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CNN This Morning

At Least 63 Dead In Lahaina Fires; Expected To Rise; Frustration Growing As Residents Try To Get Access To Lahaina; Sources: Prosecutors Have Texts And Emails That Link Trump's Legal Team To Voting System Breaches; Ukraine Makes Partial Progress As Southern Counteroffensive Grinds On; Gearing Up For Potential Triple Threat Of Respiratory Viruses: COVID, Flu, RSV; Interview With Cardiologist And Exec. Dir. Of Health And Community Education, Piedmont Healthcare Dr. Jane Morgan; As The Number Of Hospitalizations Rises, New COVID Variant Develops; Early Vaccine Appointments Being Made Available By Pharmacy Chains; NTSB: Pilot Error Caused United Flight's Plunge; Millions Face Hot Temps and Threat Of Severe Storms; Trump Could Be Hit With Fourth Indictment This Week. Aired 7-8a ET

Aired August 13, 2023 - 07:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:00:35]

AMARA WALKER, CNN HOST: Good morning, everyone. Thank you so much for being with us. And welcome to CNN This Morning. It is Sunday, August 13. I'm Amara Walker.

RAHEL SOLOMON, CNN HOST: And I'm Rahel Solomon in this morning for Victor Blackwell. Great to be with you, Amara.

WALKER: Thanks for coming back.

SOLOMON: Yes.

WALKER: It's been fun.

SOLOMON: Yes, of course. And thank you for spending part of your morning with us. Here's what we're watching for you this morning.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. JOSH GREEN (D), HAWAII: This is the largest natural disaster we've ever experienced. It's going to also be a natural disaster. It's going to take an incredible amount of time to recover from.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOLOMON: The death toll from the Maui wildfires jumps to 93, making it the deadliest wildfire in the past century. We are live in Maui as federal help pours in. We're also hearing from residents frustrated with the government's response. WALKER: The Fulton County, Georgia District Attorney investigating former President Trump and his attempts to interfere in Georgia's election is expected to present her case to a grand jury this week. What we're learning about some of the key witnesses ordered to testify.

SOLOMON: Also, doctors are warning of a viral triple threat this fall as a new COVID variant emerges, their concerns heading into cold and flu season and what we should be doing to prepare.

WALKER: Plus, we know now what caused a United Airlines flight to plunge toward the Pacific Ocean just after takeoff. Remember this? What investigators found it's quite unsettling, just ahead.

We begin with the death toll from the fires in Maui, and it continues to rise this morning. So far, 93 bodies have been pulled from the ashes, but officials warn that number is expected to grow in the coming days. The Lahaina fire has now become the deadliest fire in the U.S. in the past 100 years.

FEMA's chief visited Maui on Saturday to see the devastation firsthand. And she spoke with residents who have lost everything. And she also heard harrowing tales of how they survived when so many didn't.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DEANNE CRISWELL, FEMA ADMINISTRATOR: I heard their stories. I heard their harrowing stories of escape, evacuating, then evacuating again, a car that was caught on fire. Then they got into somebody else's car. Yet what I always find, even during these incredibly tragic times, is this resilience of a community to come together and support each other. And that's what I saw.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOLOMON: And in the midst of just so much tragedy, we are also seeing some stories of hope. Mike Cicchino captured terrifying videos of the flames approaching as he tried to flee the fires last week. The Lahaina resident believed that he was going to die, so he called his family and he said his goodbyes. He and his wife got trapped on Lahaina and were forced to jump over the sea wall to try to stay safe from the flames and they made it out.

But with no cell service, he hasn't been able to tell his family that he is alive. But eventually they were reunited. Look at this photo. You see them there hugging as they were reunited.

CNN's Gloria Pazmino is on the ground in Maui. Gloria, you are on that road that heads back into Lahaina. It is the source of a lot of frustration for people there. Any sense of when the residents will be allowed back into the town?

GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Now and that is exactly what we are watching today, because as you said, this road yesterday was packed with cars of residents trying to get back in. They're trying to head back into Lahaina to get an idea of how much they have lost, to see if there's anything left of their homes, their businesses. They're trying to connect with their families and their loved ones.

As you said, this is Highway 30 where we are standing right now, and it leads into Lahaina in that direction. But as you can see now, this highway is pretty empty. It's completely desolate. And that is because it is being closed off and only being used for official vehicles. We watched a power utility convoy go by just in the last hour or so.

Officials here tell us they are not allowing residents to come through this road. And that is creating a lot of frustration because this is where people were told they were supposed to come. People were waiting for hours in their cars trying to get back in. Now, the governor and the local police officials have been responding to the frustration of residents asking people to be patient.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GREEN: We ask for a lot of understanding about travel in to the zone where the fire occurred. And the reason for that is the health consequences.

[07:05:08]

We have to go with caution. There are heavy metals there. There are toxic states where the houses have come down and the businesses have come down.

CHIEF JOHN PELLETIER, MAULI POLICE: Today, we identified two. And so we're going as fast as we can, but just so you know, 3 percent that's what's been searched with the dogs, 3 percent.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAZMINO: This is going to be a long process. And just to give you an idea of the frustration, we've heard of people lining up in cars for several hours and they are being very strict about who they let into the area. And there's good reason for that. You heard it there. The area still remains extremely dangerous.

There is debris all over the place, there are substances that have been leaked into the ground. It is simply not safe for people to go around the area just yet. Most importantly, search and recovery is still continuing. Officials have only been able to identify two people of the more than 90 that have been killed so far. And it is our understanding that officials still expect the fatalities to increase in the next several hours.

WALKER: Yes. Search and rescue, search and recovery, all of that takes priority. But of course, the frustrations are understandable as well.

SOLOMON: Everyone involved.

WALKER: Yes, absolutely.

SOLOMON: Gloria Pazmino, thank you.

WALKER: Well, as search and rescue efforts continue across Maui, the community there is coming together, helping out in any way they can during what has been a very difficult time.

SOLOMON: Yes. CNN's Bill Weir is there in Maui and has more now.

BILL WEIR, CNN CHIEF CLIMATE CORRESPONDENT: Rahel, Amara, it was the great Mr. Rogers who taught me the best tip of disaster coverage. When things get scary, look for the helpers. That's what I tell my kids. And look at this, so many helpers on Maui today as people come to grips with just how much was lost on Lahaina.

These are improvised boat lifts. They're taking these via beach landings or jet skis that on better days would be used to tow surfers into big waves around Jaws and the North Shore. But now it's -- everybody trying to lend a hand. At the same time, vacationers are still here trying to help some going to shelters and dropping off donations as well.

We're hearing from FEMA for the first time yesterday about their efforts. But I also talked to a gentleman named Tom Cook who is a South Maui commissioner. And you can see the real strain on these leaders, local leaders, as they're caught between desperate homeowners, people from Lahaina who want to get back and see what's left, a search and rescue effort that's still ongoing and support pouring in from all corners of the globe.

Listen to his frustration.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TOM COOK, MAUI COUNTY COUNCIL MEMBER: I know friends and family who have lost absolutely everything, OK? And so right now, I think the administration is dealing with search and rescue, trying to identify how many people have been impacted, in what way they've been impacted.

WEIR: Yes.

COOK: The hazardous waste is going to be a big issue. It's a really old town, and so a lot of those aspects need to be addressed.

WEIR: Yes.

COOK: As you've ever been to Lahaina, you know, the access is extremely limited. One way in, one way out. So, in general, the island's pulling together. The aloha spirit is alive and well, but we are extremely bruised, hurt, and suffering.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WEIR: This is a really heartwarming sign of sort of, Ohana, the Hawaiian sense of family and community. At the same time, we've heard reports of looting armed looters overnight around the Lahaina area, but a National Guard's presence has been accelerated to try to get a handle on that right now. But right now, there's still so much uncertainty about the death pole and what comes next for people who literally lost everything. Rahel, Amara?

WALKER: Bill, thank you for that.

So someone else who lost everything is Jordan Saribay. He grew up in Lahaina. And when we say everything, that also includes his family home. Thankfully, he and his family made it out alive. Jordan is now joining us.

First off, I'm extremely sorry and saddened for you, and I'm sorry that you have to join us under these circumstances. Jordan, can you tell me how you and your family made it out?

JOHN SARIBAY, MAUI FIRE VICTIM: Yes. Initially, we were helping a relative out with her home and with a storage that was uprooted, and we saw white smoke come in, you know, into the sky from the area the initial fire happened that morning. So we kind of was like, OK, maybe we need to get ready to go, since it's kind of close and the wind is pretty strong.

And by the time we dropped off my brother at his house and I made it back to my grandmother's house, there was already just dark black smoke right behind the houses. That was adjacent to Lahainaluna Road, and -- which is about three houses from my grandmother's house.

[07:10:12]

And with that said, you know, they were already scrambling to grab things that they could reach, put it in their car. And my grandmother was, you know, all she grabbed was her purse and maybe a pair of -- a change of clothes for her. And as we're trying to get everyone from that house into the car, you just see, you know, one or two houses already on fire.

And that right there, you know, put us in a very intense fight or flight mode, because when we saw it initially, it was nothing, just white smoke. And then to be in that phase so fast, maybe about 20 minutes later max --

WALKER: So --

SARIBAY: -- from when we saw the smoke, there was already houses on fire.

WALKER: So, I mean, so you were talking about minutes to react, right? And did you get any kind of --

SARIBAY: Minutes.

WALKER: -- warning?

SARIBAY: Yes.

WALKER: Because we know that the sirens, the outdoor sirens, were not activated. That is according to emergency officials in Hawaii. So you were kind of on your own to figure out --

SARIBAY: Correct.

WALKER: -- how and when to leave, is that correct? For the most part, I know that there was one vehicle right before I got to my grandmother's house, mind you, there was already, you know, homes on fire saying, we must evacuate. I just recalled that, actually.

And I actually posted on my Facebook, we still had service. And I was like, Kilauea Malka (ph) 2 and 3 needs to evacuate because of the fire. And I just got confirmation from somebody in my hometown and said there was no service for her. And if I didn't post that, her and her daughter probably wouldn't have made it out.

WALKER: Wow. So you clearly saved some lives --

SARIBAY: Yes.

WALKER: Right now.

SARIBAY: I just got -- without knowing, you know, they just messaged me maybe about 30 minutes ago, and I was like, wow. You know, it's like -- it's I'm happy but I'm also sad because how many other people may not have made it to think about like, if -- through Facebook. And just with the, you know, the most spotty Internet that she had, she was able to see my post of all the posts on her Facebook, you know?

WALKER: Yes, tell me --

SARIBAY: So what are the odds.

WALKER: -- more about those concerns, Jordan, because you were able to make it out? Now, I see that you are in Oahu with your family, but the fact that there was so little time, there was no --

SARIBAY: Yes.

WALKER: -- outdoor sirens blaring, as it usually would if there was a tsunami or some other natural disaster coming. And as I know, Hawaii has one of the largest outdoor siren systems in the world. You're concerned that there were people left behind. Why?

SARIBAY: One, the way that Lahainaluna, the subdivisions, there are kind of set up is there's one main access road, and that access road is Lahainaluna Road. And when the fire started, the fire came from Lahainaluna Road side. So anyone in my neighborhood could not use that route to exit.

There were firefighters, you know, with the fire truck posted up near my grandmother's house where the exit is. And -- which meant there was only one other exit point. And so as I'm trying to leave with my grandmother, there's just a congestion of cars from different areas, you know, funneling into one road.

And with that said, we were inching. We were not moving at all that fast. So what felt like -- what may have been only five to 10 minutes felt like an eternity because you just watch. You see the smoke get closer. You see, you know, in the furthest distance of what you could see through the houses or the trees is things catching on fire already, you know.

WALKER: And these pictures that we're seeing, Jordan, this is your house in flames with the smoke engulfing it, correct?

SARIBAY: The picture you're seeing is someone else's house from my house that you can see.

WALKER: Got it. Got it. Jordan, this --

SARIBAY: So what I said right -- when I got to my grandmother's house --

WALKER: Go ahead.

SARIBAY: Go ahead. I was just saying, like I said, when I got to my grandmother's house, you could see houses already on fire. And the reaction time, you know, puts into perspective if my family, who already thought about leaving because we saw the smoke.

There's many other houses, numerous houses that exist below where we were, that were in the line of fire, that did not have the opportunity to leave, because the wind literally blew at 80 miles an hour. And the fire didn't just go as one big wall.

[07:15:08]

What was happening is the fire was projectiling embers into the neighborhood, and the neighborhood random houses were catching on fire and creating new starting points.

WALKER: I can't imagine just the emotions that you're feeling, you know, knowing that this is your hometown, you have deep roots here. These are people you know that you care about. And, you know, I hope you get more information about anyone that you're looking for.

Jordan Saribay, we're so glad you made it out with your family at the very least. We wish you strength in these tough times ahead. Thank you, Jordan.

And for more information on how you can help Hawaii wildfire victims, go to CNN.com/impact. Text Hawaii to 707070 to donate.

SOLOMON: All right, Amara, thank you.

We are also learning new information this morning about Donald Trump's attempts to overturn the 2020 election results in Georgia. Sources say prosecutors have texts and emails linking Trump's legal team to a voting system breach in Coffee County, Georgia. And this comes as the district attorney investigating Trump in Georgia appears to be close to an indictment. D.A. Fani Willis is expected to seek charges against more than a dozen people. She's likely to begin making her case to the grand jury this week. CNN Political Correspondent Sara Murray has more details.

SARA MURRAY, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has notified witnesses to be prepared to testify before a grand jury early next week. It's the most significant indication we have yet that she intends to seek indictments in her long running investigation into efforts by Donald Trump and his allies to overturn the 2020 presidential election in Georgia.

Now, this notification is significant. It means these witnesses will have to show up, they will have to testify. Sources have said that her presentation before the grand jury, it may take up to two days. So it's possible she could begin this presentation on Monday and carry it over into Tuesday, which is when former Lieutenant Governor Geoff Duncan has been told he should show up, as well as independent journalist George Chidi.

And again, this has been the culmination of a two and a half year investigation. Fulton County District Attorney has looked into everything from Donald Trump's infamous call to Brad Raffensperger, where he asked Raffensperger to find the votes needed to overturn the election, to the fake elector scheme in Georgia, to efforts to harass local election officials, as well as a voting breach in rural Coffee County, Georgia.

And sources have told us that Willis may seek to bring charges against more than a dozen individuals when she does go before that grand jury next week.

Sara Murray, CNN, Washington.

SOLOMON: All right, coming up for us, after slow gains in the south, Ukraine says that it's making progress with its southern offensive. Now, CNN is getting a firsthand look from the front lines. We'll have the latest on the conflict.

Plus, it's being called a triple threat. States now bracing for what could be a rough season for RSV, COVID and the flu.

WALKER: And it was a terrifying flight for those on board after a United flight plunged toward the Pacific Ocean last year. And now, a new report from the NTSB is revealing some unsettling communication issues between the pilots that happened regarding this near disaster. The details are next.

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[07:22:26]

WALKER: Ukraine says its forces destroyed ammunition depots in a Russian occupied town in the Kherson region overnight. This comes as Ukraine presses forward with its southern offensive, fighting against the odds. SOLOMON: CNN Chief International Security Correspondent Nick Paton Walsh joins us live from Dnipro, Ukraine. So, Nick, you had a rare opportunity to travel to the front lines in southern Ukraine. Give us a sense of just what Ukrainian forces are up against.

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Yes, look, it is a slow fight, a difficult grind, certainly, but it is one which Ukrainian soldiers say they are making progress in Tetiev, frankly, when you put to them the idea from Western analysts that they're not moving as fast as they could be. And we saw ourselves the first journalists to get access to the front lines near Robotyne exactly how that fight looks.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WALSH (voice-over): The brutal work here the world hasn't seen, but wants its results. From the west, they have words and weapons of support, but out here, it's them alone in searing heat, cloaked in dust. In the southern counteroffensive near Orikhiv, Ukraine has the initiative, yet they have to shoot their way forwards round by round.

The Russians are just past the building on the horizon.

(on-camera): Let's keep moving, guys. They're very anxious we leave.

(voice-over): We're the first journalists to reach this part of Ukraine's counteroffensive push south towards Robotyne.

(on-camera): So they're pretty sure the tank was spotted by the Russians. And so now we're moving fast out of here because they're expecting return fire.

(voice-over): The losses from their early assaults evident there's a destroyed U.S. supplied Bradley armored vehicle.

(on-camera): In this thick dust, these tankers moving forwards to fire at Russian positions, which they say are beginning to look in peril as Ukraine's southern counteroffensive pushes forwards.

(voice-over): The 15th National Guard have lost many friends here, but also gained ground. It has been incredibly tough, but some faces we saw over the past week have brightened. Robotyne has got closer. Some of the assessment of their fight and the tools given towards it great here. They're being expected to do things no NATO army would attempt with equipment they'd scoff at.

[07:25:10]

The Humvee we travel in with tires so threadbare no American soldier would be expected to drive it. They have no time for armchair assessments that they're failing.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translation): They are wrong. We have successes. It depends on how fortified they are. Above all, don't underestimate the enemy. WALSH (voice-over): And that underestimation is visible here in the nearest town of Orikhiv, pummeled by the main problem Russian air superiority and the half ton bombs they drop. At any moment, it may not matter how much cover you have.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translation): U.S.-35 jet in the air.

WALSH (voice-over): We take cover in a basement. One day, 20 rockets hit in as many minutes.

(on-camera): The wait now is for what they think is another missile to come in and land.

(voice-over): The smell of death haunts the rubble where entire lives have been torn through now.

(on-camera): Now this was the main humanitarian aid point of the town. And weeks ago, this was where the remaining locals would be hiding out, getting shelter from airstrikes. But it's taken direct hit and quite a few people lost their lives when this explosion happened. You can still smell the explosive in the air.

(voice-over): In Moscow's warped world of targeting, it is these men, the military medics, who feel hunted. The underground world in which they live is hidden, as their last two triage points have been bombed. And in the three hours a day they spend above ground, this is what happens.

This is rare footage of their frontline rescues.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Speaking Foreign Language).

WALSH (voice-over): The painkillers clearly not enough.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Speaking Foreign Language)

WALSH (voice-over): Treatments given at up to 100 miles an hour over bumpy shelled roads. It seems miraculous anyone makes it. In the back of this armored vehicle, not everyone has. These transfers perilous their vehicles bunch together, perhaps visible to Russian jets. Sometimes they don't all come back.

On Friday, fellow medic Andre (ph), aged 33, was hit by artillery. They buried him Monday.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translation): We went there immediately. Another team picked up the driver. And that was the hardest thing I ever did, pick up the body and deliver it to the morgue.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translation): His family, his mother, they are in temporarily occupied territories. They couldn't even come to the funeral.

WALSH (voice-over): Down here, death is far too close, and they seem to shut it out. UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translation): When they hit further than 100 meters away from us, we don't pay attention. If it's closer, we just laugh hysterically.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translation): I tell everybody, we will all dies. But a bit later. Maybe in 50 years.

WALSH (voice-over): They need the war to end in months, though, not years before nothing but dust is left.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WALSH: Now, that particular town, Orikhiv, received a devastating airstrike in recent days that killed a police officer, injured many more. Relatively common there. And I should also tell you that we've been learning too, about the result of artillery shelling on the city of Kherson nearby that's taken seven lives, including that of a 12- year-old child.

So the civilian toll continued to rise here, as Russia seems to visit its rage on civilian areas, while Ukraine's pushing forwards in the south.

SOLOMON: With no end in sight.

WALKER: Nick Paton Walsh, I appreciate your reporting. Thank you.

All right, still ahead, states are gearing up for a triple threat of flu, COVID and RSV this fall. Some pharmacies are already rolling out vaccines. We'll discuss with the doctor everything you need to know.

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[07:33:47]

SOLOMON: Welcome back.

States are bracing for a possible trifecta of respiratory viruses this fall. COVID-19, the flu and RSV. Major pharmacy chains have already started rolling out appointments for flu and RSV vaccines. And an updated COVID-19 booster could be ready by the end of next month. The message from health officials, is get your vaccines and get them early.

Dr. Jane Morgan joins us now to discuss. She's a cardiologist and also the executive director for Health and Community Education at Piedmont Healthcare in Atlanta.

Dr. Morgan, great to see you.

DR. JANE MORGAN, CARDIOLOGIST AND EXEC. DIR. OF HEALTH AND COMMUNITY EDUCATION, PIEDMONT HEALTHCARE: Great to see you. Thank you.

SOLOMON: So, what is your message for people watching this right now?

DR. MORGAN: So, I think we need to start to get used to what is this new normal when we have three viruses in the mix. RSV, flu, and COVID coming together this fall. We've also noted that three summers in a row, we start to see a surge in COVID, even though viruses are generally more prevalent in the fall than the winter. This is three summers in a row that we have seen COVID begin to tick up. And while we may not have a surge this time, we certainly see hospitalizations increasing, emergency room visits increasing, and overall illness.

SOLOMON: And tell me more about this new COVID variant. I mean, I live in the northeast. I live in New York and certainly, anecdotally, I have noticed that more people have seemed to get COVID as of late. What's happening here?

[07:35:00]

DR. MORGAN: So, this -- there is a new variant -- really not a variant. It's an offshoot of this prolific Omicron family. We are still in Omicron. So, this one is called EG.5, and it is a daughter, should we say, of the XBB variant. So, we're still in the same family that continues to evolve.

SOLOMON: In terms of symptoms, is it more severe? How does it differ?

DR. MORGAN: So, the symptoms seemed to be the same. So, perhaps mild symptoms, however, we are starting to see an uptick in hospitalizations and emergency room visits. It seems in the laboratory to be producing more neutralizing antibodies. So, it does confer some advantage and we start to see it becoming the more dominant variant in the United States and across, really, all of Europe. And so, we know it has some evolutionary advantage. And that's why the World Health Organization has just elevated it to a variant of interest such that it can be tracked.

SOLOMON: So, what should people do? As we said, the message is, get your vaccines and get them early. But does the message differ depending on your age, depending on your medical status?

DR. MORGAN: Remember, you know, a mnemonic called CHAT, C-H-A-T. Make sure you, C, check with your physician or health care team. H, remember this is about your health. This is not a trick. Think about your health. A, always ask questions. And T, find a trusted medical resource, especially on social media and websites where people tend to follow their favorite chef or their favorite entertainer.

In this particular instance, find a scientific influencer. Someone who is steeped in science, and follow that information. When we talk about viruses and COVID, and leave your entertainers for that entertainment information.

SOLOMON: I didn't realize there were health care influencers. So, I had to be better about who I'm following as well. Doctor, are you concerned, at all, that we have gotten to a phase where maybe everyone is over COVID? I mean, even just personally, when I saw the rise in New York, I thought, oh, OK. We're back in COVID. I mean, are you surprised by, perhaps, some of the feelings we've had as of late?

DR. MORGAN: Yes, three years is a long time. And what we have to remember is the lessons learned from these long three years, especially when we're rolling out vaccines and we're rolling out information. We've got to go into the communities. Take the information to people. Remember, communication is important. That's where we saw the CDC falter. And that they had excellent scientists, excellent research, excellent data, but faltered with communication with the public. It needs to be clear and concise.

We absolutely want people to make certain that they understand this is being driven by human behavior. The entire pandemic. And even this summer, what's happening? We have a heatwave. People are being driven indoors instead of being outside. If we're traveling in the summer, so we're carrying virus from one group to the next. And then our largest congregate settings in the United States, children in schools. And we know children are not the most hygienic. And so, we can expect what's happening in schools are going to bring it home. And so, human behavior continues to drive this.

SOLOMON: So, try to get ahead of that. Try to get your vaccines. Try to do it early when you can.

DR. MORGAN: That's right.

SOLOMON: Dr. Jane Morgan, great to see you.

DR. MORGAN: Thank you.

SOLOMON: Thank you.

WALKER: Still ahead, federal investigators are now blaming pilot error for a United Flight's frightening plunge towards the Pacific Ocean last year. We'll dig deeper, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:42:53]

WALKER: A new report from the National Transportation Safety Board says a United Flight's terrifying plunge toward the ocean on December 18th of last year was caused by pilot error. Take a look at a rendering of what happened.

So, the plane took off from Maui and it climbed to 2,200 feet, then suddenly it plunged. 14 -- like a nosedive, 1,400 feet in 21 seconds. As you'd imagine, it really frightened passengers. There were screams heard in the cabin. Finally, reaching about 750 feet above sea level when it finally leveled off. So, they got that close to the ocean.

CNN's transportation analyst and former inspector general at the U.S. Department of Transportation Mary Schiavo joining us now. That rendering is just awful to watch. And to imagine that you were a passenger -- being a passenger on that flight. Dirst off, tell me about this NTSB report that says the plunge was caused by an apparent miscommunication between the two pilots over the position of the plane's wing flaps. How did that happen?

MARY SCHIAVO, CNN TRANSPORTATION ANALYST AND FORMER INSPECTOR GENERAL, USDOT: Right. Well, it happens because of pilot error, as they concluded. But what had occurred is there was bad weather. I mean, really bad weather. And there was something called a low-level wind shear alert. And wind shear is very dangerous because one minute you can have a headwind, the next second you can have a tailwind, updrafts, downdrafts. So, the pilot was going to hand fly on take-off rather than autopilot do it.

So, the pilot have called for one setting of flaps. But in pre-flight planning, the co-pilot sending in command had planned for something else. And literally he misheard the captain while they were flying, and that's what the reports say. And so, he put the flap setting wrong. And that really affects the ability of the plane, one at certain speed because there's limits on the speeds for each flap setting. And two flaps help your plane stay in the air at lower speeds, but this plane was on full power on take-off. So, it was a pilot error compounded by some very bad weather.

[07:45:00]

WALKER: So, what was it exactly about the flaps position that led to the plane plunging like this?

SCHIAVO: So, this was very interesting. When you look at the NTSB report, you see lots of different parameters or lines of data. And so, the pilot took off, things were normal, and then as they were climbing, the air speed kept climbing more than it should. Well, that gives us an indication here in some wind shear and the weather is playing havoc on your plane.

So, the pilot was concerned that the airspeed was too great for the flap setting, and they were, you know, going to go overspeed. So, he reduced the airspeed and put the nose down a little bit. But then at that point, you've got the flap setting corrected and then the plane is in a slightly nose-down attitude, and the flaps come off, so then you get into much greater speed. So, with the nose slightly down and then the flaps came off, which lets the plane go faster, it was in a dive. And to putting it in perspective, the Empire State Building is twice the height this plane was when they finally saved it. Can you imagine a plane --

WALKER: No.

SCHIAVO: -- heading in, halfway up the Empire State Building?

WALKER: That is a frightening analogy. Let's actually listen to one of the people on that flight who spoke about this experience to CNN.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROD WILLIAMS, PASSENGER ON UNITED FLIGHT 1722: It really felt like a roller coaster. Count your blessings. You start, you know, asking yourself, is this the last time you are going to see your family? They got on the intercom and simply said, well, ladies and gentlemen, you probably felt a couple of Gs on that one and everything's going to be fine. It's going to be OK.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALKER: A couple Gs. I mean, what does it feel like to have a sudden rapid plunge like that?

SCHIAVO: Well, you -- so the passengers got both. They got negative Gs and positive Gs. First, as you're diving, you're being driven into your seat. And then when they pull it out, it was the other half of the rollercoaster, then you're being thrust against your belt. It was, I think they calculated 2.77 Gs, which is almost three times your normal weight. So, it would have felt like you were three times as heavy.

And that's comparable, literally, as the gentleman just said, it's comparable to a roller coaster. And it would have been quite a ride. Now, by the way, those g-forces are also something that you have to check when you land because airplanes and, you know, commercial passenger jets are only rated for certain g-forces, as are the flaps. And so, the pilot was worried about too much speed on the flaps. And they also should have checked out what the g-forces did on the plane.

So, lots of things were on here. But in the end, technology, the aircraft was literally screaming at the pilots, terrain, terrain. Pull up. Pull up. Technology saved the flight. So, thank our engineers.

WALKER: Yes. Got to go quickly. What's the lesson learned from this?

SCHIAVO: Oh, the lesson learned and the NTSB said it best, the pilots literally left their air speed and the flying of the plane get out of control. They weren't paying exact attention to all of the parameters, and fortunately the plane saved them, but they criticized the pilots for not staying on top of their air speed.

WALKER: Oh, gosh. Human error. Mary Schiavo, that's unsettling. Thank you very much.

SOLOMON: Really interesting interview, Amara.

All right. Coming up for us, from high heat to the possibility of storms, millions are facing the threat of severe weather today. We'll have your latest forecast ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:52:46]

WALKER: Here we go again. More than 114 million Americans under heat alerts today, and more than 43 million at risk for severe -- didn't we see this yesterday? Severe storms.

SOLOMON: Yes, it feels like a bit of a broken record at this point.

WALKER: It does.

SOLOMON: Let's bring in CNN's Allison Chinchar who is tracking this from the CNN Weather Center. All right. Allison, who is getting what? What are you watching? ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Right. Yes, it does. It's very similar to what we had yesterday. In fact, over 300 total severe storm reports from yesterday. But now a new system is starting to arrive and that is going to bring additional threats for severe storms today.

Right now, Kansas City, Omaha, these are the target points for this morning. But this is going to be multiple rounds of severe weather, potentially, for a lot of portions of the central U.S., spreading into the Ohio, Tennessee and Mississippi valley region. And that will even continue into Monday as well as most of that moisture begins to spread farther east. So, then the Ohio Valley, the areas of the mid-Atlantic, and southeast also begin to get some severe weather 24 to 48 hours from now.

But for today, the main focus is going to be right here. From Amarillo over to Lexington, and then up into Des Moines. Springfield, Kansas City, the main threats will be damaging winds and the potential for large hail, but also some tornadoes are possible.

Heat is the other big story, and that's really focused across the southeast, but also the Pacific Northwest. And the key point out there is that, remember, folks, not a lot of those areas have air- conditioning in their homes. So, that's going to be the bigger issue with prolonged heat.

Along the Gulf Coast, the concern is not just the temperature but factoring in the humidity, that feels like temperature or the heat index, going to be pretty high. 113 for the feels like today in Corpus Christi, 111 in New Orleans, 107 for Montgomery. Then we talked about the Pacific Northwest. For a lot of these areas, it's also going to be the prolonged nature. Portland, Oregon, their normal high this time of year is 83, they're going to spend at least the next three days, if not more, in the triple-digits.

SOLOMON: I made the mistake yesterday of trying to eat lunch in Atlanta outside. I lasted 10 minutes.

WALKER: What were you --

SOLOMON: And then we --

WALKER: Yes, what were you thinking?

SOLOMON: I was trying to be adventurous. I went back inside.

WALKER: Yes, 10 minutes is actually a long time though. At least you lasted that long.

SOLOMON: Yes.

WALKER: Thanks, Allison Chinchar.

All right. Still ahead for us, we have major new developments suggesting that Former President Trump could bet hit with a fourth indictment as soon as this upcoming week. We have more on that coming up. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:59:23]

SOLOMON: Welcome back. So, what's it really like in the post pandemic restaurant world? The Food Network's, Bobby Flay, joins "The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper" to see how the industry is adapting. Here's a preview.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BOBBY FLAY, CELEBRITY CHEF: All right. How are you, guys, doing?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi

FLAY: Bonnie (ph), right?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

FLAY: Bobby. Hi. How are you?

FLAY (voiceover): It's a Tuesday afternoon at Kachka, an acclaimed Russian inspired restaurant in Portland, Oregon. Before the dinner rush, the staff gathers in one of Kachka's dining rooms.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So, this is quarter one, first three months of 2023 that we're looking at and we will continue to --

FLAY (voiceover): But they're not going over the dinner specials.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What's really meaningful is when you look at the percentage of sales comparative to last year, that's a huge jump.

[08:00:00]