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Kemp and Abrams Face Off in Debate; Anti-Semitic Messages in Jacksonville; Water and Power Knocked out to Parts of Kyiv; Andrea Kendall-Taylor is Interviewed about Russia's War on Ukraine; Austin Golding is Interviewed about Shipping on the Mississippi River. Aired 9:30-10a ET

Aired October 31, 2022 - 09:30   ET

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

[09:30:00]

ERICA HILL, CNN ANCHOR: Brian Kemp, Democrat Stacey Abrams are still hoping to get more votes. They held their final debate last night.

CNN's Eva McKend is in Georgia live for us this morning.

Boy, is there a lot of attention on Georgia, as you know, this election cycle. Any new revelations in the debate last night?

EVA MCKEND, CNN NATIONAL POLITICS REPORTER: Well, Erica, that is absolutely right. Lots of attention on Georgia. Georgia often referred to as the center of the political universe. And it is due in part to this highly anticipated rematch between Governor Kemp and Stacey Abrams.

What last night's debate really underscored is that they couldn't be more different on policy matters. Whether it is economic issues or abortion.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. BRIAN KEMP (R), CANDIDATE FOR GEORGIA GOVERNOR: Thankfully, in Georgia, because we were open even when Ms. Abrams didn't want us to be, our economy has been incredibly resilient.

STACEY ABRAMS (D), CANDIDATE FOR GEORGIA GOVERNOR: Under this governor we've lost $150 million in investment. Music Midtown pulled out. We lost the MLB game. We know that the entertainment industry is thinking about losing -- leaving Georgia because of the abortion ban that is driving women away.

He refuses to protect us. He refuses to defend us and yet he defended Herschel Walker, saying that he didn't want to be involved in the personal life of his running mate, but he doesn't mind being involved in the personal lives and the personal medical choices of women in Georgia.

KEMP: We are a state that values life. I understand people disagree on when that issue may be comfortable for them or not.

And it's not my desire to go move the needle any further on this issue.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MCKEND: Now, another notable moment came when Abrams voiced her concern with the potential for women to be investigated after suffering miscarriages under Georgia's abortion law. Kemp then revealed that his own wife had suffered a miscarriage years ago.

It's hard to know how much this debate changes things. It did highlight really a stark contrast and policy differences. But, Erica, so many people in this state have voted already, more than a million during this early vote period.

HILL: Eva McKend live for us this morning in Atlanta. Thank you.

Officials in Jacksonville, Florida, are now condemning anti-Semitic messages seen in public spaces across the city over the weekend. One of those messages scrolled on the outside of TIAA Bank Field. You see it there. This was during the Georgia/Florida college football game on Saturday, referencing anti-Semitic comments made by Kanye West. Well, the universities of Florida and Georgia issued a joint statement condemning the message, as well as others seen on an overpass and a public building.

CNN's Leyla Santiago is covering these developments for us.

So, in terms of an investigation into the incidents, what do we know and how are people reacting there in Jacksonville?

LEYLA SANTIAGO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, Erica, in terms of the investigation, much of that remains unclear. We're still waiting to hear back from local law enforcement on that.

But what is clear, when you talk to local leaders, we spoke to the leader of the local Jewish Federation, she called this unnerving. And many folks here saying at the center of this is pure hate.

So, let's talk about what happened.

Outside of the stadium where I am right now over the weekend, during the Florida/Georgia game, scrolling on the outside read, Kanye is right about the Jews, referencing the artist formerly known as Kanye West and his anti-Semitic comments there.

And it wasn't just that. We also saw over the weekend displays of anti-Semitism over an overpass here in Jacksonville. The mayor calling them cowards and coward messages, as folks are condemning this quickly.

So, here's what else the local Jewish Federation said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARIAM FEIST, CEO, JEWISH FEDERATION NORTHEAST FLORIDA: We're now at the point of like, we're not stunned or shocked anymore, we're angry. And we're taking that emotion of anger and sadness and somewhat fear and we're harnessing it to actually do something.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANTIAGO: And ADL, I spoke with them as well, they told us that in their last audit they had 2,700 anti-Semitic incidents reported last year. That's a 34 percent increase from the previous year. And this year they're seeing more extreme -- extremist groups that are really hoping to stir up fear and anxiety among these communities, Erica.

HILL: Leyla Santiago, appreciate the new reporting there. Thank you.

Still to come here, overnight, a wave of Russian missiles launched at critical facilities for water and power in Ukraine. We'll take you there live, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:39:15]

HILL: This morning, the Ukrainian military says Russia launched more than 50 cruise missiles in yet another wave of strikes targeting critical infrastructure in Kyiv and cities across the country. Ukraine claiming it intercepted 44 of those missiles. Kyiv's mayor, though, says one attack hit an energy facility that powered some 350,000 apartments.

CNN's Nic Robertson joining us now live from Kyiv.

So, Nic, as I understand it, you're in an area where one of the lines there - you're at a line where people are trying to get water. The mayor has also said some 80 percent of the city's population doesn't have water supply right now because of the attacks.

What more can you tell us about just how significant that damage is?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yes, the mayor says he hopes to get the supplies up and running. Part of the city, the water is coming back on.

[09:40:02]

But here you have a line of people -- this water spigot that they're lining up for here is one of dozens around the city. So, this is how people are going to be getting their water in the coming days until the city officials can get the water supplies back up and running.

People I've been talking to here tell me they're OK with this. Obviously, they don't like it but they're OK with it. It's not going to make them leave the city. They're going to stay here. They expected the situation to get worse.

Russia has been hitting the power generating facilities across this country now for about three weeks and it's reduced the capacity of the power grid to really keep a lot of the main functions in big cities like Kyiv up and running. That meeting today with strikes today they've been able to take out so much of the water capacity in the city.

Also across the city the cellular phone network, normally a very good 4G signal, now reduced to, in many areas, to a very poor 3G signal. So, the impacts are beginning to be felt more widely. The government saying today ten different regions were affected by strikes. Eighteen different strikes. A hydropower plant north of Kyiv was impacted today, as well as the biggest hydroelectric power plant in the center of Ukraine. That was also hit. The key part of Russia's efforts here is to just -- is to stop the electrical generating facilities in the country, stop the grid working.

HILL: It is something, especially when you see those pictures and those numbers, people lining up, though, for that water and their resolve. Nic, Appreciate it. Thank you.

Joining me now to discuss further, Andrea Kendall-Taylor. She's a former deputy national intelligence officer for Russia/Eurasia at the National Intelligence Council.

Good to see you this morning.

When we look at what happened today, when we look at this pressure that Russia and Vladimir Putin are trying to put on Ukrainians by specifically targeting infrastructure, not just electricity, but water, what does this tell you about Putin's plan moving forward? Is this - this -- could he be moving further west ultimately to target some of those infrastructure -- some of the infrastructure there as well?

ANDREA KENDALL-TAYLOR, FORMER DEPUTY NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE OFFICER FOR RUSSIA/EURASIA, NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE COUNCIL: Well, I think, I mean, as you're covering, the attacks are horrific and we should not grow to -- grow immune to them. But they shouldn't be surprising. And I think the way that we understand these attacks is that, as Vladimir Putin is unable to accomplish his objectives on the battlefield, he will continue to terrorize Ukrainian cities, he will continue to terrorize Ukrainians to try to get them to make concessions and end the war on Russia's terms.

But you covered an interesting point, Erica. You noted that Ukraine shot down 44 out of the 50 missiles that Russia launched. And it just underscores how critical the air defenses are that the west continues to provide Ukraine. And that will be key to preventing Putin from moving west with those attacks.

HILL: There's not just the infrastructure that we're following, right, as those attacks continue, but also the fact that Russia is now pulling out of this grain deal. Earlier today the Kremlin called it, quote, risky and dangerous. What do you see as the path forward here? Is this just another way that, you know, that Putin is essentially trying to hold Ukraine hostage, and potentially Europe?

KENDALL-TAYLOR: Exactly. I think -- yes, exactly. Both of these represent forms of escalation. So, again, as he can't accomplish on the battlefield, he's looking for any options, he's leveraging any remaining influence - or he's -- I'm sorry, he's weaponizing any remaining leverage that he has. And I think that attacks on the civilian centers and his suspension of the grain deal are related.

As the lights go out and it gets colder, we're likely to see an influx of Ukrainian migrants into Europe. I also think that Putin is calculating with an increase in prices, more food insecurity, potentially instability in the south and the Middle East, that that, too, could push another wave of migrants up into Europe to the south.

So, those two things could very well converged and put tremendous pressure on European governments. So, I think it's Europe that he has in his crosshairs and he's trying to make their support for Ukraine as costly as possible to get them to stop their support because this is a critical juncture for Putin. He needs to make it through this winter without losing additional territory. So he is weaponizing everything he's got.

HILL: There's so much talk about how difficult this winter is going to be in Ukraine, for obvious reasons that we just discussed. Also in Europe, as we know. We see the prices. We know what's happening there. We know what the stressors are at that point.

But the reality is, there has been reporting from the beginning of the war about how low morale was among Russian troops. Now all of this added reporting about how ill prepared they are.

[09:45:03]

The impact of this upcoming winter, I mean that could also lead to even further discontent among these troops, these Russian troops.

KENDALL-TAYLOR: I entirely agree and I think the key flash point is going to be the battle over Kherson. We know that Ukraine continues to make progress there and a lot of those Russian fighters have been there for a very long time. And we know that their supply lines have been significantly disrupted. So, it's going to make it very hard for Moscow to get winter gear into the soldiers there.

So, that low morale, I think, make it increasingly likely that Ukraine will have success in the coming weeks or a couple of months in that area. But the one thing to note is I think that there's a lot of optimism in the west about how well Ukraine is doing. But even with low morale, I think it's still unlikely that Russian forces will entirely collapse. So, it is critical that we continue to prepare and plan for a sustained war.

HILL: Andrea Kendall-Taylor, always good to have your insight. Thank you.

Still to come here, the Mississippi River's slow rebound from record low levels is forcing the shipping industry to recalculate. How that drought is also impacting the supply chain, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:50:50] HILL: The growing drought in the central east is having a serious impact on the Mississippi River. It's already at critically low levels in a number of areas. That's forcing shipping companies that transport on the Mississippi to recalculate how much they're sending down river.

Joining me now, Austin Golding. He's the CEO of Golding Barge Line in Vicksburg, Mississippi.

It's great to have you with us.

So, you know, this is something I have to admit I never really thought about. I hadn't thought about just how important the Mississippi River is in this country when it comes to transporting goods. So, you deal mostly with petroleum. You can plan a little bit for a drought. But given what we've seen and how long it's lasted, what's the impact been on what you can transport and also those charges down the line?

AUSTIN GOLDING, CEO, GOLDING BARGE LINE: Well, thanks for having me.

The first thing that we've done is lighten the load on all of our barges so they don't drag as deep in the water. When the water becomes shallow, you have to reduce the amount of cargo on your barges to not run aground. We also have reduced the number of barges we're carrying per tow. A lot of these tow sizes have been cut in half. So, when you reduce the draft and the number of barges, you really scale back on the efficiencies that our industry offers, which makes things a lot more expensive and makes our industry a lot less competitive. It's very, very tough to get by during times like this.

HILL: I mean it is astounding how much less expensive it is to ship things on the Mississippi versus, you know, using rail or even the roads. And I know you ship mainly petroleum, as we said, but I'm sure you're talking to a lot of other folks who are involved in shipping here. When we look specifically, I believe it's 92 percent of agriculture exports depend on the Mississippi. This is a major highway in the United States. What are you hearing from other shippers?

GOLDING: Well, a lot of folks are having a lot of trouble moving grain, like you said, and aggregate used in paving and construction. These materials make more sense to be moved by barge than any other mode of transport because literally we're moving thousands of 18- wheelers worth of cargo, hundreds of rail cars worth of cargo with two diesel engines, half a dozen men and one boat. It's very, very cost effective. It's very, very green. It has very, very little environmental impact. So, when you move all of that cargo onto more expensive, more carbon-based modes of transportation that are less green and less efficient and more expensive, nobody wins. So, we need to keep that cargo on barges, but we need water to be able to maximize our efficiencies to do so.

HILL: You know, without this magic wand or a direct line to mother nature, right, to try to get that water, we know what you really need is rain. So, as I said, you know, I've read you can plan about a month out. You can see what's going to happen. You have a sense of how you may need to adjust things.

When we're looking at something that's been going on for a while now, this long-term prospect for you, how do you plan for that?

GOLDING: Well, we let our customers know first. Communication is key. Then we look back for previous historical precedent to kind of shape our policy. And then we look forward. A lot of our barges can take 10 to 20 to sometimes even 30 days. But we do see some rain in sight. We do see some stabilization of this situation. And the Corps of Engineers has done an unbelievable job keeping our channel open. We have not ceased operations yet. We've limited them but we have not ceased. The Corps has been a big part of that, and we do see some rain in the forecast that will give us some relief coming.

HILL: Is there any else that you think could be done? Is it government regulation? I mean is there anyone else or anything else that you believe could step in here to help ease some of this pain?

GOLDING: We definitely need more dredging. The dredging we have works. The dredging we have has been put to the test in the last -- this year. We've seen it work. We've been able to maintain a channel. We need more dredging. We need more funding and more incentive for more dredges to keep this channel viable because it has a - it gives us - our country a major advantage economically over (ph) the rest of the world to have this superhighway running right through the middle of our heartland. It's a wonderful asset. We need to maximize.

HILL: You mentioned you've talked to the folks that you work with. There's always a concern, understandably, right, we look at if there are increases, as we know all too well, from the supply chain issues that give us all a real education here over the last couple of years.

If you can't move as much product, but you probably still have to - you know, you still have the same costs even if you're moving less product, that then gets passed on to the consumer.

[09:55:04]

How much is that coming into consideration at this point?

GOLDING: I think it's coming into big consideration, especially in the export world. When you have the amount of soybeans that are exported, the amount of grain that's exported, those prices and those commodities see an impact either on a discount or by a scale of efficiencies being limited by the mode of transport they're brought to market (INAUDIBLE). So, they're definitely seeing a big hit.

On the refinery piece, my customers, they're seeing a big hit too. I mean they're seeing a lot of their deliveries be delayed or be limited, which the refinery costs the same to operate every day, depending on the amount of product they're making, the same way the tow boat costs the same, the same way the tractor costs the same for the agricultural piece.

HILL: Yes.

GOLDING: These manufacturing and operational costs are fixed. So, it provides a bar that we have to get over to create the profit. HILL: Austin Golding, really appreciate you taking the time to joins

us today and to give us some more insight into just how widespread this issue is. Thank you.

GOLDING: Thank you.

HILL: Still to come here, it wasn't just a hammer. CNN learning the suspect charged with attacking Paul Pelosi also had zip ties and duct tape. We're live in San Francisco after the break.

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