Happened. Both he and ford say they were willing to talk about this with the Senate Judiciary committee and late today, we learned thats going to happen, one week from today in a public hearing. So while all of that was going on today, this was the message from the white house this morning. This woman should not be insulted and she should not be ignored. I think the senate is headed to a reasonable approach in that it seems to me, in speaking to a few senators, including senator lindsey graham, that allowing this woman to be heard in sworn testimony, allowing judge kavanaugh to be heard in sworn testimony about the these specific allegations would be added to the very considerable mountain of evidence and considerations that folks will have when they weigh whether or not to vote for judge kavanaugh to be on the Supreme Court. So Kellyanne Conway there saying an accuser, this woman, should not be insulted and should not be ignored. Certainly a reasonable response to a very serious allegation. Whats so interesting about the response is that its not been the typical line in the past when there are accusations against someone whos an ally of the president , not to mention accusations dpe s against the president himself. In fact, the president s remarks today were also measured. He defended kavanaugh, but also says that the process has to play out and if it takes a little delay, wiit will take a little delay. Hes an outstanding intellect and an outstanding judge respected by everybody. Never even had a little blemish on his record. At the same time, we want to go through a process and make sure everything is perfect, everything is just right. I wish the democrats could have done this a lot sooner, because they had this information for many months. I have great confidence in the u. S. Senate and in their procedures and what theyre doing and i think thats probably what theyre going to do. Theyll go through a process and hear everybody out. Procedures, process, lets hear everybody out. Now, this is not what were used to hearing from the president. In the case of rob porter, his former aide accused of Domestic Abuse by at least three women, including his two exwives, the president said it was, quote, obviously a tough time for rob porter. The president said he hoped he had a great career ahead of him and wished him well and that porter said he was innocent. Then there was Senate Candidate roy moore, an accused child molester, accused of pursuing teenage girls when he was in his 30s. The president endorsed him. Mr. President , is an accused child molester better an a democrat . Well, he denies it. Look, he denies it. If you look at what is really going on and you look at all the things that have happened over the last 48 hours, he totally denies it. He says it didnt happen. And you know, you have to listen to him also. Then there was the president s response to the allegations against bill oreilly. In april of 2017, the New York Times broke the story that five women had made Sexual Harassment claims against oreilly and the president praised oreilly as, quote, a good person and didnt believe he did anything wrong. Believe the man, believe the denial. That was certainly the president s message when more than a dozen women accused him of everything from groping to Sexual Assault. Right now, i am being viciously attacked with lies and smears. Its a phoney deal. I have no idea who these women are. The stories are total fiction. Oh, i was with donald trump in 1980 i was sitting with him on an airplane. And he went after me on the plane. Yeah, im going to go after believe me, she would not be my first choice, that i can tell you. Man you dont know. That would not be my first choice. In that case, the woman who accused him was apparently not in the now president s estimation attractive enough to sexually assault. The president also threatened to sue every one of his accusers for defamation. That hasnt happened. It seems to be the president s goto response. Believe the man, and above all else, deny. Bob woodward writes in his book, fear, about a conversation between the president and a friend who acknowledged some, quote, bad behavior toward women. The friend was not named, but according to the book, the president said, and i quote, you got to deny, deny, deny and push back on these women. So why all of a sudden with his choice for the Supreme Court under fire are the president and the white house talking about a process playing out and hearing out the accuser . Thats, frankly, just not clear. Could be they truly believe she should be heard. Could be because theyre concerned about the midterms. Theres new cnn polling showing democrats have an advantage in races in two states, tennessee and arizona, that are critical to democrats taking control of the senate. Could be theyre concerned about women or given the president s track record, at least about how theyll vote in the midterms in 2020. In any event, the president finds himself in another she said he denied situation with another person hes championed, one that will play out in front of the American Public one week from today. A late statement from the white house reads, and i quote, judge kavanaugh looks forward to a hearing where he can clear his name of this false allegation. He stands ready to testify tomorrow if the senate is ready to hear him. Joi joining me now is senator Richard Blumenthal of connecticut, a member of the Judiciary Committee. So senator, the public hearing next week, both ford and kavanaugh, going to be public and under oath. If ford stands by her accusations and kavanaugh continues to say theyre completely false, how exactly can you determine what the truth is . Your question, anderson, points exactly to the need for a full and fair fbi investigation before there is a hearing. Otherwise, were going to be asking those questions in the dark. Well be shooting, in effect, blindfold blindfolded. We need the fbi to interview these witnesses under oath, and not just dr. Ford and judge kavanaugh, but also other witnesses who should be at this hearing as well, like mark judge, who was the other person in the room. So, that is precisely why this hearing should take place only after the fbi investigation. And the vote in the committee and on the floor of the senate should be delayed until there can be a full, fair process here. We should say, the other person who was allegedly in the room, according to the accuser. Who do you think has the burden of proof here . Ford or kavanaugh . To talk about a burden of proof is to analogize it to a trial. Here were making a choice about the next Supreme Court justice, whose integrity and qualifications really have to be established. And this claim and by the way, i believe dr. Ford, this survivor. Theres every reason to believe her. She has come forward knowing that she faces a nightmare of hostile and probably vicious scrutiny. Theres every reason to disbelieve judge kavanaugh after his evasive and seemingly misleading responses at the testimony last week. I believe that we need to look very carefully about the qualifications of this nominee, based not only on what dr. Ford has to say, but also those questions about how he will effect real people, their real lives in realtime, when he takes a position that roe v. Wade can be overturned, that the Affordable Care act can be struck down by the president , unilaterally, that Consumer Rights and working rights can be abrogated, not just now, but for decades, generations to come. And i believe that this nominee should be opposed by my colleagues. I hope my republican friends and colleagues will step forward and speak out and ask for a truly full, fair investigation by the fbi before a hearing. Who denstermine ifs theres fbi hearing before the investigation and who determines if those people or anybody else who may have knowledge or whos been accused would actually testify . The chairman of the Judiciary Committee has the gavel. But i hope that hell listen to his colleagues. Because he would do a disservice to judge kavanaugh, as well as dr. Ford, and the members of the senate and the American Public if he rushes to judgment here without an investigation. And it will cast a shadow and a stain on judge kavanaugh, if he is confirmed, as a result of this broken process that shattered the norms. It will cast a shadow on the Supreme Court as an institution. Senator blumenthal, i appreciate your time. Thank you. Joining me now, cnn political analyst and usa today columnist, kirsten powers. Cnn political commentator and former Communications Director for ted cruz, wiamanda carpente and Carrie Severino with judicial crisis network. Kirsten, the fact that theres now going to be this public hearing on monday, where both judge kavanaugh and ford will be able to testify under oath, its obviously a hugely significant development. What are your concerns . Well, i think the concerns, you know, the he said she said aspect of this, that its just going to be two people basically disagreeing with each other. Its not going to be a real investigation. Were not going to hear from anybody else who could corroborate this, who could, you know, somehow offer a different perspective. So, look, i think that if we knew for a fact that this happened, then i dont think he should be on the Supreme Court. And ive said this before. I think ive heard some people saying, well, he was 17 and he was drunk and people change and i dont disagree with that. I think that people can do bad things when theyre 17 and they can go on and lead, you know, very good lives and be contributing members of society. But the Supreme Court is such a rarefied area in our country and i do think that it would send a terrible message to teenagers to say, well, as long as you end up being a good member of society, you know, well look the other way if you do Something Like this in high school. And so the question then becomes, did he do it . And i dont think were going to be any closer to knowing for sure whether or not he did it because of this hearing. Carrie, as a supporter of judge kavanaugh and his nomination, should there be an fbi investigation before this hearing on monday and should other people also be testifying at this hearing . Well, wii think the demands r an fbi investigation dont make a lot of sense to me. In my understanding, the fbi have said, were not going to do any other investigation. They have added it to his background file. They say, there is no crime here. I think what were seeing is a pattern of attempted delay by the democrats that really started since before judge kavanaugh was even nominated. And every time Something Else has come up, theyve said, thats the reason to delay. Should she be given a chance to be heard . Absolutely, she should be respected, as Kellyanne Conway and the president have said. Should this be allowed to delay the process indefinitely . Of course not. Were going to have a hearing. Well hear both sides of the story. And then, as happens in any kind of dispute like this, the senators will simply have to decide who they find more credible and then they will move forward. But this shouldnt be a the political bludgeon that its being used as. Senator feinsteins behavior in intentionally delaying, not doing her own investigation, not letting the fbi do any investigation, if there were one to do, all of this time just suggests to me she didnt even think it was credible or significant or relevant. She thought, this is great political fodder, and that isnt doing respect to miss ford or to judge kavanaugh. Amanda, is this about, do you think, the democrats just trying to delay . I mean, here, listen. Republicans are understandably frustrated with the timing issue here. But arguments about timing are not persuasive, because everyone is committed to holding a public hearing. And so the attention should be focused on making sure thats productive. Frankly, i do think a public hearing is warranted. I am deeply concerned with how this is going to play out. The idea of Senate Judiciary chairman Chuck Grassley grilling this woman on national tv, i dont think, is going to be a good outcome. People should go review the senates handling of anita hill when she was questioned, then senator joe biden presided over those hearings. It didnt go well for him. People said they regretted the deeply personal and probing questions they asked her on the national stage. So some people have made the recommendation that they have professional staff handle these questions. Republican senators should really consider turning their time over to someone who will handle it in a professional, courteous manner. Otherwise, you know, if no further information comes out between now and next monday, this is going to be a nonproductive circus. Well, kirsten, the idea that any republican senator or any senator could not ask questions in a courteous, professional manner, thats alarming, i think. Well, with i thii think its optics that youre going to have mostly men, on the republican side, all men, asking this woman questions and it is reminiscent of the anita hill hearings, of the fact that, im going to guess im not going to guess, i can tell you that ive talked to plenty of republicans, and they dont believe her, right . So thats going to come through. They believe that this is a character assassination. That this is the democrats scheming to delay and which i dont think theres any evidence that thats what led this woman to make this accusation back in 2012, to her therapist. But that that is what they believe. And so i think that amandas right. I think theres a very high likelihood that its not going to go very well for them. Were going to take a quick break. I want to continue this conversation. Its an important one. Also, what we know about the woman who didnt want her name on the story originally, but ultimately decided she had no other choice. And later, the latest on rising floodwaters, the rising death toll from the storm that used to be Hurricane Florence. The governor of North Carolina saying it is a monumental disaster, an epic storm that is still continucontinuing, the ri still rising. Well have the latest from the ground. vo this is not a video game. This is not a screensaver. This is the destruction of a cancer cell by the bodys own immune system, thanks to medicine that didnt exist until now. And today can save your life. Of course, daniel. Fridge, weather. Clear skies and 75. Trash can, turn on the tv. My pleasure. Ice dispenser, find me a dog sitter. Okay. And make ice. Pizza delivered. Whats happened to my son . I think thats just what people are like now. I mean, with progressive, you can quote your insurance on just about any device. Even on social media. Hell be fine. [ laughs ] will he . I dont know. The roasted core wrap. 3, 2, 1. Not cool. Freezing away fat cells with coolsculpting . 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And i marked other. Discover the story only your dna can tell. Order your kit now at ancestrydna. Com the breaking news tonight, both Brett Kavanaugh and the woman accusing him of physical and Sexual Assault will testify at a public hearing before the Senate Judiciary committee next monday. The woman, Christine Blasey ford is a professor in california, training graduate students in clinical psychology. Her allegation was first revealed anonymously last week. She went public yesterday. She said she didnt speak about the alleged incident for years, but described it in therapy sessions in 2012 and 2013. According to the washington post, she declined to speak on the record, as she struggled concerns about what going public would mean for her and her family and her duty as a citizen to tell the story. Back kirsten powers, amanda carpenter, and Carrie Severino. Carrie, the white house clearly seems to be taking a different tone here. As you mentioned, Kellyanne Conway saying the accuser shouldnt be ignored and the president saying, this should go through a full process. Its certainly different in the way that the president has discredited other accusers or talked about others. What do you think do you think thats the right strategy for them to take and why do you think that is what theyre doing now . I think they recognize that she does deserve a hearing. But i think its interesting, some of the discussion earlier, people seem to be asking that theres an open hearing, yet one party be treated kid gloves, when we have seen the process thats happened so far in these hearings where there were the antics of senator spartacus booker, who was trying to show boat during the hearings, 200plus protesters standing up and being arrested, senator harris really shameful attempts to try to edit his remarks and misconstrue what he was saying, as well as her fishing expedition, suggesting she had information that she didnt. If theres anyone im worried about misbehaving at the hearings, its not the republicans. They have been very respectful of the witnesses on both sides of the aisle during this and there were quite a few other witnesses. I am very worried that this is going to turn into another is circus like we saw the previous hearings. That has something that has turned off the women republican senators, like senator collins, who was very discouraged by seeing that process. Last week, she has seen threats to her own staff and herself to this process. This has turned very ugly political and shes been very critical of Dianne Feinstein, how shes handled this, as well. This is not the way that a real investigation and someone interested in finding out the results would handle it. This is how someone handles a lastminute attempt at character assassination. Amanda, clearly, these kind of hearings, you know, politics always plays a role in how each side questions witnesses. Yeah. I mean, i think it would be a good idea for all senators to turn over the questioning to professional staff, do it all around. But i think its important that we reflect for a moment on why credibility matters. Not just for Brett Kavanaugh, because Brett Kavanaugh listen, im a republican. Republicans back trump largely to get judges. And now kavanaugh is hanging on. He needs credible people to defend him. And he has the white house, essentially, sidelined. People like Kellyanne Conway and Sarah Huckabee sanders and all the republicans that supported roy moore can say all they want. No one will take them seriously because they know they defended people who bragged about Sexual Assault on camera and had multiple accusers. And so they have no standing with the public. So this is why it matters that you back people for president and senate races who have good character. Because if you want to get good judges, you also need good people to get them through. And i bet judge kavanaugh right now wishes that he had the white house standing firmly behind him with the credibility that they should have. Kirsten, does the white house lack credibility on this because of the roy moore, rob porter . Yeah. Well, i would say republicans writ large lack credibility because they support a president who is on tape talking about doing all the things that he talked about. So i dont and, yes, and many of them stood by roy moore. So i think that there is its not so much, i think, that anyone thinks theyre going to misbehave. I think theres just a problem a tone deafness and i think that and i think that thats probably going to come through. Maybe that wont happen. Maybe, suddenly, theyll be able to talk about this issue in a way thats not contemptuous of the person who brought this allegation. Which i have said, look, this happened a long time ago. I think its very, id say, dare say, almost impossible to fairly litigate this. And thats a real problem. Because you have somebody you know, our memories are very unreliable, as much as wed like to think we remember everything perfectly, theres plenty of studies that show that thats not the case. You know, it could be mistaken identity. We dont really know what happens. Im inclined to believe her, right . We all can kind of look at it and decide what we want to decide. I know plenty of people who say, im not inclined to believe it. I dont think he would do Something Like that based on what i know about him. But the problem is, how do you fairly litigate that . And we do want to have a society that does fairly litigate these things and doesnt have somebody suffering from character assassination, because one person said something. So it is a really delicate balancing act here. And i think thats what amanda and i are getting at is are the republicans up to that . Carrie, eyewitness to kirstens point, eyewitness testimony even from a recent incident is difficult you know, is in court, can be fau faulty. From something so far back is obviously even more difficult. Does that make it even more important that other people that are also anybody else that is alleged to have been in the room or alleged to have been told over the years, that they also testify . Well, look, part of the problem, and i think kirstens just exactly right, the nature of these allegations makes it very difficult to do, because this isnt something that there were a lot of witnesses to. She claims there were two witnesses and both of them deny it. So what were looking at is looking way back, about allegations that she didnt tell anyone for 30 years after the fact. So, you know, having even that testimony, that doesnt really tell us a lot. Its going to be inherently difficult to get at that. But the reason we should or should not believe either of the witnesses isnt because President Trump tells you to and he has credibility, look at some of the other women, for example, who knew kavanaugh at the time. You have a letter of 65 women who knew him through high school and through the years following, as well. They knew him at the time. They said, this is nothing like the Brett Kavanaugh we know. There are women there who dated him, including a woman who was dating him at the time of the evidence. Of the alleged incident. So this is there are people who can speak to whether this is credible at the time. And then we have to, you know, judge the witnesses and make our conclusions. But that also happens every time someones accused. Roger ailes had people coming out we cant solve that, right. One at a time, kirsten . Everybody came out and said, you know, the roger ailes i know doesnt sexually harass, he never sexually harassed me. Well, guess what, he did sexually harass people. So you can actually be a great guy and do Something Like this. So i dont think that that necessarily is dispositive. To very quickly, amanda, and then weve got to go. What its going to come down to is its clear that Brett Kavanaugh has made very firm assurances to senators like senator collins that nothing like this ever happened. So if anything else comes out, hes toast. But if he can maintain his integrity and nothing else comes out, i think hell be confirmed. Thank you very much, good discussion. Up next, how judge kavanaugh is dealing this, how he plans to defend himself against the accusations. Also, should he be worried about his nomination . Ill talk our Supreme Court insider jeffrey toobin. And also, why donald trump jr. Lied about this picture of me covering storms. Well go into detail about it, ahead. Our dad was in the hospital. Because of smoking. But we still had to have a cigarette. Had to. But then, we were like. What are we doing . The nicodermcq patch helps prevent your urge to smoke all day. Nicodermcq. You know why, we know how. Agent beekman was one step ahead of them. Dits stole the lockbox from the wells fargo stagecoach, because he hid his customers gold in a different box. And the bandits, well, they got rocks. We protected your money then and were dedicated to helping protect it today. Like alerting you to certain card activity we find suspicious. If its not your purchase, well help you resolve it. Its a new day at wells fargo. But its a lot like our first day. If youre just joining us again, Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, and the woman who is accusing him of physical and Sexual Assault will both testify at a public hearing before the Senate Judiciary committee next monday. I want to get some insight on how this could play out. Joining me now, two people who know a lot about the nations top court, jeffe toobin and air y y yanya devogue. How much trouble do you think hes in . I think hes in a lot of trouble. But a tremendous amount will right on how the senators perceive him, how the senators perceive miss ford, and how the public perceives them both. But doesnt it boil down to a he said she said . Not necessarily. Thats one of the things i find so frustrating about situations like this. You know, ultimately, a lot of trials, at least, they dont come down to, you know, if someone looks credible. They come down to the issue of corroboration. You know, are there other witnesses who back up their story . Are there documents . Now, here were dealing with a situation precell phones, preinternet, preyou know, text messages. So youre not going to have that kind of evidence. But there was a lot of courtroom evidence before those things were invented. And we have a week, which is not a little time, its not a lot of time, but it can be done. And you know, there were four women four men at that party and two women. Who were they . Who was the host of the party . Why was she wearing a bathing suit . Was there a pool at the house . Do other people remember things . This is how trials are resolved. And this, at this point, is a lot closer to a trial than it is to a conventional hearing. Arianna, whats the latest you know about how judge kavanaugh is dealing with this, what his reaction was, and what his plan is for next week . Because he volunteered to try to testify as soon as possible . Right, i talked to somebody who knows him and who knows known him for a long time and said he was flabbergasted by these allegations, and when she did come forward, he did vaguely recall the name. She went by cristy in those days, but again, this was 30 years ago. He was in high school. He still vehemently denies it. He came out a statement this morning, because this never happened, i had no idea who was making this accusation until she identified herself. Whats interesting, anderson, this morning, there was some media reports that there would be some scorched earth policy to come up against her, about her, and that did not happen. Weve seen the focus, really, on kavanaugh, his past as a judge, the fact that he did five background checks, his church, his community, and even the president , in his comments today, he said he never even had a little blemish on his record. And now weve got this hearing, right . And keep in mind, kavanaugh is familiar this process. Not only has he been there before, as a Circuit Court judge, hes been there for the Supreme Court. And when he worked in the white house, he worked on nominations. So you can expect him to be precise and definitive. But then you can expect her, she may not have corroboration at the time, but shes going to have this visceral, compelling story. And thats what were going to see. But again, think about the facts. Apparently Brett Kavanaugh today said to orrin hatch, i wasnt at that party. Miss ford says, i cant remember which party it was. Well, whats going on here . I mean, what party was it . And how does he know he wasnt at a party, she isnt even sure which one it was. This is why you need to have an investigation. This is why the democrats are trying to get the fbi involved and have them explore these circumstances, whereas the republicans are saying, no, no, no, the Congressional Committee staff can handle the whole thing. It seems hard, though, to imagine, even that the fbi can figure out where there was a High School Party 30 years ago. You know, it can be done. I guess you never know. And maybe it will fail. But the one thing is for sure, is that if uh you dont try, yo wont succeed. But ariane, thats only going to happen if democrats agree to it. Right. Senator feinstein says, i dont know about this hearing, she wasnt told about it. She wants the fbi to come in and to investigate. But keep in mind, the fbi and even the department of justice said tonight, look, they were brought in, their role was to provide information. Now, if the white house wants to ask them to do more, they could. But so far, the white house doesnt. So its an interesting process story thats going to play out. And senator Dianne Feinstein is going to say, you know, maybe we shouldnt have hearings if the fbi is going to be investigating, should we be doing these calls, et cetera . So youre really going to continue, as weve seen all along, from the beginning Brett Kavanaugh, have this fight about process. And by the way, one thing we havent mentioned yet is the fact that every journalist in america or certainly a lot of them, and some very talented journalists are going to be applying themselves, and i happen to have a lot of confidence in our colleagues. And i think we will learn a lot from journalism about the surrounding circumstances over this week. And you know, that, too, will play into all of this. Jeff toobin, ariane devogue, thank you very much. New pictures from the river where flooding remains a problem. And later, ill check in Chef Jose Andres whos helped feed people during last years devastating storms in puerto rico and is now doing the same in the carolinas. You wouldnt accept an incomplete job from any one else. Why accept it from an allergy pill . Flonase relieves sneezing, itchy, watery eyes and a runny nose, plus nasal congestion, which most pills dont. Its more complete allergy relief. Flonase. Of great savings and service. With such a long history, its easy to trust geico thank you todd. Its not just easy. Itsbeingamasterofhypnotism easy. Hey, i got your text sleep doug, when i snap my fingers youre going to clean my gutters. Ooh i should clean your gutters great idea. Its not just easy. Its geico easy. Todd, you will go make me a frittata. 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Hey, what are you guys doing here . Were voya. We stay with you to and through retirement. So youll still be here to help me make smart choices . Well, with your finances that is. We had nothing to do with that tie. Voya. Helping you to and through retirement. Today, lifechanging technology from abbott is helping hunt them down at their source. Because the faster we can identify new viruses, the faster we can get to stopping them. The most personal technology, is technology with the power to change your life. Life. To the fullest. At least 32 people now have died as a result of Hurricane Florence and its aftermath. The situation is still very dangerous nor parts of virginia and the carolinas. More than half a Million People still without power in the carolinas. North carolinas governor calls it an epic storm thats still continuing, with the rivers still rising. Miguel marquez joins us now. What stood out to you today, miguel . Reporter yeah, it is only going to get more dangerous. We flew over the area south of raleigh today and the expanse of it. I was about a mile west of where we flew over today, a little town called wallace, North Carolina. Today we are about a mile and a half east of there. Its all water. Its a massive lake. I40 itself, this major freeway that cuts through the state is now, part of it, at least, a major lake. Its incredible to see houses with water up to the rafters, chicken farms, hog farms, electric substations. It just it is devastating, the amount of water out there. This alone would cause a state to shudder and to have a hard time recovering from. And the problem is, what were seeing right now is only the beginning. Starting tomorrow, the rivers, the river thats feeding a lot of this, the cape fear river, but all its tributaries and all the creeks and Everything Else that feeds into it from the long creek to the black river to the new river, all of them are going to start to gain, because water has rain has been falling up north from there, and they are going to start cresting wednesday and thursday and friday at record levels. And because the storm has passed, many people are trying to get back into their homes. Many people are getting back into their homes. And areas that were flooded or werent flooded before are going to face new flooding all over again. This is it is a slowmoving disaster in the making. Authorities doing everything they can to get word out. Stay where you are for now, dont try to get back. Lets wait until all of this is through. Anderson . Yeah, just its unbelievable to see those aerial images that you got today, miguel marquez, i appreciate it. Chef jose andres is on the ground in North Carolina, where we just saw. The chef and his team at world central kitchen are feeding the country. They have a history of feeding disaster zones. They served more than 3. 5 Million People in puerto rico in the wake of Hurricane Maria last year. Chef writes a about that mission in the new book, we fed an island the true story of feeding puerto rico one meal at a time. I spoke jose just before the broadcast. Jose, your efforts there, first of all, how are they going . How many people have you been able to feed so far . I think by the end of today, we have 80,000 meals. We have two kitchens, one right here in wilmington, another one in raleigh. We have three more ready to go if we feel we need it. But you know, in wilmington, weve been able to feed more than 20 shelters in the area. So so far very happy of the response i see on the feeding front and all the help, all across the area, im able to be driving by every day. Whats the biggest difficulty . Because, obviously, theres a lot of roads closed, trees are down, floodwaters are still rising. Today, finally, we were able to see some blue sky, but obviously, the water keeps coming down the river. Weve been feeding for the last thr three, four days, even through the hurricane. And weve been getting a lot of help from local sheriffs, local police, the u. S. Army. Yesterday, they send us two trucks, because we needed to send food to five shelters in columbus county. We are not able to do it with our cars, but when the u. S. Army comes with their help, anything is possible. You tweeted on sunday that you actually lost one of your trucks in the flooding. That the cajun navy actually had to come to your rescue. What happened. We were with a local Sheriffs Department and erp we were bringing thousands of meals to one of the shelters that was surrounded by water. And you know, when we began driving, there was not much water, and all of a sudden we make it into almost 5, 6 feet. And all of a sudden the spire truck began moving like a feather and we tilted and we almost kind of we had to stop driving, obviously. So the guys called, the cajun navy, they arrive within 30 minutes. I dont know how, because we were in the middle of nowhere. And i was always dreaming about being with those guys on the water, i never imagine that i would be rescued by the cajun navy. So those guys are really amazing. Just lastly, i want to get your thoughts on puerto rico for a moment. I know its never far out of your thoughts. Youve done so much work there. President trump has again been giving himself praise with regard to the response there after Hurricane Maria, saying the administration did a fantastic job and it was one of the best jobs thats ever been done. Also raising doubts about the death toll, that some 3,000 Puerto Ricans died in the wake of the storm. Im wondering what your thoughts are on what youve been hearing from the president . I think the game of the president , i think, is known by everybody. I think 51 of a leader is empathy. And i think we all need to help him to gain some empathy, because thats part of leadership. Obviously, we didnt do a good job in puerto rico, from the federal government to the ngos to the local government. Overall, we failed the people of puerto rico. 3,000 dead, maybe more. But listen, were in the middle of a hurricane right now. Why he starts disagreeing with the official number that the governor already agreed to, lets concentrate on making sure that right here in florence, North Carolina, south carolina, we are taking care of americans. Its not republicans, its not democrats, its americans under one flag and they need help. Thats what should be happening from our president. What i see in North Carolina, its a different game. A totally different game than what i saw in puerto rico. Here, the governor of North Carolina is doing an amazing job. The u. S. Army, the military, fema. The big ngos, red cross, salvation army, everybody is in place. Wilmington police. Thats what should be thats what america is all about. And im so happy to see the response in florence. Obviously, nothing to do with the response i saw in puerto rico. Jose andres, im glad youre there. Thanks so much. Thank you. Well, in the introduction to chef andres, i said he and his crewed served 3. 5 Million People after Hurricane Maria, i meant to say 3. 5 million meals, big difference. Lets check in chris cuomo to see what hes working on at the top of the hour. Love chef andres. Hes about all the right things. And i love that when it became political, he didnt want it to be, he said, you want to have this fight, lets have it, because i know whats right. Because he doesnt care about politics, and you know that getting to know him. Great interview, great reminder. Its just so terrible that hes needed once again. Tonight, were going to take on the kavanaugh thing. Youve teed it up perfectly. Its for us about drilling down. What are the Big Questions . Whats achievable in this kavanaugh process . Is this the right forum for it . What do we know about the timing, both the allegation and the dloeisclosure by lawmakers. Well get into that michael avenatti. And this story kind of slipped by about the president wanting to declassify fisa information. Now, you and i, anderson, well take all the information we can get all day long. But why they declassify matters and a red line may have been crossed, so well get after it tonight. About 13 minutes from now. Coming up next, the president s son, donald trump jr. This weekend tweeted a lie about me and hurricane coverage. The truth, when we come back. With advil liquigels, what bad shoulder . What headache . Advil is relief thats fast strength that lasts youll ask. What pain . 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And since the onset of the drought weve doubled our efforts. I grew up in the forests out in this area and honestly its heartbreaking to see all these trees dying. What guides me is ensuring that the public is going to be safer and that these forests can be sustained and enjoyed by the community in the future. I rarely respond to online conspiracy theorists or cable news cranks looking to get into a mutually beneficial beef that will boost their ratings. I try not to argue other tv anchors, and i usually let spear theorists go unanswered. For years, alex jones claimed that i didnt go to sandy hook after the shootings there and claimed an interview i did a grieving mother was instead done in front of a green screen in a studio somewhere a crisis actor. I never really understood the logic of that one. I mean, i spend hours on planes each week flying all over the place to cover stories. Why wouldnt i drive two hours to cover an important story like the murders in newtown . Recently, i saw another online conspiracy theorist claim that the little boy i helped in haiti who had been struck in the head a piece of concrete in a mob was actually a little child i was using a human shield to protect myself. I really dont even know what to say to that ridiculous idea. Now, over the weekend, however, the son of the president , donny you junior, tweeted out this picture of me in waisthigh water and my camera crew a few feet away in only a little bit of water. He claimed it was me faking the depth of floodwaters to somehow harm his father. A guy named gavin j. Smith, who ive never heard of, tweeted, quote, absolutely disgraceful, apparently Hurricane Florence wasnt devastating enough for cnns anderson cooper, so he had to exaggerate for his live shot. Fake news at its finest. The picture popped up in various memes alleging fake news. Some guy made a joke that i was on my knees in the water, and then went on to saying that i was used to be on my knees, which i assume is some sort of antigay reference, very classy. Anyway, ive covered hurricanes for about 14 years and it really does make me sad to think that anyone would believe that tii would try to fake something or over lly dramatize a disaster. I debated whether i should even respond to the president s son. I know he believes himself to be an outdoorsman and likes to go to africa and kill animals, but i dont know if hes ever been to a flood. I didnt see him down in North Carolina in the last few days, but im sure he was doing something important besides just tweeting lies. Anyway, in the interest of honesty and transparency, heres what these pictures actually show. I dont know who took them or what their motivation was, heres what was actually happen. Number one, this was not Hurricane Florence. This was taken ten years ago during hurricane ike. On september 13th, 2008, i did a twohour broadcast from bridge city, texas, by highway 62 in orange county, not far, im told, from the city of orange. Now, the storm had been downgraded to a tropical storm, but in this area, there was extensive flooding still. And i did that twohour broadcast from that location. For those who think i was kneeling or faking the water level or making it look worse than it was or standing in some sort of a hole, this is an area where people had been trapped on the roofs of their homes by water. Texas governor rick perry who i actually interviewed during this broadcast called it the largest rescue and recovery operation in texas state history. According to our reporter, russy dornan who was there, as many as 200 people had already been rescued from their homes by very brave First Responders and volunteers. They were taken out in boats and trucks and dump trucks and monster trucks and tractoring pulling flatbeds of people. These were people who didnt evacuate, but say the water came in so fast, they got stuck in their homes. Now, at the time of the broadcast, we were told there were people still waiting for rescue. I tell you all of this to point out the obvious. There was plenty of deep water all around. The idea that i am kneeling in water to make it look deep is frankly idiotic. Im going to show you, in fact, a clip of me walking in the water, and rather than trying to make it sound worse than it was, i just want you to note that im talking about how the water is actually receding, subsiding. Again, im not trying to play up how bad it is, im pointing out that this water is actually lower than it was earlier in the day. Also in this clip, before you see it, i point out that there is a road right next to us that is being used to evacuate people and i wasnt standing on the road because i didnt want to get in the way and invade peoples privacy. The good news is the water is residing a little bit. I want to walk over and show our viewers meanwhile, were still see paramedics, fire personnel, fish and wildlife folks in boats and pickup trucks, monster trucks, taking people out of here, injured people, as well. Weve seen just in the last couple of minutes, a couple of cars go by people. We dont want to put a camera in their face, just out of respect for them. But heres a look at that pole right there. I dont know if you can zoom in on that. You can see, the water level was about a foot and a half higher earlier today. So it is definitely going down here, but it has a long way to go before anyone is able to return to their homes and theres no telling how long power is going to be out. Okay, so, heres another clip, in which i describe that i am standing by a road that is on Higher Ground and is being used for evacuations. The highway 62, which is the road that were on right now, theres a thin slip of it, which just has a couple of inches of water. And thats what these rescue vehicles have been going on. We havent wanted to clog up that road, so thats why weve been off on the side of the road. And this is where you really get a sense of the depth of the water. If you walk out there, it just goes down much deeper. Wed be, you know, up to our necks. Very lowlying area. And what happens is, bridge city lies between two rivers. It now looks like a lake, you know, postike. So you go over a bridge, again, just down the road from here, and then you just see that it is, the flood surge has settled over these lowland areas. Its just lower than sea level and it flooded the entire area. Okay, im onot done. Im just getting started. Okay, my camera crew is on that higher part by the side of the road because you cant put camera equipment in deep water. You have to keep the cameras dry. Heres another part of the broadcast where i begin explain that i am standing on the side of a road in a lowlying area where homes were flooded. Our second camera is shooting whats happening on the ground in front of me. I just want to show our viewers just some of the rescue personnel, the vehicles that have been coming through this water. Theyre able to drive on part of the road here, but just off to the side of the road, the water just gets incredibly deep. If i step back even a few more feet, id basically be up to my neck in water. And you see these things floating by. Heres a tire thats just kind of been floating by. Its kind of surreal, to say the least. The house behind me, as far as we can tell, has been evacuated. Okay. So, heres another part of the broadcast in which i am pointing out the evaluated road, which has only got a little bit of water on it. Lets go to gary tuchman actually, first, i just want to show you something. Weve been showing you a lot in this last hour here in bridge city of just First Responders going back and forth, bringing out people. We saw at least two people being cared for medically and then taken off into ambulances. Theyve left behind some life rafts here that they dropped off earlier in the day on a little bit of Higher Ground. That is just in case they had a number of life rafts here, they had some extras, so they just kind of deposited this at a staging area. So im pointing out the road that my camera crew is standing on right in front of me. So to be clear, i am continually referencing that road that only has a little bit of water on it, that vehicles are able to move on. Now, you can argue, i didnt need to be standing in waistdeep water. I could have stood on the road with the camera crew, but again, i didnt want to be roaming around on the highway, interfering rescue vehicles in any way. I also wanted to show people how deep the water was and how dangerous it is for anyone driving, as anybody who watches hurricanes know, thats how most people die in hurricanes, they drown. If you leave the road, even a few feet off the road, you suddenly find yourself in very deep water and you have no idea how deep it is until youre in it. People drive just a few feet off a road and suddenly get swamped. Now, sure, its easy to make fun of someone standing in water reporting. I get that. In fact, during the broadcast, i made fun of myself. My cameraman just told me theres a water moccasin over there that hes taking a shot of, which is not exactly what i wanted to hear. I actually see it there. Thats not thats not exactly the kind of thing you want to see when youre standing around like an idiot in floodwaters. But ive been assured its a small water moccasin, so that makes me feel much better. Look, i dont expect the president s son to ever admit he was wrong or one of the president s former advisers or frankly anyone else whos retweeted these pictures. But i at least thought that they and you should know the truth. And finally, for anyone who still thinks that this was taken in florence, the person you see there, his name was doug thomas, the audio tech, he worked for cnn for 26 years, he covered a lot of storms and a lot of stories, he died a year ago this month and we miss him every day. And that is that. The news continues. I want to hand it over to chris cuomo. Cuomo prime time starts now. My brother, first, something that doesnt need to be said. Nobody questions you and your reporting. You are the best that we have and youve earned the distinction. Now something that does need to be said. The truth. You did the right thing, laying out what it is. Because the people who make these allegations against you will never have something that you have, as much as anyone ive ever met. Integrity. They dont have any integrity. Thats how they make the allegation. They know its not true. Theyre just hoping some people who dont have the curiosity or who are so desperate to believe something bad, that theyll swallow what they know sounds like bs. You did the right thing exposing it. Youre our best. Theres only one problem, better