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New Day Sunday

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Hospitalized; Trump's Lawyer Jokes About Being The Fall Guy; Trump Tweets Support For Navy SEAL Convicted Of Posing With Dead ISIS Fighter; Calls Grow For Trump Adviser To Resign Over Leaked E-Mails; One Group Remembers Injustice Against Native Americans. Aired 7-8a ET

Aired November 24, 2019 - 07:00   ET

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

[07:00:02]

RUDY GIULIANI, PRESIDENT TRUMP'S PERSONAL ATTORNEY: When they say that, I say he isn't, but I have insurance.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm leaving right now.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hang on. I want to go on the record and say you guys need to lay off my boy! Everybody loves his ass!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ukraine, Russia.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's enough. That's enough.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They will do anything for this man. I know. I ask.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANNOUNCER: This is NEW DAY WEEKEND with Victor Blackwell and Christi Paul.

CHRISTI PAUL, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to Sunday. Good morning to you. We are glad you're here.

We begin this hour with some news about Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. A health scare for her this morning.

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: She could be released as early as this morning after being taken to the hospital on Friday.

CNN's Ariane de Vogue has more for us.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ARIANE DE VOGUE, CNN SUPREME COURT REPORTER: Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, 86 years old, fell ill Friday afternoon. She went to a local hospital on her own but then was transported by ambulance to a hospital in Baltimore where some of her regular doctors are. She was admitted and treated for a possible infection with antibiotics.

A court spokesperson said that after that treatment, her symptoms got better. It's worth noting she was at the court Friday morning when the justices met for their closed door conference. It's believed they discussed an emergency petition from President Trump who is seeking to block the release of his financial records. The court is on a brief recess now. But they are in the middle of a momentous term.

Earlier this month, she did miss one day of arguments due to the stomach flu. But otherwise, she has been an active participant on the bench.

Ariane de Vogue, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLACKWELL: Justice Ginsburg is four-time cancer survivor and has had a lengthy list of medical issues. In August of this year, she was treated for pancreatic cancer. Last fall, nearly two months before she underwent surgery to remove the cancerous nodules. Ginsburg was treated for three ribs she fractured after fall in her office.

PAUL: The 86-year-old was treated for pancreatic in 2009 and colon cancer in 1999. Speaking this past July, she said she's committed to staying in the court as long as she can do effectively.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JUSTICE RUTH BADER GINSBURG, SUPREME COURT: I've only said I'll stay on this job as long as I can do it full steam. And that means at my age, 86, you have to take it year-by-year.

So I know I'm OK. I was OK this last term. I expect to be OK next term. And after that, we will just have to see.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: Let's bring in Irin Carmon. She is a senior correspondent for "New York" magazine, co-author of "Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg", also a CNN contributor.

Welcome back.

IRIN CARMON, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Good morning. Thanks for having me.

BLACKWELL: So, let's start here. I mean, when you first hear that Justice Ginsburg has missed oral arguments, as rare as that is it is a lot of people become alarmed. What is keeping her going, 86, in all of these challenges?

CARMON: Well, you know, it has been a white knuckle year for the many admirers of Justice Ginsburg. Those who want to see her continue her legacy, those who admire her, who are concerned about her health. Obviously, nobody likes to see her admitted to the hospital, obviously.

That said, she is so incredibly committed to the work. She has endured the kinds of health challenges that would fell a lesser mortal, but each time, she has returned to the court, even working from her hospital bed, when necessary. She has continued to put out work at the highest caliber all of her colleagues have agreed and I think she is really motivated by seeing through the e quality and justice to which she has committed her life.

I also think she said, in fact, that not only will she continue to do the job full steam, as long as she can do it full steam. She said that she'd like to stay at least five more years. Having previously called President Trump a faker, I think it's safe to assume that she would like to outlast President Trump if at all possible.

PAUL: I was going to ask if this administration is -- the current administration is a big part of her motivation. How does she stay fit? I mean, she's very active as I understand it.

CARMON: Yes, she is. In fact, her personal trainer is the author of his own book and she professional said that she continued to work out throughout the time she was being treated for cancer and that it's partly her workout that has kept her -- I've mentioned her commitment to the work, her commitment to values. It's also doing planks and push-up push-ups.

In the CNN documentary, "RBG", you can actually Justice Ginsburg doing that workout. I can say I myself worked out with Justice Ginsburg's trainer and despite the fact I'm 50 years younger than her, it was a pretty tough workout.

[07:05:06]

BLACKWELL: What does she make of the reaction when there is a news alert that says Justice Ginsburg has a stomach bug or she has chills? Is she annoyed by it? Is she -- what's her reaction to it?

CARMON: You know, Victor, she has been quite transparent about her health. You can't say that every public official has said enough about every single hospital visit or as much about every hospital visit as she has. I think she understands the public is concerned about her. I think she appreciates there are so many people around the world who are wishing her well. But I think, also, she wants to put people's mind at ease.

So, I think it's very striking that despite the fact that she was dealing with her second bout of cancer in 12 months in September and October, she made more than a dozen public appearances including as far as Arkansas and I believe she was in Berkeley. I mean, she sold out a football stadium in Arkansas. So I think there is -- she knows that the public wants to see her. She knows the public wants to hear from her and she is willing to be really transparent and is out there as she can, even as she is recovering from these health issues.

PAUL: Very remarkable. BLACKWELL: Yes. There are certainly some who suggested that she

step down first term of Obama so he could name another justice and she declined.

Irin Carmon, thanks so much for being with us.

CARMON: Thank you.

(MUSIC)

BLACKWELL: President Trump's personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani, for the second time now, is warning he will not be anyone's scapegoat. Giuliani's efforts in Ukraine to dig up dirt on the Bidens became a central issue in the public impeachment hearings and now we know from his Fox interview, Fox News, he believed that President Trump would stay loyal to him.

Watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GIULIANI: You can assume I talk to him early and often.

FOX NEWS HOST: Yes.

GIULIANI: And have a very, very good relationship with him and all of these comments, which are totally insulting.

FOX NEWS HOST: Yes.

GIULIANI: I mean, I see things written like he's going to throw me under the bus.

FOX NEWS HOST: Right.

GIULIANI: When they say that, I say he isn't but I have insurance.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL: Giuliani later attempted to clean up that comment about having insurance and he tweeted this: Truth alert, the statement I've made several times of having an insurance policy, if thrown under bus, is sarcastic & relates to the files in my safe about the Biden family's four decade monetizing his office. If I disappear, it will appear immediately along with my RICO chart.

Douglas Brinkley, CNN presidential historian, is with us now.

I want to get your reaction first of all, to that tweet and to the relationship between Rudy Giuliani and President Trump. Was there anything like this? Is there any precedent to this?

DOUGLAS BRINKLEY, CNN PRESIDENTIAL HISTORIAN: Well, you know, sometimes presidents have a kind of alter ego, Woodrow Wilson with Colonel House, or John F. Kennedy with Ted Sorensen, somebody who really understood the workings of their mind. But we've never seen such a weird and dog and pony show as Donald Trump and Rudy Giuliani. What they share is a great celebrity-hood from being in New York City, they are household names and they are Republicans.

But the thought that Donald Trump wants to use somebody like Giuliani who seems to be unraveling at the seams all the time, people have to question his mental stability even, that the president wants to use him and this wildcard rogue creating shadow in foreign policy and digging dirt on opponents and bragging about it is bizarre. I don't think it serves the president well to be having Giuliani anywhere near him. If anything, the one thing most Americans agree on, Democrats and Republicans, is Giuliani intervention in Ukraine was another mess.

PAUL: We know that the president values loyalty and he most likely sees Rudy Giuliani as very loyal to him and I want to get into that further when it comes to the GOP and their loyalty to the president. The president just in the last I think late last night tweeted this: 95 percent approval rate in the Republican Party, a record. Thank you.

Now, I need to compare that to "The Washington Post" article that says it's also likely he is making it up, meaning that number, that 95 percent, because actual polls from actual pollsters don't have his approval anywhere near 95 percent. In fact, a new poll from "The Washington Post" and our partners at ABC news has Trump's approval among Republicans at a low for his presidency, 74 percent.

Compare and contrast for us, Doug, the party support, the loyalty of the GOP for President Trump and what it was like in the Nixon era during the impeachment.

BRINKLEY: Well, there is no doubt Donald Trump has loyalty among the Republicans. But a drop down to 70 percent is a very meaningful towards him, because nationally he only has 40 percent approval rating meaning independents don't turn toward Donald Trump.

[07:10:09]

Without the independents, he can't win.

But during the Nixon years, you had Republicans willing to step up and put country over party. We have mentioned them a lot on CNN the last month. I mean, names like Howard Baker of Tennessee or Barry Goldwater of Arizona and the list goes on. They really were profiles of courage and told Nixon, you lied to the country, you lied to me, you're gone.

We don't see that GOP in action right now. It's going to be an amazing vote of impeachment where a very may not be one Republican in Congress that votes to move the impeachment forward to having a Senate trial. In the Senate, it might get different. They are larger and they have six-year terms. Some of them have presidential ambitions or want to be day glow in the history books, there so Mitt Romney and a few others who potentially, only potentially might bolt.

But this is a president that knows that Robert Frost the poet said the only way out is through. The only way Donald Trump can get out of this is go through impeachment and come out ahead because the Senate trial won't reject him from the White House and he'll be able to be running full steam in March and April with his base around him and he'll try to build that 70 percent back up to the 90 percent of his dreams.

PAUL: So, Doug, the president, on Friday, a couple of days ago, was on Fox and here is what he said. He mentioned, quote, the Democrats and their machine, the media machine, et cetera, taking some shots at the media. If there had been a media outlet like Fox during the Nixon era, do you think that would have changed things in any way? And how effective is that? What is the impact of that now?

BRINKLEY: What a great question. Yes, I think it's had a seismic impact. If Nixon had Fox, it would have helped him tremendously. He would have had conservative allies and get an idea what stand to take.

Even that said, if there was Fox, once those Nixon tapes came out, Nixon had really handed over the smoking gun to his opponents. Nixon, himself, said I gave them the sword to which to stab me with.

It would have been hard even with Fox News for Nixon to escape the fact that he needed to resign. But all presidents under impeachment in recent times, meaning Nixon and Bill Clinton, all think that the press is bent to get them from day one and Trump is one of those presidents and some presidents float above the press and others are at war with them. And Donald Trump, as we all know, despises the news media.

PAUL: Right, right. And Twitter, of course, has changed things as well. I'm sorry we have run out of time and can't talk about that.

Douglas Brinkley, always appreciate your insight. Thank you, sir, for being with us.

BRINKLEY: Thank you.

BLACKWELL: All right. A couple of things we want you to watch. The impeachment inquiry in the words of the witnesses airs tonight at 8:00 Eastern and then after that, a CNN special report "All The Presidents Lies." That's at 9:00 Eastern, be sure to watch.

PAUL: Concerns from the nation's top military officials over President Trump's interference in the case of Navy SEAL Edward Gallagher. How his involvement, the president's involvement, could damage the integrity of the military's judicial system.

BLACKWELL: Plus, tragedy in Florida. Details on an Amtrak crash that killed a woman and two children.

PAUL: And I know for a lot of people, Thanksgiving is a time to count blessings, to give thanks. From many Native Americans, the day has a different connotation. We have more on that ahead.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's the one day out of the year, when all of America gives thanks for everything that was taken from us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:17:29]

PAUL: Seventeen minutes past the hour right now.

And according to a CNN local affiliate, a woman and two children are dead after an Amtrak train crashed into their car. This happened in Florida.

BLACKWELL: So, the train was traveling from Miami to New York yesterday afternoon when the car crossed its tracks. Palm Beach police say no passengers were injured on the train. No crossing light or gate at the intersection where the crash happened.

This morning, the Navy secretary is denying report that he plans to resign over a military dispute with President Trump. The Navy official decided to conduct a review of Navy SEAL Eddie Gallagher's fitness. This was days after president restored his rank.

PAUL: Gallagher was demoted after being found guilty of posing for a photo with the dead ISIS fighter's body.

CNN National Correspondent, Kristen Holmes is joining us with more details on this.

Kristen, good morning to you.

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Christi.

Well, that's right. So, all of this stemming from what happened earlier this month when President Trump against the advice of the Pentagon decided to intervene in three of war crimes cases. One of them, the one you just mentioned against Special Operations Chief Eddie Gallagher, restoring his rank.

So, here's what we know, we know shortly after his rank was restored, the head of the Navy SEALs, which is a man by the name of Rear Admiral Collin Green launched a review an investigation into Gallagher, essentially seeing if he was fit to serve as a Navy SEAL. Of course, we know the SEALs are these elite group of the Navy. They have special training, they have special projects, essentially deciding whether or not he was going to stay in this unit.

Right after that in response to this review, which by the way, sources tell us that Green knew once he launched this review he was open to be fired by the president. But shortly after President Trump raised huge concerns in the military when he tweeted this. He said: The Navy will not be taking away war fighter and Navy SEAL Eddie Gallagher's Trident Pin, referring to the Navy SEAL pin. This case was handled very badly from the beginning, get back to the business.

So, following this week, we know especially in the last 48 hours, these military leaders have been talking to the president essentially raising concern of this attempt or seeming apparent attempt to stop, to block the Navy from their own processes here. And in all of this, the Secretary of the Navy, Richard Spencer, who you mentioned at the beginning there, he is the one who signed off, gave his blessing to this review and Admiral Collin Green who launched the review, both of them essentially essential reports they threatened to resign.

[07:20:03]

Now, this is what Spencer said to that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RICHARD SPENCER, NAVY SECRETARY: Contrary to popular belief, I am still here, I did not threatened to resign. But let's just say that we're here to talk about external threats and Eddie Gallagher is not one of them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: And I do want to note that President Trump just moments ago tweeted that Eddie Gallagher will be doing an interview later this morning. So we will keep our eye on that and see what happens in is that developing story.

PAUL: All right. Kristen Holmes, appreciate the update. Thank you.

BLACKWELL: With me now to discuss, CNN Political Analyst and White House Correspondent for American Urban Radio Networks, April Ryan.

April, welcome back.

APRIL RYAN, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Good morning, Victor.

BLACKWELL: Good morning to you.

So, the president, listen, he's commander in chief, he has the right to order investigations on military justice affairs, but the Pentagon -- military officials had strongly advised him not to intervene here. Why is the president so committed to be involved in these cases? This with Eddie Gallagher specifically?

RYAN: Well, number one, this is beyond the fact this president has never served in the military. This is a very serious issue. The president likes to get involved in various issues from knee-jerk reactions when he feels this may not be right.

But when you look beyond the surface, this is really a national security issue. This is a very serious issue for the military and the ripple effects worldwide. Number one, the U.S. military is held at a higher standard than any other military organization in this world, any other country's military. We are held to a higher standard.

And, Victor, if these kind of practices are allowed and continue to happen, if these U.S. military officials are going into other countries where they need the help from other people in those countries, people will dislike them and they won't help out. So this is not just, oh, about a picture of Gallagher with a dead ISIS person.

This has ripple effects and this president is just making a knee-jerk reaction saying, oh, I want to reinstate, he did a valiant thing, but he may have gone in and done a valiant thing but to take a picture next to someone who was an ISIS fighter who is dead, that does not speak of what the U.S. military is about.

BLACKWELL: April, we know and we have reported on the pushback from the Pentagon. Is there internally in the White House any significant resistance to the president's tweeting about the Gallagher case?

RYAN: Well, you know, there are those in the White House who cringe and turn their eye and say, Mr. President, maybe you shouldn't. But this president, when he is set on something, it's hard to turn him around. And at this point, we have to wonder will the president sit and allow this review to happen without going after Admiral Green? The president could say it's in coordination for going against his wishes on Gallagher.

But this president when you go against him, whether you have fact or not, he doesn't like it. We just have to see how this plays out. He is the commander in chief, but at the end of the day, you have a president who is making a knee-jerk reaction about this very controversial and serious photo of Gallagher and this dead ISIS person.

So, we have to see how this plays out and if the White House officials and his top staff can talk him down from this.

BLACKWELL: Yes, we know the review continues and the secretary of the navy said that they will continue unless an order comes and the order they said that, you know, they do what the president says.

April Ryan, good to have you.

RYAN: Yes. Thank you, Victor. Take care.

PAUL: Thank you, April.

So, we have been hearing about leaked emails from President Trump's adviser Stephen Miller. Up next, we are speaking with the reporter who broke the news about Miller's attempts to push white nationalists conspiracy theories.

BLACKWELL: Plus, one of R. Kelly's main defenders is now changing her story. What his girlfriend is now revealing about their relationship.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:27:59]

BLACKWELL: This is terrible. Two young boys -- they are dead, shot and killed. These boys were sitting in a van in a elementary school parking lot in northern California.

PAUL: The Union City Police Department say the boys were 11 and 14. This is the shooting that happened earlier yesterday morning. The older boy died at the scene and the other on the way to the hospital. Police are looking into whether the shooting was connected to another that happened in the city four days prior. There have not been any arrests yet either.

Well, one of R. Kelly's girlfriends who parents have repeatedly claimed she is being controlled by the singer and that they couldn't get a hold of her, she is now herself accusing the singer of being controlling and manipulative.

BLACKWEL: Joycelyn Savage made the accusations in an online post entitled where it all started. Among her claims, Kelly was manipulative, that he made her call him master and that he made his staff watch her constantly even as she showered. She ended the post teasing there is more to come.

PAUL: The singer's attorney Steve Greenberg accused Savage of exploiting her long time loving relationship with Robert. That's a quote. He added this, quote: If she were to tell the truth no one would pay so she has unfortunately chose to regurgitate the stories and lies told by others for her own personal profit, unquote.

BLACKWELL: R. Kelly is pleading not guilty to a list of charges, including forced labor and sexual exploitation. He denies all of the allegations made against him.

PAUL: So, there are calls for White House senior adviser Stephen Miller to resign after leaked emails show him promoting stories from white nationalists and fringe media organizations.

According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, Miller sent more than 900 emails to the Website Breitbart News when he was an aide to Senator Jeff Sessions. Now, these emails were released by the Southern Poverty Law Center.

And Michael Edison Hayden, a senior investigative reporter there, for Southern Poverty Law Center, is with us now.

Michael, thank you so much for being with us. I appreciate it.

We know the fourth series or the fourth in this series of articles is coming out on Monday.

[07:30:05]

Stephen Miller, we know frequently, gave editorial instructions to Breitbart news, we understand. I want to read something from one of the articles here.

It says: The dynamic on display in Miller's emails to Breitbart suggests the conservative outlet was not playing by the same rules that legitimately news organizations played by.

What stood out to you?

MICHAEL EDISON HAYDEN, SENIOR INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER, SOUTHERN POVERTY LAW CENTER: Yes. Well, I mean, the first thing people need to know is that Miller was promoting white nationalist ideas across these emails and very specifically some white nationalist sites that traffic in eugenics and race science, really dehumanizing stuff that is based upon the idea that whites are superior to nonwhite people.

So the idea is that he is using Breitbart with its massive megaphone to create an appetite for the types of policies he is now enacting under President Trump.

PAUL: Was there a primary theme or focus that he had?

HAYDEN: Yes. I mean, he is really, really focused on crimes suspected to be committed by nonwhites. We write a lot about that in the fourth installment as you mentioned is coming out. And he doesn't at all mention any crimes committed by white people when, in the aftermath of the Dylann Roof matters in which nine black church-goers were killed, Miller is not interested in this in the fact that online retails were moving Confederate symbols from their stores, and he's upset about that and he wants to create a counter narrative using Breitbart.

PAUL: Talk to me about Senator Marco Rubio because he was a target in the 2016 election of Miller, you say.

HAYDEN: Yes. Some of this is -- on one hand some of this is just politics. In the context of what we know about Stephen Miller's views from these emails, we can see that the attacks on Rubio are heavily racially tinged. At one point, he sends an email using the #rubiosnewAmericancentury and he does it in the context of a story about a woman who is raped and murdered, beaten to death with hammer by a person who is -- has a Latin last name.

So he is really trying to tie Rubio to all kinds of, you know, really horrific stuff that he associates with Latin immigration.

PAUL: The White House responded to you recall reporting say the Southern Poverty Law Center is waging, quote, an anti-Semitic attack against Miller. What is your response to that?

HAYDEN: It's utterly offensive and completely ridiculous. We have seen a huge rise in anti-Semitism during the Trump era that is very scary and it is, of course, related to the fact that, you know, Miller, you know, from my point of view, Miller's vision to make America great again is make America more fascist. He is talking about stuff that the Nazis talked about, quite frankly, and the idea that he is going to try to accuse us of anti-Semitism, where a civil rights organization has been fighting tirelessly against that. So, I think it says he has nothing else to say about the emails he sent.

PAUL: All right. Michael Edison Hayden, we appreciate you being here. Thank you.

HAYDEN: Thank you so much, Christi.

BLACKWELL: Still to come, we are just a few days from Thanksgiving. And for most people, this is a time to count blessings. But for some Native Americans, this is a time to remember the great injustices against their people.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:37:31]

BLACKWELL: For most Americans, Thanksgiving is a day to counts blessings, spend time with family. But for many Native Americans, the day has a different connotation.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLACKWELL (voice-over): Most of American history hospitable first Thanksgiving. 1621 grateful pilgrims in a new world offer a warm invitation to Ossamequin and members of his Wampanoag Tribe.

But the chairman of the Mashpee Wampanoag calls that depiction a myth.

CEDRIC CROMWELL, CHAIRMAN OF THE MASHPEE WAMPANOAG TRIBE: You know, we sent 19 men over to the first settlers to see why they were shooting guns in practice in arms and say, hey, what are you preparing for? They were preparing for some kind of war to take our people down. And so, we sat down with him to have a discussion and there led a feast.

BLACKWELL: Some elders say the so-called first Thanksgiving is not worth celebrating.

TALL OAK, CO-FOUNDER, NATIONAL DAY O'MOURNING: It's the one day out of the year when all of America bows their head and gives thanks for everything taken from us.

BLACKWELL: Eighty-three-year-old Tall Oak's Rhode Island home is an archive of Native American history. Amongst the books and pictures and relics is a copy of 1970 written by his late friend Wamsutta. He had been invited to a celebration of the arrival of the Mayflower.

OAK: When he had to give the speech, he put it altogether and when he presented it to them, they said that we can't allow you to read that because 90 percent of the people would walk out.

BLACKWELL: We, the Wampanoag, Wamsutta wrote, welcomed you, the white man, with open arms, little knowing that it was the beginning of the end.

OAK: He said he wasn't going to change it, and so, he withdrew from that.

BLACKWELL: And Wamsutta, Tall Oak, and other activists of the American Indian movement created their own event for the following Thanksgiving Day.

OAK: We decided that we would declare it a National Day of Mourning for Native people.

BLACKWELL: And every fourth Thursday of November since, Native Americans have gathered at the statue of Massasoit on Coals Hill in Plymouth to tell the truth that Wamsutta could not.

MAHTOWIN MUNRO, CO-LEADER OF THE UNITED AMERICAN INDIANS OF NEW ENGLAND: We still have to retell the story.

BLACKWELL: Mahtowin Munro, the co-leader of the National Day of Mourning now in its 50th year.

MUNRO: Many more non-native people are interested in listening to contemporary indigenous voices and the messages that we bring that are important to everyone.

BLACKWELL (on camera): There is a monument every few feet here on Oaks Hill, to the pilgrims' first burial ground, to Plymouth Rock, the statue of Massasoit. But this stone commemorating the National Day of Mourning honors as the plaque reads: The struggles of native people to survive today.

[07:40:04]

Now, just a statement of history, but an acknowledgment of the present.

CROMWELL: We are still fighting with our very own trustee who we had treaties with but we agreed to have a relationship in the 1700 and still fighting that fight today to have our land.

BLACKWELL (voice-over): This Thanksgiving, Tall Oak, the only surviving co-creator of the National Day of Mourning, hopes you think less about the native's contribution to a meal nearly 400 years ago and more about, as the plaque on the monument reads, the genocide of millions of their people, the theft of their land, and a relentless assault on their culture.

OAK: It was a terrible way to show your gratitude after you've been given everything to make it possible for you to survive.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLACKWELL: Now, in the fight over land, the Trump administration's Bureau of Indian Affairs reversed an Obama era recognition of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribal Land Trust, and on the eve of the House vote in May to reaffirm the recognition of those tribal lands, President Trump tweeted that Republicans should vote against that bill because it was supported by Elizabeth Pocahontas Warren.

The bill passed with bipartisan support. It has not yet taken up by the Senate.

PAUL: All righty. And stay with us. We've got your travel weather coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:45:33]

BLACKWELL: AAA predicts the second highest number of travelers in a decade, at least a decade on Thursday. Major cities like Los Angeles could see more than three times the normal traffic and for those thinking of traveling by air instead, the weather won't -- won't be easy for you.

PAUL: Two big storms impacting areas across the U.S. this week.

And CNN meteorologist Allison Chinchar is tracking them.

All right. Clue us in here, Allison, and good morning.

ALLISON CHINCHAR, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes. So, let's start with the rest of today. We have got this system we have to finish up here.

For Washington, D.C., finally ends around the second half of the day. New York maybe after dinnertime. But places like Boston, Providence, even Portland, it's going to linger well through the evening hours and that's going to cause some travel problems there.

But now, let's fast forward to the next couple of systems. The one we are watching at. You're looking at Tuesday early into the day. But as this system begins to push off to the east, it develops even more. Now it's starting to impact a lot more people by Tuesday evening. You're talking Chicago, down towards New Orleans, likely looking at some pretty heavy rain there.

Now you're looking at Wednesday in the early morning hours. Again, Wisconsin, all the way down towards Louisiana. This means cities like Nashville, Chicago, Green Bay, likely going to have problems.

Then, by Wednesday in the middle part of the day, the Great Lakes region stretching down to the Southeast. This is where your big concerns will be. And fog is expected to be pretty bad through the Appalachian region.

Now, once we transfer into Wednesday evening, this system is wrapping up but now we are starting to see big travel problems out to the West.

So, let's take a closer look at some of the travel problems into the West. Cities like San Francisco, L.A., this is where the big problems are going to. Not only for airplane travel but anyone along the 5. In the eastern half of the country, on Wednesday, it's going to be interstates 81, 85, 95, not to mention airports like New York, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C.

Here is a look at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade, guys. Victor and Christi, the temperatures will be fine. It's the winds that are the concern. Sustained winds around 10:00 to noon could be about 22 miles per hour, 23 miles per hour is the official point in which they will ground balloons like this.

BLACKWELL: Oh, no!

PAUL: I was going to say that would make for an entertaining parade.

(LAUGHTER)

PAUL: At least my kids would think so, let's put it that way.

BLACKWELL: Yes.

PAUL: Allison, thank you.

CHINCHAR: Thanks.

PAUL: So, we are hearing from Eddie Gallagher this morning regarding the Navy's decision to review his status as a Navy SEAL

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

EDDIE GALLAGHER: This is all about echo and retaliation. This has nothing to do with good order and discipline. They could have taken my trident at any time they wanted. Now, they're trying to take it after the president restored my rank and after we just filed an I.G. exposing all the corruption that's been going on during my case.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: That's Gallagher from just a couple of minutes ago on Fox News. He was demoted after being found guilty of posing for a photo with the body of a dead ISIS fighter. President Trump reportedly ignored advice from the Pentagon to restore his rank. Navy officials decided to conduct a review of Gallagher's fitness to serve.

And in response, President Trump tweeted that he could possibly block the Navy from dejecting Gallagher or getting rid of his trident pin or taking it. As of now, a review of Gallagher's status is expected to continue.

PAUL: A teen with autism got a dream trip to see a real life polar express. When it didn't go according to plan, his family says some human kindness stepped in and made it even more magical.

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[07:52:57]

BLACKWELL: The family of a teenager with autism is giving thanks for some very kind people who didn't give up on making their son's Christmas dream come through.

PAUL: Eighteen-year-old Ty Swartout's favorite book is the Polar Express. He loves watching the movie. When he got a chance to ride the real-life version of the Polar Express in Arizona, but his parents say Ty got overwhelmed and he just wasn't able to get on the train.

So, that's when staff of the Grand Canyon Railway stepped in and gave him a special visit from the train's conductor and a pocket watch with the sleigh bell. The railroad brought him back for a second try this week and Ty was able to get on the train and even met the big man himself, Santa. Good people doing good things.

Little bit of human kindness.

BLACKWELL: Fantastic.

So it turns out that Jeanne Moos has the best assignment this week, spotting all the oddball moments from the impeachment hearing.

PAUL: Oh my goodness. Can you imagine trying to pinpoint all of them? That includes Representative Devin Nunes talking about naked photos of the president. Yes, it happened.

Here's Jeanne Moos.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNE MOOS, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It could leave you in stitches, wonderful day crocheting and watching the impeachment as they needle each other.

REP. DEVIN NUNES (R-CA): Asinine theory.

REP. MIKE TURNER (R-OH): Is Donald Trump your friend?

SONDLAND: I remember the first girl I kissed.

KRISHNAMOORTHI: He called you, quote/unquote, the Gordon problem.

SONDLAND: That's what my wife calls me.

(LAUGHTER)

MOOS: Ambassador Gordon Sondland was laughing, drinking, drinking and refilling his drink, fidgeting in his seat but generally jolly. One body language expert said he was signaling his emotional relief.

KRISHNAMOORTHI: The president tweeted that you are a really good man and a great American. One month later, he said, let me just tell you, I hardly know the gentleman.

SONDLAND: Easy come, easy go.

MOOS: It didn't look easy for ranking Republican Devin Nunes. When the committee took a break, so did his face.

Many found it impossible to curb their enthusiasm for the fashion hit of the hearings, a bow tie and pocket hanky.

[07:55:05]

Loving George Kent's bow tie.

And the guy known for the extra long red tie chimed in.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Like Kent with a nice bowtie. Wonderful bow tie. Maybe I'll get one for myself someday.

MOOS: Don't tell that to Judge Jeanine on Fox News.

JEANINE PIRRO, FOX NEWS HOST: The bozo in a bow tie. MOOS: But forget fashion. Think naked. Nunes repeatedly bashed the

Democrats.

REP. DEVIN NUNES (R-CA): They got caught trying to obtain nude photos of President Trump.

MOOS: It's true. Two Russian pranksters did once get through to Committee Chair Adam Schiff offering naked Trump pictures. Schiff's spokesman told "The Atlantic" the call seemed bogus and alerted law enforcement.

But just the thought struck fear into those who have glimpsed those naked statues of the president. There were taunts that it's Nunes who is obsessed.

The Internet obsessed over a reporter caught guzzling coffee behind Lieutenant Colonel Vindman.

LT. COL. ALEXANDER VINDMAN, NSC OFFICIAL: We're at that point.

MOOS: Emma Dumain told 'Slate", luckily, I didn't miss my mouth, as she gulped down the last drops.

Samantha Bee noted this pair of enthusiastic spectators when you get put on the jumbotron at the impeachment hearing. The star witness of the hearing seemed almost giddy. Tell the chairman, call a break.

Sondland was worried he'd miss his flight attendant. Now, that's an impeachable expression.

Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PAUL: Oh, the creativity.

All righty. We are so grateful to have you with us every morning. Thanks for being here. Make good memories.

BLACKWELL: "INSIDE POLITICS" is up after the break.

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