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Trump's Transition Back to the White House; Trump Focusing Picks for New Admin; Trump to Meet Biden at White House; Protests in Washington against Trump's Re-election; New Abortion Measures in the U.S.; Trump's 100 Days in Office; Climate Change Concerns with Another Trump Term; At Least 25 Killed in Israeli Strike in N. Gaza; Qatar Suspends Mediator Efforts for Gaza Ceasefire; Ukraine Targets Russia's Chemical Plants; European Leaders Strategize After Trump Win; Investigations Into Racist Texts; Fallout from Spain's Deadliest Natural Disaster; Protest Ban in Amsterdam; Rubik's Cube Turns 50 Years Old. Aired 4-5a ET

Aired November 10, 2024 - 04:00   ET

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

[04:00:00]

KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to all of you watching us here in the United States, Canada, and around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is CNN Newsroom.

We're learning more about who could and who won't be in the next Trump administration. The latest on the unusually complex transition process by the president-elect's team. Trump's return to the White House is likely to be another major blow to the fight against climate change. We'll look at his plans and discuss the potential consequences. And Qatari officials say Israel and Hamas are no longer negotiating in good faith. We'll have a live report from the Middle East with the latest on peace talks.

ANNOUNCER: Live from Atlanta, this is CNN Newsroom with Kim Brunhuber.

BRUNHUBER: Five days after Tuesday's presidential election, the final outstanding state has now been called. CNN can project that Donald Trump wins the State of Arizona. That means that despite the Harris campaign spending $1 billion, they failed to win a single battleground state.

Now, Trump's total electoral vote count stands at 312 against 226 for Kamala Harris. Republicans will also take back control of the Senate and are bullish on their chances of holding on to the House. This all comes with the presidential transition process underway. Trump views the attorney general as the most important position he has to fill, and sources say Missouri Senator Eric Schmitt is one of the candidates at the top of the list.

So, while we wait for more detail on who's in, we're also learning who's out for a second Trump administration. His former rival Nikki Haley and former secretary of state Mike Pompeo won't be asked to join the new team. CNN's Alayna Treene has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN REPORTER: President-Elect Donald Trump spent his Saturday locked down at Mar-a-Lago meeting with his transition team and going through a series of candidates that he is considering selecting for top cabinet roles as well as White House positions.

Now, on Saturday he did not announce new people that will be serving in his second administration but he did announce who would not be. He talked about not wanting his former secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, or his former U.N. ambassador, Nikki Haley, to have any part in his second term.

I'm going to read for you some of what he wrote. He said, quote, "I will not be inviting Former Ambassador Nikki Haley or Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to join the Trump administration, which is currently in formation. I very much enjoyed and appreciated working them -- with them previously and would like to thank them for their service to our country. Make America great again."

Now, to give you a little bit of context on where some of this is coming from, Mike Pompeo is someone who many people in Donald Trump's inner orbit still are close to and believe that he did a good job as secretary of state. However, his relationship with Donald Trump has really soured in recent years, particularly because Pompeo had, in many ways, distanced himself from the former president after he had left office in January of 2021.

I'd remind you as well that Pompeo did not endorse Donald Trump until after the Republican primaries this year, something that, as we know, Donald Trump viewed as not being as loyal to him. And in my conversations with senior advisers, they argued that, in private conversations over the past few days now, Donald Trump had asked them whether or not Pompeo would be loyal to him or whether he could trust him in a second term.

Now, as for Haley's part, Donald Trump has said that he appreciates that she had gotten up on stage at the Republican National Convention in July, called for unity. And also, remember, she had actually been in discussions with the Trump campaign in the final weeks before Election Day about potentially meeting for a joint appearance and helping him campaign, that never materialized. But again, Donald Trump had said he appreciated that on some level.

However, I am told that the president-elect still harbors a lot of animosity toward Haley for the attacks that she had lobbed at him during the Republican primary. But also, that she had remained in the primary for so long. Donald Trump has remarked that he believes that she hung on longer than was appropriate.

Alayna Treene, CNN, West Palm Beach, Florida.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: Trump and his transition team are already behind schedule in accessing key briefings from the Biden administration. The source says the delay is partly because of their concerns over a mandatory ethics pledge to avoid conflicts of interest.

[04:05:00]

Meanwhile, the president-elect is set to meet President Joe Biden at the White House on Wednesday. The meeting is a political tradition that projects a peaceful transfer of power. CNN's Arlette Saenz has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: President Biden is looking to bring back a White House tradition as he hosts President- Elect Donald Trump in the Oval Office on Wednesday morning. Biden extended this invitation to Trump in their phone call on Wednesday when the president congratulated the former president on his victory in the 2024 election.

Biden has said that he directly told Trump that he is committed to a peaceful and orderly transition, which is not something that occurred when Biden beat Trump back in 2020. At the time, Trump put up many roadblocks in the transition process, never conceded the race and did not extend this same invitation to Biden.

Now, Trump did come to the White House in 2016, days after he had beaten Hillary Clinton and it was hosted by then-President Barack Obama in the Oval Office.

Now, we're also told that an invitation was extended to First Lady Melania Trump to come to the White House to meet with First Lady Jill Biden. It's unclear if and when that meeting will take place. But this is all part of the Biden White House's efforts to try to show that they will assist in this transition. It could be an interesting meeting between the two men, given the fact that one of their last substantive in-person engagements was back on that debate stage in June, which really derailed Biden's candidacy and eventually prompted him to drop out.

The two men have spoken since then. Biden had called Trump following the assassination attempts against him and they were both at the same New York City 9/11 event a bit earlier this fall. But this will be an interesting meeting as the two men are set to meet face to face in the Oval Office.

Biden is now facing this reality where the man who preceded him, who he had beat in the 2020 election, will now be returning to the White House in January.

Arlette Saenz, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: Demonstrators in Washington, D.C. gathered Saturday to protest Donald Trump's election win. The event was organized by the Women's March and was billed as a rapid response, time to resist action. Protesters marched to the Heritage Foundation, the conservative think tank that published Project 2025. Women's March Managing Director Tamika Middleton said the goal was to inspire hope and build community. Here she is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TAMIKA MIDDLETON, MANAGING DIRECTOR, WOMEN'S MARCH: Our message is really to the people that we have hope that there are things that we can do that we will keep fighting for ourselves and we will keep fighting for each other and that there are other folks that they can connect to no matter where they are. They can find likeminded people and they can find power in their communities.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: There was a strong show of support for reproductive rights in 10 U.S. states where abortion protections were on the ballots this week. CNN's Jacqueline Howard looks at what this means for abortion access.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JACQUELINE HOWARD, CNN HEALTH REPORTER: These are the states that voted this week to protect abortion rights, Arizona, Colorado, Maryland, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, and New York. But in most of those states, five total, Colorado, Maryland, Montana, Nevada, New York, in those states, abortion is already legal and the ballot measures maintain access under the state's constitution. Voters in only two states, Arizona and Missouri, approved measures to expand abortion access. And keep in mind, even if the ballot measures in Arizona and Missouri improve access in those states, about 40 percent of women of reproductive age will still be living in states where abortion is either banned or restricted.

Now, it's not clear what the new Trump administration's strategy will be around abortion. We know Trump's campaign has said he would veto a federal abortion ban if elected, but we also have seen his position on the issue shift many times over the years. Back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: Now, earlier, Presidential Historian Douglas Brinkley spoke to CNN about what the first 100 days of a new Trump term could look like. Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DOUGLAS BRINKLEY, PRESIDENTIAL HISTORIAN: One thing I'm looking at is what's going on with the Ukraine and Russia. On Wednesday, President Biden has a meeting with Donald Trump and I am positive he's going to try to convince Trump to stay the course with Zelenskyy, to double down with Ukraine, at least for giving them six more months. Meanwhile, Biden is trying to arm them with missile systems as quickly as possible.

The other thing is the deportation of undocumented workers. And I think for Donald Trump, that's first and foremost in his mind. With hyperbole on the campaign trail, Trump talked about 11 million undocumented workers being rounded up and deported. You're not going to get 11 million, but there will be millions. And that has to be project one for Trump along with securing the border. And then, Donald Trump will sign every executive order he could possibly come up with. Not all will stick, but a lot will, and that will get him rolling on those first 100 days.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[04:10:00]

BRUNHUBER: So, as Brinkley mentioned, he weighed in on what history tells us could come next with Republicans potentially controlling the White House and both chambers of Congress. Here he is again.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRINKLEY: The Republicans don't want to get too ahead of their skis here. Yes, they want to do this crunch 100 days, but, you know, time changes, things happen. You know, midterms are two years away. Congress, if Republicans maintain, it's going to be by just a few representatives. So, everybody has to stay the course, not panic. It's essentially a two-party system.

And the -- well, the question I would have is who's the resistance to Donald Trump in the Democratic Party now? We don't know what Kamala Harris is going to do as an ex-vice president. Joe Biden is at the end of his line. Barack Obama may try to play an elder statesman role.

I think you'll see Governor Gavin Newsom being the television talking a resistance leader for about six months, particularly when it comes to public lands and climate. And then, you'll see the Democratic National Committee do a big rethink and start looking for who could be leadership in two years who can connect with the American public. There's got to be some humility on the Democratic side. They lost badly.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: The Trump presidency will make the environment a point of contention between those on both sides of the aisle. Trump's transition team has already begun preparing a series of executive actions related to energy and climate, that's what sources familiar with the plans tell CNN.

The president-elect is looking to fulfill his campaign promise of withdrawing the U.S. from the Paris Climate Agreement. And some former Trump officials have floated the idea of pulling the U.S. entirely out of the U.N.'s treaty to confront climate change.

Meanwhile, it seems the Biden administration is preparing for the worst. Hours after Trump was projected to be the winner of the election, the White House moved to limit oil drilling in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, the target in Trump's 2017 tax law which required an oil and gas drilling lease sale before the end of the year.

All right. Joining us now is Henna Hundal, the national coordinator of Climate Live USA and a researcher at the Sanford School of Medicine. Thank you so much for being here with us again. You and I talked just a couple of days before the election. I imagine now with Trump's win there's plenty of dismay among people who care about climate change. I just want to play some sound from Trump on the campaign trail, promising what he'd do right away. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT-ELECT: So, when I win, I will immediately bring prices down starting on day one. We will end Kamala's war on American energy and we will drill baby drill.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: All right. So, we've heard that slogan before, but the timing on day one, he said, obviously there are things he'll need to pass through Congress, but there's plenty he can actually do or undo right away, right?

HENNA HUNDAL, NATIONAL COORDINATOR, CLIMATE LIVE USA AND RESEARCHER, STANFORD SCHOOL OF MEDICINE: Yes, you know, thank you for having me, Kim. And we have watched this movie before, and it's not a pretty one. President Trump quickly tried to dismantle President Obama's climate legacy. He'll surely try to do that again in his second term.

And the thing really is that environmental protections are ripe for shaping through executive action and the power of the presidency. I think that's a wonderful thing if you're president Biden and you're putting us back in the Paris Agreement on day one, it's not so wonderful a thing if you're President-Elect Trump and you're promising to take us out of the Paris Agreement, you are likely going to populate your environmental protection agency with fossil fuel lobbyists, you're likely going to move the EPA headquarters out of Washington. You want to expand mining and drilling on public lands. You want to roll back rules that limit pollution from power plants. I mean, these are all things that he's either alluded to on the campaign trail or have come to light after the election. So, we've watched this movie before. I'm not looking forward to the second round.

BRUNHUBER: Well, in the first version of the movie, we saw California sort of acting as a bulwark against some of these moves. We heard from the governor of your state, California, that the state is again planning to form the resistance against his policies, trying to Trump proof themselves on things like climate change.

Can a state face down a president on this issue, and on what policies do you think California might actually win?

HUNDAL: Yes, you know what, we certainly can. I think -- I often think of this as like the game of Jenga, right, that board game Jenga. You remove one piece, the whole tower can crumble, or sometimes you can remove multiple pieces and it's still so fortified that it can't quite yet crumble.

So, I think the goal right now is to figure out how can we really fortify President Biden's climate legacy to be as much a thorn in the side of the Trump administration as we possibly can and make it harder for them to initiate some of these rollbacks. I think California, what they're trying to do, is really fortify their work on introducing electric vehicles and making those a priority by 2035.

[04:15:00]

We also know that the Energy Department is doing something really interesting. They're trying to quickly wrap up a study on U.S. exports of liquefied natural gas. Now, if those exports are found to not be in the public interest via the study, then that could actually open up a legal lever to use against the Trump administration when he will likely try to expand these LNG projects.

So, there are ways that we can march forward with hope and I encourage more people to try to do that. I know this is a time of a lot of doom and gloom among my climate colleagues, but there are embers of hope.

BRUNHUBER: Yes, we know certainly a lot of environmental lawyers we can hear them sharpening their pens already. So, the consequence of this, the second largest contributor to greenhouse gases going back to its old ways, pulling out of climate agreements, what might that mean sort of concretely in terms of maybe reaching that dreaded point of no return on global warming?

HUNDAL: You know, this is just a terrible year to be happy in this conversation because climate change has been front and center. I mean, we have had the hottest day in recorded history this summer. We're actually on track now for 2024 to be the hottest year in recorded history, reaching that 1.5-degree Celsius limit on warming above pre- industrial levels that we've been warning about since the 2015 Paris Agreement.

And so, this is actually the year when we need big climate action the most. We need leadership on this issue the most. We need the United States to step up into that global leadership role. And we're sort of reneging that position, leaving a wide-open climate leadership vacuum. That's something that actually concerns me with the U.N. Climate Change Conference coming up on Monday. Who was going to fill that global climate leadership role? With Trump at the helm, it's probably not going to be the U.S.

BRUNHUBER: Yes, it'll be interesting to see. Maybe we can connect with you after that U.N. conference in Azerbaijan. I know you're going as a delegate. So, we'll see what the consensus is there and how they sort of regroup after that in the face of what promises to be a turbulent year here in the U.S. in terms of climate change. Really great to talk to you again. Thank you so much for being here with us. Henna Hundal, really appreciate it.

HUNDAL: Thank you, Kim. Appreciate it.

BRUNHUBER: All right. Well, later, law enforcement authorities are trying to identify the source of racist texts sent to black people throughout the U.S.

Plus, negotiating a ceasefire in Gaza becomes even more of a challenge after key mediators put their work on pause. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[04:20:00]

BRUNHUBER: Well, a heart wrenching video shows the aftermath of a new Israeli strike in Northern Gaza. We just want to warn you, some of the footage is disturbing. Have a look. A local hospital source says at least 25 people were killed in the City of Jabalya. The majority of them were reportedly children, whose remains appeared to be lined up outside a hospital and covered in blankets.

Meanwhile, a new United Nations report says they found about 70 percent of the people killed in Gaza were women and children. The report looked at the first six months of the war. The U.N. Human Rights Office says the number indicates a systemic violation of international law. CNN has reached out to Israel's government for a response.

Qatar is pressing the pause button on its efforts to mediate a ceasefire in Gaza. The kingdom has reportedly concluded that neither Hamas nor Israel are serious about talks anymore. One diplomat says that a long-established Hamas office in Qatar will now have to go, at least for now.

Well, for more, Paula Hancocks joins us now from Abu Dhabi. So, Paula we're getting a few more details from Qatar about its role as mediator in the state of negotiations. What are we learning?

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kim, what the Qataris are saying is that about 10 days ago they notified the parties involved that if that particular round of negotiations didn't end up with an agreement, then they were going to suspend their efforts, and that is what they have now announced. The fact that they are suspending their role as a mediator because they believe that there is a lack of willingness on good faith negotiations on both sides. So, both Hamas and also Israel.

Now, Qatar has been key. It has played a central role when it comes to the negotiations or attempts to finalize some kind of ceasefire deal, which would see the remaining Israeli hostages in Gaza being released, which would see Palestinian prisoners being released, also humanitarian aid getting into the areas it's most needed. So, it is devastating news on a number of fronts.

And what we have heard from a senior administration official, is that Qatar has played an invaluable role. They were key when it came to the one hostage release deal that's happened a year ago now, November of last year. But we are hearing that there was simply not enough, it was believed, goodwill on both sides. Neither side was willing to compromise, it appears. And so, they have decided to pause their role.

They're not saying this is long-term, they're not saying this is the end of it. They say if talks do restart then they would consider being part of them again. We know they've also said they're suspending the Hamas officers in Qatar. There are many of the political bureau are based there, although there doesn't appear to be a deadline or an ultimatum for them to leave the country again. The officials say that is -- that can be reversed if they show good faith and start the talks again.

Now, we have heard from the Biden administration just what a key role Qatar played in these negotiations. Also, Egypt has been playing a role, but we heard from a senior administration official that that no Hamas official should be welcome in a country where they are allied with, especially as this official says, Hamas rejected any kind of hostage release, even a small one which had been negotiated and floated in Cairo in recent weeks. Kim.

[04:25:00]

BRUNHUBER: Yes, and we saw from that latest strike on the hospital what the costs of prolonging the war can be. Paula Hancocks in Abu Dhabi, thank you so much.

Well, the U.S. has carried out new strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen. A U.S. defense official says the targets included weapons storage facilities at three different locations. The Iran-backed group has been attacking shipping in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. The U.S. has targeted the Houthis before. The latest strikes involve U.S. fighter jets, according to the official.

Ukraine says it launched a drone attack on a Russian chemical plant overnight on Saturday. According to Ukraine's security service, 13 drones hit their target in Western Russia. Ukraine says the chemical plant produces gunpowder and ammunition for the Russian army, and is part of a comprehensive operation against facilities involved in the war on Ukraine. One source told CNN that a nearby thermal power plant was also damaged.

According to Russian state media, President Vladimir Putin has signed into law a mutual defense treaty with North Korea. Putin signed the treaty while visiting North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Pyongyang in June, before sending it to Parliament for approval. The new law calls for both countries to come to each other's aid if either are attacked. And this comes as thousands of North Korean troops are already helping Russia in its war against Ukraine. Kyiv says they're engaged in combat along Ukraine's northern border.

U.S. election dominated conversations among European leaders as they met in Budapest to strategize a way forward in a changing political climate. We'll have that story straight ahead in just a moment.

And later, a ban on protests in Amsterdam. Plus, the latest on the investigation into Thursday's violence after a soccer game. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[04:30:00]

BRUNHUBER: Welcome back to all of you watching us here in the United States, Canada and around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is CNN Newsroom back to our top story. Arizona has gone to Donald Trump, giving the president-elects a clean sweep of the swing states, but the battle for Congress still rages.

Republicans have secured the Senate and they're bullish on keeping the House. Democrats right now have 205 seats with Republicans at 213. Now, you have to remember, the magic number to reach majority is 218. Republicans now just five seats away from a unified government. But Democrats still have a chance with the majority of the remaining races in California. And in the Senate, Republicans will have at least a 52- seat majority. Vote counting is still underway in two swing state races.

So, in the wake of the U.S. presidential election, dozens of European leaders were gathered in Budapest. Many are from countries where right-wing populists have already been gaining ground, and they're seeking a path forward in a highly uncertain political climate. CNN's Nic Robertson has details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR (voice-over): Raging wars in Ukraine and the Mideast, an informal alliance of enemies, Russia, China, Iran and North Korea at the obvious changes in world order President-Elect Donald Trump inherits. Less talked about since he left office in 2021, the political weakening of some of his former putative allies, particularly in Europe.

Elections in France undermined President Emmanuel Macron's standing. Germany's Chancellor Olaf Scholz has a tanking economy and a collapsing governing coalition. Both of these EU powerhouses losing political ground to right-wing populists. They're on the rise across Europe.

In Italy, a right-wing populist, Giorgia Meloni, won elections, is a fan of Trump, but Trump also lost supporters.

BORIS JOHNSON, FORMER PRIME MINISTER OF THE UNITED KINGDOM: Thank you all very much.

ROBERTSON (voice-over): U.K. PM Boris Johnson gone from power. The Conservative Party trounced in recent elections by trend-bucking Keir Starmer's left-leaning Labour Party where all these changes get tested first likely over Trump's campaign promise to end Russia's war in Ukraine in a day --

TRUMP: I'll have that done in 24 hours.

ROBERTSON (voice-over): -- and threats to pull America's Ukraine funding, as almost 50 European leaders gathered in Budapest just two days after the U.S. elections, Trump's victory and Ukraine a top topic. Trump ally and meeting host Hungarian PM Viktor Orban in close conversation with Macron and Starmer, Starmer then with Macron, just the tip of the iceberg of debate on this frosty issue --

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT: Good to see you.

ROBERTSON (voice-over): -- and Starmer later with Ukraine's Zelenskyy.

KEIR STARMER, PRIME MINISTER OF THE UNITED KINGDOM: As you know, our support for Ukraine is unwavering.

ROBERTSON (voice-over): The unspoken question in Budapest, can Europe go it alone?

ALEXANDER DE CROO, BELGIAN PRIME MINISTER: We should be very clear on this. European security is not something that we outsource to someone else, for example, to the United States.

ROBERTSON (voice-over): Macron said the same thing, but already clear the opening pitch to Trump, we need you --

CROO: We are open to discuss with the United States on how we can work better together.

ROBERTSON (voice-over): -- and at the sharp end of Europe's sell, NATO's new chief, another change for Trump.

MARK RUTTE, NATO SECRETARY GENERAL: I look forward to sit down with Donald Trump to discuss how we can face the threats collectively.

ROBERTSON (voice-over): It's a bold Gambit, but read through it, Europe isn't ready to stand up to Putin alone.

Nic Robertson, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: And Dominic Thomas is CNN European Affairs commentator and a professor of European languages and transcultural studies at UCLA, and he joins us from Los Angeles. Thanks so much for being here with us.

So, we heard there the paradox, Europe saying we can go it alone, but also, we need you, U.S. So, what is the mood right now among American allies right now?

DOMINIC THOMAS, CNN EUROPEAN AFFAIRS COMMENTATOR AND PROFESSOR OF EUROPEAN LANGUAGES AND TRANSCULTURAL STUDIES, UCLA: Well, I think that, first of all, the question of who these allies really are is up in the air, Kim. I mean, it's clear that leaders like Orban in Hungary, the Slovakian leader, Giorgia Maloney in Italy, as mentioned in the lead up, are really the sort of strong allies. The question of the historical alliance is really more up in the air and the strength of this Atlantic relationship moving forward.

[04:35:00]

I think many leaders understood very early on in the first Trump presidency that when he withdrew from the Paris Climate Accords and that the -- and from the Iran nuclear deal, and subsequently his sort of soft position on NATO meant that he really was not only not a multilateralist, but an unreliable partner in some ways. And President Biden has spent time trying to restore that relationship. But I think moving forward, it's clear that they would like to work with the United States, but I think there's a growing realization, especially we saw it with countries like Sweden and Finland, that being part of NATO or even other countries joining the European Union is going to be a kind of a crucial front moving forward. And that they are working towards greater autonomy in terms of their security and defense apparatus.

The problem is they face regional conflict in Ukraine, are concerned about Russia moving forward. And also, the political situation in the Middle East. So, it's a dramatic transition, and there's no guarantee that European voters will, moving forward, support, you know, there's greater investments in security and so on, Kim.

BRUNHUBER: Yes, that's a great point. Specifically on Ukraine, much of the talk during this last year with the prospect of a Trump victory has been how to Trump proof support for Ukraine. But now, I mean, the reality really is sinking in. So, where do things stand specifically on that?

THOMAS: Well, I think that when it comes to Ukraine, it has enjoyed the support of European and European Union leaders, of the United States. And it's not clear that going forward that there is going to be much commitment to this conflict going on for much longer. And we've seen this as an important issue in elections with certain countries in Europe that do not favor ongoing sanctions with Russia and others that are absolutely committed to making sure that Ukraine emerges for this, with a deal that is satisfactory to Ukraine.

I think the concern forward is that precisely the opposite will happen, that peace will, in quotation marks, "be achieved," but it will not be the resolution that Ukraine has fought for. The resolution that Ukraine wants is membership of the European Union, membership of NATO, and protection from vulnerability in the face of Russia moving forward. It's not clear that that is the particular outcome, and anything short of that will ultimately be seen as a victory for Russia and as a real source of concern for states in the Baltics and for those like Moldova and Georgia, whose aspirations are to join the European Union on to be protected in that particular space.

So, I think that that's really the thing to be watching moving forward and how Ukraine accepts or doesn't that particular resolution or gets pressured into accepting something that it doesn't want.

BRUNHUBER: Another thing we're watching is the rise in the far-right in Europe. What effect do you think the Trump presidency might have in terms of sort of spurring that on?

THOMAS: Yes, that's a really interesting question, Kim. And I've been thinking about this a lot, because I think there's many ways in which one can think about this. On the one hand, if you think about the sort of Venn diagram of what the far-right globally agree upon is this sort of anti-immigration agenda, nationalist agenda, protectionist agenda, and it is clear that we have seen those gain in popularity either by successfully winning elections in Europe or entering into coalition governments or in moving organizations to the right, including NATO, that looks like in its new configuration is going to end up with a kind of majority right leaning or far-right leaning group of particular nations.

But I think that the other aspect, which is such a concern to so many European leaders are the ways in which these far-right political parties, particularly in places like Hungary and in Poland that is fighting back against this are like Donald Trump, committed towards bolstering the power of the executive, and that has been achieved by weakening the judiciary, the legislative, and also by undermining freedom of the press. And I think that it's that particular anti- democratic agenda that so many Europeans and European leaders are concerned about moving forward again.

BRUNHUBER: Interesting and perhaps worrying to see the many repercussions this election will have around the world. Really appreciate your analysis as always. Dominic Thomas, thank you so much.

THOMAS: Thank you.

BRUNHUBER: Well, Kamala Harris is getting some family time in after a rigorous presidential campaign. Have a look here. You can see the vice president playing games with her grandnieces. Now, these are some of the first pictures we've seen of her since she conceded to Donald Trump.

[04:40:00]

Photos were shared on Instagram by her niece, Meena Harris. The caption reads, back to where it all began only a few months ago. My eternal gratitude to everyone who showed up.

All right. Still ahead, tensions at an all-time high in Valencia, Spain, after the country's worst natural disaster in its history. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BRUNHUBER: The investigation continues into the source of racist texts sent to black people throughout America in the days following the election. The hate filled messages contained allusions to slavery. CNN's Rafael Romo has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The messages appear to have been sent using free phone service and mobile data providers. One of these providers, known as TextNow, told CNN Friday the company believes this is a widespread coordinated attack. The hate filled messages have been reported in more than 20 states from New York to California and the District of Columbia. Students from at least three historically black colleges and universities in Virginia, Tennessee, and South Carolina have reported receiving messages. And according to Nevada's Attorney General's office, the text appeared to be robotext messages.

One of the biggest questions here is how is it possible to do something like this anonymously? Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill told CNN Friday that whether this is a single person or a group, they're using anonymizing software to obscure their location, which makes it very difficult to track them.

As you can imagine, this is cause for great concern for those receiving the messages as well as parents and loved ones.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALYSE MCCALL, STUDENT, RECEIVED RACIST TEXT: It's truly disgusting. And whoever sending it out is vile. No one should ever one think to send that message or receive that message. It just made me sick to my stomach.

[04:45:00]

JENNIFER GREEN, SON RECEIVED RACIST TEXT MESSAGE: We do talk about politics. It's not something that I hide from him because he is going to be a black man in America. So, I make sure that he understands what the landscape of his adulthood could look like the fact. That it happened the day after, you know, Election Day it really speaks to what I think is going on here.

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ROMO: The NAACP denounced the messages saying that they represent an alarming increase in violent, abhorrent rhetoric from racist groups across the country who now feel emboldened to spread hate and stoke the flames of fear that many of us are feeling after Tuesday's election results.

We have also heard from President-Elect Donald Trump's campaign, Spokeswoman Caroline Leavitt told CNN that Trump's presidential campaign has absolutely nothing to do with these text messages. CNN has learned that another text messaging service called TextSpot was apparently able to stop a new user from sending racist text messages.

TextSpot says that it was thanks to artificial intelligence that they immediately flagged the message and prevented it from being sent until they were able to conduct an internal review. The company says that they then blocked the message and banned the user from their platform and shared the information with local law enforcement and the FBI.

Rafael Ramos, CNN Atlanta.

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BRUNHUBER: The fallout continues from Spain's deadliest floods in modern history. On Saturday, clashes broke out between police and protesters in Valencia, the hardest hit region. It's estimated more than 100,000 people took to the streets, demanding the resignation of Regional President Carlos Mazon. Mazon has faced intense scrutiny over what critics say was a slow response to the country's worst natural disaster that killed more than 220 people. Meanwhile, the Spanish government and local agencies continue to search for dozens of people still missing. The Prime Minister of the Netherlands says he will miss a climate summit next week to attend to the crisis at home. That's after violent clashes erupted in Amsterdam between Israeli soccer fans and pro- Palestinian supporters. His announcement comes as a top U.S. official also posted plans to travel to Europe. U.S. Ambassador Deborah Lipstadt says she'll meet with European and Jewish officials to discuss the importance of protecting Jewish communities.

CNN's Melissa Bell has the latest on the police investigation.

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MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: An investigation is now underway here in Holland. The police have been given special stop and search powers and protests have been banned until Sunday in the wake of the events of Thursday night, horrifying attacks of a hit and run nature on individual Israeli football fans.

The tension had been rising since Wednesday when the Maccabee Tel Aviv fans had begun arriving here in the Dutch capital. On social media, there were videos of a Palestinian flag being taken down and anti-Arab chants. By Thursday night, extra police men and women had been put on the streets of Amsterdam, but not enough in the end to prevent those attacks on Israelis that led to the evacuation by Israeli planes on Friday, their return to Tel Aviv, where again, the Maccabee Tel Aviv fans were filmed chanting anti-Arab slogans.

Still, here in Amsterdam, the violence, the nature of the attacks of Thursday night, the targeting of Israeli football fans has been described by Dutch authorities as anti-Semitic in nature. An investigation now trying to figure out exactly how it could have come to get so bad with Israel closely involved in gathering evidence and trying to seek prosecutions.

Melissa Bell, CNN, Amsterdam.

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BRUNHUBER: Now, the latest on California's fall fire season, the Mountain Fires, it's called, is now at 21 percent containment according to state officials. The fire began early Wednesday in Ventura County, north of Los Angeles, and has already burned through more than 20,000 acres. The cause remains unknown. Firefighters are racing to take advantage of improved weather conditions before seasonal dry winds that help fuel the fire's explosive growth and could potentially arrive again in the coming days.

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TREVOR JOHNSON, VENTURA COUNTY FIRE CAPTAIN: Firefighters did an outstanding job, but with this break in wind and improved temperatures, we're able to access all the areas on the fire, put stuff out. And those are still actively looking for hot spots, securing our containment lines and truly taking advantage of that improved weather.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Parts of Colorado and New Mexico's mountains are digging out after some record snowfalls. The same low-pressure system also dropped snow on Texas and Oklahoma. Fort Garland, Colorado got more than 53 inches of snow. And Angel Fire, New Mexico, logged 40 inches of snow. Strong winds also blew snow throughout the day, seriously reducing visibility. Weather alerts expired Saturday afternoon, but the snow has forced several roads to be closed across Eastern Central Colorado.

[04:50:00]

Well, the Rubik's Cube has been a maddening of popular toy for five decades. Just ahead, we'll hear from the man who invented the puzzle and what drove him to create it. Stay with us.

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BRUNHUBER: Bobby Allison, Hall of Fame, NASCAR racing driver has died at the age of 86. The founding member of NASCAR's Alabama gang. He sits in fourth place on the all-time win list with 85 race victories. That total was recognized just last month when he was awarded the win of a disputed race in 1971. He also took the checkered flag at the Daytona 500 three times. According to NASCAR, Allison died peacefully at his home in North Carolina.

The National Football League is cracking down on one of its players. San Francisco 49ers star and longtime Donald Trump supporter Nick Bosa has been fined more than $11,000 by the NFL, according to a league source. Bosa apparently crashed his teammate's post-game interview while wearing a make America great again hat. The league's rules prohibit players from wearing or conveying personal messages. That is, quote, "unless such message has been approved in advance by the League office." Bosa told reporters this week he hadn't been fined at that time, but he knew he could be, saying, quote, "it was well worth it."

[04:55:00]

All right. Now, to a major upset and a big disappointment for one of the world's most recognizable athletes. Lionel Messi and Inter Miami have crashed out of the MLS playoffs with a stunning loss to ninth seeded Atlanta United in the first round, though Messi and Miami had a regular -- record-breaking regular season. They lost three to two Saturday night. Atlanta United moves on to face Orlando City in the Eastern Conference Semifinal.

Well, the Rubik's Cube is turning 50 years old. The puzzling toy has sold some half a billion units over the last five decades. It was created by a Bulgarian inventor in Hungary. Erno Rubik worked at a technical university and used the cube to help teach math to his students.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ERNO RUBIK, INVENTOR, RUBIK'S CUBE: The cube is a tool for thinking. Using our capacity of our mind of thinking, problem solving, understanding situations, understanding space, movement in space, and so on and so forth.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: It was so popular with his students that Rubik patented it. The cube became a global craze in the 1980s. Speed solving is more than just a fun party trick. The world record for solving a randomly scrambled cube is just over three seconds.

Well, dozens of monkeys are still free after escaping from a biomedical research center in South Carolina. Police say only one of the rhesus macaques has been returned since a group of 43 escaped on Wednesday. The rest have been hanging out around the facility, jumping around, exploring, and eluding capture. The CEO of the research facility says they'll keep trying to capture the primates with humane traps.

All right. That wraps this hour of CNN Newsroom. I'm Kim Brunhuber. I'll be back with more news in just a moment. Please do stay with us.

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