (on camera): Two-time grand slam champion, Victoria Azarenka, who returned to the game after the birth of her son, Leo, has been vocal about the fact that she wants the sport to stay in the foreground when it comes to progressive and inclusive attitudes towards working moms in the sport.

And a change made by the Women's Tennis Association back in 2019 now allows women to freeze their player rankings for up to three years so they aren't penalized in tournament seeding for taking pregnancy leave.

[14:55:03]

MANNO (voice-over): While more than 20 active players on the WTA tour are successfully balancing motherhood with being a pro athlete, the sport's most coveted prize, a grand slam singles title, remains elusive for women who have given birth.

It's been well over a decade since Kim Clijsters won three such titles after the birth of her daughter Jada.

KIM CLIJSTERS, LAST MOM TO WIN A GRAND SLAM TITLE: I hope that I inspire a lot of other women who are willing or hoping to do the same thing but maybe don't know the way to start.

It's a great -- a great feeling to have knowing that you can -- you can combine both and still do -- you know, still play the sport that I love, but then also, you know, being a mother at the same time.

MANNO: This year's U.S. Open is full circle for Wozniacki who lost to Clijsters in that 2009 U.S. Open final. Now she will try to make a run with her family in tow.

WOZNIACKI: It's important that my kids believe that they can do whatever they put their minds to. If they work hard enough, the sky is the limit. There's really nothing that they can't do.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KEILAR: And our thanks to Carolyn Manno for that report. Wozniacki is off to a good start. She won her first-round match last night.

And when we come back, Hurricane Idalia continuing to strengthen in the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico. The latest on storm's track, next.

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