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Searching for Survivors After Construction Site Collapse in China; Some Experts Urge Votes Recount; Hurricane Aims at Costa Rica; Trump's New Picks For His Cabinet; Peace For Colombia; Share A Meal. Aired 3-4a ET
Aired November 24, 2016 - 03:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[03:00:00] ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Searching for survivors. At least 40 people are dead after a collapse at a construction site in China.
Plus, new calls for a recount in states that lost Hillary Clinton the U.S. presidency, all while her popular vote total over Donald Trump grows.
And later, Hurricane Otto is making history and taking aim at Nicaragua.
Hello, and welcome to our viewers from all around the world. I'm Rosemary Church. And this is CNN Newsroom.
The search is on for survivors after a platform collapsed at a power plant cooling tower in southeastern China. China's Xinhua news agency reports at least 40 people are dead and the death toll could rise because a number of others are trapped. Rescue workers and firefighters are on the scene in the Fengcheng City.
Well, Matt Rivers is following the developments and joins us now from Beijing. So, Matt, what are authorities saying about the likely cause of this platform collapse and what were the circumstances leading up to it?
MATT RIVERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, these workers were constructing or repairing a cooling tower at a power plant in southeastern China that has been under construction for several years now. A very, very large construction project underway.
In around 7 a.m. this morning is when this accident occurred. What we're hearing from government officials that a crane that was on site there actually collapsed. And when it did so, when it fell over, it took down some of the scaffolding that these workers were on.
There were 68 people, according to government estimates, that were on site at the time this accident happened. As you mentioned, at least 40 deaths have been confirmed so far. Five people we know have been already transferred to the hospital. But rescue efforts are ongoing and given the level of destruction that we've seen here it's not unreasonable to assume that the casualties from this particular incident will rise as some 200 firefighters, rescue dogs, the firefighters using life-saving equipment, life- detecting equipment as they continue their work. It's not going to be surprising if the casualty numbers go up.
CHURCH: Yes, that is horrifying for sure. And Matt, what does this incident highlight in terms of workplace safety in China and safety standards?
RIVERS: Yes. Absolutely. Well, workplace safety is really not a huge premium, it's not a lot very -- it's not given a lot of importance here by lots of companies throughout the country. And you can see that backed up in the numbers.
Just from January to June of this year, according to government estimates, 14,136 people have died as a result of workplace accidents. And that's just deaths, that's not even just injuries and that's only for the first six months of this year. That number is actually down almost 6 percent from last year.
But year over year over year here in China this continues to be an incident where workers consistently lose their lives needlessly because of the lack of workplace safety.
CHURCH: Well, this will certainly put the spotlight on that and let's hope for some changes as they search for those survivors. Matt Rivers joining us live from Beijing. Many thanks to you for that live report.
Well, Turkish authorities are not yet saying who they think is responsible for a deadly car bombing in the southern city of Adana. State media quote the local governor who says "Two people were killed and at least 16 others wounded." The last happened in a parking lot near a government office building during morning rush hour.
Well, Donald Trump videotaped a Thanksgiving message, urging Americans to come together after a brutal election campaign. And the president- elect seems to be leading by example with the latest choices for his administration.
CNN's Jim Acosta has the details.
JIM ACOSTA, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: As Donald Trump settles in for the Thanksgiving weekend, the president-elect is making room at the table for some surprising cabinet picks.
For starters, his choice for ambassador to the U.N., one of his toughest GOP critics, Nikki Haley saying in a statement, "The South Carolina Governor and daughter of Indian immigrants is a proven deal maker. And we look to be making plenty of deals. She will be a great leader representing us on the world stage."
Explaining her decision to step down as Governor, Haley said, "When the president believes you have a major contribution to make to the welfare of our nation and to our nation standing in the world that is a calling that is important calling to heed."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NIKKI HALEY, SOUTH CAROLINA GOVERNOR: When a bully hits you, you hit that bully back.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ACOSTA: Haley had a different calling in the primaries when she was backing Rubio and she attacked Trump as a race baiting bully.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[03:04:59] HALEY: I will not stop until we fight a man that chooses not to disavow the KKK, that is not part of our party, that's not who we want as president. We will not allow that in our country.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ACOSTA: Trump punched right back.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, UNITED STATES PRESIDENT-ELECT: She is very, very weak on illegal immigration. You can't have that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ACOSTA: In addition to a selection of Haley, Trump also tapped billionaire school choice advocate Betty DeVos for education secretary, and appears to be closing in on announcing Ben Carson to lead Housing and Urban Development. The DeVos pick is also angering some conservatives who are outrage over her alliance with Jeb Bush's push for common course standardized testing in schools.
The one her web site DeVos since said she opposes common core. Something Trump repeatedly vowed to end.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: We are going to provide, you are going to like this, school choice and put an end to common core which is a disaster. We'll bring our education local.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ACOSTA: Trump's willingness to go outside of his comfort zone may well be a sign he could turn to one of his biggest republican adversaries to become secretary of state, Mitt Romney.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MITT ROMNEY, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: His domestic policies would lead to recession. His foreign policies would make America and the world less safe. He has neither the temperament nor the judgment to be president. (END VIDEO CLIP)
ACOSTA: Potential move is already enraging some of his core supporters.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MIKE HUCKABEE, FORMER ARKANSAS GOVERNOR: There's only one way that I think Mitt Romney could be considered for a post like that and that is that he goes to a microphone in a very public place and repudiates everything he said in that famous Salt Lake City speech.
NEWT GINGRICH, FORMER U.S. HOUSE SPEAKER: I think of 20 other people who would be more naturally compatible with the Trump vision of foreign policy.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ACOSTA: The decision to send Nikki Haley to the United Nations comes at a critical time for the Trump transition team with so many Americans uneasy about a Trump presidency. One Trump adviser said they hope Haley's selection serves as a pressure reliever over the holiday weekend.
Jim Acosta, CNN, New York.
CHURCH: Meantime, there is a growing push for a recount in some areas that were critical to Hillary Clinton's loss. Top computer scientists and others are raising questions about the possibility of hacks in key counties in three states.
Tom Foreman looks at their theories and runs down the numbers.
TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: In Wisconsin, with almost three million votes cast, Donald Trump edged Hillary Clinton by less than 28,000. In Pennsylvania, out of almost six million votes, his advantage was 60,000.
And the count in Michigan still remains too close for CNN to call the race. But now some political activists say in counties using electronic voting, Hillary Clinton appears to have mysteriously underperformed, compared to areas with paper ballots by as much as 7 percent.
According to what they told top Clinton aide and a call urging an official review. They did not release their analysis nor provided proof of hacking but it could have tipped Wisconsin and if the others went her way too she would have won. So, who's leading the charge?
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JOHN BONIFAZ, VOTING-RIGHTS ATTORNEY: Our democracy is under attack.
FOREMAN: John Bonifaz is a democratic activist who ran for office a few years ago.
BONIFAZ: This is a story where the Democratic Party needs to be.
FOREMAN: He is a big proponent of voting-rights and he tried to get President Bush impeached over the Iraq war.
BONIFAZ: The United States House of Representatives has a constitutional duty to investigate fully and comprehensively.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOREMAN: But at the University of Michigan the chief computer scientist behind the discovery of these alleged voting oddities seems to be on a different page. J. Alex Halderman is concerned about the risk of American elections being hacked and talked about it on C-Span before this vote.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
J. ALEX HALDERMAN, UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN PROFESSOR: A realistic attack on the election is probably going to be homing in on whichever states end up having the closest margins.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOREMAN: But he wants an investigation because he thinks any questions about voting security ought to be addressed not because he is convinced it would necessarily change the result nor prove anyone tried to rig the vote.
He's posted online, quote, "Were this year's deviations from pre- election polls the result of a cyber-attack? Probably not. I believe the most likely explanation is that the polls were systemically wrong."
As for election officials, some certainly went to the balloting pretty confident.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JERRY FEASER, PENNSYLVANIA ELECTION OFFICIAL: I can set one of these machines in the middle of Red Square in Moscow and the Russians couldn't hack in to it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOREMAN: We reached out to the folks behind this effort and they don't really want to talk about it more in case there is legal action. But the Clinton camp has shown very little interest in pursuing it. The White House is focused on a smooth transition to the Trump administration and that likely means this political conspiracy theory will just drift off into the electoral wilderness.
Tom Foreman, CNN, Washington.
CHURCH: Well, Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein says she has raised enough money for election recounts in three key states.
[03:09:59] Stein's campaign started the fundraising drive after the hacking allegations she just heard about there in Tom Foreman's report.
According to her web site Stein has raised nearly $2.5 million. The site says the deadline for the fund-raiser is Friday afternoon.
Well, joining me now is Greg Bluestein, he is a political reporter for the Atlanta General Constitution. Thank you so much for being with us. Of course we talked before the election and now an opportunity to look at some of the details here.
Because the interesting thing here is that the Green Party candidate, Jill Stein, is calling for a recount of some of those states that Hillary Clinton lost. And the irony of that, of course, is that she was a fierce critic of Hillary Clinton, wasn't she?
And now of course, we are getting these numbers that Clinton's popular vote has actually surpassed two million. So, with that as a backdrop, talk to us about what is likely to be the outcome of a call for a recount. Is it going to go anyway?
GREG BLUESTEIN, THE ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION POLITICAL REPORTER: It's going to be very, very tough odds against a call for a recount. Not since 1876 had a losing presidential candidate won by such a big margin of popular vote. But this is like 200 when there was a call for a recount in one state alone was sort of hanging in the ballots.
Hillary Clinton would have to win multiple states for the recount to work. The bigger opportunity for democrats is at least they're hoping is December 19th when the electors meet to cast their ballots for Electoral College.
A lot of republican electorates are under tremendous pressure right now to defy Donald Trump. Most of them are not going to do that. These are some of the most harden activists in the Republican Party who many of them didn't support Donald Trump in the primary but they have pledged to vote for him if he won their states Electoral College votes.
But some of the electors I've talked have received a deluge of e- mails, of phone messages, of YouTube videos even, one of them told me he is getting five e-mails a minute. So imagine opening your inbox and just being flooded with please to change your vote.
CHURCH: Can it go anywhere?
BLUESTEIN: It's real tough. I mean, over the U.S. history there's been a handful of what they call faithful electors, these are electors that have defied their state's vote but none of them have ever changed the outcome of a presidential election and many of them were sort of more minor things, their candidate, their vice president candidate died after the election, things like that.
So, it's a real tough odd and Hillary Clinton supporters would have to have more three dozen electors changing their vote. Again, many of them or some of them are dedicated republican activists who were chosen by their state conventions so it's very unlikely.
CHURCH: It just emphasizes the division that this country is experiencing right now. I do want to look at some of the picks that Donald Trump has made so far for his administration. Let's start with Governor Nikki Haley for U.N. ambassador.
She doesn't have a wealth of foreign policy experience. She was also a critic, a fierce critic of Donald Trump throughout the campaign. An interesting pick. How is this going to work out do you think?
BLUESTEIN: We'll see. I mean, she was one of the fiercest critic and even got in a Twitter battle at one point of the campaign. And she was a very fierce supporter of Marco Rubio during the primary who was, you know, one of the final candidates in the republican primary, vying against Donald Trump.
This is out of the box pick, as you mention. Nikki Haley has very little foreign experience. She's made a few trade missions as South Carolina's Governor. Little more than that. But after picking five white male conservatives for his cabinet, you know, this is a pick who is the daughter of two Indian immigrants to America and someone who he thinks can really revolutionize the role of U.N. ambassador by bringing new thoughts and new ideas to the table.
CHURCH: Yes. It's going to be interesting to watch that. Another pick of Trump's, that has caused a lot of problems has been Mitt Romney. He criticized Donald Trump throughout the election campaign. A lot of Trump loyalists are saying don't do it. He's not the right choice for secretary of state, but he is saying that he is seriously considering that role. But could that divide the party do you think?
BLUESTEIN: I think it could. I mean, a lot of Donald Trump's republican base, these are many of them first-time voters voted for him because he was going to shake up the establishment and Mitt Romney is the epitome of the establishment. I mean, the party's 2012 candidate who many of Donald Trump's supporters ignored during the 2012 election.
So, you know, this lumped together with some of Donald Trump's changing positions on issues like investigating Hillary Clinton, on issues like health care overhaul, on issues like immigration, a border wall in Mexico could really turn off his supporters. He's in a tricky spot here.
CHURCH: Yes. And another tricky spot for him, too, is that people are saying -- and this is fairly early on, saying a president-elect reversing, flip flopping on some of the promises already.
[03:15:00] So, you know, you are seeing with Hillary Clinton he is saying I won't sue her. We are seeing it with Obamacare, we saw that in the 60 Minutes interview, waterboarding, climate change. What impact is that going to have?
I was hearing on the radio some supporters of Trump livid about his reversal on particularly Hillary Clinton. So what could that do so early on the game?
BLUESTEIN: Yes. This is a candidate whose rallying cry at many of the rallies that we both saw or attended as reporters was "lock her up" and now he are hearing that he is not going after that route at all.
I think that his advisers are walking a very thin, a very fine line right now trying to nullify both his base and, you know, republicans, established republicans who might have supported him that are very worried about where he goes next. I think that's where the Mitt Romney pick might come into.
Mitt Romney can be seen as a moderate, and so is Nikki Haley, someone who criticized him throughout the campaign. Not like the loyalists who he's picked for other positions. People critical of him for months or more than a year who are now looked at somewhat, you know restraining influences on him one he gets to the White House.
CHURCH: He is certainly getting to see how difficult it is to be once you're in this position, isn't he. And interestingly, he has released the Thanksgiving message. We might just have a listen to it. Because of course he is trying to emphasize bringing the country together. Let's listen for a moment.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: We've just finished a long and bruising political campaign. Emotions are raw and tensions just don't heal overnight. It doesn't go quickly, unfortunately. But we have before us the chance now to make history together, to bring real change to Washington, real safety to our cities, and real prosperity to our communities, including our inner cities. So important to me and so important to our country.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: All right. So there's the message, Donald Trump wanting to unite the country. I want to -- I want to bring out some numbers here. We will go to the CNN/ORC poll if we could just bring those up.
Fifty three percent says they dread the thought of talking about politics at Thanksgiving dinner. Of course most of those dreading it are democrats. What does it say about the country and the divisions when you talk about over half of the country afraid and feeling reticent about thanksgiving because again they have to face some of their family members.
BLUESTEIN: Including this correspondent. It underscores just how divided the electorate still is. When you have a president who has not won the popular vote nor has he ever won the plurality of the popular vote, you know, who's going to be looking to push a very aggressive agenda especially in this first 100 days, while democrats are going to point and say you don't have a mandate because you didn't win the popular vote.
And republicans are going to point back saying but we control all of the branches of government it is going to be a heck of the next few months here in the U.S. CHURCH: It is. And it's going to be interesting to see once January
20 comes along and we have President Trump in place. We'll see what happens there. Greg Bluestein, always a pleasure to chat with you. I appreciate it.
BLUESTEIN: Thanks for having me.
CHURCH: All right. We'll take a short break here. But still to come, Otto has re-strengthened into a hurricane and it's heading to Central America's East Coast. We'll have details for you next.
[03:20:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHURCH: Iraqi-led forces now have their tightest chokehold yet on Mosul. An alliance of paramilitary groups says ISIS is completely surrounded there. A critical ISIS supply route between the city and Raqqah has also been shut down.
But as Phil Black reports there's still a lot of fighting ahead.
PHIL BLACK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: For some time now various Iraqi forces have been at the gates of Mosul from the north to south and the east. Now, they say they have closed the circle on the west as well. It's a significant development because it means ISIS is effectively trapped within the city. They can't escape across the border into Syria and the territory they control there.
Nor can they pull for back up or resupply, but it does not mean the Iraqi forces expect victory in Mosul imminently. There's still a lot of fighting to do and especially a lot of work to do in the city itself. Iraqi forces have already penetrated the built up area of the city around its eastern neighborhoods and that was some weeks ago.
And the fighting there has been incredibly difficult. It's a sign of what is still to come on an even greater scale. It is urban warfare, house to house, street to street in an environment that the ISIS fighters know very well and one they have been preparing, they have been digging in, fortifying, they have building car bombs, they are using sniper positions, they are using mortar fire in this incredibly built up populated area.
So what that means is the population of Mosul is suffering and so are the Iraqi forces that are trying to advance and take ground. Now the Iraqi government says it will not reveal official casualty figures while the operation is still underway.
But we know what we've seen on the ground ourselves. At very forward medical positions. Essentially makeshift triage posts. We have seen a steady stream of women, children, men and of course soldiers, as well, coming in injured before they are dispatched in ambulances to hospitals elsewhere.
Hospitals here in Irbil tell us they have received around 90 injured people from Mosul a day. Now this is not an accurate tally by any means but it altogether paints a picture along with the anecdotal stories of just how tough the fighting is in the city. That this is not going to go quickly. That Mosul will not be taken from ISIS easily.
Phil Black, CNN, Irbil, Northern Iraq.
CHURCH: The Syrian regime's heavy shelling on eastern Aleppo has killed hundreds of people in recent days. But there's some good news amid the devastation. Rescuers saved a young girl from the rubble of a bombed building. The girl had reportedly been trapped for five hours.
Meanwhile, doctors and activists are pleading with the international community to stop the bombardment from the regime and Russia.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We wonder whether why do we have United Nations, why do we have human rights laws. This is a slow motion train wreck and this message is from the people who lasted in Aleppo to the war.
Don't look back here from now and at least that you can do something, you can still do. We ask you to ground Assad air force that's killing us, or at least have some diplomatic leverage to force the Syrian regime and Russia's bombardment of the city of Aleppo to be stopped.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: Russia's envoy to the United Nations says the country is facilitating political efforts and humanitarian aid in Syria.
Well, a rare late-season hurricane is bearing down on Central America. Otto is expected to make landfall around noon local time around the Costa Rica and Nicaragua border. The storm has already at least three people in Panama.
Now our meteorologist Derek Van Dam joins us now in the studio with more. And Derek, this is a first for Costa Rica, right?
DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes. It really is.
CHURCH: How prepared are they for something like this?
VAN DAM: Well, you know, only as prepared as you can be when you've never had a land falling hurricane in your country ever. So this is a foreign thing to these individuals that live there. And you know what? There's a big coffee plantation around that area that are usually harvested, the beans are harvested around November, December. So, a heavy rainfall from a hurricane like this could be devastating to the coffee crops.
[03:25:01] Take a look at this. We talked about how rare this hurricane is. And we want to put it into perspective. This could be if it makes landfall over Costa Rice the first hurricane to do so. It's also the lowest latitude a hurricane has ever formed since Irene in 1971, and the latest hurricane to ever form in Caribbean.
I'm talking about calendar late, we're talking end of November. This is typically the end of the Atlantic hurricane season. So, quite a feat to be able to form this late in the season. Here it is, nonetheless, still category one hurricane, 85 miles per hour. That's about 10 miles per hour above that minimum category one equivalent.
So this thing has size and it could be still strengthening just hours before it makes landfall, which by the way, within the next six to eight hours right along that coast near the border of Nicaragua and Costa Rica. The coast that's very flat but as you work your way towards the mountainous regions you get that uplift.
And anytime we have a hurricane or a tropical storm moving to that region it pours a significant amount of rain. So really the big concern here is not really the wind, although that will be very gusty. The greatest impacts we believe will be flash flooding, mudslides and landslides, especially as you get close to that higher topography and elevation.
So look out Roxana in to the San Jose, Liberia, just south of Nicaragua's capital Managua. Take a look at the storms just plowing through the region over the next 12 hours, conditions will continue to deteriorate. We already had deaths reported again in Panama from the system and the outer rain bands are reaching the coastline.
This is just a climatological kind of graph showing you when we have the peak Atlantic season that's in the middle of September. And as we look towards the end of November and into December, we should start wrapping things up here. But here we are talking about a hurricane. That gives you just an idea of how warm the waters are across that region.
I want to switch gears from a hurricane to not a tornado but a gustnado. Take a look at the footage out of Qatar. I've never seen something like this before. I had to do a better research, Rosie, to figure out what this was.
It's actually not officially a tornado. This is a rotating column of very known as a gustnado, kind of its evil step brother, let's say, it's not connected to the base of a cloud. So that is the differential between that and a tornado.
They last a few seconds or a few minutes but relatively weak and brief and rarely cause any damage. But still nonetheless, a scary sight for part of the world that doesn't typically see this type of weather.
CHURCH: Yes. Absolutely. It is very daunting there. All right. Many thanks to you, Derek for bringing us to date...
(CROSSTALK)
VANDAM: Absolutely.
CHURCH: ... some of the situations across the globe.
All right. Well, more than 50 years of bloodshed in Colombia could soon be over. The country's government and Marxist rebels are meeting soon for a second time to sign a peace accord. We'll explain when we come back.
[03:30:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK) CHURCH: A warm welcome back to our viewers from all around the world. I'm Rosemary Church. I want to update you on the stories we've been following this hour.
At least 40 people are dead in southern China after a crane collapsed and brought down a construction platform at a power plant. Rescue crews and firefighters are searching for survivors trapped under scaffolding. Five injured people have been taken to the hospital.
Iraqi forces have encircled the ISIS-held city of Mosul saying it's now completely surrounded and a key ISIS supply route has been shut down. The terror group is now effectively trapped inside the city which it captured back in 2014.
Turkish police are investigating a deadly car bombing in a southern city of Adana. State media report two people are dead and 16 others are wounded. The last happened in a parking lot near the governor's office during morning rush hour. No one has claimed responsibility.
Well, the government and rebels in Colombia are taking a second shot at a peace deal after an agreement collapsed last month.
Patrick Oppman has the details from Cuba.
PATRICK OPPMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: After more than five decades of bloodshed there may be a chance for peace in Colombia again. The Colombian government and Marxist guerilla known as FARC are due to sign a revised peace deal Thursday to end the conflict that has killed more than 200,000 people and forced millions more Colombian's from their homes.
Colombia's President Juan Manuel Santos has bet his legacy on the agreement to end a war that he said could not be won militarily.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JUAN MANUEL SANTOS, COLOMBIAN PRESIDENT: In our Constitution one of the obligations of every citizen starting with the president is to seek peace. And some people think that peace can be achieved by killing the last member of the FARC. That is not possible and this is not the way.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
OPPMAN: At a peace agreement signing in September, where government officials and rebels shared a stage for the first time in Colombia, military planes flew over the crowd. And Santos declared that the war was over but voters had other ideas, many apparently harboring a deep hatred for the FARC rebels.
Numerous Colombians said they could not stomach seeing brutal leaders go free after kidnapping and murdering so many thousands of their fellow civilians. From the negotiating table in Cuba, FARC leaders said they would not accept prison time.
"We aren't considering going to jail," this FARC commander told me. He will fight for justice doesn't that. "We don't act like a criminal terrorist group. We have a sacred fight."
OPPMAN: Despite polls that showed the peace deal would be approved voters rejected the agreement by a narrow margin. Shocking much of Colombia and the international community that supported peace.
Dealt a crushing defeat, Santos and the peace deal were revived in October after the Colombian President was awarded the Nobel Peace prize.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Nobel Peace prize for 2016 to Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
OPPMAN: Negotiators restarted talks again in Cuba and struck a modified deal that include provisions for fighter sanctions on FARC members accused of war crimes.
Critics of the new deal like former Colombian President Alvaro Uribe say the government is still giving away too much to the rebels.
This time though, the Colombian people will not vote on a deal. Perhaps, still stinging from the first defeat. Santos will send the updated agreement directly to Congress, saying another referendum would be, quote, "too divisive for Colombia."
[03:35:04] Patrick Oppman, CNN, Havana.
CHURCH: A school bus driver in Tennessee will likely face six charges of vehicular homicide among other charges for a deadly crash. The driver's first court appearance is set for next week. Meanwhile, we are learning more about him.
CNN's Nick Valencia has the details.
NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Federal investigators say 24-year- old Johnthony Walker was not on the designated route home when he flipped a school bus killing six children. The youngest, just a kindergarten. Police have released only a few details about Walker but at a press conference earlier today, they answered some of the many questions still outstanding.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AUSTIN GARRETT, TENNESSEE POLICE DEPARTMENT OFFICER: We received toxicology reports back today from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation that shows no trace of alcohol or drugs in the driver's system. The driver's driving history did include a minor wreck in September of this year investigated by our agency. It's also part of the investigation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VALENCIA: The bus which Walker had been licensed to drive since April was full. On board 37 children. The victims include Zyaira Mateen who was on board with her two sisters. They survived. D'Myunn Brown's mother said she waited five hours before she found out her son had been killed in the crash. He likes to dance and love Spiderman.
Eight-year-old Keyonte Wilson died late Wednesday. His brother says he was a tough little boy who's now in a better place.
Nine-year-old Zoie Nash would have celebrated a birthday next month. Her little brother was also on board. He is expected to survive. In an obituary for Cor'Dayja Jones, the family writes "she passed away unexpectedly."
A sixth child who died has not been named by the family.
Police have yet to interview the child survivors for fear of putting them through even more trauma. Physical evidence and eyewitness testimony have led them to believe Walker was driving too fast, well above the 30 mile per hour speed limit.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVID DUKE, DURHAM SCHOOL SERVICE CEO: My responsibility now is to look for answers.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VALENCIA: In a YouTube video released today by the school bus company that employed Walker the executive in charge made an emotional plea to the public. The company is one of the largest school bus providers in the country.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DUKE: What I can do is promise that I'm determined, that we are determined to find out what happened and that we will offer any support that we can to the families that are affected.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VALENCIA: The investigation goes on in Chattanooga, as does the mourning. Some of the victims' families have turned to community leader Bishop Kevin Adams for support but at a time like this he, too, says he was hurting. He was in the hospital as parents got the news their children had died.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KEVIN ADAMS, CHATTANOOGA COMMUNITY LEADER: As the doctors would come in and, you know just announce that to a family that your child is deceased, you know, I saw mothers literally passing out. People all until the floor, the screams, I mean, can still hear them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VALENCIA: Nick Valencia, CNN, Chattanooga, Tennessee. CHURCH: Well, U.S. financial markets are closed Thursday for the
Thanksgiving holiday. And investors have a lot to celebrate. The Dow Jones Industrial average gained 59 points on Wednesday to close at 19,083. That's another new record high. Analysts say pro-business policies expected from incoming President Donald Trump are driving that rally.
Well, the United Kingdom is digesting its first financial report since its Brexit vote and it's facing stark new challenges. Britain's finance manager says because of the decision to leave the European Union the country will have to borrow an extra $72 billion over the next five years.
Growth is predicted to slump to just 1.4 percent next year. That's down from 2.2 percent this year. That means Britain is on track for its weakness growth since 2009.
Well, the far-right extremist will spend the rest of his life in prison for the murder of British Member of Parliament Jo Cox. The gruesome attack on the lawmaker stunned Britain just days before the Brexit referendum.
CNN's Erin McLaughlin has the details.
ERIN MCLAUGHLIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The murder of British M.P. Jo Cox shocked Britain and the world. her killer Thomas Mair, a 53-year-old man with extreme widening views has been sentenced for life.
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NICK WALLEN, WEST YORKSHIRE SENIOR INVESTIGATING OFFICER: Thomas Mair is a cold blooded killer. He calmly planned her death, he lay and wait and then killed Jo in a sustained attack.
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MCLAUGHLIN: Mair was found guilty of murder and grievous bodily harm with intent, as well as possession of a firearm with intent, and having an offensive weapon. The murder was a clear act of terrorism, prosecutors said.
[03:40:02] The statement that crown prosecution service highlighted, Mair has offered no explanation for his action, but the prosecution was able to demonstrate that motivated by hate. His premeditated crimes were nothing less than acts of terrorism designed to advance his twisted ideology.
Cox's family issued an emotional statement and called for unity after the verdict.
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BRENDAN COX, JO COX'S HUSBAND: To the person that did this, we have nothing but pity that his life was so devoid of love and consumed with hatred that this became his desperate and cowardly attempt to find meaning. (END VIDEO CLIP)
MCLAUGHLIN: The mother of two was stabbed and shot by Mair in her constituency in northern England, a week before the Brexit referendum in June. Mair shouted "Britain first," the scene was chaotic as described on this 911 call released by police.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's hell on (Inaudible) chaos, he stabbed people and shot people.
MCLAUGHLIN: The police found a large collection of Nazi memorabilia and books at Mair's home. They also found a dossier on Cox and evidence of internet searches for extreme right wing material and the gun he planned to use.
Mair refused to take the stand during the trial but during an earlier hearing he told the court, "my name is death to traders, freedom for Britain."
Cox was considered a rising star in British politics and campaigned for Britain to stay in the European Union. Her death drew tributes and led to the suspension of the campaign for several days. Her family and friends would like to remember her with this video, a tribute for the commitment to her family and community.
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JO COX, FORMER BRITISH PARLIAMENT MEMBER: I'm elated; I'm humbled that the people put their trust in me to be your next member of parliament.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MCLAUGHLIN: During the trial the prosecutor said that there were human extremes that tragic day. The Nazi sympathizer full of murderous hates and then the internationalist Jo Cox full of compassion and love. Her family wants to make sure her legacy endures.
Erin McLaughlin, CNN, London.
CHURCH: A short break now. But many are getting ready for a big Thanksgiving meal. But millions around the world, many of them children, have little to no food. Now you can help to fight hunger by downloading an app and we'll explain how.
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CHURCH: Here in the United States millions are preparing to give thanks with a big meal, some of us may even over eat and have plenty of leftovers. But millions around the world, including children have absolutely nothing to eat.
But now you can help to fight hunger. The World Food Program is supporting an app called "Share the Meal" with a few clicks and as little as 50 cents you can feed a child for a day. Sebastian Stricker joins us now from Berlin. He is the founder of the
Share the Meal app. Thank you so much for being with us. So, explain to everyone exactly how this works and how people across the globe who want to help can do their part?
SEBASTIAN STRICKER, SHARE THE MEAL APP FOUNDER: Well, first of all, thank you very much for having us. A hear felt Thanksgiving from Berlin.
With the Share the Meal app we want to make it as easy as possible for people to do good. So, what you can us you can download the Share the Meal app. You go to the Apple app store; you go to the Google play store. You type in Share the Meal, you can download the app.
And when you've done that, you have a button on your phone and whenever you tap that button you can feed a child that are suffering from hunger and all it costs you is 50 cents. With $50 cents the United Nations World Food Program can feed one child for one full day.
CHURCH: So people can just keep adding to that if they so choose. Talk about what impact Share the Meal is having on those in need.
STRICKER: Yes. I -- well, about a year ago, last Thanksgiving, I was with you on CNN and since then 700,000 people are now using the Share the Meal app. Also thanks to you at CNN for covering us.
But I think what's most important is that so far we have been contributing more than 9.2 million daily food rations in the field that people have shared. And I wish that people could see what that means on the ground.
These 50 cents for us, they are often not much but for children that are suffering from hunger, it is the difference between a day without food or a day with food. So, this is a very significant -- it's a very significant impact that you can have with our Share the Meal app.
CHURCH: It is, and certainly CNN is honored to play its part here. A lot of people watching though, and a lot of people who want to donate to any organization they are reticent generally because they worry that a large portion of that money is going to go toward administrative costs and they wonder how much of it actually trickles down to those most in need. So explain that. How does that work with your app?
STRICKER: Indeed. That's what we hear and that's this common concern almost globally. I think what's important to us we only want to make it as easy as possible for people to help but we also want to make that help as effective as possible.
In regards to overhead, I think what's important, the app never touches your money if you choose to use it. It goes to the United Nations World Food Program. And WFP, the World Food Program has one of the lowest administrative overheads in the whole nonprofit world, it is 10 percent. So 90 percent of your donation will go to the operation to directly the future they going to need. CHURCH: Sebastian Stricker, it is always a pleasure to have you on.
And we are so happy that there is just such a reaction across the globe. And we do appeal to anyone watching now at this time, get this app and donate your money there. It's Share the Meal app. You can just go in and you can get it from the Apple store. Many thanks again, Sebastian Stricker for your great work. I appreciate it.
STRICKER: Thank you very much. Thank you.
CHURCH: Well, it's one thing enjoying a good Thanksgiving dinner, it's quite another being the dinner, but, as always, the U.S. president pardoned some lucky poultry on Wednesday. We've got more on the White House turkey tradition and the dreadful puns that come with it. Back in a moment.
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VAN DAM: late season tropical activity for the southwest Caribbean Sea. We have Otto regaining strength. Now officially a hurricane. Category one just off the coast of Nicaragua and Costa Rica. You can see the satellite imagery there with some of the convection really just starting to build up from the center of the storm.
One hundred forty kilometer per hour sustained winds near the center of circulation. Gusts over 160 kilometers per hour. This storm will make landfall within the next 12 hours, move across both of these countries and really the main threat aside from strong gusty winds is the extremely heavy rainfall we're anticipating across this area.
Greatest impacts from Hurricane Otto really flash flooding, mudslides and landslides as the storm moves in a slow westerly direction.
Here's a look at temperatures across the United States. Daytime highs 15 in San Francisco. Nine degrees for Denver. So starting to cool down across the Rockies. Look at Chicago, single digits for you, New York 11. Showers anticipated.
The Pacific Northwest looking very active as storm systems start to move into the region bringing snowfall and rainfall to the valleys below. Havana, Cuba, 28 degrees. Kingston, Jamaica, 30. Mexico City, 21 with a few afternoon thunderstorms.
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CHURCH: And Thanksgiving rolls around here in the United States. Some are wondering precisely what 2016 has been giving them to be thankful for.
But two turkeys in Washington are counting their lucky stars after Barack Obama granted them a reprieve from the dinner table. Sadly they weren't spared the outgoing president's dubious puns.
As the minds of Americans turn to turkey day there is a consensus among a large portion of the population that the entire year has been a bit of a turkey. After a highly contentious election and an uncommon number of celebrity deaths many are looking for a little reprieve and it's certainly the season for it.
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BARACK OBAMA, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA PRESIDENT: I hereby pardon you from the Thanksgiving table. I want to take a moment to recognize the brave turkeys who weren't so lucky. Who didn't get to ride the gravy train to freedom, who met their faith with courage, sacrifice an proved that they weren't chicken.
It's not that bad now. Come on.
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CHURCH: While America tries to come together after this most divisive of years, there's one thing almost everybody can bond over, namely pardoning the poultry.
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[03:55:03] UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How's that. Here we go.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Look, I had a chance to shoot a bunch of you the other day and didn't.
BILL CLINTON, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: It's still a bit of a mystery when exactly the first Thanksgiving was actually held. Some say it was in 1513 when Ponce de Leon landed in Florida, but the expert opinions about that are divided and the recount is still underway down there.
GEORGE W. BUSH, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: I'm pleased to announce the winning names they are May and Flower. They are certainly better than the names the vice president suggested, which was lunch and dinner.
OBAMA: There has been a fierce competition between a bunch of turkeys trying to win their way into the White House. Somebody caught that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: So, as we prepare to say good-bye to 2016 may our dreams take flight or at the very least show a healthy bit of luck.
And we thank all of you for joining us. I'm Rosemary Church. Remember to connect with me anytime on twitter @rosemarycnn. The news continues with Max Foster in London. To our American viewers around the globe, happy Thanksgiving, and to everyone else, have yourself a fabulous day.
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