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President Obama Held Press Conference at APEC Summit in Lima, Peru; Michel Flynn to be Next National Security Advisor; Rape Victims Being Forced to co-Parent With Their Attackers; Trump's Election Made Waves at United Nations Climate Change Summit. Aired 7-8p ET

Aired November 20, 2016 - 19:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:00:29] POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR: Top of the hour. 7:00 p.m. eastern. You are live in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Poppy Harlow in New York.

We are following breaking news this hour. Final good-bye for president Obama on the world stage as he just wrapped up his last international news conference before leaving office in 60 days from now. The president speaking tonight in Lima, Peru, told world leaders that he believes Donald Trump will likely adjust to the reality of the office when he moves into the White House next year. The president also spoke in depth about trade, corruption, terrorism, the situation in Syria and many other challenges facing Donald Trump when he becomes president.

We have a lot to talk about. Let's bring back in my panel.

Joining me now, Jamie Metzi, senior fellow of the Atlantic Council and a former member of the U.S. Security Council and (INAUDIBLE) committee. Ron Brownstein is with us, senior editor for the Atlantic. And Anita McBride joins us. She is with the American University center for congressional and presidential studies. She is also the former chief of staff to first lady Laura Bush. Julian Zelizer is a Princeton University historian and professor. And our own Athena Jones is traveling with the president tonight in Lima, Peru, and just was at the press conference.

When we talk about the issue of trade, Jamie, I thought it was interesting. You are an expert on China. I thought it was very interesting that he decided to begin his remarks by continuing to push TPP, a trade deal that's all been dead in the water, and saying this is critical because it is about the United States helping to right the rules of trade on the world stage, while acknowledging a big part of what helped the president-elect win this election. And he acknowledged that free trade has not helped anyone -- everyone, and that it has, in some ways, added to the income gap.

JAMIE METZI, SENIOR FELLOW, ATLANTIC COUNCIL: Poppy, this had to be a heartbreak for President Obama. He was talking about TPP to the Asia Pacific leaders. He had worked for his entire presidency, really building a legacy of President George W. Bush. And our country was on the verge of a historic success in TPP, which would have been not only beneficial for the united f our economics, but it would have cemented a series of relationships across Asia with our most important allies and partners that would have allowed the United States and our countries -- and countries that have similar values to us be in the driver's seat.

Now, with TPP all but dead, China will be in the driver's seat. And that's what's happening. It is difficult, I'm sure, for President Obama in Lima, because China is taking a victory lap. And China has had its opposing view of the world and its opposing trade deal, the regional comprehensive economic partnership. And now, all the American partners are now moving towards China. They all thought they could stand up to China in the name of higher standards. But now, they are going and some, really, on bended knee towards China. So it is a historic, in many ways, defeat for the United States.

HARLOW: It is interesting. Even though Donald Trump has promised to be tough on China, slap a 45 percent tariff on Chinese goods, he has threatened to label them a currency manipulator, this is an area where President Xi Jinping really likes Donald Trump in terms of their both in opposition to this trade deal.

I do want to play for our viewers if you miss the press conference. This is the first question the president was asked. Essentially, how do you know that president-elect Donald Trump won't govern in the divisive way he campaigned? Here's what the president said to that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I can't be sure of anything. I think, like everyone else, we'll have to wait and see. But as I have said before, once you are in the oval office, once you begin interacting with world leaders, once you see the complexities of the issues, that has a way of shaping your thinking and in some cases modifying your thinking. I can't guarantee that the president-elect won't pursue some of the positions that he has taken. But what I can guarantee is that reality will force him to adjust how he approaches many of these issues.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[19:05:03] HARLOW: Ron Brownstein, what did you make of that, reality will force him to adjust?

RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Look. I think the president is playing a two-track game. I mean, I think he is, on the one hand, setting out a series of conditions, kind of hoping against hope that Donald Trump will govern in a significantly different manner than he ran, by which included undoing many things that President Obama considers critical both at home and abroad. So on the one hand he is saying, look. I'm trying to steer him in that direction. And he is saying at the same time we ought to give him a chance, ought to hear what he has to say, both I as a president, a former president and Democrats in Congress. But he is also setting out a series of trip wires of ideals and policies that he considers important at home and abroad. And leaving open the possibility that Donald Trump continues across those trip wires that he has established. That he may take a more active role in rallying resistance to some policies than we have seen typically from former presidents. In fact, on a call with the organizing for America team, you know, which, is his outside political organization this weekend, he kind of hinted that there will come a moment he may need to speak out actively and he left open very pointedly. He left open that possibility during the press conference tonight.

HARLOW: He did. And then Anita, let me ask you that as someone who worked in the Bush 43 White House with the first lady as chief of staff, they took a different approach when they left office. They truly left. The president said, yes, I'm going to take Michelle on vacation. She deserves a vacation. But as Ron said, he didn't leave the door open.

ANITA MCBRIDE, FORMER CHIEF OF STAFF TO FIRST LADY LAURA BUSH: Well, that's true. When the Bushes left, they said, you know, they had their time on the world stage. And now -- and he turned it over new president. And that I true from this tonight, listening to President Obama's press conference, he evolved, as well, from being a candidate with, you know, the rhetoric of a campaign to being the leader of the free world. And that he learned quite a bit. And realities do face you when you're in the oval office. And over this eight-year period of time, he is now ending his presidency.

And this press conference, whether he is in Peru, he is going to want to say all the things that he has accomplished and how the country has changed for the better. But what I saw from this, too, is that he recognizes that the United States of America is a force for good in the world. And when he came into the White House in his first global speech in Turkey, it was a very vastly different point of view that I think many people felt. That America did everything wrong. He is now ending saying, the world order is not right without us in it.

HARLOW: And do you remember, of course, Julian Zelizer, just looking, you know, through history, looking years back, it was in 2008 when he stood in Berlin in front of these massive crowds and he talked about crumbling barriers and walls crumbling. Metaphorical, of course, at the time, speaking about divides in terms of race and gender and religion. And now, his successor is a man who has largely run on the philosophy and the promise to erect a huge wall between the United States and Mexico.

JULIAN ZELIZER, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: I think that might be a sobering memory, actually, for many Democrats, who remember those speeches from Obama not just in Berlin but also in Boston in 2004 where he actually underestimated the power of partisan politics and the direction the Republican Party took.

There is many Democrats won't agree with some of his message tonight. They don't think this is a normal transition of power. And they think that some of the things that came out in Donald Trump's campaign are beyond the boundaries of permissible. And they are going to have trouble compromising with this. So I think he is also sensing this and trying to emulate (ph) some of the tensions in the party.

HARLOW: And to that point, let's listen to what he said about giving Donald Trump a hearing, as he put it. He said, I do not want this transition to be the way it was for me in 2008, when Mitch McConnell vowed to make me a one-term president. Let's listen to his remarks on that.

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OBAMA: With respect to Democrats and Republican and how Democrats should deal with a new administration, I think you give him a hearing. I certainly don't want them to do what Mitch McConnell did when I was elected. Meet the day of and say, our sole objective is to not cooperate with him on anything, even if the country is about to go into a depression. So that we can gain seats in the midterms and ultimately defeat him. That's not why the American people send us to Washington, to play those games.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARLOW: So Ron, do you agree with Julian's assessment, that, you know, that will leave some liberals not happy?

BROWNSTEIN: Yes. But I think that -- look, the president, think, understands that in all likelihood, that Democrats and maybe with himself as one of them, are going to end up in a position of intense opposition to many of the things Donald Trump is proposing. And that in fact, the president does agree that many of the things that Donald Trump has proposed are outside of the bounds of the usual political debate.

But I think he also recognizes both, a, that people do want you to give a hearing to a new president. And, b, that if you get into a position of -- if you ultimately get into a position of opposition, you will be stronger in that position if it doesn't look as it was reflected from the beginning. If, in fact, you were willing to give the president-elect a chance to govern in a way that was more inclusive than the agenda that he ran on.

So I don't think there are illusions in what the president said. Like I said he is a methodical kind of mind and I think he is setting up the conditions under which he could be more involved and Democrats could be resolute in opposing Donald Trump. But I think he also wants to create conditions in which he, in fact, does gives him a chance and the country sees him giving him a chance.

[19:10:45] HARLOW: Anita, you recall having been in the Bush White House that letter that was written, right? And the, you know, I think the world saw in the past few weeks, saying, you know, I wish you luck in the office. There will be immense challenges. That incredibly smooth transition. What was your reaction to hearing the president say, give Donald Trump a hearing?

MCBRIDE: Well, I think it set the right tone and really, that is the most important thing to come out of a transition period. This very brief 75 days from Election Day to inauguration day is how the country feels about the tone that is set by the outgoing president. That really does drives a lot. And not only for the president to the president-elect but also for the

staff of both the White House and the transition for president-elect Trump that has to work with each other. So I think that that is really important. And it is true. You know, there are only 44 people that have served in this position. Only they know what it is really like. And now a 45th about to come in, you know, to it. And I think that discourse, if it can be set in a civil tone, both President Obama said the right things, secretary of state Clinton said the right things at her concession speech, too. So it is incumbent upon everybody to really carry that through.

HARLOW: And Athena, before we go to break, final thought from you. That moment when the president left the stage, you were in the room. What did you see?

ATHENA JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Poppy, I got to tell you that we have been reporting on the president's movements from the press file which allows us to see the video coming in from all of his meetings. So I was not in the room for that press conference.

But I do think that it is interesting to hear the president holding out hope that Donald Trump is going to govern along the lines of some of the rhetoric that we heard on the campaign trail. And he also seems to be trying to live up to the famous or popular line from his own wife, first lady Michelle Obama, over the summer, who said, you know, when they go low, we go high.

And so he is trying to set the right tone. He is trying to say to Democrats, don't do what Senator Mitch McConnell did to me. Don't try to stand in the way. See if you can work with the Trump administration, in the hopes of potentially maybe influencing this new White House to consider some of the things that his own administration has worked on for a long time and has been proud of. From the trade deals to certain elements of Obamacare, the affordable care act that president-elect Trump has shown he is may open to preserving some of those provisions. So I think that the president wants to try to have as much influence as he can over the new president as they prepare for this transition in just under two months from now -- Poppy.

HARLOW: All right. We have a lot more to get to. I'm going to get a quick break. And Athena Jones live for us in Lima, Peru tonight raveling with the president.

Jamie, Ron, Anita, Julian, stay with me. Much more ahead.

We are going to take a quick break. Back in a moment. You are live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

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[19:16:45] OBAMA: Basically, kind of put all the money in treasury bills. The yield, by the way, has not been massive over the course of the last eight years. Just because it simplified my life, I did not have to worry about the complexities about whether a decision I made might even inadvertently benefit me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARLOW: There you have part of what President Obama said tonight and what is likely his final international news conference exiting the world stage. And as he does that, being asked about an issue raised in regards to Donald Trump and his family and how he will govern with all of these riches into different businesses that he ran for a long time.

Let's bring in my panel to discuss that and a lot more. Joining me again, Jamie Metzi, Ron Brownstein, Anita McBride and Julian Zelizer.

Anita, why don't you jump on that one because, you know, he also revealed that he told president-elect Donald Trump in their meeting last week that he will need a strong White House council. Obviously, White House council would oversee any questions about conflicts of interest.

MCBRIDE: Sure. We all lived under the rules of the White House counsel when we were staff in the White House. That applies to the president, as well. So that was a good suggestion to the president- elect. When you are selecting your White House staff, which is really important, you know, an important decision, to pick a strong counsel, someone that will take care of you, keep you out of trouble and really keep you scandal free.

Because there is too much that comes on the president's desk. Every problem in the world comes to the desk of the American president. So you want to have a staff that's going to do everything that they can to keep you moving forward on the agenda that you care about.

HARLOW: Let's talk about trade. Because that is how he decided to open his remarks. And he said, you know, this is all in the back drop of globalization and trade. And too often, global elites seem to play by different rules than the working class around the world. And the benefits of the global economy and free trade need to benefit more people. Clearly, that was a centerpiece of Donald Trump's candidacy and a big reason why he won this election. And the president took that head on. Let's listen to how he addressed trade and, specifically, TPP. The huge trade deal he has poured so much into that is now likely dead in the water.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OBAMA: Our partners made very clear during the meeting they want to move forward with TPP. Preferably, they would like to move forward with the United States. I believe that TPP is a plus for America's economy, America's workers, American jobs. I think not moving forward would undermine our position across the region, our ability to shake the rules of global trade in a way that reflects our interests and our values.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARLOW: So Jamie, as an expert on China and trade, translation there, by not passing TPP, you are giving China more power in terms of writing the rules of trade. That's what he's saying.

METZI: Yes. That's exactly right. The United States invested a decade in negotiating TPP, which was the crown jewel to our pivot to Asia. And TPP, if it were to be realized, would have extended the benefits to the United States of international trade. And the U.S. --

[19:20:12] HARLOW: Excluding China.

METZI: Excluding China. Setting a much higher standard of behavior than China is currently engaging in. So there would have been high standards, for example, for intellectual property rights, for labor, for environmental protection, all things that everybody wants.

The United States is a trading nation. We are the enormous beneficiary of trade. But it is also true, as President Obama said, that benefits of trade aren't evenly distributed within societies or between societies. And the challenge that the United States has faced is that trade has benefitted some people - has benefitted everybody, but some people more than others. And it's been very, very difficult for President Obama to redistribute the benefits of trade because he has been blocked at every step of the way by congressional Republicans. And that's forced an overreliance on monetary policy. So we have used monetary stimulus and low interest rates to spur growth. And what that's done is it skew the benefits of trade to the wealthier members of society. And that's the core problem.

HARLOW: Ron?

BROWNSTEIN: Look. America as a say a real fundamental fork in the road on trade. Hillary Clinton was kind of caught in a no man's land where she was not nearly as supportive of trade as Bill Clinton had been. But she was not nearly as critical as Donald Trump had been. So in those debates, you know, he would say NAFTA is the worst trade deal ever. And she was kind of left with, well, it wasn't that bad.

You know, look. The fact is, is that most Americans believe that engagement with the global economy does improves the standard of living and improve the overall economy. It is a poll finding that's not often discussed. The question is, can either party develop a consensus for the benefits, accessing the benefits of selling into a global market and, for that matter, the lower priced products that come in while compensating and finding other opportunities with those who are most adversely affected.

HARLOW: And on another note, I would be remiss not to mention Syria. He was asked about Syria and the situation in Aleppo, something the president has said in past interviews, including his exit interview, Doris Kearns Goodwin (ph) still haunts him, the situation in Syria.

Julian Zelizer, to you as a historian, he said, I continue to believe that we didn't have the legal basis for military intervention in Syria. Now it will be up to the president-elect Donald Trump to decide what route the United States takes when dealing with the atrocities taking place in Syria right now. What do you think the message is that the president sent on that tonight? ZELIZER: Well, obviously, this touches on one of the perceived

failures of this administration, which gets back to his speeches in 2008. And his hope to remake that part of the world. And I think he is fearful about how Donald Trump, president-elect Trump, is going to interact with Syria and react to the threat of ISIS. In a way that creates more instability not less. So I think, he is again, is trying to appeal through reason to a calm and ordered foreign policy that doesn't destabilize everything that has been achieved.

On trade, let me just add, I think what President Obama is doing is what Democrats failed to do, is to offer a progressive case for how to deal with free trade in the global economy. Through agreements include domestic policy that Hillary Clinton was never able to offer. And that's part of what, I think, led to --

HARLOW: All right, guys, I have to leave it there. Thank you, all, Jamie, Ron, Anita, Julian. Appreciate you being with me tonight.

Still ahead, the retired lieutenant general tapped by president-elect Donald Trump to be his national security adviser has a lot of people -- well, some of them are worried and some of them are hopeful. Here are some of the worried folks and their comments.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Islam is a political ideology. It is a politic ideology. It definitely hides behind this notion of it being a religion.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARLOW: Comments like that do have some people worried about his appointment. We will talk with the man who co-authored a book with lieutenant general Michael Flynn, get his take on who the man is that will now have the president's ear on national security.

You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

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[19:27:51] HARLOW: President-elect Donald Trump's choice for national security adviser tapped a remarkable comeback for lieutenant general Michael Flynn. The retired three-star general has extensive military experience but was pretty much forced out of his job as a defense intelligence agency two years ago, some say because of a combative management style.

A registered Democrat, he stunned colleagues by joining the Trump campaign and then making a paid visit to Russia in December. He attended a gala for the Kremlin-led channel RT. He sat next to Vladimir Putin. Flynn says he went to Russia to urge them to crack down on Iran's involvement in Middle Eastern conflicts and he notes he wasn't paid directly by Russia.

Flynn also made some controversial comments about Islam that are drawing new scrutiny now that he has been tapped as a top national security adviser. Listen.

LT. GENERAL MICHAEL FLYNN, FORMER DIRECTOR, DEFENSE INTELLIGENCE AGENCY: Islam is a political ideology. It is a political ideology. It definitely hides behind this notion of it being a religion. It is like cancer. I have gone through cancer in my own life. It's like cancer. And it's like a malignant cancer in this case. It has metastasized.

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HARLOW: Michael Ledeen joins me now. He is the co-author of the book, "the field of fight: how we can win the global war against radical Islam and its allies." He wrote that, of course, with Lt. general Michael Flynn. He is also a freedom scholar at a foundation for defense of democracy.

Thank you for being with me tonight.

Thank you.

HARLOW: Your reaction to what we just heard from General Flynn. In addition to that, he tweeted this. Fear of Muslims is rational. Please forward this to others. The truth fears no question. You know the man very well. Is he prejudicial? Is he racist when it comes to Muslims?

MICHAEL LEDEEN, FREEDOM SCHOLAR AT THE FOUNDATION FOR DEFENSE OF DEMOCRACIES: Well, it's not a racial question to begin with. No, he is very outspoken in his support for mainstream Islam. He is very critical of radical Islam. And field of fight is all about how to defeat radical Islam and it contains extensive passages about supporting Islamic moderates from president al-Sisi in Egypt to his called for an Islamic reformation to governments in places like Indonesia, the world's biggest Muslim country. And he is totally supportive of these people.

[19:30:19] HARLOW: So how would you explain those comments then? Because it wasn't just, you know, one remark. I mean, he has made that remark and others similar to it and he tweeted things like I just pulled up. How would you explain them then?

LEDEEN: Out of context. And if people would take the time to read "field of fight," they would see it. It is there at great length. And he is very explicit about it.

HARLOW: You call him a great pick for national security adviser. You say he is straight forward. He doesn't hesitate to deliver bad news. He is said to have lost his post as the head of the DIA, in part, because of his temperament. He disputes that. How would you describe his temperament? What should the American people know?

LEDEEN: Well, a man as the national security adviser with his temper. Remember Kissinger? He has a legendary temper. I mean, at that level, it's normal. General Flynn has been at war. Our book says we are in a global war right now. And it is all about how to combat it effectively. Look, Flynn has two really great qualities, it seems to me, as a

leader. One is what you mentioned, his willingness to deliver bad news to his superiors, which is rare and invaluable. And the other is that he is not at all rank conscious. He is three-star general, but in the course of his career, you will find all kinds of low level army, Navy, marine officers who have worked with him. He got down into the field to reform the way we do interrogation of captured enemies. And there, he was working with second lieutenants, first lieutenants and so forth. He is exceedingly Democratic in that kind of approach. And a lot of people are angry. A lot of senior military people dislike him precisely for that reason.

HARLOW: Let me get your take quickly on his views on Russia, the kremlin, Vladimir Putin. Because let's pull up that picture again. He went to this gala for the Russian propaganda channel, RT. He sat next to Vladimir Putin. What should the American people know about where his head is at when it comes to U.S.-Russia relations?

LEDEEN: He says in "field of fight" that cooperation with Russia is a desirable thing, but he doesn't think it is possible with Vladimir Putin, who he defines explicitly as an enemy.

HARLOW: So there, he differs with the president-elect?

LEDEEN: Well, let's wait and see what statements of the president- elect were campaign statements and what it is that he actually thinks.

HARLOW: See if he moves his hand.

LEDEEN: I don't know. I'm not smart enough to know what Donald to really think about how to deal with Russia.

HARLOW: Michael Ledeen, I wish we had -- Michael Ledeen, I wish we had more time. I'm getting wrap in my ear. Thank you very much for joining me tonight.

LEDEEN: Thanks for having me.

HARLOW: Election 2016 made history not just for who won but also because of how many people got it wrong, pretty much everyone. This book is a fascinating trip through the last two years in American politics. It is called unprecedented. I'll speak to the man who wrote it next.

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[19:36:16] HARLOW: It was no question a presidential campaign unlike anything this country has seen at least in recent memory. Donald Trump broke all the rules and came out on top, stopping Hillary Clinton's quest to become America's first female president. Analysis of president-elect Trump's historic campaign will go on for a very long time. Of course, as he builds his administration and takes the oath of office, there is a new that you must read, "Unprecedented: the election that changed everything." It is the definitive book written, living history, through the campaign by our own Thomas Lake, who joins me now. I was saying, you need to go to Bali for a long vacation after how

much you have worked on this book over the last two years. You deserve a break. It is fascinating. And it's like a novel. I mean, but it is real. And when you started writing this book two years ago, you had no idea that this is the election you would have on your hands. When did you realize, wow, this really is an unprecedented election?

THOMAS LAKE, AUTHOR, UNPRECEDENTED: THE ELECTION THAT CHANGED EVERYTHING: God, the first campaign event I went to was in July of '15. This is when Donald Trump proceeded to give out Lindsey Graham's cell phone number on live TV. And what you started to see there was the way people would react to Donald Trump. Lindsey Graham, a very dignified man, but he goes - he creates this ad, making a show of putting his phone in a blender and all these other things, just trying to sort of get some traction in this new unfolding paradigm. And you know, but Trump rolled on Graham was gone before the end of the year.

HARLOW: Let's talk about some specific moments that stood out to me. In chapter four, there is a part that stood out, where both Mitt Romney is mentioned. Of course, he was in the news now, secretary of state talk. And China is mentioned. You write in here, Trump never pretended to be Joe six pack. That would have been implausible and too ordinary. Instead, he won over working class Republicans by playing like the master of men like Romney, by playing golden colossus who would gladly striking down the displeased, quote "real Americans." Let the market govern big corporations? No way. And you say that he punched China in the face. Very (INAUDIBLE) right now.

LAKE: You know, he talked about China constantly on the trail. China was manipulating currency. We would find a way to get back at China. That all of these jobs were being lost to China. And this message seemed to resonate in places, you know, like the rascal where he had some surprising victories. But if you go back to January of 2015, the race looked so different then. Two of the biggest contenders were Jeb Bush and Mitt Romney.

HARLOW: And you talk about that in chapter one, January 15th, five months before Donald Trump announced his candidacy. He is in Iowa. He is calling Mitt Romney a choke artist. And you said it was an early signal of the upcoming revolt.

LAKE: Right. Because this is a room full of conservatives at this Iowa freedom summit. And he is going through his speech. At the time, he mentions a border fence. He didn't even call it a wall then. It was a fence. And then for a while, he doesn't really have their attention. But then he starts talking about Romney and Bush. He says, you can't have Romney, he choked. You can't have Jeb Bush.

And this is where people start to get fired up. It's as if there is this pent frustration from a lot of the losing that the party had done in presidential elections and elsewhere. And so in this sense, conditions were ripe for a figure like Trump to come along and, in a sense, tear down and remake the party. Sort of like he did --

[19:40:17] HARLOW: Remake campaigning and polling and political modeling as we know it. Quickly before I let you go, Tom, was there moment in writing this book, in tracking this campaign in real time that just took your breath away?

LAKE: My goodness. So many of them. But the night Trump decided to hold this counter programming, he skipped the debate in Des Moines and he said I'm just going to have my own event. We are going to celebrate veterans. It was surreal. Because here he was, just saying, I will not be bound by any of these rules. I'm going to do it exactly how I want to and he gets away with it. He rewrites the rules.

HARLOW: He rewrites the rules and he wins.

Thomas Lake, appreciate you joining me. Congrats on the book. Hope you get a long vacation. And everyone should check it out. "Unprecedented," the story of this unprecedented election.

Thank you, Tom.

LAKE: Thank you, Poppy.

HARLOW: Coming up next, switching gears. Rape victims being forced to co-parent with their attackers? It is a horrific reality for some women. Coming up, we delve in to the painful subject with "this is life" host, Lee Ling. You do not want to miss this. It is next.

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[19:43:37] HARLOW: Coming up next on the next episode of "THIS IS LIFE with Lisa Ling," she speaks to women who are victims of rape. But on top of being raped, they have to deal with the fact that their attacker has legal rights to visit the children that these women have conceived through acts of violence. Watch.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Since he had not beaten my daughter physically, then he was able to get rights.

LISA LING, HOST, THIS IS LIFE: Noemi was then ordered to comply with the co-parenting plan that allowed visits to increase over time.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Visits started at half an hour every other week. They were supervised. Now, it is two and a half hours, unsupervised, at his house, almost once a week. And they will just keep increasing.

LING: How do you think you are going to be able to deal with this over the next few years?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't know. I don't know how I'm going to do that yet. Thinking about it is hard enough. I can't talk. I don't know what I'll do. I'm stuck in this situation because he gets that right from the state, and there's nothing that we can do. It's a really hopeless feeling.

(END VIDEO CLIP) [19:45:10] HARLOW: Lisa Ling joins me now.

And Lisa, Noemi She is just one of a number of women that you profiled that have to somehow cope with this reality, this legal reality. As you were reporting this out, what shocked you the most?

LING: Well, Poppy, I mean, the whole thing shocked me. The idea that someone who rapes a woman, who then decides to - if she becomes pregnant, keep the baby and he might -- the fact he might be able to get access and parental rights to that child is just unfathomable. But tragically, it happens in most states in this country. Noemi is in Nebraska. And in that state, unless you have a first degree conviction, you cannot remove parental rights from a rapist. And it is very hard to get a first degree conviction because most people who -- most rapists, they will plead down. And so throughout this country, again, in most states, rapists are getting visitation rights.

And as you just heard from Noemi, it starts with the supervised visit. Then it moves on. A month later, to unsupervised visits. Eventually, he will get overnights with her child. And then summer vacation with her child.

It's just --t's something that has to change. And I hope that people will watch this episode and be galvanized and try to ensure that this doesn't happen in their own state.

HARLOW: It is stunning. I certainly had no idea. I think it will be eye opening for everyone who sees it. A must watch. Lisa Ling "THIS IS LIFE" tonight. 10:00 p.m. eastern, only right here on CNN.

Lisa, thank you.

LING: Thanks, Poppy.

HARLOW: Coming up, what Donald Trump's views on climate change means for the world and this country. Will he pull America out of the Paris climate agreement or was it campaign rhetoric?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT-ELECT OF THE UNITED STATES: When I hear Obama get up and say the biggest threat to the world today is global warming, I say, is this guy kidding?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:50:49] HARLOW: The election of Donald Trump made waves at a United Nations climate change summit in Morocco this week. Many there worrying that the president-elect may pull the United States out of the Paris agreement on climate change.

Our Isa Soares is with us tonight with the latest on that story - Isa.

ISA SOARES, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Poppy, world leaders and environmentalists meeting here, the called climate change conference in (INAUDIBLE) were hoping the conference would be entirely focused on putting into action at historic climate change deal that if you remember was signed in Paris last year.

Instead, the conference has been overshadowed by one man. U.S. president-elect Donald Trump. But it seems he has left many people here a bit hot under the collar.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SOARES (voice-over): Trump is not a name leaders want to discuss here. But among the diplomacy and the smiles, they quietly sweating over his skepticism on climate change and there is no avoiding it.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You comment on the election of president-elect Trump in the United States?

BAN KI-MOON, UNITED NATIONS SECRETARY GENERAL: I'm sure he will understand this. He will listen and he will evaluate his campaign remarks.

SOARES: The fear here is that the president-elect could undo the historic climate change agreement signed by nearly 200 countries last year in Paris.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are a little bit worried, but we acknowledge the fact that U.S. system of legislation may not allow him to undo all the gains from the successful Paris agreement.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There is momentum here with or without the U.S.

SOARES: They have reason to worry. The president-elect has called climate change a hoax created by and for the Chinese in order to make U.S. manufacturing non-competitive. He is even hinted at cancelling the Paris agreement and reviving the U.S. coal and gas industry.

In legal terms, U.S. president-elect Donald Trump could not pull out of the Paris agreement. He would have to trigger article 28. That's a provision within the actual agreement. And that could take as many as four years, by which point his term will have ended. But there is a much quicker and faster way if he does want out. And that's simply to ignore the commitments set in place by U.S. president Barack Obama.

U.S. secretary of state John Kerry wants to avoid this at all costs.

JOHN KERRY, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: No one has a right to make decisions that affect billions of people based on solely ideology or without proper input.

SOARES: Europe, too, is pushing for this side, sounding alarm bells and calling on Trump to stick to the accord.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We need the United States on board. We will do any effort to have them on board and to convince them that this is a win-win policy. SOARES: But while many at this conference are optimistic, the

president-elect will change his mind, some of his supporters here are hoping he doesn't budge.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We stand in solidarity with president-elect Trump. And this is going to be the first step toward doing it. This is our shredding of the document.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SOARES: Throughout the week, we have seen the message directed at the United States change somewhat from, we expect the United States to fulfill its commitments on climate change, to we hope U.S. president- elect Donald Trump sees this makes market sense - Poppy.

HARLOW: Isa, thank you very much, reporting from Marrakech (ph) tonight.

Still to come in the NEWSROOM, in our America grandmother's text message to the wrong person goes viral.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think that's crazy that people can actually connect and be so nice to each other, even with people they don't know.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARLOW: How an invitation to thanksgiving dinner unites total strangers.

You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:58:24] HARLOW: All right. Tonight before we go, a look at something wonderful happening in our America. No question, this country is divided right now by politics and racial tension, income inequality and religion, but we also come together in some pretty incredible and unexpected ways. We want to make sure you see those, as well.

Tonight in our America, a grandmother's text sent to the wrong person ends in the most unexpected way. Jamal (INAUDIBLE), a high schooler from Phoenix, Arizona, got a text last week f

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was sitting in class and I get this random text from a random group chat. And it was someone's grandma inviting me over to thanksgiving.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARLOW: Well, there is the text. See? Dinner, 3:00 p.m. on thanksgiving. The grandma want to Delt (ph) had sent a group text to her family and entered an incorrect number.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thanksgiving.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She was like, this is you grandma. And I was thinking, hey, my grandma got a new number. So why not ask for her picture? We established we weren't related. But I said, hey, why not ask for a plate since the offer was there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARLOW: And to his surprise, Delt (ph) texted back and she said, of course you can come over. That's what grandmother's do. Feed everyone. So the two strangers met Wednesday night. Delt (ph) extended the invite to (INAUDIBLE) entire family. They all plan to be at her house on Thursday to give thanks. Strangers brought together by a wrong number.

If you see moments of unity like this, text them to me and tweet them - don't text them to me, tweet them to me, @Poppy Harlow at CNN. And we will bring them to you on this show.

Coming up tonight on CNN, "PARTS UNKNOWN," Anthony Bourdain visits the city of Buenos Aires. That is tonight 9:00 p.m. eastern only right here.

I'm Poppy Harlow in New York. Have a great week. And happy Thanksgiving.