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One World with Zain Asher

Fed Governor In Court Today Fighting Trump's Firing; Four Senior CDC Officials Resign, CDC Staffers Held Rally; Explosions Seen On outskirts Of Gaza City; Ukrainian Delegation Meets U.S. Envoy Witkoff In New York; Nearly 1,400 Died Because Of Katrina, More Than One Million Displaced. Aired 12-12:45p ET

Aired August 29, 2025 - 12:00   ET

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

[12:00:38]

LYNDA KINKADE, CNN ANCHOR: Hello. I'm Lynda Kinkade, live at CNN's world headquarters in Atlanta. This is the second hour of "One World." Welcome.

We are following two significant developments at this hour in Donald Trump's efforts to take more control of the U.S. Federal Reserve. A federal

judge in Washington is right now hearing arguments about whether Trump can fire the Fed governor, Lisa Cook.

Now, Cook is seeking a temporary restraining order. Her lawyers say allegations that she committed mortgage fraud are not enough to justify

removing her from the board that determines U.S. interest rates.

Well, the Trump official, who has been leading the charge against Cook, has made a second mortgage fraud allegation against her. Bill Pulte is asking

the Justice Department to investigate a building that Cook listed as a second home. But he claims that it is an investment property.

Our crime and justice correspondent Katelyn Polantz has been tracking this legal battle over Lisa Cook's firing and joins us now. Katelyn, good to

have you with us.

So, Lisa Cook, the Federal Reserve governor, fired by the U.S. President. Her lawyers are asking for her to remain in the job until her case can be

heard. Just take us to what's happening in the hearing today.

KATELYN POLANTZ, CNN CRIME AND JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Well, the hearing, it's wrapping up, but it's been two hours of legal arguments from Lisa

Cook's attorney and for the Trump administration, largely arguing over who is harmed most if she continues to go to work or if she can't go to work as

a Federal Reserve governor.

And then also arguing over, what is the definition of for cause whenever the president fires somebody in an independent agency like the Federal

Reserve, like he says he is doing here with Lisa Cook?

The judge, at the beginning of the hearing, noted that Congress made a deliberate choice not to define what for cause means here. The Justice

Department is arguing that these allegations, they may not have reached their end result of any investigation that would take place around Lisa

Cook, even if there have been criminal referrals on her to the Justice Department, that it's enough for Donald Trump to say, yes, I want to remove

her for cause.

One of the arguments from the Justice Department that even if she didn't intentionally have mortgage fraud or anything like that, that she's been

accused of, even negligence that she may have, accusations she's been negligent around documents, could cast a shadow over the Federal Reserve

and it's ongoing.

There's a lot here about the independence of this independent central bank of the U.S. Her lawyers say though, these allegations are unproven, they're

unsubstantiated. She hasn't had a chance to respond to them.

And so this alone is a pretext because Donald Trump wants to get rid of her for another reason that he's unhappy the Fed will not lower interest rates.

Lynda.

KINKADE: And so, Katelyn, is there any precedent or Supreme Court ruling that supports the president's actions here?

POLANTZ: Lynda, there has been a lot of Supreme Court back and forth around this about the removal of independent agents, independent officials and

agencies in the federal government since Donald Trump took office.

Just in May, the U.S. Supreme Court allowed for him to remove people from essentially labor boards or boards that helped federal government workers

if they wanted to protest their firing or become whistleblowers.

And what the Supreme Court says was, well, the president could remove those people because the government would be more harmed if they were terminated

and continued to show up for work rather than if they were not allowed to continue to show up for work.

It wasn't more harm to them. It was more harm to the government. But that Supreme Court decision, it carved out the Fed acknowledging how significant

it is as the historical central bank of the United States, sort of the -- the crux of the underpinning of the American economic system protecting

that is different than these other boards.

But there's no Supreme Court ruling yet in this situation with Lisa Cook. This is just at the trial level. There's very likely to be appeals. We

haven't even reached a decision today in this hearing. Lynda.

[12:05:02]

KINKADE: All right. We will try again soon, no doubt, on this. Katelyn Polantz joining us from Washington D.C. thanks so much.

Well, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has named a new acting director of the Embattled CDC. Jim O'Neill, a former biotech investor, has been Kennedy's

deputy secretary of Health and Human Services, and he'll take over the health agency.

He replaces Susan Monarez who was fired this week after a report of the clashing with Kennedy of a vaccine policy. Her dismissal caused four senior

officials to resign in solidarity, and CDC staff as you can see there, out rallying on the streets in support of them.

We're joining us now to talk about the changes at the CDC under Trump, as well as the president's efforts to impose his will at the Federal Reserve

is Tolu Olorunnipa. He's a staff writer for "The Atlantic" and the former White House bureau chief for "The Washington Post." Good to have you on the

program. Thanks for joining us.

TOLUSE OLORUNNIPA, STAFF WRITER, THE ATLANTIC: It's great to be with you, Lynda.

KINKADE: So, Susan Monarez was only hired as the CDC director a month ago. Now, she's dismissed. From your reporting and your sources, how deep is

this crisis at the CDC? And what is its signal about the state of public health under this current administration?

OLORUNNIPA: Well, this is an incredibly deep crisis at the CDC. You saw the -- the images of people cheering for the ousted leadership of -- of the

CDC. And you have this clash between Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., who wants to, quote-unquote, make America healthy again and has these really far out

ideas for how he might change public health that aren't backed up by science.

And then you have the traditional science-based leaders who are now being ousted. This clash has really been between science and anti-science. And

anti-science seems to be winning when it comes to who's going to be remaining in place.

And so Donald Trump has given his support to Robert Kennedy, Jr., to implement a number of different public health measures that aren't backed

by science. He talked about how he's going to look into the source of autism and potentially try to draw a connection between vaccines and drugs

in autism, even though science and all of the studies have shown that there is no link the way that they're trying to portray there to be one.

And so, it's been pretty clear that Donald Trump wants a Robert Kennedy, Jr. to implement an agenda that's not backed by science. And that's where

this clash happened. That's where we saw this crisis between Robert Kennedy, Jr., ousting some of the top officials from the CDC people who had

just started their work and they clashed over science.

And the fact that they wanted to stick with what the science shows meant that they were on the wrong side of Robert Kennedy, Jr.'s make America

healthy again agenda. And for that reason, they've been ousted.

KINKADE: And, Tolu, you know, we've spoken about mass resignations and vaccine policy reversals. But also the CDC has gone silent on gun

prevention and gun research.

And we know since April this year that the department in the CDC has been gutted, a former director said 75 percent of the staff in that department

that worked on, you know, gun prevention and research were -- were dismissed.

So, in terms of what's happening at the CDC as a whole, is this a return to 2019 where the CDC was effectively barred from doing any research on gun

policy?

OLORUNNIPA: It is a return. And in some cases, it's even more of an extreme turn away from what the CDC has traditionally been, which has been a

nonpartisan, apolitical agency that's involved in researching things that are important for the public interest.

In this case, it's very clear that anything that's in the public interest, if it's not in the interest of the political ends of Donald Trump and his

MAGA base, then it's not seen as in the public interest or it's seen as off-limits.

So things like gun control and -- and gun research have been thrown out of the window. Things like vaccine research that's based on science have been

sublimated for things that are more focused on this idea that autism is linked to the vaccines that are put into children.

And so it's very clear that you've got even beyond where Trump was in his first term. He's taken an even more aggressive approach against science,

against public health measures that have been traditionally apolitical. And he's pushing with the support of Robert Kennedy Jr.

He's pushing for a kind of make America healthy again agenda that is really not in line with what the top scientists and the top public health

officials who have traditionally been able to do their work free from political interference, what they think is no longer being taken into

account.

It's instead the agenda of some more extreme figures who don't have that science background and who do not have the respect for science that we've

seen in the past.

[12:10:06]

KINKADE: And, Tolu, you, of course, have chronicled the power struggles in the past. I want to get your perspective on the fight over the Fed,

particularly the firing of the Federal Reserve governor and how it compares to past showdowns between presidents and institutions that are supposed to

be independent.

OLORUNNIPA: Yes. We do have a pretty significant power struggle here between this independent agency at the Federal Reserve that's supposed to

be separate and independent from the thumb of the president. They're supposed to be able to do their work and set interest rates without having

to fear what's going on with the president.

But it's very clear that President Trump wants to have control over the Fed. He wants to have a majority of people on the Fed board who have been

appointed by him. And so he's taking these steps to try to oust Lisa Cook.

The first time that's been done by a president to try to get rid of a Fed governor based on the -- for cause -- clause in the -- in the law. And he's

looking for anything that he can to undermine her position. And she's obviously pushing back. So you do have this clash.

And it does appear that it's something that the courts are going to have to sort out over the course of months or even years to figure out who has the

power. Trump is testing to see how much power he can seize at the Federal Reserve.

And Lisa Cook is pushing back. She seems to be pushing back on her own at this point. She doesn't necessarily have the support of the Fed chairman.

He hasn't said anything in support of her other than that he -- that he wants this to be resolved quickly.

But she's pushing back. And really what happens in this case could really determine how the Federal Reserve is constituted for the future and how it

is able to govern in the future and whether or not future presidents will be able to direct Fed policy from the White House. That's something that

hasn't been the history of the U.S. But Trump wants to change that and he could change it for the future as well.

KINKADE: Tulo, we appreciate your time today. Thanks for being with us.

We are learning more about the two children killed in this week's school shooting in Minnesota. Their families painting a heart-wrenching picture of

their loss.

Her parents described 10-year-old Harper Moyski as a bright and joyful and a loving big sister whose laughter touched everyone she knew. And eight-

year-old Fletcher Merkel's father says he loved family, friends, fishing, cooking and any sport that he was allowed to play. He says in time he hopes

their family can -- can find healing.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JESSE MERKEL, FATHER OF EIGHT-YEAR-OLD KILLED IN SHOOTING: Yesterday, a coward decided to take our eight-year-old son Fletcher away from us.

Because of their actions, we will never be allowed to hold him, talk to him, play with him, and watch him grow into the wonderful young man who's

on the path to becoming.

Please remember, Fletcher for the person he was and not the act that ended his life, give your kids an extra hugging kiss today. We love you,

Fletcher. You'll always be with us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KINKADE: Well, we're also hearing from an 11-year-old girl who survived the attack. Chloe Frankel says she's trying to stay happy to get her mind of

what happened and her mind keeps replaying it.

In an exclusive interview with CNN, she recalled the fear and chaos as the shooting unfolded.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHLOE FRANCOUAL, SHOOTING SURVIVOR: The teacher was in the middle of saying our prayers and then we heard just one shot. It felt -- I smelled smoke

before everything, but I heard one shot. I thought it was a firework like everybody else.

The second shot was just everybody just covering their ears. The third shot was when everybody started ducking low and all these shots were like slow.

Until the fourth shot, it started getting faster and faster. And then that's when everybody took into action.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What was -- what was that action?

FRANCOUAL: When some kids, they hid under the pews the whole time and some ran off to the pre-K room. That's what I did. And the pre-K room, we --

everybody started to help, especially the kids and all the older buddies.

We all started to help like putting tables on the doors, locking the doors, putting -- putting all this stuff on the doors as much as we could.

UNIDENTIFIEDEMALE: How would you describe the things that you're feeling right now? I guess dealing the level of trauma, I guess.

So how -- I don't -- how would you, as -- as an 11-year-old girl, having to experience this?

FRANCOUAL: I felt scared and I still feel scared. And it's just like I feel kind of like paranoid now since now I really, like, every time -- every

time I see like a window open, I want to close it. Because just I don't want it happening again.

[12:15:20]

And what's scary to think about is that what if another person comes? And I know it's not going to happen, but just --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's a fear.

FRANCOUAL: There's a fear.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KINKADE: Well, earlier, a professor of psychology spoke to CNN and spoke about how traumatic events like this week's shooting can impact the

children involved.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROBIN GURWITCH, PROFESSOR OF PSYCHIATRY AND BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES DUKE UNIVERSITY: We know that children are going to have a variety of reactions.

We heard from Chloe that she keeps replaying things in her mind. That's very typical after they've been through a traumatic event.

We may see problems with sleep, problems with concentration and attention and learning new materials. So, I think we need to be patient and give a

little bit of grace if our students may struggle in school in -- in these first few days and months afterwards. Or if students are worried in other

places, we may see that happen.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KINKADE: We're hearing from the Middle East that Israel has started pounding parts of Gaza City ahead of an assault on the city's center.

Earlier, Israel declared Gaza City a dangerous combat zone, its words. And this video from social media shows explosions on the city's outskirts.

The Prime Minister, meantime says Israel has recovered the remains of two deceased hostages. There are now 48 hostages remaining in Gaza. Twenty of

them are believed to be alive.

CNN's Jeremy Diamond joins us now from Tel Aviv. Good to have you with us, Jeremy.

So, Israel has recovered the remains of -- of two more hostages. What can you tell us about how this discovery is being handled publicly and

politically inside Israel?

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Well, indeed, the Israeli military has recovered the remains of two hostages who were deceased. One

of them has been identified. The other has yet to be publicly identified. Although the Israeli military did say that they had reached out to that

hostages' family.

The hostage whose identity we know, his name is Ilan Weiss. He was 56 years old. He lived in Kibbutz Be'eri with his family. And we learned back in

January of last year that he had actually been killed on October 7th and his body taken into Gaza and held until now as a bargaining chip by Hamas.

His wife and one of his daughters had also been kidnapped on October 7th. They were released during that first ceasefire at the end of 2023.

The other -- the remains of the other hostage are still undergoing forensic examination according to the Israeli authorities.

This leaves us with 48 hostages who are still being held in Gaza. Twenty of whom are indeed still believed to be alive.

But, of course, it comes at a time when the Israeli public is truly ramping up its calls for the Israeli government to reach a deal to secure the

release of the remaining Israeli hostages.

But this government is pressing forward instead with expanded military operations in Gaza and swearing off any partial deals that would secure the

release of some hostages as Hamas is now entertaining, instead saying that they will only agree to a deal that secures the release of all of those now

48 remaining hostages in Gaza.

KINKADE: Yes. And as you've been saying, Israel has declared Gaza City a combat zone. It's launched the initial stages of this renewed military

offensive. Just what is the end game here in Gaza City?

DIAMOND: Well, that is a question that many in the Israeli public are indeed asking as well. You know, there had been a time when it seems like

there could be a potential temporary ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas. That fell apart.

Then it seems like perhaps the Israeli government would move towards the -- the position of the most extreme members of this government who want to see

all of Gaza City occupied and ultimately establish Jewish settlements in Gaza as well.

And instead the route that this government has chosen is kind of between the two. And that is a full takeover of Gaza City. At least that seems to

be the primary and the initial objective of this latest military operation.

And indeed, we are now in the initial stages of that military operation with Israeli ground forces coming close to the -- or now operating in the

outskirts of Gaza City, both in the north and south of -- of that city.

They are also escalating their bombing and artillery shelling of the city itself. We've seen a number of strikes inside Gaza City over the course of

the last couple of days. Several very large plumes of smoke emerging from Gaza City today in the northern neighborhoods of that city in particular.

[12:20:14]

And that is already forcing many people to begin to flee, if not out of Gaza City altogether, as the Israeli military is now urging people to do,

then at least into the center of the city. But this could dramatically worsen an already critical humanitarian situation in Gaza, perhaps forcing

the displacement of up to one million people who are now living in Gaza City, as the Israeli military says that that kind of displacement is

inevitable here.

And, of course, this is all sparking greater condemnation from the international community at a time when Israel is already under so much

criticism for this famine that has now taken place, taken hold in Gaza City itself.

Hundreds of trucks of humanitarian aid are being distributed, but far short of the numbers that humanitarian officials say are needed. And they also

say that the Israeli government is continuing to put up many obstacles to the safe and effective distribution of humanitarian aid.

The latest move declaring Gaza City a combat zone and lifting those temporary humanitarian pauses that were in place for 10 hours per day. All

of this threatening to worsen the humanitarian situation inside of Gaza. Lynda.

KINKADE: All right. Jeremy Diamond for us in Tel Aviv. Thanks very much.

Well, still to come, another push for peace as Russia intensifies its attacks on Ukraine. Coming up, the latest on a meeting in New York today

between Washington and Kyiv. And what if anything came out of it.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KINKADE: We're back. A top aide to Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy is blaming Russia for stalling the peace negotiations. And he's urging the

global community to put more pressure on the Kremlin to end its war.

Andriy Yermak met with U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff in New York for talks earlier to, quote, push forward with real diplomacy. He also briefed

Witkoff on Moscow's massive aerial bombardment on Kyiv Thursday that led to the deaths of 23 people.

It all comes exactly two weeks after U.S. president Donald Trump held a summit with Russian president Vladimir Putin in Alaska.

Since then, peace efforts have stalled and Russia has intensified its missile and drone attacks in Ukraine.

[12:25:04]

CNN's Jennifer Hansler joins us now live from Washington. Good to have you with us, Jennifer.

So with 26 of the 27 E.U. countries demanding Russia cease hostilities, how is the U.S. coordinating with its European counterparts? And what more can

you tell us about the meeting today between U.S. officials and the Ukrainian officials?

JENNIFER HANSLER, CNN STATE DEPARTMENT REPORTER: Well, Lynda, this meeting up in New York this morning was really for the Ukrainians to drive home the

point that they are willing and active participants in this effort to reach peace in this war. This effort that Donald Trump has said is such a key

priority to him and that it is Russia that is the key impediment here.

Now, we heard from Yermak on a post on X earlier today giving sort of a readout of the meeting with Steve Witkoff. And he said that Russia is

failing to fulfill anything necessary to end the war and is clearly dragging out the hostilities.

So, this -- this is something they really wanted to drive home. A source told me earlier this week that this was going to be a main message, that

they are ready to meet at whatever level. They are ready to meet president to president. And it is Russia that is not playing ball.

And, of course, this comes as we continue to hear public statements from U.S. officials that are almost putting the two sides on even footing. We

heard from Steve Witkoff earlier this week when he announced this meeting and he said that Putin had made a good faith effort to engage.

We heard from the White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt yesterday at a briefing and she said that perhaps both sides are not ready to end this

war. And the Ukrainians want to say, no, we do want to end this war.

Now on a broader diplomatic front, we know there are ongoing discussions about these security guarantees for Ukraine. This is something that the

U.S. understands needs to be proposed and developed before Ukraine would be willing to give up any concessions at any peace talks to our understanding.

There aren't a lot of meat on the bones of what these security guarantees might look like. The U.S. has been clear they would not put boots on the

ground but they are willing to support efforts by the European nations to shore up Ukraine if there is any sort of end to this war.

Those discussions are ongoing here, Lynda.

KINKADE: All right. Jennifer Hansler staying across it all from the State Department. Thanks very much.

Well, New Orleans is one of the top tourist destinations in the world, but 20 years ago today, it was underwater. We'll look at how far the city has

come and the U.S. Gulf cast -- and the U.S. Gulf Coast since Hurricane Katrina.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:30:18]

KINKADE: Welcome back to "One World." I'm Lynda Kinkade.

Twenty years ago today, the U.S. Gulf Coast was changed forever. Hurricane Katrina roared ashore on August 29, 2005, bringing 125 mile or 200

kilometer an hour winds.

And a warning from the National Weather Service that's still chilling today. Humans suffering incredible by modern standards. And they were

right.

The levees in New Orleans broke. Water rushed into the city, leaving 80 percent of it underwater. Many of those who didn't get out in time found

themselves stuck on rooftops or herded into overcrowded shelters like the Superdome.

Thousands were left stranded and when help did arrive, it was too late for some. In all nearly 1,400 people lost their lives because of the storm.

Many people who didn't evacuate or who did evacuate didn't return to the city. And those who did had a monumental task ahead of them. Rebuild what

Mother Nature tore down.

CNN's Randi Kaye was along the Gulf Coast when Hurricane Katrina hit and is back in New Orleans today. Good to have you with us, Randi.

So just tell us, you know. It's hard to believe it's been 20 years since Hurricane Katrina hit. But how -- how is this city? How are the people

there, the communities commemorating this tragic event?

RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is really hard to believe, Lynda, that just 20 years ago today, this city, really where I'm standing, was 80

percent or so underwater, as you said. It's incredible.

But today, there is -- there's a lot planned for the city to remember, to commemorate, to honor those that they lost.

Earlier this morning, the Lower Ninth Ward, which is one of the hardest hit areas, that's where one of the barges broke through the levees. And then

that area flooded. They had a reading of the names of those who were lost. They had a moment of silence.

And where we are today, you might see some of this action here behind me. There is going to be what they call a second line, which is a jazz funeral.

That is going to be coming this way, starting from the Lower Ninth Ward. And then this is the ending point. And then after that, there will be a

rally.

I spoke to a musician earlier, and he told me that, you know, in New Orleans, they can turn anything into a party, even a funeral. So, that's

really what they're doing today. They are -- they are celebrating those who were lost. And it's really a tribute to the city, the power of New Orleans,

the power of its people.

And there's still plenty of work to be done here, Lynda. If you go around, especially in the Ninth Ward, there isn't a school, there isn't a health

clinic, there isn't a -- a supermarket, some of the homes. The -- the -- there's so many vacant lots, there's just slabs of concrete, and many that

are there are still just boarded up.

The people didn't return, but certainly there have been some improvements along the way, Lynda.

KINKADE: And, Randi, billions of dollars, of course, have been invested in to rebuilding New Orleans and strengthening the levee system to protect

against future storms.

However, the city continues to sink, and of course, faces many issues caused by -- by climate change.

Just tell us what lessons have been learned and what else is needed to protect the city against future storms.

KAYE: Well, I spoke with the Army Corps of Engineers and the Flood Authority here, and they really believe that they are in good shape. And

that they are battle tested already for some of the smaller storms that have come through.

We had some unique access to this new surge barrier. It's part of a $14 billion project that was built here with federal dollars. And it's a 1.8

mile surge barrier. It's built off the coast of New Orleans, about five miles out off the coast.

And the idea is to stop the surge far away from the populated areas. So, they built this surge barrier, which puts them in good shape. They also

have the floodgates on that surge barrier, which they close when they're expecting a very bad storm with a very bad storm surge.

[12:35:09]

This is part of what they told me about how that system works to protect New Orleans and the surrounding areas. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEFF WILLIAMS, INTERIM DIRECTOR, SOUTH LOUISIANA FLOOD PROTECTION AUTHORITY: We know that the elevation of this particular gate is plus 26.

So, when those gates close, it can perform and stop a storm surge up to 26 feet above sea level.

KAYE: Looking back at Katrina, if this had been in place, what do you think it would have looked like in the aftermath?

WILLIAMS: Nothing like it was 20 years ago for sure.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: And just, you know, even just to point out what more they've done to -- to improve here to make sure that climate change and -- and these storms

don't impact the city like it did back in 2005, we had a glimpse of this flood wall, Lynda. That was about 16 feet back in 2005 and they built a new

one right in front of it and it's 32 feet. So they doubled it in size. They're doing all they can to protect the city here.

If you talk to residents, they say there's still more that needs to be done. Most people I spoke with here told me that they will still evacuate

if they hear that a big storm is coming this way. They don't really trust those levees or that surge barrier given what happened here in 2005. But

we'll have to see if it does get tested. Lynda.

KINKADE: Yes. Hard to forget that trauma. Randi Kaye in New Orleans, thanks so much. Appreciate it.

Well, photographer Richard Misrach heard about the devastation unfolding in New Orleans and he made his way across the country and started

photographing what he saw. He kept most of those photos private for some 20 years. Well, he's now sharing some of these amazing photos.

Well, time for "The Exchange." I want to welcome Richard Misrach. Thanks so much for your time. Really appreciate it.

RICHARD MISRACH, PHOTOGRAPHED HURRICANE KATRINA AFTERMATH: Thank you for having me.

KINKADE: So your photography captured the profound impact that this hurricane had on New Orleans, on the communities and the landscape. What

drew you to document this particular tragedy?

MISRACH: Well, at the time when it was happening, I was on the West Coast and, you know, obviously it was an incredible drama. There was lots of news

coverage. So it would -- you know, the moment was -- was covered in -- in real time.

But about six weeks later, I drove cross country to document the aftermath of -- of the disaster because I felt like it would be kind of different.

The people are all gone evacuated. I had a press pass from the "New York Times." So, I was able to get in, which is, I saw National Guard in the

lower Ninth Ward, one of the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

And I just wanted to document, you know, when every -- when everything was quiet and what it - what it looked like. And it was just -- I'd never seen

devastation of that scale before.

KINKADE: And we're just looking, Richard, at some of those incredible images, cars on homes, graffiti left by survivors on the walls. Quite

haunting images, really.

Can you share the story behind some of the images you've captioned and why are you sharing them now?

MISRACH: So, first of all, I put them away for 20 years. But on the five- year anniversary, I decided to show some of them. So, I -- I thought I -- there what I did is, one of the things that was very compelling was that

people left messages, you know, like religious messages, angry messages, funny, you know, humor.

They -- writing on the wall, and I -- I literally did a book called the "Destroy This Memory," which was what somebody wrote on their home, which

was going to be destroyed.

And their words were so powerful that I just wanted to really have them speak for themselves. But the rest of the work, I put away. So I made about

thousand eight by 10 images with a big eight by 10 camera.

And I did very formal studies of boats on roofs, cars on roofs, cars and swimming pools, things like that. Just felt it was important for people to

see just how extensive that the damage was and -- and the scale of it.

KINKADE: But -- but why did you wait to -- to share them until this 20-year anniversary?

MISRACH: It's a good question. I have done that with several projects that I feel are very tragic and sad. I didn't want to be part of the -- that

kind of moment, but I felt like for history sense, this work was important.

So, what I do is I put the work away. I don't sell the photographs. I'm -- I'm a fine art photographer. I sell in galleries.

This work has never been for sale. It never will be. It goes. I donate it to museums again for the historic purposes.

So I just -- I guess I wasn't a journalist per se. I wasn't working in that moment. That wasn't what I did. And so I just, I wanted to put the work

away and see what it meant 20 years later. And it me -- it's -- it's -- unfortunately, it's profoundly relevant today's moment. So -- so I'm now

releasing it now for the first time.

[12:40:17]

KINKADE: Certainly as -- as climate change increases, the frequency and the intensity of these type of storms. How do you think your work and similar

work like this, documentary photography, can help shape the conversation around climate justice, particularly in a city like this, where inequality

was quite stuck at the time and still is today?

MISRACH: That's a good question. Yes. I mean, it's hard to know, but I -- I think again, once the event is over 20 years later, we tend to put it

aside.

So, I feel like photographs document things and show us things in history. Even photographs of the Civil War, for example. We wouldn't know what the

Civil War was without those early photographs by Alexander Gardner or whatever.

They're invaluable memories for us as a culture, as a society, as a -- as a globe. And so I think what happened here, so important for us not to

forget.

KINKADE: And speaking of not forgetting, how do you think your images and - - and on photography in general, help in the healing process and the remembrance for communities affected by disasters like this?

MISRACH: That's a really good question. I don't know if it -- if it helps the communities that are suffered, although hopefully it reminds the

communities and the people that are reconstructing it and fixing them and looking to the future to protect them.

So, it is a reminder that our infrastructures need to be careful. We are facing more and more issues with global warming, those that have not gone

away. This should kind of be a good foreshadowing of what's to come if we don't take the proper climate measures.

KINKADE: And just quickly, would you consider selling some of these images to raise money for the communities there?

MISRACH: I -- I donate them. I actually have two of the images I did sell, actually, Brad Pitt was building homes right afterwards. And I sold to at

that time to private collectors. And the money went directly to them to -- to help them build the homes.

And, yes, I would -- that would be the case where I would maybe do a special edition --

KINKADE: Wow.

MISRACH: -- to raise money for something like that. And I've done that before.

KINKADE: That's great. We'll have to leave it there. Richard Misrach, appreciate your work and time. Thanks so much.

MISRACH: Thank you.

KINKADE: And -- and that does it for "One World." I'm Lynda Kinkade. Thanks so much for watching. "Marketplace Africa" is next.

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