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CNN International: At Least 16 People Dead from Powerful Hurricane; Obama Makes A Direct Appeal to Black Men in Pittsburgh; Trump Compares Detroit to a "Developing Nation"; Human-Caused Climate Change Fuels More Intense Storms; Russian, Iranian Presidents Meet Amid Escalating Conflict; Solar Storm Sends Northern Lights South. Aired 8-9a ET
Aired October 11, 2024 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[08:00:00]
ERICA HILL, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers around the world. I'm Erica Hill. This is CNN "Newsroom". Just ahead the State of Florida reeling from two major hurricanes in as many weeks. A closer look at the immense damage and the cleanup from Hurricane Milton.
A familiar face and a pointed message, Barack Obama headed to campaign trail for Vice President Kamala Harris. Plus, Japanese survivors of the atomic bomb honored with this year's Nobel Peace Prize, their story ahead this hour.
Heartbreak and relief this morning in Florida, as millions of residents begin picking up the pieces from Hurricane Milton. The powerful storm responsible for at least 16 deaths, countless lives, of course, forever change. More than 2.5 million customers are still without power at this hour, two days after Milton barreled across the state, water rescues also still ongoing.
And the Red Cross says it is working to reunite missing people with loved ones. Officials noting, though this deadly storm could have been even worse. We are expecting President Biden to speak in the coming hours with an update on the federal response. CNN's Isabel Rosales is joining us now live from Florida's Hillsborough County, where you've been covering these ongoing water rescues. Where did things stand this morning?
ISABEL ROSALES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Erica, good morning to you. Yeah, across the state, there's been over 1000 rescue operations, that's according to Governor Ron DeSantis, with so many personnel spread out across the Sunshine State, here in Hillsborough County.
We have brand new video from the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office showing a very sensitive operation at an assisted living facility, a one story assisted living facility that suddenly took on water overnight right after Milton passed. Residents told me that water was rushing through their air conditioning units, that refrigerators were floating, and a lot of them they're on medication.
They're on oxygen tanks. They're on walkers, using wheelchairs. Many can't even walk. So, it was a scary situation for them, waiting for hours in the cold waters for it to be safe enough outside for deputies to get out and help them. I spoke with them once they were on dry land, many of them barefooted, shivering cold.
And thankfully, they were taken over to a nearby elementary school, given blankets, food, water and shelter, but certainly a heartbreaking scene seeing all of these rescues, Erica. And then there's the people who lost it all. They lost their lives over at least 16 people have died because of the storm, six of them alone in St. Lucie County.
And over in Orange County, the sheriff's office tells us a man in his 60s died after stepping on apparently downed power lines as he was cleaning up that storm debris. So just terrible to hear these stories, Erica.
HILL: It really is. And as we move into this Friday, there in the area, where do things stand in terms of conditions for folks being able to get back into their homes to see what may be left there?
ROSALES: Right. So, this area was not even under an evacuation order. We're in Northern Hillsborough County, but you can see, still look at these floodwaters. Wow! Cars right there, up to the roof in some parts. This is, this is going to be a hard cleanup process. This is not going to be an area that's easily accessible until these waters recede.
And then you have the power outages over 2.5 million people without power throughout the State of Florida. Here in Hillsborough County, that's half a million people without power. And then you have to talk about water over in hard hit Pinellas County in St. Petersburg, specifically, crews are working to repair 30 water lines that were damaged. They restored drinking water, but they are under a boil water advisory, at least until Monday, Erica.
HILL: Understand Isabel, appreciate it. Thank you. Also, with me this hour, CNN Meteorologist Derek Van Dam. Derek, as we look at what's ahead here, oftentimes there is concern about that cleanup being impacted by weather. Is there anything that folks need to be worried about?
DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, it's going to take several days for that water to recede. In fact, there are 12 rivers that are at major flood stage as we speak. So, it's going to take time for that water to crest downstream and eventually exit towards the ocean.
Now, Milton is hundreds of miles away from the U.S. East Coast. So that's the good news. You can see what's left of it. It's gone into this post tropical cyclone status. So, the National Hurricane Center no longer tracking it.
[08:05:00]
But of course, the damage has been done, and on the backside of this, we still have kind of this onshore flow that is ripping up the waves and causing some minor coastal flooding as well. So, we're going to watch out for the dangerous rip currents, the larger waves associated with the passage of Milton. But when we recap what happened, we know the heavy rain we saw Isabel and our excellent reporting coming out of Hillsborough County.
I mean, these areas saw two, three, even four months of rain fall out of the sky and over just about a day's period of time. This is the exact track. So, you can see the heaviest rain band was just to the north. And this is a look at NOAA's river gage outlooks. And you can see several of the rivers basically in the same area where we saw the heaviest rain as one would anticipate, still at major flood stage.
That's that shading of purple. Again, 12 river gages right now. There are several others that are under moderate flood stage, so still some moderate flooding in and around the banks of those rivers as well. Now the big showstopper was the tornadoes. Right? So, with landfalling or approaching landfalling hurricanes, we know they can be prolific tornado producers, but generally they are minor in damage, and they are generally rather weak in nature.
But that was just not the case, because we have had confirmations now of an EF-3 south of Busch Gardens that is on the Enhanced Fujita Scale, and that tornado that I'm showing you there behind me is an impressive example of a tornado that spawned on the other side of the state in advance of the approaching eye of the storm, where so much attention was focused, rightly so, because that's where we received the worst storm surge.
But it was really the hardest hit areas on the eastern side of the state saw the brunt of the tornadoes. 38 of them setting a record number of tornado warnings that were set, of course, knocking out power for millions on top of the winds that were associated with this system.
It is just going to be days, if not weeks, of cleanup. But really, Erica, an incredible, astounding, jaw dropping evolution of this storm that started on Saturday and plowed through the State of Florida late Wednesday into Thursday.
HILL: Yeah, really was. Derek, appreciate it. Thank you. As we focus now on the Middle East, it is being described as the deadliest round of Israeli airstrikes in central Beirut in nearly two decades. Israel intensifying its aerial campaign in the Lebanese capital late Thursday.
Lebanon's Health Ministry says at least 22 people were killed, more than 100 wounded. Witnesses telling CNN, an entire four-story building filled with recently displaced people just collapsed. Meantime, a source familiar with the matter telling CNN, the Israeli Security Cabinet, which met on Thursday, has not yet reached a decision on how to respond to Iran's missile attack last week.
CNN's Salma Abdelaziz is tracking all of these developments for us from London at this hour. So, Salma, first of all, Hezbollah, saying a senior official who managed the group's domestic and international affairs was the target of that Beirut strike. What more do we know?
SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. So according to sources in Hezbollah, speaking to CNN Wafiq Safa, who is in charge of External Affairs for Hezbollah, essentially one of its top diplomats, was the target of this strike on the residential building in this bustling neighborhood in central Beirut.
Hezbollah sources also say that he survived this attack. Now I want to emphasize, when we're looking at these images of central Beirut, of the impact of this. During these last few weeks, as Israel has launched this unprecedented aerial campaign on Lebanon, the focus has been the south of the city, south of the capital, these Hezbollah strongholds.
So, for two strikes, which is what happened last night, two strikes to hit the heart of Beirut, causing 22 people to be killed, more than 100 wounded. This will absolutely terrify residents and leave them with the sense that there are no longer any safe places in Beirut. Prime Minister Netanyahu has, of course, vowed to continue to strike.
He says he wants to erode Hezbollah's abilities to strike at Israel at any time. It's not the only incident we've seen in Lebanon over the last couple of days. You also have U.N. peacekeeping forces who the U.N. said, were hit directly by Israeli firepower, causing two U.N. peacekeepers to be wounded.
The chief of the peacekeeping force there unfold, which has been in place since 2006 says peacekeepers are now in jeopardy. As all of this is playing out on the ground, Secretary of State, Antony Blinken is trying to bring down the temperature. He is hoping, seeking, pushing for a diplomatic solution. But that's simply, as you mentioned, something that is not on the table right now for Prime Minister Netanyahu.
HILL: Yeah, Salma, I appreciate it. Thank you. The horrors of war actually inspiring this year's Nobel Peace Prize, which was awarded earlier today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JORGEN WATNE FRYDNES, CHAIR OF THE NORWEGIAN NOBEL COMMITTEE: The Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided to award the Peace Prize for 2024 to the Japanese organization Nihon Hidankyo.
[08:10:00]
This grassroots movement of atomic bomb survivors from Hiroshima and Nagasaki, also known as Hibakusha, is receiving the Peace Prize for its efforts to achieve a world free of nuclear weapons, and for demonstrating through witness testimony that nuclear weapons must never be used again.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HILL: As you heard there, the group is made up of survivors of the nuclear bombings in 1945 who are using that experience to try to raise awareness about the human toll of nuclear warfare. Roughly 80,000 people died instantly when the U.S. dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima. Some 70,000 were killed just three days later, when that second bomb was dropped on Nagasaki. Well, nuclear weapons have not been used since 1945. There are an estimated 12,000 nuclear warheads across the globe. CNN's Hanako Montgomery, following this announcement, joining us more now, from Tokyo with more.
What more can you tell us about this organization for a lot of people are probably just learning about it for the first time?
HANAKO MONTGOMERY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi Erica, it's good to see you. So yeah, as you described, Nihon Hidankyo is a grassroots organization that is comprised of atomic bomb survivors, also known as Hibakusha in Japanese. And the group's main goal is to really eliminate all nuclear weapons around the world. And they travel across Japan and also internationally to deliver their message of nuclear nonproliferation and of peace.
And again, because they are all survivors of the atomic bombs, they know firsthand. I mean, they've lived through just how devastating these bombs actually are. They've seen the atomic bombs dropped by the United States on Japan during World War Two, decimating entire neighborhoods, entire towns, people's lives, their families and their livelihoods.
So really, they draw from these experience and advocate for a world without these weapons, for a world that is actually peaceful, and for the group to finally win the Nobel Peace Prize after decades of advocacy, is really just a joyous moment for not only the group, but also for Japan, which has made nuclear disarmament a key foreign policy --
HILL: The timing is also really important, given the fact that this is a group, of course, made up of survivors. They are old at this point, it's important to note those voices to continue to be heard, and for this to happen while there are still a number of survivors, is really important.
MONTGOMERY: Erica, I think you put it exactly right. I mean, this win comes at a very important time, not just for Japan, but really for the entire world. After decades of nuclear anxiety during the Cold War, we're seeing nuclear weapons also cause a lot of unease right now, especially amid the wars in Ukraine and in the Middle East.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly warned the West that if the United States and its allies get too close or too involved in the war in Ukraine, that it could use nuclear bombs. Israel, meanwhile, which is believed to have nuclear weapons of its own, is trading fire with Iran, another country that is believed to have nuclear capabilities.
Even some of Japan's neighbors, like North Korea, for example, are rapidly developing their nuclear arms and their arsenal. So again, the fact that this win comes at a time when there's a lot of global unease about nuclear weapons, and also the fact, again, that this survivor's group is really advocating for that same message, even while a lot of these survivors have died due to old age, is of extreme importance. And some of these survivors are also saying that they hope to see the world completely eliminate their nuclear weapons while some of these survivors are still alive, and they hope to continue to pass on their message generation to generation, even long after they are gone, Erica.
HILL: That prize will certainly help them to continue in that work. Hanako Montgomery, appreciate it. Thank you. Still ahead here Former U.S. President Barack Obama not holding back as he takes to the campaign trail in support of Vice President Kamala Harris. Plus, more controversial remarks from the Republican nominee, how Donald Trump insulted the very city he was campaigning in.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[08:15:00]
HILL: We have just over three weeks now until the U.S. presidential election. Democrats are looking to some of their party's biggest names to drum up support. Former President Barack Obama kicking off a campaign sprint for Kamala Harris across key battleground states.
Speaking in Pennsylvania on Thursday, Obama made his case for the Democratic nominee while blasting her Republican opponent, labeling Former President Donald Trump as a serial liar who has violated the public trust.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, 44TH U.S. PRESIDENT: Donald Trump at a rally, just started making up stories about the Biden Administration withholding aid from Republican areas and siphoning off aid to give to undocumented immigrants. You have a guy who will just lie about it to score political points, and this has consequences. People are afraid, and they've lost everything.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HILL: CNN's Priscilla Alvarez is covering the campaign, joining us now from Washington, the former president, not really holding back there. Also had a clear focus, not just on the former president, but has a real focus in this battleground sprint in terms of voters that he's going after.
PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, and in this case, Erica, that focus was turned to black voters the former president speaking directly to them when he made an unannounced campaign stop at one of the offices in Pennsylvania, sort of drawing out the argument for why black voters should get behind the vice president and calling into question why they believe, why some believe that Former President Donald Trump may be better for them. Take a listen to what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: Part of it makes me think that, well, you just aren't feeling the idea of having a woman is present. And you're coming up with other alternatives and other reasons for them. And so now you're thinking about sitting out or even supporting somebody who has a history of denigrating you, because you think that's a sign of strength.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ALVAREZ: So, the suggestion there by the former president that black voters, black men were perhaps sexism was contributing to why they wouldn't vote for the vice president. It was a sobering moment, also a remarkable one, with the first black man to serve as the U.S. President.
Now bringing this message to try to appeal as well to black voters and offer some stern words there. But during his remarks in Pennsylvania, he also focused and double down on drawing the stark contrast between policy and character, ripping into Donald Trump, while also arguing that the vice president is ready for the job.
He did this on the economy, sort of saying that the former president was for president, Donald Trump was taking credit for the economy that Obama left him also talking more about that misinformation that has become a massive issue for this administration when it comes to response to the hurricanes.
And just generally, describing the vice president as the person who can offer the change that voters have described they want to see that she offers something much better than Former President Donald Trump. Now this is going to be the first of many stops the former president also going to go to multiple other battleground states to deliver this message. Of course, he is the Democratic Party's most popular figure.
[08:20:00]
And so, in this final stretch, the Harris campaign looking to him to help boost their messaging in multiple corners of the Democratic Party, especially where they have these weak spots with for example, black men, with Hispanic men, hoping again, that they can build up that coalition with the former president hitting the trail.
And by the way, he's not just focused on the top of the ticket. A lot of what he's going to do is also focused on those down ballot candidates, clearly a concerted effort here by the party, recognizing that it is the final stretch and also starting to pool their focus to turnout, voter turnout.
That is going to be what we'll see a lot of in the next few weeks, not only from surrogates like Former President Barack Obama, but also from the vice president and her campaign, Erica.
HILL: You mentioned Hispanic voters. The Latino vote is a real focus at this point in the campaign for both candidates. What is, is there a shift, I should say, in the Harris-Walz campaign in terms of messaging to try to reach more Latino voters?
ALVAREZ: Well, the vice president was in Arizona yesterday appealing to Latino voters, and right before that, she had participated in a town hall with Univision where she tried to answer questions from Latino voters in the room on a range of issues, the economy, of course, coming up, immigration, among other issues and all of those, she's said much of the same as what she says on the trail.
But look, when you look -- when the polls, when you look at the polls, the vice president has an advantage over Former President Donald Trump with Latino voters. But when you break that down, her advantage is mostly with Hispanic women, not so much with Hispanic men. There she is evenly split.
And even when you look at it holistically, she lags behind where other Democratic nominees have been. So taken together, you can understand why the Harris campaign is trying to double down on their messaging with Latino voters and also be present by having the vice president again go to the West Coast to speak to Latino voters in those states.
Last week, she was doing much of the same, and so they are trying to appeal to them, especially on the economy and lowering costs. This has been an issue top of mind for voters across the United States. And so certainly, that is where part of the focus has been, as well as putting out targeted campaigns for Hispanic men, hoping to peel some of those away from Former President Donald Trump.
But so far, there is some anxiety within different corners of the party, and also sources that I've spoken with, just because the polls are not really moving it has been deadlocked. So certainly, we'll see more attempts, not only by the vice president, but surrogates, as I mentioned, to try to appeal to those voters and build on the coalition that they saw worked for Joe Biden in 2020.
HILL: Priscilla Alvarez, really appreciate it. Thank you. Former President Donald Trump in Detroit, Michigan on Thursday, speaking to the Detroit Economic Club, where he actually compared that city to a developing nation. Then going on to warn attendees that the U.S. would end up like Detroit if Harris is elected president. Here's CNN's Alayna Treene with more.
ALAYNA TREENE, CNN REPORTER: Well Former President Donald Trump addressed the Detroit Economic Club on Thursday and laid out a series of steps that he said he hoped would reinvigorate what he called a collapsing U.S. auto industry. And at one point he also criticized Detroit, of course, the same city that he was delivering remarks in.
But I do want to lay out some of the news that he made today. He vowed for the first time, to have interest payments on car loans be tax deductible. That is the latest in a series of costly tax cuts that he has been offering. But he argued and suggested, really, that it would help carmakers as well as consumers dealing with high prices.
He also said that he wants to revisit his own 2020 trade agreement with Mexico and Canada, and said that he wants to renegotiate it so that Mexico has more tariffs imposed on it for any cars that they are making in their country. But to get back to his criticism of Detroit, at one point, he argued that Detroit is a developing city.
He said, quote, it is more developing than most places in China, calling it a once great city. And then he also used the city to characterize what he argued would happen to the rest of the country should Kamala Harris win in November. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP (R), FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT AND 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I don't think anything that we're talking about today is high on her list. The whole country is going to be like you want to know the truth, it will be like Detroit. Our whole country will end up being like Detroit if she's your president.
We're a developing nation too. Just take a look at Detroit. Detroit's a developing -- Detroit's a developing area. Hell of a lot more than most places in China.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TREENE: Now, Donald Trump has been critical of Detroit in the past, but the reason these comments were so striking not only because he was in Detroit while saying this, but also because Detroit has Michigan's largest city. And we know Michigan is one of those three crucial blue wall states that he is campaigning in aggressively ahead of November. Of course, he won Michigan in 2016, but lost it to Joe Biden in 2020.
[08:25:00]
And when I talked to Donald Trump Senior Advisers, they tell me that this out of those three blue wall states, which also include Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, that they feel the most confident about their chances here in Michigan. So, I keep an eye on that as we look ahead to November 5th. Alayna Treene, CNN, Detroit, Michigan.
HILL: One person is dead after an accident inside a tourist mine in the U.S. State of Colorado, nearly two dozen people actually had to be rescued from that same mine. The group became stranded when an elevator inside the gold mine malfunctioned, and then for roughly six hours, they were stuck at the bottom of that cold deep mine.
It's about 1000 feet, just about 300 meters below ground. The temperature in that space about 50 degrees Fahrenheit, about 10 Celsius. They did have water, blankets, chairs and a radio. We're told, no access to bathrooms, no word yet on what caused that accident.
The judge in Sean Diddy Combs federal criminal case has now set a trial date for May 5th of next year. During Thursday's hearing in New York, combs appeared in jail, issued clothes with his ankles shackled, smiled and waved at his family. The musician and producer, is charged with racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution.
Earlier this week, his lawyers accused the government of leaking hotel surveillance video to CNN. Video that shows Combs beating his then girlfriend, and have asked that, that footage be barred from trial. Still to come here this hour with the recovery effort ongoing after Hurricane Milton, President Biden condemning the misinformation being spread by Donald Trump. Plus, Hurricane Milton, leaving behind that trail of wrecked homes, wrecked lives. Just ahead, a closer look at the link between climate change and these destructive storms.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HILL: We're now on our top story, millions of people in Florida dealing with the dangerous conditions in the aftermath of Hurricane Milton, which of course, just barreled through the state two days ago. The storm is responsible for at least 16 deaths. There are still search and rescue efforts ongoing.
That storm really, it was just an extraordinary storm surge. We had flash flooding, winds, several tornadoes respond as well, before it finally moved off into the Atlantic. Right now, more than 2.5 million customers still without power across the state. Later today, we are expecting an update from President Biden on the federal response.
Also just want to show you a little bit of what's been happening over the last couple days. Look at this, remarkable video of a rescue from the Coast Guard, which says it found a man clinging to a soft drink cooler. This is off the coast of Florida on Thursday. He was there, he said, after the storm had disabled his fishing boat.
[08:30:00]
President Biden has said the whole of government will be part of the response to recover from Hurricanes Milton and Helene, of course, which barreled across the Southern U.S. just two weeks ago. The president condemning price gouging and also the flow of misinformation around the recovery efforts, specifically calling out Former President Donald Trump, in fact, telling him to, quote, get a life man and to instead of spreading misinformation to help those affected.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has praised FEMA employees, telling CNN's Kaitlan Collins this, when it comes to the spread of that misinformation.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PETE BUTTIGIEG, U.S. TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY: They're doing their job. They're pros, but you can tell them, many of them are rattled by the level of just online vitriol and straight-out false information that, by the way, isn't just -- you know a problem because it's hurting somebody's feelings, it is actively making it more difficult for responders to do their job.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HILL: CNN Senior White House Reporter Kevin Liptak, joining me now. So, Kevin two hurricanes so close together, there are major concerns about funding when it comes to these recovery efforts, FEMA funding. Where do things stand?
KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yeah. Right now, FEMA says that it does have enough money for its immediate needs. We've heard that from the FEMA Director. We heard that from President Biden. But when you look at how they're spending their money. They're burning through it fairly quickly.
They've actually already spent almost half of their budget for their current fiscal year, and it only began 11 days ago, so at some point that will have to be replenished. The other pot of money that you hear a lot of concern about from the White House and from the administration is at the small business administration, they're responsible for providing low interest loans, not only to small businesses, but to homeowners and renters as well.
They only have about $100 million left that's only going to last a few weeks. And the president says that that urgently needs to be replenished. And he actually just yesterday, called on Congress for the first time to come back to Washington to approve that funding. When you talk to Congressional Leaders, they haven't necessarily been open to that idea yet.
House Speaker Mike Johnson says that because it will take some time for them to assess the needs on the ground, to actually come up with dollar figure, that it would be OK for them to wait until November 12th, which is when they are scheduled to return to Washington to provide this additional funding.
So, you can already start to see that battle brewing. He will come under pressure. Has already come under pressure from lawmakers in both parties, from these states, from Florida, but also the states that were affected by Hurricane Helene to come back, call lawmakers back to Washington early to approve this funding.
Of course, in the backdrop of all of that are the lies and disinformation about the state of government resources, certainly from Former President Trump. And we did hear President Biden speak to that yesterday, calling it un-American. Listen to more of what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Those who engage in such lies are undermining confidence in the rescue and recovery work that's opening an ongoing as I speak are continuing. These lies are also harmful to those who most need help. Lives are on the line. People are in desperate situations. Have the decency to tell them the truth.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LIPTAK: So, you do see President Biden there really kind of confronting this storm on two fronts. One is the actual disaster recovery effort, and I wouldn't be surprised if we saw President Biden on the ground in Florida in the coming days to get a sense for himself of where the needs exactly are. But then there's also the second front, this disinformation front that you do hear a lot of concern about inside of the White House.
HILL: Absolutely. Kevin, really appreciate it. Thank you. As we continue to look at the fallout the aftermath of Hurricane Milton, that devastation likely caused somewhere between $30 and $50 billion worth of insured losses that's according to Fitch Ratings, virtually all climate scientists believe the devastating storms like Milton are the result of human caused climate change.
The planet is warming. The water is warming. Warmer water, more severe storms. CNN's Bill Weir visited one flood ravaged community where the future of that community seems uncertain at this point.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BILL WEIR, CNN CHIEF CLIMATE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): As Earth overheats, these are the kinds of storms that take lives and livelihoods. But as families, real and private grief, it's the material loss that is so obvious everywhere in Pinellas County, from the tower construction crane that crashed down on neighboring buildings to Tropicana Field peeled like an orange by Milton's winds.
The Tampa Bay Rays already have plans in the works to build a new stadium with taxpayers kicking in hundreds of millions of dollars. But what happens now is anyone's guess, especially after the loss of entire neighborhoods retirees and working-class American Dreamers.
SANDY DAUGHTRY, FLORIDA NATIVE, PINELLAS COUNTY RESIDENT: I'm just really concerned for all these people. It's just devastating. It's like World War III or something, you know.
[08:35:00]
WEIR (voice-over): Sandy Daughtry hid in a closet during landfall and the day after, rides her bike through the mingled wreckage of back-to- back hurricanes, praying for neighbors she knows now have nothing.
WEIR: Long after all of these pieces of people's lives have been picked up. What will remain in Florida is a massive insurance crisis. In just the last couple of years, dozens of different carriers have gone insolvent or stopped accepting new customers or been placed on state watch lists. So as a result, flood insurance for a home like this can be over $20,000 a year, way more than the mortgage. So, most of these families had no coverage at all. There are so many folks are uninsured, right?
DAUGHTRY: Yes, yes. I know that's why I just like it breaks my heart. I'm riding through here just like my heart is just shattered. I just can't even -- it's just unbelievable, really.
WEIR: What do you think becomes of communities like this?
DAUGHTRY: I don't know. I really don't. I'm hearing a lot of people saying they're going to leave the state and head back up north, but I don't -- I don't know if that'll happen -- you know maybe a mass exodus or something.
WEIR: Do you connect and all of this to a changing climate, a warmer planet?
DAUGHTRY: You know, I don't -- I'm not sure. I couldn't answer. I can't really answer.
WEIR: Really?
DAUGHTRY: I just -- maybe it's just 100-year cycle, or -- you know, some kind of a cycle that we go through.
WEIR: Even though all the scientists are telling you this is what climate change looks like?
DAUGHTRY: Well, that's the point. I'm not sure all the scientists are --
WEIR: They are.
DAUGHTRY: So that's --
(CROSSTALK)
WEIR: I can tell you they are.
DAUGHTRY: So, I'm kind of like --
WEIR: I'm here to tell you they are.
DAUGHTRY: They are.
WEIR: 99 percent of them absolutely agree. You can ask anybody --
DAUGHTRY: I can definitely tell you our beaches are eroding. In my lifetime. To all, all the beaches have, I've seen the water come up a lot higher than it ever has before.
WEIR: Thank you so much.
DAUGHTRY: Thanks for talking.
WEIR: Yeah, thank you. You're a great neighbor. If there's a heaven you're getting in.
DAUGHTRY: I know. That's, honestly, that's what I do. I ride around and just pray for people and just pray -- you know -- I just -- it's just --
WEIR: You're a first prayer responder.
DAUGHTRY: That's, yeah.
WEIR: All right, good luck to you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HILL: Still to come, Russian President Vladimir Putin meeting with Iran's President as the conflict escalates in the Middle East. What the pair discussed just ahead. Plus, Ukraine's President at the Vatican working to shore up support for his victory plan. Those details also ahead. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HILL: Israel intensifying its aerial campaign in the Lebanese capital late Thursday. Lebanon's Health Ministry says at least 22 people were killed scores more wounded. This is being described as the deadliest round of Israeli airstrikes in Central Beirut since 2006. Hezbollah says a senior official who managed the group's domestic and international affairs was the target.
[08:40:00]
But said he did survive the attack. Israel's Prime Minister says Lebanon is nearing the abyss of a war that could bring the kind of destruction seen in Gaza, though some parts of Southern Lebanon have already been turned to rubble here CNN's Ben Wedeman.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: You have to walk carefully through the rubble, all that remains of three buildings and Tyre demolished by Israeli bombs. Neighbors say the bombing killed at least five people, including women and children. The Arabic spokesman for the Israeli military will occasionally over Twitter or X put out evacuation orders for specific buildings in Beirut before they're struck. Here in Tyre, there have been no warnings.
For 35 years Baha (ph) has run a small clothing shop next door, now in shambles. History is repeating itself she says. A three-storey building fell over our heads during the 1982 Israeli invasion. This ancient city is just 12 miles or 19 kilometers from the border with Israel. Most of the residents have fled north. Those who stayed behind live under constant threat.
It was terrifying. The missile hit and it collapsed, says 70-year-old Megdad (ph) describing another Israeli strike that destroyed multiple homes in Tyre's old city. For more than half a century, every generation has witnessed destruction and death. We're used to it says Megdad's neighbor, Yousef (ph), we're used to wars. We've seen wars. Going back to the days of the Phoenicians Tyre has looked to the sea now a forbidden zone.
Israel has warned people to stay off the beaches and fishermen not to take their boats out. So, in Tyre's Port Abu Ibrahim (ph) sits and smokes his water pipe. We go to sea so we can eat he tells me, now we can't. How can we eat? An old man deprived of his sea, Ben Wedman, CNN Tyre, Southern Lebanon.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HILL: Russian President Vladimir Putin, meeting with Iran's President Friday. Putin says that he shares a very close worldview with his Iranian counterpart. Both Iran and Russia have, of course, developed closer military ties in recent years. Friday's meeting taking place at a Regional Summit in the Capital of the Central Asian Country, Turkmenistan. It also comes as Iran is bracing for a response to the missile attack it launched at Israel last week. CNN's Fred Pleitgen is in Iran's Capital of Tehran for us at this hour. So, the first meeting here between Iran's new President and Vladimir Putin just put in perspective how close this relationship is right now between Russia and Iran?
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, and how close it has grown, certainly over the last couple of years, and especially over the past couple of months, as Iran has entered that standoff, of course, with Israel and with the United States as well, here in the Middle East.
And of course, Russia, for more than two years now, at odds with the United States and most European countries over Russia's ongoing full- on invasion of Ukraine. So certainly, in that time, Iran and Russia have grown militarily closer, but also politically closer as well.
And certainly, Masoud Pezeshkian now in his first direct meeting with Vladimir Putin, seeming to reflect that as well. One of the things, according to the readout that Masoud Pezeshkian said, is that he said that Russia and Iran need to support each other on the international stage.
Now, of course, for the Russians, the Iranians, Erica are also extremely important as far as the military technical sphere is concerned. The U.S. and Ukraine, of course, accusing Iran of giving Russia drones that are used in the war in Ukraine and also short-range ballistic missiles. Iranians continue to deny doing that.
However, both Iran and Russia have said that their cooperation does extend to the military technical sphere. And all of us, of course, right now coming as especially here in Iran, where I am right now, the tensions do remain very high, as Iran does brace for what could be, or what the Israelis say will be a very strong response to that missile attack by Iran on Iranian -- on Israeli soil last week.
Now, a couple of hours ago, we actually went to the Friday prayers here, which, of course, also are very political here in Iran as well. And many of the prayer growers that we spoke to there, gave a warning to Israel, let's listen in.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They will see a very harsh response from the IRGC, the army and the people of Iran. Be sure that this will happen.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Israel has experienced this before, and if they repeat this experience, they will definitely be destroyed.
[08:45:00]
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They are brutally overseeing the bloodshed of innocent children which is taking place, and both America and Israel have a share in this crime they should overthrow the leadership of their countries.
(END VIDEO CLIP) PLEITGEN: So that was a little earlier at Friday prayers here in Tehran. Obviously, as we mentioned, as those tensions continue to remain high here and the Iranians brace for what could be that strong Israeli response, that promised response by the Israelis. The Iranians are saying, depending on what the Israelis do, they will be a crushing response coming from Iran in return, Erica.
HILL: Frederik Pleitgen for us in Tehran. Appreciate it thank you. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy meeting with the Pope at the Vatican on Friday. The Ukrainian Leader is visiting European allies working to sell what he's calling his victory plan, his blueprint for winning the war against Russia.
The full details have yet to be made public. Mr. Zelenskyy, though, may have one of his toughest conversations coming up when he meets with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, in a few hours from now. Berlin has said it plans to slash its military aid to Ukraine in half next year. CNN's Christopher Lamb joining me now in London. So, these visits are key, obviously, for President Zelenskyy. What more do we know about how they're going?
CHRISTOPHER LAMB, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the meeting between President Zelenskyy and the Pope Erica was the third one that the pair have had since Russia's invasion of Ukraine. President Zelenskyy meeting the Pope after meeting the Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni as part of his whistle stop tour of European capitals to, as you say, push for his plan to have victory in the war against Russia.
Now, during his meeting with Pope Francis, it lasted about half an hour in the Vatican. President Zelenskyy saying the main focus of that was to try and ensure the release of those taken captive by -- from Ukraine to into Russia. The President Zelenskyy saying the issue of bringing our people home from captivity was the main focus of my meeting with Pope Francis.
Now the Pope and the Vatican have been working on trying to release political prisoners. Earlier in the year, President Zelenskyy thanking the Vatican for its work in securing the release of ten prisoners from Ukraine who have been held captive in Russia, including two Ukrainian Catholic priests.
So, the Vatican clearly working in this area very closely. The Pope has been consistently trying to push for diplomatic and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine. The Pope has been trying to play a peace broker role that hasn't always worked very well for the Pope. You may remember that earlier in the year, he was very heavily criticized when he suggested that Ukraine should have the courage of the white flag and end the war with Russia.
That did not go down well with Kyiv. And the Vatican saying Following the meeting between the Pope and the President, discussions were focused on how to achieve a just and stable peace in Ukraine. But despite the tensions there might have been over the Pope's position on the war, clearly President Zelenskyy seeing in the Pope someone who can help with this humanitarian work and with securing the release of prisoners Erica. HILL: Christopher Lam in London appreciate it thank you. So, what does
the future of artificial intelligence look like? You'll hear from the CEO of Google's DeepMind AI Lab, who just won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. His prediction after the break.
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[08:50:00]
HILL: Winner of this year's Nobel Prize for Chemistry, says he hopes to inspire people to focus on AI that can help the world. CNN's Anna Stewart caught up with him. He's a CEO of Google DeepMind, to see whether the news of this win is even sunk in yet.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DEMIS HASSABIS, CEO, GOOGLE DEEPMIND: To be honest, it hasn't at all. It still seems like a dream, really, and it's very surreal, and it still, still is today.
ANNA STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I was saying it's interesting with this application, because this is one of those applications of AI that people may not even know about. They may not know that a drug or a treatment they have in the future is the result of AlphaFold. Do you wish that there was less conversation, less focus on AI chatbots, and more focus here?
HASSABIS: Well, I think it's -- I mean, I think that's what's great about this recognition as well from the Nobel Committee, is it does shine a spotlight on other types of AI that are happening that are not chatbots, like you said, that are still making a massive impact in the world, but maybe in more specialized areas, like science or biology or medicine.
And I hope it inspires many other people to work on those types of AI systems that can help the world -- you know be of huge benefit to the world in these other ways.
STEWART: You know, it's interesting. You're so positive when you talk about AI, despite the risks. But there are some AI pioneers, like Joshua Bengio or Geoffrey Hinton, who are much gloomier about the outlook. Is your sense that overall, AI will be a force for good?
HASSABIS: Yes, of course. So, I'm in the middle ground. There are people on both extremes, I would say, that are very worried about the risks and focus mostly on those. And then there are others that are -- you know saying there's nothing to worry about. You know, I'm not in either of those camps, really. I think that there's a lot of unknowns, is what I would say.
So, I'm not actually -- I'm actually very optimistic we're going to solve the problems given enough time and enough smart people working on it.
STEWART: AI is taking the prize for Physics and Chemistry in terms of the Nobel Prize. Do you think you'll ever get the Peace Prize? HASSABIS: I can't see how that could be possible anytime soon. But you know, you never say never.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HILL: There you go, never say never. Well, Elon Musk unveiling his vision for the future of autonomous cars. The Tesla CEO showing off the Cybercab, Robotaxi on Thursday as part of the "We Robot Event" in Los Angeles. It's a self-driving vehicle with no steering wheel or pedals. Musk road to the futuristic car during the event, which was live streamed to millions of viewers on X, of course, social media platform. He also introduced the Tesla Robovan, which he said could carry up to 20 people.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ELON MUSK, TESLA CEO: What happens if you need a vehicle that is bigger than a model Y? The Robovan -- the Robovan is, this is -- we're going to make this, and it's going to look like that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HILL: Robovan, not Robo-van, my bad. Musk said the Cybercab it should be in production by 2026. We'll see, important to remember five years ago, he did say Tesla's Robotaxis would be available in a year. We'll keep watching that space.
Access Hollywood Host Mario Lopez turned 51 on Thursday and got a birthday gift that is going to last a long time. His own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. A big crowd there on hand to help him celebrate, including his friend Mark Wahlberg. Lopez got his big break, of course, on the Sitcom "Saved by the Bell" in the 90s. He has worked pretty steadily since then, his wife and three children were there along with his mother, whom he credits with his success.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARIO LOPEZ, ACTOR/HOST: Growing up I had no idea anything like this was even possible. I was just a kid from Chula Vista, first generation, and I just got into this business, just my mom was trying to keep me busy and out of trouble. Cut to 40 years later, having a star in the Walk of Fame. Since the whole thing is this is a real experience, and I'm just, I feel so blessed.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HILL: Modern Day experts are set to reveal whether they have finally solved a mystery from the 15th century, a vault in Seville, Spain, thought to contain the remains of Christopher Columbus was unearthed back in 2003. Now since then, the bones in that lead box have been undergoing DNA analysis.
Several countries have argued over the final resting place of the explorer. Many historians rather question the theory that Columbus was from Italy. So, the findings of this research are due to be announced in a documentary set to air on Spanish Broadcaster TV on Saturday. Finally, this hour, an intense solar storm making the Northern Lights
visible much further south than usual. People up and down the Coast of the Eastern United States really seeing a stunning light show on Thursday. This is an image captured in the State of New Jersey, even when Aurora can't be seen with the naked eye.
[08:55:00]
Photos of the night sky can really capture those intense colors, and boy, have we seen a lot of them. Take a look at this image from further up the Coast in Maine. This video here you see basically those curtains of color. They appear when the sun's energy interacts with the Earth's atmosphere in between.
Massachusetts Meteorologists there say Thursday's weather was just perfect for a light show. Stunning images also seen out of Canada, England, Germany and Finland this week. Thanks so much for joining me on this Friday edition of CNN Newsroom. I'm Erica Hill. Stay tuned. "Connect the World" with Becky Anderson is up next.
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