boseman was only 43 years old. leland: all right. well, news continues from new york with eric and arthel. we're going to be tracking president trump as he visits the aftermath of hurricane laura throughout the next couple of hours. see you tomorrow. arthel: president trump is in louisiana this hour to survey the damage caused by hurricane laura. later today the president will also visit texas. his trip coming just two days after the deadly storm slammed into the gulf coast as one of the most powerful hurricanes to ever hit the u.s. hello, everyone, welcome to "america's news headquarters," i'm arthel neville. hi, eric. eric: hi, arthel. thank you for joining us, i'm eric shawn. president trump, well, he has already approved the louisiana governor's request for a major disaster declaration. and the president has ordered more federal aid to be sent to the area. now the president seeing the devastation firsthand, he is on the ground.

the hurricane there killing at least 14 people and so far leaving hundreds of thousands without power or water and maybe even weeks or in some cases we are told even months before the full service is returned. we have live team fox news coverage for you on all of this. david spunt is standing by at the white house with more on the president's visit, casey stegall is in lake charles, louisiana, where clean-up efforts are underway. casey, you see a lot of devastation and destruction as well as flooding. >> reporter: yeah, absolutely, eric. the president has no shortage of places to visit when it comes to damage on the ground here in louisiana. we're in lake charles, aty of about 80,000 -- a city of about 80,000 people, and it's really chaos because so much of this city everywhere you look is devastation. this is a finance office here. you can see the front of it was just totally blown away and look inside there, all of the desks

expect computers tossed around, the roof is totally gone. you know, that's something that we're seeing as we drive, as we've been driving through this whole area. you have so many homes and businesses where the roof is either completely gone or at least part of it. finish you also talked a little bit about those power outages. well, about 500,000, a half a million people are without power across the state of louisiana, and i want to show you what we're talking about here. do you see what that is back there? that is a transformer that was on top of a power line. and if you follow the wooden pole all the way down to the street there, that is what happens with 150 mile-per-hour sustained winds. look at that. the wood pole just snapped in half. so we understand that a lot of the power grid is going to have to be rebuilt, and that is why it could take quite some time. here in lake charles they expect

to have some of the power back on by tuesday next week, but in some of the harder-hit areas we're hearing upwards of two months possibly. eric. eric: can you imagine in your sweltering heat, 103 degrees, you have no air-conditioning, some people have no running water at the moment. meanwhile, about half a million people were evacuated. what's going on south of you along the coast? they're still out, of course. >> reporter: well, if you can believe this, it looks worse down there. the problem is, it's very difficult to reach. a lot of the roadways are still, you know, covered with power poles or trees or they're under water. we want to show you position news drone video because, of course, that's about 50 miles to the south of us, cameron, louisiana, and holly beach, that's right where hurricane laura made landfall. so you've got a huge amount of storm surge in that area. in fact, upwards of 12, 13, even 15 feet in some areas, basically

wiping homes identify -- off of their foundations. and, again, lots of communities are only able to be reach by airboat, and they're trying to work on getting drones in the air so that people can see whether their home is still there or not. people tell us it will take years to fully recover. listen. >> when you see those trees start to do the 90-degree angle to the west, that's not good. i jumped out of airplanes, and i thought that was scary. it was not. this was, this was scary. >> reporter: wow. about 6200 members of the louisiana national guard have been activated and are deployed across the hardest-hit regions. if there's one thing i can tell you though, we've covered an awful lot of storms and a lot of tragic weather events here, and the people of louisiana, texas and the rest of the gulf coast, they are resilient.

they tell us that it'll take time, but they will rebuild. incidentally, today marks 15 years since hurricane katrina made handfall. so we know that they can -- landfall. so we know that they can bounce back, it just takes time and a lot of work. eric. eric: after katrina time, work, faith and hope and dedication with this immense challenge -- >> reporter: all of it. eric: casey, thank you. arthel? arthel: yeah, eric, meanwhile, president trump at a relief distribution center in louisiana right now getting a firsthand look at the damage there and will later travel to texas. for now, we're going to get back to washington, d.c. where david spunt is live at the white house with more. david. >> reporter: arthel, good afternoon. casey and eric were talking about hurricane creme, today marks 15 years since that hurricane, deadly hurricane with so many painful memories. now many louisianians and texans are dealing with hurricane laura which just hit on august 27th,

two days ago. as you mentioned, the president touched down just a little while ago in lake charles. he's going to be heading to a relief distribution center. he actually just pulled up 30, 45 seconds ago according to our e-mails. he's going to tour some damage. tragically, arthel, a 14-year-old girl died in louisiana after a tree fell on her home. the president, he approved a major disaster declaration for hah at the with of governor john bel edwards. the president held a briefing at fema headquarters this week as the storm had -- actually, live pictures right now, arthel. this is our camera on the ground there at a united way of southwest louisiana, a relief distribution center. you see senator john kennedy right there, some other members of congress with steve scalise. and the president, we're told, will be at some point potentially meets with people that have been obviously affected by hurricane laura. many have lost their homes, some have lost their businesses.

it's been all around a tragedy. so let's just listen in for a minute. >> [inaudible] ask any questions you want about the -- these folks will talk you through -- [inaudible] [inaudible conversations] >> [inaudible] >> good job.

[inaudible] >> [inaudible] >> reporter: okay, so president trump right there at a relief distribution center in southwest, louisiana, in lake charles. he's going to be meeting with officials, visiting some people that have really lost everything, arthel. and casey's report and as we've seen from the images, it has been devastating. businesses, homes, he'll also head to orange, texas, just a quick trip over the border, then he'll head back to washington tonight. as i mentioned, today is 15 years -- and you know, arthel, you're from louisiana -- 15 years since hurricane katrina hit louisiana. arthel? arthel: yeah, in many ways it

seems like yesterday, in many ways it seems like 15 years ago. eric? eric: and we will will be back e president live when we can hear him better and follow his journey down south. meanwhile, the attorney for jacob blake said authorities have removed his handcuffs after his arrest warrant has been vacated. this comes after the police union is giving its account of what led to sunday's shooting that left him paralyzed from the waist downful more demonstrations are taking place today. garrett tenney is standing by in kenosha, wisconsin, with the very latest. garrett? >> reporter: well, eric, the kenosha police union's releasing what it's calling a detailed account of what happened when police officers arrived and cop fronted jacob blake last sunday, and it includes several details that go beyond what state

investigators have said. according to the union, police showed up after getting a complaint that blake was trying to steal his girlfriend's keys and her car. when officers tried to arrest him, he allegedly refused to cooperate and forcefully fought them. the union claims blake put one officer in a head lock and continued to resist even after two separate officers shot him with a taser. kenosha's police chief alluded to some of that at a press conference yesterday afternoon. >> there was some resisting in the basis of the contact and the arrest. so so that's what changed the dynamics. >> reporter: none of those events were caught on the cell phone video that has gone viral around the world though. however, blake does appear to be holding something in his left hand as he comes around the front of the car. the union claims he was holding a knife and that he refused to drop it. witnesses said they didn't see a knife, blake's attorneys claim he was never holding it, and state investigators have not cleared up that key detail.

this morning wisconsin's lieutenant governor said he is not buying the union's explanation. >> it feels like we're being gas lit. when we see these things in broad daylight, it feels like we're being told not to believe our eyes and trust what we all see and come up with the sort of general conclusion. >> reporter: this next hour a rally is scheduled blake's famiy leading a march a day after they attended the march on washington. eric? eric: all right, garrett, thanks so much. arthel? arthel: the nba will resume postseason may today after the league and players' union reached an agreement. the milwaukee bucks staged a walkout from their playoff game this week over that police shooting of jacob blake in dee nobody shah, wisconsin. several other pro sports teams followed suit, postponing their games as well. christina coleman is lye from ours -- live with more. >> reporter: hi, arthel.

the milwaukee bucks are less than two hours away from opportunityoff taking on the orlando magic today. the bucks refused to play wednesday as they demanded justice in the wake of blake's shooting in their home state. here's fox sports nba analyst chris broussard. >> when the milwaukee bucks boycotted the other day, they were on the phone in the locker room with the attorney general and lieutenant governor of wisconsin. the owner set that up. so the players understand that a lot of these openers have relationships with -- owners have relationships with donald trump, are friends with donald trump, and they have connections to the lawmakers and the politicians, the police commissioners and chiefs where they can get things accomplished. >> reporter: president trump was critical of the nba postponing their games. he said the nba was acting like a political organization and that that's not a good thing for sports or our country. the nba announced games will resume today after making plans

with players and team reps that extend far beyond the court including establishing a social justice coalition focusing on a broad range of issue including voting and police and criminal justice reform, working with local election firms to confirm arena property to voting locations for the 2020 general election and working with network partners to create advertising spots in each playoff game to promote greater civic engagement in local and national elections. wnba, nhl and some mll games were also postponed as the athletes pushed for social justice, and as of now those leagues are all resuming their games. arthel: christina coleman, thank you very much for that update. eric: our country's heading for yet another grim coronavirus milestone, the u.s. now closing in on a total of 6 million confirmed infections. and so far more than 182,000 americans have died, and that number, sadly, is climbing.

all this as the fda, the food and drug administration, is expanding its use of remdesivir as a covid-19 treatment, and the fda approved a stem cell trial with 60 patients after a previous trial in april is said to have worked too. arab shah ofny has more on all of the front-line efforts to try and defeat covid-19. >> reporter: hi, eric. let's talk about the numbers. yes, the number of daily cases for the last five days did go up straight for the last five days straight, but we saw some promising numbers, some promising trends this past week. let's show them to you now. the seven-day rolling average for confirmed cases down about 38% from the summer peak back in july. hospitalizations, the average there is also down for a 32nd day in a row, and the seven-day average of daily deaths -- an important one -- that's down as well, 17% since the summer peak just four weeks ago.

but some health experts out there, they are remaining cautious. listen. >> because we're plateauing at a very high level, and 40,000, 50,000 cases a day is still too much because we know that there are people that are still dying, we know that this is very challenging for contact tracers to keep up with, and it's still too much in certain parts of the country. >> reporter: we do continue to see those outbreaks happen at mass gatherings. an indoor wedding in maine is now linked to 123 cases. state officials say they were able to track this down as a result of on you versal testing -- universal testing which is now in question. the cdc announced people who are exposed to the virus but don't have any symptoms don't necessaryily need to be tested. the governors of at least five states say they will not be following these new cdc guidelines. the finishing da just expanded its emergency authorization for remdesivir. the drug can now be used on all

patients regardless of how severe their condition is, and some health experts again criticizing this move from the white house over the lack of scientific evidence there. and finally on the vaccine front, the fda has scheduled a meeting for late october to discuss vaccine development. there are -- there is still a need, rather, for participants for human trials out there. companies like moderna especially struggling to recruit black and hispanic apartments. apartments. eric? eric: thanks so much. arthel: they could be a key e to victory in the 2020 race, hundreds of counties that voted for candidate and president obama and then went for donald trump in 2016. so which way are they leaning this time? that's up next. ♪ ♪ ♪ so you ready to hit the road? i don't know. just get on your bike... and ride! no!

can it help with snoring? i've never heard snoring. exactly. no problem. ...and done save 50% on the sleep number 360 limited edition smart bed. plus 0% interest for 60 months. ends monday.

coming to the green flag, racing at daytona. they're off... in the kentucky derby. rory mcllroy is a two time champion at east lake. he scores! stanley cup champions. touchdown! only mahomes. expect anything different? the big events are back and xfinity is your home for the return of live sports.

♪ ♪ eric: one of the keys to then-candidate donald trump's 2016 victory was he was able to flip dozens of districts that had backed president obama. just take a look at this map. 206 counties in our country that had voted for barack obama in both 2008 and 2012 switched to pump four years later. those districts have have become known as pivot counties given that name by election watchdog

because they're spread across 234 states with the greatest -- 34 states with the greatest number in wisconsin, michigan and new york. one of those happens to be in suffolk county on the eastern end of long island. that district greatly mirrors the country, has typical suburban neighborhoods, lots of farmland, cows and wine. lively towns and cities, wealthy beachside mansions and also people struggling to get by, and it is near new york city and was hit hard by coronavirus. with us now is the congressman who represents that district, republican lee zeldin. congressman, welcome. i mean, what do you think is on top of your constituents' concerns? do you think that your district will pivot back to the democrats, for joe biden, or will it stay for the president, do you think? >> i believe that president trump is going to win my district, the 1st congressional district of new york, come this november. back in 2016 people in my district were looking to go in a

different direction. they support donald trump the outsider after barack obama won my district in '08 and '12, president trump won it by about 12.5 points. hillary clinton was very unpopular, she was someone who's perceived to have been around for a very long time and didn't actually accomplish a hot. so people who were concerned about the economy, or immigration, national security, defeating america s-13 elect -- elect --ms-13 elect donald trump, and now as you get near the election in november, the reality is in a district like mine earlier this year we had hit that point on ian long island where there were more available jobs than people to fill them, then the outbreak, of course, hit us. whether it's taxes, trade, regulations, on the economic front a lot of the policies have had a positive benefit for our country. ms-13 across long island has been defeated in large part. a lot of people have been brought to justice, other people

are awaiting their trials. national security was strong with important victories a abroad. we see in the middle east everything from moving the embassy in israel to jerusalem to i rim nate -- eliminating isis and that list goes on. so whether it's combating illegal immigration, securing our borders and so much more, it's a good thing when donald trump -- who has flipped these districts all across america -- is able to go back to these voters and talk about what he accomplished as opposed to what he faced in 2016 and now in 2020 again running against someone who's been around for decades but doesn't have a whole lot to show for it. eric: well, you know, biden would take issue with that, but let me zero in on jobs. what can your district teach the rest of the country in terms of the fact that you're doing better on jobses especially because coronavirus is continuing with us and has caused such unemployment? >> everything has been unique in

the last several months where the government had this is shutdown. i believe the paycheck protection program was critical getting a safe reopening has been really important. i believe it's important to get back to in-person learning. most importantly for the kids and their own development. the support from the federal government to get through this has been key. you see it play out with this debate over enhanced unemployment. i've seen, i've heard from all sorts of employers including there are some employers who they don't like the president, yet they're all coming to me, and they were explaining that the -- 600 enhanced unemployment was resulting in them having difficulties in getting fully staffed as they were reopening. so being in touch with not necessarily what polls the best, but what is the right policy, it's good to have a president who has experience from the business world as opposed to people who have spent their entire lives in politics.

eric: one thing, you have a commercial out focusing on law and order. there's been some discussion today in terms of that issue of law and order because of the unrest that we've seen. of course, you have the tremendous -- the horrendous killings in some cases, but at the same time you've got the looting, criminal destruction and this sort of thing, and it's reminiscent of president nixon back in 1968 who ran successfully on a law and order campaign platform. do you expect, do you see similarities now with this president? earlier today, by the way, president nixon's grandson, christopher nixon cox, was on with neil cavuto, and he talked about remember the silent majority? let's the take a listen to what mr. cox said. >> you do see a large silent majority. some things stay the same, and i think there's a large silent majority out there. some of it might not be encompassed in polling, and that's, i think, where you will see a big delivery for the

president. he's focusing on what he needs to, which is those blue collar voters. eric: and finally, do you see that similarity? >> chris couldn't possibly be more right about that point. the average voter wants safety and security. they want law and order for their communities. they see the rioting, the looting, the burning, also the funds to dismantle police and other aspects of our society. and there might be individuals who aren't very outspoken about it, they're not out in protests vocalizing it it, but they're really upset about the direction that these rioters are looking to take our country, and they wanted to doing something about it. so president trump certainly has the advantage going into november where joe biden, just in the last few days you see from dems and his allies in the media, they're starting to realize the problem not because of instincts and what's right, but because of what polling is showing. eric: we're faking a look --

taking a look now on the left side, our left side, the president is now inspecting the damage in port charles, louisiana, and he's going to texas too. two very important states, especially texas. what does this say when mr. trump can use the powers of the office of the president i to be like -- presidency to be, like, the comforter in chief? as we know when you have disasters, these type of situations as we watch live the president right now. >> as i've gotten to work with president trump over the course of these last few years, i've realized that he is a man who wants to be out of the basement as much as possible. he likes to travel from the white house. if he can have his way, he is traveling to different states all across america. he loves this moment. this is not something that he wakes up this morning and he finds out that he has to go to louisiana and texas and he's upset by it. he loves to be able to get on the plane and to be out with the people. there's another example, stark contrast, between president

trump and vice president biden. vice president biden has shown a preference in recent months to be in the basement. and what you need right now in leadership is to be there on the ground. it doesn't matter, my background's the military. and, you know, the officer who is, who is out there leading the troops, talking to, you know, the privates and the sergeants and speaking to the second lieutenants, you know, he is out there, he likes to spend this time, and i think that it's something that is an important trait of a president, is not wanting to spend your entire time in the bunker while the president must actually be out there with the people. eric: joe biden, of course, is not the president and some say he should go up to wisconsin, but we are seeing live right now the current president. you can see with the national guard in lake charles, what they're doing. look, you just saw that damage. they're getting the power saws out, and it's unimaginable, congressman, with so many people

still without electricity, many without water. and they say that could go on for weeks and in some cases even months. and you're no stranger to hurricanes in your district. >> yeah. we just got hit by a tropical storm just a few weeks ago. right now it's really important for there to be good communication. individuals who have had their lives impacted, they want to know that they're just not out there by themselves, that government doesn't know what they're experiencing, that government's not out there to help. what more can possibly happen to communicate with those people who are suffering than to see the president come in. now, as you're showing those images of -- whether it's fema or it's those troops with the national guard, you can't possibly say thank you enough to those men and women who are out there. they are ready at the moment you can start any type of a rescue operation. often times it's in the middle of being hit there are a lot of people who will take the warnings to move away from the

shore. they'll heed the advice, go to shelter. there are others who need a rescue, and fortunately in this great country you have these exceptional men and women, the best of the best, who are there not only in the days to follow and the weeks to follow to be able to recover, rebuild stronger than before, but many of the people you're seeing on screen -- especially those in uniform and some of the others -- the great thing about them they're out this even in the middle of getting hit to save lives. the death count would be more if not for those men and women. eric: that is absolutely the case. half a million people evacuated. we're seeing the president and mark meadows standing there as you can see with the group. we salute9 and thank the first responders who are out there who go into harm's way. lee zeldin, congressman of the 1st district that also was affected by superstorm sandy and the hurricane in '38 when it just devastated your district, thank you and thanks, of course, to all the first responders as we watch the president of the

united states in lake charles. arthel? arthel: tributes are pouring in from the entertainment community and around the world following the death of "black panther" star chadwick boseman. representatives confirming the actor died yesterday in his los angeles home after a four-year battle with colon cancer. the south carolina native taking on powerful roles of legendary african-american icons in his career. he played the barrier-breaking baseball star jackie robinson in the 2013 film called "42." one year later he embodied the soulful singer james brown in the movie "get on up." chadwick's blockbuster role in "black panther" came in 2018. a statement from his family says boseman filmed several movies during and between countless surgeries and chemotherapy. the actor did not speak publicly about his diagnosis.

chadwick boseman, the epitome of dignity and dedication, was just 43 years old. his family has my deepest condolences. ♪ ♪ [ engines revving ] ♪ ♪ it's amazing to see them in the wild like th-- shhh. for those who were born to ride, there's progressive.

to give you the protein you need with less of the sugar you don't. [grunting noise] i'll take that. woohoo! 30 grams of protein and 1 gram of sugar. ensure max protein. with nutrients to support immune health. ♪ eric: you know, we just a heard for to new york congressman, republican lee zeldin, to talk about the need for a presidential candidate to get out on the trail. democratic nominee joe biden has announced he will return to the campaign trail sometime after labor day. trips, we're told, planned to several of the key swing states. the former vice president now holding a call to action webcast with faith leaders and religious groups. he's at his home in wilmington, delaware. the former vice president happens to have a beach house too, hi, peter. >> reporter: hi, eric. and we saw him leaving this

morning to head up to wilmington, that is where we just heard from him for the first time since thursday as he was addressing the virtual national guard association conference. >> but i promise you as president i'll never put you in the middle of politics or personal vendettas, i'll never use the military as a problem or as a private militia to violate rights of fellow citizens. >> reporter: biden plans to host in-person events in four key battlegrounds -- minnesota, which clinton carried in 2016 -- wisconsin, pennsylvania and arizona, all states that trump won last time. both biden and harris are stressing there will be significant covid-19 protections in place, but president trump already taunting them on twitter with this: now that biden's polls are dropping, bad, he has a ace breed to get out of his basement and start campaigning in 10 days. that is a slow reaction type for a president. our beloved usa needs a faster,

smarter and tougher response than that. get out thered today, joe. the biden campaign also going on offense this weekend, trying to get college football fans in swing states to blame trump for canceled tailgates this fall. >> good weather by opening day standards. we're going to be in the of 60s. >> and now to ohioan america, please -- [inaudible] >> reporter: but president trump insisted last night after that ad dropped he does want the big ten and the other power football conferences to be playing, and he says that in places where colleges have announced that they are either going to have empty stadium or empty fields so far, he thinks that leaders are doing that for political reasons to hurt him. eric? eric: all right, peter, thank you. arthel? arthel: president trump in louisiana at this hour to get a firsthand look at the aftermath from hurricane laura. his visit comes as the state

marks a 15 years sense the devastation of hurricane katrina. the region once again reeling from extensive damage to homes and businesses. lieutenant thomas marion who's the salvation army commanding officer for southwest louisiana, he joins me now to talk about how everyone can help with recovery efforts. and before we get this, if you could, sir, you know, usually as bad as it looks on television, the damage is always worse in person. describe for us the situation on the ground. how does it look? howhow does it feel? >> well, i can tell you what it looks like, it looks like a bomb went off across louisiana where trees are toppled over, snapped in half. we don't have any issues where buildings aren't destroyed and where most houses have damage. all the industries and businesses, stores you go to, they're all hurt as well. it's just a tragedy, what's happening down here right now.

arthel: indeed, it is. what percentage of the residents stayed behind to ride out the storm, and tell us about the coordination involved with the recovery efforts. >> i don't think -- i think a majority of the civilians here heeded to the evacuation orders and did what they were supposed to do. and they did what they were supposed to do, and when they did it, they came to the -- they went out -- we have more people coming in now, back in to see their house and see everything else. but right now we have 14 -- [inaudible] and with them doing that, we're helping -- we have our commercial -- [inaudible] that's coming up, 10,000 people a day. we're hoping by the end of next week to have 30 mobile feeding units to feed all those who need help at this time. arthel: for anyone listening to us who want to help, i want to

tell you you can go to help salvation army.org, you can also call 800-sal-army, or that's 800-725-2769. lieutenant marion, what does the salvation army need to help the folks in need? >> for the most part right now, what we need most is monetary donations because we know exactly where the money needs to go and how it needs to go. and instead of getting a lot of products we can't use right now, we can use what we know we need right now, give people the help they need now. this isn't a two-day disaster, this is going to last months, maybe years to get these people back on their feet. arthel: and president trump is on the ground there in lake charles, as you know. what do you think will strike him most? >> i think just the devastation of going through everything and the people who are out trying to clean up their homes. yesterday i saw a man whose

house was crush by a tree, and he was outside, the only thing he had left was the american flag he was waving in. tonight of his house. in front of his house. it was devastating. arthel: how long do you think it's going to take to resphwhild. >> i would say months into years. it's not just a few houses, it's all the businesses, the infrastructure. right now we're out of lights in the area as well as 95% of the water system, so plumbing and running water gone. we don't have working water in southwestern louisiana. arthel: you said how many years? >> right now they're talking about a month for electricity, and we don't is have water. arthel: well, listen, everybody wants to help as best as they can, and if you do want to help, go to helpsalvationarmy.org or call 1-800-sal-army.

lieutenant thomas marion, thank you very much. we're going to head back over to lake charles, louisiana, and listen to president trump who is speaking with the troops there in the, from the fire department. >> -- we'll be talking about that, i think. we'll be talking about it. well, thank you very much, everybody. i'm here to support the great people of louisiana. it's been a tremendous state for me. i love the people. we've had a good relationship right from the beginning, very important that i was here. and her met some people that have been absolutely devastated. this was a tremendously powerful storm. in fact, when it came in, it was actually much bigger than katrina, i would say, katrina being somewhat of a landmark, i think, in terms of devastation. but this had more power. this was almost coming in at a five. it was a five a little bit out offshore. it came in as a four, but 150 mile-an-hour, it was up to 185

at one point. i don't know that we've ever seen that. but we're join by governor john bel edwards or and senator john kennedy, two friends of mine. they've done a fantastic job representing the state. and acting secretary of homeland security who's no longer really acting in my mind because he just got a promotion. if john kennedy can push him, that'll be terrific. he deserves it. he's been doing a good job. don't talk with me anymore, right there is the man. [laughter] but thank you very much, chad. and fema administrator pete gainer. pete, great job. he's all over the country right now doing different things. we have a lot of different elements happening, but we have to take care of louisiana, we have to take care of texas. texas got a little bit lucky. thanks also to the members of congress that are here. i have a little list. it's a lot of members. where are you folks back there? first of all, louisiana attorney

general, where's jeff? jeff landry. oh, you could eyes you d i could use you, jeff. i agree with so much of what you do, almost all of it. great job. jeff landry, everybody. thank you very much. congressman steve scalise. steve, he's probably the bravest man in the room, but he's done good. and i actually think he's better looking today than he was three years ago, if you want to know the truth. he went through hell. and we found out that his family los him, that's for sure -- loves him. that was a rough time in that hospital that night, right? that was a rough time, steve. we're glad to have you. people love you. people love you. congressman clay akins, and thank you very much, clay, being here. congressman garrett graves. garrett, nice to see you. what are you doing sitting back this? i can't believe it. that's not like you and mike. i can't believe you guys. they're being low key today for a change, right?

and mike johnson, my friend, and he's been a support. they're all warriors. they fight for us and they fight for the people that they represent, and they're incredible warriors. thank you, mike, i appreciate it very much. and state senator mark abraham and, mark, thank you. good job you doing. i hear great job. james wascomb, director of louisiana homeland security and emergency preparedness. good. you've got plenty to prepare for. do you have other storms, james, coming in? is that what i'm hearing? >> [inaudible] >> you've got to be kidding. don't let that happen. >> not necessarily louisiana. >> they're heading in a general direction, is that what you're saying? what looks like the likelihood that they actually form and reach? >> [inaudible] >> so you had some tremendously bad storms 50, 60, 70 years ago.

what's the difference now, would you say, in terms of storms coming in now compared to many years ago? >> more frequent -- [inaudible] stronger. [inaudible] this one -- [inaudible] >> report that's right. >> so we had a lot of people -- [inaudible] hour before landfall -- [inaudible] thank god they did because -- [inaudible] >> so that really, the fact that they finally did get out, they saw it -- it built so fast, didn't it? because it looked like it was going to be the lesser between marco and this, and marco, it disintegrated, and this just came in roaring. it's unbelievable.

nick hunter. finish nick, thank you. great job, nick. great job you're doing. major of lake charles. you got, you got hit hard. were you the hardest hit, would you say? >> i can't quantify, but i can tell you we took a hell of a punch. >> yeah, you took a big punch. >> yes, sir. [inaudible] >> 100%. >> [inaudible] >> so when people get used to air-conditioning, and this is very hot, when people get used the air-conditioning and all of a sudden they don't have it, that's a very traumatic situation. >> it is. you find out how acclimated we are to modern conveniences with something like this. no power, very -- [inaudible] makes it very difficult for a lot of people in lake charles. >> you have a great reputation, thank you. >> thank you. >> thank you very much. michael dan ahy. 40 true you doing? -- how are you doing? >> mayor of civiller.

>> -- sulfur. >> are you hit pretty much like this one? very close. how's it going? >> [inaudible] >> well, good job. good luck. and the mayor of west lake, bob hardy. thank you, bob. how's it going? >> [inaudible] >> similar. >> [inaudible] [inaudible] >> well, you'll all get with it going. one thing i know about this state, they rebill it fast. there's no problem -- rebuild

it. and we'll supply what we have to supply. and you know what a lot of that is, right? we'll take care of you. and i just want to recognize bill cassidy and congressman really abraham, two great -- ralph abraham. and bill's going through a problem, and i hope ralph fine, right in ralph is fine. and bill is going through a problem, but i spoke the him the other day, and it sounds like he's doing well. he's been, along with john, a terrific senator. so hurricane laura was a category four storm, and it was actually for a little while a five. it was up to 175, almost 180 miles an hour. few people are ever even heard of that with winds currently, when it came in, it was at 150 mile-per-hour at a landfall damaging thousands of homes and causing hundreds of road blockages and major power outages. and i heard, i think this is correct, it was the most

powerful storm coming in and hitting your land in 150 years. coming in. >> [inaudible] >> they put their finger up, right? i just visited the cajun navy in the relief center, they're fantastic. i want to thank the pastors, and we had a great pastor just gave us a little prayer, and he didn't choke. he gave a great prayer, i'll tell you. he got up there and did a fantastic job. i want to thank all of the pastors across the state, people of faith across the state who have been helping families and communities recover. before the storm struck, i approved an emergency declaration under the auspices of john and john bel. we had very quick, what i would say you got that almost immediately, wouldn't you say, john? i think before the storm got here, you had your emergency. >> [inaudible] >> yeah. thank you, john.

we got it very quickly are, and we're going to be discussing some little things. yesterday i approved a major disaster declaration that helps individuals and business owners, which is a little bit different, but it goes right to the individual. and i've signed that already. and so you're all set to go with that. fema has delivered 2.6 million liters of water and 1.4 million meals, and that's a lot of meals. so you're pretty busy, i guess, pete, right? that's incredible. great job. your people are incredible. you know, i haven't had, pete's done this now for a long time, i haven't had one complaint with all of the storms we've had in texas and here, i haven't had one complaint. so you've done, you've done a hell of a job, pete, thank you. pete gainer, everybody. don't hire him away, please -- [laughter] you know, private enterprise is looking, they say, hey, let's go take him away. don't let him lee, josh? -- leave, john, is that all right?

>> he's the best. >> we're also working to restore water to roughly 180,000 residents and to protect energyd women of fema and the first responders and the law enforcement, which we love and we cherish and are doing a fantastic job and don't get the kind of recognition that they should get, but actually they do because the people love 'em, right? the people love 'em. and we appreciate our law enforcement. our hearts go out to the families who have lost loved ones. how many -- what is the number, would you say, john? >> [inaudible] >> amazing. well, it's a tremendous number, but you were thinking it could have been a lot worse. >> [inaudible] >> yeah. amazing. awe amazing. so 15 years ago this week louisiana was devastated by hurricane katrina. that seems to be -- katrina seems to be the standard, seems to be the one that -- is it

actually today? 15 years ago today. and whether you come from louisiana or fifth avenue in new york city, you know all about katrina, right? that was a bad, bad deal. devastation. and now the def station was far greater even though the storm probably wasn't as powerful. >> yes, sir. [inaudible] >> your levees now in good shape? >> the best ever. >> the best ever. good, that's good. so you came together and you rebuilt. america helped, and here we are today and we're going to have this situation taken care of verying very quickly. i'd like to ask governor john bell ed edwards to say a few words and then, john, if you would say a few words, and we'll take a few questions from the press, if you'd like. we'll talk about primarily the storm. >> thank you very much -- [inaudible]

[inaudible] arthel: okay. well, while we -- governor john bell edwards there of louisiana speaking to the president. the president can hear him, and we'll let that happen. meanwhile, let me give you a little bit of an update on what the president said to those first responders and crews on the ground thanking them, speaking with them, hearing what they need, also there are politicians from the area there at the firehouse in lake charles, and the president is listening to their explanation of what happened. the president said he visited with the cajun navy relief

center and got an account of the damage from them as well. he said that he signed a major disaster declaration to help the local businesses piecing back together. currently you've got 180,000 plus residents without power, and that is top of the list in terms of getting those folks back to starting to recover. the president also vowing to supply green, which means money, to the folk of louisiana. he says that they're good people, they're strong people, they never complain, he's there to help, and he's always had a good relationship with the man speaking right there who is the governor of louisiana, john bel edwards. the president also visit one of the neighborhoods there in lake charles, louisiana, and i believe that he is going to go to another area this in louisiana -- there in louisiana and also perhaps make it to texas as well. it's hard to say as these things, for instance, right now this discussion that the president is having with the governor of louisiana and the

fire chief, etc., these things sometimes run longer because, listen, when you have the president there in front of you with, you have his ear, and he's willing to hear what you're saying, you can bet they're going to give him an earful just in the way of letting him know what the good folks of louisiana are in need of at this very crucial time. >> and this is going to have -- [inaudible] we're working with fema -- [inaudible] >> particularly. louisiana's been through a lot with the covid and with this, a couple of other things. you're doing a very good job. >>

[inaudible] >> is that right? you've done a great job. you've done a great job. thank you very much. and, nick, i'm going to come back and find out at the end of three weeks how popular you are. >> [inaudible] >> this is a big test. >> yes, sir. >> you're going to be very good. you're going to be very much better. if you can be so, if you can be better, which i doubt. john, please, say a few words, john kennedy. >> mr. president -- [inaudible] would not be here right now. our president -- [inaudible] >> very good. >> [inaudible]

why do bad things happen to good people -- [inaudible] always do my very best -- [inaudible] [inaudible]

so thank you -- you deny have to be here today -- you didn't is have to be here today. that says a whole lot about you -- [inaudible] >> you know, steve, would you like to make a statement? [inaudible] [inaudible]