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CNN This Morning

Tropical System Closing In On The Southeast Could Unleash Dangerous Flood Threat; Comey False Statement Charge Related To Clinton Server Investigation; The Government Runs Out Of Money Next Tuesday; DOJ Agents Will Be Deployed To ICE Facilities To Protect Federal Agents; Trump Declares Gaza Ceasefire Deal "Pretty Close" After Netanyahu Call; U.S. Revokes Colombian President's Visa After U.N. Visit. NYT: DOJ Seeks Travel Info on Georgia DA Fani Willis; Trump Links Tylenol Use in Pregnancy to Autism Despite Years of Evidence It's Safe; A Hacker Uncovers Evidence Linking Tesla Autopilot Feature to 2019 Deadly Crash. Aired 6-7a ET

Aired September 27, 2025 - 06:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VERONICA MIRACLE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Welcome to CNN This Morning. It is Saturday, September 27th. I'm Veronica Miracle in for Victor Blackwell. And here's what's happening this morning.

We're closely watching two tropical storm systems in the Atlantic. One of them could impact the Southeast coast as soon as Monday. We just got a new forecast. Allison Chinchar is standing by with that.

And former FBI Director James Comey was indicted by the DOJ on Thursday, and he may be the latest target who the Justice Department wants information on next.

And we are just days away from a possible government shutdown. While you might think that both sides are working to avoid that, it doesn't seem that way.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is there going to be a government shutdown?

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: It could be. Yes, because the Democrats are crazed.

REP. HAKEEM JEFFRIES (D-NY): Four days away from a government shutdown and Republicans are on vacation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MIRACLE: We're going to explain what would make this shutdown different from all of the others.

And Tesla once said in a major lawsuit that it could not recover specific data from cars. But one hacker says he was able to do it in less than five minutes. You're going to hear from him. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ISABEL ROSALES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Why we're building a place that's flooded before.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's too precious not to try.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MIRACLE: And it's been one year since Hurricane Elaine slammed into the Carolinas, where the recovery efforts stand as all eyes turn to the next storm.

And we begin with breaking news this morning in the Atlantic. We're keeping a close eye on a tropical system that could bring flooding, rains, high winds and dangerous surf conditions to the Southeast. That's as soon as Monday. When it becomes a tropical storm, rather it will be named Imelda. South Carolina's governor issued a state of emergency Friday in anticipation of that storm, but exactly where it will go remains to be seen. That's because Hurricane Humberto could play a significant role in what happens. CNN meteorologist Allison Chinchar. You have been tracking this. So what can people expect?

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Right. So we really don't know quite yet because it all really depends on where this storm goes over the next few days and how strong it can get. And what we mean by that is when we take a look at the two storms on the map, OK, one looks clearly organized. That is Numberto looking very strong right now as a category four.

This other cluster looks very disorganized. Just really kind of a hot mess, if you will. But this is the one that we have to be more concerned about, because that's the one that's going to get much closer to the U.S. coastline over the next few days.

Here's a look at the track of where we anticipate it to go. Now, notice it gets very close to the coastline and then just kind of hovers. And the reason for that is we don't really know what influence Humberto will have on the storm in the coming days.

So here's a look at the spaghetti plots. This is all the different models taking a look at the storm. They're all in very good agreement on exactly where Humberto is going to go. But notice, when it comes to future Imelda, they all kind of vary.

You have a couple that do bring it inland and actually making a traditional landfall, and several others that have it kind of veering offshore. Others kind of just have it hovering right here near the coastline. Now, the reason for that is a lot of the steering mechanisms that are here.

You've got this high pressure system that's effectively blocking both of these systems from turning north too quickly, but you also have this very deep trough and the cold front associated with it, preventing Imelda from going into places like Florida. So they both have to go up this very narrow corridor right through here. And when they do that, they can tend to interact with each other,

especially Humberto, because it is the stronger of the two storms. So this is called Fujiwara effect. OK. So essentially, when you have two storms that are very close together, if they are of equal strength and size, they just kind of spin around each other in a common center, and then eventually just go their own way.

But if one of the storms is stronger than the other, and in this case Humberto is, it can end up causing a little bit of some influence on the smaller, weaker storm. And that's what a lot of these models are kind of leaning into saying, this is very likely to happen with these two storms.

So you look at the model. This is the European model. Here is Humberto. This is what will become Imelda here in about the next 24 hours. Notice it gets awfully close to the coastline. Looks like it's about to make landfall, but then it gets pulled back out to sea.

Now, the real concern here is going to be the amount of water, and a lot of these places along the coastline could end up seeing half a foot of rain total.

MIRACLE: That's a lot of rain. We'll be tracking in. Thank you, Allison.

Well, new developments this morning in the indictment against former FBI Director James Comey.

[06:05:00]

Sources are telling CNN the alleged media leak at the center of that indictment appears to relate to the 2016 investigation of Hillary Clinton. Comey was indicted this last week, and President Trump hinted he is not done targeting political opponents.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Now that James Comey has been indicted, who is the next person on your list in this retribution?

TRUMP: It's not a list, but I think there'll be others. I mean, they're corrupt. These, were corrupt, radical left Democrats. Because Comey essentially was -- he's worse than a Democrat. I would say the Democrats are better than Comey.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MIRACLE: CNN's Katelyn Polantz dug into the indictment to break it all down for us. Good morning, Katelyn.

KATELYN POLANTZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Veronica. The president clearly is pleased with this development where Jim Comey, his longtime political foe, the former FBI director who Trump fired early in his first administration, now under criminal indictment in a federal court in Virginia. But it is not just a political case. This is now a court document. We

have the indictment now in front of us. And this court document, this indictment, it was charged by a grand jury. So a group of 14 people in the Eastern District of Virginia secretly voted to approve these charges against Jim Comey.

Walking through them a little bit, they are about testimony that Comey gave to the Senate Judiciary Committee on September 30th five years ago in 2020. During that testimony, he was asked by Senator Ted Cruz if he had ever authorized someone at the FBI to be anonymous source to the media.

Comey maintained that he had not, and he stood by earlier testimony where he also denied leaking to the press. This, though the Justice Department says, is something that they believe Comey, they're new. He, in fact, had authorized a person to serve as anonymous source in news reports regarding an FBI investigation.

And on top of that the Justice Department accuses him of lying. So making a false statement about that alleged leak, as well as obstructing the congressional proceeding. This now is going to go before a judge to be road tested. Comey's lawyers, they're going to have lots of opportunity to try and contest this case, these charges, these facts, and also argue about why he shouldn't be charged.

They may even have the opportunity to present in court to the judge, potentially even to a jury, the statements that Donald Trump has been making publicly and others have made about this case. There has been some reporting, including here at CNN, that prosecutors wrote down their concerns about this case and delivered that in a memo to the U.S. attorney's office before the U.S. attorney, Lindsey Halligan, just five days or four days onto the job, went to court to get this approved by the grand jury.

All of it is going to be happening over the next couple months. We don't know how long yet. It will be until a trial. It could be a short time. It could be a long time. But Comey's next appearance, it's on October 9th. That's when he'll go before the judge in the Eastern District of Virginia and he will have the opportunity to formally plead not guilty.

MIRACLE: All right, Katelyn Polantz very helpful information. Thank you. And along with tracking the Comey investigation, government leaders are looking ahead to a possible shutdown. The U.S. government runs out of money on Tuesday if they can't reach a deal.

Republicans may control Congress, but they need at least seven Senate Democrats to cross the aisle to pass a spending package. But they are stuck on health care. Democrats want an extension of the enhanced Affordable Care Act premium subsidies. And GOP leaders want a seven- week extension of funding. And President Donald Trump does not appear to be willing to compromise.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: The Democrats want to shut it down. They want to shut it down because they want to give billions, ultimately trillions of dollars to illegal migrants, people that came into our country illegally. Some of those people are criminals, but they came into our country illegally and they want to give them the essential over years, trillions of dollars. And our people aren't going to stand for it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MIRACLE: It is worth noting that anyone in this country illegally is not eligible for federal health care benefits. Anyway. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries says he hasn't heard from GOP leaders about a meeting ahead of the September 30 deadline. Axios Congressional reporter Stephen Newcomb joins me now.

Stephen, there's so much going on, but let's start with the looming government shutdown. So last night at the U.S. capitol, Democratic House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries had this to say about President Trump.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEFFRIES: He didn't have the time to meet with Democratic leaders to fund the government and address the Republican health care crisis. But Donald Trump right now, as we speak, is at a golf event. It's outrageous.

[06:10:02]

And why are they running out of town? It's because Republicans want to shut down the government. They want to continue to inflict pain on the American people and they want to continue to gut the health care of everyday Americans.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MIRACLE: I mean, Stephen, what do you think is going to happen? Should the American people be concerned here?

STEPHEN NEUKAM, CONGRESSIONAL REPORTER, AXIOS: Good morning. Yes, I think there should be a pretty high level of concern about a possible shutdown at this point. I can't remember the last time that we sort of came to one of these funding cliffs and we've had a number of them over the last few years where it felt like a shutdown was sort of a prerequisite to negotiations in the first place.

I mean, I think that both Republican leaders and Democratic leaders are dug into their positions right now ahead of the Tuesday deadline with Republicans wanting the clean extension of funding. Democrats saying that any deal must address looming, what they say is a looming health care crisis with the axing of the ACA subsidies and folks premiums are expected to go up. And neither side seems willing to budge ahead of that deadline.

So, Yes, I think the potential for a shutdown at the beginning of next week is pretty high.

MIRACLE: And President Trump has threatened mass layoffs instead of furloughing people. And Jeffries said Democrats are not going to fold the pressure. I mean, is this the time for Democrats to not be folding?

NEUKAM: Well, I think that there's a realization within Democratic leadership, especially in the Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, that this isn't the time for him to fold. If you remember, when he decided to vote to fund the government with Republicans in March, he faced a lot of criticism from the grassroots of the party. Even some folks within his caucus were criticizing him. It was sort of the closest thing he's come to an open leadership challenge.

And I think there's a self-preservation part of this formula for Schumer and Democratic leaders where they have to please the base. The base wants to see fight from Democrats. They want to see them fight back against the Trump administration. And there's only so many sort of vehicles and inflection points in Congress where they have the leverage that they would need to fight back. And this is one of them.

MIRACLE: Yes, you're right. Schumer got dragged last time. And you know, there's just such a huge political divide. It's all over the country. And for the first time in nearly a decade of polling, more than half of Americans say that the country's best days are already behind it. That's according to a new CNN poll, obviously a very sad state of affairs. Our same poll also found that more than half of independents are either dissatisfied with or indifferent to both political parties.

So given the state of the country and voter sentiment, obviously it's really early, but do you have any thoughts about the midterms and what could happen there?

NEUKAM: Yes, I think over the last few really months, Democrats that I talked to have been increasingly sort of optimistic about their chances in the 2026 midterms. Going into it originally, the map is pretty tough for Senate Democrats. I mean, they don't have a ton of pickup opportunities. They're already in a minority. There's not really the super realistic lane to winning a majority back in 2026.

For House Democrats, the calculus is a little bit different. I think that they think that there's an easier path to a majority. The positives for Democrats are that the president's numbers aren't high, the approval numbers for Republicans in Congress aren't high, but the favorables for Democrats aren't high either.

And I think it's incumbent upon the party's leadership, if they want to win in November of next year, to sort of articulate a vision that is different than the one that the Trump White House and Republican majority has rolled out in Washington over the last nine months. And I'm not sure you've seen that clear message from the Democratic Party yet.

MIRACLE: OK, let's just switch quickly to the indictment of former FBI Director James Comey. Comey, as we know, charged with two felony counts, obstruction of the congressional proceeding where he testified on September 30, 2020, and making a false statement to Congress during that testimony. And President Trump told reporters, I hope there are others. Obviously, he's been very vocal about going after his perceived enemies. So who do you think will be next?

NEUKAM: Yes, I mean, who knows?

[06:15:00]

I think that Democrats I talk to are worried about what's going on here. You know, names that sort of come to mind on Capitol Hill that are sort of prominent enemies, quote, unquote, of the president, political enemies. Senator Adam Schiff, who has a long history with the president dating back to his first administration and the impeachment trials. Eric Swalwell, Congressman Eric Swalwell. So I'm sure there are Democrats on the Hill who are spooked by the indictment of Comey from something that happened, you know, an administration ago, two administrations ago.

And I'm sure there will be steps taken on Capitol Hill to sort of insulate themselves from any of those threats from the executive branch.

MIRACLE: All right. Well, the news doesn't seem to stop coming. Steven Neukam, thank you so much for all of your analysis.

Well, Attorney General Pam Bondi announced ICE facilities are now getting extra security. DOJ agents rather will be deployed to help protect federal agents. Bondi made that announcement Friday on social media, just days after a shooting at a Dallas ICE field office. That shooting killed one detainee and left two others in critical condition.

The incident was among at least four attacks or threats on ICE or Border Patrol spots in Texas just this year. Bondi also said she's instructing the Joint Terrorism Task Forces to investigate anyone engaged in acts of terrorism.

Starting next week some of the world's biggest drug makers are facing a 100 percent tariff. President Trump signed an executive order that puts the tax on brand name medicines made overseas. That's unless the company is building a plant in the US.

Now this move is meant to push more drug production in the U.S. but export experts warn it may not bring prices down for patients.

And Boeing is getting back some of its power to certify planes as safe to fly. The FAA had stripped Boeing of that authority for years after deadly crashes and ongoing quality problems with the 737 Max and 787 Dreamliner. But now, after 18 months of tight government oversight, the FAA says Boeing can once again issue airworthiness certificates for some of those planes.

But the agency is it's not handing over full control. Boeing will still be allowed to certify on alternating weeks, while the FAA will keep direct oversight the rest of the time.

And soon Amazon will refund millions of Prime members as part of a $2.5 billion settlement with the FTC. Regulators say Amazon tricked customers into signing up for Prime and then made it hard for those customers to cancel. About 35 million people may be eligible for refunds of up to $51.

Sinclair and Nexstar are two of the nation's biggest local TV owners are bringing back Jimmy Kimmel live after pulling it just a few weeks ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JIMMY KIMMEL, JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE: The mad Red Hatter wrote, I can't believe ABC Fake News gave Jimmy Kimmel his job back. You can't believe they gave me my job back. I can't believe we gave your job back.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MIRACLE: The blackout followed backlash over Kimmel's monologue about the suspect accused of killing Charlie Kirk, with FCC chair Brendan Carr even threatening station licenses. ABC briefly pulled the show nationwide. And after talks with the network and pushback from viewers, both companies say Kimmel is now back on their air.

Sinclair said yesterday that its decision to pull the show was independent of any government pressure. Hours later, Nexstar also confirmed it would end its blackout.

And we have much more to come on CNN this morning, including the U.S. pulling the visa of the Colombian president. We are live with what triggered that move.

Plus, why the Justice Department is now going after one of President Trump's most outspoken legal opponents.

And marking the one year anniversary of Hurricane Helene, a popular stretch of road in western North Carolina is reopened highlighting the ongoing recovery efforts.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:23:52]

MIRACLE: President Trump says he believes the end of the war in Gaza is in sight. This comes as he prepares to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the days ahead.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: I think we have maybe a deal on Gaza, very close to a deal on Gaza. I think it's a deal that will get the hostages back. It's going to be a deal that will end the war. It's going to be a deal with. It's going to be peace.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MIRACLE: The Trump White house proposed a 21-point peace plan to Arab leaders this week while international leaders met at the United Nations General Assembly. During the assembly yesterday, as Netanyahu was speaking, scores of delegates walked out in protest. Netanyahu is expected to meet with Trump on Monday at the White House

with the goal of reaching a deal.

And new this morning, the U.S. is revoking the Colombian President's visa after his visit to the United Nations. President Gustavo Petro took to New York streets in a pro Palestine demonstration and urged the U.S. military to disobey Trump.

[06:25:04]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GUSTAVO PETRO, COLOMBIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): Disobey Trump's order, Obey the order of humanity.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MRIACLE: Let's bring in CNN contributor Stefano Pozzebon. Stefano, this is not the first time Petro and Trump have clashed over Gaza. So what happened?

STEFANO POZZEBON, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Yes, Veronica, I mean this comes from a long way back. Petro was actually one of the very, very first leaders in the world to stand up to Trump's migration policies, for example, when he blocked deportation flights in January here to Colombia.

He's also been one of the most vocal and outspoken supporters of the Palestinian cause throughout his presidency. And since October 7, he has stood hand in hand with several Palestinian leaders in response to what he calls Israel's aggression and he calls it a genocide in Gaza just this summer, for example, Bogota organized a conference here with several other countries from the global south to present a declaration of support for the Palestinian cause.

Petro arrived in Bogota about a couple of hours ago, Veronica, and he reacted straight away, took to Twitter. He's a, or X as we should call it now. Petro is prone to tweeting and posting almost just as much as Trump is. And he calls for this decision to be absolutely against all the norms, I'm quoting him directly, all the norms of immunity that the United Nations and the United Nations General Assembly are based on.

He then goes on calling for the United Nations headquarters to be removed from New York and move to another more neutral location. He seems like he's not backing down. And I think we should put it into perspective. Petro is a president that will probably use this type of measure from the United States as a badge of honor.

Speaking to his base, his left wing base here in Colombia and in the rest of Latin America, but also to the Palestinian movement or pro- Palestinian movement worldwide. He's definitely not backing down. And just before he knew a later tweet, he even calls Donald Trump Donald Duck, Veronica. So probably something that we should keep in mind. And we'll hear more about this story in the hours to come. Veronica.

MIRACLE: Certainly interesting to see how this plays out. Stefano, thank you.

Well, President Trump's Tylenol warning is sparking backlash in doctors' offices across the country. Coming up next, we're going to talk with the doctor about what pregnant women really need to know.

And we leave you with a live look at New York City looking gorgeous this morning. We're going to be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:30:00]

MIRACLE: The Justice Department wants Fani Willis' travel records. That's according to the "New York Times". Willis is the Fulton County district attorney who prosecuted President Trump and 18 others in the sweeping Georgia election interference case.

The "Times" reports federal investigators have issued a subpoena for records related to travel that Willis made last year. That's around the time of the election. Now, it's not clear why or if Willis is the target of the inquiry and could face charges. She was disqualified for the election interference case, which remains in limbo.

And doctors around the country are fielding questions from pregnant patients on whether they can safely take the pain reliever Tylenol. It's because President Trump linked Tylenol use to autism in children, despite years of evidence that the medication is safe. He told pregnant mothers, it might be better to, quote, "tough it out".

The President reiterated his warning online yesterday, again telling pregnant women to not take Tylenol unless absolutely necessary, and urging parents to not give it to their children. The message from the FDA -- well, it was a little more muted, while it said studies have found a possible link between autism and Acetaminophen, which is branded as Tylenol.

It added that, that has not yet been determined, and Acetaminophen is the only over-the-counter drug approved to treat fevers during pregnancy. Dr. Harry Heiman is a Clinical Professor in the School of Public Health at Georgia State University, and a former family physician. A family physician, you spent many years in family practice.

You're with me now, so, give me your initial thoughts on everything that happened last week in relation to Tylenol. I kind of saw you shaking your head a little bit.

HARRY HEIMAN, CLINICAL PROFESSOR, SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH, GEORGIA STATE UNIVERSITY: Yes, you know, thanks for bring up this issue. I mean, clearly, there was a time where patients and consumers could rely on federal health agencies for information to help guide their decisions. Unfortunately, that's not the case anymore.

We really can't rely on information coming out of federal agencies. And I think this is a prime example. I think the Tylenol as the FDA walked it back is still the safest and most effective treatment for pain and fever during pregnancy. There have been numerous studies looking at Tylenol, and they -- some show a positive association, some show no association, some show a negative association with Tylenol-use and neuro-developmental disabilities, which includes autism.

But none have shown Tylenol as a cause, let alone the cause for autism. We actually know that high fever during the first trimester of pregnancy is a serious cause for congenital abnormalities and neuro- developmental disabilities.

[06:35:00]

So, the risk for taking Tylenol to treat the fever is insignificant relative to the importance of treating the fever.

MIRACLE: I mean, I just can't imagine what kind of conversations people are having with their doctors right now. These are -- especially when you're pregnant, it's such a vulnerable time, I imagine some people come into doctor's offices very scared. I mean, what would you be telling your patients right now if you were still seeing patients?

HEIMAN: What I would be telling my patients right now is that Tylenol still remains the safest and most effective treatment for fever and pain during pregnancy. That you want to limit your exposure to any medications or toxic substances like, say, alcohol or other things during pregnancy, less is better than more.

But Tylenol is still the most appropriate, and because we can't rely on federal agencies today, they should rely on their physicians and others that have the understanding and expertise to guide them.

MIRACLE: And this idea that women have to tough it out. I mean, it kind of puts it back on the woman again to --

HEIMAN: Well, I think we have to understand the source. I'll leave it at that.

MIRACLE: OK, all right. Well, let's talk about Mifepristone, also an important drug. The FDA approved this back in 2000, and --

HEIMAN: Right --

MIRACLE: It's long been clear to end a pregnancy through ten weeks of gestation. It's been long proved to be safe and effective --

HEIMAN: Yes --

MIRACLE: On par. States -- studies showed safety is on par with those common over-the-counter drugs like Ibuprofen. What do you think about this idea that the FDA is reviewing evidence that -- about the safety and effectiveness of this drug?

HEIMAN: Well, I think it leads one to ask the question, why would the FDA decide now to start reviewing this medication? Is there any new evidence? Is there -- is there a reason for concern? And the short answer to that question is no. There is no new evidence. But there are political drivers of decisions like that. And unfortunately, we've seen an increasing politicization of what's going on in terms of our federal health agencies.

And so, we know that the medication is safe and effective. There was a recent court case thrown out, and this is being driven by 21 Republican attorney generals from states that have taken other actions to restrict access to reproductive healthcare. I think you need to understand that in the context. I think what is -- for me, even more disturbing than this is the fact that the Secretary of HHS has essentially demolished the very federal public health agencies, the very units within our federal health agencies that are responsible for looking at issues like this.

The division of reproductive health doesn't exist at CDC anymore. Their mission and their scope included everything from contraceptive services to safe pregnancies. There was something called PRAMS that looked at pregnancy outcomes. Is it surveillance system that's been deconstructed.

So, you know, I think not only is it concerning to me as a public health expert that they're raising concerns about a drug that has, as you pointed out, 25 years of safety and efficacy, but they're doing that in the context of deconstructing the very expertise that our health agencies looks at issues like this.

MIRACLE: OK, Dr. Heiman, thank you sir, so much for all of that analysis, we appreciate it.

HEIMAN: Thank you.

MIRACLE: All right. And thank you so much, we'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:40:00]

MIRACLE: Are self-driving cars as safe as automakers claim. A hacker uncovered critical evidence in a high-profile case against Tesla that involved a deadly crash. Now, Tesla insisted that data could not be recovered, but CNN's Jake Tapper spoke to the hacker who discovered it within minutes.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): A hacker played a key role in uncovering evidence in a wrongful death case against Tesla after the electric car manufacturer inaccurately claimed crucial data was missing. The case stems from a 2019 accident in Kay Largo, Florida. A driver and a Tesla model asked run a stop sign before slamming into an SUV parked behind street signs. Twenty-two-year-old Naibel Benavides Leon was killed, her boyfriend Dillon Angulo was critically injured.

DILLON ANGULO, NAIBEL BENAVIDES' BOYFRIEND: I don't what happened. I end up missing a turn, I was looking down --

TAPPER: At the scene, the driver admitted he had been distracted on a call with an airline-arranging travel, while his Tesla was in autopilot. He dropped his phone and reached for it just before the crash.

ANGULO: I reached out, I didn't see it, and when I popped up and looked, I saw a black truck, it just happened so fast.

TAPPER: The family settle their case against the driver, but their attorneys also sued Tesla, arguing the car company and its CEO overstated the capabilities of the car's autopilot technology which failed to prevent the crash.

[06:45:00]

ELON MUSK, FOUNDER & CEO, TESLA & SPACEX: Model S and Model X at this point can drive autonomously with greater safety than a person right now.

BRETT SCHNEIBER, ATTORNEY FOR BENAVIDES FAMILY: What they have done is created the situation where drivers unlike other auto manufacturers driving other autonomous vehicle systems. Over-crossed the autopilot system, and truly believe it is as Tesla advertises fully self- driving.

TAPPER: But one key piece of evidence was missing the vehicle's digital collision data, which could show exactly what was happening with the Tesla before the accident. For years, Tesla claimed it couldn't be located and argued in court that the driver had time to react if he had been paying attention. So, the family's lawyers brought in an outside expert, an independent hacker known online as Green(ph).

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I've been kind of extracting those videos for multiple years.

TAPPER: Within minutes, Green(ph), who wants to remain anonymous, was able to extract the critical data from Tesla's motherboard. He then deciphered it for trial.

(on camera): How many minutes did it take you to find it?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It took me less than five minutes once the data was copied, but -- so that's just the data on the autopilot. Inside, there was also a transmission record that shows that this data was transmitted to Tesla.

TAPPER (voice-over): The recovered data showed Tesla's autopilot system was engaged prior to the crash, and detected several obstacles just before impact.

SCHNEIBER: There was a failure of the vision system. It appreciated that there was an end of the road. It knew that it was approaching a T-intersection. It saw my client's vehicle. It saw the Pedestrian. It perceived. It predicted all of these things. And it did nothing.

TAPPER: Tesla did not respond to a request from CNN for comment, but the company argued in court that it never intentionally withheld the data. The company just did not realize it had the information stored in its servers. Tesla claimed the data actually proved their case, that the driver was not paying attention, and manually sped up before the crash.

So, the autopilot technology was not to blame. The jury disagreed, finding Tesla 33 percent liable for the crash that took a young woman's life, awarding the families $243 million in damages. Tesla has asked a federal court to throw out the verdict, order a new trial or reduce the damages.

(on camera): Was it rewarding being able to help a grieving family?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm glad I was able to get the data out for the people to hopefully benefit. It doesn't bring the dead back, unfortunately, but as long as there's a positive outcome for them, I'd feel better about that, yes.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MIRACLE: And thanks to our Jake Tapper for that report. Well, one year after Hurricane Helene, we'll show you some of the hardest-hit areas and how their recovery is still frozen in time.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:50:00]

MIRACLE: One year later, Asheville, North Carolina is marking its recovery from Hurricane Helene. The Federal Highway Administration and the National Park Service held a ribbon-cutting yesterday along the Blue Ridge Parkway to highlight the progress that has been made. But in the heart of historic Biltmore Village, business owners say tourism has not fully returned.

CNN's Isabel Rosales is in Asheville.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ISABEL ROSALES, CNN REPORTER (on camera): It's not often you get to see the remnants of a storm like this a year later.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, for the -- this is one of the houses that you can still walk inside, and it's really frozen in time.

ROSALES (voice-over): Among the damp wood and abandoned belongings, a visceral reminder of what Helene took in minutes. These walls marked the survival of a family. But the loss of a place they once called their little Eden.

AMY CANTRELL, CO-DIRECTOR, BELOVED ASHEVILLE: The water was pouring in and going higher and higher, and so they feared for their lives that they might drown. And so, he grabbed the flashlight and a putty knife, and he started hacking through the ceiling right here.

ROSALES: Recovery is far from over in hard-hit Swannanoa, just outside Asheville, with many families still struggling in mountain country.

(on camera): A year later, what is the need here in this community?

CANTRELL: The need is vast. You know, we still have people that are in temporary shelter, and many people lost their jobs, businesses were gone, they kind of went through.

ROSALES (voice-over): Amy Cantrell and Ponkho Bermejo tell me there's a full blown housing crisis with tens of thousands of people still displaced. Beloved Asheville is among the nonprofits racing to close that gap, building 120 homes and counting. Just a few feet from where the Mills family home drifted --

CANTRELL: And they said it felt like they were inside a boat.

ROSALES: Off its foundation.

CANTRELL: You know, there's floating --

ROSALES: Well --

CANTRELL: Inside their house.

ROSALES: Rests their new Eden, built above the waterline of Helene.

PONKHO BERMEJO, CO-DIRECTOR, BELOVED ASHEVILLE: And we are in a deep connection now in this Appalachian mountains, and we are stronger than ever.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We got some pretty serious --

ROSALES: From the heart of Biltmore Village in Asheville.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How do we fix this?

ROSALES: Joe Scully has been documenting the tireless comeback story of Corner Kitchen. Ten months, more than 300 days through the season until this moment.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Open after ten months closed.

ROSALES: The hometown restaurant now a welcome home back.

JOE SCULLY, HEAD CHEF & CO-OWNER, THE CORNER KITCHEN: And then when we actually started to get, like people in, it was actually a little scary.

ROSALES (on camera): Yes, you got the jitters --

SCULLY: A little.

[06:55:00]

ROSALES (voice-over): This Fall, the stakes are higher than ever, as visitors pour into high country to take in the changing foliage. In western North Carolina, the next few months could make or break a small business.

SCULLY: It's a possible reality that people will not be able to make it if they don't have the guests and the tourists to come for this next three-month period.

ROSALES: A Chamber of Commerce survey of mostly small businesses found 90 percent of respondents projected revenue loss, and nearly 45 percent reported moderate to significant risk of closure.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And it's going to be two chicken salads all day.

ROSALES: The Corner Kitchen back from the brink and buzzing with sound, and this stark reminder of just how high the flood waters climbed.

(on camera): Why rebuild in a place that's flooded before.

SCULLY: It's too precious not to try.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROSALES: There's events throughout the weekend to mark this anniversary. Certainly, a time of reflection for what this community has lost, but a time of celebration too, for the amount of progress that they've made. But with all of that, there's also a heightened sense of awareness, and especially with what's expected to be Tropical Storm Imelda brewing in the Atlantic that has people understandably on edge.

But Veronica, I'll leave you with this. The family, the Mills family behind this home, they're expected to get keys to their brand new home by Thanksgiving.

MIRACLE: Well, we are happy to hear that, thank you, Isabel Rosales for that important report. And there's still much more ahead on CNN this morning, including the operation that put the superintendent of Iowa's largest school district in ICE custody.

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