november surprise, cloud lifted, fbi director james comey with a new dramatic announcement in the clinton e-mail investigation, less than 48 hours before voters head to the polls. good morning everyone welcome to "early start" i'm christine romans. >> i'm john berman. a very special edition. it's 3:00 a.m. with hours to go in the presidential race, both campaigns are dealing with what

might be the biggest never mind in campaign history. nine days after he turned the 2016 race upside down with a surprising announcement that fbi agents were reviewing newly discovered e-mails, the fbi director james comey that the review is over and after all that, nothing. in a letter to congressional leaders based on our review we have not changed our conclusions that we expressed in july with respect to secretary clinton. now law enforcement tell cnn that investigators worked around the clock to sift through thousands of e-mails and the investigation rapped up quicker than expected because they were mostly duplicate. clinton welcomes no doubt the vin did i indication. >> all of this is happening in the final full day of campaigning with the campaigns and candidates sprinting to the

finish. let's start with the clinton campaigns. let's following the latest development. >> relief probably one way to describe where the clinton campaign is after yesterday but also frustration and very real concern about the lingering damage about what actually happened nine days ago. however the campaign itself not willing to talk about it much. they still want this to be a referendum about donald trump. take a listen. >> we will have some work to do to bring about healing and reconciliation after this election. this election is a moment of reckoning. it is a choice between division or unity. between strong, steady leadership or a loose cannon who could put everything at risk. >> and guys, this is it. this the final stretch. this is how you close out and that's why the clinton campaign

doesn't want to spend any more talking about the fbi or james comey. what they do want to talk about donald trump and how they finish off this rate. how they going to do it? three crucial states. also two rallies in pennsylvania and north carolina, all three of those states should clinton win would lock up the election for her. crucial final trips for the clinton foundation. >> she's going to grand rapids, the republican part. the trump campaign, donald trump essentially pulled an all nighter. this wrapped up in virginia really just a little time ago. by the way, not many political figures on either side of the aisle can think donald trump can win virginia. donald trump has been slamming the decision by the fbi director. he essentially says hillary clinton is guilty no matter

what. here with us at the desk for the very latest. >> i said very clear that donald trump is not letting go of this messaging against hillary clinton at his rallies all day yesterday. he continue today bring up that clinton has been the subject of fbi investigations. of course very notably leaving out that she has now in essence been cleared of any wrong doing. now he did not directly bring up fbi director comey's announcement. he didn't mention his name once but he really tried to down play the significance. really casting doubt on the investigation and the conclusion tht's comey reached saying at oe point you can't review 650,000 e-mails in just a short span of eight days. here's trump last night in virginia. >> this is a rigged system. hillary clinton is guilty. she knows it, the fbi knows it, the people, the fbi they know it -- i think it's very embarrassing to them. and now it's up to the american

people to deliver the justice -- >> and that rally in virginia wrapped up only about two hours ago and the mad dash for donald trump today continues. i want to show you a snapshot of where he's campaigning. he's on to pennsylvania, new hampshire and michigan. this curious late in the game stop by the trump campaign. this is a state that hasn't voted republican since 1988. the trump campaign sensing some opportunity that's why they're having a symbolic last closing message argument tonight in michigan. >> thanks so much. great to have you here. one of the states everyone is watching this morning is pennsylvania. both candidates will be there today. their 20 electoral votes at stake, still it has been a republican target for just as long. polls show hillary clinton with a consistent lead there but narrowing as election day approach approaches. live for us in philadelphia.

good morning, sarah. >> reporter: that lead was within the margin of error so this is a true battle ground state and swing state. we have seen that because you just look at how many times the surrogates have been here. on monday, hillary clinton is going to have herself, her husband, president obama, michelle obama, bruce springsteen but you also have donald trump showing here. he's going to be in scranton. they're clearly coming here. they want to make sure that every single voter hears their message and goes to their polls. who wins? we'll have to wait and see. this is a state that does not do early voting. >> thank you so much for that. big day in pennsylvania. big day in all of these important battle grounds. >> every once in a while florida makes a difference in presidential election. that may be the understatement

of the century. it's basically impossible for donald trump to win the white house without florida. huge numbers turned out for early voting over the last couple weeks and in polls right now show it tight as a tick. nick, what do you see? >> historic turnout already in early voting with it ending in florida on sunday. the polls closed at 4:00 p.m. 12,000 more people cast a ballot this time and that is heavily in favor of hillary clinton. of the voters here in leon county, 57% were democratic. now to the state of florida and the drama that we saw in 2000. according to the county supervisor here we said we should not be worried.

in 2007 electronic touch screens were replaced. that is allowed the process to go smooth as silk. if there's any indicator just how important this state is to both candidates you have to look at the amount of times they've come here and the money they've spent here on the airways. we're expecting to see more of that in the final sprint to tuesday. hillary clinton sending surrogate joe biden here in tallahassee and donald trump expected to be in sar sota. >> thanks. >> every once in a while. >> hillary clinton cleared by fbi director james comey. never mind. from the fbi. thousands of e-mails found on anthony weiner's laptop. what does this mean for the clinton camp? does it help them? are those nine days lost? we'll take a closer look.

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welcome back to "early start." the final stretch of this campaign. donald trump and hillary clinton -- trump uses most of his space to hammer clinton. promising to fix a rigged system in which political insiders can break the law without consequence. he also mentions clinton being the subject of investigation but fails to say she was cleared on sunday by fbi director sunday. my opponent has run his campaign on decisiveness, fear and insults and spent months pitting americans against each other. now we have to decide who we are. this extraordinary campaign season ending in extraordinary way with the fbi clearing hillary clinton in the e-mail

investigation for the second time. this happening on a weekend. this happening after nine days of fbi controversy marinating and some would say dragging down the clinton campaign. join us now looking ahead our panel. let listen to donald trump. donald trump, he has hammered hillary clinton she breaks the law without consequence and now he's hammering the fbi on this. let listen. >> you can't review 650,000 new e-mails in eight days. you can't do it folks. hillary clinton is guilty p. she knows it, the fbi knows it, the

people know it and now it's up to the american people to deliver justice at the ballot box on november 8th. >> what so interesting to me is that the clinton campaign can't get those days back. >> true. >> and donald trump still has a very powerful message that he's going to ma'amer here in the couple of days. >> there is resentment inside the clinton campaign about how this was handled by the director. no doubt about that. frankly, they do not want the candidate talking about this. they do not want e-mails to be overshad owing the last two days of her campaigns. but i was struck by trump's comment there saying it was impossible to review all the e-mails in such a short period of time. he knows how google works, he knows you could do a key word search, calculated database searches in order find out if there's duplicate e-mails or if

there's new e-mails and find out what's in them. so i do think it makes sense. the fbi has hundreds of engineers and programmers. trump's argument that it was impossible doesn't seem to stand up to scrutiny. >> if you read the "the new york times" yesterday, he doesn't use a computer and he doesn't really know too much about it. so maybe he doesn't know how google or key word searches work. is this better on balance for the clinton campaign? when this broke yesterday, i thought for a second, this just makes e-mails a story again for a few hours albeit one that is better for hillary clinton but do you think they welcome this in the last 24 hours? >> on balance is definitely better. brian is right. those nine days you don't get back and anything that happens in the last 72 hours of the campaign very hard for voters to absorb, let me tell you, you'd better have an upper trajectory than a downward one.

the clinton campaign does need something to smile about and they got it with this. >> let me ask you, do you think people are undecided are going to be swayed by the fbi investigation? is there not enough time for people to ruminate on this? >> i think for undecided voters -- if we look at people in new hampshire, they traditionally take their vote down to the wire. they are going into the polling place still saying i'm still trying to decide who i'm voting for. this could definitely make a difference, that and the closing argument you have seen from secretary clinton. i do think there has been a surge in early vote numbers and we know that that traditionally favors some democrats. i think i can speak for everybody in america, i'm glad -- i'm going to speak for all of america right now, we have put the e-mails to rest. >> now there's no need for me to

talk. >> michigan, pennsylvania and new hampshire which are all key states effectively have no early voting which is where this argument comes down to. donald trump said the whole system was rigged beforehand then when comey opened the review, not so rigged. now we're back today rigging. does donald trump have credibility if he keeps changing his tune on this. >> this is why people believe in conspiracy theories. if they could go through the e-mail this past -- >> that's a whole separate argument. >> this is why people believe in conspiracy theories. i think this is probably a good thing for hillary clinton. the best case scenario for donald trump is hillary appearing on an episode of cops outside her home getting arrested. the best case scenario for hillary clinton -- >> she just spoke for all of

american. >> the best case scenario for hillary clinton would be to have the announcement that there are no charges that are going to be filed and to walk back that initial press conference where he essentially went out there and slammed her. he didn't do that but he gave her more than half a loaf i'd say. >> sloppy, but not criminal. that's where we are. we're back to the beginning. we're back to the beginning with the fbi thing. but all of that time people have been hearing in donald trump and he's been able to capitalize on this, crooked hillary. >> people's views of these candidates essentially have not changed in over a year. people are stuck where they are and the e-mail server it didn't actually effect people's perceptions that much. might have effected the polls a little bit last week. >> you'll never know. there are people on the one hand when people were starting to look at arizona. she just released her travel schedule.

arizona, georgia, they were looking to expand and now they're fighting for michigan and pennsylvania. we got a lot more to talk about over the next couple hours. don't go anywhere. >> they're not. cnn will be on the air live with the election coverage. stay with us. >> no republican has ever won the presidency without winning the state of ohio. i'm sure i'm the first person to ever tell that you. polls there have been very, very close. both candidates pulling out all the big guns to try to win that state. we're going to visit it next.

all right. now you've never heard this one before. >> never. >> no republican has ever won the white house without carrying the state of ohio. the latest cnn map has moved slightly from battle ground to leading republican. she has been bringing out the big guns to pull off what could be a bit of a surprise and by big guns i mean lebron james. cnn's mrk aalvo live. >> the big guns have come out here in the last 48 hours, not only lebron james but also jay z-ee with hillary clinton here. both sides really need those early voters to bring in and to close that gap. we're seeing it's getting a much tighter race. clinton needed cleveland that is where she's focused on african-american voters, the female vote and that's why you

see some of those superstars coming out. as for donald trump, cincinnati's important. we're seeing some record turnout, early voting for him. that is a good thing. he needs really the southern part of ohio where you have those coal, those steel, those miners, those workers who lost their jobs who really resonate with the message and have to tell you guys, you might remember back in 2012 mitt romney won on election day but it was barack obama that carried ohio in the end and that's what both of these candidates are looking at. >> we'll check with you again soon. thanks so much. we are counting down the final hours now until election day. hillary clinton cleared by the director of the fbi, another weekend letter from james comey to congress. trump slam thag decision both candidates fighting for their political lives in ohio and florida. you're watching the best

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oh, my. another zig, another zag, auto twist, auto turn. election 2016 down to the final hours. we got another surprise going in to the end here. welcome back. i'm john berman. >> and i'm christine romans. we welcome all of our viewers here in the u.s. and around the world. this morning with just hours to go in the presidential race both campaigns are dealing with what might be the biggest never mind in campaign history. nine days after he turned the 2016 race upside down with that surprising announcement that fbi agents were reviewing newly discovered e-mails from hillary clinton server the fbi director james comey alerted congress that review is now over and after all that, nothing. in a letter to congressional leaders, comey said, quote,

based on our review we have not changed our conclusion that's we expressed in july with respect to secretary clinton. law enforcement sources tells cnn that investigators worked around the clock to sift through the thousands of e-mails and that the investigation wrapped up quicker than expected because most of the e-mails were personal or duplicates. while the clinton campaign no doubt welcomes the vin did i indication the question remains whether the fbi director should have set off this nine day whirlwind to begin with. >> i want to start with the clinton campaign phil mattingly. live and in the flesh for the latest update. >> they're really here off the campaign trail. >> here's what we know for sure. there was tightening in this race before this fbi letter was sent. here's what we also know. there was an absolute acceleration in that tightening

since the fbi letter was sent. here's a third fact for you, the clinton campaign doesn't want to talk about any of this. they want to talk about donald trump because that's how they think they win this race. take a listen to hillary clinton last night in new hampshire. >> we will have some work to do to bring about healing and reconciliation after this elec. this election is a moment of reckoning. it is a choice between division or unity. between strong, steady leadership or a loose cannon who could put everything at risk. >> we know for weeks and weeks you have been breaking down the electoral map now every conceivable combination for donald trump to win or hillary clinton to win. look at hillary clinton's travel today, that shows you where the clinton campaign can close this thing out. two visits to pennsylvania. they want to close the door on including that huge rally with

president obama and the first lady and bruce springsteen just a natural combination tf people you hang out with on monday night and also michigan a race that has tightened extremely, somewhat surprisingly for democrats over the last couple weeks. president obama also there trying to rally up the college kids and a final midnight rally in raleigh, north carolina. that race is too close to call. they get north carolina that's just a cherry on top. >> every second counts and that map shows you where they are really focusing on. >> if they lose michigan, it's more than a cherry. >> you make me hungry. the trump campaign slammed director comey's decision to clear clinton again. hillary clinton is guilty no matter what the fbi says. cnn's live on that. >> it's very clear that donald trump is not giving up on this message. at his rallies last night he

continue today bring up the fact that hillary clinton has been the subject of fbi investigations but notably leaving out this new detail that she's in essence cleared of any wrong doing. she never once -- he never once directly referenced director comey's name. sorry you can't review 65,000 -- 650,000 e-mails in the span of eight days. here's trump last night in virginia. >> this is a rigged system. hillary clinton is guilty. she knows it. the fbi knows it, the people, the fbi, they know it -- i think it's very embarrassing to them. and now it's up to the american people to deliver the justice -- >> and you can bet donald trump is going to keep thaup line of athat can -- line of attack today. that rally ended only two and a half hours ago. the mad dash continues today.

here's a snapshot of donald trump's day, it's on to pennsylvania, new hampshire and michigan. this is such a curious late in the game ad by the trump campaign to go to michigan. this state has not voted republican since 1988 so certainly john and christine, trump campaign sensing an opportunity. >> thanks. up next reporting from the front lines of mosul. when she and her photographer are suddenly surrounded by isis fighters, their convoy coming under heavy fire. you'll only see it on cnn. that's next. of protein with 100 calories. they're great for workouts. so great that if you don't get up to fifteen percent more reps, more laps, more distance, we'll give you your money back

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i got a remark shall report for you. cnn etch -- exclusive.

they have been during the push to try to get this city back from isis control. couple days ago their convoy was leading the operation when it came under heavy fire. this was incredibly dangerous. at a time they didn't think they were going to make it through. this is a story you will only see on cnn. >> reporter: after three weeks of this offensive the iraqi military is at last about to enter month sewell. the men of the elite forces are in high spirits but after the open plains of northern iraq they were about to meet a terrible new reality. this not a place these sourlds know but their enemy does.

>> the challenge their facing right now snipers on roof top and incoming mortar fire. which makes it almost impossible for the counterterrorism unit to be able to fire back because of the civilians. >> reporter: three cars have disappeared down the side streets. to the right. already there's a sense that this will be a different battle. civilians are still waving white flags but the roads are getting narrower. we're in isis territory. it's clearly marked. the convoy slows down and on the soldiers faces nerves begin to

show. then the roads give way to muddy alleys. there's nowhere to turn. it's so claustrophobic and every car here, every garbage can could be a bomb. it's heart breaking that some families are still here. so is his 19-year-old daughter. >> she's crying. nora was accepted into university but she never went. her younger brother is paralyzed with fear, cowering with his mother in the back. then a car approaches, frantic

shouted warnings. clearly he's not a bomber but he's critically injured. minute later he dead. an innocent taxi driver it would seem in the wrong place at the wrong moment. now there's more incoming fire. rnch they'-- >> reporter: they've been coming across rocket propelled agree tornado -- grenades. but they're all too fleeting.

isis fighters are on the roof tops, three grenades land in the street. >> how did you get this. >> grenade. >> bullets ricochet off our vehicle, intense fy as we go forward. then a suicide car bomb right behind us. there was a flash of orange, ears ringing, then another. >> reporter: that was the second massive explosion like that that we just heard. the first one they said was a suicide car bomb and it etch employed on the vehicles -- it exploded on the vehicles that are just behind us. one was carrying his buddy who

seemed to be wounded. >> they spot enemy movement. >> reporter: the incoming fire is now intense. the bulldozer is hit. our vehicle takes more fire. soldiers shoot as a motor bike racing towards us. its hit. we hear the hiss of a tire losing air. we realize we're trapped, vehicles, wreckage, everywhere. our mrav takes a direct hit.

>> honestly, i don't know. i don't know. we need to go in this house. >> go, go, go, go! >> we take cover. injured soldiers and a terrified family. there's a small head wound. more wounded arrive. injured himself staff sergeant treats brees's head wound. isis has system i cannily targeted and disabled almost

every vehicle in our convoy. they're only three working humvees. it's been hours since they've called for backup and none has arrived. they need to evacuate their own wounded. they don't even have enough vehicles to get everyone out and that's assuming that they would even be able to do so because they say they're still isis fighters that have them surrounded on all sides. later isis released its own video of the battle. they had filmed the very house where we were taking shelter from just across the street. it's almost dark. the front line has moved right next to the house where we have shelter. we need to move but every time we try, gunfire drives us back. it's complete chaos and absolutely terrifying. we need to get to a humvee five steps away. finally we make a run for it.

clammering as quickly as we can. but there are so many damaged vehicles in our way, our humvee gets entangled in another. we break free but go just ten yards. a long and frightening night in hiding follows. we had no idea that isis fighters were filming the war booty they recovered from just done the street. it's dawn and we're still alive. we're with more than a dozen

wounded soldiers, only six who are not. ammunition is running low. it's been almost 24 hours since think first called for backup. we're still waiting. the soldiers with us are exhausted but determined. they know they're in this fight alone. on the roof top they scan for isis fighters. the soldiers get ready for the attack they know is coming. someone has been shot. the grief of a woman yards away is almost hideous. where is he, she yells? and then it erupts again. isis has the house surrounded. our only defenders are mostly the walking wounded.

a grenade lands in the cou courtyard. more wounded are brought in. an air strike hit the house and brings down the outer wall of the home we're in. the family we're with hide under the staircase, one of the boys cries, i don't want to die. hours later a moment of utter relief. our regimen has arrived as backup along with a humvee to evacuate us. it's less than a mile to safety. we're lucky we can leave the combat zone. these men have to return. the battle for mosul has only

just begun. >> i got to say the work her team do every day is remarkable to be what they saw there in mosul. >> it's incredibly brave. it's important to see what's going on there right now because this battle is being weighed not just in that country but in so many countries right now. to politics in this country. hillary clinton and donald trump have one last chance today to tell voters why they should be in the white house. we'll break it down next. i wanti did my ancestrydna and where i came from. and i couldn't wait to get my pie chart. the most shocking result was that i'm 26% native american.

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it is election eve. the morning of election eve. it basically is. joining us to talk about what will happen in the next 24 hours, we have commentator john

phillips and we have analyst ellis henican and host of cnn's "reliable sources" brian stelter and we have eugene scott. i want to play a bit of campaigning of president obama. and picking up the president is on the new york times article that says donald trump is essentially had his twitter responsibilities removed by the trump campaign. this is what the president said in florida. >> his campaign has taken away his twitter. in the last two days, they had so little confidence in his self control they said we're going to take away your twitter.

now, if somebody can't handle a twitter account, they can't handle the nuclear codes. >> that is trolling or is it sub-tweeting? you know, donald trump right there. it is the president sort of mocking him and drawing him into a debate. >> previously we had kellyanne conway saying she could not take twitter from a grown man. clearly they did. he has been able to stay on message. the question is if he wins, can he stay off twitter. the temperament thing has to be sustained through presidency. not just a week. >> i want to play the final argument from donald trump. the television ad that is rolling out today. it paints a dark picture of who controls the economy and the system is rigged. watch this. i want to read what the ant

anti-defamation league says. >> the establishment has trillions of dollars at stake. for those who control washington and the global special interests, they partner with these people that don't have your good in mind. >> goldman sachs ceo is in there and the group of 20 and george soros. whether intentional, the rhetoric in the ad touch on subjects that anti-semitic have used for ages. brian stelter, what do you think about the ad and the reaction to it? you heard from senator al franken and others who did not like the tone. >> some say there is dog whistle message in there and george soros and other jews in the ad. this came from one of trump's most conspiratorial speeches in the election. he talked about the banks and media institutions and politicians working against you.

at the same time, it sent anti-semitic messages. the trump campaign is proud of the ad. the trump campaign says this is the positive closing message. it is a dark ad about the political establishment being out to get you. they say it is the positive argument for the finale of the election. >> people noted the language used there is not unlike the protoco protocols. you hear people making that connection that there is a massive global conspiracy going on and the faces you see are those of jews. ellis, i wonder what you make of it. >> if you believe in global massive conspiracies, you need scapegoat. you need to turn to the great scape goats of history. it is all of a piece. it is not all different from the tone we heard from much of the last year. >> guys, stick around. john