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EARLY START

Gunman Opens Fire at Florida State University; Obama to Announce Immigration Overhaul; Snowstorm Cripples Buffalo; Car Bomb Kills 5 in Northern Iraq

Aired November 20, 2014 - 04:30   ET

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


ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: Breaking news this morning. A gunman opening fire inside Florida State University's library. Three people taken to the hospital. The gunman is now dead. All the new details we're learning this morning for you.

Welcome back to EARLY START. I'm Christine Romans. John Berman has the morning off. It is 30 minutes past the hour.

We are following the breaking news, this developing situation. A terrifying scene inside Florida State University's main library. A shootout as campus police confront a gunman telling him to drop his weapon.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID NORTHWAY, TALLAHASSEE POLICE: Instead of complying with their commands, the gunman, in turn, fired a shot at the officers and they returned fire killing the suspect.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A guy running saying, "Someone has a gun, run." At first, we thought it was a joke. Again, we were a little flustered. But the person I was sitting with, we didn't do much, then we saw a group running, tears down their eyes, like sprinting down the library. At that point, I dropped what I was doing and started sprinting with them. And with a group of people, we hid under several desks and there were people pacing around the room.

And we didn't know what to do. We came up with an idea to barricade the doors. So, like nothing would happen at least to make it difficult for anyone to come in. So, we cleared off a bunch of study tables and barricaded the doors with it. And that was what we did.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: Police telling us there are three shooting victims in the hospital. We don't know their condition. Students report hearing gunfire coming from Strozier Library. Then receiving a police alert to seek shelter and stay away from doors and windows. More than 20 emergency vehicles blocked off the area once the alert came out at 12:30 a.m. Eastern Time. We'll continue to cover the story for you this morning, all morning on

CNN.

Republicans and Democrats are bracing for an epic partisan battle over immigration.

President Obama ready to reveal his plan for overhauling the nation's immigration system. He will do that in a primetime address tonight. He is expected to rewrite the rules for deportation. This will affect millions of people in the country illegally. He will be doing this without Congress.

Listen to the president explaining what he is doing and why in this post on his Facebook page.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: So what I'm going to be laying out is the things that I can do with my lawful authority as president to make the system work better, even as I continue to work with Congress and encourage them to get a bipartisan comprehensive bill that can solve the entire problem.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: The president's decision to bypass Congress by using his executive authority, of course, has Republicans outraged.

We're going to get more on that plan and the reaction from our White House correspondent Michelle Kosinski now.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MICHELLE KOSINSKI, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Christine.

Right now, we know tonight, the president will take this momentous executive action on immigration. It could affect at least 3 million people, possibly up to 5 million.

What this would do, it is not a path to citizenship. It would be temporary and renewable. It will give people two things, the right to stay in America without being deported and the right to work here.

According to sources, it would likely affect the parents of children who are already American citizens or have a legal basis to stay here, provided that those parents have been in America for a period of years. We don't know exactly what the parameters are.

It is also likely this would expand the same kind of allowances that were granted by President Obama in 2012 to people who were brought to America illegally as children, also known as DREAMers. But the sources say this would likely not extend to the parents of those DREAMers.

So, that has led to groups that President Obama's action is not going far enough, and then, on the other hand, you have fiercely angry Republicans who have called President Obama "Emperor Obama" and then threatened everything, from lawsuits, to defunding parts of the budget that would allow this executive action to work, even impeachment.

The White House, though, says it is confident that this executive action has a strong legal foundation and that it will be fully implemented -- Christine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROMANS: All right. Michelle Kosinski at the White House.

The White House has released this photo of the president working on that big speech tonight. The president addresses the nation at 8:00 p.m. Eastern. You can see it here live, right here on CNN.

All right. Now to the bruised and battered Buffalo, New York, where they are under six feet of snow, more on the way starting today. This monster lake-effect storm has already killed seven people and another foot and a half of snow is on the way.

Governor Cuomo declaring a state of emergency for a region that is shutdown and overwhelmed.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. ANDREW CUOMO (D), NEW YORK: We are bringing in hundreds of pieces of equipment from all throughout the state. We've asked neighboring states for equipment.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: Just look at the scene in the buffalo suburbs. Yes, those are cars and trucks. That's a road. Emergency crews simply can't get through the mountains of snow to reach hundreds of abandoned cars. Cars stopped in their tracks by the storm.

Now, for those who managed to get out of the homes, there is a lot of shoveling to do, but they are not going anywhere anytime soon because the plows are nowhere in sight.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR BRYON BROWN, BUFFALO, NY (via telephone): At this point, there is so much snow, it is hard to plow. So, we're not plowing it. We are actually hauling it out, lifting it with high lifts, putting it in payloaders and actually removing it from South Buffalo. At this point, probably over 300 truckloads of snow have been removed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: There is so much snow on the ground, the sheer weight of it is buckling homes.

Listen to this woman who describes what happened in her house at the height of the storm.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRISSY HAZARD, TRAPPED INSIDE HOME: It was absolutely a pressure from the snow. Some of it also came down from the roof and when it did, it blew the doors right across my living room.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: Blew the doors right in.

I want to get right to meteorologist Indra Petersons. She is tracking the storm bringing us the latest.

I mean, lake-effect snow can sound pretty and it's not pretty. It is not pretty.

INDRA PETERSONS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Usually not. There is so much snow in a short period of time. This is a time lapse from a few days ago where you saw all of the snow piling up.

This is the look from buffalo south of the area. Just imagine seeing this for hours. Snowfall rate of 4 to 5 inches per hour. Unbelievable.

This is the story that continues today. We did see a breather for one day. But now, today, once again, those lake-effect bands are setting up once again. The next round could expect another two feet of snow right in through the region.

So, take a look. Remember, it is all about the difference in the air temperature and the temperature of the lake. That's just one of the conditions you need. Huge drastic difference there.

So, what happens? That cold air wants to sink and warm air wants to rise. You see instability, right? You start to see those clouds form. And then back to the lake, the farther distance you have, it all piles up at the end of the lake.

So, really, wind direction is key. Remember, it is all about the direction of the wind and the fetch of the lake. So, notice the southwesterly wind, you really pile up a lot of snow, in comparison to a shorter fetch, you have a west/southwest fetch over Lake Erie, you would not have as much.

This is one of the reasons, you have a drastic difference, 67 inches and a few miles away, only 3 inches. This is also the reason so many people are being caught off-guard. They don't realize a mile or so down the road, that huge heavy snowfall rates of 4 to 5 inches per hour will trap them in the vehicles.

Very easy to see the direction of the winds right over the lake, all that snow piling up over the end of it. And, then, what does every want. They need really, we still have to get through today. Again, another two feet is possible.

But, then, finally, relief in sight. High pressure will cut off the lakes from the wind direction. You will start to see that snow taper off. Right behind it comes another cold front, and this is key. This one is going to bring warmer temperatures, believe it or not, which actually means snow melt rain chances, two chances for rain.

So, a flooding threat is behind this one.

ROMANS: Bottom line, it is not back to normal in Buffalo.

PETERSONS: It will be some time.

ROMANS: All right. Thanks so much, Indra Petersons.

Another security scare at the White House. Officials say the Secret Service arrested an Iowa man who had an unregistered rifle and ammunition in his car. They say he approached officers on foot, at a White House gate and he told, someone had told him to go there.

Agents searched his car, which is about a block away. They found the rifle and ammunition. He is being held for illegal weapon possessions. Other charges are expected.

The director of the CIA is reportedly considering sweeping changes at the agency. "The Washington Post" reports the reorganization could include breaking up spying and analysis divisions to focus on specific regions and security threats. Director John Brennan has expressed concerned that existing divisions undermine the CIA's effectiveness and more of their missions are now cut across organizational boundaries.

The Obama administration may be preparing to unilaterally ease U.S. sanctions on Cuba. A top White House official told a Senate hearing he wouldn't rule it out. But he says the Castro government must take steps to democratic reforms and free U.S. prison aid worker Alan Gross. Back in 2011, President Obama took unilateral action, easing travel restrictions to and from the island nation.

Embattled Japanese auto supplier Takata coming under intense fire. A top official from that company will be grilled on Capitol Hill today, part of a Senate probe into its defective air bags which have been linked to six deaths. One victim's attorney said the automaker should be held accountable for not doing anything to fix a longstanding problem.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HANK DIDIER, ATTORNEY: When you have an airbag that explodes like an IED and send shrapnel through the bag, killing someone, that obviously is not intended to happen. You knew about this for a decade. Why is this accident happening in 2014 if you knew about the problem as far back as 2004?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: A staggering 16 million cars with these Takata air bags have been recalled worldwide. More than 10 million of those are on the roads in the United States.

Time for an early start on your money. European shares down. Asian shares ended the day mixed.

U.S. stock futures also moving lower right now, taking a lead from yesterday. Dow closed down two points from Tuesday's record. The S&P 500 inched back as well. The Federal Reserve kept the language steady on low interest rates.

Breaking overnight, Goldman Sachs fired an investment banker from getting confidential information from the government. "The New York Times" says the banker previously worked at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, and got the secret documents from a former colleague. It is part of an ongoing debate about the tight relationship between the financial regulators and the big banks. A congressional hearing tomorrow will look at that issue more closely.

Breaking news this morning: a gunman opening fire in a college campus library. Three people injured. The gunman killed by police. New information we're learning ahead.

Plus, new fallout for Bill Cosby. As more women come forward claiming the comedian drugged and raped them. The very latest developments, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROMANS: Breaking overnight: gunfire on the campus of Florida State University in Tallahassee. The school put out an alert for a dangerous situation.

Shortly after midnight, shots rang out in the school's library. At least three people are being treated at a local hospital for gunshot wounds. Officers say the unidentified gunman was shot and killed by campus police after refusing orders to drop his weapon and, in fact, firing a shot at police officers. Witnesses say they couldn't believe what was happening.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BLAIR STOKES, WITNESS: I was studying in the library and, all of a sudden, I hear the fire alarm doors kind of go off, like someone just opened the fire alarm doors. So, this girl just comes walking up. She said someone has a gun in the library, like there's a gunman in the library. We wouldn't evacuate until the cops told us we could. We actually had a police escort. So, most of the time for the past hours, we were waiting for cops to get us out.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: Stay with CNN all morning for continuing coverage of that shooting at Florida State University.

More fallout from rape allegations against Bill Cosby. NBC has killed an upcoming project with Cosby and TV Land has pulled reruns of "The Cosby Show." A stunning fall for the once beloved comedian who has faced allegations of sexual assault for decades now. On Tuesday, Netflix also shelved an upcoming comedy special with Cosby.

The 77-year-old entertainer continues to deny the rape claims through his attorney.

One accuser says even if Cosby did apologize, it's too late.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOAN KARSHISH, COSBY ACCUSER: Well, I never heard any remorse in the times after each episode that we had together, each incident. And when he called after them, I heard no remorse in his voice. So, I think it would be disingenuous for him to, all of a sudden, apologize or say, I'm sorry, I was wrong. I don't think the man has it in his nature.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: Cosby is scheduled to go ahead with a performance Friday night at a sold out show in Florida.

The grand jury in Michael Brown's shooting death could decide to indict or clear the officer who killed him by tomorrow. Law enforcement officials say they expect prosecutors to present their final evidence on Friday and a decision could come quickly after that, even the same day.

Police have asked prosecutors to delay announcing the grand jury decision for 48 hours to give them time to prepare. Schools in Ferguson are bracing for the worst, releasing plans to shutdown if violence were to erupt, with seven local churches offering to provide shelter to the children if necessary.

The NBA has suspended one of its players, Charlotte Hornets' Jeff Taylor, suspended for domestic abuse. Taylor received a 24-game ban without pay after pleading guilty to domestic violence assault and malicious destruction of hotel property. NBA commissioner Adam Silver says the suspension was necessary to protect the interests of the league and public's confidence.

Gay and lesbian couples can now get married in Montana. A federal judge lifting the state's ban on same-sex marriage, calling it a violation of the equal protection clause of the Constitution. At least two Montana counties started issuing licenses immediately.

All right. We're following breaking this morning: a gunman opening fire inside a college campus library. Three people hospitalized, a campus in chaos this morning. What we are learning, ahead.

Plus, chilling new propaganda from ISIS that has the French on edge, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROMANS: Bloodshed in northern Iraq. Five people killed. Dozens more wounded in a car bombing outside a government building in Irbil. Kurdish officials say this as a work of ISIS. This as a new video posted on an ISIS Web site appears to show militants burning French passports and threatening to bring terror to the streets of France.. CNN is working to confirm the authenticity of the video. Our Nick Paton Walsh has more this morning for us from Southern

Turkey.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Further adding to the fears in some Western countries, there is a jihad problem coming home. A video is being released by ISIS showing three French fighters speaking in their native languages, Abu Asana, Abu Salman, Abu Mariam (ph) are the nicknames they go by, all called Al Faransi (ph) the Frenchmen, they talk openly about the need to come and fight inside Syria and Iraq. One saying they will not hesitate to cut off the head of anybody who does not support them, even if they are doing their shopping in their native homes. A bid to strike fear in their minds of those back in France, but also the title of the video is, what you are waiting for? A call to jihad.

Is this because recruitment numbers are slipping or is it because they feel momentum? We never really know. But another chilling side of the problem the West may face. And this comes after another signing which ISIS were able to breach security of Irbil. That's a town in northern Iraq, Kurdish stronghold rare to see violence there. But a suicide car bomber got within feet of the gates of the government building there, killing four people and injuring 29. A worry for the Kurds there who previously considered Irbil to be safe -- Christine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROMANS: All right. Nick, thanks for that, Nick.

A Virginia mom accused of lying to authorities about her ties to ISIS will remain in jail until her trial. Heather Coffman allegedly tried to link recruits with terrorists groups. This 29-year-old caught authorities' eyes after praising the extremists in post on her Facebook page. She was ultimately nabbed in an undercover FBI sting.

Israel is reviving its controversial policy of demolishing the homes of terrorist attackers. Security forces in East Jerusalem tearing down a home belonging to a Palestinian man who plowed his car into a group pedestrians last month, killing a young woman and a baby. Israel abandoned the home razing tactic a decade ago. But after Tuesday's brutal murders in a Jerusalem synagogue, it appears this policy is coming back.

General Motors sued by the state of Arizona, claiming the auto giant concealed safety defects, putting drivers at risk. An early start on your money, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROMANS: Let's get an early start on your money this morning.

European shares are lower on weak manufacturing data. Asian shares ended the day mixed. U.S. stock futures also moving lower, following yesterday's lead. The Dow closed down just two points from Tuesday's record. The S&P 500 inched back as well. You know, we had several weeks of record highs and the S&P 500 is up

11 percent this year. Now, analysts say we may see a small growth through the end of the year in stock prices, but don't expect big gains into 2015.

Arizona is suing General Motors over botched recalls, saying decade long delays put the public at risk. According to the "New York Times", about 300,000 gm vehicles registered in Arizona, penalties could be up to $10,000 per car or $3 billion. Arizona is the first to bring major legal action by breaking from a group of 48 attorneys general investigating the botched ignition switch defect recall.

Take as much vacation time as you want. Sounds great, right? Well, maybe not always. The trend of unlimited vacation days is pioneered by tech start ups. Bigger companies like Tribune Publishing are getting on board. But some experts say the lack of guidelines puts too much pressure on employees, fear of losing a good raise or a promotion could keep employees fro taking that, quote-unquote, "unlimited time." They may end up taking off less time than before.

EARLY START continues right now.