Transcripts For MSNBC Alex Wagner Tonight 20240928

Breaking news, Hurricane Helene speeds toward the gulf of mexico. Right now, helene is an extremely dangerous category 4 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 140 miles per hour. So far, more than 545,000 households in florida are reportedly without power with thousands ordered to evacuate. Helene is huge. And is expect today affect nearly the entire state of florida with damaging winds and heavy rain. Still, what may bring the most danger are the Storm Surges. Earlier today, residents experienced flooding in places like Pine Island which is just outside of fort myers. But flooding will likely get much worse across the state as the night continues. A Storm Surge Warning is in place for almost the entirety of floridas West Coast this video is a simulation of what could happen if it rises to 10 feet. Hurricane helene could cause Storm Surges of up to 20 feet around double the amount shown in this simulation. And those officials are calling that level of Storm Surge potentially unsurvivable. The first bands of Wind And Rain lashed the Tampa Bay area. Giving us just a taste of the strength of The Storm. Five states, florida, georgia, north carolina, and South Carolina have all declared states of emergency. And more than 40 Million people are either under hurricane or tropical storm warnings. For more on all this, joining me now is nbc News Correspondent Kathy Park live from tallahassee, florida. I hope you are safe out there. What request you tell us about the latest on the ground . Reporter alex, good evening. Seems like we are getting a bit of a tease from Hurricane Helene right now. The weather has pulled back. We are getting some rain at this point. But we know things will really start to ramp up the next few hours. But here in tallahassee, especially, the big concern will be the wind damage. Because we are a bit further inland. Here in tallahassee, 55 is under Tree Canopy. Officials are really worried about toppled trees. Debris, toppled Power Lines and the extended Power Outages that will soon follow, earlier today, we had a chance to peek with some residents who decided to leave their homes behind and hunker in place at emergency shelter. Here is what they told me. Take a listen. This storm is different. I have a feeling. Its big. It just felt like this was different. Best thing to do. What im doing now is using wisdom. Wisdom tells me to get out of the home. The home may not be enough to take on this storm. I feel so much more comfortable being here. And i can tell you these Emergency Shelters filled up quickly throughout the day today. I was told if you are there, you are expected to stay there to ride out The Storm. This is a big college town, tallahassee officials have been prepares for days ahead of The Storm but obviously this is Mother Nature we are preparing for. We are told they are leaning on mutual aid from resources really from all across the country. So tomorrow will be extremely telling. But once again, if this comes in as a category 4, here in the tallahassee region, this will be the most catastrophic storm the region has seen ever. Nbc News Correspondent Kathy Park. Thanks for the updates and please take care of yourself down there. Im joined by Nbc News Meteorologist Bill karins. What can you tell us about The Storm . We are only about two hours from landfall. It will be devastating. Destructive, this will be a retired storm. This is historic. We have never seen a storm this powerful hit this region of the country before. Everything will be flattened. Hurricane center just updated. For now, up to 140 miles per hour. This is a solid category 4. It is still strengthening all the way up to landfall. It has been over extremely warm water. So, this eye, this is incredible. It is now filling in. The thunderstorms are wrapping around the center. We want to limit the number of people possible as this moves on shore. Now the center of The Storm only 60 miles from the coast. That means the northern Eye Wall is only about 40 miles from the coastment we expect landfall between 11 00 p. M. And about midnight. There is tallahassee. 200,000 people call that home. About 50,000 students. And then perry. These are the areas of greatest concern. The eye itself is about 40 miles wide. Tallahassee to perry, 45 miles wide. If we take that eye in the middle here, we can get tallahassee on the Backside And Perry on the front side. 140 Mileperhour Wind gusts possible even as far inland. You can get why it is such a serious situation. These are areas that werent evacuated. They will be in their bathrooms. They will be in the tub with pillows or blankets on top of them. As this Storm Rolls and races through in the next couple of hours, scary as it gets. Almost like being in the middle of a tornado when this blows through. We also if you have seen the pictures, we have Storm Surge increasing rapidly. Near record levels. I know these numbers dont mean a lot to you guys but we have never really seen higher than 50 in the tampa area. Thats how high the water has risen because of The Storm, six feet. East port, all through Tampa Bay here, water in places that people have never seen before. And this water is still going up. So again, that 10 to 20 feet will be an isolated remote areas, where we get that eye making landfall, and we watch the Buzz Saw Moving in. We have the rainfall with The Storm. A lot of Flash Flooding going on. We will have historic amounts of rain by the time we are done with this. It will cause tremendous amounts of damage. I cant say enough. I know the people probably still have power. The people still watching. Now is the time. Gather what you can to protect yourself and your family and put as many walls between yourself as you can with the outside. Bill karins, thank you for that update. Really appreciate it. With us now is Tallahassee Mayor john daley, mayor, thank you so much for being here tonight. I know this is a very intense and scary time for the people of tallahassee. Can you tell us a little bit about how you are feeling with preparatiOn And evacuation. I appreciate you having me on. We have been preparing in tallahassee the past week. If we take a direct hit from a category 4 hurricane, it will be the most powerful storm in the history of the city of tallahassee. And i think for the most part, everybody has taken it very seriously. They have done a very good job preparing. As for the city itself, we spent the week checking all aspects of the municipal government. And making sure that everything is up and running. As The Storm comes in. We have tripled our Work Force by calling in mutual aid agreements from across the united states. As far away as oklahoma driving in to help us. We are ready for The Storm. Mayor, can you talk a little bit about what your most immediate concerns are . Because it sounds like you have done all the preparation any town could possibly do for something like this. What is keeping you upright now particularly . Health, safety, welfare, now is the time to stay inside. A lot of people left. A lot of College Students left at the recommendation of the university. And the State College which was great. A lot of people have gone to the Emergency Shelters here in town. And everyone else is staying put inside. Now is the time to stay in. The greatest concern for me, we are not a coastal community so we dont have the Storm Surge, but our thoughts are with our neighbors down south. For us its the wind. We know this will be a significant Wind Event. And we are known for our natural beauty and our trees. But, trees and Power Lines and wind do not mix. We know that a hurricane this strong is going to bring significant damage. And we have been shooting straight with the residents so they understand that as well. As soon as The Storm is over, we will roll up our sleeves and get to work. Are you confident that Tallahassees Utility Grid can withstand this . Are you concerned about the medium term impacts . There is a reason we are the Number One Public Utility in the natiOn And we are proud of that. But we know a storm of this size will bring significant damage. I dont care where you are. If you are hit directly by a category 4 storm, you are going to have a lot of damage. And we have told our residents that recovery will be a marathon. Not a sprint. We have called in our friends to help us out. The city, the county, the School Board have been working seamlessly. But yes, to answer your question, we will have significant damage. No doubt about it. If a category 4 Hurricane Hits you head on, it will bring devastation. Tallahassee mayor john daley, thank you for spending a few minutes with us. Our thoughts are with you. Thanks for your time. Thank you. We turn now to a very different kind of storm. A political storm. That has been brewing for years right here in new York City. You guys are from turkey. Brooklyn loves turkey. Brooklyn is the istanbul of america. That was Eric Adams playing himself in a 2017 Turkish Film in which turkish Men Attempt to bribe the new York City mayor Eric Adams. Today, an indictment was unsealed. Alleging nose only was he accepting bribes from Turkish Nationals a year before that came out, but they were consistent and ongoing throughout his time as mayor. I should say that mayor adams denies all of it. He says the charges against him are entirely false and based on lies. And there is good reason for him to try and disassociate himself in this indictment. The charges are not just illegal, but the actions are embarrassingly brazen. Not only does it allege he accepted more than 100,000 worth of bribes in the form of Luxury Travel and hotel stays and food and entertainment, but the ways in which adams allegedly took the bribes were comically transparent. For example, in June Of 2021 while adams was actively campaigning to be the mayor of new York City, a turkish official and a Turkish National allegedly arranged for adams and his partner to travel to turkey, stay at the Four Seasons hotel, take a yacht tour, stay at a luxury beach resort, and have their own private car and driver. Here are the texts setting up that little excursion. Here is Adams Staffer. He was asking where else can they go in turkey. Go you have a recommendation . Four seasons. It is too expensive. Why does he care . Hes not going to pay. His Name Wont be on anything either. Adams staffer, super. He did allegedly pay for at least one thing though. He paid 1,000 for Business Class tickets on an international flight. Here are the texts showing how they allegedly landed on that 1,000 price. Im going to charge 50. The staffer, no. That wouldnt work. 50 . Quote a proper price. Turkish national. How much should i charge . Adam staffer, his every step is being watched right now. A thousand dollars or so. Let it be somewhat real. I should note that particular trip was canceled. It is just one of the many trips this indictment alleges he was given. He flew free or severely discounted Business Class flights on Turkish Airlines to turkey, india, sri lanka, ghana, and china. If you are familiar with the shape of the globe, you would know that stopping to turkey to get to most of those places does not exactly make sense. But because this alleged bride was specific to Turkish Airlines, as mayor adams put it in a text to his partner, you know the first stop is always istanbul. So that practically means to go to a place like nice in france, he would go from new York City to turkey and from turkey back to france. He once tried to see if Turkish Airlines could get hem from new York City to turkey to Easter Island in chile which would require crossing seven time zones to the east and nine time zones to the west. But hey. Business class seats i guess. The thing is all of the personal grift is really small potatoes compared to the political grift. Not only does this indictment allege he solicited and received illegal funds from Turkish Nationals but compounded his gains from those donations by disguising them as fake small Dollar Donations so they would coalify for new York Citys public Campaign Fund Matching program. A program that gave Adams Campaign more than 10 Million of taxpayer money. So that is what mayor Eric Adams allegedly got out of this scheme. Luxury vacations and millions of dollars. What did turkey get . The indictment says they got some Policy Items like mayor adams promising to never publicly acknowledge the armenian genocide. They were also more direct favors like for instance, back in 2021. Some of the Turkish Nationals that had allegedly bribed adams in the past were eager to open this building. The new 36 story turkish consulate in manhattan. They wanted it to be opened in time for the turkish president erdogans visit. But the new York City Fire Department had not inspected the building yet so it wasnt allowed to open and a Phone Call to an adam staffer, a turkish official said they have supported mayor adams and it was now his turn to support turkey. Adams allegedly responded i know. The indictment alleges he pressured the new York City Fire Department commissioner and it turns out the building had over 60 Fire Safety defects and could not legally be allowed to open. But mayor adams allegedly kept pushing and the building opened anyway. He denies all of this. He is refuseing to step down and says he will fight these charges but the calls for his resignation are growing. If he does ultimately resign or is removed from office, the person who would take over as Acting Mayor would be the new York City public Advocate Jomani williams. He joins me here live Coming Up next. P next. Uv for you. City Shopping Spree you. Weekend Getaway you. Outdoor Adventures you. Stylish. Powerful. Sophisticated. Because when youre in a mercedes, youd expect nothing less. Mercedesbenz suvs, featuring the Gle Plugin Hybrid and the all new glc plugin hybrid. Visit mbusa. Com for special offers on select suv models. Craig here pays too much for verizon wireless. So he sublet half his real Estate Office to a pet shop. Theres a smarter way to save. Comcast business mobile. You could save up to an incredible 70 on your wireless bill. So you dont have to compromise. Powering smarter savings. Powering possibilities. Switch to comcast Busines Internet and mobile and find out how to get the latest 5g Phone on us with a qualifying tradein. Dont wait call, click or visit an xfinity store today. As mayor of the city of New York, thank you very much. Resign, resign it wont happen protesters outside of the mansion calling on new York City mayor Eric Adams to resign. After he was indicted on five federal corruption charges, he says he is not going anywhere. But whether or not he stays in office may not be up to Eric Adams. The mayor can be removed by the governor under new York State law in charged with a crime or the new York City council could form an Inability Committee to impeach the mayor and take him out of office. Now, if adams does resign or is removed the person who would automatically become the mayor of americas largest city is jomani williams. Thanks for being here on a very, very big news night. Thank you for having me. And also, for helping me to introduce a whole host of people who what a public advocate is. This is the time to talk about public advocacy if there was ever a time. First of all, in the last hour, the governor of New York hazily leased a statement and i would love to get your thoughts on it. She says while i review my options and obligations as the governor of new York City i expect the mayor to take the next few days to review the statiOn And find an appropriate path to ensure the people of New York. That sounds like she would like to him to step down. This is a painful period for a lot of us. It is really painful. We want New Yorkers to understand that the government continues to work. As someone who has done a lot of work around making a better and more just legal system, innocent until proven guilty is a real thing. At the same time, these are really serious charges. The breadth is larger than i thought. The mayor has to think can i conduct business the way i need to and Restore Trust . And the window to show that is rapidly closing. It is a real question to answer. Have you talked to the governor at all . Not since this bill. Are you surprised . Right now, his posture has been one of defiance. He was, we played the sound this morning of s prs conference, exiting the stage literally to chants of resign, resign, resign. This doesnt feel like something that gets better the longer he stays defiant. What would you like to see from the mayor right now . So i think to what you just said, this seems to get worse by the day. And in some cases by the minute. I dont think you can put together a plan to show you can continue doing this but thats what you have to do. If there is a way to show i can keep keep doing my work, do that. And deflection is not a plan. Continue to deflect. It is not that plan. So if you have one, stay what it is. Because we really want to hear it. And New Yorkers deserve it. They do, i do wonder first of all, when you read the indictment, the evidence alleged in there is extraordinary. This is barely concealed corruption. It is so transparent. It is a gross misuse of public funds to the tune of 10 Million. What was your reaction when you read it . It is pretty bad. There is no way around that. People can say they werent surprised. For me, the breadth of it is what shocked me and the length of time and it was a pretty laid out case in my opinion. But again, the Presumption Of Innocence is really important. Giving someone the ability to defend themselves is really important. That is different from saying can you continue to function to make sure the city is running. Can you help Restore Trust. What has been the reaction. It is a chaotic moment. Were people surprised . I dont know if people were surprised or sad we are in this moment in time. This has been building for a very long time. I think the breadth of it was a little shocking. I dont think many of us expected the things we saw. So people are just trying to figure out how do we portray trust to the people of New York . Thats what its about. Thats what the Succession Plan is about. Having it planned in case an eventuality happen. 911 will be answered. 311 will be answered. These are things people care about. I dont know if the mayor is doing a good job of planning that at this moment in time. I wonder when you talk of the easy way out i guess. To use the sort of Mafia Parlance where the mayor decides to leave. And the governor saying you got to go. There is what is the Inability Committee which would be a five Member Committee involving the new York City corporation council. The lawyer who is no longer in office. The new York City comptroller who is already running against Eric Adams for mayor. The City Council speaker. And, the longest serving Borough President and a Deputy Mayor of adams choosing. Have we ever been here before . Can you tell us about this . We are definitely in uncharted territory. Two of them are not even at this moment in time. We could have a whole story about it. It is uncharted territory. Who knows what direction it will be. That is why a lot of us are asking the mayor to look within himself and have some conversations about what is best for new York City. What is best to Restore Trust . That is something he has to answer. If you are sitting back like me and saying i just dont see how you can put that out, what plan will look like. But from is one, let us know. And again, just continuing to deflect is not a plan. This is really tough stuff. Painful stuff. But we are here, none of us want to be in this moment. Are you whats best for new York City . Are you ready to step in . What is best is that we have Tens Of Thousands of Public Safety workers who make sure that everything keeps running. They are the ones making sure that the trash gets pecked up. That the calls will be answered. You got to get a pilot in there. And the man has to ask some tough questions and i hope he does that. Advocating for the public. It is great to see you. Thanks for your time. We will be watching what happens next. Thanks for your time tonight. Still ahead this evening, federal agents showed up at the new York City residence of mayor Eric Adams today. After federal prosecutors indicted the mayor on federal corruption charges. Why . I will ask the former assistant u. S. Attorney in the eastern district of New York about mayor adams ongoing drama Coming Up next. Drama Coming Up next. Liberty mutual customized my Car Insurance so i saved hundreds. With the money i saved i thought id get a Wax Figure of myself. Cool right . Look at this craftmanship. I mean they even got my nostrils right. Its just nice to know that years after im gone this guy will be standing the test of ti. Hes melting oh jeez. Nooo. Oh gaa. Only pay for what you need. Liberty, liberty, liberty, liberty [child laughing] [child giggling with delight] ooooh. Ooooh. Ooooh. Ooooh. Come on, you two. Dinner time. Ooooh. Ooooh. Baby. Ooooh. Ooooh. Sleep more deeply and wake up rejuvenated. Purple mattresses exclusive Gel Flex Grid draws away heat, baby. Relieves pressure, and instantly adapts. Sleep better. Live purple. Right now buy more, save more. Up to 600 off. Visit purple. Com or a store near you this morning after federal prosecutors indicted new York City mayor Eric Adams on federal bribery charges for donations he allegedly accepted from Turkish Nationals, federal agents searched mayor adams official residence. Mean prosecutors have sought information about adams, qatar, south korea. More politicians being indicted by the week. First the fact the fbi is raiding the mayors personal residence the same day they are issuing a criminal indictment. The indictment was already ready at this point, so what this not only strongly suspects convinceds, this is a continuing investigation. And the tip of the ice burg, we will see more charges coming. There are so many investigations. You mentioned the fact not only turkey is involved but there are other countries. Qatar, so, not only are these other countries involved but we know all the other investigations. The Police Chief who just resigned and his twin brother were running a Hospitality Business to try to, there was a Paper Play Business to try to protect nightclubs. And they paid money to this business. They would stay out of trouble. Deputy mayor is under investigation for a business he had with his brother. Which involved lucrative security contracts. The new Police Commissioner had his home raided as well. There is an investigation into possible bribery involving City Hall contracts. The list goes On And On And on. And the fact they raided Gracie Mansion indicates that they have more investigations ongoing. Basically they had to convince the federal judge there is more evidence they need. They had all the evidence we needed for this Turkey Indictment because they brought it already. There is more here and i think we will see a superseding indictment. Wow. What do we have in terms of potentially criminal behavior . It is bungling. If it werent so serious, it would be comical. You have for example, City Hall aide, Adams Staffer meeting with the fbi voluntarily. She excuses herself to go to the bathroom and deletes the encrypted messaging app. They know when it was deleted. You cant make it up. It is so bungling. Even just mayor adams who was a former Police Officer and who should know better than talking to the fbi without a lawyer present when we all know the story of what he has his phones taken away by the fbiment he didnt have his personal Cell Phone on him. The fbi went back the next day to get his personal Cell Phone. And the minute i heard about this investigation i turned my password from a four Digit Password to six digit so none of my staffers would get into it and delete one of those important texts. But there is a little problem. I forgot my password. And you are not going to be able to access it at all. Again, comical if it werent so serious. But these Text Messages between the Adams Staffers and the Turkish Airlines where they are discussing how to price a Business Class ticket from New York to istanbul which goes for 15,000. The text from the turkish Airline Representative says ill charge you 50 and the text back says we have to make it look real. Lets settle on A Thousand dollars. Theres just so much of this indictment that is telling a story that jurors are going to find fantastical. It is very strong. It details a ten Year Conspiracy that dates back to when Eric Adams was the brooklyn Borough President. It is not only the gifts he got from turkey. But he was soliciting foreign donations and donations from corporations, both of which are not allowed to give to a campaign and he was funneling them through Straw Donors who were New York residents. Taking advantage of this program we have in New York and got 10 Million in new York City funds. That were not only illegal to take in the first place, but not eligible for this match. 10 Million, public Fund Donation for the sitting mayor of new York City. It is going to be a wild next week. When he is getting arraigned. And has asked for a speedy trial. Duncan, it is always great to get your expertise on this, thanks for your time my friend. Still to come, Eric Adams now found himself an unlikely ally in the 45th president of the united states. What Donald Trump had to say about mayor adams and what it all means for democrats in this Years Election with a congresswoman next. Congresswoman next. Announcer what if you could whiten your teeth by simply brushing your teeth . Now you can with smileactives, the Teeth Whitening breakthrough that safely gets your teeth white and keeps them white every day just by brushing your teeth. Christine i never thought that whitening my teeth could be so easy. I just put the gel on the brush, the toothpaste on it, brush and i can see my white teeth. Announcer simply add smileactives to any toothpaste, and our Patented Polyclean Technology Activates into a powerful Micro Foam that penetrates into the Enamel Surface to safely lift and remove stains. Robert you need a simple way to withen your teeth without strips, without trays, without going to the dentist. And it was about time that a product was developed that you would be able to do that with just brushing. Announcer and now smileactives is even better. With new pro Whitening Gel with 33 greater whitening power. Clinically shown to whiten teeth faster up to eight shades. 100 of users saw whiter teeth on food stains, Coffee And Wine stains, even on veneers, crowns and dentures. Paul i eat the blueberries, i drink the coffee and i know that smileactives will keep my teeth white every day. Janell if you could do something so easy like smileactives to take yellow teeth to white teeth, why wouldnt you . Announcer why spend hundreds of dollars for Whitening Treatments at the dentist, when now you can whiten your teeth with new smileactives pro Whitening Gel every time you brush your teeth. Call or go to smileactives. Com and for a limited time get new pro Whitening Gel for just 24. 95. Order in the next 5 minutes and buy one get one absolutely free for just 24. 95. Thats two for one and save 58 . We■ll even include free shipping. Get your teeth whiter, guaranteed, or return it within 60 days for your money back. I smile every day now. The difference is literally night and day. So now im always smiling or cheesing because now my teeth are much wither. Announcer this offer is not available in stores, so call or click now before the special buy one, get one free offer goes away. Rsv can severely affect the lungs and lower airways. But im protected pause with arexvy. Arexvy is a vaccine used to prevent lower Respiratory Disease from rsv in people 60 years and older. Rsv can be serious for those over 60, including those with asthma, diabetes, copd and certain other conditions. But im protected. Arexvy is proven to be over 82 effective in preventing lower Respiratory Disease from rsv and over 94 effective in those with these health conditions. Arexvy does not protect everyone and is not for those with severe allergic reactions to its ingredients. Those with weakened Immune Systems may have a lower response to the vaccine. The most common Side Effects are injection site pain, fatigue, muscle pain, headache, and joint pain. Arexvy is Number One in Rsv Vaccine shots. Rsv . Make it arexvy. i dont know the mayor well but he has been fairly generous to me in his statements. I watch about a year ago when he talked about how the illegal migrants are hurting our city. And the federal government should pay us and we shouldnt have to take them. I said you know what . Hell be indicted within a year and i was exactly right. Because thats what we have. People that use the Justice Department and the fbi at Levels Nervine before. I wish him luck. Good luck to you in your federal trial, sir. Was Donald Trump reacting to the mayor of New York. He is attempting to spin adams indictment that it supports his theory that Joe Biden has weaponnized the Justice Department against his political enemies but the truth is this indictment is yet more evidence that Merrick Garlands Justice Department is pursuing justice for all by bringing charges against high profile democrats. Including the son of the current president. A u. S. Senator, and the democratic mayor of new York City. Joining me now is washington congresswoman pramila jayapal. Chair of the Progressive Caucus of the house. It is wonderful to see you. It is so good to be in person. It is a very big news day. Every day. But today in particular, for people who are, who have been treated to this paranoid theory that Joe Biden has weaponnized the Justice Department. I wonder given the number of democrats the Merrick Garland Justice Department has gone after, what your thoughts are about the Working Theory that trump has about Joe Biden . Look, Donald Trump is just going to use whatever he can to make whatever arguments he wants to make for himself. They have nothing to do with truth. Merrick garland has done what the Justice Department is supposed to do. It is separate from President Biden. They dont just do what President Biden tells them to do as Donald Trump did and would do again if he was president. This is not great for democrats in terms of having a Big City mayor. Under this kind of lengthy challenges, troubles, im trying to find the right word for you. Criminal Indictment Right . With more to come. In terms of Donald Trump, he will try to use this i think for us as democrats, we have to remember that our congressional democrats in particular running for congressional seats are incumbents in New York. These are tough districts here we need to win to take back the house. And the thing that gives me comfort is each of these candidates is very good. They are running their own races. At The End of the day, i think voters will look at them. They wont look at the new York City mayor as much as they might try to take these people with the new York City mayor. I think that is what we will have to do. Those people have to continue to run their race. Obviously, many of them have already called on Eric Adams to resign. That is certainly i think what he should do. There is more to come. That is just i think, that is clear. So, i am hopeful that it wont ultimately affect our ability to take back the house. Which i still feel very good about. As much as it is a challenge for democrats, it is also an opportunity given how the Republican Party has responded to criminal indictments of its stars i guess you could say. The Republican Party has been brushed under the rug. Or pledged feelty. I want to draw your attention to everybody who is watching to chuck schumer. No one is above the law. Including the mayor of new York City. The legal process should now play out speedily and fairly. Thats what you want to hear from a Party Right . Over and over again, look at the Republican Party. The Cult Party of Donald Trump who you know is are, they have reveled in his outrageousness including saying what he did during the 2016 campaign. That he could grab a woman by her private parts on a new York City street and be able to get away with it. That is what he revels in. So i think it is an opportunity for us. At the same time. If you asked me same time. If you asked me opportunity for us. At the same time if you ask me if i would prefer that this Wasnt Happeningre there are all kinds of reasons including that this is so serious kfor the city of Ne York and residents of New York. It is telling that Donald Trump has the opportunity to attack a bigcity democratic mayor, but chooses instead to make his bed with the guy who is under federal criminal indictment. You notice what he said, it is always about does the Person Support Donald Trump. He said some nice things about me. Er, t therefore, im fine with it you know. He said some very controversial things about migrants in the city and therefore that is the banner under which they march together. Thats right and i think the challenge here, you know, the whole argument right now that Donald Trump is pushinge u ah is horrible around migrants and immigratiOn And its unfortunate that mayor adams had some of those same things. I think New Yorkers did not like it. That is not who New York is. New york is defined by the contributions of immigrants to the city of New York. This is the place, the Statue Of Liberty and so i think this is difficult in many ways. Unusualmeritucu and unlikely bedfellows in federal criminal indictment company. Great to see you, great to get your thoughts on this complicated time. I appreciate it. Coming up, a live report from florida where residents are bracing tonight forgr the massi Hurricane Helene, which is expected to make landfall in a few the hours. Stay with us. In hours. Stay with us. Loor in just one swipe. Wow and for hair, try swiffer dry cloths. The Fluffy Cloths pick up hair like a magnet. Swiffer. Youll love it or your money back. Only Purples Gel flex grid passes the raw egg test. No other mattress cradles your body and simultaneously supports your spine. Swiffer. Memory foam doesnt come close. Get your best sleep guaranteed. Buy more, save more. Up to 600 off. Visit purple. Com or a store near you. San franciscos been through tough times. London breed led us through the pandemic, declaring an emergency before anyone else, Saving Thousands of lives. From growing up in the western Addition Housing projects to becoming mayor, london has never given up on the city that raised her. London is getting people off the streets and into care. London never gave up on me. I found a home, and my life is on the right track. London made it super easy for me to open my small business, by cutting city fees. And shes reinventing downtown to make our City Vibrant again. Shes building 82,000 new homes and helping first time homebuyers, just like us. And londons Hiring Hundreds of Police Officers, and arresting drug dealers. San francisco has been through difficult times, but our hard work is paying off. Working together, were building a better future for the city we all love. Ad paid for by reelect mayor London Breed 2024. Financial disclosures are available at sfethics. Org. We are tracking her again helene, a massive category four Storm Set to make landfall within the next hour or so. The eyewall is already moving ashore according to the national weather service. The storm is currently living northeast with maximum sustained winds of 140 mph as It Barrels toward the state capital tallahassee. Forecasters expected to make a direct hit, bringing damaging wind, lifethreatening Storm Surge and catastrophic flooding. Earlier Today Tallahassee residents made last limit minute preparations heeding a warning from the mayor that this could be the strongest storm ever to hit tallahassee. Joining me now is the Miami Bureau chief for the New York times. Thank you for being here. I hope you are safe wherever you are given the projected path of The Storm. Can you tell us what youre seeing and how you are prepared or how you have seen preparations underway. Thank you. We are seeing the wins starting to pick up. It is really ripping through now. It has been mostly rain until now. Tallahassee is at least 30 miles inland from the coast and so here it is not really a Storm Surge event, rather a Wind Event but only now are we really starting to see the real tough part of The Storm and it will come ashore in the next hour or so here. Is it your intention to just bunker down and try to write it out and if so, can you talk about the preparations youve made to do that . Yes. We are in a hotel near Florida State University that is full of people, not just reporters. Actually most of them are families who live in tallahassee but are concerned for the dense Tree Canopy here, Tall Pines and trees and branches potentially falling on the roof so they came here with their children, their dog, and decided to spend at least one night to make sure that even though they did not have to evacuate, they could be in a place that was tall and away from the danger of the trees. When you make the point about the trees and Power Lines, i wonder how city and residents are preparing for what is potentially an extended period without Power Or Infrastructure to help them. We tried to ask Emergency Management Officials Today if they had a firm estimate of what the Power Situation might look like, but it really depends on how close to the Eye Tallahassee comes, and The Storms just a little bit to the east earlier and that might be enough to spare the city the worst of it. That does not mean there would not be extensive Power Outages but we know from other colleagues in the field that there are a lot of linemen and their trucks are already parked overnighting in hotels and other parts of florida not getting directly hit by The Storm, ready to move in to try to help clear the debris and turn the power back on but people here are ready. They know from other storms that they have to plan for maybe a week or two without power. Yes, there are currently 600,000 people in the state of florida without power and that is before the hurricane made landfall. You are in a hotel with families and children. Can you tell us what the emotional tenor of the space you are in is like right now . The words being used to describe what this hurricane could bring run from catastrophic to an survivable, depending on where in the state you are when it hits. How are people dealing with it right now . I think people were relieved to perhaps try to avoid the worst of the eyewall. They were glad to have some time to plan. They are in a hotel, its more of a communal experience similar to some times when people want to be around other people rather than alone and that helps make it through The Storm but there is just high Adrenaline And Anxiety running through everybody. I am sure most of us in this Northern Region of florida are just not going to get a lot of sleep tonight. We hope you stay safe and we are Thinking Of You guys as The Storm barrels toward the state of florida. The New York times