force the sky's the limit. but actually, for these people today, we want it to be be the beginning. and that's how captioning funded by cbs captioning funded by cbs 2019. this is the "cbs morning news." raging wildfires. blazes erupt in california destroying dozens of homes. evacuations are underway. this as criticism grows over power management. president trump is back on the campaign trail as arrests are made in connection with mr. trump's personal attorney, rudy giuliani. black trans women are dying! our lives matter! >> a protester puts the national spotlight on the dangers facing trans people of color at an lgbtq town hall with the democratic presidential candidates. ♪

good morning from the studio beyou. i'm anne-marie green. we're going to begin with wildfires raraging across california. the fires are destroying homes, and mandatory evacuations have been ordered for some areas outside of los angeles. the saddle ridge fire is burning in sylmar, that's about 20 miles north of l.a. the fire has prompted the shutdown of at least two major freeways. so far it has burned about 1,600 acres. containment is 0%. at least a half dozen wildfires are burning across california this morning. earlier this week, electricity was shut off to hundreds of thousands of customers in northern california to prevent wildfires. overnight, the state's largest utility company, pg&e, says more than half of those customers' power has been restored. yesterday california governor gavin newsom criticized pg&e for neglecting its power supplying

equipment. >> over the course of years and years and years, the kind of hardening of the grid was not done. those were decisions that were made by pacific gas and electric. they chose not to modernize their grid over the course of many, many years. it led to their own demise. it led to bankruptcy. >> red flag warnings remain in place for the northern and southern part of the state. the hot and dry winds are creating dangerous wildfire conditions. jonathan vigliotti reports from the fire zone. >> reporter: even with an historic effort to prevent them, at least three fires erupted in southern california fueled by strong winds and dry heat. >> was coming down the street, and i saw a lot of smoke coming out. >> reporter: 50 miles east of l power company was turning off electricity in the area to prevent sparking of fire with faulty equipment. reports said this fire was near downed power lines.

>> be safe out there. >> reporter: in the hills south of san bernardino, another fire broke out. winds there were gusting up to 30 miles per hour, hampering firefighters trying to protect buildings. in the northern part of the state, people have been living in the dark since wednesday when pg&e orchestrated a rolling blackout in a desperate effort to prevent its equipment from igniting fires. southern california utilities have been hesitating to shut down electric grids on a massive scale in an effort to stem a customer backlash. and where to cut the power has not been a perfect science. pg&e actually left the power on here in the san jose neighborhood. high winds knocked down a power line. it landed over here, starting a fire. neighbors actually rushed out, poured water on it, preventing it from spreading and saving this neighborhood. jonathan vigliotti, cbs news, san jose, california. in the nation's midsection, the problem is snow. an early season winter storm is expected to slam the region.

blizzard and freeze warnings are posted in the dakotas and south into texas. northeastern north dakota could get more than two feet of snow. yesterday snow created near zero visibility conditions in deadwood. denver saw the first snow of the season. some areas getting up to four inches. forecasters say this fall snowstorm is expected to set october records. and later today, the former ambassador to ukraine is scheduled to testify to house investigators in the impeachment inquiry into president trump. meanwhile, the president is not backing down. last night mr. trump returned to the campaign trail in minnesota. he took aim at members of congress and defended his actions surrounding that controversial phone call with his ukrainian counterpart. marc liverman is here in new york. marc, what exactly did the president say? >> reporter: good morning. president trump continues to remain defiant in the face of an impeachment probe. yesterday he worked to change that threat to his presidency

into a weapon on the campaign trail. a defiant president trump went on the attack at thursday night's rally in minneapolis. >> they want to erase your vote like it never existed. >> reporter: it was the president's first campaign appearance since the house began an impeachment inquiry into the white house's dealings with ukraine. mr. trump called it a witch hunt, instigated by democrats like joe biden and nancy pelosi. >> he was only a good vice president because he understood how to kiss barack obama's -- she's either really stupid, okay, or she's really lost it. >> reporter: the president took the stage hours after the indictment of two key witnesses in the impeachment inquiry. four igor fruman and lev parnas have ties to president trump's private attorney, rudolph giuliani.

both are charged with illegally funneling foreign donations to u.s. political campaigns, including $325,000 that went to a pro-trump group in a scheme aimed at buying political influence. >> this investigation is about corrupt behavior, deliberate law breaking. >> reporter: the indictment does not mention either giuliani or the president. >> i don't know those gentlemen. that was -- it's possible i have a picture with them because i have a picture with everyone. >> reporter: the two are referenced in the whistle-blower complaint that triggered the impeachment inquiry. they've been subpoenaed to testify though it's unclear if they will. ukraine's former ambassador is scheduled to speak with house investigators this afternoon. the career diplomat was recalled from the post earlier this year after she was accused of not being loyal enough to president trump. anne-marie? >> we'll see if she'll be allowed to testify. marc liverman in new york. thank you. >> sure thing. the death toll is mounting in turkey's military offensive in syria. turkey's defense ministry announced today a turkish soldier died. more than a dozen people have been killed since the launch of

the operation on wednesday. civilians are fleeing the area by the thousands. the military assault came days after president trump pulled american troops from their positions near the turkey-syria border. charlie d'agata reports from the war zone. >> reporter: thunderous explosions echoed across northern syria as turkish artillery and air power paved the way for an all-out ground assault. the turkish military said they struck more than 180 terrorist targets along a 150-mile path and say ground troops have of land between the two border towns where u.s. special forces vacated bases earlier this week. we found some of the tens of thousands of people who have fled the intense shelling bottle necked on the main road leading out of the border city. throughout the day and now into the night, there have been these huge traffic jams.

people trying to get out of the range of turkish weapons, air strikes and artillery. the border is just a mile in that direction, for nobody here wants to risk another night. "we decided to leave now because we saw the situation getting worse," one mother told us. "kids are dying, and nobody is doing anything about it." where are you going to go? "we don't know," she said. "we left, but we don't know where we're going." 25-year-old media gunham blames the u.s. for putting her and her three children in danger and has a message for president trump. "why did you leave us alone," she said. "we were your loyal allies and you turned your back on us. you've given president erdogan a green light to attack civilians." now all desperate residents here can do is get as far away as they can and brace for the worst. kurdish forces here are no match for the might of the turkish

military. they are outgunned and vastly outnumbered. yet the commander here has vowed that if the turks invade in large numbers, they will be attacked. charlie d'agata, cbs news, in northernyr the man accused in the mass shooting at an el paso, texas, walmart has pled not guilty. yesterday he was arraigned at the el paso courthouse. he was indicted on capital murder charges for the deaths of 22 people back in august. investigators say that he told officers that he was targeting mexicans in that attack. coming up on the morning news, opening the gates. women in iran attend their first soccer match in nearly 40 years. and a new charge -- actor cuba gooding jr. faces an additional allegation as his groping trial gets underway. this is the "cbs morning news." orning news." these are real people, not actors, who've got their eczema under control. with less eczema, you can show more skin.

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♪ a historic day for women in iran. yesterday for the first time in nearly 40 years, women were allowed to attend a men's national soccer team game. many wrapped themselves in the country's red, green, and white colors for iran's match against cambodia. they had to sit in a special section for women only. iran won the world cup qualifier 14-0. ohio university's marching band is under investigation, and a new charge against actor cuba gooding jr. those are some of the headlines on the "morning newsstand." the new york "daily news" reports cuba gooding jr. is facing a new undisclosed charge in his sexual misconduct case. the oscar-winning actor appeared as j selection was set to begin for his trial. prosecutors disclosed that a previously uncharged incident is contained in the sealed indictment. gooding is already accused of groping a woman at a manhattan bar without her consent. he pleaded not guilty. "usa today" reports protesters drew attention to violence against transgender

women of color at a cnn lgbtq town hall. democratic presidential candidates were interrupted several times by transgender activists at the event in los angeles. they called for more focus on the murders of black transgender women, and they also criticized cnn for not having any black trans people questioning the candidates. a black trans woman took the microphone from another audience member while former representative beto o'rourke was on stage. >> that's not anti-black -- among people of color. that's what anti-blackness looks like. the erasure of black trans people. i'm here, we're here in this room. please give us that opportunity. >> blossom, thank you so much. we appreciate it. [ applause ] thank you so much. >> some of the demonstrators were removed from the room. dayton affiliate whio says ohio university's marching band is the latest campus group under investigation for hazing. the university announced it received a report of hazing allegations against members of

the band. on wednesday, three sororities ancosirarnitrlier is month, the suspended 15 fraternities following allegations of widespread hazing. another fraternity was expelled and "the san diego union tribune" reports san diego padres pitcher jacob nicks was arrested after allegedly breaking into a bourbon phoenix home through a doggy door. police say the homeowner discovered nicks trying to get into the house sunday and kicked him in the he also shot the 23-year-old pitcher with a taser. according to the criminal complaint, a minor league padres pitcher was also there. he pulled nicks out of the door. charging document indicate nicks was under the flounce of alcohol or drugs. still ahead, an update on errol spence as the boxing champion recovers from a serious crash involving his ferrari. copd makes it hard to breathe.

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but dad, you've got allstate. with accident forgiveness they guarantee your rates won't go up just because of an accident. smart kid. indeed. are you in good hands? here's a look at the forecast in some cities around the country. ♪ welterweight boxing champion errol spenceio dallahospital this morning. early yesterday he was injured after his ferrari flipped several times.

police say spence lost control of his and cro t median into oncoming traffic. they say the 29-year-old was not wearing a seat belt and was ejected from his vehicle. he did not break bones but suffered lacerations on his face. spence is expected to make a full recovery. on the cbs "money watch" now, a chicken recall expands, and new problems for boeing 737s. diane king hall is at the stock exchange with that and more. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, anne-marie. today investors will get an early read on consumer sentiment for october. meanwhile, stocks rallied thursday led by tech shares and big banks. the dow was up 150 points, the s&p 500 gained 18, and the nasdaq added 47. tiptop poultry is recalling ready-to-eat poultry products due to possibility of listeria contamination. the frozen cooked, diced, or shredded chicken products were made between january 21st and september 24th of this year. the recall also impacts products that were shipped to canada. inspections of more than three dozen boeing 7je

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simone biles is america's hero. yesterday the superstar gymnast made history after capturing her fifth all-around title at the world championships in germany. biles had the crowd roaring during her jaw-dropping floor routine. ♪ her latest medal brings biles' all-around world titles to five, two more than any other female gymnast in history. it also brings her world championship medal count up to 22.16f them gold. the most of any woman. so coming up only on "cbs this morning," tony dokoupil will be at the empire state building in new york to give us an inside look at a major upgrade of the observation deck, offering visitors a soaring new perspective. i'm anne-marie green. this is the "cbs morning news".

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our top story this morning, a massive wildfire is prompting mandatory evacuations in southern california. the saddle ridge fire is burning about 20 miles north of los angeles. the fire has prompted the shutdown of at least two major freeways. so far, it has burned about 1,600 acres. the saddle wood fire further east, the sandalwood fire east of l.a. is burning out of control and has destroyed dozens of homes. harvard's assistant debate coach is on a mission to bring young, black voices to the forefront. you have to destroy the environment -- >> reporter: making a statement -- >> it is going to happen either way -- >> reporter: means first --t th

help -- >> reporter: finding your voice helping these atlanta teens find theirs. >> your hands belong here. you are engaging your audience -- >> reporter: harvard's a debate coach will train them for ten months. >> i don't think that's the scenario -- >> reporter: he's introducing black voices to debate. >> was it unjust -- >> reporter: and the world of debate -- >> universal health care coverage will happen regardless -- >> reporter: to black voices. >> be intrusive in the spaces that are not inclusive, you know, is what i tell them. trailblazers don't wait for opportunities. they create them. >> reporter: every year the harvard debate council hosts a tournament. around 100 teens compete from 15 countries. the atlanta team first showed up in 2017. they became the first all-black team to win harvard's tourism. >> the group statement is you might have underestimated us, but we're here. >> i was here. you felt my presence, and you heard my voice. >> reporter: the next year the

same tournament proved it was no fluke. ask d.j. roman -- the third debate, the fourth debate. we were like, we haven't lost yet. [ cheers ] >> reporter: the atlanta team dominated again. roman and his teammate went undefeated. >> we were like, wow, we did it. we did it. >> you must question everything. >> reporter: fleming teaches them to think first and then how to debate. >> you made a claim, you made a claim, you have to support that claim. >> reporter: he pushes a room full of smart kids. sophomore romeo thomas likes feeling uncomfortable. >> they don't want you to sit down and feel like i don't feel like speaking. they want you to find your voice and find what you want to say to speak up and say it. >> if the e.u. were to help china -- >> reporter: there is no debate about that. mark str atlanta. coming up only on "cbs this morning," tony dokoupil will be at new york's empire state

building to give us an inside look at a major upgrade of the observation deck offering visitors a soaring new perspective. and in our series "a more perfect union," how a nonprofit is helping young children with skin conditions learn to appreciate the way they look. that's the "cbs morning news" for this friday. thanks for watching. i'm anne-marie green. have a great day.

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