The latest news from around the world with host Fredricka Whitfield. Devastation. House after house after house in this neighborhood unable to survive. Lets give you a sense of what it was like when the fire roared through here. Flames swirling in high winds and hot temperatures, Wreaking Havoc on the Northern California landscape. The aptally named car fire which was first sparked by a vehicle ravaged the reason since monday, doubling in size over the course of the week and is still growing, deadly, out of control. Charred dozens of acres and structures as firefighters try to contain it. Neighborhoods scorched as smoke and fire climbed through hills, fueled by dried landscape. No idea what were going to do tomorrow. Hell, we dont know what were going to do tonight. Reporter this man and his wife never imagined they would see their house like this. We didnt think the fire was going to come here, so we didnt really take things out. Like Everybody Else that was scrambling at the last minute to they continue to work very hard. This is a constant in and out battle. Very have been having to do it since the day got started. Talk to me about how this is a constant battle just when something bigger is depressed, then a smaller fire pops up. What are your team members up against . As you said before, the triple digit temperatures, low humidity, topography, and the fuel type theyre dealing with, especially throughout california. The vegetation is so dry, it is so receptive to fire. These fires all produce spot fires out ahead of the main body by ember cast. When they touch, they start another fire. Those fires grow, drawing the main body that the fire hit to them, causing those fires to increase in speed dramatically. Last night over the course of the night, due to better mapping, the size of the car fire is over 80,000 acres. Oh my goodness. There have been evacuations but talk to me about the ongoing threat, the ongoing plans to put people on stand by or to evacuate new areas. The fire pretty much dictates the direction were going in. This case right now, by that i mean the direction of the fire in relation to evacuations. The other night the fire, one of the first nights of the fire was 6700 acres. Next morning was 20,000. 28,000 that afternoon. Following morning, 44,000. And this morning, looking at the stats, 80,906 acres. It just explodes and makes those
runs like it did last night. The firefighters continue to arrive, more resources continue to arrive. National guard is engaged and they will be more so engaged as the days continue. Were pulling in a lot of resources, including air. All right. All the best, cal fire deputy chief scott mclean, thank you so much. Intense heat is making a tough job nearly impossible for many firefighters on the ground. Some captured what looks like a firenado, Whipping Flames into a frenzy. Lets bring in meteorologist allison chinchar. Explain how this happens. How it works, the fires are incredibly hot. It is taking that air, heat rises, we know this. As heat and hot air goes up, new air has to come into replace it. As it does, you get that swirling effect. Thats why it looks like a rotating tornado would. Heres the problem. It acts very similar to a
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meeting where russians are expected to offer the Trump Campaign dirt on hillary clinton. This latest denial coming after trumps long time lawyer and friend Michael Cohen claims Trump Nguyknew in advance about meeting. The sources say he is willing to make that assertion to special counsel robert mueller. Cnn White House ReporterSarah Westwood joins us from new jersey, near the Bedminster Golf Club where he is spending the weekend. How is the white house handling this today . Reporter fred, President Trump is settling in for a weekend here in bedminster with Unanswered Questions still surrounding the 2016 Trump Tower Meeting involving his son, donald trump jr. And a russian lawyer. Leaving the white house yesterday, President Trump refused to answer questions about claims from Koenmichael C as former attorney. He said he had knowledge of the
meeting, something trump and his legal team continue to deny. Rudy guiliani is going after Michael Cohen, attacking his credibility in the wake of cnn reporting what cohen is prepared to testify. Look at how dramatically Rudy Guilianis tone shifted when it comes to trumps former fixer. He doesnt have any incriminating evidence about the president or himself. The man is an honest, honorable lawyer. I expected Something Like this from cohen, lying all week, been lying for years. Reporter trump is also wading into the controversy on twitter, denying his son gave him a heads up on the meeting and suggesting cohen is lying to extricate himself from legal trouble. This is a remarkable shift in tone for trump who earlier this year was vocal in his defense of cohen, confident in cohens loyalty. This is all coming against the backdrop of an otherwise successful week for President Trump. He was able to tout robust Economic Growth numbers friday. Earlier in the week had a break through in trade talks with the european union. The Russian Investigation and Michael Cohens cooperation with investigators is continuing to distract from his economic message, fred. All right. Keep us posted, sarah, thanks so much. How did we get here. Lets go back to the week this all happened in june of 2016. Here are the facts. We know the publicist, Rob Goldstone emailed donald trump jr. To offer incriminating information on hillary clinton. A few days later, then candidate trump offered up this message just two days before the Trump Tower Meeting. I am going to give a major speech on probably monday of next week, and were going to be discussing all of the things that have taken place with the clintons. I think youre going to find it very informative and very, very
interesting. All right. So that planned speech set for that monday would fall right after the scheduled Trump Tower Meeting, but the speech never happened. Team trump has changed their narrative on the meeting multiple times. First they said the meeting was just about adoptions, and President Trump dictated the initial misleading response to the story, saying the meeting was just on adoption. Then emails between donald trump jr. And Rob Goldstone show dirt on clinton was offered, and trump jr. Responded i love it. Then later team trump argued the meeting doesnt matter because no information actually came from it. The big question. How much did donald trump know and when did he know it. Team trump denied time and time again that donald trump knew anything. When did the president learn that meeting had taken place . I believe in the last couple of days is my understanding. One key point is this is not a situation where the president was involved in this meeting, was not aware of the meeting, did not attend this meeting. He didnt know about this meeting until a few days ago . Yes, thats correct. Did you tell your father anything about this . It was such a nothing. There was nothing to tell. I mean, i wouldnt have even remembered it until you start scouring through stuff. It was a wasted 20 minutes which was a shame. Did you know at the time they had a meeting . I didnt know anything about the meeting. It must have been an unimportant meeting, i never heard that. No one told you a word, nothing. No, i didnt know that. It sounded like a very unimportant meeting. Joining me now, Cnn National Security analyst and cnn political commentator david swerdlick. David, you heard the initial denials but how much potential legal trouble would the trump team be in if cohens claims are
true that donald trump, then candidate, did know about the meeting before it happened. Good morning, fred. So theres political trouble and legal trouble. Legally Michael Cohen has not been indicted of any crime yet even though he is being investigated, and President Trump is not the subject that we know of criminal charges or investigation. At a minimum, if what Michael Cohen is reportedly saying is true, that means the entire white house narrative that President Trump knew nothing in advance about that Natalia Veselnitskaya meeting with Jared Kushner and paul manafort, that would change everything they were saying for months now, whether that would ultimately lead to criminal charges remains to be seen, but it would totally discredit the white houses posture on this throughout the special counsel investigators investigation. Mark, despite it has been
revealed that Michael Cohen would record conversations, sources tell cnn that cohen does not have Audio Recordings to corroborate this claim that trump knew. So how would bob mueller verify this, is it a Matter Of Who Else was in the room . Michael cohen sharing that information and then the interviews would then take place . Sure. The big question now is how does cohen know this, and why has the story changed, did he tell congressional investigators or not, and would mueller have other means to establish this information. Presumably he does. He would have call records and interviews with other witnesses. The significance is potentially enormous. The big question after all denials and changing stories is of course did President Trump know about the meeting. There was a blocked call from don jr. To a number we dont know who he called, so if
cohens information is accurate, then it would be significant. And david, cohen has represented trump for years. They certainly came across publicly as being very tight, even cohen saying he would take a bullet for trump. Now the president s attorney, rudy guiliani, is calling cohenna liar, a cohen a liar. What is going on. How much does this reveal about how nervous donald trump is or people around him might be. So that seems to be the strategy from mayor guiliani and others to discredit cohen. We dont know what he said or reportedly said is true. Just like cohens credibility will be investigated, so will the credibility ultimately of the president and some of his spokespeople be challenged or
called into question. Mayor guiliani, you played a clip of him saying months ago he thought cohen was an honest, trustworthy individual. Now shifting to cohen has been lying for days, years, you played that clip with sean hannity and trump jr. Where he said no quickly and didnt emphasize the denial, but said there was nothing to tell from this meeting, focusing on that, rather than the fact of whether or not President Trump or then candidate donald trump knew about the meeting. So credibility will be an issue. Of course, cohen may have other information that can corroborate this, ultimately it will be about believeability of the people involved. Even if nothing came from the meeting, don trump jr. Calling it a Nothing Burger, is that secondary to the real intent being enticed with theres dirt and then responding with i love it. Heres the significance of this meeting. For all of the statements time
and time again, there was no collusion between russia and the campaign, setting aside whether theres a crime inclusion, t in collusion, the senior members wanted to collude, they wanted to get this damaging information from people they were told represented the russian government. So whether it was Nothing Burger or not, whether it was disappointing, the fact is they clearly were interested in information that was offered. And the Trump Administration, the president namely is clearly annoyed at the ongoing questions about all of this, his relationship with Michael Cohen, if this was betrayal. And on the day the president tweeted out saying it would be a betrayal for an attorney to be recording anything, then we know now the president found a way to lash out at journalists asking the questions, right . So david, we know people that work with the president have said he has been looking for a way in which to punish
journalists who are annoying and Kaitlin Collins was a Pool Reporter this week asking these questions which were really precipitated by some of the thoughts the president had already shared earlier via tweet. Take a listen. Did Michael Cohen betray you, mr. President . Thank you, everybody. Mr. President , did Michael Cohen betray you . Thank you, everybody. Mr. President , are you worried about what Michael Cohen is going to say to prosecutors . Thank you, kaitlin. Lets keep going. Are you worried about whats on the other tapes, mr. President . Keep going. Thank you, everybody. Why has Vladimir Putin not accepted your invitation . As a Pool Reporter, shes persistent as is required and expected of any Pool Reporter, david, but who, if anyone, can really step in here to help make
sure that that kind of freedom of asking of questions by a White House Press corp can carry on . Sure. As you say, fred, our colleague Kaitlin Collins was doing her job as a reporter, trying to get answers to important questions in an opportunity with the president of the United States. For viewers, it is worth reminding she was there as a Pool Reporter, as a representative of all the broadcast networks. Theres also print Pool Reporters there at the same time, and shes doing there what reporters do, asking tough questions. To your question, fred, about whether or not theres someone that can make sure the president and white house respect the First Amendment and freedom of the press, the answer ultimately i have to say is the voters and at least until we get to an election congress. But there has to be a trust between the press corp and white house communication shop, and President Trump i think has to under