Street puppet eeer spinney. Good morning. Its 4 00 a. M. In new york. Six days to the Iowa Caucuses. We start in the nations capital, with democrats facing a momentous impeachment finale, as they set the charges against President Trump. Judiciary Committee Members will hear the case. Party members are questioning whether to include investigations from the Mueller Report. Judiciary committee chairman, jerry nadler, confident in his case but cautious about using muellers evidence. Do you feel comfortable that this whole thing was directed by the president himself . Yes. You feel you have a rocksolid case . We have a very rocksolid case. The case, if presented to the jury, would be a guilty verdict in three minutes thereat. As youre talking about this, you keep bringing up the 2016 election and russia. It certainly sounds to me like you want that to be included going forward. I wouldnt draw any conclusions. Its part of the pattern, which is why i bring it up. Reviving muellers evidence could cause headaches for democrats in swing districts. They must balance a push to defeat the president with the needs of their constituents. Less than a year before the election. For more on what to expect today, cnns lauren fox is on capitol hill. Reporter dave and amra, a huge day on capitol hill, with the House Judiciary Committee hearing slated to take place in just a couple of hours. This hearing is going to look a little more like a trial, with House Judiciary Committee lawyers laying out what they believe is the evidence to impeach President Trump. Republicans will refute that. And the house lawyers will lay out the evidence that they documented in the 300page House Intelligence Committee report. We know that Donald Trumps lawyers had an opportunity to participate. They declined that opportunity on friday. And it could be a huge week in the House Judiciary Committee because they could unveil articles of impeachment. And they could vote on them as soon as the end of this week. Then, there could be a full vote on in the house of representatives on whether or not to impeach donald trump before christmas. Lauren fox, thank you. A prominent senator pushing the debunked theory that ukraine meddled in the 2016 election. Ted cruz got in a Heated Exchange with meet the press host chuck todd. Do you think ukraine meddled in the election in 2016 . I do. You do . Yeah. And, chuck, let me say senator, this strikes me as odd. You went through a primary campaign with this president. He launched a birtherism campaign at you, went after your faith, he threatened to spill the beans about your wife about something. Ukraine blatantly interfered in our election. Note the audible laughter onset on meet the press. Experts warn the ukraine Conspiracy Theory has been promoted by russian intelligence services. John kennedy claimed that former president poroshenko actively worked for hillary clinton. Trump allies have been using the ukraine election meddling claim to justify the president s decision to withhold military aid. Bill barr, warning President Trump, his personal attorney, rudy giuliani, has become a liability. Thats according to the washington post. Concerns are escalating among the president s advisers that the former new york city mayor is becoming a key player in the impeachment inquiry. Giuliani is under federal investigation in manhattan for his business dealings in ukraine. On sunday, the post reported that giuliani attempted to replace the ambassador of qatar and pursuit a communications back channel between champion and venezuelan president nicolas maduro. No motive for fridays shooting at a Pensacola Naval base killing three people. This grave assessment. Were the presumption this was an act of terrorism. This allows us to take advantage of investigative techniques that can help us more quickly identify and eliminate any potential threats. A 21yearold Second Lieutenant of royal saudi fafrs opened fire in a classroom building on friday. He was killed in exchange of gunfire with two deputies. There was a dignified transfer last night for his victims, joshua kalew watson, Mohammed Sameh haitham and Cameron Scott walters. Nic robertson is live for us from riyadh. Nic, whats been the saudi reaction . Reporter well, the reaction, again, overnight, was a phone call from the crown prince, second in command after the king, if you will, to President Trump, to say an absolute commitment from the saudis to support the investigation to support the u. S. Investigation into Mohammed Alshamrani. What does that mean on the ground . What does it look like . We dont have details about it. We know his family will come under scrutiny because he returned to saudi arabia on a normal break that many of these saudi students who are doing the long military training courses in the United States routinely take. The family told us they didnt see a chiaange in his behavior. And the saudi officials will have a very, very keen will and desire to find out what was on this young mans mind. Thats the key to all of this. Was he motivated by terrorism . Or was he motivated by Something Else or could it be a combination of both . And that is whats under way here, as far as we know at the moment. Again, the saudis, short on details. And i think if we look at what theyve done in the past, in terms of investigations, quite often shrouded in secrecy, however, very publicly supporting the United States in this investigation. Another critical moment between the u. S. And saudi arabia. Nic robertson, live for us in riya riyadh. Thank you. Just incredible images there. At least five people are dead in the eruption overnight of a new zealand volcano popular with tourists. Officials say 50 people were on white island when the volcano exploded. More than 30 of them were traveling on a Royal Caribbean cruise liner out of australia. The explosion sent people rushing away by boat. Police say the dead are among 23 victims evacuated from the island earlier. And more fatalities are expected. An unknown number are still unaccounted for. Its too dangerous for rescue teams to approach the island. More than 10,000 people visit white island each year. The man behind the characters that shaped millions of childhoods has died. Carroll spinney was the puppeteer who brought the iconic big bird and oscar the grouch, to life on sesame street. I got a great idea. Since youre here playing with me, why dont we go through my old toy trunk and well see whats in there. I havent looked in there for a long time. Spinney died sunday at his connecticut home. He was 85. Sesame street cofounder Joan Ganz Cooney said, we thank for for all he did around the world. Sesame street was the First Television show to receive Kennedy Center honors. I think youre in my seat. Sorry. Ill go backstage. Thats okay. Thats okay. I know that song. Thats about my favorite street. Matt vogel filled big birds shoes. Before the Kennedy Center event, he said he would be tweeting about his mentor and friend. He will be missed. Ahead, they spent months battling about the future. Now, Elizabeth Warren and Pete Buttigieg accuse each other of keeping quiet about their past. Elizabeth warren and Pete Buttigieg, putting pressure on each other as they push to build support in early voting states. Warren releasing details about her Corporate Legal works in 33 years. Shes earned 1. 9 million from private clients over the years. Last week, warren called on buttigieg to open his fundraisers to reporters and name the clients he worked for at the elite consulting firm, mckenzie. He should release who is bundling for him. He should make clear who is on his finance team. This is about the conflicts that he is creating every, single day, right now. Buttigieg said he cant release more details about his work at mckenzie because he signed nondisclosure agreements, ndas, that he is seeking to be released on. This is for the nominee to take on donald trump. I will put my history, civilian and military, public and private, up against his any day. Nine candidates have yet to qualify for the last debate of 2019, coming up next week. They only have until thursday. And only two appear to have a real chance, that would be andrew yang and tulsi gabbard, who need a single poll to make it. Six candidates will be on stage on december 19th. President trump warning kim jongun their special relationship could be lost after the north Korean Leader said his country completed an important test at a missile site. President trump claimed that site had been dismantled. Paula is following there for us. What are we learning . Reporter dave, we know the u. S. President has been warning north korea about that test, saying that north korea knows it has much to lose. In fact, everything, if it does decide to carry on with hostile acts. This was after the weekend. We saw from north korea a test they said was successful and important and could change the strategic position of north korea. They havent specified what it is at this point. Experts looking at satellite images believe it could be a rocket engine test, which could help with, either a satellite launch or an icbm, an intercontinental ballistic missile. We have had a statement from north korea. This is from kim jongun, the negotiator in the oval office with President Trump, handing over those socalled love letters, from kim jongun. He has said and slammed what President Trump said, saying if he continues, then kim jonguns perception of President Trump could change, saying that north korea has nothing more to lose. Also saying, that President Trump does not know much about north korea. This is interesting because in the past north korean officials have refrained from slamming the u. S. President himself. But clearly, that appears to be changing now. The rhetoric on both sides is increasing. Dave . And the namecalling is back. Paula hancocks live for us in seoul, south korea. Thank you. A california man facing serious charges. Police say he posted videos online, practicing a mass shooting. Sitive. Yet some say it isnt real milk. I guess those cows must actually be big dogs. Sit i said sit beyond the routine checkups. Beyond the notsoroutine cases. Comcast business is helping doctors provide care in whole new ways. All working with a new generation of technologies powered by our gigspeed network. Because beyond technology. There is human ingenuity. Every day, comcast business is helping businesses go beyond the expected. To do the extraordinary. Take your business beyond. Boom. The man behind this video, accused of practicing a mass shooting in what officials call distressing youtube videos. San diego police arresting 30yearold Steven Homoki on gun and engagement charges. In the video, he appears to be loading guns, crawling on a floor with bullets, reloading and pointing the weapons at people out the window. He was taken into custody without incident this week. No word on an active plot. An Arkansas Police officer ambushed and killed according to fayetteville police. He was sitting in his car saturday night when he was shot and killed. Authorities are describing it as an execution. The gunman identified as 35yearold london phillips, was shot and killed by responding officers. Police say they have no motive for the killing. A rising rapper and singer has died in chicago. Juice wrld turned 21 last week. I have these lucid dreams where i cant move a thing thinking of you many my bed Chicago Police say juice suffered a medical emergency shortly after arriving at mid y way airport. He died a short time later at the hospital. There were no signs of foul play. He was named top new artist at the music awards in may. Drake posting on instagram i would love to see the younger talent live longer. I hate waking up hearing another story of blessings was cut short. The new Miss Universe is south africa. Miss south Africa Zozibini tunzi is Miss Universe 2019. There was an awkward moment for steve harvey. A teleprompter problem caused him to introduce miss philippines as the winner of the costume contest. The winner was actually miss malaysia. It keeps happening. Steve wins for best costume there, as well. One mans art, another mans lunch. Artist mauriso duct taped a banana to the wall and priced that at 125,000 at the weekend art show in miami beach. And a new york artist identified as david detuna picked the banana off of the wall and ate it in front of stunned onlookers there. He posted on instagram, its delicious. Organizers say the banana can be displaced but it caused so much commotion, its being removed because of safety concerns. The results are in. 2019 cnn hero of the year is freweini mebrahtu. This moment is not just for me. This is for every girl. Mebrahtu has dedicated her life to keeping girls in school by designing a reusable menstrual pad. All of the top ten cnn heroes were winners. Tonight last night, each received a 10,000 cash award. Coming up, House Democrats say they have an airtight case to impeach the president. But could they derail that plan by including details from the Mueller Report . The impeachment probe is nearing a climax in the house. Will democrats risk adding details from the Mueller Probe into articles of impeachment . The fbi is investigating the pensacola shooting as an act of terror. Why the gunmans time in saudi arabia is being examined. Breaking overnight, the death toll climbing after a Massive Volcanic eruption in new zealand. And his legendary characters defined our childhood. Fans around the world are mourning the loss of sesame street puppeteer carroll spinney. Big bird and oscar the grouch. Thats some range, folks. Welcome back to early start. Im amara walker. Half past 4 00 in the morning here in new york city. Democrats facing a momentous impeachment finale, as they set the scope of charges against President Trump. Judiciary Committee Democrats spent the weekend mapping out a crucial hearing today, where investigators will lay out their case. Party leaders are still debating whether to include evidence from the russia investigation. Special counsel Robert Muellers report included potential examples of obstruction by the president. Judiciary chairman, jerry nadler, confident in his case but cautious to use muellers evidence. Do you think this whole thing was directed by the president himself . Yes. You feel you have a rocksolid case . We have a very rocksolid case. The case, if presented to the jury, would be a guilty verdict in three minutes thereat. As youre talking about this, you keep bringing up the 2016 election and russia. It certainly sounds to me like you want that to be included going forward. I wouldnt draw any conclusions. Its part of the pattern, which is why i bring it up. Reviving muellers evidence could cause headaches for democrats in swing districts. They must balance a push to defeat the president with the needs of their constituents less than a year before the election. For more on what to expect today, cnns lauren fox is on capitol hill. Reporter dave and amara, a huge day on capitol hill, with the House Judiciary Committee hearing slated to take place in just a couple of hours. This hearing is going to look a little more like a trial, with House Judiciary Committee lawyers laying out what they believe is the evidence to impeach President Trump. Republicans will refute that. And the house lawyers will lay out the evidence that they documented in the 300page House Intelligence Committee report. We know that Donald Trumps lawyers had an opportunity to participate. They declined that opportunity on friday. And it could be a huge week in the House Judiciary Committee because they could unveil articles of impeachment. And they could vote on them as soon as the end of this week. Then, there could be a full vote in the house of representatives on whether or not to impeach donald trump before christmas. Lauren fox, thank you. Just hours, a pivotal facetoface meeting in paris between russian president Vladimir Putin and ukrainian leader zelensky. The hope is to ease five years of conflict along the border. But fears are that peace will lie on putins terms. Melissa, what are the prospects for peace . This has become the forgotten war, and the concern that zelensky has given into some concessions. Reporter thats right. I think some of the opponents of what hes agreed to so far and what were talking about is the withdrawal of both proseparatist troops and ukrainian troops along border towns is being called a capitulation too far. The big question is what this meeting will achieve today. Its the first time in four years, the president of france, the chancellor of germany and the president s of ukraine and russia have met. Today is the first time that president zelensky will be meeting with president putin. What can actually be achieved . What can come out of it . The french have dampened down expectations saying, there will be no written, formal agreement at the end of this. This is the first crucial step within a process. You have to bear in mind that the last time the leaders of these countries met, the world was very different. The United States, in washington, ukraine was not a by line for domestic woes, but rather a search for peace and a hard line towards russia. Similarly, Emmanuel Macron has signaled he wants to reset his relations with russia. And frances position is with regard to this particular formula that was the basis for this meeting to take place at all, that essentially, the russian position is that elections should take place before that 400kilometer border between ukraine and russia is handed back to yukrainiaian control. Ukraine insists that the border should be considered before elections. And they signal they are more going to back the russian position than zelensky. But the question is what can this hope to achieve while he tries to keep the support of the ukrainian population. A highstakes meeting. Melissa bell live for us in paris. President trump has been claiming for years that the fbi spied on his 2016 campaign. Today, the justice departments inspectorgeneral will release the finding o inings of his investigation. And as Marshal Cohen reports, its widely expected to debunk another trump Conspiracy Theory. Reporter dave and amara, the highlyanticipated report from the inspectorgeneral comes out today. We are expecting it will debunk major claims and conspiracy theories that President Trump has been peddling for years. First, were told that the i. G. Will conclude that the russia investigation was properly launched in 2016 and that senior fbi officials were not acting out of bias with candidate trump. That undercuts claims that the investigation was an i illegitima illegitimate motihoax to take h down. We are expecting a mixed verdict of sorts when it comes to the courtapproved surveillance of carter page, a former Trump Campaign adviser. The report will say that the fbi had good reason to ask for those wiretaps. But there were problems and mistakes with how the warrants were prepared. Cnn previously reported that an fbi lawyer was caught altering a document. And thats part of a criminal investigation led by u. S. Attorney john durham. Long story short, the report will give us some muchneeded answers and debunk some conspiracy theories once and for all. But the fight will continue. Cnn reported that attorney general bill barr has told allies this report wont be the final word. Dave and amara . Thank you for that. Still, no official motive for fridays deadly shooting at a Pensacola Naval base, killing three people. Federal investigators with this grave assessment. Work with the presumption this was an act of terrorism. This allows us to take advantage of investigative techniques that can help us more quickly identify and eliminate any potential threats. A 21yearold Second Lieutenant in the Royal Saudi Air force opened fire in a classroom building on friday. He was killed in exchange of gunfire with two deputies. There was a dignified transfer last night for his victims, joshua kaleb watson, Mohammed Sameh haitham and Cameron Scott walters. Now, Law Enforcement is looking into the shooters recent time in saudi arabia. And the president s relationship with the saudi kingdom is back under the microscope. Nic robertson is live for us from riyadh. Give us the latest. When this first happened, there was a quick phone call from the king, king salman, to President Trump, to express his horror and to promise his cooperation. Now, theres been a second phone call by the crown prince. Reporter absolutely. President trump took a lot of heat for what the king salman said friday. The king, according to President Trump, said this was a betrayal of saudi arabia. This was not something that the sun supports at all. And all of the Security Services should support the investigation. We heard that from the press position. On sunday, the crown prince, second in charge, if you will, had another phone call with President Trump. Absolute commitment of suppo supporting the investigation. What does that mean on the ground . Realistic, what the fbi investigators want to do is found out what Mohammed Alshamrani did when he came back to home leave from the course in pensacola. The family told us they had seen nothing untoward about him. But right now, the family is not responding to our questions. That sort of gives the investigation that it is under way or they have been told to tone down the Public Comments about this. We know the saudi authorities, when they go into an investigative mode, theyre not going to say very much. Were asking them the questions, what is the nature of the help that youre giving . What are you asking of the family . What are you learning . Were not getting answers to those questions at the moment. If the cooperation is as the saudis say it will be, the fbi should be learning now, learning more about alshamranis time in saudi arabia. And that should help, along with social media activity, should go a long way to informing about his motive. And was he connected to other terrorists . What were his political and religious views . A lot of questions about what happened during his time in saudi arabia. Appreciate you joining us. Nic robertson, live for us in riyadh. At least five people are dead in the eruption overnight of an new zealand volcano, popular with tourists. Officials say 50 people were on white island when the volcano exploded. More than 30 of them were traveling on a Royal Caribbean cruise liner out of australia. The explosion sent people rushing away by boat. Police say the dead are among 23 victims evacuated from the island earlier. And more fatalities are expected. Its too dangerous for rescue teams to approach the island. More than 10,000 people visit white island each year. The man behind the characters that shaped millions of childhoods has died. Carroll spinney was the puppeteer who brought the iconic big bird and oscar the grouch, to life on sesame street. I got a great idea. Since youre here playing with me, why dont we go through my old toy trunk and well see whats in there. I havent looked in there for a long time. Spinney died sunday at his connecticut home. He was 85. Sesame street cofounder Joan Ganz Cooney said, we mourn his passing and have an immense gratitude for all he has given to sesame street and all of the children around the world. Sesame street was the First Television show to receive Kennedy Center honors. I think youre in my seat. Sorry. Ill go backstage. Thats okay. Thats okay. I know that song. Thats about my favorite street. Matt vogel filled big birds shoes. Before the Kennedy Center event, he said he would be tweeting about his mentor and friend. A new round of tariffs set to kick in on chinese goods in the coming days. That makes the pivotal in the trade war. Some things are too important to do yourself. Get customized security with 24 7 monitoring from xfinity home. Awarded the best professionally installed system by cnet. Simple. Easy. Awesome. Call, click or visit a store today. The Iowa Caucuses are now just eight weeks away. And we are nine weeks away from New Hampshires primary. That is where one of 2020s democratic frontrunners, former Vice President joe biden, ended the week. Cnns arlette stynes is traveling with the Biden Campaign in hampton, New Hampshire. Reporter dave and amara, fresh off of his eightday bus tour in iowa, joe biden made a stop in New Hampshire, where he was joined by his latest endorser, john kerry. Kerry is a big get for bidens campaign. Hes not just the former secretary of state but he also served next door to New Hampshire as secretary of mma massachusetts. He won here in 2004, in the primary and the general election. And one thing that john kerry talked about overand over was joe bidens experience. Saying he is the best positioned on foreign policy, on climate and also issues related to middle class. Experience, wisdom, muscle memory, joe biden is a little bit like the new england patriots, i think fun to watch the promise and potential of young quarterbacks. But come february, i like having an experienced quarterback like tom brady, calling those plays. Reporter bidens campaign in the past said iowa and New Hampshire are not necessarily mustwin states for the former Vice President s campaign. But biden understands the importance of this early primary state, the first in the nation primary state. He told voters here that New Hampshire will set the tone for who is selected as the democratic nominee. Dave and amara . Arlette, thanks. A crucial week for the u. S. china trade war. One week to go before a new round of tariffs on 160 billion of chinese goods kicks in. That deadline is december 15th. The consensus is that both sides are working on a phase one deal. On friday, china asked for retused tariffs on soybeans and pork. And larry kudlow said this the deal is close. Its a wee bit closer than when i made a statement in november. Its not clear what a phase one deal covers. Tariffs will be higher than before the trade war started. According to one economists, the average tariff on imports from china has jumped to 21 . It was 3 in 2018. Rolling back the tariffs could only take the average down to 18 . Many strategists expect tariffs to be delayed as talks continue. But they also note that what President Trump does before the december 15th deadline is truly the, quote, wild card. One thing is clear, trade wars are not easy to win and trade headlines will drive markets until something is decided. All right, dave. How from the bike to the bar. How aviation gin responded to the controversial pell on the ad. Thats next. So were making it easier than ever to become part of our family. Thats why our chevy employee discount is now available to everyone. The chevy price you pay is what we pay. Not a cent more. Family is important to us. And we want you to be part of ours. So happy holidays. And welcome to the family. All the chevy family get the chevy employee discount for everyone today. A lot will happen in your life. Wrinkles just wont. Neutrogena® rapid wrinkle repairs dermproven retinol works so fast, it takes only one week to reveal younger looking skin. Making wrinkles look so last week. Rapid wrinkle repair® pair with retinol oil for 2x the wrinkle fighting power. Neutrogena® some things are too important to do yourself. Get customized security with 24 7 monitoring from xfinity home. Awarded the best professionally installed system by cnet. Simple. Easy. Awesome. Call, click or visit a store today. A 1yearold girl in connecticut is still missing this morning, a week after her mother was found dead. Police say baby Vanessa Morales was last seen at a relatives house on november 29th. Her mother, 43yearold christine holloway, was found dead three days later during a wellness check. Authorities say the cause of hollow holloways death was blunt force trauma. Police say they are following leads and interviewing witnesses but no arrests have been made. Rowen university in southern new jersey, rocked by another student suicide. Its the third one this semester. The latest death coming the day after thanksgiving. The school is under fire for not doing more to help students with Mental Health issues. Rowans president has tripled counselors in the last three years and is looking to hire three more. Actor rene auberjonios has died. His youngest mans will know him from this his son auberjonois says he died of lung cancer. Besides his son, a daughter and grandchildren, he leaves his wife. He was 79 years old. 56 minutes after the hour. A check on cnn business. A quick look at markets around the world. Cautious optimism as investors look for a trade deal on wall street. Futures are lower. Stocks finished the week strong after a solid jobs report. The Unemployment Rate remains at a 50year low. The Federal Reserve is likely to leave rates unchanged. They meet this week. Investors are also watching for progress on President Trumps north american trade deal, the usmca. The house with a deal over changes to labor enforcement and other provisions. But talks are not finalized. We could be saying goodbye to apples lightning charging cable. A top analyst say the cable and port on premium models could be gone by 2021. The analyst said apple will opt for a completely wireless device to differentiate the more expensive iphone models. Apple did not respond to request for comment. A peloton . First ride. Im a little nervous but excited. Lets do this. Five days in a row. The peloton wife is trading her bike for a drink. This gin is really smooth. Yeah. A new ad for aviation gin, thats ryan reynolds, the actor, his liquor company, appears to make light of the peloton ad by showing the wife drinking rather heavily with her girlfriends. Drinking away her sorrows. The ad starts with ruiz staring blankly ahead there. Different from the energetic mom she played in the peloton ad. Peloton received backlash for its ad. They said the ad was negative body image, and the husband does not appear in the gym ad. Shawn hunter, a teacher in canada. He had to write a column on how he does not want to be associated with that. I thought it was a decent ad, myself. Full disclosure, i had to ask you, i didnt get that followup ad. We need to try the aviation gin. Maybe that will work out for all of us. We showed you the video last week. World leaders on a hot mic talking about President Trump. Over the weekend, saturday night live, did its own starstudded spoof. Did you see him speak for 45 minutes the other day . It was only supposed to be for a photo. If i looked like him, i would try to distract the photographer, too. Yeah. Hes not goodlooking like us three. Hey, guys. Is this seat taken . Sorry, actually, it is. Yes. We would love to see you talk and chew at the same time. But we promised this seat for a friend. Im boris friend. Right, boris . Dont make this harder than it already is. Ill see you guys later at the party. Okay . Yeah. Yeah, totally. Its under the london bridge. After announcing articles of impeachment, nancy pelosi told a reporter who asked if she hates President Trump. She said, as a catholic, i dont hate anyone. As a catholic, i know, you hate one person. Yourself. And the catholic approach would not be to impeach trump. It would be to transfer him to a different presidency. Well said there. Thank you to our International Viewers for joining us. For our u. S. Viewers, early start continues right now. The impeachment probe is nearing a climax in the house. Will democrats risk adding details from the Mueller Probe into articles of impeachment . The fbi is investigating the pensacola shooting as an act of terror. Why the gunmans time in saudi