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Hurricane Helene Kills At Least 100 Across U.S.; Kamala Leads Trump In Latino Voters In National Poll; Israel Widens Attacks On Iran-Backed Militant Groups; Vance And Walz debate In New York City on Tuesday. Aired 8-8:30a ET

Aired September 30, 2024 - 08:00   ET

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

[08:00:00]

JULIE ROGINSKY, DEMOCRATIC STRAGIST: Latino voters global way, because Cubans don't have much in common with Guatemalans and so on and so forth, so -- but if that's how we're going to characterize them in polling. I would say that Democrats -- I have been standing the alarm in this with Democrats for a decade, because I've seen the erosion happening, and it's real.

And I would say that regardless of what happens in November, Democrats need to take a very hard look over the next months and years in trying to bring those voters back into the democratic fold, because they are seeping, and they're going to continue to see from the Democratic Party, unless we really, really, really prioritize getting them back.

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: Pete Seat, I would get to you, we run out of time, but I will say, I think she made some of the points that you may have made as well, Pete. In all fairness, appreciate both of you, Pete Seat and Julie Roginsky, thank you both. A new hour of CNN New Central starts right now.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right, breaking overnight, getting word the Biden administration is preparing for a possible Iranian attack, historic devastation. We just got a brand new death toll from Hurricane Helene. Now, 102 people killed. That number does appear to be rising. We are getting our first look at some of the area's hardest hit.

And brand new details and how the vice presidential candidates are preparing for tomorrow night's debate. I'm John Berman with Sara Sidner and Kate Bolduan. This is CNN News Central.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Destruction and devastation that people really are having a hard time putting words to this morning, when you just take a look at these images from Florida to Virginia. power systems crippled, roadways, washed out cell service wiped out, food, water and fuel now becoming hard to come by.

Hurricane Helene has left so much damage in its wake, and as John just said, just moments ago, we have a new death toll number. The death toll is rising. At least 102 people have been killed from this storm. Hundreds of people are still unaccounted for.

The latest check this morning -- the latest check in some of the other numbers this morning, nearly 2 million customers do not have power. Utility crews are working on it. But if you just take a look at the damage sustained, just look at that in one part of North Carolina, the roadways impassable, debris left behind. It's clear that they have huge challenges ahead of them to restore power,

In North Carolina, the last numbers what we had in North Carolina where at least 36 people were killed, and there have been more than 1,000 reports of people missing. We had the governor of North Carolina on with us just last hour.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. ROY COOPER (D) NORTH CAROLINA: This is going to be a tremendous effort in the short run, but looking at it in the long run, with the hundreds of roads that are destroyed, communities that were wiped off the map. We have to make sure that we get in there. Are smart about rebuilding, doing it in a more resilient way, but right now, we're concentrating on saving lives and getting supplies to people who desperately, desperately need them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: And this is days in. CNN Rafael Romo joins us now from Asheville, North Carolina, one of the places hardest hit. Rafael, what are you hearing from residents?

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Residents are desperate here, because it's been three days since the storm hit this area. And let me describe to you where we are. This behind me is Biltmore Avenue is one of the hardest hit areas here in Asheville, North Carolina. You can see behind me that Wendy's surrounded by mud. Then on the other side this -- there's a Long John Silvers that is surrounded by debris. And then you find mud everywhere.

No matter where you look, it's muddy and also things that have been carried away by the floodwaters, like this barrel container that ended up here in the middle of this gas station where we are, which, of course, is not operational. And that goes for not only this gas station, but dozens and dozens in this part of the country.

And one of the things that I was noticing, Kate, is that, for example, this screen here at the gas pump, it has sand inside the screen, which tells you that at one point the water level was at least this high.

Now we have been talking to people here who tell us that they have no water, they have no power, mobile services nonexistent. Same goes for internet, and they're getting desperate because they're unable to talk to the loved ones to let them know that they're OK.

We also heard from people just north of here in Madison County in the mountain areas, and they describe to us what it was like to go through this very powerful storm. Let's take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We watched it from the edges happens.

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I watch the water come push through these walls, take out buildings and move them entire, like areas over there.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It takes my breath away. You know, it's been here for so long.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The face of Hot Springs is never going to be the same again. But that doesn't mean that Hot Springs will not be the same. Our community will be the same. We've come together, and this is going to make us stronger.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: As many bad things as I have seen, I've seen a lot of good things in recent days, with people, helping people, strangers, hugging strangers.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMO: And relief is coming for sure to North Carolina, probably not as fast as people would like, Kate, but the reality is that the state officials are saying that there are as many as 19 out of state search and rescue teams. There are three more from the federal government. The North Carolina National Guard rescued 100 people, hundreds more by all those teams that I mentioned before, but the reality is that still hundreds of thousands of customers without power at this point.

There's a little bit of good news here. We were talking about 400 roads that were impassable on Saturday. The figure last night was 280 so slowly but surely, things are getting better here. Now back to you, Kate.

BOLDUAN: Rafael, thank you. Unfortunately, the governor of North Carolina said that number of impassable roads has now ticked back up, and he said that he's going to be heading in with the FEMA director today to see the damage himself. John.

BERMAN: What a challenge there. All right. New this morning, the clearest signs yet that a ground incursion into Lebanon may be imminent after new air strikes on Beirut, a major intersection in Beirut, including a residential high rise, were hit. CNN international diplomatic editor Nic Robertson is in Tel Aviv. The question I think everyone wants to know, Nic, will Israel move in on the ground?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: And the troops who are on the border right now want to know that as well, John and the defense minister, Yoav Gallant was up there at the border speaking to them the Golani Brigade, this is one of the sort of most battle experience battle ready infantry units that the Israeli military Have. They also have the elite paratroopers from the 98th Division there along the border.

The scene is set, and the message from the defense minister today appears to be very clear. He said, look, killing Hassan Nasrallah was a very important first step. But this is a message to our enemies. We are -- we have many capabilities. We are going to use all our capabilities. And he was saying that to these elite troops right at the border there. And he said, when I say all our capabilities, I mean you, that's what he was telling the troops.

We've seen over the past few days, tanks, armored personnel carriers in video that's been released by the IDF, so the signs and signals are there for Israel's enemies to see, but the messaging for the troops coming from the defense minister himself, that is also there. So this is a very strong and clear signal. And we also know that, of course, there have been reservist groups called up as well over recent days. John.

BERMAN: Nic, you mentioned all capabilities, also perhaps all enemies. You were on an IDF carrier that was part of the mission recent airstrike against Yemen.

ROBERTSON: Yes, the second longest air combat mission that the Israeli Air Force has ever undertaken. The last one was back in 1985. I was aboard a Boeing 707, which was fitted out as a fuel carrier that was dispensing fuel to F-35 fighter jets. And that's what I was seeing as we flew down the Red Sea to the Yemeni port city of Hudaydah, which is Houthi controlled. And their F-35 took part in strikes against a power station, against the fuel depot there.

And the message I was told, this is to the Houthis, who had only the day before, fired another ballistic missile into the heart of Israel. Indeed, they said they were firing it at the airport, the main international airport here, while the Prime Minister was on the tarmac coming back for New York.

This was a very strong message for the Houthis cease and desist and a message for the Iranians too, and that message echoes what the Prime Minister has been saying he said it at the UNGA, Israel has a long reach, and it can reach out and get its enemies, a message to Iran to stay out of the fight that's going on in Lebanon right now.

BERMAN: A flurry of new developments there. Nic Robertson in Tel Aviv. Nick, thank you very much. Sara.

SIDNER: All right, and joining us now, retired Major Lyons, Mike Lyons, and we're going to have Barak Ravid as well, political and foreign policy reporter for Axios. I'm going to start with you Major.

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When you look at this, I want to go to the Beirut damage, because we've heard, you know, Nasrallah has been taken out. They are going to now name a new leader, but there are all these other top leaders of Hezbollah who have been taken out with the pagers and with strikes and so how damaged is Hezbollah at this point? How much trouble are they in?

MAJ. MIKE LYONS, U.S. ARMY (RET.): Very significant, Sara. Look at this damage here. I mean, these casualties must be off the charts when you think about the level of attacks here, bunker busters, not only did they get the leadership, they got the lieutenants, the second and third team level members. So it's significant, no question about it.

And then also that the communications with the pagers and the walkie talkies takes out another whole layer. So they've been seriously decimated at this point. Now, again, they still have capability, and let's hope Israel is not going to take advantage from an overreaching perspective, thinking that this is now over anytime soon. Hezbollah still has tremendous capability.

SIDNER: All right. Barak Ravid, I'm going to go back up to the this map, where we are now hearing and seeing that Israeli troops are amassing on the border. What are the chances you think that they will actually go in to Lebanon?

BARAK RAVID, POLITICAL AND FOREIGN POLICY REPORTER, AXIOS: I think the chances are very high. I hear from Israeli officials that it could be a matter of days. The Israelis already have enough forces on the border to at least start a ground invasion that will be focused on the -- what's called the first line of villages on the Lebanese side of the border, where the Israeli military believes there are quite significant Hezbollah military infrastructure, either outposts, tunnels, missile launch positions, and the idea is to go to this first line of villages, to quote unquote, like from what Israeli officials say, quote, unquote, clean it up and then either go back or stay there some sort of, you know, security zone, at least temporarily.

SIDNER: All right. Major, I'm just curious how much further, when you look at sort of the region? How much further can Israel go without Iran deciding to engage itself directly?

LYONS: Well, Iran doesn't really have any allies now that can help them at this point, I don't think from a military perspective, which is what Israel is designed to do, to take out Hamas, take out Hezbollah. They fired at the Yemenis. They fired the Houthis down there. We've seen those rockets there.

So Iran is really out of, you know, kind of magic wands when it comes to having allies in the region. So the next the expansion of the conflict is Israel attacks in Iran, or Iran attacks in Israel. I think that if Iran gives Israel a reason to do that, the first target is all the nuclear capability that the Iranians have.

That's what this, I think, is really about. Israel looking over the horizon, saying, we have to take out that nuclear capability that the Iranians have. The Iranians have for the last 30 years, assembled these proxy forces around Israel to be kind of a ring of fire, to keep kind of Israel on their toes and keep them always on the defensive.

But right now, Israel said this is a time for war, and regional war means Israel going after, I think, those nuclear facilities.

SIDNER: So you've got the Houthis, you've got Hezbollah, you've got Hamas, and then you've got way over here, Iran, and you're seeing the strikes in strategic places. And there's an expectation, you just heard from Barak Ravid, that maybe there is going to be a ground war. If there is a ground war, what about a regional confrontation? It already seems like we're headed that way.

LYONS: Well, I think a ground war is this smaller incursion. I don't think it goes into Beirut. I don't think it goes --

SIDNER: You think it goes that far?

LYONS: No, I think Israel, again, is going to play this smartly, get into what I'll call two artillery range 20 to 25 kilometers north of that border there to try to move back the civilians to the northern region. If you look at that map, the missile range, you look at the ranges of these rockets here, any of these rockets, any of these missiles down here, are strategic. These are Iron Dome is taking out these kind of rockets here, but it's these here, the Katyushas and the Falaq. These are the ones that really threaten those areas in the north here.

So that, I think, is what Israel's focus is going to be. Now, Hezbollah still has this capability to overwhelm Iron Dome. Israel can still take casualties, significant casualties here. Let's hope they're not overreaching.

SIDNER: You also have David sling that also tries to get because they already taken one of the Long Range rockets from Lebanon.

To you Barak, when it comes to the capabilities of Israel, what is going to make it so that they're overstretched? Are you concerned that they have the true numbers to be able to do, for example, a ground invasion as well.

RAVID: Well, most of the forces that were in Gaza over the last 11 months have moved to the north. Right now, Israel has in Gaza something like two brigades, you know, very low numbers of troops, all of them, all the others, mostly moved to the northern arena either the border with Lebanon, or also the border with Syria.

[08:15:04]

But you know, the problem is not whether the threat the problem is, that once you go in, you can never really say, OK, we're stopping here. In 1982 when Israel went into Lebanon, first he was supposed to go up to the Litani River, which is something like 10 kilometers from the border. Then it turned into 40 kilometers from the border.

Eventually, they reached Beirut, and Israel stayed in Lebanese territory for almost 20 years, with hundreds of Israeli soldiers killed in the insurgency that took place there, and the power that did this insurgency was Hezbollah. So we can already learn from history that once you go in, you have a real danger of staying there for a long, long time.

SIDNER: All right, another 2006 war lasted, I think, something like 34 days, or something like that. Major Mike Lyons, thank you so much as to you, Barak Ravid, for that great analysis. Appreciate you both. Kate.

BOLDUAN: The Pentagon is making new moves to prepare for any possible retaliation from Iran. From all of this, what that now means for U.S. troops in the region.

The vice presidential candidates have one more day to prep today, that is before they face off on the debate stage tomorrow for what could be the final debate of the entire election cycle, and with power out and food and water systems just devastated now for days already in all of the states hit by Hurricane Helene, the new concern is illness. What families need to know right now as rescue crews try to get all of these systems back online.

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BERMAN: So Senator J.D. Vance and Governor Tim Walz will face off tomorrow night in the first and only vice presidential debate before the election, maybe the last debate at all before the election, because Donald Trump has said he will not debate Vice President Harris again.

With us now is House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, who has been playing the role of Governor Walz in a way, in debate prep with J.D. Vance. Congressman, thanks so much for being with us.

REP. TOM EMMER (R) MINNESOTA: Good to be with you.

BERMAN: You know Tim Walz, for 20 years, you've been behind closed doors prepping J.D. Vance. How do you compare their communication skills?

EMMER: Well, Tim Walz is really good at this. He's -- I've watched all his debates, and it's been an honor to play a very small role, but I've spent the last month literally watching Tim and all of his debates all the way up to the present. He's very good at it. He comes across as a just a folksy, ag, friendly outdoorsman, until you start peeling back the layers, and then you realize that he's more radical than Kamala Harris.

BERMAN: And how would you assess J.D. Vance? Because right now, in the polls, poll after poll shows that the voters view him unfavorably. He's underwater in terms of favorability.

EMMER: Well, first off, if you look at Tim Walz, he's not popular, but those same polls suggest he is as he is introduced, and his policies are introduced to the American people. It's going to be much like Minnesota, where he's very unpopular. He lost his former congressional district both times. He ran for governor, and he lost it by almost 10 points last time. And I think when it comes to J.D., his opportunity tomorrow night to reintroduce himself to the country, I think they will like J.D. Vance.

BERMAN: Governor Walz has won twice, though, statewide in Minnesota, and a vote in Minneapolis counts as much, you know, as a vote anywhere else. I mean, he's won twice as governor in Minnesota, correct?

EMMER: Let's be clear. The last election, he barely got over the line, with just over 50 percent of the vote out of our 87 counties, he lost 74 of them, and in those 74 he got 37 percent of the vote, John. Once he shows you what he's all about which he -- I could go into details, but we don't have time.

BERMAN: Counties don't vote, though. The people vote, and again, you're looking at the favorability for J.D. Vance. I mean, how do you explain? CNN has him 12 points underwater. Reuters has him 12 points underwater. Quinnipiac has him 10 points underwater.

EMMER: Again, as people are introduced to Tim Walz and understand that this guy is for free healthcare, a free college tuition. He's given driver's licenses to illegals, thousands as we have now learned from ICE are rapists and murderers who are in this country. He wants an open border, just like Kamala Harris. These two are both soft on crime and soft on the border.

BERMAN: Again, I was talking about Senator Vance, though. Mitt Romney said, quote, I don't know that I can disrespect someone more than J.D. Vance, that was in McKay Coppins' book "Romney: A Reckoning."

EMMER: Again, I think J.D. Vance is going to do a great job tomorrow night, when people focus on the issues, and the issues are very clear for the American people. Donald Trump had a great economy, lowest unemployment rate in 50 years. I think it was half a century. He had families making $6,000 more in wages over the course of his tenure in his first term.

Guess what John? Kamala Harris and Joe Biden broke the economy. They opened the border. They've created all these problems around the globe. J.D. is going to do a great job talking about the fact that Donald Trump did it once, he'll fix it again.

BERMAN: Economist Mark Zandi just called this the greatest economy he's seen in 35 years. The unemployment rate has been consistently at 4 percent or lower, and GDP has been around 3 percent for the entire administration. Comparing economic records. I'm sure the candidates will do that.

In your preparation, how challenging has it been to get Senator Vance to hew to the facts? And I ask that because of the things that he said that were dishonest about eating pets in Ohio. I ask it because he claims that that President Biden didn't pass or sign the law mandating $35 insulin for all Medicaid recipients.

EMMER: This is the problem with the media, John, quite frankly.

[08:25:00]

You just talked about how unemployment is so low, how this is the greatest economy we've ever seen. Just keep saying that, because the Americans that I'm dealing with, the constituents, they see an economy that's broken. They see inflation that cost them $1,200 more a month on average than for the same basket of goods they just bought four years ago. You keep saying it, and you keep trying to distract from the issues with these --

BERMAN: I was quoting Mark Zandi, and I was giving you unemployment figures, but I asked you a question about facts, and J.D. Vance.

EMMER: Right.

BERMAN: What about and --

EMMER: And I asked you to talk about facts that are important to the American people, the economy that Biden broke, the Trump will fix, the border that Kamala Harris has left. Why? --

BERMAN: So it's OK -- it's OK to misstate facts when you don't think they're important to me, don't you think?

EMMER: I think J.D. Vance will be very clear tomorrow night, and I think he's going to do a great job.

BERMAN: We heard Vice President Harris last night saying that she would like to debate President Trump again. Do you think there should be another debate?

EMMER: That, I leave that up to them. I think the choice is extremely clear. On the one side, you got a guy who created the best economy we may have ever seen before the pandemic. On the other side, you've got Kamala Harris, who's been asleep at the wheel for four years, as they have destroyed the economy for middle class Americans and people that are trying to climb that prosperity ladder. You've got a wide open border. You've got criminals and terrorists coming across it, and you've got instability all around the world because of their lack of a clear and stated foreign policy.

Donald Trump and J.D. Vance provide an economy that works for everyone. He did it once before. He'll do it again. He sealed the border once before. He'll do it again. They'll deal with the crime that we have across our communities. These people aren't -- the choice is pretty easy.

BERMAN: Again, crime right going down in major cities too. I think we are getting a taste though, of what we will hear on the stage tomorrow night. Representative Tom Emmer, great to see you. Go Vikings.

EMMER: Good. Thanks, John.

BERMAN: Appreciate your time. Kate.

BOLDUAN: New Israeli airstrikes on Lebanon and Yemen overnight. Now U.S. secretary defense -- Secretary of Defense -- the U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin is preparing U.S. troops. What that means for the region.

And mountain towns completely cut off by flooding from Helene, the latest on what people are facing in western North Carolina and what they need most right now.

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