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New Day Saturday

New Era for Trump Campaign; Judge: Clinton Must Answer Email Questions; Fans Celebrate Bolt's "Triple-Triple"; Zika Virus Prompts Travel Warning in Miami; 13 Killed, 40,000 Homes Damaged in Widespread Flooding; Lt. Governor Talks to CNN About Louisiana Flood Disaster; Bentz: Lochte Removed Sign & Yelled at Guards; Blue Cut Fire Burns 37,000 Acres, 97 Homes. Aired 7-8a ET

Aired August 20, 2016 - 07:00   ET

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

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[07:00:00] DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: What the hell do you have to lose?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: A new era for Donald Trump. His supporters believe that it is. His campaign manager is out. But will this new direction mean a new Trump?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: He's still the same man who insults Gold Star families, demeans women and thinks he knows more about ISIS than our generals.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHRISTI PAUL, CNN ANCHOR: That's Hillary Clinton talking about Donald Trump, but there's new controversy about her. Her camp is responding now to a ruling that she is mandated to answer questions about her e- mail server, to answer to a legal watchdog group.

BLACKWELL: Plus, the recovery effort in Louisiana becomes a political battle of sorts. The GOP nominees visiting the flood-ravaged region. And now, President Obama has scheduled a tour in just a couple of days.

PAUL: They're cheering a triple-triple. The world's fastest man races into the record books with his third gold medal in three straight Olympics Games.

(MUSIC)

BLACKWELL: We've got a lot coming up.

Also this hour, just before we get to politics, I want to let you know that we're following this travel warning in Miami, Florida, where the Zika virus is spreading.

PAUL: And now, a lot of families are extremely worried. We're going to tell you what's happening.

But first -- let's begin with Donald Trump. In a few hours, he' going to be at a rally in Virginia and the campaign is going through a major overhaul.

BLACKWELL: Yes, his campaign manager Paul Manafort is out. And with the new leadership, Trump is trying a new approach to reach out to African-American voters. Watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: I say it again, what do you have to lose? What do you have to lose? You're living in poverty. Your schools are no good. You have no jobs. Fifty-eight percent of your youth is unemployed. What the hell do you have to lose?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL: I want to bring in CNN's Chris Frates who is some Washington for us.

Chris, are you getting any reaction from anybody in Washington about what he said last night?

CHRIS FRATES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, lots of reaction from, you know, folks here in Washington, Christi.

But I want to start with this shake-up at Trump Tower continuing yesterday, as Trump advisory Paul Manafort announced his resignation. Remember, Manafort was hired to run the delegate operation, but he ended up taking over the campaign a few months ago when campaign manager Corey Lewandowski was fired.

But a few days after Trump named a new campaign CEO and campaign manager this week, Manafort was gone, too. In a statement, Trump said of Manafort, he said this, I'm very appreciative of his great work and helping us get to where we are today. And in particular, his work guiding us through the delegate and convention process, and Paul is a true professional and I wish him the greater success.

Now, a senior campaign aide tells me that Trump lost faith in Manafort a couple weeks ago, feeling that Manafort wasn't quick enough with his answers of questions. And aides saying that Trump and Manafort also lacked chemistry. A Trump source also telling CNN that Manafort who has been facing increasing scrutiny over his lobbying ties to Ukraine and to Russia, told Trump he was becoming a distraction and he didn't want that to continue.

In fact, law enforcement officials tell CNN that the FBI is looking into Manafort's firm, as investigates possible U.S. ties to the alleged corruption of the former pro-Russian president of Ukraine.

Now, Trump's son Eric talked about the distractions in an interview yesterday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) ERIC TRUMP, SON OF DONALD TRUMP: My father didn't want to be, you know, distracted by, you know, whatever things that, you know, Paul was dealing with. You know, Paul was amazing. You know, he helped us get through the primary process, he helped us get through the convention, he did a great job with the delegates, you know?

Now, we look at Kellyanne and some of the other people that we're bringing in, they're absolutely fantastic. I think they're going to be the ones that bring us all the way through November 8th and ultimately get us the victory. But again, my father just didn't want to have the distraction looming over the campaign. And quite frankly, looming over all the issues that Hillary is facing right now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FRATES: Now, Hillary Clinton's campaign jumped on the news of the shake up with campaign manager Robby Mook saying in a statement, quote, "Paul Manafort's resignation is a clear admission that the disturbing connections between Donald Trump's team and pro-Kremlin elements in Russia and Ukraine are untenable. You can get rid of Manafort, but that doesn't end the odd bromance Trump has with Putin."

So, Manafort's out, but Clinton's Putin Trump attack line lives on for now, guys.

PAUL: All righty. Chris Frates, good to see you, sir. Thank you.

FRATES: Good to see you.

BLACKWELL: All right. Let's talk about it now, let's bring in Amy Kremer, co-chair of Women Vote Trump, and a Donald Trump supporter. You can probably tell by the name of the organization.

[07:05:01] And A. Scott Bolden, former chairman of the Washington, D.C. Democratic Party and a Hillary Clinton supporter.

Scott, Amy, good to have both of you here this morning.

AMY KREMER. WOMEN VOTE TRUMP: Good to be here.

A. SCOTT BOLDEN, HILLARY CLINTON SUPPORTER: Good morning.

BLACKWELL: Amy, I want to start with you. Donald Trump said yesterday that is catching a lot of headlines. What the hell do you have to lose? That's his pitch to African-American voters. You're living in poverty. Your schools are no good. You have no jobs.

Is that the Trump campaign's view of Black America, no jobs, bad schools, you're all poor?

KREMER: Well, I think that what he was talking about the African- American youth unemployment rate. I mean, we are concerned about jobs.

And so, what his statement, I think, what he said yesterday, is the equivalent, kind of, not just to African-Americans but to all Americans I would say of what Ronald Reagan said, I believe it was back in 1980 when he said, you know, are you better off now than you were four years ago? I mean, you know, let's -- what is the definition of insanity? To do the same thing over and over again and it's that different result.

We had eight years of President Obama in his administration. I believe that Hillary Clinton would be four more years of the same. Why not try something new.

BLACKWELL: It seems like a very different argument, what you're describing and what Donald Trump said yesterday. We should say that his comments were not part of the scripted, prepared remarks for Dimondale. But he described African-Americans as a whole, as poor, poor schools -- I don't know if that's a commentary on education of black people or the institution, and having no jobs.

We know the statistics don't support that characterization?

KREMER: Well, I think education is say big issue for families automatic across the country.

BLACKWELL: I'm sure everybody does. Why characterize a group of people as poor, as not working, as having these poor schools?

KREMER: I don't think that's how he characterizes that for the people. I think what he's talking about is the policies of this administration and that this president has not done a lot for the African-American community. When he talks about the figure I think --

BLACKWELL: Fifty-eight percent.

KREMER: Fifty-eight percent unemployment rate there for the youth. I mean, that's a concern.

BLACKWELL: It is a concern. And I don't mean to cut you off, when you get to these numbers, I think it's important to match them with facts.

The number that we believe Donald Trump is coming up with because it is unclear is the inverse of the number from the Bureau of Labor Statistics which in May of 2016 found that about 41 percent of people 16 to 24 were participating in the market. So, that 58 and some changes the inverse. But that counts everybody 16 to 24, including 11th grade football players and college students who wouldn't normally be in the workforce anyway, and that would bring the number down.

Let me come to you, Scott. When you hear -- and Ill come right back to you, I promise, we've got you both for two blocks. When you hear what Donald Trump said there about African-Americans not being much better off after the Obama administration than before, are you concerned that that argument could resonate?

BOLDEN: I have zero concerns that that argument would resonate. I mean, his broad based statement is just another offensive remark and insensitive and really based on ignorance. I'm part of black America. I'm educated. I have a home, and I've got lots of friends who are either employed, or entrepreneurs or even looking for jobs for that matter.

To paint black America, which is not homogeneous by any means, is just really offensive and shows his lack of knowledge. And here again, he's making these statements in front of all-white audiences. He attacks President Obama, the first African-American president of this country and is at with 1 percent of black voters.

This type of broad-based statement isn't getting him any more black votes. And it's a vain attempt to do so. And he won't even don't talk to the NAACP or the urban league or black audiences and give us a plan. Like every other thing with Donald Trump, he has a statement but he doesn't have a plan.

BLACKWELL: Let me take that back to you, Amy, why not say this to black people? He's standing in Dimondale with a percentage of white residents, 93, give or take a half percent, percent white makeup there, the demographics. Why doesn't he go to Detroit? Why doesn't he go to one of the churches?

KREMER: Who isn't to say that he's not going to.

BLACKWELL: Why hasn't he?

KREMER: Well, I mean, I can't speak for the campaign. I'm not in the middle of these decisions.

But what I will say, he is giving a speech that everyone across the country, really across the world can hear. I mean, it's -- with technology today, you can hear it anywhere.

He's going to be characterized no matter where he goes. I mean, and there's plenty of time. Who's to stay he's not going to go there? But I will say, they don't throw these events together at the last minute. Who's to say he didn't already have this event planned and then he's pivoting or changing his speech --

BLACKWELL: I don't know that anyone is saying that.

KREMER: This is the thing, it's that, you know what, we're all Americans.

[07:10:03] We all bleed red. Let's stop with the race stuff. I mean, he comes out and talks to women --

BLACKWELL: Quick --

KREMER: No wait.

BLACKWELL: Go ahead.

KREMER: If he comes out and talks to women, you know, is he going to be accused for reaching out to women? I mean --

BLACKWELL: Is that a bad thing that he's reaching out to women? I mean, you think --

KREMER: No, but that's what I'm saying, is that it's like that he's reaching out.

BLACKWELL: It's not --

KREMER: At least he's reaching out. He's got a diversity coalition.

BLACKWELL: We're going to have the coalition up at 10:30. But I think when you said he's reaching out, how? He talks about African- America in the speech.

But from the reporting there, there aren't many African-Americans there. He's got black pastor who support him, why not go to a black church? He denied the NCAA, he denied the Urban League, he denied the National Association of Black Journalist. If he has this message for African-Americans, say it to a black person in person.

KREMER: Well, this is what I'll say, is that I as a voter want to be an educated voter. I can go to Hillary Clinton's website. I can go to Donald Trump's website and I can see their events. These events are open to anybody, and I encourage all Americans. I don't care what race, what color, your age or anything you are -- you should be paying attention to these candidates and you should attend some of their events. You should read their issues on their website and listen to what they're saying.

He's at least reaching out. He is reaching out, I believe.

BLACKWELL: OK.

KREMER: You have to start a conversation somewhere.

BLACKWELL: And part of the conversation is having the person hoping to speak with on the other end of it.

We'll take a quick break, and we'll start with Hillary Clinton. A. Scott Bolden right after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLACKWELL: Hillary Clinton has 30 days to provide a written answer to questions submitted by conservative watchdog group, that's after they submit those. They got a deadline of October 14. After that group asked to interview her under oath as part of a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit.

The group praised the move. Quote, saying in a statement, "The decision is a reminder that Hillary Clinton is not above the law."

Back with us now, Amy Kremer, and A. Scott Bolden.

[07:15:03] Scott, this e-mail issue continues to dog Secretary Clinton. Her unfavorable numbers still remarkably high when it comes to trustworthiness. I mean, I imagine that the Clinton campaign is concerned that this will continue, an active line here through Election Day?

BOLDEN: Well, it's certainly a concern. But, remember, Victor, these numbers are baked into the polling, and right now, it's not hurting her. She's projected even by CNN to be almost if not exceeding 270 electoral votes.

And so, while it's relevant for the material of the media and the Republicans want to keep it there, she's apologized. She has been cleared by the FBI. More importantly, these questions that the judge, Judge Emmit Sullivan, a fine judge in Washington, D.C., has indicated, listen, there's a lot of information out in the public already. You can ask her the questions.

By the way, Judicial Watch is a right wing Republican driven organization who has been after the Clintons for 20 years since she's been in public life. But there are questions. And she's answered these questions already and she'll answer them again truthfully with veracity and consistent to what she said to the FBI.

And so, again, it's a distraction. And it really isn't going to have any impact or at least has not had any impact on her numbers.

American voters believe, or American voters believe based on the numbers that she's trustworthy enough to be president, and more trustworthy than Donald Trump. That's all that matters.

BLACKWELL: When you get to the more trustworthy than Donald Trump, I think that's -- poll to poll, that those numbers might fluctuate. But let me come to you, for people who say, again, we've gone through the testimony, we've got through the investigation, and now, Judicial Watch is part of this FOIA lawsuit gets her under oath to answer the question of why she set up the system. You say to them what?

KREMER: We should know. I mean, why has this dragged this long? Where are the 33,000 e-mails?

This -- we should have been through this whole thing and be done. It's not like they walked into a courtroom yesterday, got up and filed a lawsuit. And now, all of a sudden, this has been ongoing for a long time. Why are they dragging it out? Why is the State Department release them drip by drip by drip, you know?

I mean, just get it all out there and let the American people decide. We have a right to know. What is there to hide? That's the question. What is there to hide?

And I would say to Scott, being trustworthy enough, that's not enough. We want a commander in chief that we can trust and certainly one that is --

(CROSSTALK)

BLACKWELL: Hold on, Scott. Let her finish.

KREMER: Certainly not a commander in chief that's going to jeopardize our national security and send classified information over an unsecured server that's in a basement or a bathroom. Even an FBI director says that somebody in her position should know that. I mean, o come on. BLACKWELL: Scott, you can respond.

BOLDEN: Well, it's just not reflected in the numbers first of all. Second of all, if you want to talk about qualified to lead this country, Donald Trump never served in political office, never been in a position to lead when he has led on the business front, he's left a travel debt and stiffed several subcontractors.

So, when you think about who's qualified, just look at the polling numbers, even in purple states, more importantly even in red states, his numbers are deplorable, even when Republicans should be at the top of the vote.

KREMER: And, Scott, thankfully, we're in August and those numbers can go up.

BLACKWELLL: Hold on.

BOLDEN: This is a numbers game, right? And trustworthy enough, I don't know. His trustworthy numbers are much higher.

BLACKWELL: All right.

BOLDEN: But trustworthy are baked in the numbers and the voters are speaking with this polling less than 80 days to go.

BLACKWELL: Scott, thanks so much. Amy Kremer, thank you as well. Of course, we'll talk more.

Christi?

PAUL: You know, we have to talk about this warning from pregnant women and their partners. Stay away from parts of Florida's Miami- Dade County. That's according to the director of the CDC.

The advisory comes after five new cases of the Zika virus were traced to a 1.5-square mile of Miami Beach.

CNN senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen is in Miami and she has some details on how the residents there is taking this news.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Victor, Christi, this is an unprecedented travel warning and that's because this is an unprecedented situation. Here in South Florida, they got what is called local transmission of Zika. That means that people are getting bit by mosquitoes in Florida and getting Zika. These people who are getting Zika, they didn't travel to Latin America, ore the Caribbean, they contracted the disease here. So, that's why the CDC is saying don't go to these two specific neighborhoods in the Miami area and consider postponing travel to the entire county.

Now, what does that mean for people who are living here? I've been talking to obstetrician who treat patients locally and they say, look, people are nervous. They're not freaked out, but they're nervous. Some people who are really nervous have actually left the area.

[07:20:01] But that's pretty unusual. But they say that a lot of pregnant ladies have decided that they're going to stay indoors as much as possible -- Victor, Christi.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PAUL: All right. Elizabeth, thank you so much.

Now, one gymnast performance in Rio, an awful lot of people asking, is she the best ever? Simone Biles says her dreams came true.

Coy Wire says she has some great stories to tell.

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: I sat down with the high flying Simone Biles. Wait until you hear what they're going to do when they get back home to the states. You're not going to believe it, coming up on NEW DAY.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PAUL: Twenty-three minutes past the hour.

Have you ever heard of a triple-triple? That's because it never happened. Until now, the man who accomplished that feat, Jamaican Usain Bolt, he won his fourth gold medal in Rio, becoming the only man to win a 100-meter, 200-meter and a relay in three straight Olympics.

In that relay, the U.S. team initially won the bronze but were disqualified for an early baton exchange.

All righty. And American sprinter Allyson Felix adds to her record- setting medal haul, we should say, collecting the fifth goal of her Olympic career.

Coy Wire is live in Rio with all of the highlights.

I understand you had a conversation with her?

WIRE: Yes, she's such an enticing individual. So pleasant, Christi. Kind of like you, 30-year-old Allyson Felix came down to be with the current Team USA's most decorated female athlete ever.

[07:25:06] Yesterday, she added to that stack of medals, the American women's 4x100 meter relay, defending their gold medal from the 2012 games in London with authority, the second fastest time ever. The Allyson Felix now the first woman in history, Christi, to collect five gold medals in track and field. Not Jackie Joyner-Kersee, not Flo-Jo.

And she's not done. She's back on the track on the 4x400 meter final tonight. Outstanding stuff from here.

Now, I got to sit down with Simone Biles. They're saying she's the most dominant gymnast the world has ever seen. One thing I've learned about her is she is just as dynamic outside of the sport as in it. The one and only, the humble and kind, Simone Biles. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WIRE: Four gold medals. You're going to compete in 30-plus cities after this. You're going on talk shows to talk about gymnastics. What's the first thing you're going to do when you get home, completely unrelated?

SIMONE BILES, 4-TIME OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALIST: Well, we actually fly to New York directly after Rio after the closing ceremonies. And us girls, we all want to throw a huge pizza party and then watch the team finals because we haven't been able to watch any of our routines yet.

WIRE: Now, all of your help came from here. You met Zac Efron, you have a leotard, you have a cutout. How did actually meeting him compared with how you always imagined it could be?

BILES: Oh, gosh, I thought I would like die if I met him. Then I got to meet him and I thought I was going to die. It was the same exact feeling except I didn't die. Just thought I was going to die. The girls kept asking, Simone, are you okay? Are you okay? I said, I think I'm okay. I think I'm okay.

But it was amazing and it was just like awesome how genuine he was that he could fly way over here for us. To come to see us compete.

WIRE: Now, be honest, were you more nervous meeting or going out there on that floor and performing?

BILES: I was definitely more nervous meeting him. My hands were like shaking. I didn't even know what to say. I was like I'm probably weird.

WIRE: Has anyone given you advice about how intense it is going to be when you go to the shows and talk about your accomplishments? And if so, what did they say?

BILES: Alley and Gabby guide us through all of that and tell us how crazy it's going to get and just to make sure you keep your family and friends close, because you'll go through a hard time because everyone is just surrounding you and it's really hard. And everyone is you're like, you feel like you're on a snow glow. And so, they just said is, once you have each other, you'll have everything.

WIRE: Maybe 2020 in Tokyo?

BILES: I guess. After we take a break, and we get our mind off of gymnastics and reward ourselves with vacations and stuff like that, then we'll get back to a gym and put some work on.

WIRE: So, we might be seeing you in four years?

BILES: Yes.

WIRE: Ooh.

(END VIDEO CLIP) WIRE: All right. So, I've been quizzing these Olympians with a quirky quiz inside the mind. It's on Twitter @coywire. Everything from favorite word, the least favorite sound, the biggest pet peeve, Christi, she's fine. She's funny and candid like you have never seen. Give it a look.

PAUL: I'm just glad you told everybody I was 30 years old at the top of this block. Thank you, Coy. I'll take it.

(LAUGHTER)

PAUL: See you later.

We'll talk to him later, Victor.

BLACKWELL: All right. Thank you both.

Let's go now to Louisiana, the water there is receding. And we're getting now, new images, though, of the destruction left behind. And now, with at least 40,000 homes damaged. The state is facing some tough times in its recovery.

Paolo Sandoval is following the latest for us.

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Victor, it's difficult to imagine here. It's been seven days since that rain start and yet some the water remains in that neighborhood, including here at the entrance of Ascension Parish in southern Louisiana. And now, new numbers suggesting this will likely be one the costliest events in U.S. history.

Coming up next, we'll explain why.

PAUL: Thirty and 15-year mortgage rates fell this week. Five-year adjustable inched up. Here's your look.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:32:42] CHRISTI PAUL, CNN ANCHOR: It's always good to have your company on a Saturday morning. I'm Christi Paul.

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Victor Blackwell. Good morning to you.

Catastrophe strikes in Louisiana with thousands losing everything in this historic flood. And look at this, more storms, flash flooding expected to hit the state again today.

PAUL: Just look at what they are finding there. We know at least 13 people have died, 40,000 homes have been damaged. Not clear how many can even be prepared. And the Red Cross telling CNN at least 7,000 people are in their shelters, alone. Thousands more don't have power.

BLACKWELL: This storm dumped three times as much rain as Hurricane Katrina. Consider that. And the Red Cross is calling this the worst natural disaster since Hurricane Sandy four years ago. Our Polo Sandoval joins us live from Baton Rouge.

Polo, we understand having seen similar disasters that it could be weeks or months before this community can recover. And in some cases, before it can really start.

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Victor, as you put it, not only will that turn out to be one of the worst or the costliest. We're going to break down those numbers for you in just a few seconds.

But, first, as you can see behind me, the situation here on the ground in southern Louisiana is far from over from people who live in and around some of these neighborhoods here now. Many people here hoping that a visit from President Obama expected early next week will really shed more attention on what people here are struggling with.

And I can tell you, Victor, having seen this not only from the ground but also up in the air, there's two very different post-flooding situations and scenes that are playing out here. You have the neighborhoods a little bit to the north of where we are here, the entrance to Ascension Parish. Those neighborhoods, the water has receded and making their way back to homes, basically gutting the first floors of their residences and throwing out anything that was affected by the floodwaters.

And then you have the sort of the southern regions here, many places still understand underwater right now. Many people not able to make it to their homes to see what if anything was left.

And now, some of these early numbers that had been released by the local Chamber of Commerce suggesting that at least 15 percent of the homes in the affected area were actually insured for flooding, which means the rest, or the people who were deeply affected by this would have to rely on the federal government, some of these FEMA funds.

[07:35:09] And we know at least 87,000 people have applied for that assistance, because at this point, Christi, that's the only hope that people have because, as you've talked to folks here. Many who have lived here for 40, 50, 60 years have never seen this kind of flooding. They had no reason to actually get that flooding insurance. That's what we're going to be seeing, long-term, the financial effects for this region which are great.

And, of course, there's also the need here, the last thing I should mention, after touring the area with the head of the national guards, a newly promoted chief here. We've heard, over and over, as some of the commanders told them that the need for food and water is as great as we saw with Hurricane Katrina.

BLACKWELL: As we said before your shot, still more flash flooding possible today. Polo Sandoval there for us, thanks so much.

PAUL: That flooding disaster in Louisiana, it's going into the campaign trail in a way. Donald Trump and Mike Pence being praised by some in the states for touring the flood damage yesterday. Those same people are blasting President Obama for not cutting short his summer vacation in Martha's Vineyard.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're glad you're not playing golf in Martha's Vineyard, that's all we can say. We're glad you're not playing golf.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Definitely means a lot for showing up here, buddy.

(CROSSTALK)

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: Somebody is.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL: Just a glimpse of some of the conversations that were being had there. Let's talk about that contrast with the state's lieutenant governor, Billy Nungesser, who is on the line for us.

Lieutenant Governor, before I even get to that, I want to ask you from your perspective, these are the people you represent. This is your home. What is your most urgent need right now and how is everybody holding up?

LT. GOV. BILLY NUNGESSER, LOUISIANA (via telephone): Well, we're trying to get supplies to those people in their homes. We have all new volunteers and faith-based groups starting to help people get to their homes. But as you saw, we still have areas that are flooded.

We're responding to homes, trying to keep as many dry with sand bags, getting some of those people out. But it's across 20 parishes, it's a large event. So responding to different segments of it at different levels of this catastrophe.

PAUL: Do you have any idea, as I understand it, a lot of these people didn't have flood insurance because this is an area that is not in the flood zone. Can the state help in any way?

NUNGESSER: Well, we're hoping, as we saw after Katrina, a lot of people have been made whole by FEMA. Those laws will change. The maximum you will get is a little over 30,000, if you did have flood insurance. Some of these people as I heard early on in your program, 40, 50 years, lived in a home and never flooded. When you're juggling bills, it's hard to do that. It's going to take faith-based groups, volunteers to get people homes and make them whole.

PAUL: All right. So good to have that information, lieutenant governor, we appreciate it.

But I want to skip now from what we were talking about earlier here. I understand were you there to greet Donald Trump and Mike Pence when they arrived in Louisiana yesterday. What did you make of their visit and impact it may have had?

NUNGESSER: Well, I think as you saw people route and into the homes, to see a presidential candidate come down here. It lifts them up. It makes them seem that he cares. And I think anytime public official as a governor or myself goes into

those communities they know they're not forgotten. It's a great boost to those communities. We applaud anybody to come down and bring attention to this catastrophe, because it's going to take a lot of help in the way of donations and volunteers to make Louisiana whole.

PAUL: Yes, Governor John Bel Edwards said that he didn't even want President Obama to get there yet. He would prefer he waited, so they could logistically deal with what they were dealing with, not have to get into the weeds dealing with security and some of the things that may complicate the resources, getting to the people in need at that point if the president didn't make that trip.

Do you think that President Obama is being fairly criticized for not stepping foot in Louisiana just yet?

NUNGESSER: You know, my concern is getting Louisiana back whole. I met with President Obama when I was the parish president many times during the oil spill. And I've heard now that he is going to visit Louisiana. I think any attention we can get on a national level to how bad this flooding is will help Louisiana recover.

So, I personally invite anybody to come that wants to lend a hand and bring attention to this horrible event.

PAUL: All right. Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser, we so appreciate your time and certainly wishing and the crews down there and all you folks the very best.

[07:40:03] Thank you.

NUNGESSER: Well, thank you for your help. Y'all have a great day.

PAUL: You, too.

BLACKWELL: Well, it doesn't seem that the robbery scandal involving Ryan Lochte and other swimmers isn't going away anytime soon. While he is apologizing, he still saying a gunman demanded money at gunpoint.

Brynn Gingras is following the story from Charlotte outside his home to clear things up for us.

BRYNN GINGRAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Victor, another member of the USA Swimming Team is also apologizing and putting some of the blame on Lochte. So, we'll have that. Plus, more on what could happen as far as disciplinary action for these four men.

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PAUL: Forty-four minutes past the hour.

And more problems for Ryan Lochte and his teammates this morning. According to Reuters, the International Olympic Committee disciplinary commission to investigate. And this comes as one of Lochte's teammates Gunnar Bentz gave his own account of how things went down.

CNN's Brynn Gingras was live in Charlotte, North Carolina, where Lochte lives by the way.

So, we've seen the apology from the swimmers. Any indication that Lochte will react to what Gunnar said?

GINGRAS: You know, Christi, we've been checking his Instagram and Twitter just trying to see if he does respond. That's where he's putting out his statements at this point. But, yes, Gunnar Bentz's apology yesterday that came after Ryan Lochte's was very detailed and it did point a finger a lot at Lochte.

Now, just to give you a description, Gunnar is one of those boys, men, who were taken off the plane after headed back to the U.S.

[07:45:07] In his apology, he said that he was only a witness during this whole thing, and that's how Rio authorities characterized him when he gave his statement. And he really explained in his statement exactly what he told authorities. And again, he pointed a lot of that blame at Ryan Lochte, saying Ryan Lochte is one that tore up the sign at the gas station.

Also let me created a quote exactly what he said. He said that, "I cannot spoke to his actions, but Ryan stood up and began to yell at the guards after Jack and I both tugged at him in an attempt to get him to sit back down, Ryan and the security guards had a heated verbal exchange but no physical contact was made."

Of course that was different than what Lochte had been saying from the original time Ryan spoke about this incident. Ryan's statement sort of cleared up a little bit yesterday, saying that he apologized for not or what exactly his version was, and also being more responsible as being the oldest one of the group involved in the incident.

So, yes, we're getting all of these statements, sort of what we were getting from the very beginning of this. Will these apologies even matter. That's the big question at this point, because we know the International Olympic Committee, we know the U.S. Olympic Committee and USA swimming, they're all looking at this incident carefully. They say it's against their code of conduct. And now the question is will disciplinary action follow for these four men. That's what we're still waiting to hear from.

PAUL: Not only that, you look at how people are reacting, just in general, people who are fans, a blistering op-ed in "The Washington Post." and the "Chicago Tribune" this morning calling him stupid, calling him the dumbest bell that ever rang. Just have to wait and see what happens from a legal standpoint. But also from a social standpoint and what happens.

Brynn Gingras, appreciate it. Thank you.

Victor?

BLACKWELL: Let's go to the west coast where the Blue Cut fire is spreading. We've got the latest on the fire San Bernardino that has destroyed nearly 100 homes.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I didn't want to leave, because I didn't want to be in that rural valley with all of that smoke. It was like we were trapped.

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[07:51:02] PAUL: Well, the Blue Cut fire in southern California is something we have been watching now. It has torched nearly 40,000 acres. This was so fast.

BLACKWELL: Yes, 40,000 acres and nearly 100 homes are gone, too. Also a piece of history has been lost.

Here's CNN's Paul Vercammen.

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CECIL STEVENS, FORMER OWNER OF SUMMIT INN: A gumball machine over there.

PAUL VERCAMMEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Cecil Stevens is the long-time owner of the Summit Inn before he sold it a month ago can't believe the Blue Cut fire torched his life's work.

STEVENS: It makes me sick to my stomach, because I know every button that was there, I know every light switch, every pipe. After 50 years, you would have to repair half that stuff.

VERCAMMEN: That's right, a half century of an old hangout on Route 66. Steven bought the Summit Inn Friday the 13th in 1966, shut down the motel and focused on food and the history of the famed route from Chicago to the Pacific Ocean. Cecil and his wife became the mom and pop stop for Route 66 worshippers, even locals obsessed with both.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There been many times I would sit at the bar right there having coffee when it was snowing and said, I'm not going to work.

VERCAMMEN: Smoldering tales in these ashes that celebrities rolled through here, too, including Elvis Presley. The king reportedly saw Cecil's jukebox didn't offer a single one of his records.

STEVENS: He said, maybe next time I come in here you'll have one of my records on. And you can believe when I came back, I went out and got a record right away and it was on the jukebox.

VERCAMMEN: Music serenaded generations of people who pulled off the road to eat to the ostrich burger to banana splits, to the popular the hillbilly burger.

What is a hillbilly burger? UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That was sourdough bread, with a hamburger, and

lettuce, tomato, union. It was really good. It was delicious.

STEVENS: It was a meal in itself.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was huge.

VERCAMMEN: The kitchen is now a pile of charred heartbreak, but perhaps a good omen that some inside still stands. Owners say they will rebuild and recapture every charming inch of the Cecil Stevens' American treasure.

Paul Vercammen, CNN, Hesperia, California.

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PAUL: At the top of the hour, it's a new era for Donald Trump, perhaps, with multiple changes inside the campaign this week. They're apparently trying a new approach to reach out to African-American voters specifically.

BLACKWELL: Plus, we have seen athletes win gold, silver and bronze in Rio. An inside look at how the medals are made.

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[07:57:07] PAUL: So, those shiny gold medals you see on the podium, they are made with a secret ingredient.

BLACKWELL: Yes, the gold medals -- they are not actually solid gold, maybe you knew that, but they have not been for 100 years.

Here's CNN's Rosa Flores with a look at how the Olympic gold medals are made and how much they are worth.

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NELSON NETO CARNEIRO (translated): My name is Nelson Neto Carneiro, and I sculpted the mold for the --

ROSA FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The Rio Olympic medals were made in secret inside the Brazilian Mint. Carneiro is one of the people who worked nonstop to make more than 5,000 shiny beauties for the Rio Olympics since (INAUDIBLE)

CARNEIRO: I feel privileged because --

FLORES: Sculpting the mold alone is a process that took two weeks. He says he used hand precision tools instead of a computer to have more control over the design. Once the hand-sculpted mold was scanned into a computer, a computer-controlled cutting machine etched the metallic mold and factory workers struck the gold with 550 tons of force, horse three times to create the coveted symbols of victory.

The gold medals go through an extra step known as the bath of gold. You see, the gold medals are actually made of 494 grams of silver and six grams of gold. The melted market value of the gold and silver inside the gold medal is worth $587. The last time an Olympic gold medal was made of pure gold was during the 1912 Summer Olympics in Sweden.

CARNEIRO: Better still, I'll be getting three medals.

FLORES: But for the athletes, just like for the makers of the medals like Carneiro, it's not what the medals are worth in gold, it's about the achieved dreams they represent.

Rosa Flores, CNN, Rio de Janeiro.

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PAUL: So coveted, no doubt about it.

There's so much news to talk to you about this morning.

BLACKWELL: The next hour of your NEW DAY starts right now.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TRUMP: What do you have to lose?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Donald Trump making a passionate pitch to African-American voters.

HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: They can make him read new words from a teleprompter. But he is still the same man.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Five individuals have already been confirmed connected to the Miami Beach area.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What if you are a pregnant woman living in that neighborhood? Can you imagine the emotional tool that was taken on you?