Updated
Summary
Hurricane Ian making landfall in South Carolina after decimating southwest Florida, leaving catastrophic destruction across rest of Florida. Committee chairman Bennie Thompson announced the new schedule for the next hearing following recent testimony from Ginni Thomas. The New York Times Magazine`s Emily Bazelon and former Biden campaign senior adviser, Alencia Johnson, joins Katie Phang to talk about justices` feud publicly over Supreme Court`s legitimacy. Bill Nye the Science Guy joins Katie Phang to talk about the warming ocean temperatures causing more powerful storm and share the comparison of Hurricane Ian and other past hurricanes.
Transcript
NICOLLE WALLACE, MSNBC HOST: Thank you so much for letting us into your homes for another week of shows during these extraordinary times, especially when the news can be hard to watch like this week. We`re so grateful. THE BEAT with Katie Phang in for Ari Melber starts right now.
Hi, Katie. Happy Friday.
KATIE PHANG, MSNBC ANCHOR: Thanks, Nicolle. I appreciate it. The same to you.
And welcome, everyone, to THE BEAT. I`m Katie Phang in for Ari Melber.
Today an unprecedented fourth landfall for Hurricane Ian. We`ll go live to the storm zone. Plus, what Ginni Thomas told the January 6th Committee about her role in the insurrection and why some remain skeptical. And Putin`s new desperate attempt to claim victory in Ukraine while his own troops say the war is already lost.
We`re going to begin tonight with Hurricane Ian now lashing the South Carolina coast. Here`s what it looked like as it came ashore. Waves bashing this marina in Charleston. It made landfall as a category 1 storm bringing torrential rain and 85-mile-per-hour winds with officials warning the storm surge is life-threatening.
This is the Pawleys Island pier, the waves crashing into the structure. It falls and sinks into the ocean. The city of Charleston bracing for severe flooding. FEMA projecting 12 inches of rain in some areas with a storm surge between two and four feet.
Here`s a live look at Ian`s path moving north and inland now, and as Ian is hitting South Carolina, we are seeing the immense destruction and the catastrophic damage it left in its wake in Florida. Search and rescue efforts still happening right now. You`re seeing a dramatic moment in Fort Myers. A man who was trapped in rubble and debris was saved. Rescue workers pulling the man to safety.
This new video showing the sheer destruction in Fort Myers Beach. Homes and neighborhoods completely decimated. Just the foundations left. And on Sanibel Island this aerial showing the staggering magnitude of destruction. Literally hundreds of homes have been wiped away. More than 700 rescues have taken place on the island. My colleague, Jose Diaz-Balart spoke to one family from Fort Myers who was trapped by the surge.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOSE DIAZ-BALART, MSNBC ANCHOR: We were there five hours there, just in — with panic because the water kept coming up and kept coming up, and we were crying and really, really ugly. So horrible. And the house almost fell. It opened up. The — almost the foundation came up. It all got destroyed, cut, and we lost everything. We`re with not one single thing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHANG: Unreal. Let`s go live in Charleston, South Carolina, where NBC`s Shaq Brewster is reporting.
Shaq, glad to see that you`re safe but tell us what are you seeing on the ground there?
SHAQUILLE BREWSTER, NBC NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Well, Katie, right now you`re getting some mist. There are some slight breeze. Much different than what we saw earlier today. You know, the impact that Hurricane Ian had on Charlotte was significant despite it being about 60 miles away from the actual center of the storm where it made its landfall. You saw wind gusts in this area of about 70 miles an hour.
You saw the Charleston area get about 5 1/2 inches of rain. That is the most rain they`ve received in one day since 1938 according to the National Weather Service, and what that leads to it seems like the one you see behind me, where you have roads across the area completely flooded. Washed out. I`ll tell you some of the water that you`ve seen behind me since we`ve been here has receded in the past couple of hours but you see the impact that this is having on this one road but many roads in this area.
Despite this the mayor of Charleston telling NBC News earlier this afternoon that they feel like they dodged a bullet, and when you get a sense of why the mayor is saying that you can just look up the South Carolina coast where you have Myrtle Beach. There were rescues having to take place from motels and Pawleys Island, an entire pier was washed out. The police department describing the flooding that they saw in their area as catastrophic.
This storm, it continues to make its way inland so other cities are being impacted now. That then brings the threat of tornadoes and more rain and more flooding but here in the Charleston area despite the serious effects that Hurricane Ian had, you have people here saying that they feel like they dodged a bullet because they know it could have been so much worse, Katie.
[18:05:13]
PHANG: Shaq Brewster reporting for us live from Charleston, South Carolina. I appreciate it.
So joining me now is Craig Fugate, the former head of FEMA for the Obama administration and former Florida congressman Carlos Curbelo who joins us on set.
Craig, I`d like to start with you. What is FEMA doing right now to help especially in coordinating with multiple agencies and organizations from different jurisdictions?
CRAIG FUGATE, FORMER FEMA ADMINISTRATOR: Well, that`s just it. They`re the follow for the president, to coordinate all the federal resources to support Governor DeSantis` response. The big focus is still search and rescue, getting supplies in there. You already have the Florida National Guard starting to hand out supplies and getting that going, and then the next big step as we`re continuing the rescue operations will be start looking at where people are going to stay.
We have people in shelters, we have people staying in their cars, and that`s going to be the next big part of this response that FEMA will be supporting is temporary housing arrangements.
PHANG: Craig, if there`s no infrastructure, though, if there`s no power grid, no electricity, maybe not even shelters even left to be able to accommodate people who have lost their homes, what can be done to be able to help these people that are left over as survivors from Hurricane Ian?
FUGATE: Well, again, that`s the challenge and part of this will be there is not likely to be enough housing left in the area. So, you know, as we saw with Hurricane Maria, FEMA was actually helping people move from Puerto Rico to come to, you know, Florida or go to New York to get hotel rooms. And so one of the first things they do is people — if they`re able to leave the area is to get them temporary housing assistance and get them in hotels and motels away from this area of devastation so they can start that process, you know, the longer term recovery.
But we need to make sure they understand. This is not going to be quick. This is going to be years for a lot of people. What has happened is a life- changing event and this is not to underplay that. There`s all this help coming, but for a lot of people, this is just the very first steps of a very long journey that is going to take a lot of effort, it`s going to be painful. I want people to understand that this is not something that gets better quickly.
But the country is behind them and this is the commitment that we`ve always made on the federal government is that the federal government will be here for the state of Florida, for the people here for the long term. Well after the cameras leave.
PHANG: Carlos, Sanibel Island, an area that you and I know very well being South Floridians. It was decimated. Let`s take a quick listen to the city manager.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DANA SOUZA, SANIBEL ISLAND CITY MANAGER: The damage is catastrophic and it is difficult and so I agree with both of those terms. I`ve never seen anything like this. I`ve worked a number of hurricanes and residents who have lived on Sanibel for many, many years just can`t even understand the damage that we`ve experienced. Obviously our main access to the island has been cut off. There`s been five breaches to the causeway. And that`s significant work that has to be undertaken.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHANG: You know, Carlos, sometimes I get worried in this constant coverage that we do after storms like this that sometimes people become numb when they see it. But you and I have lived through some pretty massive and destructive storms down here in South Florida. What`s the immediate need and how can we help expedite the help that these people need?
CARLOS CURBELO (R), FORMER FLORIDA REPRESENTATIVE: Katie, there`s so much shock and confusion after these storms, I lived in Miami during Hurricane Andrew.
PHANG: Same.
CURBELO: I represented the Florida Keys during Hurricane Irma. There is a similar situation in southwest Florida especially in places like Sanibel as there was in the Florida Keys. People can`t access their homes. They have no idea if they lost all of their property and some of them did. They can tell just from the images. So what the federal government needs to do is provide the infrastructure, provide the security so that people can go back and access their home so that, you know, insurance companies and others can assess the damage and start helping people repair their lives.
I mean you`re right. We do forget sometimes the humanity in all of this. These people are living the worst times of their lives right now, and the federal government can actually do a lot to help shorten the pain and suffering which is deep and serious.
PHANG: To Craig`s point, though, this is going to be a long process and I understand that help can come from the federal government but how long can people anticipate having to be out of homes, not being able to return to even get their mementos? I remember when we lost our home in Andrew in 1992, everything was soaked to the core. Ceilings came in because of soaked insulation.
[18:10:00]
Your photographs, your most treasured memories, they were gone, and I know they`re not as important as having a roof over your head and food, but they`re shell-shocked, right?
CURBELO: Yes.
PHANG: I mean, the word is warzone is how we describe this and so can people really expect to see relief? And as Craig was saying, where do you even find the resources to be able to help?
CURBELO: Yes. For some people it will be weeks, Katie. I remember the Florida Keys was completely shut off. What we call re-entry, it was postponed over and over again because it wasn`t safe for people to return. There`s downed power lines. There`s flooding and the anxiety that builds up for these families, for these homeowners is just extraordinary. They want to know if they have anything left and they`re denied access.
Sometimes people get violent because they get so frustrated at the entry point of the Florida Keys. I remember in 2017 there was often a very tense situation there because there were thousands of people hoping to get back to their homes and they weren`t allowed so the federal government can do a lot because these local authorities are overwhelmed. They simply do not have the resources to manage a disaster of this nature.
PHANG: I think an important point people need to know, too, this Hurricane Ian, four different landfalls that it made, one of which was the island of Puerto Rico and there`s a headline as Ian batters Florida, Puerto Ricans fear being forgotten. What does Puerto Rico still need? They`re still dealing with recovery and rebuild after Hurricane Ian. What can be helped – – what can be done to be able to help the people that are on that island?
CURBELO: Katie, Puerto Rico needs more resources, but what they really need is assistance in helping facilitate the flow of resources. Puerto Rico, I think, last time I saw had only used about 30 percent of the resources that Congress had appropriated to help them recover from Hurricane Maria and from Hurricane Irma which also affected Puerto Rico so they really need help in expediting and making sure they can get all the bureaucratic work so that that help can actually flow and get to the people of Puerto Rico.
And, again, infrastructure is so important. We cannot just rebuild. We have to rebuild stronger and, again, that`s where the federal government can play a big role. As a matter of fact, the bipartisan infrastructure bill that was passed last year is going to help communities be more resilient and when, not if, when these disasters happen again, communities will be able to recover more quickly, homes won`t be destroyed to the extent we`re seeing in southwest Florida because we will build back stronger and smarter.
PHANG: It`s that when, not if that is the most terrifying part.
Congressman Carlos Curbelo, Craig Fugate, thank you, guys, so much for being here and starting off the show. I appreciate it.
Still ahead in this hour of THE BEAT, my live interview with Bill Nye on why these storms are getting bigger, deadlier and tragically all too common. Plus, history made today at the Supreme Court as a private fight among the justices erupts into public view.
But first big developments from the January 6th probe. Why some are scratching their heads at what Ginni Thomas told the committee. When we`re back in just 60 seconds.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHANG: The 1/6 Committee now prepping for a highly anticipated and perhaps final hearing. Committee chairman Bennie Thompson revealing today the postponed hearing, excuse me, will be held before the November elections, although not next week, and will most likely not rely on witness testimony.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. BENNIE THOMPSON (D-MS): Well, the hearing we will have will be before the November 8th election. It won`t be next week but you can, for all intents and purposes, expect at least one more hearing. We`re not really looking at bringing witnesses before the committee in the next hearing. We still have significant information that we`ve not shown to the public that`s available to us.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[18:15:03]
PHANG: That quote is pretty intriguing, right? Significant information that we`ve not shown to the public. This announcement coming on the heels of a brand-new interview with Ginni Thomas, the right-wing activist and the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. She supported Trump`s coup and repeatedly pushed to overturn the election. Even personally pressing lawmakers in Arizona and Wisconsin to overturn Biden`s victory in those states.
The committee saying she told them she still believes the 2020 election was stolen. Yet, Clarence Thomas has refused to recuse himself from Supreme Court cases related to Trump and the election.
NBC News has obtained her opening statement to the committee which read, quote, “Regarding the 2020 election, I did not speak with Justice Clarence Thomas at all about the details of my volunteer campaign activities. I am certain I never spoke with him about any of the legal challenges to the 2020 election, as I was not involved with those challenges in any way. And I know he was completely unaware of my texts with Mark Meadows until this committee leaked them to the press.”
Those multiple texts to then Chief of Staff Mark Meadows were conspiracy theories, folks, including one drawn directly from QAnon. These texts demanding that Meadows help overturn the results of the 2020 election.
Congressman Adam Schiff, also a member of the 1/6 Committee, giving insight into Ginni Thomas` interview.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. ADAM SCHIFF (D-CA): She didn`t assert privilege, so at least not while I was present, so she did answer the questions that we had. She says, for example, I generally don`t talk about my day-to-day activities. Well, that leaves a lot of wiggle room. Generally means there may be exceptions and day-to-day means, well, maybe not day-to-day but maybe in other terms these issues may have been discussed.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHANG: You got to love former prosecutors like Adam Schiff picking up on the nuances.
Joining me now is Joyce Vance, former federal prosecutor as well, and Dave Aronberg, state attorney for Palm Beach County also honoring me by joining me on set tonight.
Joyce, let`s start with you. Your thoughts on Ginni Thomas` appearance before the 1/6 Committee with the caveat, of course, Joyce, we don`t have a transcript of her testimony at this time.
JOYCE VANCE, FORMER U.S. ATTORNEY: So it`s interesting to see what people are beginning to make of Ginni Thomas` testimony, but, Katie, as you know and I think as you hint here, there is a lot of difference between the sort of testimony that someone gives in front of Congress where they`re being treated deferentially and the sort of testimony that`s obtained in front of a grand jury.
And the differences is that in the latter more pointed questions are asked and there`s less wiggle room, and so I think at best this testimony or what we`ve heard reported from it is equivocal and we don`t know precisely what Thomas might have said had she been under more scrutiny.
But here`s the reality. Whether she ever had a conversation with her husband about her activities or not, that shouldn`t be the standard for when a judge makes a decision that he should recuse and if ultimately this is in part at least about the crisis of confidence at the Supreme Court, Justice Thomas like every other member of the federal judiciary has an obligation to recuse if sitting on a case could give the appearance of impropriety.
And after her testimony and her concession that she believes that there was fraud in the 2020 election that Joe Biden didn`t win, Clarence Thomas no longer should be able to sit on any case that has anything to do with elections, election fraud, election outcomes. He should simply out of an abundance of caution recuse himself. I don`t think we`ll see him do that to be honest and it will cause more diminishment of public conference in the judiciary.
PHANG: Dave, take a listen to what Chairman Thompson said about potentially using Ginni Thomas` testimony in a future hearing. Let`s take a quick listen to it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Do you expect anything that Ginni Thomas told — Thomas said yesterday to be part of the hearing?
THOMPSON: The potential?
RAJU: Yes.
THOMPSON: For?
RAJU: For including her in that hearing.
THOMPSON: Some of the things she might have said, but it won`t be primary for the hearing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHANG: So, Dave, what`s the possible downside to using Ginni Thomas` testimony? I mean don`t you think the American public should hear what the wife of a Supreme Court justice thinks about the 2020 election?
DAVE ARONBERG, PALM BEACH COUNTY STATE ATTORNEY: Sure, Katie, but Ginni Thomas lives in crazy town. She is a true believer so I don`t think she`s going to give much information other than towing to the big lie. I think maybe the import of her testimony could be to give information on John Eastman, who she was in collaboration with apparently, and he was one of the architects of this coup.
But as Joyce says, this is not going to help the January 6th Committee. I mean, I think in the long run it`s about change to the Supreme Court because right now the Supreme Court doesn`t follow any of the rules the other judges do. They don`t have a code of conduct.
[18:20:01]
And so you can have a justice like Clarence Thomas ruling on cases involving January 6th that his own wife was involved with, and so that can`t stand. And that`s why Chief Justice Roberts says, hey, people don`t trust the Supreme Court. Well, you know why? Look in the mirror. They need to make real change in their own backyard.
PHANG: You know, Joyce, Ginni told the committee she doesn`t talk to her husband about politics but take a look at what Ginni Thomas had to say in 2017.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GINNI THOMAS, CONSERVATIVE ACTIVIST: I am happy to be here but my husband told me that the president asked about me twice, so I`m wearing my Trump button. We need —
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)
THOMAS: Hey, it is the time to be behind whoever is our president because there`s a war for our country and the things that we believe in going on.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHANG: Oh, Joyce, so I`m all for women standing independent of their spouses, but what Ginni Thomas wants us to believe really stretches the bounds of reality here, right, Joyce?
VANCE: It`s easy to talk in generalities about what you do and what you don`t talk about. You know, Katie, I`ve lived in this situation for a long time. My husband is a state court judge. I was a U.S. attorney in the federal system. We were very careful to not talk shop mostly because Bob wasn`t all that interested in my work. I hope he`s not listening. But I mean, it became our practice to make sure we didn`t talk about what we were both involved in.
But every once in a while there would be something that an average person looking at the situation might view as a conflict. Maybe Bob would get some sort of a case that would involve a federal seizure or I would see something that had a state aspect to it, and we were both immediately careful to recuse from those situations to not handle them, to have other people in our offices or even on one occasion outside of our offices involved because it`s so important that the public have confidence in the judiciary and the justice system.
And anyone who works in this system needs to be aware of that. That I think is ultimately the failure here, the failure to protect the institutions and the system by these people who are so committed to their own personal beliefs and pushing them forward at any cost that they would damage the institutions themselves.
PHANG: Sounds like an activist judiciary to me and along that point, Dave Aronberg, I want to switch gears and talk about Mar-a-Lago and the case with Donald Trump. Judge Aileen Cannon, Trump appointed judge, handing Trump what I think is a win yesterday by overruling a portion of special master Raymond Dearie amid a case management plan specifically creating a conflict between this special master that she appointed at Trump`s request, of course, and what is I think the extension of deadlines to be able to give more delay opportunities for Donald Trump, and more importantly not making — putting his feet held to the fire to have to say under oath what was allegedly planted by the FBI at Mar-a-Lago.
What`s your take on this order from Judge Cannon?
ARONBERG: Well, you would think that Judge Cannon would have been humbled by the fact she was repudiated by the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals last week. But, no, she`s back to ruling for Donald Trump who appointed her to the bench so I`m not that surprised that she did this. Remember, she started this by giving a preliminary order saying she was going to grant the special master even before DOJ had a chance to respond.
But in this ruling I don`t think it matters that much because remember it doesn`t apply to the 100 plus classified documents that the 11th Circuit said that DOJ can continue to review and use. Those are the documents that DOJ eventually are going to use to determine whether to charge the former president with a crime. This — all this other stuff, all these other documents that the judge just referred to in this last ruling, I don`t think makes a big difference in the long run so, yes, it is a W for the former president but a small one.
PHANG: Dave Aronberg, Joyce Vance, thank you, my power legal panel for being here tonight, I appreciate both of you.
And coming up, a newly revealed Obama interview and what he said about Trump, and, listen, it`s pretty interesting. But first, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson makes her Supreme Court debut. That`s next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[18:28:43]
PHANG: History is unfolding at the Supreme Court. This morning the newest incoming justice Ketanji Brown Jackson took the oath of office in her formal investiture ceremony in the court`s private chambers with both President Biden and Vice President Harris in attendance.
Justice Jackson is the first black woman on the court. Ascending to the bench starting Monday with many bracing for an even more contentious term filled with controversial high-profile cases.
The brand-new term commencing amidst reports of rare public sparring between some of the justices about the legitimacy of the court. Justice Elena Kagan openly discussing the matter in recent appearances with conservative Justice Samuel Alito and Chief Justice John Roberts responding.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JUSTICE ELENA KAGAN, U.S. SUPREME COURT: The thing that builds up reservoirs of public confidence is the court acting like a court and not acting like an extension of the political process. If over time the court loses all connection with the public and with public sentiment, that`s a dangerous thing for a democracy.
CHIEF JUSTICE JOHN ROBERTS, U.S. SUPREME COURT: Simply because people disagree with an opinion is not a basis for questioning the legitimacy of the court.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHANG: Justice Alito who wrote the Dobbs decision overturning Roe v. Wade telling “The Wall Street Journal,” quote, “Saying or implying that the court is becoming an illegitimate institution or questioning our integrity crosses an important line.” All of this as public confidence and the highest court in the land wanes. A new poll showing a majority of Americans disapprove of the job the court is doing.
[18:30:00]
Joining me now Emily Bazelon, from the New York Times Magazine, and Alencia Johnson, a former senior adviser to the Biden campaign and the founder of the social impact agency 1063 West Broad. Thank you both for being here this evening.
Alencia I`m going to go to you first, I`d like to get your reaction to the investiture of Justice Jackson today. For me, symbolism became reality. This photograph of Justice Jackson, standing with her new colleagues was historic. What are your thoughts?
ALENCIA JOHNSON, FOUNDER, 1063 WEST BROAD: I mean, what a historic day, it is the first black woman to sit on the Supreme Court. But this also does something for President Biden and shows that one, he kept his campaign promise to nominate and confirm the first black woman to import justice. And it also continues his track record.
I mean, this is a president who has nominated overwhelmingly people of color to these judiciary appointments and as well as women. And right now, he`s got 13 nominations of black woman alone, within several different areas of our federal judiciary. And so, I am excited about this moment.
But I do want to make it very clear, this will not change the balance of the court because it is still an overwhelming majority conservative. I know we`re going to get into that. But we are celebrating today that Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson will be part of this court makeup.
PHANG: Yes, you know, Alencia, we always have to find a little bit of some good in a world of maybe not so good. Emily, some of the major cases in the next term, including affirmative action, voting rights, individual state power over elections, what cases are you keeping an eye on for this upcoming term?
EMILY BAZELON, STAFF WRITER, NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE: Well, I think the ones you`re highlighting are going to get an enormous amount of attention and really matter for people`s lives. In particular, this case about voting and the power of state courts and state agencies to impact how state voting laws work.
The case before the Supreme Court would argue that only the state legislature has any power over how a state conducts election. That would be a really major departure from how elections cases have worked out in the past where you have state courts, based on state constitution and state laws weighing in North Carolina.
The state of issue in this case actually explicitly handed over the power to conduct elections and review them for fairness to a state agency. So that is a really big one for our democracy.
PHANG: Alencia, this new term could be even more controversial in terms of a roller coaster ride than the last. Justice Jackson entering a potential hornet`s nest. You intimated to this a few minutes ago. Do you think in any way she might be able to affect the current six-three conservative supermajority?
JOHNSON: Oh, one could hope but I sincerely doubt it. I do think that her opinions obviously will inspire us and continue to govern — govern us for generations. However, this court has been politicized. I mean, you talked about it earlier, and how the public opinion of this court is at an all- time high on the disapproval side.
And so, I don`t think that unfortunately, she will help swaying this back into a more balanced court, which is why you have so many people actually talking about Supreme Court reform because of what has happened. But it will be interesting to see her opinions based on some of these very critical decisions, as my co-panelist was just talking about, particularly around voting rights, immigration, affirmative action, and the list goes on.
PHANG: You know, Emily, what do you make, though, of this very public fight between the justices about the court`s legitimacy, and frankly, its legacy?
BAZELON: Well, I think that Justice Kagan is trying to send out a warning sign like red lights flashing. The court in order to be seen as legitimate has to be doing something called law that looks different from politics. And it`s tricky to measure that, but it has something to do with the quality of its reasoning, how careful it`s being about precedent and public opinion.
In the past when the court has veered wildly away from public opinion that has been quite damaging for the court as an institution. In the end, the court can be reined in by Congress or by the voters in terms of future presidents and future congresses that — that the voters choose. So, there`s a delicate balance here. Justice Kagan thinks it is off, and Justice Alito thinks it is wrong to even say that it`s off.
PHANG: You know, Alencia, people less trusting of the court, Emily talks about it. You`ve mentioned the disapproval ratings right now at an all-time high. Is there any way to convert politically that disapproval, American public`s lack of trust in the integrity of the court? Is there any way to convert that into maybe a result at the ballot box, perhaps in November at the midterms?
[18:35:00]
JOHNSON: Well, that`s exactly what you see. So many organizers, organizations, and candidates actually running on since the — not just the Dobbs decision, but the leak of the Dobbs decision before it came out. Folks started organizing around this because it is so out of touch with the public opinion. Majority of Americans want abortion to be safe and legal in this country, majority of Americans actually disagree with the Dobbs decision.
And, you know, one of the justices was talking about this Dobbs decision and an international forum when he actually should have been paying attention to the fact that out of the last 50 or so countries that have actually ruled on abortion access. Majority of countries have expanded abortion access. And this decision has taken the United States back over three decades.
And so, organizers and candidates are using this as a moment to galvanize young voters, women voters, people of color, especially when it comes to abortion access and voting rights, which to be honest, the Supreme Court already got a key provision of the Voting Rights Act a few years ago, and they know that they`re taking up some key — key cases in this upcoming term. And so, I think we`ll see that and build that in the ballot box in November.
PHANG: I think seeing justices like Roberts and Alito bemoaning the politicization of the court. The hypocrisy really sticks in my craw. Emily Bazelon and Alencia Johnson, thank you both for being here this evening. Appreciate it.
And ahead, what Obama said about Trump three days before he took office, a newly revealed interview. But first, Ian destruction. Why are these storms getting bigger, deadlier and more common? Bill Nye is here on that live. Coming up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[18:41:39]
PHANG: 48 hours since Hurricane Ian first made landfall on Florida`s western coast. The storm rigging destructive havoc across the state ripping rooftops off of buildings, covering county after county with downed trees and debris. Roads and causeways rendered impassable from Naples to Fort Myers even inland and places like Orlando. Today Ian slamming into South Carolina with hurricane force making landfall for the fourth time.
To comprehend the sheer size of the storm. Take a look at this image. Hurricane Charley responsible for $15 billion in damage in 2004. That entire storm fits inside the eye of Hurricane Ian. So why are the storms getting bigger and stronger? One answer, warming temperatures, warming oceans fuel higher winds making storms stronger. Warming oceans also make the rate of intensification more rapid.
And we`re seeing more of them. And unprecedented number of category three storms and higher has slammed into the United States since 2017. You can see them on your screen there. Ian just one of six. Those are facts. Facts that many choose not to believe imperiling our own collective future.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TUCKER CARLSON, HOST, FOX NEWS: It`s not a close call. There has been as a factual matter, no increase in hurricane frequency in the continental United States from 1900 to 2020. The number of landfalling hurricanes has dropped slightly over the past century. Why? We`re not sure but we can probably guess has nothing to do with climate or your SUV.
So, hurricanes are 25 percent less common, and at most five percent more intense. So, it`s not really about science, is it? Because actually there`s no science behind these claims.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHANG: I don`t think Tucker Carlson lives in the same place that you and I live. Joining me now Bill Nye the Science Guy, host of the show, The End Is Nye on Peacock. Bill, thank you so much for being here. First, what do you say to people like Tucker Carlson, who not only have the facts wrong, but use their huge platforms to spread disinformation about climate change?
BILL NYE, SCIENCE EDUCATOR: Well, it`s a — it`s deeply concerning and so the challenge, the science is settled. The challenge there with conservative media is what — how do we reach people who might be watching it? Now the people who are already made up their minds, accept everything their conservative talk show host tell them though, they`re probably not reachable right away.
But there`s got to be people who watch it with skepticism, who watch it with stroking their chins. And those are the people I very much want to influence what the scientists of the world to influence before the upcoming elections. Because if you want to do something about climate change, everybody it`s voting.
And we are in a situation where we have lawmakers who are in denial about the science of climate change, and it`s very concerning. And let me just start by saying I`m very sorry for the people in Florida who are — who`ve lost almost everything and who are really facing tremendous hardships. This is really a difficult time for all of us.
[18:45:00]
PHANG: So, Bill, what is the relationship then, what is the science, the relationship between climate change and these more powerful and more frequent storms that we`re seeing, like Hurricane Ian?
NYE: Also, everybody, it`s fundamentally heat. So, these molecules, carbon oxide, and natural gas, have this remarkable property where visible light goes right past them, the light hits Earth`s surface, its wavelength increases a little two infra-red that`s below red. And then these molecules hold that heat in, and then that heat ends up in the ocean goes from the atmosphere to the ocean.
So, what makes a storm grow is the warm water of the Gulf and mid-Atlantic. And that air gets squeezed up. Everybody a hot air balloon flies, because there`s cold air or cool air around it, squeezing it up. So, there`s cool air around this warming part of the ocean, which squeezes it up, which makes this motion which we refer to generally as natural convection.
And because it`s so big, they`re combined acceleration of the spin of the earth and gravity makes it — makes these storms take on these enormous spins. And these spins, cause these just remarkable phenomena where these tremendous storm surges on the — how to say — 4:00 position of the storm. And then drainage of the bay in clearwater on the 10:00 position of the storm.
And these phenomena are enormous and this lad most recent storm, Ian is huge. You had some graphics there I`ve prepared — sparing no expense. Let`s say this is the diameter of the famous storm Katrina, it`s huge. Well, Ian is even bigger. And then if you live in Florida, you were there for Andrew, weren`t you, Kate? Katie?
PHANG: Yes, I was. Yes.
NYE: So, Andrew was a huge storm. But it was in a very high winds. But it was not nearly as big as Ian, neither was Charley, this notorious storm in Florida. And so, it`s not only the wind speed, everybody likes to focus on category, category three, category four, category five. And that`s important because the energy in the moving air is related to the square of the speed.
So, if you increase the speed, if you increase the speed of the wind, this way, linearly, you increase the energy by the square. It`s the area under the curve times a half because it`s a triangle, not a square. And this is why the wind speed, and the category is important. But what`s causing so much destruction is the width, the enormous size of Ian.
And the thing is, Katie, we`re all going to pay for it. We`re all going to have to pitch in and of course, we will pitch in to help Floridians and South Carolinians. But man, the cost of these things is huge. And you can say, well, let`s make the power lines more robust. Let`s make the wilt buildings out of cement the way building codes changed after Andrew.
OK, but we had tremendous numbers of hundreds of thousands of people living in vulnerable areas where the codes haven`t been put in place efficiently. And the insurance is not available to a lot of people. They don`t have the resources to get the insurance to upgrade their houses.
Oh, man. This is a big problem that we`re in, we`re going to need big, big solutions. But that all begins with accepting that we have a problem, that the world is getting warmer, that storms are getting more intense, and so, everybody vote, vote in the upcoming elections.
PHANG; And you know, Bill, to your point, these storms are not political bodies, they affect people alike, regardless of what your political affiliation is. And so, your emphasis on the acceptance, that there`s a problem. You`re giving solutions. We have to be solutions-based. Bill Nye the Science Guy, I appreciated your plates. I liked your demos, frankly. I thought that they were easier to understand than anything else that I would have possibly been able to do. Bill Nye the Science Guy.
NYE: Carry on, you guys. Vote. Thanks (INAUDIBLE).
PHANG: Bill, maybe makes up — make some cupcakes, please, with those cupcake liners or muffin liners that you have on those plates tonight. Bill Nye the Science Guy. And up ahead, what Obama thought about a second term for Trump. But first, Putin`s escalation and inflection point in the war in Ukraine and President Biden`s warning. Coming up next.
[18:50:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHANG: Today Vladimir Putin essentially trying to declare victory in Ukraine despite what even his own soldiers say as a failed invasion. Putin illegally proclaiming annexation of four partially occupied regions in Ukraine and promising victory. What reports on the ground paint a starkly different reality. The New York Times obtaining audio of phone calls from Russian soldiers to family back home, revealing damning accounts of an underprepared and failing army.
[18:55:00]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (text): Our offense has stalled. We`re losing this war.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (text): Half of our regiment is gone.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (text): Putin is a fool. He wants to take Kyiv. But there`s no way we can do it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (text): No one told us we were going to war. They warned us one day before we left.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (text): Mom, this war is the stupidest decision our government ever made, I think.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHANG: Should listen to them, right? So, what Obama said about Trump three days before Trump took office. Coming up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHANG: So, one final thing before we go tonight, we`re getting a first glance into newly released comments from former President Obama made three days before Trump`s inauguration in 2017. Obama saying that two Trump terms would have worried him quote, I think that four years is OK, Obama said.
Take on some water but we can kind of bail fast enough to be OK. Eight years would be a problem. I would be concerned about a sustained period in which some of these norms have broken down and started to corrode. I actually disagree with Obama. I think four years was more than enough.
So, that does it for me. You can also catch me on “THE KATIE PHANG SHOW” weekend mornings at 7:00 a.m. Eastern right here on MSNBC and stream new original episodes on the MSNBC hub on Peacock as well. “THE REIDOUT” with Joy Reid is up next.