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Corker: Trump's Recklessness Threatens 'World War III; White House Issues List Of Hard-Line Immigration Demand; Mike Pence Leaves Colts Game After Protest During Anthem; Trump Not Clarifying Cryptic Messages On North; Jason Aldean Returns To Las Vegas To Visit Victims; Giant Balloons To Help Connect Puerto Rico; Harvey Weinstein Fired By Weinstein Company. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired October 9, 2017 - 03:00   ET

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


(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[03:00:23] DAVE BRIGGS, CNN ANCHOR: Treating his office like a "reality show," reckless, threats that could lead to World War III. The damming (ph) indictment of the president from a senator, highly respected senator in his own party.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: The White House releases hard-line requirements for an immigration deal. The demand threatened to derail the President deal with Democrat to help young undocumented immigrants.

BRIGGS: And the vice president takes the hike after NFL players take a knee. But his move to leave the Colts game has lawmakers throwing a flag asking who's paying for Pence's trip and costly trip questioning was this staged?

BRIGGS: Good morning everyone. Welcome to EARLY START. I'm Dave Briggs. And you my friend?

(CROSSTALK)

ROMANS: A lot going on. I'm Christine Romans. It is nice and early for you this morning, Monday, October 9th, 3 am in the east.

Capping off an extraordinary volley of personal insults, influential Republican Senator Bob Corker now the first lawmaker to go public with what many in the GOPs have been saying privately for months.

In an interview Sunday with the "New York Times", a remarkable interview in the "New York Times", drops less than about 9 p.m. The chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee accused President Trump of treating his office like a reality show with reckless threats that could set America, "on the path to World War III".

Corker said he is alarmed by a president who acts, quote, "like he's doing The Apprentice or something". And telling the "Times", he concerns me. He would have to concern anyone who cares about our country. BRIGGS: The verbal combat escalating Sunday when the President launched a twitter tirade against Corker. Trump tweeting, the retired Republican senator doesn't have the guts to run again. After Trump supposedly denied Corker's request for endorsement. That claim denied by Corker's chief of staff.

Corker quick to punch back tweeting, it's a shame the White House has become an adult daycare center. Someone obviously missed their shift this morning.

It's been re-tweeted more than 100,000 times, by the way. The trouble between the senator and the president has been brewing for weeks, underscored by this remark from Corker last week.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. BOB CORKER (R), TENESSEE: I think Secretary Tillerson, Secretary Mattis, and Chief of Staff Kelly are those people that help separate our country from chaos.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: This, after corker three weeks ago questioned the president's stability and competence after he assign blame for the violence in Charlottesville last summer to quote both sides.

Senator Corker's vote will be critical for many of the President's legislative goals. Look, he calls him the retiring senator, but he is here through 2018.

BRIGGS: Right.

ROMANS: There is a very slim number of a wiggle room there for this President. He's going to need him on tax reform and foreign policy like the Iran nuclear deal.

BRIGGS: And on tax reform, Corker's one of the few fiscal Republicans, fiscal conservatives left that actually doesn't want to add to the deficits on tax reform that matters. Secretary of State, if he fires Rex Tillers, guess who will lead the confirmation hearings for the new secretary of state?

ROMANS: Bob Corker.

BRIGGS: The Foreign Relations Committee. So this is far from done folks.

The White House meanwhile had its wish list for a deal to protect young undocumented immigrants so-called dreamers. But almost any item on the table by itself would be enough to sink a deal worked out by Democrats.

Top border security and immigration measures, the White House says it wants to include provisions that would make it harder for unaccompanied minors to enter the country illegally, money for the President's border wall, action targeting visitors overstaying their visas, and expediting removal of undocumented immigrants here illegally.

ROMANS: President Trump has announced, he plan to end the Obama era dreamer program by giving Congress a six-month window to act. Democratic House Leader Nancy Pelosi, Senate Leader Chuck Schumer reached a tentative framework on a dreamers deal with the president last month.

Democratic staffers says the key to whether that deal survives will be how hard the White House pushes on this wish list. You know, some Democrats say this is essentially holding dreamers hostage, the President rather restrictionist immigration agenda.

BRIGGS: Yes, that's short of a veto threat. It should be interesting.

Early signs, not good, Pelosi and Schumer releasing a statement Sunday saying, we told the President at our meeting that we were open to reasonable border security measures alongside the Dream Act, but this list goes so far beyond what is reasonable. This proposal fails to represent any attempt at compromise.

If the president was serious about protecting the dreamers, his staff has not made a good-faith effort to do so.

[00:05:00] ROMANS: All right, it was a football weekend. Ethical questions looming for the White House after critics say Vice President Mike Pence use yesterday's Colts-49ers game to stage a political stunt.

The vice president abruptly left the NFL game on Sunday after some players knelt during the national anthem. And said, he did not want to dignify that demonstration.

After Pence left, Trump tweeted, he had asked Pence to leave if anyone kneels.

BRIGGS: That's almost guaranteed someone would take a knee, especially since the 49ers players had issued a statement a week earlier saying, they'd keep using their platform to make a statement.

The 49ers the only franchises had at least one player kneel before every game since their former quarterback, Colin Kaepernick, started doing in the 2016 season.

Pence's move did not sit well with members of the 49ers, including Eric Reid who took a knee during the anthem.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ERIC REID, AMERICAN FOOTBALL SAFETY: The last time he was at a Colts game three years ago. So this looks like a PR stunt to me. This is what systemic oppression looks like. A man with power comes to the game, tweets a couple of things out and leaves the game with an attempts to thwart our efforts.

(END VIDEO CLIP) BRIGGS: He says its three years ago. Let me just tell you why he knows that, because Pence actually tweeted out a photo from three years ago, not a tweet from this game. That's how Eric pretty knows that.

ROMAN: Interesting. All right, Pence's move also not sitting well with lawmakers. Democratic Senator Brian Schatz of Hawaii tweeted, wait, this was orchestrated to make a point? That's not an inexpensive thing to do.

Democratic congressman Adam Schiff of California tweeted, after all the scandals involving unnecessarily expensive travel by cabinet secretaries, how much taxpayer money was wasted on this stunt?

BRIGGS: The answer based on CNN estimates of Air Force data is more than $242,000. That is not a good cost for advance personnel, Secret Service, or support on the ground.

Some cost will be reimbursed by the Republican National Committee because Pence then attended a political event in Los Angeles.

ROMANS: Wait, that's in Las Vegas, Indianapolis to Los Angeles. In a statement, Pence's office defended the trip saying, he was not going to miss the Las Vegas Memorial on Saturday, adding Pence did not go to Indiana for the Colts game. He would have flown back to D.C. for the evening, which means flying directly over Indiana.

This also raised the questions, why fly from Las Vegas to Washington Saturday just to fly back to L.A. on Sunday? The NFL had no comment on the vice president's actions.

BRIGGS: I mean, this the heck of a football game, overtime win by the Colts.

Meanwhile, on North Korea, President Trump adding to a growing list of cryptic messages without offering any concrete answers. Over the weekend, he tweeted that decades of diplomacy has failed, adding that only one thing will work. As what that meant, the president added this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What's the one thing that will work with North Korea?

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Well, you're thinking that out pretty soon.

(END VIDOE CLIP)

BRIGGS: This after the president said last week, we are in the, quote, "calm before the storm" again, refusing to elaborate.

Joining us now live from Seoul, South Korea, CNN's Alexandra Field. Alex, how is this being received over there? Does anyone care anymore? Do they really believe this matters? ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, look David, I mean even the White House can't clarify what these remarks means. So don't expect, you know, the Blue House here in Seoul, South Korea to have anymore insight into this warfare leaders in Pyongyang, Beijing, Tokyo to understand exactly what the president is getting at.

But you're correct to point out that they won't be surprised by something like this. They are used to a barrage of threats now from this president. Most of those threats coming from twitter.

Some of them suggesting either a two-pronged approach with the secretary of state, or perhaps, some daylight between. And it was, you know, just about last week when the secretary of state was out here talking about opening up channels of communication with Pyongyang, only to have the president seemingly under cutting (ph) by the telling the secretary of state on twitter to save his threat. You know, the only one thing would work essentially.

I'm paraphrasing there when it comes to dealing with North Korea. This always raises concerns in the region because the tension in this region has really been on a nice point for the last couple of months.

Look, Beijing understands what president Trump is saying. When they issue these kinds of threats, they know that the president is looking directly at them to continue to exercise any leverage that they have, given the economic relationship that they share with North Korea over that regime.

Pyongyang take these threats and usually matches them in a ratcheting upwards sort of war of words. But for South Korea, the states remain increasingly high and this does rattle nerves to some extent here.

They do have to worry about the possibility of a military option. They want to know if they're on the same page with the U.S., if the alliance is strong. But more than that, they really worry that this war of words could result on some kind of mistake that could have a very direct and deadly impact right here in South Korea.

That's why you've heard officials continue to stay here, that what they are doing right now during these tense times is upping their defenses against the possibility of missiles from North Korea and the other threats that that regime poses.

[03:10:05] And they have also called U.S. to help to resolve the tension here, saying that they need to work together in order to avoid conflict, in order to avoid a mistake. Dave?

BRIGGS: Concerning. Alex, thank you.

ROMANS: All right, more now in that rapid fall from grace of media mogul Harvey Weinstein. He has been fired from the film company he cofounded. The action comes days after New York Times investigation revealed incidence, multiple incidence of alleged sexual harassment spanning decades.

The board of Directors at the Weinstein company have released a statement saying the decision was made in light of new information about misconduct by Weinstein.

Some clients have said they may stop working with the company if Weinstein is still associated with it. So far no immediate comment from Weinstein.

A lot of discussion over the weekend about his sort of apology, his explanation when this New York Times --

BRIGGS: Yes.

ROMANS: -- story came to light where he said he came of age in business in the 60s and 70s when this sort of behavior was more --

BRIGGS: Accepted.

ROMANS: -- was more acceptable.

BRIGGS: Yes.

ROMANS: And again and again, I'm listening to my father and my father's friends and my colleagues with their parents and fathers saying, wait, in what universe was it acceptable, they say.

You know, my father came up in business in the 60s and 70s. I guarantee you, he's not tracing people around, you know, around desks. You know, I mean it just -- its maybe this old madmen view of what things were like but it is -- his apology, his explanation really fell short.

BRIGGS: And Democrats now lining up to donate political donations to women's groups.

ROMANS: Yes.

BRIGGS: All right, the singer on stage when shots rang out in Las Vegas won't go quiet.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We hurt for you and we hurt with you. But you can be sure that we're going to walk through these tough times together every step of the way. Because when America --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRIGGS: More of Jason Aldean's message to victims and Americans from his surprise appearance and his tribute to Tom Petty, on Saturday Night Live.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[03:15:52] BRIGGS: Outstanding. The bright lights that are the trademark of Las Vegas dimmed last night for 11 minutes to honor the victims and heroes of last week's tragic mass murder.

Many of the strip's flashing lights were dark from 10:05 to 10:16 local time, exactly one week to the minute after the shots rang out.

ROMANS: As for the investigation, police now believe they know the significance of that note with handwritten numbers on it found the shooter's room.

A law enforcement source tells CNN, the numbers are calculations for the distance and trajectory from the gunman's 32nd floor window to the audience at the Country Music concert he was targeting below.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID NEWTOWN, POLICE OFFICER, LAS VEGAS POLICE DEPARTMENT: He must have done the calculations or gone online or something to figure it out of what his altitude was going to be, on how high up he was, how far out the crowd was going to be, and what at that distance, what his drop of his bullet was going to be. He hadn't written out the calculations. All he had was written out the final numbers.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRIGGS: Police still trying to work out the gunman's motive, again, searched his home in Mesquite, Nevada east of Las Vegas. Over the weekend, officials released some of the personal effects left behind in the chaos of the attack and began returning them to their rightful owners.

ROMANS: Battle lines over gun regulation drawing clearer over the weekend. Republican Congressman, Steve Scalise, who himself was seriously injured in a shooting back in June. He says there is no need for new laws, just better enforcement of current ones.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. STEVE SCALISE (R), HOUSE MAJORITY WHIP: There are already limits on the gun ownership. But frankly, let's go out and enforce those laws. Don't try to put new laws in place that don't fix these problems. They only make it harder for law-abiding citizens to own a gun.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: Even Democratic Senator, Dianne Feinstein, acknowledges no legislative fix could have stopped the Las Vegas massacre. But she told CBS, regulations aren't going to do it. We need a law.

BRIGGS: At the center of the debate, the so-called bump stocks. The device that allowed the Vegas shooter to turn his semiautomatic weapon into one that fired like a fully automatic weapon.

Democrats are pushing Congress to pass a law banning bump stocks. Republicans, not to mention the NRA, want the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the ATF, to consider tweaking a regulation that to ban the device.

ROMANS: All right, the issue of gun violence taken up by Saturday Night Live as well. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The investigation into the tragedy in Las Vegas this week has sparked a larger debate in America between people who want common sense gun control and people who are wrong.

This shouldn't be a partisan issue. The guy had 47 guns. No one should own 47 of anything. If you own 47 cats, you are not a responsible pet owner. You're a crazy cat lady.

This guy bought 33 of his guns in the past year and that didn't set off any kind of alert. If I buy $100 worth of Chic-fil-A, I get a text message from my bank that said, did you just purchase a $100 worth of Chick-fil-A? Please call and tell if this is fraud.

Why is it so hard to get gun control in this country? I mean who are these delicate snowflakes that we can't just tell no, you're not allowed to have 40 guns anymore, Earl. From now on, you could have one gun, max, and six bullets. If you can't hit what you're shooting with six bullets, then you don't need to be shooting at it. Learn karate or use your words.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRIGGS: So on Saturday Night Live.

Country music star, Jason Aldean who was performing in Las Vegas as the attack started.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(MUSIC PLAYING)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRIGGS: You weren't a fat ass before.

ROMANS: Yes.

BRIGGS: You ought to be now.

ROMANS: Really.

BRIGGS: Aldean opened his SNL appearance with a rendition of Tom Petty's hit song, I Won't Back Down. Petty's death last week largely overshadowed by the Las Vegas massacre.

[03:20:01] ROMANS: Happened on the same day.

BRIGGS: Yes. It's hard to believe. Really didn't get a chance to talk about Mr. Petty. Aldean gave an emotional tribute to the victims as well.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JASON ALDEAN, COUNTRY MUSIC STAR: We hurt for you and we hurt with you. But you can be sure that we're going to walk through these tough times together every step of the way. Because when America is at its best, our bond and our spirit, it's unbreakable.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRIGGS: Aldean flew back to Nevada Sunday, visiting the University Medical Center, sit with the victims of the shooting.

ROMANS: I can't imagine how emotional that must be for him and his family. You know, I mean, all those people enjoying his music, his arts when all of this happened, you know. And he's really --

BRIGGS: Changed his life forever. The next time he goes on stage, will be a moment he'll never forget.

ROMANS: He is tied to those people forever.

BRIGGS: Yes.

ROMANS: All right, great job by him.

Coming up, can these giant floating balloons, you see them there? Is this a solution to Puerto Rico's cell service problem. The U.S. Government thinks so. We'll tell you how, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROMANS: All right. America is about solving problems folks. So here is one attempt. Giant floating balloons could bring internet and cell service back to Puerto Rico.

Right now, about 80% of the island lacks cell service. Hurricane Maria wiped out the infrastructure. So the FCC is using innovative approach to restore connectivity.

It's issuing an experimental license to X. That's a moonshot company run by Google. X uses giant balloons as floating cell towers. It's called Project Loon. It sends balloons 12 miles in the air. From there, they connect with on the ground telecommunication systems.

And the project works. It helped Peru provide coverage after the country flooded earlier this year.

[03:25:02] One big difference, Loon conducted tests in Peru for months before going online there. In Puerto Rico, X is starting at square one.

A spokesperson told CNN, Project Loon is making solid progress in Puerto Rico, declined to give a time frame. But one of those great examples of companies, with the government, trying to find a solution.

BRIGGS: Outstanding. All right, the southeaster in recovery mode this morning after Nate weakened to a tropical depression late Sunday night.

The storm making landfall as a category one hurricane over the weekend, causing some destruction and flooding. Though initially hit Southeast Louisiana Saturday before making a second landfall near Biloxi, Mississippi hours later, massive flooding.

ROMANS: Yes, look at all that automobile really got nailed. Nate knocked out power to at least 67,000 homes across the Gulf, most of them in Alabama.

Fortunately, no deaths or injuries are reported here on the mainland, although there were scores of death in the Caribbean before Nate came ashore.

BRIGGS: Mudslides.

ROMANS: Mudslides. The National Hurricane Center has discontinued all warnings and advisories as Nate loses steam here. But I'm telling you, a storm weary country nervously watch this thing this weekend. Could've been much worse, but for people who are looking if they lost a property there, it's still a long road.

BRIGGS: Indeed, no more. OK. Republican Senator Bob Corker not shying away after a twitter attack from the President. After calling the White House an adult daycare center, Corker says the President's actions could lead to World War III.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROMANS: President Trump isn't concerned to anyone who cares about our nation, that from the Republican Senator, a powerful Republican senator warning the President's actions could set the nation on its course for World War III.

[03:30:00] BRIGGS: And the White House believes this hard-line requirements for an immigration deal, the demands threaten to derail the President's deal with Democrats to help dreamers.

ROMANS: And the vice president takes the hike after NFL players take a knee. But his move to leave the Colts game had lawmakers throwing a flag, asking who is paying for Pence's brief and costly trip?

Welcome back to EARLY START. I'm Christine Romans.

BRIGGS: I'm Dave Briggs. How was your weekend?

ROMANS: It was of the eight soccer games, four hours of swimming. What about you?

BRIGGS: It sounds about like mine as well. That's what we do. I'm Dave Briggs. Thirty minutes past the hour, hope you had a great weekend.

Capping off an extraordinary volley of personal insults, influential senator, Bob Corker, going much further than any Republican has, to date, with criticism of his president.

In an interview Sunday with The New York Times, the chairman of the very influential Senate Foreign Relations Committee accused President Trump of treating his office like a reality show with reckless threats that could set America on the path to World War III. That's a quote.

Corker said he is alarmed by a president who acts like he is doing The Apprentice or something. And telling the Times, he concerns me. It would have to concern anyone who cares about our nation.

ROMANS: All of this escalating Sunday when the president launched to Twitter tirade against Corker. Trump tweeted, the retiring Republican senator doesn't have the guts to run again.

After Trump said he denied Corker's request for endorsement, a false claim according to Corker's Chief of Staff, a false according to several sources that talked to CNN.

OK. So Corker was quick to punch back tweeting, it's a shame the White House has become an adult daycare center. Someone obviously missed their shift this morning.

Folks, this is a powerful chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the President of the United States in this very public feud. Now, the trouble between the senator and the president has been brewing for weeks, underscored by this remark from Corker last week.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. BOB CORKER (R), TENESSEE: I think Secretary Tillerson, Secretary Mattis, and Chief of Staff Kelly are those people that help separate our country from chaos.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRIGGS: Now, this all on the heels of Corker three weeks ago questioning the president's stability and competence after he assigned blame for the violence in Charlottesville last summer to both sides.

Senator Corker's vote will be critical for many of the president's legislative goals, including tax reform and foreign policy challenges like the Iran nuclear deal.

And for some context, I think we should point out, this is the guy that was on the short list for VP and pulled himself out of the running. Then, he was on the shortlist for Secretary of State as well before, obviously (INAUDIBLE).

(CROSSTALK)

ROMANS: And he pulled his name out of the running because, according to The New York Times, he was concerned by the president's comments and views about --

BRIGGS: And this is on vice president, yes.

ROMANS: Right, about foreign policy. So clearly, this is a really -- and you know, the Times pointed out that this is 25-minute interview where he was purposeful and careful in how he was choosing his words.

So, it wasn't as if he was talking to a friend and was overheard. He was very forcefully telling The New York Times this.

BRIGGS: Yes. You wonder how this ends.

ROMANS: All right. Also, overnight while you were sleeping, the White House unveiled its wish list for a deal to protect young undocumented immigrants, the so-called dreamers. Almost any item on the list by itself would be enough to sink a deal worked out with Democrats.

The tough border security and immigration measures, the White House says it wants include provisions making it harder for unaccompanied minors to enter the country illegally. It includes money for the president's border wall, action targeting visitors overstaying their visas, and expediting removal of undocumented immigrants here illegally. Also makes it harder for someone here to actually get a pathway to citizenship for their families.

BRIGGS: Yes. President Trump has announced he plans to end the Obama era dreamer program, but gave Congress the six-month window to act. Democratic House Leader Nancy Pelosi and Senate Leader Chuck Schumer reached a tentative framework on a dreamers deal with the president last month.

A Democratic staffer says the key to whether that deal survives will be how hard the White House pushes on its wish list.

ROMANS: Early signs are not good. Pelosi and Schumer releasing a statement Sunday saying, we told the president at our meeting that we were open to reasonable border security measures alongside the Dreamer Act. But this list goes so far beyond what is reasonable. This proposal failed to represent any attempt to compromise.

If the president was serious about protecting the dreamers, his staff has not made a good-faith effort to do so.

BRIGGS: Questions looming for the White House after critics say Vice President Mike Pence used yesterday's Colts-49ers game to stage a political stunt.

Pence abruptly left the NFL game Sunday after some players took a knee during the national anthem.

[03:35:00] Pence said he did not want to dignify the demonstration. After Pence left, Trump tweeted, he asked Pence to leave if anyone kneeled.

ROMANS: It was almost guaranteed someone would take a knee, especially since 49ers players had issued a statement a week earlier saying they would keep using their platform to make a statement.

The 49ers are the only franchise that's had at least one player kneel before every game since Colin Kaepernick started doing it in the 2016 preseason.

Pence's move did not sit well with members of 49ers, including Eric Reid who took a knee during the anthem. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REID: The last time he's been to a Colts game was three years ago. So this looks like a PR stunt to me. This is what systemic oppression looks like. A man with power comes to the game, tweets a couple of things out and leaves the game with an attempt to thwart our efforts.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRIGGS: All right. Pence's move also not sitting well with lawmakers. Democratic Senator Brian Schatz of Hawaii tweeted, wait, this was orchestrated to make a point? That's not an inexpensive thing to do.

Democratic Congressman Adam Schiff of California tweeting, after all the scandals involving unnecessary expensive travel by cabinet secretaries, how much taxpayer money was wasted on this stunt?

ROMANS: We have an answer. Based on CNN estimates of Air Force data, it's more than $242,000. That does not include cost for advanced personnel, secret service, or support underground.

Some costs will be reimbursed by the Republican National Committee, the RNC, because Pence then attended a political event in Los Angeles.

BRIGGS: In a statement, Pence's office defending the trips saying, he was not going to miss the Las Vegas Memorial on Saturday. Adding, if Pence did not go to Indiana for the Colts game, he would have flown back to D.C. for the evening, which means flying directly over Indiana.

This also raises the question, why fly from Vegas to Washington Saturday just to fly back to L.A. on a Sunday? NFL had no comment on the vice president's actions.

But it was predictable that someone was going to take a knee, they all in virtually every game. And the story was going away. It was dying out the protest of quiet. And again, they're not about the flag. They're about police brutality, racial injustice in this country.

Let's just have an honest conversation about what these players are doing. They're not against the military. Whether you support it or not, that's not their intention.

ROMANS: And ironically, critics of those players call it just a stunt. And then here, you have this weekend, you know, the White House, the president saying, hey, walk out if you need to.

BRIGGS: Yes.

ROMANS: If they do that, which is in itself maybe a stunt.

On North Korea, President Trump is adding to a growing list of cryptic messages without offering any clarity here. Over the weekend, he tweeted the decades of diplomacy has failed. Adding that, OK, this is the really important part, only one thing will work. Ask what that meant, the president added to the mystery.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What's the one thing that will work with North Korea?

TRUMP: Well, you're thinking that out pretty soon.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRIGGS: This after the president said last week, we are in the calm before the storm, again, refusing to elaborate.

Joining us now live from Seoul, South Korea, CNN's Alexandra Field. Alex, how is this being received over there? Do people believe it or is it just more bluster from the Oval Office?

FIELD: Well, look, frankly Dave, I think they're just used to it at this point. It's very hard for people here to parse exactly what the president means when he issued these very cryptic, all right.

I mean not even the White House have been able to clarify exactly what he means when he says things like only one thing will work, or as he tweeted about week ago, we'll do what we have to do concerning North Korea.

That was when he told the Secretary of State to save his energy after the secretary --

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[03:45:49] ROMANS: In a rapid fall from grace media mogul, Harvey Weinstein, has been fired from the film company he cofounded. The action comes days after New York Times investigation revealed incidents of alleged sexual harassment spanning decades.

CNN's Senior Media Correspondent, Brian Stelter, has more.

BRIAN STELTER, CNN SENIOR MEDIA CORRESPONDENT: In the span of just a few days, Harvey Weinstein went from a larger-than-life media mogul, a man who could make or break movie careers to an unemployed former executive.

On Sunday night, the Weinstein Company board deciding to terminate its ties with Harvey Weinstein, the men who cofounded the movie company many years ago.

Weinstein is a figure behind many Academy award-winning movies. He was a financier and distributor. A man who supported many stars and, of course, they credited him by name on many Oscar nights.

But Weinstein had a darker side according to the New York Times. Its bombshell investigation was published on Thursday, revealing a pattern of improper behavior in his past, many allegations of sexual harassment by actresses, assistant, and models in Hollywood. Now, this had been whispered about. This had been rumored for decades. But it had not been written about in this very public way. When the Times story came out, he denied some the allegations but admitted to improper behavior and said he was sorry, he said he would seek help.

The Weinstein Company board originally supported him said, they supported him taking a leave of absence, kept the door open to his return. But on Sunday night, that changed. The board decided to terminate him effective immediately in light of new allegations of misconduct that had come to light in the past few days.

They thought that there was more to come on this, possibly more allegations to come about Weinstein. He has had no immediate comments about his firing. But we'll see how many in Hollywood choose to support him or condemn him or stay silent about this scandal.

ROMANS: Yes, excellent reporting from Brian all weekend over this story.

Forty seven minutes past the hour. The bright lights that are the trademark of Las Vegas dimmed last night for 11 minutes to honor the victims and the heroes of last week's tragic mass murder.

Many of strip's flashing lights went dark from 10:05 to 10:16 local time, exactly one week to the minute after those shots rang out.

BRIGGS: As for the investigation, police now believe they know the significance of a note with handwritten numbers on it found in the shooter's room.

A law enforcement source telling CNN, the numbers are calculations for the distance and trajectory from the gunman's 32nd-floor window to the audience at the Country Music concert he was targeting below.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NEWTOWN: He must have done the calculations or gone online or something to figure it out of what his altitude was going to be, on how high up he was, how far out the crowd was going to be, and what at that distance, what his drop of his bullet was going to be.

He hadn't written out the calculations. All he had was written out the final numbers.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: And police are still trying to work out the gunman's motive, again, searched his home in Mesquite, Nevada east of Las Vegas.

Over the weekend, officials released some of the personal effects left behind in the chaos of the attack and began returning them to their rightful owners. The fact that that he was putting mask to murder is just so appalling and creepy.

BRIGGS: That was really fascinating interview on "60 MINUTES" with those officers that first responded to that room.

Meanwhile, country music star, Jason Aldean, who was performing in Las Vegas as the attack started, trying to find some healing this weekend on Saturday Night Live.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALDEAN: In a world that keeps on pushing me around, I'm going to stay my ground. And I won't back down. Hey, baby --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRIGGS: Aldean opened SNL with a rendition of Tom Petty's hit song, I Won't Back Down. Petty's death last week largely overshadowed by the Las Vegas massacre.

While on stage, Aldean gave an emotional tribute to the victims as well.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[03:50:11] BRIGGS: We hurt for you and we hurt with you. But you can be sure that we're going to walk through these tough times together every step of the way. Because when America is at its best, our bond and our spirit, it's unbreakable.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRIGGS: Aldean flew back to Nevada Sunday, visiting the University Medical Center to sit with the victims of the shooting.

I think if you weren't a fan of Aldean before, you ought to be now. What an emotional performance. And this is something he will never, he will never be rid off.

ROMANS: I can't imagine how emotional it is for him and his family. And I am a new found Aldean fan.

BRIGGS: Yes.

ROMANS: He's really good.

All right, big banks and some even bigger profits. Five American banks should report record numbers this week. Details on CNN Money Stream, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BRIGGS: There are still signs of desperation and frustration in Puerto Rico two weeks after Hurricane Maria hit. This as President Trump again touts his own response. On Sunday night, he tweeted, quote, nobody could have done what I've done for Puerto Rico with so little appreciation. So much work.

All that work and there's plenty to be done. CNN's Leyla Santiago has more from San Juan. (BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

LEYLA SANTIAGO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Christine and Dave, there is still very much a sense of desperation on the island. Hospitals telling us that they were operating on a day-by-day basis.

Two and a half weeks after the storm, they are having problems finding what they need. We're talking about water, diesel for the generator.

As a matter of fact, when we visited one hospital in Caguas, we noticed FEMA stopped by but only to assess their needs. The only delivery we saw was diesel. And it was a delivery the hospital scheduled and paid for.

[03:55:01] Workers told me it was going to last them just a day and a half. As a matter of fact, earlier this week, patients had to be evacuated to the U.S. Navy ship comfort because of a generator failure.

And the doctor of one of those patients told me the person was connected to a ventilator that's why it was so important to get more help.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SANTIAGO: Do you think you'll get that help?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We hope so.

SANTIAGO: Do you need the help?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANTIAGO: And because hospitals are struggling, many who are already sick, already vulnerable, are trying to get off the island.

I met an 8-year-old boy named Diego and he has a rare disorder. His mother has really been struggling to find the medications that he needs to stay alive. And thankfully, through the help of some private donors, the family was able to take a charter flight to Florida. But there are still so many others in similar situations not so lucky.

Christine? Dave?

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROMANS: OK. Leyla Santiago, thank you.

The Southeast, in recovery mode this morning after Nate weakened to a tropical depression late Sunday morning. The storm making landfall, that was a category one hurricane over the weekend, causing distraction and flooding. It initially hit Southeast Louisiana Saturday before making a second landfall near Biloxi, Mississippi hours later. BRIGGS: Nate knocked down power to at least 67,000 homes across the Gulf, most of them in Alabama. Fortunately, no deaths or injuries were reported in the U.S. Dozens were killed in Central America.

The National Hurricane Center has discontinued all warnings and advisories as Nate loses steam. Hopefully, this is the last of these tropical systems.

ROMANS: Oh, I can't, too many.

BRIGGS: All right, growing rift getting worse between the United States and Turkey. Both countries announcing visitor visas between the countries are canceled. U.S. Embassy in Turkey issued a statement suspending all visitor visas just days after Turkish President Recep Erdogan had a U.S. consulate employee arrested.

Then hours later, the Turkish Embassy in Washington released an almost identical statement, a tit for tat moves exposed the widening rift between NATO partners over a series of deep disagreements. They also undermine President Trump's vows to repair U.S. ties to Turkey that frayed under the Obama administration.

ROMANS: Let's get a check on "CNN MONEY STREAM" this morning. Global stocks markets, next.

Wall Street broke its record run on Friday on a weak jobs report. The S&P of 500 and the Dow closed lower Friday. That snapped the Dow's longest record streak since 1997.

The U.S. lost 33,000 jobs in September. That's right, a job loss. We haven't seen that in seven years. The reason, those hurricanes. Lots of folks lost their jobs especially wage earners of bars and restaurants. A lot of jobs lost in bars and restaurants.

The unemployment rate though still fell 4.2%. Because outside of Florida and Texas, you did see hiring, a lot of people coming into the labor market and they got jobs.

And here is one of the most important points from that job report. Wage growth, 2.9 percent, the highest growth in eight years.

This week, get ready for some big earnings. Five banks expected to report, get this, $21 billion in profit for one quarter, three months, $21 billion.

JP Morgan Chase, Bank of America, Citigroup, Wells Fargo, and PNC all report this week. Combined, their profits make up nearly half of the banking industry. And their profitability could only grow under the Trump administration helped by corporate tax reform and deregulation. But these huge profits undercut the administration's argument that regulations have hurt the industry.

This story getting a lot of discussion this weekend. Did you see it? Dove apologizing for a racially insensitive ad. Dove saying it missed the mark in representing black women. The ad was a three-second GIF hawking Dove body wash that's posted on Facebook. The looping image shows a black woman removing a dark brown t-shirt, look at that, look, to reveal a white woman. OK.

BRIGGS: After using body wash?

ROMANS: The internet went insane. It caused immediate outcry in social media. Dove removed the ad saying in a statement that it doesn't represent the diversity of real beauty, which is something Dove is passionate about.

OK. I've seen a lot of really dumb things in business. That's right up there on the top of my list.

BRIGGS: Dove wins. So after using body wash, turned white?

ROMANS: Yes.

BRIGGS: And just to be clear.

ROMANS: Yes.

BRIGGS: Wow. Hopefully someone is losing a job for that one. EARLY START continues right now.

ROMANS: Treating his office like a reality show, reckless threats that could lead to World War III. A damming (ph) indictment of the president from a respected senator in his own party.

BRIGGS: The White House releases hard-line requirements for an immigration deal demand threaten to derail the president's deal with Democrats to help the undocumented immigrants.