history. the governor now speaking. let's listen in. >> -- to the worst tornado event in the history of our commonwealth. our state was hit by at least four tornadoes. one stayed on the ground in kentucky for at least 200 miles devastating anything in its path. thousands of homes are damaged if not entirely destroyed. and it may be weeks before we have final counts on both deaths and levels of destruction. we lost lives in at least eight counties and at least 18 counties suffered damage. as of this morning, our best count for confirmed deaths, the most accurate count we have as of this morning, 64 kentuckians. remember this is fluid and the numbers will change and sometimes they have thank god gone down, other times they have gone up. it breaks down as follows. 20 in grace, 13 in hopkins, 11 in mulenburg, i think that was reported at 12, but we believe 11. 12 in warren. four in caldwell. one in marshall. one in taylor. one in fulton. and one in lyon. undoubtedly there will be more. we believe that it will certainly be above 70, maybe even 80. but again, with this amount of damage and rubble, it may be a week or even more before we have a final count on the number of lost lives. currently we believe there are at least 105 kentuckians that are unaccounted for that we are still working to find. currently we have 300 national guard assisting rescue and recovery efforts, a few more than that. hundreds of state employees from transportation cabinet, the division of inforforestry are clearing roads. we saw a light of hope yesterday and we were actually able in mayfield to get from just clearing roads to starting to haul debris i believe. i believe that is the same in muilenburg county. we're working directly with groups to get cell service back in hopkins, marshall, and i think that it is up and going in fulton county as well working on hickman. so recap, we declared state of emergency roughly midnight, before midnight, before the storm really hit. we received immediate federal emergency declaration i believe on sunday which is the fastest we've ever seen. and last night we received a federal declaration of major emergency i think the fastest that has ever been issued. and we are really grateful from fema. they will give us an update on what that means. but it is good news for our families, it means that fema will be on the ground documenting losses at people's homes, helping them go ahead and file their claims. again, i believe that this is the most rapid response by the federal government in the h history of the united states and we are grateful for it. and then michael dosset will go over a few other things here in a minute. new pieces out today, and i have a lot of pieces of paper here are i'll work through them the best i can, is i'm ordering flags to half-staff in honor of those lost and those suffering from this tornado. so all state office buildings will be lowered to half-staff for one week in honor of the kentuckians who were killed and/or severely impacted. so they should be lowered beginning at sunrise tuesday december 14th and remain so until sundown monday, december 20th. i'm asking businesses, other states, to join us in the recognition of our kentucky januarwho are struggling so bad. and potential good news from the candle factory in mayfield that we are actively working to confirm this information, all of this is being reported by the business, we pray that it is true, but we are working to confirm it. so according to the business, 110 individuals, 94 are alive and accounted for. again, we are working to confirm that. eight are dead. we found eight bodies. and eight are missing. we feared much, much worse. and again, i pray that it is accurate. but with no phones, with 15 plus feet of wreckage that had a dozen backhoes trying to pull things off of it, there was no way at the time to know how many individuals made it out. so we very much hope that that is true. we've opened up our state parks for housing for impacted families. penny rile is already full. i think we have 100 plus adults and a lot of kids that are out there. we'll guarantee at least two weeks of stay. there may be other options by the end of that, but we're not going to let any of our folks go homeless. we currently have it is stressed families at kentucky dam village. currently we have some openings, i'm working with the county judge, judge perry, in grace county to move people from warming center or shelter to these rooms. we've got at least 58 rooms open at ken lake, kentucky damville think a, we have 30 open if we can get power to lake bark which i we'll have more. and we need volunteers to help us staff the state park. it will be things like washing dishes and washing clothes, but we could really use that help. so if you are looking for a place to be of assistance, you can contact director andy casset, 502-418-3581. his email, andy.ka ssit. i hope he's flooded with calls and emails and we can work people to work helping our people out. just a few more facts about those we've lost. 18 are still unidentified. of the ones that we nknow. the age range is five months to 86 years. and six are younger than 18. help keeps pouring in from all over the country. thank you. to everyone. we feel your love here in kentucky. the team western kentucky tornado relief fund, now 31,279 donations, over $4 million raised into it thus far. do we have the website? those that would like to help us, that is team wky relief fund.k fund.ky.gov. it will be fully transparent on how it will be spent. today we're announcing the first expenditure. we'll be providing $5,000 in burial expenses for each family that has lost a loved one. we are going to ask the funeral home or group helping out to not charge the families beyond that $5 $5,000. we have to be able to grieve together and no one has to apply. we'll work with our vital statistics group, for everyone who has been identified, and we'll work to reach out and contact those families directly. right now we think we have about 30,000 kentucky homes that are without power. significant debris removal is going on right now. but there is just a mountain of waste and it will take a significant amount of time. we've got significant livestock dead in all of the areas. there is ongoing cleanup with that too. department for community based services in mayfield suffered damage. cannot serve the public at this time. a mobile unit is in process to get down there so it can provide those continuing needed services, those that have needs for the department for community based services can call 1-855-306-8959. or apply for help online through the connect site.mayfield is th only pharmacy open. starting today walmart plans to be open for prescription fulfillment. it helps if you can bring your medication bottles but the pharmacy recognizes that you probably don't have them. so if you have a list of your medications, that would be helpful too. mayfield nursing and rehab has been closed due to storm damage and will need to rebuild. all residents have been relocated. kentucky state police is asking especially in the grace county area for any family members of missing loved ones, you should report to the office building of his house ministries to provide a reference standard to law enforcement for identification purposes. it is located at 1250 ky 303 in mayfield. anybody who needs assistance in getting there call 859-267-7775. kentucky state police is also using rapid dna technology to assist in the identification of victims so they are requesting any family members of missing loved ones to come to that same building to submit dna so that they can match. kentucky state police is also working to verify the information on the candle factory. like the folks in western kentucky, i'm not doing so well today and i'm not sure how many of us are. i was working to getting the confirmed deaths this morning and realized i was writing on the back of notes that one of my kids took from school. and here is what it is. it is notes on inertia. it means that an object that is in motion will stay in motion. so we're going to keep puts one foot in front of the other, push through this. everybody out there get the help you need. take care of yourself and we'll continue to provide updates. to the people of western kentucky, we're not going anywhere. we'll be with you today, we'll be with you tomorrow, and we're going to be there with you to rebuild. this is one state, people that love one another, and i think everybody in kentucky but also everybody in the country is standing with you. and with that, i'll turn it over to the director. >> thank you, governor, good morning. so i'm going to give you an overall date of situations. the state eoc is in operation at level three. we have an extraordinary complimement of state and feder personnel probably numbiering 8o 100 right now and they will be on duty each day to answer the requests from our counties and render assistance. we have representatives from the transportation cabinet, energy sector, sheltering, volunteer organization, parks, red cross, we've established an aircraft command and control section for overflights to survey the damage. so now i'll go into some of the power numbers. the governor, there has been good news within the last ten minutes, the numbers dropped again. we are at 28,531 outages as of this moment. this is a remarkable outcome when you look at the damage that has beenaeen impacted. so approximately 95% of potentially impacted power lines have been assessed. that is a big thing. in most of these events, the power companies can't get to the lines even to perform the assessments. so 95% have been completed. there is bad news with the good news. there are still 29 transmission lines, these are the lines that feed from the power plants. if you recall in the ice storm you saw collapse of these massive towers that run across our state. we have had that. and restoration will be weeks to months for these. so we'll have a small number that feed off these transmission lines that are still out. we have at least 97 power structures damaged. several local power companies have extended the damage to their own distribution systems. and they are underway certainly. mutual aid crews from across other states are arriving daily. we have -- and this is just an estimate of three companies. and we have a number of them and i'll go through them. we have 8,000 power poles, these are the ones in your neighborhood, that are down. they have to be dug, replaced, wires strung. so a massive effort. eight of the most impacted local power companies, west kentucky, rural, lexington electric, nashville electric, memphis light and gas and water, murray electric, bowling green municipality, and mayfield electric. so we have water systems also impacted. three systems currently not operational with 10,400 customers. 11 systems with limited operational capabilities for about 17,000 customers, these are boil water advisories, we're certainly familiar with those in other impacts. the division continues to coordinate with all municipal utilities. we are delivering generators as we speak. our regional administrator will speak to some of the generation opportunities and things that they are bringing over. in mayfield, they are experiencing overload in some circuits and that is to be expected because of the level of power that they are trying to restore. generators arrived at mills nursing and rehabilitation this morning. and they have restored heat. we're coordinating with fema, u.s. corps of engineers and department of public health to provide water. certainly water is in high demand in mayfield and other communities. we are bulk drop shipping water, bottled water, to command centers across the state in the impact area. we have requested and received and again, folks, i can't stress the amount of federal support that came so quickly. i can tell you from just being a veteran of now 17 disasters, it takes time to get wheels rolling. we had usar teams, these are federal certaisearch and rescue, on the ground before i had finished 14ithe requests. and three are doing wide area searches. we're doing the known impact and now we have to search all the debris areas. the elements of those teams arrived last night when they were requested yesterday. so folks are pulling out all the stops. in hopkins, we're assisting providing generation to dawson springs independent school, that was assessed last night and we'll have something on the way. in dawson springs, obviously electric is still down and water is being re-established. ver verizon also sent cellular units last night. so with that, restoration is ongoing. this again is not going to be a week or a month operation. this will go on for years to come. this is a massive event, the largest and most devastating in kentucky's history. and i'll close with saying the key here is our thoughts and prayers and our hearts go out to all of the victims, to all of the families and to the families of those who are still missing. is this is a horrific event and prayers will help. now i'll introduce gratia, we were -- >> you are listening there to the head of kentucky emergency management agency. he making a point we heard from the state senator last hour that this will take years to recover from, perhaps a lifetime. and as you look at those aerials, you can believe it. another moment there i'm sure this caught you too, but the governor growing tearful as he went through the ages of those who lost their lives, the range from five months old to 86. >> yeah, he said six of the victims of those who passed, under 18 years old. incredibly emotional at that moment. also when talking about folks who need their prescription medications. they should bring a bottle with them and then he said of course you probably don't have that bottle right now. i'm not doing so well today, a raw moment from the governor there. and we're joined by charles booker who is currently challenging rand paul for one of kentucky's senate seats. good to have you with us. as we look at these pictures, the devastation is just over overwhelming. and the number which will be there for years to come. this morning for people who are watching at home, what is most in need, what can they do? >> you know, in this moment we're facing so much pain, so much grief, and the thing that is giving me hope is to see the response from people all across kentucky and across the country showing what family looks like. and we are actually -- my team, we're in madisonville right now and headed to dawson springs. we know a lot of families have lost everything. and so if power has been out and the governor is right to mention the need to do that, we're working to get generators, people that are type 1 diabetics, ylike myself, your insulin has to be refrigerated. people have lost close thing, shelter is going, basic necessities. we're seeing blood drives that are happening. we're all rallying around. and there is a massive operation that is taking place across kentucky. and for anyone that wants to get involved, charles booker.org/relief, we're helping to connect people to ways to help and it will take care of us. >> folks have used comparisons to a warzone. and oftentimes you will hear that. but i'm tell you as we look at these pictures here, the aerials from mayfield, i haven't seen definitvastation like that warzones, and it will take a lifetime to repair, rebuild. i wonder how you see these communities rebuilding, responding to this in the coming months and years. >> one thing that is true about the people of kentucky, we are strong, we are resilient, we're known for coming back. we are often counted out, but we stand together and we will rebuild, we'll build back better in fact. but the fact of the matter is, there are a lot of communities across kentucky that are gone and many of them may not return. and if they do, they will never be the same. dawson springs, we know about 75% of that town is gone. bremen that is close by, completely wiped out. and the thing that is pressing for us now is of course to make sure that our loved ones are safe and that we take care of one another. but while we're rebuilding, we have to do the deeper work to make sure that we prepare for the next crisis which mean that's we address climate change and the infrastructure needs that we've ignored for way too long. >> charles booker, let us use this moment to ask you to convey to folks there that we'll continue to cover this story and we're thinking about them. and we wish you and them the best of luck. >> thank you so much. kentucky, i love you. >> if you would like to help the tornado victims, there are a lot of ways to do. we have a list of vetted organizations on the ground right now, go to cnn.com/impact. there are lots of opportunities there and they really do need the help. also following very closely developments with the january 6th committee likely voting today to recommend holding mark meadows in contempt of congress. so then what is the next step for terrorism's former white house chief staff? that is still ahead. and a bit later, why the head of fema says powerful storms like what we saw over the weekend are the new normal. ...and dry, cracked skin. new gold bond advanced healing ointment. restore healthy skin, with no sticky feeling. gold bond. champion your skin. >> man: what's my safelite story? i spend a lot of time in my truck. it's my livelihood. ♪ rock music ♪ >> man: so i'm not taking any chances when something happens to it. so when my windshield cracked... my friend recommended safelite autoglass. they came right to me, with expert service where i needed it. ♪ rock music ♪ >> man: that's service i can trust... no matter what i'm hauling. right, girl? >> singers: ♪ safelite repair, safelite replace. ♪ the peñas are saving big holiday shopping at amazon. so now, 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(vo) buy your car online. love it or return it. with carvana. the january 6 committee is expected to vote later today to recommend that mark meadows be held in contempt of congress for refusing to cooperate with its subpoena. >> but we're also learning regardless of that refusal about a whole host of new documents and emails that have been shared including by meadows himself. whitney wild is joining us now. key language in one of them, and i believe this email was sent january 5, meadows saying that the national guard would be present that day but to, quote, protect trump people. >> pro trump. >> do we know what that means? >> we don't know the context, but it falls into the greater question about what was going on at the white house and department of defense as there were questions about whether or not the national guard would be utilized. and it is especially important because when we look at what happened on january 6, when it became clear more forces were necessary, there was a significant time lag between when that request went out and when members of the national guard within activated. and once they finally got to capitol hill. so when we look at the totality of the meadows information, that sticks out because it is one of the main lingering questions and then ultimately it is one of the reasons that people think that the capitol ended up falling is because there weren't enough bodies there to try to shore it up after the chief of police had asked for that presence. so a lot of questions continuing to surround that. there are a ton of revelations in this resolution, additionally there is information about communications meadows had with members of congress about the possibility of appointing alternate slate of electors which would overturn the election. and there is one member of congress who told meadows in a text message it is highly controversial. meadows replied i love it. so more information about the list of avenues that meadows was trying to go counsel to try to overturn the election. although i thought this was very interesting, we've talked a lot about jeffrey clark, he was the top doj official now possibly facing a contempt of congress charge for his role in trying to use the department of justice to overturn the election basically at trump's behest and that is why the committee is so interested in talking to him. headmeadows introduced clark to trump. and when you look at the footnotes, that is also important because a lot of it is documents on filed with the committee, meadows production, meadows production. he gave this list of documents to the committee and yet won't answer questions about them. which is why we're now at this very possibility of -- >> listen to what they say, right? and he said some things that could have meaning to the investigation. whitney, thanks very much. and cnn has learned the president spoke with senator joe manchin late last week, perhaps a topic of conversation the "build back better" vote. so could president biden put manchin in the yes column? that is next. this is your home. this is your family room slash gym. the guest bedroom slash music studio. the daybed slash dog bed. the living room slash yoga shanti slash regional office slash classroom. and this is the basement slash panic room. maybe what your family needs is a vacation home slash vacation home. find yours on the vrbo app. ♪ there's a different way to treat hiv. it's once-monthly injectable cabenuva. cabenuva is the only once-a-month, complete hiv treatment for adults who are undetectable. cabenuva helps keep me undetectable. it's two injections, given by a healthcare provider once a month. hiv pills aren't on my mind. i love being able to pick up and go. don't receive cabenuva if you're allergic to its ingredients or taking certain medicines, which may interact with cabenuva. serious side effects include allergic reactions post-injection reactions, liver problems,...and depression. if you have a rash and other allergic reaction symptoms, stop cabenuva and get medical help right away. tell your doctor if you have liver problems or mental health concerns, and if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, or considering pregnancy. some of the most common side effects include injection site reactions, fever, and tiredness. if you switch to cabenuva, attend all treatment appointments. with once-a-month cabenuva, i'm good to go. ask your doctor about once-monthly cabenuva. for people who could use a lift new neutrogena® rapid firming. a triple-lift serum with pure collagen. 92% saw visibly firmer skin in just 4 weeks. neutrogena® for people with skin. the hammerschteins are saving big holiday shopping at amazon. so now they're free to become... the handbell hammerschteins. ♪ just pure artistry. hello, for the last few years, i've been a little obsessed with chasing the big idaho potato truck. but it's not like that's my only interest. i also love cooking with heart-healthy, idaho potatoes. always look for the grown in idaho seal. every day in business brings something new. so get the flexibility of the new mobile service designed for your small business. introducing comcast business mobile. you get the most reliable network with nationwide 5g included. and you can get unlimited data for just $30 per line per month when you get four lines or mix and match data options. available now for comcast business internet customers with no line-activation fees or term contract required. see if you can save by switching today. comcast business. powering possibilities. this morning cnn has learned about a previously unreported conversation that took place late last week between president biden and democrat senator joe manchin of west virginia. according to a source, manchin conveyed that he is not there yet when it comes to supporting the build betack better act. they are expected to speak again soon, but biden needs that vote. joining me to discuss is assistant whip in the house and member of the ways and means committee. congressman, thanks for taking the time. >> great to be back. >> you know manchin's concern here, right, it is about inflation, inflation is rising. it is hitting people in their pocketbooks very directly. why does pumping hormmore moneyo the economy not risk worsening inflation? >> first, i would refer got to my own review but a letter from scores of nobel prize winning economists showing their belief that this would actually help long term on the inflation front number one. number two, in the bipartisan infrastructure bill that we just passed and the president just signed into law, there is money there to help with our supply chains and reduce the sort of inflation that we're seeing right now, which most economists agree was brought on by the interruption in supply chains due to covid. frankly, the quicker we get the rest of the world vaccinated and we get over covid, the quicker we will deal with this short term inflation issue. >> let's talk about costs here. because the scoring of the cbo on the plan as it stands puts it at a smaller figure. but if these plans and measures and benefits do not sunset as called for in this original bill, it puts the actual cost at $3 trillion over the next nine years. you and i both know very well that once folks have benefits, congress does not like to take those again benefits away. you would have to repeal them. isn't this the more realistic estimate of the bill's actual cost? >> no, i don't think so and because if that is the case, which as someone who supports these i hope would be the case, then you would have to have the expectation that five, acseven, ten years down the line depending on which provision we're talking about additional revenue measures would come up with -- they would come up with at that time. so i think that the original cbo figures which show that this bill actually reduces the deficit, in other words, we raised a little bit more in revenue than we're spending respect i think that is the more accurate measure. and i would point out that if we don't pass the bu"build back better" act by december 31, one of those popular measures that we're talking about, the tax cut for families with children, that will expire at midnight on december 31, which means that so many families in my sy district will not get the check on the 15th of the month that they have come to count on. >> and i do want to talk about the filibuster because to raise the debt limit, there was a one time exception negotiated mind you by democrats and republicans so that only 50 votes were needed, not normal 60. jim clyburn majority whip said that he has faith democrats will find a way to get around the filibuster to pass voting rights. and i wonder, do you see an opportunity there, a carveout, an exception to the filibuster, to pass voting rights legislation? >> i hope so. i would point out that i stand with our founding fathers who opposed the filibuster, ie a supermajority vote requirement in the senate. it didn't come about until the founding fathers generation had long passed. there is no constitutional justification for the fill husban filibuster in my view. but even if someone chbt with as wants to keep the filibuster, reconciliation is the most famous carveout. so why not create then one more carveout for what is in my view the most important fundamental right and that is the right to vote. >> you would need like so many things, you'd need manchin on board for that. redistricting we're seeing happen across the country, yes, by many gop-controlled legislatures, which this newly drawn map if it comes true would put you against a republican brian fitzpatrick, put your seat in danger. we are though seeing similar machinations in a state like new me mexico, illinois, by democratic-controlled legislatures. what needs to be done to stop is this? we've had members of both parties on the air saying that only worsens the divisions. >> that's correct. i mean, not only does gerrymandering dramatically skew election results, for example pennsylvania for most of the last decade voted a little bit more democratic at the congressional level than republican. and yet for eight years because of gerrymandering, our delegation was 13-5 republican. that is unfair. but also if you had more members coming from these either very democratic or very republican seats, it takes away any incentive to reach compromise. in terms of what can be done with this, i've already put my my money where my mouth is, i have voted for hr-1 which would eliminate gerrymandering nationwide. if the senate were to pass it, we could ban gerrymandering once and for all and i think that is the best thing. >> and sources say speaker pelosi plans to run for re-election, not ruling out the possibility of trying to stay in leadership after 2022. do you think it is time for a change in the democratic leadership in the house? >> one election at a time. we still have a year to go. i've been proud to bee a supporter of speaker pelosi. we wouldn't have gotten a lot of this legislation done without her leadership. but let's focus to getting "build back better" passed and then holding on to the house in snof b november before we start talking about who our leaders will be. >> all right. i'll ask you then. congressman, thank you very much. >> always worth a shot, jim. the head of fema calling the effects from climate change the crisis of our generation. so how much of that is potentially related to these unusual often deadly weather patterns that we're seeing? we'll discuss. but first, here are some of the other events to watch for today. with age comes more... get more with neutrogena® retinol pro plus. a powerful .05% retinol that's also gentle on skin. for wrinkles results in one week. neutrogena®. for people with skin. serena: it's my 3:10 no-exit-in-sight migraine medicine. it's ubrelvy. for anytime, anywhere migraine strikes, without worrying if it's too late, or where i am. one dose can quickly stop my migraine in its tracks within two hours. unlike older medicines, ubrelvy is a pill that directly blocks cgrp protein, believed to be a cause of migraine. do not take with strong cyp3a4 inhibitors. most common side effects were nausea and tiredness. serena: ask about ubrelvy. the anytime, anywhere migraine medicine. the peñas are saving big holiday shopping at amazon. so now, they're free to become... ♪ the party peñas. ♪ they see your ugly sweaters, and raise you some mittens. it's another day. and anything could happen. it could be the day you welcome 1,200 guests and all their devices. or it could be the day there's a cyberthreat. only comcast business' secure network solutions give you the power of sd-wan and advanced security integrated on our activecore platform so you can control your network from anywhere, anytime. it's network management redefined. every day in business is a big day. we'll keep you ready for what's next. comcast business powering possibilities. i thought i was managing my moderate to severe crohn's disease. then i realized something was missing... ...me. my symptoms were keeping me from being there for her. so, i talked to my doctor and learned humira is the #1 prescribed biologic for people with crohn's disease. humira helps people achieve remission that can last. and the majority of people on humira saw significant symptom relief in as little as 4 weeks. humira can lower your ability to fight infections. serious and sometimes fatal infections, including tuberculosis, and cancers, including lymphoma, have happened, as have blood, liver, and nervous system problems, serious allergic reactions, and new or worsening heart failure. tell your doctor if you've been to areas where certain fungal infections are common and if you've had tb, hepatitis b, are prone to infections, or have flu-like symptoms or sores. don't start humira if you have an infection. be there for you, and them. ask your gastroenterologist about humira. with humira, remission is possible. learn how abbvie could help you save on humira. as the recovery begins across the central united states, we're learning more about the devastating and historic nature of these storms. >> at least 50 tornadoes were reported across eight states, just one of them was on the ground for 227 miles, it cut a swathe of destruction across four states. chad myers is joining us now. chad, you've been covering weather a long time. have you ever seen something like this in the month of december? >> not this far north. tornadoes happen in december. but they are usually down around the gulf coast where it is warm. but guess what, the afternoon before the tornadoes began, memphis, tennessee got up to 80 degrees. since the 1870s when they have been keeping track, only three other years that any date in any december has ever been that warm. so is it a very odd thing? yes. absolutely. to get that kind of heat in the wrong places. it can be warm to the south, but not this far north. here are the tornado, they were on the ground for a long time as you said. ef-3, strongest that they have found so far. but more experts are going out today to do more assessment of the damage. how long they were, how wide, how long they were on the ground. they started in arkansas, moved through missouri, into tennessee and in to kentucky. the quad states there. there were more than 100 tornado warnings issued that day. that is the most in any december in history, since we've been issuing warnings. here is the 23 that occur, but they are down where it is hot and humid and where the muggy weather is. part of the problem here, after dark. 40% around here after dark tornadoes, those are the most dangerous. they are hard to see, they are hard to forecast. obviously we have radar now but people are asleep and they don't get that warning. there is the track right there. >> it is massive. chad, appreciate it. >> not like hurricanes where you get a warning in advance. there is growing concern that climate change is contributing to more deadly weather events like we saw last weekend. joining us now, harold brooks from noaa severe storm's laboratory. ra harold, walk us through the science behind this. the fema administrator was on cnn this weekend, and she said that climate change, that the science shows, would cause more deadly storms like what we saw in kentucky. i want you to listen to what she had to say and get your sense. >> i don't think that he we've r seen one this late in the year but it is also historic. the severity and the amount of time this tornado or these tornadoes spent on the ground unprecedented. this is going to be our new normal and the effects that we're seeing from climate change are the crisis of our generation. >> does the science in your view back that up? >> well, i don't really think that we can say that about tornadoes. our expectations about how tornados will change as the planet warms are pretty weak. some of the ingredients such as the temperatures are certainly favorable for more tornadoes. but the big thing that controls the intensity of tornadoes and in some sense whether we ever get a tornado at all out of a tornado has to do with how the wind profile in atmosphere change, what we call the wind shear. and that may actually decrease in the future. what we have seen historically over the last 50 or 60 years has been an increase in the very ability of tornadoes occurring. we have fewer days per year now where tornadoes occur, but we have more big days that they occur. and we've also seen evidence of increase of occurrence, not intensity, but in the mid south region. >> and do we know why that is? >> no, we don't. that is one of the really big questions. while the timing of it is, you know, tempting to say that it is global warming, we really can't make all the physical linkages along the way. clearly the patterns in the atmosphere have changed, but is that because of the global warming and if the patterns have changed, what does that say about tornadoes. that is really a difficult call to make. tornadoes are small scale and the fabt ct that the different ingredients we want to see from them are likely to be made in very different ways make it as not as straight forward assay high temperatures or heavy precipitation. >> because the models talked about that, right, heavier precipitation in some areas, higher temperatures in others, which some scientists like yourself say do contribute to other events we've seen such as greater number of and intensity of and scope of forest fires as well as flooding. is the connection there is a clearer one based on the science? >> absolutely. i mean, temperature is really clear obviously. as the globe warms up, you would expect individual locations to warm up in general. and precipitation is a lot more straightforward, that is related to the amount of water vapor that the atmosphere can carry. but tornadoes is a lot further down the road there because we have to worry about the amount of moisture at the low levels of the atmosphere, we have to worry about the wind profiles. we actually have to worry about the way that the storms initiate because isolated individual storms are much more likely to make a tornado than if you have a long solid line of storms. so all of those things are just a lot more difficult to speak about. >> understood, harold brooks, thank you. i know it is a politically charged area of science, but it is nice to have you break through the numbers there and show what the science shows. thanks very much. and thanks very much to all of you for joining us today. i'm jim sciutto. >> and i'm erica hill. stay tuned, at this hour with kate bolduan is coming your way. why hide your skin if dupixent has your moderate-to-severe eczema, or atopic dermatitis under control? 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