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Hurricane's Life-Threatening Rip Currents and Surf Hit East Coast; Target CEO Stepping Down Amid Slumping Sales; California Democrats Advance Redistricting Plan in Response to Texas GOP. Aired 10-10:30a ET

Aired August 20, 2025 - 10:00   ET

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

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[10:00:00]

PAMELA BROWN, CNN ANCHOR: Happening now, breaking news, thrashing the East Coast. Right now, destructive waves and dangerous storm surge from Hurricane Erin. And in moments, we will hear from the North Carolina governor.

Massive explosion shopping video of a gas line rupturing sending (INAUDIBLE) debris flying this morning. Multiple firefighters are still in the hospital.

And painting the wall black, why the border wall is changing color, specifically at the request of President Trump.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Fireball in Ukraine, another Russian attack, lighting and inferno, the massive blaze scorching multiple, multiple buildings.

Plus Target's CEO is stepping down, slumping sales and customers turning away as the company struggles.

And later, joining TikTok, the White House is now on the social media platform as President Trump does a 180 on the app.

Welcome to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. I'm Wolf Blitzer with Pamela Brown and you're in The Situation Room.

We begin this morning with breaking news. Right now, Hurricane Erin is whipping up dangerous surf and life-threatening rip currents along much of the East Coast. This is video from the outer banks of North Carolina as a surge of water surrounds homes, and an oceanfront motel.

This is drone video showing powerful waves chewing into the beach and endangering homes on North Carolina's coast. The sprawling hurricane will not make landfall in the U.S., but is still very dangerous. Parts of the outer banks are under mandatory evacuation orders and dozens of swimmers have ignored the warnings and have had to be rescued.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SAM PROFFITT, DIRECTOR, WRIGHTSVILLE BEACH OCEAN RESCUE: This is, like I said, the first time, to my knowledge, we have ever done an emergency authorization like this. Just --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE).

PROFFITT: Rescue right there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: from Wrightsville Beach in North Carolina, CNN Correspondent Michael Yoshida has the latest.

MICHAEL YOSHIDA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Here in Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina, there's big concern for dangerous surf and dangerous rip currents that are in and around all of these waves. A no swimming advisory has been issued. But still, this morning, you could see, we have some swimmers, some surfers out in the water. That's the last thing that local officials want to see after a week that's already had dozens and dozens of water rescues.

The director for Ocean Rescue here in Wrightsville Beach told me that on Monday they did around 60 or so water rescues. Tuesday, they had more than a dozen. And he says the big concern here is, one, the amount of the rip currents they're seeing up and down the coast, but also the unprecedented strength of them, saying these are massive rivers of water that are pulling swimmers out and that they're also very wide this time around, saying some of these rip currents are a block or two wide, impacting not just one or two swimmers, but six, seven or eight that are being dragged out and needing to be rescued.

Again, that's why this no swim advisory was put into place. Wrightsville Beach is one of many communities up and down the East Coast that are urging people to stay out of the water. But it's been a challenge. The director of Ocean Rescue saying this really is sort of a perfect storm for them, where people, whether they're residents, tourists, hear that this storm is way off the coast. They see the ocean, they feel the warmth, see the sun, and think it's totally fine to go in, and, again, already dozens of rescues this week.

The concern is these conditions will continue today and into the next few days, and that's why officials are urging everyone, don't be like those we've seen this morning going out into the water. If you can do one favor, protect yourself, but also protect the lifeguards that are still out on these beaches. They say, please listen to the advisories, stay out of the water, at least, again, for the next few days. Pam, Wolf?

BLITZER: All right. Michael Yoshida, thank you very much for that report. Pamela?

BROWN: All right, Wolf. Let's go live now to CNN Meteorologist Allison Chinchar. Allison, this storm is almost 600 miles across and some beaches could see waves as high as 28 feet.

[10:05:00]

Tell us more. ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes. So, the concern with a storm like this is actually its size because it's growing, it's increasing in size. And the larger it gets, the more impacts it can provide, even from hundreds of miles away. Take a look at this again, knowing how far the storm is, but it's pushing all of these very strong waves and all of that water on shore. And this is what it's likely going to do over the next 36 to 48 hours.

Another concern too, is what the storm is doing right now. In fact, if you look at these last couple of frames, notice it's trying to develop another eye. Usually, this is a sign of it's trying to strengthen, it's trying to get itself together. We don't anticipate this to get anywhere near as strong as it was over the weekend. But one thing we do know for sure is that it is going to continue to get larger in the next 24 hours. By doing that, that wind field is going to expand, allowing some of those outer bands to be able to reach places like Bermuda and much of the U.S. East Coast.

So, the concern is really just the next 24 to 36 hours as it slides between both the U.S. and Bermuda. At its closest point, it's going to be roughly 200 miles offshore from North Carolina. That's close enough to trigger some of those very gusty winds from the outer bands, some heavy rain, but also too, all of that water then gets pushed on shore. And you get it in the form of storm surge, but you also get it in the form of very dangerous rip currents that can impact a lot of folks here pretty much up and down the entire eastern seaboard before this thing finally pushes well out to sea.

BROWN: All right. Allison Chinchar, thanks so much. Wolf? And there's breaking news, other breaking news we're following this morning. The Target CEO, Brian Cornell, is stepping down after 11 years with the company, his departure, which was widely expected, as customers are now turning away from the store. Target's stock is among the worst performing companies in the U.S. right now. The S&P 500 this year showing it's way, way down, down more than 20 percent, I should say, to be specific.

Let's go live right now to CNN Business and Politics Correspondent Vanessa Yurkevich. Vanessa, what else led to Cornell's exit?

VANESSA YURKEVICH, CNN BUSINESS AND POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, the CEO is out. The CEO is now stepping in. Brian Cornell, who has led the company for more than a decade through some of the company's best years, but most recently, through some of the worst years, really not able to dig the company out of the hole. So, now you have Michael Fiddelke, the CEO, stepping into that position on February 1st.

Investors were hoping that Target was going to bring in a fresh face, but the company said after an exhaustive search, they're going with one of their own. You can see shares of Target's, excuse me, Target stock right now down about 11 percent earlier in today, 8 percent down right now. This is also because of slumping sales. They reported another quarter of sales decline. You have customers pulling back.

But you also had in the beginning of this year, Wolf, a boycott by many of Target's core customers who were really upset with the brand after they rolled back their DEI initiatives. The brand was known for being LGBTQ-focused and putting a lot of that branding front and center. They pulled back on that and then consumers pulled back.

Also, tariffs, headwinds facing the company. Listen to outgoing CEO, Brian Cornell, on what happened with tariffs with the company.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRIAN CORNELL, CEO, TARGET: As one of the largest importers in the country, the prospect of higher tariffs meant we were facing some major financial and operational hurdles as we entered the year. This was further complicated by the multiple changes in tariff policies that had been announced and implemented as the year had progressed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

YURKEVICH: And that was Brian Cornell earlier this morning on the company's earnings call.

Now, listen, the company did say they were able to mitigate as best they could, these tariff pressures, but 50 percent of the inventory that they sell us manufactured abroad. So, that's being hit with tariffs. Also, 50 percent of all inventory they sell is discretionary, and that's usually where consumers pull back first.

So, a double-whammy for the company there, Target saying that they're hoping to turn things around in the next couple years and looking to do so, Wolf, with this new incoming CEO.

BLITZER: We'll see if that happens. Vanessa Yurkevich, thank you very, very much. Pamela?

BROWN: Well, Wolf, happening now, California Republicans are suing to stop Democrats in that state from moving forward with their plans to redraw Congressional districts ahead of next year's midterm elections. The Democratic push is in retaliation for Texas Republicans' redistricting efforts at President Trump's request. And the Texas House of Representatives is set to convene in less than an hour from now.

So let's go live to CNN's Arlette Saenz right there in Austin, Texas. Arlette, what will we see happen next on redistricting there?

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Pamela, the Texas House is set to reconvene in just under an hour, and Republicans are hoping they can begin voting on that redistricting bill, though the exact timeline for passage through the House and Senate still remains in flux.

[10:10:00]

Now, when these lawmakers come back into that house chamber, that will kick off the debate and amendment process. It's expected that could last for several hours. And Democrats plan to use their time to try to make their case against this bill as they're preparing for those legal fights that they will be waging in the courts in the coming weeks to try to stop this bill from going into effect.

There's also an opportunity for Republicans and Democrats to introduce amendments, and State Representative Gene Wu, who leads the Texas House Democrats, has announced that he will be filing an amendment that will only allow these Congressional maps to go into effect if all of the Epstein files are released.

Now, while it's unlikely that type of amendment is going to pass. Democrats are hoping it could put Republicans in a tough political spot with the vote. But for the time being, it does appear that these maps are on track to pass sometime in the coming days as Republicans have pushed through this effort that could net them as many as five U.S. House seats once these Congressional maps are approved.

BROWN: All right. Arlette Saenz, thanks so much. Wolf?

BLITZER: All right, Pamela. New this morning, as diplomatic efforts to end the warn Ukraine clearly accelerate Russia's continuing to pummel the country with devastating attacks, almost nonstop. Dramatic video out of the port city of Odesa shows skies filled with fire after an overnight drone strike on one of Ukraine's fuel and energy facilities. Ukrainian officials say one person was injured in the attack. We're monitoring all of this for you.

Also new this morning, President Trump is ordering a full review of one of the nation's most cherished museums after saying it focuses too much on, quote, how bad slavery was. And he wrote this, the Smithsonian is out of control where everything discussed is how horrible our country is, how bad slavery was, and how unaccomplished the downtrodden have been, nothing about success, nothing about brightness, nothing about the future, and we are not going to allow this to happen. And I have instructed my attorneys to go through the museums and start the exact same process that has been done with colleges and universities, end quote.

For more on this, I want to bring in Ibram X. Kendi, a professor of History at Howard University here in Washington. Ibram, thanks so much for joining us.

First of all, what's your reaction to this latest post about the Smithsonian from President Trump?

IBRAM X. KENDI, HISTORY PROFESSOR, HOWARD UNIVERSITY: Well, first, I would say most of our public museums in the United States actually do not show how truly bad slavery was. Because I think most Americans can't handle just the sheer agony, the sheer terror, the sheer violence it took to keep people enslaved their whole lives laboring against their will or to -- you know, most Americans can't really handle the agony of seeing children taken from their parents, you know, or seeing the amount of terror that was required to keep millions of people enslaved. And so that to me as a historian is actually what's quite interesting about this notion that it shows it's, you know, this the way that this Smithsonian is presenting slavery.

BLITZER: I want you to listen to that, Professor, to what President Trump actually said, I remember this back in 2017, during his first term, he had just been elected president when he visited the National Museum of African American History and Culture here in Washington. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: This museum is a beautiful tribute to so many American heroes.

It's amazing to see. I went we did a pretty comprehensive tour, but not comprehensive enough. So, Lonnie, I'll be back. I told you that, because I could stay here for a lot longer. Believe me, it's really incredible.

This tour was a meaningful reminder of why we have to fight bigotry, intolerance and hatred in all of its very ugly forms.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: So, what do you think, Professor? What do you think changed from then back in 2017 to now?

KENDI: So, what changed is the problem. And so now this president is insinuating that the problem is, are those people who are trying to accurately render this nation's past, while back in 2017, the quote/unquote, problem was much more -- was different. And I think -- so the politics of the now, the politics, you know, of this moment has been to essentially defend enslavers, has been to make it seem as if slavery wasn't that bad, to make it seem as if everyone was against slavery when in actuality most Americans who were anti-slavery, whereas rare and ridiculed as Americans today who are striving to be anti-racist.

[10:15:14]

Ibram X. Kendi, thanks so much for joining us, professor of History at Howard University here in Washington. Pamela?

BROWN: Important perspective.

All right, happening now, National Guard troops from West Virginia are arriving in Washington, D.C., and will patrol the streets of the nation's capital as soon as today. This is just the latest escalation of President Trump's federalization of the city's law enforcement that he says will reduce crime. And now the Justice Department is investigating whether D.C. crime stats were manipulated.

So, I want to bring in CNN's Brian Todd. You've been covering this story from the very beginning, Brian, what is the justification for this investigation?

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it stems from an investigation into one police commander, Pamela. We're going to get to that in a second. Let's give you the basics of what the investigation is entailing. According to two sources who spoke to CNN, the Justice Department is investigating whether the Washington Metropolitan Police actually manipulated crime data. That investigation stems from an investigation into a commander of the D.C. Metropolitan Police who was placed on administrative leave amid accusations that the department was falsifying crime data in one district, marking offenses as lower level crimes than they actually might have been.

Now, here's what we have on overall crime data in the city. From last year to this year, this is according to the Metropolitan D.C. Police Department. Violent crime is down 27 percent from a year ago. Assault with a dangerous weapon is down 19 percent. Robbery is down 30 percent, violent crime, as we mentioned, down 27 percent, and property crime is down 5 percent.

Now, the Justice Department has declined to comment to CNN regarding this investigation. We reached out to the office of Mayor Muriel Bowser and to the D.C. Police Department for comment on this Justice Department investigation. The police department didn't get back to us, but I just got a text from an aide to Mayor Bowser citing a, quote, from her guys in a recent interview with another news outlet, saying that what the reporting revealed is that the chief of police had concerns about one commander investigated all seven districts and verified that the concern was with one person. So, we are completing that investigation and we don't believe it implicates many cases. The mayor is saying that they found anomalies in just one district.

But the Trump administration has taken that and has escalated this overall political fight in the district over crime and said that we're going to investigate this. They believe that the D.C. police are manipulating crime data. They're investigating it. This is what the mayor just has said about this.

So, again, there's pushing and pushback, as always, and this fight escalates. And we have to remind people, this all started because of one incident on the morning of August 3rd on his early on a Sunday morning, an attack on a former DOGE member, a 19-year-old Edward Coristine. He was mugged in a failed carjacking attempt. Ever since that day, President Trump has been on this tear about how violent crime has been rampant in D.C., D.C. officials pushing back hard on that. But now you've got, as you've just reported, and you see the pictures, thousands of National Guard troops on the streets of D.C. And it happens in less than three weeks' time.

BROWN: Yes. You were just driving into work at Union Station, Wolf. We were talking about that.

BLITZER: Union Station here in the nation's capital, you see humvees, armored personnel carriers and a lot of National Guard troops at Union Station, very visible.

TODD: Tell us what it reminded you of.

BLITZER: It reminded me of when I used to cover wars, for example, when I was in Baghdad, I would drive by a train station in Baghdad, see armor personnel carriers, U.S. troops monitoring what was going on in Mosul, in Iraq. And all of a sudden here in the nation's capital, I'm seeing armor, personnel carriers, and humvees and a lot of military personnel walking around Union Station. It just was something that was not very pleasant. TODD: Right, Wolf.

BROWN: Brian Todd, thank you so much.

BLITZER: All right. New this morning, the Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem says the southern border wall will now be painted black to deter people from climbing it during hot weather. She even took part in the painting yesterday. Watch this and listen to what she said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KRISTI NOEM, HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: -- no nation at all. And we're so thankful that we have a president that understands that and understands that a secure border is important to our country's future.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: According to Noem, the request for the wall to be painted black specifically came from President Trump. Pamela?

BROWN: All right. Well, there it is.

Still ahead, right here in The Situation Room, a massive explosion rocks a North Carolina business. What's behind the blast that set three firefighters to the hospital?

You're in The Situation Room.

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[10:20:00]

BROWN: We are watching and waiting for an update from North Carolina officials on Hurricane Erin, and, of course, we'll bring that to you live when it happens.

The East Coast is already feeling Hurricane Erin's wrath. Here on your screen, you can see dangerous surf crashing into the outer banks of North Carolina and threatening ocean front homes. Rip currents are also a huge threat to swimmers and surfers. Dozens of people have already had to be rescued over the last couple of days just in Wrightsville Beach alone.

BLITZER: And the worst conditions we are now told are still yet to come.

Joining us now is Drew Pearson, the director of the Dare County Emergency Management in North Carolina. Thanks very much for joining us on this very, very busy day.

[10:25:00]

I know you have a lot going on. What's your biggest concern right now, Drew?

DREW PEARSON, DIRECTOR, DARE COUNTY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT: Wolf and Pam, thanks for having me. Our biggest concern right now is the life- threatening ocean conditions that are out there. People need to stay out of the ocean. In Dare County, we have a swinging prohibition in place. We did it as part of our state of emergency declaration that is enforceable. So, we're lucky we haven't had as many rescues as Wrightsville Beaches had.

Our next threat is what's coming with a high tide. We're anticipating two to four feet of life threatening storm surge on with breaking waves of up to 15 feet on top. That is going to push water into our communities. The images you're seeing are only going to get worse.

We have mandatory evacuation in place. We ready for what's going to come. We consult can the people --

BROWN: I'm going to pause you right there because Governor Stein, Drew, is speaking right now. So, let's listen in.

GOV. JOSH STEIN (D-NC): -- from massive waves, tropical storm force winds, and tidal and storm surge for much of the state shoreline, especially the outer bank, outer banks from this evening through Thursday, life-threatening rip currents for most of the week. No one should be in the ocean. An extensive beach erosion along much of the coast.

Local states of emergency have been declared in Currituck County, Dare County, and Hyde County. Mandatory evacuations are in place for Ocracoke and Hatteras Islands. If you are under an evacuation order, take action now before it's too late. You can find shelter at the state operated disaster shelter located at 113 Wilcox Street in Warrenton, North Carolina. Pets are allowed at the shelter.

I want to thank Warren County Emergency Management for hosting the shelter guests and the general assembly for helping to fund it.

Yesterday, I declared a state of emergency across North Carolina to facilitate our emergency response and to keep you safe. The statewide state of emergency enables us to send critical resources from across the state and around the country to respond. We've activated across agency storm response that includes the Department of Public Safety, the Department of Transportation, the North Carolina National Guard, the State Highway Patrol, and many local partners.

Our state emergency response team stands ready to quickly and decisively respond to any needs along the coast. We have already pre- positioned three swift water rescue teams and 200 National Guard troops to various locations on the coast, along with boats, high clearance vehicles and aircraft. We have on standby some Chinooks from Georgia ready to transport food and water if it becomes necessary.

Momentarily, you will hear from Director Ray about the hurricane and our emergency response operations. Right now, I want to emphasize the importance of taking this storm seriously because it's a serious storm and conditions can deteriorate quickly.

Please take these steps to ensure your safety. First, stay informed. Follow reputable sources of information, like the National Weather Service and local media so you know the latest about the storm risks. I strongly encourage you to register online right now for emergency text and phone alerts from your county emergency management agency.

Second, get your disaster kit ready. Think about what you would need after a major storm, things like enough food, water, and supplies for three to five days for each person and pet in your household, a flashlight and fresh batteries, a battery-operated radio.

Next, have a plan. In case you have to evacuate. Build a go-bag of cash, prescriptions, phone chargers, and important documents like insurance policies and other personal and financial records. Take photos of whatever you own that is valuable in case it gets destroyed. Know your evacuation plan and how to connect with your family after the storm. Write down their phone numbers on a piece of paper if you have not memorized them. Visit knowyourzone.nc.gov for more information.

And, finally, do not drive through flood waters. Too many people have died driving into flooded roadways. Don't do it. You do not know how deep the water is or how fast it is running. So, please don't drown. Turn around. We do not want you to become a casualty of Hurricane Erin.

With ocean overwash, we anticipate impacts to our roadways especially, NC Highway 12. For the most up-to-date roadway information, visit drivenc.gov. For more information about the storm, preparations, evacuation orders, open shelters, or other important tips, visit readync.gov/erin.

[10:30:00]

Our American sign language interpreters today are marked --

BROWN: -- state of emergency ahead of Hurricane Erin --