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CNN This Morning

Outer Bands Of Powerful Storm Hitting New England; UAW Launches Historic Strike Against Big 3 Automakers; Twitter Gave At Least 32 Of Trump's Private Messages To Special Counsel; Investigators Examining If Hunter Biden Filed Taxes On Time; Doctors Warn About The Threat Of Respiratory Viruses; Tens Of Thousands Still Homeless After Earthquake In Morocco; Aaron Rodgers Speaks Out After Season-Ending Injury. Aired 6-7a ET

Aired September 16, 2023 - 06:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:00:23]

AMARA WALKER, CNN ANCHOR: Good Saturday morning everyone. Welcome to CNN This Morning. I'm Amara Walker.

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Victor Blackwell. Good to be with you. We start this morning with dangerous weather conditions brought on by now post tropical cyclone Lee. The storm is still maintaining those hurricane force winds and so far warnings remain in place as Lee begins to whip the New England coast bringing heavy rainfall from Cape Cod all the way through Maine.

And while the storm is not expected to make landfall in the U.S., the outer bands of this storm are expected to pack strong winds up to 80 miles per hour and bring storm surges that could cause flooding throughout the New England coast.

WALKER: Maine has already declared a state of emergency and authorities are warning people to stay inside and prepare to hunker down for the storm. Many states are also warning residents to stay out of the ocean this weekend because of the storm causing dangerous rip currents that could drag people out to sea.

Let's go now to Allison Chinchar in the weather center. How is this storm looking so far? What are we talking about in terms of impacts?

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Right, so the intensity of the storm hasn't changed. I know the name may have changed is now post tropical cyclone Lee. But the impacts still remain the same and the intensity of the storm remains the same. You've got sustained winds still at 80 miles per hour gusting as high as 100 miles per hour. That forward movement it has picked up forward speed so it is moving a little bit faster than it has been the last few hours. All that really means is the impacts are going to come sooner but they'll also leave sooner as well.

We still anticipate the storm to make landfall over the southern portion of Nova Scotia as it gets later on into the afternoon before heading up into New Brunswick and farther off to the north and east from there, but those outer bands are already starting to hit along the east coast.

You've got rain across portions of Boston became even stretching over into Maine. The heavier rain is really focused more over Maine and that's where it's going to likely remain today before the bulk of that rain begins to push farther north and east into Canada.

But even still, you've got Martha's Vineyard, Plymouth Boston all looking at some rain bands pushing in now and those winds are also starting to pick back up. In fact, take a look at Nantucket sustain wind of 32 miles per hour gusting up to 46. Chatham also starting to see their winds pick up all of these areas are going to see those winds increase as we go through the morning. So the potential there for some power outages because trees will come down that's going to increase as we go through the rest of the morning.

Once the center of the storm continues to slide farther off to the north, the winds will decrease across areas of Massachusetts and Rhode Island but begin to increase across Maine as the storm continues to slide off to the north and east.

And then once we get towards late tonight, and by early tomorrow morning, things really should start to finally calm back down at least for the U.S. interests. Same thing for the rain, you're still going to have some rain across portions of Maine, stretching down through Massachusetts and Rhode Island even say around one to 3:00 this afternoon.

But by tonight, the bulk of that rain shifts into Maine and then by tomorrow morning, most of that rain has exited the U.S. entirely. So that's good news.

However, as we mentioned, even though the name of the storm has changed, the impacts have not so you still have hurricane watches in effect here across portions of Nova Scotia in pink. And you still have all these tropical storm warnings across Maine stretching down through Nantucket.

Again, because the impacts are still there. You're still anticipating wind gusts in the U.S., 50 to 60 miles per hour combined with that wind. Keep in mind, much of New England is well above normal for rain for most of the summer. So that ground is already saturated, it's not going to take much. You get a 40, 50 mile per hour wind that can bring the trees down and you're likely going to have some subsequent power outages as we go through the day today.

Still the potential for some storm surge as well. The main concern is really going to be across main areas of New Hampshire and in northern Massachusetts as we go through the afternoon the potential in most of these areas, Victor and Amara, likely up around that one-to-three-foot range.

WALKER: All right, Allison Chinchar, you for that very important information. We are now in day two of a strike by United Auto Workers Union against the U.S. big three car makers. Around 13,000 UAW members are walking the picket lines and three cities in a targeted strike.

BLACKWELL: The UAW president says 80 percent of the union's demands had been left off proposals from the automakers, but negotiations will resume today. CNN's Gabe Cohen reports.

[06:05:02]

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GABE COHEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Victor, Amara, the sides are headed back to the bargaining table today with the workers union telling CNN that it has sent each of the big three auto manufacturers a counteroffer and is now waiting for a response.

What's in that offer is unclear at this hour, but we know it is going to take a lot to bridge the divide that we have seen up to this point. And in the meantime, until a deal is reached, you're going to see picket lines like the one behind me operating 24 hours a day here in Toledo outside this Stellantis factory where they build Jeeps, as well as a Ford factory in Michigan, and a General Motors factory In Missouri.

There are 13,000 auto workers currently on strike making $100 a day in strike pay. And yet so many here in Toledo today told me they're preparing for the long haul.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Our members are willing to stay in for the long haul. When we came out of bankruptcy our starting pay at Jeep (ph) was $15.78. 14 years later, it's $15.78. There's something wrong with that.

COHEN: And Shawn Fain, the head of the Auto Workers Union told me on the picket line that it is possible that additional facilities could strike in the coming days, depending on how long these lasts. Either way, we are likely to start seeing more of a ripple effect to additional manufacturing facilities and factories that are struggling to get parts or even move their own materials and may have to shut down operation and even lay off workers. Victor, Amara.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLACKWELL: Gabe Cohen reporting for us. Thank you. Let's go now to CNN White House reporter Kevin Liptak, who's live for us this morning.

So the President siding with the workers but not fully endorsing the strike. Explain the White House's position.

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN REPORTER: Yes, not a full endorsement of the strike. But President Biden certainly not leaving any question on whose side. He's on weighing and very forcefully on the side of the auto workers. And that is notable because over the last several months, as these two sides were in negotiations, the White House, President Biden, were walking quite a fine line not explicitly endorsing either side.

But that really changed yesterday in the Roosevelt Room, President Biden coming out to tell reporters that record profits for these automakers must translate into a record contract for the auto workers who he says has seen their wages and benefits erode over the last several years. He called for the auto workers to go further in their offer to the workers and he said that the -- while no one supported a strike, he does support the workers right to collective action.

And this really does come at the intersection of so many issues that are critical to President Biden's political identity, whether it's raising wages for manufacturing workers around the country, whether it's strengthening unions, and remember President Biden has said that he is the most pro union president in history.

But it's also complicated by President Biden's push to transfer the American auto fleet to electric vehicles that had been a sticking point in these talks. The auto workers concerned that makers of electric vehicles that that could erode wages could lessen jobs.

And of course, you have to wrap in the electoral politics of Michigan where this is all unfolding. A prolonged strike could have a damaging effect on the economy there. And in fact, as this work stoppage goes on, it could have a economic effect around the country really kind of eroding President Biden's efforts to sell the economy as he prepares to run for reelection.

Now, yesterday, the President did say that he was dispatching two senior aides, Gene Sperling, who has acted as the go between for these two sides for the administration and the acting labor secretary Julie Su, he has sent them to Detroit to support the both sides as these talks continue, but it remains to be seen what effort they'll have an administration officials say that it is these two sides who will have to come to an agreement if this strike is to end fast.

WALKER: Yes, obviously a big headache for President Biden. Kevin Liptak, thank you. Let's talk more about all this with Errol Louis, CNN political commentator, and political anchor for Spectrum News. Good morning, Errol, good to see you.

Let's first listen to a Biden said yesterday just hours after the UAW call for this targeted strike.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, U.S. PRESIDENT: Auto companies have seen record profits, including the last few years because of the extraordinary skill and sacrifices the UAW workers. Those record profits have not been shared fairly in my view with those workers, but I believe it should go further to ensure record corporate profits mean record contracts.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALKER: Again, a tough situation for President who has called himself, labeled himself as the most pro union president in history.

[06:10:04]

Explain, I guess this delicate balance for Biden his position and you know what the implications are for him? What does the strike mean for the President?

ERROL LOUIS, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Good morning, Amara. The president in our system, the federal government is really supposed to act as a referee and make sure that neither side and labor negotiation even up to an including a strike, that they don't break the law. But other than that, the two parties have to work this out among themselves. There are profits to be divided here.

And on one level, some of the negotiation appears to be what the number is going to be how much of the profits of the big three automakers will be shared with their workers and on what terms and until they figure that out, we've got this strike the strike fund of the of the UAW is that $825 million. And so they can sort of ride this for a while and bargain for a while.

The White House has to make sure that it doesn't really openly get involved in negotiation. That's sort of treacherous territory. It's not the right role for the federal government. But of course, President Biden wants to be seen as pro union. And he has really left no doubt about that.

WALKER: But his pro union stance, as we heard from Kevin Liptak, you know, conflicts with his position and his push for this transition to electric vehicles, right, because as we know, there is a lot of concern in the industry amongst the workers that this could lead to a huge cut in jobs, because apparently, it takes less people to build electric vehicles. And as you know, the union has withheld its endorsement of Biden, how does that come into play during an election year?

LOUIS: The federal government has rescued this industry. Let's think back to the Obama-Biden administration, when massive bailouts enabled the big three automakers to even survive. The federal government is involved now in this transition to electric which is irreversible and existential. It's just, I mean, look, Tesla, the market capitalization of Tesla, Amara, is worth more than all of the auto makers combined, plus Toyota plus Volkswagen. I mean, that's just where things are heading, the richest man in the world happens to be the CEO of Tesla.

So, I think the UAW understands that the country understands that the consumer, everybody. In fact, General Motors has already announced and Ford has a pretty interesting line of electric vehicles, what it will mean for jobs, what it will mean for the number of workers. That's not something that can be changed at this point.

And so bargaining over the terms in which this massive transformation takes place, is not necessarily part of this negotiation. But it is an inevitable part of the discussion of where this industry is heading.

WALKER: Yes, yes, absolutely. And then on top of this, you know, high stakes, auto workers strike, Errol, of course, President Biden also facing, you know, these legal issues having to do with his son, Hunter Biden, who was indicted on gun charges this week. We can talk about the merits of that later with our legal analysts, but also this official impeachment inquiry into Biden that that was authorized by the House speaker. And of course, not to mention the fact that his age continues to be

one an issue of concern for many Democrats and voters alike. Talk about the situation that President Biden is in right now. And just how vulnerable this time is.

LOUIS: I mean, you know, Amara, only the last of those three issues is when he really has to deal with the age issue, as you and I have discussed before, we're in uncharted territory. We've never had a president this old. He'll be 86 by the end of a second term, if he gets one. And people are justifiably concerned, just because we haven't seen it before.

We went through this before when we had Ronald Reagan running for reelection back in the 1980s. So, he's got to Joe Biden has got to sort of demonstrate to people that he's vigorous enough, and he's got the right medical and mental sort of stuff, to be an effective president. How they do that that's up to them.

But those other issues, really, this is a matter of sort of rehashing a past strategy that is all about Donald Trump trying to smear Joe Biden that's what the first impeachment was about, trying to get President Zelenskyy to say something bad or to make some allegations just so that he could get a headline, just so that Donald Trump could have us talking about it is really nothing more than that. And the impeachment inquiry is really just the congressional version of that.

So I don't know, frankly, if the Biden campaign is really all that concerned about it if there are sort of real issues that will require voters to sort of say, oh, is this real or is this not, that's one thing. But as a purely partisan exercise just to try to say something bad about Joe Biden, that's not what this election is going to turn on. I don't think.

[06:15:00]

WALKER: And just quickly before we go what something else we have been through before is the possibility of a government shutdown. This time around, does a shutdown seem more likely as we're hearing, you know, so many lawmakers, you know, using terms like inevitable to talk about, you know, this looming shutdown?

LOUIS: Well, I, you know, nobody likes to hear that, that's for sure. The, look, the reality is there are promises that were made within the Republican conference, to move past the last budget crisis. If they want to break that, and rewrite that, that whole deal, that's going to be a -- politically that's going to be a very sticky problem for them.

If having shaken hands and said, look, we're going to go forward, we're going to get past this, we're going to, you know, take this off the table and fight about everything else. And now they want to sort of bring the government to a halt. It's going to be extremely unpopular.

And I think all of the Republican candidates for President are going to really react negatively, if they want to brand the party as the one that wanted to shut down the government over what. I mean, there's really no issue on the table. If they want to do it, just to do it. Just to sort of put a stake in the ground is as budget cutters, that's going to be a very, very tough sell politically, Amara.

WALKER: Errol Louis, great to see you. Thank you so much. All right. Still to come, Twitter gave at least 32 of Trump's private messages to the Special Counsel, we'll discuss what this means for the Federal Election subversion case.

BLACKWELL: Plus, the new COVID-19 vaccine now available. We'll ask a doctor when you should get the shot.

WALKER: Plus some job postings and a major newspaper are going viral why some are calling it a dream job.

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[06:20:53]

WALKER: New developments and a twist in the final trial over plot to kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer. A jury acquitted these three men of all charges. They are the last of 14 total defendants tried in state and federal court. Nine of them were convicted and the ringleader was sentenced to 16 years in prison.

While Friday's verdict is not what Michigan's Attorney General hoped for, she says the case still succeeded in sending a clear message acts of domestic terrorism will not be tolerated.

BLACKWELL: A batch of Donald Trump's Twitter DMs are now in the hands of the special counsel investigating Trump's attempts to overturn the 20 election.

WALKER: Newly unsealed court filings show the social media company handed over at least 32 of the former president's direct messages after getting a secret search warrant earlier this year. CNN's Jessica Schneider has more. Jessica.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JESSICA SCHNEIDER, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Victor and Amara, the special counsel's team is really laying out a long list of reasons why they want the judge to step in immediately in order Donald Trump to stop making statements both online and in person that could end up intimidating witnesses, court officials or even the jury pool.

The Special Counsel did reveal on Friday that numerous witnesses have faced threats and intimidation because of various statements from Donald Trump. So now they're asking the Judge Tanya Chutkan, to do something about Trump's words. And they're laying it out this way, saying that defendants repeated inflammatory public statements regarding the District of Columbia. The Court, prosecutors and potential witnesses are substantially likely to materially prejudice the jury pool, create fear among potential jurors and result in threats or harassment to individuals he singles out. Put simply, those involved in the criminal justice process, who read and hear the defendants disparaging and inflammatory messages from court personnel to prosecutors to witness to potential jurors may reasonably fear that they could be the next targets of the defendants attacks.

And because of that, the Special Counsel wants Judge Chutkan to issue an order restricting Trump from making certain comments the Special Counsel, they've really laid out a number of social media posts and comments from Trump over recent weeks that have targeted not only the Special Counsel Jack Smith, but also former Vice President Mike Pence, and even an attorney a prosecutor on Jack Smith's team.

So now Judge Chutkan, she has to make that determination. She already ordered Trump to refrain from disparaging comments that was during his arraignment. But now the Special Counsel does want the judge to issue this official order in writing prohibiting Trump from naming witnesses, making statements about them or really making any statements about anyone, including attorneys and maybe even potential jurors that are disparaging or intimidating and this is significant.

And this is significant -- it's a significant request from the Special Counsel because even though the judge had worn Trump once, this is really asking the judge to make this order ironclad against Trump. And there could be repercussions if he violates this order, guys.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLACKWELL: Jessica Schneider for us in Washington. Thank you. So just days after he was indicted, we're learning that President Biden's son Hunter could face more federal charges. Special Counsel David Weiss has about a one month window to decide whether he will file tax charges against Biden in California or Washington DC.

WALKER: Now all of this comes after Weiss indicated Biden on three felony gun charges just weeks after a plea deal fell apart. CNN's Kara Scannell joins us now with more on these possible new charges.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KARA SCANNELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Good morning, Victor and Amara. Well, there's a new potential deadline in the special counsel's investigation into Hunter Biden. Investigators are examining whether Hunter Biden failed to pay its taxes on time over a several year period.

For one of those years, the deadline to bring charges or the statute of limitations expires next month. Prosecutors with special counsel David Weiss's office have said they may bring tax charges in Washington DC or California, meaning charges could be announced within the next four weeks.

The potential charges come on the heels of the federal indictment announced Thursday charging and Hunter Biden with lying on an ATF Form when he said he wasn't using or addicted to illegal drugs and for possessing the firearm while using or being addicted to a controlled substance.

[06:25:11]

It's a dramatic reversal when only several weeks ago Hunter Biden had a deal to avoid prosecution on the gun charges if he abided by certain conditions for two years. He'd also agreed to plead guilty to two tax misdemeanor charges. But that deal fell apart under a federal judge's scrutiny. Hunter Biden's attorney Abbe Lowell says prosecutors kowtow (ph) to political pressure from Republicans.

ABBE LOWELL, ATTORNEY TO HUNTER BIDEN: You have to ask what changed? And what changed. You also just talked about. It is the folks like Chairman Comer and the Republican MAGA crazies who have been pressuring this U.S. attorney to do something to vindicate their political position. And guess what they succeeded.

SCANNELL: Liberal has vowed to fight the charges saying they made the unconstitutional. Hunter Biden is expected to be arraigned in court soon on the gun charges. And he now faces the prospect of going on trial in the middle of his father's presidential campaign. Amara, Victor.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLACKWELL: Kara Scannell, thank you. Still to come. When did you get the new COVID-19 vaccine to maximize the protection? We'll ask the doctor about the new shots and how it's different from earlier versions.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:30:00]

BLACKWELL: Fall is almost here, that means cold and flu season is right behind it, and now, of course, COVID-19, just like we should get a flu shot every year, experts say we'll likely have to get an updated COVID-19 shot every year. Now, the FDA and CDC have approved the latest COVID-19 vaccines from Moderna and Pfizer, BioNTech.

As if that is not enough, doctors are warning that another respiratory virus, RSV could also be a problem this Fall.

WALKER: Yes, goodness. Well, joining me now to talk about who needs which vaccine and when is, Dr. Saju Mathew; he's a primary care physician and public health specialist. The public health emergency is over, but we know COVID isn't going away. So, how important is it for people to at least get this updated vaccine?

SAJU MATHEW, PRIMARY CARE PHYSICIAN: Well, you know, let me just break it down. I know people are tired of hearing about COVID and booster shots. The good news is CDC has recommended broadly that everybody, six months and older should get this new COVID booster. And just like we get an updated cellphone, you want to make sure that your vaccine is updated to cover the variants that are currently in the environment.

You see most Americans, Amara, were probably vaccinated a year ago. I've got tons of patients who forgot when their last booster shot was. So, you get the waning immunity, and even though you have infections in the community, the protection from an infection also wanes. So we are actually in a late Summer-early Fall surge as we speak. BLACKWELL: So what's your reaction to what we're hearing from the

Florida Surgeon General, who says not only -- I mean, he's not saying that people don't need it. He's saying that people under 65 and those without a serious health risk should not get the updated COVID-19 vaccine.

MATHEW: Yes, to be honest, Victor, there's definitely a difference of opinion among scientists, in terms of should this be broadly administered to patients six months and older, or should we just protect the most vulnerable, the elderly and the young kids, and people that may have asthma, diabetes, hypertension.

And I think ultimately, here's the deal. We did not do a good job with the rollout the last time with vaccines. I think this time, CDC should just be very clear and make it simple for everybody, even if you're a young 20-year-old athlete or an 80-year-old person, the risk of COVID is still there, and with multiple infections, Victor, I worry more about long COVID.

WALKER: So, let's talk about flu and COVID, right? So in terms of the vaccines, can you get them at the same time? Do you pace it out? And also, I wanted to ask you, you know, I know a couple of people who got the flu and COVID, basically at the same time. So, in terms of treatment, I mean, does one take priority over the other, or can you get treated for both at the same time?

MATHEW: Well, you know, to answer your first or your last question first, ultimately, anybody can get COVID vaccine and flu shot at the same time.

WALKER: OK --

MATHEW: You can get it at the same time. I would recommend that if you have the time, you're not traveling, you don't have to protect an elderly member in the family, maybe space it out, get the flu shot once a week and then the following week get COVID-19. Very rarely can you get side effects to both vaccines, so I recommend spacing it out.

In terms of treatment, it's always a nightmare for primary care physicians like me, I dread the Winter time. Because when patients come in with a cold, a cough, you don't really know, is it COVID-19? Is it the flu? Or could it be RSV?

BLACKWELL: Are these --

WALKER: Oh --

BLACKWELL: New -- are the tests for COVID picking up the new variants and strains? Because we have an executive producer who is home, took six tests --

MATHEW: Yes --

BLACKWELL: It's not COVID, we now know it's the flu. But when he said he took six tests, my question was, does the test know the new --

WALKER: No --

BLACKWELL: Variant?

MATHEW: Yes, I mean, you are hitting it right on the nail, Victor. I actually tweeted the other day that a lot of patients are being misdiagnosed with bronchitis, so by the time they get to me, they have tested twice, and they're like, Dr. Mathew, I don't have COVID, but I am sick. And that's because a lot of these rapid tests are not picking up the Omicron strains.

And also it depends on how deep you go up in the nose. I hate to call it the brain biopsy, but that's --

WALKER: It is a brain biopsy --

BLACKWELL: Almost --

MATHEW: It is a brain biopsy --

BLACKWELL: Almost --

MATHEW: I mean, you are going to be cringing. It is painful for --

WALKER: Yes --

MATHEW: A quick second. So people are not going up that -- you know, deep into the nasal cavity. So, yes, there are a lot of false negatives with the rapid tests.

WALKER: I mean, so RSV, flu and COVID, great. Three things to worry about. Is there any distinction, you know, in terms of symptoms at all?

[06:35:00]

MATHEW: You know, with the Omicron infection right now, it tends to be more like cold-like symptoms. You know, it's definitely become more of nasal congestion, fatigue, headache, or guess what? That also could be -- with the flu, one thing that distinguishes that is a sudden onset, you're going to feel like a ton of bricks hit you at one time.

WALKER: Yes --

MATHEW: So body aches and fever, so that will distinguish the flu. But when it comes to RSV and COVID-19, it could be tough --

BLACKWELL: Yes --

MATHEW: It could be tough to make -- to really distinguish between both of them.

WALKER: Yes --

MATHEW: But I tell patients, listen, if you really want to know if you have COVID, wait a couple of days and get the PCR test. I know --

BLACKWELL: Yes --

MATHEW: PCR test is not available to everybody --

BLACKWELL: Yes --

MATHEW: But it is way more accurate than the rapid home test.

WALKER: OK --

BLACKWELL: Correct my pronunciation of this, but phenylephrine, does the congestion -- is over-the-counter medicines, the FDA determined that. They just don't work, right? After being on the market as safe and effective for 50 years, they're in DayQuil and Sudafed and --

MATHEW: NyQuil --

BLACKWELL: NyQuil, and so, aside from how could it happen, looking forward, what do people use now, what works?

MATHEW: There are so many over-the-counter options like Flonase, Rhinocort, you don't need a doctor's prescription for that. And Sudafed, which is the stronger version of phenylephrine has always been available, it's just that it's now --

BLACKWELL: Yes --

MATHEW: Behind the counter. You actually have to go up to the pharmacist and show your license because Sudafed is actually used as a street drug to make meth. So phenylephrine actually is in a lot of products like you mentioned. And get this, Victor, last year, over 200 million products of phenylephrine were sold, reaping $1.74 billion in profit. That is how common phenylephrine is --

BLACKWELL: And did nothing --

MATHEW: And a lot of different -- and did nothing.

BLACKWELL: And did nothing, wow --

WALKER: Oh, my gosh.

BLACKWELL: All right, Saju, good to have you in, thanks so much --

MATHEW: Nice to be here --

WALKER: Thank you for coming out --

MATHEW: Thank you.

WALKER: All right, when we're gone, the survivors of the devastating earthquake in Morocco are struggling to recover, but there's some hope amidst all of the destruction. We're going to have a live report from Morocco next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:40:00]

WALKER: A week has passed since an earthquake devastated the Marrakesh area of Morocco. More than 2,900 people are dead and tens of thousands of people remain homeless.

BLACKWELL: And help is really hard to find. A lot of survivors had to wait for days to get some official government aid. With us now is Nada Bashir. Nada, are people getting help now?

NADA BASHIR, CNN REPORTER: Well, look, Victor, Amara, over the last week, we visited numerous of these hard-hit villages and small towns in the mountains, and what we have seen is aid now several days later getting in to these remote locations. It has proven tricky for those rescue teams and relief teams on the ground.

But, look, over the last week, we have seen some villages that have been completely flattened. We've seen and met people who have lost loved ones, friends, neighbors. It has been a devastating week for this country, but amid that devastation, we have also heard some stories of hope. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BASHIR (voice-over): It took days for the winding mountain roads leading to Telouet Yarku(ph) to be cleared. Debris from the earthquake making it almost impossible for aid workers to reach the small town. But a week on, and it has become a hub for humanitarian aid. Two days after the earthquake struck, Dr. Zouhair's team arrived from Casablanca. But it's not just physical wounds that they are treating.

"Some of these people have lost their entire families. Children come and tell us that their parents or siblings have died", Dr. Zouhair tells me. "Sometimes the emotional trauma these people are faced is even worse than their physical injuries."

In this town, the crumbling remains of life before the earthquake are a constant reminder of all that has been lost. Homes, livelihoods and loved ones all gone in an instant.

(on camera): Across Morocco's devastated mountains, there are countless stories of tragedy. Few people have been untouched by death, and there are towns like this one, which were cut off for days. But amid the stories of destruction, there are also remarkable stories of survival.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

BASHIR (voice-over): Abdelaziz Rogui(ph) is the head nurse here in Telouet Yarku(ph). He rushed to the local midwife's residence with a glimmer of hope, only to find that the building had collapsed.

(on camera): So this is where he found the midwife --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE) BASHIR: Mariam(ph) --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mariam(ph) --

BASHIR: And you can still see her halo, he saw her head beneath the rubble and he began digging himself and pulling her out.

(voice-over): Alone and in the dark, Rogui(ph) says he prayed that nurse Mariam(ph), a colleague he considers to be like a sister would survive. "She begged me not to leave her", Rogui(ph) says, "and I promised that I wouldn't leave her alone." Nurse Mariam(ph) did survive, and though, shaken and with no clinic to operate in.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

BASHIR: Rogui(ph) tells me she delivered two healthy babies the next morning. This town like all those affected in the earthquake will never forget the tragedy of September 8th. So far, the death toll has climbed to nearly 3,000 people. And while there has been an outpouring of support, not only from the Moroccan people, but also from the international community. The road to recovery for this country will be long.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[06:45:00]

BASHIR: And Victor, Amara, we have seen both local aid teams as well as international humanitarian teams on the ground providing support to those impacted by the earthquake, providing food, water, temporary shelters, as well as medical attention as you saw there. But when we've been speaking to people on the ground, people have lost their homes, they say they are worried about the upcoming Winter months, they're worried about not having a real home for their families.

And although the Moroccan government has perched to build some 50,000 new homes across five regions, this is a process that could very well take years.

BLACKWELL: Well, so much to do and certainly not years to get it done with the cooler months coming. Nada Bashir for us, thank you. And if you would like to help the earthquake survivors in Morocco, go to cnn.com/impact. We'll be back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:50:00]

BLACKWELL: New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers speaks out for the first time since his season-ending Achilles injury.

WALKER: CNN sports anchor Andy Scholes here now -- he clearly plans to play again.

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, and not only play again, guys, Rodgers says he's not ruling out playing again this season, which kind of caught everyone off guard, because you know, normally, when a pro athlete tears their Achilles, you know, that means they're going to be out for at least a year. In fact, Rodgers, you know, said he didn't want to waste any time, he had the surgery on Wednesday and went talking on the Pat McAfee show on "ESPN". Rodgers said, he would be back sooner than we all think.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AARON RODGERS, QUARTERBACK, NEW YORK JETS: So give me --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One more --

RODGERS: Your -- give me your doubts, give me your prognostications, and then watch what I do.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're trying to say you're coming back this season?

PAT MCAFEE, SPORTS ANALYST: Yes, what's happening? Are you coming back for the Playoffs this year?

RODGERS: I'm not going to -- I'm not going to make any of those statements? I don't know if that's -- if that's fair to myself. Understood --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is it a possibility?

RODGERS: I think as Kevin Garnet said, anything is possible.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Wow.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHOLES: Yes, we'll wait and see. Baseball, we had a really scary moment for Yankees' pitcher Anthony Misiewicz last night against The Pirates in the bottom of the sixth, it takes a 100-mile-per-hour line drive right off his head, as you can see here, immediately went down to the ground for several minutes. He was able to stand up on his own power, and was carted off the field.

Manager Aaron Boone says Misiewicz was aware and alert before he was taken to the hospital with teammate Gerrit Cole visibly shaken up talking about the incident after the game.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GERRIT COLE, PITCHER, NEW YORK YANKEES: You know, I was sick to my stomach about it. I mean, you know, I've been hit in the head on that mound, and not quite like that, but I've -- you know, I've seen some other guys get smoked, and you're just praying for him really, hoping he comes through all right.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHOLES: Certainly, and the Yankees, they did go and score four rounds in the top of the ninth inning to win that game, 7-5, and climbed out of last place in the AL East. All right, we got another big day in college football on tap today, Deion Sanders and the Colorado Buffs looking for a 3-0 start to their season as they take on their in-state rivals, Colorado State in the Rocky Mountains showdown.

Now, earlier this week, Colorado State Coach Jay Norvell taking a shot at Coach Prime and the way he conducts his interviews.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAY NORVELL, HEAD COACH, COLORADO STATE UNIVERSITY: I don't care if they hear it bolder. I told them I took my hat off and I took my glasses off, and I said, when I talk to grown-ups, I take my hat, my glasses off. That's what my mother taught --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHOLES: OK, well, Coach Sanders definitely heard those comments and wondered why the Rams coach would give them some bulletin board material.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DEION SANDERS, HEAD FOOTBALL COACH, UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO BOULDER: Why would you want to talk about us when we don't talk about nobody. All we do is go out there, work our butts off and do our jobs on set.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes sir --

SANDERS: But when they give us ammunition --

(CROSSTALK)

They own -- that's right, and made it what?

(CROSSTALK)

It was just going to be a good game!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They made it --

SANDERS: They messed around and made it --

ATHLETES: Personal.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Now --

SANDERS: It's going to be a great test, a battle! Colorado! But then they messed around and made it --

ATHLETES: Personal!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Personal though.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHOLES: And made it personal -- you can tell, guys, Deion wants to win that game for sure and his team, 23-point favorites, we'll see -- I don't know, why are you trying to give Deion bulletin board material? They're already doing so well.

BLACKWELL: They messed around and made it personal.

SCHOLES: Coach Prime certainly making this college football season lots of fun.

BLACKWELL: All right, Andy Scholes, thanks so much --

WALKER: Thanks --

SCHOLES: All right --

WALKER: Andy. Just ahead, it sounds like a dream job following and covering these cultural icons. You'll see the job posting that's setting the internet on fire next. When the CNN Hero learned about the thousands of children in juvenile detention centers and residential treatment facilities across the U.S., he decided to shine a light on their lost voices.

BLACKWELL: Mike Ball started a song-writing program to allow kids to have an experience -- who have experience trauma, I should say, to begin to heal.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(SINGING)

MIKE BALL, USING MUSIC TO HELP KIDS PROCESS TRAUMA: They all have different stories. And the point of what we do is let them tell that story.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The day will come when we'll see each other.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, OK --

BALL: Sometimes they're silly, but beneath the silliness, they're really revealing. Sometimes they're really heartbreakingly real.

(WOMAN SINGING)

You know, think about being in a position where nobody is ever really cared what you feel, and instead now, you talk about what you feel and a whole bunch of people don't hear.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes --

BALL: It's life-changing. We can plant a seed in that child of self- confidence, self-worth, it's just so powerful.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: Now, to see more about his songwriting program and to hear more of their songs, go to cnnheroes.com.

[06:55:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLACKWELL: Swifties, BeyHive, you need a job? Well, Gannett, largest newspaper change in the U.S., they've opened up some positions to cover Beyonce and Taylor Swift. Now, they're entertainment reporters, we know that. But these jobs are to cover these two women specifically, especially, as they have these concert tours going on. So --

WALKER: How cool.

BLACKWELL: If you need to pay your telephone bills or your automobiles, here's your shot.

WALKER: Keep going, keep going.

BLACKWELL: No, sing of a song? You don't want to hear me sing this early in the morning. I mean, this is my thing, is it -- can you be objective?

WALKER: No, that was the first thing --

BLACKWELL: Will you cover it? I mean --

WALKER: Yes, you're going to be hanging out with them --

BLACKWELL: You go --

WALKER: I mean, you'll never -- by anything critical --

BLACKWELL: Everything about the show is great.

WALKER: But what negative thing is there to write anyway?

WALKER: Are you putting in your two weeks soon?

BLACKWELL: No, no. I'm going to stay right where I am. I also wonder, if you're offering these jobs, why not at the beginning of the tour?

WALKER: Well, maybe because they just realized.