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Hurricane Strikes Florida Coast; Kaepernick Refuses To Stand For Anthem; SpaceX Rocket Explodes On Launch Pad; Hurricane Threatens Millions In Southeastern U.S. Aired 1-2a ET

Aired September 2, 2016 - 01:30   ET

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


[01:00:09] ISHA SESAY, CNN ANCHOR: This is CNN NEWSROOM. Live from Los Angeles. Happening now, a hurricane strikes the Florida gulf coast. We'll take you live near the eye of the storm. Plus a former Super Bowl quarterback isn't backing down to critics, refusing to stand for the national anthem for a second straight game. And why this rocket explosion is a major setback in efforts to bring the internet to the developing world. Hello, and thank you for joining us. I'm Isha Sesay. NEWSROOM L.A. starts right now.

Hurricane Hermine is battering Florida's gulf coast bringing heavy rains, strong winds, and a powerful storm surge. Millions of people in Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina are in Hermine's path. Florida's governor calls it a "Life threatening storm with dangerous flooding expected." CNN meteorologist Derek Van Dam and Jennifer Gray are tracking the storm for us. Let's go first to Jennifer, live along the Florida Panhandle. Jennifer, has Hermine made landfall?

[01:01:23] JENNIFER GRAY, CNN WEATHER CORRESPONDENT: Hermine has made landfall. This makes the first hurricane since 2005 to make landfall in Florida. Wilma was the last hurricane andthis makes the next one. We have ended a more than decade long drought of hurricanes here in Florida. Of course, this is a pretty and this is a Category 1 hurricane. And so, we had winds of 80 miles per hour storm surge, two to three meters with those winds. 80 miles per hour or 125 kilometers per hour. Of course, we had seen downed trees, power outages across the Florida Panhandle as well as Georgia. More than 100,000 people without power due to the storm. 65,000 people in Tallahassee, the state capital alone. And so, there will be quite a bit of clean-up because of this. Those storm surges running two to three meters across portions of what we call the "big bend of Florida," which is basically where I am, and then points to the east and southeast.

Water just funnels up into those bays, those intercoastal waterways. And so, you will see very, very high storm surge. And so, that's why flooding is a huge concern across Florida, and still will be as we go through the overnight hours. They evacuated a lot of people along the coast to try to seek higher ground. Because with the water running, two to three meters above high tide, that's when it causes significant flooding.

Also, a real tornado danger as we go throughout the overnight hours. We have seen several tornado warnings across Florida. That will continue into Georgia as we go through the overnight hours. And then this storm is going to just ride the east coast, and we are in a holiday weekend. And so, a lot of people do want to hit the beaches, but it is going to be a rainy weekend, there's going to be a lot of rough surf across the east coast. But this storm is far from over. It has made landfall in Florida, but it's going to continue its journey up to the north and east. It is going to pick up some forward speed once it does that. But it could have impact as far reaching as New England. And so, this storm will be talked about for several more days, Isha.

[01:03:46] SESAY: Yeah, it sure will. Jennifer, thank you. Do stay safe out there. We'll check in with you a little bit later. Let's go now to meteorologist Derek Van Dam in the International Weather Center. Derek, I know you're closely following Hermine, what are you seeing right now in terms of the intensity of the storm?

DEREK VAN DAM, CNN WEATHER ANCHOR: Well, it is a Category 1 Atlantic hurricane, Isha, and 25 million Americans are in its path. There are five counties in the U.S. State of Florida under mandatory evacuations. Let's break it down for you with the latest radar. You heard Jennifer talk about the potential threat of tornados. That red box there is a tornado watch with multiple warnings across the Florida Panhandle as we speak. But I want to zoom into the center of circulation. There it is, the eye wall of hurricane Hermine, just now starting to cross the threshold of land.

And meteorologists, what we do is we break this down into quadrants. The northeast quadrant in the northern hemisphere is typically the strongest part of the storm. That's because we have that counter- clockwise circulation. So, you can just imagine the winds and the amount of water that's getting pushed up into this particular region. In fact, Cedar Key, just to the south and east of the landfall, and hurricane has had records-setting storm surge already occurring across this particular region. We have the potential for two to three meters of above normal surge for this particular area.

Look at the hurricane warnings shaded in red. That's that "big bend of Florida" that we talked about. But as we go forward, this storm has the potential to bring chaos to the east coast of the United States. And you also heard, mention from Jennifer a moment ago that it is a holiday weekend here in the U.S., being Labor Day on Monday, so a lot of people trying to soak up the last bits of summer. Unfortunately, this storm is going to impact people's plans as they head to the beaches of Charleston, Wilmington, Cape Hatteras, and potentially the New England coast. This area, we need to monitor very closely, but in the meantime, storm surge, heavy rain, flooding, tornados, that's the immediate future for Florida.

Quick mention of typhoon, now tune into the mainland of Japan. 130- kilometer per hour, sustained winds, that's moving to the northerly direction. A early Sunday morning local time that could impact the Kagoshima region with winds over 120 kilometers per hour. Isha?

SESAY: Wow. A lot going on. I know you sound -

VAN DAM: So much.

SESAY: (INAUDIBLE) for us, Derek. Thank you. Appreciate it.

VAN DAM: Welcome.

SESAY: All right. Let's talk football now. American pro football player Colin Kaepernick continues his protest of not standing during the U.S. National Anthem. The San Francisco 49er knelt on Thursday at a preseason game against the San Diego Chargers. Kaepernick was booed as he took the field on the same night the chargers held an annual Salute to the Military event. The bi-racial quarterback says he's protesting racism. For more on the game and the reaction to Kaepernick's protest, our own Paul Vercammen joins us now from San Diego's Qualcomm Stadium. So, Paul, Colin Kaepernick kept his protest going, but this time kneeling. What was the reaction inside the stadium?

[01:06:38] PAUL VERCAMMEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the first reaction to Kaepernick was boos at the minute he stepped foot on the field even for the pre-game warm-up. And they followed on throughout the game. I'm now down in the locker room area. We're awaiting some reaction from Kaepernick, but it was a strong chorus of boos. There's also a battery of applause that we should note. Not only from 49er fans but from some San Diego Charger fans, including those with military ties, either they were in the military or they've been a veteran's someone's dad. They supported Kaepernick's right to not stand during the anthem, and they felt like that's a very spot for it, but many others were pretty harsh and in fact, I heard a few expletives as well in terms of, you know what Kaepernick did. Let me kind of show you what he did or describe it for you. He was standing, and then once the anthem struck up, he dropped down to a knee, and so did Eric Reid, a player who was not dressed for the game. Both of them joining in unison, and then right after he got down with the anthem, there were a lot of hugs and, you know, sort of, high fives and whatnot.

And players on the 49ers supporting Kaepernick, and the 49ers, by the way, won this exhibition game 31-21, Isha.

SESAY: Yeah. And Paul, just - this teammate that knelt by his side, was this just a show of support for Kaepernick or is he sharing in the protest itself? Do we know?

VERCAMMEN: It absolutely seemed to be a show of support. And in some recent activity on Twitter, Eric Reid had, you know, come on out and said basically for anybody who might have been trolling or being tough on Kaepernick, "Hey, listen, he's got a point here. And you may or may not know that Colin Kaepernick has - he says, two uncles in law enforcement, friends in law enforcement. And one of the points he made on Instagram today, you know, talking about -some of his stances is, he's very concerned with people who would jeopardize his loved ones or friends, he's talking about police officers through what, you know, he termed to be reckless activity or dangerous activity. So, it was a move in support of quarterback Colin Kaepernick.

SESAY: All right. So, we're seeing a show of support from a teammate, but what about the coaching staff? I mean, what's the general feeling amongst, you know, the team owners, the - you know, about all the attention this is drawing to the 49ers, and really, their off the field exploits, if you will? VERCAMMEN: Well, it has been rather short shrift. And the fact that the new coach, Chip Kelly basically just said "He has a right to express his views. And, you know, we support that. And we're not going to get involved in just what he said." Now, that's to this point. Well, I could see if there's no sort of change in attitude, but so far, no issues and Kaepernick played very well tonight. And in fact, even though he was being booed, every time they snap the ball to him, there was a lengthy drive downfield. And as I said, you could hear the boos. And every time it seemed like they would gain another six, seven yards, and it ended up in a touchdown.

SESAY: Could you -- (INAUDIBLE) Paul, could you tell whether or not Kaepernick was bothered by the reaction to the booing?

VERCAMMEN: Absolutely not. In fact, he almost seemed unflappable. And, you know, there was even some anticipation that perhaps maybe Kaepernick might take a hard hit. He was scrambling around, but that never really materialized. No, he didn't seem at all fazed by the reaction of the fans. And as we said, there were also some fans that were, you know, cheering him as well.

SESAY: Yeah. Yeah. Well, Paul Vercammen joining us there from San Diego. We appreciate it, Paul. Thank you so much.

And as another NFL game, Seattle Seahawks player Jeremy Lane sat during the National Anthem against the Oakland Raiders. It's not yet clear if this was a deliberate act of protest. We shall work to find out for you. Well, Kaepernick says his protest isn't directed at people in the military, but as we just heard from Paul Vercammen, that has received a mixed reaction from troops and veterans. For more (INAUDIBLE) towards Kaepernick, I'm joined by social and political commentator Jasmyne Cannick, and retired Army Lieutenant Colonel and Green Beret Scott Mann in Tampa, Florida.

Thank you so much for joining us. We very much appreciate it. Colonel Mann, if I could start with you. Colin Kaepernick has explicitly said his protest is not against the military, it's not intended to insult the Armed Forces, and yet some see it as such, why?

[01:10:51] LIEUTENANT COLONEL SCOTT MANN, RETIRED GREEN BERET: Well, I think a lot of it is just because, you know, so many of our men and women in uniform have given so much and sacrificed so much that I do not think it's - you know, it kind of flies in the face in their perception of what they fought for. But, you know, just to be clear, I think a lot - almost all veterans that I know, you know, understand that Colin and others have absolutely the right to protest in whatever way they feel fit. But so do those veterans have the right not to like it.

SESAY: That's absolutely true. You know, very much a point of this country that everyone has a right to their opinion and to express it. And to that end, you know, I'm going to stay with you, colonel to - because I want to follow up on your thought. People are saying, you know, armed -the men and women of the armed services or the Armed Forces fought for the very freedom that Colin Kaepernick is exercising right now his freedom to express his displeasure, to express his point of view. So people are saying that there's kind of a dissonance here.

MANN: Yeah, I think there may - you know, that's a valid point. I guess the way I come at it is that, you know, I just believe it's just - I just don't think it's effective leadership on his part. I think anyone who looks to advance one position over another is just - is just ineffective leadership. I would rather see us have this discussion as Americans with the - with the admission that, you know, we're Americans first. And I don't that think we have to - I don't think that we have to go about it this way. You know, honestly, I've done posts on Facebook that just cites some of the examples in the military, how, you know, we don't - we're all green in the army. We don't look at ethnicity that way. We look at serving a higher purpose, and we play through each other's strengths through our diversity. And I don't see that going on right now. Even my Facebook post, there's so much venom and vitriol by all sides. And I think - I think Kaepernick is playing right into it. I think he's advancing one side's agenda over another, and frankly, it's just not going to get us anywhere. I'd rather see some responsible leadership on his part, and frankly, the NFL and some others as well.

SESAY: All right. Jasmyne, to bring you in here, you heard what Colonel Mann said, that Colin Kaepernick is playing into the hands of the other side, advancing their agenda. Your reaction to that?

JASMYNE CANNICK, POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: I completely disagree with that. I'm actually proud of him. I'm happy that he's doing what he's doing. He is advancing the conversation, and he's doing it in a way that's got everyone talking. So, the people who in the military are against what he's doing, they always have to remember that they fought for his right to stand up or sit down. OK? He has the right to do this protest. He's got everyone talking from coast to coast. This is an uncomfortable issue for a lot of people. They liked it when it was a conversation relegated just to the black community, or just to communities of color. But this is a conversation that needs to be had nationally. Everyone in this country doesn't look at themselves as Americans first. I know that may be a shock to many people, but that is the case. We have a very sad history when it comes to people of color in America. That has not been forgotten.

And there are a lot of issues right now in 2016 that are - that needs to be addressed. And it's going to take people like Kaepernick to do what he is doing. I mean, he's not the only one you have. Musicians, look at what happened with Beyonce and how they tried to say that her performance at the Super Bowl was too pro-black, anti- police. That didn't get them anywhere.

SESAY: But Jasmyne, let me ask you this, you made the point at the beginning of your - of your statement there that everyone's talking about it. But is everyone really talking about Colin Kaepernick's motivation or has that been overshadowed by the method of his protest, which somebody would say means he has in some ways failed?

CANNICK: I think it depends on who you ask that question to. I know from a lot of the news articles I've been reading and media coverage that I've caught, especially amongst African-Americans, they're talking about the issue. They're talking about him raising this issue and continuing to keep it in the spotlight. You have a lot of haters who refuse to acknowledge the issue and they just want to focus on the fact that he's wearing a certain pair of socks, or that he - you know, he's, you know, sitting down. And they don't want to address the issue at all. They would like to go on as if it doesn't exist. So, it really depends on what circles you're having that conversation in.

SESAY: All right. And Colonel Mann, to you, you say that there would have been a better way for him to have done this. What would have been a better way for Colin Kaepernick to protest in your view?

MANN: Well, one might be to wear practice socks that don't have pigs with police officer hats on them. The whole conversation, like, you know, it's not a certain pair of socks. It was a pair of socks with pigs with police hats on them. And it's just a very foreign concept for me, because in Special Forces where I've spent most of my adult life, African-Americans, Hispanics, whites, we fought together, we stood shoulder to shoulder, we gave our lives for each other. And that's how we're trained, and that's how we believe. And so, when I hear someone say a lot of people don't view themselves as Americans first, I guess it just kind of makes me sad because I've lost a lot of friends, Hispanic, African-American and many others who laid it down believing that we were Americans first, so I guess I'll have trouble responding to that.

SESAY: And Jasmyne, do you care to respond?

CANNICK: That's what happens when I guess you don't have a lot of people in your circle who - or your circle is not very diversified. Let me put it that way. Because there are a lot of people, and not just black people, the people of color, period, who don't necessarily feel the connection to this country that other people feel. And a lot of that, I think, has to do with our history, the fact that we still deny that history, we still don't want to make amends for that history, and we're still dealing with the effects of that history in 2016. So, I'm sorry that that's hard for you to comprehend, but it is a fact.

SESAY: I'm afraid we're going to have to leave it there. We appreciate the honest points of view exchanged here. And Colonel Scott Mann, Jasmyne Cannick, thank you so much for joining us.

CANNICK: Thank you.

MANN: Thanks for having me on.

SESAY: Time for a quick break now. Still ahead on NEWSROOM L.A., the fallout from "Donald Trump's immigration speech." White supremacists phrase it while some Latino supporters are jumping ship.

JACOB MONTY, TRUMP HISPANIC ADVISORY COUNCIL MEMBER: I've resigned. I know other people have resigned. It's not a - not a good feeling because the alternative is not much better, but I'm unwilling to be a part of his propaganda machine.

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[01:19:50] KATE RILEY, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: I'm Kate Riley with your CNN WORLD SPORT headlines. On Thursday, champions of Europe, Portugal faced Gibraltar in a friendly. That wasn't quite the Portugal sign that defeat of France in June Euro 2016 Final Cristiano Ronaldo and Renato Sanches, arguably the two most exciting players are out with injury, but it was no problem for the Portugal cruised to a 5-0 victory.

With a question mark hanging over the health of defending champion Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray could head into the second week of the U.S. Open as the favorite to lift a fourth major title. The current Wimbledon and Olympic champion breezed through his second round match with Spaniard Marcel Granollers in three straight sets on Thursday. Murray is yet to drop a set in New York, and with the exception of a minor blip in the end of the first set, the 2012 champ was never tested.

And as Monza readies for the Italian Grand Prix on Sunday, Felipe Massa announced that he is retiring at the end of the season. The flag will come down on the season finale, the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on the Brazilian's 15-year career which so Massa win 11 Grand Prix very nearly the F1 championship in 2008.

And that's a look at all the sports headlines. I'm Kate Riley.

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[01:21:37] SESAY: The "BREAKING NEWS" for you, Hurricane Hermine is bringing heavy rain and flood into Florida as the storm moves on shore along the gulf coast. The state capital, Tallahassee reports 32,000 customers are now without power. It's expected to bring a nine-foot or three-meter storm surge. Florida's governor calls it "life threatening."

All right. Time for politics. Another day, another side of Donald Trump. Just 24 hours after hard line immigration speech, the U.S. Republican candidate says he's softening his position. Meanwhile, some Latino supporters are ditching Trump saying they feel misled. Jim Acosta has more.

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[01:22:22] JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Donald Trump proved once again today his stance on immigration is a moving target.

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We're going to build a wall. Mexico's going to pay for the wall.

ACOSTA: At two different events in Ohio, the GOP nominee was both talking tough on immigration while toning down his rhetoric on Mexico, one day after his historic visit with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto, a visit designed to show he can be diplomatic.

TRUMP: I just came back from a wonderful meeting with the President of Mexico, where I expressed my deep respect for the people of his country.

ACOSTA: Adding to the confusion, a talk radio appearance where Trump insisted he is softening, suggesting he will prioritize the deportation of undocumented criminals over the removal of law-abiding unauthorized immigrants.

TRUMP: Oh, there's softening. We've got a lot of people in this country that you can't have, and those people, we'll get out, and then we're going to make a decision at a later date once everything is stabilized. I think you're going to see there's really quite a bit of softening.

ACOSTA: Problem is -

TRUMP: There will be no amnesty. You cannot obtain legal status or become a citizen of the United States by illegally entering our country.

ACOSTA: Most of his supporters and critics heard Trump "hardening" in his immigration speech in Phoenix. Warning any undocumented person in the U.S. is subject to deportation. The address sends some of his own Latino surrogates straight for the exits.

MONTY: I've resigned. I know other people have resigned. It's not a - not a good feeling because the alternative is not much better, but I'm unwilling to be part of his propaganda machine.

ACOSTA: The Clinton campaign insists Trump hasn't softened a bit except when it comes to confronting Mexico's President over who should pay for a wall on the southern U.S. border. A matter Trump claims he didn't discuss with Pena Nieto.

TRUMP: We did discus the wall. We didn't discuss payment of the wall.

ACOSTA: The Mexican President insists he made his stance clear.

ENRIQUE PENA NIETO, MEXICAN PRESIDENT (through translator): I was emphatic to affirm that Mexico wouldn't pay by any means for the wall.

ACOSTA: Tim Kaine accused Trump of cracking on the wall.

TIM KAINE, DEMOCRATIC VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: That was a choke, and I think it shows the diplomacy is not for amateurs. Donald Trump is an amateur.

ACOSTA: The question is whether Trump's shifting back and forth on immigration will change the equation in Battleground States like Florida. Trump could lose even more support among Latinos here in South Florida, but Trump clearly energized his base, which will help in the northern part of the state. The next chance to pin down Trump on this issue may come later this month when he and Hillary Clinton finally starts squaring off in their debates. Jim Acosta, CNN Miami.

SESAY: Well, CNN Senior Political Analyst Ron Brownstein is here with us now. Ron, good to have you with us. Let me put the question to you -

[01:25:10] RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Now -

SESAY: -- that Jim Acosta just framed. In terms of what will this do for the electoral map this immigration speech?

BROWNSTEIN: Well, first of all, you know, the contradiction that Jim talked about was right there in the speech, because most of the speech Donald Trump was saying, there is no path to citizenship. Anyone who was here in undocumented, he says, they would have to leave the country, get to the back of the line to come back someday. And then later, toward the end of the speech, he said, "After we stabilize things, we'll decide what to do with the people who are not criminals or not deporting immediately. So, it was unclear even then, but the implication seemed to be that as there would be no citizenship, there would be no legal status, nothing along the lines of what he had himself suggested even in the days leading into the speech, for example, in Austin with Sean Hannity.

SESAY: Uh-hmm.

BROWNSTEIN: Look, this speech was an indication that Donald Trump is operating and his campaign is operating on a different calculus than almost any strategist in both parties. He as they say in the U.S. is determined to dance with the one who brung him. He doubled -

SESAY: Dance with the one who brung him. OK.

BROWNSTEIN: The one who brung him. Yes, as they say in Texas. He doubled down on his core support among blue-collar, non-urban, religiously devout whitelist, what I call the "Coalition of Restoration," the voters who are most uneasy about demographic and cultural change. It was a speech aimed at those voters. Clearly, he is hoping to turn them out in larger numbers than polls now suggest, because there was very little if anything, really nothing in this speech that would kind of warm the portions of the electorate that have been most cool to him, which are essentially millennials, minorities, socially the whole college educated (INAUDIBLE)

SESAY: Let's pull up a poll as you mentioned numbers. Let's look at this new CNN Poll of Polls, which has Hillary Clinton five points ahead of Donald Trump.

BROWNSTEIN: Yeah.

SESAY: 42 to 37. This is a four-way match-up including the third party candidates, Gary Johnson and Jill Stein. If you're in the Clinton campaign, are you breathing a sigh of relief or are you concerned that despite all that Donald Trump has done, it's only a five-point lead? BROWNSTEIN: Really, it's both. I mean, Hillary Clinton is an enormously challenged candidate. She is facing as much resistance, really, as any major party nominee. Doubts about her honesty and integrity, the new stories about the Clinton Foundation, following the kind of analyst permutations of the e-mail story, almost 60 percent of Americans saying that they have an unfavorable review of her. The asset she's got is she's running against, you know, the one candidate, really, who has even deeper problems than she does. 60 percent of the country consistently saying that he's not qualified to be president. Those numbers should be - or worries some of the democrats that she's only at 42. But in many ways, the equally, if not more revealing number is that Donald Trump himself is only at 37 percent in a four- way race.

And I believe there is only one credible national poll since August 1st that has had him even at 40 percent in a - in a four-way race. And it's just an indication of the kind of resistance he's facing in the electorate. And the fact that again, he did not pivot in this speech, did not reach out to those voters or kind of in between where he is and where he needs to be, is kind of - it helps explain why he is stuck at around 40 percent support.

SESAY: He said he's then dancing with the ones who brung him.

BROWNSTEIN: That's what he's doing.

SESAY: Ron Brownstein, thank you.

BROWNSTEIN: Thank you.

SESAY: All right. Time for a quick break. His six-month sentence for raping an unconscious woman sparked outrage. Just ahead. Why Brock Turner is about to go free three months early. Stay with us.

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[01:31:49] ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

ISHA SESAY, CNN ANCHOR: To remind you of the breaking news, the first hurricane expected to make landfall in Florida in 10 years is dumping heavy rain on the sunshine state. Hermine is coming on shore right now. Flooding is a major concern as the storm moves north across Georgia and the Carolinas.

CNN Meteorologists Derek Van Dam and Jennifer Gray are tracking the storm for us.

Jennifer, what are conditions like where you are right now? How bad are things?

JENNIFER GRAY, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Things are improving where we are because we are actually west of where the center of that storm is. This is a very lopsided storm. We had very, very gusty winds and heavy rainfall for the majority of the evening. Now that the storm is starting to pull away to the north and east the rain bands are starting to pull farther away from us. We are getting closer to being in the clear if you can believe it or not. The storm is going to pick up speed very, very quickly and move off to the north and east. But a lopsided storm. It wasn't very symmetrical. Most of the energy was on the east side of the storm and that's where we saw the heaviest rainfall and saw a lot of storm surge as well. That's going to continue throughout the overnight hours. Record storm surge for some areas. This storm coming ashore with winds 80 miles an hour. That's 125, roughly, kilometers per hour and storm surge running anywhere from 5 to 7 feet or 2 to 3 meters above high tide. And so a lot of flooding. That was a major concern across what we call the big Bend of Florida. Basically where I'm standing and around the curve down the Tampa. It's a vulnerable part of the state with bays and lagoons. And when you have all this energy and wind from the storms that are pushing up into the bays and the canals that's when you can get significant flooding and that's what we saw during the evening hours and that will continue to be a threat throughout the overnight hours as the storm comes ashore and we have a threat of tornados. We have a threat of very strong wind damage. We have seen utility crews out there. We know a lot of people are without power right now. That is going to be the story as the storm moves to the north and east. A lot of trees that are very soft and snap easily. That's why we see the power outages. But this is a holiday weekend and a lot of people want to go to the beaches especially on the east coast. It is going to be rainy and windy and the surf is going to be rough. And this could have far-ranging impacts from Georgia into New England through the end of the weekend.

SESAY: It is a rough time for Floridians.

Jennifer, stay safe. We'll check in with you in a little while.

Let's go to Meteorologist Derek Van Dam from the International Weather Center.

Derek, we just heard Jennifer drop describing the storm as lopsided. Tell us how it is moving and the track it is charting.

[01:35:06] DEREK VAN DAM, AMS METEOROLOGIST: You noted, Isha, that Jennifer mentioned that conditions are improving where she is. And I'll show you why. She is to the West of the eye. Just to show you, this is the big Bend, that backwards "C." The eye wall is actually just making, again, landfall near the Jefferson and Taylor County regions. She talked about how the northeastern quadrant in a hurricane in the northern hemisphere has the largest danger for the storm surge and the wind. You can see the eye making landfall in this region. But the areas on the eastern facing side of the eye wall that are hardest hit as we speak. The only thing work for us is this is a nature refuge. Not as densely populated. But some of the stronger bands are moving through the Tallahassee region as we speak. That concerns me. This area has a population of roughly 200,000 people. That will be a concern going forward for those locations. Not to mention the potential for tornados overnight. We have 6 to 9 feet over high tide. I just saw a live camera from this region where the camera was washed away. One quite amazing to see. That is the major concern at this time for the Florida panhandle.

Back to you -- Isha?

SESAY: Derek, thank you. Do stand by. We'll check in with you soon.

Let's go to Ben Guthrie, the emergency management coordinator in Gulf County, Florida.

Mr. Guthrie, thank you so much for taking time out to speak to us at this challenging time for your state.

Let me ask where you are right now and what you have been seeing and hearing?

BEN GUTHRIE, EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT COORDINATOR, GULF COUNTY, FLORIDA (voice-over): Where we are right now is actually moving into the clear. Gulf County was fortunate that the storm moved more to the east and the winds and the rain beat down on us for a little while and they have moved now on to the north and the east. So Gulf County is faring very well.

SESAY: That is very, very good news. There were huge concerns about storm surge and flooding as a result of Hermine. What can you tell us about that?

GUTHRIE: We did have some very big concerns about the storm surge. We ended up having three to four feet of storm surge. The water will begin to back out as the storm moves ahead. And we are looking forward to morning when we can get out and check for any damage.

SESAY: Which of the area is of greatest concern to you right now?

GUTHRIE: Our biggest area of concern is probably Cape Sandblast and Barrier Island here for us and the Indian Pass area.

SESAY: Well, Mr. Guthrie, again, thank you for joining us at this difficult time. You are in our thoughts and prayers you and the state of Florida after Hurricane Hermine.

Thank you again.

GUTHRIE: Thank you.

SESAY: Time for a quick break. His crime and sentence shocked the nation. Now this former Stanford student and convicted rapist is set to be released early. We'll get you a live report. Stay with us.

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[01:42:06] SESAY: Breaking news, Hurricane Hermine has knocked out power to at least 32,000 customers in Florida's capitol. Tallahassee is just one of the cities being battered by the rain. Widespread flooding is expected over the next 24 hours. We're going to continue the follow Hermine for you.

But another story we want to bring your attention to, a former U.S. college student who served half of a six-month sentence for rape is set to be released from jail in a few hours. People were outraged at the sentence given to Brock Turner after he was convicted of sexually assaulting an unconscious woman behind a dumpster.

Dan Simon joins us from San Jose, California.

Dan, let me ask you, given the controversial nature of this release at least in the eyes of some, any special arrangements being made to get Brock Turner out of that San Jose jail?

DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: No real special arrangements, Isha. We're told that some time this morning he will walk out of this jail in San Jose, get into a car and probably head straight to the airport and fly back to his home state of Ohio. This is a 21-year-old that could have gotten about ten years in state prison. Instead when it is all said and done he will have spent three months in county prison and critics have said this is basically a slap on the wrist and that's why they are vowing to oust the judge who handed down this sentence. This case began in January of 2015 when Turner was accused of sexually assaulting that young woman behind a dumpster outside of a fraternity party. Turner tried to claim it was consensual but the jury did not buy it. When he goes home to Ohio he will have to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life. As for the judge there will be a rally here in San Jose this morning. People are obviously angry over the sentence. Begun they say it was too lenient and they will try to recall him.

SESAY: Dan Simon joining us from San Jose. Appreciate it.

Let's bring in legal affairs commentator and civil rights affairs attorney, Areva Martin.

First of all your reaction to this? You had just said earlier you're not surprised?

AREVA MARTIN, CIVIL RIGHTS AFFAIRS ATTORNEY & LEGAL AFFAIRS COMMENTATOR: Not surprised he is being released after three months of that six-month county jail time that he had to serve after being convicted. I'm outraged like so many people and hopefully we'll see hundreds of people on the streets outside of this jail as he is released.

SESAY: People want to know why he is getting out in three months.

[01:44:57] MARTIN: The reality is if you are in a county jail in the state of California and are on your best behavior because of jail over crowdedness many people get shortened jail time and only have to serve half or less than that. The fact he is getting out early is not all that surprising given the condition of the county jails in the state of California. That's not what is surprising. What is causing the outrage in this case was the six-month sentence he was given even though there were eyewitnesses to the sexual assault of this unconscious young woman.

SESAY: It deepens the sense of outrage that he moves on, barely punished. That's the feeling of many and she is left dealing with this. But what does the future look like for Brock Turner. We know he is not going back to Stanford.

MARTIN: He is going to get on a plane back to Ohio. He will have to register as a sex offender. Depending on what level that is, his picture, home address, his job, can become a part of a public record, individuals that live in his vicinity or neighborhood will be notified when he moves into their neighborhood. Life for him will never be the same. Every time he tries to get a job or moves in the community he is associated with this famous or infamous rape case.

SESAY: You made the point that the severity of the impact depends on what level he is put and what category. How is that determined?

MARTIN: That is determined by the state of Ohio. His probation is being turned over to the state of Ohio. He will be on probation while in Ohio and will have to attend anger management and other classes. For all practical purposes he is now a ward, as you will, of the state of Ohio. They will be monitoring him in his probationary period.

SESAY: And the judge.

MARTIN: This judge made a request to move from the criminal courts to the civil courts. He won't be meting out sentences for crimes like this. In the state of California, raping an unconscious woman was not considered as serious as raping someone who was conscious. So the jail time and prison time associated with an unconscious rape was less. A bill has been passed and made its way through the state legislature to close the loophole and put on the same level an unconscious rape as a conscious rape. I think we should highlight the outrage has resulted in policy change which is significant.

SESAY: It is very.

Areva Martin, thank you very much.

MARTIN: Thank you.

SESAY: Appreciate it.

A quick break. A fiery explosion and violent fire destroys a SpaceX rocket. Up next, why Facebook is disappointed.

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[01:52:05] SESAY: Hello, everyone. Breaking news, Hurricane Hermine has made landfall on Florida's gulf coast bringing heavy rain and flooding and knocked out power to 32,000 people in Tallahassee. Hermine has the potential to do more damage as it moves across Georgia and South Carolina.

Take a look at these pictures with me. A spectacular explosion Thursday in Florida. The SpaceX rocket went up in flames while it was being fuelled. It was carrying a satellite for Facebook when it exploded. The rocket and the satellite have been destroyed. No one was injured.

Internet security analyst, Himud Nigum (ph), is here with us to discuss this in more detail.

Himud (ph), good to have you with us.

Let me ask how big a setback this is for Zuckerberg's goal of bringing the Internet to the developing world.

HIMUD NIGUM (ph), INTERNET SECURITY ANALYST: For people like Mark Zuckerberg this is a major, major setback. If you are looking at it from a historian perspective the Internet has been around 35, 40 years. This adds perhaps one year in that life time of a setback of getting the Internet in that region.

SESAY: The region he is most focused on is Africa. He is in Africa right now. I think he is going to Kenya now. Talk to us about the motivation on the part of Zuckerberg and this extension into Africa. Is this because of a maturation of Facebook in North America and Europe?

NIGUM (ph): What is going on here is that when Facebook started and they reached 50 million people they were shocked and next thing you know he has reached 1 billion users. But they can get on Facebook only if they have an Internet connection. That means there are a vast number of people in the African and European countries cannot get on Facebook unless he brings it to them.

SESAY: He has the Freebasics initiative which he is using as a part to bring the Internet to Africa. Some people are accusing him of being a digital colonialist. Is that fair? NIGUM (ph): If you are competing with him to get some type of

position against the company of course. From their perspective what are you doing? You are colonizing in a way that is not fair. But when you are going into these areas the Internet you are bringing information, education, access to knowledge they never would be able to get. Perhaps it is better agriculture or build buildings better or teach younger kids about education, reading, writing, you can do that in a remote village that has no capabilities. So in a sense he is creating an equalization of the world with the underdeveloped countries and developed countries coming closer if he is successful.

[01:55:23] SESAY: It's not just satellites he's looking at. He's also talking about drones and all sorts of things. Talk about the next steps in the Facebook plan.

NIGUM (ph): He is going to have to hedge his bets. Right now he is working on the satellite side and at the same time testing the drones, planes that last in the air for 90 days before they have to come back down. They are solar powered but they only reach 60 square miles. That is how much connectivity they can deliver. If he wants to win and truly win at warp Internet speed he has to do it through the satellite but at the same time given the problems that are happening with SpaceX right now he has to focus even stronger on the satellite and other ways to get there unless he wants to slow down and eventually get there but I don't think that's Mr. Zuckerberg's way.

SESAY: That's not his speed.

Himud (ph), always a pleasure. Thank you, thank you.

NIGUM (ph): Thanks for having me on.

SESAY: You're watching CNN NEWSROOM, live from Los Angeles. I'm Isha Sesay. I'll be back with another hour of news right after this.

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