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EARLY START

Record Deep Freeze; Russians Targeted Mueller Probe; Trump Seething at Intel Chiefs; Roger Goodell Breaks Silence on Controversial No-Call. Aired 5-5:30a ET

Aired January 31, 2019 - 05:00   ET

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


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[05:00:04] LAURA JARRETT, CNN ANCHOR: Record cold has the U.S. hunkered down. Deadly low temps overnight, life-threatening conditions for tens of millions of people.

DAVE BRIGGS, CNN ANCHOR: Robert Mueller's investigation targeted by the Russians. How a pro-Russian Twitter account spread confidential information.

JARRETT: Go back to school. The president seething at his intelligence chiefs who publicly contradicted him on security threats.

BRIGGS: And if you think this is a sinkhole, think again. An underground tunnel with bad intentions. You won't believe where that tunnel leads to. That answer is coming up in just a bit.

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

JARRETT: And I'm Laura Jarrett. It's Thursday, January 31st, 5:00 a.m. in the East.

The record breaking deep freeze is moving east but the Midwest is by no means out of the cold, cold woods. Chicago set a record cold high temperature -- minus 10 without the wind chill -- and the ultra cold weather halt postal deliveries and close schools for a second straight day today.

In Milwaukee and Minneapolis St. Paul, public schools also stayed closed to avoid roads that look like this. If you can see anything at all there.

In Michigan where it felt like minus 35 with the wind chill, the governor is pleading for people to turn their thermostats down to 65 degrees until midday Friday. A fire at a compressor station is limiting gas delivery.

BRIGGS: A fire also causing big problems for firefighters in Hammond, Indiana. At 22 degrees below zero, the water immediately turning into hazardous ice. Fire chief telling us, quote, I'm currently thawing out and so is my crew.

Moments ago, we've learned a tenth person has died from the weather. Four of them in Iowa. Nationwide, about 6,200 flights have been canceled since Tuesday. Hazardous road conditions causing at least seven injuries with this multicar pileup in Pennsylvania.

JARRETT: A lot of people doing amateur science experiences to pass the time, including kids and parents stuck at home in Wisconsin. Hot water instantly turning to ice.

There's one group the weather could in the deter, though -- runners in the Arrowhead 135 ultra marathon. The wind chill at the finish line in Tower, Minnesota, a staggering 52 degrees below zero. Some of the runners finished with their faces completely encased in ice.

More than 80 million people face temperatures below zero in the coming days. Dozens of record lows are expected to be set overnight as well.

Meteorologist Pedram Javaheri joins us live from the CNN weather center with the latest.

How bad is it going to get?

PEDRAM JAVAHERI, AMS METEOROLOGIST: A little bit worse here for at least parts of the Northeast. But, you know, we're going to gradually see an improvement here. And, in fact, even at this hour, the wind is dying down just a hair across parts of the Northeast here, and parts of the Midwest here. So, we're going to see conditions as far as wind chills be limited a little bit.

But notice this, highs today in Chicago, zero. Yesterday, highs were minus 10. That's still some 31 degrees below average.

In places like Washington, upper 20s, New York into the teens, still running a good 20 degrees below average. And into the Midwest, we go, where we have wind chills now in, say, International Falls, sitting identical to the actual air temperature which means that there is very little to no wind to be had across that region. So we'll see the winds quiet down a little bit.

Chicago still seeing blustery winds, 21 below right now, feels like 40 degrees. And the worst of it still a couple hours away for Chicago and the advisories, the watches still widespread across this region, now including much of the Eastern Seaboard and Northeast as well.

And cold enough here, once you get down to the 30 and 40 below range where folks are reporting frost quakes taking place. You might not have heard of this term because it is unusual, but the soil moisture, if it freezes fast enough, it expands, causing some popping sounds and vibrations. And folks reporting this unusual phenomenon taking place in the past couple days.

And notice even at this hour now, New York 4 degrees, 16 below what it feels like. Philly feels like minus 9. Pittsburgh almost minus 20 degrees, the wind chill at this hour.

And, of course, all of in leading to disruptions, some 6,500 flights already impacted by this for Thursday. A lot of these preemptive flights that were cancelled or delayed, and noticed in Midway and O'Hare really taking the brunt of this, the vast majority of those disruptions out of the Midwest. But we will have a rapid warming trend taking us back up into the 30s in places like New York and Chicago, even into the 40s by the time we get toward this weekend.

So, at least, it's short lived once we get through today.

BRIGGS: Yes. Maybe some reason for people in Chicago to look forward to Super Bowl Sunday if they are over the bears. Thank you, Pedram.

OK. National security concerns after the Mueller probe was targeted again, but this time not by congressional Republicans, the Justice Department says a pro-Russian twitter account targeted the investigation, spreading confidential information. The information is from a case Mueller's team filed against a Russian company.

[05:05:03] JARRETT: The company is accused of funding an Internet troll farm that interfered in the 2016 elections. The Justice Department has been turning over evidence to the company's U.S. legal team and Mueller's office now claims that some evidence showed up on a Twitter account posted from a Russian IP address.

BRIGGS: The tweets linked to thousands of documents altered to make the Mueller investigation look like a nothingburger. The documents did not have sensitive information, but the concern for the FBI is whether people behind the accounts did have access to more sensitive material.

JARRETT: President Trump claims he will leave all decisions involving the Mueller report to the Justice Department. Remember, he's been bashing the Russia probe as a hoax and a witch hunt for years. But he now tells "The Daily Caller", quote, I could have ended everything. I've chosen to stay out of it, but I have the right to, as you know, I had to right, if I wanted to, to end everything. I could have just said that's enough. Many people thought that's what I should do.

The president insists that he has not spoken to the Acting Attorney General Matt Whitaker about the time table for wrapping up the Mueller probe.

On Monday, Whitaker announced that the investigation was close to being completed.

And when President Trump receives his intelligence briefing today, it will be interesting to see whether the Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats is the one to deliver it. CNN has learned the president was seething yesterday as he watched coverage of his intel chiefs testifying on Capitol Hill and repeatedly contradict him. Two sources confirming Mr. Trump singled out DNI Coats by name and here's why.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We have won against ISIS. We've beaten them and we've beaten them badly.

DNA COATS, DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE: ISIS is intent on resurging and still commands thousands of fighters in Iraq and Syria.

TRUMP: Chairman Kim, we are well on our way. We signed an agreement that said we will begin immediate denuclearization.

COATS: North Korea will seek to retain its WMD capabilities and is unlikely to completely give up its nuclear weapons and production capabilities.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRIGGS: The president taking to Twitter to rip his intel chiefs as passive and naive, concluding they should perhaps go back to school.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer firing off a letter to Coats, calling the president's criticism extraordinarily inappropriate. Schumer writes Trump's attack will undermine public confidence and efforts to protect national security.

JARRETT: Border security talks getting under way in Washington. A bipartisan group of 17 launches expecting optimism about avoiding another government shutdown. No clear progress was made however. Democrats offering money for personnel, ports of entry and technology, but not a border wall. Government funding expires once again on February 15th.

BRIGGS: Most of the negotiators are considered dealmakers rather than hard liners, but each party's leadership will ultimately shape the debate. Mr. Trump blaming former Speaker Paul Ryan for not getting border wall funding. He tells "The Daily Caller", Ryan assured him Republicans would get him the money once he agreed not to veto the omnibus spending bill last year.

JARRETT: Former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz downplaying concerns by Democrats that he could help Donald Trump's re-election if he enters the race as an independent. On Wednesday morning, Schultz's Twitter account posted and then deleted a message pointing to an article that said that he could win the White House in 2020, described Senator Kamala Harris as shrill, and called Senator Elizabeth Warren Pocahontas.

Here is how Schultz addressed concerns during a town hall demand at Iowa State University.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What you're going to do is you're going to have us have another four years of president Trump. Please explain to me why you feel you can't run as a Democrat.

HOWARD SCHULTZ, FORMER STARBUCKS CEO: The Democratic Party today has moved so far to the left, what better expression of democracy would there be to provide a better choice and not the binary choice of just a Republican and Democrat.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Two words which a lot of people here probably weren't even born when this happened, Ralph Nader. (END VIDEO CLIP)

BRIGGS: That was yesterday at Arizona State.

As for Nader, he picked up about 97,000 votes in Florida in 2000 and Al Gore lost to George W. Bush by 500 votes there.

Sherrod Brown also testing the waters for a White House bid kicking off a dignity of work tour in his home state of Ohio.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. SHERROD BROWN (D), OHIO: Donald Trump has used his phony populism to divide Americans and to demonize immigrants. He uses phony populism to distract from the fact that he has used the White House to enrich billionaires like himself, because real populism is not racist. Real populism is not anti-Semitic. Real populists don't engage in hate speech and don't rip babies from families at the border.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[05:10:00] BRIGGS: Senator Brown's listening tour will take him to Iowa, Nevada, New Hampshire, and South Carolina.

JARRETT: Bringing back manufacturing jobs, it was the core of the president's campaign. Now, one company said it would help may be reneging.

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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: I want to wish you good luck and congratulations on truly one of the eighth wonders. I think we can say the eighth wonder of the world. This is the eighth wonder of the world. But this is something so special.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRIGGS: That is President Trump claiming credit for bringing a big factory to Wisconsin to be built by Taiwanese tech giant, Foxconn. That was then. Now, Foxconn changing its plans undercutting the president's central promise.

Foxconn got $4 billion in incentives the LCD screen plant. Now, rather than opening a $10 billion screen factory, the company plans to recruit researcher, designers and engineers, a technology hub.

[05:15:09] But it says it is going ahead with developing the property and still expects to hire up to 13,000 workers even though a "Reuters" source says it is closer to 1,000.

The president was quiet about the news Wednesday. The White House says the president has created one of the strongest business climates in American history and that any reductions to the initial investment would be disappointing.

In a statement, Foxconn said: The global market environment that existed when the project was first announced has changed, while the project's focus will be adjusted to meet these new realities, the Wisconsin project remain as priority for our company.

JARRETT: The health secretary in Washington state says the measles outbreak is expected to get worse. Right now, 40 cases have been, 37 of those in Washington, another in Oregon and two in Hawaii. Visitors from Washington state.

According to the New York state department of health, today, there have been 209 cases of measles. An outbreak that began in October. A hundred and forty-five cases have been reported outside of New York City. Those cases are not linked to the ongoing outbreak in Washington state.

BRIGGS: All right. Ahead, Roger Goodell finally breaks his silence ten days after the blown call that cost the Saints a trip to the Super Bowl. Andy Scholes has the "Bleacher Report" this morning from Atlanta just outside the stadium.

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[20:00:56] JARRETT: This could be a movie. A Florida sinkhole that turned out to be an underground tunnel to a bank. It stretches 50 yards long. Now, the tunnel did not quite reach the bank, but the FBI says it was heading directly toward an ATM.

The case will be investigated as an attempted burglary. Authorities believe more than one person likely dug that tunnel. They don't yet know where it ends or when it was abandoned.

BRIGGS: All right. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell finally breaking his silence on that blown call that cost the Saints a trip to the Super Bowl.

Andy Scholes has more from outside Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

Andy, would you suggest that Saints fans essentially said too little too late?

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely, Dave. And, you know, during his annual state of the league address, Roger Goodell said, you know, he understands the frustration of Saints fans and that the league will look at expanding instant replay in the off season so this kind of call doesn't happen again. But, you know, he basically said it boils down to the game is being officiated by humans and there are going to be mistakes.

But the big question going to Goodell's address was, why did he and the league remain silent and never say anything to the fans after that blown no-call? Well, Goodell basically brushed off the question saying the league did address it right after the game.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) ROGER GOODELL, NFL COMMISSIONER: We addressed it immediately after the game. We spoke to the coach. The coach announced the conversation and the fact that the play should have been called. And we had several conversations with those clubs and other officials over the next several days. That's our process. We understand the disappointment of the Saints fans, the organization and the players, and we understand that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHOLES: Now, first time since that devastating loss, Sean Payton, head coach of the Saints, meeting with the media in New Orleans, and he said, like many Saints fans, he didn't want to leave his room after the game.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEAN PAYTON, SAINTS HEAD COACH: After the game for two to three days, much like normal people, I sat probably didn't come out of my room, I ate Jenny's ice cream and watched Netflix for three straight days.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHOLES: Genuine reaction.

President Trump, he also weighed in on the Saints misery, telling "The Daily Caller" he feels badly for the fans in Louisiana, calling it, quote, maybe the worst call I've ever seen.

All right. Goodell was also asked in question yesterday about Colin Kaepernick and how for he second straight season, he remains out of the NFL. And just like last year, Goodell again said, well, the decision is not up to him.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOODELL: Our clubs are the ones that make decisions on players that they want to have on their roster. Individual clubs make decisions that maybe another club won't. And they all want to win. And they are all going to do whatever they can to win.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHOLES: Coolest part of Super Bowl week is always the NFL experience. It is like a giant playground for fans. And one of the coolest exhibits I found this year is this quarterback simulator, it's developed by former GM of the Denver Broncos. You put this headset on and it is like you are right on the field playing in the game.

It's the first system that tracks the trajectory of a real football thrown into a responsive virtual environment. UCLA has already purchased this technology to work with their quarterbacks, and, Dave, I'll tell you what, they're able to do so many cool things with this, like change the skill set of players, change the kind of formations they're going up against. It is so realistic, I can definitely see teams in the future using this software to train for games week to week.

BRIGGS: Did they actually change your skill set to allow you to complete an NFL pass?

SCHOLES: I completed of eight. I'll tell you what, it's how realistic it was. It was very fast, I was really behind a lot of my passes, but I think I hit one post route for a touchdown.

[05:25:00] BRIGGS: Good job, Andy Scholes. I'll see you down there in a couple hours, my friend.

SCHOLES: All right.

BRIGGS: Laura, over to you.

JARRETT: I feel like we're going to see you in one of those VR headsets tomorrow when you're anchoring --

BRIGGS: You bet. Absolutely.

JARRETT: -- there in Atlanta.

Well, record cold overnight, expect more of the same today sadly. Over 200 million Americans in freezing temperatures, the death toll rising overnight.

And the Mueller investigation targeted again, not by conservatives this time, but pro-Russian Twitter accounts spreading confidential information.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BRIGGS: Record cold has the U.S. hunkered down.

END