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Former Cuban Leader Fidel Castro Dead at 90; Kellyanne Conway Publicly Dismissing Mitt Romney as Secretary of State; Elian Gonzalez Mourns Death of Fidel Castro; Threats to U.S.-Cuban Relations; Syrian Forces Have Entered Key Rebel-Held Neighborhood in Eastern Aleppo; Melania Trump Will Remain in New York. Aired 3-4p ET

Aired November 27, 2016 - 15:00   ET

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


(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[15:00:03] FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Happening now in the NEWSROOM, recount ruckus.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was asked a thousand times, will Donald Trump accept the election results and now you have the Democrats and Jill Stein saying they do not accept the results.

SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (I-VT), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: That's a legal right. They do it.

WHITFIELD: Plus.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you think Romney could be a loyal secretary of state for Donald Trump?

WHITFIELD: Open dissent over Mitt Romney as U.S. secretary of state.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We don't even know if Mitt Romney voted for Donald Trump.

WHITFIELD: CNN NEWSROOM starts now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Hello, again, everyone. Thanks for joining me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

President-elect Donald Trump will return to New York City this afternoon and he is gearing up for meetings tomorrow with these potential candidates for his administration. But it is the back and forth, though, over who he will pick for secretary of state that has put the infighting within the Trump team on full display.

This morning on "STATE OF THE UNION," senior adviser Kellyanne Conway was critical of former presidential candidate Mitt Romney as a top contender.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KELLYANNE CONWAY, TRUMP SENIOR ADVISOR: It's just breath taking in scope and intensity the type of messages I received from all over the country and I'm just me. I'm not just Donald Trump. And so, just as his former campaign manager, the number of people who feel betrayed to think that a governor Romney would get the most prominent cabinet post after he went so far out of his way to hurt Donald Trump, there was the never Trump movement and then there was Mitt Romney. He gave speeches against Donald Trump. He attacked his character. I never heard Governor Romney come out and say, hey, you know, I have a problem with x, y and z but that 25 million job creation plan over the next ten years is something to look at. The factual that you will reduce the capital gains tax and the tax on employers and businesses or you will unleash energy and residue you have ten-point plan to reform the veterans administration, none of that was ever said.

And his - I mean, the Romney consultant were the worst to all of us, including Mr. Trump. Their twitter feeds were complete 100 percent anti-Trump screen. And look, if president-elect Trump chooses Mitt Romney as his secretary of state or whomever he chooses, that will have the full support and backing of all of us. I respect the brilliance and judgment and sheer instincts of president-elect Trump to form his cabinet as he wishes but I feel compelled to come forward on behalf of the people who were weighing in.

DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely. We know that I have been supportive of president-elect Trump and his decisions. But it really sounds like you personally, not just that you have been receiving criticism and concerns about Mitt Romney, that you personally have concerns about a potential secretary of state Mitt Romney for Donald Trump.

CONWAY: Well, I'm not sure that my personal concerns matter.

BASH: But am I wrong to say that?

CONWAY: That decision rests with one man - and no, you're not wrong to say that. Because Governor Romney went out of his way. I also just think that it is Donald Trump who has shown he has political instincts. You know, Governor Romney ran for the same office four years ago and lost spectacularly. It's Donald Trump who just won 306 electoral votes, won states like Michigan. Mitt Romney lost Michigan by ten points. Donald Trump just won it. Donald Trump won Wisconsin for the first time since 1984. Won Pennsylvania. Won Florida. Won Iowa. Won Ohio. All of these states that were elusive to the last couple of nominees.

And the other thing is, Dana, I think there are other -- I know there are other candidates being considered apart from the ones that are just being covered more commonly in the media but apart from that, governor Romney in the past four years, I mean has he been around the globe doing something on behalf of the United States of which we are unaware? Did he go and intervene in Syria where they have a massive humanitarian crisis, meaning when I say intervene like offered to help? Has he been helpful to Mr. Netanyahu?

In other words, I'm all for party unity but I'm not sure that we have to pay for that with the secretary of state position. But again, let me repeat what Donald Trump decides, Kellyanne Conway and everybody else will respect. It's just the backlash from the grassroots. I'm hearing from people who say, hey, my parents died penny-less but I gave $216 to Donald Trump's campaign and I would feel betrayed. You have people saying I thought we got rid of this type.

His -- I'm just saying that -- we don't even know if Mitt Romney voted for Donald Trump. He put Ed McMullen up in Utah. And so, I think there are concerns that those of us who are loyal have. And you want a secretary of state who is loyal to the president and answer the president's vision of the world.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right. Joining me now to discuss is CNN political commentator and Republican strategist Alice Stewart. Good to see you.

And CNN political commentator and Democratic strategist Maria Cardona. Good to see you as well.

So Alice, let me begin with you. Why is Kellyanne Conway publicly dismissing Mitt Romney and saying she does respect Trump's decision if he ultimately picks Romney?

[15:05:03] ALICE STEWART, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, I mean, clearly, she has asked the question and she answers it.

Look. I too believe that Mitt Romney has a good record in leadership and he does have a role in the future of the Republican Party and this country. And he will help bring about party unity. But at the same time, the secretary of state's position is a high price to pay for party unity. I think there is something for him to do and there are many other people names that are being discussed for that position. Rudy Giuliani being one, who have been at Donald Trump's side from the very beginning and been in the trenches and defended him and stood up for him. And that is what Kellyanne is saying.

WHITFIELD: But you don't get to interpret that about Rudy Giuliani, you know. You get to interpret Kellyanne as essentially dismissing or being very critical of Mitt Romney. And it seems odd that the public would be hearing about this or does this say that there are some real infighting about how some in the camp think Romney is a good choice and how others don't? I mean, do you want to publicly air that?

STEWART: Well, look, as I said, she was in the camp. She was inside the Trump campaign. And every time it took a step forward, there's Mitt Romney routinely giving speeches or saying something to undermine the Trump campaign. And she felt those attacks firsthand more than anyone. So clearly she has more of a stake in this than a lot of other people. And when she has been asked, her thoughts on one of the two or three leading contenders this is where she feels.

She felt the brunt of a lot of those attacks firsthand. But the key - the bottom line is, as she indicated, at the end of the day it is Donald Trump's decision and we all trust his gut instinct and his keen insight on who would be the best person for that job.

WHITFIELD: So Maria, how do you interpret all this? MARIA CARDONA, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: I think it is astoundingly

bizarre, Fred. We have never seen anything like this. But then again, it's the Donald Trump transition. We have never seen anything like the kind of campaign he ran, the kind of divisive rhetoric he used and yet he got elected. So it is astoundingly bizarre in terms of comparison, but we have also come to learn that we shouldn't really compare the way that he does things with anybody else.

But here is kind of where I land on this. I really believe that if Mitt Romney was a serious contender for the secretary of state, I can almost assure you that Donald Trump would have told his people don't go out and trash him because he is going to want his supporters to ultimately support his decision, if in fact he was seriously considering Mitt Romney. I kind of think it's sort of like a bizarre payback for exactly everything that Kellyanne Conway is complaining that Romney did during the campaign --

WHITFIELD: A way of humiliating him.

CARDONA: Yes. A way of publicly humiliating him. It's kind of sick to think that way. But we know that Donald Trump is Donald Trump. And we have seen this kind of payback and nastiness in other ways. I don't see any other way to really look at it because if he was serious about considering him, I don't think he would let his folks go out and talk that way publicly about Mitt Romney. And if he isn't serious, then, you know, why not publicly humiliate him. He felt publicly humiliated by Mitt Romney.

WHITFIELD: OK. All right. So something else to dissect, this is Kellyanne Conway this morning talking about how president-elect Trump and President Obama have talked regularly and most notably as early as yesterday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CONWAY: Leaders listen. They learn. They take counsel of many people. They see what the circumstances are. And he is even been talking to President Obama. You know, beyond the sit down they had 30 hours or so after president-elect Trump won the election, they have been talking regularly on a number of issues. They talked just yesterday.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: OK. So Alice, was behind this willingness on both men's part to have lengthy talks person to person on Obamacare and she says it sounds like there have been other conversations between that meetings and then again yesterday on phone talking about Cuba/U.S. relations?

STEWART: Well, I think it's a good sign on both parties, President Obama and Donald Trump to unite, unite the country on some many of these key issues. And I think I take the president at his word when he said he would do anything he possibly could to help in the transition process. He was very complimentary of how George Bush transferred power to him. And he will do the same for Donald Trump. And I think the fact that Trump is also reaching out and engaging in

conversations about some of these key issues, we have already seen some instance where he may be a softening somewhat on some of these issues, Obamacare being one of the key issues instead of repealing and replacing Obamacare, maybe just tweaking certain aspects of that.

So I think these are important conversations to be had. I think it shows a good sign on both sides that they are willing to listen to both sides in order to make a smooth and peaceful transition.

[15:10:14] WHITFIELD: Maria?

CARDONA: I actually completely agree with that. I do think it's smart on both ends. And it's interesting that it's happening right after the death of Fidel Castro because I think what is on the question of so many is what is the future of the Cuba/U.S. relations, especially when Trump has made very negative statements about the kind of deal that President Obama moved forward with in terms of opening diplomatic ties.

And so, I hope that part of that conversation was that you really can't put the genie back in the bottle in terms of the progress that we have made with opening up relations with Cuba. And that Donald Trump understands as many free market Republicans understand that this is the future both for Cuba and for the United States. And that we should find ways to continue to push the kind of democratic changes we all want to see in Cuba without cutting off the kind of progress that we have made thus far.

WHITFIELD: And years ago, the "Miami Herald" kind of reminded everyone recently this weekend that years ago was Donald Trump the businessman who even intimated an interest in putting up a Trump hotel or something in Cuba. So there is that interest of opening up that kind of gateway.

STEWART: I do think one thing we will see is that Trump has always been of the mindset that the Obama overtures to Cuba were one sided. There was no concessions on Cuba's part. And Donald Trump wants to see more of a bilateral agreement with Cuba. And he also has certain priorities with regard to freeing political prisoners and freeing back Americans who are escaping law here in country. And opening up Cuba for religious and political freedoms. Those are his top priorities with regard to our relationship with Cuba.

CARDONA: There were concessions made on behalf of Cuba. They were prisoners that were set free, but we need to continue to push those. I think that is something that we can both, both sides, can agree to.

WHITFIELD: And we are going to talk more about those warming relations between the U.S. and Cuba, at least what we have seen over the past year and a half.

Alright, thanks so much Alice Stewart, Maria Cardona. Appreciate that.

STEWART: Thank you. WHITFIELD: All right. Also next, president-elect Trump will be

leaving his Palm Beach estate soon already for a slate of at least eight meetings tomorrow with potential cabinet and staff picks. Find out who is headed to Trump tower as well.

Plus, the president-elect has been slamming the Wisconsin recount effort that Hillary Clinton's team just joined in with the Green Party. Trump calling it a scam cooked up by the Green Party to raise millions. We'll be joined live by a recount expert next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:16:09] WHITFIELD: So after the Hillary Clinton campaign announced it would join the Green Party recount, Donald Trump is calling that effort impossible and demoralized. Last night he tweeted quote "the Democrats when they incorrectly thought they were going to win ask that the election night tabulation be accepted, not so anymore."

The recount is being spearheaded by Green Party leader Jill Stein. Stein has also been fund raising to file for a recount in `Michigan and Pennsylvania. I want to talk about this with Rosemary Rodriguez, former chairwoman of the election assistance commission. Good to see you.

ROSEMARY RODRIGUEZ, FORMER ELECTION ASSISTANT COMMUNICATION CHAIRWOMAN: Good to see you, Fredericka.

WHITFIELD: All right. So my question to you, you know, how would this recount work? Because I think a lot of people envision recount. I think of the 2000, you know, recount in Florida with the hanging chads, the pregnant chads and seeing these paper ballots. But this is not what this is. How would it work?

RODRIGUEZ: Well, first of all, I can assure all Americans that the system have improved greatly since the 2000 election. And we are no longer using some of that older equipment that caused all Americans so much concern.

But this is -- this recount and it's going to take place in Wisconsin is enabled by law. The party, Jill Stein and her party are entitled to the recount under state statutes. And questions have been raised about their rumors swirling around and this is simply a way for the Stein people to verify the election. And it's a real chance - it is a real tribute to our transparency and our accountability.

WHITFIELD: Yes. And even mostly - these are mostly electronic ballots, correct? So how would they be re-tabulated?

RODRIGUEZ: Well, you basically rerun the election, simulation of what actually happened on the day of the election. Nothing has changed between then and now, except possibly an error or not on a computer tabulating equipment.

WHITFIELD: OK. So the deadline for Wisconsin is completing this recount by December 13th. Is it realistic that deadline could be met? RODRIGUEZ: It should be realistic. I don't know if -- I don't even

know if Wisconsin has done a recount before but election officials across the country are prepared for this in the states that allow it, simply a matter of good press and some policy.

WHITFIELD: OK. You're a Democrat. How do you respond to criticism from president-elect Trump that Hillary Clinton is being a hypocrite by, you know, joining the Green Party effort to challenge these election results?

RODRIGUEZ: I believe that if in joining this, if she were asking for something exceptional or out of the ordinary, I think that would be a viable criticism. But this is all within the construct of the state laws.

WHITFIELD: So Jill Stein, you know, her goal is $7 million. She has already raised more than $6 million as of this afternoon. Is that how much it costs to get these recounts in now three states?

RODRIGUEZ: The Stein folks should pay the appropriate cost and this is what the states are -- have calculated as the actual costs and absolutely those asking for the recount should pay the full cost appropriately in my opinion.

WHITFIELD: OK. And Jill Stein was a guest on CNN NEWSROOM yesterday and said that all of the money raised would go towards the recount.

All right, Rosemary Rodriguez.

[15:20:08] RODRIGUEZ: Yes, that's good.

WHITFIELD: Thank you so much. Appreciate it.

RODRIGUEZ: Thank you so much.

WHITFIELD: All right. Next, a controversial sheriff and congressman and the founder of one of the nation's largest black owned businesses, just some of the people, scheduled to meet with president-elect Trump tomorrow. We are live at his Palm Beach estate to break down the who's who.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:24:07] WHITFIELD: Welcome back. Live pictures in Palm Beach, Florida. Possibly the route there that would take a president-elect Donald Trump from Mar-a-Lago, his home there, to the airport as he embarks on a journey up north to New York to meet with the number of people, his transition team and other possible candidates for his next administration. He is expected to hold eight meetings tomorrow to fill remaining posts. That meeting taking place in New York. Let's check back with CNN's Ryan Nobles who is in Palm Beach.

So Ryan, what more can you tell us about tomorrow's scheduled meetings?

RYAN NOBLES, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Fredericka. President- elect Donald Trump all looking to wrap up his thanksgiving holiday weekend here at Mar-a-Lago behind me. Hus is motorcade getting set to take off here.

Sometime in the next hour, he will make his way back to New York whereas you mentioned, he has a busy day planned on Monday, eight different candidates will make their way to Trump tower to have meetings with the president-elect and vice president-elect Mike Pence.

And I want to talk about two of those candidates in particular, the first is Sheriff David Clark. He is the Milwaukee county sheriff. He is a very prominent law enforcement voice. He is a very strong supporter of the second amendment. He spoke at the Republican National Convention. He is also a very vocal critic of the black lives matter movement. And this is significant because he is, of course, African-American and he is also a Democrat. He is rumored to be among the candidates for next secretary of homeland security.

The other person coming to the Trump tower is a woman by the name Kathleen Harnet White. And she is the former head of the Texas commission on environmental quality. Now, she is rumored to be among Trump's candidates as the head of the environmental protection agency, which is interesting because she is a pretty big critic of the EPA. She believes that many of the EPA's regulations have been hurting small businesses across the country. She is also a big proponent of expanding coal and fracking across the country. And her big, big thing that she's knocked quite frequently is that regulatory environment. She thinks that it has been very hurtful to business across the country. And she was an early Trump supporter. She sat early on his board of economic advisers. And one of the most prominent and outspoken women supporting Trump during the campaign.

So we will have to see what happens with these meetings starting on Monday. And of course Fredericka, we are still keeping a very close eye on who the next secretary of state will be. That appears to be a decision that Donald Trump is still spending quite a bit of time on making -- Fred.

[15:26:36] WHITFIELD: All right. Ryan Nobles, thank you so much in Palm Beach.

All right. Next, Elian Gonzalez, now 22 years old, mourns the death of Fidel Castro as his second father. Hear the views of the young man who was a castaway as a child and famously caught between family members in the U.S. and Cuba.

And I will also be joined live by the RNC director of Hispanic communications to discuss the possible Cuba/U.S. relation goals of a Trump administration.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:30:15] WHITFIELD: Hello again. And thank you so much for joining me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

The 5-year-old Cuban castaway caught in the middle of an international custody dispute 16 years ago is remembering Fidel Castro fondly. Remember this iconic image right there? It was the moment that Elian Gonzalez was ripped from his Florida relatives home and forcibly removed and return to his father in Cuba. That same old boy, now an adult, 22 years old, is praising Castro calling him father figure and a friend. Students at the University of Havana are expressing the same sentiment, chanting I am Fidel. That taking place during a candle light vigil and praising Fidel Castro as a revolutionary.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He came from here and he just struggle of that. (INAUDIBLE) that we actually had some value and with unity, we can make any change possible. He was not only an example to Cuba, he was also example to American-Latino. I believe he an example to the entire world.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: In Miami, quite the contrast, crowds are cheering Castro's death. And that's where we find our Boris Sanchez.

So Boris, tell us more about the contrast of how people are behaving there in Miami versus what Elian Gonzalez is now saying.

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Fred, it's hard to believe that both these groups of people are reacting to the death of the same person. There's a D.J. here that set up some speakers. There is a huge crowd here. It's got a considerably bigger since the last time we spoke to you. However, it's important to point out this is maybe a third or a fourth of what we saw yesterday and the night before.

Obviously, there's elation here. There's a tremendous amount of relief, something that people here have been telling us that they have been looking forward to this moment for a very long time. That this is something they have even been praying for very, very different in Cuba.

Somber, nine days of mourning for Fidel Castro. And perhaps no one best encompasses that divide more than Elian Gonzalez. That's a story that captured people here and on the island for months. As you know, and if you listen to Elian's words, as you said, he describes Fidel as a father figure. Listen closely to his response to Fidel's passing.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ELIAN GONZALEZ, FORMER SUSPECT OF INTERNATIONAL CUSTODY DISPUTE (through translator): He is a father who like my father. I wanted to show him everything I achieved, that he would be proud of me. That's how it was with Fidel. If I learned something and wanted to show him and there are still many things I want to show him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: The fascinating part about that is, as you know, Fred, Elian was beloved when he was here in Miami. After he was taken back to Cuba and he was embraced with open arms by Fidel, people here kind of started to turn in terms of public opinion towards him. They saw him as more a propaganda tool of Fidel's, a way for him to kind of show that he had a victory over the United States and the imperialist encroachment of the United States on Cuba.

So people here don't necessarily -- have a high opinion of Elian. They see him more as a prop than an objective voice and someone who can lend perspective to the divide between the exiles here and this (INAUDIBLE) response and the more somber one of those still on the island, Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Boris Sanchez, thank you so much there in Miami.

All right. The death of Fidel Castro could possibly threaten U.S./Cuban relations just as tensions were beginning to thaw, this as president-elect Donald Trump has threatened to undo president Obama's efforts to bring the two governments closer together.

Joining me now to discuss, Helen Ferre, the director of Hispanic communications for the Republican national committee and Maria Cardona, commentator and Democratic strategist. Good to see both of you.

CARDONA: Hey, Fred.

HELEN FERRE, DIRECTOR, HISPANIC COMMUNICATIONS FOR THE REPUBLICAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: Helen, let me begin with you. Because we just heard from Elian Gonzalez praising Castro but many Cubans and Cuban-Americans sharply disagreeing really mostly Cuban-Americans sharply disagreeing awedably (ph) now. So do you think Castro's death will change the direction that we have seen thus far in the past year and a half with the Obama administration? Will it change under the direction of a President Donald Trump?

FERRE: Well, thank you, Fredericka for the opportunity to speak today. And one of the things that we see here in Miami and I was on (INAUDIBLE) southwest 8th street yesterday for many, many hours and it was a bitter sweet moment where, you know, you are happy for the dawn of a new era, the possibility of democracy perhaps having an opportunity to flow. But at the same time, sad that there was the price after 57 years of a brutal dictatorship, that's been so much tragedy and loss of human life. Even Elian Gonzalez himself had a lot of violent acts in his very early life, including the drowning of his mother who was trying to bring him here to freedom in the Unites States.

So when we look what's happened over the last couple of years in Cuba, one would have hoped that the agreement with the United States and Cuba would have brought in an ushered in an opportunity for democracy. But what we see is that the ladies in white (INAUDIBLE) are being attacked even more than ever before. Dissidents even today are being taken from their home to undisclosed locations. Their families are being told that if they leave their homes they also will be arrested. And we see --. [15:35:49] WHITFIELD: But do you like that there has been an effort

made by the U.S. to warm relations that these are the beginning stages or do you believe that all of that should be -- those efforts sure irradiated and start anew? Or dismantled all together.

FERRE: Well, Fredericka, if our position was let's warm up to the Cuban military regime which is still in power today. Those who are in power a week ago are still in power today, then we did a super great job because they are the ones that we are doing business with.

We are not doing business with the Cuban people. We are doing with the Cuban military regime. The longest military dictatorship in our western hemisphere. So when we look at and President-elect Donald Trump, I think it is absolutely, you know, correct in looking at what is going on in Cuba. There are concessions that should have been made and weren't made. We have American fugitives who are living free in Cuba. We don't have political freedom or religious freedom on the island. There's no movement towards democracy --

WHITFIELD: So what are you seeing? What do you think -- what do you think should be next? What do you think is plausible and reasonable and acceptable under a Trump administration in terms of what would be next?

FERRE: Well, first of all, president-elect Trump has indicated that he is going to look at all of the executive orders and executive actions that have been taken. And there are some that may be illegal in the case of Cuba in particular, when you look at the expansion of banking and other issues overriding the role of the embargo in this particular case. And so, what needs to be done is -- and he has indicated that he will do is that he is going to review this very complex situation and he is going to find a way to negotiate a better deal so that --

(CROSSTALK)

WHITFIELD: I'm trying to get at what's a better deal? Explain what you or --

FERRE: A better deal -- a better deal is one that brings about viable means of transforming -- helping transform Cuba into a democracy. Because it is no -- there's no question that Cuba is an exporter of terrorism. Cuba is the one that (INAUDIBLE) the Venezuelan government which is not a legitimate government any more than the Cuban government is. And you see that going on in Bolivia as well, Nicaragua, Ecuador. So as an export, has a very close relationship with Hezbollah.

And what we need to do is we need to try to provide support so that you can have support to the civil society so that we can help bring about means. If we are going to do business with Cuba, it should be with the Cuban people and not with the Cuban military.

WHITFIELD: OK. So Maria, what are you envisioning is potentially next that you look forward to or that you worry about? CARDONA: Well, I worry about that a Trump will just erase the kind of

progress we have seen by closing up diplomatic ties which is what he has threatened to do. I think by listening to the pressure of those in Miami-Dade who absolutely don't want the United States to have any relationship with Cuba.

I don't think that will happen though, Fred, because it is really tough to put the genie back in the bottle. And the genie that I am talking about is progress towards democracy, towards all of those things that my friend Helen was talking about. And I agree with her that we do need to -- whatever we do to move forward and we have to move forward, not backward, we have to make sure that we do pressure -- continue to pressure Cuba, which is frankly the reason why President Obama made this deal in the first place, to meet those democratic principles that we all believe is -- are so important to the Cuban people.

Well, let's also be very clear. The time are changing -- 70 percent of the Cuban American community in Miami-Dade was supportive of this deal that Obama made with Cuba because they understand that opening up the ties with Cuba it was really the only way to seek to continue to make progress towards real democracy.

Sixty three percent of those who supported the deal also support lifting the embargo. Lifting the embargo is the only way we can do what Helen just stated which is incredibly important. And that is do business with the Cuban people.

[15:40:17] WHITFIELD: Such as sending support --

CARDONA: So those are all things that I really hope that Trump will be the one to underscore as he re-evaluates this particular deal with Cuba.

WHITFIELD: All right. We will leave it right there, ladies.

CARDONA: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: Really quick, Helen?

FERRE: Just very quickly, president-elect Trump has been clear that he doesn't mind doing direct negotiations with the Cuban government. But he has said there has to be concessions made on the part of the Cuban government which has all having to do with political and religious freedoms, releasing the American fugitives of justice and more. But those are like some of the fundamentals that need to be - had given in return.

CARDONA: let's do it.

WHITFIELD: Helen and Maria, thank you so much.

CARDONA: Thanks, Fred.

FERRE: Thank you. WHITFIELD: Next, dozens of people killed this weekend and thousands

of families trapped as the Syrian regime takes back some key sections of eastern Aleppo. What this means in the brutal civil war.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:44:46] WHITFIELD: Syrian forces have now entered a key rebel-held neighborhood in eastern Aleppo, launching a long threatened ground assault to retake all of the city. Hundreds have already been killed in weeks of artillery strikes on the area. And UNICEF, the children's aide agency says the situation is especially dire for kids in Aleppo.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[15:45:07] JUSTIN FORSYTH, DEPUTY EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, UNICEF: During a desperate situation, children are not only malnourished that was also being bombed. Doctors are running out of medical supplies. One team of doctors and nurses told us they are literally having to choose which children live or die. The most injured children they have to let die because the medical supplies is so low.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Eastern Aleppo is considered one of the last urban strongholds of the rebels fighting the Assad regime.

And elsewhere in Syria and Iraq, the fight against ISIS continues. And one of the least known tools being used against the insurgent group is a highly secretive aerial spying program. The pilots flying an altitude so high they have to wear space suits.

CNN's senior international correspondent Frederik Pleitgen has this incredible firsthand look at how they gather intelligence.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): Fighting ISIS in a space suit. We can only identify the pilot by his first name, Captain Steven, and by his cosine, meathead. He is about to embark on a high altitude reconnaissance mission in a U-2 spy plane. We were given rare access to the preparation, launch and landing of one of these highly secretive missions that have a clear objective, one of the pilot's tell me.

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

PLEITGEN: The U-2 can fly extremely high with 70,000 feet and get pictures and other informations to forces on the ground very fast. It is a cold war era plane, flying since the 1950s but its cameras and sensors have been completely upgraded.

With its 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 eve day.

The information from these surveillance platforms is key to helping jets from the U.S.-led anti-ISIS coalition strike their targets. Support of forces combatting 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 is pretty hard to land.

We are in a chase car that speeds after the jet helping to guide the pilot to the ground after almost ten-hour mission. Peeling himself out of the cockpit, Captain Steven says he believes the U-2 is making a major impact.

CAPTAIN STEVEN, U.S. AIR FORCE: Things that we can do while we are up there, as well as how often we are up there, thanks to maintenance guys we're constantly in the air providing support for 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.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right. Frederik Pleitgen, thank you so much.

Still to come, Melania Trump delaying her move into the White House. We will look at what else we can expect from the future first lady.

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[15:52:00] WHITFIELD: All right. Even after Donald Trump's January inauguration, the future first lady will not be moving into the White House right away. Instead, Melania Trump will remain in New York while their 10-year-old son finishes out the school year. So how unusual is this?

With me now is Kate Anderson Brower. She is the author of "First Women, the grace and power of America's modern first ladies."

Welcome to you, Kate.

KATE ANDERSON BROWER, AUTHOR, FIRST WOMEN: Thanks for having me, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: OK. So it is a personal decision, but there have been other families with small kids who have moved right into the White House from, you know, the Carters, the Clintons, the Obamas. So what do you read into this decision from the Trumps?

BROWER: Well, I mean Melania Trump is not playing by the same rule book other first ladies have played by. Like you said Michelle Obama had a seven and ten-year-old when she moved Sasha and Malia into the White House. And Melania is breaking a lot of ground. She is the first former super model, the first third wife of a president. The first First lady with a pre-nup agreement with her husband which is I think very interesting.

And so, I think that she doesn't think she has to play by the same rules other first ladies have played by. Though, I do think that she probably will move into the White House after she get their son Baron through school. I think a lot of mothers can understand why she would want to keep him in the school that they really love in New York City. So that part of it does makes sense. Look at the Obamas are staying in D.C. while Sasha finishes school.

WHITFIELD: And do you think - so you do think that it is largely because of Baron, not necessary because Melania, too, needs some transition into this new role?

BROWER: I think that's part of it. I mean, look. The campaign right, the transition team is really focused on who is going to be the next secretary of state, not who is going to be our social secretary. They don't have that. That part of it is not - so not yet for them. And it is a huge machine, the east wing, you know. Dozens of staffers. You need a chief of staff or social secretary. And as we --

WHITFIELD: And all of that is in place. I mean, it is a pretty significant staff like almost 30 members on a first lady's staff.

BROWER: Right. I mean, and there's some debate about whether or not it's worth it. I think it is 1.5 million for Michelle Obama's staff. But I do think it is worth it. I think these women make an incredible sacrifices. And they do - things do get done. Look at the military families campaign that Michelle Obama launched. And Nancy Reagan just say no to drugs. I mean, these are important issues that Republican and Democratic first ladies have taken up.

WHITFIELD: And Melania has committed that cyber bullying is something that she wants to, you know, really tackle. Do you see that that is something she will start right away that, no, she will be in New York and not necessarily in the White House or is that a focus of hers once she does eventually move into the White House?

BROWER: I think it will take some time to that get underway. It took Michelle Obama some time to find the chief of staff that works and the let's move campaign get underway. So I think we will see her take that on closer to, you know, the fall of next year. It will take several months. But it is an interesting sort of apolitical campaign to take on. Not a lot of people would criticize it. Of course, they criticized her in relation to her husband and released that on tweeter, but I think it's a smart, you know, outside of their specific context. It's a smart kind of perfect first lady issue, cyber bullying.

[15:55:15] WHITFIELD: Melania Trump did meet face to face with Michelle Obama and then she talked about, you know, how lovely it was to meet her. Do you believe that Melania Trump will be seeking advice or reaching out, you know, to any predecessors similar to the way, already Donald Trump and Barack Obama have been having dialogue about shaping things once the baton I guess is passed?

BROWER: Well, it is interesting. I mean, even Jimmy Carter called Donald Trump after he won to congratulate him. So I mean, people reach across the aisle. This is fraternity and so the sisterhood of women. There are very few people in the world to know what this is like. I wouldn't be surprised if Melania Trump does talk to someone like Laura Bush. You know, the most Republican first lady. I think with Michelle Obama, you know, it is very difficult because of how divisive this campaign was. But there is always that interest, as you say, passing the baton peacefully. And really, there is a lot of empathy among these women.

WHITFIELD: Michelle Obama was herald as very modern, you know, first lady, mom in-chief, you know, someone who also came from a corporate background and, you know, quite the pedigree education wise. How do you see Melania Trump, you know, quickly, kind of encapsulate how might -- what might be her signature?

BROWER: Well, I mean, I think she will be incredibly private. And we see that already. She barely was on the campaign trail. Michelle Obama was on the campaign trail quite a bit. So I think it is kind of taking us back to a really traditional first lady which is very ironic because she is modern in many other ways.

WHITFIELD: All right. Kate Anderson Brower, thank you so much. Appreciate it.

BROWER: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right. Also, straight ahead, we are keeping a close eye on the Trump plane that you see right there sitting on the tarmac in West Palm Beach as we soon makes its way back to New York to have meetings with his transition team.

More when we come back.

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