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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin

Southeast Bracing For Hurricane Matthew; Hundreds of South Florida Flights Canceled; Evacuation Order Affects 12 FL Counties; SC Governor Orders Coastal Evacuations; Countdown To Second Debate; How Will Hurricane Impact Campaign?; Clinton Off Trail, Preps For 'St. Louis Sequel'; Trump Holds 'Practice' Town Hall In NH; Trump Touts Pence's Performance In VP Debate; Thousands Of Wealthy Families Pay No Taxes. Aired 5-5:30am ET

Aired October 06, 2016 - 05:00   ET

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

[05:00:00] CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN NEWS ANCHOR: -- the accidents leading to traffic jams, long lines. Also lines of people stacking up because they've decided to ride this out. The crowding in the grocery stores, emptying shelves, buying up every single sheet of plywood to cover up their windows. A federal state officials are warning residents to take evacuation orders in earnest. They are suggesting the possibility of devastation not seen since hurricane Andrew in 1992.

BARACK OBAMA, UNITED STATES PRESIDENT: Just remember that you can always rebuild, you can always repair property, you cannot restore a life if it is lost, and we want to make sure that we minimize any possible loss of life or a risk.

RICK SCOTT, GOVERNOR: Protecting life is the number one priority right now. If Matthew directly impacts Florida, there will be massive destruction that we haven't seen in years.

[05:00:49] JOHN BERMAN, CNN NEWS ANCHOR: All right. Let's get the latest update from the CNN Weather Center, joining us now, Meteorologist Derek Van Dam. Derek, what's the latest on the path?

[05:00:57] DEREK VAN DAM, CNN WEATHER ANCHOR: Well, John, Christine, we have just now received an update from the National Hurricane Center, this is their five o'clock a.m. update, and sure enough, Hurricane Matthew has strengthened since the last update which was at 2:00 a.m., winds now sustained at 125 miles per hour. This puts it at one of the upper echelons of Category 3, tittering on a Category 4 hurricane. You can see a very well-defined eye that's now just about 50 miles south of the capital of the Bahamas, which is Nassau, and roughly 12-24 hours out from really impacting the Florida coastline. So, all final preparations need to be under way. If you're going to evacuate, you should be making that decision right now. This is the latest warnings, Brevard County, Northward towards the border of Florida and Georgia. That shading of red indicates our hurricane warnings. The probability of hurricane force winds increasing as the moments go by for the Atlantic facing seaboard of the Florida Peninsula, but of course, what is so crucial here, is that miles matter in terms of the exact path of that eyewall, which contains the strongest winds. Let me explain. Come to the this 3D graphic, you can see the exact path that the National Hurricane Center has with Hurricane Matthew, as we speak. But any deviation inland about, let's say, 50 miles, that will take the strongest winds inland with it. So, impacting like Okeechobee, perhaps into Orlando. Let's say the storm path is 50 miles east of that, that brings the strongest winds offshore and that will spare the east coast of Florida, the most direct hit from Hurricane Matthew. Needless to say, this is a formidable storm. Here are the threats; damaging winds and storm surge, the major concern. John, Christine?

BERMAN: And we're watching that very, very closely, hoping somehow, it moves further out to the east and avoid direct impact in Florida, but reason for serious concern over hundreds of miles. Thanks, Derek.

ROMANS: All right. Airlines have already canceled more than a thousand South Florida flights, that's according to flightaware.com. Fort Lauderdale International Airport will shut down in just a few hours at 10:30 this morning. Miami International is monitoring windspeeds and other factors to decide if and when it will shut down. You just heard Derek say, that's a 125-mile-per-hour winds here, over 35 miles per hour, the airlines don't fly, 55 miles per hour, the tower shuts down. You got residents evacuating here, although some are planning to ride out the hurricane. CNN Sara Sidner is there for us this morning in Daytona Beach with the very latest.

[05:03:29] SARA SIDNER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: John and Christine, we are starting to feel some of the effects of the storm, light winds, and we can hear the surf crashing on the shore. We know that surge is up and it's going to get higher and higher and higher as these winds and these bands of rain start coming through here in Volusia County. This is the place where it's normally filled with people who love beach, love the ocean and love the night life, well, you're not seeing much of that here. Most people are heeding these warnings. A lot of the residents have already evacuated and certainly the tourists have decided either not to come or they've left already. We can tell you this, when we went into stores to see what they still had things like, palates of water, all sold out, gas cannisters, sold out, generators, sold out in much of this county. We can tell you, though, that there are already voluntary evacuations happening in the barrier islands, including Merritt Island, that's about 150,000 people that have to get off those islands. Those voluntary evacuations are going to become mandatory this afternoon. This storm is no joke and people here are heeding warnings. It is a monster storm, and if it comes in as a Category 4, a lot of folks who grew up in Florida like myself, remember what Hurricane Andrew was like, and they don't want to be around for it. John and Christine?

BERMAN: All right, Sara Sidner for us in Daytona. Hurricane preparations also underway in South Carolina. The Governor has ordered the evacuation of hundreds of thousands of people from two coastal counties, which where we get the latest from our Stephanie Elam.

[05:04:59]STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: John and Christine, as you can see here in Charleston, we are right downtown on King Street, and you can see lots of preparations have been made here. The street for one, is pretty deserted, and you can see some of the stores have already been boarded up as people are preparing to evacuate. In fact, that was one of the big things that the government has wanted here in South Carolina so much so that they took Interstate-26 and they reversed the direction on both side, so all lanes, now only flow west, away from the coast. You can't get back in downtown on I-26, and that's because they really want people to get out of the way and stay away from this area that could be effected. Governor Nikki Haley going so far as to say, that people really will be putting other people in danger if they stay here. Take a listen.

NIKKI HALEY, GOVERNOR: Anyone that's trying to wait this out, we ask you to take caution and try and heed what everybody else is doing. We have been very, very appreciative of the way South Carolanians have responded to this evacuation, because we saw them start early, they've been very patient, everything seems to be going smoothly, but we will continue to watch this until the evacuation is done.

ELAM: And it looks like people here are taking up that guidance. We know that according to South Carolina, some 250,000 people have already evacuated and another 200,000 are expected to evacuate today. They're just saying that people need to not play meteorologist themselves and they need to not try to guess where this hurricane is going. They need to pack up and leave for their safety, and for the safety of their loved ones. John and Christine?

BERMAN: All right. Stephanie Elam. The rematch, the next debate between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, just three days away, will tell you their new lines of attack on the campaign trail, that's next.

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[05:10:43] BERMAN: All right. This morning, millions of people in the southeast, bracing for Hurricane Matthew. This storm is building in ferocity. We just got an update from the National Hurricane Center. It is now about at 125 miles an hour, a very strong Category 3, it could be a Category 4, if and when it makes landfall, anywhere along the Florida Coast, and then, it may head up to North Carolina. More than 2 million people in three states are being urged or ordered to evacuate. We'll keep you updated on this storm throughout the morning.

ROMANS: All right. Thirty three days until the election, and just three until the next face-to-face showdown between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. Want to talk politics this morning is CNN Politics Reporter, Eugene Scott, live in Washington. Good morning, Eugene. It's hard to talk politics when you've got this big Category 3 hurricane staring down the face of Florida and the Southeast Coast this morning. Can we expect -- how it will impact the campaigns, you think, in the next couple of days?

[05:11:35] EUGENE SCOTT, CNN POLITICS REPORTER: Well, I think those -- this hurricane is in the states that both of these candidates care about quite a bit. There's a lot of attention as you know on Florida. And so, I think how each side will respond to meeting the needs and the concerns of the voters in those states, who don't just have safety concerns, but will have economic concerns following this hurricane, will have a huge impact on how they do moving forward, especially on election day.

BERMAN: Yeah. President Obama actually already canceled the campaign trip to Florida registered voters. The Clinton campaign POLITICO is reporting is actually spending money on advertising on the weather channel right now, nationally, in Florida. That's the report out of POLITICO, so that's pretty interesting. And of course, Eugene, the next debate is Sunday night, the rematch between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. Hillary Clinton talked about it at a fund-raiser overnight.

HILLARY CLINTON, DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'm looking forward to our next debate, next Sunday. I thought the first one went pretty well. And just as in that first debate, I feel it's my responsibility not to defend myself against his attacks, because, really, been there, done that. I think it's my responsibility to defend everybody else against his attacks.

BERMAN: So, Eugene, this was actually a fund raiser that Hillary Clinton did last night. She's got the more fund raising events, but otherwise, off the trail completely between now and Sunday night to prepare for the debate. What do we know about how Donald Trump is preparing this time?

SCOTT: Well, the thought and the hope, and expectation of people on the right is that, he's preparing by watching his vice president's performance a couple of days ago, who did very well overwhelmingly in polls and according to pundits. But it remains to be seen, I think one of the things that made Mike Pence so well-received from voters is his temperament, and the reality is, his temperament is so significantly different from Donald Trump's, that'll be a challenge, I imagine, for the candidate to adopt that.

ROMANS: But Eugene, last night, or yesterday in Nevada, Donald Trump seemed to take credit for that temperament of his candidate - of his - of his vice presidential running mate. Listen to what he said.

DONALD TRUMP, REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Mike Pence did an incredible job and I'm getting a lot of credit because that's really my first so-called choice, that was my first hire as we would say in Las Vegas.

ROMANS: How did he do in Nevada yesterday? I mean, there was this really interesting -- he was asked about Yucca Mountain which is, what, the most important political issue in the entire state, and he didn't really have an opinion or an answer.

SCOTT: Yeah, I think his familiarity with the local issues leaves a lot to be desired for voters. But this is not new and this is not a surprise to many people. I think they are focused on him, just winning things nationally and hopefully beating Hillary Clinton. The challenge is, Hillary Clinton is pretty familiar with the issues in Nevada and has been on the ground there. And so, whether or not they will be able to speak to the major concerns of voters in the states that really matter, we will soon know.

BERMAN: It was really interesting to listen to Donald Trump take credit for the Mike Pence debate performance. He said, you know, people are giving me a lot of credit because I think Mike Pence yesterday, and this is what people suggested that maybe Trump was concerned that Pence did too well, and made him look bad which I rightfully believe. But Mike Pence came out yesterday and said, "The real winner of this debate was Donald Trump." Which he indicates, wow, I mean, here's a guy, he really wants to make the boss feel good.

SCOTT: Yeah, very much. I will say the first time -- my first reaction to hearing Donald Trump call Mike Pence his first choice, I started thinking about all of the other people we thought would have been the first choice like Chris Christie. And I was wondering how they received that, but I think him highlighting that Pence was a high pick for him will create some level of calm and peace for many of those republican voters who are really afraid of a Donald Trump presidency and then banking on Mike Pence to calm their fears.

ROMANS: Alright. The first thing I thought was Mike Pence was Donald Trump family's first choice for running mate, you know, because there's a lot of pressure from his family to pick - to pick Mike Pence. Looks like that paid off. Alright Eugene, thank you.

SCOTT: Thank you.

BERMAN: All right. More on the running mates. Tim Kaine is going to be on "NEW DAY" that's about 7:30 Eastern Time. And after that Mike Pence, he will be on, oh, about 8:30. So we'll get a chance to hear from both of them. And of course, the big event, Sunday night, the rematch, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump in St. Louis, Missouri. This debate, one of the moderator moderators will be Anderson Cooper. CNN will be there all day in Washington University.

ROMANS: All right. Donald Trump did not pay any federal incomes taxes as suggested by The New York Times report this week. He's part of an exclusive club. It's a club of 666 U.S. households that make more than a $1 million in income and don't owe any federal income tax. This is brand new analysis from the tax policy center. Another 3,700 households making between half a million and a million dollars a year also do not pay federal income tax.

The tax code is designed to be progressive, the more you make, the more you pay, but wealthy Americans have an advantage. They can score bigger tax breaks that others can't, like making investments overseas and taking a tax credit on what they pay to foreign governments. They can also give more to charity and take the deduction. Plus when the rich take big bets and lose, they can take a loss. That applies to investments and businesses. If a loss is large enough, it can greatly reduce, if not, eliminate their tax bill altogether in a given year. But the tax policies that are going over and trying to find out just how rarefied is the error there for those big earners who don't pay any taxes. BERMAN: All right. The "BREAKING NEWS" this morning, Hurricane

Matthew just getting an update on it, it is getting stronger, warnings expanded along the coast of Florida. Plus, the best big game pitcher on planet earth. Just beat that guy right there, the San Francisco Giants move on, the New York Mets go home. Andy Scholes (INAUDIBLE) all have it in the "BLEACHER REPORT."

ROMANS: Berlin is a city filled with history, but whether you're heading there for business or pleasure, you don't have to go to a museum to see one of the most iconic relics of the City's past.

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LAUREN VAN VUUREN, BERLIN ON BIKE: Berlin, particularly unique is its history. The past really lives in the city. Seeing it by bike is the best way to see it. Welcome to Berlin. My name is Lauren Van Vuuren. There's a bike culture here that's enjoyable, relaxing, and the convenient way to see the largest spaces of the city. For example, the Berlin Wall, where the wall ran in the city is now mark by double road coble stone. The wall symbolizes different things to different Germans. For some, it's definitely a symbol of a loss. You can't escape the past here. There are some parts of the city where you have memorials, remnants of the wall that have been saved. It is increasingly a race against time to make sure the memory of it doesn't fade completely. When you actually stand there, and you say, "This is where someone jumped and died," or "This is where someone ran to escape." There's always a moment where people just look genuinely astonished and often moved, coming here and experiencing its remains. That's very powerful.

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[05:23:11] ROMANS: Hurricane Matthew closing in on Florida. The latest report, we've just got a brand new report from the National Hurricane Center. Matthew's winds now, sustained winds of 125 miles per hour at the upper limit for the Category 3 hurricane. The Storm is expected to gain more strength and hit the Southeast coast as a Category 4 storm. We are told by meteorologists and by the - you know, the aircraft that's up there, you know, taking a gauge of these -- of these winds that is becoming more organized, the eyewall is becoming more organized. This thing is strengthening.

[05:23:42] BERMAN: All right. After a grueling 162-regular game season, the Mets are done, their season's over. No more New York teams playing baseball right now, all thanks to one man Madison Bumgarner. Andy Scholes has the "BLEACHER REPORT." Hey, Andy.

[05:23:55] ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Hey, good morning, guys. You know, Madison Bumgarner may very well be greatest post pitcher of all time. He's only 27 years old. Bumgarner just dominating the Mets last night, pitching a complete game shutout. He's the only pitcher in baseball history to throw multiple shutouts in winner-take-all post season game. Just incredible. This game, it did go all the way to the ninth innings, tied at zero. That's when Conor Gillaspie became a hero, for the Giants, crushing this three-run home run to win the game for San Francisco. They beat the Mets 3-0 in the Wild Card game. And the Giants will face the Cubs on Friday. The Division series, they get going today Blue Jays at Rangers, then we have Red Sox at Indians. You can watch both of those games on TBS.

The fan suspected of throwing a beer can onto the field in Toronto during the American Wild Card game reportedly plans to turn himself in. Police released a photo of the suspect on social media. He's identified as journalist Ken Pagan. The beer nearly struck the Baltimore outfielder. Blue Jays issued a statement apologizing to the Orioles organization for the incident.

As SPORTSWORLD continues to keep an eye on Hurricane Matthew, many big events are planned this weekend in Florida, on Saturday. The Big college football game, Florida hosting LSU, Miami hosting Florida State, and up the Coast, North Carolina and South Carolina also, both in action at home. The schools say they're monitoring the storm. They will move games if necessary. The NFL is monitoring Matthew as well. The Miami Dolphins are going to host the Titans on Sunday. The hurricane could possibly hit North Carolina, Saturday.

NASCAR officials hoping that it doesn't affect their race on Sunday in Charlotte. All right. If you have to pick (INAUDIBLE) Rob Gronkowski on you fantasy team this year? Probably aren't doing too well. Gronk only has one catch for 11 yards this season. And he said he knows his Fantasy owners aren't happy with him right now.

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ROB GRONKOWSKI, TIGHT END FOR NFL NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS: Man, I know. I mean, I can't even go to the grocery store without getting yelled at. Why - I mean, I'm like, "Why did you draft me then, though?"

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SCHOLES: Well, you know what, guys, I'm guessing Gronk's production picked up this weekend because one Tom Brady returns to life at the Patriot against the Browns.

BERMAN: Might be a little bit better, a wee bit better for him and the Patriots. Andy Scholes, thanks so much. Appreciate it.

SCHOLES: All right.

BERMAN: All right. Florida is bracing for Hurricane Matthew. This storm, it is just gained strength. We're getting a new forecast and new reports. Our breaking coverage continues next.

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