caused anything that's going to be a deterrent from this happening. >> there are a lot of closed circuit cameras around that consulate in istanbul. get the tape, show him leaving if you have it, if you don't, that's a problem. thanks very much, michelle for that report. i'm wolf blitzer in the situation room. thanks for watching, erin burnett outfront starts right now. good evening, everyone, i'm kate bolduan in for erin burnett. out front tonight, victory lap, the president and his new supreme court justice about to appear together for the first time since that bruising and divisive confirmation battle. all eyes tonight on what brett kavanaugh will say to the country. the historic prime time event in the east room of the white house, you see a live picture there right now. what will their message be tonight? from the president and from the new justice? let's get over to the white house where the ceremony is

about to begin. what are we expecting tonight from the president? and from brett kavanaugh? >> i think the big question for what's going to happen here is whether or not we're going to see fence spending or more fire and fury. we expect the president to speak for about 20 minutes or so. we're expecting brett kavanaugh to speak. after we heard the president earlier today talk about the democratic forces aligned against kavanaugh as being evil, whether or not he's going to dial down that rhetoric. we know that brett kavanaugh put that op ed in the wall street journal, you can see people coming into the room right now. supreme court justices okayingen, sotomayor, ginsburg, roberts, breyer and so on. kavanaugh seemed to dial back a lot of that rhetoric that we saw during his hearing. some of the other notables we should mention in the room right

now is justice kavanaugh's wife and children. also one thing i want to note, mitch mcconnell came into the room, i thought that was interesting because he actually came in to a standing ovation before the standing ovation that we're seeing right now. the doors opening up behind me, we'll see the president and the supreme court justice brett kavanaugh in just a few moments, obviously, kate, this is a big moment for president trump. people are calling this a win for him, of course. that all depends on how justice kavanaugh performs on the high court. >> the president of the united states accompanied by the honorable anthony m. kennedy and justice brent m. kavanaugh.

[ crowd cheering ]

>> thank you very much. members of congress, members of the cabinet, honored guests and fellow americans. it is my privilege to address you tonight from the east room of the white house. we're gathered together this evening for a truly momentous occasion. i have long been told that the most important decision a president can make is the appointment of a supreme court justice. well in just a few moments we will proudly swear in the newest member of the united states supreme court, justice brett kavanaugh.

>> joining us for tonight's ceremony is every sitting supreme court justice, chief justice roberts, thank you. justice thomas, thank you. justice ginsberg, thank you. justice breyer, thank you. justice alito. justice sotomayor, thank you. justice kagan, thank you. and justice gorsuch.

i would also like to send our deep appreciation to maureen scalia, the wife of the late great antonin scalia, and also to our white house counsel don mcgahn, thank you, don. we are thrilled to be joined this evening by justice anthony kennedy. justice kennedy, america owes you a profound debt of gratitude for a lifetime of noble service to our nation. and i want to thank you very much.

very special and treasured guests tonight are justice kavanaugh's amazing wife ashley. thank you, ashley. and their two beautiful daughters, margaret and liza. and we are also joined by justice kavanaugh's mom and dad, martha and ed. thank you. i would like to begin tonight's proceeding differently than perhaps any other event of such magnitude. on behalf of our nation, i want to apologize to brett and the entire kavanaugh family for the

terrible pain and suffering you have been forced to endure. those who step forward to serve our country deserve a fair and dignified evaluation. not a campaign of political and personal destruction based on lies and deception. what happened to the kavanaugh family violates every notion of fairness, decency and due process. our country, a man or a woman, must always be presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. and with that i must state that you, sir, under historic scrutiny were proven innocent. thank you.

margaret and liza, your father is a great man, a man of decency, character, kindness and courage, who has devoted his life to serving his fellow citizens. and now from the bench of our nation's highest court, your father will defend the eternal rights and freedoms of all americans. you know that. we are joined tonight by a leader who has never waivered in his support and devotion to the rule of law and to brett kavanaugh's elevation. he's worked very, very hard.

and he truly has done just an incredible and wonderful job for the american people. majority leader mitch mcconnell. [ crowd cheers ] >> i think that's the biggest hand he's ever received. they don't get it, mitch. you're great, thank you. very much appreciate it. i'd like to thank another man whose principled leadership has earned widespread admiration, chairman of the judiciary committee, senator chuck grassley. thank you, chuck.

we are grateful to all of the senators on the judiciary committee who fought so hard for this confirmation. senators lindsey graham, john corneren, orrin hatch, mike lee, ted cruz, ben sass, jeff flake, mike crapo, tom tillis and john kennedy. [ crowd applauds ] >> thank you also to rob portman sitting right here. thank you, rob. and finally, we are indebted to senator susan collins for her brave and eloquent speech and her declaration that when passions are most inflamed,

fairness is most in jeopardy. how true? how true? brett kavanaugh is a man of outstanding intellect, a brilliant scholar, and his credentials are unsurpassed. a graduate of both yale college and yale law school, he's taught at harvard, yale and georgetown. when he's not working or with his family, he's giving back to his community. he spent 26 years in public service. and just like justice gorsuch, he clerked for justice kennedy. for the last 12 years, brett was a judge on the d.c. circuit court of appeals. widely regarded as our nation's second highest court. during his tenure, he authored over 300 opinions, distinguished by their masterful and impartial

reasoning. known as a judge's judge, he is a fair minded, unbiased and even handed person. he understands that justice must be divorced from the passions of the day, tethered instead to the enduring foundation of our republic, the constitution. justice kavanaugh fills the place left by anthony kennedy. soon justice kennedy will administer the judicial oath to brett kavanaugh. just as he did last year for justice gorsuch. this will be the first time a supreme court justice has ever sworn in a former clerk to take his seat. a beautiful moment which reminds us that freedom is a tradition passed down from again ragenera

generation. that's a big statement, and i want to thank you for that so much. so beautiful. margaret and liza's presence tonight reminds us what this historic event all about your father is all about. it's about what kind of nation we're going to be, and what kind of a country our children will inherit. it is up to each of us and to all americans watching tonight to answer that question. it is up to us to reclaim our heritage of equal and immarshall justice. it is up to us to rededicate ourselves to the traditions and wisdom of our founders, and it is up to us to renew the bonds of love, loyalty and affection that link us all together as one

great american family. let us pray we are successful in this task. and let us pray that all of america's children will grow up in a country that is fair and just and safe and strong and free. and let us ask god to bless justice kavanaugh and his family as they embark on this incredible journey together. i now invite justice brett kavanaugh to come forward and to take the judicial oath. thank you very much. [ crowd applauds ]

>> are you ready to take the oath? >> i am. >> will you please repeat after me. >> i, brett m. kavanaugh do solemnly swear that i will administer justice without respect to persons. and to equal rights to the poor and to the rich. and that i will faithfully and impartial impartially discharge and perform all the duties incumbent upon me as associate justice of the supreme court of the united states. under the constitution and laws of the united states. so help me god.

[ crowd cheers ] >> mr. president, thank you for the great honor of appointing me to serve as a justice of the

supreme court. i've seen firsthand your deep appreciation for the vital role of the american judiciary. i am grateful for your steadfast, unwavering support throughout this process. and i'm grateful to you and mrs. trump for the exceptional overwhelming courtesy you have extended to my family and me. mr. president, thank you for everything. i am honored to serve on a supreme court headed by chief justice john roberts. chief justice roberts is a principled, independent and inspiring leader for the american judiciary. as a country, we are fortunate

to have john roberts as chief justice of the united states. i'm honored to serve alongside all of my new colleagues, each of whom i know, and each of whom i greatly admire and deeply respect. all nine of us reveer the constitution. article iii of the constitution provides that the judicial power shall be vested in one supreme court. the supreme court is an institution of law, it is not a partisan or political institution. the justices do not sit on opposite sides of an ale. we do not caucus in separate rooms. the supreme court is a team of nine. and i will always be a team player on the team of nine.

as a new justice, on the supreme court i understand the responsibility that i bare. some 30 years ago, standing here in the east room with president reagan, anthony kennedy took the oath to be a new justice of the supreme court. justice kennedy became one of the most consequential justices in american history. i served as justice kennedy's law clerk in 1993. to me, justice kennedy is a mentor, a friend and a hero. on the supreme court, he was a model of sevilcivility and collegiality. he fiercely defended the independence of the judiciary and zealously guarded the individual liberties secured by the constitution. justice kennedy established a legacy of liberty for ourselves and our posterity.

i will always be humbled and proud to sit in justice kennedy's seat on the supreme court. [ crowd applauds ] >> i thank the members of the united states senate, senate majority leader mitch mcconnell for his leadership and steady resolve. i thank judiciary chairman chuck grassley for his wisdom and fairness. and i give special gratitude to rob portman, susan collins, joe manchin, john kile and lindsey graham. i'll be forever grateful to each of them and all the senators who carefully considered my nomination. presiding over the final vote in

the senate on saturday was vice president pence. i'm grateful to the vice president for his sound advice and faithful support. i thank counsel to the president don mcgahn who was a warrior for fairness and performed his critical duties in the finest traditions of our constitution. [ crowd applauds ] i thank all the outstanding people in the white house, the department of justice, and the senate who worked day and night on this nomination. one of the federal judge's most important responsibilities is to hire four new law clerks each year. they're recent law school graduates and they work in the judge's chambers for one year. they're among the best and brightest young lawyers in america. they become the future leaders of the legal profession.

i thank my former law clerks who devoted so much time and energy to support me during the confirmation process. inspired by my mom who was a trailblazer for women in the law. i worked hard throughout my career to promote the advancement of women. women still face many barriers in the american workplace, and all of us have a responsibility to address that problem. during my 12 years on the d.c. circuit, a majority of my law clerks were women. and almost all of them went on to clerk at the supreme court. a clerkship on the supreme court is one of the most coveted achievements and credentials in american law. i'm proud that all four of my newly hired law clerks at the supreme court are women. a first in the history of the

supreme court. tonight i thank all my friends, so many amazing and fearless friends, from my high school days, college, law school, clerking, the bush white house, including president george w. bu bush. from the judiciary teaching, coaching, playing sports, the vibrant tight knit catholic community here in the d.c. area. ashley and i are grateful for their prayers and for the prayers from the thousands and thousands of people we have heard from throughout america. when i give advice to young people or speak to students, i tell them cherish your friends,

look out for your friends, lift up your friends. love your friends. i love all my friends many. [ crowd applauds ] >> i thank my family, my mom martha and my dad ed are here, i'm their only child. my mom was one of maryland's earliest prosecutors and trial judges. my dad taught me his work ethic and love of sports. they've given me a lifetime of love and i'm forever grateful to them. my daughters margaret and liza are smart, strong, awesome

girls. they're in the middle of fall lacrosse, looking forward to the upcoming basketball season. i thank their teachers for giving them the day off tomorrow so they can come watch two cases being argued at the supreme court. my wife ashley is a proud west texan from abilene texas, graduate of abilene cooper public high school, university of texas, austin. she's the dedicated town manager of our local community. she's got a deep faith, she's an awesome mom and a great wife. she is a rock. i thank god every day for ashley and my family. [ crowd applauds ]

>> the senate confirmation process was contentious and emotional. that process is over. my focus now is to be the best justice i can be. i take this office with gratitude and no bitterness. on the supreme court i will seek to be a force for stability and unity. my goal is to be a great justice for all americans. and for all of america. i will work very hard to achieve that goal. i was not appointed to serve one party or one interest. but to serve one nation. america's constitution and laws protect every person of every belief and every background. every litigant in the supreme court can be assured that i will

listen to their arguments with respect and an open mind. every american can be assured that i will be an independent and impartial justice, devoted to equal justice under law. although the senate confirmation process tested me as it has tested others, it did not change me. my approach to judging remains the same. a good judge must be an umpire. a neutral and impartial decider who favors no litigant or policy. a judge must be independent and must interpret the law, not make the law. a judge must interpret statutes as written. and a judge must interpret the constitution as written, informed by history and tradition and precedence. in the wake of the senate confirmation process, my

approach to life also remains the same. i will continue to heed the message of matthew 25, i will continue to volunteer to serve the least fortunate among us. i will continue to coach, teach and tutor. i will continue to strive to be a good friend, colleague, husband and dad. as in the past, our nation today faces challenges and divisions. but i am an optimist. i live on the sunrise side of the mountain. i see the day that is coming, not the day that is gone. i am optimistic about the future of america and the future of our independent judiciary. the crown jewel of our constitutional republic. as a justice on the supreme court, i will always strive to preserve the constitution of the united states, and the american rule of law. thank you all.

[ crowd ablapplauds ] >> what you've been watching is the ceremonial swearing-in of now justice brett kavanaugh. in a moment, an opportunity for unity as it began. think of the unity of the justices. all of the sitting justices coming in, sitting down in the east room, the president did not nod toward unity in this moment. let me bring in right now outfront tonight, kaelin collins. patrick healy is here, joan

walsh is a national affairs correspondent for the nation. and scott jennings a former adviser to senator mitch mcconnell who received two standing ovations in the remarks tonight. patrick, let me begin with you. two very different -- you heard two very different messages from president trump and from brett kavanaugh. i have never seen an historic moment like this, a swearing-in of a supreme court justice, have it begin in this way. >> i mean, it was really striking, when you bring in the supreme court, usually it's at the state of the union speech, there's a solemnity to it, they are sitting there listening, it wasn't a sense of introducing the lineup at a political rally, that's what it felt like tonight. you had to wonder what was going through elena kagan's mind or ruth bader ginsberg's mind, but then started calling out people

like mitch mcconnell making some pretty audacious statements in terms of apologizing to brett kavanaugh on behalf of our nation. yes, this is what the president does. he's the president of the united states, that is the president of everyone. after such a searing, emotional -- for a lot of americans looking ourselves in the mirror as a people, in terms of how we deal with justice, how we treat women and men in this country. and, you know, trying to -- usually a president is healing in that moment and apologizing to kavanaugh on behalf of the nation, it felt again like a trump orchestrated political event. and it was -- i've never seen anything like that. >> yeah, i mean, his words were -- i mean, just a shade off of some of the attacks that the president has laid out even earlier today, he called democrats evil this morning, and then this evening, he says, apologizing to brett kavanaugh, a campaign of political and

personal destruction based on lies and deception. and he says, you, sir, brett kavanaugh under historic scrutiny were proven innocent. >> it was extraordinary and outrageous. i want to remind our viewers that dr. christine blasey ford cannot live at home any more. i believe she's separated from her sons. this woman has been through hell. the idea of holding a victory rally like this for justice kavanaugh to say, the court should not be a partisan institution, but then stand there and thank mainly republicans, joe manchin got a shout out for his vote. it's just not something that's supposed to happen. i just -- we've never seen anything like it. he was already -- he had already been sworn in, so that -- it is ceremonial. and not to dump on the poor guy, he was not found innocent, he was confirmed. that speech was warmed over from

his senate testimony from his wall street journal op ed, i don't know what he thought he was doing out there, he was not taking the opportunity to say anything new or introduce himself to the american people in any kind of way. >> they were two distinctive speeches. i guess we have to deal with them independent of one another. there were nods toward conciliation, building bridges. scott, that we heard from brett kavanaugh, i want to get your take on the president. i -- he busts through presidential norms every day. we know this. but what did you -- why? why do you think the president needed to start with an apology of brett kavanaugh. >> we know how the president feels about this, we believe -- he believes that brett kavanaugh has been wronged every step of the way, he believes this has been an outrageous circus inflicted on kavanaugh, and therefore him. that's one thing we should remember here, the president

used all of this as an extension of an attack on him. brett kavanaugh was his nominee, i think the president feels like after winning such a close issue, he wants to put a political fine point on it. in kavanaugh's remarks, i thought they were appropriate, he struck a nonpartisan tone. this guy just ran through hell in a gasoline bathing suit, he wanted to take a chance to say thank you and thank you to his family publicly. i wasn't surprised they had a swearing-in ceremony so publicly tonight. it's not the usual kind of thing. but then again, it's not the usual kind of presidency. >> kaelin, i want to get to your report on what the president has thought the last couple weeks. also your impression of what you heard from -- it's almost as if you heard brett kavanaugh first. and you see the president who wants to relitigate that process. it was striking. >> there were so many striking

moments. it started with president trump himself, that said, i'm going to do something that doesn't normally happen to something like this. president trump really set the tone at the beginning of this event by stating -- not ignoring the elephant in the room, and stating it clearly. something we heard the president voice, all this was unfair to brett kavanaugh and his family. he made that clear right from the top. then brett kavanaugh took over and he made several points that are interesting, one that he's hiring all female clerks. pointing back to that same record that we saw him highlight during his first confirmation hearing, before christine blasey ford had comfort with her allegations. and also, one moment during that -- people in the room are telling me, as president trump was saying, this shows you are still innocent until proven guilty, clarence thomas was seen clapping in the room.

i don't know if any other justices were, but clarence thomas was also accused of sexual assault. he was clapping as well. the tone that brett kavanaugh was trying to set before he joins them on the bench tomorrow, was a really striking quote. he talked about how this process has been a contentious and emotional one for him. he said, i take this office with gratitude and no bitterness. he's trying to make clear that he's not going to carry over what we saw, that very emotional brett kavanaugh last week, he's not going to carry that over when he's on the bench. he's going to keep the politics out of it, and he's going to go back to being the same judge he's been for the last few decades. >> joan, i want to get your take on kavanaugh's outreach nod to women, the female clerks he's hired and what he said during his remarks tonight? >> i mean, the female clerks, i guess that's great. he talked about that before, it felt a little like pandering to me. there was not anything really

new. this is the way he introduced himself in the first -- >> for him, though, maybe safe is best. stick to the script. >> sure, it's worked. >> i guess it has worked. i don't know that it's going to make women who are still upset about the treatment of christine blasey ford feel better. it did feel like pandering to me. why one republic senator voted no. >> i saw someone who was very angry, very nervous, and i saw rage. >> will that cost heidi heitkamp her seat? the deadliest transportation disaster in a decade. the limo failed inspection, the driver himself wasn't properly licensed to operate it. hurricane michael forecast to be a category 3 storm when it strikes florida.

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president trump just wrapping up a ceremonial swearing-in ceremony striking a sharp tone saying he was apologizing to kavanaugh and saying, you were proven innocent. mitch mcconnell calling the fight over kavanaugh an adrenaline shot for republicans.

could heidi heitkamp lose the seat after voting no? >> reporter: heidi heitkamp having fun, walking in a classic north dakota parade. >> hi there. >> hi. >> reporter: her smile masks her political reality. she's the most endangered senate democrat. and those voting against brett kavanaugh probably didn't help. >> it's been a tough week for me. the political rhetoric is, you can't vote that way if you expect to come back. and i tell people, my parents didn't raise me to vote a certain way so i could win. they raised me to vote the right way. >> reporter: applause here, but elsewhere, reminders that president trump carried the state by 36 points. >> i don't know how we're going to ever get over that. >> you're obviously a north

dakota voter, you're disappointed with her vote against kavanaugh? >> yes. >> her republican challenger well ahead in the polls, said he was shocked. >> i really fully expected her to vote yes. >> why? >> she had been building her entire brand as the bipartisan senator from north dakota. >> she voted for gorsuch and planned to do the same for kavanaugh. >> i had the office plan to prepare a statement saying i was voting for him. up until that hearing. it changed everything, it did for me. >> reporter: she didn't believe him and worried about his temperament. especially after watching a second time with the sound off. >> we communicate not only with words, but we communicate with body language. >> what did he say in his body language? >> i saw someone who was very angry, very nervous. and -- i saw rage. >> kramer is appealing to voters who see all this as

victimization run amok. >> politics are personal destruction. with this broad stroke being just accepted, is offensive to a lot of people -- the women in my family. >> are you should be so grateful that your mom's never been victimized and that your wife's never been victimized. people in my life have, including my mother. and to suggest she's not strong because she's a victim was like a trigger for me. >> heitkamp is trying to focus elsewhere. >> high-tech? >> super high-tech. and also really expansive. >> hurting farmers like tom bersowski who she invited us to me. china's soybean tariffs already cost him $100,000. >> how is it going to work out. he opposed trump's new tariff plan against china at first and lost. >> once the president sets a

global strategy, i think it's better we get behind him, unify and win a trade war fast rather than undermine the entire process. >> six years ago, heitkamp won by a single point. her warning this year, the shrinking middle means more gridlock. >> if someone like me can't get re-elected, what does that speak for other people who want to be moderate? i think that's a real concern. >> for now, heitkamp is determined to be herself, when a band plays, she grabs the mike. ♪ you are my sunshine my only sunshine ♪ >> reporter: and kate, heidi heitkamp is not only the most endangered democrat, she also is a very key player in any question about whether the democrats could potentially take control of the senate. most democrats don't see a path to doing that, unless heitkamp wins her re-election here, and it's going to be tough. >> no wonder you're there, and

all the pressure is on her, and all the eyes are on her. great to see you, dana, thank you so much. patrick, dana lays it out perfectly, the stakes here, she was already down 12 points to kramer. do you think what you see, the writing is on the wall for heitkamp? >> it's going to be tough. she has a terrific reputation in north dakota, she won yes by a sliver. but she has a lot of respect on both sides there, the problem is, you know, right now is whether she can refocus the debate back on to local terms, on to issues like tariffs and the way they're hitting the soybean belt in north dakota. i mean, kevin kramer talked to my colleague jonathan martin this weekend, and made that comment about how me too was like a movement toward victimization. cramer has a habit of making

remarks that are really striking. there's a debate about this, a dispute about this, but whether heitkamp can refocus things on issues is yet to be seen. >> that gets to an issue here, where is -- don't tell me every race is different. go with me on this. donald trump says he wants the election to be about him, when mitch mcconnell says that he wants to thank democrats for the tactics they used during the kavanaugh proceedings. it was the shot in the arm they needed. republican voters are energized, do you think you can ride the kavanaugh vote all the way to the midterms. >> from what i'm hearing and seeing from republicans, there's been a massive boost in republicans finally focusing on what life would be like if democrats were to take control. this hearing exposed a very scary future under democratic control. so i think it reminded

republicans what's at stake. i think in a place like north dakota, take kavanaugh out of the equation, she was already running seriously up hill. trump won the state by 36 points. she votes with trump about half the time. kavanaugh aside, i think she was trying to be something -- she's a liberal running in a state that wants a conservative. >> she's not a liberal, she's a modera moderate, scott. i warrant to say -- to go back to what patrick referred to, the interview that kevin cramer did with jonathan martin, he railed against the me too krul tour of victimization. he said something awful, his wife and his mother and the women in his family want no part of it because they're not victims, they're tough women. that struck a nerve with a lot of women. he's in danger of turning himself into the todd aiken of 2018 with that remark. and senator heitkamp lost it

with jonathan martin because she heard that as saying her mother, who was sexually assaulted was not tough. that victims are not tough. i think he's stepped in it now, it's >> to be fair she didn't lose it emotionally but she reacted in a very direct way that i think can resonate with a lot of women and a lot of men, which is this has happened in my family and making judgments about other people about whether they are strong enough or victim enough is dangerous. >> let's talk about the comments from the president tonight. it seems very clear, and i want to know what you're hearing, that the president today would like to keep this fight up. meaning make it appear that it is still a fight of democrats versus the president even regardless that brett kavanaugh is now currently sitting on the supreme court. >> reporter: very much so. that's what the white house is going to see if they can hold on to over the next month or so before the midterm elections is this energy that they feel has

energized the republican base that they were worried weren't going to turn out in the midterm elections. now president trump seems to have shifted from this realization, this recognizing that they could lose the house to now saying he believes that there are going to be democrats voting for republicans this fall. so we'll expect him to keep that front and center at all the rallies he's going to this week starting in iowa tomorrow night. >> unclear where the president got that polling data, but we will check it. outfront to us next, that deadly limousine crash in upstate new york. police say that both the driver and the limo should never have been on the road. we have the very latest. and hurricane michael, it could be a dangerous category 3 storm when it makes landfall. where will it hit? we'll be right back. we tt's time , for the financial world to stop acting the same old way. in today's complex world, you need a partner that is driven to provide you with better solutions for these challenging times, one that is willing to disrupt the industry,

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new details tonight about the deadly car crash in upstate new york which killed 20 people, including four sisters. new york's governor saying the limo should never have been on the road at all. state police not ruling out potential criminal charges at this point. authorities also say that the group in the car had tried to hire a different car that day. >> we can confirm the name of the limo company is prestige out of saratoga county. and also that the driver of the limo did not of the appropriate license to operate that vehicle. i believe that they had tried to hire a different vehicle, but it cancelled for some reason, so the subject in charge of this excursion scrambled and found this company to satisfy their needs for today. >> athena jones is outfront in

amsterdam, new york, at a vigil for the victims of the crash. the ntsb is saying this was the most deadly transportation crash in the u.s. since 2009. are they offering any clues as to what caused this tonight? >> reporter: hi, kate. well, these investigations are just getting under way so no solid clues so far but this accident has touched this entire community. you can see it in the outpouring of grief and support we saw tonight at this candlelight vigil which is just wrapping up. this was a horrific accident, a horrific loss of life. i want to let you hear from an witness to the incident. she described a loud bang. here's what more she had to say about what happened on saturday. listen. >> then i heard screaming. i walked up and i could see this large van, very unusual-looking vehicle for out here in schohairie, in the bushes and really wrecked -- hit a tree. >> reporter: so that witness there describing a horrible scene. we did get updates just in the

last several hours from the new york state police and from the national transportation safety board. both agencies are conducting separate investigations. you mentioned the state police found the airbag control module, which they hope will provide some clue, but investigators are looking at a long list of things. they are looking at the driver and safety records of the company and the driver. they're looking at the design of the limousine and also a configuration of the intersection which had been modified in the last several years. they're going to be looking at whether speed is a factor, of course. new york governor andrew cuomo said earlier today that the driver, as you mentioned, did not have the proper license to be driving this vehicle. he also said that the vehicle had been inspected by the state department of transportation last month and failed that test and so it should not have been on the road. investigators here from the ntsb expect to spend about five more days gathering evidence. it's going to take much longer to find out what went wrong. >> so many people killed and now children left orphaned, many of

them with both parents killed. thank you, athena, i appreciate it. now to another developing story we're watching. a dangerous storm is bearing down on the united states. florida is bracing tonight for hurricane michael, a major storm that could make landfall as a category 3, powerful category 3 very soon. outfront now is jennifer gray in the cnn weather center. jennifer, where and when are you looking for this to hit? >> this is looking to make landfall along the panhandle on wednesday, possibly midday, as a potential category 3, a major storm. right now it is just on that north side of cuba as a category 1. it's had a lot of land interaction so it hasn't been able to intensify as rapidly as it will be able to in the next couple of days as it enters the waters of the gulf of mexico that are very, very warm. so ripe conditions for further development during the next 24 to 48 hours. winds up 84 miles per hour, gusts of 100, moving to the north at 12 miles an hour. this could be a major storm by

tomorrow afternoon and then making landfall around 1:00 on wednesday before racing off to the north and east. we're looking at potential 100-mile-per-hour winds around the panama city area, really anywhere from, say, the florida/alabama line all the way to apalachicola. we could see anywhere from 70 to 100-mile-per-hour winds. this is going to be a fast mover, it's not like florence. it just sat there. you can see those very strong winds, about 50 miles per hour, still off the coast of the carolinas by the time we get into the end of the week. so already seeing rain across cuba, of course, the florida keys, the west coast. the models agreeing very well this is going to make landfall on the west side of panama city. so the dirty side of that storm, the most intense side is from panama city to apalachicola. we could still see variations in this, but the models are agreeing, which raises our confidence pretty well. so this is going to race to the

northeast. look at that, bringing a lot of rain to the carolinas, kate, an area that has already seen their fair share of rain the last couple of weeks. >> it looks like no matter what, exactly where it's going to hit, it's coming wednesday. thanks, everyone, for joining us. "ac 360" starts now. good evening. more on the storm ahead. within the last few moments we got new information about when and where it may hit and how hard. we'll bring that to you shortly. we begin, though, with the words the president of the united states tonight at a second swearing-in ceremony for supreme court justice brett kavanaugh. it was in many ways a victory lap for the president. he's done what no other president has, naming two justices to the court in his first two years in office. but in addition to celebrating his victory, he also used the moment to say this. >> i want to apologize to brett and the entire kavanaugh family for the terrible pain