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EARLY START

U.S. Seeks Toughest North Korea Sanctions; Dreamer Program to End?; Bracing for Hurricane Irma. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired September 05, 2017 - 03:00   ET

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


(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

[03:00:04] NIKKI HALEY, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO THE UNITED NATIONS: His abusive use of missiles and his nuclear threats show that he is begging for war.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

DAVE BRIGGS, CNN ANCHOR: America's ambassador to the United Nations lashing out at North Korea's leader, escalating tensions, as the world waits to see if they'll test yet another weapon.

ALISON KOSIK, CNN ANCHOR: President Trump is expected to announce today he's ending the immigration program known as DACA. What that could mean for the young, undocumented immigrants known as DREAMers that it protects?

BRIGGS: Plus, Hurricane Irma en route to American soil, Florida and Puerto Rico already declaring a state of emergency ahead of landfall. And a storm weary United States.

Good morning, everyone, and welcome to EARLY START. I'm Dave Briggs.

KOSIK: Good morning. I'm Alison Kosik. It's Tuesday, September the 5th. It's 3:00 a.m. in the East, 2:00 a.m. in Houston, and 3:30 p.m. in Pyongyang.

BRIGGS: We're coming at you an hour early if you're checking your watch. We begin with North Korea, defying international condemnation over its latest largest nuclear test with signs of more tests yet to come. U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley, arguing at an emergency Security Council meeting that the International Community must exhaust every last bit of leverage over Pyongyang to avoid a nuclear war.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

HALEY: The time has come to exhaust all of our diplomatic means before it's too late. We must now adopt the strongest possible measures. Kim Jong-un's action cannot be seen as defensive. His abusive use of missiles and his nuclear threats show that he is begging for war.

(END AUDIO CLIP) KOSIK: Among North Korea's few remaining paying points that could be targeted with sanctions, oil imports, textile exports, and the regimes other sources of foreign currency. Pyongyang slamming the U.S. via state media, bragging it will use its, quote, nuclear strategic weapons to eradicate the land of the U.S. with no trace left on earth.

BRIGGS: All of this as South Korea says it has spotted continuous signs the North is preparing yet another ICBM test.

CNN's Ian Lee joins us live from South Korea, where that country has been conducting exercises off the east coast of the Korean Peninsula.

Ian, good morning to you.

IAN LEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Dave. And some disturbing news coming out of North Korea this morning. We are just getting a report that a Korea's National Intelligence Service told lawmakers in a closed door session that the North is believed to be moving a projectile that is suspected to be -- being an intercontinental ballistic missile. They don't know where it's going or what is going to happen.

But we have heard reports that the North is preparing for another ballistic missile test on September 9th. They are going to be celebrating the foundation of the North Korean Government. It could be around that time. But we know it could be hours or even days away.

And we're also hearing from the South Koreans that they are ramping up their live-fire exercises. They had the Navy this morning carrying out drills in the eastern waters on the eastern coast, demonstrating to the North that they're ready for any sort of provocation that could be coming.

And this comes as Japan's defense minister says that that nuclear explosion, that test, was a lot larger than previously believed. They didn't give the size of it. But they said it's a lot larger than the bombs that fell on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

You know, we have heard that the president of South Korea finally had that phone call with President Trump. They talked about U.S. ties, military ties strengthening those. But they also talked about South Korea's ballistic missiles and lifting the cap on the power of those missiles.

Right now, it's capped at 500 kilograms. They want that to be gone. They want stronger missiles. They also want more weapons. There was an agreement for billions of dollars worth of weapons and equipment.

Dave?

BRIGGS: That after some pretty critical tweets from the president aimed at South Korea and our allies. Ian Lee, live for us in Seoul. Thank you.

KOSIK: President Trump assigning China a large share of the blame in the aftermath of North Korea's nuclear test. The president even tweeting, the administration is considering stopping all trade with any country doing business with North Korea. China would certainly be at the top of that list.

CNN's Andrew Stevens is live for us in China this morning with their reaction to these threats. Good morning.

ANDREW STEVENS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Alison. Yes, the Chinese coming back pretty swiftly in saying that it's totally unacceptable and unfair for Donald Trump to aim sanctions at China when they are doing so much they say to resolve this crisis in North Korea.

[03:05:03] In fact, China is seem to be taking that threat from Trump a lot more seriously than the many of the delegate side, they expect to hear at this BRICS Summit with the Chinese president and four other world leaders. Most delegates here dismissing it as just too far- fetched saying it would hurt the U.S. too much for a start.

Now, I should point out that China has so on North Korea forcefully and clearly condemned North Korea's action. But what they haven't done is given any further strategy on how to combat this rise of the nuclear North Korea.

What they said and what they continue to say is the only way forward is through dialogue and through this plan called the freeze for freeze plan, Alison. That is where the U.S. and South Korea freeze their joint military maneuvers which are known to infuriate Kim Jong-un.

At the same time, North Korea would freeze its missile and nuclear program. After that happens, they then sit down and talk, the U.S. and North Korea. It doesn't seem to be getting any attraction or whatsoever.

We heard Nikki Haley saying at the U.N. that it was an insult, that plan because if you've got a rouge state with an ICBM and a nuclear weapon pointed at you, you don't lower your guards. And we've all seen what North Korea has done as far as its suspension actually up -- it's ramping up its nuclear program. And now, it looks like its missile program as well.

So, all waiting now really to see what the U.N. does with these sanctions and whether China buys into those, Alison, those sanctions look like they're going to be much, much tougher. China has the key economically. It has 90 percent of North Korea's international trade.

The massive question, is it prepared to use that leverage to bring North Korea to the table or is it still too worried that that leverage by doing something like that, cutting of oil supply for example will create chaos on the North Korea which they say they'd rather see a nuclear North Korea than a North Korea in chaos with millions of refugees potentially coming across their border.

KOSIK: Exactly. So stability of the region foremost important for China. It is questionable if China will even abide by these so-called tougher sanctions from the U.N. All right, CNN's Andrew Stevens, thanks. BRIGGS: All right, North Korea has evolved from a regional menace to a global threat, some strong words from Yukiya Amano, the head of the U.N.'s International Atomic Energy Agency. He calls Sundays' testing of a hydrogen bomb a new dimension of threat.

For more on the diplomatic efforts to cool tensions on the Korean Peninsula, let's bring in CNN's Nic Robertson live from the IAEA in Vienna, Austria.

Nic, good morning.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yes, good morning, Dave. I spoke with Yukiya Amano yesterday and he said, look, when it comes to North Korea, they're making rapid progress to their stated goals of miniaturized nuclear weapon. He can't say how farther advance. He can't say whether the latest test was a hydrogen bomb. But it is very clear in his mind that this is something that cannot be ignored by the global community.

He says when North Korea states that they're going to try to do something that you have to take it as read, that's what they're going to do. For that reason, he stood up a North Korea inspection team here ready, raise their level of training, raise the level of equipment and readiness that they have should there be a diplomatic agreement that would allow them to go into North Korea. And go into monitoring mode of North Korea's equipment.

They used to be there in the past. They've been pushed out. So where does the diplomacy stand right now? You heard the British ambassador to the United Nations yesterday say sanctions work. We've heard from the German and French leaders as well saying that sanctions work. They want more sanctions from the U.N. More sanctions from the European Union.

But when in the past has there been enough agreement to get a deal. And that has always come when the main powers, the sort of the six principle powers get agreement. That would be China, Russia, and the United States principally. And right now, they're on opposite side of the agreement. The United States won't go for what China and Russia want which is that freeze for freeze. That's not equivalence there in anyone's mind.

So, there -- at the moment, you do not have the diplomatic agreement between the principal players to even begin the final agreement that brings North Korea into allowing the monitors from here to go in.

Dave?

BRIGGS: And there was the question of what is left to sanction. Time will tell as the story continues to escalate. Nic Robertson live for us in Vienna. Thanks

[03:09:28] Ahead, the Trump administration expected to announce today it will end the program for young undocumented immigrants called DREAMers. But, they're giving Congress a chance to fix it reportedly. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BRIGGS: Later today, President Trump expected to announce his decision to end DACA. That's the Obama-era program that protects so- called Dreamers. Young documented -- undocumented rather immigrants brought to the U.S. as children.

Now, Attorney General Jeff Sessions will also hold a briefing at the Justice Department to discuss the president's plan. Sources tell CNN the president wants to delay the dismantling of DACA so lawmakers have a chance to save it if they should chose.

Sara Murray has more from the White House.

SARA MURRAY, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Dave and Alison.

Sources tell CNN, even though the president is expected to end the program, he's going to do it with a six-month delay, a window that allows for Congress to come up with a legislative fix to this issue.

That news was welcomed by some Republicans who say Congress is the one who should be mending this issue. They shouldn't be legislating from the White House. But others, including the head of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and Democrats panned President Trump's expected announcement, calling it heartless and saying it defies what he said on the campaign trail.

As a candidate, Trump took pretty much every side of this issue. He promised to end DACA as soon as possible when he came to the White House, but he also said that he would treat the DREAMers with heart and be sure to protect them. Now, sources caution that until the president actually makes the announcement, things could always change. So, we await the words from President Trump's mouth.

[03:15:08] Back to you, guys.

KOSIK: OK. Sara Murray, thanks very much.

And some of the biggest names in business urging President Trump and Congress to continue DACA. The CEOs 18 AT&T, Best Buy, and Wells Fargo joining dozens of business leaders adding their names to a letter defending DACA. First released last week, more than 300 business leaders had signed a letter. That number has now climbed above 400.

One of the original backers of the letters, Apple CEO Tim Cook, he tweeted this, he said, 250 of my Apple co-workers are DREAMers. You looked surprised here, Dave.

BRIGGS: That's a big number. Yes.

KOSIK: It is a huge number. And he goes on to say, that they deserve our respect as equals and a solution rooted in American values. Thousands of people are likely to lose their jobs if Trump phases out DACA. And that's according to a study by the left leaning Center for American Progress. An average of 30,000 people will be out of work each month, each month if DACA is repealed. And that would put significant pressure on employers to fill holes in their workforce.

You know, a lot of people don't realize these undocumented immigrants are huge part of the fabric of the U.S. economy.

BRIGGS: Yes. You know, it's a progressive outlet but the estimates from them have been 700,000 jobs loss, $460 billion loss to the economy.

KOSIK: The reality is, it's a big chunk of the economy.

BRIGGS: Yes. It'll be an intriguing debate. It's up to Congress to somehow find a fix here.

Coming up, a legislative fix for DACA, well, that's just one agenda item on a very long to-do list for Congress as lawmakers return to work today. They also have to raise debt ceiling, the head off a government shutdown, oh, and past Hurricane Harvey relief, tact on tax reform in a budget blueprint. And there's a lot to get done.

President Trump summing it up last night with this four-word tweet, big week coming up.

KOSIK: Oh gosh.

BRIGGS: No doubt about that.

All right, Hurricane Irma headed straight forward the Caribbean with Florida in its path. The latest forecast for you, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[03:21:34] KOSIK: As Hurricane Irma strengthens into a Category 4 storm, packing 130 mile-an-hour winds, they're preparing for the worst in the Caribbean and in Florida. American Airlines canceling flights to and from Caribbean destinations as Irma approaches. States of emergency already in effect in Puerto Rico and Florida.

Governor Rick Scott saying he spoke to President Trump, Sunday, about Hurricane Irma, and the president offering the full resources of the federal government. The monster storm could potentially hit South Florida this coming weekend.

Meteorologist Pedram Javaheri is tracking Irma and he joins us live. So, it looks like this could possibly hit the Miami area, Pedram?

PEDRAM JAVAHERI, CNN METEOROLOGIST: You know, the latest models coming in here in the last hour or so with the National Hurricane Center updating their forecast is while it's shifting in a little farther towards the west. And we'll touch on this momentarily because we're now up to 140 miles-per-hour. About 10 miles shy of what would be a Category 5 but the forecast at this point still keeps it as a strong Category 4 over the next three to four days.

And of course we know Turks and Caicos, the Bahamas, and then Cuba, before a potential right turn puts the storm system in the path of Florida. But again, notice, a lot of spread now beginning to come in towards the latter portion of the model. A lot of -- some of the models wanting to take this south into the mountains of Cuba that would really disrupt the storm but of course, about 11 million people live in the path there.

But, if it does take a northerly track, and we know beyond this, as you're going towards a Saturday and to Sunday, it's a steering environment are such the storm would shift to the right. At this point, notice a lot of the models favoring Western Florida for an area for a landfall into the states.

So if that occurs sometime this weekend, of course we know the population density on the western side of the state especially out near the Everglades considerably lower than on the east side of the state near say Miami and in that region. So this is what we're watching as you look, high pressure towards north forcing the storm to keep southerly track.

But guys, we have a major cold air outbreak in store for us across the Eastern U.S. And as the jet stream takes a dive through the south, that could actually play a role in where Irma ends up. We're hoping it keeps tugging it away from Florida. But at this point, it looks like Florida to be the most likely scenario for landfall this weekend.

KOSIK: Oh, nerve wrecking.

BRIGGS: Hopefully that cold flow keeps it out there. Pedram, thank you, sir.

JAVAHERI: Thanks.

BRIGGS: Meanwhile, a new step today in recovery from the devastating floods caused by Hurricane Harvey. Houston's mayor says most businesses are expected to reopen this morning. He says the city is operational and more than 95 percent dry.

That is a new normal for sure. Officials say, it will be a long time before the extent of the flooding damages really known. As the water recedes and people clean out their food -- flood-ravaged homes, one major concern is the potential spread of contamination from flooded toxic waste sites.

We get more from CNN's Martin Savidge in Houston.

MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning Dave, good morning Alison.

Houston you could say is the headquarters of the petrochemical industry. It is also home to some of the most toxic waste dump sites in all of America. They're known as superfund sites. And more than a dozen of those sites are thought to either have water come very close to them or they may have actually been flooded. The EPA has been wanting to look at these sites to try to ascertain whether or not any of the toxic chemicals that they may have contained could have leaked out into the environment.

They'd already looked at these sites from the air. But this was their first opportunity, eight days after the flooding to get into these sites to look at them on the ground. We went along and saw three of those sites. The first one is a 17-acre site. It does not appear that water actually got into the site there was a lot of rainwater, but they say, the containers in which the chemicals were housed all appeared to have been secured. They actually were secured before Harvey hit shore.

[03:25:16] Then the other sites we looked at, those have been heavily flooded. No question that there was extensive water that have run over all of them. But again, the EPA feels quite confident that the soil and the cement that have been on top of those sites have been there for some time, have been undisturbed. And they believe the contents also did not leak out. The reality is though, there was just not enough time to get say a second opinion from environmental groups.

And everyone seems to agree that perhaps the greatest pollution threat to the city was just everyday life. More than a million cars are thought to have been flooded out. There were gasoline stations. There were also the homes and the businesses with their chemicals, their cleaning supplies and the paint. All of that ended up in the Houston floodwaters.

Back to you.

KOSIK: All right, just amazing pictures there. Our thanks to Martin Savidge.

All right, people recovering from flood damage in Texas are going to need a lot of help for the months to come. To find out ways you can help, go to cnn.com/impact.

BRIGGS: All right, ahead, South Korea is showing military force after North Korea's nuclear test as Ambassador Nikki Haley tells the U.N. that Pyongyang is begging for war. The latest on the nuclear standoff, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[03:30:40] HALEY: We have kicked the can down the road long enough. There is no more road left.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRIGGS: Ambassador Nikki Hailey telling the United Nations that North Korea must face strong sanctions as South Korea suggests Pyongyang may test yet another weapon.

KOSIK: The Trump administration expected to end the immigration program that protects young undocumented immigrants. Can Congress sticks the program that shields DREAMers?

BRIGGS: And another hurricane this time, Irma, coming to the U.S. strengthen into a Category 4, Florida, Puerto Rico bracing for impact.

Welcome back to an early, EARLY START. I'm Dave Briggs.

KOSIK: Good morning. I'm Alison Kosik. Its 30 minutes pass the hour. And we begin with North Korea defying international condemnation over its latest larger nuclear test with size of more tests to come. U.S. ambassador to the U.N., Nikki Hailey arguing at an emergency Security Council meeting that the international community must exhaust every last bit of leverage over Pyongyang to avoid a nuclear war.

BRIGGS: Among north --

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

HALEY: The time has come to exhaust all of our diplomatic means before it's too late. We must now adopt the strongest possible measures. Kim Jong-un's action cannot be seen as defensive. His abusive use of missiles and his nuclear threats show that he is begging for war.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

BRIGGS: Among North Korea's few remaining paying points that could be targeted with sanctions, oil imports, textile exports, and the regimes other sources of foreign currency. Pyongyang slamming the U.S. via state media, bragging it will use its, quote, nuclear strategic weapons to eradicate the land of the U.S. with no trace left on earth.

KOSIK: All of this as South Korea says it has spotted continuous signs the North is preparing another ICBM test.

CNN's Ian Lee joins us live from South Korea, where that country is conducting exercises off the east coast of the Korean Peninsula. Good morning Ian. So it looks like South Korea flexing its muscles. What kind of messages it sending?

LEE: Yes, trying to keep up that defiance stance Alison with this live fire exercises by the Korean navy in the eastern waters. Now this is the third exercise we've seen. We've seen them conduct exercises with the navy, with the army and the air force. And what this is all trying us to tell the North is that they're ready.

In the case of a war that they're prepared to go after the North Korean military but also more importantly go after their nuclear infrastructure as well as the leadership of North Korea.

And early this morning we do have more distributing news coming out of North Korea with the National Intelligence Service of South Korea telling lawmakers that they have spotted a projectile on the move that they believe is an intercontinental ballistic missile. And for days now we have heard that there could be another ballistic missile test. Now, we need to remember on the 9th. So this Saturday is the foundation of the North Korea government. It could take place then or it could take place within hours or days. No one really knows when or if that test is going to happen.

And this also comes as President Moon has a conversation a long time coming with President Trump over 24 hours after that nuclear test. They reaffirm the U.S. for South Korea and talk about closer military cooperation and also more military equipment and weapons coming to South Korea. Alison.

KOSIK: All right. CNN's Ian Lee thanks so much.

BRIGGS: President Trump is signing China a large share of the blame in the aftermath of North Korea's nuclear test. The president even tweeting, the administration is considering stopping all trade with any country doing business with North Korea. And China would certainly be as a top for that list.

CNN's Andrew Stevens live for us in China this morning with their reaction to these threats. Good morning Andrew.

STEVENS: Good morning to you Dave. Yes. China is responsible for something like 90 percent of North Korea's international trade.

[03:34:59] So obviously China is the target of Donald Trump. And their respond or the Chinese responded by saying, this was very unfair and very unacceptable. They say, why should they be just targeted to sanctions when they're doing whatever they can to try to bring about a peace of resolution on the Korea peninsula?

And they say, the fundamental policy is a denuclearization of the Korean peninsula. But they're still not offering any new strategy on how to get there. What they've often so far and this is the plan that has been back to the hilts by Vladimir Putin is what they're describing as a freeze for freeze plan.

It means that the U.S. and South Korea would freeze their joint military operations. We know these operations infuriate to Kim Jong- un. They play to his insecurities that he thinks that the U.S. maybe using this as a pretext to get ready to launch an invasion of North Korea.

So they want those joint military drills stop and return. North Korea would postpone or suspend its nuclear program and its missile program. And then the talks begin. The U.S. sits down with North Korea. Nikki Haley, the U.S. ambassador to the U.N. has says completely sort of this and that.

She said today, it was basically insult to what she said at the U.N. She said, that, you know, when you've got road state with an ICBM and a nuclear weapon and that the missile is pointed at you, you do not lower your guard. So there's nothing likely to happen on that front which brings us to the sanctions part, Dave.

And the big question is, if the U.N. pushes through with tough, toughest quantum leap if you like in sanctions, will China sign up for it, because China is also a very worried about creating an instability on the Korean peninsula which could took course chaos on -- in North Korea which could force millions of refugees into China.

And that is that last thing China wants. In fact they want that much less or they want that much less. And they want to on Korean peninsula which has nuclear weapons. So that's their equation at the moment.

BRIGGS: Yes. Stability on the peninsula clearly China is overwriting goal here. Andrew Stevens, live for us in China, thank you sir.

KOSIK: North Korea has evolved from a regional menace to a global threat, strong words from Yukiya Amano, the head of U.N.'s International Atomic Energy Agency. He calls Sunday's testing of a hydrogen bomb, a new dimension of threat.

For more on the diplomatic efforts to cool attentions on the Korean peninsula, let's bring in CNN's Nic Robertson, live from the IAEA in Vienna, Austria.

You know, we're talking about these tougher sanctions of being imposed possibly on North Korea. We've seen sanctions happen time and time again and North Korea continuing to ignore them. What would be different this time even if that includes carteling oil shipments, oil trade with North Korea?

ROBERTSON: Well, if China did cartel entirely its oil shipments to North Korea and all countries principally including China stop taking exports or rather imports of North Korean tankers. That would absolutely have an effect on the North Korean economy.

But both things would need to be enforced fully. Of course, North Korea has a fullback in terms of power generation for electricity on the coal that it's not exporting right now because of sanctions. So therefore, they would have that opportunity to use coal fuel power stations to generate power.

It would potentially have a significant impact on the country if it was fully enforced. But that's the point where the international community is out of divergence where President Trump is having trouble pressuring China into that position, where sanctions have been successful in the past on North Korea.

And therefore, North Korean's compliance with the international community has been successful is when the international community is fully aligned. And right now, we have Russia and China on one side proposing freeze for freeze which isn't going to fly with the United States and its other allies in Europe for example.

So there isn't an agreement with the parties that would have to get North Korea to agree with them. So where we stand right now is a position where it's not clear that those sanctions whatever they are will be fully enforced. So even endorse the U.N. Security Council that everyone saying, everyone does agree sanctions are going in the right direction you have today.

In the last hour or so President Putin essentially comparing the situation in North Korea with Iraq, really trying to sort of place in everyone's minds around the globe that the United States really is looking to destabilize that this is a poor scenario. And Putin for his point, you know, is really driving a greater wedge between President Trump and the rest of the international community.

[03:39:59] KOSIK: Exactly. You know, Russian President Putin, Vladimir Putin warning sanctions on North Korea, he calls them useless and ineffective. Meantime, you spoke to the head of Internation Atomic Energy Agency, Nic, what did he say?

ROBERTSON: Yes. Look, I asked him principally, you know, isn't just time to say that North Korea does have a miniaturize nuclear weapon that can be fitted on an intercontinental ballistic missile that it does in fact threaten the world.

He said, look, we don't know, we can't know that precisely. But what we do know he said is that when North Korea says something it generally follow through that it's making what he describe as rapid progress, the very big test that they've just had over the weekend, a number of test they've had in the past couple of years are indication rapid, rapid progress is what he said.

And for that reason, these were his words now. It now represents a global threat. This is what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

YUKIYA AMANO, DIRECTOR GENERAL, INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY: I think North Korean threat is a global one now. In the past, we believe that that is a regional issue. It's no longer the case. Everyone is aware that this is a global threat.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTSON: But what Yukiya Amano is doing here is the little that he can. But it's stepping up and getting ready a team of inspectors to go to North Korea, should there be some kind of diplomatic solution that going to be better equipped and better trained than they would have been in the past. He wants them high readiness to go if they going to talk that will be used.

KOSIK: And yes, and we see or certainly see North Korea wrapping up its provocations another missile launch expected. Another missile test expected this weekend. All right, CNN's Nic Robertson, thanks so much.

BRIGGS: All right, later today, the Trump administration expected to announce that a program protecting young undocumented immigrants will end. They're offering Congress a short window to make it permanent. More on that, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [03:46:08] BRIGGS: Later today, President Trump expected to announce his decision to end DACA. The Obama-era program that protects so called DREAMers, young undocumented immigrants brought to the United States as children.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions will hold a briefing at the Justice Department to discuss the president's plan. Sources telling CNN, the president wants to delay the dismantling of DACA. So lawmakers have a chance to save it if they so choose.

Sara Murray, has more from the White House.

SARA MURRAY, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Dave and Alison.

Sources tell CNN, even though the president is expected to end the program, he's going to do it with a six-month delay, a window that allows for Congress to come up with a legislative fix to this issue.

That news was welcomed by some Republicans who say Congress is the one who should be mending this issue. They shouldn't be legislating from the White House. But others, including the head of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and Democrats panned President Trump's expected announcement, calling it heartless and saying it defies what he said on the campaign trail.

As a candidate, Trump took pretty much every side of this issue. He promised to end DACA as soon as possible when he came to the White House, but he also said that he would treat the DREAMers with heart and be sure to protect them. Now, sources caution that until the president actually makes the announcement, things could always change. So, we await the words from President Trump's mouth.

Back to you, guys.

KOSIK: OK. Sara Murray, thanks very much. And some of the biggest names in business urging President Trump and Congress to continue DACA, CEO's of AT&T, Best Buy, and Wells Fargo joining dozens of business leaders adding their names to a letter defending DACA. First released last week, more than 300 business leaders had signed the letter. Well, guess what, that number is now climbed above 400.

One of the original backers of the letter Apple CEO, Tim Cook, he tweeted this, 250 of my Apple coworkers are DREAMers. I stand with them. They deserve our respect as equals and a solution rooted in American values. Thousands of people are likely to loose their jobs if Trump phases out DACA, that's according to a study by the left leaning Center for American Progress.

An average of 30,000 people will be out of work each month if DACA is repealed. And that would put significant pressure on employers to fill holes in their workforce. You know, if Donald Trump is looking to improve the economy and keep the economy humming along this --

BRIGGS: Yes.

KOSIK: -- can certainly appended.

BRIGGS: Well, in the last business leaders after Charlottesville --

KOSIK: Right.

BRIGGS: And this response to that, and this might be an opportunity to bring business leaders back to the table.

KOSIK: He's not winning any favors here.

BRIGGS: Right. Doesn't fear --

KOSIK: They're not winning any friends.

BRIGGS: -- to be coming.

All right, coming up, with the legislative fix for DACA just one agenda item on an extraordinarily long to do list for Congress, as lawmakers returned to work today. They also have to raise the debt ceiling, to head off a government shutdown, also past Hurricane Harvey relief, tact on tax reform, and a budget blueprint and there is a lot to get done.

President Trump summing it up last night with this four word tweet. Big week coming up. The understatement of the year thus far, well said.

[03:49:17] KOSIK: And gas prices, they are still raising more than a week after Harvey knock the gulf coast oil refinery is industry offline. Is some relief in sight? We're going to get a check on CNNMoney stream, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BRIGGS: As Hurricane Irma strengthens into a Category 4 storm packing 130-mile-an-hour winds, they're prepping for the worst in the Caribbean and in Florida. American Airlines cancelling flights to and from Caribbean destinations as Irma approaches.

Sates of emergency in effect in Puerto Rico and Florida, where Governor Rick Scott says he spoke to President Trump Sunday about the hurricane. And the president offered the full resources of the Federal Government. This monster storm could potentially hit South Florida this coming weekend. Meteorologist Pedram Javaheri tracking Irma, he joins us live this morning. Good morning, Pedram.

KOSIK: Good morning.

JAVAHERI: Hey Dave, hey Alison. You know, just watching the storm since in the last few minutes here, the track shifting just a little bit. I want to talk about this because Hurricane Irma still setting at a pretty strong an incredible Category 4 system just about 10-mile shy what would be Category 5.

The model still suggests the oceanic and also the atmospheric environment is such that the storm is not going to weaken. So again, retains this category from maybe gets stronger into a Category 5. The timing at this point, we think Thursday eventually into Friday, it pushes in somewhere near Cuba and then beyond that.

[03:55:05] There's a little variations between where the storm can end up. I want to show you the guidance here, again, pretty confident in the track not be more a southerly track once it gets passed the Bahamas so potentially into Northern Cuba.

If any sort of interaction occurs with Cuba here, mountains go up as high as about 6,500 feet. And that would do a tremendous damage to the storm itself beginning to shredded apart that could weaken the storm significantly. But of course over 10,000 million would be impacted by this across Cuba.

But you notice, the track then begins turning towards the North, a few models now pushing this back into the gulf. But the highest concentration brings it in somewhere around initially the Florida Keys and then beyond that into the Everglades regions of southern and southwestern Florida.

So again, steering environment is as such that we think it will take track. And real quickly, I want to layout the models comparing what is typically the best models to look at the European and the American models. They're overlaid on top of one another. You noticed, it looks like one sphere.

Well, there two on top of each other here. There is one, there is another bringing both right around the keys. Continued into this weekend and early next week notice both of these models would take the storm directly into southern Florida maybe overland the entire time up through Georgia if this verified.

So, again, still watching some changes here that could come in over the next several days for the track over the storm.

KOSIK: So many variables.

BRIGGS: Yes. The resources of FEMA about to be tested yet again, thanks so much, Pedram.

JAVAHERI: Yes. Thank you.

KOSIK: New step today in recovery from the devastating floods caused by Hurricane Harvey. Houston's mayor says, most businesses are expected to reopen this morning. He says, the city is operational and more than 95 percent dry. But it is a new normal for sure. Official say, it will be a long time before the extend of the flooding damages really known as the water recedes and people clean out their flood ravaged homes.

One major concern is the potential spread of contamination from flooded toxic waste sites. Let's get more now from CNN's Martin Savage in Houston.

SAVIDGE: Good morning Dave, good morning Alison. Houston you could say is the headquarters of the petrochemical industry. It is also home to some of the most toxic waste dump sites in all of America. They're known as superfund sites.

And more than a dozen of those sites are thought to either have water come very close to them or they may have actually been flooded. The EPA has been wanting to look at these sites to try to ascertain whether or not any of the toxic chemicals that they may have contained could have leaked out into the environment.

They'd already looked at these sites from the air. But this was their first opportunity, eight days after the flooding to get into these sites to look at them on the ground. We went along and saw three of those sites. The first one is a 17-acre site. It does not appear that water actually got into the site there was a lot of rainwater, but they say, the containers in which the chemicals were housed all appeared to have been secured. They actually were secured before Harvey hit shore.

Then the other sites we looked at, those have been heavily flooded. No question that there was extensive water that have run over all of them. But again, the EPA feels quite confident that the soil and the cement that have been on top of those sites have been there for some time, have been undisturbed. And they believe the contents also did not leak out. The reality is, though, there was just not enough time to get say a second opinion from environmental groups.

And everyone seems to agree that perhaps the greatest pollution threat to the city was just everyday life. More than a million cars are thought to have been flooded out. There were gasoline stations. There were also the homes and the businesses with their chemicals, their cleaning supplies and the paint. All of that ended up in the Houston floodwaters.

Back to you.

KOSIK: Such devastating pictures. Martin Savidge, thank you so much. All right, let's get a check on CNNMoney stream. Markets around cautious after North Korea's biggest ever nuclear test over the weekend, Japanese and South Korean stocks ending the day lower and tensions on the Korean peninsula remain in focus after reports North Korea is transporting what could be an intercontinental ballistic missile.

European stocks are barely moving. And U.S. markets are pointing to a slightly lower open today after being closed Monday for the Labor Day holidays. We will see their first reaction to this missile test today. Gas prices will be rising -- are rising more than a week after Hurricane Harvey knocked the gulf coast oil refining industry offline.

But the increase has begun to slow. The national average price for a gallon of regular is up 27 cents in the last week. In Texas, the average price is 34 cents higher since last week. But these spikes, these hikes, they appear to be slowing, thankfully. The spike in gas prices had been expected because at within point almost 30 percent of the nation's total refining capacity along the gulf coast was cut because of floodwaters.

Some refineries are beginning to come back online.