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Helene Forecast To Be Cat 3 Or Higher At Landfall In Florida; Melania Trump Opens Up About Assassination Attempts; Zelenskyy Makes Urgent Plea To World For Aid At U.N. General Assembly. Aired 7:30-8a ET

Aired September 26, 2024 - 07:30   ET

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

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[07:33:07]

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right, welcome back. John Berman in Tallahassee. This is CNN's special live coverage of Hurricane Helene.

It is beginning to rain again here -- one of those outer bands. You can see it. The perfect coiffe getting a little bit damp.

As I said, this storm is getting stronger as it moves quickly into the Gulf, expected to land as a major hurricane sometime tonight -- a category 3 storm or even higher -- bringing 20 feet of storm surge in some areas.

As I said, Tallahassee -- this could be the most powerful storm ever to hit the capital city. This is what the mayor said overnight.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR JOHN DAILEY, TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA: We will have countless downed trees. We will have structural damage. We will have loss of power. Yes, if our community remains central in Helene's path as forecasted, we will see unprecedented damage like nothing we have ever experienced before as a community.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: Yeah, the winds that are forecast to hit here. This city has never endured a storm like that.

Let's get right to Allison Chinchar for the very latest. Allison, what are you seeing?

ALLISON CHINCHAR, AMS METEOROLOGIST: And there could be many other communities that are facing the same thing, John.

We take a look right now, the storm well over the Gulf of Mexico. Sustained winds of 90 miles per hour. We anticipated the storm will continue to strengthen as we go through the day today and it makes its way towards the Big Bend region.

We've talked about storm surge. We've talked about the gusty winds. But a few other impacts from this storm we have not had enough time to mention, and that is tornadoes, water spouts. A lot of these areas in Florida but also portions of Georgia and the Carolinas looking at that threat as we go through the day today.

Another concern, too, is the flooding, and that's not just the area near where the landfall will be but also spread pretty far and wide inland for a lot of these communities. So you're talking millions of people, including areas of Atlanta, Nashville, Columbia all looking at the potential for flooding not just today but through the day on Friday.

[07:35:05]

BERMAN: All right, Allison Chinchar again for us in the weather center. We'll be getting these updates all morning long.

In the meantime, with us now is the FEMA acting associate administrator for response and recovery, Keith Turi. Thank you so much for being with us.

I am sure you have been busy. Tell me what you are watching most closely as this storm moves closer to landfall.

KEITH TURI, ACTING ASSOCIATE ADMINISTRATION FOR RESPONSE AND RECOVERY, FEMA: Yeah, thanks for having me.

Yeah, it's obviously a very significant storm. We are talking about, as you mentioned, a major hurricane making impact there in Florida -- and not just in Florida but we have multiple states that are in play for impacts into Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina, Alabama. So a really wide area that we all need to be thinking about.

FEMA has been working on this storm since Monday. We've had our teams embedded with the state EOC in Florida since Monday working directly with them. We've deployed incident management teams to Florida and to the other impacted states, including search and rescue teams and power restoration teams. So a lot of preparedness work that's been going on between ourselves and our state partners to make sure that we're ready.

But our real focus today is making sure we get the word out to everybody in the storm's path to please don't underestimate this storm. Take it seriously. And particularly, if you are in those storm surge areas and you have those evacuations orders, please heed the warnings of your local officials and do evacuate.

BERMAN: Yeah, there are really three things that this storm is going to do.

Number one is the storm surge, which in some areas on the coast could be unsurvivable. And if you've been told to get out you just need to get out.

The second thing is just the rain -- the sheer amounts of rain. We could get 10 inches here in Tallahassee, so you could see some inland flooding. And then the wind and where the wind is going to go. Here in

Tallahassee we have all these trees. And then into Georgia, all these big, beautiful trees. The power situation could be a real problem.

What are the preparations there?

TURI: Yeah, power outages is obviously a concern after any hurricane. The state of Florida has been doing a great job of moving in resources to be able to help with those power outages. Some of that is primary line workers that are going to be able to get out in the field as soon as the weather clears and start restoring power.

We've also brought in crews with the Army Corps of Engineers of do power restoration to critical facilities to make sure if any of those facilities are without power for a period of time that they can get generators and other ways to make sure they're able to operate.

But you should expect that in a number of these states there are going to be power outages. It is going to take some time to get the power back on, and folks should prepare for that.

BERMAN: Yeah. I had the opportunity to drive from Jacksonville to Tallahassee last night at about 1:00 a.m., and all along the highway we saw power crews staged. What happens is people get in place first. Most -- you know, they're prepared to try to do the repairs for after the storm hits. It's actually a welcomed sight if you're a resident in these parts.

What's the biggest challenge for you at this moment?

TURI: Well, the scope of the storm and the number of states that are going to be impacted and making sure that we're able to respond across that entire range. We've done a great job of preparing with our partners. They are emergency management professionals that are trained to do this, and so we are well positioned for that.

Again, the most important thing today is just making sure that people stay safe not just in evacuating if you're in a storm surge area or taking the appropriate steps if you're going to have wind or rain impacts but also reminding everybody that many of the risks that pose from hurricanes come after landfall.

And so in those hours tomorrow after the storm has passed, we need everyone to really be thoughtful of making sure they watch out for downed power lines. They don't walk through or drive through floodwaters. Use -- if your power is out don't use candles; use flashlights. And if you have a generator, make sure you use that safely and stay away from -- stay away from your home.

Right now, these two days, it's all about safety. It's all about keeping people safe. There will be time to work and focus on repairs and restoration at a later point. But we want to make sure everybody withstands the storm as best as they can.

BERMAN: And Keith Turi, it is certainly great advice. Again, the rain is picking up here in Tallahassee. This is going to be a very challenging couple of days. Keith Turi, thank you so much for being with us.

And as I said, Kate, Tallahassee has been in the path of some storms, but none have ever hit here as a hurricane, and the winds could be north of 100 miles per hour even as it passes over this capital city, Kate.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Yeah, the forecast is quite wild. You're right there in it and it's going to be developing all throughout the morning. We're going to get back to John in just a little bit.

We're also tracking this right now. The economy is the top issue for voters and has been throughout this entire election cycle, and that cuts across party lines.

In an interview with MSNBC's Stephanie Rhule yesterday, Vice President Kamala Harris pitched her economic plan trying to make the case that despite Trump leading on this issue in the polls, voters should not believe him.

[07:40:00]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, PRESIDENTICAL CANDIDATE: Well, part of it is you don't just throw around the idea of just tariffs across the board, and that's part of the problem with Donald Trump. I -- frankly, I -- I'm going to -- and I say this in all sincerity, he's just not very serious about how he thinks about some of these issues. And one must be serious and have a plan -- and a real plan that's not just about some talking point ending in an exclamation at a political rally.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: And joining us right now is senior national spokesperson for the Harris-Walz campaign, Ian Sams. Ian, thanks for jumping on. I really appreciate it.

With what we heard -- we heard more detail from the vice president yesterday in the interview with Stephanie. Why is Donald Trump, in your view, still besting Harris with voters by 11 points -- double digits -- on the economy?

IAN SAMS, SENIOR NATIONAL SPOKESPERSON, HARRIS-WALZ CAMPAIGN (via Webex by Cisco): Yeah, and thanks for having me, and good morning.

I think when it comes to the economy voters have to hear these two candidates' visions. I think we have 40-some-odd days left in this election.

And what you're seeing from Vice President Harris is taking her case directly to the American people in major speech in Pittsburgh yesterday where she outlined her middle-class economic vision and what a stark contrast that is with Donald Trump who grew up in gilded Manhattan and never had to work very much for anything in his life.

And so I think with the two candidates we have to spend the next 40 days talking about the choice and their priorities as president.

I think that when people hear Vice President Harris talk about her vision of building an "Opportunity Economy" that lowers costs for people, whether it's groceries or housing, building entrepreneurship in this country, expanding the financial resources available to small businesses in this country so they can start and hire and grow because they're the engine of job growth in our economy, and building and manufacturing.

You hear her talk yesterday and announce some new plans to ensure that companies are investing in building the jobs of the future in places like Pittsburgh, and clean energy, and high-tech manufacturing. These are the things that she's talking about.

President Trump isn't. President Trump is talking about increasing costs on the American people by 4,000 bucks per middle-class family with these tariffs that you heard Vice President Harris decrying last night. He is not serious on these things. He is saying whatever he thinks he needs to say to try to get elected.

But you know what? I think people are starting to get on to his game. You've seen in the last month in the polling on this very issues of the economy, Vice President Harris narrowing his lead. I think that by the time this election is over she could have a lead on the economy because people are hearing that she's putting the middle class first instead of just those at the very top.

BOLDUAN: Some of the policies -- economic policies the VP has been laying out this week if we can put up some of them. I was going through them this morning.

Promising those earning less than $400,000 per year that their taxes are not going to go up. Restoring the child tax credit and expanding it even further for people with newborns. Expanding the earned income tax credit. Increasing tax deductions for startups. Twenty-five thousand dollars downpayment assistance for first-time homebuyers. And talking about raising taxes on the wealthy and raising the capital gains tax to 28 percent.

She's laying out those details. And you -- she and you are saying that Donald Trump's economic policies are unserious. But can she seriously say that she can pull any of that off when you do not know who is going to be in control of the Congress?

SAMS: Well, I -- you know, we have 40 days until an election. It's kind of a bummer to be so cynical this soon. We're trying to win the election. We're trying to win down-ballot races. We're trying to take back the House. We're trying to keep the Senate.

If we have Democrats in charge of the House and Senate, you see just this week Democrats in the Congress introducing legislation on these very priorities. If we can win this election, you bet that Democrats and -- Vice President Harris and Democrats in the Senate and the House are going to put in place these sorts of common-sense, middle-class economic proposals that help people. That lower their costs. That make their lives better. And we have to win this election to do so.

I don't think here we are 40 days out we should be pessimistic about what could happen in the composition of Congress. We need to be working hard to win this election.

Vice President Harris is doing that and campaigning in Pennsylvania yesterday. She'll be campaigning in Arizona tomorrow and in Nevada this weekend taking our message directly to the American people frankly, in swing states where there are major, major Senate races happening, House races happening to try to win down-ballot so that we can pass this common-sense, middle-class agenda and not go backwards with another four years of Donald Trump and Republicans who are in control of Congress threatening chaos, threatening to take us backwards, threatening to repeal legislation that has created thousands of clean energy jobs already in this country.

That's not where we want to go, and that's not what the vice president wants to do. She wants to help the entire ticket win so that we can pass some of these ideas.

BOLDUAN: Yeah. Well, on those two issues you just laid out on the economy and on immigration and border security, those are definitely numbers that the campaign and the vice president need to turn around in the next 40 days. I know you guys are working exactly to do that.

[07:45:07]

Ian, thank you very much for your time -- Jessica.

JESSICA DEAN, CNN ANCHOR: New this morning, Melania Trump saying it's a miracle her husband is alive in her first sit-down interview since the assassination attempts on former President Trump's life. The former first lady opened up about the terrifying moments that changed her family.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MELANIA TRUMP, FORMER FIRST LADY OF THE UNITED STATES: If you really think about it, July 13 was a miracle. Like that much and he could -- you know, he could not be with us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DEAN: CNN's Kirsten Holmes is in Washington with more from Melania Trump's interview. Kristen, we haven't heard from her publicly like this in a very long time. What else did she have to say?

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Jessica, we've almost never heard from her very publicly like this, particularly this campaign cycle. She's never on the trail with Donald Trump. She doesn't make any public appearances. And here she is sitting down for this interview because she is promoting her new book.

Now, there were a couple of notable moments I want to point out, one of them being she went into detail about learning about both of the assassination attempts on her husband, saying she learned about it from the news, particularly talking about what happened in Butler, Pennsylvania, saying she really didn't know what had happened -- if he was dead or alive. If he had just hit the ground there and was waiting for more information essentially like all of us were at that time.

The other interesting part is that she raised these kind of conspiracy theories that we have heard on the right about that day in Butler. This idea that there might be more to the story -- something that she had said in a promotional video and something we have heard Donald Trump allude to. But then, of course, her here doubling down on that notion.

She also said that she believed he survived because something or someone was watching over him.

Now, one of the other moments she talked about that, again, I thought was notable was talking about the search of Mar-a-Lago in August of 2022. And as you'll remember, the FBI executed a search warrant. They were looking for classified documents that they believed Donald Trump had. Obviously, we know how that worked out. He did have those documents.

Here is what she said about that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: It made me angry. Yes -- invasion of privacy. And the way it was done was -- I was really surprised. Some person -- I don't even know who or how many people -- they -- you know, they went through my stuff.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: Now, of course, as we know, the Department of Justice had tried to negotiate with Trump and his legal team to get those documents before they executed the search warrant, but still interesting to hear her perspective there.

The other part of this is that so much of it was political. She was talking about Donald Trump's campaign -- talking about the fact that she thought he should be president again. Talking about his administration's record on the economy -- things we don't generally hear from her.

When asked why she decided to speak out now and why she wrote this book she said essentially that she wanted to tell the truth. That there was a lot of misinformation and falsehoods out there about her -- Jessica.

DEAN: All right, Kristen Holmes with the latest for us. Thank you so much for that reporting.

We also have breaking news. Hurricane Helene now a category 2. The storm is gaining strength and is expected to make landfall in Florida later this evening. We're going to get another update from the weather center right at the top of the hour. And new calls for a 21-day ceasefire after hundreds were killed by

Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon. What Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is saying about this proposal today.

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[07:52:45]

DEAN: We have breaking new as Hurricane Helene now registering as a category 2 as it continues to strengthen in the Gulf Coast. Its track directly targeting Florida's Panhandle's Big Bend, and the eye set to make landfall tonight. You are looking at live pictures of Apalachicola.

Now, it's likely to grow into one of the biggest storms in the Gulf in the last century bringing unsurvivable storm surges to the Panhandle. So be sure to stay with us for new metrics and tracking from the National Hurricane Center. We'll, of course, bring that to you shortly.

In the meantime, this morning diplomatic talks are underway to prevent a wide war in the Middle East. The Israeli military saying it struck about 75 targets in Lebanon overnight forcing tens of thousands in Lebanon to flee their homes. And there are more calls for de- escalation after Israel's military said it is preparing for a possible ground incursion into Lebanon.

The U.S. and its allies now calling for a 21-day ceasefire between both countries.

CNN chief national security correspondent Alex Marquardt is here with more details. Alex, what sense are you getting that this is -- this is a possibility -- a 21-day ceasefire?

ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's not looking very promising. You've got the fighting that continues as we speak. We have Netanyahu, who is on his way to New York, who said that reports of an imminent ceasefire are correct -- incorrect and that he has instructed the IDF to continue fighting with full force. So that's not good news for the White House.

Let's be clear about what this is. This is a proposal for a 21-day pause to allow for diplomatic negotiations to finally get to a solution to end the conflict that has been simmering alongside the war in Gaza, but here between Israel and Hezbollah.

This has been such a dire situation in the past few days. The potential for escalation has been so big and for this war to expand to the potential has been so explosive that the U.S. and its allies, including France, have been working feverishly to try to get to a place where a proposal could get put on the table.

This happened late last night. The White House scrambled a briefing call at 9:30 p.m. They were sounding rather optimistic. They were saying things like this is a breakthrough when the governments of Israel and Lebanon accept this. [07:55:05]

So White House officials are definitely going to be waking up to some disappointment when they hear what Netanyahu has to say. He has not given his official response we believe to this proposal, but he is urging the IDF to continue fighting against Hezbollah. It is certainly the Israeli belief that Hezbollah might be more inclined to come to the table if there is that military pressure.

In the meantime, we have not heard a response from Hezbollah itself.

DEAN: And interesting -- just reminding everyone that the U.N. General Assembly is happening right now. As you mentioned, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on his way here to the U.S. So more to come on this.

MARQUARDT: Definitely.

DEAN: All right, Alex Marquardt. Thanks so much -- Kate.

BOLDUAN: And fresh off his speech to world leaders at the U.N. General Assembly, we're going to see Ukrainian President Zelenskyy in Washington today. He's meeting with lawmakers on Capitol Hill this morning and then he will also be meeting with President Biden and also meeting with Vice President Harris to make what is being described as a personal plea for more immediate help in Ukraine's war against Russia.

And yesterday in New York before world leaders, Zelenskyy offered a stark warning.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKKY, PRESIDENT OF UKRAINE: What is happening in Ukraine because of Russia's war. It's something many are imagining happening to themselves. And yes, the smoke from fires in war-torn cities can reach other countries. And if, God forbid, Russia causes a nuclear disaster at one of our nuclear power plants, radiation will not respect state borders.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: Joining us right now is the mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, also in town for U.N. General Assembly meetings. Mayor, thank you so much for coming in.

MAYOR SADIQ KHAN, LONDON: It's a pleasure.

BOLDUAN: What we heard from President Zelenskyy -- and we'll hear more from today -- is what happens in Ukraine does not stay in Ukraine. And that is a warning that we have heard over and over again in the yearslong war.

What does the warning that you hear from Ukraine -- what does it mean for London? What does it mean for the U.K.? KHAN: Well, what we know is Putin is determined to spread the Russian influence. It's Ukraine, over the last couple of years -- who's next? And so what we've seen over the last few years is a coalition of countries -- the U.K., the USA, France, but more importantly, NATO coming together to support President Zelenskyy, Ukraine, and the Ukrainian people.

And there is some nervousness, frankly speaking, this could be the last U.N. General Assembly where we have a president of the USA supporting the allies, supporting NATO, supporting Ukraine. In a parallel universe, you haven't got a president who is working on the international scene and Putin could have made many more advances.

And I suspect President Zelenskyy is hoping him being here puts pressure on other international players, but he's hoping I'm sure that the next president, in 40 days' time-plus, is also supportive of Ukraine and the Ukrainian people.

BOLDUAN: And what you're pointing to is former President Donald Trump, for sure. We heard Donald Trump yesterday say what deal can we make when it comes to Ukraine? It's demolished, the people are dead. The country is in rubble is what he said.

Zelenskyy -- in an interview from this weekend, he very publicly criticized Donald Trump's running mate J.D. Vance, calling him too radical and also criticizing Donald Trump. And Republican lawmakers here criticized and responded pretty sharply to Zelenskyy, saying stay out of our election. It was election interference.

And I have seen this week, very clearly, you are not holding back weighing in as well. You have come out to endorse and say you want people to vote for Vice President Kamala Harris in this election.

Why are you getting involved?

KHAN: Well look, it really is an issue for the American people who they choose to be their president and vice president.

But what I meant respectfully to my American friends is what happens in your home, your community, your town, your city, your state doesn't just affect you, it affects the globe. Why? Because you are the only superpower there is. Why? Because you set the tone, the tenor, the rhythm, the beat of what happens across the globe.

The president of the USA can send ripples of hope or ripples of fear. They can be players that influences NATO policy, U.N. policy, EU policy, policies around climate change, policies around bringing countries and people together, and standing up to bullies, and that's why it's so important.

BOLDUAN: Well, and this -- and this isn't new for you and Donald Trump, right? I actually saw a headline this week that said why is Sadiq Khan trying to restart his fight with Donald Trump? Are you?

KHAN: I'm really -- I'm really not. I'm here for a number of reasons to bang the drum for London. To encourage American businesses to invest in London. Americans to come holiday in London. And Americans to study in London.

But also a straight question, which is who do you hope wins in 40 days' time, and I'll give a straight answer. The prerequisite though is asking all Americans to get registered and make sure you vote, and don't allow, I say respectfully, history to repeat itself.

BOLDUAN: Let me ask you. There was this hearing updates on Netanyahu speaking tomorrow. Since October 7, the United States has seen a huge spike in antisemitic incidents. It's a huge problem in cities across this country.

And I was just looking. London has been struggling with this as well.