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CNN This Morning

Mick Fleetwood Speaks about Hawaii; Terri Lesley is Interviewed about Being Fired; Americans Interested in Weather. Aired 8:30-9a ET

Aired August 17, 2023 - 08:30   ET

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

[08:30:00]

MAHEALANI RICHARDSON, REPORTER, KHNL: Just up that road, with those homes that were not destroyed but still covered with dust and soot, they are now walking to their homes for 10 minutes to half an hour just to get to their homes so that they can be there.

Mahealani Richardson, Hawaii News Now.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN ANCHOR: And as Lahaina lies in ruins, long-time Maui resident Mick Fleetwood is committed to helping his community heal. Fleetwood, a leader of the band Fleetwood Mac, has lived on Maui for decades. It's his full-time home, not a vacation home. Last week his popular restaurant Fleetwood's on Front Street was destroyed by the fires. It opened in 2012, had a roof terrace overlooking the ocean and featured live entertainment. Here he was one year ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICK FLEETWOOD, FLEETWOOD MAC DRUMMER AND MAUI RESTAURANT OWNER: We've had so many great days here. And this is home. Fleetwood's on Front Street.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MATTINGLY: And this is his restaurant now. His 120 workers suddenly losing their employer.

CNN's Omar Jimenez spoke with Fleetwood about what's next. Here's part of that conversation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: What were you thinking when you first started seeing some of the imagery of what was happening in beautiful Maui?

MICK FLEETWOOD, CO-FOUNDER, FLEETWOOD MAC: I was in Los Angeles visiting my children. And for two or three days was, quite frankly, unable to get back. And that happily was put right and I managed to get a plane to come back. Completely helpless. And, also, in touch with my extended family here,

and girlfriend, and her family. And the ohana of 120 people who worked at my restaurant that I gathered at some point fairly early on was threatened. And then literally, within minutes, had gone. All of these things you're trying to sort of assimilate. And then immediately clock in - or click in to how to find out who is where, which is the appropriate -- not only the appropriate thing, it's still continuing, there are people missing. We were blessed in the restaurant that we didn't know where about 15 people were for quite a while. They, in this instance, were safe. As you know, many others -- it was not to be such a positive story.

We're all in shock. And people are way more in shock than the person you're talking to now, being me. But elements of that, actually, I woke up this morning and I turned around to my lovely girlfriend and just said, "it's gone!"

JIMENEZ: Yes.

FLEETWOOD: And then you start thinking about -- it was full of family and funny things that people loved to see here, and all of that has completely, utterly disappearing. Again, no relevance to the tragedy of losing life.

JIMENEZ: What have you found has been either the most difficult thing that people have been trying to get, or, just simply, what have you found has been the thing that people have needed the most at this stage of this - of this disaster?

FLEETWOOD: Well, the academics of that are food and shelter and something on your back. And some modicum of safety being offered up. After that, I think, really the overview of the most important thing, having said the initial things that hit so hard to people, is a sense that they have support and help is on the way, which, of course, is already here. But in the initial stages of anything like this, that has to be thought of as the most important thing, is, when are people going to come and help? And then, as you go down the road of absorbing the enormity of what has happened here, to keep the attention is often a huge problem. But - because the world we live in is here today, gone tomorrow.

JIMENEZ: Governor Josh Green has talked about trying to stop developers from buying lands that were destroyed by these fires because potentially they could be redeveloped in a way that isn't quite true to the history and the roots of some of these particular communities.

FLEETWOOD: Right.

JIMENEZ: How should that rebuilding process start?

FLEETWOOD: This is a huge blow to the history and the legacy of these islands. Lahaina is the old royal capital of these islands and we are and should be reminding of the good graces of culturally what that town means to the Hawaiian community. So, having said that, it's obvious what side of the fence I'm dropping

down on. Anything that happens in the future has to be a holistic consulting with the history of these islands, with the history of the people who must remain with the faculty of having a real voice.

[08:35:04]

And anything other than that would -- again, would be abhorrent to me if it was just turned into some playground. I do not believe that will be allowed. And certainly I would waive more than a flag or two if it was heading that way.

I moved here man y, many years ago. I consider myself part of these islands. But I am a visitor. And, culturally, I -- having traveled my whole life, that's really what this is. The essence and the real backbone of these islands are people who have lived here for a long, long, long time. And one has to be gracious and have huge deference to a factor of history. And I think, in truth, many people who come from the Hawaiian culture understandably and thankfully, in truth, are being re-reminded about how important their lovely islands are.

So, in any context, it's about honoring and having dignity and coming out of this disaster.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR: Omar Jimenez joins us now.

I'm so glad you had that conversation. He, obviously, cares deeply about the island and the people and what's happening.

OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And, you know, the thing -- and I know you all mentioned before going to it, but, you know, this isn't his second home. This isn't some vacation home. This is where he lives. This is where he's lived for decades.

HARLOW: Yes.

JIMENEZ: And so, of course, while he is this famous musician, at the core of it he's also a resident going through a lot of this as well. And I should also mention that part of what we talked about, his foundation, the Mick Fleetwood Foundation, they've been trying to connect people with charities that are on the ground there. The Maui Food Bank, Hawaii Community Foundation, Maui Humane Society, because he wants to be part of the rebuilding process.

And another thing we talked about is, you know, I've covered a lot of disasters like this.

HARLOW: Yes.

JIMENEZ: Obviously, I'm not in Maui here. But one of the things - one of the elements you see, whether it's a hurricane or a wildfire, is, it can be easy to start the rebuilding process, it's difficult to replace. And that's what I think we're going to see here. There was so much history (INAUDIBLE). HARLOW: Especially a town like Lahaina.

JIMENEZ: Yes, 100 percent. You see how much history and tradition was steeped there. And we talked about - Mick and I talked about it a little bit towards the end there, but it was more about, you know, there are concerns from the governor about how this land will be rebuilt. And trying to make sure that outside developers don't come in and do it in a way that upsets that history.

HARLOW: Yes.

JIMENEZ: And Mick wants to be part of the movement to make sure that it's rebuilt the right way, in a way that pays proper difference to the history. And so that while you might not be able to replace everything that was lost, you can at least get pretty close to rebuilding it.

And then the last point is that, the rebuilding process, of course, is something that's in the future. There are a lot of needs right now for people. That -- you can't even get to the point of rebuilding because you've got over 1,000 people missing. The death toll continues to climb. There are so many needs where the basic ones here talked about, but, of course, food, shelter, clothing on people's backs. And, you know, it's a disaster that is still ongoing despite the flames getting more and more under control.

HARLOW: Yes.

Omar, thank you for that interview.

JIMENEZ: Of course.

MATTINGLY: Yes, that was a great interview. Thanks, Omar.

JIMENEZ: Thanks.

HARLOW: First on CNN, Secretary of State Antony Blinken has spoken on the phone to Paul Whelan, the American who was in prison, still in Russia. What he told him, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:42:25]

HARLOW: First on CNN, Secretary of State Antony Blinken has spoken on the phone to American Paul Whelan, who has been detained in Russia for more than four years. A source tells CNN it was a, quote, long and frank phone call with Blinken, giving Whelan words of encouragement, keeping -- telling him to keep the faith, as well as they continue to work to bring him home. His brother, David, we should note, also spoke to CNN and says they viewed this - the family views this as a very positive step.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID WHELAN, BROTHER OF PAUL WHELAN WHO'S DETAINED IN RUSSIA: I think that Secretary Blinken has obviously sent a message. And that message is for Paul and for our family, that the U.S. government is continuing to advocate for Paul and his release. And I think it's also a message for the Kremlin that - that the U.S. government hasn't let up. And, in fact, their lead foreign-policy person is willing to call a prisoner, which is, I think, astounding.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARLOW: U.S. officials say Russia has not responded yet in a substantive way to the proposals raised so far to bring Whelan home. We'll keep you posted on this.

MATTINGLY: Well, the culture war fights, they have landed in the library. A Wyoming public library board recently fired its head librarian after she refused to remove certain books. The board alleges the books were sexually inappropriate for minors. The librarian, Terri Lesley, wouldn't budge, in part because she believes, quote, the community is harmed by not having access to a wide variety of information. That's what she told "The Huffington Post" it all came to a head at a special board meeting where she was fired.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I make a motion to vote for Terri Lesley's position to be terminated as the Campbell County Public Library director.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All in favor.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Wow.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There you have it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MATTINGLY: It's worth noting, many in the community disapproved of the decision, including this man, who spoke to the board before that vote you just watched.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When you start outlawing books because of your personal religious and moral beliefs, in this country, you're going against the Constitution, you're going against what we were founded for.

This is a (EXPLETIVE DELETED) show. And I'm embarrassed for this board. Thank you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MATTINGLY: Now, CNN has reached out to the board for comment. We haven't heard back. But a board member said earlier this summer, quote, "this is about making the library more responsible for protecting children from sexually explicit material until they are mentally and developmentally mature enough to understand the ramifications and consequences of sex and different lifestyles."

Joining us is the librarian at the center of all this, Terri Lesley, now the former director of the Campbell County Public Library System.

[08:45:04]

Thanks so much for joining us.

The one thing I wanted to ask you to start, can you walk us through how it got to this point, because this wasn't just the snap of a finger. This was a process I think that evolved over time, right?

TERRI LESLEY, FORMER DIRECTOR, CAMPBELL COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY SYSTEM: Right. It all began in June of '21. I was surprised to have this happen. It started because we had a Facebook post promoting some LGBTQ books. A commissioner commented -- a county commissioner commented on that post. And the next thing I know, the next county commissioners meeting I get called in to the meeting and I was told that there was a room full of people there to complain about the library. I had no idea it was coming.

So, I talked to the commissioner and people in the audience are complaining about the books. And I get an opportunity to explain how our book challenge process works. And -- and so I encouraged the audience, if they had problems, to use that process with the library.

Following that, that same day, I get a call from a county commissioner concerned about a children's summer reading program that featured a magician. The complaint was that this magician was transgender. And in looking into it, we had no idea, but had no problem with that and planned to continue with the program. But the community, the same anti-library crowd that has been on the commissioners meeting, started really protesting and the magician had received some threats. She decided to cancel the program for her safety and the safety of the children.

And in spite of that, the same group chose to picket in front of the library that day. Picket signs, don't trans our kids, or, your library Oks LGBTQ. So, that's how it all started was with that kind of drama at the library. We were all taken off guard by it.

Later into the - a few months later into the year we started getting book challenges. And I - I did have a couple of these activists go to the sheriff's office to press charges against me for having obscene materials that would harm children. And so a special prosecutor was brought in to review the complaint, and it was found by this prosecutor that it was not prosecutable, so no charges were brought against me.

MATTINGLY: Can I ask, for people who are trying to contextualize what's happening because it seems like a pretty massive escalation over a short period of time related to a library and books. The concerns about sexually explicit content and its availability to minors, or to younger people, what kind of books were these? Why are -- is there any merit to those concerns?

LESLEY: There is nothing in the library that could be classified as pornography in any way, shape or form. We do have some sex education books, and biology books, things like that. And that are - you know, are important for - for youths to have access to in case they have questions. There were some LGBTQ themes in these books. And I - and I felt like the LGBTQ part of that was - was a big part of what the complaints from the public were about.

HARLOW: Did they - you know, when I take my kids to the library here in New York, the lower floor is the kid section and higher up are adults. Were they asking you to fully remove these books? Because, you know, some of the board members argued they wanted to protect children from all sexual material. Did they want the books just out of the whole library, or was this about moving them?

LESLEY: I think it was more about moving them, at least as far as the board was concerned. The community members would have liked to have them removed all the way around.

And so the thought was, just move these books up, you know, up into our adult collection.

[08:50:02]

And, you know, so, the audience that these books were intended for were teens. And so teens wouldn't --

HARLOW: Right. They'd have questions, as you said, right? They'd have questions.

LESLEY: Right. They'd have questions that - that are seeking information that would be helpful to them. And if they don't find the books on the shelf while they're browsing, they may not realize that they're there. And they may not be able to get to that information that they need.

HARLOW: Well, Terri Lesley, we're out of time. Please keep us posted on how this proceeds. We do appreciate you joining us.

LESLEY: All right. Thank you.

HARLOW: So, this is really interesting ahead. The data shows Americans are pretty comfortable talking about the weather with a stranger. That's actually what you do, right? But what about if you try to talk about the climate crisis? Harry Enten has some fascinating numbers ahead.

MATTINGLY: I don't want to talk to Harry about anything.

HARLOW: What?

MATTINGLY: I'm kidding.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) MATTINGLY: Well, we're watching potential extreme weather from coast to coast. Right now a tropical storm is taking aim at the southern California coast, plus forecasters are warning a dangerous heat wave is set to redevelop this week after the planet experienced its hottest July on record. On the East Coast, folks are still bracing for the peak of hurricane season. So, how interested are Americans in all of this?

Well, CNN's senior data reporter Harry Enten is here always with all the answers.

What's the morning number, Harry?

HARRY ENTEN, CNN SENIOR DATA REPORTER: All right, this morning's number is 300 percent. Google searches for weather are up 300 percent over the last 20 years, up 75 percent since 2013. I looked at some other key words. None of them, when it relates to news, is up anywhere near as much as weather is up. So, a lot of interest in weather.

[08:55:01]

And it's something we're really comfortable talking about with someone you don't know. Look at this, 74 percent of Americans say they're very comfortable talking about the weather with someone they don't know. Compare that to something like Donald Trump at 25 percent. Weather is the way to go if you don't know somebody.

HARLOW: What about climate change?

ENTEN: Yes, so this is the reverse of it, right? OK. So, talk about climate change with friends. Look at this, just 8 percent. This is with friends, not with strangers, just 8 percent.

HARLOW: Friends?

ENTEN: Just -- friends. Just 8 percent talk about climate change often with friends. Look at this, 50 percent say they rarely or never talk about climate change with friends. What a difference with the weather.

HARLOW: But is that even now after this summer?

ENTEN: This is -- from earlier this year, this is from -

HARLOW: This is before the crazy weather this month.

ENTEN: This is before the crazy thing --

HARLOW: Crazy climate this summer.

ENTEN: Exactly. Has a conversation about climate change ever changed your mind? Look at this, just 19 percent say, yes, it has. So I'm not sure, even if you had those conversations, it really would make much of a difference.

HARLOW: That's so interesting.

MATTINGLY: Yes.

HARLOW: Thank you.

MATTINGLY: He always - he always is interesting.

HARLOW: No, I know.

ENTEN: People think I'm always interesting.

HARLOW: But this was extra interesting.

ENTEN: Thank you.

HARLOW: Thanks, Harry. Appreciate it.

Crying is expected at an Adele concert. Phil can tell you about that.

MATTINGLY: Wait, what?

HARLOW: But usually not from Adele herself. Now, it wasn't the music that brought her to tears. Instead it was a request from a couple sitting in the audience.

Watch this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ADELE: Shantelle and Chris are having a baby boy.

That was amazing. I'm so happy for you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARLOW: Boy. Did you see? I could see. Boy.

MATTINGLY: I just -

HARLOW: Oh. Signs are not allowed at the venue at Adele's residency in Los Vegas, so the couple snuck in a custom made flag, asking the 16- time Grammy Award winner to do their gender reveal. And she did. And it was so beautiful, as everything Adele does (INAUDIBLE).

MATTINGLY: It was pure.

I didn't do a gender reveal for any of my children. There's a lot of them.

HARLOW: I - for any of your eight children? There's four.

MATTINGLY: We'll see you tomorrow.

HARLOW: I didn't either.

MATTINGLY: "CNN NEWS CENTRAL" starts right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [09:00:00]