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Obama Hits Campaign Trail For Harris In Pennsylvania; Trump Heads To Colorado Weeks After Bashing Aurora; 16 Confirmed Dead, Millions Without Power As Recovery Begins; FEMA Spent $9B In About A Week; $11B Remaining In Disaster Relief Fund; Two Killed After Hydrogen Sulfide Leak At Texas Oil Refinery. Aired 9-9:30a ET

Aired October 11, 2024 - 09:00   ET

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

[09:00:00]

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN HOST: We're talking about two very different --

DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: It's funny (ph).

BOLDUAN: -- things in the past couple days. It's beautiful and people are seeing it in all sorts of different places. Tell me more.

VAN DAM: Let's end a tough week on a positive note, right? First, we'll get my name right. It's Derek Van Dam. Secondly, we'll talk about something that so many people got to witness last night, and it was quite a spectacular sight. In fact, one of the best aurora displays across North America, parts of Europe, even the Southern Australis, which is the Southern Lights, visible in South Africa.

Some of my friends in Cape Town posting photos. Here's a photo coming out of Maine, one of many that were posted on social media. So what the world happened? Well, the sun is responsible for these beautiful display of lights overhead. It's called a solar flare, right?

And this solar flare ejects an incredible amount of highly energized particles towards the earth. It has to be directed exactly towards the earth for this to happen. And then those highly charged particles, they kind of interact with the earth's magnetic poles. That's why we see as we look northward or southward, depending on what hemisphere you're located to see the northern lights on the horizons there.

And if you're far enough north in latitude or far enough south in latitude, you can look directly above and see the pillars of light above you. And so this is one example of that. This is actually coming out of New Jersey. I saw pictures coming out of New York City with some of the most beautiful pictures out of that region. And really stunning to see that for this far south.

And, in fact, in Key Largo, Florida, there was also Aurora sightings last night, Kate, historical (ph).

BOLDUAN: Oh wow. Wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, that's crazy.

Derek Van Dam, thank you so much. VAN DAM: Good, you got it. Yes.

BOLDUAN: It's been a long week. Thank you. Thanks buddy.

A new hour of CNN News Central starts now.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN HOST: New reaction this morning to a stern lecture by former President Barack Obama to men who were hesitant to back Vice President Harris. How they are responding to being told to, quote, "drop their excuses."

Donald Trump versus Detroit, how the city is feeling this morning after being called a mess by a man who needs their votes. We are standing by for a response from the M&M. And breaking this morning, an urgent search and rescue underway for survivors of Hurricane Milton trapped now inside a residential community. CNN is live on site.

Sara Sidner is out today. I'm John Berman with Kate Bolduan. It is Friday and this is CNN News Central.

BOLDUAN: At his first headlining campaign event for the Vice President, former President Barack Obama took on his successor very directly, slamming Donald Trump on everything from Trump's tax plan to the recent conspiracy theories that Donald Trump has been pushing about FEMA to Donald Trump's claim of how good his economy was. Obama's message also was directed very clearly at men.

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I've noticed this especially with some men who seem to think Trump's behavior, the bullying, and the putting people down is a sign of strength. Real strength is about working hard and carrying a heavy load without complaining. Real strength is about taking responsibility for your actions and telling the truth even when it's inconvenient.

(END VIDEOCLIP)

BOLDUAN: Now, even before that, he had a surprise stop at a Harris campaign field office in Pittsburgh, and Obama went even further, not only speaking about speaking to men, but particularly black men, saying that Harris is not receiving the same type of support among black men that he has held because she -- she's not receiving the same amount of support from black men than he held because only she's a woman.

Much more to come on that. Let's get to CNN's Priscilla Alvarez, who's got much more on that. He -- it was basically, it came across as a warning, some critical of Barack Obama calling it a lecture, and saying, as he pointed that, suggesting that it was sexism at play.

PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: There's no doubt, Kate, that these were stern words coming from the former president, because as you outlined there, his suggestion was that what was contributing to black men not wanting to vote for the vice president is sexism. And he make -- he was making the point over the course of his remarks, both in Pittsburgh and at that campaign stop that the former President Donald Trump is not the better option here. That was really the goal of this stop yesterday. And what we're going to see over the next several weeks, which is that he is trying to illustrate that it is a clear choice between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris.

And while he was speaking in Pittsburgh yesterday, he was drawing out that stark contrast, both on policy and on character.

[09:05:06]

Now, on policy, he made some notable remarks on the economy. Of course, we've talked about multiple times that this is a top issue for voters. It often comes up among voters that they were better off under former President Donald Trump. Well, Obama had something to say about that.

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

OBAMA: And the reason some people think, wow, I don't know, I remember that economy when he first came in being pretty good. Yes, it was pretty good because it was my economy.

(CHEERING)

OBAMA: We had had 75 straight months of job growth that I handed over to him. It wasn't something he did. I'd spent eight years cleaning up the mess that the Republicans had left me the last time.

(END VIDEOCLIP)

ALVAREZ: Now, in addition to ripping Trump, former President Barack Obama also making the case that the Vice President is ready for the job and that she is, of course, the clear choice for Democrats, that being the former president's message.

Look, it's the final stretch of the election. The campaign will take all the help it can get from its surrogates to turn out voters. That's what this was yesterday. What we're going to see more of in the coming days as they try to lock in their coalition come November. Kate?

BOLDUAN: Priscilla, thank you. John?

BERMAN: All right. This morning, Donald Trump is heading to Aurora, Colorado. You might ask, why is he going to a pretty safely blue state? Well, CNN's Kristen Holmes is there, I imagine, with an answer. Good morning, Kristen.

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, John. Well, that's right. And it's not just the fact that he's going to be in Aurora, Colorado. Next -- tomorrow, he's going to be in Coachella, California, also a solidly blue state. Now, the motive behind these trips is, of course, different. One, they do believe, they being Donald Trump's campaign, that when he does these kind of big campaign events in blue states, that it gets a lot of attention. But two, when he's here in Aurora, this is a chance for him to really amplify that rhetoric about migrants, particularly some of that false rhetoric.

Remember, one of the things he's been saying for months, particularly pertains to Aurora, Colorado, saying that he's been overtaken by Venezuelan gangs. We have heard pushed back from the governor of the state, from the mayor of the city saying that it's not true.

We've also heard blow back about his appearance here today. I did hear from one democratic lawmaker who told me maybe it would be a good thing to shine light on the fact that this city is not overtaken by Venezuelan gays.

But one thing to keep in mind here is that this is coming on the heels of another visit in which Donald Trump upset city, local and state officials. That was yesterday when he insulted the city of Detroit while speaking in Detroit.

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: And we are a developing nation. Well, we're a developing nation, too. Just take a look at Detroit. Detroit's a developing area a hell of a lot more than most places in China. I mean, the whole country's going to be like, you want to know the truth? It'll be like Detroit. Our whole country will end up being like Detroit if she's your president.

(END VIDEOCLIP)

HOLMES: And Donald Trump has really been doubling down on this fear- based messaging, whether it's about the economy, which is part of what he was talking about in Detroit, or immigration here in Aurora, Colorado. And while, of course, we have reported that much of this rhetoric is not true, I will tell you that there are people who believe it.

You can see that from the people standing behind me. There are hundreds of people in line for this rally in Aurora, Colorado. They believe this messaging, and they believe that they will show up to vote in November, and his campaign is going to continue doubling down on this again, fear-based messaging because of the fact that they see people turning out. They think it's going to help propel him possibly back to the White House in November.

BERMAN: All right, great to have you there. Kristen Holmes in Aurora, thanks so much. Kate?

BOLDUAN: All right, joining us right now is the Democratic Governor of Michigan, Gretchen Whitmer. Governor, thank you for coming on. You had choice words for Donald Trump after he trashed Detroit while in Detroit. He's -- the thing that I wonder today is why do you think he said it? GOV. GRETCHEN WHITMER (D), MICHIGAN: I don't know, because he doesn't know what the heck he's talking about on this issue or on many others, Kate. You don't come into Detroit and speak to the Detroit Economic Club and then denigrate the city of Detroit. It shows he's totally out of touch.

Detroit's population is growing for the first time in decades. We hosted the biggest, best NFL draft the country's ever seen. The Lions and the Tigers are kicking, you know, behind and we are seeing a resurgence in manufacturing. Thanks to the Biden-Harris administration. So, there's so much good stuff going on in Detroit.

[09:10:01]

And so for Donald Trump to come in and crap all over the city shows he's out of touch, he's dangerous and he's full of it.

BOLDUAN: You wrote to Trump last night that the way you put it is you better believe Detroiters won't forget this in November. If he is burning bridges with voters there and turning them off, as you say, why then is it still so tight in Michigan?

WHITMER: I think like everywhere, right, we know that we've been a divided country. We know that his ugly and divisive rhetoric has taken a toll and that has, you know, hardened people and a lot of people are turning out because it's so toxic. Thanks to Donald Trump.

That's why our work is so important. We're starting kicking off our Blue Wall bus tour (technical difficulty) Governor Shapiro in Pennsylvania, Governor Evers, we're kicking it off on Monday (technical difficulty) how Kamala Harris is going to focus on growing the middle class, cutting our costs and delivering for people.

But this is going to be a close election. Despite all his ugly rhetoric, his divisive rhetoric and his insulting rhetoric, it's going to be a close election and we're not taking anyone for granted.

BOLDUAN: Detroit is one of the largest majority black cities in the country. And one thing that Barack Obama's return to the campaign trail and his message to black men voters while he was in Pittsburgh is how Donald Trump has recently made inroads with black male voters, that there is signs that Harris is having a tough time mobilizing what could be a very important demographic. What about Kamala Harris's pitch is falling short so much so that they're sending Obama to reconnect and bridge the gap?

WHITMER: I think that there are a lot of people in our country who are struggling. They're struggling to make ends meet. They feel unheard and, you know, because of that, they're either checking out or they're looking for change. Kamala Harris is the change we need. Kamala Harris is going to usher in a whole new moment in this country.

I am proud to be a supporter and to be one of the campaign co-chairs. She's got a vision for America that includes everyone because she's lived lives like ours. She has had to work hourly jobs and take care of an elderly parent. Donald Trump doesn't get that. He's never sat with a parent who has to take chemotherapy and organize their pills for them.

He's never change diapers as Barack Obama said. You know, I can't imagine he's ever done any of those things. But that's what lives of Americans are like. And that's why we need someone who gets us, who's going to fight for us. And that's Kamala Harris and Tim Walz.

BOLDUAN: And you talk about Harris being changed. The VP this week was on The View and asked -- and was asked how basically she would be the change, how a Harris presidency would be different from a Biden presidency. Let me play this.

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Would you have done something differently than President Biden during the past four years?

KAMALA HARRIS (D), PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: There is not a thing that comes to mind in terms of -- and I've been a part of most of the decisions that have had impact.

(END VIDEOCLIP)

BOLDUAN: She later circled back and said the change would be different, would be a Republican in her cabinet. But do you, as a Democratic governor, want Harris's presidency if she wins, to look not a thing differently, to be exactly like a Biden presidency?

WHITMER: I think the values are aligned, but obviously, she's a different leader than the current president. You know, she's been a great partner to him, but she's got a different lived experience. She's got a different vision of what we need to accomplish and where our focus needs to be.

I'm grateful that she is out there talking about care for people who are at home and in their later years. This is a fundamental integrity question. It's also about quality of life, but it's also about saving money for our country and for our people.

So she's got a different lived experience. She's going to bring it to all things. And this is going to be a very different chapter in America if she becomes our next president. And that's why I'm excited. That's why I see a reflection of who we are, of the middle class, of people who work hard and do the best they can.

They need a president who sees them, who has lived a life like theirs. And that's Kamala Harris without a question.

BOLDUAN: I think what you just said is exactly why so many Democrats were surprised with the answer that she gave initially on The View.

Governor, it's very good to have you on. You have a very busy time ahead. Thank you very much. John?

BERMAN: All right, two people are dead after a chemical leak at an oil refinery plant. What officials are saying this morning? And our reporter is rushing to the scene of a new search and rescue operation we are just getting word of. People trapped by floods in Florida.

Stand by from a live -- for a live report.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:19:26]

BERMAN: All right, happening now. The sheriff of Hillsborough County in Florida just texted our Isabel Rosales video of a very active scene in a neighborhood. It is very clearly flooded out in these rescues taking place right now. Obviously, this patrol going on on what I imagine at one point were rose, but now it's severely, severely flooded there.

Isabel is rushing to the scene. We'll get a live report from this area as soon as we can. The death toll for Milton rose to 16 overnight. And again, while we're waiting on Isabel, I want to go to CNN's Ivan Rodriguez, who's on the other side of the state, in Fort Pierce. Ivan, what are you seeing this morning?

[09:20:07]

IVAN RODRIGUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: John, good morning. Well, six of those deaths are here in St. Lucie County, many of them in a neighborhood off over to my right. 24 hours ago, people were coming out surveying the damage that was left behind by those powerful and deadly tornadoes.

Here to my left is just one piece of the devastation that we're saying a semi toppled over. You can see this wheel here off the front of the semi over my head. The front bumper here, to give you a bird's eye perspective of the whole entire area of this road that we're seeing.

On the other side of this busy road in town, there's another semi that trailer as metal is just completely smashed in as well. We are also looking at all the other damage that was made by these tornadoes. We -- we're able to survey the area and officials say more than 100 homes here were damaged.

Hear what long-time residents had to say about all that destruction.

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was absolutely devastating only because we just went through Ian and the same exact thing happened with the tornadoes. So to see the -- and it actually ripped the concrete right out of the ground.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Never, never have I experienced --

RODRIGUEZ: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: -- damage or the amount of tornadoes that came to this area.

RODRIGUEZ: Yes. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And it was the most frightening thing I've ever lived through.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I just don't want people to have to come back to this is what a shame. I prayed to God, Mother Nature would save us and preserve us, but none of us were killed. Nobody died.

(END VIDEOCLIP)

RODRIGUEZ: We know one of those tornadoes, John, struck in a retirement community consisting mostly of modular homes. The sheriff here tells us that search and rescue is still ongoing this morning.

BERMAN: Yes, that tower cam shot Ivan of that truck turned over. You standing right behind it. That is something. Thank you so much for your reporting this morning. Great work.

Kate?

BOLDUAN: So many of those affected by hurricanes, Helene and Milton, are in desperate need for aid. And the concern is that, will FEMA have enough money to help them all out?

CNN's Kevin Liptak is reporting on this from the White House for us. Kevin, this has been an ongoing conversation. A lot of questions. Is there enough? Is there enough? Where can people get -- will people have get the aid that they need so much? Where is the money? What are you hearing?

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yes. Right now, FEMA does say that they have enough money for immediate needs. We've heard that from the FEMA administrator. We heard it from President Biden, but they are burning through that money very quickly. In fact, they've already spent almost half of their budget for the current fiscal year, and it only began 11 days ago. So that money will have to be replenished at some point.

Right now, the biggest concern when it comes to funding inside the White House is at the Small Business Administration. They provide low interest loans not only to small businesses, but also to homeowners, to renters who are trying to recover from the storm.

They only have about $100 million left that's only going to last a couple of weeks. And for that reason, we heard President Biden yesterday call for the first time for Congress to return to Washington to pass additional funding for these recovery efforts.

When you hear from congressional leaders, they don't sound inclined to come back. We've heard from the House Speaker Mike Johnson, who says that because it will take so long for assessments to come in to determine exactly how much money will be needed, that it would be fine for Congress to wait until November 12th, which is when they're set to return and pass the money.

Then the Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has said something similar, that it can wait until after the election. But certainly, they are coming under enormous pressure, not only from Democrats, but also some Republicans from these states that have been affected to come back to Washington to pass this recovery effort.

The backdrop, of course, to all of this are the lies, are the disinformation, including from former President Trump about the state of government funding. And we have heard forceful pushback on that from the White House, including from President Biden. He has called that un-American. Yesterday, he said directly to Trump, get a life, man.

BOLDUAN: Kevin Liptak at the White House for us. Thank you, Kevin. John?

BERMAN: All right, we do have breaking news. We heard about Donald Trump criticizing Detroit in Detroit. We're just getting word that Vice President Harris will go to Detroit in just a few days for a live conversation with radio host Charlamagne tha God.

And we're getting new details on the investigation into the fatal accident at a gold mine that left one tourist dead and dozens of others trapped underground.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:29:23]

BOLDUAN: Two people are dead and dozens more have been injured after a chemical leak at an oil refinery in Deer Park, Texas, that's near Houston. Officials say it was hydrogen sulfide, a highly toxic gas that leaked into the air.

CNN's Ed Lavandera has new reporting on this. He's joining us now. Ed, what's the latest you're hearing from officials there?

ED LAVANDERA, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, as you mentioned, two people were killed in this chemical leak, hydrogen sulfide, which is made and created in the process of oil refinery. And this happened at the Pemex, a Mexican national company that runs the facility there in Deer Park, Texas, just southeast of Houston, through that energy corridor, that is one of the most prominent energy corridors in the country.