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Trump Shows Falsified Map of Trajectory to Back False Claims; Boris Johnson's Brother Leaves Parliament in Latest Blow to Brexit; Dorian Batters Carolinas with Heavy Rain, Wind, Storm Surge as Charleston Floods; Former NBA Star Rick Fox Advocates for Hurricane Relief, Aide, Supplies for Bahamas after Devastating Dorian. Aired 2:30-3p ET
Aired September 05, 2019 - 14:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[14:30:00]
ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN HOST: The National Weather Service in Alabama tried to set the record straight and calm any fears, stating Alabama, quote, "will not see any impacts from Dorian.
Still, nearly every day this week, the president has insisted he's right, despite all the corrections.
We're just going to take you through it so you can appreciate the full chronology.
On Monday, he tweeted, "It was, in fact correct Alabama could have received some, quote, 'hurt.'"
The White House then went further, saying, quote, "There was still a lot of uncertainty. His comments were simply noting those points, and with Alabama's proximity to Florida, it makes sense." Not really.
On Wednesday, the president tweeted a map trying again to prove his incorrect point. The weather experts say the president was using an out-of-date map. There were much fresher forecasts.
Finally, today, comes this double tweet that says ends with, quote, "What I said was accurate."
The president has been asked repeatedly about why he's falsifying the map.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: The map you used today, it looked like it almost had like a sharpie --
(CROSSTALK)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I don't know. I don't know. I don't know.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CAMEROTA: Or at least what he's using is a falsified map. Who knows who did it?
Gloria Borger is our CNN chief political analyst.
Gloria, what's happening here?
GLORIA BORGER, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL ANALYST: That's a really good question, Alisyn. I'm not sure I have the answer.
I think what you have is the president who just won't admit that he made a mistake. And instead of just coming out and saying, well, I was using an old map, I was misinformed, there were updated maps, he doubled down and tripled down, as we've seen time and time again.
And he feels the need to come out and defend himself and blame the media, maybe he'll blame the weather service. I mean, I have no idea what he'll do next on this.
It's troubling that over something like this, where people's lives are at stake, and their livelihoods are at stake, the president keeps tweeting about this as opposed to what he's going to do for the people who are really in harm's way.
CAMEROTA: That's one of the troubling aspects.
BORGER: Yes.
CAMEROTA: Another is that they were getting the wrong information about a deadly serious storm from the White House.
BORGER: Exactly.
CAMEROTA: And you know, one of the things that the White House and the president said is that he was trying to illustrate the cone of uncertainty. Metaphor alert, we are all in this cone of uncertainty because, if you can't trust a hurricane forecast coming from the Oval Office -- it's -- look, it's comical on some level. People have likened it to an "SNL" skit. On another level, it is really deeply disturbing.
BORGER: Well --
CAMEROTA: And so this morning -- one quick thing. This morning, in terms of the deeply disturbing aspect, on "NEW DAY," I spoke with Democratic presidential candidate, Pete Buttigieg, and he's one of the people who really was quite disturbed by it. Let me play this for you, Gloria.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CAMEROTA: Someone has drawn, in black magic marker, Alabama, because since the projection didn't really include Alabama, the president wanted to make his point and so someone drew it on there. What is your reaction to that?
PETE BUTTIGIEG, (D), SOUTH BEND MAYOR & PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'm really worried about -- I feel sorry for the president. And that is not the way we should feel about the most powerful figure in this country, somebody on whose wisdom and judgment our lives literally depend.
This is humiliating. This is an embarrassing moment for our country. And we seem to see a new national embarrassment every day.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CAMEROTA: Gloria, your thoughts?
BORGER: I think Pete Buttigieg has a point there. People have to be able to believe the president not only when it comes to a hurricane, when it comes to smaller matters, when it comes to matters of national security terrorism, et cetera. You have to be able to believe what comes out of the president's mouth and understand that everybody makes mistakes and, when mistakes are made, mistakes are corrected.
When you see this occur, you have to say why. You have to ask that question. And then also ask the question about why nobody from the podium at the White House -- if the president didn't want to correct himself, why nobody from the podium said the president was using an outdated forecast and we've since corrected it.
Why couldn't someone come out and say that for him, if he didn't want to do it himself. Hard to understand.
CAMEROTA: Well, Twitter had a field day with it. So I'll put up some of the things they think President Trump could change with a sharpie.
On the left of the screen, you see the crowds for his inauguration and they've drawn in stick figures with a black sharpie to fill in some of these faces.
On the top of the right side, you can say he can say the border wall has been built if you just illustrate it with a black sharpie.
And then possibly the most painful, the golf game. If you just extend the hole a little bit, that's a hole in one right there.
[14:35:14]
BORGER: Yes, he loves those sharpies. This is a president that loves those sharpies.
He could change his polling numbers. When he instructed his staff to say, those aren't our internal polling numbers. He said, no, no, no, those did not exist. This is a president who lies. And then who instructs other people to either cover up for him or to falsify themselves as he tried to do with the White House counsel, Don McGahn, as you'll recall, and the whole Russia investigation.
It's a difficult situation for members of the public when you don't believe what's coming from the mouth of the president or from the White House. Particularly as you look ahead and you're going to face national security issues. What do you do then?
CAMEROTA: I don't know the answer to that, Gloria.
I know some people have had a comedic take on it. And Mayor Pete Buttigieg --
BORGER: Yes. Yes.
CAMEROTA: -- had his emotional take on it. And they both work, because it's a confusing time.
BORGER: And it's very complicated because you want to laugh but you also want to cry sometimes. And it's kind of hard to know how to react.
CAMEROTA: OK. Gloria Borger, thank you for your take on all of this.
BORGER: Thank you, Alisyn.
CAMEROTA: Our special coverage of Hurricane Dorian will continue. And new concern now with the storm surge, with the Carolinas very much in the danger zone.
Plus, the chaos continues in the British parliament with the resignation of Boris Johnson's own brother. We'll talk with Richard Quest about this latest blow to Brexit.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:41:32]
CAMEROTA: We are keeping an eye on Hurricane Dorian as we want to update you on some other stories.
Embattled British Prime Minister Boris Johnson today got his most personal Brexit defeat yet. This one from his own brother. In a stunning show of opposition to Johnson's plan, to let Britain leave the E.U. without a deal, Joe Johnson his brother, quite the British, tweeting he's, quote, "torn between family loyalty and national interest."
This comes on the same day that Johnson meets face to face with Vice President Mike Pence.
Let's go to CNN's Richard Quest. He is live in London.
Richard, can you explain what is happening in British politics right now?
RICHARD QUEST, CNN BUSINESS EDITOR-AT-LARGE & CNN HOST, "QUEST MEANS BUSINESS": No, no. Absolutely not. And indeed, nor can anyone else, Alisyn.
And, indeed, M.P.s -- a senior M.P. I spoke to earlier today was quite clear about it. No one has any idea of the way forward. There are thousands of potential options, a general election, a second referendum, proroguing parliament, doing this and the other. And you can permeate any one of a million different scenarios. But the truth is, nobody can tell you how this is going to play out.
And the stabbing in the back, to some extent, of the prime minister by his own brother just added fuel to the fire. When Boris Johnson today was answering reporters' questions, that's all we wanted to know, why did your brother knife you at the worst possible time when you just lost several key votes in parliament and may be facing a general election. Even your own brother doesn't support you.
CAMEROTA: You said you couldn't explain it, but you're doing a pretty good job of letting us know the circumstances.
(CROSSTALK)
CAMEROTA: Yes, we got that.
Richard Quest, thank you very much
Back here, Hurricane Dorian spawning tornados across the Carolinas. We'll talk to one man who just lost his family business, coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:48:27]
CAMEROTA: It's 2:48 east coast time. At this time, the category-2 Dorian is lashing the Carolinas. Experts warn of life-threatening storm surges, winds, heavy rain and tornados. Charleston, South Carolina, has already been experiencing street flooding, as you can see, because of the tidal surges. Forecasters say things could get much worse.
CNN's Randi Kaye is along the waterfront in Charleston.
Randi, tell us what you are seeing right now.
RANDI KAYE, CNN ANCHOR & CORRESPONDENT: Alisyn, they were expecting 75-mile-an-hour wind gusts here. It seems as though we're getting pretty heavy winds here and certainly heavy rains. It's been steady throughout the night and throughout the day.
We're at the Ashley River. There's a marina here behind me. Look at all these boats. When we checked in here yesterday, I was a little concerned how these boats were going to hold up. There are some sails in the distance, you can see the wind chewed through those.
But it was great to come back to this area, and make sure all of these boats were still here.
A big concern here, Alisyn, was the high tide. We had one at about 1:00 a.m. this morning of about 10.3 feet. That's a near record. We had another a short time ago, at around 2:00 today, of about nine feet. That was a real concern.
It's the triple threat here, in Charleston. There's heavy rains you're seeing right now. There's the storm surge and the high tide. The city says they're prepared. They're seeing some power outages, trees down. About 130,000 people without power, Alisyn. But the city says they have the high-water vehicles, FEMA and the National Guard. And they will continue to work here and make sure everybody is safe.
[14:50:06]
Back to you.
CAMEROTA: OK, Randi, thank you for that status report. Please be careful.
In a few minutes, we'll get a brand-new forecast of where Dorian moves next.
Plus, I'll speak with former NBA start, Rick Fox, who grew up in the Bahama, went to school in Canada. And he has family still in the Bahamas. So he's seeing these heartbreaking images and stories coming out of there. We'll tell you how he's feeling.
This is CNN's special live coverage.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:55:16]
CAMEROTA: At least 135 people have been rescued and evacuated in the Bahamas according to the U.S. Coast Guard. With power outages and unreliable telephone service, there are still so many people waiting to hear from their loved ones.
You can feel the desperation in this moment that was caught on camera. This is a family getting word that their 10-year-old, Alex, who was separated during the storm's chaos is actually safe in Nassau.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(CROSSTALK)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CAMEROTA: Oh, my gosh, what a relief for that family. One of those women told CNN they're still searching for other members of that family.
Our next guest grew up in the Bahamas. He's been advocating for hurricane relief, aide and supplies to the region. He is former NBA star, Rick Fox.
Thank you so much for being here.
Your family, many members of your family are still in the Bahamas, is that right?
RICK FOX, FORMER NBA STAR WHO HAS FAMILY IN THE BAHAMAS: Correct. Thank you for having me.
We're a country of under 500,000 people so it's hard not to be related in extended islands like this. The Abaco Island and Grand Bahama is still completely under water. The search-and-rescue missions that are out here need to be executed still.
My family, my immediate family is safe in the capitol of Nassau. But --
(CROSSTALK)
CAMEROTA: You have talked to them, just to be -- you've been able to get communications in and out of there?
FOX: I have, Nassau. But still the struggles in these areas you see here. This is an island I grew up on and so much of the Abacos. My family had businesses in Freeport. This is the second and third- largest populated island when it comes to our citizens. They've been displaced now.
And my request, if any, to anyone out there, especially President Trump and Governor DeSantis in Florida, please release the urban search-and-rescue group in Miami. They're the best in the region. Please allow them to go out. They want to help.
They need clearance from federal and state agencies. They would make a difference in this waning hour so people can be discovered and found before disease sets in, before the body counts go higher. You see the disaster. We have to recover people.
CAMEROTA: Rick, are you saying that those rescuers in Miami have not gotten permission to be released?
FOX: They have not yet been allowed to be released. This is the group in Miami-Dade County that, like I said, are the best in the region. They've been to Puerto Rico. They've been in these situations. They're sitting there and want to go.
We're 50 miles away from what you see here, and they just need clearance from the president, from the government, federal and state clearance. If they can get that, Mr. President, Governor DeSantis, if they can get that, they can be on the move to this very location here in Grand Bahama and Abaco. They can retrieve citizens.
And I'm so grateful and we are as a country so grateful for the help we're already getting from our brothers in the United States here. You see the Coast Guard, the relief efforts that be being put in place by local Bahamians on the ground along with U.S. citizens that are contributing to different consulates and ships on the way.
We need more search-and-rescue help here. There's water and shelter, food and medicine that's needed. We have to recover and find people.
CAMEROTA: Do you know what the holdup is? Do you know what they haven't' been released? Maybe it's not safe enough?
FOX: I know it is a clearance issue with government and federal and state --
(CROSSTALK)
CAMEROTA: Meaning red tape?
FOX: Red tape, just red tape. It is. And I understand it. I just humbly request if we can move that red tape along in some ways it would be beneficial in these waning hours to get that done.
Look, we're a country of 700 islands. These are two of our major islands. Other islands in our country are fine.
When you ask as an individual, what you can do, right now, we need a helping hand. We need people on the ground. We need people to continue to visit our country. We need people to come and lift the spirits of those that are going to be recovering.
We're talking about 40,000 displaced people. Shelters are going to be needed.
In the coming days, with the ministry of youth and sports and also the NSA, with Chairman Burton Rogers -- I'm on the board of that group -- we're going to be heading efforts as we galvanize the American community here that have already been reaching out and want to aid and support and raise funds.
The rebuild is going to go on for months and years.
CAMEROTA: Yes.
FOX: Right now, we need a helping hand on the ground. And we have to find people we have to recover people.
[15:00:05]
And, look, we've had -- I have relatives -- the deputy prime minister of the country, his whole district is under water.
