c crop is always going to rise. if it helps tulane get in or a boise state or cincinnati, i'm all for that. i think it still might expand more than that in years to come. >> georgia once again starts at the top ranked number one. the bulldogs trying to win their third straight title. but again, i'm really going to cherish this season because i'm not a fan of 12 teams make ing e playoffs. the regular season is arguably always been the best because each game every week means so much. you went to ohio state. if the buckeyes and michigan are both undefeated going into the game after thanksgiving, they both make the playoffs. who cares. that game won't matter. >> i do because you note talking about the cream of the crop. it's not florida. >> fst ohio state.

>> you need to learn something. we will teach you. >> "cnn this morning" continues right now. the storms's reign is covering multiple states all the way up to north carolina. >> the tampa bay area, that is where we saw some of the more severe flooding between 4 to 6 inches of water go inside. >> he's the aftermath. these are old skchool villas picked up and carried into the gulf. >> the storm surge is like a tsunami-like feature. the winds are so strong out horror. it's blowing the sand directly into my face. >> mitch mcconnell appeared to freeze for about 30 seconds. >> did you hear the question?

>> they did not seem surprised. you get the sense this happens quite a bit. >> concerns about his health resinate with the public. i feel for them. a federal judge held rudy giuliani liable for defaming the election workers who he falsely accuse d of election fraud. >> i have lost my name and my reputation. it will be a trial for how much money he's going to be on the hook for. >> we'll be able to prove tens of millions of dollars. >> we're going to try not to get in fist to cuffs. you're back from florida. you were covering the hurricane on the ground.

hurricane idalia is now a tropical storm. it's bringing heavy rain, flash floods and tornado threat ss to the carolinas. idalia slammed into the big bend region as a hurricane. the strongest storm to hit that region in at least 125 years. then it rolled over georgia as a sat goir 1 storm unleashing torrential rains and flod ing. >> as you might imagine, there were homes decimated, roads still impassable. this morning a lot of residents unable to fathom how to begin after losing everything they own. we have team coverage with carlos suarez live in tampa for us. but first to diane gallagher, where you were talking about the fact that this hour is supposed to be the worst of it. i see the winds have really picked up.

>> reporter: we're still getting tropical storm force wind gusts here in wilmington, north carolina. we expect this to continue at least for the next hour or so in southeastern north carolina. the good news is the rain has let up just a little bit. the flash flood warnings have expired. but people here in coastal carolina areas experienced just a lashing from this storm overnight. lots of localized flooding and low-lying trouble areas because of the king tides and all the rain that has fallen. there's still some areas such as in columbus county, where we're seeing road closures. overall most of that flooding has receded. the concern is public transportation is delayed this morning because of these high winds. i don't know if you can see behind me here. we have a lot of bridges in the coastal part of north carolina. they like to minimize the number of cars in the bridges. at least until mid-to late

morning here in this area. in south port, north carolina, they have stopped the ferry services today because of these high winds. and the concern going forward into the afternoon is going to be the rip tides, the currents in the ocean. labor day weekend is coming up, a lot of visitors to this part of the country. they want to make sure people stay out of the water at least until they tell them it's okay because it's dangerous for people who are not strong swimmers. >> thank you for braving all of that weather there in north carolina. appreciate your time. carlos suarez is joining us from tampa, where we have been watching for the last couple days. just ab slout flooding. you can see derek van dam in the middle of it.solute flooding. you can see derek van dam in the middle of it. >> just 24 hours ago. >> what is the situation this morning after we all witnessed that all of yesterday?

>> the flooding out here in tampa has receded. and the cleanup effort really across hillsborough is well underway. the lone mand toir evacuation order was lifted yesterday. and the bridges that connect tampa out to st. pete and clearwater have reopened. to the north of us, it's a very different situation. thousands of homes have been damaged by flooding there. >> hu hawaii barrelled through making landfall neark keaton beach. this right here, i toebt know if i'm going to have a house to go home to. >> reporter: the you of the storm ripped through florida's big bend region with sustained winds of 125 miles per hour.

resulting in a once in a century weather event. >> it was bad. it was heavy winds. worst i have ever been in. >> reporter: the category 3 storm left homes demolished and streets flooded. >> we clearly have significant damage throughout the big bend region. >> reporter: this family in perry, florida, watched as trees fell directly on their home. >> oh, my gosh. no. >> it's okay. it's okay. >> up and down florida's west coast, record breaking storm surge occurred. in citrus county, crystal river left devastate bid flood waters. >> people are going strong. and the entire city is in a flood zone so we have no choice but to move to higher ground. >> reporter: further south along the coast, crews rescued residents by boat as the flood waters came rushing into their homes. >> i can't believe this. i have never seen anything like

it. >> reporter: this family res cued but heartbroken to leave everything behind. >> in pasco county, around 150 residents were rescued from flooded neighborhoods. this home caught fire in the midst of the flood waters. michael says he stayed behind to weather the storm. >> these are all old school villas. they were just picked up and carried into the gulf. that was heartbreaking to see. >> one resident posted this video of her swimming through flood waters at 4:00 in the morning. >> golf carts, trailer homes, it was up to our knees and waist. so it got pretty high. >> reporter: idalia traveled north through georgia into south carolina. where the storm surge reached 9 feet in charleston, according to the national weather service leaving roadways throughout the state treacherous.

this car in south carolina flipped over in the middle of the road. >> ween spent the day yesterday over in pinellas county just to the west of tampa. we were in the city of gulf port, where the flooding there really has also receded and the folks who left their home there is ahead of that storm were allowed to return yesterday. as early as this it morning, we're told that at least 140,000 homes and businesses across the state of florida are without power. >> carlos suarez, thank you so much. saw a bunch of power trucks as i was leaving late yesterday afternoon. they were flying just to try to get in place. it takes time. >> we the to turn to another important story that happened yesterday and continuing to follow. another health scare for mitch mcconnell. the 81-year-old republican

appeared to freeze for about 30 seconds during the q&a with reporters in his home state of kentucky yesterday. watch. >> did you hear the question senator? running for reelection in 2026? >> i'm sorry, we're going to need a minute. >> this is just the latest in a string of health-related understands from mitch mcconnell this year. that includes several falls and a similar freezing evidence episode at the capitol last month. it's raising additional questions about the futness of the 81-year-old to lead senate republicans. joining us now is dr. sanjay gupta and scott jennings. that's where you want to start. the contrast of yesterday really feeds into what i have been hearing over the course of the last several months. you talk to people around mcconnell. i spoke to them last night who say our interactions we don't see stuff like this. which almost make it is more jarring and more unsettling when

you do. yesterday was a great example of that. a couple hours later, he was at a fundraiser for a senate candidate in indiana. you were with him as well yesterday. how is he doing? >> he was doing great last night. what's not being shown is 30 seconds later he came back and answered several more questions from reporters and took off. he came back home to louisville. he met with a group and answered questions. he worked the crowd. and on top of it sharp and fully in command of all the politics and issues of the day. so i should also ytell you wheni was him two day ago and watched him give a speech and answer several questions from that crowd. so he's kept up a robust schedule.

so it's really kind of been business as usual for mcconnell, other than this incident that happened that you showed the video of. it's been a normal robust schedule for him, from my perspective and observations. >> to hear he has a robust schedule, that he went to a fundraiser afterwards, i don't know. it just seems like he's pushing himself in a way that might be problematic. i want to get it sanjay gupta, our resident doctor here. as a neurosurgeon, what did you see or make of what happened? >> first of all, what scott is describing is really important to know because whatever this is, it comes and goes. it seems to colt and go quickly. and in the world when you're looking at the brain, that's an important sort of clue. what i saw, and this is an appropriate term here, is the term freezing. that does sort of describe this

freezing of his body, freezing of his speech, freezing of his face, his hands were very clenched to the side of the lectern. one of his aids came over and was trying to raise his arm and he was pretty locked in there for about 30 seconds. but then as scott mentions, a short time later, he seems to be more liucid again and seems to improve. when he walks out of the room, he's moving his arms and legs, which is important because people think is this sol sort of stroke or precur sort to stroke. less likely given how quickly the recovery happens. you think of things like a seizure, a sort of mini seizure that can cause these sorts of symptoms or even certain medications or coming off medications. people with parkinson's when their medications wane off, they may have freezing episodes. but again, it comes and goes. what is curious is we have seen it twice.

the aids that rush to his sides, they didn't seem so sort of affected by it. almost to the point you wonder is this something they are more used to. if this were the first time it happened, i would say you have to get to the doctor and figure out if something is going on here. they didn't seem to react that way, which was another important clue. >> if you see the video, the woman is somebody from the event itself. the gentleman who you see reads and understands the leader quite well is from his service detail. to what sanjay is saying, people don't seem surprised or un unsettled in their public response to what they have seen. is that the case in mcconnell world? >> the woman is robin taylor, she is mcconnell's director.

she travels with him to the events. i saw her last night as well. she was telling me about the breakneck schedule for the month of august. he's a number of press interactions, speech interaction, but also just private meetings. she's seen him up close all month. and he's been er perfectly fine and in full command of the duties you'd expect a senator to p. i think she was wondering truthly whether he had heard the question. because since he had his concussion, there's been some moments where his hearing has not been quite as good as it used to be. so she's gotten used to making sure she heard the questions that are being asked. you saw her reacting to in that moment. last night she told me as soon as they got back in the car after the event, he was a

chatter box all the way from northern kentucky down to louisville. i can attest at the banks event, he had no trouble hearing or speaking. and no trouble telling everybody how focused he was on winning back the majority. it was like nothing had happened. it was really something. >> i want to ask his office said they plan to see a doctor between the event and the fundraiser yesterday. do we have a sense of whether that happened or how things went with that? >> i don't know. i suspect he did, but i'm not able to speak that. >> scott spoke of the other things that have happened medically to mcconnell. he experienced some serious major health issues and there was a fall. can you walk us through what he went through, and this has happened over the past eight months. we have seen numerous things that have happened with him.

walk us through that. >> preface by saying he did have a history of polio as a child, so he's always had difficulty walking, is my ubsing. in 2019, he had significant fall. i think he dislocated his shoulder at that point. but if you look at the timeline here, there's been some pretty significant events, a fall back in february. that significant fall you're talking about led to a concussion and broken ribs and a hospitalization, that was in march. he's had these episodes where he's had trouble hearing reporters. it's tough to tell if he loses his train of thought or if that's hearing loss. another fall in the middle of july, and then these two episodes now about a month apart where freezing is the right term in terms of what happened lasting about 30 seconds. and again, as scott pointed out, last time, he does seem to recover quickly from whatever this is, but he needs to get it checked out and have a

diagnosis. >> scott, politics is going to play into this no matter what you think on a human level. if this same thing would have happened to biden during a press conference, there would have been an uproar. do you think age is going to play into the 2024 election cycle because of what's happening with mcconnell, with dianne feinstein and people coming after folks on the republican side, but there are some democrats, coming after biden for his age. >> yes, without question. i think joe biden's biggest political problem, there was a big survey that came out yesterday on this, is the belief that he is too old to do the job or he's not up to doing the job. it's a different job than senator. i should note mcconnell is not up for reelection until 2026, but one of joe biden's biggest problems is a persistent belief that he should have not run

again over his age. that is a belief that's held by a lot of democrats. i do think a lot of people will vote for him because they don't want donald trump or some other republican. but yeah, it's going to be a big issue. it's also probably going to highlight the role of the vice president in this next election. that will be true for both parties if the republicans nominate donald trump, although he's been quite vigorous. he's no spring chicken either. so in our politics, are we having a conversation about age, absolutely. >> we should be having a conversation about term limits. that does come around every now and then. thank you. >> thanks. overnight in south africa, more than 70 people were killed after a building went up in flames. we are live for you in johannsburg. and why several people were taken off a delta flight on stretchers we'll have more of that, next. (♪)

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fire ripped through a building in johannsburg. the fire is now out. emergency services are conducting recovery operations. officials say it took place in what they are calling a hijacked building, meaning a place take over by hundreds of squatters and those who are houseless. david mckenzie is live with more on this. what a terrible scene there with more than 70 people killed. >> reporter: it's absolutely tragic. if you look behind me, this build ing is gutted in the earl hours of the morning, a fire broke out and ripped through the area. people described how they were desperate to try to get out breaking through windows, some tying comforters and blankets out of the wib does to try to get occupy. two people told me there were gates that were locked.

i spoke to one man who survived and ended up unconscious. he doesn't know where his family members are because of the chaos that ensued as this unfolded. now you say this is aa hijacked building. that is correct. this building was taken over by gangsters. then people without the means to afford rent were squished in together into rooms, 15 at a time. that means that when this fire broke out, it was total chaos. there are bodies strewn on the street, many of them burned beyond recognition. behind my shoulder, you can see the forensic teams that are suiting up. they have been here for several hours now. they will try to identify the bodies. the bigger questions about the crumbling infrastructure of this country and also the deep inequalities in south africa. people who can live in the rich

areas have safety and fire services, those who lived in areas like this in johannsberg, many of themselves migrants from other countries are dealing with this. like this behind me. >> what a tragic scene there. thank you so much. ill know you'll be following this throughout the day. we'll be check back with you later. >> it was a square for passengers and crew on a delta airlines flight. 11 people were taken to the the hospital after italy to atlanta-bound flight hit severe and unexpected turbulence. had to be taken off on stretchers. witnesses described the plane dropping in the middle of the flight and seeing flight attendants hit the ceiling. the faa is launching an investigation. >> that's why they always tell you to put on your seat belt if you're sitting down. the new york attorney general's office says donald trump inflated his net worth by as much as $2.2 billion in a year. they also just released a

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home of the xfinity 10g network. the new york attorney general is piling on to former president trump's already enormous legal woes making public new estimates of how much

she and her office are accusing trump of inflating his net worth ahead of his october civil fraud trial. in the court filing made public yesterday, she alleges trump and allies, quote, implored a variety of deceptive schemes to grossly inflate values for trump's assets from roughly $800 million to more than $2 billion. now it's worth noting trump's team responded that the whol case should be thrown out. they are asking a judge to rule on it because of the overwhelming evidence her office says it has presented. now this is also interesting. in april trump sat down with the office for a seven-hour deposition, which was also unsealed yesterday. it showed him putting up a hodgepodge of defenses. first, he never fought his financial statements would be taken seriously. he prepared them for himself to see a list of properties. next, it wasn't actually him, it was his son. he has taken over control of the

business, but he has say on final decisions. trump says he has been hands off since watch ing the campaign in 2015 and his kids took over in 201, but his suit dates back to 2011 and in 2014, the year before he announced his white house bid, james alleges he inflated his net worth by up to $2.2 billion. but trump organized they underestimated his worth because they overlooked how valuable his brand is. he said you could double or triple his financial statements. the allegations continue through 2021 including the four years in the white house during those years, trump says he was too busy to commit fraud, preoccupied with with the most important job in the world saving millions of lives and saying he prevented a nuclear holt kous with north korea. now asked whether the trump organization has protocols to make sure they comply, that's

why they have lawyers and has a reputation for being the most honest person in the world. >> all righty then. joining us is shelby talcott, political video reporter joyce ko, and a senior legal analyst elie honig. let's start with what is happening with meadows. give us some sense of i feel like all of these cases you have several people now saying we want our trial fast in georgia. how is this going to happen? >> there's so many moving parts. there's 19 defendants in the case. mark med does is trying to get his court moving over. the touchstone is going to be was he acting within his official job as white house chief of star or outside his job. the federal judge who decided this issue sort of did a favor for the parties.

he said here's the key issue i'm on. he said what if i find were some were in the lines and some were out. do i take the case or not. the answer is we don't know. this is why we're in unprecedented ground. so the judge is going to have to read the briefs and decide who made the better argument. if you're outside the lines, you're outside the lines. so this judge know he's going to be appealed and he's trying to gather the best argument and do his best to make the call. >> can i swing wac to i work very hard. so did andrew on what we just did. you teed up an amazing line for you. and you just kind of walked away from it. should focus on airing

grievances? on the substance of what we saw, you forget this even exists. when the news was coming out yesterday, that was a thing. on the substance, should people be looking at that as another significant issue, even though it's civil? >> this is a big case involving hundreds of millions of dollars. but it's also the fifth most important case trump is facing after the four criminal cases. that deposition is really interesting. trump argues because of the trump name, i could have claimed it was double or triple the value. there's no question he inflated the assets. but the problem with the case is no one really got defrauded because the banks on the ore end, they decided we're going to make these loans and got repaid with interest. that's why it wasn't charged criminally. technically, is it fraud, yes, but you don't have a victim, which make it is less appealing. >> i wanted to point out since

you were on a rant. elie honig said this is the fifth most important case. >> it's been a couple weeks since we have spoken. there's been a couple indictments since we have spoken to some degree as well. you add this civil case on. when you talk to folks inside the campaign, when they are looking at the political atmosphere going forward, what stands out to them and what do they view as the biggest issues they might have? >> i think their main thing is that there are all of these cases, and so the biggest issue for the presidential campaign from a campaigning perspective is how do we get through all the cases and also run our 2024 presidential run. it's almost impossible. this case alone shs had he sat

for seven hours. that takes you off the trail for an entire day. the thing that works in trump's favor is he was already the president. so he does have a much more limited campaign schedule compared to the other candidates. but on the flip side, that's where the other candidates see their opportunity. all these other candidates are living in iowa at this point. and that's where they see their opportunity. so if things start to get close, as we head into the iowa caucuses, and trump decides i do want to be on the ground more, that's going to be a major problem if he's also dealing with two or three active trials. >> you want to just sort of quickly get to you. when you look at what the judge has said, one of the top five most important cases, she has been very clear that she doesn't

care about the political campaign. she say what is is important is that case. is that each and every judge, is that what we're going to see here? >> every judge is going to have to pick his or her spots. they intend to try this case before the election. she set the date for march. but count on seeing that before the election. >> one of the things got lost yesterday covering the hurricane. but a couple days ago the former president did an interview with glen beck. he said something that may have gotten lost. let's take a listen to it. >> you said in 2016, lock her up. then when you became president, you said we don't do that in measuring. that's not the right thing to do. that's what they are doing. do you regret not locking her up? will you lock people up? >> you have no choice. i had such great respect for the

office of the president. the presidency, i never hit biden as hard as i could have. >> it fit sbos, and we talked about this before, it fits into a clear campaign push on their side. victimization of the justice department. but the idea of a president or presidential candidate and former president saying we're going to lock people up when we get into office. do you think people should take that seriously? >> it's interesting because this chant "lock her up" was popularized under trump and his supporters. when you're out there covering arraign mments and all of these indictments, you're hearing that spun on its back. so it's just a bit ironic, but one thing that the biden administration has said as he's been in office has been to separate the real effort to

separate himself from what's happening at the justice department. so in that bit, i haven't listened to that full interview, but in that sound that we heard from trump, suggesting that he wouldn't separate himself from the justice department and that it would be politicized, it's concerning. things that trump says, it's not like he's just talking to talk. he really gives you a blunt look inside of what is inside his head and what he's thinking. so not great. >> that is a good way to put it. i just want to quickly ask you whether you think this is going to be revenge politics at its most extreme if donald trump were to get into the presidency or as he is working towards that. do you think this is going to turn into a revenge tour as he goes along the trail? >> i think, as you just said, he's probably alluded. it's not like he's known for keeping secrets. he says what with he intends to

do. and so i think by that measure, he does want some sort of revenge. and also he's using all of these cases, as we have talked about a lot, to bring people to his side and to get people to say, yeah, listen, the doj is politicized and this is a political effort against me. so that's part of how he intends to try to win the presidency. >> was that a madmen rmpbs? i like that. >> it's coming to regular public discourse. >> i appreciate its origins and your use of it. thank you. before the summer, you probably didn't know who he was. now he has the number one song in the country. and because it's this country, politicians have tried to weaponize it. ahead, we're going to meet oliver anthony.

>> i'm going to write, produce and distribute authentic music that represents people and not politics. get one free. for freeee. that's what i'm talking about. order in the subway app today.

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a surprise hit song has been resinating with millions of americans, but it's also been embraced by politicians. it turns out on both sides of the aisle. oliver anthony's anthem even took center stage at the republican presidential primary debate. anthony says the song was written about people on that stage, and he hates to see it

weaponized. cnn looks at how the song shot to number one. ♪ i have been workingover time ♪ ♪ sdplr in the woods of rural virginia, oliver anthony sings about what he knows. and millions of americans now know him too. he has the number one song in the country. it was also featured at the republican debate. candidates were asked whew they think it's resinating. >> it's funny seeing it all the the presidential debate because i wrote that song about those people. >> reporter: politicians are trying to claim him as a democrat or republican. >> i'm going to write and produce music that represents people and not politics. >> reporter: the people from all walks of life are relating to

what he has to say. >> i like that. a lot of people will relate to that. >> the lyrics are awesome. >> i got goose bumps. >> his real name, his friends call him chris. he lives here in the woods of farmville, virginia, with his family, just over ab hour west of richmond. he struggled with money, alcohol, depression, and sings about it all. he's everywhere, but nowhere at the same time. >> i think his lifestyle and what he wanted to do and live off the grid and live in the country, that's what he wants to do. >> reporter: on a random wednesday evening, he sang in town. >> he wanted it to be so everybody here could come out and see him. >> reporter: oliver anthony says he's turned down $8 million deals since he shot to number one. >> he seems like a down to earth individual. and this town is one town that's going to protect that, if they can. >> what do you think about what he's saying and why people are

resinating from all over? >> i think there's still a huge swath of people in the middle who just feel a little disenfranchised with the wealth disp disparity, having somebodied a vo caught or voice that frustration, it's not surprising that it resinates. >> how do you know chris? >> he's my neighbor. >> reporter: his neighbor has lived here for five years. >> we still live on a dirt road. he's now his merchandise guy. >> he's a guy that smiles a lot. he's just a fun guy to be around. he says what everybody is feeling for the most part. when you don't have a voice to say it to the rich men north of richmond and now we do. >> just two weeks ago, he was writing music, recording it on his cell phone in his backyard. now he's number one on the billboard charts. this is a guy that doesn't want

to do interviews. hes to talk about who he is and what his music means on his own social media. he did do one podcast yesterday and talked about how he says the controversy around him about the two political sides trying to make him their own, he says he thinks it's funny because that wasn't the point of the music. he says he's going to do just one more podcast, we don't know which one that is yet. but really a guy that wants to write music for the people, and he's going to do it in the woods of virginia. >> that's really interesting. >> i'm so glad you did that thank you so much. new report out this morning that top republican donors are asking senator scott's campaign for more information about why the presidential candidate isn't married. what's behind the concerns, next. you know you are retired right? am i? ya! the queen sleep number c2 smart bed is now only $9$999. plus free home delivery when you add a basase shop now only at sleep number. - [narrator] we just signed the lease on our third shop. my assistant went to customink.com to get new uniforms with all the locations.

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♪ with florida governor ron desantis struggling presidential campaign and donald trump's ongoing legal troubles, axios is reporting that some top gop donors are strongly eying senator tim scott's candidacy, but they have some concerns over at least one aspect of his life. with more on this, axios national political reporter alex thompson. thank you so much for being here. the issue that you have written about is whether or not tim scott is married and why he isn't married. tell us more about it. >> yeah, tim scott is 57 years old and he has never been married. i can tell you that behind the scenes donors have been concerned. a lot of them really like tim scott, like his upbeat message, see him as a potential trump

alternative, but they are worried with the scrutiny that comes if he becomes the ultimate trump alternative, is there something about his personal life that is going to make him less electable in the general election? tim scott has said that he is dating somebody, but so far has decided to keep her private, away from the scrutiny of a presidential campaign. but the fact of the matter is that america is not elected a bachelor president since in the 1800s. and other presidential candidates have run while single. cory booker did while dating an actor in 2020. senator bob kerrey in 1992 was a divorcee, decided not to date on the campaign trail because he thought it would be a distraction. the fact of the matter, donors, before they are telling the tim scott campaign both privately, that, you know, they want to invest in his campaign, but they have questions and have been

frustrated by what they consider some of the vague answers. i can tell tu that tim scott's campaign, a senior advisor told me that tim scott hears these concerns and says he going to be addressing the topic much more in the coming weeks. >> there was a line that stood out to me. my reaction is donors come up with the most random things to be nervous, frustrated, anxious about. t he is going to be addressing it publicly. what is your sense of cha that may mean and why? clearly, they think it's resonating to some degree. >> yeah, i mean, i think tim scott's campaign, remember tim scott prioritized the first state of iowa, which has a strong evangelical christian presence. you have seen a lot of the other candidates, particularly ron desantis, really trot out his family on the trail, bringing his young kids, his wife. and i think they -- you know,

they recognize that people often elect people that have big families. now, obviously, iowa, you know, elected and re-elected donald trump, who, you know, is thrice married. but i think, you know, tim scott's campaign recognizes that people just want answers. if you want to know, hey, you know, why are you 57 and you haven't been married? not that it's a bad thing. we want to know a little bit more about your story. tim scott has tried to spin this originally as a positive thing. i have more time. i can put more of my energy into the job. clearly, the tim scott campaign recognizes that people want to know a little bit more about this. >> yeah, but there is a lot more americans who are single now than ever before. >> a point scott's made. >> right. it's an interesting question, but maybe not top of mind for every voter out there. i want to ask you about ron desantis not in the presidential campaign way, but in the governor. he is in florida. he has been having daily updates

on what's going on with the storm there. how might that impact how people see him as his campaign struggles? >> well, ron desantis' campaign sees what he is doing now in florida really aligning, honestly, with the campaign, which is he has set -- you know, presented himself as trump without the drama, trump with competence, someone who doesn't get distracted by news of the day, that will sort of, even though there are bigger cultural issues at play, someone that will try to make government work. at the end of the day, i think that the desantis campaign has really tried to actually promote the work that he is doing in that he is not campaigning, that he is fully focused on this storm. so it's one of those things where they see, you know, in their minds good policy being good politics. >> alex thompson of axios, appreciate you sharing your reporting with us, man. thanks. >> thanks.

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