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Dave Reuter is Interviewed about Power in Florida; CNN Reports Headlines from Around the World; Leaks to Russian Pipelines; Ian's Business Impact on Florida; Brian Gleason is Interviewed about Hurricane Ian; Navy Proposes Blood Testing for Elite SEALs. Aired 6:30-7a ET

Aired September 28, 2022 - 06:30   ET

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

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[06:30:41]

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: I'm John Berman, live in Tampa, Florida, this morning. This is CNN's special live coverage.

Something of a brief letup in the rain here in Tampa, which is welcome, but they could get a foot to two feet of rain here in the next 24 hours or so. And that's not even the worst of it here in Florida.

South of here, about 100 miles south near Sanibel, Fort Myers area right there, they say conditions are deteriorating. That update just in from the National Weather Service. Conditions deteriorating as Hurricane Ian bears down on the southwestern coast. It is now a category four hurricane. It's strengthened overnight. Sustained winds of 140 miles per hour. Wind gusts of 165 miles per hour.

There are now more than 2.5 million people under some kind of evacuation order up and down the coast here. The main concern is storm surge. Here in Tampa, it could be three to six feet. Further south, where the storm's directing - is expected to make a direct impact, you could get a 12 foot storm surge.

The net effect of this, it could be devastating and could cause widespread power outages. For that, I'm now joined by Brian Reuter, who is with Florida Light and Power.

Thank you so much, sir.

I keep hearing -- Dave, I'm sorry.

Dave, I keep hearing widespread power outages. What does that mean?

DAVE REUTER, SPOKESMAN AND CHIEF COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER, FLORIDA POWER AND LIGHT: Good morning, John. Yes, thank you.

You know, there certainly is the potential, with a storm of this magnitude, for us to experience widespread power outages throughout our service territory. Even as the feeder bands have been impacting our territory over the last 24 hours, we've already seen that. We've managed to restore 120,000 customers already in between the storm bands. But at the present time, we have about 50,000 customers out.

BERMAN: So, 50,000 customers out, 120,000 who were out but are now back on.

How bad are you anticipating? I keep seeing maps that have this area where I am all the way through the central part of the state, including Orlando and other heavily populated areas, to say likely power outages.

REUTER: Yes. I think with a storm of this magnitude, John, a category four, obviously it has not made landfall yet. And until it does and until we have an opportunity to assess, you know, it would not be appropriate to say exactly how many outages we're going to see. But if you just look at the number of customers that we have in those territories and where the storm is going to hit, not only landfall, but as it makes its way across the peninsula, we have several million customers in the path of the storm. And so, until the storm hits, we won't be able to say exactly how many of those may experience outages.

But the most important thing for us is for customers to know that we're prepared for the storm and that we're prepared to restore their power as safely and as quickly as possible.

BERMAN: Talk to me about those preparations. One of the really interesting sights when you head towards a hurricane is you see the streams of power trucks coming from other parts of the country in some cases to stage, to be ready for when they need to take action.

So, how many people do you have at the ready? What's that like?

REUTER: Sure. So, currently we have 16,000 restoration personnel pre- positioned throughout the state of Florida. Those restoration personnel are not only Florida Power and Light employees, but we also have line workers and linemen and linewomen coming from 27 other states. They're positioned at 24 different locations throughout the state.

Obviously, when the storm hits on the west coast, it's going to carry through the peninsula. So we have - we have crews positioned throughout the state so that as it moves forth we can get into the areas hopefully as quickly as we can when it's safely to do so, and assess where the power needs to be restored, and then we can follow the storm along and restore power as it makes its way across Florida.

BERMAN: Well, Dave Reuter, thank you for joining us. You have a long night ahead of you. Not much sleep going forward. We appreciate you being with us.

[06:35:00]

All right, we are tracking the path of the storm, expected to make landfall sometime in the next several hours. That in and of itself doesn't mean much. The sheer scope, the size, the devastating impact of this storm already being felt and will be felt for maybe 24 hours or more.

We arere going to speak to officials who are where the storm might make landfall. Our special live coverage continues right after this.

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BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN ANCHOR: We are back to Hurricane Ian here in just a moment.

But first, overnight, violent clashes in Iran between security forces and protesters outraged by the death of a woman in police custody. Despite reports of dozens killed, the demonstrators are not backing down.

CNN's reporters are covering the latest around the world.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I'm Jomana Karadsheh in Istanbul.

At least 41 people have been killed in the ongoing protests in Iran. That is according to state media. CNN can't independently verify these death toll claims but we are getting various casualty figures coming in from different human rights groups, opposition groups, as well as state media.

[06:40:10]

And they puts the death toll anywhere between 40 and up to almost 80 people. But there's a lot of concern that it is far higher than that.

It did not stop the protesters, though. Back out on the streets of Tehran and other cities on Tuesday night, still defiant, still demanding change. But the Iranian foreign minister speaking to NPR, dismissing the protest as, quote, not a big deal. And he says he wants to reassure western counterparts that there will be no regime change in Iran.

WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I'm Will Ripley.

Protests break out in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen over draconian Covid-19 measures that continue, even as the rest of the world has moved on from them. In China, if there are a handful of cases in any city, there are lockdowns, businesses are closed, public transportation can be suspended and people have to stand for hours in line for mandatory Covid-19 testing. And in Shenzhen, that is happening in a city of more than 18 million people for just ten local cases on Tuesday.

The reason, some critics say, is that Chinese vaccines and antivirals are not as effective as alternatives in the western world that were developed but China refuses to buy, refusing to admit that their domestic vaccines are not working well enough to protect the 1.4 billion people.

NINA DOS SANTOS, CNN EUROPE EDITOR: I'm Nina dos Santos in London.

Shakira, the singer, is one step closer to facing trial of allegations of tax fraud in Spain. Prosecutors in Barcelona say that the singer failed to pay over $15 million worth of income and wealth taxes between 2012 and 2014 there. These are charges that she denies. A judge has said that the case now can proceed to trial, but a start date hasn't yet been set.

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KEILAR: And we have some breaking news this morning.

Several European countries are investigating unexplained leaks in two Russian gas pipelines that run under the Baltic Sea. Here, moments ago, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg called the leaks acts of sabotage.

CNN correspondent Clare Sebastian is joining us now because, Clare, you have multiple leaks in multiple locations. It is extremely suspicious.

CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Brianna, you have three leaks in two neighboring natural gas pipelines, very close proximity to each other, in the Baltic Sea, happening, we think, within a day. And seismologists from three separate countries registering events on the Richter scale in that timeline consistent with explosions. So, in the words of the Danish defense ministry this morning, it's very hard to imagine that this is pure coincidence.

These pipelines themselves, the Nord Stream 1, which has been in operation for a decades, and the Nord Stream 2, neither of them were actually pumping gas at the moment. Nord Stream 2 was canceled just a few days before Russia's invasion of Ukraine in protest over its troops amassing on the border. Nord Stream 1 had, until the beginning of June, been the biggest single artery pumping Russian gas to Europe but has been gradually cut to zero over the last few months.

But this does mean, for Europe, Brianna, that the prospect of that Nord Stream 1 pipeline coming back online ahead of winter is now next to zero. Not only that, but they are now potentially looking at a situation if, as many leaders suspect, this was sabotage potentially perpetrated by Russia. Where it's not only the prospect of Russia potentially cutting off the taps, but that critical infrastructure could be a target.

KEILAR: Yes, certainly.

Clare, thank you so much for keeping an eye on this for us.

CNN's Clarissa Ward appearing in studio with Stephen Colbert and offering her analysis on Vladimir Putin's latest moves in Russia's war against Ukraine, including his nuclear saber-rattling.

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STEPHEN COLBERT, HOST, "THE LATE SHOW WITH STEPHEN COLBERT": Is he bluffing? I thought I had more to that question, but there's no more to that question.

CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I -- that's it. That's it.

COLBERT: Because I don't know where to go beyond that.

WARD: I pray he's bluffing, but no one should assume he's bluffing and everyone should be prepared for what happens if he is not bluffing. I have talked to hard liners inside Russia who support the use of, you know, potentially a tactical nuke, for example, because they say it's very important for Russia at this stage to reinject fear into the battle space.

COLBERT: And it also would provide them enough time to try to get this mobilization going because if it is the, you know, chaos that you've described, then they need something to keep the Ukrainians from advancing.

WARD: The irony is none of this is likely. Even the most extreme nuclear use, for example, none of that is really fundamentally going to change the dynamics on the battlefield.

I think what Russia is really hoping to do in the long run, or certainly many analysts believe this, is they just want to keep this grinding and grinding and grinding for as long as they possibly can because the one thing they are better at than most others is suffering.

[06:45:06]

And so they have a very high pain threshold and they're really hoping that if they can maximize this, keep it going as long as possible, that they will start to see support waning for Ukraine. And what they haven't banked on, and what I have been covering in war for 20 years, and I have seen over and over again, the people who win usually are the people whose hearts are in it. The people who believe it, they feel it, they fight for it.

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KEILAR: Our hurricane coverage continues as Florida braces for Ian to impact both its land and its economy. The National Hurricane Center, moments ago, saying conditions are deteriorating rapidly there.

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BERMAN: I'm John Berman, live in Tampa, Florida. This is CNN's special live coverage of Hurricane Ian, which is expected to make landfall sometime in the next several hours.

[06:50:01]

And we just got new information from the National Hurricane Center. Listen to this. They had an aircraft in the center of this storm measuring sustained winds, sustained winds of 155 miles per hour. That is just two miles per hour short of a category fie hurricane. And there is still time for this storm to strengthen before it makes landfall. One hundred and fifty-five mile per hour sustained winds. This could have a devastating impact as it makes landfall south of here. The expected landfall probably about 100 miles south of where I am in the Fort Myers, Punta Gorda area. It could just be devastating.

And as that wind speed picks up, 155 miles per hour now, it does increase the threat of the storm surge. That wind pushes the water even more -- potentially even higher, which is why there is still so much concern up and down the southern and southwestern coast of Florida.

As I said, I'm here in Tampa, where the rain has let up for a moment. We've been getting the bands repeatedly. But up and down the coast here, you now see businesses boarded up, homes evacuated. Some 2.5 million people under some kind of evacuation order. Yes, there will be a human impact here, and we are hoping for the best there, but there is certainly to be a very bad economic impact from this storm.

Let's get right to Rahel Solomon to get a sense of that.

Rahel.

RAHEL SOLOMON, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Well, John, as you know, Florida's economy is massive. It's one of the largest in the U.S. In fact, if Florida were its own country, the sunshine state would have the 15th largest economy in the world. So, John, as you mentioned, of course we are all watching and hoping for the best on the human toll, human effort. But the storm will likely also have pretty significant economic impact. How large it will be really just depends on how large this storm is and really also how long it lasts.

So, in preparation for the storm, business owners, small and large, have had to close their doors. One of the state's largest employers, Disney, announcing that it will be closed today and Thursday. Similar announcements coming from other amusement parks like Seaworld, Orlando, Universal, and Busch Gardens.

We also know that least 11 Waffle House restaurants are closed. The supermarket chain Publix says that it will close stores in 11 counties today as well. Cruise lines also canceling some sailings or shipping routes to try to avoid the path of Ian.

Now, in the days to come, we're going to be learning much more and watching about the impacts on other areas of the economy, like agriculture, how that could impact food prices and supply chains.

Now, in just the last hour, our colleague Christine Romans talking to the Association for Supply Chain Management about the concerns now to an already fragile supply chain. Here's what he's watching.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DOUGLAS KENT, EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT OF STRATEGY AND ALLIANCES, ASCM: It's completely unprecedented that we'd have so many simultaneous demand and supply shocks to the system. Of course, it started with the pandemic, but it certainly - it certainly hasn't stopped there.

So, of course, from a supply chain perspective, our primary concern in a situation like this is the health and safety of the residents that get impacted. But then again, as you mentioned, it's how quickly can we recover because it's impacting, you know, basically our ability to support some of the major manufacturing, distribution and agricultural entities that exist in Florida. So, the speed of that recovery under a strained supply chain is, of course, what's in question right now. And hopefully we can - we can become more resilient as we continue to face these unprecedented hits.

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SOLOMON: And so, of course, so many questions. Also watching any significant disruptions to air travel and the ripple effects of that for flyers. Tampa says it has already closed its airport. And Orlando, meantime, officials there say that it will stop commercial operations this morning after about 10:30 Eastern.

One thing experts say, they're not expecting a major impact to is the price of oil and gas. And that's just simply because Florida, John, is not a major producer or refiner of oil and gas. But the impacts of this could be quite significant. Still too early to know but certainly a lot of questions moving ahead, John.

BERMAN: Right. Yes, it won't be good.

Rahel Solomon, thank you so much for that.

I want to go right to Brian Gleason, who is an official in Port Charlotte, Florida. That's about 25 miles or so north of Fort Myers, could very well be in the direct zone where this now very powerful storm will make impact. Hurricane Ian now with sustained winds of 150 miles per hour.

Brian, if you can hear me, give me a sense of how ready you are there.

BRIAN GLEASON, COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER, CHARLOTTE COUNTY, FLORIDA: We're ready and waiting. We are expecting the early tropical storm force winds to be here a few hours ago. And a lot of folks woke up this morning, we're still not at sustained tropical storm force winds. We're still in the 30-mile-an-hour range. So, once that threshold is hit and we're locked down for the duration and just hoping and praying that people get through and everything's OK on the other side.

[06:55:05]

BERMAN: So, talk to me more about that just so we're clear for people who are listening. You are very close to the time where you are saying to people there, you're on your own, there's nothing that you can do, correct?

GLEASON: Right. At this point, with tropical storm force winds imminent, nobody should be out on the street. Nobody should be out in their yards. It's time to hunker down and stay safe. If you've made your decision to stay, then stay put. Don't go out sightseeing. Don't be a tourist in your hometown during a hurricane.

BERMAN: No, don't. Just don't do that.

Look, the storm surge warnings now, particularly with the storm strengthening to near category five strength, could be eight to 12 feet around where you are. How do you get ready for something like that? What could the impact of a storm surge like that be?

GLEASON: Nobody in Charlotte County, now or before, has ever seen the kind of storm that Ian is with the 12-foot surge, 145 plus-mile-an- hour winds, up to 20 inches of rain and possible tornadoes. We had Charlie in 2004. They called it a 10-mile-wide tornado. We had no surge. We had very little rain and it still caused $20 billion worth of damage.

BERMAN: Brian Gleason, in Port Charlotte, please stay safe. I hope people do get that message from you. Stay inside. Stay safe. Do not be a tourist in a hurricane where you are.

Brian, thank you very much.

So, the news just in from the National Hurricane Center, they have had a plane flying in and out of this storm measuring sustained winds of 155 miles per hour. That's just 2 miles per hour short of a category five storm and it could strengthen over the next several hours before making impact.

This is CNN's special live coverage of Hurricane Ian. Stay with us.

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KEILAR: There is concern about widespread use of performance enhancing drugs in the elite Navy SEAL program that has prompted senior military officials to seek enhanced blood testing for trainees.

Barbara Starr is live for us at the Pentagon with this new CNN reporting.

Barbara, tell us about this.

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Brianna.

The U.S. Navy SEALs is one of the most elite programs in the U.S. military, now asking the Pentagon to approve blood testing so they can determine when candidates may be using performance enhancing drugs, which, of course, are banned.

I want to tell you that a senior Navy special warfare officer told me that it's, quote, beyond a reasonable doubt that a significant portion of the candidate population is utilizing a wide range of performance enhancing drugs.

[07:00:01]

They believe blood testing will be much better than urinalysis in trying to catch this problem.