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Debbie Expected To Grow To Cat 1 Hurricane Before Landfall Overnight; Harris Interviews Shapiro, Walz And Kelly Today For VP; Trump Tests New Lines Of Attack On Harris At Georgia Rally; Israeli Military Responds To Overnight Launches In Southern Lebanon; Interview With Rep. Brian Mast (R-Fl); Debby Expected To Hit Hurricane Strength Before FL Landfall; Team USA Adds To Their Medal Haul At The Summer Games. Aired 2-3p ET

Aired August 04, 2024 - 14:00   ET

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

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[14:00:38]

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Hello everyone. And welcome this Sunday.

Thanks so much for joining me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

And we begin this hour with breaking news.

Evacuations are underway in parts of Florida as residents prepare for what is soon to become Hurricane Debby. Debby is now a tropical storm, but is expected to intensify into a hurricane as early as tonight before making landfall tomorrow morning near the Big Bend region of the state.

Levy, Franklin, Wakulla and Dixie counties, all currently under mandatory evacuation orders with many other counties urging people in low-lying areas to leave voluntarily. And earlier today, President Biden approved a disaster declaration for Florida.

Let's get right to it with meteorologist Derek Van Dam, who is tracking the very latest.

Oh boy, here we go again. And we are kind of entering what would become the most active part of the hurricane season, right?

DEREK VAN DAM, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes. We are heading into the peak of hurricane season, no doubt.

So the threats that we have ahead of us in Florida in the southeast, not only the extreme winds -- well strong winds, I should say -- storm surge, but the potential for tornadoes and then a looming flood threat, which I'll highlight in just one moment.

Here's the latest on what is Tropical Storm Debby starting to consolidate, becoming more organized as time goes on, taking advantage of the record warmth of water over the eastern Gulf of Mexico. We've got hurricane warnings across portions of the Big Bend, tropical

storm warnings extending across the peninsula. And when I talk about this organization, well here it is. You can start to see an ai developing.

We don't like to see that because that generally means that it is strengthening and that's exactly what we expect it to do prior to landfall early Monday morning.

Here's the tornado threat. We have a tornado watch that extends across the majority of the Florida Peninsula. Even into southern portions of Georgia, there have been on and off again tornado warnings. They're short-lived, quick spin-ups. We could see a few water spouts off shore as well.

This is the concerning trend that I have. This is going to slow down, kind of lose its steering currents once it enters the southeastern U.S. and then meanders across this area.

And when you have a slow-moving tropical system that can only mean one thing -- a lot of rain. and that is what we're worried about.

But let's touch on this storm surge potential, that Big Bend area. We'll call that the catcher's mitt of Florida. Six to ten feet above normally dry ground that will inundate buildings and of course, cause some serious concerns even at a Tampa Bay three to five feet of inundation possible there.

But look at this. This is for the next couple of days. We have the potential for really what they're saying is extreme flash flooding potential along the coastal areas of Carolina, South Carolina and into Georgia as well.

So Savannah, Charleston -- you need to watch the storm very closely because a large swath of 15 to 20 inches of rain as the storm slows down taps into some moisture from the Atlantic Ocean and then produces that heavy rainfall.

We're going to be edging close to record rainfall territory from tropical cyclones in the state of South Carolina and into portions of Georgia. That of course, will lead to flash flooding and yes, that is really spelled out with this kind of spaghetti map. It just doesn't have much guidance where this thing is going to go because it will slow down in the end there for certain (ph).

WHITFIELD: It essentially means everyone in that area be ready --

VAN DAM: Right.

WHITFIELD: -- and be prepared, start getting those preparations underway.

All right. Derek Van Dam, we'll check with you throughout the afternoon. Thanks so much.

All right. Let's talk politics now, because a critical countdown is underway as presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris faces her most consequential decision to date, her choice of a running mate.

Today, three more sit downs on tap with Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, and Arizona Senator Mark Kelly.

CNN's Eva McKend is tracking developments at the U.S. Naval Observatory in Washington, D.C., that is where the vice president lives.

Eva, one senior Democrat close to the process says, it boils down to three Cs -- competence, chemistry and core values. What are you learning today?

EVA MCKEND, CNN NATIONAL POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: Well Fred, that is what she is considering. I have to tell you only minimal activity here today.

[14:04:50]

MCKEND: We know that this choice, these meetings are so pivotal for the vice president. We did observe a motorcade with Pennsylvania tags and it was similar to the one that Governor Josh Shapiro was in when he left Pennsylvania a few hours ago. Well, we just saw it pass by. We're not entirely clear if it was him.

Shapiro though, Fred, not the only one the vice president is considering. She is also slated to speak with Arizona Senator Mark Kelly today, as well as Minnesota Governor Tim Walz.

And I have to say there has been renewed focus on Governor Walz. He has shown that he can excite different parts of the Democratic coalition, progressives and centrist alike. And they say that he has illustrated over the last several weeks that he could be really critical messenger for her.

Meanwhile, Fred, this all comes as a new poll came out today, a CBS poll that has Harris and former president Donald Trump in a statistical tie. She's at 50 percent to his 49 percent. And that just underscores how dramatically this shake-up on the Democratic ticket has changed the contours of this race.

WHITFIELD: Eva, meantime Donald Trump and his surrogates continued to push a racial smear that Harris only recently, you know, turned black. How is her campaign fighting back.

MCKEND: You know, Fred. Many were taken aback by this. I was at the NABJ conference when he initially made those comments. There was an audible gasp in the room that this woman who is so clearly phenotypically black, the first black vice president of the United States, a Howard university grad in AKA (ph) was only sort of coming into her blackness for the sake of politics in recent years. Many, many people surprised by that.

Well, her allies are now saying that she has always celebrated all parts of her identity, both her black and Asian identity. Take a listen to California Senator Laphonza Butler.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LAPHONZA BUTLER (D=CA), STATE SENATOR: Look, this is an absolute distraction. It is an insult. It is despicable. This is a woman who was born in Oakland, California; who has declared and lived proudly her -- all of her identities her entire life; embracing the totality of who she is.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MCKEND: So Fred, we will keep you updated here on the veepstakes as they are well under way. We know that she is looking for a governing partner and perhaps someone that can help her deliver a pivotal swing state.

We could get an answer from her on this an announcement as soon as tomorrow. And then of course, she head on the campaign trail with her running mate on Tuesday beginning in Philadelphia, Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. The clock is ticking.

All right. Eva McKend. Thank you so much.

Former president Donald Trump and his running mate, Senator J.D. Vance spent their weekend campaigning in battleground Georgia, a state he lost to President Biden in 2020.

Trump held a rally at the same Atlanta venue Harris campaigned at last week. And Trump used his time in front of voters to try out new lines of attack against his Democratic opponent.

CNN's Alayna Treene has more.

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN REPORTER: Well Fred, the former president on Saturday tried to sharpen and hone his attacks on vice president Kamala Harris.

And at one point he kind of said the quiet part out loud, arguing that they need to work to define her. Take a listen to what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: You know four months ago, she was considered grossly incompetent by the fake news. Now they're saying, oh, isn't she wonderful, isn't she wonderful. No she's not wonderful.

So we have to work hard to define her. I don't want to even define her. I just want to say who she is. She's a horror show. She'll destroy our country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TREENE: Now Fred, the reason I find that so interesting is because it mirrors what I'm hearing from Donald Trump's senior advisers, which is, they are still trying to figure out which lines of attack work best against her.

Remember they've spent the entire election cycle thus far going after Joe Biden and an unpopular 81-year-old incumbent. Now they're kind of reimagining that entire playbook and of course, with only a couple of months left until November. So they are working to define her.

But look, he also repeatedly attacked Harris for having celebrity performers at the exact same venue when she held a rally there earlier in Atlanta, earlier in the week.

Now she had people like Megan Thee Stallion perform and Donald Trump argued that he found that phony.

Now he also tried to tie Harris to Hillary Clinton, his former opponent. He said that Clinton in the leadup to 2016, used to do a similar thing. She had celebrity performers like Bruce Springsteen perform for her.

He actually admitted at one point that he has a bad trait. He joked, which is that he only likes people that like him.

[14:09:47]

TREENE: Another interesting thing that Donald Trump really focused on and harped on was attacking the Georgia Governor Brian Kemp, Republican governor, I should say.

Remember, Kemp has been very involved in saying that the 2020 election was not rife with fraud, something that angered Donald Trump at the time and continues to bother him now.

Now, Donald Trump called him disloyal and said that he is trying to divide the Republican party. I will note, however, though, that while kemp did not support Donald Trump during the Republican primary, he did say that he would support him in the leadup to November.

He also responded to some of Donald Trump's attacks on Twitter last night, saying that he just wants to work to make sure that Kamala Harris and the Democrats do not win, Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Alayna Treene, thanks so much.

All right. Still ahead, Israel and Hezbollah exchange attacks across the Lebanon border and several countries are now urging their citizens to leave the area while they still can. We'll go live to our team in the region next.

[14:10:47]

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WHITFIELD: All right. New today, Israel and militant group Hezbollah continue to exchange attacks across Lebanon's border. Israel says it struck a rocket launcher in southern Lebanon after intercepting 30 projectiles fired by Hezbollah overnight.

The latest attacks follow the killing of a top Hezbollah commander last week. Fueling tensions even further. the killing of Hamas political leader while he was visiting Iran.

Hamas blames Israel for the attack. Israel has neither confirmed nor denied any involvement.

We've got full coverage of these developments. CNN's Jeremy Diamond is in Haifa in northern Israel and Ben Wedeman is in Beirut.

Jeremy, you first, where -- where and what is the focus for Israel right now?

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Well, at this hour, Israel is certainly preparing for this potential retaliation from Iran as well as its proxies in the region.

But right now this moment is really all about messaging. And what we've heard from the Israeli prime minister in two separate events today is vowing that Iran will pay what he calls a quote, "very heavy price" should it choose to carry out strikes on Israel.

And so deterrence is clearly the goal here of the Israeli prime minister to perhaps make Iran recalculate, rethink what it is preparing to perhaps do as Iran has continued to vow that it will retaliate directly against Israel and perhaps its proxies will as well.

As far as civilians are concerned here in Israel so far they haven't gotten any new guidance from Israel, the Israeli military's home front command. This is the guidance that they would be getting to prepare to go to shelters, prepare for a heightened state of alert.

The Israeli military spokesman Daniel Hagari saying that there is no change in that guidance at this hour. But some cities in Israel, like Jerusalem, like Haifa, have started to warn its residents to make preparations, even as that home front command guidance has not changed.

Now, as all of this is happening, the Israeli military is certainly not slowing down or stepping down its military campaign in Gaza.

Just today, we have seen a very deadly, very severe strike carried out on two schools in the western part of Gaza City in the al-Nasr neighborhood resulting in very heavy casualties, including civilian casualties.

At least 30 people are dead, 50 plus people have been injured according to the Palestinian civil defense, when airstrikes hit this school where the Israeli military claims that there are Hamas command- and-control centers inside of them.

The Israeli military claims that it took numerous steps to try and mitigate and minimize the number of civilian casualties. But the videos that we've seen at this early hour from the scene, paint a very different picture as we have seen a number of women and, in particular, children being pulled from the rubble. Some alive, hanging onto life, we should say -- others very much not, Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Jeremy Diamond, thank you.

Ben, to you now, several countries have warned their citizens to get out of Lebanon. What are people inside the country telling you.

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, certainly those who can't leave Lebanon, who don't have foreign passports are in a sense going about their daily lives.

Now keep in of course, today is the 4th of August, the fourth anniversary of the Beirut port blast that killed more than 200 people.

So we saw several thousand people marching through parts of Beirut ending up right outside that port. They are still angry over the fact that there is still no accountability for who was behind that blast, whether it was malicious or as a result of incompetence, people want to know why and how that horrendous blast, which I saw myself, happened.

And of course, they are concerned about the possibility of a war about to break out. And so their concerns are sort of the onetime, you know, they're worried about war and they're worried about the fact that yet another war with Israel is going to mean that perhaps never will they see accountability for what happened four years ago today.

On another part of town it's sort of the attitude of eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow, who knows what will happen?

[14:19:51]

WEDEMAN: We were along the Beirut's Corniche (ph) sea front. We saw people out sun tanning, listening to music, drinking beer, diving into the sea. Their attitude is there's nothing we can do about this.

Some people said they have confidence in Hezbollah that they will be able to inflict enough pain on the Israelis that the Israelis will hesitate to launch a full-scale war.

In a sense, many people understand that they unfortunately are bystanders in this situation. There's nothing they can really do to stop Hezbollah from engaging in exchanges of fire.

Their government is too weak to dictate the course of events. So really the best thing to do at this point is enjoy the weather and jump into the sea, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: That is fascinating. All right.

Ben Wedeman and Jeremy Diamond, thanks to both of you. Appreciate it.

All right. Let's get some reaction now to these developments. Congressman Brian Mast is as a Republican from Florida and a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. He's also a former army combat veteran who was awarded the bronze star and served alongside the Israel Defense Forces as a volunteer.

Congressman, great to see you.

REP. BRIAN MAST (R-FL): Good to see you also.

WHITFIELD: So how concerned are you about these ongoing attacks between Israel and Hezbollah.

MAST: It's highly concerning, right? And we know that Iran has let's say, at least 100,000 rockets aimed at Israel from the north. That's highly concerning.

We see this strike that took place. This wasn't just targeting Haniyeh. This was targeting Haniyeh directly in an IRGC housing complex. So that brings Iran into it in a slightly different way.

And then of course, everything that we see going on ongoing in Gaza as well.

But I do step back for a minute. I take a look at it in this way. It just from a strategy viewpoint, I'm always of the mindset that attacks come from a buildup of weakness. And peace comes through an abundance of strength.

And so if this is Israel showing strength in the face of this, I think it ultimately leads us closer to a peace deal.

WHITFIELD: So the U.S. is sending more military resources as well to the Middle East, including an air carrier strike group. What is the U.S. in your view, preparing for.

MAST: They're going into the region but it's a tough situation in this way.

You look at the background of this, you take a general like General McKenzie, our former CentCom commander under the Biden administration. And he has been very clear since retirement that this administration took Iran off the table as a target.

He literally called it aid and comfort to the enemy. And so you have to wonder what deterrence does sending those groups into the Med, what does that actually do for Iran. Do they fear our offense or are they thinking we're just there in a defensive front?

I think that's the calculation that they're making right now about American military presence.

WHITFIELD: After the killing of the Hamas leader last week, do you have any hope left for a negotiated ceasefire and return of hostages being held in Gaza?

MAST: I do. So as I said again, you know, I think an abundance of strength leads us closer to peace. And so I think you look at two separate groups going on in this fight.

For the fighter on the ground, I think they see these attacks and those fighters want to go back and fight more and attack more. Those that are Palestinians or Iranians or in Lebanon or anywhere. I think they want to fight more.

But I think for the leadership of Iran, of Hezbollah, of Hamas, they see those attacks. They know that if they were part of October 7, they are on the table as a target and it makes them want to step closer to the negotiating table.

WHITFIELD: Do you think the Israeli prime minister is fully committed to finding an agreement that would bring hostages home?

MAST: I think he's committed to finding the right agreement, the right agreement has not been presented. When an agreement is offered to say, hey, let's have a phased approach towards giving back hostages, giving back the bodies, laying down the weapons of the October 7 attackers. That's not the right approach to this.

You know, Netanyahu has been called an arsonist for the region. I think that's the exact opposite of what he is. I think he's more of a firefighter and not the arsonist when he shows strength.

Again, I think it brings us closer to peace to let those leaders know, especially what was the former prime minister of the Palestinians and now the Hamas leader that shows just how entrenched Hamas is into the whole social system of Palestinians.

That when you take that person out, it shows, hey, this is the commitment of Israel. If you were a part of October 7, prepare to meet your maker unless we reached the right conclusion as you were just asking about, which has to be total return, total lay down of their weapons.

I also want to ask you about the prisoner exchange the U.S. had with Russia last week. It brought home "Wall Street Journal" reporter Evan Gershkovich, also Paul Whelan, among others.

Here's what former president Trump said about the deal at a rally last night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[14:24:49]

TRUMP: I'd like to congratulate Vladimir Putin for having made yet another great deal. Did you see the deal with him. Now look, we want to get people in. You know, we got 59 hostages, I never paid anything.

They released some of the greatest killers anywhere in the world with some of the most evil killers they got and we got our people back. But boy, we make some horrible, horrible deals.

And it's nice to say we got them back but does that set a bad precedent/

(END VIDEO CLIP) WHITFIELD: So what are your thoughts? Do you think this was a victory for Vladimir Putin or was this a victory for the hostages or those who are -- the Americans who were detained and their families for their release?

MAST: I think that President Trumps struck the appropriate accord. For the families, for the hostages, absolute victory and for Americans. We're glad that they're back home on American soil.

But even Jake Sullivan said this was an unbalanced deal. We took back people that were wrongfully detained and we released individuals that were very justifiably detained.

It was unbalanced and President Trump, knowing him well, he wants us to get back to making deals that are unbalanced but in the favor of the United States of America.

We're going to get the better end of the deal and we're going to have it to be unbalanced in the other direction. That's what making America great again is all about. Let's have the world be tilted to the American advantage.

WHITFIELD: All right. Let's talk about what's happening in Florida right now or potentially of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is set to give a storm update the next hour. You've got tropical storm Debby which is threatening to be and gain hurricane strength threatening parts of Florida.

What are your thoughts on preparedness for Florida right now?

MAST: Floridians are very good at preparing for hurricanes. We know the process well, whether it's putting up shutters, whether its stockpiling our water supplies, boarding up windows, getting out of the way of the storm if that's what has to take place. Moving off the coast and moving inland to a hotel or friends, or family, or somewhere else.

Floridians had been through this process again and again and again. And so I think Floridians will take heed the warnings of the governor, of which the governor's office does a very good job of making sure to get the announcements out, getting the tracks down, making people aware of where these storms are likely to hit. And in the end, those that pay attention to these warnings will be in the right places.

WHITFIELD: All right. All the best for all of Florida.

Congressman Brian Mast, thanks for your time. Appreciate it.

MAST: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right.

Still ahead. Donald Trump tearing into Georgia Governor Brian Kemp as he hit the campaign trail in Georgia. Will settling scores help or hurt his chances of winning the swing-state?

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[14:31:55]

WHITFIELD: Former President Donald Trump and running mate J.D. Vance spent Saturday night in Atlanta, campaigning in the same venue used earlier in the week by Kamala Harris.

Trump renewed his personal attacks on the vice president at the rally, mocking the pronunciation of her first name, insulting her intelligence, calling her phony but he didn't stop there. The former president repeatedly went after Georgia's Republican Governor Brian Kemp, who revealed last month that he didn't vote for Trump in the state's GOP primary.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT & 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Atlanta is like a killing field and you had governor ought to get off his ass and do something about it. He's a bad guy. He's a disloyal guy and he's a very active average governor.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right. Joining us now for this discussion, Republican strategist Katie Frost and former GOP Congressman Charlie Dent. Great to see both of you.

All right. Katie, I'll begin with you right here on set with me.

You know, Kemp said he would still vote for the Republican ticket in November. Okay. So he didn't vote for Trump in the primary. What is -- what is under the skin of the former president right now?

KATIE FROST, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: Well, I think all Republicans regardless in our state recognized that we have to turn this state red in November. It's critically important for our citizens. You know, do you want higher gas prices?

Well --

WHITFIELD: But what's making Trump mad, when he's hearing that the governor just wide vote for him in November, even though he didn't during the primary season why is Trump continuing to go after the Republican governor? Why does he feel that is advantageous for him for this state to go read?

FROST: We do understand, President Trump, loyalty is very important to him. So that's something he mentioned in his remarks, you hear that. He believes he helped Governor Kemp. Governor Kemp should help him.

But at the end of the day, I know all Republicans, regardless, we are unified in the fact that we do have to turn this state red. And you see that across the state, I work a lot within the GOP politics here in Georgia and were definitely united on that front

WHITFIELD: Charlie, I mean, the group known as Republicans for Biden is officially relaunching today as Republicans for Harris.

So how successful do you think they will be in convincing GOP stalwarts, you know, to join them?

CHARLIE DENT (R-PA), FORMER U.S. REPRESENTATIVE: Well, if Donald Trump continues to go after people like Governor Kemp because Governor Kemp refused to help steal the election in Georgia in 2020, then I think that the Harris attempts to woo Republicans will be only greater.

Trump is still fighting with the 20 percent of Republicans who voted for someone else. He is not trying to expand his base. He's basically telling them he doesn't want them in his coalition. So I think the ground is rather fertile for the Harris campaign to pick off more and more Republican voters Trump still hasn't figured out that this race has been reset, that Joe Biden is no longer in and now, the fitness question is being thrown back on Trump.

And so, when he goes on these rants like he did at the black journalists on meeting a few, few days ago and now going after Governor Kemp, it just really signals that Trump really isn't trying to expand his coalition.

[14:35:02]

WHITFIELD: Katie, you were at the rally, you know, he's preaching to the choir. So all those who are there are obviously big supporters of him. But what are the indicators outside of the rallies that Georgia voters are onboard with Trump?

FROST: Well, it's very interesting that we had back-to-back rallies this week, and the exact same venue. So it's really interesting. You could see the contrast.

I was there. I'll tell you. it's one of the loudest buildings I've ever been in, in my life. There was a lot of enthusiasm and energy in that building. Big crowd outside also trying to get in. As far as indicators around the state. Yeah, I'm very involved with the grassroots level on the person that goes to those county party meetings and knocks on those doors and talks to folks that are doing that.

WHITFIELD: What do they say?

FROST: And they are actually saying the organization and the energy they're seeing out of the Trump campaign. This cycle is far outpacing '16 and '20. Demand for signs is unprecedented. People wanting to put in volunteer hours is also at a record high.

So, there's one thing to have voters, but when you convert voters into volunteers, the people that won't just go and vote themselves but get ten of their friends to do as well. That's going to be critical and flipping the state. And that's what we are absolutely seeing.

WHITFIELD: And I wonder, Charlie, you know -- you know, we know that Kamala Harris is vetting finalists, this weekend for her running mate, her pick for vice president. All of the options, white men, most of them moderate Democrats. How important in your view is this decision when it comes to persuading whether it be thousands of Georgia Republicans or others independence across the country, perhaps even taking some of the Nikki Haley support to go her way.

How important will this VP pick be for Kamala Harris?

DENT: Well, no one -- I don't think voters typically vote for the vice presidential candidate.

But of all the candidates in the Democratic field, and they have some strong candidates and governor will also Mark Kelly. I think Josh Shapiro though, was their strongest candidate, for the simple reason, is that Kamala Harris cannot win the election without winning Pennsylvania. She can lose Georgia, she can lose Arizona and still win the election, she can not lose Pennsylvania and win the election. So I think that really elevates Josh Shapiro above the others.

Further, the fact that Josh Shapiro is being criticized by some on the far left you know, from the pro-Palestinian wing of the Democratic Party, the National Education Associations picking out a little bit and others. That only is going to help center Josh Shapiro and frankly, Kamala Harris needs to be more centered going into this general election.

So, this strikes me that Pennsylvania is where the game is going to be played. Shapiro's popular. He is in the catbird seat as far as I'm concerned. She probably be smart to pick him because she has a lot of money and enthusiasm. And frankly, there's been an erosion of Jewish support from Democrats over -- over the whole Israel-Gaza matter. And Shapiro can help bring some of that back.

So I suspect right now this is a Shapiro's to lose in terms of the selection process. But at the end of the day, it's up to Kamala Harris.

WHITFIELD: Yeah. Okay. And real quick, Katie, before I let you both go, do you see another presidential debate in the future? The former President Trump is now back pedaling off the committed debate in September. Of course, it was with then Biden. He says, now you've got a new candidate. I don't know. So we moved on to Fox.

Do you see it happening?

FROST: I do think we will have another debate at some point. Obviously, the most historic debate in a presidential history happened just a few blocks from where we are right now. So it'll be interesting to see what happens.

But we know we have a different candidate. It's a different ground game now. You know, Vice President Harris will no longer be debating J.D. Vance. So things have changed. It'll be interesting to see, but I do believe we will have one.

WHITFIELD: All right. Katie Frost, Charlie Dent, good to see you both. Thanks so much. FROST: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right. We're talking extreme weather coming up. Evacuations are right now underway in parts of Florida and South Georgia as Tropical Storm Debby is expected to intensify into hurricane strength before landfall. Cities across the Southeast, bracing for historic rainfall and catastrophic flooding, up to 20 inches of rain in some places. We're tracking the latest.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:43:48]

WHITFIELD: All right. To Florida now where we're tracking the latest watches and warnings and blaze as tropical storm Debby intensifies in the Gulf of Mexico. Officials in several counties along the state's West Coast are telling residents to evacuate now, ahead of us Monday landfall.

Let's bring in Mike Allen, a professor and director of the University of Florida's nature coast, a biological station.

Professor, great to see you.

We all watched last August as Hurricane Idalia tore through the city of Cedar Key, Florida, where you are now at the station is right on the coast. I see the rain right there in your windows, so how are you and residents of Cedar Key preparing?

MIKE ALLEN, DIRECTOR, UF/IFAS NATURE COAST BIOLOGICAL STATION: You know, a lot of preparation. Fredricka is raising things up, getting vehicles and vessels and valuables move to higher elevations. Some of it inland, and some of it at higher elevations within your house and those kinds of things. So we've got the station here, prepped for this storm. We learned a lot of lessons from Idalia. And I'm hoping that we're going to have less, significantly less damage at this time.

WHITFIELD: So what are your biggest concerns about this Tropical Storm Debby and its potential?

[14:45:00]

ALLEN: You know, I think the biggest concerns is the trend that we're seeing in these hurricanes of rapid intensification.

WHITFIELD: Yeah.

ALLEN: You know, that it's scheduled -- you know, at first, it was only going to be a tropical storm. Now, it's cat -- category one. It's the forecast and it could be. You know, it could be more significant than that. So that rapid intensification is the biggest concern.

WHITFIELD: Excuse me, and then Cedar Key has a lucrative clam farming industry. How did these storms to impact that?

ALLEN: Well, some of the storms haven't been too damaging to the clam farms, but Idalia last year caused about 80 percent loss of the shellfish crop and these shellfish take 18 months to grow out. So when you have that kind of loss that really sets him back.

And so, the clam farmers have been working really hard to get more clamps planted and get everything in place. So the timing of this storm is a concern and, you know, we're hoping for the best. Another issue there is that we're going to get so much rainfall out of the storm that the Suwannee River discharge, what we could have some salinity impacts on clams as well. So that's another concern.

WHITFIELD: These storms seem to be far more intense. The waters have remained warm for so long.

So with the frequency of storms of this caliber, what do you see as the potential long-term impact on these fragile ecosystems along the coast?

ALLEN: Yeah. I mean, we're losing small islands on the -- in the Gulf of Mexico due to sea level rise, and then these storms just acts since extenuate that by washing over and causing loss of mangroves and those kinds of things. So we're definitely see an ecological impacts for coastal communities like Cedar Key, I think for all of us is it's about trying to develop strategies to make yourself able to be able to recover more quickly.

You know, one example here is we built a mobile lab here on the -- on the facility that instead of a brick and-mortar building that's on the ground level, we have a mobile lab that were able to move off and move inland during a storm. And that allows us to do our work, but then move that off and we can move it back in the storm passes.

So, I think those kind of strategies are just examples of trying to make it work in this region.

WHITFIELD: Idalia, just last year, August. Has there been enough time for recovery after the damage that it caused?

ALLEN: I would say mostly some of the businesses in town haven't fully recovered from Idalia and it's -- you know, it is a process. That was the largest storm surge event in Cedar Key in over 100 years last year but, you know, this is a resilient community and people have seen these storms before, and it's -- and I will say that once you've been through -- some of them, you are in a better situation to prepare for these kinds of things.

So we're hoping that were prepared really well now for -- to be able to handle a surge here at our facility at the biological station.

WHITFIELD: All right. Professor Mike Allen, great to see you. All the best, as you all brace for the storm.

ALLEN: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right. Still ahead, comeback for the ages, the world's top ranked golfer storming back in the final round when a final round rather to win another Olympic gold for USA. We're live in Paris, next. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:53:05]

WHITFIELD: All right. Happening right now, Team USA is adding to its Olympic hardware. Golfer Scottie Scheffler wins his first gold medal in the final round of the men's golf competition. Wow.

Bobby Finke sets a new world record on the final night of the swimming competition,

CNN's Coy Wire is on Paris.

There is so much action. Go USA! They're killing it.

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Yeah. Oh, my gosh, you mentioned that comeback for the ages in golf, world number one, Scottie Scheffler, he overcame a four stroke deficit on the final day to win that first ever Olympic gold, shooting a nine under 62 on his final round, its the lowest round ever for the course. That's like overcoming a 30 points second half deficit in basketball to win.

Team GB's Tommy Fleetwood took silver. Japan's Hideki Matsuyama took the bronze. What a year for Scottie Scheffler, six wins on the PGA tour, including the Masters, the dominance continues.

Speaking to dominance, Novak Djokovic finally snagging the one thing that's eluded him, winning his first Olympic gold in his fifth Olympic Games. He beat Carlos Alcaraz in a thriller at Roland Garros 7-6, 7-6. Thirty-seven years old Djokovic's become the oldest man to win singles gold medal. Its also completing jokers career golden slam, having won the Olympics gold now and all four majors.

Bobby Finke defends his title setting a new world record in the 1,500 meter freestyle, a 1,430.67. You can call them back-to-back Bobby. He put the entire men's program, Fredricka, on his back, first American man to win an individual gold at these games. And he did it on the last race possible.

Finally, one of the wildest golds at these games, in cycling road race, Team USA's Kristen Faulkner grew up in Homer, Alaska, riding her bike around the fishing villages, became a varsity rower at Harvard, got a degree in computer science, started riding seriously just seven years ago, zipping through Central Park as a Hobby, got hooked, quit her career, working at investment firms in 2022.

[14:55:07]

WHITFIELD: What?

WIRE: Now, she's 31-years-old and Olympic gold medalist.

See, Fred, there's hope for all of us.

WHITFIELD: Well, maybe some of us. I don't think -- there's no hope for me, but I like -- I like what she brings and that is inspiring for sure.

All right. Coy Wire, thank you so much. Appreciate it.

WIRE: You got it.

WHITFIELD: All right. Right now, Vice President Kamala Harris is conducting final interviews for a VP pick of her own. The criteria she's using to make her final selection.

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