remembering hef. hugh hefner has died. we look back on the life and legacy of the playboy icon. >> president trump looking to reverse the tide in a rough week. tax plan out and planning an executive order on health care. good morning everyone. >> i'm christine romans, it's thursday, september 28. it is 4:00 a.m. in the east. playb playboy founder has passed away. he died of natural causes. he was a true american icon.

he introduced the world to playboy in 1953, building the company into the most successful american brands. >> this morning tributes are pouring in. jenny mccarthy, many of the celebritities quoting thank you. play mate of the year, 1994. hugh hefner survived by a wife and four children. cnn's stephanie elam has a look at his life and career. are. >> reporter: he was one of the original american playboys, a magazine tycoon who helped spark a revolution. >> i have cell braided the romantic connection between the

sexes. >> hugh hefner was raise in a strict household. >> i felt there was something more to life than the world i saw around me. >> in 1953, with just $8,000 the aspiring publisher produced the first issue of "playboy" magazine on the kitchen table of his chicago apartment. it featured marilyn monroe. >> i never thought of playboy as a sex magazine. i tried to create a lifestyle magazine for men. >> during the early days of the magazine's success he decided not only promote the fantasy he helped create but live it as well. audiences got a taste of his good life in an early 1960s

television show called playboy's tent house. >> having already established himself in chicago. he made the move out west. in the early 1970s when the magazine was selling 7 million copies a month he made his permanent home in the playboy mansion in los angeles. he married play mate of the yr kimberly conrad. he realized he was much happier as a bachelor. >> i am see essentially a romantic, so i think my life revolves and all has, around women. >> he continued to live out the playboy fantasy even in his later years. often seen in his silk pajama as surrounded by women, hosting parties. he returned to television in

2005. in the late 2,000s he began an on again off again relationship. he sold his beloved playboy mansion for $100 million in 2016 on the condition he be allowed to live there for the rest of his life. playboy and provok a tour -- -- >> what's your definition? >> sex itself, no. what a sad and cold world this would be if we weren't sexual beings. that's the heart of who we are. >> hugh hefner. 91. his last tweets about hurricane relief, no matter what you think, that's his final tweets. >> certainly one of these people

of the 20th century that helped define america. >> five minutes past the hour. president trump finally unveiling a tax plan proposing the biggest overhaul in decades. >> this is a once-in-a generation opportunity and i guess it's something i can say i'm very good at. our frame work includes our specific commitment in a tax reform will protect low income and middle income households, not the wealthy and well connected. >> some disagree, but most americans will get tax cuts. still, this is simply a blueprint, omitting critical details that the tax writers on the committee.

it will be their job to fill it in. here's what we know. the corporate rates slashed to -- individuals. simpler tax code. seven tax brackets collapsed down to three and we don't know the income ranges yet. the tax writers will have to decide that. but kuts the top to 35%. trump has said he is open to raising taxes on the rich. the lowest rate is actually 2% higher. but most low income earners won't because that's the plan doubles the tax deduction. how can the plan double that deduction by eliminating personal exemptions along with most tax breaks, only two look like they're safe. mortgage interest and charitable

deducti deduction. student loans all of those write-offs are done. last will draw criticism. both of those help rich people. also a concern the play doesn't say how it will pay for all these cuts. killing tax loopholes will help. that will only raise, 3.6 trillion, leaving a deficit. that's the framework. the politics gets nutty after that. the president has said he wanted a 15% corporate tax break. it looks lick it doesn't quite go that far. this is tax reform. i had been concerned. this is tax reform. >> still a lot of questions in terms of where they put the income on those three brackets, child tax credit. but let's start with the middle class miracle. how's the middle class better

off? >> trump say the it's going to a mir camiracle. for that middle tax bracket. also says you're going to be able to do this on a postcard. simplification of this i think is what is going -- this is going to change the industry of doing taxes. >> tax professionals. >> much simpler for people to do this and understand where the taxes are going. child tax credit there, interesting. >> undefined. >> look, a lot of this is still undefin undefined. that's- -- we're told that's on purpose so there's room to negotiate. there are a lot of different opinions and constituencies. that's on purpose. newt ki -- >> really want tax reform. what i've heard some of the arguments i heard was big companies are probably only

paying 17% to 19% tax rate anyway. >> but small business. >> why is this better to are them? it's better for them because they spend so much money on tax, you know, exploiting tax loopholes, building the business. they want a territorial tax system. they want to bring the money back they have sitting overseas. they'll be able to get that in this plan. this is, i would agree with the president this is one for the generation tax reform. >> dynamic scoring is something that will be debated for weeks, years, can they pay for this with growth? >> that's the question. the tax cuts over the last 20 years or so have not really spurred huge growth. so, is this going to be different? is this going to help juice what has been a weak economic recovery? the white house and many economists hope it will.

some skeptics are saying, maybe not. those bush tax cuts, tax cuts in stimulus under the obama administration. >> many more questions for you in the next couple of hours. meanwhile, if congress can't overhaul obamacare, looks like president trump is prepared to go it alone. president revealing a plan he believes will bring immediate relief to millions of americans who can no longer afford sky rocketing health care premiums. >> i'll probably be signing a very major executive order where people can go out across state lines do lots of things and buy their own health care. the that will be probably signed next week. it's being finished now. >> ironically it is senator rand paul who had been pushing the idea of allowing insurers to sell policies in other states. if the president signs the order insurers would be allowed to sell policies in multiple states

but only adhere to the regulations of the home state. president trump has no immediate plans to fire his secretary of health and human services, despite the uproar or tom price's use of private planes. the president making clear he's not pleased. he's awaiting for information before making a final decision on price's future. embattled health secretary offering up an apology to the president but not his resignation. >> a spokesman says price is taking the criticism very seriously and to heart. >> we've also learned scott -- >> kind of that stay tuned on price. ahead, tons of aid for puerto rico left sitting at the port of san juan.

next.

welcome back. the situation in puerto rico grows more desperate by the day. a major challenge, getting critical supplies to people who need them. shortage of truckers on the island's devastated infrastructure make it extremely difficult to move aid to areas around the island. >> there are also new questions about a law critics say it making it hard to get supplies there. the jones act requires all goods to be carried by ships owned and operated by americans. there's a bipartisan push to suspend the act. the department of homeland security say a waiver may not be the issue. ifts' getting the supplies off the ships and distributing them. >> as for the recovery.

they say generators on the island are operational but 80% of the system are damaged. about 40% of the island population is without drinking water. >> and many atm's out of cash. needless to say it's a cash economy now. at least half of all bank branchs are closed. there aren't enough drivers to ferry the cash. for those who can get to them, more than 500 gas stations are fully operational. please say 53 people have been arrested for looting or theft. >> they're sending thousands of troops. more than 2,000 are already on the island. military officials tell cnn thousands more soldiers are on the way. other correspondent identify van watson has more. >>reporter: we got a look at some of the u.s. military support coming to the islands of

puerto rico and the u.s. virgin islands. this is supposed to be an amphibious assault vessel but serving as a floating sea base providing support to puerto rico and the islands. it's got a fleet of helicopters, landing craft that are shuttling heavy trucks, bulldozer, even a water desail yennization unit to puerto rico. providing drinking water. the department of defense tells cnn that they have about 2500 active duty troops on the ground and expecting to nearly double that. that simply may not be enough for an island of 3.4 million people where transport, electricity, drinking water and

tele communications have all been disrupted if not completely har liesed. >> thanks. president trump's inaugural commit tid announces $3 million donation. each of three organizations will receive $1 million to support areas de areas devastated by the storms. a record setting $107 million was raised. all right. everyone is mad at facebook. mark zuckerberg is defending his company next.

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cnn reportk exclusivelily that people in baltimore and ferguson missouri were targeted by at least one of the facebook ads. sources say it was meant to appear both as supporting the group but seeing them as threatening. >> the ad first appeared as a russian affiliated troll farm tried to sell political chaos. facebook said about a quarter of the adds were geographically targeted. >> facebook chief mark zuckerberg firing back at president trump after this tweet where the president accuses the social media site and other media of being quote, anti-trump

mark zackuckerberg responding. he also expressed regret for the comment after the election that it was crazy to suggest misinformation on facebook changed the outcome of the election. attorneys for legendary coach rick pitino say the hall of fame coach plans to fight for his job after being fired. placed on indefinite unpaid administrative leave. ten men, including a top adidas executive and four college assist ant coaches were charged with bribing young athletes. pitino's lawyers say he did nothing wrong, calling his apparent firing aquote regrettable rush to judgment.

stories no the over. this is a legendary coach that won titles at two schools but his career has been littered with infractions and scandal. >> the president focusing on taxes. his new plan is out, leaves many details to congress. >> changed attitudes of sexuality in america. wee are remembering the hef. hugh hefner.

. breaking news this morning. he changed the perception and reality of sex in america. iconic playboy founder hugh hefner has died. >> president trump looking to reverse the tide in a rough week. his tax plan is out and he's

planning an executive order on health care. welcome back to "early start" this morning. >> it is 30 minutes past the hour. the party is over. breaking over night playboy founder hugh hefner has passed away at the age of 91. he deed of natural causes at the playboy mansion. he was a true american icon. >> he introduced the world to playboy in 1953, building the company into one the most successful and recognizable brands. this morning tributes are pouring in. jenny mccarthy, one of the celebrities, tweeting this -- it made her a celebritity. rest in peace. thank you for being a revolutionary and changing so many people's lives, especially mine. i hope i made you proud. #pmoy 1994. >> hugh hefner survived by a wife and four children. cnn's stephanie elam has a look back at his life and career.

>>reporter: he was one of the original american playboys, a magazine tycoon who helped spark a revolution, one that challenged the nation's views on sexuality. >> i have celebrating the romantic connection between the sexes. that's part of what playboy's all about. >> he was born in chicago in 1926. and raised in what he said was a strict household by conservative protestant parents. >> i felt there was something more to life than the world i saw warned me. >> in 1953 with just $8,000 he produced the issue of "playboy" magazine ots the kitchen table of his chicago apartment. >> it pictured a cover of marilyn munroe. hefner now had the funds to finance your issue and the playboy empire was born. >> well i have never really thought of playboy as a sex

magazine. what i've tried to do is create a lifestyle magazine for men. >> he divorced his wife in 1959 and during the early days of the success, he decided he would live the fantasy he created. audiences got a taste of the good life in a television show called playboy's penthouse. >> having established himself in chicago. he made the move out west. in the early 1970s when the magazine was selling 7 million copies a month he made his home at the playboy mansion. in h 1989 he uttered the two words they thought he'd never say again when the married the play mate of the year. the couple had two children but separated in 1998. he said he realized he was much happier as a bachelor. >> i am essentially a romantic so i think my life revolves

around women. >> hefner continued to live out the playboy fantasy even in his later years often seen in his trademark silk pajama as surrounded by women while hosting extravagant parties. he returned to television in 2005, this time sharing the screen with the live-in girlfriends. in the late 2,000s he began an on again off again relationship with crystal harris. they tied the knot on knew years eve. he sold the playboy mansion for $100 million on the condition he be allowed to live there for the remember of his life. playboy and provocateur wanted to make the world a happen year sexy place. >> what's your definition of

obscenity. >> racism, war, bigotrbigotry. >> hugh hefner, 1926 to 2017, really one of those personalities that define the 0 20 20th century. >> we are in interesting times when the president of the united states once was on the cover of playboy. that whereas in h 1990. now that cover a bit controversial in that hugh hefner's son was embarrassed by it in retrospect. but hugh hefner encouraging amera appl to provide e o hurricane relief. all right. 35 minutes past the hour. president trump unveiling his tax reform plan proposing the biggest overhaul in decades. >> this is a once-in a generation opportunity, and i

guess it's probably something i could say that i'm very good at. our framework includes our explicit commitment that tax reform will protect low income and middle income households, not the wealthy and well connected. >> there's plenty in here for the wealthy and well connected. it eliminates the estate tax. most americans will get tax cuts. this is just a blueprint omitting some critical details that the tax writing committee will fill in. that could take months or longer. for business, fax cuts, the corporate rate slashed to 20%. individuals, a simpler kaks code. the everyoseven brackets we hav collapsed to three. we don't know the income ranges yet but cuts the top rate to 35%. it also allows lawmakers to add

a fourth tax bracket above 35% if the president wants to make good on some suggestions he's had in the past that he wants to raise taxes on the rich. so, state tuned to that. the lowest rate is actually a little bit higher. but the white house says most low income earners will not pay taxes because it doubles the standard deduction. the plan in part doubles that deduction by eliminating personal exemptions. two tax breaks are safe. mortgage interest deduction and money you donate to charity. state and local taxes all gone for -- or deductions. a large majority of blue states, middle class. trump says it will bennefit middle class. we don't have the math here.

two things will help. boosting the child tax credit and doubling that standard deduction. losing the personal exemption could take away some the savings. >> senator of oregon gone says nothing in this trump tax scam for the middle class. big fat giveaways. >> this is good for trump and his friends. when you look at -- i talked to a real estate veper. he said it's great for people building condo developments or buying condos. it's good for them. it is lower and simpler taxes for everyone else. the point of the president's sort of middle class miracle is that when you have the three tax brackets that's going to make it simpler and easier for people. 25% income tax bracket for the middle of the spectrum. we don't know how much those

people earn. they haven't decided yet what the income requirements are going to be. >> that's the big question. why is the past-through rate so important? and how they'll enforce it also. >> well i don't know about the enforcement angle of that. the past-through rate is something that is very good for entrepreneurs. >> small business? >> small business. they have an llc or limited liability partnership. or llp. and they are paying their taxes through the stated individual rate. so you lower that pass-through rate to 25%. top rate was 39.7% in 2017 so that's a 14-point deduction. or discount. >> you're not go -- how do you make sure that people aren't using that to pay a lower rate? the rich aren't using that to pay a lower rate? >> that's the question. >> create jobs. that's the chief argument. >> people in the business

community say yes, with lower and simpler taxes for corporations and small business this will be able to create jobs. what we have found and my colleague, who's our chief -- one of our chief analysts on this, she's been making this point, that the last 20 years? 30 years of tax cuts, they haven't spurred a bunch of job creation. >> this is reform, no the just cuts. >> right. it's a very good point. i've been worried they were going to end up just doing tax cuts for business and that would be it. if they do this, this is reform. >> does he have the votes? time will tell. if congress can't overhaul obamacare, looks like president trump is prepared to go it alone. listen as he reveals a plan he believes will bring immediate relief to millions of americans who can no longer afford sky rocketing health care premiums.

>> i'll probably be signing a very major executive order where people can go out across state lines, do lots of things and bay their own health care. that will be probably signed next week. it's being finished now. >> ironically it's senator rand paul who's been pushing the idea of allowing insures to sell policies in other states. if the president signs the order insurers would be allowed to sign policies in multiple states but only adhere to the regulations of their home state. president trump has no immediate plans to fire his secretary of health and human services despite the overroar over tom price's use of private planes. he says he's awaiting more information before making a final decision. the embattled health secretary offering up an aapology to the president but did not offer his resignation. >> a spokesman at hhs says price

is taking this criticism, quote, very seriously and to heart. cnn has also learned scott pruitt used private planes. we're told the counsel approved those. trump administration will dramatically reduce the number of refugees allow to settle in the united states. they plan po admit more more than 45,000 refugees in the coming fiscal year. that is less than half of what former president obama proposed. >> regional caps of 19,000 for africa and 17,500 for the year east and south asia and the plan does not have a contingency to allow more. one calls is a blow to america's standing as the premier global humanitarian leader.

>> ahead, basic necessities are still hard to find in puerto rico. drinking water, cash, electricity in short supply. people are doing what they can to help the sick and needy. more from san juan next. hi, i'm johnny bench. after a hall of fame career, it's no wonder why i use blue-emu arthritis cream. blue-emu's non-greasy, deep-penetrating formula gets down deep into those joints for big time pain relief. blue-emu, it works fast and you won't stink.

more than a week now since hurricane maria and the situation in puerto rico grows more desperate. a major challenge getting critical supplies to people who need them. a shortage of truckers and the island's devastated infrastructure make it extremely difficult to move the aid from the port of san juan to the areas around the island. >> also new questions about a law called the jones act requiring all goods ferried between u.s. ports to be carried on ships built and operated by

u.s. the preside the president is considering it but not everything' in favor. >> we have a lot of people working in the shipping industry that don't want the jones act lifted. we have a lot of ships there right now. >> the department of homeland security say a waiver may not make a difference since the issue is getting the supplies off the ship the and distributing them. >> as for the recovery, puerto rico's power short say the general ra generatore ors arable but about 44% of the island still without drinking water. >> many atm's are out of cash. at least half remain closed because there aren't enough drivers to ferry the cash around in armored cars. more than 500 gas stations are

operable. >> people are doing everything they can to street the sick and injured but resources are extremely limited making quality care hard to come by. more from chief medical correspondent, dr. sanjay gupta in san juan. >> we've made our way into this makeshift medical tent. this is what's necessary right now. this is part of what's known as dmat. daz management ateam. they've been business. they were in louisiana after hurricane harvey and irma and me, talking me hooer. they ex-tect more than more patients to be coming in here. make their way closer to big cities. it's unclear right now just how

many people have been affected but keep in mind, even before these stms, puerto rico was a tough place medically. a third of the adult population reported to be in poor health. they have a significant elderly population and lots of chronic disease, which they think is going to be the big problem here if those people can't get access to care. back to you. >> i'm glad he's there. he can be the eyes and ears on the ground. >> things are coming along. >> 50 minutes past the hour. lawmakers asking tech companies to testify about russian meddling. cnn money stream next. witness katy perry.

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all right. cnn reporting exclusively that people in baltimore and ferguson, missouri were targeted in at least one ad bought by russians. the ad referenced black lives matter. sources say it was supposed to be supporting the group but also threatening to some residents. >> the ad appeared as a russian troll farm tried sow political chaos. they say a quarter of the ads were geographically targeted but did not reveal the locations. >> a motorcycle offenser is recovering from a broken ankle after getting into an accident while escorting president trump to the airport. it took place yesterday. officer robert turner wiengndinp

on the shoulder. the white house says the president spoke to terner, wished him well and thanked him for his service. >> a rock slide on the face of yo se m. ite. >> 20 climbs are were on the wall at the time. pictures posted on social media show billowing white dust moments after the crash. el capitan is famous and one of the most popular crimes in h the world. >> authorities on the pacific island nation ordering the evacuation of the entire population because of a volcano. as many as 15,000 people live on the island. they've been ordered to leave by plane or boat. signs from the activity from the

volcano began earlier in the month. 56 minutes past the hour. check on money stream. global stock market mixed today. a good day because of tax reform. president trump releasing a blueprint yesterday. we need more details but this does propose tax cuts for companies and small businesses. right now u.s., a little bit lower. facebook, google and twitter may testify mr. russi testify about russian meddling. the topic how foreign nationaling used their platforms. facebook admits to selling ads to russian troll farms and twitter is expected to disclose similar findings on capitol hill today. facebook, twitter and google have not answered the invite yet. america's inequality problem

getting worse. the richest 1% of families control a record amount of u.s. wealth. about 39% last year. that's nearly twice as much as the bottom 90% of earners. and the slice has only gotten smaller. that's from a new report from the federal reserve. even the fed acknowledges wealth distribution has grown increasingly unequal in recent years. >> the question will be do these tax cuts reform or help or hurt that. >> this is the tax reform is a framewo framework. the tax writers. >> by design right is it. >> so they're still a lot of questions. but we can tell you this is the first attempt at tax reform of this level in some 30 years. >> compared to health care, the president wa the the master of details yesterday, in comparison to health care where he -- >> talked about this being a

legacy. he really wants to get this done. >> no surprise there. "early start" continues now with what this tax reform means, and remembering hugh hefner. remembering hef. hugh hefner. we look back on the life and legacy of the playboy icon. >> president trump looking to reverse the tide in a rough week. tax plan is out and he's planning an executive order on health care. good morning everyone. welcome to "early start." i'm christine roman. >> good to see all of you. 5:00 a.m. in the east. playboy founder hugh hefner has passed away at the age of 91. the he died of natural causes at the playboy mansion surrounded by his family. >> hefner was a true american icon. born in chicago, in 1926, raised by conservative protestant parents, he introduced world to

playboy in 1953. he built that company into one of the most successful and recognizable american brands in history. >> i have celebrating the romantic connection between the sexes. that's part of what playboy is all about. >> i have never real thought of it as a sex magazine. >> what's your definition of obscenity? >> racism, war, bigotry, but sex itself, no. what is sad and cold world this would be if we weren't sexuality beings. that's the heart of who we are. >> this morning tributes are pouring in 0 for the man who was affectionately known as hef. jenny mccarthy, one of the many celebrities tweeting this. rest in peace, thank you for being a revolutionary and changing so many people's lives, especially mine. i hope you made you proud. #pmoy1