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New Day Saturday
More Than A Thousand Missing In California; President Trump Visits Fire-Ravaged California Today; Official: CIA Says Saudi Prince Orders Khashoggi's Killing; Trump: I Wrote Answers To Mueller's Questions; House Republicans to Subpoena James Comey and Loretta Lynch; NYT Reports Trump Asked Aides and Advisors if VP Pence is Loyal; Seven Students File Lawsuit Against Dartmouth Professors Accused of Rape, Sexual Assault; Rick Scott Leads in Florida Senate Race as Deadline Looms for Manual Recount; Stacey Abrams Recognizes Brian Kemp as Georgia's Next Governor; George Conway Calls Trump's Administration "a Dumpster Fire". Aired 6-7a ET
Aired November 17, 2018 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The death toll from California's deadliest wildfires keeps rising. There are more than 1,000 names on a list of missing persons.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was a raging inferno. You know, 50 mile an hour winds and a blizzard of embers.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I couldn't breathe. I couldn't see. It was black and red and I really thought that's how I was going to die.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It hurts a lot and it hurt to see that I actually had no house anymore.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Paradise will always be Paradise and when we rebuild, it'll be paradise again.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The CIA now concludes that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman personally ordered the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The assessment is that Mohammed bin Salman directed, ordered this assassination.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: President Trump announced today he's finally done writing out answers for the Special Council.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: President Trump's legal team balking, taking issue with some of the questions.
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I write the answers. My lawyers don't write answers.
(END VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is "NEW DAY WEEKEND" with Victor Blackwell and Christi Paul.
VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR, NEW DAY WEEKEND: Good Saturday morning to you. For the second day now, the number of those unaccounted for in that Camp Fire burning in Northern California has skyrocketed. As of last night, more than 1,000 people are missing.
CHRISTI PAUL, CNN ANCHOR, NEW DAY WEEKEND: Thousands of firefighters, too, are still just performing this grueling work trying to stop the rapidly growing wildfire. In the meantime, three wildfire deaths in Southern California brings the total number of dead across the state to 74. The Camp Fire is now the deadliest, most destructive wildfire in California's history. Paul Vercammen joining us now from Chico, California. Good morning, Paul.
PAUL VERCAMMEN, REPORTER PRODUCER: Good morning, Christi and Victor. Let me try to give you some perspective on that alarming number of the 1,100 missing. As you can see behind me, I'm in a makeshift camp. There are hundreds of people here who have pitched tents in and around this Walmart in nearby Chico. Of those missing, the way the sheriff coroner explained it, it's not so much that they're missing. It's that they're unaccounted for or haven't been matched with any sort of call into the sheriff office from the very beginning of this disaster.
He said, which is a rare thing to hear, he wanted the reporters to provide context. He wasn't saying they are missing and presumed dead. So what he meant by contact, he said, is they're checking every single name that came up in any form of communication to the sheriff's office. So that includes e-mails. That includes any sort of people walking in off the street. That includes initial 911 calls. And he says in some instances, it could be that you have names that are the same person, but they were misspelled or mispronounced. So they're running all of that down.
As for the fire itself, it is now 50 percent contained. It has burned 146,000 acres and, as we were talking about, so many displaced people. It's destroyed some 9,700 single-family homes, 12,000 structures. So this is a vast tragedy. One official saying they think they've lost 1/10th of the housing stock in Butte County. Victor, Christi.
PAUL: Good heavens. Paul Vercammen, thank you so much. We appreciate the update. I want you to -- if you have a moment, I don't know what you're looking this morning -- doing this morning, but take a look at your screen here. Before and after images of what Paradise used to be and what it has become. That house there where the only recognizable things are two trees in the front yard now.
BLACKWELL: So look at this. This is one of the many churches in Paradise and now just the walls and the chimney is left. The rest of it a memory for the people who worked there. A do-it-yourself car wash, now destroyed. Account fire (ph) posted the pictures of the destruction. We matched them up with Google Street View images, but it really gives everybody an idea of all that's been lost and all the work that has to be done now. And you know, we've spoken with the mayor of Paradise on this show who has lost her own home. Her husband lost his business. Their relatives lost their home and, you know, they're living in a camper in a parking lot. I mean, so there is so much work to do and the fight is not over.
PAUL: And they vow to rebuild.
BLACKWELL: Yes.
PAUL: They vow to rebuild this town, but the work that it is going to take is extraordinary.
BLACKWELL: Yes.
PAUL: No doubt about it because thousands of people in Northern California -- I mean, it's just uncertain what their future is. CNN's Kaylee Hartung actually spoke with some wildfire victims who say that they're -- you know, they're happy to be alive, but they just don't know what the future holds.
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KAYLEE HARTUNG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The smoke from the Camp Fire lingers and survivors on the ground face a bleak picture.
[09:05:06] This makeshift campground in a Walmart parking lot is near the remnants of the town of Paradise. Many have lost everything. These survivors are just trying to catch their breath in the smoky air, looking for answers to the question what's next?
ANNA GOODNIGHT: Did it burn down or didn't it burn down and we just don't know and it's hard to try to figure out your game plan when you don't know your game plan.
HARTUNG: Anna Goodnight and her husband William rushed out of their home. They were only able to grab medication and some important documents.
GOODNIGHT: We saw everything burning down as we were leaving off the hill. That was scary enough.
HARTUNG: They have no idea if their home is still standing. They're just glad they made it out alive.
GOODNIGHT: I hope there is some closure for the families that have lost family because we've been hearing so many horror stories, but I'm sure it's going to get worse before it gets better.
KRYSTAL STIRRUP: We're living. There's a lot of people that didn't make it.
HARTUNG: Krystal Stirrup survived Hurricanes Andrew and Irma in Florida. She and her four young children were planning to make Paradise their new home.
HARTUNG: This was the start of the next chapter of your life, putting a down payment on an apartment in Paradise.
STIRRUP: Yes. I thought I was going to -- you know, we was all happy, excited they had actually called us and told us to come next week. It was supposed to be the time we were coming, but everything is gone and I don't know what's the next step. I'm just winging it.
HARTUNG: Despite facing her own long road to recovery, Krystal's been visiting the people at the camp, offering to help however she can.
STIRRUP: I can't do anything, but one day at a time. You know, it's out of my hands. Stay praying. Stay asking the Lord to cover us or just cover them. Make sure they have a safe place to land in all of the situations.
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HARTUNG: The number of missing persons continues to fluctuate. Authorities say it is so difficult to pinpoint the exact number because so many people have been displaced. Paradise, California is a town of the population of more than 25,000 people. Authorities say that some people could have evacuated to areas where cell phone service is unreliable. Others could have evacuated and not reached out to family members, so some may not know that people are looking for them.
Anna Goodnight, who you just heard me speak with, says she's afraid to look at that list because she's afraid that she'll see names on it she knows.
Authorities ask if you do look at the list, if you see someone's name on it who is safe, please let them know. Otherwise, they will continue to try to account for everyone who they believe to be missing. Kaylee Hartung, CNN, Chico, California.
BLACKWELL: Kaylee, thank you so much for that. Now, in the next hour, President Trump, he'll leave Washington for California to see some of the wildfire damage firsthand.
PAUL: Yes. Sarah Westwood joins us now from the White House. The President -- I mean, he's been critical of California's handling of the wildfire response, but his press secretary, Sarah Sanders, says he's going to be there to comfort.
SARAH WESTWOOD, CNN REPORTER: That's right and the President has repeatedly blamed California forest management for these fires. He's claimed that neglect created the conditions that has allowed these fires to spread so quickly. In a tweet last week, the President even threatened to cut federal funding to forest management if officials didn't fix what he perceived as the underlying problems causing these fires.
That was a reaction that, at the time, drew criticism given the climbing death toll and the amount of resources that have already been dedicated to fighting these fires. And in an interview with "Fox News"'s Chris Wallace conducted yesterday, the President seemingly suggested that poor land management is more to blame for the fires than climate change. Take a listen.
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TRUMP: I was watching the fireman the other day and they were raking areas. They were raking areas where the fire was right over there and they're raking trees, little trees like this that are nut trees, little bushes that you could see are totally dry, weeds and they're raking them. They're on fire. That should have been all raked out into the yard (ph).
CHRIS WALLACE, ANCHOR, FOX NEWS SUNDAY: What about the argument ...
TRUMP: You wouldn't have the fires.
WALLACE: What about the argument it's climate change, that it's drier, it's hotter and that that's contributing to it?
TRUMP: Maybe it contributes a little bit. The big problem we have is management.
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WESTWOOD: Now, in a little less than an hour, the President will leave the White House here, he'll head to California where he'll be meeting with California Governor Jerry Brown and his newly elected successor Gavin Newsom. The President is expected to get an update on the response to this fire, Victor and Christi.
PAUL: All righty. Sarah Westwood, appreciate it. Thank you. The American Red Cross is asking evacuees to visit safeandwell.org and register on their list. Their people can check, you know, for folks that you love and that you don't know where --- if you don't know where they are. You can also let other people know that you are safe. So for other ways that you can help those affected by the California wildfires, go to CNN.com/impact because that's got to be the hardest thing is not knowing ...
BLACKWELL: Yes.
PAUL: ... where somebody is.
[09:10:02] BLACKWELL: And then as Kaylee said, not wanting to look at the list ...
PAUL: The list, yes.
BLACKWELL: ... because you'll see a name you know.
PAUL: I don't want to see it. Yes.
BLACKWELL: Still to come, new developments in the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi that points directly to the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. More on that next.
PAUL: Also, President Trump says he's finished answering Robert Mueller's questions on the Russia probe. He says he did it by himself without his lawyer's help.
BLACKWELL: Also, one of the President's more prominent conservative critics, George Conway, husband of White House counselor Kellyanne Conway, is now talking about the White House in a new interview.
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GEORGE CONWAY, AMERICAN ATTORNEY: And I'm watching this thing and, you know, it's like the administration's like a **** (ph) in a dumpster fire.
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PAUL: Well, according to a senior U.S. official, the CIA has concluded that the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman personally ordered the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi last month.
[09:15:01] BLACKWELL: Now, the findings may complicate things for the White House given the President's desire to preserve a good relationship with the Crown Prince and the Saudis. Vice President Mike Pence, he quickly responded to the report this morning saying the U.S. will hold his murderers accountable.
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MIKE PENCE, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The murder of Jamal Khashoggi was an atrocity. It was also an affront to a free and independent press and the United States is determined to hold all those accountable who are responsible for that murder.
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BLACKWELL: CNN senior international correspondent Ben Wedeman is in Beirut following the story. Ben, hello to you and how did the CIA reach this conclusion?
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Victor, Christi, they based this conclusion upon a variety of intelligence sources, but one of them, significantly, was a telephone call intercepted between the Saudi ambassador in Washington, Khalid bin Salman, who happens to be the brother of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and Jamal Khashoggi in which the Saudi ambassador reassured "The Washington Post" columnist that to get that paper he needed to remarry, he could go to the Saudi consulate in Istanbul and do so safely.
Apparently, according to this report, this was a phone conversation that was prompted by the crown prince himself. In addition to that, there is other information provided by Turkish intelligence. remembering, of course, that Gina Haspel, the Director of the CIA, went to Turkey last month and apparently was given those audio recordings that documented the torture, murder and dismemberment of "The Washington Post" columnist. And beyond that, it's circumstantial. Saudi Arabia is an absolute monarchy and the belief is that you cannot send a 15 man hit team from Saudi Arabia to Turkey to murder a prominent Saudi citizen without the knowledge and approval of the de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Victor, Christi.
BLACKWELL: All right. Ben Wedeman for us in Beirut. Ben, thank you.
PAUL: Well, Shane Harris, one of the reporters who broke the Khashoggi story for "The Washington Post", spoke with "CNN" about the report and suggested the president already knew about this information.
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SHANE HARRIS, JOURNALIST, THE WASHINGTON POST: This is not news to him. He understands this information. He probably knows more about what the CIA has then we even know about what they have at this point.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
HARRIS: And it has been made clear to him that the assessment is that Mohammed bin Salman directed, ordered, this assassination.
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BLACKWELL: And Ben Rhodes, the former Deputy National Security Advisor for President Obama, is now calling for an investigation. He slammed the administration on Twitter claiming that they covered up the whole thing.
He said this, "We're now faced with the real possibility that Trump has had info from his own intel community that MDS mom had been Salman was responsible for murdering a journalist who wrote for the Washington Post and lied about it tried to help MBS," Mohammed bin Salman, "was responsible for murdering a journalist who wrote for "The Washington Post" and lied about it, tried to help MBS and get past it. Must be investigated."
PAUL President Trump says he's finished writing answers on the Russia investigation. He suggests some of Robert Mueller's questions, though, could be a trap.
BLACKWELL: Plus, accusations against former Dartmouth College professors accused of supplying female students with alcohol and raping them. Victims now speak out in a new interview with "CNN".
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[09:20:00]
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BLACKWELL: President Trump says he has now completed the questions. The answers now on those Russian election meddling, but the answers have not been submitted to Special Counsel Robert Mueller just yet. PAUL: Yes. The President huddled with his legal team, we know, for at least three days. He says that he answered the questions himself though.
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TRUMP: I write the answers. My lawyers don't write answers. I write answers. I was asked a series of questions. I've answered them very easily, very easily. I'm sure they're tricked up because you know they like to catch people. Gee, you know, was the weather sunny or was it rainy? He said it may have been a good day. It was rainy. Therefore, he told a lie. He perjured himself. OK. So you have to always be careful when you answer questions with people that probably have bad intentions, but no, it's -- the questions were very routinely answered by me.
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BLACKWELL: Now, sources say that President Trump was not happy with some of those questions. "CNN" senior White House correspondent Pamela Brown has details.
PAMELA BROWN, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, we have learned President Donald Trump and his legal team have taken issue with some of the questions from Special Counsel Robert Mueller which covers a transition period of time after the 2016 election. They believe it could be off limits under executive privileges they pertain to the presidency. This is according to a source familiar with the negotiations. Now, the source would not explicitly say whether the President answered those questions other than to say there are, quote, "responses to all of the questions that were asked."
[09:25:06] Now, Trump's lawyers have previously made the case to Mueller's team that the President would only answer questions related to collusion about events that took place before the 2016 election. In a interview with "The Washington Post", the President's Attorney, Rudy Giuliani, alluded to the sticking point with the question saying there are some that create more issues for us legally than others.
A list of questions provided to Trump's legal team in the spring by Robert Mueller's team included questions about efforts during the transition to establish a back-channel line of communication to Russia and a 2017 meeting in the Seychelles involving Trump ally Eric Prince, a businessman and founder of private security company formerly known as Blackwater.
Now, the President and his lawyers, we know, are finalizing answers to the Special Counsel's questions. They could return the responses as early as next week. Pamela brown, "CNN", Washington.
BLACKWELL: All right. Joining me now, Errol Louis, CNN political commentator and political anchor for "Spectrum News", and Joey Jackson, CNN legal analyst and criminal defense attorney. Gentlemen, welcome to both of you.
ERROL LOUIS, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Good morning. BLACKWELL: Joey, let me first start with you and this assertion from the President that he says, "I write the answers. My lawyers don't write answers. I write answers. I was asked a series of questions. I answered them very easily." How does that correspond with how this process would typically work with a list of questions going to the President the United States?
JOEY JACKSON, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Well, put it this way. Good morning, Victor. Good morning, Errol. I think that's a good admission by the President because he's taking ownership, right? We won't hear, moving forward, that it was a lawyer who crafted it, don't know what he was talking about, certainly that didn't come from me. This is a President who apparently is engaged in the process. It's a President who's saying that he specifically reviewed the questions that have been presented to him. He specifically answered the questions that were posed to him.
And so as a result of that, the process is, to your question, that you get a list of questions from the Special Counsel, right? If you're the President, most people come and testify before a grand jury, I might hasten to add, but the process is is that -- and you're responsive to those questions. Now, responsive, of course, is a lawyer's word, right? Doesn't mean that you've answered the questions. It means you've responded in some way.
BLACKWELL: Yes.
JACKSON: I should say that there were -- there could be objections to questions as beyond the scope, objections as to relevance, objections as to privilege and this won't be the end of it. When you submit the questions, you don't submit it and then that's it. I'm sure they will be reviewed. There will be follow-up questions and even before the President's submission ...
BLACKWELL: Yes.
JACKSON: ... I'm sure his lawyers will be delving into them with a fine-tooth comb to make sure they're answered appropriately.
BLACKWELL: So Errol, the President's characterization that he answered them very easily, that seems to be in conflict, at least, with what his attorney, Rudy Giuliani, told "The Post" in saying that there are some questions that create more issues for us legally than others. Calling them irrelevant, unnecessary, possible traps. What do you make about that discrepancy?
LOUIS: Yes. Well, it's real interesting. I mean, when the President says that he answered them very easily, just as Joey suggests, he probably submitted those answers to his lawyers who will now take days, if not weeks, to try and figure out what they can safely send back to the special prosecutor. I mean, there's answering questions and then there's submitting them. So there's an important difference there.
I think it's also important to point out that these questions have been asked months ago. So if it was very easy to answer them -- if it was a simple matter of answering them, it would have been done a long time ago. And I guess you -- finally, you always have to sort of make note that when the President says that -- and his lawyer says that there are possible traps, they're trying to trip us up. They're trying to trick us with these questions and so forth.
Those are not the words of people who have nothing to hide, you know? Clearly, they think that there's something that they could be tripped up on. Most of the people watching this broadcast right now, if asked a straightforward question about what they did, who they talked to and why in 2016, could just give you an answer.
BLACKWELL: Yes.
LOUIS: It wouldn't have to sort of go through all these contortions about traps and tricks and whether or not you can actually just answer the question.
BLACKWELL: Errol, let me stay with you for this and another topic. "CNN" sources saying that Republican Chair of House Judiciary, Congressman Bob Goodlatte, is preparing subpoenas for the former FBI director James Comey, former Attorney General Loretta Lynch to testify as part of their investigation into the FBI's handling of the Hillary Clinton e-mail server investigation. They've got just really a few working days left in the 115th Congress. Is this a slap on the way out of the door? Where does this go beyond December?
LOUIS: Well, you know, it's interesting. You always wonder if people really believe some of the stuff that they're saying. These are sort of talk radio talking points.
[06:30:00] You know, that this was always only about Hillary Clinton and James Comey and Loretta Lynch and the meeting at the airport and so forth and so on. It has been exhaustively litigated literally and politically, I guess they wanted to sort of go out on this same note and take one more slap at something that simply hasn't worked.
I mean, look, this -- it didn't work. It lost them control of the House of Representatives, it's why they are ex -- about to become ex- members of Congress. But I guess they want to stick to this one more time. And to his credit, James Comey and Loretta Lynch, my understanding is both of them have said, look, we'll answer your questions if you want to go through one more round of this --
VICTOR BLACKWELL, CO-HOST, NEW DAY SATURDAY: Yes --
LOUIS: Let's do it.
BLACKWELL: And Comey even tweeted this. He tweeted, "House Republicans can ask me anything they want, but I want the American people to watch. So, let's have a public hearing. Truth is best served by transparency, let me know when is convenient."
Now, this source says that this testimony would likely be behind closed doors. Joey, does a witness have any influence over whether this is public or not? JOEY JACKSON, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Not at all. It seems to be,
you know, sticking with the "P" word, political. The fact is that this is of course as we know the president of sort of deflection, everything's a deflection. Now, what is James Comey having to deal with this? What is Loretta Lynch having to do with this?
The fact is, is that they know and understand that they are no longer in control or will no longer be in control. And I think to your earlier statement, Errol, it's a slap on the way out of the door. But generally speaking, how things are conducted are up to the party who is in power.
And they -- these -- both of these people, James Comey and Loretta Lynch have indicated that they would move forward. You know, look, in a public transparent proceeding, that hasn't happened. They want some closed door session where subpoenas are going to be flying.
And so ultimately it's a search for the truth. But I just don't see what the working days that are left, to your point, how this is going to get done in any credible way by January 3rd.
BLACKWELL: Errol, quickly, to you, there's this reporting from the "Washington Post" that President Trump is questioning the vice president's loyalty. And it's happened so often now that it's alarming some of his advisors. This passage stood out in the reporting from the "Post".
"Some Trump advisors, primarily outside the White House has suggested to him that while Mr. Pence remains loyal, he may have used up his utility. These advisors argue that Mr. Trump has forged his own relationship with the evangelical voters, and that what he might benefit from more is a running mate who could help him with female voters who disapprove of him in large numbers."
Does that bring Nikki Haley back to the conversation or what do you make of this advice from some of those outside advisors?
LOUIS: Yes, it's an interesting possibility, politically speaking. The president is focused, he's been doing rallies for his 2020 re- election campaign. So it's certainly fair game to sort of pose this question. Who -- what's he going to do when he tries to run for re- election?
And I don't think it's about loyalty in any kind of deep or conspiratorial sense. But just as you suggested, a different kind of running mate might help him. He's got a problem with suburban women voters, period. They threw out his party, you know, district after district, they made the difference.
If he's going to find a way to get back to them, maybe a woman running mate will do it, a change in his behavior will probably go a lot further, but we'll see.
BLACKWELL: All right, Errol Louis, Joey Jackson, thank you both.
LOUIS: Thanks -- JACKSON: Thank you, Victor.
CHRISTI PAUL, CO-HOST, NEW DAY SATURDAY: Well, there are alleged victims now of former Dartmouth College professors who are accused of sexual assault. Those victims now sharing -- alleged victims sharing their story in an interview with Cnn.
And a new lawsuit that says the professors created a, quote, "21st century animal house", that's next.
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PAUL: Some female students at Dartmouth College were subjected, they say, to rape and sexual harassment by their professors. This is according to a new federal lawsuit.
BLACKWELL: Well, seven victims are suing the Ivy League university's trustees after they say three former professors coerced them into drinking and, in some cases, raped them. Cnn's Polo Sandoval has more for us. Polo, good morning.
POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, good morning. And attorneys do tell Cnn that, that number could potentially go up to 40 as part of this class-action lawsuit in the long run. Reminder, this is an investigation that was initially launched by the New Hampshire Attorney General last year.
And now this is more of the civil litigation aspect of things. These survivors are filing this lawsuit, a 72-page detailed and very graphic description of what they say they experienced at Dartmouth University. There are three tenured professors that are identified in that lawsuit: William Kelley, Paul Whalen and Todd Heatherton. Kelley and Whalen have not responded to Cnn's request for comment.
However, Heatherton in a statement through his lawyer categorically denied playing a role in creating any kind of toxic environment at Dartmouth College. And went on to say that none of the plaintiffs were even his students. These allegations including one professor that had allegedly forced one of these students to have sex with him.
Another one -- another one of the allegations that's mentioned in this lawsuit is an inappropriate photograph that was sent by one of these professors allegedly to the students. And basically these women, according to this lawsuit forced to not only have sex with some of these professors, but also essentially created an environment, a toxic environment, according to the lawsuit in which several of these students felt obviously extremely uncomfortable.
I want you to hear directly from one of the victims that Cnn has had an opportunity to actually hear from as they described not only the traumatic experiences that they say they've had, but also what they have seen after they filed this lawsuit. Take a listen.
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[06:40:00] VASSIKI CHAUHAN, DARTMOUTH DOCTORAL STUDENT: The reactions they have had are probably the most meaningful for me right now. Because I have been ready and willing to tell my story in a small, contained environment for anonymity and to not be re- traumatized in such a public fashion.
But that opportunity has not been afforded to me, and the fact that these professors are grappling with these issues only as an aftermath of the lawsuit pains me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANDOVAL: And Dartmouth responding with a statement of their own, I want to put that up on the screen for you, so you can see how they have responded after the filing of this lawsuit on Thursday. The school saying "sexual misconduct and harassment have no place at Dartmouth.
The school's board of trustees and senior leadership team are dedicated to maintaining a safe and inclusive campus for all members of our community and we remain committed to improving our culture as we work to make our community the best it can be."
School officials did launch an inquiry of their own, and eventually did culminate in the resignations of Whalen and Kelley this past June and July. As for Heatherton, he had been on sabbatical and then ultimately retired this past Summer. Guys, back to you.
PAUL: All right, Polo, thank you so much.
BLACKWELL: A little more than 24 hours to go, and thousands of votes to count by hand. Who will be Florida's next senator? We'll go live to the Sunshine State.
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PAUL: If you're a runner, you know it's easy to get injured. Whether it's a pulled hamstring or a twisted ankle, there's a way to help avoid injury by getting a running analysis. We're hitting the treadmill in today's "Staying Well".
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COLLEEN BROUGH, DIRECTOR, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY RUNLAB: Without question running is tough on the body. And anywhere between 60 percent and 80 percent of all runners will get injured. Through running analysis, we're able to identify what part of the runner's form may be driving their injury.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I've done some 10ks, a few half marathons, in New York City marathon, I just go at my own pace so I know I'm not hurting myself or overdoing it. I was training and I started noticing knee pain, and eventually it was happening within the first mile.
I went to go see a physical therapist, she did a gait analysis, and she saw what areas of my form were weak.
CARLY GRAHAM, PHYSICAL THERAPIST, FINISH LINE: What the software can show is where your foot is hitting the ground, how much force is going through you, your forward lean, how much you're loading each of your joints. A functional assessment on the ground, and then looking at the postural alignment.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Because I was leaning too far back when I was running, my hips were tilted incorrectly, and then it was pulling my quad muscles which were pulling my knees. And so, she told me how to correct my form. She has me doing a hip flexor stretch, so that way it's opening up the front of my torso.
[06:45:00] She set me up with a bunch of exercises to do. If I start to feel a little pain, usually if I make that adjustment, it goes away immediately. Hopefully my options are limitless.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLACKWELL: All right. In a little more than 24 hours, Florida will have to make a final decision on who is going to the Senate. The state is doing a manual recount now of vote from last week's midterm election between Senate Democrat Bill Nelson and Republican Governor Rick Scott.
The first recount done by machine showed Scott leading by a little more than 12,000 votes, and so far it looks like that may not change. Cnn's correspondent Arlette Saenz joins us now from West Palm Beach.
We've already heard from some big counties, could there still be surprises left?
ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN POLITICAL REPORTER: Well, Victor and Christi, you can never rule out any surprises here in Florida, but at least half of the counties here in the state have finished their manual recount in the Senate race as that noon deadline tomorrow is approaching.
As of last night, at least 35 counties out of 67 counties here had finished their hand recounts in that race between Senator Bill Nelson and Republican Governor Rick Scott. But there are still some counties that have a little bit more work to do on down ballot races including Broward County and right here in Palm Beach County where they have finished their recount in the Senate race, but they still have to get to the Agriculture Commissioner's race and a few other recounts that they are going to be looking at.
And here in Palm Beach, they're going to be getting back to work around 8:00 a.m., they're going to be continuing with those recounts as well as potentially announcing the numbers in that Senate race recount where they had to count the under votes and over votes in the Senate race.
Now, all of this is playing out as there are also some legal fights going on. And yesterday, Senator Bill Nelson's campaign suffered another setback when there was a group called Vote Vet Actions and a -- sorry, Vote Vet Actions Fund and other Democratic organizations.
They were trying to challenge a rule that requires all domestic mail- in ballots make it to election offices before election day. They were arguing that ballots that were post-marked by election day should still be included in that tally. But yesterday, a judge ruled against them, saying that, that Florida law will stand.
Now, the Nelson camp has been looking for more votes throughout this past week. Right now, Governor Rick Scott is leading Bill Nelson by roughly 12,000 votes, and in the next few days, Florida voters will be getting their answers as to how the Senate race is going to turn out. Victor and Christi?
PAUL: All right, Arlette Saenz, thank you so much. So the race to become Georgia's next governor appears to be over. Democratic hopeful Stacey Abrams told supporters yesterday her Republican opponent Brian Kemp will become the new governor, but she made it very clear that she's not conceding.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[06:50:00] STACEY ABRAMS, GEORGIA GOVERNOR CANDIDATE: So let's be clear. This is not a speech of concession. Because concession means to acknowledge an action is right, true or proper. As a woman of conscience and faith, I cannot concede that. But my assessment is the law currently allows no further viable remedy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLACKWELL: Well, Abrams also announced plans for a major federal lawsuit against the state of Georgia for what she calls the gross mismanagement of the election and to protect future election from unconstitutional actions. In a statement, Brian Kemp says he appreciates Abrams' passion, hard work and commitment to public service.
President Trump also weighed in and complimented Abrams in this tweet, "congratulations to Brian Kemp on becoming the new governor of Georgia. Stacey Abrams fought brilliantly and hard, she will have a terrific political future! Brian was unrelenting and will become a great governor for the truly wonderful people of Georgia."
PAUL: Well, the president calls him, quote, "Mr. Kellyanne Conway". But George Conway, the already very controversial husband of the White House counselor has responded with some pretty harsh talk for the Trump administration.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLACKWELL: We want to introduce another of this year's top Cnn Heroes. As an E.R. doctor in his hometown of New York, Dr. Rob Gore was frustrated by how many young men of color were being hurt and killed in street violence. Now, seeing the situation as a public health problem, he founded the Kings Against Violence Initiative.
This was 2009. Well, today, his nonprofit assists victims of violence in hospital and provides mentoring and support to more than 250 at- risk students to help them live peaceful, productive lives.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) ROB GORE, PHYSICIAN: I don't like pronouncing people dead. It's
probably the worst thing that I've ever had to do. I want to preserve life. When I see patients that are coming in with violent injuries, when somebody looks like you, from your neighborhood, a lot of the stuff really hits home.
You realize I don't want this to happen anymore. What do we do about it? What's wrong? You've been hurt? It's important that we start training young people and helping them learn how to become change agents working with them on a middle school level.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLACKWELL: All right, go to cnnheroes.com right now to vote for Dr. Gore or any of your favorite top-ten heroes, it's at cnnheroes.com.
[06:55:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLACKWELL: George Conway; the husband of White House counselor Kellyanne Conway is hitting back against the president with some -- wait for it, trash talk.
PAUL: There's a reason we used that.
BLACKWELL: Yes --
PAUL: The already controversial critic of the White House is sounding off on a new interview, this time taking direct aim at the president. Here's Cnn's Brian Todd.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The latest challengers of President Trump coming from the most unlikely corner of the political spectrum. Conservatives, he once considered his friends and allies, called Checks and Balances.
The new group is made up of influential conservative lawyers who say they are fed up with President Trump and determined to be a thorn in his side on constitutional issues.
CARRIE CORDERO, FORMER COUNSEL TO ASSISTANT ATTORNEY GENERAL FOR NATIONAL SECURITY: The president's efforts to undermine the rule of law need to be called out.
TODD: What may be even more shocking is not that it was founded by conservatives, but that the group's founder and the person most likely to be the biggest thorn in Trump's side is married to someone who works within spitting distance of the White House Rose Garden.
George Conway; the husband of Trump confidant and counselor Kellyanne Conway founded the group on Tuesday after serving as a check-on and blistering critic of Trump on his own. Conway has hammered Trump on Twitter, once tweeting that the country needs a quote, "president capable of comprehending the law." And has written op-eds calling out the president including one in the
"New York Times" saying Trump's, quote, "installation of Matthew Whitaker as acting Attorney General is unconstitutional. It's illegal."
The White House hasn't commented on the formation of Checks and Balances, but President Trump has lashed out at George Conway.
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: You mean Mr. Kellyanne Conway?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He wrote that you're unconstitutionally appointing is wrong.
TRUMP: He's just trying to get publicity for himself.
TODD: Conway may have founded Checks and Balances, but the group includes 13 other prominent conservative lawyers such as former Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge who says he's fed up with Trump's attacks on the media.
TOM RIDGE, FOUNDING MEMBER, CHECKS AND BALANCES: There are countries in the world who don't have freedom of the press, but I don't want to live in China, Russia or Iran.
TODD (on camera): Cnn's legal analyst Carrie Cordero who is also a member says Trump is trying to misuse the Department of Justice.
CORDERO: Law enforcement should be nonpartisan, not politically motivated.
TODD (voice-over): The group says it will speak out and fight back whenever Trump attacks an institution if feels should be protected. At the top of the list, Cordero says the group believes it was a dangerous move by the president to appoint an acting Attorney General who once said special counsel Robert Mueller could be fired.
And these lawyers are incensed that Trump attacked the Justice Department for indicting two Republican congressmen before the midterms.
CORDERO: He has indicated an intent to influence prosecutions of individuals for political purpose. That is absolutely anathema to the way that law enforcement is supposed to take place.
TODD: But will the group, even with the help of the husband of one of Trump's top aides move conservative politicians and voters away from Donald Trump? Some say probably not.
KAROUN DEMIRJIAN, WASHINGTON POST: That seems like it was a real stretch. Right now, it's still Trump's GOP, and you can't change that in the short term.
TODD (on camera): When discussing the prospects for Checks and Balances to be a real counterweight to Donald Trump within the Republican Party. Analysts point out the fate of others in the party who have tried to do that. Many of them have turned and become his allies like some of his GOP primary challengers or they're leaving politics like Senators Bob Corker and Jeff Flake.
