Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Ashville Animal Shelter Destroyed After Helene; Georgia Governor to Give Update on Helene Recovery; Biden to Survey Helene Damage in Florida and Georgia; Liz Cheney to Join Harris in Wisconsin; TN Officials Investigates Impact Plastics; Veteran-Led Group Assists with Helene Recovery. Aired 10:30-11a ET

Aired October 03, 2024 - 10:30   ET

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

[10:30:00]

LEAH CRAIG CHUMBLEY, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, BROTHER WOLF ANIMAL RESCUE: -- to orchestrate, continuing to save lives. This community has relied on Brother Wolf for years to focus on Western North Carolina as a whole. We work across county lines with no government funding. We rely entirely on donations to save these animals, and we are mobilizing 150 animals out. 50 of them got out yesterday, and we are continuing these efforts until we get all of our animals to safety.

We're looking for foster homes in the coming months as we will become a foster-based organization as we work to rebuild. There's so many animals who still need Brother Wolf's help, and thousands of them will rely on us in the years to come.

JIM ACOSTA, CNN ANCHOR: Yes. And I just wonder, you know, what was it like when you, I guess, first saw what happened to your shelter and to your community? What have these days been like for you?

CHUMBLEY: It's really hard to describe to people what is happening here. We are so lucky that we didn't lose staff or our animals. Our friends and family have people that they have lost. We're looking at videos, and I know you all have seen it. When it's your town, when you knew what was there before, when you know these people, when you go to dinner with these people, you go to church with these people, it just -- it's really unimaginable to happen here.

Our team has helped other communities when they have gone through things like this. So, we have seen devastation before, and we know the toll that it takes on the people and the animals that live in those environments. To see it in our town, to see our shelter underwater, I mean, we're walking through mud that is knee deep and we are salvaging what we can, but it's very little. We need so much help rebuilding.

ACOSTA: And especially for important missions like yours. I mean, I'm just so sorry for everything that you're going through, but so happy that you were able to save the people who work at your shelter and also all of those people precious animals. Leah Craig Chumbley, thank you so much, with Brother Wolf Animal Rescue. Thank you so much for what you do and for hanging in there. We appreciate it. And we'll try to get you as much help as we can.

CHUMBLEY: Thank you, everyone, for caring.

ACOSTA: Thank you. Really appreciate it. All right. Any moment now, Georgia Governor Brian Kemp will announce an update to the state's ongoing response to Helene. We will bring that to you once it begins.

And today, President Biden will be in Florida and Georgia to survey the storm damage in those states. CNN's Ryan Young joins us now from Valdosta, Georgia. Ryan, there's a lot of damage to take in. It's just unbelievable. Everywhere you look in these hard-hit areas.

RYAN YOUNG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's a great point to make, Jim. Look, this Lowndes County is over 500 square miles and we're told almost 90 percent of it was impacted by the storm. You can see bricks everywhere, especially right behind us at this business. We're told this place was impacted severely.

You can see the individual booths here. There are more than 24 individual business owners that were in here housed on a day-to-day basis. That can't happen now because you can see what the storm has done to this place. The owner, Patrick Watson, is standing here with us looking at the damage and just want to ask you, the impact of this storm has been immense all around the county. What has this done to your business?

PATRICK WATSON, CO-OWNER, CHEZ WHAT: It's total devastation. I mean, this was an easy way to -- for mother nature to knock out about 40 small businesses at one time. This is a -- you know, like a vendor mall with high-end furniture and antiques and artists and all that. And this --

YOUNG: And as a business owner, what is the pain like to look at something that you've worked obviously so hard to maintain?

WATSON: It's -- we were still in shock. Just to pull up the morning after. We were glad that our home survived this time because last year during Idalia did not, and we were displaced by that. And we were, you know, in high spirits until we turned the corner and saw this. But it's just a matter of building it back up and seeing if that's even possible. I don't even know.

YOUNG: There's obviously pain throughout this community with so many people not having power. We know there are four different locations throughout the county to get people ice and water and tarps. How hard is it to try to take a step forward right now when so many of your neighbors also are in pain?

WATSON: Yes. I mean, we just -- we actually are very blessed. We got our power back last night thanks to the wonderful linemen. That's kind of become a command center for us. But, you know, communication is limited and we don't really have any ideas on -- you know, the community has come together to help us with this and what have you, but it's just hard to get our head around right now. There's so much going on.

YOUNG: Thank you, Patrick.

WATSON: Thank you.

YOUNG: Obviously, Jim, the president will be here throughout the rest of the day. I just want to show you this. The roof over here that got blown off. Just so much destruction. People still trying to pull it all together. This is going to take quite some time. They need the help. They need the federal assistance.

[10:35:00]

ACOSTA: Yes, they absolutely do. And it's just unbelievable. The scope, the scale of the destruction all across this part of the country. Ryan Young, thank you very much. Really appreciate it.

In the meantime, people who live across Helene's 500-mile path of destruction, 500 miles, they still need basic necessities. For ways you can help, go to cnn.com/impact. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ACOSTA: A new CNN film documents 18 months inside the 2024 election from the perspective of one of the Democratic Party's most legendary strategists, James Carville. Here's a preview.

[10:40:00]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's nothing that says more of the same more than Joe Biden versus Donald Trump. And James believes that, you know, change wins.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He reeks of yesterday. He's a stitch of yesterday. He is so yesterday. If I think of yesterday, if I think of an old calendar, I think of George Bush's face on it.

JAMES CARVILLE, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: One of the things I think in '92, I think in 2024, who wins really matters. It's very stark right now. We got this terrible threat of Trump coming back into office. We're in unchartered territory.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A lot of people are confounded by how close the race is, given President Biden's record and given what we know about Donald Trump.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He admires Biden a lot and thinks he's been a very good president, but it's hard to make the case that Joe Biden can win an easy re-election because he can't.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hello, Mr. Carville. This is Joe in the control room. Are you able to hear me?

CARVILLE: I hear you fine, New York.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The path to victory is his religion. That's what he cares about. How do you get from here to there? And there has to be winning. (END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: Joining us now, the raging Cajun himself, James Carville. James, good to see you. We'll talk about the film in a moment. It looks fascinating. I do want to ask you, let's jump in and talk about the news a little bit, because Donald Trump is talking about how -- you know, how he wants to handle those Haitian migrants in Springfield, Ohio. Let's listen to this talk about it on the other side.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT AND REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: You have to remove the people and you have to bring them back to their own country. They are -- in my opinion, it's not legal.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So, you would revoke the temporary protected status?

TRUMP: Absolutely, I'd revoke it and I'd bring them back to their country.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What if they won't receive them, like they're not?

TRUMP: They will. Well, they're going to receive them. They'll receive them. If I bring them back, they're going to receive them.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: Yes, James, I mean, I know you've seen a lot in politics over the years. I don't think you has -- or any really -- anybody else really for that matter have encountered a politician talking about people eating cats and dogs as Donald Trump was talking about in Springfield, Ohio.

But I mean, to put that sort of to the side for a moment, this prospect of Trump saying he's going to just mass deport all of the Haitian migrants in Springfield. What did you make of that?

JAMES CARVILLE, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Well, first of all, the people of Ohio, Springfield according to the governor and the mayor are quite happy. This has been a boom to that -- to the economy of that town. And, you know, we start talking about deporting people. How are you going to deport them? How are you going to -- I mean, they have certain rights. I mean, understand that they're here legally.

And they have a lot -- a ton to contribute. But, you know, the cats and dogs thing, of course, it's been debunked and shown to be not true. But since when does he care about telling the truth? You know, Haitians are the perfect target for him. They're kind of black, and they come from an impoverished nation. They actually speak some version of France. They're just a perfect target for him, and he doesn't look at any of them as human beings, which I think it seems like their fellow citizens in Springfield do look at them as human beings, as they well should.

ACOSTA: Yes, I mean, we've done lots of segments on Springfield, and I mean, just about everybody we've spoken with has said, you know, that they've been welcomed with open arms in that community and that they've been -- they've had a positive impact on that community.

But you know, I do want to talk about -- there's a lot of stuff to talk about, James. I mean, what do you make of Kamala Harris being out on the campaign trail today with Liz Cheney? Did you ever think you would see a day where a Cheney would be out on the campaign trail on behalf of a Democratic candidate?

CARVILLE: The short answer is no. And I tell people, the coalition right now goes from Dick Cheney to AOC. So, there's a lot of ground for you in the middle there, people, I promise you.

Look, I think it's important. I hope more of these people sitting on the sidelines, Republican types, who see Trump, you know, glorifying January the 6th. You see Trump demeaning the military, we know that's a fact. I'm looking -- I hope more of these people come out and say something because -- the 9/11 truth is. How can you sit there and go through 9/11 as my wife did, was in the basement of the White House and say, well, that was all an inside job?

I mean, it's just -- it's so insane. You don't know where to fit. Mrs. Laura Loom (ph) was riding around on an airplane with it. It's weird. It's weird, Jim. It's really weird.

ACOSTA: No, it is. I mean, and that leads me to this question, James. How is this election so close? I mean, we had this new filing from Jack Smith yesterday that lays out, you know, Donald Trump saying, so what, that Vice President Mike Pence, at that time that his life was in danger?

[10:45:00]

I mean, you know, the stuff about the cats and dogs and spring. I mean, you name it. Every day there's a new sort of headline filled with outrage over what Former President Trump is saying. How is it so close? And what's your gut on what's going to happen?

CARVILLE: Well, it's -- the polling, which is I don't have a -- I like polling. I read them. I think they're trying to get it right. The polling says it's pretty close. I'm not convinced it's going to be close when we start counting the votes. And you know what happens, Jim, if there's seven swing states, and I can't emphasize this enough, the most unlikely scenario is it breaks 4-3.

Usually, these elections break in tandem. And I think it's much more likely that those seven swing states break 5-2 or 6-1. So, let's wait. And she does have -- it's a modest lead, I agree, and it's too close for real comfort. But she was -- the Democrats were not in the lead in July -- mid-July. We're in the lead now by a little bit. But I think her -- the possibilities that she can build on that or not to be diminished. ACOSTA: All right. Let's talk about the documentary. And you know, this covers a lot of ground, especially the 2024 race. And, James, you and I talked about this several times how you thought Joe Biden was not the candidate to win this time around. Why do you think everybody was seeking you out? Are you the oracle of Louisiana? What's the deal?

CARVILLE: I don't know, Jim. The truth about here has -- I had a platform. I really thought that I really, really dug deep into the polls. I talked to a lot of people. And I came to a conclusion, and I was comfortable to that conclusion, and I didn't think -- I thought Biden should reconsider his candidacy. And at the end of the day, for the good of the country himself and everything else, he did do that.

But, you know, I'm going to be 80 this month, and I have some familiarity with the ravages of old age, and I don't think they're compatible with the obligations of Oval Office.

ACOSTA: Yes. Yes, I'm familiar with the ravages of middle age, for that matter, but, you know, James, you took a lot of shots, though, from inside your party, the party that you love, the party that you helped put over the top in '92 and '96. But you stuck to your guts.

CARVILLE: Well, I was pretty comfortable. You know, honestly, and I didn't take any shot that I didn't fully anticipate. I mean, I've been around well enough to know when I started saying this that people were going to be put out with me, and I understand that. And, you know, it's just a question of anybody know -- would know me know I gave this long hard thought. But once I pulled the switch -- I mean, I pulled the switch, is it -- you can't -- I don't know what, ring a bell?

ACOSTA: Yes.

CARVILLE: And, you know, some of the stuff, they would send out, he's bedwetter, he's in -- and was heard in the sky since, you know, the '90s and that kind of stuff. And that was -- if anything, it was about exactly what I expected.

ACOSTA: All right. James, well, you know, another big part of this special is your 30-plus-year marriage to Republican strategist, Mary Matalin. I know -- I just think she's the best. And every time I've had a chance to talk to her, I just think the world of her and both of you. So, hey, thank you so much. Good luck with the documentary, James. We really appreciate it, as always.

CARVILLE: I'm a fortune man. I have a great wife. So, yes, sir. I'm so glad that she agreed to participate in this. This is great. Thank you, Jim.

ACOSTA: That is always a good thing. Best of luck to you, James. Thanks a lot. Really appreciate it.

CARVILLE: Thank you.

ACOSTA: Be sure to tune in "Carville: Winning is Everything, Stupid." That's pretty simple title. Very James Carville. It premieres Saturday, October 5th at 7:00 p.m. right here on CNN. We'll have more after the break. Be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:50:00]

ACOSTA: Tennessee officials are now investigating a plastics plant after workers there say they were not allowed to leave in time to escape Helene's flooding. The AP is reporting that 11 people were swept away and two workers were killed. Our affiliate, WSMV, out of Nashville has more on the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

COURTNEY ALLEN, WSMV REPORTER: The road to the plastics plant is closed, but we did talk to an employee who says he was swept away by the floodwaters and was able to get to the top of a semi-truck to get to higher ground. He believes this all could have been prevented if the company acted sooner.

ALLEN (voice-over): This was the moment Jacob Ingram was rescued by a helicopter, waiting as others were hoisted up.

JACOB INGRAM, "IMPACT PLASTICS" WORKER RESCUED FROM FLOODING: The only five of us made it.

ALLEN (voice-over): He says he was with co-workers from Impact Plastics Friday. They'd have been at the factory that day when Hurricane Helene floodwaters came through.

INGRAM: I actually asked one of the higher ups and they told me no, not yet. They had to ask someone before we was able to leave, even though it was already above the doors and the cars and everything else.

ALLEN (voice-over): At least two employees were killed. Another six and a contractor are still missing, according to Impact Plastics.

ALLEN: So, the company had released a statement saying that employees were dismissed when water covered the parking lot and adjacent road and the plant lost power.

INGRAM: No, the plant lost power and we were still told not to go home or nothing. We were still there for about 15 to 20 minutes after the plant lost power.

[10:55:00]

ALLEN (voice-over): Ingram believes those 20 minutes could have saved lives. Impact Plastics says most employees left immediately, but some remained on or near the premises for unknown reasons.

ALLEN: So, you're saying you're one of the last people that saw them.

RON KELL, OWNER, R&R MANUFACTURING: She smiled right at me.

ALLEN (voice-over): The owner of a nearby manufacturing facility -- KELL: Been rescuing people, man. They've all come down here.

ALLEN (voice-over): -- went to Impact Plastics to help get more workers out after he'd already sent his home.

KELL: I was there yelling at them to come. She was talking to her boss.

ALLEN: Have you heard anything from the company, from management since?

INGRAM: No, I haven't heard a thing. They have not reached out, none of us -- to none of us survives to make sure we're OK. Nothing.

ALLEN (voice-over): The company says it's organizing a recovery center for employees. In the meantime, Ingram and others who've lost jobs stood in line at Erwin Town Hall Tuesday to get help with unemployment.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ACOSTA: And our thanks to WSMV's Courtney Allen for that report. As of today, four people from the factory are still missing. A company spokesperson told the AP, Impact Plastics has not been contacted by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation yet but will cooperate with their investigation. The plant also said senior management were the last to leave and that it will conduct review.

Coming up, an update on recovery efforts in Florida from a veteran-led group assisting first responders along the Gulf Coast. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:00:00]