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Blistering heat stokes wildfires – Rob Marciano on the rarity of a 'fire weather watch' and how officials are responding
Many families are dealing with the agony of losing their homes this morning as the west coast wildfires continue to rage. Dozens of large fires are burning in 13 states west of the Mississippi River, with most of them in California, Nevada and Idaho.
In western Washington State, there's a new concern: Lightning. Much of the region is now under a rare 'fire weather watch.' Still, fire commanders there are cautiously optimistic. They declared the Taylor Bridge Fire 33% contained last night. They hope to have the 22,000 acre fire completely contained by Sunday.
Meteorologist Rob Marciano explains on "Early Start" this morning what a fire weather watch is, whether relief will come any time soon and what emergency officials are doing to minimize the risk.
Standoff continues at embassy after Ecuador grants asylum to WikiLeaks' Assange – Atika Shubert reports
Great Britain and Ecuador remained in a standoff early Friday, following the South American nation's decision to grant Julian Assange asylum - a decision British authorities are refusing to honor, saying they are committed to extraditing the WikiLeaks founder to Sweden.
According to the official Twitter feed of WikiLeaks - a website that's published hundreds of thousands of once-secret U.S. government documents - there were "over 35 police surrounding the Ecuadorian embassy in London" soon after 12:30 a.m. Friday. Britain's foreign ministry, though, earlier countered that there was a larger "police presence outside the British Embassy in Quito" than at the Ecuadorian mission in London.
Inside the latter embassy is Assange, the Australian national wanted in Sweden to face questioning over claims of rape and sexual molestation, as he's been since first seeking asylum in June.
On Thursday, he thanked his "courageous, independent" Ecuadorian hosts for protecting him "from persecution," after its Foreign Minister Ricardo Patiño announced his nation was giving asylum to
Assange and urged British authorities to let him travel freely to South America.
This morning on "Early Start," Atika Shubert reports on the latest in the standoff.
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What's trending for Aug. 17, 2012
Billionaire backs meat-printing venture, and an interview with Robert Pattinson gets awkward for NY Times's David Carr.
Is the jobs recovery favoring single workers? Poppy Harlow explains
NEW YORK (CNNMoney) - As the economy slowly recovers, single people are finding jobs much faster than their married peers.
Single men and women lost about 5 million jobs during the financial crisis, and have since gained back 90% of them, according to the Labor Department. That's not too shabby, especially considering the jobs recovery has been so slow.
But married people, who make up a slightly larger part of the adult population, lost even more jobs and have gained far fewer back. Of the 6 million jobs they lost, they've recouped only about 22%.
Could employers be favoring single workers? Poppy Harlow breaks down the report on "Early Start" this morning.
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National Organization for Marriage's Brian Brown on Family Research Council shooting, says hate talk 'totally unacceptable'
This morning, investigators are looking for a motive into the shooting at the headquarters of the Family Research Council.
The FBI says the suspect is 28-year-old Floyd Lee Corkins. He allegedly shot a security guard, who then wrestled him to the ground. Corkins is in custody and is charged with assault with a deadly weapon. The guard is in stable condition.
The motive is still unclear, but a source working with the DC Center for the LGBT community tells CNN that the suspect had worked as a volunteer at that center.
Earlier on "Early Start," National Organization for Marriage's Brian Brown weighs in on if 'hate talk' may have contributed to Family Research Council shooting.
Ecuador to make Assange asylum decision today – Atika Shubert reports on 'strong words' between UK and Ecuador
(CNN) - Ecuador's foreign minister says his government has made a decision on WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange's request for asylum and will announce it Thursday morning.
In a televised address Wednesday, Ricardo Patiño said that the Ecuadoran government had received a written notice from British authorities that they would "assault" the country's embassy in London if Ecuadoran authorities failed to hand over Assange to British authorities.
In response, a spokesperson for Britain's Foreign and Commonwealth Office said "The UK has a legal obligation to extradite Mr. Assange to Sweden to face questioning over allegations of sexual offenses and we... remain determined to fulfill this obligation."
WikiLeaks condemned the British stance in a statement released early Thursday.
Today on "Early Start," Atika Shubert responds on the back and forth between the two countries over extraditing Assange.
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What's trending for Aug. 16th, 2012
Nike's "Gold Digger" tee called sexist, Julia Child gets autotuned and "NASA and We Know It" parody goes viral.
'Vitriol' from Romney, Obama campaigns heats up – Mark Preston on the 'raw politics' in presidential race
Excerpted from Mark Preston's "Gut Check" column:
It is hard to ignore the vitriol that exists between the Romney and Obama campaigns. It might actually extend to the two candidates, something we will be watching for in the coming days – and especially on the fall debate nights.
The intensity of rhetoric that we have heard in the past 24 hours from Barack Obama and Mitt Romney is something we wouldn’t be surprised to hear in the closing weeks of the election, not in the dog days of summer.
But here we are as Biden is accused of using coded racial language, Obama cites Seamus the dog, and Romney on two occasions accuses the Obama campaign of taking the race to an all-time low.
This morning on "Early Start," CNN political director Mark Preston looks at the statements from both the Romney and Obama campaigns claiming dishonest attacks.
Could Facebook shares tank today? Poppy Harlow on why the end of a 'lockup' period could sink the stock price
Poppy Harlow explains why 270 million Facebook shares can be sold after a lockup period, which could sink its stock price.
Police investigating possible motives for Family Research Council shooting suspect Floyd Lee Corkins – Sandra Endo reports
Washington (CNN) - A 28-year-old Virginia man was held late Wednesday on a charge of assault with a deadly weapon after a security guard was wounded in the lobby of the Family Research Council, a conservative policy organization, authorities said.
Police and federal agents were investigating what prompted the suspect, identified by the FBI as Floyd Lee Corkins II, to walk into the group's headquarters about 10:45 a.m. and open fire.
Corkins, is from Herndon, a suburb of Washington, the FBI said in a statement about the charge.
The guard helped wrestle the gunman to the ground. Called a hero by police, the security officer was in stable condition after being shot in the arm.
A law enforcement official said the gunman made some remarks opposing the Family Research Council's policies before opening fire.
This morning on "Early Start," Sandra Endo reports on police efforts to determine a motive in the shooting.
Read more on "Virginia man charged in shooting at Family Research Council"
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