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North Carolina Hurricane Recovery Efforts Continue; Iran Preparing Missile Attack on Israel?. Aired 11:30a-12p ET
Aired October 01, 2024 - 11:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[11:30:00]
GOV. ANDY BESHEAR (D-KY): And, again, that's not where any of us want to be. We're all so tired of the constant back-and-forth.
PAMELA BROWN, CNN HOST: Let me just follow up with you, Governor.
BESHEAR: Sure.
BROWN: Let me just follow up with you.
And J.D. Vance, for his part, those were comments he made years ago talking about seeing his grandparents fight and so forth.
And he has defended his comments, saying he's not telling people that are in dangerous relationships to stay in them. That is what he has said in response to those comments that you're referring to.
But you paint a picture of Trump, the Trump/Vance ticket, and what that administration could look like for the American people, saying that another Trump term could be dangerous. But when you look at the polls, this is still a razor-thin race. You know there are a lot of Trump supporters in Kentucky. You're a Democratic governor in this red state.
Why do you think this is? Why is it so razor-thin, in your view, Governor?
BESHEAR: Well, we have had decades of partisanship across the country, where, unfortunately a lot of people, part of their identity is party. And where that's fallen in people's identity has probably gotten a little too strong and a little too high.
And then there's far too many attempts to define who we are, as opposed to who we're against. I always thought you need to run for something and not against someone. This is Donald Trump's concept of a plan to replace the Affordable Care Act, which would leave millions without health care coverage, versus actually running to get something done, instead of to attack political opponents.
But, listen, all these races are hard. They have been all these last cycles. And it just means we need to continue to remind the American people of the differences between these two tickets, the fact that the Harris/Walz campaign has not only strength and intelligence, but empathy and caring, versus the condescension you see on the other side.
It seems like every day another video of J.D. Vance condescending towards adults without kids is coming out. Every day, there's another speech by the former president where he shows he's not presidential. Yes, it's going to be far too close, but we need the American people to just see the reality here, to want something better, to want a president that you can put your kids in front of the TV and not worry about what they're going to say.
That's what we have got to get back to. And that's what the Harris/Walz ticket will get us back to.
BROWN: I want to ask you before we let you go, Governor, about this -- just the devastation that we have seen from Hurricane Helene, because you, as a governor of Kentucky, you're no stranger to devastation after flooding.
I was there in 2021 after the heavy rains caused historic flash floods there in Kentucky. I went back months later and there was still so much rebuilding to be done. Many of the small towns in Kentucky said these -- the storm was bigger than them. What is your advice to people in the Southeast and what lies ahead for them?
BESHEAR: Well, we have been there. At the end of 2021, we got struck by our worst tornado disaster ever, 81 dead, hundreds of people with everything they own wiped out, six months later, in the middle of 2022, the worst floods ever in Eastern Kentucky, 45 people killed, thousands of people without homes.
There are really three phases in how you go about this. The first is search-and-rescue. It's saving lives. It's making sure you reach people and get them the supplies they need. The second is the stabilization and intermediate housing, where we have got to get everybody to a stable location for a period of months or sometimes even more as we work on the rebuilding step, which is the third.
Those tornadoes, we're approaching three years. And I got to tell you, we have gone from building homes to building neighborhoods. We're going to break ground on the city hall in Mayfield. As you move forward, you get a lot of progress.
So, it's -- I know it's really hard for folks in the Southeast, when they're looking at everything they owned and nothing is there anymore, how you see a light at the end of the tunnel. But what we have to do is put one foot in front of the other, get them stable, get them in housing, get all of those documents and other things that they need replaced, get them through the FEMA process.
And then we begin that rebuilding in earnest. We in Kentucky are here to help in every single way we can, from our travel trailer programs, to the way that we used our CDBG-DR funds and others.
Sadly, I know what it's like to see a community that you love, my dad's hometown of Dawson Springs, totally wiped out.
BROWN: Yes. BESHEAR: So we're mourning for the people that have been lost, but we're standing strong next to the people who eventually are going to have to rebuild. And we will be there with them to see it through and to get it done.
BROWN: All right, Governor Andy Beshear, thank you for your time today.
BESHEAR: Thank you.
BROWN: And still ahead this hour: reports of people scavenging for food and water in Western North Carolina. We were just talking about it there.
[11:35:00]
They're using anything they can to dig out of the mud. We're going to bring you the latest on the devastation ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BROWN: I want to go back to our breaking news. The White House believes that Iran is preparing an imminent missile attack on Israel.
We want to go to the Pentagon now and CNN's Natasha Bertrand.
What are you hearing from the Defense Department, Natasha?
NATASHA BERTRAND, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY AND POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: Well, Pam, this is exactly why the U.S. has been building up its military posture in the Middle East over the last several days, weeks, months, even all the way back to last year, of course, when Hamas first launched that attack on Israel on October 7 is because of what they see as the biggest threat, which is coming from Iran.
[11:40:03]
They believe now that they do have enough assets and troops in place in order to properly defend not only Israel from a potential incoming ballistic missile attack from Iran, but also U.S. forces in the region. There are thousands of troops currently in the Middle East.
And so what we know now is that, over the last several days, the secretary of defense has ordered that the posture in the region be increased even more, of course, amid all of these attacks that we have seen Israel lob against Lebanon, including, of course, the death of Hassan Nasrallah, which is the leader of Hezbollah and one of Iran's, of course, most important proxy groups.
The U.S. had been anticipating that Iran might decide to retaliate for that. And so in response to that, we have seen the secretary order that a carrier strike group, which is in the region currently in the Arabian Sea, remain there, that a Wasp Amphibious Ready Group, which is in the Eastern Mediterranean, which consists of thousands of Marines and sailors, also stay in the region to prepare for a possible evacuation if that becomes necessary from Lebanon. And then, of course, just yesterday, you saw the U.S. deploy
additional fighter squadrons to the region, fighter aircraft to bolster the air support capabilities there and try to intercept really anything that comes Israel's way, as well as against possibly U.S. troops in the region, Pam.
BROWN: All right, Natasha Bertrand, thank you so much live for us from the Pentagon.
And coming up next, debris, littered streets. It is a scene playing out in many communities across North Carolina. Up next, I will speak to an artist who rode out the storm in his hometown of Boone.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:46:12]
BROWN: Well, right now, the full scope of the devastation in Western North Carolina is still coming into view; 56 people across the state are dead and hundreds more remain unaccounted for, as search efforts are plagued by these power outages, spotty cell service and decimated infrastructure.
Tomorrow, President Joe Biden will get his first look at the devastation, but he will have to do it from the air because the roads still can't support a motorcade and also the White House says it would be too much of a distraction, given everything going on there on the ground as the folks there try to recover.
Our next guest is an artist born and raised in the mountains of Boone, North Carolina, which was hit hard during the storm. Raleigh Adams posted this video of what he saw while driving through his hometown, and you can see the destroyed roads, the downed trees, but through it all, Adams says you could also see the humanity.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RALEIGH ADAMS, NORTH CAROLINA RESIDENT: This morning I heard a lot of chain saws. I have seen a lot of utility trucks. I have seen a lot of personal trucks, everyone doing some part to help each other out.
It's a beautiful side of life.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: A beautiful side of life in the midst of this destruction from Helene.
Raleigh Adams joins us now.
First off, how are you doing? How is your family doing and all of your loved ones, they are in Boone.
ADAMS: Hi, Pamela.
My family is doing better than most, fortunately, some damage, but just cosmetic for us, thankfully. I understand a lot of people are still without power and are in much more perilous situations than I'm in currently.
BROWN: Tell us a little bit more about the damage.
ADAMS: Thank you for asking.
BROWN: Yes, of course. I mean, I know a lot of people are suffering right now.
I'm glad you were able to get in touch with your loved ones, that they're doing OK. Tell us about the damage that you're seeing there in Boone.
ADAMS: Sure.
Well, I think what we're mostly seeing a lot of is tree debris. We have had a lot of trees that you can see behind me now, these heavily tempered forests that we're so known for in the Appalachian Mountains. We're not accustomed to being hit by hurricanes.
So one thing that is causing a lot of trouble with infrastructure are trees in the middle of the roads, and they're large trees too. We're known for some old growth here. You can imagine a tree like this. It's just in my parents' backyard, but you can imagine something like that across a road or a bridge is quite damaging.
So, some of the roads are not accessible. And we're still dealing with a lot of chain saws beginning to clean up, trees that are in various locations. And, fortunately, this one's not on my parents' house, but some people weren't so lucky. And you can imagine the kind of damage that a tree like that can do when it falls on a structure.
BROWN: You talk about the chain saws and seeing the bright side of humanity, people really coming together to rebuild already just days after Helene hit.
Tell us more about that and what kind of government support or lack thereof are you seeing there on the ground?
ADAMS: Sure.
Well, it's amazing, so many different charities and organizations really acting so quickly. Samaritan's Purse has done great, great work. They're located here in Boone, North Carolina. There are definitely boots on the ground. We have seen all sorts of trucks, different license plates from different states coming in to help the community.
Some people still don't have fresh drinking water, so I have seen a lot of bottled water being distributed. I have seen a lot of coffee and sort of emotional support that is just set up temporarily on the side of the road.
[11:50:03] We also have a lot of animals here. Many people in the rural areas are -- they have their livelihoods based in livestock. And so there's a lot of need for that right now. Obviously, people are of first concern. But we have a particularly unique situation here, because we're not accustomed to being hit by hurricanes.
It's nothing that we really prepared for. It's nothing that we had a lot of warning for.
BROWN: Yes, I think that that's an important point. And it's just such a shock to the system there in Boone and other parts of North Carolina and other states as well.
Raleigh Adams, thank you so much for coming on. And best of luck to you and your family as you rebuild.
We will be right back.
ADAMS: Well, thank you so much.
BROWN: Thank you.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:55:24]
BROWN: And finally this hour, a note about Helene and what millions of Americans are still facing this very hour.
Hundreds of people are still unaccounted for. Imagine that. Imagine if that was one of your loved ones unaccounted for, cities and towns in some of the most beautiful areas of the country left in shambles. We saw one of them there talking to Raleigh in Boone, North Carolina.
They're scattered and torn about. There are reports this morning of people scavenging for food, people without power, without water, without a home. The four walls that used to protect them are gone. All the things, the basic necessities for life, they don't have, their security robbed by water.
And even though the gray storm clouds have parted, this image, look at this right here, the sun shining bright over mud and mangled metal. Storm survivors, they don't have a lot. They may have lost everything. The one thing they do have is hope, each other and the light.
Tragedies have a way of bringing us together, of looking after your neighbor, strangers, extending a hand, compassion and caring. After Helene, I hope every person impacted by the storm is heard, is listened to and gets the help they need.
We're going to continue to cover this story. We're not going to go away. We're going to continue to stay on it.
Thank you for joining us. I'm Pamela Brown. You can follow me on Instagram and TikTok and X @PamelaBrownCNN.
Stay with us. "INSIDE POLITICS WITH DANA BASH" starts after a short break.
