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Deanne Criswell is Interviewed about FEMA Reforms Unraveling; Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA) is Interviewed about a Crime Bill and Russia; Crystal Garrant is Interviewed about School Shootings; Labor Day Gas Prices Drop. Aired 8:30-9a ET

Aired August 29, 2025 - 08:30   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:31:11]

ERICA HILL, CNN ANCHOR: Today marks 20 years since Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans. That massive storm wreaking havoc all along the gulf coast and exposing major failures when it comes to disaster response. Failures that led to sweeping reforms at FEMA. Now, as the agency is facing deep cuts and questions about political interference, there's a growing concern some of those lessons could be lost. Former FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell, who left her position in January of this year, writing, "you've seen 20 years of progress taken away in six months. It looks like we've forgotten everything that we learned from Katrina, and we're trying to go back to the way it was beforehand." She joins me now to discuss more of that.

It's good to have you with us.

So, when you look at this, right, and you're talking about what you see as what has happened in the past six months, what specifically do you believe has been lost? What is gone?

DEANNE CRISWELL, FORMER ADMINISTRATOR, FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY (FEMA): You know, when I think back to this day 20 years ago, I was a brand-new emergency manager in Aurora, Colorado. And just watching then the devastation and hearing the stories of lack of coordination, lack of communication. That's what we're seeing right now, right?

One of the things that was the biggest lesson that was learned after Katrina was, how do you coordinate an entire federal government to support state and local jurisdictions if you have something catastrophic like this? And they didn't have that level of coordination. And that level of coordination right now I don't think is there either because you have a FEMA administrator who, one, doesn't have emergency management experience, which was also a lesson from Hurricane Katrina, but also isn't on the ground. And the secretary is going to these places and going on the ground, and that's great, but she's got a very big portfolio. She cannot coordinate and put the amount of time and energy into coordinating a response to something like this on her own. This is why you have administrators of different components. That's why you have a FEMA administrator. So, that's just one.

HILL: Based on what you have seen publicly since leaving office, do you believe that FEMA, today, is prepared for another Hurricane Katrina, flooding like we saw in Asheville, wildfires out west? Are you confident that the infrastructure is still there?

CRISWELL: Erica, I am confident that the men and the women at FEMA are dedicated public servants and that they are going to do their best. But they do not have the same autonomy that they had in the past. They don't have the same programs to implement that they've had in the past. They don't have the -- the ability to be agile because of new administrative burdens. And so, while they are going to do their best, because that's what they do, they believe in the mission of helping people before, during and after disasters, it's going to be slow. It's going to be delayed. It's going to be uncoordinated because they don't have the same level of responsibility that they've had in the past. Responsibility that was learned and gained over the last 20 years.

HILL: One of the things that you've noted in the wake of Katrina, what that really exposed is how important it is to also think about the people, right? The people on the ground who are impacted by these disasters and who experience the disasters, and to put people, not just systems, at the center of a response. Why is that so important? Can you just explain that a little bit more for us?

CRISWELL: Yes, Erica, we do a lot with data, right? And we want to have data informed decisions, and we want to be able to make smarter decisions. But we also have to remember that there are people behind those numbers and that there are communities behind those numbers. We have to not just focus on the data coming in, but we need to use it as a way to help us make smart decisions. But it doesn't replace being on the ground and talking to the people that were impacted, seeing firsthand the impact to a community.

[08:35:02]

No two communities are going to experience a disaster the same, and they're not going to have the same capacity to respond and help their communities recover. And so, being able to talk to the people, talk to (INAUDIBLE) is so critically important. And if we focus just on the infrastructure and we forget about the people, or we forget about understanding the -- the communities behind those numbers, then we're only getting part of a picture. I -- I, you know, went by the -- the mantra that I can't make decisions from an office in Washington, D.C. I don't know what their lived experience is. That's why I was on the ground. It was so important for me to be on the ground, seeing firsthand what the impacts to these communities were.

HILL: Former Administer Deanne Criswell, appreciate your insight this morning. Thank you

John.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right, Congress, back in session next week with a lot on their plate. No one knows that better than the Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson, who is here with us now. Mr. Speaker, thank you so much for being with us.

REP. MIKE JOHNSON, (R-LA) SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: Good morning, great to be with you.

BERMAN: Just a few days ago, President Trump on social media said that he's putting together a comprehensive crime bill with you and Leader Thune over in the Senate. That came as a surprise to a few people. What details can you give us about what's in this bill?

JOHNSON: Well, we're putting together the components of that. The first thing to remember is that we cannot allow crime to devastate, ruin our great cities in America, certainly not the greatest capital in the world. And so we've got to end the crime wave, we've got to clean up the city, and we've got to make sure that it shines as it should as the greatest nation's greatest -- greatest nation, greatest capital.

So, we'll begin to do that. You'll see some components of legislation that'll come forward to address the juvenile crime wave that's happening there.

BERMAN: It's a D.C. crime bill, not a comprehensive crime bill?

JOHNSON: Well, it'll be both, it'll be components. We're going to handle D.C. first because that's directly within our purview, and then look to other cities around America as well. We've got to also end these policing policies that have prevented law enforcement from actually keeping safety on the streets for residents and visitors who become victims. And that's an important thing to do. Sometimes local governance does not do the job, and the oversight in D.C. is long overdue.

BERMAN: I was going to ask, when you might be calling for the National Guard in Shreveport, which is, you have part of your district in Shreveport. The FBI statistics actually violent crime per 100,000 residents higher in Shreveport last year than Washington, D.C. There's a lot of good work that's been done.

JOHNSON: There's a lot of reasons for that. But we have a Democrat D.A. there who has not been prosecuting crime as some other more aggressive D.A.'s have around the country. Soros funded that individual to be elected. But I'll say that it's an urban area that has a lot of problems that are happening around the country, and we have to address it.

BERMAN: So, will the Guard help? If the Guard can help in D.C., President has said he wants to send the Guard to Chicago and other places, why not Shreveport?

JOHNSON: I don't know, that's not my call.

BERMAN: Would you -- would you ask him for that?

JOHNSON: It may be necessary. Well, I don't know. Let's take one city at a time and see. We have to address the crime problem in any city where it is -- it's a problem like that. And in large cities like in Chicago, as you mentioned, that would be a big help there. I was there just two days ago, and it's a serious, serious problem. They don't even report murders on the evening news in Chicago anymore because it's so common.

And Democrat-run cities typically have that problem because they have not been tough on crime. President Trump is one who believes in that, and we do as well, and we've got to take every measure to make sure we're keeping American cities safe. It's common sense.

BERMAN: I want to ask you about some foreign policy here. It's two weeks to the day since President Trump met with Vladimir Putin in Alaska. After that meeting, after he met with Zelenskyy a few days later, he came out and said the big achievement from that was he was setting up a one-on-one between Zelenskyy and Putin.

That hasn't happened. Russia has given no indication it's about to happen. In the meantime, they just launched their second largest aerial assault on Ukraine since the war began. Are you satisfied with this progress?

JOHNSON: Well, I'm satisfied with President Trump's efforts. I mean, he's showing that strength and resolve and direct engagement makes a big difference, and he is a force of nature in that regard. Look at what he's done, negotiating ceasefires and peace deals and normalization of relations of countries that have long been at odds. That's very positive steps on the world stage. So, the Russia-Ukraine conflict, as we know, is very complicated. They're moving in the right direction.

BERMAN: You say efforts, though. Wouldn't you like to see results? What results have you seen?

JOHNSON: Of course, of course. Everybody around the world would like to see results.

BERMAN: Do you think if Congress passed its own sanctions, it might put pressure on Russia to act in ways that President Trump hasn't been able to get them to?

JOHNSON: It may come to that, and I'm in favor of that. We do not trust, I do not trust Vladimir Putin. He is not an honest broker in this. He's a former KGB operative. He's the aggressor here, there's no question about that, and he must be dealt with accordingly. So, we'll see how this goes.

Ukraine and our European allies and others around the world have extended a hand of peace, you know, moving forward positively, and let's see what happens with that negotiation. We're all prayerful that it resolves quickly, and so is President Trump. He wants an end to the war, and he's the strong force that can help bring it about.

[08:40:02]

BERMAN: While everyone's been away from Washington, Texas voted to, and we use the word, gerrymander their district so they get five more Republican seats. California made moves that will maybe help them gerrymander so they get five more Democratic seats. More states are talking about it. Where do you think they should stop?

JOHNSON: Well, I'm not involved in it. The Speaker of the House has no control over some national redistricting strategy. It's the resolve and the decision of the individual states, but I will say there's a big difference between what happened in Texas and California.

Gavin Newsom's gambit, which is what it is, is going to disenfranchise millions of California voters because they all supported their redistricting commission, the Citizens Redistricting Commission. He has to traverse and trample upon or shred his state constitution to do this.

BERMAN: Well, they get to vote on it.

JOHNSON: They're going to vote on it. They are, but the way he set that up --

BERMAN: It's not disenfranchising if they can vote on it.

JOHNSON: Well, it is because, listen, 43% of the electorate in California is Republican, 14% of their delegation to Congress is Republican. They've already disenfranchised people. They've already gerrymandered. And it's interesting to me that Democrats who have been playing politics with redistricting for decades are now trying to lecture the red states or Republicans who are simply following state and federal law. That's what they did in Texas. There's a big difference between what's happening in those states.

BERMAN: You cited the Republicans in California. You know, in Wisconsin, every year, it's 50-50 for presidential elections. Two out of eight representatives are Democrats, so 25%. In Utah, 37%, about the same --

JOHNSON: You want to go state for state because the blue states have eliminated entirely, Republican representatives --

(CROSSTALK)

BERMAN: But that's what I'm saying. Where does it stop? I think it's ridiculous. I want to know where it stops.

JOHNSON: Well, I don't know. I mean, I -- I have a limited scope of authority over these things, and I don't control the governors. If I could get them all on a conference call, I'd say, resolve it, gentlemen and ladies, but they don't, and so we'll see where it goes.

BERMAN: If only the Speaker of the House had any authority in this country. Mr. Speaker, I want to ask you about something that you were instrumental, maybe crucial, maybe the singular most crucial person in passing, which was what the President was calling the big, beautiful bill, but he said this week, I'm not going to use that term, great, big, beautiful bill. That was good for getting it approved.

It's not good for explaining it to people. I guess my question is, why is it hard to explain to people? Our Harry Enten, who's a numbers guy, a great numbers guy, I'm sure you've seen him, he put together some numbers and said, it's among the most unpopular laws passed since 1990, less so than the Affordable Care Act, the bank bailout, and the Republican tax bill of 2017. Why so hard?

JOHNSON: I'm not surprised by these numbers at all, because there's been an all-out assault and effort by Democrats and the mainstream media to, frankly, misinform people about what's in the bill. When they take the same polls of the individual provisions of that giant piece of legislation, they're wildly popular.

So, what happened over the August district work period is Republicans fanned out, Senate and House Republicans, across the country to all their districts to go and explain exactly the extraordinary things that are in this bill. It's geared and written for lower and middle- class earners. They're going to feel the effects of that. We restored American energy dominance, peace through strength, largest tax cuts in U.S. history. People are going to feel that before they vote in that midterm election, and I am very bullish on the outcome of that, because they'll see the results.

BERMAN: You brought up polling when they asked people about specific provisions. Fox News, where I think you're headed later, they did -- they did ask about specific provisions. Absolutely right, no tax on tips. The majority approved, 70%. Defense spending, majority approved, 61%. Everything else they asked about, though, underwater, right?

End EV tax credit, underwater. Boost Medicare work requirements, underwater. Increase border wall spending, underwater. Increase detention center spending, underwater. Solar and wind incentives, end them, underwater. Reduce SNAP benefits, underwater, et cetera, et cetera.

JOHNSON: I'm not -- look, I'm not buying that. Polls can be, you know, manipulated. We have seen a string of polls over and over and over that many of those, every one of those provisions, in fact, that you said are popular.

We want to reduce fraud and waste in government, fraud and waste and abuse in government. We want to reduce the size and scope of government. These things, people nod in agreement, and I've been in town halls around the country over this break with 12 states in the last week, and people are standing and applauding for what we've done.

So look, I tell you, the facts are going to speak for themselves, the results and the things that people experience, and that's why we're excited about the midterms coming up. We're going to win this.

BERMAN: We'll see, although the president does say there needs to be a language shift. So, that does indicate that he's got some concerns there.

You went away for the summer a day early because of the Jeffrey Epstein situation. You're going back here. While, again, Congress was gone, Ghislaine Maxwell talked to the Deputy Attorney General, Todd Blanche. She's in prison for conspiring with Jeffrey Epstein to sexually abuse minors. She told Todd Blanche, quote, "I never, ever saw any man doing something inappropriate with a woman of any age. I never saw inappropriate habits."

How much weight do you put in the comments of Ghislaine Maxwell?

JOHNSON: Not much at all. She has no credibility. She's been convicted for sex trafficking, OK? But we're for maximum -- maximum transparency. With the Epstein files, I've been saying this for years. We've been intellectually consistent from day one, and over this break, over the last couple weeks in August, the Department of Justice and the administration have been fully compliant with Congress' subpoenas, and they've submitted over 34,000 Epstein documents already.

[08:45:08]

Our House Oversight Committee is doing their due diligence so that we can release it all. But they're going through carefully to make sure that the victims of these horrific sex crimes, let's be frank about it, are not exposed. They've already been through harm, and you have -- we have a responsibility to do that, so it takes a little time, but we're going to put it all out there and let the American people decide.

BERMAN: So, the discharge petition from Thomas Massie and Ro Khanna, I hope I'm using the right word, will ripen soon?

JOHNSON: Well, no, I don't -- I guess it would if they get the right signatures.

BERMAN: If they get the signatures, ripen soon.

JOHNSON: But it's not a moot point, it's not even necessary.

BERMAN: You don't think it's going to happen?

JOHNSON: There may be a floor vote of one measure or another. We have our own resolutions to do all this, but I don't -- it's sort of not necessary at the point because the administration is already doing this. They're turning it over.

BERMAN: So, I don't think that Congressman Khanna and Massie think that yet, at least from what I've heard, and I don't know that the 218 people that they think they have as signatories of that think that either if they do get the signatures, will you allow that to come to a vote on the floor?

JOHNSON: We might not even wait for that. We have our own resolutions to affect this same thing, but the process is playing out as it should, and very soon the American people will have that information, and they should have had it all along. That's my view.

BERMAN: But you can't guarantee there'll be a vote on the discharge petition?

JOHNSON: There probably will be a vote of some sense, but we've got to get everybody collected again and build consensus around that.

BERMAN: Listen, Mr. Speaker, Mike Johnson, a pleasure to have you here.

JOHNSON: Thank you as well.

BERMAN: Next time in New York, come back again. I appreciate it.

JOHNSON: I'd love to, thank you.

BERMAN: Erica.

HILL: Just ahead here in the aftermath of the tragedy in Minneapolis, how do you talk to your kids about what happened? We'll be joined by a member of Sandy Hook Promise.

And, could this be the police officer of the future? A hologram helper working to deter crime.

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[08:50:35]

HILL: This morning, the new reality for the students who survived the Minneapolis school shooting this week.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHLOE FRANCOUAL, SHOOTING SURVIVOR: I felt scared. And I still feel scared. And it's just, like, I feel kind of, like, paranoid now since now I really, like, every time -- every time I see, like, a window open, I want to close it because, just, I don't want it happening again. And what's scary to think about is that, what if another person comes. And I know it's not going to happen, but just --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's a fear.

FRANCOUAL: There's a fear.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: There is an understandable fear in the wake of yet another shooting. And many families are struggling today with how to talk about gun violence.

Joining me now is Crystal Garrant, she's chief program officer for Sandy Hook Promise, the nonprofit founded by family members of those who were killed in the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary in 2012.

Crystal, it's good to have you here with us.

I think, you know, you hear those words from Chloe and her dad, Vincent, sitting next to her. And this is early stages for her, right? I mean this is just days ago that she lived through this moment. And it's hard not to think about, even those who survived Columbine, who are now raising children of their own, and who still deal with this trauma, with the PTSD of having survived a mass shooting event. First, where do they begin?

CRYSTAL GARRANT, CHIEF PROGRAM OFFICER, SANDY HOOK PROMISE: Well, thank you for -- for having me.

I think Vincent is Chloe's trusted adult. And I think that parents and caregivers have a role to create space for young people to navigate information, to help them process emotions. And trusted adults are often the first line of defense to understand what is happening with the young person if they are at harm of -- of concerning behavior for themselves or others. And so, in this moment, relationships are key. That's where we start.

HILL: It's also about, you know, over the years I think of all the -- all, unfortunately, the mass shootings that we have all covered and talked about the aftermath. There seems to be a common thread too of -- of letting your kids come to you and following their lead on their questions.

GARRANT: Yes.

HILL: Is that still the -- the guidance to let them sort of navigate the conversation, to follow their lead?

GARRANT: Absolutely. This is about modeling compassion for young people. And so, when we follow their lead, it looks like asking them open-ended questions and showing vulnerability, saying, I feel angry and sad or anxious about the school shooting that just happened. How do you feel? And when we ask those questions, young people are able to give us information that suggests what more do we do for them, or how do we refer them to get additional support?

HILL: We --

GARRANT: We are able to, through those questions, identify warning signs --

HILL: I didn't mean to interrupt you. I'm sorry. Continue.

GARRANT: Sure. Through those questions, we, one, model compassion, but, two, we're able to identify if there are concerning behaviors, if there are warning signs, and what other supports that young person might need.

HILL: We understandably focus on -- on the youngest in these situations. I was struck by some comments, though, from the -- the police chief in Minneapolis talking about how -- how deeply affected and overwhelmed by the horrors the first responders are. I sat down with a number of the first responders in Sandy Hook just days after that tragedy. And what struck me was, and I believe this happens in so many areas, is when they are going in to respond to a tragedy of this magnitude, they are also responding to people who they know in their community. And that is an added weight on them.

How do the first responders, those on the front lines, how do they manage in the days, weeks, years to come? GARRANT: Yes. First responders need support. And so, if there are

community resiliency centers, psychologists, counselors who can set up emergency counseling services for first responders, the images and the narratives that they've seen and been a part of, first responders need that trusted space to have conversations, to identify their emotions and to figure out 30, 60, 90 days, what types of support need to be in place for them.

[08:55:11]

And so, again, this is all about community coming together, that relationships matter, and that connection and identifying emotions and figuring out the right levels of support, what really needs to be in place at this time?

HILL: Connection, community and communication, essential.

Crystal, really appreciate you taking the time this morning and all the work that you are doing with Sandy Hook Promise. Thank you.

John.

BERMAN: All right, this morning, after nearly four years on the run with his three children, a New Zealand father has reportedly been spotted. Police released footage that appears to show the man and another person, who they believe is one of his children, loading groceries onto a bike. Officials believe they broke into the store. The man and his children have been hiding out in the remote wilderness, it's believed, since 2021. He left with them after a dispute with their mother.

South Korea using fake police to fight real crime. Police in Seoul have added a hologram officer to their ranks. The full-size officer is stationed at a local park as part of a safe park initiative. Police say crime rates have dropped 22 percent since they introduced the holographic officer.

And Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce, they made their first public appearance since announcing their engagement. Spotted yesterday in the box at Arrowhead Stadium for the Cincinnati-Nebraska college football game, which turned out to be kind of a good college football game. The stadium also home, of course, to the Kansas City Chiefs.

Erica.

HILL: It turns out that the Tay Tay Calatrava (ph) sighting is not the only good news on this Friday. If you're planning a road trip this holiday weekend, gas prices at their lowest level for a Labor Day weekend in years. In some states they are below $3 a gallon.

Matt Egan is here with the good news.

We have to say goodbye to summer, but we're going to do it and save some cash.

MATT EGAN, CNN SENIOR REPORTER: That's right. That's right, Erica. Look, you are in luck if you're hitting the roads this holiday

weekend. GasBuddy is projecting the national average this Labor Day, $3.15 a gallon. Thats the lowest since 2020. Of course, back then, the roads were pretty empty because of Covid.

You can see the trend the past few years. The expectation is that prices will be a little bit lower than last year, but significantly lower than three years ago, when we're looking at almost $4 a gallon. Of course, that was when gas prices had gone to record highs.

And more good news. Drivers in 15 states across the country, the average there is now below $3 a gallon. That includes Iowa, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Louisiana and Texas.

And, look, this is also very positive because we know that people are very frustrated right now with the high cost of living. Surveys show that people are upset because prices do remain high at the grocery store. They're looking at very high electric bills and elsewhere. So, this certainly helps.

So, why is it happening? Well, the biggest driver of gas is always oil prices. And when you look at the trend, the last four years, you can see that, in 2022, after Russia invaded Ukraine, we're talking about $110, $120 oil prices. And even back in January, right before the president took office, we were still looking at $80 oil. Now, it's around $65 a barrel. This is a big change.

Now, the White House has been quick to take a victory lap here crediting the president with unleashing American energy dominance. Now, it's true that U.S. oil production is basically at all-time highs. But what's notable is, production is down just a little bit since the president took office. And analysts say that the fact that oil is cheap right now and gas is cheap, it's really about foreign oil, specifically OPEC. Right, OPEC refused to pump more during the Biden years. They are pumping aggressively now. And that is something that the president has pushed them to do. That's the big difference right now.

But look, no matter the reason, analysts do expect that this is a trend that could be here for a bit. GasBuddy is telling me that they think that gas prices are likely to drop below $3 a gallon nationally this fall. And, of course, that would be very good news as well.

HILL: I'm in. I'm glad I waited until today to fill my car. I'll do that after work.

EGAN: There you go.

HILL: Matt, thank you.

A new hour of CNN NEWS CENTRAL starts right now.

Minneapolis honoring the two young victims killed while in their school's first mass of the year. This week we are learning more about those two young lives that were lost. Also, new information about the investigation and the planning that went into this attack. An exodus causing chaos at the CDC. The director, fired, just weeks

into the job. A number of top officials resigning in support of that official and in protest. And they're now talking about political interference, which they say is putting lives at risk.

[09:00:02]

Plus, a horse on the lam. The new video this morning, wild video, of the chase as a group of officers try to corral a horse.