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Hurricane Devastates Parts of Florida, Leaves "Historic" Damage; Possible Levee Break Forces Evacuations of Sarasota County Neighborhood; Naples Devastated by Monster Storm's Wrath; Ian Devastates Historic and Colorful Community of Matlacha; Is It Smart to Rebuild in Disaster-Prone Areas?; National Archives Says It Still Doesn't Have All Trump White House Records; Putin Ally Urges Of Low Yield Nuclear Weapons In Ukraine; NFL Terminates Consultant Involved In Dolphin Quarterback's Concussion Evaluation Aired 8-9p ET

Aired October 01, 2022 - 20:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[20:00:39]

PAMELA BROWN, CNN HOST: I'm Pamela Brown in Washington. And you are live in the CNN NEWSROOM on this Saturday.

The people impacted by Hurricane Ian are learning more about how their lives are upended by one of the most powerful storms to ever hit Florida.

Minutes ago, we learned that power will likely not be restored in many areas before next Sunday. Think about that.

But Ian is also proving to be one of the most-deadly in recent years. And officials in Florida say that at least 66 people are confirmed dead. More than half of the fatalities are here, amid the widespread devastation in Lee County, which is home to Fort Myers.

The sheriff there says there have been more than 600 rescues in that county alone, and more than 1,100 across the state.

And near Sarasota, north of Fort Myers, police officers evacuated a neighborhood early this morning as levee appearing in danger of collapsing. That threat is a 15-foot wall of water crashing into the neighborhood.

Florida officials reopened a 12-mile stretch of Interstate 75 between North Port and Englewood.

An overflowing river in Sarasota County had shut down lanes in both directions. So a bit of good news that that opened beck up.

But this afternoon, Governor Ron DeSantis said overflowing lakes and rivers have also created havoc in central Florida.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. RON DESANTIS (R-FL): There's also other areas where we may expect additional flooding.

And it was interesting, I was touring central Florida with some of the aerial tours. There's more standing water in central Florida than there was in southwest Florida, even though they are a couple of hundred miles away from the initial impact of the storm and the storm surge.

Just had a lot of water with some of the rivers and the inlets overflowing. So it is creating a lot of problems really all across the state.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: All right. I want to bring in Jim Acosta, in Fort Myers, one of the hardest-hit areas.

Jim, I know that you have a lot of experience, unfortunately, covering hurricanes and the aftermath and the devastation.

I'm wondering, you have been there on the ground. How does this compare to past hurricanes that you have covered?

JIM ACOSTA, CNN HOST: Yes, Pam, I think that is what a lot of people in this area are going to be talking about over the next several days is comparing what happened with Hurricane Ian versus major hurricanes that hit the Gulf Coast in the past.

I covered Hurricane Charley in 2004. It essentially went through the same part of southwest Florida.

And I have talked to official after official after official and they all said that Hurricane Ian surpasses what Hurricane Charley did in terms of the damage. And that was a major storm as well in 2004.

And you can see the devastating effect of what happened here right behind me.

The sun has gone down, and it is nighttime. But you can see the boats that were tossed around like toys. They are now sitting on the dryland next to this bridge by the Fort Myers Marina that we are standing in now.

But, Pam, you have to go to the barrier islands that are off of the coast of Fort Myers to see the full scope of the devastation.

We were in Matlacha earlier today, this tiny coastal community where a lot of retired are living, a lot of retired military people are living. They've got their beachside homes and so on.

And I was talking to one man earlier today, a Marine by the name of Whitney Hall, about the devastation in his area.

And we were standing on a road that had been washed away and the road was completely gone. The bridge was intact, but the road was gone.

You can see some of the video right now. It looks like an earthquake hit. Cars are thrown around. Houses totally demolished and so on.

And here's what Whitney had to tell us. He was talking about how some of the neighbors in his community likely did not survive.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WHITNEY HALL, MATLACHA, FL, RESIDENT: I live on the side of it. The people say that your house is going, and your house is gone. And people texted me and they let me on.

My house is still standing. It's 82 years old. It has good bones to it.

ACOSTA: Yes.

HALL: And I've to go make a run. I have a truckload of stuff right over there. I have buddies coming with a boat. I have friends all over the country coming in.

ACOSTA: And Whitney, what is your last name?

HALL: Hall.

ACOSTA: Hall.

HALL: H-A-L-L.

ACOSTA: And you were in the Marines?

HALL: Yes.

ACOSTA: What does this look like, given your background?

HALL: Well, one of the guys looking like --

(CROSSTALK)

HALL: This is different type of the chaos, man. You know, you are not really worried about yourself. You are worried about your neighbors and your -- you know?

[20:05:06]

I think that most of the people they are in the moment right now, so they are not crying, and they are not celebrating. They are just trying to get through day-by-day right now.

So, community, man. So much of the division that we have in the community right now, you know? I hate to say it, but this is what brings people together.

ACOSTA: It is true.

HALL: I have never talked to you in two years.

(CROSSTALK) HALL: And they talked to me, because I had an extra neighbor. And that is because they were broke down.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: What that gentleman was talking about people coming together in the community, it is true, Pam. That is what people were clinging to right now is each other because they have nothing else to rely on. It is the kindness of their fellow community members and fellow neighbors.

We were on a boat earlier today. The boat broke down. These two other two gentlemen came along, picked us up, helped us go over to this community where we were able to get some of the footage that we got earlier today.

But one of the things that we are hearing time again, not just the residents I talk to, but a Fort Myers city official a short while ago.

Everyone in this area, Pam, they are steeling themselves for the possibility, the likelihood that the death toll is going to be going higher. It is at 66 right now.

But you talk to the folks anecdotally, and they are saying, oh, no, no, no, because the roads are washing out, because the bridge may be washed out over Sanibel Island and so on.

There are parts of this area that have not been accessed yet by law enforcement officials and rescuers and so on. So it is going to take days to unpack the full level of devastation here. It is just absolutely devastating.

And to your question at the beginning of this, Pam, I am seeing scenes here that I've not seen since I covered Hurricane Katrina in 2005. It's that kind of level of destruction.

Because of the storm surge coming ashore, just turning everything into a washing machine, chewing up palms --

BROWN: Yes.

ACOSTA: -- chewing up boats, chewing up cars and throwing them around.

And it is something to see on the ground to believe. It is absolutely devastating -- Pam?

BROWN: That is right analogy, a washing machine just tossing it around. And we don't know the extent of it. We won't know for days, as you said.

Jim, thank you so much for the reporting there, and your important reporting on the ground.

ACOSTA: You bet.

BROWN: All right. Let's go 80 miles up the coast to Sarasota. That is where we find CNN's Gloria Pazmino.

Gloria, what is the latest on the levee that forced the evacuation? Is there still a danger to families and homes there?

GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Pam, we have been driving around the area for the last couple of hours. We recently heard from the fire chief in North Port, which is an hour south of here. They were dealing with evacuations there as well.

The fire chief told us that the evacuations here, where we are near the Myakka River, went well.

This area is completely flooded. I know it is very dark, but the area directly behind me is just water as far as the eye can see,.

And you see over here, this family has been using this boat to get around and to try and go out there into the water and try to salvage as much as possible of what is left out here on their property.

We spoke to them earlier, and they were talking about these waters that just began to rush in.

It was early this morning that the sheriff deputies were going door- to-door to warn people about the potential of this water coming in.

I want to show you a house that is over here on this side. They told me that house has been here for more than 100 years. It has been in the same family. They have never seen this amount of water come up high.

We also spoke with people who live here in this area on the other side, which is where a lot of the flooded roads are right now. And they told me that they got the emergency alert early yesterday during the morning and they were just desperate to get out.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARBARA KLEIN, RESCUED FROM HOME: We didn't realize it was coming down the street. And when it got to our motor home, it was horrible. It was just horrible. It was just going up to the step.

And so, my husband -- they said that they had the big vehicles so they could get us out if we get stuck.

DAVID SARTWELL, CROWLEY MUSEUM AND NATURE CENTER VOLUNTEER: What I hope that people realize is that this water is continuing to rise.

PAZMINO: Yes.

SARTWELL: Which means that, at the other end where all of the disaster happened, this is not over for them. That water is going to continue to rise.

(END VIDEO CLIP) PAZMINO: So that is the concern right now. The water is sitting there as the rivers are continuing to move in and out. That is going to make the recovery very difficult.

You see there are people -- these are people's belongings here, their furniture, their beds, their linens. They're in there trying to dry the place up and get up and back as much as possible.

The woman who lives here on the property told me earlier today that this is an improvement from what it looked like just couple of days when Ian tore through here -- Pam?

[20:10:05]

BROWN: All right, Gloria Pazmino, in Sarasota for us tonight, thank you.

And down the coast to Naples. Now Brian Todd on the scene for us. He has been there all day long.

Brian, I know it is hard to see, but there's so much debris where you are. The governor said there have been more than 1,100 rescues around the state. Some of them have been going on close to where you are, right?

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Pamela. And I heard you and Jim talking about the rising death toll, and Jim talking how so many areas are inaccessible still on Sanibel Island and elsewhere.

That is a real issue here in Naples as well, because we are told - we were corresponding with the Naples Fire Department.

Officials there saying they are still conducting door-to-door search- and-rescue operations, teaming up with urban search-and-rescue teams. Still dangerous out there.

You took a -- look at these buildings behind me. There are high-rise buildings like this just all up and down the coast along here in Naples.

This isn't really a high rise but you see it has about eight floors. There are many buildings that up a lot higher.

And there are people still stuck in the upper units of these buildings, according to the fire department, the people who we have talked to there.

They have to try to get to especially elderly people stuck in the upper floors. They could not access the stairs or use the stairs. No elevator service. They're running out of food and water. So that is still a real issue tonight.

Urban search and rescue have to go up in dark buildings like this and try to knock on the doors and try to find people. That is a tall task. You have buildings like this all up and down the coast.

Here's another problem that the fire department is telling us about tonight. They have had an uptick in house fires and structure fires.

Why? Because sometimes when the power is turned back on, there's kind of a surge, and it can sometimes cause sparks in houses that are damaged. And with all of the debris around these houses, fires are getting

started. And loose wires inside houses.

Sometimes people coming back too soon, they are rummaging around, and causing some kind of fire or trying to use a generator inside. That is still a big issue, Pam.

Three days after landfall, these are the things still going on here in Collier County, and some of the dangers that both residents and the first responders are facing tonight.

BROWN: It is unbelievable what -- the dangers they are still facing today and in the days ahead.

Brian Todd, thank you so much.

And let's go back up to the gulf coast. That's about 40 miles from there. This is the coastal community of Matlacha.

As you see in this video, a scene of utter destruction between Fort Myers and Cape Coral. Boats pushed ashore, roofs torn off, roadways washed out.

Joining us is Mike Hannon, president of the Matlacha Civil Association.

Hi, Mike.

First of all, how are doing?

MIKE HANNON, PRESIDENT, MATLACHA CIVIC ASSOCIATION: Pam, I'm fine. Thank you for having us on.

I'm not on the island but I want to tell you, on behalf of my 700 friends who are there, that what I'm doing is trying to cut through the local red tape so we can be back to our homes.

The majority of our residential homes are relatively intact. We are chomping at the bit to get back. We all have boats.

We're very grateful to the governor for his visit to Matlacha. He's a can-do guy.

And we are waiting for the Army Corps of Engineers to be unleashed to bring out those old bridges from the Second World War and naval people to get over to where we are.

But we are like an armada off of Normandy waiting to get back to our properties and get them in shape.

And then we will help the rest of the government to restore Matlacha to what it has been and what it will be forever, an icon place in Florida.

BROWN: And you said there's red tape. Tell us a little bit about what residents are contending with right now.

HANNON: People are being told that they cannot go onto Matlacha, they can't go to their own property.

We all have boats., We know that's not true. We know we can get to our properties via the water.

And when we get there, we are not stupid, we have the wherewithal to bring generators and the wherewithal to clean up our properties before they are infested with mold and it is going to cost the insurance companies an arm and a leg to restore our properties.

We can get it done. We did it with Charley. And we're very frustrated by the fact that -- the temperament seems to be that you cannot do for ourself. And we can do for ourself.

And we've got earth movers and Marine companies Honch Marine, George Williamson. We've got wetland restoration people, insurance people. They've all volunteer among this little community of 700 to come back and restore Matlacha.

Let us do that. And then we will help you with the infrastructure on Pine Island Road so this place, this jewel of Florida, recognized by the governors, the jewel of Florida will never die again like this.

[20:15:05]

BROWN: And there are reports that it could take months to restore utilities there. There's ongoing assessments. But what are you being told on that front?

HANNON: We're being told that, because we don't have the utilities to support human life, we can't go there. There were people living on Pine Island without utilities long ago.

And unfortunately, the fishing cottages that were built there by people who were actually poachers are gone because of their frailty. But we will restore them. We'll get them up to code. We're going to elevate them.

Bert's Bar is coming back. Lisa's is coming back. Leona's is going to be coming back. All of the places that everybody knows about historically and all of the things that bring people to Matlacha are going to be there and they're going be there soon.

And I just want to give one message to my friends who are able to get on the island and walk around. There's an iconic sign that is on the bridge at what used to be the Bridgewater Hotel. It says, "Island time begins here."

I see that that sign is down. It's somewhere in the rubble. When one of you sees that, please grab that sign, take it and put it behind my house so we can put it up again next year when Pine Island and Matlacha are restored.

BROWN: Mike Hannon, I appreciate your optimism there for your town and the rebuilding of it. And that, by next year, you think that it is going to be back to how you envision it to be.

Thank you so much for coming on.

HANNON: Thank you, Pam, for what you are doing for all of us.

BROWN: Thank you.

As communities in Florida begin to heal and piece their lives back together, architects will begin to rebuild with climate change in mind. We'll speak to one of those architects up next.

And then later for you tonight, Ukrainian soldiers raise their country's blue and yellow flags in an area that Vladimir Putin claims to have annexed.

Also, former President Donald Trump says Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has a death wish. Details coming up.

CNN NEWSROOM continues after this short break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[20:21:28]

BROWN: Well, the pictures are terrifying. They show you just the extent of the damage. Thousands of Floridians are left homeless after Hurricane Ian cut a path of destruction across the southwest part of state.

What the winds didn't flatten, the heavy rains and storm surge swamped. Even some of those people who have lost everything, many are still hoping to rebuild.

But you have to ask, is it worth it? Is it wise? Should they?

As climate change continues to bring rising ocean levels and more violent storms, the EPA also warns that, along the Florida Atlantic and gulf coasts, the land surface is sinking.

Kobi Karp joins us now. He's an architect and a member of the American Institute of Architects.

Hi, Kobi. Welcome to the show.

It is one thing to say after a hurricane like this we are going rebuild. But knowing hurricanes are only getting stronger, should we rebuild in this area of southwest Florida?

KOBI KARP, ARCHITECT & MEMBER, AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF ARCHITECTS: So, that is a very good question. Historically, we have always planned and built around these areas, not only in the United States of America, but everywhere else. So, look, I have had -- been through Hurricane Andrew, and now this

hurricane. And this aftermath I think will lead us to rebuild in this area.

I think that is what will happen. And overall, we will find a way to do so. We have been doing this for thousands of years, from Venice, Italy, to Venice, Florida. So we will rebuild.

BROWN: So you will rebuild in these same areas?

I want to know because there's a weather report from NOAA weather agency saying sea levels are on track to rise more than a foot by 2050.

With that in mind, how would that factor in to rebuilding in these areas?

KARP: What will happen here, specifically, the rebuilding of this area, we will build it according to the wind velocity and codes that we have implemented after Hurricane Andrew in 1992.

But now, specifically, what we will do is we will raze the structures to accommodate not only the flood plain but also the wave crest that has been so strong through this area.

So this wave crest will allow us to raise the structure of the living spaces.

And therefore, by definition, if we're able to connect ourselves to a power grid, whether, for example, it's solar that we put on the homes today, that are then connected to a battery pack inside your garages uplifted with a backup generator that's electric, you don't even have the down time after this hurricane watershed event.

What we do have here is an opportunity to really study and really look into how we are designing and building and planning.

Because, after Hurricane Andrew, we overhauled our code completely. Hurricane impact to glass and structures today could withstand the hurricane. That's how we are designing our homes and our buildings throughout.

But I think that there is a positive element that hopefully will come out of here, which is all of us concentrating together. Not only meeting the wind event but also meeting the water and the flood event.

Not only for water-level rise, not only for flood mitigation, but also for, in this example, the wave crest that comes through after the hurricane.

[20:25:05]

BROWN: All right. Really interesting.

Kobi Karp, thank you. You are in the CNN NEWSROOM. The U.S. defense secretary is condemning

Vladimir Putin's nuclear threats. More of his sit-down interview with Fareed Zakaria up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BROWN: Tonight, the head of the Chechen Republic, nicknamed Putin's Attack Dog, is urging the use of nuclear weapons on the battleground in Ukraine.

[20:29:57]

That plea from Ramzan Kadyrov was part of an angry statement where he also called out Russian generals for giving up the Ukrainian city of Lyman.

CNN's, Fareed Zakaria talked about this new elevated nuclear threat with the U.S. Defense Secretary, Lloyd Austin.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FAREED ZAKARIA, CNN HOST: Have you conveyed to the Russians privately just how dangerous these threats are or what kind of retaliation they might expect from the West, where there to be used, say, of tactical nuclear weapons?

LLOYD AUSTIN, U.S. DEFENSE SECRETARY: Well, you've heard people in our -- in our leadership, among our leadership that have said that we have communicated to them recently. Personally, I have not talked to Shoigu in recent days, but I have talked to him in the past. And I have addressed this very issue to -- and warned to not go down this path and conduct this type of irresponsible behavior. So, yes, I have done that in the past, personally, but I've not talked to him recently.

ZAKARIA: Did you get the sense he got it? He under -- you know, you were -- you felt like he heard your message?

AUSTIN: I do. I think he heard my message. But, you know, to be clear, the guy who makes that decision, I mean, it's one man. There are no checks on Mr. Putin, just as he made the irresponsible decision to invade Ukraine. You know, he could make another decision. But I don't see anything right now that would lead me to believe that he has made such a decision.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: And for more Fareed's interview with Secretary Austin, tune in to Fareed Zakaria GPS tomorrow at 10:00 A.M.

And earlier tonight, I spoke with CNN Global Affairs analyst, Susan Glasser, she says Vladimir Putin saber-rattling is nothing new.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SUSAN GLASSER, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: What you're seeing with President Putin, I think, is a playbook that he's resorted to, again and again, in his tenure in office, which is to say, escalation and not dialing it down, but dialing it up. And, of course, the renewal of nuclear blackmail, nuclear saber-rattling by the Kremlin, itself, and its allies, Ramzan Kadyrov, you know, it may or may not indicate a willingness to use nuclear weapons.

What it does say is that it's dangerously normalizing a dialogue around the possible use of nuclear weapons. And that, in and of itself, is just an unthinkable thing in this -- in the post-cold war era. You know, we've never had a situation that fraught in which leaders of a country, a nuclear country are openly talking constantly about using nuclear weapons.

BROWN: Yes. And like you said, normalizing that, right? I mean, it is so beyond disturbing. And he said in his speech, that there was precedent for using nuclear weapons and referenced the U.S. and Japan. Here's the White House reaction to that.

JAKE SULIVAN, U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: I've been clear myself, President Biden has been clear, and the administration has been clear, that there is a risk given all of the loose talk and the nuclear saber-rattling by Putin, that he would consider this and we've been equally clear about what the consequences would be. We have communicated that directly to the Russians. We do not presently see indications about the imminent use of nuclear weapons.

BROWN: So what do you think about the White House response to this ratchet up rhetoric from Putin?

GLASSER: You know, I mean, they've been very specific, Jake Sullivan, not only said that, but the other day, he made a point of saying that any Russian use of nuclear weapons on the battlefield would be met with a catastrophic response on the part of U.S. and NATO allies, not just a response from Ukraine, that is very general.

What they haven't done yet is been more specific and what kind of response. It's not clear whether it would be a conventional military strike, perhaps on targets inside Russia itself. But again, here we are having this what should be and has up until now been unthinkable conversation.

Meanwhile, facts on the ground suggests more embarrassing reverses for Vladimir Putin. And I do think it exposes the farce of his fake referenda and the farce of his effort to create political reality where his military has not been able to do so.

BROWN: Yes, on that note, I'm wondering what your take is on this because it was Russia's Ministry of Defense who announced that the Russian forces had to retreat out of Lyman, because they were encircled, admitting defeat. What do you make of that?

GLASSER: Well, look, you know, the Ukrainians at the same time, are saying that they managed to either capture or kill all the remaining Russians who were in that sector. You know, the fog of war is still on the -- on the battlefield. So it's not entirely clear how it's worked. But what we can say is that Russia has suffered another embarrassing defeat that momentum appears to be on the Ukrainian side and, you know, we know also that Putin's response to the last defeat in the Ukrainian counter offensive which was to mobilize hundreds of thousands of Russian men has significantly destabilize Russian society from within, and you've had up to 200,000 Russian men flee the country, rather than get called up to Putin's decisions now are destabilizing not only Ukraine, but arguably destabilizing the situation inside Russia itself.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[20:35:30]

BROWN: And still to come, the National Archives says it is still missing records from some of former President Donald Trump's advisors. We're going to have details on that ahead for you.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BROWN: Well, tonight, the National Archives still isn't able to obtain records from a number of former Trump White House officials that it says should be in its possession. That revelation coming nearly eight weeks after the FBI searched former President Donald Trump's Mar-a- Lago home and seized some 11,000 documents, including some marked classified.

[20:40:05]

CNN political reporter Jeremy Herb is with us now. So, Jeremy, this new concern seems primarily directed at one of the former president's aides.

JEREMY HERD, CNN POLITICAL REPORTER: Yes, that's right, Pam. This new letter from the National Archives singles out former Trump trade adviser Peter Navarro, and the letter was sent to over -- House Oversight Chairwoman, Karen Maloney, says that the Archives has still yet to obtain back all of the government documents from the Trump administration.

The reason for this is that Trump aides like Navarro use their personal e-mails in order to conduct official government business. Now under the Presidential Record Act, senior White House aides are required to send those e-mails that they use on their personal accounts related to official business to their official accounts so the archives can collect them.

In Navarro's case, the archive cited a Justice Department lawsuit that was filed earlier this year, which stated that Navarro kept the e- mails that he had sent on his personal account related to the COVID 19 pandemic response and DOJ said they still are trying to get those e- mails.

Now in the letter, the archive is Debra Steidel Wall says that they also are seeking emails from other Trump aides, she wrote, "While there is no easy way to establish absolute accountability, we do know that we do not have custody of everything we should. She added that the Archives has, quote, been able to obtain such records from a number of former officials, and we'll continue to pursue the return of similar types of presidential records from former officials.

Now, it should be noted this is separate from the ongoing Justice Department investigation into the classified material that former President Donald Trump took to his Mar-a-Lago resort. Chairwoman Maloney also ask the archives for an update on the status of getting those materials and all materials from the former president back into the government's possession.

The archives, however, declined to address any issues related to the former president's documents at Mar-a-Lago, citing the ongoing Justice Department investigation and saying they wouldn't be able to comment any further on it. Pam.

BROWN: All right. Jeremy Herb, thank you so much. And meanwhile, Donald Trump launched some new and personal attacks on the head of his own party in the Senate and his wife. On social media, Friday, Trump accused Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of having a, quote, death wish for supporting what Trump calls, quote, Democrats' sponsored bills. He didn't explain what he was referring to, but McConnell recently endorsed the bipartisan Electoral Count Act designed to make it harder to overturn a certified presidential election.

Trump went on to wonder if McConnell, quote, hated him. Trump also attacks McConnell's wife, Trump's own former Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, Trump referred to Chao an emigrated from Taiwan as, quote, Coco Chao. He also said McConnell again quoting must immediately seek help and advice from his China-loving wife. No comment yet from McConnell's office.

Well, you were in the CNN NEWSROOM on the Saturday night. Clean energy may be considered a Democrat issue, but green can bring jobs and that means everyone is jumping in. We're going to take you to West Texas, up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[20:45:46]

BROWN: Just in, the Saturday night tragedy in Indonesia. A soccer match descended into violence and at least 127 people are reported dead. Fans of the team that lost the match poured onto the field and clash with police officers and tactical gear. Some police officers are among those killed.

Well, while clean energy remains a divisive political issue in states like Texas, sprawling solar and wind farms are increasingly popping up. And the Department of Energy Analysis is projecting hundreds of thousands of energy jobs will go to red states like Texas. CNN's Gabe Cohen has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GABE COHEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The vast plains of West Texas aren't just oil and gas country anymore.

ALLEN GULLY, TEXAS FARMER: There it is.

On Allen Gully's cotton farm outside San Angelo, the boom is above ground, a sprawling solar farm. This lifelong Republican and his neighbors are leasing roughly 700 acres to an energy company making hundreds of thousands of dollars each year to allow these panels on their land.

GULLY: It's a rocking chair money. It's money that will come every year.

COHEN: San Angelo is one of many rural Republican communities betting big on renewable energy.

MICHAEL LOONEY, SAN ANGELO CHAMBER OF COMMERCE: It's not just all about drilling and exploration.

COHEN: Michael Looney heads economic development for the San Angelo Chamber of Commerce, recruiting energy companies to build at least nine solar and wind farms near their small city of 100,000 people.

LOONEY: They're providing a really strong revenue source.

COHEN: Did you get pushback?

LOONEY: We really didn't. They have some political pushback in certain communities that find them to be perhaps not a really good fit. But in Tom Green County, we found that there was a perfect fit.

COHEN: Clean energy remains a divisive political issue in states like Texas.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oil and gas is king in Texas.

COHEN: But right now, 18 of the top 20 U.S. districts for wind and solar generation are represented by Republicans. These rural regions have the space and the elements needed for these projects.

KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The bill, as amended, is passed.

COHEN: The nearly $370 billion climate bill, part of the Inflation Reduction Act, recently passed without a single Republican vote, some calling it a gift to elite liberal states. But a White House analysis projects two-thirds of the investment from the bill, including hundreds of thousands of jobs will go to red states with projects planned in Texas, Oklahoma, Georgia, Tennessee, South Carolina, and Ohio just to name a few.

[20:50:17]

LOONEY: It's going to do nothing but help to stimulate more of these types of projects.

COHEN: Roughly one quarter of Texas electricity comes from renewables and the numbers rising. In Water Valley, a rural town outside San Angelo, a group of ranchers are housing this massive wind farm, making more than $10,000 per year for each turbine they allow on their land.

It was a business decision.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, a business decision. Yes.

COHEN: Tim Teagarden (PH)is one of them.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I feel like it's really benefited our community.

COHEN: Down the road, the school district is using tax money from the project to build a new technical education lab, athletic facility, and a large cafeteria to replace this current one.

How much will all this construction cost?

FABIAN GOMEZ, SUPERINTENDENT, WATER VALLEY INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT: Right now we're looking at about $17 million.

COHEN: And how much of that is coming from the renewable projects?

GOMEZ: About 80 to 85 percent.

COHEN: Superintendent Fabian Gomez says more than half of his students come from low-income families.

GOMEZ: It gives them an opportunity that otherwise they wouldn't have and we couldn't provide it.

COHEN: What's often framed as a red versus blue issue may become much blurrier. As more rural regions tap into clean energy incentives.

JEFF CLARK, ADVANCED POWER ALLIANCE: There are people who support renewable energy because it's clean. And there are people who support renewable energy because it's a way to make money. And they're not mutually exclusive.

COHEN: And some Republicans like Allen Gully are all in.

GULLY: Long after I'm gone, it's going to take care of all of my children and possibly grandchildren.

COHEN: He bought a plug-in hybrid and he's on the list for an electric pickup.

GULLY: Clean is the future. There's no question it's the future.

COHEN: Do you see renewables as a red or blue issue?

GULLY: I guess I do, but I don't think it should be.

COHEN: Gabe Cohen, CNN, San Angelo, Texas.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BROWN: Well, new tonight from the NFL, the neurotrauma consultant who handled the Miami Dolphins quarterback head injury evaluation has reportedly been fired. We're going to have details on that right after this quick break.

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BROWN: Well, new data from the CDC has found that after a two-year decline, U.S. suicide rates are rising once again. Last year, almost 48,000 Americans took their own life, that's about one death every 11 minutes, which is nearly 1,700 more than the year before.

CNN medical correspondent, Dr. Tara Narula, has been following this for us.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TARA NARULA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: We know that suicide is a major contributor to premature death in the United States. And in fact, it's the second leading cause of death in the U.S. in those ages 10 to 34. The CDC recently released data that showed after a two-year decline. There was an increase in suicide in 2021. Almost 48,000 individuals died by suicide in the U.S. in 2021, which was up by about 1,700 from the year before.

In general, when you look over the past 20 years, there's been about a 31 percent increase in suicide. When you break it down by gender, men are about four times more likely to die by suicide than women. And in this particular study, the group that saw the biggest percent statistically significant increase was in those who are 15 to 24 and were male.

All of this really points to the need in this country for better mental health care, better mental health care access, and really a comprehensive approach to how we deal with suicide prevention. In fact, the recent launch of the 988 suicide crisis prevention texting call line will hopefully help. They saw over 400,000 contacts in August.

And one other thing to point out is we know that firearms are actually used in over 50% of those who die by suicide. And this has led many to focus on safe storage as a big way to at least lower the lethality associated and hopefully keep many more individuals alive.

BROWN: All right. And if you are in crisis or considering suicide, please call the National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline available nationwide. Just dial 988.

Well, tonight more fallout from an ugly concussion episode involving the starting quarterback for the Miami Dolphins, Tua Tagovailoa, returned to the game despite this play last Sunday, where you can see his head hit the turf violently.

The doctor involved in clearing his return to the game that day has now been fired. He's an unaffiliated neurotrauma consultant. And it got worse for the Dolphins' quarterback later in the week. He took another shot to the head and Thursday night's game against Cincinnati and he had to be carted off the field on a stretcher. The NFL and the NFL Players Association are conducting a joint review into the handling of this injury.

Well, former President Jimmy Carter is celebrating his 98th birthday today. The Carter Center released a photo of him marking this milestone in his hometown of Plains, Georgia. It says he spent the day surrounded by friends and family including his wife, Rosalynn, the former first lady, who was now 95 years old. Happy Birthday to former President Carter. What a picture.

Well, don't forget that you can tweet me at PamelaBrownCNN. You can also follow me on Instagram with the same handle. Thank you so much for joining us this evening. I'm Pamela Brown. I'll see you again tomorrow night starting at 5:00 Eastern. "The Murdochs: Empire of Influence," up next.

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