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Wildfires Continue to Burn in California; Democrat Kyrsten Sinema Defeats Republican Martha McSally in Arizona Senate Race; Recounts continue in Florida Senate and Gubernatorial Race; Michelle Obama Publishes Memoirs. Aired 8-8:30a ET

Aired November 13, 2018 - 8:00   ET

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

[08:00:00] JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning and welcome to your NEW DAY. It is Tuesday, November 13, 8:00 in the east. Alisyn is off. Erica Hill joins me. As I said, we are one week from the midterm elections. You promised to get me an anniversary present this hour.

ERICA HILL, CNN ANCHOR: I have it for you. It is coming up a little bit later towards the end of the hour.

BERMAN: So stay tuned for that.

In the meantime, we have breaking news out of California. Catastrophic wildfires devastating the state. It has been a deadly and terrifying night there. The death toll now stands at 44, 42 of those deaths are from the blaze called the Camp Fire which is now the deadliest wildfire in California's history. The death toll, the numbers could rise because dozens and dozens of people are still accounted for. There is a different fire, the Woolsey fire, threatened thousands of homing in southern California. And today there they are expecting near hurricane force winds. We will have reporters live from both fires in just a few minutes.

HILL: Today, also as John pointed out, marks one week since the midterm elections. Let's take a look where we stand right now. Breaking overnight, an unprecedented victory in the Senate race in Arizona where Democrat Kyrsten Sinema edged out her rival, Martha McSally, flipping a seat that has been in Republican control for more than two decades. She also becomes the first woman to represent Arizona in the Senate.

Meantime, in Florida, take a look at this. These are live pictures of the recount still underway in key races. A little quieter this morning, but let me tell you, even an hour or two ago, bustling there. All of this of course ahead of Thursday's deadline in that state as tensions continue to flair, prompting a judge to urge both sides to, quote, ramp down the rhetoric.

And there is new CNN reporting this morning on another shake up in the works at the White House. President Trump asking, perhaps, Kirstjen Nielsen, his secretary of Homeland Security, to resign in the coming days. Let's tackle all of it with "Washington Post" White House reporter

Seung Min Kim who is also a CNN political analyst, "The Daily Beast" Washington bureau chief and CNN political analyst Jackie Kucinich, and reporter and editor at large of CNN politics, Chris Cillizza. Chris, I'm going to start with you. So CNN is reporting, obviously we're learning, listen, there have been rumbling for some time that the president is not happy with Secretary Nielsen, as we know, that she has perhaps found her job challenging at some times. But the fact, Chris, that she wanted to hold on, as we understand it, at least through her year anniversary in early December, could she really be out in the coming days, Chris?

CHRIS CILLIZZA, CNN POLITICS REPORTER: Sure. And I would suggest that we sort of, as you point out, Erica, saw this come in that Donald Trump, we know the two of them have clashed in private before. We know that he has railed against her for her inability, in his mind, to stop the flow of immigrants trying to enter the country. Obviously, he's agitated in the days leading up to the election about this caravan, which by the way is still quite far away.

The thing to watch here is not just Nielsen, I think, but remember, Nielsen is extremely close to John Kelly. She followed him as Department of Homeland Security secretary when he ascended to the chief of staff role. We know that John Kelly and Donald Trump are also, I don't want to say on the outs, but have had a fractious relationship. Is this a two-for-one deal. Does Kelly say if she's gone I'm gone, or does Trump say you're both gone, because those are two people we know who he has not been thrilled with. And we already know he has gotten rid of one person he was not thrilled with, Jeff Sessions, the day after the elections.

BERMAN: John Kelly, two-for-one. Buy one, get one free is another way to look at that, Chris Cillizza. And it's interesting because John Kelly has had shouting matches inside the White House over Kirstjen Nielsen. That shouting match with John Bolton, the national security adviser, reported on by everyone was apparently over the president's criticism of Secretary Nielsen. Presidents shake up cabinets. The one time to do it is after midterm elections. Again, I wouldn't think it is surprising necessarily. Jeff Sessions gone, Kirstjen Nielsen next. We say days, I figure it could be hours at this point given that every paper has it this morning.

SEUNG MIN KIM, WHITE HOUSE REPORTER, "WASHINGTON POST": Yes, and that's right. And that's why interesting, we recall that the president has said John Kelly has committed to staying on his role as chief of staff until the year 2020, but considering how tumultuous his relationships with the presidents and within the White House have been, it's hard to see if that is actually going to happen through the president's reelection campaign.

But I do want to point out, Nielsen has taken on a different job because her job focuses on the issue that the president had been elected in the first place, which is the issue of immigration. And we have reported repeatedly over the last several months just how difficult -- just how angry the president has been with her in private for his view of her inability to deal with this issue at the border. And it's going to be a major challenge for Senate Republicans as well because if and when she does exist that post, first of all, there is no confirmed deputy secretary in place. There is no natural interim in the first place.

[08:05:00] And also, these are two cabinet positions that have often been incredibly controversial and difficult to confirm in the Senate, attorney gentlemen and the Department of Homeland Security, because they deal with very controversial, difficult issues. We are still waiting for votes in Florida. And obviously, we have the Mississippi race still uncalled with the run-off. But Mitch McConnell is not going to have as big a majority as he thought he was. He's going to max out at 53 Republican votes. So votes like this, confirmation votes for these really high level cabinet positions is going to be difficult for Senate Republicans and President Trump.

HILL: Sticking with the Senate for a minute here, if we could, Jackie, let's shift gears to Arizona, looking at what we saw overnight. So Kyrsten Sinema will be heading obviously to Washington to represent the state of Arizona. Martha McSally conceding there overnight. Put this all in perspective for us, because ultimately they could both end up there pretty quickly.

JACKIE KUCINICH, WASHINGTON BUREAU CHIEF, "THE DAILY BEAST": Absolutely, because you still have the appointment of John McCain's more permanent successor. John Kyle, who is currently filling the position is only there through January. So we don't know what the governor there is going to do. Either way, we are going to have the first female senator from Arizona, which is noteworthy. And Sinema is the first since 1995, a Democrat in that position.

When you look at some of the exit polling, it is really interesting to see who has won and lost. And one of the biggest jumps, I thought, was the Latino vote. When you look at exit polls, it appears that Sinema won 30 percent more than McCally. She lost the white vote. Perhaps that had to do with immigration. Sinema surely did take a harder line on immigration than maybe some of her colleagues. She is seen as more of a moderate. So perhaps she's someone that the White House might see themselves having to reach out to because of her views.

But one thing I just wanted to add about Nielsen, I don't expect her to fade into the background anytime soon. Let's not forget House Democrats likely will call her when they are looking into the -- they said they are going to probe things like the family separation issue. I don't think we've seen the last of her on the Hill.

BERMAN: That's a good point. Even as a former, she might have to come up and testify before Congress.

Staying on Arizona, if we can, for a second here, I think in some ways Arizona has been undercover. We have not focused nearly enough on the impact of this. Thankfully, CNN has a three-hour election special tonight, which I imagine Arizona will come up, and I'm sure you play in that. Ron Brownstein, who gets a royalty every time I've said this, said that Arizona is the future of the Democratic Party and always has been. It's this unattainable, holy grail goal they've always had. Well, now, they have got their hands on it to an extent. This is demographics as destiny. This is Democrats succeeding in the sunbelt. This is also a much different result from what we thought might be happening to the Democrats one week ago.

CILLIZZA: Yes. First on Arizona specifically, Jackie mentioned 95 is the last time they've had a Democrat, and she's right. But the truth is it's the last time they had someone elected as a Democrat in an open seat contest was this same guy, Dennis DeConcini in 1976. So DeConcini got reelected and reelected and then retired, to Jackie's point, in 94. But that's a long time ago. I'm 42. That's the year I was born, 76 was the last time they had someone. So I think we forget how solidly Republican Arizona was.

On your broader point, John, I was looking at this last night, and somebody mentioned this. Right now you have Republicans plus one. Now, you have Florida out there. Rick Scott is obviously ahead and we have Mississippi. I would, despite her problems recently, I would suggest Cindy Hyde-Smith is likely to win that. It's Mississippi. If you look at the general election, a lot more Republican votes than Democratic ones.

But even so, plus two on a map that I will remind people 26 Democratic seats, nine Republican seats. Of those 26 democratic seats, 10 in states Donald Trump won, five that he won by double digits. This was the nightmare map of all time for Senate Democrats. To only go down two at max really preserves their ability in 2020. I know people want to talk about the 2022 Senate map. I get that. But my point is they had gone down -- if Senate Republicans control 58 seats, let's say, after this election, it becomes a lot harder to claw back to that majority. When it's 52 or 53, you're much more in range. And I think that gets lost because we just look at the net. Oh, well Republicans picked up seats. Sure, but not what we they could have. This was a once in a lifetime sort of election cycle given the numbers and where the seats were for Republicans, and they did not maximize it.

HILL: I also feel like once in a lifetime in terms of the nastiness involved around a recount. I know there's been nastiness in the past around a recount, but this nastiness early on -- I'm talking of course about Florida -- and Seung, to you, when we look at this, we're hearing a lot of the rhetoric. We heard it from the president, obviously, but we're hearing it on the ground there.

[08:10:01] And the fact that the judge had to come out and say, everybody on all sides, you all need to ramp down the rhetoric, that is something, especially when the deadline for this state law triggered recount isn't until Thursday.

KIM: Exactly. The Rick Scott, Bill Nelson was one of the closely watched Senate races, but it wasn't as openly nasty as, for example, the Sinema-McSally race. All that anger and the vitriol and the nastiness between the two candidates in the two parties is really coming out after the election day as we are waiting for this recount to proceed and to end.

And it's really been fascinating for me to watch Rick Scott kind of in his mode, in almost a Trumpian mode as he has really furiously disputed the election results, and appeared on FOX News several times to discuss this issue. It's been a fascinating twist because Rick Scott was actually one of the very few Republican Senate candidates that didn't cling on to Donald Trump. We saw Senate Republican candidates in Indiana, Missouri, North Dakota, really latch on to the power of the presidency and Trump's popularity to propel them to victory. Rick Scott didn't do that, obviously with Florida being the swing state status that it is. But as we have seen this recount become much more contentious, he's almost become Trumpian in his rhetoric and his tactics.

BERMAN: We're going to talk to a representative from the Scott campaign in a little bit. So we'll talk much more about Florida, which is I want to move on to a different subject, which is Michelle Obama. She's got a new book out. She has a new media tour out. Let me play you what she said the other day. We saw her do an interview with Robin Roberts where she was asked about her conversations with the current first lady, Melania Trump, and whether the current first lady had reached out for advice. Watch this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROBIN ROBERTS: I know Laura Bush reached out to you and said, if you need any help, I am a phone call away. You wrote about how and talked about how you extended that same courtesy to Melania Trump. Has she reached out to you?

MICHELLE OBAMA, FORMER FIRST LADY: No, she hasn't.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: No, she hasn't. As of moments ago we got a response from the White House, from the first lady's team. "Mrs. Trump is a strong and independent woman who has been navigating her role as first lady in her own way. When she needs advice on any issue, she seeks it from her professional team within the White House. Jackie, it appears to me from the outside there is not a lot of love between the Trumps and the Obamas.

KUCINICH: I think That's a good analysis there, John. Let's not forget, Melania Trump also was someone who did promote the birther theories before her husband was even elected president. So there was some tension. But it is -- it is an unusually tense relationship between this White House and their immediate predecessors. We saw this on the campaign trail. And clearly it is continuing into the first lady's office.

Now, on the other side, you can also see Melania Trump getting criticism for looking like perhaps she was being two-faced if she was reaching out to Michelle Obama under the radar and yet being so critical -- or her husband being so critical of the other White House. So you can see it cutting both ways. All in all, it's kind of unfortunate because you would hope that even something like advice, the best way to navigate being first lady, they could put their differences aside. But clearly we're not there.

HILL: Unfortunate, but, in all honesty, not surprising because from the very moment that she stepped into that role, Melania Trump and the folks in her office made it very clear she will do things her way, and that's how she's most comfortable doing them.

I want to stay on the former first lady, because as John just mentioned --

BERMAN: Key race alert.

HILL: Her book "Becoming" is out today. We should play that.

BERMAN: The key race alert, 2020, key race alert.

HILL: We're about halfway into the race for 2020, and we've got this development. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROBIN ROBERTS: And now we look forward to the next election, 2020, 2020.

MICHELLE OBAMA, FORMER FIRST LADY: You're already at the next election.

ROBERTS: I'm looking at you.

(APPLAUSE)

ROBERTS: No, no, no, no.

MICHELLE OBAMA: What's your point?

ROBERTS: You have made it abundantly clear that you have no desire to return to public service like that. But what candidates do you see out there that inspire you and that catch your eye? And did you hear, recently one of Hillary Clinton's former advisers speculating that she could run again. Do you think she should?

MICHELLE OBAMA: I think at this point everybody is qualified and everybody should run.

(LAUGHTER)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: There we go, Chris Cillizza. Everybody should throw their hat in the ring, deflecting a little bit there, perhaps not surprising. But an interesting answer all the same.

CILLIZZA: Oh, look, I actually don't think she's interested in running. I think she's seen it up close enough with her husband to see the ugliness of it and to not be interested in doing it. That said, I think if she did want to run, I think she's a top tier candidate. But I don't think she wants to, but man, oh man she has -- if you're looking for someone who could be the obvious heir to the Obama legacy within the party, which is still quite powerful, it's easy to see that happening. [08:15:00]

But again, she's not someone -- if you look at Hillary Clinton's answers, for example, on this question it's like no, I -- no, I don't want to be president. Now that said, I would be a great president and I'd like to do it. And you're like hmm (ph).

Michelle Obama has been sort of unequivocal. She hasn't done the Shermanesque pledge but she's never expressed interest. She's never been someone who's run for office before.

So I sort of take her at her word. That said, I'm sure if we did a poll today she'd be at or near the top of it.

BERMAN: She -- there's no daylight and I'm one who always looks for some daylight. I always assume that everyone's running. There's no daylight. No wiggle room in her comments. I don't believe she's running for president today. Oh no, there is just put daylight.

ERICA HILL, CNN HOST: Oh look -- look what you did John Berman.

(CROSSTALK)

BERMAN: No daylight. No daylight there. All right. Chris, (inaudible), Jackie; thank you very much for being with us this morning.

CILLIZZA: Thank you.

BERMAN: With the votes still being counted in several key races, CNN is airing a prime time special beginning at 8 PM eastern, "Election Night in America Continued," don't miss it.

It's fascinating because I think we know a lot more about this election than we knew one week ago and they will talk about it tonight.

HILL: This is true. And if you were with us at the top of the broadcast at 6 AM and if you weren't let me fill you in. John Berman pointed out that because it was the one week anniversary, I probably owed him an anniversary gift.

Well lucky for Berman, I happen to keep gifts in my office for just this occasion and when I'm here I drink a lot of tea and I like to read sometimes but my teabags say -- they say little sayings.

My Yogi tea today says, your greatest strength is love, John Berman, so I give you that gift. And then also perhaps it's good for watching tonight during the elections special, your own box of detox tea because I was out of tequila in my office with your set of little sayings that you can share with Ali when she's back tomorrow.

BERMAN: That is so nice. Thank you very much. Happy anniversary.

HILL: Happy anniversary. There we go and down to 2020. We are shifting gears here because another story we're following very closely obviously. Out of California, those wildfires, which are ravaging the state.

The death toll there now climbing to 44. The destruction, it's really unspeakable. We have a live report for you just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:20:00]

Breaking news out of California where the death toll now stands at 44 and the wildfires ravaging the state. Dozens more remain missing at this hour. Firefighters really struggling to contain two main fires right now.

There's the camp fire in the northern part of the state and the Woolsey fire to the south. I want to begin with CNN's Dan Simon. He's covering the camp fire in that devastated town of Paradise, California. Dan.

(BEGIN VIDEO)

DAN SIMON, CNN REPORTER: Well, hi Erica. There was concern at the very beginning that there would be a high death toll with this fire given the fact that it spread so fast and you have a lot of elderly retirees who live in this community.

We know that there are going to be more search and recovery crews out today. They're bringing in at least 150 more personnel along with some cadaver dogs to look for bodies. And there's also the grim task of identifying those bodies.

Keep in mind most, if not all of them, were so badly burned that they could not be identified. So we know that they're asking family members to provide DNA samples so ultimately these bodies can be reunited with their loved ones.

It's just gruesome. In the mean time, let me explain where I am here. You can see these grocery carts, something everybody can identify with. This is a Safeway grocery store that was destroyed in the fire and it just shows you how much was lost in this community.

All of the homes and businesses that were lost. As far as this fire is concerned, modest growth overnight. Right now we're looking at 117,000 acres and it's 30 percent contained. It's burning away from populated communities. That is the good news.

The bad news is there's no rain in the forecast and things remain extremely dry. John, we'll send it back to you.

(END VIDEO)

BERMAN: Dan Simon, unrecognizable where you are in Paradise, California. Dan, thank you so much for your reporting. Want to move down south to Malibu where winds are picking up as firefighters try to contain the deadly Woolsey fire. CNN's Bill Weir is there live. Bill, what are you seeing?

(BEGIN VIDEO)

BILL WEIR, CNN REPORTER: Well, its calm right now, John, and people are hoping against hope it stays that way but the forecast doesn't say it's going to stay that way. The numbers so far in this big, big firestorm; two fatalities.

People found in their burned out care. 400 plus structures killed but to put that in to perspective, about 50,000 structures saved either by fate or the Herculean work of the firefighters here.

93,000 acres that's about 20 miles long by a dozen miles wide this Woolsey fire and they say it's about 30 percent contained there as well. Now were in a -- one of those million dollar view.

We can't see it here but the Pacific Ocean million dollar view neighborhoods. And just to show you and give you some perspective of the power of this, look at what is left of this truck. How small it is after all of the fiberglass and everything burned away.

The house behind it, completely in shambles. And check this out, look at this hardened puddle of aluminum that was melted by these, you know, almost forge like temperatures. And while I ran into Pierce Brosnan in this neighborhood yesterday who said his home was spared, a reminder that this is not all celebrities in Malibu.

There are working class folks here, there are college kids here, and in fact about a million years ago I went to Pepperdine University and lived in this apartment. Look at this. This a Canyon Doom (ph) and Pacific coast highway.

Four of us packed into this, you know, very modest apartment but it is completely gutted. So a little taste of what it must be like for people coming back and finding their entire lives gone and many of them not -- maybe not insured the way these million dollar mansions would be up here as well.

But today, all eyes are on the winds. John and Erica, I'm hoping that they can contain this thing before more damage like that is done.

(END VIDEO)

BERMAN: Seeing your apartment there Bill, not just burnt but melted -- almost melted away there that's really chilling.

WEIR: It really is. I mean the entire -- that's the second floor. The -- the -- my old bedroom, the floor melted and caved in below. And some -- on that road just up Canyon Doom highway this morning there was a flare up.

[08:25:00]

So even though things seemed calm now, things can change instantaneously as embers get blown into these just tinder dry canyons.

HILL: So much to stay on top of. The threat is not over as we know from Chad Myers laying it out for us as well. Bill, appreciate it as always. Thank you. So many folks, so many of you at home watching this wondering what you can do to help.

There are ways that you can help those impacted by the California wildfires. Just log on to CNN.com/impact.

BERMAN: All right. Fraud allegations in Florida's election recount. A judge rips the rhetoric. We'll hear from the Rick Scott campaign next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

With the fierce recount fight in Florida heating up, a judge wants both sides to cool it down.

(BEGIN VIDEO)

JUDGE JACK TUTER, BROWARD COUNTY CHIEF JUDGE: I'm urging because of the highly public nature of this case to ramp down the rhetoric. If someone in this law suit or someone in this county has evidence of voter fraud or irregularities at the supervisor's office ...

[08:30:00]

They should report it to a (ph) local law enforcement officer.

(END VIDEO)

BERMAN: All right. Let's get to Brad Todd, a senior advisor to the Rick Scott Senate campaign.