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Pope Francis Draws Thousands to Mass in Kenya; ISIS Challenges World Leaders to "Bring It On"; Millions Expected for Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade; "New York Times" Slams Trump for Mocking Reporter. Aired 6:30-7a ET

Aired November 26, 2015 - 06:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:30:42] ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: Pope Francis kicking off an historic six-day trip to Africa. This morning, drawing tens of thousands for a public mass at the University of Nairobi in Kenya. So, what's next for the pope?

CNN's Robyn Kriel is live in Nairobi -- Robyn.

ROBYN KRIEL, CNN AFRICA CORRESPONDENT: Well, 300,000 people arrived here at the University of Nairobi for the holy mass. It was -- it was an electrifying event. When the pope arrived in his Popemobile, the crowd went wild.

Yesterday, he stunned Kenyans by driving a black four-wheel drive Honda, a very humble vehicle, from the airport to his first venue at the presidential state house.

He's really endeared himself to the Kenyan public. The people's pope feel a very strong connection with the pope, because he has done a lot, worked a lot with poverty, also from a developing nation, the global south as it were. And as one expert pointed out, he sees the world from the bottom up and not the top down.

I want to read you a tweet that the pope tweeted shortly after the mass here. He said, "May my visit to Africa be a sign of the church's esteem for all religions and strengthen our bonds of friendship." And that religious cohesion, that religious tolerance is one of the key things here during his visits, on the back, of course, of the Paris attacks. He met with Muslim and various other religious leaders this morning.

And during his trip to the Central African Republic, he's also due to go to a mosque. He's going to be hands on, visiting a refugee center, visiting a slum, he is a man of the people. As I said, he likes to smell the sheep, which is what he said in his first encyclical.

Back to you.

MICHAELA PEREIRA, CNN ANCHOR: Certainly a powerful visit from the pope, with so many there to receive it. Thanks so much for that.

Meanwhile, a new video released by ISIS threatening an attack against the United States, even daring America to put boots on the ground. We're going to take a look at that threat, ahead.

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[06:36:38] PEREIRA: On this Thanksgiving Day, with all that is going on internationally, many here in the United States have concerns about safety. Adding to the fear, ISIS released a new video making threats against several nations, including the United States.

President Obama, though, spoke out to assure Americans there are no known threats. Who better to discuss all of that than with Juliette Kayyem, CNN national security -- an analyst rather and former assistant secretary at the Department of Homeland Security. First of all, I appreciate you joining us on this Thanksgiving Day.

I'm sure there are lots of things that you need to be doing on this day to prepare the day for your family. But we've got to talk about this. This is absolutely in your wheelhouse, this new highly produced propaganda video from ISIS, adding to the list of places that they're sort of threatening. Showing flags of some 60 nations that are involved in the coalition.

CNN, we should let you know, we're not airing this video.

I'm thinking, Juliette, it's not so much threatening, it's more goading, is it not, the way they're disparaging our men and women in uniform, disparaging our efforts to try and battle them.

JULIETTE KAYYEM, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Right. And the sense of unease that people are feeling is the consequence and desire by ISIS by doing this. I will tell you, I've been in this field for a long time, even before September 11th, and if you judge people's concerns by the e-mails that I get from family and friends should I go to New York, should I go abroad, it's pretty similar to how people felt in 9/11 in terms of that sense of unease.

So, I get it.

PEREIRA: Yes.

KAYYEM: And I think the one thing to say, this is exactly the reaction that they desire for that.

PEREIRA: OK. So, let's run with that for a second. So, that is -- that is what they're trying to do is instill fear -- well, it's working. It's terrifying to hear, especially when we know what they're capable of.

So, how do we take this seriously yet continue to live our lives?

KAYYEM: Well, I think that people need to sort of rethink our own safety and security. And that is -- that has never been perfect, and it's never going to be perfect. So, the whole point of counterterrorism efforts is to reduce the risk. Sort of support and protect areas that might be targets. So, you're seeing that in New York today with the Macy's Day parade, with the police chief, commissioner coming out often, with Obama coming out often, and talking about what we're doing to fortify areas that might be vulnerable like airports and the parade.

And then the third is also to empower ourselves to prepare ourselves, whether it's talking to our families, having a plan. See something, say something.

So, I think those three different ways of sort of managing the unease that we're all feeling should bring down the temperature a little bit. And also, you know -- yes, and for people to remember, well, things seem on fire around the world, and they are on fire around the world. The risk in the United States is very different than it is in Europe. And people are working very hard today to minimize that risk. But we're never going to get it to zero. And in some ways, we have to begin to think that way and engage ourselves in our communities. And the private sector in preparing ourselves for the risks that are out there.

PEREIRA: Well, I like what you said about reducing the temperature, bringing down the temperature.

[06:40:02] And the president has been looking to do that, too. In fact, he took to the air waves to reassure Americans. Let's listen to the sound from the president.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Americans have been asking each other, whether it's safe here, whether it's safe to fly or to gather. Now, right now, we know of no specific and credible intelligence indicating a plot on the homeland.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PEREIRA: So, Juliette, we keep hearing this from authorities of a credible threat. We don't have a credible threat. What constitutes a credible threat? Because the fact is, there wasn't a propaganda video prior to Paris. There wasn't that kind of overt warning.

So, how do we know?

KAYYEM: Well, we're never going to be perfectly sure that something might not happen. But in terms of the United States, it is very difficult for groups of terrorists to get here, join forces and plan an attack in the surveillance environment, in the immigration environment that we're in right now. In other words, the kind of attack that you saw in France that was, you know, sort of planned in Belgium, included Iraq and Syria and so many other countries.

That an ocean protects and you immigration and surveillance protects us. That doesn't mean that aren't lone wolves out there who haven't been inspired. That's why you hear see something, say something. Be engaged. The only way that's going to stop is that if communities look around and see what's going on.

And to be honest, Michaela, that is why all of this anti-Islam talk that you're hearing in the political space is actually making us unsafe. We need to engage everyone.

PEREIRA: Yes, absolutely. See something, say something, the 49 million of you taking a bus, plane, train, or any other vehicle to get where you need to go on this holiday weekend.

Juliette Kayyem, thanks so much for joining us. Happy Thanksgiving.

Alisyn?

KAYYEM: And to you, too.

CAMEROTA: OK, Michaela.

On a much lighter note, Hello Kitty, and the other stars of the Macy's Thanksgiving parade are all pumped up and ready to roll. Millions of spectators will be lining the streets of New York City. This is a live shot. You see people already getting into their winter gear, their mittens, their hats.

PEREIRA: This isn't as cold as yesterday.

CAMEROTA: No, it's actually going to be temperate. Thank goodness. But not yet, it is still cold out there this morning.

So, we'll be bringing you all of this live, when we come back. We'll have a preview.

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[06:46:37] CAMEROTA: All right. We are getting ready for the big Macy's Day Thanksgiving parade. Millions of people expected to line the streets.

One of them right now is Miguel Marquez. He's out there among all of the people.

How's it looking and feeling out there, Miguel?

MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It is feeling very Thanksgiving-y out here.

There are 3.5 million people expected to join the Tom the Turkey and Santa Claus out here. How are you guys feeling? Are you ready for this? Ready for parade?

(CHEERS)

MARQUEZ: We have Arizona, Wisconsin, Ohio represented. This guy was actually lying face down a little while ago right here in the gutter.

You're in New York, you do realize. You don't want to do that.

They drove seven hours to be here. We even have people from London, England. She's here by herself. They even came from Long Island right over here.

PEREIRA: Long Island.

MARQUEZ: Look, 8,000 people in this parade, 42 balloons, 1,100 cheerleaders, 12 marching bands. Massive, massive event.

Also, massive security. Police here, 2,500 of them, 500 extra police in the counterterrorism unit who are here. We're seeing undercover cops here, seen and unseen. There are going to be sniffer dogs out here even radiation detectors but it is not deterring anybody, right?

(CHEERS)

MARQUEZ: Now, we just got to get this parade going very, very (INAUDIBLE)

Back to you guys.

PEREIRA: Parade, Miguel. You should know better than that. You can't rush a parade. It will start when it starts, my dear.

MARQUEZ: That's right.

CAMEROTA: About two hours and 15 minutes from now, I'll check back in with you through all of that.

PEREIRA: You can see behind him that the weather looks like it's cooperating.

CAMEROTA: Right.

PEREIRA: What are we talking about, how things are looking for today, our Thanksgiving. Our forecast with Jennifer Gray, our meteorologist.

How is it looking for everyone?

JENNIFER GRAY, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Well, you saw, they're bundled up this morning. Temperatures are in the low 40s in New York City, but they will be shedding layers. Temperatures will be warming up into the 50s by the time the parade gets going. A lot of sunshine. Great weather for the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade.

However, middle part of the country not so great. We have rain, ice, snow starting to develop, a front moving in. It is going to bring a mess, anywhere from the panhandle, all the way up through the Midwest. And temperatures are going to drop dramatically. Highs today, 24 in Denver, 60s in Kansas City. You can see the nice weather over on the east side of the country, mid 60s in Atlanta.

But look at those temperatures. Denver 22 degrees, and that is this evening. By tomorrow, warning temperatures are going to drop to the single digits, 9 degrees. Amarillo at 22. And temperatures are going to drop even more by the time we get into Friday evening.

Those cold temperature, spreading south. Dallas, 47 degrees, at 5:00 p.m., those temperatures will be falling throughout the day. Look at the ice, half an inch to three quarters of an inch of ice, across portions of Kansas, Des Moines. That's going to spread to the south. And linger for Saturday.

So, Alisyn, we could see big trouble at the airports by the time we get into Friday when people are starting to head back home.

CAMEROTA: Boy, that's no good.

GRAY: No.

CAMEROTA: But we're glad that this afternoon, at least here on the east coast, it looks like it's nice for the parade.

All right. Jennifer, thanks so much for that forecast.

All right. Up next, Donald Trump is going after the media again. But this time, it's different. This time, he's going after a reporter's disability.

[06:50:00] Our panel will discuss this next.

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CAMEROTA: Well, a Republican super PAC gearing up to launch a new round of attack ads against Donald Trump. The Republican front- runner is not happy about this. Trump's team now launching an idea of Trump running as a third party candidate.

PEREIRA: Again.

CAMEROTA: Again. So, how serious is that threat?

Here to talk about this and so much more this morning, CNN senior political analyst and editorial director for "The National Journal", Ron Brownstein, and CNN political commentator and political anchor at Time Warner Cable News, Errol Louis.

Gentlemen, happy Thanksgiving. Great to have you here.

OK. Trump fears a super PAC, he is not pleased about the idea that super PACs would be bonding together to go after him, obviously. And, in fact, he's told Reince Priebus that the RNC make sure they don't do that.

And thus far, you don't see them banding together. But John -- there's a super PAC supporting John Kasich. And they have put together an anti-Trump ad. And it is substantial.

So, everybody sit back, get comfortable and let us play you a portion of this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, POLITICAL AD)

[06:55:04] COL. TOM MOE: I would like anyone who is listening to consider some thoughts that I paraphrased from the words of German pastor Martin Niemoller.

You might not care if Donald Trump says Muslims must register with their government because you're not one. And you might not care if Donald Trump says he is going to round up all the Hispanic immigrants because you're not one. And you might not care if Donald Trump says it's OK to rough up black protesters because you're not one. And you might not care if Donald Trump wants to suppress journalists because you're not one.

Now, think about this -- if he keeps going and he actually becomes president, he might just get around to you and you better hope that there's someone left to help you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMEROTA: So, I was wrong, that is from the campaign. That is the Kasich campaign itself.

Errol, why is John Kasich going to this length when other candidates are hands off at the moment?

ERROL LOUIS, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, there are lots of groups that had tried to sort of take some of the shine off of Donald Trump. The Club for Growth, conservative anti-tax group, they spent $1 million in Iowa. Apparently, that money was wasted. It doesn't seem to have changed his standing in the polls for example.

But I think the worry on Trump's part, which is a valid one, is that sooner or later, these groups if they keep throwing a million here, a million there, and they're trying this and they're that, what we just saw emotionally powerful and a little overwrought, I'm is not sure it's going to hit home with the voters in the mix. There's lots of different ads, there's lots of issues. Very sort of heavy-handed in a lot of ways.

But sooner than later, one of them might hit the right combination and I think that's what's got Trump worried.

PEREIRA: So, Ron, it may not hit the voters. But will it hit some of the donors or some of the people, the operatives, some of the people inside the organization?

RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: You know, in fact, as "The Washington Post" pointed out today in a story, the amount of super PAC spending against Trump from the establishment is less that might have given expected, given the durability of his lead, and the extent of their concern in the party establishment that he's unelectable, in the general election.

Look, as we talked about yesterday, Donald Trump has a very passionate following. It is a big chunk of the Republican Party. But there's evidence that there is another piece of the party that is significantly alarmed by pretty much anything about him, his position, his demeanor, his language.

And for someone like John Kasich or Jeb Bush, I think standing up to Donald Trump is a way of auditioning for that wing of the party as I'm the guy who is most likely to stop this. But the question really is, going back to the first time point, whether there's the money to do this.

Bush is the one who has it. His Right to Rise PAC is sitting on a lot of cash. But so far, while he's been very tough on Trump, for example, in your excellent interview with him yesterday, he has not put that money on television yet.

CAMEROTA: We want to talk about another thing that Trump has done. On Tuesday night, he's often gone after the media, if he's not happy about a story that somebody has done. He makes no bones about going after a reporter and letting him know his displeasure. He was doing that with a reporter from "The New York Times." But what he was doing was different this time, because he was mocking this reporter.

This reporter has a disability. This reporter has a chronic condition that limits the mobility of his arms. Donald Trump knows that. And is this how he attacked that reporter.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Right after a couple of good paragraphs, and talking about northern New Jersey draws the prober's eye, written by a nice reporter. Now the poor guy, you ought to see this guy. Oh, I don't know what I said. I don't remember. He's going, I don remember. Maybe that's what I said.

This is 14 years ago. Still, they didn't do a retraction.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMEROTA: Errol, is that OK?

LOUIS: Well, listen, I have people in my family who have physical disabilities and so do you and do you and Ron and everybody watching this broadcast.

It's a disgusting for somebody to do from a public podium like that. And, you know, it turns out that the Kasich campaign was a little too early in that ad. They need to add to that.

Oh, yes, if you want a president who mocks the disabled, Trump's your guy, you know? You know, it's more of the same. Sooner or later, this stuff will catch up with him. A very unfortunate thing to have to witness.

PEREIRA: But, Ron, it seems that nothing catches up to him. Is this going to?

BROWNSTEIN: Well, no. I think, real quick, I mean, look, I think for Trump supporters, this is an apocalyptic moment. I mean, when you talk about Make America Great Again, the silent majority, the underpinning of all of that is the sense of anxiety about the cultural and demographics change transforming the country, the other 18 population, the majority non-white in this decade.

I reported this week that white Christians for the first time in American history are less than half of the country. A lot of the people supporting Trump feel, demographically, that the country is slipping away from him, and that justifies any means necessary kind of approach to politics. So, that, I think, explains the intensity of his support.