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EARLY START

Wildfire Rage in California; Latest on Bar Shooting in Thousand Oaks; Voting Irregularities Alleged in Florida. Aired 5-5:30a ET

Aired November 9, 2018 - 05:00   ET

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


UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Please, please, please pray for us that we get out of here OK. Oh my God.

DAVE BRIGGS, CNN ANCHOR: Several raging wildfires in California. Fire-nado you see there. Evacuations under way as flames charred tens of thousands of acres.

ALISON KOSIK, CNN ANCHOR: The Thousand Oaks community IS mourning 12 people gunned down at a local bar. The shooter's haunting Facebook posts moments before he opened fire.

BRIGGS: And Robert Mueller's final report is being written, but will the acting attorney general get in the way before it's done? Good morning, everyone and welcome to Early start. I'm Dave Briggs.

KOSIK: Good morning, I'm Alison Kosik. It is Friday, November 9th. It's 5:00 a.m. in the east. You may have flashbacks here as we talk about Florida and the ballots there, with two Florida counties at the center of possible vote recounts. In the race a U.S. Senate seat, Republican governor Rick Scott has already declared victory over incumbent Bill Nelson. Now the margin in the race, it's getting tighter by the hour. And Scott alleging without evidence there could be rampant voter fraud engineered by Democrats in deep blue Broward and Palm Beach counties.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOVERNOR RICK SCOTT: We've all seen the incompetence and irregularities (ph) in the vote tabulations in Broward and Palm Beach for years. Well, here we go again. I will not sit idly by while unethical liberals try to steal this election from the great people of Florida.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRIGGS: The Scott campaign, the GOP senatorial committee filed lawsuits claiming election officials in Broward and Palm Beach counties haven't been transparent about vote counting; this is really about the numbers. In Broward, for example, Bill Nelson's got 69 percent of the vote, Democrat Andrew Gillum only got 68 percent in the governor's race but somehow got 10,000 than Nelson did. CNN's Rosa Flores is going to figure all this out, live in Broward County at the supervisor of elections. Rosa, good morning, here we go again.

ROSA FLORES, CNN REPORTER: Dave, what a mess. Democrat Bill Nelson calling all of this politically motivated and out of desperation. But it wouldn't be Florida post-elections if there wasn't more than a lawsuit. We learned yesterday from Governor Rick Scott he is calling for an FDLE investigation, that's Florida Department of Law Enforcement. That of course, could raise questions about conflicts of interest because Scott, as the chief executive of the state, appoints the commissioner of the FDLE.

Now President Trump inserting himself via Twitter, tweeting, quote, "law enforcement is looking into another big corruption scandal having to do with election fraud in Broward and Palm Beach. Florida voted for Rick Scott!" Now, the minutia here is very important because the first unofficial vote results are due tomorrow by about noon.

According to Florida law, if the margins are at .5 or less, that triggers an automatic machine recount. Where is the governor's margin? .44 percent or about 36,000 votes. The second unofficial results are due on Thursday at 3:00 p.m. And here, .25 is the magic number, because if the margin is .25 or less, that triggers a hand recount automatically. So where is the senate race? Oh yes, you guessed it. It is at .18 percent or about 15,000 votes. But folks, there is more.

Fuelling the fire here in Florida, too, a teacher at an elementary school found a box -- a bin that was labeled provisional ballots. She reported it because she of course, was concerned there were ballots in this bin. It turns out, we were here late yesterday talking to election officials, and they tell us that they deliver these bins to all of the different polling sites and it takes them eight days to do so and that there was equipment inside those bins.

So, Dave and Alison, it wouldn't be Florida with its razor thin margins after elections and us having all of these conversations after the election. So again, a lot of minutia there, but the minutia is important when you're talking about races that -- not only a governor's race, but a Senate race that can tilt the power in the Senate.

BRIGGS: Right. And a reminder, Rosa, of how important it was of Florida restored the voting rights of convicted felons in future elections. You're talking about a potential 1 million votes in added roles (ph) in the future. That can change that state electorally, moving forward. Rosa, thank you.

Meanwhile, two fast moving wildfires devastating parts of California right now. More than 20 million people under red flag warnings across the state, meaning conditions are ideal for rapid spreading. The camp fire has already consumed 20,000 acres in Butte County. A fire-nado doing some of the destruction.

At one point on Thursday, the camp fire grew at the rate of a football field every three seconds. As many as 1,000 buildings have been charred. The fire now spreading into Chico, the biggest city in Butte County with 100,000 people.

KOSIK: Meantime, California's acting governor declaring a fire emergency. About 40,000 residents have been evacuated, and that includes all of the patients who are at the Aventis Health Feather River Hospital. One family got in the car to evacuate, drove through flames to escape and literally were praying for their lives. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNKNOWN: I hope mom's going to be all right. God, it's so hot.

UNKNOWN: I know, baby . Hold on.

UNKNOWN: I can't see.

UNKNOWN: It will be all right. We just -- we'll be OK.

UNKNOWN: Oh, Jesus.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KOSIK: It's just chilling what they have to go through to get out of there. Fire officials report civilians and at least two firefighters have been injured. Authorities are waiting for safer conditions to assess the damage.

BRIGGS: And in Ventura county, the hill fire burning between 5,000 to 7,000 acres so far. Officials expect the fire to reach all the way to the Pacific Ocean. The 101 freeway remains closed in both directions. Some drivers went straight into that cloud of smoke. This is the same county as last night's shooting at the Borderline Bar & Grill. Approximately 1,200 homes are under mandatory evacuations. And nearby, 30,000 people also now evacuated in Ventura and Los Angeles counties due to the Woolsey fire, 7,500 acres already destroyed. The fire has now entered into L.A. County.

KOSIK: It's becoming an all too familiar scene on the American landscape, a community in mourning after a mass shooting.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KOSIK: Heavy hearts at a vigil in Thousand Oaks last night. Neighbors coming together to remember 12 victims killed by a gunman at the Borderline Bar & Grill late Wednesday.

BRIGGS: Six of the 12 have been identified. Five were at the bar when the gunman began shooting. They are Justin Meek, Alaina Housley, the niece of a former Fox News correspondent and friend, Adam Housley. Noel Sparks and Dan Manrique and Cody Coffman. Here's Cody's heartbroken father, Jason.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(MUSIC)

JASON COFFMAN: Only him and I know -- How much I miss -- oh, son, I love you so much.

I have a daughter coming in on the 29th of this month that he was excited to have his first sister and not -- now she'll never know. Oh, Cody, I love you, son.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KOSIK: Just heart wrenching. Also killed is Sergeant Ron Helus, a 29-year veteran of the Ventura county sheriff's office. He was among the first officers to rush through the door at Borderline. Law enforcement and members of the community lining the streets to honor him as his body was transported to the medical examiner's office.

New video has emerged of the massacre at the nightclub. We want to warn you, this audio you're about to hear, it's disturbing.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNKNOWN: He's coming out this door!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRIGGS: The gunman identified as 28-year-old Ian David Long. Police say he killed himself. And as Scott McLean tells us, he had a troubled past.

SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN REPORTER: We know that the suspect served in the United States Marine Corps. We also know that he served in Afghanistan. His friends tell us that in 2016, his personality seemed to change. He wasn't returning phone calls and seemed to be more distant, but even those friends never thought that he was capable of doing something like this.

There was another, perhaps, warning sign in April when police were called to the suspect's home. The sheriff said the deputies found him irate. They ended up leaving because they didn't think he was a risk to himself or public. The FBI, of course, continues to hunt for clues. They are searching the suspect's car, his home and of course, the crime scene as well. We also know the suspect frequented this bar and was not chosen at random. Dave, Alison.

BRIGGS: Scott McLean, thanks. It's important we never numb to this, folks. Don't get used to it, continue to hurt. Hundreds of people lined up at La Reina High school in Thousand Oaks to donate blood to the injured victims. The line extended out into the school parking lot, down the street and down the block. Donors are encouraged to make appointments, so by calling 877-25-vital.

KOSIK: Protesters nationwide, sending a strong message to the new Congress. Protect Robert Mueller. In New York, Chicago, Fort Worth, Atlanta Greensboro, and hundreds of other places, people rallied to support the special counsel and stand behind the Russia investigation which they fear could be in danger by the firing of Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Now, CNN has learned the operation may be wrapping up with Mueller's team now writing its final report.

BRIGGS: Questions are swirling over whether the new acting attorney general will try and hamper the investigation. In the past, Matthew Whitaker has called the appointment, quote, "ridiculous and a little fishy." Now once again, George Conway, Kellyanne Conway's husband, and prominent figure at the D.C. law firm, is speaking out against the White House, arguing that Whitaker's appointment is illegal.

In the New York Times op-ed with former Obama-era acting solicitor general Neil Katyal, they say anything Whitaker does is an unconstitutional, because the job requires Senate confirmation. An officer must be confirmed by the senate. Pamela Brown with more from the White House.

PAMELA BROWN, CNN REPORTER: Well, Dave and Alison, good morning to you. We have learned the Acting Attorney General Matt Whitaker is unlikely to recuse himself from the Russia probe, according to sources familiar with his thinking. That is also the thinking of the officials here at the White House, that there would be no legal conflict of interest that would make it necessary for him to recuse himself.

Now there's also the thinking that the president wouldn't have put him in this role as acting attorney general if he was going to recuse himself. As you'll recall, he was upset when his predecessor Jeff Sessions recused himself which drew the ire of the president and is in part what led the president to firing him just recently.

So now Matt Whitaker has taken the reins of the Russia probe despite being publically critical of it in the past before his time at the Justice Department, even calling it ridiculous. As this is all going on, the president and his team has been meeting, reviewing some of the questions that Mueller's team has given them.

As part of the probe, this is viewed as one of the final pieces of the puzzle. So that is all ongoing. It's unclear though when Robert Mueller will officially wrap up his probe, but the president and his legal team are expected to hand back their answers within the next couple of weeks, and we'll see what happens from there. Back to you.

KOSIK: Yes, we shall see. Pamela, thanks very much. As for Session's permanent replacement, sources tell us, President Trump is considering former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi. Labor secretary Alexander Acosta is also under consideration, that's according to senior Senate Republican aide and a source familiar with the process. Concerns growing about Christie's potential nomination though, as he was part of the Trump campaign and would face calls recusal in the Russia probe.

BRIGGS: Let the reality show begin.

KOSIK: Or continue in this case.

BRIGGS: Continue. As the president railed on the Fed raising interest rates, but it looks like the Fed will do the same in December.

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BRIGGS: Justice Ruth Badger Ginsburg is recovering after falling in her office and fracturing three ribs. The 85-year-old was admitted to the hospital on Thursday morning for observation. RBG's health has become the subject of much attention in the recent years. In November 2014, she underwent a heart procedure and in 2009, she was treated for early stages of pancreatic cancer. Ginsburg said in July, she hopes so stay on the bench past 2020.

KOSIK: Federal Reserve policymakers, they've agreed to hold the interest rates steady this month, and that leads the benchmark language (ph) winds up helping to determine the cost of borrowing on credit cards, mortgages and other loans. It leaves that rate unchanged. In a statement that was released on Thursday, the Fed said since officials met in September, that the labor market does continue to strengthen and economic activity has been rising at a strong rate.

We did see employers at 250,000 jobs last month. That surpassed expectations. Wages also grew 3.1 percent, that's the biggest jump in a decade. So the Fed is widely expected to raise rates at its final meeting in December, gradually raise rates into next year to try to keep the economy from overheating.

So that could mean more attacks by President Trump on his own Fed Chair Jay Powell. Trump has repeatedly complained that Powell is raising rates too quickly, hurting the stock market. Those higher rates also affects borrowing costs, mortgage rates, we did see on Thursday, that those mortgage rates hit the highest level in eight years.

BRIGGS: Environmental groups celebrating this morning after a federal judge halted construction of the controversial Keystone XL pipeline. In a major blow to the Trump administration, the judge ruled the government violated environmental and other federal laws and he shutdown the project until the government updates a 2014 environmental review. In March of 2017, the Trump White House reversed the Obama administration decision to block the controversial project (ph).

And we'll talk a little sports. What looked like a great matchup turned into a Thursday night blowout in the Steele City. Lindsay Czarniak here in-house with more on Big Ben's career night in the Bleacher Report.

LINDSAY CZARNIAK, REPORTER, BLEACHER REPORT: I mean, he played...

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BRIGGS: All right, Big Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers put on a dominant performance in Thursday Night Football.

KOSIK: Lindsay Czarniak joins us now live for this morning's Bleacher Report. Tell us more.

CZARNIAK: All right guys, this was really unexpected and here's why. Because on paper, this game between the Steelers and panthers, it looked like a battle between a couple of teams that truly could meet in the Superbowl. But this was a shocker because it wasn't even close. The Steelers, they were simply playing on another level.

Ben Roethlisberger tossed five touchdowns to five different receivers and they started right out of the gate. Roethlisberger here hitting Juju Smith-Schuster for the 75 yard touchdown on the team's first play from scrimmage. How about setting the tone? They scored 21 points in just 23 seconds, that is a new league record. That dominant Steelers defense also doing its part.

Pittsburgh's Vince Williams returning a Cam Newton interception for a touchdown. Pittsburgh winning its fifth straight game. Unbelievable, 52 to 21. The Steelers are certainly is a team familiar with lifting up a community. That happened for them in the wake tragedy after a synagogue shooting a couple weeks back.

The L.A. Kings and the Minnesota Wild honored the victims of the Wednesday night's shooting in Thousand Oaks, California that left 12 people dead. There was a moment of silence before that game. Players and coaches held signs that read "Enough."

The shooting took place five miles from the Rams' practice facility which is on the campus of California Lutheran University. That tragedy hitting close to home for many of the players and staff of the Rams who move to the Thousand Oaks area after the team returned to Southern California just two years ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEAN MCVAY: It always gives you a perspective on -- sometimes I know me personally, you get upset about losing a game or whatever and it kind of brings you back down and you really realize what's important in life and sometimes you take some of these things for granted. But we just can't wish anything but our thoughts, our prayers, our condolences for this terrible act that occurred. And it's just amazing that one person's act can affect so many people in a negative way.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CZARNIAK: Rams' coach Sean McVay there. The Golden State Warriors, also another team that is saying that all those affected are in their thoughts and prayers.

Meanwhile on the court, fans are holding their breath because of what happened to Steph Curry. Anytime he gets injured, obviously is a huge deal out there. It happened again last night though against the Bucks. He left in the third quarter, didn't come back because of the strained muscle in his left leg. Head coach, Steve Kerr saying Curry would go through an MRI today. Adding insult to injury, the warriors lost 134-111. However, they always find a way to turn around.

BRIGGS: They'll be all right. It's hard to be concerned.

CZARNIAK: Because it doesn't matter who they're not -- without. It seems they play so well.

BRIGGS: Hard to be concerned Golden State.

KOSIK: Lindsay, thanks.

BRIGGS: Thanks, my friend. KOSIK: Another Florida election mired in national controversy. Claims of voter fraud by the Republicans as Democrats narrow the gap in two big races.

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