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EARLY START

Gunman Dead, Two Injured In Alabama Mall Shooting; Black Friday Sales Underway; President Trump's Nakedly Political Call To Troops; Brexit Deal Faces Big Test At E.U. Summit; Tiger Woods And Phil Mickelson Open Up Ahead Of "The Match." Aired 5:30-6a ET

Aired November 23, 2018 - 05:30   ET

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


(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:31:24] DAVE BRIGGS, CNN ANCHOR: Thanksgiving night turns deadly at an Alabama mall. Shots were fired during a fight. Police killed the shooter. A 12-year-old among those recovering.

KAYLEE HARTUNG, CNN ANCHOR: Retailers hoping for a big holiday season getting started today. Black Friday sales launched nationwide. Online sales, they're off to a good start.

BRIGGS: And the president uses a Thanksgiving call to troops overseas to air his grievances -- the courts, the border, his critics, and more. Essentially, Festivus on Thanksgiving.

Welcome back to a special holiday edition of EARLY START. I'm Dave Briggs.

HARTUNG: And I'm Kaylee Hartung. It is 31 minutes past the hour.

And as Black Friday gets underway, we have breaking news overnight. At least two people shot and a gunman killed by police. It was a dramatic scene at an Alabama mall. One victim, just 12 years old.

It happened at Riverchase Galleria in Hoover. That's Birmingham's largest suburb.

BRIGGS: Authorities say two people got into a fight and that led to gunfire.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Everybody freaked and screamed and ran into Mountain High, and they stuffed us in supply closets and locked the doors. They seemed prepared.

And then we sat there for five to 10 minutes, all freaking out, and then they opened the escape route doors and we escaped through the escape route doors.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRIGGS: Police who were on duty at the mall for Black Friday responded quickly. CNN's Dianne Gallagher live in Hoover, Alabama with the breaking details. Dianne, good morning.

DIANNE GALLAGHER, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Dave.

And, yes, this happened just before 10:00 p.m. central time, so this was prime time for people to be out shopping on Thanksgiving night.

The mall was packed, it was crowded, and when that shot rang out chaos erupted. They -- people started running out of these doors here -- this J.C. Penney right here. The shooting, itself, happened on the second floor of the mall.

Police say that a 21-year-old man shot an 18-year-old man twice in the torso and then tried to get away. But because of the heavy presence of law enforcement, because of Black Friday, those officers heard the shot, turned around, and then quickly shot that suspect and killed him.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GREGG RECTOR, CAPTAIN, HOOVER POLICE DEPARTMENT, HOOVER, ALABAMA: We were fortunate that Hoover officer was there where he needed to be and we believe at this point, that maybe he prevented further injuries.

DEBBY WOODS, MALL SHOOTING WITNESS: People started screaming and going crazy to just get away from it. And then, cops ran by us with their guns drawn. It was crazy in every direction and I just started praying.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GALLAGHER: You can only imagine what that must have felt like -- people just out shopping.

A 12-year-old girl was also shot once. Dave, Kaylee, I'm told she's now in stable condition. She went through surgery but her injuries are not life-threatening.

They're trying to still put together everything that happened. The officer who fired that deadly shot is on administrative leave, as is typical in these officer-involved shooting situations.

BRIGGS: Let's hope that's the last of the violence we hear about.

Dianne Gallagher live for us in Alabama this morning. Thank you.

HARTUNG: Well, Black Friday really began about 12 hours ago. Shoppers hit the flagship Macy's in New York's Herald Square starting at 5:00 yesterday afternoon.

If sales yesterday and for the past three months are any indication, today could be a really good day for retailers.

Our Alison Kosik is at the Best Buy in Paramus, New Jersey, where the doors open at 8:00 a.m. Alison, what's the story there? [05:35:00] ALISON KOSIK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Black Friday still alive and well, I am here to tell you. The boxes are stacked here waiting for shoppers to rush in. And we're already getting an idea of what they're going to go for because we're watching what's been already -- what's already purchased online.

So, one of the big draws is "Call of Duty: Black Ops" gaming. Anything gaming is going to go like hotcakes. And you see Best Buy employees already stocking a lot of games, getting ready for the rush for those -- for those games.

Also, consoles of Nintendo -- the Switch -- that is really hot this year as well -- a lot of these stacks here. Expect a rush of people to go for these as well.

And the usual flat-screen T.V.s the big draw here, especially it's because of those doorbusters. And that's why a lot of people come to Black Friday instead of just buying their products online because they do get these doorbusters that you can't get online.

But a lot of the shopping, as you said Kaylee, began yesterday, on Thanksgiving Day. Adobe Analytics expects that $3.7 billion was spent just yesterday on Thanksgiving, and I'm just talking about online. So I think a lot of people were on their phones while they were eating their turkey dinners.

Cyber Monday also another big day. Seven point eight billion expected to be spent on that day. And then, the National Retail Federation says overall, you look at the months of November and December, $720 billion expected to be spent just on holiday shopping, and that includes both online and in stores -- Kaylee.

HARTUNG: Thanks, Alison.

I'm more of a Cyber Monday shopper, myself.

BRIGGS: Yes, I don't go near crowds.

HARTUNG: Oh, no. No, thank you.

BRIGGS: Nowhere near them.

Thanks, Alison.

All right. President Trump evoking bedlam and chaos in a series of pronouncements from Mar-a-Lago and making a truly bewildering Thanksgiving phone call to the troops.

It began normally enough, minus the gilded surroundings, with the president wishing service members a happy Thanksgiving on a worldwide teleconference and offering his appreciation for their service to our nation.

But it quickly took a bizarre turn -- several turns, in fact. Actually, the president's response when asked what he is thankful for -- well, it may not surprise you. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REPORTER: What are you most thankful for, Mr. President?

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: For having a great family and for having made a tremendous difference in this country. I've made a tremendous difference in the country. This country is so much stronger now than it was when I took office and you wouldn't believe it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARTUNG: Yes, that's the president giving thanks to himself.

Moving on, he also broke norms with a nakedly political tone on several pet topics and again, defended the Saudis' response to the murder of "Washington Post" journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Senior White House correspondent Jeff Zeleny, traveling with the president, has the task of wrapping this up for us from West Palm Beach.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Dave and Kaylee, as Americans were celebrating Thanksgiving all around the country, President Trump having that phone conference call with military leaders around the world, but that quickly turned political.

The president asking many questions of his military leaders about operational details -- also asking if they agree with him on certain policies he has, particularly along the southern border.

But it was the president's defense, once again, of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia that certainly raised eyebrows when he said this.

TRUMP: I hate the crime, I hate what's done, I hate the cover-up, and I will tell you this. The crown prince hates it more than I do and they have vehemently denied it. The CIA points it both ways, you know. And as I said, maybe he did, maybe he didn't.

But I will say very strongly that it's a very important ally and if we go by a certain standard we won't be able to have allies with almost any country, OK?

REPORTER: Who should be held accountable?

TRUMP: Uh, maybe the world should be held accountable because the world is a vicious place.

ZELENY: So, the president saying the CIA sees it both ways is at odds with that the Intelligence Community actually has learned. They do believe that the Saudi crown prince had advanced knowledge and knew about the murder of "Washington Post" opinion columnist Jamal Khashoggi. The president also amplifying his fight with the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, John Roberts, insisting that liberal judges are actually putting military members and law enforcement officials -- their lives in danger because of rulings at the border.

Now, after all of that, the president also said he plans to interview potential cabinet members for new positions here while he is in Florida.

We do know that Florida attorney general Pam Bondi is scheduled to talk to the president, perhaps for a position at the Homeland Security secretary. Perhaps, even for attorney general.

The president said he is still planning on changing some members of his team. As he's doing all of that, he also managed to find several hours to play golf on Thanksgiving afternoon -- Dave and Kaylee.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRIGGS: Amen to that.

Jeff Zeleny, thank you, my friend.

Former FBI director James Comey and former attorney general Loretta Lynch got a Thanksgiving surprise -- subpoenas. A retiring Republican chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, Bob Goodlatte, requesting closed-door interviews with both in early December.

[05:40:04] The committee is looking into how federal law enforcement officials handed two investigations -- the probes of Hillary Clinton's e-mails and into the Trump campaign's alleged Russia ties.

Comey says he welcomes a public hearing but says he'll resist appearing behind closed doors.

Loretta Lynch has not yet commented publicly.

HARTUNG: Fire officials in Northern California say the Camp Fire is now 95 percent contained. It has burned more than 150,000 acres. That's an area bigger than the city of Chicago.

The death toll so far, it's at 84 -- that's up by one since yesterday -- and hundreds remain unaccounted for.

The National Weather Service says so far, the rains have hit the sweet spot. That means helping firefighters without washing debris and mud down hillsides.

BRIGGS: Americans inspired by the Thanksgiving spirit are helping fire victims. Celebrity chef Guy Fieri helping out a charity run by another celebrity chef, Jose Andres, serving Thanksgiving dinners for survivors and first responders.

This man, James Faircloth, spending the holiday driving with his young daughter from their home in Denver to the fire area in an R.V. filled with items to donate, including the R.V. itself. HARTUNG: Wow.

And then, there's Allyn Pierce, a hospital nurse who helped evacuate patients and staff before running into gridlock on this way out of Paradise, California, as so many people did. But that burned his truck and nearly cost him his life.

Toyota heard about his story on social media and replaced his truck with a new and improved model. Well done, Toyota.

BRIGGS: Yes. Our thoughts with all of the victims of that fire out there in Northern California.

Ahead, European leaders vote this weekend on a Brexit deal, but there are new signs this morning it could start to unravel. We're live in Brussels, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:45:55] BRIGGS: A big test for the Brexit deal this weekend. A draft version of Britain's future relationship with the E.U. ready to go before European leaders Sunday at a summit in Brussels. British Prime Minister Theresa May says, "An agreement is within our grasp," but it's running into a surprise roadblock from Spain.

CNN's Erin McLaughlin live in Brussels where ambassadors are meeting this morning.

Erin, this has been a mess. What's the latest?

ERIN MCLAUGHLIN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Gibraltar is the latest, Dave. It's the talk of the town here in Brussels with the Spanish prime minister threatening to veto Brexit over the status of this tiny British territory, population less than 30,000 people, famous for its rock and monkeys.

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez taking to Twitter late last night to say the following.

"After my conversation with Theresa May, our position remains far away. My government will always defend the interests of Spain. If there are no changes, we will veto Brexit."

And essentially, what Prime Minister Sanchez wants to see if the entire divorce deal, all 585 pages of a legally-binding text, cracked open and inserted in it, a language that would give Spain a say over what happens to the British territory of Gibraltar.

It's a non-starter for the U.K., but it's also a non-starter for E.U.

I've been speaking to diplomats here in Brussels. They tell me they are shocked and stunned at all of this.

They say, though, this is serious, working furiously behind the scenes to resolve this impasse ahead of Sunday's extraordinary summit where all 27 E.U. leaders are expected to sign off on the Brexit deal. From there, it goes to British Parliament, Westminster, where lawmakers are saying they plan to vote the deal down -- Dave.

BRIGGS: A long road ahead. Erin, thank you.

Hillary Clinton urging European leaders to curb immigration to halt the rise of right-wing populists. In an interview with "The Guardian" newspaper, Clinton commended Europeans leaders like German Chancellor Angela Merkel for kindness toward migrants, but she said they need to send out a stronger message that they won't always be able to provide refuge.

HARTUNG: Referring to the rise of populist movements worldwide, Clinton said, "I think Europe needs to get a handle on migration because that is what lit the flame."

Clinton's remarks run counter to her criticism of President Trump for his rhetoric against immigrants.

Europe is still dealing with the fallout from the arrival of about a million people in 2015, fleeing crises in Syria and Sub-Saharan Africa.

BRIGGS: Some hotels depend on social media posts to bring in future guests, but the Ayana Resort Spa in Bali, Indonesia is taking a different approach, banning smartphones and other devices by the pool. The new rule is in effect 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. every day. All electronics, including iPads, digital cameras, and tablets fall under the digital detox.

Marketing group, OnePoll, recently found more than half of American travelers have never switched off devices while on vacation, myself included in that number.

HARTUNG: I believe that.

Now, friends are paying tribute to the oldest surviving veteran of the attack on Pearl Harbor. He died earlier this week.

Ray Chavez was 106 years old. He was a quartermaster at Pearl Harbor in 1941 when the Japanese attacked.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GARY BOBILEFF, FOUNDER; SPIRIT OF LIBERTY FOUNDATION: He was a humble man and he was truly a patriot. Number one, a love of country. That is of paramount importance. Number two, be strong, be bold, be brave.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARTUNG: In a statement, Chavez's family says, "Ray cherished his time going to talk to the kids at schools because he didn't want them to forget Pearl Harbor."

BRIGGS: And there with the commander in chief.

OK. Ahead, a bitterly cold holiday will stretch into another day in the northeast. How long will it last? The chilly forecast, next. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:54:29] BRIGGS: Five fifty-four on Black Friday. One thing to consider if you're shopping in the northeast today, earmuffs or a hat if you're not entirely comfortable with that.

Meteorologist Derek Van Dam has a frigid forecast.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DEREK VAN DAM, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Good Friday morning, Dave and Kaylee.

We are coming off of one of the coldest Thanksgivings ever recorded across the northeast and the chilly conditions continue right into the early parts of your weekend.

We have shattered over 20 record-low temperatures along the New England coastline. Many places from Boston to New York extremely, extremely cold. And, of course, if you factor in the winds outside it even feels colder yet.

[05:55:05] Now, it's not as windy or breezy as it was this time yesterday but nonetheless, it's still windy enough to allow for single-digit wind chill values to impact your morning commute into Boston, New York, Philly. Look at that -- Portland -- a big, fat goose egg this morning. Temperatures across the Great Lakes feel like the middle 20s.

Now we will get a brief reprieve from the cold arctic air later this weekend before another round of chilly temperatures settle in for the second half of next week.

Not much in the way of cloud cover today. Clear skies overhead.

There's our next weathermaker. That will bring rainfall to the mid- Atlantic by Saturday afternoon and evening, and into New England.

There's our temperatures. Notice a cooldown for the second half of next week.

Back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARTUNG: Thanks, Derek. We all survived this coldest Thanksgiving.

Just hours from now, the match -- Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson. Nine million dollars and bragging rights, more importantly perhaps, on the line.

Our Hines Ward sat down with the legendary golfers.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HINES WARD, CNN SPORTS CONTRIBUTOR: And you guys had kind of a hot and cold relationship. Where are you guys at now? It seems like you guys are just having fun and it's all about golf and an appreciation for the sport.

TIGER WOODS, PROFESSIONAL GOLFER: Well, we've always -- we've always respected one another and what one another could do on a golf course. And, you know, the wins and obviously, losing to him doesn't feel very good.

PHIL MICKELSON, PROFESSIONAL GOLFER: I tend to rub it in.

(LAUGHTER)

T. WOODS: He's the wrong guy to lose to.

WARD: We're all in our 40s and you guys found a way to get back into the winning circle. Can you describe that feeling?

MICKELSON: Our level of consistency isn't quite what it has been, but I have a feeling and belief that as we've had had a success this year -- we've had a bit of a taste of it -- I think that it's going to propel us into a phenomenal year in '19. I see us winning -- both winning multiple tournaments and more major championships.

WARD: Who wins the first major between you guys?

MICKELSON: It's at Augusta -- the next one's at Augusta.

T. WOODS: Yes, it's a good one for both of us. We both like Augusta.

MICKELSON: We both seem to have success there, so --

T. WOODS: I mean, there's seven coats between us --

MICKELSON: Yes, yes, yes.

T. WOODS: -- but I have -- but I have more.

WARD: You've got more.

MICKELSON: I know.

(LAUGHTER)

WARD: Now, Phil, I have to pound you up first for this -- your amazing dance skill --

T. WOODS: Oh, God.

MICKELSON: Thank you.

WARD: -- and the commercial that --

MICKELSON: Thank you.

WARD: And listen, I've won "DANCING WITH THE STARS" --

MICKELSON: Not many appreciate those moves, so thank you.

WARD: I appreciate it and the fact that would there be any dancing going on if you --

MICKELSON: No. I mean, you said if you win. So if I win, I know it's very possible that I might do the worm across the green. It's possible.

WARD: Right.

MICKELSON: I'm not sure how it's all going to play out because I don't want to -- I don't want to rub it in too early --

WARD: Yes.

MICKELSON: -- but that could come out.

WARD: On a scale of one to 10 --

T. WOODS: See, there's some pressure right there.

WARD: Pressure.

T. WOODS: I need to win so I don't see the worm.

MICKELSON: There you go.

WARD: You don't want to see the worm, huh?

MICKELSON: How he responds to that pressure, that's the real question.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARTUNG: You've got to love these guys just getting into each other's heads.

BRIGGS: Oh, man.

HARTUNG: And, you know, Tiger's a heavy favorite.

You can watch it all on "Bleacher Report" live and Pay-Per-View and see what happens for yourself today at 3:00 eastern. Finally, I feel like we've been talking about this for months.

BRIGGS: Oh, I'd pay 20 bucks just to see those two hang out a while.

HARTUNG: Right.

BRIGGS: The dynamic is really fantastic.

I'm excited for that match -- nowhere near as much as I'm excited for the live-action remake of the 1994 classic, "The Lion King." The trailer is out for the new one.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) MUFASO, VOICE OF JAMES EARL JONES, WALT DISNEY STUDIO, "THE LION KING": One day, the sun will set on my time here and will rise with you as the new king.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARTUNG: That is a great way to start your day.

BRIGGS: Oh, man, is that glorious. The teaser replicates the opening scene of the beloved animal film. The cast includes Donald Glover as Simba, Beyonce as Nala. And you've heard James Earl Jones reprising his role as Mufasa.

The remake will hit theaters next summer.

We should mention John Oliver as Zazu.

HARTUNG: Such an all-star cast.

BRIGGS: And my favorite movie of all time. I'm already in line for that. I just can't wait for July 19th. That's 238 days, for anyone's who is wondering.

HARTUNG: Well, in the meantime, thanks for joining us. I'm Kaylee Hartung. Appreciate you being with us.

BRIGGS: Great to have you here. I'm Dave Briggs. "NEW DAY" starts right now. See you next week.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

D. WOODS: I heard one and then bang, bang and people started screaming.

BRIGGS: One person killed, two others wounded in an Alabama mall on Black Friday.

RECTOR: We were fortunate that Hoover officer was there. Maybe he prevented further injuries.

ZELENY: President Trump talking to military commanders across the world.

TRUMP: The CIA doesn't say they did it. Maybe he did or maybe he didn't.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I want him to thank those service members and it breaks my heart that he can't do it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANNOUNCER: This is NEW DAY with Alisyn Camerota and John Berman.

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to our viewers in the United States and around the world. This is NEW DAY. It is Friday, November 23rd, 6:00 here in New York. John Berman is off. John Avlon joins me. Happy belated Thanksgiving.

JOHN AVLON, CNN ANCHOR: Happy day after Thanksgiving or happy Black Friday --

CAMEROTA: That's right.

AVLON: -- as they ominously call it.