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ISIS claims responsibility for Iraq truck bomb; U.S. Election recount effort gains momentum, as Stein suggest we should have quality assurance; Earthquake, Hurricane strike Central America; Rohingya Refugees fleeing torture in Myanmar; Accident At Chinese Power Plant Kills 74 people. Aired 1-2 a ET
Aired November 25, 2016 - 01:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[01:00:00] ISHA SESAY, CNN NEWSROOM ANCHOR: You're watching CNN NEWSROOM live from Los Angeles. Ahead this hour, an enormous blast killed dozens of pilgrims in Iraq.
Rohingya Muslims flee a violent crackdown in Myanmar leaving everything behind to save their lives. And call it diplomatic deja vu, the leaders of the Colombian government and Marxist rebels sign a peace deal, again. But will it stick?
Hello and thank you for joining us. I'm Isha Sesay. This is NEWSROOM L.A.
In Iraq, at least 80 people were killed when a truck bomb exploded at a gas station southeast of Baghdad. Iraqi officials say most of the victims were inside buses carrying Iranian Shiite pilgrims. Our own Phil Black reports on who's claiming responsibility for the attack.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PHIL BLACK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The online Jihadi monitoring service, SITE Intelligence says it has identified a claim of responsibility from ISIS for this latest devastating attack, in which it says its motivation is to spread the fighting that's taking place around here in the north of the country to other areas of Iraq, including the capital, Baghdad, and regions south of there as well.
It is a long-standing often stated ambition of the group to inflame full-blown sectarian civil war in this country. ISIS is an extremist Sunni group. The victims of this latest horrific attack were Shiite pilgrims returning in vast numbers from a recent pilgrimage to holy shrine at Karbala. This attack also shows the capability that ISIS maintains to lash out on another front a long way from Mosul and the north of Iraq, it's strongholds here, even while it is increasingly under pressure and losing territory, because of the Iraqi operation to drive ISIS from Mosul and these regions in the north. Phil Black, CNN, Erbil, Northern Iraq.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SESAY: Some of the quarter million people trapped in Eastern Aleppo could start starving to death in less than 10 days. That's according to the head of the volunteer group, White Helmets, who also told Reuters news agency that rescuers are running out of heavy equipment to pull people from the rubble. On Thursday alone, at least 59 people were killed. Activist say, a suspected chemical attack involving chlorine, killed one woman. It was the tenth consecutive day of renewed governmental airstrikes.
Now, U.S. President-elect Donald Trump inherits the overwhelming challenge of dealing with the conflict in Syria. Syria's leader has called Trump a "Natural Ally". And Trump seems to want to change Washington's approach. CNN's Becky Anderson, looks at what that could mean.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We have been very clear that a red line for us is we start seeing a whole bunch of chemical weapons moving around or being utilized.
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: More than four years later, that red line has been crossed again and again. But there's been little in the way of action to back up President Obama's warning despite activists documenting the often deadly use of chemical weapons across Syria. Shocking terror even in a country almost numb to cruelty, a country that's been ensnared in civil war for nearly six years. ISIS festering there for much of it, preying on the country's complex and toxic mess. But America's next President, Donald Trump, saw it in more simple terms on the campaign trail.
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT-ELECT OF THE UNITED STATES: ISIS is honoring President Obama. He is the founder of ISIS. He's the founder of ISIS.
ANDERSON: That's not true, of course. But Syria's President Bashar al-Assad has been at the center of it all. With Moscow throwing a huge amount of firepower onto Syria's battlefield to help him stay in control, something Washington has been pushing against.
OBAMA: It is unimaginable that you can stop the civil war there when the overwhelming majority of people in Syria consider him to be a brutal, murderous dictator. He cannot regain legitimacy.
ANDERSON: The U.S. has given weapons and other support to rebels who want Assad gone as well. That may be about to change.
TRUMP: We're backing rebels, we have no idea who they are. But I would certainly like to see what's going on. I'd like to find out who these people are that we want to give billions of dollars to, we have no idea. And sure, Assad is a bad guy, but you can have worse and maybe this people are worse.
[01:05:01] ANDERSON: Some analysts think we should put all that to the side.
FAWAZ GERGES, AUTHOR OF ISIS: A HISTORY: We should not take what he said during the presidential campaign very seriously because it's incoherent, it's contradictory, it's counterproductive, and if he does translate what he said on the presidential - during the presidential campaign, this would be catastrophic.
ANDERSON: But the Kremlin doesn't seem think so. It describes Trump and Putin's views on Syria as quote, "Phenomenally close". Meanwhile, millions of refugees have been forced from their homes. Many pouring towards Europe. For them, Trump has some familiar rhetoric.
TRUMP: We want to build safe zones. We'll do it in Syria. We'll get the Gulf States to put up the money. They'll do it.
ANDERSON: There have long been calls for places like right here, the United Arab Emirates, and other Arab states to do more to help the refugees. So far, they've mostly gone unanswered. They'd rather keep this at bay. This messy, uncontainable web of a patchwork of fighters, Jihadi forces and others, all armed to the teeth fighting in Syria. What President-elect Trump can or will do to untangle it, remains to be seen. Becky Anderson, CNN, Abu Dhabi.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SESAY: Well, Donald Trump is set to resume his transition work on Friday morning, after the Thanksgiving holiday here in the United States. The President-elect tweeted Thursday, he's working hard trying to get the Carrier air-conditioner company to stay in the U.S. Making progress, we'll know soon. Carrier has been planning to move production and 1400 jobs to Mexico. On Thursday, the company tweeted, "It has nothing to announce at this time."
While Trump transition team is down playing a report that the President-elect has been skipping most of the daily intelligence briefings since his election. The Washington Post says Trump has only met twice with the team of intelligence analysts. Vice President- elect Mike Pence has been receiving his briefings almost every day. The transition team says Trump has been busy filling administration and cabinet posts. Well, CNN Intelligence Analyst Bob Baer, says national security is a pressing issue for the President-elect.
BOB BAER, CNN INTELLIGENCE ANALYST (via telephone): He needs to put a team together that he can trust. He's going to have to delegate a lot of policy, simply won't have the time do it himself. So, if he's got a thorny problem with China, he's going to need a Chinese expert. If he intends to write treaties -- trade treaties with China, he has to know the affect, and right now, he doesn't. He'll just sounds good in a presidential campaign, but at the end of the day, we need a president that's plugged in to national security.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SESAY: Meantime, the push for U.S. Election recount is gaining momentum. A website for Green Party Candidate, Jill Stein, has raised more than $4.5 million for recount costs in three states. Donald Trump won closed victories in Wisconsin and Pennsylvania. Votes are still being counted in Michigan, but Trump is in the lead. Some experts say Hillary Clinton's vote totals in areas with electronic voting looked too low compared to those with paper ballots. They raised concerns that votes tallied electronically may have been hacked. Well, CNN's Paula Newton spoke with Jill Stein about the recount movement.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JILL STEIN, GREEN PARTY'S CANDIDATE FOR PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Let me say, you know, the anomalies remain to be seen. To my mind, the real concerns here are that we know there was hacking going on all around this election. Hacking into voter databases, into party databases, into individual e-mail accounts, and in addition to that, we know that the voting systems that we use, many of these machines, are wide open to hacking. In fact, some of the machines used in Wisconsin have been made illegal by the State of California, after it was proven how easy it is to tamper with them and to install basically a malicious programming.
So, you know, it's really unfortunate that the American people are in a position right now where we're very skeptical. We're not only skeptical about the vote and the election, people have a widespread cynicism about our basic institutions of government, about the Supreme Court, about the executive, about congress, you name it. This would be the most --
PAULA NEWTON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: But what is your -- but what is your skepticism and your cynicism mean? Because some people would take it to mean that you're trying to delegitimize the president election - the presidential election that just took place.
STEIN: No, I think we don't want to sweep our doubts under the rug. We want to actually stand up and confront them and show, let's show that this vote was valid. We're not saying that there is, you know, a specific evidence of fraud here. By no means, there's some questions that are raised, but those have not yet been proven. But I think, what we need is a voting system that should have built in quality assurance.
[01:10:02] We do that in all kinds of other things, I'm a medical doctor, we have all kinds of quality assurance built into our healthcare and into the delivery of services. We should have quality assurance built into our votes. It shouldn't require proof of a, you know, of a disaster or proof of fraud, in order to install cross- checks into our voting system.
NEWTON: So why -
STEIN: We should have built in audits that insured --
NEWTON: But we had heard some of this before the vote and yet the states across the board said, "Look, this voting system is sound." Why now? Why after the vote?
STEIN: Well, you know, I was approached by a variety of computer scientists and election integrity experts who said they now felt that there was a critical mass of evidence that we could prove this in court. And -- well, prove in court not fraud but prove in court that we need reassurance, that we need quality assurance built into the system.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SESAY: Well, deadlines to request recounts are fast approaching, Friday in Wisconsin, Monday in Pennsylvania, and Wednesday in Michigan.
Well, Brexit leader Nigel Farage says he has no plans to meet face to face with Donald Trump when he visits the U.S. in the next few days. But he says he does hope to improve relations between London and Washington.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NIGEL FARAGE, BREXIT LEADER: I don't think I'm going to be made the British Ambassador, all right. Let's be honest about it. You know, I'm not far enough this time. I'm - maybe I'm not the type. But I did have 20 years in business before getting involved in politics. I do know how to cut deals. I do have the support, amazingly, of the President-elect, and I do know a number of his team, some of whom I've known for years. I am very keen for Britain and America to get closer again. And I just - I genuinely - my critics would say, when I shift my career in politics, I try to knock down buildings. Well now, I'd like the chance to try and help build one.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SESAY: Trump broke with diplomatic protocol, Monday, when he tweeted Farage, "We do great job as British Ambassador to the U.S." A spokesman for Prime Minister Theresa May responded "Thanks, but the position is filled."
ESAY: Well, police in France are searching for a suspect after a woman was found dead inside a retirement home for priests and nuns. A local official in Southern France says as a masked man forced his way into the home early Friday morning. The intruder tied up a staff member, who was able to free herself and call the police. A source said, a knife was used to kill the victim and then it appears she was the intended target. Police do not think the attack was terror related.
Well, tens of thousands of people have been forced from their homes in Israel as wildfires raging throughout the nation, are being called "Arson Terrorism". The Mayor of Haifa called the scale of the disaster, "unprecedented". Authorities have set up rescue centers to help those who are on the run. Israel's internal security minister said, it was clear arson was behind many of the fires. He also said, there have been arrests and that investigations are ongoing. Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said arson was essentially terrorism. He vowed to punish anyone who tries to burn parts of Israel.
Well, Central America has taken a double hit from Hurricane Otto and an offshore earthquake. The U.S. National Weather Service says, the tsunami threat has passed but also remains dangerous. It was downgraded to a tropical storm after making landfall in Nicaragua on Thursday. It's already being blamed for several deaths in Panama. Let's bring in Meteorologist Derek Van Dam, who joins us now with the very latest. Derek, I mean, this region is really taking a beating.
DEREK VAN DAM, CNN INTERNATIONAL WEATHER ANCHOR: Yeah, it is. Can you imagine, Isha, if you were one of these tourists just enjoying your time on holiday, and then you have a tsunami warning and a hurricane warning coinciding at the same time? Well, that's what they had to deal with on the west coast of Nicaragua.
This is the latest. We had double dual natural disasters, right around the same space and time. This is what we're talking about; we have Hurricane Otto that made landfall about 1:00 p.m. on Thursday, local time, across the coastal areas of Nicaragua. And then, almost -- the identical time, we had a magnitude 7.0 earthquake that happened under water and that triggered tsunami warnings along the west coast of Nicaragua and into El Salvador.
Now, the good news is that the tsunami was very minimal, very small, small tsunami wave actually associated with this earthquake but nonetheless, you cannot exactly predict how large those waves could potentially be. So, if you're on the coast, you're on holiday destination, you're a tourist, that is definitely not something you want to deal with, especially when you're dealing with a landfall and hurricane. The greatest impact, still, going forward, flash flooding, mudslides and landslides. That is from Hurricane Otto that is now exiting the region. This is the latest information that we have on Otto as we speak.
[01:15:00] Again, it made landfall near San Juan Bay, Nicaragua, at about 1:00 p.m. Interesting to note that this is the southernmost landfall and hurricane in Central America's history. Also, the center of Otto now making its way across the Eastern Pacific Ocean. It will start to move away from land, but we still have a potential for flash flooding across this area, as Otto continues to mix with some of the mountainous terrain. It is now downgraded, so technically weakened to a tropical storm but still a formidable and dangerous storm as it continues to move at a westerly direction.
And Isha, we've been talking about this for quite some time now. We should start to see the Atlantic hurricane season really wrapping up by the end of November. It is very rare for us to experience a hurricane at this time of year in this part of the world.
SESAY: Let's hope that this is the last of it. Derek Van Dam, always appreciate it. Thank you, my friend.
VAN DAM: All right.
SESAY: Now, time for a quick break. Some are (INAUDIBLE) Muslims say they're fleeing Myanmar because of brutal rape, torture, and systematic arson all at the hands of the nation's military. A live report coming up.
Plus, a construction accident killed dozens of people in China. What we've learned about the power plant disaster is just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) RHIANNON JONES, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: I'm Rhiannon Jones with your CNN
WORLD SPORT headlines. Manchester United had a night to remember in the Europa Europe -- Europa League, easily staying off the Dutch side, final 4-0 at Old Trafford. It was Captain Wayne Rooney, he opened scoring for the host (INAUDIBLE) Manchester United's top scorer in Europe. A memorable night for Rooney and his team.
Football legend, Steven Gerrard has announced his retirement from football. The 36-year-old said, "I've had an incredible playing career and I'm thankful for each and every moment of my time at Liverpool, England and LA Galaxy. The former England captain finished his career with an 18-month spent across the pond but spent the bulk of it at Liverpool, across 17 years at Anfield. He won seven major honors including the 2005 Champions League. The announcement will no doubt will give the football fans hopes at his return to Anfield for a background role in Jurgen Klopp's team.
Argentina's Juan Martin Del Potro has the chance to become a national hero this weekend if he's able to lead Argentina to their first ever Davis Cup title. They would round of an incredible season for the 28- year old who's left 1004 places at the ATP rankings to finish the season in number 34. But Marin Cilic will be hoping to lead Croatia to their second Davis Cup title. The two will likely to face each other in the final on Sunday of what could be a decisive match.
That's a look at your sports headlines. I'm Rhiannon Jones.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[01:20:00] SESAY: Myanmar is facing more accusations of human rights abuses of mistreatment of Rohingya Muslims. Some Rohingya refugees say they're fleeing Myanmar and crossing into Bangladesh because of violence that has plagued their homes for weeks. Some say they've been raped, tortured and witnessed family members get killed by the military. CNN is working to verify these claims.
Well, CNN's Saima Mohsin is in Bangkok with more. And Saima, you've been able to get some firsthand accounts of what's happening inside Rakhine State, and that is extremely rare.
SAIMA MOHSIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is extremely rare, Isha, and that is because Rakhine State is under lockdown, media, NGOs, the U.N. is not being granted access. A lot of activist groups that I often speak to are incredibly frustrated. They've been trying to get in there for weeks, at least to check the states of malnutrition, food and water for the people. And then, in early October, we saw this horrific crackdown, which, of course, the Myanmar government continues to deny. But we've spoken to people who have managed to escape, they've crossed the border into Bangladesh, and they've been speaking to us from inside the refugee camps.
Now, a lot of the footage, Isha, that we're seeing on social media that has managed to get out, we simply couldn't use in my report. It's too horrific. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) MOHSIN: He doesn't know it yet, but Abul Hashim was born into one of
the most persecuted minorities on earth, the stateless ethnic minority Rohingya. They're facing yet another crackdown by Myanmar's authorities and their accounts are harrowing.
RASHIDA, ROHINGYA REFUGEE (through translator): They raped women. Some women died after being tortured. They even killed a new-born baby. After seeing this, I got scared and fled from my home. The same thing could have happened to us.
MOHSIN: Abul's mother, Rashida, carried him for four days trekking day and night from their home in Maungdaw in a desperate attempt to reach the Naf River and cross into neighboring Bangladesh.
RASHIDA (through translator): The Myanmar military was shooting heavily. When they fired shots, we laid flat on the ground. We kept moving from one village to another. After that, we had to cross the river in the middle of the night.
MOHSIN: Rashida made it across with her loved ones, but her friend Naseem's family was torn apart on the way.
NASEEM (through translator): When we started our journey, there were six of us. We lost three members of our family. My husband and my son were killed and my other son has gone missing.
MOHSIN: CNN can't independently verify these reports. All these disturbing videos posted on social media from inside Rakhine State. The Rohingya area is in lockdown with access to media and aid agencies blocked.
JOHN MCKISSICK, HEAD OF UNHCR: It seems to be the aim of the Myanmar military to ethnically cleanse this population.
MOHSIN: Myanmar's government denies reports of human rights abuses, claiming they're only targeting violent attackers who killed nine border guards on October 9th. Since then, more than 100 have been killed and 600 others arrested. Human Rights Watch also published NASA satellite images, which they say shows more than 1200 Rohingya homes that were burned down by the authorities, which the government denies, saying that attackers carried out the arson.
For the few who managed to flee the violence, they end up here, a squalid refugee camp in Cox's Bazar, Southern Bangladesh, which is struggling to cope with the influx of thousands of Rohingya. Bangladesh has tightened security to push them back.
NASEEM (through translator): We left everything back there to save our lives. Now, how can we go back? They will kill us.
MOHSIN: Now, the families here will wait and hope for a chance to live without fear of persecution.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SESAY: Our thanks to Saima Mohsin for those firsthand reports there, which are extremely hard to come by.
Now, at least 74 people are dead after a construction accident in Eastern China. The disaster happened Thursday morning when a platform built to help with repairs at a power plant collapsed. That's according to state-run news agency Xinhua. Authorities say 68 people were on the platform when it went crashing to the ground. More than 200 firefighters were deployed with search and rescue dogs to find survivors.
Well, next on NEWSROOM L.A., pens made out of bullets used to sign a peace deal. We'll tell you about the historic agreement between Colombia and its largest rebel group.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[01:25:00] SESAY: You're watching CNN NEWSROOM live from Los Angeles. I'm Isha Sesay. The headlines this hour: ISIS is claiming responsibility for a deadly truck bombing in Iraq, saying it was in retaliation for the battle in Mosul. At least 80 people, mostly Iranian Shiite pilgrims were killed in Thursday's blast at a gas station, Southeast of Baghdad.
Some Aleppo residents have less than 1- days before they start starving to death. That's according to a Syrian activist interviewed by Reuters news agency. At least 59 people were killed in the besieged city on Thursday alone. Activists say a chemical attack involving chlorine killed one woman.
Police in France is search for a suspect after a woman was found death inside a retirement home for priests and nuns. A guard say an armed introducer forced his way in to the home and that the woman was the intended target. Police do not think the attack was terror related.
While there's renewed hope in Colombia. The decades of conflict resulting in tens of thousands of deaths may finally be coming to an end. Shasta Darlington reports on the latest deal between the government and the country's largest rebel group.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SHASTA DARLINGTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Colombia's government and the FARC rebel group have signed a peace deal, bringing an end to half a century of fighting, again. That's because nearly two months ago, Colombians voted to reject the initial peace accord. President Juan Manuel Santos and the FARC-rebel leader known as "Timochenko", signed this new deal in a simple ceremony using pens fashioned out of bullets.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): Let words be the only weapons of Colombians.
JUAN MANUEL SANTOS, PRESIDENT, COLOMBIA (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): The citizens this past October expressed themselves. They said we want peace. But we want a new accord. During those 40 days, we have heard the Colombian people. We have
heard their fears and their voices of hope to persevere and to not lose momentum when we were so close to our goal.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DARLINGTON: While there are some chases in this new accord, the single biggest difference is simply that President Santos is not going to put it to a nationwide vote. This goes straight to Congress to be voted on.
It also stands in stark contrast to the grandiose ceremony we saw at the end of September when heads of state flew in, the U.N. secretary general was there. Military planes were flying overhead and Colombia's president said that they had finally found peace.
Of course, it was just a few days later in a nationwide referendum that Colombians voted to reject the deal by a very narrow margin. But it highlighted the divisions in the country, the anger and frustration after decades of conflict that had killed over 200,000 people and displaced about five million people.
Many Colombians felt that the rebel leaders simply weren't being held accountable. They weren't looking at jail time.
They were being allowed to run for office in the future. Well, this new accord does have tougher sanctions. Not all of the demands were met.
And in fact, critics say, it still doesn't go far enough. But it is expected to pass in Congress because Santos and his allies have a comfortable majority there. Shasta Darlington, CNN, Rio de Janeiro.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ISHA SESAY, CNN HOST: For more, Oliver Griffin joins us now from Medellin in Colombia, he's a reporter for the Colombia Report.
Oliver, thank you so much for being with us. How different is this latest deal from the original agreement that was rejected in the October referendum?
OLIVER GRIFFIN, REPORTER, COLOMBIA REPORT: Well, depending on which side you're on, the deal has either a lot of changes or not enough. You know, the new deal includes judicial guarantees for the military.
There are concerns from high-ranking members of the military that the deal was not right. And so those have been addressed.
The FARC are being required to hand in all of their assets on paper. So they'll have to, you know, disclose how much money and how much wealth they have, as well as increase the information they're giving on drug trafficking.
That's something else that's been pushed through. Something else for the more conservative Christian members of -- of society is that, you know, in the new deal, they're really pushing through a protection of family values.
That's something that's been sort of called out (ph) by certain members of various organizations. But for other people, there is opposition.
For example, the chief proponent against the deal, former President Alvaro Uribe has said that the new deal is barely a retouching of the agreement that was signed and then defeated in the October referendum. So I think, you know, there is still some sort of contentious issues.
SESAY: Yes. This time, there will be no referendum. The deal will be subjected to a vote for approval by Congress.
How is this work around, if you will, going over with the Colombian public?
GRIFFIN: Well, again, this is something that some people are very against, again, Uribe and sort of the more conservative way (ph) of society according to another referendum. President Santos is saying (ph) quite clearly that is not going to happen.
This new deal is final. And it is being put through as quickly as possible. The other day, he issued a statement following a few killings of human rights -- human rights leaders in community agencies (ph) and in various parts of the country that -- that limber (ph) between the deal being signed in the first place and this sort of period now with the extended ceasefire.
It is a dangerous place for the country to be in.
SESAY: Yes, it certainly is. I mean, agreeing to a deal is one thing. Implementation is quite another.
What are the challenges that lie ahead if indeed, this -- this deal is approved by Congress?
GRIFFIN: Well, the -- the chief challenge is going to be the mass demobilization of the -- the FARC group. There is an agency that has been in existence, the -- you know, a long time now, the administration (ph) Agency (ph) of Colombia, which works to demobilize guerillas (ph) and paramilitaries. And, you know, previously, they -- they worked with these groups and on a smaller sort of drip-by-drip scale.
And suddenly, they're going to have to sort of work with over 20,000 demobilizing members of one group. The implications of which are going to be testing.
Of course, the U.N. is involved. And they will be overseeing the entire process from the giving up of arms and demilitarized zones where former FARC fighters can, you know, they're going -- they're going to be watched by international bodies.
But it's -- it's going to be a challenge for moving all of these -- these sudden surge, if you will, of demobilized people into various places where they can be safe and feel that they are not going to be persecuted at the same time.
SESAY: Oliver Griffin, joining us there from Medellin, Colombia. We appreciate it so much. Thank you.
GRIFFIN: Thank you.
SESAY: Next on "Newsroom L.A.," it's the day after Thanksgiving in the U.S. and Black Friday sales are in full force, what retailers expect to make this year, ahead. Plus, one big-name company is donating all of its Black Friday sales -- that's right, all of them.
We will tell you which one, coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SESAY: Retailers traditionally call the day after Thanksgiving in the U.S. Black Friday, hoping big sales push their books into the black. And the madness -- the madness has already started.
These shoppers in Minnesota were already lined up hoping to score some big deals. Many stores this year hyped additional savings online, some of which have been available since earlier this month.
Nearly six in 10 Americans -- that's more than 137 million people are expected to go shopping this Thanksgiving weekend according to the National Retail Federation. They're also predicting overall sales to grow this year, an optimistic 3.6 percent to more than $655 billion for the holiday season.
Well, outdoor retailer, Patagonia, typically brings in millions of dollars on Black Friday. But this year -- this year, they've decided to do something different.
It's announced it will donate all of its Black Friday sales to grassroots environmental groups. That's estimated to be well over $2 million to protect natural resources like water, air, and soil.
And joining me now is Rick Ridgeway. He's the vice president of public engagement for Patagonia.
Rick, thank you so much for joining us. We appreciate it.
RICK RIDGEWAY, VICE PRESIDENT OF PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT, PATAGONIA: It's our pleasure.
SESAY: Patagonia already donates -- let me get this right, one percent of its daily global sales to green causes. Explain to our viewers the thinking behind taking it one step further and giving a hundred percent of all the money you make on Black Friday sales to -- to charities, environmental causes.
RIDGEWAY: Yes, well, you're right. Since 1985, we've given one percent of our sales to environmental groups.
And I might underscore sales and non-profit. They're right off the top -- good year, bad year, rain or shine, that money goes into a fund that is given to environmental groups around the world.
And last year alone, that was grants to almost 800 environmental groups, mostly small local groups fighting to save their backyard rivers and beaches and -- and -- and wetlands. They have the same values we do.
And, you know, after this last election, I -- I must say, we, at Patagonia, decided that, you know, it's time to really double down, do more. And that's where the idea came from.
On Black Friday on November 25 from 12:01 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. in every time zone in the world, where we do business on patagonia.com or in one of our own retail stores, all the sales -- a hundred percent of it, are going back.
SESAY: A hundred percent.
RIDGEWAY: Everything we make in that 24-hour period is going back to these environmental groups that we support.
SESAY: What -- what kind of figures will we potentially be looking at here?
RIDGEWAY: Well, through sales from previous years and projections for this year, we're estimating that's going to be well over -- over $2 million.
SESAY: Well over $2 million. That's just incredible. Now, you're vice president of environmental activism.
Lisa Pike (ph), she said this. Let's put it up on the screen. "This is a difficult and divisive time for our country."
I believe the environment is something we can all come together on. Environmental values are something we all embrace."
It's a positive. It's a forward-looking message that she -- she gives there. Do you think that will actually be the case during the Trump presidency, when we're already hearing of intentions to lift regulations on fossil fuels?
RIDGEWAY: Well, we're going to do everything we can to get our voice heard. And you know, it's pretty cool to work for a company that has a vice president of environmental activism.
SESAY: Yes.
RIDGEWAY: I've never run into that anywhere else. But again, our company thinks more like a not-for-profit as a for-profit company probably can be.
We're privately held. And the family that owns our business owns it to -- to use it as a tool for environmental protection.
That's what we do. That's why we're in business, and again, supporting environmental NGOs around the world that are trying to save nature but also many of them are working to provide solutions to climate change. That is at the core of who we are and why we're in business.
SESAY: Obviously, Patagonia and people like yourself are well aware of Donald Trump's skepticism about climate change and things he said about the Paris accord signed to combat the issues of global warming and climate change. What -- what's the intentional dialogue within Patagonia about what the future looks like with a Trump presidency when it comes to the environment, and what that means for your efforts?
RIDGEWAY: Well, nobody knows what it's going to look like. You don't know. I don't know.
I don't even...
SESAY: Do you have fears?
RIDGEWAY: ...I don't know that -- that he knows, to tell you the truth. But we're going to do, as I said, everything we can to influence him, to put pressure on him and to use our voice and as a megaphone around these issues that are so vital to us as a company, but to everyone, to all of us as citizens of this -- of this planet.
We support those environmental groups because they, you know, share our same concerns. And they know as we do that without clean air and clean water, there's no way we're going to have healthy societies.
Without healthy societies, you can't have healthy markets. Without healthy markets, you can't have a healthy business.
So in this (ph) sense, this is like self-interest. But we believe in clean air. We believe in clean water for ourselves and for our children.
We believe in healthy soils. Without those things, you can't have healthy societies. And you know, there's one more thing I might add, at Patagonia that we believe in, we believe in science.
And the science is telling us loud and clear, we have a problem.
SESAY: So if need be, you'll be putting more money toward this fight going forward?
RIDGEWAY: We are doubling down.
SESAY: You are, indeed. Rick Ridgeway, thank you so much for coming in and sharing this message. It's -- it's very, very impressive to see a company take such a stand.
RIDGEWAY: Thank you for the offer to share what we're trying to do. We appreciate that, too.
SESAY: Thanks.
Well, this just into us here at CNN. Actress Florence Henderson has died at the age of 82. Her manager says Henderson died of heart failure at a hospital but had not been sick (ph).
She was surrounded by family and friends. Our own Stephanie Elam has a look back at the life and career of this beloved T.V. mom.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That lovely lady is Florence Henderson who played America's favorite mom, Carol Brady, on the 1970s hit T.V. sitcom, "The Brady Bunch." But her real story wasn't so ideal.
Born in 1934 in Dale, Indiana, Henderson grew up poor with an alcoholic father and a mother who left when she was just 12 years old. Henderson used her singing talent to entertain the family and help make ends meet.
FLORENCE HENDERSON, ACTRESS: I don't ever remember not singing. And I would sing and pass the hat and I'd sing for groceries.
ELAM: Her big break came in 1951, when she landed a starring role in Rogers and Hammerstein's "Oklahoma." The singer turned actor then took her talents to T.V.
In 1959, she was NBC's "Today" girl and she became the first woman to guest host "The Tonight Show" in 1962. Then in 1969, Henderson became Carol Brady.
HENDERSON: I created the kind of mother that I wished I had and I think that everyone longs for. I get so much fan mail from all over the world.
And everybody wants a hug from me.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, yes.
HENDERSON: And I hug everybody.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
HENDERSON: I -- I get so much affection.
ELAM: Henderson continued to act and sing on T.V. for decades after "The Brady Bunch." She even cha-chaed (ph) her way into our living rooms in 2010 on "Dancing with the Stars."
Henderson had four children with her first husband, Ira Bernstein. She met her second husband, hypnotherapist, John Kappas, while undergoing treatment for stage fright and a fear of flying.
HENDERSON: People used to kid John and say, you -- you hypnotized her.
ELAM: The treatment worked so well Henderson became a certified hypnotherapist herself. Henderson became a patient of a different kind when at the height of her career, she started to lose her hearing. HENDERSON: You can't imagine for someone who makes their living
through music and when you, all of a sudden, don't hear that piano or that violin, light instruments, it is the most terrifying feeling in the world.
ELAM: Doctors discovered she had an ear disease. But after multiple surgeries, Henderson's hearing was restored.
HENDERSON: I have stainless steel and Teflon in both ears. I can cook in my ears. Nothing sticks to them.
ELAM: Henderson seemed to always look on the bright side.
HENDERSON: Here is the way I feel about it, Larry. If you're not having fun, you shouldn't be there.
LARRY KING: Say good night, Florence.
HENDERSON: Good night, Florence. Oh, good night, good night, everyone.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Powerful Hurricane Otto made landfall in extreme southern sections of Nicaragua, just after noon on Thursday. Look at this system barreling across Central America.
Right now, it's been downgraded and has weakened to a tropical storm but still, a formidable-looking tropical system as we speak with gusty wind and certainly heavy rainfall, especially as it travels across the mountainous regions of Costa Rica and Nicaragua, wind sustained at 110 kilometers per hour. This system will move offshore over the next coming hours.
And it will weaken as it does so no longer posing a threat to land. But nonetheless, we still felt the effects of this system across this area. And we will continue to still feel showers and a few thunderstorms as the system departs Central America going forward.
Temperatures today, though, across North America, 15 degrees if you're in Denver, Montreal, Canada, two degrees for you, 11 in New York City, Atlanta, 23, San Francisco to Los Angeles, upper teens and lower 20s. Your extended forecast across the New England coastline, if you are perhaps traveling to this area, New York, you drop in temperature by the end of the weekend, Washington, staying more the same, Atlanta cooling off as well from Saturday into Sunday.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SESAY: Across the U.S., the Thanksgiving holiday is a good weekend to overeat, avoid talking politics with the family and also catch a few new movies. This year's box office has something for almost everyone, including a film about something we can all relate to, the pains of growing up.
"The Edge of Seventeen" captures the anxiety, the awkwardness and existential dilemmas of being a teenager.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, my god, I knew it. It's really just the hair.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You could grow it out.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you even up there?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SESAY: Sandro Monetti joins us now. He's the managing editor of Entity Magazine and a film and entertainment journalist.
All those growing pain.
SANDRO MONETTI, MANAGING EDITOR, ENTITY MAGAZINE: You know, Hailee Steinfeld who's in that movie never actually went to high school. She was home-schooled.
And yet, here she is, giving a perfect performance of the agonies of a teenager. Shows what a great actor she is.
She never ever lived through it.
SESAY: I'm still living through the pains of growing up, what can I say.
MONETTI: Do you want to share?
SESAY: No, not just yet.
MONETTI: Oh, you want to talk about movies instead?
SESAY: Let's talk about movies.
MONETTI: OK.
SESAY: Some really good stuff, I want to move on to three other films this hour. "Moana" is at the box office, also "Rules Don't Apply" and "Arrival" -- all three liked in various measures.
Let's start with "Moana." It's got the rock in it. I this is a sure hit.
MONETTI: It already is. It's sending box office records tumbling. It's on target to equal or possibly even break "Frozen's" Thanksgiving record.
"Frozen" opened with $93.6 million. And "Moana" is on track to do that. I mean, listen to that beautiful music there.
SESAY: Oh.
MONETTI: Lin-Manuel Miranda, the "Hamilton" creator is behind the music. It's got the same directors of "The Little Mermaid." It's Disney's magic formula again. It's got a voiceover from The
Rock, the sexiest man alive.
SESAY: Yes, indeed.
MONETTI: Probably (ph) hit me in that -- in that joke (ph). But, yes, and -- and of course, it's doing so well at the moment because here in the United States, all the kids are out of school for Thanksgiving so a very deliberate policy to release it during this long vacation period.
SESAY: I'm a big kid. I'm hoping to see it. And I really am.
MONETTI: You certainly are.
SESAY: OK, OK. Touche (ph). Now, "Rules Don't Apply" -- this is Howard Hughes, not a biopic but it's one BT's (ph) take on Howard Hughes, a kind of an ode to old Hollywood.
MONETTI: Warren Beatty has been waiting since the 1970s to make a movie about Howard Hughes. So it was bound to be good because he's shaped this over a long time.
It's not connecting with audiences. You know...
SESAY: Why is that?
MONETTI: ...it's -- it's currently number 11 in the charts. I think it's because the reason I was saying before, the kids are all out of school.
So parents, you know, you've got to take your kids to see a Disney movie or the "Harry Potter prequel, rather than seeing Warren Beatty play -- play Howard Hughes. It's not really the -- the first choice.
But if it can stay in theaters long enough, I do hope audiences will discover it. It's about employees of eccentric billionaire, Howard Hughes, who -- who, of course, dated his -- refused his employees the ability to date.
So of course, two of them fall in love and complicated things (ph).
SESAY: Oh, it sounds delightful.
MONETTI: It is.
SESAY: "Arrival" -- "Arrival," a movie about aliens but I don't believe there are many guns on display.
MONETTI: None (ph) to my liking.
SESAY: It didn't please you?
MONETTI: Well, it's a different kind of alien invasion movie, different in that it's boring. There...
SESAY: I don't know if I agree with you. I've only seen the -- the reviews but it looks -- it looks gripping.
MONETTI: Yes, that's what I hoped. Amy Adams plays a linguist who is called in to try and communicate with the aliens. So we have two hours of her trying to speak some weird alien language.
I was cheering (ph) for aliens to -- to tutor and put us out of our misery quite frankly.
SESAY: And you're -- any redeeming features about this film?
MONETTI: Um.
SESAY: Oh, wow. OK. Tell me in the break.
(LAUGHTER)
MONETTI: Better critics than me think it's good.
SESAY: OK, I'm going to go and see it. I think "Moana" gets my pick and from the last hour, "Fantastic Beasts."
MONETTI: Yes, good choices.
SESAY: OK. And maybe Brad Pitt.
MONETTI: Yes, and "Rules Don't Apply."
SESAY: And maybe Brad Pitt.
MONETTI: Yes.
SESAY: Just because. Always a pleasure, Sandro Monetti.
MONETTI: Likewise.
SESAY: Thank you very, very much. Go eat some more turkey or pecan pie or something like that. All right, stay here for now.
You're watching "CNN Newsroom" live from Los Angeles. I'm Isha Sesay. I'll be back with another hour of news right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SESAY: This is "CNN Newsroom" live from Los Angeles. Ahead this hour, dozens killed after ISIS targets ship pilgrims (ph) on a highway south of Baghdad. The fight against ISIS involves spy planes.
We get rare access to a reconnaissance mission against the militants. And she barely registered in the polls.
But she's demanding a recount.
