Hello again, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me from washington, d. C. Im fredericka witfield. We begin with the apocalyptic destruction from the deadliest Natural Disaster in hawaiis history. Almost 80 people are dead and thousands displaced. At any moment, lahaina residents could return to assess what might be left. Crews are working to fully contain three major fires and prevent flareups on maui. The devastation costing an estimated 5. 5 billion. Governor josh green has ordered a comprehensive review of the states response. Lets go to cnns mike valerio. Last hour you were approached by a woman who was very frustrated about the road closures. Whats been happening there . Reporter good morning. The sun is now up over maui. This is the moment, fred, that people have been waiting for for more than 14 hours. Hundreds of car s queued up in the background, now able to move through the main route that goes into the Disaster Zone o f la h these are people who have been waiting after
Welcome to cnn this morning. Im amara walker. Thank you for sharing part of your morning with us. As the grim reality sets in for survivors in hawaii, some are questioning the states response beforehand and how much was done to try to warn residents to get out. Plus Hunter Bidens legal troubles heat pup the Justice Department elevates the attorney to Special Counsel after plea talks fall apart. And donald trump and his legal team get a stern warning from the judge. Well have the latest on the contentious hearing. New data Shows Americans are pulling out of their 401 k and relying on credit cards. Well have a financial expert to weigh in with her advice. We begin with really grim news from hawaii, where those devastating wildfires have claimed at least 80 lives so far. The death toll will likely rise in the coming days. Crews have not yet searched the inside of most of the buildings and its unclear how many people are unaccounted for. Video shows the horror of the fire as people tried t
Good evening, im laura coates. Thank you for joining me this friday evening. Tonight, donald trump is on some thin ice. In the first hearing with the judge in his third indictment, the one over Election Interference, she warned the former president about his rhetoric and his agreement, by the way, not to intimidate witnesses in order to stay a free man. But she also favored some of the arguments by his attorneys, for example, on whether evidence can be discussed publicly. More on that whole dramatic Courtroom Scene in just a moment. First, hunter biden. Hes likely going to trial. Attorney general Merrick Garland effectively appointed a Special Counsel in the guns and taxes investigation of the president s son. Youll recall there was a plea deal, and it also recently broke down. And weve talked about the questions surrounding how that could have happened. Even a judge that questioned the terms of the agreement with the doj. Before we get to all of that analysis, youre probably thinking,
For more information how you can help victims of Hawaii Wildfires go to cnn. Com impact or text hawaii to 707070 to donate. The lead with jake tapper starts right now. A brand new Special Counsel now focused on hunter biden. The lead starts right now. The Attorney Generals surprise announcement. The prosecutor who was overseeing The Hunter Case is now being elevated to a Special Counsel. What will this mean for the president s son . What will this mean for the president . And donald trump might be told to zip it. The judge in the 2020 Election Fraud case signaling that she is going to be willing to restrict sensitive evidence as she tells trumps attorneys the former president s right to free speech is not absolute. And hawaiis catastrophe sadly getting worse. Historic towns gone, homes burned to the ground, 55 lives confir confirmed lost, and that number is sadly expected to climb. Welcome to the lead im jake tapper. And we start with our Law And Justice lead with a new Special Counsel
alexey navalny found, the jailed russian opposition leader who had been missing for two weeks suddenly turns up. we ll show you where he is, and what his legal team is saying without the siberian penal colony where he sing with kept. and migrants are making their way to the uv index and antony blinken with his comments. and many are skipping their drugs to indulge in their holiday favorites. we ll talk to an expert if that s a good idea. and we re following these developing stories all coming in here to cnn news central. vladimir putin s most favorite critic is found alive in a siberian critic after the questions of his whereabouts. he missed two court appearances but nalvany s lawyers saw him in a remote penal colony and he s doing quote, quite well. known as the polar wolf, the prison is some 2,000 miles from where nalvany had been held before. his year long s protest of putin was a film and hbo documentary that won an oscar. and we have the latest now from london.