Return to Transcripts main page
CNN This Morning
Hawaiian Island of Maui Devastated by Wildfires Partially Spread by Winds from Hurricane Dora; Property Manager at Mar-a-Lago Carlos De Oliveira to be Charged in Trump Documents Case; Sixteen Republicans Arraigned in Fake Electors Scheme in Michigan. Aired 8- 8:30a ET
Aired August 10, 2023 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[08:00:40]
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's like an apocalypse. People are basically running for their lives.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a combination of wildfires, high wind, and limited ways around. The danger has already --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We are looking at video of the extensive damage in Maui from raging wildfires on the island.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Every single memory that we had in that household, everything was gone in the blink of an eye.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The most complete accounting yet can of the high life of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas shows much, much more than previously known.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's the idea that you are receiving gifts of this magnitude.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Justice Thomas has been living a life of extreme luxury for 30 years underwritten by at least four different ultrawealthy benefactors.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis is expected to seek charges against more than a dozen people when she presents her case before a grand jury next week.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: CNN has now learned that Willis recently received additional security protection.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's pathetic to think that we have to have additional security because of a made-up, fake narrative around an election. It's unfortunate, but it's necessary, and it's part of the process of moving through this.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: An opposition candidate in Ecuador's upcoming presidential race has been assassinated.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The killing appears to be caught on video.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A burst of gunfire was heard as he was getting into a waiting vehicle. Several people were hit by the bullets.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: FBI agents shoot and kill a self-described mega- Trumper who they say made death threats against President Biden.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In one thread, Robertson wrote, I hear Biden is coming to Utah, and that he was going to dust off the M-24 sniper rifle.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This was someone who they were already very concerned about. And then he started talking about acting out against the president on this trip. I am sure that raised everyone's concern to the absolute highest level.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, everyone. We are glad you are with us. Victor Blackwell by my side. It's devastating what's happening in Hawaii, and continues.
VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: So sad. The death toll there 36 and could go up.
HARLOW: Yes, it looks like it. That's the breaking news we begin with this hour. And it is out of Hawaii where just catastrophic and unprecedented wildfires, as Victor said, have killed at least 36 people. That death toll is in Maui and it soared overnight. Bodies were found in the ruins. Take a look at what's left of Lahaina. It's a historic town, a very popular vacation spot. The fast-moving inferno wiped out entire neighborhoods and people jumped into the ocean to escape the flames. The fire was fueled in part by powerful winds from a hurricane. Take a look at this video obtained by our local affiliate. What you can see there is hurricane-force winds whipping palm trees and explosions as a marina and boats go up in flames.
BLACKWELL: Let's take a look at that devastation on the ground. These are just hulls of homes. The neighborhoods, the businesses burned to the ground. Listen to this survivor describe the situation.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We still get dead bodies in the water floating and on the seawall. They have been sitting there since last night. We've been pulling people out since last night, trying to save people's lives. And I feel like we are not getting the help we need. This is a nationwide issue at this point. We need help, a lot of help. We've got to get people down here.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARLOW: Veronica Miracle joins us live in Maui where it is the middle of the night. So you haven't even seen the extent of the destruction. You'll see that when the sun comes up, but what can you tell us being on the ground?
VERONICA MIRACLE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's exactly right, Poppy and Victor. The death toll information also coming in overnight. So many people here on island of Maui will be waking up to the news that 36 of their community members, loved ones, friends, have died. That fire in Lahaina is one of three fires currently burning on the island here. Firefighting efforts continue as well as search and rescue efforts.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, my gosh. Look at the harbor.
MIRACLE: The view from above is of shock and heartbreak.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, my gosh!
RICHARD OLSTEN, DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS, AIR MAUI HELICOPTER TOURS: We were not prepared for what we saw. It looked like an area that had been bombed in the war.
MIRACLE: Wildfires rampaging across the island of Maui.
DUSTIN KALELOPU, LOST HOUSE IN MAUI WILDFIRE: Our entire street was burned to the ground.
MIRACLE: Decimating homes and businesses.
[08:05:00]
JAMES TOKIOKA, DEPARTMENT OF BUSINESS, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, AND TOURISM: Local people have lost everything. They have lost their house. They have lost their animals. And it's devastating.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Lahaina is on fire.
MIRACLE: The historic town of Lahaina, a popular tourist and economic hub on the island's west side particularly affected with hundreds of structures impacted.
CLAIRE KENT, HOUSE BURNED IN LAHAINA, MAUI: It happened so fast. People stuck in traffic, trying to get out, and there's flames on both sides of the road, like something out of a horror movie.
MIRACLE: Most of the fires on Maui fueled in part by violent winds caused by hurricane Dora, churning more than 800 miles away. Those winds now subsiding as the storm pushes away.
MAJOR GENERAL KENNETH S. HARA, ADJUTANT GENERAL, HAWAII, STATE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE: The primary focus is to save lives and to prevent human suffering and mitigate great property loss.
MIRACLE: State Department crews assisting in efforts to restore communication across the islands and distribute water, with military helicopters aiding in extinguishing the fires.
HARA: Two Siege 47 support Maui County, they flew 13 hours, did 58 drops, and about 150,000 gallons of water to assist with suppression of the fire.
MIRACLE: Recovery will be a long road ahead, according to Hawaii's Lieutenant Governor Sylvia Luke.
LT. GOV. SYLVIA LUKE, (D) HAWAII: The damage to the infrastructure is not just buildings. I mean, these were small businesses that invested in Maui. These were local residents. And we need to figure out a way to help a lot of people in the next several years.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
MIRACLE (on camera): And 11,000 people were flown out of Maui yesterday, another 1,500 people expected to leave today. Airlines are offering reduced fares. They are also increasing the number of flights. They are trying to get people out. Officials are also asking people to cancel their plans to not come here. They want to save the resources for those who desperately need it. Victor, Poppy?
WALKER: Vernonica Miracle, thank you for that reporting from Maui.
BLACKWELL: Joining us now is pilot and director of operations for air Maui helicopters, is Richie Olsten. Richie, can you hear me? It looks like we have an image problem. You can hear me? OK. We will figure the pictures out. Good.
The images we're seeing from Maui, the damage is catastrophic. We understand that. But as someone who has flown over Maui for more than 50 years, what does it feel like to see it this way?
RICHIE OLSTEN, DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS, AIR MAUI HELICOPTERS: Well, when we went up in the air the other morning to see what kind of damage there might have been. We never suspected that we'd see what we saw. We thought from the previous night, we were watching the news and seeing some fires in Lahaina and so forth, and we thought we would see some damage. But as we approached the south shore, the south end of Lahaina and proceeded to head up the coast, we were devastated by what we saw. It was just -- it was heartbreaking because I have lived here most of my life, and the entire town of Lahaina is basically -- was burnt to the ground. The entire historic area, Front Street, all the shops, people's homes, hundreds of homes. It was -- the other pilots that were with me to view this, we looked at each other in disbelief. We could not believe what we were seeing. It was just -- it was shocking, heartbreaking. And our heart goes out to so many people that are displaced and homeless at this time.
BLACKWELL: We are looking at some of your video now. We have spoken to a couple of guests here who are still looking for family members, hoping to hear from friends. Are all of your friends and family members there accounted for?
OLSTEN: They are. Yesterday, at work we had some employees that weren't able to get in touch with some of their family members, but they have now been found and contacted. But, you know, these -- this is a long-term situation here. These he people that lost their homes, we have over 600 people in the War Memorial stadium, the gym. We have people in our churches seeking refuge, and they have -- they had no place to go. They are going to have to have some kind of temporary housing set up for these people. It's just -- it's a disaster like Hawaii has never seen.
BLACKWELL: Yes. And listen, I'll say -- I'll preface this by saying, it is a secondary or tertiary consideration after life and the homes that people have lost, every tangible thing that they have. But Maui relies upon tourism. You are in the tourism industry. And what this means for business and the ability to sustain this community, when you look at the destruction, how long and how badly has the community been hit and hurt?
[08:10:00]
OLSTEN: Oh, I don't know that Lahaina itself will actually recover from this situation, especially with the loss of the historic area of the downtown and Front Street and all the shops and businesses where all the local people that live there, that work. Hundreds and hundreds of people that work in that Lahaina town area, it's just leveled to the ground, dust and ashes at this time. So this is going to be a long-term recovery for the economy, for the entire island, let alone Lahaina itself.
BLACKWELL: Richie, it's a little after 2:00 a.m. there. And I hope that we can reach out to you again, if you go back up and get more pictures showing us what is there. Poppy just spoke with John Kirby from the White House, saying that there is federal help on the way. We are all thinking of you there in Hawaii. Richie Olsten, thank you so much.
OLSTEN: Thank you very much.
HARLOW: Devastating to hear.
This morning, two of Donald Trump's codefendants in the classified documents case will appear in court in Fort Pierce, Florida. Walt Nauta, Trump's body man, and Carlos De Oliveira, the property manager at Mar-a-Lago, both are charged with helping Trump obstruct justice in the Justice Department's investigation into classified documents that were stored there. Randi Kaye is outside the courthouse. It took a little bit to get here. They needed local counsel, Florida lawyers. What's going to happen today?
RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Poppy. Well, what we won't see today is Donald Trump. He has already submitted a waiver of appearance and a not guilty plea related to the new charges in the superseding indictment. We will see his aide, Walt Nauta. He is expected to be here and enter a plea. He'll be here along with a couple of attorneys, we understand. He has already pleaded not guilty in the earlier charges in the classified documents case.
And we will see the property manager, Carlos De Oliveira. This is the first time, Poppy, that he will enter a plea. He was in a Miami court last week without a Florida barred attorney who could enter a plea on his behalf. So we expect that he will be able to enter a plea here today. This is expected to be a very quick arraignment. They will have the
charges read to them by the judge when they appear in court. Those charges do include false statements, conspiracy to obstruct justice as well as concealing documents, and all of this, Poppy, relates to interviews that they gave to the FBI talking about those documents there. Both men had said that they were not aware of the documents, but the prosecutors do believe that there is video of them moving the documents around Mar-a-Lago. And of course, there are the alleged attempts by both men to try and destroy the security camera footage that would have possibly shown that.
Of course, the trial for the former president is in question here because of these hearings and these codefendants that have been added to the case. Some of this could be delayed. So the question is whether or not Donald Trump will actually go to trial on this case before the presidential election, Poppy. It's scheduled for May of next year, but we will see if that sticks.
HARLOW: That is the question. Randi Kaye, thanks very much, outside the courthouse there.
BLACKWELL: Moments from now, a number of fake electors who are facing criminal charges in Michigan are schedule today be arraigned in Lansing. Each one of them faces eight state felony charges for their actions that involved a Donald Trump-backed plot to subvert the Electoral College after the 2020 elections in Michigan.
CNN's Jessica Schneider is joining us live from Washington, D.C. Jessica, we know that there are 16 people being charged. Will all 16 be arraigned today?
JESSICA SCHNEIDER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Some of them have been arraigned. The rest are expected to appear in court, Victor. And really, these are 16 prominent Republicans. They range from a school board member, a mayor, Republican officials. Most of them will be appearing in court at 8:30 this morning. We've learned, however, many of them will actually appear via Zoom. But they are all charged with eight felony counts each, and if they were convicted it would amount to decades in prison.
Most of them are saying they are vowing to fight these charges vigorously. Some have even claimed that the attorney general, Dana Nessel, who is a Democrat, is wrongly targeting political opponents because Nessel announced these charges last month. It was, though, after a months-long investigation into this fake electors plot where these 16 Trump allies, they showed up at the Michigan state capital in December 2020. They tried to storm into the capital with those fake certificates that falsely declared Trump as the winner of the state's electoral votes when, of course, in fact Joe Biden had won the state by more than 100,000 votes.
So now all 16 of them being charged with forgery, publishing a counterfeit record. Now notably, these are the first state charges stemming from this fake elector plot. We actually saw this plot unfold in seven states. Of course, this is the same plot that's at the center of the indictment that was handed up against the former president last week, Victor. So it's going to be interesting seeing this case unfold on the state level with these charges like forgery and fraud, and then seeing how it interacts potentially with what we are seeing from the special counsel. But these 16 Republicans, they are vowing to fight these charges.
[08:15:00]
They're really first of their kind charges for really was an unprecedented plot, anyway, Victor.
BLACKWELL: Jessica Schneider for us in Washington, thank you.
HARLOW: All right. We are very lucky because we have John King in the studio, after he's gone all over the place to meet voters for stop Iowa. He's going to tell us what they told him about what they're looking for in a candidate, where they stand on the current front runners.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PRISCILLA FORSYTH, ATTORNEY AND IOWA REPUBLICAN VOTER: I think we need to get rid of Biden. I think we need to get rid of Trump. I think we need to move on.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLACKWELL: All right, less than two weeks until the first Republican primary debate and five months until the Iowa caucuses. CNN's John King spoke to Iowa voters about what they're looking for in his new series all over the map. And John King is with us now. I love this idea.
JOHN KING, CNN ANCHOR AND CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Right.
BLACKWELL: Going out and speaking to people.
KING: All right. So, we have great people covering the candidates.
BLACKWELL: Yes.
KING: I want to cover the campaign through the eyes of voters. One of the great gifts of what we do, we can pay to learn, right? So, over the next 15 months we're going to assemble voters in the swing States in Wisconsin, in Georgia, in Arizona. But the first defining question is can Donald Trump be stopped? Is his renomination inevitable? And Iowa will have a huge say in that.
So, that's where we start with Republican voters in Iowa, spent a week there last week. You do find a divide and you also find that many of these Republican voters they stopped watching this network. And they believe things that would not pass our fact check. But they're good people, they're honest people.
And so, this is the beginning of a conversation that I hope over the next five months in Iowa and then 15 months around the country helps me understand, us understand them. And maybe they'll better understand us.
[08:20:00]
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KING (voiceover): Business is booming.
CHRIS MUDD, CEO, MIDWEST SOLAR: Less typical.
KING: Residential installed, I mean this --
KING (voiceover): Midwest Solar's workload, now running at 15 to 20 installations a month.
C. MUDD: It lost money the first year we are in business and we're going to make money in our second year. That's a small system, 10 panels.
KING (voiceover): Chris Mudd is the CEO and says yes, give President Biden some credit.
C. MUDD: Yes, absolutely. You know, there are lots of grants available to business owners. The tax credit that their production.
KING (voiceover): But Mudd is a lifelong Iowa Republican, would prefer that tax credit money be spent on a border wall and hopes for a Donald Trump comeback.
C. MUDD: Do I think that Donald Trump's perfect? No. I think he's -- do -- I don't personally, I'm not a big fan of who he is and what he does and how he lives. But I think the decisions and the things that he did for our country were good.
KING (voiceover): The Mudd family is living both the American dream and the American divide. A business, Jim Mudd, Sr. started in his basement 42 years ago, now employs 80 people clients coast to coast.
JIM MUDD SR., IOWA, REPUBLICAN VOTER: I'm a lot older than you.
KING (voiceover): Dad and three sons are Republicans and Trump supporters. Two daughters are Democrats.
KING: I guess they'd call it Thanksgiving dinner.
C. MUDD: They still come; we still love them.
KING (voiceover): We visited as Trump was indicted a second time by the Special Counsel.
C. MUDD: Why are they attacking him so hard? Why are they going after this guy so hard? Does everybody really believe that everything that happens is exactly the way that the government's laying it out today? I don't. KING (voiceover): The friends and family around the table don't watch and don't trust CNN. There is reverence for Ronald Reagan here but listen.
C. MUDD: The trust is gone.
KING (voiceover): Reagan's optimism replaced by Trump's grievances.
ROB MUDD, IOWA REPUBLICAN VOTER: We got to find our own way to take care of ourselves.
KING (voiceover): Reagan's disdain of big government, replaced by Trump's distrust of just about everything.
J. MUDD: I think he thinks he stole it from him.
KING (voiceover): Still questions about the 2020 election.
J. MUDD: And I, a lot of people agree with him.
KING (voiceover): Criticism of the Trump prosecutions.
J. MUDD: But nothing about that deals the American way. I don't think.
KING (voiceover): And this.
KING: If you think the United States should be supporting Ukraine in the fight against Putin, raise your hand. Nobody.
R. MUDD: You don't have to be that smart to connect the dots, right? And so, our (PH) is a war to cover up. Sins committed, so you can cover your tracks. There's too much money that's been thrown over there.
KING: You think all the NATO countries would do what Biden told them to do? Because he's trying to cover up some Hunter Biden business deal by us.
R. MUDD: All depends on how -- so, let's see how much dirt he has on Biden to keep the money company.
KING: That's out there.
R. MUDD: No. We become (INAUDIBLE)
C. MUDD: Well, how do you -- how do you trust when you know the government has shut down Facebook and shut down Twitter and told them to not show certain news stories?
KING (voiceover): A few days here, makes clear Trump's grip is very strong. But roughly half of the party wants to move on. And they see their first in the nation vote as the best chance to derail him. The growth around Des Moines is stunning. And the suburbs are Trump's kryptonite.
JACLYN TAYLOR, IOWA REPUBLICAN VOTER: I don't appreciate the negativity.
KING (voiceover): Jaclyn Taylor is a single mother who manages construction projects. Tim Scott intrigues her, Nikki Haley too. Sometimes Ron DeSantis.
TAYLOR: There is a lot of around him. Is that -- is that a technical term?
KING: Yes. All right.
KING (voiceover): Betsy Sarcone, also a single mom, says DeSantis is her current favorite but he hasn't closed the sale. She is done with Trump's GOP.
BETSY SARCONE, IOWA REPUBLICAN VOTER: I see the party as a party of personal responsibility. And for this man to still be on the national stage, representing the Republican Party is very troubling to me.
KING (voiceover): Sarcone and Taylor live a few miles apart, but don't know each other. Both voted for Trump twice after supporting someone else in the 2016 caucuses. Both want someone new this time. Both think shop now, but in the end, rally friends around one Trump alternative.
SARCONE: I think the moderates need to band together.
TAYLOR: It's those kind of like, no brainer, right?
KING (voiceover): Sioux City is 200 miles from the Des Moines suburbs. Trump is much stronger here.
KING: Did you caucus in 2016?
FORSYTH: I did.
KING: For who?
FORSYTH: I caucus for Trump.
KING: Why?
FORSYTH: Well, he does have charisma. I mean, whether you like him or not, he does. I liked his policies.
KING (voiceover): Attorney Priscilla Forsyth is a Democrat turned Trump voter. But she thinks he should have honored the 2020 election results.
FORSYTH: I think we need to get rid of Biden. I think we need to get rid of Trump. I think we need to move on.
KING (voiceover): Forsyth and friend Lisa McAfee (PH) are Sioux City Explorers fans. McAfee though, not scouting a new candidate.
KING: Do you think Donald Trump is an honest and trustworthy person?
[08:25:00] MCAFEE: Yes.
KING (voiceover): This is warm up season, five months until Iowa votes. Five months until Republicans divided over Trump. Make a defining choice.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KING: So, for me, this is an enormous treat to sit down with these Republicans and a lot of them disagree with us and what we do, but we learned. And I'm hoping to start a conversation based on respect and you go there. And look, you know, a lot of people think Trump's nomination is inevitable.
I would say it's probable at the moment, but five months is a long time. Five months is a long time. And especially, it's my 10th Presidential campaign. What jumped out at me going back there, is the explosion of growth in the Des Moines suburbs.
Politics is about math, there are 60,000 more people in the Des Moines suburbs that lived there seven years ago, when Trump was running in that big crowded field. So, it's a fascinating beginning.
HARLOW: I'm so glad you're doing this. I love as my dad was born in Des Moines. A lot of my childhood and I what's so fascinating and important. I'm from Minnesota, and I hear a lot of that what you heard, echoed from people who are very important to me around me and Minnesota who don't feel heard. And because of this project, they can feel heard.
KING: That's the key part, a lot of what you saw, especially in that roundtable would not get through our fact checkers, right? And so, I pushed back gently there and politely. I want to continue this conversation. I want to know how they got there, right? I want to learn from them, and I hope they learned from us. But to your point, they were grateful that I came. They say the National Media doesn't come see them. They feel forgotten, they feel ignored.
HARLOW: Yes.
KING: I feel disrespected by the National Government and by the National Media big institutions, right? We're the media, right? And look, Fox News posts that, you know, they tried to, even though they're big media, too. They poked that exacerbate that, but what's missing from a lot of our conversations is respect.
Now, some of their views are out there, as I said. But how'd they get there? Why'd they get there? How long did it take? What are the causes? They're good people, they're anchors of their community.
BLACKWELL: Yes.
KING: And so, they -- I hope to start a conversation. Maybe I'm tilting at windmills but start a --
HARLOW: You're not. KING: -- conversation and just try to build some respect and understand each other.
BLACKWELL: There are a lot of people who watch this as you pointed out at the top, that the some of the most ardent Trump supporters don't watch this network. And those who will watch what you just reported will wonder, why do we keep doing this? Why and how is he at 50 percent? This is how one question answers the other. Just go there and get the --
KING: Forgive me for interrupting but also last night, you know, liberal Twitter went after me for why you are talking to these people. Donald Trump got 77 million votes in the last election. He got more votes losing to Joe Biden, than he got when he beat Hillary Clinton. He is the far away front runner for the Republican Party.
HARLOW: Yes.
KING: We cannot ignore whether you like him or not. All these legal controversies are somehow at least at the moment making him stronger. We'll see if that lasts, but he is the far away front runner for the Republican party. He's a news story, we're in the news business.
HARLOW: John King you're going to stick with us, but everyone needs to know, you are going to be at the magic wall on election night, right?
KING: Yes.
HARLOW: You can't -- you can't desert that.
KING: I must -- I must --
HARLOW: You'll be all over the map. You need to be at map.
BLACKWELL: Just the yes.
KING: That's the reason to go all over the map is to learn.
HARLOW: That's exactly right.
KING: Is to learn.
BLACKWELL: Yes.
HARLOW: Good, good, good, good, good. Stay with us.
BLACKWELL: The man accused of threatening to assassinate Joe Biden is killed by FBI agents. We have new details about who he was and what led to that standoff.
HARLOW: Also, the Special Counsel investigating Donald Trump secured a search warrant of the former President's Twitter account. We're going to explain why, ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[08:30:00]
