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Iran Braces for Israel's Retaliation After Missile Strikes; Trump Falsely Claims Dems "Held Back" Hurricane Funds; Harris Releases Letter from Doctor Summarizing Her Health; Harris Criticizes Trump Over Lack of Health Transparency; Biden to Visit Storm-Hit Areas in Florida on Sunday; Schools Remain Closed After Back-To-Back Major Hurricanes. Aired 5-6 am ET

Aired October 13, 2024 - 05:00   ET

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

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[05:00:43]

KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to all of you watching us here in the United States, Canada and all around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is CNN Newsroom.

Israel's cabinet members are discussing how to respond to Iranian strikes as the IDF continues to clash with Hezbollah in Lebanon.

And the sprint to election day continues in the U.S. with both candidates out on the trail. We'll look at what Kamala Harris and Donald Trump's travel plans reveal about the state of the race.

Plus, as communities in the Southeast continue recovery efforts after back-to-back hurricanes, students in several states are out of school. We'll look at what experts say about the growing impact climate change has on learning.

ANNOUNCER: Live from Atlanta, this is CNN Newsroom with Kim Brunhuber.

BRUNHUBER: In the coming hours, Israel could decide on a response to Iran's missile attack earlier this month. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled to meet with his cabinet as the country faces conflicts on several fronts, among them Lebanon.

Now, this is a live look at Beirut. Israeli troops have been targeting Hezbollah in Beirut and other parts of Lebanon.

In southern Lebanon, the red cross says four Lebanese volunteers were injured in an Israeli strike on a house. After one strike hit the house, volunteers rushed to search for survivors. That's when a second strike hit the house. CNN has contacted the Israeli military for comment.

Meanwhile, the United Nations is sending medical aid to Lebanon. This relief flight landed in Beirut this month. At the same time, another U.N. peacekeeper was wounded in the latest fighting between Israel and Hezbollah. Another United Nations peacekeeper was injured in the fighting in Lebanon.

The U.N. says he was hit by gunfire from nearby military activity. Now, that's the fifth peacekeeper injured in the last two days. The Pentagon says U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin expressed deep concern that U.N. peacekeepers had reportedly come under Israeli fire.

In Beirut, Iran's parliament speaker was in Beirut on Saturday and met with his Lebanese counterpart at a news conference. He said Iran supports Lebanon and Hezbollah.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MOHAMMAD BAGHER GHALIBAF, IRANIAN PARLIAMENT SPEAKER (through translator): I'm particularly carrying a message from the supreme leader for the Lebanese people with assurances that, in these difficult conditions, the Islamic Republic of Iran shall stand with Lebanon's nation and government and the resistance in all areas.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: In Gaza, new evacuation orders were issued from the Israeli military. But some people in Jabalia are having trouble leaving because of all the strikes and gunfire nearby.

CNN's Nada Bashir joins us now from London. So, Nada, let's start with that Israeli Cabinet meeting. Take us through what they're weighing and the internal divisions that may factor into any response.

NADA BASHIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, there has been a significant amount of anticipation around what the response may look like from the Israeli military with regards to the potential targeting of Iran, certainly amounting to a level of concern from the international community. And, of course, we know that the Israeli government has vowed to retaliate. There has been some suggestion from Israeli officials that the response from Israel will be more severe than the response that we saw in April when Israel targeted Iranian territory back then.

And, of course, this latest reaction that the world has been on edge waiting for is potentially expected to be more severe. We have seen, of course, Israel doubling down when it comes to Iran's proxies, namely, as you mentioned, in Lebanon, where we have seen the targeting of Hezbollah there, but also, of course, a widespread bombing campaign that has severely impacted civilians as well.

But, again, there is a huge amount of concern over what that could look like in terms of targeting Iran directly. Now, we know that the cabinet in Israel, the government cabinet, has already met earlier in the week. No conclusions out of that -- no firm conclusions with regards to what that response will look like.

We heard earlier in the week from Israel's Defense Minister, Yoav Gallant, who said in a video statement that the attack or response from Israel would be deadly, precise and above all surprising. That Iran would not understand what happened or how it happened, but that they would see results. So, clearly, a firm message there from the Defense Minister.

[05:05:01]

There is, of course, as we know, some division within the cabinet. There has been mounting pressure, particularly from the more far-right elements of Netanyahu's cabinet for Israel to take tougher action when it comes to Iran and its regional proxies. But, again, also pressure from the international community, including Israel's closest ally in the United States. We've heard from the Biden administration.

They have expressed criticism or, rather, reluctance to see Israel targeting Iran's nuclear capabilities, a huge amount of concern over what that could then trigger subsequently, but have expressed a wish to see Israel take a more targeted approach, perhaps focusing on its nuclear Iran's gas and oil reserves as well.

So, clearly, there is pressure from the international community and, of course, we've also been hearing from the Iranian side as well, sources there telling CNN that they have already communicated to both U.S. and regional officials that if, indeed, Israel does target Iranian territory, there will be retaliation from Iran. So, certainly, concern over what that could then trigger in response.

BRUNHUBER: Absolutely. All right. Nada Bashir, thank you so much.

Well, according to new reporting from "The New York Times," Hamas plotted the October 7 terrorist attack on Israel for more than two years and tried to persuade Iran and Hezbollah to participate. The "Times" is citing the minutes of secret Hamas meetings found on a computer and seized by the Israeli military in Gaza in January. Iran and Hezbollah have vigorously denied the claims.

In a statement to CNN, Iran's mission to the United Nations said, quote, "while Doha station Hamas officials have themselves stated that they, too, had no prior knowledge of the operation and that all the planning, decision making and directing were solely executed by Hamas' military wing based in Gaza, any claim attempting to link it to Iran or Hezbollah, either partially or wholly, is devoid of credence and comes from fabricated documents."

Ronen Bergman is one of "The Times" reporters who broke the story, and he told CNN that Hamas staged a massive campaign of deception ahead of the attack. Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RONEN BERGMAN, STAFF WRITER, THE NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE: What these protocols reveal is that unlike the claim from Israeli intelligence that this was a well-kept secret between only six people in Gaza, which, of course, makes the Israeli intelligence failure slightly lighter or smaller, Hamas shared this secret of the coming attack with Iran, with Hezbollah. They understood from Iran that Iran will help if Hamas attacks, though not the promise to join them in the first minute. As it did happen, Hezbollah joined the war on October 7th.

But they also shared these secrets with people from the political bureau of Hamas. Hamas orchestrated a very sophisticated campaign of deception to convince Israeli leaders, as they say in the protocols, that Hamas is interested in economic welfare, in prosperity and income, while in fact they were planning what they call the big project. That's their code name for the attack.

So, for example, they made sure -- they made sure that they do not join rounds of fighting between Israel and the other Palestinian Jihadist movement, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, because they wanted to show Israel that they don't want war. And when you look at Israeli intelligence document, you see that they fully fall into the trap. The Israelis believed that Hamas is deterred. They believed that Hamas doesn't want and cannot execute such an invasion. They didn't understand that they are just following a script written for them by Yahya Sinwar and his lieutenants.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Vice President Kamal Harris traveled to North Carolina to campaign on Saturday. In Raleigh, she helped pack relief supplies for hurricane victims and met with some of the city's black community leaders. Today, she'll hold a rally in Greenville. Harris spoke to reporters ahead of her departure, acknowledging that the race for the presidency is close.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAMALA HARRIS, (D) U.S. VICE PRESIDENT & DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: Listen, this is a -- there's no question I say it in my rallies. This is a tight race. It is a margin of error race.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Donald Trump says the people of North Carolina shouldn't vote Democratic this November because of the government's handling of Hurricane Helene. In an interview with "Newsmax," the former president stepped up his recent string of lies about the response to the deadly storm, which included false claims that Vice President Harris stole money from FEMA.

Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: They got hit with a very bad hurricane, especially North Carolina and parts of Georgia. But North Carolina really got hit. I'll tell you what, those people should never vote for a Democrat because they held back aid. They were so bad.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[05:10:16]

BRUNHUBER: So as the election draws closer, Trump is leaning heavily into angry attacks on Democrats. He's blaming them for, among other things, what he calls an invasion of undocumented migrant criminals that will destroy the country. Our Kristen Holmes looks at how those messages are resonating.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Donald Trump in Coachella, California, spent much of his time increasing his dark rhetoric around immigration. Take a listen.

TRUMP: I will rescue California and every town across America that's been invaded and conquered. And we will put these vicious and bloodthirsty criminals in jail or kick them the hell out of the country, which is number one.

HOLMES: Now, I've been told by senior advisers to expect more of this ahead of November, ahead of Election Day, because Donald Trump and his team believe this rhetoric is helping him. And if any indication in the crowd tonight, they were receptive to it as he called our country an occupied America, as he accused people of coming into our country and committing crimes and taking jobs. We heard the crowd cheering and going along with Donald Trump.

And if you look at the recent polling, I'll show you why he continues this rhetoric. We have seen these slim margins. They believe that this race is going to be incredibly close and there's no reason for Donald Trump to change any of his rhetoric.

Now, one big question, of course, why was he in a solidly blue state? Well, we were told by those senior advisers that they believe it doesn't matter where Donald Trump goes, that this is a national media campaign, that they're trying to reach voters who don't necessarily consume media the same way that they have in the past. These are people who don't usually engage with politics, so they believe that this could be just as beneficial to them.

These could be clips that go out on social media that reach people through various podcasts or YouTube streaming, and they could actually get just as many eyes on Donald Trump from an event like this that they could from a rally in a swing state.

Kristen Holmes, CNN, Coachella, California.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: And coming up, how this election cycle Republicans and Democrats alike are doing more outreach on social media and podcasts as they try to find new audiences to win over in the new media age.

Meanwhile, Republican Vice Presidential Candidate J.D. Vance is speaking to "The New York Times," but failing to give a concrete answer about the 2020 presidential election.

And the race for the White House has people around the world talking, including Iran. Who do Iranians want to win the election? Well, you'll hear from them coming up. Stay with us.

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[05:16:53]

BRUNHUBER: U.S. Republican vice presidential candidate J.D. Vance is out stumping for himself and his running mate, Donald Trump. Speaking to crowds of Republicans in Pennsylvania, Vance said Donald Trump wouldn't try to prosecute his political opponents if he's elected.

Now, of course, that's a direct contradiction of what the president has said himself. Vance also spoke about the January 6, 2020 riots that said inflation is worse. Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

J.D. VANCE (R-OH) VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Do I condemn the riot at the Capitol? Sure, I condemn the riot at the Capitol. Do I think that as the media pretends that the riot at the Capitol four years ago is a bigger deal than people not being able to afford groceries? No, I don't. I think people not being able to afford groceries is a much bigger problem in the United States of America than what happened four years ago.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Now, this week, Vance also spoke with "The New York Times" journalist Lulu Garcia-Navarro, and in that interview, he refused five times to acknowledge that Trump lost the 2020 presidential election. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LULU GARCIA-NAVARRO, HOST OF "THE INTERVIEW" NEW YORK TIMES: Do you believe he lost the 2020 election?

VANCE: I think that Donald Trump and I have both raised a number of issues with the 2020 election.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Senator, yes or no?

VANCE: OK.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Did Donald Trump lose the 2020 election?

VANCE: Let me ask you a question.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Senator Vance, I'm going to ask you again. Did Donald Trump lose the 2020 election?

VANCE: Did big technology companies censor a story?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Now, Navarro is also a CNN Contributor, and she explained on Saturday why it was important to get the vice presidential candidate on record about 2020 and why it's so significant to this year's race. Here she is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) GARCIA-NAVARRO: The reason I pressed him on that repeatedly in a very long interview is because ultimately there is one question that is very important also to voters, and that is democracy in this country. And there is just two answers, yes or no, to that question. And that's why it is important to get someone like Senator Vance on the record, because he will be a heartbeat away from the presidency should Trump win this election.

It's President Trump who keeps on dragging things back to 2020. That is a message that Donald Trump has made central to his campaign, and that has put his running mate, Senator Vance, in a difficult position because you've seen him privately say that he does think that Donald Trump lost the 2020 election, but publicly he cannot say that because he has an audience of one.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Now, Vance's interview is the latest in an ongoing media blitz by both campaigns. With just 23 days left until Election Day, the candidates and their surrogates are trying to reach as many voters as they can, of course, and that effort includes traditional media appearances like Harris' "60 Minutes" interview with CBS. There are also appearances on new media sites like the podcast campaign Trump has been running for several months. The campaigns are even expanding to gaming sites.

Tim Walz's latest rally was streamed on "Twitch," a popular gaming platform. Harris' team recently shifted their strategy to incorporate more of these unconventional appearances, including a conversation about reproductive rights on the popular podcast "Call Her Daddy." She's also done interviews with Howard Stern, "The View," and several late-night talk shows.

[05:20:10]

Now, these appearances are raising questions about the rise of a new campaign style with more of an emphasis on these new media sites as opposed to traditional news outlets.

Ashley Koning is an Assistant Research Professor at Rutgers University, and she's also the Director of the Eagleton Center for Public Interest Polling, and she's in Morristown, New Jersey.

Thank you so much for being here with us. So, politicians --

ASHLEY KONING, ASSISTANT RESEARCH PROFESSOR, RUTGERS UNIVERSITY: Thank you.

BRUNHUBER: -- going on podcasts and new media, it's not exactly new, so what seems different now in 2024?

KONING: Yeah, I mean, this is a win-win on both sides of the aisle because they're not subject to the hard-hitting questions that traditional media would give them. Moreover, they're trying to court low-propensity voters, crucial voting blocs that may not be tuning into traditional media. We know that traditional media, among many demographics, is on the decline.

BRUNHUBER: All right, so aside from the fact that maybe it's safer for them, that they won't be grilled the way they might be on, say, CNN, what is it about the format that attracts politicians to these new media?

KONING: Yeah, these are reaching demographics they may not reach with traditional media, and especially, let's make no mistake, this is a campaign and an election about gender, and Trump has certainly played into kind of these new mediums that are going along with his theme of masculinity. Harris, of course, touting abortion as a number-one issue in the country, going on something like "Call Her Daddy." These are making sure that their voting blocs that they're trying to court, especially with the potentially historic gender gap, are going to turn out for them instead of stay home.

BRUNHUBER: So, Harris, as you say, going on "Call Her Daddy," for example, or going on a sports podcast versus doing, say, "60 Minutes," how does it help the audience see candidates in a more casual setting? Why would that translate to votes?

KONING: Yeah, it's in a more personal light, and again, we see that voters are not really using traditional media sources as much as they are some of these new sources, "Call Her Daddy" being the number-one podcast among women, obviously catering there to younger women, women in general. We also know that that youth vote is crucial, and especially youth, Gen Z, millennials, they are on these kinds of mediums, listening to podcasts, Twitch, so on and so forth. And getting news from there. It kind of makes the candidate more personable, more accessible, and again, they get softball questions or they get a more favorable light when they're going on these types of mediums.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah, and as you point out, in terms of the audience, I mean, we've seen, you know, for advertisers, for example, moving towards podcasts as this idea of narrow casting and reaching very specific audiences becomes more popular, and as you say, politicians seem to be following suit there.

KONING: Yeah, this is almost a micro-targeting of media strategies for them, and again, as politics become more about optics instead of substance, you know, this is a good way for candidates to kind of go towards their voters, to their voters, instead of using those traditional sources which have really been dying out among the general public.

BRUNHUBER: And in terms of the different audiences, you pointed out a few of those, Harris going after women and Trump, you know, maybe focusing on more the young men. Does that sort of counterbalance her gains in that group versus sort of what he's able to do? He seems to be not doing very well with women.

KONING: Yeah, but Trump has really played up in this election, especially his affinity and kind of his kinship with men and really highlighting a hyper-masculinity throughout the campaign, and so Harris is combating that given issues of reproductive rights, abortion, combating that with going strongly after the women demographic.

We see that there is a large gender gap in pre-election polling, an absolute chasm, especially when it comes to younger voters between men and women as well. Trump has been successful in really getting that male demographic, so Harris is making sure that women don't stay home and that they turn out to vote.

BRUNHUBER: Finally, what's being lost here, perhaps, with candidates spending more time in these sort of, you know, safer media spaces?

KONING: Yeah, that's a great question. I mean, what's really being lost is that lack of safety or that risk and the ability to answer any questions that may come up, even the tough, most hard-hitting questions of them all. And so, again, that kind of substance piece is starting to be missed here because candidates are able to talk about what they want to talk about when they go through these types of mediums instead of responding to anything that a traditional reporter or journalist may ask them. And so, you know, that substance piece, that policy piece is sometimes really getting missed.

[05:25:07]

BRUNHUBER: Yeah, if you're auditioning for the hardest job in the world, you'd want them to go through that toughest of crucibles, where I guess they're able to avoid that now for their own gain.

We'll have to leave it there. Ashley Koning, thank you so much for speaking with us. Really appreciate it.

KONING: Thank you.

BRUNHUBER: Well, the death toll in Lebanon is rising as Israeli troops target Hezbollah throughout the country. We'll have an update on that straight ahead.

And Kamala Harris is criticizing Donald Trump over transparency after she released detailed information on her own health. We'll have that story and more when we come back. Stay with us.

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BRUNHUBER: Welcome back to all of you watching us here in the United States, Canada, and all around the world, I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is CNN Newsroom.

Israel could decide today on a response to Iran's missile attack earlier this month. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled to meet with his cabinet as the country faces conflict on several fronts, from Gaza to Lebanon to Iran.

Lebanon's Ministry of Health says Israeli strikes there killed at least 15 people on Saturday. Now, these images show emergency workers searching rubble for survivors in southern Lebanon after one of those strikes.

Meanwhile, Israel says Hezbollah fired more than 300 projectiles from Lebanon over the past two days. Iran's parliament speaker was in Beirut on Saturday to meet with his Lebanese counterpart. At a news conference, he relayed Iran's support for Lebanon and Hezbollah.

Now, people around the world are paying close attention to the U.S. election. They're considering what a President Harris or a President Trump could mean for them.

[05:30:06]

CNN's Fred Pleitgen put that question to Iranians, asking them which candidate they prefer.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Who will be the next U.S. president? That, of course, is a question that's also interesting to a lot of folks here in Iran. So we went to Tehran and asked people whom they'd rather see as the next president of the United States.

We're in the north of Tehran in a place called Tajrish Square. It's a really nice market with a very beautiful shrine. And we certainly got some interesting answers.

Right now, presidential election in America. Are you for Harris or for Trump?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Trump.

PLEITGEN: Why?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I like him.

PLEITGEN: Why?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He, I think he's sanctioned for Iran, but he was better than Obama.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Better for Iran, not Trump.

PLEITGEN: Not Trump.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, yeah, not him.

PLEITGEN: Why?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think he has big problem with this country.

PLEITGEN: But you think for you as an Iranian, you would rather see Kamala Harris as U.S. president?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I like Trump.

PLEITGEN: You like Trump?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, I like Trump because he care about economy and care about the people of America. And if America is great, good for every people in the world.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We would like to be Harris as a president in this case. And I hope that they come back to their -- to the table of negotiation.

PLEITGEN: Do you think Trump could make a deal with Iran? Do you think Trump could?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, I doubt it. I doubt it. I don't think so.

PLEITGEN: Why?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Because I told you he is very aggressive and pro- war.

PLEITGEN: What do you think of Trump?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think he's a good man because when he want to do and want to say, he will do that.

PLEITGEN: So he does what he says.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yeah, yeah, exactly. I mean, it's not like a politic man. It's like a real man.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: In the coming hours, Donald Trump and Kamala Harris will be back out on the campaign trail, looking to pick up support in what's turning out to be a historically tight race for the White House.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Listen, this is a -- there's no question I say it in my rally. This is a tight race. It is a margin of error race. And that's why I'm out here and will continue for the next 24 days to be traveling around our country, talking with folks about the issues that matter most to them and offering them what I believe to be solutions.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Harris is expected to focus on Midwestern battleground states next week with stops planned in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan.

Former President Barack Obama will stump on behalf of the Harris campaign with stops in Arizona and Nevada. And Bill Clinton is also expected to hit the road for Harris. The former presidents looking to drum up support with rural voters with a grassroots tour focusing on small groups of people.

Donald Trump will be hitting many of the key battleground spots in the waning weeks of the campaign, but also planning some unusual stops in several Democratic states.

Now, Kamala Harris released a detailed letter from her doctor on Saturday describing the state of her health. It says the Vice President is in excellent shape.

CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta takes a look at the information and gives us his take on what it reveals.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: What we were provided with is about a page and a half letter, which is pretty standard for presidential candidates and presidents when it comes to their health history. The headline is the Vice President is a 59-year- old healthy woman who is able to fulfill the demands in the office of the presidency.

This particular letter is signed by Joshua Simmons, who is her doctor and a colonel in the U.S. Army. Just a couple of notable highlights, again, keeping in mind that these are minor things that she is healthy. She has allergies. She has hives associated with those allergies. She wears contact lenses. Most notably is that she has a family history of colon cancer. Her mother died around age 70 of colon cancer.

And they make note of this, saying that she is getting preventive care recommendations, including colonoscopies and annual mammograms. I think they also spent a lot of time in this letter talking about what the vice president does not have. She does not have a history of diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease, lung disease, neurological disorders or cancer.

They give a lot of the numbers of a recent physical exam, which was done in April of 2024. They talk about things like her blood pressure, but also any medications that she may be taking. She is taking things like vitamin B12, vitamin D, which they find all those to be in the normal range.

So this is a pretty standard letter. There are no particular concerns when you see a letter like this. And again, coming from her doctor, talking about her most recent physical exam, the headline being that she is in excellent health and possesses a physical and mental resiliency, they say here, required to execute the duties of the presidency.

[05:35:16]

Back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: So after Harris released the letter, she hit out at her Republican rival for not providing information about his health. Here she is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Just a further example of his lack of transparency, it is clear to me that he and his team do not want the American people to really see what it is that he is doing and whether or not he actually is fit to do the job of being president of the United States.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: So after Harris made those comments, the Trump campaign responded. A spokesperson flagged a statement from his personal physician made last year and highlighted accounts from one of Trump's former White House doctors who claims he examined Trump after an assassination attempt in Pennsylvania. The campaign said both doctors concluded Trump is in perfect and excellent health.

All right, still ahead, Floridians face the daunting task of cleanup and recovery following back-to-back major hurricanes, but many across the state are still at risk of flooding.

Plus, I'll be speaking with an expert on education policy on how the climate crisis is impacting children's ability to learn. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BRUNHUBER: As Floridians begin the long process of recovery from two massive storms in two weeks, many are facing even more flooding in the coming days. Swollen rivers and waterways remain a threat in northern and central parts of the state, and more than one million customers are still without power.

U.S. President Joe Biden will travel to Florida today to visit areas impacted by the storm. While there, he's expected to announce more than half a billion dollars in projects for electric grid resilience.

[05:40:02]

We go now to our Brian Abel, who's in one of the hardest hit areas in western Florida.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN ABEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Days removed from landfall of this hurricane and the water levels continue to be an issue. I want to show you here this canoe. This canoe has basically become a taxi for people to get back and forth to their homes to get supplies and -- and other things like that and get valuables to safety.

Now, I also talked with somebody that's been in this neighborhood here, the Bloomingdale Acres neighborhood for about 50 years or so. They say this is the worst they've ever seen it. And they also tell me that the water levels you see here at one point were as high as the top of the whites of that bus down there. So that's how much the water has dropped.

The concern now is where does it go before eventually going back into the bay? It will go to other neighborhoods. And that is a big concern here.

The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office, the sheriff telling me that of the over 1000 rescues across the state, his department did about 300 of them. So that's pretty significant. Power has improved significantly as well. It's gone down nearly half of what it was at one point and improving further.

Also, fuel. Fuel was a major issue. We've seen some really long lines at gas stations in this Tampa area. And it wasn't a delivery problem or a supply problem, according to the sheriff. It was a dispensary problem at the port because equipment got fried and that was delaying the fuel getting to the gas stations.

Now those fuel tankers, they have police escorts to get them to the areas that need it most. And so the next chapter of this is, A, where does this water go? When does it eventually subside for everybody. And then, B, the recovery with FEMA, because now people are going to have to make claims for not one but two hurricanes and they have to do it separately. That's a big issue.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: School systems in multiple states are still out of commission as communities work to recover from Hurricane Milton and Hurricane Helene. Local affiliates in Tampa say schools in at least five Florida counties will be closed on Monday as districts continue to assess the damage from Milton and in areas of North Carolina, like Buncombe County. Schools are closed indefinitely after flooding from Helene washed away much of the infrastructure.

Now, with schools out of commission until the communities can gain access and repair the damage, students are left with limited options to keep up academically. The Aspen Institute, a nonprofit research group based in D.C., says in 2020 Hurricane Maria caused students in Puerto Rico to miss an average of 78 school days. And hurricanes aren't the only threat to students learning.

In California, the Camp Fire of 2018 caused thousands of students to lose their homes and damaged or destroyed more than a dozen schools.

And an increasing number of students live in what's called a heat island where the average temperature at the site of the school is hotter than the surrounding area. The institute says in 2019, 36% of the country's public-school children attended school on heat islands.

So for more on this, I'm joined by Laura Schifter. She's a senior fellow at the Aspen Institute and joins us from Baltimore, Maryland.

Thanks so much for being here with us. So in the wake of those two hurricanes, as I said, many schools had to close. Tens of thousands of students are still out of their schools. And some of those schools, we know, won't reopen for the rest of the school year. And students will have to find alternatives. These massive weather events seem to have a growing effect on learning.

LAURA SCHIFTER, SENIOR FELLOW, THE ASPEN INSTITUTE: Yes, absolutely. Kim, the -- what we are seeing right now is our changing climate is impacting children, young people, their families and their schools all across the country. Lost learning is something that we're very acutely aware of. Its impact since Covid and we are seeing climate change having these devastating effects for students as well.

And the loss in North Carolina and Florida in particular, we don't know how many days yet students will be out from school and need to catch up on their learning.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah. And I mean, in echoes of the pandemic, I mean, we saw that all of these problems, they tend to get accentuated in communities that are communities of color and lower income, right?

SCHIFTER: Absolutely. And, you know, even just heat, which is one thing that we're seeing increasingly across the country, has a disproportionate impact on black and Latino students, largely because they're going to schools with worse infrastructure and they're not able to keep things cool. And it's really hard to learn and teach when the building itself is hot. And we're seeing that impact have a direct result on learning. And the EPA has actually projected that that will impact future economic potential for these students as well down the road.

[05:45:15]

BRUNHUBER: Yeah. Huge long-term impact. And not just with their learning and, you know, their economic future. There's also the mental health effects as well. When students, you know, lose their homes, they potentially losing family members, that sense of being unmoored, the loss of routine can be really devastating at that age again, as we learned during the pandemic.

SCHIFTER: Absolutely. I mean, students have been exposed to trauma. They face disruption and upheaval. And our school systems really need to be considering how they're providing mental health support for students, both in recognition that these events are happening more frequently and thinking about how we can prepare students to be more resilient. And then in the immediate impact after some of these larger events are happening, you know, ensuring that we have counselors in place that can help provide that mental health support that students need to process, re-engage in school and re-engage in learning effectively.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah, I want to pick up on that re-engage in school, because we've seen in these types of things, when -- when kids have to move and relocate, sometimes they tend to drop out, get lost by the system and never get back in.

SCHIFTER: Right. And it's really devastating. I think school districts across the country really need to be starting to think more about how to better prepare for and support students in a changing climate.

And that might also mean how to enroll students rapidly if another community faces impacts. How can we kind of continue to reach out and support students and think more holistically about, you know, where students can go in the wake of a hurricane or in the wake of a wildfire and ensure that they have their needs met?

BRUNHUBER: All right. So in terms of solutions, you've offered some of them there -- in terms of the maybe more soft factors, in terms of the actual schools themselves, I mean, these are the -- the pillars of the community. Is there any more that can be done to make them more able to withstand the effects of climate change and extreme weather?

SCHIFTER: So I do think we need to do some assessments on how schools are going to face the likely climate risks and then consider the infrastructure that's there. I mean, you can think about when we're building new schools, it's actually really important for us to project out and make sure that we're not building schools in flood prone areas, for instance.

There's also a lot of ways that we can think about school infrastructure to reduce heat. I know you spoke about heat islands at the beginning, thinking about ways to remove that heat trapping asphalt that many schools have around their building and actually replacing that with sustainable green spaces can be a way to both reduce heat around the school and actually absorb more stormwater runoff, too. So it has the added benefits of both addressing heat and addressing flooding as well.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah, that's a great point. These measures to help schools adapt to climate change. I mean, they're -- they're expensive. And it has to be noted that many of the affected the areas that were affected by the hurricane, especially here, Helene, are in areas that are politically conservative, where many, if not, you know, most of the people don't actually believe in the climate science behind this. So how do you get them on board?

SCHIFTER: Well, I think one thing that's critically important is to recognize that climate change is impacting children in all of these communities. And we need to start talking about it that way and taking away the politics of it and talking about the real impact on children and their families and recognize that this is the world that kids are living -- living in.

So in order to both keep kids safe now and prepare them for their future, we need to start taking these actions, advancing solutions in their school and really critically important, teaching them about climate change to ensure they have the understanding, knowledge and skills they need to be successful in a changing climate in the future.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah, that's right. So many people affected right now and it's only just going to get worse. Laura Schifter, thank you so much. Really appreciate it.

SCHIFTER: Thank you.

BRUNHUBER: All right. And we will be right back. Please stay here with us on CNN Newsroom.

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[05:53:20]

BRUNHUBER: Major League Baseball's Final Four is set. The Cleveland Guardians powered past the Detroit Tigers and into the American League Championship Series. CNN Sports Anchor Coy Wire joins me live. And when I think of drama, I think of Coy. Take it away.

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Good to see you, Kim.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah.

WIRE: Now, there's still a long way to go, but the Guardians are one step closer to ending generations of agony. 76 years since they last won the World Series. The second longest title drought in North American pro sports. Electric atmosphere for Guardians and Tigers in Game 5 in Cleveland. Win or go home, and Cleveland's Lane Thomas isn't ready for the show to end.

But he is the showstopper. Bases loaded, bases cleared, a fifth inning grand slam off of Detroit's ace and Cy Young frontrunner Tarik Skubal, in the city that's home to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is rocking. Guardians win 7-3, headed to the ALCS to take on the Yankees.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LANE THOMAS, CLEVELAND GUARDIANS OUTFIELDER: It's incredible. I don't know if I have the words at this moment, but, you know, you just love coming through with your teammates in that situation. Stuff just happens quick, you know, and he threw one pitch over the middle and I put a good swing on it. I think it's as simple as that. So, you know, I don't know how many scoreless innings he threw in a row, but, you know, it just takes one.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When you look around and you see this crowd, what was today like? What was it like playing in this game today?

THOMAS: It's incredible. These fans keep showing up. It's so loud and, you know, it just keeps you locked in because you want to come through for them too. So it's been really cool.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WIRE: All right, the new head man of U.S. men's soccer, Mauricio Pochettino, earned his first win. Some tantalizing tic-tac-toe early in the second half of a friendly against Panama led to Yunus Musah, scoring his first international goal putting the U.S. up 1-0. Then in stoppage, Haji Wright slides it to Ricardo Pepi and the 21-year-old sub sends his first touch fireball into the net there to seal the 2-0 win after just a few days of training under Pochettino. The U.S. play another friendly against rival Mexico on Tuesday.

[05:55:25]

While the U.S. enters a new era a reminder to enjoy the goats Cristiano Ronaldo and Robert Lewandowski are two of their country's greatest players ever, locking horns in Nations League play and Ronaldo doing what he does best 36th minute, right time, right place burying the second chance. His 906th goal for club and country Portugal win 3-1 and Warsaw ending Poland's 10-match home unbeaten streak.

Finally, Kim, NFL London back in action Sunday with the Jaguars and Bears in Tottenham Stadium in about 3.5 hours but here's something you have to see from college football yesterday. Iowa Hawkeyes hosting Washington and a kickoff goes through the end zone and a fan tries to catch it emphasis on tries absolutely drills him in the face no worries, he was fine. In fact, Kim, he was so good listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Joe, what the heck happened?

JOE, IOWA HAWKEYES FAN: So, I seen the kickoff and the ball was coming real fast and I knew it was going over the end zone and I knew it was coming right at me. So I put my hands up but that ball's going a lot faster than you really think it is. And it went right through my hands and it hit me in the face.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But you popped right back up.

JOE: Yeah, that's what Hawkeyes do. We don't give up, we swarm.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WIRE: Kim, sports as it often is football is a metaphor for life, sometimes it just comes at you fast and you take it best you can.

BRUNHUBER: Exactly right. And listen, I've been hit in a football with one of those -- what's the launcher the jugs machine, right?

WIRE: Oh no.

BRUNHUBER: That shoots the football right in the face, that's stings.

WIRE: For our viewers out there, that's the moment Kim lost all his hair.

BRUNHUBER: There you go.

WIRE: Good to see you, man.

BRUNHUBER: Thanks so much Coy, appreciate it.

All right, well that wraps this hour of CNN Newsroom. I'm Kim Brunhuber. For viewers in North America "CNN This Morning" is next for the rest of the world, it's "Marketplace Asia."

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