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U.S. Service Member Killed by IED in Syria; Trump's Potential Picks Bring Deep Pockets; Spy Planes Gather Key Inter Over Middle East; Missing California Mom Found; Thanksgiving Football; Aired 10:30-11a ET

Aired November 25, 2016 - 10:30   ET

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

[10:30:00] JOE JOHNS, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Advice and assist capacity to help the local forces deal with ISIS. We do not have the name of this individual and hoping, of course, the military can give us that. The Defense secretary did put out a statement on yesterday saying he was saddened by the news, offering his condolences.

Important I think also to say U.S. military personnel in Syria are not supposed to be actively engaging ISIS in combat. They are only supposed to be working in that advise and assist capacity. But it does show how even just that limited role can be very dangerous for Americans in the region.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: All right. Joe Johns reporting live this morning, thank you.

Forget about a team of rivals. How about a team of millionaires and billionaires? President-elect Donald Trump considering a variety of policy experts and politicians for key jobs and let's just say, those people have some serious cash.

Betsy DeVos, Trump's pick for education secretary, her family has an estimated net worth of $5 billion. That's with a B, billion dollars. Some of Trump's other potential picks, they have got deep pockets, too. Mitt Romney, he's under consideration for secretary of State. He's got an estimated net worth of $250 million. Oil tycoon Harold Hamm, a reported contender for energy secretary, his estimated net worth is more than $15 billion.

I bring this up because Trump ran on a promise to fix a rigged system and to rein in Wall Streeters.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT-ELECT: My weakest support is with very rich people. Isn't that funny? I don't get along that well with the rich. I don't even like the rich that much. It's like a weird deal.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: With me now to talk about this is CNN political commentators Paris Dennard and Bakari Sellers.

Welcome to both of you.

(LAUGHTER)

PARIS DENNARD, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Thanks.

BAKARI SELLERS, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Thanks.

COSTELLO: So, Bakari, well, Donald Trump appears to like at least some wealthy people, right?

SELLERS: Yes. I mean, I don't really have that many rich friends. I need to do a better job and maybe I'll gain a few. The fact is, this is kind of ironic but this is what we have seen from Donald Trump. Saying one thing on the campaign trail, being a man of the people, being somewhat who was anti-elite, although he has gold toilets in his own condominium in New York City, but being a man of the people. But he governs totally different from that.

Let's look at Betsy DeVos for one second -- DeVos for one second. She has no education background, no degree in education, she's never taught in public schools, never worked in a public school environment, did not send her children to public schools, believes in for-profit education.

All she's done is donate $240,000 directly to Mr. Trump and $6.5 million to Republicans across the country. That is her qualification to be secretary of Education. That's a shame.

COSTELLO: Well, Paris, you have to admit, Donald Trump did say he wanted to take big money out of politics, but she's exactly the kind of person who puts money into politics.

DENNARD: I think with all due respect to my good friend, Bakari, I think he should go back and check the record on who Betsy DeVos really is and her long-term commitment to education, especially things school choice. So she is very much qualified to be our next secretary of education. And the one thing about her family's wealth, the DeVos family, they are self-made and they have dedicated their lives to improving the lives of many Americans, especially those in their home state of Michigan.

And so the question is, can you be a multi-millionaire and have an impact on the community and want to serve? Look, nobody questioned the credentials of President Obama's Cabinet picks like Secretary of Commerce Pritzker, who is worth billions of dollars, or John Kerry, who is a multi-millionaire, Secretary of Interior Jewell who's a multi-millionaire. Nobody questioned their dedication to service and wanting to make America great again.

These people who are stepping up to serve may be worth several millions or billions of dollars but they have qualification and they want to do something to serve and to give back.

COSTELLO: Well --

DENNARD: And that's a good thing for the country. COSTELLO: Well, here's the other thing, because, Bakari, Mr. Trump

wants to appoint outsiders, so there aren't many outsiders qualified for the job or who Mr. Trump knows and let's face it, he knows a lot of wealthy people because he is wealthy, so he's picking people that he -- maybe he knows and that he wants outsiders and these people fit the bill.

SELLERS: I mean, there's nothing about Betsy DeVos that fits the bill to running our system of public education here in the United States of America. The fact is, you know, she is a large proponent of for- profit institution. She does not believe in the public school system. So that's a bit ironic.

And to say that we need outsiders, the biggest insiders are those who donate to the political cause. Betsy DeVos is a perfect example of that. She is someone who pumps million after millions after millions of dollars into the system. That is -- she is the epitome of what's wrong with the system, not what's good and what's right.

[10:35:08] DENNARD: That's crazy. You know what, Carol, if the qualifications to run for public office or to be a public servant was whether or not you sent your children to public school, we would disqualify President Obama who sent both his children to private schools.

(CROSSTALK)

COSTELLO: Well, but I think -- but I think --

SELLERS: That's not what I said, though, Paris. That's not what I said.

COSTELLO: Let me interject for just a second, Paris. Because I think that what some voters will worry about, especially those voters who don't make much money, right? They think that the system is unfair to them and Wall Street is taking advantage of them. And if you appoint all of these people who make lots and lots and lots of money who have Wall Street ties and who benefit from some of these policies, they don't think that those people will -- you know, the first thing on the agenda will be to change the rules to help the little guy.

DENNARD: I think at the end of the day we need to be fair. President Obama, his former chief of staff, Daley, Rahm Emanuel, at least five of his Cabinet picks were all multi-millionaires . Some of them billionaires. And nobody --

COSTELLO: But we're talking about Donald Trump's picks, Paris. We're not talking about Obama's picks.

DENNARD: And that's the problem. Because for some reason, for Donald Trump, the president-elect, to appoint people who might be wealthy, we are now questioning whether they are fit to serve or are in touch with the common man. We didn't have that same critique with President Obama --

COSTELLO: We have to question these people for the good of everyone, don't we, Paris? I'm just asking.

DENNARD: I think -- I think we should question.

SELLERS: But, Carol --

DENNARD: I think we should question them. And we should also be fair and look at the record especially with Betsy DeVos and her qualifications and her commitment to public education, charter schools and school choice which is something very, very important to a lot of Americans especially in the black communities.

COSTELLO: Bakari?

SELLERS: But Carol, if I may, I think that Paris is somewhat just forgetting about the recent history here. We are criticizing and critiquing Donald Trump because he is doing something that he was adamantly opposed to doing on the campaign trail. He said he was going to drain the swamp. He said he didn't have any rich friends because rich people didn't like him because he was talking against their interests. And now what you see him doing is rewarding the same people that he bastardized along the campaign trail.

You know, it's one thing to say that you are going to reform the way D.C. works but then when you get there, he's acting as if he's been in D.C. for a very long period of time. He's not draining the swamp. He's simply feeding the gators. And so I think that is what people are having the concern about.

And Betsy DeVos, just briefly, she has no commitment to public education. None whatsoever. She despises public education. She has no experience with public education. And if you can point to her experience with public education, I will be glad to learn.

DENNARD: I'll tweet about it. But the other thing that we need to talk about with respect to these Cabinet picks are the fact that they are not a part of the system. They are not from Washington so when you talk about draining the swamp, that's what he's doing, getting rid of the people who have been in this District of Columbia, being part of the problem for so many years. These outsiders are exactly what we need.

The American people wanted change. They wanted outsider president, that's why they selected or elected Donald Trump. And he's going to bring in those type of people who have the personal experience, professional experience, to help make America great again. It's a smart decision to do that. And it is not part of the Washington system. These are outsiders who want to come inside and make a change and make a difference. That's what the American people voted for. And that's what they are going to get.

COSTELLO: They just happen to be very, very wealthy.

Paris Dennard, Bakari Sellers, thanks to both of you.

SELLERS: Thank you.

DENNARD: Thank you.

COSTELLO: You're welcome.

It's been a key secret weapon since the Cold War. And now updated U-2 spy planes have a brand new mission over the Middle East.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:43:01] COSTELLO: It is a highly secretive aerial spying program targeting ISIS. The mission, to gain information on their leadership and installations. The pilots are flying at altitudes so high they have to actually wear space suits.

Here's more now from CNN's senior international correspondent Frederik Pleitgen.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): Fighting ISIS in a spacesuit. We can only identify the pilot by his first name, Captain Steven, and by his call sign, "Meathead." He's about to embark on a high altitude reconnaissance mission in a U- 2 spy plane.

We were given rare access to the preparations, launch and landing of one of these highly secretive missions that have a clear objective, one of the pilots tells me.

MAJOR MATT, U.S. AIR FORCE: With the U-2, we're able to get out there, find those guys, track them, get that information back to the fighter types, the bomber types so when they go out there, they've got the best intel, the best information about where they are and then obviously do what needs to be done.

PLEITGEN: The U-2 can fly extremely high, more than 70,000 feet, and get pictures and other information to forces on the ground very fast. It's a Cold War era plane flying since the 1950s but its cameras and sensors have been completely upgraded.

(On camera): With as many technological upgrades the U-2 Dragon Lady remains one of America's main assets in the information gathering effort against ISIS. But of course intelligence gathering happens on many levels and much of it happens through drones like this Global Hawk which patrols in the skies above Iraq and Syria almost every day.

(Voice-over): The information from these surveillance platforms is key to helping jets from the U.S.-led anti-ISIS coalition to strike their targets. Support of forces combating the group on the ground in places like Mosul and Iraq. But while the U-2 can soar higher than almost any other plane it's pretty hard to land. We're in a chase car that speeds after the jet, helping to guide the pilot to the ground after an almost 10-hour mission.

[10:45:06] Peeling himself out of the cockpit, Captain Steven says he believes the U-2 was making a major impact. CAPT. STEVEN, U.S. AIR FORCE: Things that we can do while we're up

there, as well as how often we're up there can be things for these guys. We are constantly up in the air providing that support to those who need it the most.

PLEITGEN: And the need for the U-2 services will remain in high demand. While ISIS may be losing ground the group remains both deadly and elusive.

Fred Pleitgen, CNN, in the Middle East.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: And still to come in the NEWSROOM, a missing mother found safe and sound three weeks after vanishing.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: All right. A little bit of news coming out of the Trump transition team. Jason Miller, who is Trump's communications guy, he has announced today on the transition call that there would be two staff level announcements later today but no other announcements will happen this weekend. He also did not confirm whether Ben Carson or Wilbur Ross have been tapped for Cabinet posts. Of course we'll keep you posted throughout the day.

In other news this morning, a California mother missing for more than three weeks is now home with her family.

[10:50:05] Authorities say Sherri Papini was found safe yesterday morning, 140 miles from her home. A search is now under way to find two armed women who Papini says abducted her and left her bound on the side of a road.

CNN's Paul Vercammen live in Los Angeles with more. Hi, Paul.

PAUL VERCAMMEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol. An ecstatic, overjoyed, terms that the sheriff is using to describe the situation. And as you know, Carol, so often these stories turn out differently. We hear about a body being found and then a funeral. But in this case something rather uncommon happened.

Let's listen to the sheriff.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TOM BOSENKO, SHASTA COUNTY SHERIFF: It's been three weeks since her disappearance and then find her and released by her captors I think is very rare. California Highway Patrol was able to connect her with her husband via cell phone. And he immediately started responding down to the Yellow County, Sacramento, area and then of course she was very emotional to be released and hear her husband's voice, and then a few hours later to be reunited with him.

(END VIDEO CLIP) VERCAMMEN: She went missing on November 2nd, this after jogging. And she basically did not show up to pick up her children at daycare. That set off alarm bells with her husband. He began looking for her. He used the "Find Your iPhone" app, and then he found her iPhone, her and earbuds and her hair tangled in that phone. And that was the last anybody had heard of her. The sheriff's department of course considering her a missing person, at risk because of all of this. They say right now that sensitive information related to this investigations is being withheld. They don't have a motive and they don't know if this was a case of stranger abduction.

Back to you, Carol.

COSTELLO: Paul Vercammen, reporting live from Los Angeles. Thank you.

It was a Thanksgiving Day dinner that started with an accidental text message. So this Arizona grandmother, she mistakenly sent a text to a stranger inviting him over to eat. That stranger's name was Jamal Hinton. He told Wanda Dench she had the wrong number, the wrong text, but she asked, well, why not still come over and have some turkey? Because that's what grandmas do.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WANDA DENCH, THANKSGIVING HOSTESS: If you have an opportunity to do something kind for somebody, please, please do. Because it's such a good feeling. It's a good feeling to give kindness and it's a wonderful feeling to receive it as well.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: She invited Jamal's family as well, but they had their own dinner plans so Jamal was able to enjoy two Thanksgiving Day dinners. That's awesome.

All right. Let's talk sports. The Dallas -- who wants to talk about the Dallas Cowboys? Because don't you just want to talk, Andy Scholes, about the Detroit Lions and the fantastic game against the Minnesota Vikings? Right?

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: I thought about you, Carol, as I was watching the Lions-Vikings game yesterday, and how you were reacting to that finish. And we'll get to that in one moment but we've got to give the Cowboys some credit, Carol, because they have won 10 games in a row which is no small feat in the NFL and their quarterback Dak Prescott, and running back Ezequiel Elliott, I mean, they may be the best rookie combo that we've ever seen in the NFL.

It's incredible what they've been able to do so far this season. The Cowboys were of course hosting the Redskins in their annual Thanksgiving game. And we take a look at the highlights. Second quarter, Dak Prescott rolling out to his right here. He's going to find Terrence Williams for the touchdown. And you have to check out the replay on this one. Williams barely getting his tipsy-toes down. Incredible catch. Made it 17-3. And then in the fourth quarter, Elliott is going to get his second score of the game. Cowboys hang on to win 31-26. Like I said, their tenth straight win.

And throughout this entire game, Dez Bryant and Josh Norman were going at it out there on the field. And after the game, when everyone else was shaking hands, they had to be separated out there on the field and the trash talk continued during their post-game interviews.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DEZ BRYANT, DALLAS COWBOYS WIDE RECEIVER: Josh. They need to get their money back from Josh Norman.

JOSH NORMAN, WASHINGTON REDSKINS CORNERBACK: This guy is extremely soft. Where I'm from, we unload the clip, whatever you want to do.

BRYANT: I honestly feel like the guy's extremely soft. I think he's just a bunch of talk. You know, if he was out and about, I would dare him to talk to me like that. Those words would never come out of his mouth. I promise.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHOLES: Now the game you are most interested in, Carol, the Lions hosting the Vikings. This game tied at 13-13 late in the fourth. Vikings were driving to win the game. But Sam Bradford threw one really bad interceptions with 30 seconds left, put the Lions in position to kick the game winning field goal. Matt Prater would nail it.

Carol celebrates as her Lions wins 16-3. Detroit now 7-4 in great position to win the NFC North Division. Vikings meanwhile they were 5-0 to start the year. They now lost five of their last six games.

Now the Lions won the game but Aretha Franklin, her rendition of the national anthem before kickoff stole the show.

[10:55:23] She sang home of the brave, Carol, I think like seven times. It lasted 4:35. And the anthem, it must be some sort of record. And Carol, you know, I felt bad because people waving the flag right there on the field, their arms must have been getting so exhausted, they're like when is this going to end?

(LAUGHTER)

COSTELLO: We were saying that, too. But in the end, you know, she's still in Detroit. She's a hometown girl and we love Aretha Franklin.

SCHOLES: Yes. She's a legend. Absolutely.

COSTELLO: She's a legend. Andy Scholes, thanks so much.

SCHOLES: All right, Carol.

COSTELLO: Thank you for joining me today. I'm Carol Costello. "AT THIS HOUR WITH BERMAN AND BOLDUAN" after a break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. I'm John Berman. Kate Bolduan is off today. 30 days before Christmas, 55 --

(END)