Ground zero, 30 people remain unaccounted for. The trumps will also visit parts of georgia hit hard by the storm. Concern is growing over relations with saudi arabia. Jamal khashoggi was last seen entering the saudi consulate in istalbun nearly two weeks ago. His disappearance is linked to the critsomecrit sosome of the i family. The denial was very strong. It wasnt like there was a question in his mind. The denial was very strong. The president adding secretary of state mike pompeo is on his way to saudi arabia right now. Lets go straight to Cnns Abby Phillip at the white house. What else did we hear from the president this morning . Hi, erica. President trump this morning is presenting an alternative theory for what might have happened to Jamal Khashoggi. The president saying today after his phone call with the Saudi Arabian king, he heard a strong denial. He said that repeatedly in this gaggle with reporters as he was preparing to leave for florida. But this is whats causing a lot of people to raise their eyebrows. He said there might have been rogue actors responsible for what happened to khashoggi. The king firmly denied any knowledge of it. He didnt really know, maybe, i dont want to get into his mind, but it sounded to me like maybe it could have been rogue killers. Who knows . Were going to try getting to the bottom of it very soon. But his was a flat denial. The president this morning also repeated salmans denial and also said and pointed out that Jamal Khashoggi was a saudi citizen. Thats something that has become more important in part because President Trump has suggested that because khashoggi was not an american citizen, that there might be a different standard for what might have happened to him. So hes really putting some attention on that issue, even as hes getting a lot of questions both in his 60 minutes interview last night and from critics about whether or not hes doing enough to stand up for the issue of human rights on the global stage. As we wait for word on what will happen as pompeo heads over to saudi arabia, this is the question for the white house today. What are they willing to do to find out what happened here . And potentially to punish the saudis for it. Oh, so many questions. Joining me now, cnn senior political analyst mark preston. National security analyst sam vinograd, and elise labott. Sam, i want to start with you. The president saying he takes the saudi king at his word. Should anyone take the saudi king at his word . Putting the president on the phone with the king was a massive mistake. Typically, you do these calls so the president of the United States can deliver a message. In this case, it sounds like the president was in listening mode. He kept repeating talking points that king salman gave him. That it was not saudi arabia that perpetrated this crime, that he firmly denied it. What was the president s message to the king about human rights, about freedom of the press, and about the need to have a credible investigation . We didnt hear that. Of course, the king of saudi arabia is going to deny this, just like the kingdom has done in other instances historically, just like Vladimir Putin does on election meddling and other issues. I would like to know what President Trumps message was to king salman and what secretary pompeos message is going to be when he visits the kingdom i believe tomorrow. As were watching for that, you bring up such an interesting point about him also taking Vladimir Putin at his word. He was asked specifically last night, he talked to leslie stahl, and in many ways, we heard him talking again about siding with these leaders over his own intelligence. Take a listen. Do you agree that Vladimir Putin is involved in assassinations, in poisonings . Probably he is, yeah. Probably. Probably . Probably, but i rely on them. Its not in our country. Is it true they havent gotten rid of a single weapon and they may actually be building more missiles. They want to and i will tell you that theyre closing up sites. Is what i said true . Nobody really knows. People are saying that. I have actually said that. That theyre still building missiles, more missiles . We really dont know, we really dont know. It raises the question, elise, as to whether the trump doctrine is trust but dont verify. Well, you see, what happens is there are kind of parallel governments going on, right . The president is talking to these leaders, whether its the saudi king or kim jongun or Vladimir Putin, and then you have the Big Government which is his cabinet and National Security adviser, secretary of state, defense secretary mattis, doing the leg work and trying to build a policy around that. So its very true there wasnt much substance on this conversation with king salman, but thats all going behind the scenes. There are hard and Uncomfortable Conversations being held. You saw the turks talking to the saudis. There is a kind of deal, obviously, being made to, you know, have a narrative being formed, and secretary of state pompeo is the one thats going to go out and deliver that tough message. I think we have come to expect from this president that he doesnt like confrontation, that hes not going to berate countries or leaders. You know, he likes to do that on twitter. But certainly not in a conversation. And i think that youre going to hear these kind of things about what the saudis need to do and the punishment coming from the advisers around the president , not from the president himself. Ultimately, its his decision, but you wont hear him until that all comes out, is the way i read it. Were also hearing it, i should point out, from members of congress vowing they want to see action, that they would take action themselves. In fact, heres senator marco rubio on state of the union this weekend. I believe the Trump Administration will do something. The president said that. But if he doesnt, congress will. That i can tell you, with 100 certainty, with almost full unanimity, across the board, republicans and democrats, there will be a very strong congressional response if in fact saudis lured him into their consulate, murdered him, cut up his body, and disposed of it. Theres going to be a very strong congressional response. We hear there from marco rubio, there will be a bipartisan, very strong bipartisan congressional response, but mark, what could that be at this point if we see where the president is at . Honestly, i dont necessarily know because im not sure that marco rubio necessarily knows. He did mention also in the interview on cnn it could be the magnitsky act, which would perhaps allow sanctions on individuals of the saudi family, if they were to be found guilty or complicit in this luring in of the journalist and murdering him. But i dont even know if that would work. Theres been a lot of talk about freezing arms sales to saudi arabia. The Defense Industry will lose their mind if that occurs. You might also have a lot of diplomats who might say, what are you doing . This is our foothold here in the middle east and our two other colleagues can speak to that with great knowledge. The fact is, this is an extremely complicated situation, and in some ways, it was good that President Trump didnt necessarily come out and say, as elise said, what the end sanctions are going to be or what the United States actions are going to be, but for him to come out right now and also as we have all been noting, to really just mouth the saudi official line is kind of ludicrous, and just really not the position for the president of the United States to take or to be in. Well, an interesting shift after what we saw in the 60 minutes interview where the president said there would be severe punishment if it was determined there was saudi involvement. Then we heard not only is he touting the strong denial from the king a short time ago this morning and also saying it would have been, in his words, rogue killers who could be responsible here, sam. Floating a new narrative, and im not really sure where that comes from. I would guess it probably comes from the saudis who are trying to probably peddle other conspiracy theories out there. If rogue killers penetrated the saudi consulate, then they have bigger problems than we had previously known. One thing i want to point out. Its been two weeks. We have an entire Intelligence Community and intelligence partners all around the world who i imagine have put together an assessment of what we know to this point. It will continue to develop over time. So before the president s call today, im sure he saw the assessment. Im sure he has some understanding at least of whats happened, as does secretary pompeo. I agree with elise hes not going to deliver a harsh message, unfortunately, to the king at this time, but regardless of what the state department does and congress does, if the president undercuts those assumptions, undercuts those repercussions, that weakens them. We have seen that in russia. Elise, i know you want to jump in on that, especially with the comment about, quote, rogue killers. On sams point, i think its the opposite of that. You see these advisers around the president kind of weaken his denials when they kind of push these, you know, stronger lines. On the issue of the rogue killers, i think what we see is a narrative shaping up. Over the weekend, you heard President Trump say, oh, it looks like jamal isnt here anymore, that hes died, unfortunately. And now you have heard that the turks and the saudis are working together. You heard a saudi official tell me this morning that an internal investigation is under way, that king salman ordered this prosecutorial internal investigation. And now if you start to connect the dots, you can see a picture thats emerging, that the saudis are going to say that, you know, this is a mission that was horribly gone awry. Someone went rogue. I think we can see how this is shaping right now. It didnt come out of the clear blue. I think this has kind of been the discussions that have been happening behind the scenes all weekend, and now, if i had to predict, i would say this is where its going to go. Elise, just to pick up on that point about the narrative shaping up here, and obviously, the different messages coming from officials versus the president himself, but based on secretary pompeo going to saudi arabia, is this ultimately anything more than a photo op with the king, because who were not talking about is mohammed bin salman. I was going to say, i dont think its just going to be a photo op with the king. I expect hell meet the king, but the king is in poor health. We dont really know if he will end up meeting with the king. I think in addition to trying to find out whats going on with this investigation, i think whats more important that secretary pompeo will be doing is sit this young crown prince down and give him a little bit, you know, of tough love, and say look, youre the future of saudi arabia. We embraced you. We embraced what they call the 2020 vision for refworm, economic and political reform and modernization of the country. You cant be off on these wild adventures whether its killing civilians in yemen, whether its kidnapping the Prime Minister of lebanon for a short period of time, whether its rounding up members of the royal family at the ritzcarlton. You need to be a seasoned, sober leader thats taking his country into the future. I think that he needs someone to sit him down and have calmer heads prevail. I think thats what secretary pompeo is doing as much as he is trying to get answers to what happened to jamal. Elise, mark, sam, appreciate it. Thank you all. Up next, senator Elizabeth Warren releasing a dna test, sending a splashy new video out to supporters. Is it the unofficial start to her 2020 president ial campaign . Plus, at any moment, we expect President Trump and the first lady to arrive in florida where theyll tour hurricane damage. This as rescue crews continue to search for more than 30 people still unaccounted for in mexico beach. Well take you there live. A onceinfive hundred year storm should happen every five hundred years, right . Fact is, there have been twentysix in the last decade. Allstate is adapting. With drones to assess home damage sooner. And if a flying object damages your car, you can snap a photo and get your claim processed in hours, not days. Plus, allstate can pay your claim in minutes. Now that you know the truth. Are you in good hands . But birds eye made it deliciousfrom zucchini. A. Mmm. Mashed potatoes. And rice but made from cauliflower. Looks like i need a fork oh no. giggles birds eye veggie made. So veggie good. All the tools you need for every step of the way. Make it, squarespace trump can say whatever he wants about me, but mocking native americans or anyone in order to get at me, thats not what america stands for. Some people have questioned my heritage and my family history. Maybe they do it to insult me. Maybe they do it to distract from the kinds of changes im fighting for. And the kind of change im trying to bring to washington. That certainly feels like the unofficial start to a president ial run. Senator Elizabeth Warren releasing that Campaign Style video and dna test results to back up her claims of native american heritage. The boston globe reporting those chose a strong evidence of that ancestry. The democratic senator from massachusetts has been a frequent target of President Trump who routinely mocks her as pocahontas. The Washington Post reporting shes backed more than 150 campaigns in all 50 states. Across all 50 states. If these were the first steps for a run in 2020, she could be facing an uphill battle. A new cc poll shows the senator in fourth place in a crowded list of likely democratic nominees. Joining me now, the reporter behind the boston globe story, and also with us, matt, who has been tracking warrens midterm push for the Washington Post. Great to have both of you with us this morning. Annie, warren gave you these dna test results, to the globe, then we also see this video that launches. Why now . Whats the timing . Well, i think warren, keep in mind, is still running for reelection in massachusetts. And i think shes trying to put some of these issues about her native American History and heritage to bed, you know, before the midterms end and before she takes that hard look that she said shes going to take at running for president. Getting it out of the way, in essence. Yeah. Your reporting, matt, details the length she has gone to to shore up democratic candidates, again, across the country. Were talking about involvement in all 50 states here. In many ways taking over the more traditional role of the party itself. Is your understanding that this move is more about 2018 and the elections 22 days from now or is that more about 2020 . I think its a twofor, but more geared toward 2020. Elizabeth warren has spent a lot of time developing a grassroots network. She gets a lot of small dollar donations. But this is really about connecting her to a wider Political Network in states across the country, but also quite focused on the early primary states. Shes dispatched staffers from her own network to those early states like New Hampshire and iowa and South Carolina to start working in those states, which will be beneficial to her after the midterms if she announces that shes running for president. Its kind of about getting chips she can cash in later with a lot of those candidates around the country. Not just those early states. She has activity in ohio, florida, wisconsin, michigan. President trump was asked about the news about this dna test, and he basically said, who cares . Although as we know, the president himself has cared for some time. In fact, heres a listen. Did you ever hear pocahontas . Huh . Its pocahontas, Elizabeth Warren. Pocahontas. Pocahontas. Ive got more indian blood in me than pocahontas, and i have none. Elizabeth warren. Oh, i hope she runs. I hope she runs. Then we can finally get down to the fact as to whether or not she has indian blood. I will give you a Million Dollars to your Favorite Charity paid for by trump if you take the test and it shows youre an indian. That pledge of a Million Dollars back in july, this morning, though, the president pushed back on that. Take a listen. Who cares . I didnt say that. You better read it again. We didnt read it again. We played the tape. There it is. Is there any sense, though, from your reporting, from your conversations with Elizabeth Warren, annie, that any of the president s comments or even the comments in july about the Million Dollars, did any of that play into her decision to have this testing done and put those results out . Yeah, sure. I think theres no question that President Trumps comments and his sort of continual goading of her on this issue, always calling her pocahontas, requesting the dna test. I think that absolutely played a huge role. I think that she was following the model here of barack obama who finally released this longform birth certificate after then just businessman trump was just haranguing him over it. So i think that what Elizabeth Warren is hoping to do is to get this out there, you know, theres going to be some attention around it for a few days. It will die down, and then as she thinks about running for president , she just will never really have to address the issue again. She can point back to the dna test that shes taken and say look, its settled. Matt, the fact that shes trying to get ahead of it at this point, what can we glean from that about how she may run her campaign if in fact she does announce a bid for 2020 . I mean, i think if theres sort of an ongoing debate among democrats over how aggressively they want to go at trump and use his tactics. You can see through Elizabeth Warrens own twitter feed this morning, where she is going after trump. That shes telling him he needs to donate this money now to a cause among native americans that shes identified. So i think that youll see her with a willingness to go right at him in a way that other democrats may not. They want to have a different vision thats independent and separate from trump. I think youre starting to see a little bit of how she may run her campaign. As well as the five or sixminute bio ad that she basically put up on twitter this morning that is kind of a rollout of her own biography to a National Audience that may not know her aside from the name calling back and forth. Matt and annie, appreciate you both joining us. Thank you. Any minute now, President Trump and the first lady will touch down in florida. They plan to tour parts of the panhandle devastated by hurricane michael. Plus, were going to take you directly to hardhit mexico beach, florida, where as of this morning, some 30 people remain unaccounted for. [ upbeat music ] im ready to crush ap english. Im ready to do what no one on my block has done before. Forget that. What no one in the world has done before. All i need access, tools, connections. Highspeed connections. Is the world ready for me . Through internet essentials, comcast has connected more than sixmillion lowincome people to lowcost, highspeed internet at home. Im trying to do some homework here. So theyre ready for anything. You might or joints. Hing for your heart. But do you take something for your brain. With an ingredient originally discovered in jellyfish, prevagen has been shown in Clinical Trials to improve shortterm memory. Prevagen. Healthier brain. Better life. Any moment now, President Trump and the first lady due to arrive in florida. There you see them boarding to head down there just a short time ago. Theyre be touring damage from hurricane michael. The president tweeting they will visit with fema, First Responders and law enforcement. Maximum effort, he wrote, is taking place. Everyone is working very hard. Worst hit in 50 years. One of the worst hit areas of floridas panhandle is mexico beach. Thats where we find Martin Savidge. Rescue and recovery workers have been on the scene. Where do we stand in terms of progress . The list of people unaccounted for on mexico beach is down to 30, maybe 35. Right, and its important to stress that were talking about unaccounted for as opposed to something that sounds more serious, which is missing. According to the city manager, 90 of this community has now been searched by those search and recovery teams. So they have made tremendous progress. But there is still a significant amount that has to be checked, and a lot of it is the really hard stuff to go through, the massive debris field as you know well. Heres the problem. Youre talking about a community that is called the forgotten coast. There are a lot of people who used to live here that were used to a lifestyle where they didnt have to account to anybody, primarily. And so thats why you had roughly 300 people who stayed for this storm. They know that, they did a head count before, and after the storm, they have been trying to track those people down. They did it by address. As you can tell, thats almost impossible in certain areas. So in other ways they have been doing it is not just search and recovery teams but also by waiting at Food Distribution sites. And as people show up to collect food and water, they have been asking their name. When they get the name, they check it off against the list of those they havent got an accounting for. Yesterday, the number was at 60. So they were able to whittle it down. Now its at 30 to 35. That doesnt mean they believe theres 30 to 35 casualties still remaining to be found. It just means that there are people they would like to locate. However, there is a concern that the longer this goes on and the less they hear from anybody, that there could be more victims to be found, and as a result, they brought in a temporary morgue just in case. And the searching will continue, erica. I know that over the weekend the mayor there had said that food and water was making its way into mexico beach. In terms of supplies, what more do we know about where we stand, not just there but in other communities as well today . Yeah, they have a number of distribution points around the community where you can get food and water and also city hall has become a center of focus of this kind of distribution. It appears there is enough food and water to support those that are here. Now, lets face it. Theyre down to a handful of people that are here because primarily, the city, the community, cant support anybody. No electricity, no sewer, no running water, and communication is on the fringe. So theres no way that this town in any way could support people coming back to live. Come back to maybe check your property and then leave. But for the few dozen people that maybe havent left yet, theres enough. Theyre hoping, the city, that is, that those people too will choose to leave because you just cant continue to live in this community for the time being. And there are other dangers such as medical care, theres really none that exists if you injure yourself, and theres a growing fear about the danger of fire. And the ability to fight a fire. They dont even know if the fire hydrants work. Theres no way for people to report a fire. And yet, theres just so much fuel ready to ignite if that were the case. There are so many tentacles to this and to that damage. Martin savidge on the ground in mexico beach, thank you. We are seeing live pictures now, the president and first lady arriving at eggland air force base in florida, in the ft. Walton area of florida. A little ways away from where martin is in mexico beach. Theyll be making their way to panama city as well, probably about an hour and a half by car. The president and first lady will be making their way to survey that hurricane damage just in the coming moments. Well bring more of that to you. Meantime, thousands of people in the panhandle area of florida are only beginning to assess the damage, try to determine what their next steps will be. For many people, its determining where they go, especially if their home is gone. Our next guest lived through michael. He was in his townhome in panama city, which was torn apart when it was hit by a tornado. David sebastian joining me by phone. You made your way to Panama City Beach, which was not hit as hard as panama city, but just give me a sense, where are you at today, because youre still trying to find a place to stay, as i understand it . Right. We were able to get out. The townhome was a complete loss. You know, the situation where you just take everything that could be salvaged and throw it in a single suitcase, knowing youre probably not going to bother coming back because its that bad. Were standing in ankle deep water, the roof is gone, the walls are falling in, the chandelier came down and its done. Where can we go . We headed to the beach. Were lucky enough to get into a condo that was, you know, empty then. Now things are starting to come back to normal, people are coming back. You know, i had to move again. Where am i going . Now, im in a house full of other displaced friends. You know, and its like, we have 12 people over here. Theres no electricity. Were eating mres. We have water by the case. And ice, just trying to stay cool. What about registering for Disaster Assistance . I know alerts are going out on cell phones even where theres no Cell Phone Service and there have been alerts about registering with fema. Have you been able to do any of that . Right, and they have been telling us that at all the p. O. D. S when we go to get supplies. Were still in a circumstance, a handful of things out on the fringes are opening up, but in panama city, especially, nothing is open. Maybe a couple gas stations. You have to get water at the points of distribution. The store is not just open for you to get it. So you know, theyre telling us to register for aid and to get help. We registered for fema. I have not heard anything yet about their assistance, and i know theyre backlogged. I have heard of other people just now today getting a text for the first time that their aid will be approved for housing. Right, which is a huge step forward. There have also been reports of looting in panama city itself. You made your way to Panama City Beach. Do you have any safety concerns at this point . We know that curfew is still in effect from sunset to sunrise. You know, there are safety concerns out here. You know, i was staying with my roommate on the beach. Her kid, we made sure to leave in the next county over where they dont have power, with the grandparents, because its not safe for kids out here in general. Its so funny because were really at the beginning of the hurricane right now. The storm was terrible, but you know, day one, youre assessing the damage. The next couple days, its about checking on your neighbors. Day four and day five, no power and water, its okay. Were at day six now. Tempers are flaring. People are walking around, armed. Youre seeing signs like spray paint on buildings, looters will be shot. Theres fights in the gas line all the time. We have the National Guard and police out managing gas because the gas line is probably the most serious thing. We do have gas in, but theres only a handful of stations. In panama city, that line can be three hours long. That gas is so important. For folks who arent familiar with the area, it feels like its not too far from you, yet it can be if you dont have gas. From where you are, if you drive even less than an hour away, there could be Cell Phone Service, power, water, gas. But getting there can be problematic. Talk to me, too, about the communication. Were on the phone with you now. Is there full cell service in Panama City Beach . Right now, we have at t. At t never went down in the whole entire storm and afterwards. I have at t. I was lucky enough to have service through that. As far as i know, verizon and all the rest of the Major Networks are not back up yet. Now, i know they have put some temporary towers in certain places like hot spots where people can go to that location. But for most of panama city, if you dont have that cell service, you dont have communication. Theres runs on phones because the prepaid phones, maybe someone could get one quick to contact their loved ones. Everyone is taking it. They dont have a lot of prepaid phones because everybody is trying to get on a network that works. And any way they can do it. The president and first lady just landing. Were looking at live pictures at Eglin Air Force base. Whats your message to the president , what do you want them to know about your situation, about the situation itself in the panhandle . You know, honestly, i hope mr. Trump while hes here, he really gets in here and surveys how serious this damage is. I know we have had complaints in past disasters about how they were handled. Its really a chance for him to step up because this is what i would assume a war zone looks like. Panama city is completely destroyed. And mexico beach is completely destroyed. And we need all the help that we can get in any type of way. You know, point blank, period. I have to say, having been in both of those places that you mentioned and driving through the area, it is almost beyond words. I mean, this is certainly a story where the pictures need to tell the story because you almost cant believe the extent of the damage. How much outside information are you able to get at this point in terms of whats happening in other communities around you, what the need is there versus what youre seeing in Panama City Beach or panama city . Its getting a little better now. That was a big thing. For about two to three days after the storm, we didnt know what was going on. And it was, you know, old school. Youre asking people, passersby for information. People are like, yeah, this area got hit. This area is okay. You know, because even through that time, in the beginning, even though we had cell service, we didnt have any data. Not only that, almost every media outlet in panama city got destroyed. The tv station was down. All the radio stations were down at the time. So that natural flow of information is just not really happening. You know, through a while, now, everyone knows that mexico beach obviously is completely destroyed and panama city, you know, and the close cities there to panama city on that side of the beach, you know, like harper and springfield and callaway got a lot of damage out there. The air force base, they had 10,000 people, they didnt have a single unit left on the air force base. They got 10,000 soldiers they have to send someplace. Everything in that area is pretty well destroyed. And you know, now, while people are staying safe, its a matter of comfort. Not only for people in their personal level but as far as what people are doing here. Because when the attitudes are starting to come out and tempers are starting to flare, its typically about the comfort type issues. We all have water. But you know, gas to go see someone or maybe some dry clothes or anything that is not like that. You know, they have the National Guard, for example, and the police have went through the county and shut down all the alcohol establishments that were coming through. You have people that, you know, are looking for alcohol. And everything is, you know, a barter and supply for people. Its, again, as you said before, the tentacles of this go so far. Theres so much to this disaster. David, really appreciate you joining us. Im glad youre safe. Stay with us, everyone, as we see air force one on the ground there. Well take a short break. Well bring you the president and the first lady as they disembark to tour florida in a moment. Stay with us. Opportunity is everywhere. Like here. And here. See . Opportunity. Hi cinturones por favor. Gracias. Everywhere. About to be parents. Its doing a lot of kicking down there. Meeting the parents. Its gonna be fine. And this driver, logging out to watch his kid hit one out of the. Go dani, go opportunity is everywhere. All you have to do to find it is get out. Here. This is actually under your budget. Its great. Mmhmm. Yeah, and when you move in, geico could help you save on renters insurance man 1 behind wall yep, geico helped me with renters insurance, too um. The walls seem a bit thin. Man 2 behind wall they are and craig practices the accordion every night says the guy who sings karaoke by himself. Im a very shy singer. Youre tone deaf ehh. Should we move on to the next one . Its a great building youll love it here we have mixers every thursday. Geico®. Its easy to switch and save on homeowners and renters insurance. President trump arriving at Eglin Air Force base on the Florida Panhandle along with the first lady, brock long, rick scott also on hand there. The president making his way there. Hell tour the damage today. Lets bring in cnns Martin Savidge who is in hardhit mexico beach, florida. Ground zero, really, as we have said, for this storm that roared ashore with 150plus mile an hour winds, which we understand the results are responsible for much of the damage were seeing. Martin, im not sure how much are folks away, the folks making their way into mexico beach to survey the damage, im not sure how much theyre aware the president is here today. Communications still remain difficult in the area. They do. And some folks are aware, some are not. City officials have certainly been made aware. Its unclear whether the president will be on the ground in mexico beach or Something Like a near flyover. Were waiting to see that. For the president himself, for anyone who comes here and sees it with their own eyes, it is a whole different thing. Because i can tell you that just trying to convey these pictures on television or trying to give you the words to describe not just mexico beach but the many other communities that had been absolutely flattened, the scale is almost beyond our ability with the camera to do. So when the president comes, the first lady comes, flies over or sees it from the ground level, they cant help but be impressed with the devastation theyre facing and the monstrous recovery job. Were five days in and this is usually where you see the cracks begin to appear in the recovery effort. People are getting over the shock and getting over what they have lost and now theyre looking towards what will they get back and how can they do it and how quickly. And this community, they have lost everything. Everything in the infrastructure and in most cases people have lost everything inside of their homes. So theyre going to be looking to the administration, theyre going to look to State Government and local government. And i tell you there are already stresses in local government here. Its wearing on the government leaders here. Its not just the disaster thats befallen their community. Its the decisions they have to make, the hard ones, trying to recover those who are lost and also trying to decide when to allow many other people to try to come back. Its a very difficult, delicate balance. There have been heated exchanges. And there are differences of opinions. It is typical in any Natural Disaster of this scale to have this happen. Its part of the grieving process for an entire community, to work through it, but the president is going to realize the job ahead is huge. It is massive, as you point out. And really when you do see it from the sky, whether its in drone footage or from helicopter footage, it gives you a sense of the scope, even just trying to get into mexico beach, which is tough, for at least the first 24, 36 hours, the roads to get in there are gone. Were not just talking about peoples homes. 100 of the businesses are gone. Lets listen in quickly to the president. Working with fema, working with First Responders. The law enforcement. The job they have done in florida is incredible and likewise im hearing in georgia, very good things. I want to thank you. Youre a great company. He stepped up in the biggest emergencies, the biggest problems, and he gets it done. Rick scott, thank you. Thank you. We talked almost every day. Everything i have asked for, he comes through. Brock long is here from fema. Everything i have asked for from fema, they have done. We have water, food out. We altogether had search and rescue teams the night of the hurricane going into communities to save lives. Our coast guard was out at night saving lives. Everybody is working together. National guard, highway safety. I want to thank everybody for all the i want to thank the president again. Every time i have called, he came through and did exactly what he said he was going to do. Its always how. We have thousands and thousands of electricians at the top level. The electric companies have followed as the hurricane left, they followed right behind it and put on hundreds of thousands of homes back on. One problem is some homes dont exist anymore. They are wiped out. They have electric going to every site, but the electric companies have been really incredible and responsive. We want to thank them. Making sure everyone is safe and fed. Many people have no homes. Their homes got wiped off the footage. Rick scott has done an incredible job. I want to thank you. Thank you, everybody. The president there, thanking governor rick scott who was by his side for the response in florida since this storm. Governor scott saying everything he asked the president for or fema, everything has been done. The president brought up the electric companies and its true. In the area, you staging areas and fueling stations for the trucks to get into the hard hit areas. Part of the challenge and im not sure Martin Savage is with us. Power lines in some areas are not only downed, but covered in trees and debris. Just to move that debris and get to the power lines to begin this process of restoring electricity is massive in and of itself. If you can hear me, the number of trees that are down has to be in the millions. We are talking massive trees. They have fallen across major highways. Most of those have been clear, but the secondary roads and the side roads and the homes in which those trees now rest, the businesses and the impact of just those trees coming down alone is massive. Let alone we talk about tidal or storm surge or wind, the trees have done a tremendous amount of damage. You just see what looks like a tree grave yard as you drive closer and closer. They are all broken off about four feet above ground and all falling exactly in the same direction. If the tree doesnt down, every or pine needle is stripped away. That does block all of the roads. There are many times you think you will peel off a side road or turn down this road. Its completely blocked by both trees and power lines. That puts in perspective the scope of the task in front of so many. We will take a quick break. The president boarding the helicopter there. Our coverage continues in a moment. Tion. For strength and energy whoohoo greattasting ensure. With nine grams of protein and twentysix vitamins and minerals. Ensure. Now up to 30 grams of protein for strength and energy i geta lot. Ches. But no way im gonna keep taking extra strength products. No way. Its vanquish for me. A special formula goes right to the pressure that causes the pain. No need for extra strength products. Defeat headache pain. Vanquish it. Your insurance rates skyrocket you could fix it with a pen. How about using that pen to sign up for new insurance instead . For drivers with accident forgiveness, Liberty Mutual wont raise their rates because of their first accident. Switch and you could save 782 on home and auto insurance. Call for a free quote today. Liberty mutual insurance. Liberty. Liberty. Liberty. Liberty. Warning, california. A handful of billionaires have spent over 70 million on campaigns to undermine our Public Schools. And electing a former wall street banker named marshall tuck to superintendent of public instruction is all a part of the billionaires plan to take money away from neighborhood Public Schools and give it to their corporate charter schools. Thats why Tony Thurmond is the only candidate endorsed by Classroom Teachers for superintendent of public instruction. Because keeping our kids safe and improving our neighborhood Public Schools is always tonys top priority. Speculation has been growing for months about the future of defense secretary, james mattis. The president said he is not sure whether the general will stick around while downplaying the reported feuds. Is it true general mattis said to you the reason for nato and the reason for all these alliances is to prevent world war 3 . Its not true. Frankly, i like general mattis. I know more about it than he does. Sorry he going to leave . I dont know. He hasnt told me that. Youpt him to leave . I think he is sort of a democrat if you want to know the truth. General mattis is a good guy. We get along very well. He may leave. At some point, everybody leaves. People leave. Thats washington. Cnn pentagon correspondent start with more. People do leave their post. Is there any word this morning that mattis is close to leaving . Not right now. The president goes from mad dog mattis, very boisterous support for the secretary to maybe hes a democrat. No evidence of secretary mattiss partisan leanings, if any, in any direction. People are noticing for the first time you did not see that unequivocal support from President Trump for secretary mattis. You are getting chatter about is this going to turn out the same way it did for former secretary of state, Rex Tillerson and National Security adviser hr mcmaster. You saw the run up of less than support for them from the president. Is this the beginning of that for secretary mattis . Nobody really knows. Mattis right now traveling to asia this week as long expected. Sticking with his program. People here say there is no signs right here that hes leaving, but the midterms are coming up and who really knows. Is there ever an indication where the political affiliation of the defense tear married or was an issue. The pentagon is nonpartisan. A secretary of defense gives the president the best National Security military advice. Very quickly, you recall william cohen, republican senator served under bill clinton. Chuck hagel also a republican senator served under president obama. Erica . Always good to talk with you. Thank you. Sure. Thanks for being with us. Inside politics with john king starts right now. Thank you, erica and welcome to inside politics. Im john king. President trump is in florida this hour, landing a short time ago and now on a held kopture tour to assess the clean up and clean up required because of the punch to the panhandle. The secretary of state making a trip to saudi arabia. The president said he wants the facts yet also suggests maybe rogue actors, not the saudi government kidnapped and killed jamal