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CNN International: One Dead after Cargo Plane Crashes, Skids into House in Lithuania; Lyle and Erik Menendez to Appear for Status Hearing; Mothers of Russian Soldiers Honored in Moscow; Netanyahu Approves Hezbollah Ceasefire Deal "In Principle"; Trump Picks Face Next Test in Confirmation Battle; "Wicked" and "Gladiator II" Boost Weekend Box Office. Aired 8-9a ET

Aired November 25, 2024 - 08:00   ET

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

[08:00:00]

MAX FOSTER, CNN HOST: We begin in the Middle East, where a source says Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has approved an emerging ceasefire deal with Hezbollah in principle. The source says details are still being negotiated and will need to be approved by the Israeli Cabinet. This as the death toll climbs in Lebanon.

Lebanese officials say dozens were killed in Israeli strikes in Beirut and beyond. Over the weekend, Lebanon's Health Ministry says Israeli strikes have killed more than 3000 people since mid-September. The IDF says it struck 12 Hezbollah Command Centers in Beirut's Southern suburbs on Sunday night.

Meanwhile, Hezbollah fired some 250 projectiles from Lebanon on Sunday, some were intercepted by Israel's air defenses. CNN's Nic Robertson joins us now from Jerusalem. I mean, it isn't a done deal, is it, but they appear to be making progress.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: They appear to be making progress Max and they appear all caveats here that this is perhaps the closest the Israeli government and Hezbollah, through the intermediaries, through the help of U.S. negotiation, have actually come to getting a ceasefire in place here.

We have from the Prime Minister's Office here saying that, in principle, there's an agreement that follows the cabinet meeting last night where Netanyahu met with his with senior cabinet members and his top security officials, and also from another source in the region, saying that they believe that the deal is getting close.

Now there are issues, and the primary concern that we've understood from the Israeli side all along is that if this 60-day ceasefire, which is the principal part of the negotiations as we understand them, if that gets up and running, Israel wants the right to strike back, if Hezbollah breaks the terms of the ceasefire.

This appears to be one of the areas that they are still not convinced that the language is right. They still have issues that they want to see resolved that aren't resolved fully clearly for them yet. So, this is positive. And I think then when you look at those 250 incoming missiles from Hezbollah yesterday and over the weekend, more than 84 civilians killed inside of Lebanon.

And more than 200 injured just over the weekend, and the real uptick that we've seen in strikes in the in the heart of Beirut itself, as well as those strikes targeting Hezbollah Command and Control Centers in the South of Beirut. And attempted, it appeared, over the weekend, assassination attempt didn't work on a senior Hezbollah commander by the IDF.

All of that, it looks like you've got a massive up tempo in the war. This is not a typical when talks are coming to an apparent conclusion. Look back at the war in 2006 there was an uptick in escalations, in rocket fire and IDF strikes into Lebanon at the time. So, it appears that we're in a more positive position. More work to be done, though, yet, Max.

FOSTER: Is it as positive from the Hezbollah's side? I mean, what are we hearing from them?

ROBERTSON: You know, the last we heard directly from a senior Hezbollah figure was earlier in the week, and he said, look, we're going to keep fighting on the battlefield. We will also keep negotiating. Israel shouldn't think that it can take things in negotiations that it can't take on the battlefield so that you know they're battle ready.

But I think the principal understanding that's emerged from Hezbollah over the past couple of weeks is this, the statement that even prior to the war, they had indicated that they were ready to de-link their war on Israel's northern border with Hamas is a fight in Gaza, against the against the IDF there.

And that have been the principal guiding factor for Hezbollah to be in the fight, to keep staying in the fight. But when they announced indicated that it shows that the war can continue in Gaza, and they can come to a separate ceasefire in the north, and that is an important position to be in.

[08:05:00]

And look, there are political gains here for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. If he gets to return those 60,000 people that were evacuated from the northern border, that's a big political plus for him at a time when he is taking some political heat, particularly -- you know on the question of how did the war with Hamas begin last year, a lot of people in the country want an investigation, and he's the one principally pushing back on that Max.

FOSTER: OK. Nic in Jerusalem thank you so much. A crew member has died after a cargo plane crashed on the outskirts of Lithuania's capital this morning. The DHL plane skidded into a house burst into flames just a few kilometers from the runway in Vilnius. Three others on board the flight, though survived. Officials are now investigating what might have caused the crash. Salma is joining us. I mean, first, just on what happened when you look at those images, it's extraordinary to think that people survived?

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's absolutely remarkable.

FOSTER: -- the pilots.

ABDELAZIZ: One of them was the pilot. Three people survived. One other was the pilot. And I think the other survivors that are extraordinary in this are the people that were inside that home, because this plane crashed just short of a residential home with debris flying in. Let me bring up those pictures again, if you don't mind, because you can see the moment of the impact of this crash.

A plane emerging from the top of the screen you see it disappear behind that huge building and just this huge fireball of flames. Now, authorities say that what took place is at about 05:30 local time, at Vilnius Airport, this plane crashed just near a runway. It then skidded for a few 100 meters, stopping just short of that home.

Rescue workers rushed to the scene. They were able to contain that fire in a couple of hours and rescue 12 people from that family home and three people on board that flight, one person, one crew member, was unfortunately killed. Now authorities say they are collecting evidence. They are trying to find out what happened. They cannot rule out terrorism at this time, but it looks likely, according to authorities that this was due to a technical error or human failure.

FOSTER: They normally are, aren't they air crashes, but until they rule out terrorism, people are going to be talking about it.

ABDELZIZ: And there was heightened concern around this. That's why reporters were really pushing authorities on questioning, because there have been alleged Russian plots by conspirators to put explosives on devices. This is something that European investigators have been looking into.

So, reporters were pushing authorities on that question, but authorities saying we cannot rule out terrorism at this time, but most likely this looks to be human error. There is no indication that there was an explosion previous to that crash. So that gives you an indication of what might have taken place is more likely again --

FOSTER: Salma thank you.

ABDELAZIZ: Thank you.

FOSTER: At least five people have died in Britain as Storm Bursts swept across the United Kingdom and Ireland over the weekend. Heavy rain caused damaging floods, resulting in power outages and transport chaos. Some 300 flights in and out of London's Heathrow Airport were canceled. The weather is expected to clear by Wednesday, but for now, many are in clean up mode, as Michael Holmes reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Snow, wind and rain, the so-called multi hazard event named Storm Burt whipped across Britain and Ireland over the weekend, disrupting airport, ferry and train services across the British Isles.

In Wales, emergency services waded through flooded streets and residents tried to bail water from their homes after some parts of the country were drenched with more than 10 centimeters of rain.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You see on news, it happens in Spain, globally, and then it happens to you, and it's like, oh, right, well, how do we handle it? And it's just -- you know some of them having a -- some like me, panicking going away.

HOLMES (voice-over): In Northwest Ireland, tens of thousands of people were without power after high winds and floods swept through the area. Sandbags were still out on the streets as people braced for more rain and tried to mop up during a break in the storm.

THOMAS PRINGLE, IRISH MP: The river -- bank up behind us here, and the river just basically flowed down the street and flooded the whole street here, right up to halfway up towards the main street there. And devastation --

HOLMES (voice-over): Heavy snow, covered parts of Scotland and Central England, where snow ice and flood warnings were in place. The UK Met Office says some rural communities could be cut off with up to 40 centimeters of snow expected in higher elevations. Forecasters say wind and rain could continue to be a threat before Storm Burt finally clears the region on Tuesday. Michael Holmes, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: The U.S. is heading into the Thanksgiving holiday week, and President-Elect Donald Trump will spend the week this time in Florida. This weekend, he announced his pick for Agriculture Secretary, Brooke Rollins, completing his core cabinet wish list ahead of confirmation hearings with the key picks in place, we have a clearer picture now of who the president-elect will have around him.

[08:10:00]

And the confirmation battle that could lie ahead too. While many of Trump's picks are controversial, his choice for Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, looks to have at least one Democratic vote.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Senator-Elect Schiff is there anyone on this list who, at this very moment, you think you could vote yes on you could -- ?

REP. ADAM SCHIFF (D-CA): Well, you know, for example, I think Marco Rubio is enormously well qualified for the job for which he's been nominated. I still want to ask questions. I'm not going to completely prejudge even him, but he's unquestionably qualified. And there are others as well, but some really stand out for the risk they would present to the American people. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So right now, Senator Rubio would have your vote

as a, yes?

SCHIFF: Well, I'm strongly inclined that way. I don't want to prejudge completely, because you never can tell what comes out in the vetting process, but he's unquestionably qualified.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Alayna Treene joins us from West Palm Beach, Florida. It's amazing how quickly he's put this cabinet together, isn't it? He's obviously very confident on some of his picks, but the punchier ones are going to be more of a question.

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, and that's really where a lot of the attention is turning now Max. He had really Donald Trump moved very quickly, far quicker than we've seen many other President-Elect in his position move to fill out his core cabinet. And now the question is about how easy their confirmation processes could be, or really how contentious they could be, and the problems that may arise?

Donald Trump's transition team, even before he had hand selected some of these people to run these different agencies, knew that there were going to be questions, and they knew which ones were going to be controversial. That includes Tulsi Gabbard and many people are concerned in the Senate about her ties to foreign leaders, some who are deemed as enemies, quote, unquote, to the United States.

But also, the way that she views her surveillance and her deep skepticism of the way that American agencies have conducted surveillance over the last several years. There's a number of other picks as well that they recognize are controversial. So really, what they are trying to do now is we know that Donald Trump himself, but many people on his team are beginning to work with the Senate, reaching out to different Senators directly, trying to see where their concerns are and what they can do to try and dissuade some of those.

We know as well that many of these picks are going to be sent to the Hill. We saw some of them last week, including Pete Hegseth Donald Trump's pick to lead the Pentagon travel with J.D. Vance, the incoming Vice President, and to meet with these different Senators, one on one, and to hear them out, and really on one part, get to know them, but also, again, try to see what their vulnerabilities could be and tackle those on the front end before these public confirmation hearings begin to get underway.

Now, there are still a couple of other cabinet picks that Donald Trump has yet to announce, but really, he wanted to move quickly. When I talked to his team, he wanted to move quickly to get the core people in place, because for Donald Trump, he really views his performance in the election as giving him a mandate. Some people question whether he actually has one.

But he believes that he has a mandate. He has Republicans in the House. He has Republicans in the Senate. He wants to be able to hit the ground running once he is sworn into office on January 20th, to carry out his agenda. And he wants these different people to be confirmed very quickly, to really see that process through.

And so, I think from now until the time that we see him get sworn into office before Inauguration Day, this is going to be one of the key focuses of Donald Trump's transition team.

FOSTER: Alayna, thanks so much. News just into CNN, Egyptian authorities saying 17 people are missing after a tourist boat sank in the Red Sea. Officials tell "The Associated Press" that rescuers have saved 28 people from the sinking vessel off the coast of Marsa Alam. We'll bring you the updates as we get them.

Still ahead, it was one of the highest profiles murders the time, nearly three decades after being sentenced, the Menendez brothers are appearing in court again. The latest on the case just ahead. Plus, as thousands of Russian soldiers are fighting Ukraine, we'll bring you a rare account from some of the mothers who are waiting for them back in Moscow.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:15:00]

FOSTER: The Melendez brothers will face a judge in California today as they fight to be released from prison decades after they were convicted of murdering their parents. Erik and Lyle Menendez have drawn renewed public interest since the release of a recent documentary on the case, with growing support from some celebrities as well. CNN's Camila Bernal has more.

CAMILA BERNAL, CNN U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: This status hearing is the latest step in the brothers bid to freedom after the Los Angeles County District Attorney recommended their re-sentencing. It is the first time that we'll see them in nearly 30 years after they were convicted and sentenced to life in prison for the killing of their parents.

And it is nearly 30 years later that this judge will also decide what happens, whether they appear in person or virtually. It is likely that they will appear virtually, and it is a hearing that will start at 10:30 a.m. at a Van Nuys courtroom here in the Los Angeles area. The judge also setting very strict rules around what happens in this hearing.

There will be no cameras and no cell phone. In fact, the cell phones will be sealed in bags. Journalists will be allowed to attend, but only 16 members of the public will be allowed in that courtroom, and they will get their seats via a lottery. There is huge attention and interest in this case, especially after a 2023 Docu Series on Peacock, where a member of the boy band, Menudo, also alleged that he was a victim of sexual abuse by Jose Menendez, the father of the two brothers.

So, that along with a letter that Erik Menendez wrote before the killings, describing the sexual abuse is what the defense team says should be used, and is why they are asking a court to reconsider the sentence and the conviction. And so, the district attorney here in Los Angeles agreed with the defense.

The problem for the defense is that that district attorney was essentially voted out of office. Nathan Hochman, the incoming district attorney here in Los Angeles, sees this case a little bit different. Here's what he told us.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NATHAN HOCHMAN, LOS ANGELES COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY-ELECT: Now as to whether or not I'm going to support that particular motion or not. You got to do the hard work to make that decision. You got to review thoroughly the facts in the law. You need to actually speak to the prosecutors, speak to law enforcement officers, speak to the defense counsel and speak to any victim family members as well.

Only after I do all that work will I be in a position to weigh in on the Menendez case, because then I'm not only going to weigh in on it, I'll have to defend that decision in court.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERNAL: And the question here is not whether the brothers killed their parents. They have admitted to doing so, but have said that they did it in self-defense after years of sexual abuse, emotional and physical abuse. The prosecution at the time argued that this was premeditated and that the brothers did this for the money and because they wanted their parent's money.

So again, we'll have to wait and see what the judge on Monday decides to do. But there is also another hearing that we're waiting for that is scheduled for December 11th, and that is the sentencing hearing, which could be more consequential for these brothers as this case continues to move through the courts. Camila Bernal, CNN, Los Angeles.

FOSTER: With more on the case, what we're expecting to see today, Jean Casarez joins us from New York with details. I mean, Jean -- I mean, the one question people are asking around the world without a great knowledge of the American legal system is, is it likely that they will be released? I mean, what does all of this mean?

JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's an excellent question, because the fact is, it was a very premeditated crime. And this is the top count in California, it's life without any possibility of parole, now saying that California has a sentencing statute that does carve out exceptions, and one of them is rehabilitation.

[08:20:00]

So, I think it's something we need to look at. But the irony is that the current district attorney, George Gascon is going to be out of office in a week, and so he is the one we'll see if he's there at this hearing, because he has wanted this, I mean, emotionally, he has wanted them to get out of prison. Let's look at some facts, though. Erik Menendez is 54-years-old. Lyle

is 56. They have been in prison for 34 years. George Gascon writes in legal filings that there are credible allegations of sexual and physical abuse, and that's what Camila just outlined with you.

But really, when you're looking at the re-sentencing, which it appears as though that's going to be the focus of at least this current administration, it's all about the rehabilitation. I think we have some things that we can show you about rehabilitation. Erik Menendez, he is a graduate at this point of UC Irvine.

He has created programs within the prison rehabilitation. This is Erik, so this is the Life Center and Hospice for inmates that are elderly, also victim impact and victim empathy for the vulnerable populations the 12-step program. He has also learned sign language. Erik has to help those that are profoundly deaf or rely on the sign language.

Now, Lyle Menendez is a graduate of UC Irvine, and Lyle Menendez has also begun a lot of programs in the prison, so they're going to use this to show that they are rehabilitated, and even though it's life without the possibility parole, they should be resentenced. Now let's talk about that.

Because the resentencing would be down to normal, regular murder, which is parolable 50 years to life in prison. But they were less than 26-years-old when they committed these acts, these premeditated murders, so that the judge could take that into consideration, but ultimately it would go to the parole board to allow them to get out.

So, it wouldn't be a very, very significant situation to have them out, especially Nick because this could start a trend. I mean, this is the highest count in California, so you could start to see others life without any possibility parole, begin to get paroled, which would be extraordinary.

FOSTER: A lot of people under the impression that this is -- because the alleged sexual abuse from the father wasn't included in that last trial. That's what they're arguing for, proving that that did happen. So, they were mitigating circumstances. But you're saying that isn't actually the focus of these cases?

CASAREZ: Well, there are routes. And with the re-sentencing, and I've heard George Gascon, I've read all the legal documents, and for the re-sentencing, because of rehabilitation, they're really focusing on what they've done in prison. Now, I'm sure that would be part of the argument, but there's a habeas petition, habeas corpus petition by the defense that they filed last year.

And they focus on this quote, new evidence, although the letter was around for a long time, I've watched different court proceedings, it possibly was even offered into evidence during the trials. But this evidence of sexual abuse, according to the prosecution, or George Gascon, would be very important in the habeas proceeding, so there's two different routes going at the same time.

FOSTER: OK, Jean, thank you so much for breaking that down for us. Fascinating case.

CASAREZ: Thank you.

FOSTER: Now, British man has been captured by Russian forces was fighting for Ukraine in Russia's Kursk Region. That's according to Russian state media. TAS has named the man as 22-year-old, James Scott Reese Anderson, a former British soldier. The British Foreign Office has confirmed that it's supporting the family of a British man following reports of his detention.

Meanwhile, thousands of Russian troops continue to go to the front lines. The mothers of those soldiers rarely heard from throughout the conflict in Ukraine. They're now speaking to CNN as Fred Pleitgen reports from Moscow.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): As the war in Ukraine nears the three-year mark, more and more Russians are signing up to fight. Vladimir Putin saying more than 700,000 are currently stationed in and around Ukraine.

We got rare access to an event in Moscow honoring the mothers of Russian soldiers battling in what the Kremlin still calls its special military operation. Mothers whose sons are fighting have been killed or injured. Oksana Medvedeva Igor, was severely wounded on the battlefield earlier this year.

[08:25:00]

OKSANA MEDVEDEVA, MOTHER OF RUSSIAN SOLDIER: He had surgery on his leg and the nerves had to be sewn back together she says. He also had surgery on his jaw, but it still has not recovered properly. He's still being treated. I am proud of my son, that he is such a hero.

PLEITGEN (voice-over): While the Russians have been making significant battlefield gains recently, they appear to come at a heavy price. Moscow doesn't publish casualty figures, but Western governments believe the attrition rate among Russian forces is significant.

To increase manpower the U.S. and Ukraine say more than 11,000 North Korean troops are now also on Moscow's side, mostly in Russia's Kursk Region. Yelena Yemelina's son Mikhail (ph), is still fighting in Ukraine. She won't say where, but acknowledges for him, it's tough.

YELENA YEMELINA, MOTHER OF RUSSIAN SOLDIER: He went through a lot of moments he doesn't like to talk about she says, but I found out by chance, I think he's a true hero.

PLEITGEN (voice-over): The U.S. and its allies continue to condemn Russia's President urging him to withdraw from Ukraine immediately. But this week, instead, a major escalation. After the Biden Administration allowed Ukraine to use longer distance U.S. and UK supplied missiles to strike deep inside Russia, Putin hit back with a new intermediate range ballistic missile capable of delivering devastating nuclear warheads, and he threatened to hit U.S. assets as well.

We consider ourselves entitled to use our weapons against the military objects of those countries that allowed their weapons to be used against our objects he said. Back at the event for the soldiers' mothers, a Russian parliamentarian backing Putin up.

NINA OSTANINA, RUSSIAN PARLIAMENT MEMBER: We are a strong country, and we've been patient for a very long time, she said. But in the case of mass deaths of our people, if the collective West does not sober up, we should proceed to more decisive actions. We can no longer lose any of our men.

PLEITGEN (voice-over): But for now, the battles continue to escalate, and the losses continue to mount as Vladimir Putin warns, the war is increasingly becoming a struggle between Russia and the West Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Moscow.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Still to come, Israel and Hezbollah carry out cross border, strikes, even as ceasefire, talks appear to be gathering momentum. We'll take a closer look at the situation when we return. Plus, we're learning more about those arrested in connection with the killing of an Israeli Rabbi in the UAE. The latest on that investigation straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:30:00]

FOSTER: More on our top story, a source says Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has approved an emerging ceasefire deal with Hezbollah in principle. The source says details are still being negotiated and the agreement will not be final until all issues are resolved. This is the death toll climbs in Lebanon and hits a grim milestone.

Lebanese officials say dozens were killed in Israeli strikes over the weekend, and that the death toll has risen over -- to over 3000 that's just since mid-September. Meanwhile, Hezbollah fired some 250 projectiles from Lebanon on Sunday. Israel says several people were injured.

Let's take a closer look at a potential ceasefire. Jasmine El-Gamal is a Middle East Analyst, a Former Middle East Advisor to the Pentagon, she joins us now from London. Thank you so much for joining us.

JASMINE EL-GAMAL, FORMER PENTAGON MIDDLE EAST ADVISER: Thanks for having me.

FOSTER: I mean, the headline sounds very strong, doesn't it? An agreement in principle, but it's all the detail that's been holding up agreements elsewhere, for example.

EL-GAMAL: Absolutely! That's right. I mean, we've heard this for months with the ceasefire negotiations in Gaza. We know that U.S. officials and other officials had been telling us for months that a deal was close to being signed, when actually that was very far from the truth.

So, I take these updates with a grain of salt, but however, there is reason to be cautiously optimistic when it comes to a deal being made in the next few days. There are a couple of things to watch out for, in terms of the diplomacy behind the scenes that's happening.

The president's envoy to Lebanon Amos Hochstein, who has been back and forth now for months, trying to get this deal has basically said, reportedly to the Israelis, through the Israeli ambassador in Washington, that if Israel doesn't move close to a deal in the next few days, that he's going to walk away from these talks.

We also know that the Pentagon's Top Middle East Official, Dan Shapiro, who was also a former U.S. ambassador in Israel, is going to be in Israel, talking to Israeli officials, trying to get this deal through. And the argument that the Americans are going to be making is the following.

You have decimated Hezbollah. You have not destroyed it completely, but you have weakened it to a position that it really hasn't been before in recent history. And you now have still 60,000 Israelis who are displaced from their homes in the north. You've sent an incredibly strong message to Iran, time and again over the last few months. Now is the time to call it a win and take a deal.

FOSTER: What do you think is the sticking point for Israel in this deal, when they say has to be ironed out? What the specific things they're most concerned about?

EL-GAMAL: Well, obviously the thing that they're concerned about is continued rocket fire from Hezbollah into Israeli cities, and also re armament, so smuggling of weapons into Hezbollah's areas in the South of Lebanon, which has happened over the years. It happened after the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah.

You saw Israel still can sorry, you saw Hezbollah after that war, still continuing to receive weapons that were being smuggled from Iran via Syria into Lebanon, and that's something that Israel doesn't want to see again. That said again, like I said, the Israelis have basically weakened Hezbollah to a point where it is going to be much more difficult for them to continue, to do the kinds of things that they were doing before, to rearm and strengthen themselves again.

If anything, the sticking points are actually on the Lebanese side, because what this deal stipulates is that the Israelis have 60 days to start withdrawing back from the Lebanese borders, for Hezbollah to move its arms to the north of the Litani River, and for the Lebanese army to start taking responsibility for overseeing some of that -- some of these stipulations in the deal, making sure that Hezbollah doesn't rearm.

The Lebanese side is saying now that they want that 60-day window to be immediate. They want to see an immediate withdrawal by the Israelis, as opposed to a 60-day period. The other main sticking point is that the Israelis have asked for assurances from the Americans that they could still fire at Hezbollah positions if they felt that there was reason to even after the ceasefire deal has been inked and that's something that the Lebanese side is kind of balking over as well.

[08:35:00]

Those are kind of similar to the sticking points that were there between Hamas and Israel when it came to signing that ceasefire deal in Gaza, the fact that Israel wanted to remain able to strike after a ceasefire deal was signed, if they thought it was necessary, with of course, the other side saying absolutely not. A ceasefire deal is a ceasefire deal. It means you stop firing full stop.

FOSTER: And where's Iran in all this? We can't really talk about Hezbollah without talking about Iran. They'll be involved in all of this, won't they?

EL-GAMAL: Absolutely! That's a great question. And of course, you would assume that Hezbollah wouldn't be as far advanced in these talks, and the Lebanese state in general would not be advanced this far in the talks without Iranian approval. So, suffice it to say, the Iranians are OK with this deal being signed.

But of course, as we know and as we've seen over months and years in the region, just because deal is signed doesn't mean the sides are not going to continue to try to weaken each other in other ways, and that's what each side is trying to guarantee for themselves right now.

When they sign this deal is to make sure that when the deal is signed, that the other side isn't able to continue with the type of behavior that is seen as a threat by one side or the other -- So those are the sticking points -- Cautiously optimistic, but still a lot of details to be worked out in these final days.

FOSTER: Well, we'll take any positivity we can. Jasmine El-Gamal really appreciate your time today. Authorities in the UAE have arrested three Uzbek nationals in connection with the death of an Israeli rabbi in the United Arab Emirates. The White House is condemning the killing and says it's working closely with the Israeli and UAE authorities.

Rabbi Zvi Kogan had been missing since Thursday. On Sunday, Israel confirmed his body had been discovered. Israel's Prime Minister says Kogan was killed in an antisemitic act of terror.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: First, I want to express deep shock on my behalf, on behalf of all government members, the citizens of Israel and the entire Jewish people, at the abduction and murder of Zvi Kogan of blessed memory, may his blood be avenged.

This murder was carried out in the United Arab Emirates. The murder of an Israeli citizen and Chabad emissary is a heinous antisemitic act of terror.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Paula Hancocks, live from Abu Dhabi. We don't have a motive, though, do we?

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: At this point, Max, no, we don't. What we have heard from the Ministry of Interior here in the UAE is that three Uzbek nationals have been arrested related to this case, and that legal proceedings have begun. But beyond that, they have not given any information on the motive.

They haven't given information, for example, on the what exactly happened which led to the killing of Zvi Kogan. All we know is that from the Chabad side. They say that Kogan went missing on Thursday, he was abducted, they say from the emirate of Dubai. And then on Sunday, we had that confirmation from officials and authorities here that his body had been found.

Now we know that from the Israeli side, they have confirmed that his body has been -- is being repatriated to Israel, and we understand that the funeral will be held in the coming hours in Israel. But there are, of course, many questions as to what exactly happened, what the motive behind this was?

The Israeli Prime Minister is very clear, as you heard there, in what he believes the motive to be. He said it was a heinous antisemitic attack. And they have been reissuing travel warnings for Israelis in the UAE, saying that all but non-essential travel simply shouldn't be happening, and also a message for those of the Jewish community in the UAE as well, saying that they should minimize their movement and stay in secure places.

Now it is a small community, the Jewish community here in the UAE. It is believed to be in the thousands, but there are the Chabad religious movements, which is a movement of Hasidic Jews. It is based in New York, but does have these branches around the world, and had a branch here, has a branch here in the UAE.

We understand that Kogan himself was part of the movement to try and establish the Jewish community here in the UAE, given the fact, that Israel and the UAE have established diplomatic relations since 2020, a U.S. brokered agreement just four years ago.

[08:40:00]

But at this point, the information about the motive, about the what exactly happened, are fairly slim from the UAE authorities, Max.

FOSTER: OK, Paula, back with you, when you have more. Thank you. A French public prosecutor has requested a 20-year prison sentence for the man who has admitted drugging his wife and allowing dozens of men to rape her. Dominique Pelicot has been on trial alongside 50 men since September.

He's accused of arranging for the men to visit his house in Southern France and rape his unconscious wife Gisele over a period of nearly 10 years. The prosecutor told the court that Pelicot was fully responsible for his actions and suffers from no mental illness.

Still to come, confirmation controversy U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's efforts to fill a second administration with contentious cabinet picks, faces its next big test. How will Republicans respond? Then, while Trump didn't earn a majority of the Latino vote, he did make significant inroads with a demographic that has historically supported Democrats overwhelmingly ahead. We'll talk to some voters about why they switched.

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FOSTER: Donald Trump's incoming administration is taking shape at breakneck speed. The U.S. President-elect finalized his cabinet with a flurry of announcements over the weekend. Tulsi Gabbard and another contentious pick, Pete Hegseth are now facing increased scrutiny amid looming Senate confirmation hearings.

Critics say Gabbard Trump's choice to lead the U.S. intelligence services is compromised because of her pro-Russian views. And Hegseth, a Fox News Host and Army Veteran, Trump tapped to be defense secretary is also facing uncertainty after a police report revealed a sexual assault allegation against him in 2017 that he denies.

The Trump transition team, meanwhile is bypassing traditional FBI checks for some of the cabinet picks, a move criticized by one high profile Democrat and dismissed by her Republican colleague.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. AMY KLOBUCHAR (D-MN): I want to have the hearings. I want to make a decision on each one of them on the merits, as I've done in the past, and I can't do that without the background checks.

SEN. BILL HAGERTY (R-TN): The transition team has been working for months to prepare for this. I'm certain that there was significant vetting that has taken place. It has for every candidate.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Lauren Fox joins me live in Washington. I mean, he's already failed to get one of his picks through, hasn't he? Has that emboldened some who may oppose some of these very controversial choices he's got for his cabinet?

LAUREN FOX, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, in conversations that I've had with Republican Senators and aides over the course of the last week, one thing is becoming very clear.

[08:45:00]

Lawmakers are looking at each of these nominees individually. They are arguing that despite the fact that Matt Gaetz pulled himself out of this race to become the next attorney general. That doesn't necessarily change the way that they are looking at Pete Hegseth, who some Republicans have argued may not have the experience to lead such a huge, huge bureaucracy as the Pentagon. There are also some concerns about comments that he has made related to women serving in combat. And despite the fact that he had a slew of really friendly meetings on Capitol Hill, last week, he was meeting with some of Trump's closest allies on the Hill, there is a really lengthy confirmation process.

We are still probably months from having the kind of public hearings that Americans would be used to seeing on Capitol Hill. But there's a process even before that these committees will undergo a vetting of these nominees. There's also a lot of meetings that have to happen, one on one, meetings, phone calls in which Hegseth and Gabbard will have an opportunity to make their respective cases to senators.

So, this is really all going to play out over not just weeks, but really months. As lawmakers return to Capitol Hill after the Thanksgiving recess, are going to start digging in, but it's just important to point out that there's a lot that Congress still has to do in this lame duck session.

And, you know, conversations I'm having with Republican aides and members, they make clear some members haven't really even engaged in a substantial way yet on each of these nominees. So, it's important to point out that lawmakers, Republicans can only lose three members and still get these nominees through. So, a lot of work ahead, but this is going to take months to play out.

FOSTER: And it's not as if Donald Trump's going to change his world view on all of this. Is it? Because presumably, you know, he'll come back with someone he also approves of, if he doesn't get the first one through, it's not necessarily going to mellow his choices as some in Congress, I'm sure want.

FOX: Yeah. I think the concern from some Republican members is what's happened in people's personal lives prior to them being nominated. You know, in terms of the philosophy that Trump is looking at, he wants people who are going to be disruptive, who are going to shake things up, that's not going to change.

You saw that with his quick turnabout when he nominated Pam Bondi to be his next attorney general. It's not that her philosophy of what she wants to do at the Justice Department is that dissimilar to Matt Gaetz. The difference, of course, is that Matt Gaetz was facing a slew of questions related to a House Ethics report that has not been released.

And there were just a lot of upcoming questions about what was going to happen to that report, what the allegations in that report were looking like. Pam Bondi comes at this not having that kind of personal baggage, and we should point out that Matt Gaetz has denied any wrongdoing here.

But that just gives you a sense of the fact that Pam Bondi and Matt Gaetz not that different in terms of what they're looking at doing to the Justice Department, but in terms of just their background, a very different story on Capitol Hill. FOSTER: Yeah, Lauren, thank you. Interesting times for you. Now, one of the factors that helped push Donald Trump to victory earlier this month was the support he got from Latinos. CNN's Isabel Rosales went to Central Florida to talk with some of those voters who helped turn their County Republican for the first time in decades.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DIANA MARRERO-PINTO, PUERTO RICAN TRUMP SUPPORTER: So, these are the pork chops. And if you look this is less than two pounds, and it's 549 a pound. The eggs now, I mean, the eggs have gone up probably like 50 percent in price, and then milk is just another item that's completely gone up. We're so tightly squeezed that we're living in an economy where all you're doing is working to live. And that's not the American dream.

ISABEL ROSALES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Whether it's sticker shock at the grocery store or watching her youngest son move out of Florida's Osceola County, his dream of affording a home out of reach. Diana Marrero-Pinto's family has faced a bleak economic picture.

MARRERO-PINTO: People were tired. They were just tired. They were tired of prices going up.

ROSALES (voice-over): A registered independent, she voted Republican at the top of the ticket, but for Democrats in some local and congressional races. In 2016, the Puerto Rican voted Donald Trump, but four years later, she went for Joe Biden. Bothered in part about this 2017 incident when Trump threw paper towels at struggling Puerto Rican residents during the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, but now Diana came back to Trump.

TONY HINCHCLIFFE, COMEDIAN: There's literally a floating island of garbage in the middle of the ocean right now.

ROSALES: What do you say about the Latino vote?

MARRERO-PINTO: You spend so much time trying to push down our throats that people like Trump have disrespected us by throwing paper towels and by, you know, having a comedian that said what he said, you don't realize how much you disrespect us by insulting our intelligence and thinking that you just have us in your back pocket. We're just not going to stamp you -- rubber stamp you because you have a D behind your name.

[08:50:00]

ROSALES: Latinos are in the majority here in Osceola County and large part, thanks to its thriving Puerto Rican community, one of the largest in the Sunshine State, and how they vote is important. Joe Biden beat Trump here by 14 points back in 2020. 4 years earlier, Hillary Clinton won it by 25 points.

But this November, Trump narrowly won Osceola by less than 2 points on his way to carrying the state by a decisive margin. Hey, Mark, I'm Isabel. ROSALES (voice-over): The county's long time GOP Chairman not taken by surprise, they flipped red.

ROSALES: What happened here with Trump? How did he do it?

MARK CROSS, OSCEOLA COUNTY REPUBLICAN CHAIRMAN: It basically is on the issues. You have to ask the question, were you better off four years ago than you are today? And nobody in their right mind can say yes.

ROSALES: So, it's about the economy.

CROSS: Economy is part of it. I mean, the illegal immigration problem is part of it. You know, when you talk about Puerto Ricans and how they vote, what I've noticed is it's not really a Puerto Rican or Latino vote. It's an American vote.

ROSALES (voice-over): Americans by birthright, some Puerto Rican Trump supporters welcoming mass deportations.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I have no problems with anybody coming into U.S. legally, but crossing the border. I don't care from what country, they should be going back to their country and coming back legally into the country.

CARMEN CLAUDIO, PUERTO RICAN TRUMP SUPPORTER: -- economy -- is there Great America.

ROSALES: She thinks that Donald Trump is the answer to the future, that he's going to make the economy great again, and that he has already started by getting undocumented people out of here.

CLAUDIO: -- Great America -- Donald Trump.

ROSALES (voice-over): And as Diana plates the searing to let us for dinner, her faith is unwavering.

ROSALES: Do you see Trump as a strong Christian man?

MARRERO-PINTO: I see Trump as someone who has foundational Christian values. I wasn't looking for a pastor. I didn't have to worry if he was a saint. Father God, we thank you for this food.

ROSALES (voice-over): No saint nor pastor, but a man, she says, who shares her values.

ROSALES (on camera): Here in Osceola County, there is an exceptionally large amount of non-party affiliated voters, meaning that both sides have to bring their A game to court these voters. Now Mark Cross, that GOP County Chairman that you saw in the story, he says that he is passing the torch.

He is announcing the successor that he is endorsing, and that person is a Puerto Rican pastor, and as a Latino, he would be the first to lead the local party. I asked Cross what is the message they're trying to send with that pick? And he told me that Republicans are looking to the future, that this is someone who's young, someone who represents the community, showing that they are serious about this voting bloc. In Kissimmee, Florida, Isabel Rosales, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Still has come, two blockbuster movies, Wicked and Gladiator II face off on the box office, creating a new cultural phenomenon. Possibly we'll explain next.

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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You're green.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I am.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Hollywood is going green as the movie Wicked tops the box office over the weekend, raking in about $114 million that's just in North America. The musical adaptation of the Broadway show created a cultural moment alongside another film, that break records.

[08:55:00]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They're usually prisoners of war.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I claim this city for the glory of Rome.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Gladiator II had a strong showing with more than $55 million in U.S. ticket sales. Fans waiting a long time for the sequel to the iconic film that won the Oscar for Best Picture 23 years ago. The two blockbusters created a phenomenon that's being called, Glick it, click -- click it, similar to a Barbie and Oppenheimer created in 2023.

I think we're a bit early to say that, but that was obviously Barbenheimer, and this could be the next one, although Wicked is pretty well ahead. As we approach the end of Joe Biden's presidency, we're talking turkeys. He's preparing to use his pardon power for two deserving turkeys for the fourth and final time.

Later today, he'll pardon peach and blossom. There they are. Don't know which one's which you can see them though, sparing them from being part of that Thanksgiving dinner. The event is an annual White House tradition, as you'll know from watching this show over the years, it says to have its roots in the administration of Abraham Lincoln.

Folklore has it that Lincoln's young son asked his father to spare a pet turkey that was supposed to be part of their Thanksgiving dinner. Thanks for joining us here on CNN Newsroom. I'm Max Foster. "Connect the World" is up next.

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