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Bridgit Stone-Budd is Interviewed about Riding Out the Storm; Orlando Prepares for Milton; Sandra Tapfumaneyi is Interviewed about Sarasota County; Karoline Leavitt is Interviewed about Trump's Comments; Chris Wallace is Interviewed about His New Book. Aired 8:30- 9a ET

Aired October 09, 2024 - 08:30   ET

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

[08:30:00]

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, and, Kate, even with warnings like that and demonstrations like that, there are some people who are choosing to ride out the storm.

With us now is Bridgit Stone-Budd, who lives on Sanibel Island.

And we should note, Sanibel was cut off from Hurricane Ian. I mean you've been through things like this before yet you are choosing to stay with storm surges that could reach well over ten feet. Why did you make that decision?

BRIDGIT STONE-BUDD, RIDING OUT HURRICANE MILTON: We don't - we don't really make a decision each time, it's just - we just don't leave. We just don't leave our home.

BERMAN: Why not?

STONE-BUDD: We haven't, on any of them. Charlie, Irma, Helene, Ian.

BERMAN: Why do you choose to stay? Why is it important for you to stay?

STONE-BUDD: I think the most important thing is that we know we won't be able to get back. That's the - that's the number one reason. Number two is there - for us, we would - we would rather withstand the storm than, you know, live in an arena with 100 or 1,000 people or, you know, in motels, hotels with three dogs. It's just - it's just something that we've never - I don't - I don't want to say we don't fear the storm. We certainly fear the storms and the hurricanes. We just choose to ride it out, you know? It's - we just do.

We've been through - you know, Ian was a - Charlie. Charlie was the first one I went through in 2004. And then Ian was definitely the worst because of the surge that we had never gotten before. And we, at this point, had the highest of 12-foot surge. And, you know, I - I know that our house can withstand it. So, it's just a matter of, when I finish up with you today, I've got to finish bringing everything up to our upper level.

BERMAN: Yes, talk to me about that. Where are you sitting right now? Twelve feet of storm surge, you know, would that come up to where you are? How do you prepare for something like this?

STONE-BUDD: Everything goes in my house, into the living room. So, you know, I've got lots of product, et cetera, downstairs. Our porch that my husband built, we live out here. We - we live out here on the - the porch. And I - I mean we have a house inside. But - so the water with Ian came up too where our feet are on here. So, the surge came all the way up to the bottom of our porch. So, our home, we got the spray, and that kind of damage, but we didn't get the - the surge in our home up here.

BERMAN: It could come in even higher this time.

What does worry you the most?

STONE-BUDD: What worries me the most? I think what worries me the most, even though I don't think it will happen, but what worries me the most is like losing a pile-on, because I look at what has happened for Helene, those houses that got swept away down rushing waters. I feel safe up here on our stilted home. But if we were to lose the pylon, and the house wasn't sturdy, that scares me the most. What used to scare me the most was the surge.

BERMAN: Listen, Bridgit Stone-Budd, we do wish you the best. I know that you try to help out with others who - who have stayed. You did after Ian. You know, again, just wish you the best. Please stay safe over the next 24 hours.

Thank you.

Kate.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: There is new data coming in now on the intensity of Hurricane Milton. The director of the National Hurricane Center telling us just this hour the storm is now getting faster and wider as it approaches landfall. CNN has reporters on the ground all along the target zone, from Orlando to Sarasota, as conditions are starting to deteriorate as we speak.

And also this morning, officials from both parties are pushing back on hurricane misinformation, false rumors pushed online and on the campaign trail, that they say is getting in the way of helping those most in need.

We'll be back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:39:16]

BOLDUAN: Moments ago, Orlando International Airport has suspended all commercial operations. It is the latest in what has now become a long list of Florida airports to have to shut down as Hurricane Milton is barreling towards the state. People planning to ride out the storm now only have hours to gather any last supplies, and they really need to hunker down no matter where they are. Let's get over to CNN's Victor Blackwell. He's in Orlando, where also

conditions seem to be deteriorating. What are you seeing and what are you hearing from people there?

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, Kate, there's been some steady rain here for several hours and the steady stream of people coming to this Home Depot right off I-4 to get the last-minute supplies, the flashlights, the plywood, the battery, generators.

[08:40:02]

I spoke with the manager of this store just a couple of minutes ago, and he says that they have not run out one of those supplies. But this store will be closing at 3:00 p.m. as the worst of Milton comes ashore.

And this really is an interesting place in Florida, where you have both people who are trying to get away from this part of the state, tourists from all over the world are here for the parks, but also evacuees who come here from those Zone A evacuation spaces, the Tampas, the St. Pete, to get away from the storm surge.

Now, in Orlando, storm surge really is not the major concern. There will be hurricane force winds here, so there will be downed trees and power outages are certainly expected. It is the flooding. It's the rain. And so central Florida can handle a rainy day maybe better than other parts of the state, but it's the amount of rain, up to 15 inches forecast for this area. And the storm water control systems, the streams, Lake Davis (ph), which flooded heavily and isolated communities in Ian in 2022, just cannot accommodate that.

So, city workers have been out trying to clear the drains, prepare for all this rain. We know that Orange County has opened several high schools and elementary schools for shelters. They've had sandbag operations for several days, although those have ended now. We know that Mayor Buddy Dyer will be working at the top of the hour. He's meeting with the emergency operations managers to make sure that the city is prepared for the worst of this storm. That's - the EOC is going to be opening it 4:00, and they'll be around the clock ready to respond to any of those emergencies. But fire and rescue, once those winds get too strong, about 40 miles per hour consistent stained winds, they will not be able to go out and respond to some of those emergencies.

So, they're standing by, preparing. This is a choreographed dance that they do, but not for a storm of this size and strength in a very long time.

Kate.

BOLDUAN: Yes.

Victor, thank you so much for being there. We'll be checking back in with you.

John. BERMAN: All right, with us now is Sandra Tapfumaneyi, Sarasota County Emergency Management chief.

And look, Sarasota could be right in the eye of this storm. You could get a direct hit. What is your message to the people in your community right now?

SANDRA TAPFUMANEYI, EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT CHIEF FOR SARASOTA COUNTY, FLORIDA: Yes. Thank you so much for giving us a chance to spread that last minute message here.

We have been messaging all week about the threat and the risk that we have from this storm. And the storm surge is going to be deadly. Ten to 15 feet is, you know, very little people are going to survive if they're out on those barrier islands that we have that are hugging our coastline. And it's not just the barrier islands. It's also we have an intercostal. We have people along rivers and creeks. That storm surge is going to push inland. So, you know, I - I am an emergency manager, but I'm also a mother, a wife, I'm a daughter, and I'm pleading with people, from that perspective, do not keep your loved ones or yourselves in these Level A, B, or C evacuation areas. There's a reason we have evacuated you. And now is the time to act. You still have a few hours.

BERMAN: Yes.

TAPFUMANEYI: We have evacuation centers open and we'd encourage you to head to one of those if you don't stay in your homes.

BERMAN: I was just going to ask, it's like, what, 8:43 a.m. right now. How much longer do people have to get out?

TAPFUMANEYI: Yes, so we anticipate that the onset of tropical storm- force winds will occur right, you know, around mid-afternoon, early afternoon. So, the safest time to go is right now, within the next couple of hours, try to get there by noon you get set inside a safe facility. And again, you can go to scgov.net to find out any of those locations that are open.

BERMAN: What happens if you choose to stay?

TAPFUMANEYI: So, if you choose to stay, particularly if you're in a Level A zone, you may be contending with flooding coming into your house. This storm surge at ten to 15 feet will start at 10 to 15 feet. So those along the barrier islands can expect that amount of storm surge. That is higher than a lot of homes that we have out there. So, that flooding will come into your home. We saw that in Hurricane Ian down in the Fort Myers area where people decided to stay. Some of them had to swim out of their homes. We don't want that for anybody here and Sarasota County.

So, if you choose to stay, make sure you have a life preserver handy. Make sure that you have plenty of supplies with you because you may be stuck in your home. So even if you're not right at the coastline, you may be flooded, maybe your home is elevated a little bit. It's going to take us hours, if not days, to be able to come to you. So, make sure you have supplies on hand and that you're self-sufficient for a number of days.

BERMAN: And you have time still to get out the next few hours. An important message from Sandra Tapfumaneyi, the emergency management chief for Sarasota County, which is really staring down just such a dangerous storm.

[08:45:0]

Thank you so much for being with us. Best of luck to you.

Kate.

BOLDUAN: And while they are staring down this storm, and communities are preparing for Hurricane Milton to make landfall in just hours, officials are also having to mount a battle against misinformation about hurricane relief efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. One Republican member of Congress from North Carolina told CNN that there has been no evidence to back up the rumors that are circulating online, especially - including rumors that equipment or supplies have been withheld by FEMA for the people there.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. CHUCK EDWARDS (R-NC): But I was simply finding that the - all - all of the rumor, the falsities were more getting in the way of us trying to help the people here in western North Carolina recover from Helene.

But I - I was getting a number of calls and emails and texts from folks that claim to have firsthand accounts that they were turned away with supplies, were not able to help. And every single one of those rabbit holes I - I went down, I chased it, trying to find contact information, and I wasn't enabled to corroborate one single one of those stories.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: Joining us right now is - from the Trump campaign is Trump's national press secretary for the campaign, Karoline Leavitt.

Karoline, thank you for coming on.

And the congressman there, he said that he doesn't necessarily like all that FEMA's doing, but he pointed out that it's damaging, the rumors that he's - that is what is happening, the rumors that are circulating. And with regard to that, things that the former president has said is, FEMA funds were stolen to be used to house illegal migrants, that no one from FEMA was on the ground in North Carolina, that funds were being withheld from Republican areas of the state on purpose. None of that is true. The head of FEMA says that worse than it not being true, it is dangerous that the -- if this is pushed and circulated for the people who are most in need of help.

With that knowledge, is the former president going to stop saying this? KAROLINE LEAVITT, TRUMP 2024 NATIONAL PRESS SECRETARY: Well, first of

all, Kate, let me just express our thoughts and prayers are with everyone in western North Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, and now Florida, who are bracing for another devastating hurricane.

The bottom line is that FEMA spent $1 billion on funding for illegal immigrants that Kamala Harris and Joe Biden let into the country. CNN, and many mainstream media outlets, reported that more than a month ago. Now, today, we find ourselves in a predicament where Americans are in dire situations, in need of food and of water. And Secretary Mayorkas, last week, said that FEMA does not have sufficient funding to get through this crisis and through the rest of hurricane season.

BOLDUAN: But, Karoline, before -

LEAVITT: Speaking of Secretary Mayorkas, those comments came -

BOLDUAN: But, Karoline, I want to - I mean we had - we just had Secretary Mayorkas on.

LEAVITT: Let me - let me finish, Kate. Speaking of Secretary Mayorkas -

BOLDUAN: But, no, no, no, but first, on that, let's - let's get -

LEAVITT: Right.

BOLDUAN: Let's get to - let's keep to the facts, which is, on that - that suggestion that Donald Trump did make that they were stealing money from FEMA and using it, and it's all gone because they're using it to house migrants, that's not true.

LEAVITT: It is true.

BOLDUAN: There's no disaster relief fund money that was going - that was going to house migrants.

LEAVITT: I don't think the American people care which pocket the money came from. They do care that their tax dollars, $1 billion of their tax dollars, went towards housing migrants. That came from FEMA's funds. That is a fact. It is reportable. And it's very likely to assume that that money could have been re-allocated to the disaster relief fund that now could be used to help our fellow Americans that are in need from these hurricanes.

And I would like to finish my previous point. And I heard you had Secretary Mayorkas on the show. I - I hope that you asked him about why he was shopping at a luxury men's warehouse store last week in the midst of this crisis, or why Kamala Harris was fundraising in San Francisco when Hurricane Helene made landfall, and why Joe Biden was sitting on the beach. If President Trump had done that, there would be outrage. And there should be outraged at our current elected officials, leaders in office, who were sitting on their hands -

BOLDUAN: So -

LEAVITT: When this hurricane was making landfall on the United States.

BOLDUAN: Karoline - Karoline, I did actually - I did - I did ask - I did ask the secretary.

LEAVITT: There was a delayed response from the federal government. There is no doubt about that. It took them six days to deploy troops. I - I - I hope that you did.

BOLDUAN: I did ask. I did. Karoline, I - I did.

LEAVITT: I'm glad that you did.

BOLDUAN: I - I'm - that's what I'm trying to tell you.

LEAVITT: Yes.

BOLDUAN: I did ask him about that. He said he was actually in Los Angeles recognizing the work of employees of the Department of Homeland Security that are part of what we're talking about here.

LEAVITT: That's -

BOLDUAN: The - but let me ask you something.

LEAVITT: (INAUDIBLE).

BOLDUAN: This is quite - the - so, what I've heard - what you've - what you've now saying is that you think it is - you don't - you don't think the American people care where the money comes from. It is - you think it is bad that they are using FEMA money to house migrants.

LEAVITT: Absolutely.

BOLDUAN: Ironically, Donald Trump attempted something very similar to what he falsely now is claiming about them. In 2019, Trump used FEMA -

LEAVITT: The American -

[08:50:03]

BOLDUAN: I'm talk - let me finish. Trump used money from FEMA's disaster fund for migrant programs at the southern border. He told Congress that he was intending, at the time, in 2019, to shift $271 million from DHS, including $155 million from FEMA's disaster relief fund, to pay for detaining and transporting undocumented immigrants. Less than that was transferred from - less - less than the 150 million was transferred. But money was transferred by Donald Trump in 2019 and the Trump administration from the FEMA disaster relief fund to house migrants.

So, is he - is he then OK with moving disaster relief funds for dealing with migrants but now is not? Is that what you're saying?

LEAVITT: Did you - what President Trump didn't do is allow an open border policy for four years, allowing nearly 20 million illegal people into the country, stressing our public infrastructure in cities across the country, using taxpayer dollars to fund illegals and put them in luxury hotels, like we've seen in New York City, to give them prepaid debit cards to buy clothing and food when the American people are suffering from the worst inflation crisis in a generation, are now being (INAUDIBLE) -

BOLDUAN: It's OK for Donald Trump to do it. It is not OK for the - for the - for the Biden administration and to do?

Karoline, it's OK -

LEAVITT: That -

BOLDUAN: Donald Trump did that. Donald Trump did that in 2019, his administration.

LEAVITT: That is right (ph).

President Trump did not allow an invasion of illegal immigrants into our country again and use billions of dollars to fund them in housing, to put them into luxury hotels. What he did do is use federal funding to deport them back to their home countries, which is something that Kamala Harris is refusing to do. And she has still yet to answer the question that, if she is elected president in 28 days, what is she going to do with the 20 million illegal people that she has allowed into this country, including the convicted criminals. We know there's 425,000 convicted criminal illegal aliens in this country today. Kamala has yet to say whether or not she will deport them or keep them here and continue to use federal funding to house them and to give them - subsidize their lifestyle on the taxpayer's dime.

President Trump won't tolerate that. He's going to launch the largest mass deportation operation in American history. And he will ensure that American citizens are being put first by their federal government, that their tax dollars are going to them in times of need.

And this is not the first time we've seen the White House and the Biden-Harris administration botch a crisis. We saw it in Afghanistan. They left Americans behind there. We saw it in East Palestine, Ohio, where Kamala Harris never visited and Joe Biden took months to actually go to tour the devastation from the train derailment.

BOLDUAN: OK.

LEAVITT: We saw it in Maui, Hawaii, where residents are still saying the federal government was not there to help them. This situation is no different. And we will take the word of residents in North Carolina and Florida and Georgia who have been left behind over the word of this administration, which has repeatedly been caught in lies.

BOLDUAN: Also the word of Republican member of Congress, who says that these rumors that Donald Trump has been pushing in part, the things he's been saying, is not true. You say that you haven't heard Kamala Harris answer a question. I'm just going to leave it here. But I'm not hearing you answer the question of why it was OK for the Trump administration to use disaster relief funds in order to deal with migrants in 2019 and it is now completely not OK and something he's hitting the administration on now.

We're going to leave it there, because I offered you three times to give me the answer and I'm not getting it.

We'll talk more. Thank you.

John.

BERMAN: All right, thanks so much, Kate.

And now time is running out for people to evacuated in the path of Hurricane Milton. We've got the very latest forecast.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:57:58]

BERMAN: All right, this morning, an incumbent vice president, running for president, talk of mental fitness, allegations of fraud and fears of a contested election. But wait, that's not now, well, yes, it is now, sort of, but it's also then one of the most famous, exciting, controversial, epic elections of all time and the subject of a new book, "Countdown 1960: The Behind the Scenes Story of the 312 Days that Changed America's Politics Forever."

And with me now is the author and CNN anchor, Chris Wallace.

You can tell how excited I am because I love elections. And this one, man, 1960, just juicy.

CHRIS WALLACE, CNN ANCHOR: It was, I think, the first modern election. The first two times that you had candidates who were born in the 20th century. First presidential debates. And they were on television. Seventy million people watched. And Kennedy, particularly, ran the first modern campaign with personal polling and his own private plane that his family gave him. And, you know, very sophisticated use of television. He even had Frank Sinatra do a TV commercial for him.

BERMAN: I mean that's incredible to think of. And it was a generational election also. Everyone thinks, you know, oh, JFK, this youth movement. Nixon wasn't that old either.

WALLACE: No. Kennedy is the youngest elected president still today at 42. Nixon was a ripe old 47. And one of the - it's a great story, the election and the debates and the mob is involved and there's like sort of a romantic triangle involving Jack Kennedy and a head of the Chicago outfit, Sam Giancana, and a - and a woman, Judith Campbell.

But it also has real parallels to today, because that was an election that I think may really have been stolen. And Nixon, of all people, decided not to contest it because he felt that he needed to engage in the peaceful transfer of power.

Now fast forward to 2020 and even 2024. No evidence of election fraud. And you've got a president who has refused to acknowledge that he lost and that the winter is the real president for the last four years. [09:00:07]