Saudis Changing Story on Journalist's Death; Trump Tours Disaster Zone, Backs Up Saudi Account of Murder.
JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR: You can follow me on Facebook and Twitter, @JakeTapper. You can tweet the show, @TheLeadCNN. Our coverage on CNN continues right now.</s>WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Happening now, breaking news. Abduction gone wrong? Sources say the Saudis are preparing to change their story and will acknowledge that U.S.-based journalist Jamal Khashoggi was killed in what the Saudis will claim was an interrogation gone wrong, one they'll say was meant to result in his abduction. Still missing. President Trump tours the Florida disaster zone, saying the devastation is very tough to witness, as rescue teams comb through the rubble, searching for people still listed as missing. Defending dictators. President Trump says he trusts North Korea's Kim Jong-un and says if Russia's Vladimir Putin assassinates people, at least he doesn't do it in the U.S. Is the president hurting America by defending strong-arm leaders abroad? And deal on the art. It's being compared to the dormitory favorite of dogs playing poker, but this White House painting features a collection of presidents from Lincoln to Teddy Roosevelt to Trump sitting around a table drinking and laughing. So what's the deal with this piece of art? I'm Wolf Blitzer. You're in</s>THE SITUATION ROOM. ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.</s>BLITZER: Breaking news. Sources tell CNN the Saudis are preparing a report that will claim the death of the journalist, Jamal Khashoggi, resulted from an interrogation gone wrong, one that was allegedly supposed to lead to his abduction from Turkey. Khashoggi went missing during a visit to the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, nearly two weeks ago. Turkey reportedly has evidence he was killed there, and Turkish investigators today search the consulate. Earlier, before heading off to tour the hurricane disaster zones, President Trump touted the Saudi king's denial of any connection to Khashoggi's death and speculated that, quote, "rogue killers" were responsible. I'll speak with Senator Bill Nelson. And our correspondents and specialists, they are standing by with full coverage. Let's begin with the breaking news. Our chief national security correspondent, Jim Sciutto, is joining us. Jim, this is a stunning twist. What are you learning?</s>JIM SCIUTTO, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: And really, a stunning turn-around, Wolf, from repeated vehement Saudi denials. But now sources telling as first reported by our colleagues, Clarissa Ward and Tim Lister, that Khashoggi, the Saudis prepared to release a report that says that Khashoggi was, indeed, killed inside the Saudi consulate in Turkey in Istanbul, but that this was a mistake. That it was meant to be just -- if you can call it that -- an interrogation, an abduction of Khashoggi back to Saudi Arabia, but something went wrong during the interrogation. That there was no high-level approval for this killing, and that people will be held responsible for it. So perhaps Saudi officials granting that the evidence shows that this killing did take place there, but providing some separation between senior leadership, crucially, of course, including the crown prince, Mohamed bin Salman, to say that it was lower-level people who made this mistake, Wolf, and that they will be held responsible.</s>BLITZER: Turkey has said it has evidence this was a premeditated murder. Saudi Arabia originally denied the allegation. Is this just a cover story?</s>SCIUTTO: Listen, remember, our reporting is that U.S. intelligence, as well, showed that there were intercepts prior to his detention, of Saudi officials talking about abducting him, which led some to believe that there was premeditation. If not for a killing, at least for his abduction, interrogation, et cetera, which raises the possibility that this was not entirely a mistake. There was some planning that went into this. Those denials, as you said, have been many, and they've been repeated. And keep in mind, it was only today that Turkish investigators two weeks later, after Khashoggi's disappearance, that those investigators were allowed to go into that consulate in Istanbul. And CNN noticed -- and I believe we have film of this -- we noticed a cleaning crew entering -- what appeared to be a cleaning crew entering the consulate before those Turkish investigators. There's the cleaning crew there before they were allowed to go in. So that's certainly a lot of time between the alleged incident some two weeks before those Turkish investigators were allowed inside.</s>BLITZER: Earlier today, Jim, President Trump repeatedly touted the Saudi king's denials during their phone conversation. How will this admission now impact the overall U.S./Saudi relationship?</s>SCIUTTO: It's interesting. When we were on the air this morning, as the president was repeating those denials, and it was reminiscent of the president repeating Vladimir Putin's denials of meddling in the 2016 election, saying not only that the Saudis denied this, but that they did so firmly. The president repeating that word, "firmly," saying it was a firm denial from the Saudi king, King Salman, that he spoke to, that this happened. So hours later, to have CNN's reporting that the Saudi's prepared to admit at least some culpability here, that's quite a turn- around. Although I should note that the president also repeated this line that appears to be part of the explanation here, that this was a rogue operation. Not approved from on high, but there were lower-level people who botched, in effect, again, only an interrogation and an abduction, and that's when the death occurred. Of course, you know, an interrogation and abduction of a journalist in a foreign country is no small thing, either. But that appears to be the explanation that the Saudis are approaching now with this report, if it is finalized.</s>BLITZER: Let's see if it is. All right. Jim Sciutto, thank you very much. This extraordinary turn of events comes as President Trump tours the hurricane disaster areas today after first defending the Saudi comments on the journalist's death. Let's go to our chief White House correspondent, Jim Acosta. Jim, the president was just asked about CNN's new reporting. What did he say?</s>JIM ACOSTA, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Wolf. President Trump was taking a look at the damage left behind after Hurricane Michael. Before his trip, as you were just mentioning, the president was speculating that perhaps rogue killers were behind the disappearance of "Washington Post" columnist Jamal Khashoggi. The president made that comment after speaking to Saudi Arabia's King Salman, who denied that his government killed the journalist. But the president just a few moments ago, Wolf, as you were saying, said he's aware of these reports, including from CNN, that Khashoggi may have died during a botched interrogation. The president saying he's going to look into it.</s>ACOSTA (voice-over): Hours before Saudi Arabian sources conceded journalist Jamal Khashoggi may have been killed during an interrogation gone wrong, President Trump said he was already developing some theories that rogue killers were to blame. That revelation came right after a phone call with Saudi Arabia's King Salman.</s>DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The king firmly denied any knowledge of it. He didn't really know. Maybe -- I don't want to get into his mind, but it sounded to me like maybe these could have been rogue killers. Who knows? We're going to try getting to the bottom of it very soon. But his was a flat denial.</s>ACOSTA: The president didn't explain how these suspected rogue killers would have made their way into the Saudi consulate in Turkey. But local investigators believe operatives tied to the kingdom in Riyadh murdered Khashoggi.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Who else would it be besides Saudi Arabia?</s>TRUMP: I don't know. We're going to try getting to the bottom of it.</s>ACOSTA: The president also appears to be focused on Khashoggi's Saudi citizenship, taking note of that again with reporters.</s>TRUMP: I just spoke with the king of Saudi Arabia, who denies any knowledge of what took place with regard to, as he said, his Saudi Arabian citizen.</s>ACOSTA: It's a distinction he made last week, as well.</s>TRUMP: Well, we have -- it's not our country. It's in Turkey. And it's not a citizen, as I understand it.</s>ACOSTA: The president's critics question whether Mr. Trump is falling into a familiar pattern: trusting blanket denials a little too quickly, whether they're from Vladimir Putin --</s>TRUMP: I will tell you that President Putin was extremely strong and powerful in his denial today.</s>ACOSTA: -- or Alabama GOP Senate candidate Roy Moore. Trump: He denies it. Look, he denies it.</s>SEN ELIZABETH WARREN (D), MASSACHUSETTS: I want to tell you a story.</s>ACOSTA: One person the president refuses to believe is Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren, who revealed DNA testing that appears to prove her Native American heritage.</s>TRUMP: Pocahontas.</s>ACOSTA: That was in response to name-calling from the president, who's referred to Warren as Pocahontas. Over the summer, the president dared Warren to put her DNA to the test.</s>TRUMP: And we will say, I will give you $1 million to your favorite charity, paid for by Trump, if you take the test and it shows you're an Indian.</s>ACOSTA: Asked whether he would pay up, the president denied he had made the offer.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You said you would pay $1 million to charity --</s>TRUMP: I didn't say that. No. You'd better read it again.</s>ACOSTA: The president added he hopes it's Warren he faces in 2020.</s>TRUMP: She'll destroy the country. She'll make our country into Venezuela.</s>ACOSTA: Later in the day, the president traveled to areas in Florida and Georgia that were devastated by Hurricane Michael.</s>TRUMP: To see this personally, it's very tough. Very, very tough. Total -- total devastation.</s>ACOSTA: Handing out supplies to residents, the president claimed his administration's storm response has already outperformed its predecessors.</s>TRUMP: We are doing more than anybody would have ever done.</s>ACOSTA: Now, after this trip to view storm damage, the president will turn his attention to the upcoming midterm elections once again, with rallies planned for the end of this week. Even today, the president seemed to have the midterms on his mind as he repeatedly praised the Florida governor, Rick Scott, who is out to topple the incumbent Florida senator, Bill Nelson. But the president still has many more questions to answer, Wolf, about Jamal Khashoggi. Mr. Trump has embraced the Saudis as close allies, and that is a relationship that promises to come under continued scrutiny this week, especially, Wolf, if the Saudi government actually admits it had a role in the death of Jamal Khashoggi -- Wolf.</s>BLITZER: All right. Thanks very much for that. Jim Acosta reporting. Joining us now, Democratic Senator Bill Nelson of Florida, a member of the Armed Services Committee. Senator, thanks so much for joining us.</s>SEN. BILL NELSON (D), FLORIDA: Thanks, Wolf. Blitzer: I want to get your thoughts on the rescue and recovery effort under way in your home state of Florida right now. But first, let me get right to the breaking news on this Saudi journalist apparently murdered inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. What do you make of this new explanation the Saudis are apparently preparing?</s>NELSON: Well, it sounds like they've concocted a cover story. Nothing has changed. He was lured into the embassy. They even admit they were going to abduct him, and he ends up being killed. And they admit that. So it seems that they're just trying to lessen the impact. But there should be some severe consequences if this is, in fact, what happened. This is a</s>U.S. -- BLITZER: What do you mean by -- what do you mean by severe consequences?</s>NELSON: Well, to be determined. Let's see what the final story is. But this was a person who was a resident in the U.S. He has an American family of U.S. citizens, and he was employed by a major newspaper. We cannot allow our citizen families and their relatives to be treated this way.</s>BLITZER: Why do you think it's taken the Saudis so long, nearly two weeks, to come up with this new admission?</s>NELSON: Isn't it true that when people take a long time, they're usually trying to figure out something? That's the human nature, and I think that's what we're seeing here.</s>BLITZER: You believe the Saudis -- the king specifically used President Trump to promote their new so-called rogue killer theory?</s>NELSON: I don't know about that, Wolf. I have been in the little Panhandle towns, trying to help out the people. So I don't know what's been said and the nuances of this.</s>BLITZER: Well, I'm going to get to Florida in a second. But you think this is going to have an overall impact on the U.S. relationship with Saudi Arabia?</s>NELSON: If it's true, of course it is.</s>BLITZER: All right. Let's move on. Let's talk about the latest efforts, the recovery efforts in Florida. You did a -- you did a tour of some of the damage in the Panhandle today. Tell us what you saw, how bad is it still?</s>NELSON: I've been there for the last week and, Wolf, ended up today in the little towns of Blountstown and Apalachicola. People are hurting. Yesterday I was the first in to Tyndall Air Force Base, and it is demolished. The older buildings are history. The newer buildings withstood the storm, but there's some severe repairs. The commander had to evacuate 11,000 personnel within a 20-hour period of time. And -- and most of those base housing homes are damaged beyond repair. Right now, the commander is trying to get it safe enough so that the families can come back and try to claim some of their possessions. But I do believe that Tyndall will be rebuilt. It will be a modern Air Force Base of the future. And the reason it won't be shut down, is it a critical mission right there next to the Gulf Testing and Training Range, which is the largest testing range for the U.S. military in the world.</s>BLITZER: Were all the U.S. Air Force -- aircraft evacuated, flown out in advance?</s>NELSON: No. And I'm not allowed to give you the number that remained, but there will be varying degrees of damage. Some of the hangars were severely damaged. We'll have to see about the F-22s, the T-38s and the F-16s that were there. It will be up to the experts to determine how much damage and the repairs.</s>BLITZER: Why didn't they fly those planes out?</s>NELSON: Because they were in various stages of maintenance. And therefore, they were not flyable. Remember, the commander didn't have much time. He gave the order to evacuate Monday at 5 o'clock. The entire base, 11,000 people and dependents, were evacuated and the gates shut at 3 p.m. the next day on Tuesday, just before the storm arrived.</s>BLITZER: Are people in the Panhandle getting all the help they need right now from the state, from local government, from the federal government?</s>NELSON: All of the governments are trying, but Wolf, people are hurting. They need food; they need water. We got several alerts that water distribution, food distribution, was occurring. But this is a very rural area. People are spread out over every place. And it's not devastated like the pictures that you've been seeing of Mexico Beach, which really was leveled with a wall of water and wind. But all in these rural areas, so many trees. Trees have fallen on people's homes. The power lines are all down. They are estimating -- I heard one emergency manager and an electric company say that it's going to be a month and a half before they will have electricity in some parts. And yet on the eastern side of the storm in Apalachicola today, they have restored almost all of the power in that rural county, Franklin County. As you go west, where the storm hit -- and by the way, the eye was right over Tyndall Air Force Base, which is just east of Panama City. As you go further west, that's where you get all of the damage out into the woods and the rural areas.</s>BLITZER: All right.</s>NELSON: And people are hurting.</s>BLITZER: And our hearts go out to them. And I'm sure whatever can be done is being done. Let's hope for the best. Senator Nelson, thanks so much for joining us.</s>NELSON: Thanks, Wolf.</s>BLITZER: I should also note, by the way, we invited the Florida governor, Rick Scott, to join us. He was traveling with the president, couldn't do it today. Hopefully, he'll be able to join us soon. Up next, our breaking news. A stunning turn-around by the Saudis, who sources say are now preparing to admit that a U.S.-based journalist was killed in what they'll claim was an interrogation gone wrong. And President Trump calls the devastation in Florida very tough to witness. We'll take you to the storm zone. Stay with us.