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Israel, Hezbollah Edge Closer To Ceasefire; Police Clash With Protesters In Pakistan; Trump Threatens Tariffs On Day One; Israeli Cabinet to Vote on Hezbollah Ceasefire Deal Tuesday; in Romania, Far- right Candidate Calin Georgescu Wins Most Votes in First Round of Voting; French Prosecutors Request Maximum Sentence for Dominique Pelicot; Massive Fire in Manila Leaves Thousands Displaced; Christmas Tree Arrives at White House; Giant Balloon Draws Attention to Dog Obesity. Aired 2-2:45a ET

Aired November 26, 2024 - 02:00   ET

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

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[02:00:31]

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world, and to everyone streaming us on CNN Max. Rosemary Church.

Just ahead. Israel and Hezbollah appear to be on the verge of a truce, but can both parties get it across the line, and what could it mean for the war in Gaza?

Protests in Pakistan turned deadly as police clashed with demonstrators demanding the release of former Prime Minister Imran Khan.

And Donald Trump raising the stakes in a potential trade war, vowing big tariffs on Mexico, Canada and China.

ANNOUNCER: Live from Atlanta. This is CNN NEWSROOM with Rosemary Church.

CHURCH: Good to have you with us. It is 9:00 in the morning in Israel where a vote on a ceasefire deal with Hezbollah is set to take place today. One official in Lebanon familiar with the discussions expects a cease fire to be announced in the day ahead. Despite the progress, there's been no let up to the strikes from each side. The Israeli military says it hit two Hezbollah command centers belonging to the group's executive council in Beirut on Monday.

The Israel Defense Forces also says Hezbollah fired about 20 projectiles from Lebanon Monday, and warned rocket fire into Israel could ramp up ahead of Tuesday's vote. The spokesperson for Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, did not give details of the potential agreement, but said it was expected to pass when the cabinet meets for the vote. But not everyone is on board. Israel's far right national security minister says the deal would be an historic mistake. U.S. officials believe a deal is close.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MATTHEW MILLER, U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESPERSON: You've also heard the Secretary say that oftentimes the very last stages of an agreement are the most difficult, because the hardest issues are left to the end. That, of course, is true. Hopefully we'll get there with an agreement. We're pushing as hard as we can to get a diplomatic resolution that would allow these tens of thousands of people in Lebanon Israel to return home. But ultimately, that's up to the parties, not to us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: CNN's Nic Robertson is tracking developments and has more now from Jerusalem.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yes. It really does seem as if that ceasefire deal is going to happen, getting much closer, according to a Lebanese official with knowledge of the process saying that it should happen within 24 hours, which would be late on Tuesday. The Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu holding a Cabinet meeting Tuesday afternoon to decide that same thing.

Look, there are pressures on him. We have to be clear about that. There are things that Israel wants that it may not be able to achieve. We don't know the language, so there are some concerns going into this final phase. Israel wants to -- wants to be able to have the right to respond to Hezbollah if Hezbollah breaks the terms of the ceasefire, the right to respond immediately.

And it's not clear what sort of language is going to be put around that but the prime minister today heard from it Itamar Ben-Gvir, the national security minister. And he was very, very clear. He said publicly that he told the prime minister, this is not the time to quit in the fight with Hezbollah. This is the time while they wait to continue to crush them. He said his words were -- for the prime minister will continue, continue, continue.

Now the prime minister will have Tuesday morning to meet with the leaders and the parties that make up his coalition. So, he will have time to try to convince Ben-Gvir of why he should vote in favor of the ceasefire. So, the prime minister has got time, but his office does seem to indicate that they feel confident that this is going to pass. What will happen? Well, there will be a 60-day ceasefire is what we expect.

Hezbollah will pull back 30 miles, 45 kilometers north of the border. Israeli troops will begin to pull back and pull back entirely into Israel. And then, in principle, the U.N. and the Lebanese army sort of fill that military vacuum along the border to make sure that Hezbollah don't come back south and get on the border with Israel. That's the principle of it. But in the meantime, both sides have been really increasing and ramping up their strikes.

Missiles from Hezbollah bombing raids by the IDF. Hezbollah targets inside of Lebanon. So, until that ceasefire signed, it seems that the intense military operation. That's going to continue, it seems until the last moment.

[02:05:08]

Nic Robinson, CNN, Jerusalem.

CHURCH: Joining me now from Rome is Paul Salem. Vice President of the Middle East Institute. Thank you so much for talking with us.

PAUL SALEM, VICE PRESIDENT, MIDDLE EAST INSTITUTE: Thank you for having me.

CHURCH: So, a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah appears to be close but they're not there yet. What will it take do you think to get this done?

SALEM: Well, I think there are two obstacles. One, as indicated by your reporter, there is an internal political challenge for Prime Minister Netanyahu in Israel itself with some of his right-wing ministers, but I do think he's made the calculation that even though some of these ministers will be upset. They are not likely to leave his cabinet because of this agreement, whereas they would have left his cabinet if he'd made an agreement with Hamas or made some major compromises on the West Bank.

So, I think internally, he has a challenge, but I think he thinks he can get over it. The second point, which has been difficult, Israel wants to maintain the ability to hit Hezbollah if it feels that it's violating this agreement. That was not a term that the Lebanese side was willing to accept. So, the solution, "that they found for it" is that there will be a separate letter between Israel and the United States where the U.S. acknowledge -- acknowledges this kind of ability of Israel to go after Hezbollah if Hezbollah violates the agreement.

So, those are some of the things that are still being worked out. But leaders on both sides in Israel and Lebanon do seem optimistic that this could be done, same optimism we see in Washington and Paris as well.

CHURCH: Right. So, even when and if a cease fire is reached between Israel and Hezbollah. How fragile will it be and how sustainable?

SALEM: Well, I think -- I mean, at some level, it will be sustainable. I think Hezbollah itself doesn't want to continue the fight. They've been looking for a way out for a long time. And I think Israel has achieved a lot of goals vis-a-vis Hezbollah in Lebanon, they've decapitated their leadership. They've degraded their capacities. They've collectively punished, as it were, 1.2 million Lebanese who many of whom are supporters of Hezbollah, displaced them from the south.

So, they have achieved a lot of what Bibi Netanyahu wanted to do. They have prevented the ability of Hezbollah to do a lightning strike across the border. So, I think at one level, it is somewhat sustainable, but I do expect violations here and there. There is a supervisory committee led by the United States which will continue to try to keep a lid on this. So, I would think that it is generally sustainable, but there would probably be violations that risk an unraveling.

CHURCH: And what could these ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hezbollah offer in terms of a similar path forward, perhaps for the war in Gaza and a possible ceasefire between Israel and Hamas?

SALEM: Exactly well, I think there are a number of dynamics here. Israel has been fighting for more than a year. The IDF is exhausted. This is largely a volunteer army or a citizen's army, as it were. They've been fighting on multiple fronts, so that's been a pressure for Prime Minister Netanyahu to ramp things down. Secondly, you do have Donald Trump, who came to office, or at least won the election in the U.S.

And he's been very clear to Prime Minister Netanyahu that he supports him. He wants him to win those wars but he also wants those wars to be over before he takes office on January 20th. And I do think if Prime Minister Netanyahu survives this ceasefire agreement with a longtime foe like Hezbollah and is able to survive it politically, perhaps he might be more courageous about broaching a ceasefire agreement with Hamas.

So, I think it raises the possibility somewhat to get something similar with Hamas in the coming weeks.

CHURCH: Paul Salem, thank you so much for talking with us. We appreciate it.

SALEM: Thank you.

CHURCH: No one will win a trade war. That warning from China's embassy in Washington after Donald Trump announced he will impose an additional 10 percent tariff on Chinese products on day one of his presidency. Trump's looming tariffs are retaliation for what he considers China's failure to stop the flow of fentanyl into the U.S. He's also promising a massive 25 percent hike in tariffs on goods from Mexico and Canada, saying it's payback for illegal immigration and crime and drugs coming across the border.

CNN's Steven Jiang is covering this live from Beijing. He joins us now. So, Stephen, how will China likely deal with this additional tariff on top of those already promised by Donald Trump once he's in office?

[02:10:04]

STEVEN JIANG, CNN INTERNATIONAL BEIJING BUREAU CHIEF: Yes, Rosemary. We are unlikely to hear much specifics from officials in Beijing given historically, they tend to react to the actual situation instead of preemptively. But of course, this is something they have been preparing to deal with for months. And they probably could use some clarification from Trump or his team as well. Remember, we're not sure if this additional 10 percent is going to be imposed at the same time as the 60 percent tariffs on all Chinese imports Trump had repeatedly threatened during the campaign or is this just the first phase that could lead to a much bigger tariff later on. And interestingly, I've been hearing slightly different sentiment from officials here, with those in charge of diplomacy trying to put on a more brave face, saying China is capable and willing to fight back while those with an economic portfolio sometimes sounded a bit more cautious, perhaps because of the sluggish Chinese economy at home.

And that, of course, is something a lot of experts have pointed out is going to affect how they respond with many suggesting the Chinese response is likely to be more targeted and asymmetrical. Meaning they're going to target on U.S. companies and industries that they perhaps already intend to squeeze in the Chinese market. And also, another thing they've been doing in the past few years is to diversify their export market, trying to reduce their reliance on the U.S.

Perhaps more noteworthy at this point, though, is the fentanyl issue. We recently actually got rare access to China's national counternarcotics lab, where officials they're telling us that the recently resumed dialogs and exchanges on this issue have led to some progress. They say their regular communication with their U.S. counterparts has helped both sides identify and trace new chemicals used to make fentanyl and U.S.-provided tips actually leading to law enforcement actions here in China on the -- on the ground.

So the irony here is, if those new Trump tariffs trigger another free fall in this overall bilateral relationship, it could actually negatively impact the very issue that Trump is now linking to his new tariff threat against China. Rosemary?

CHURCH: All right. Thanks to Steven Jiang joining us live with that report from Beijing.

Canada's deputy prime minister and public safety minister issued a joint and fairly neutral response to Trump's threat of new tariffs. They called the relationship between the two countries balanced and mutually beneficial, particularly for American workers, and said that discussions about tariffs will continue.

U.N. Special Counsel Jack Smith's mission to prove presidents are not above the law, but Trump's reelection means he will not face further prosecution at the federal level. At least not for the next four years. On Monday, the classified documents in January 6 election subversion cases were officially shelved. Trump and his supporters are celebrating. Critics say he got away with some serious crimes.

CNN's Evan Perez has a closer look at why these cases were dismissed.

EVAN PEREZ, CNN SENIOR JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Special Counsel Jack Smith asked federal judges overseeing the two criminal prosecutions of Donald Trump to drop those cases, citing the long-standing Justice Department rules that forbid prosecuting a sitting president. Smith made the filings in Washington, D.C. where the election subversion case was filed against Trump. And with the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta, which has a pending appeal of a ruling dismissing charges in the classified documents case. Smith says that he consulted with lawyers from the Office of Legal Counsel which serves as the in-house law firm for the administration, and determined that Trump is covered by that shield against prosecution even now, as president-elect.

Smith says in his filing, the department's position is that the Constitution requires that this case be dismissed before the defendant is inaugurated. This outcome is not based on the merits or strength of the case against the defendant. Smith requested that the classified documents case continue for two of Trump's co-defendants who are accused of helping him obstruct the investigation.

Judge Tanya Chutkan quickly granted Smith's request to dismiss the January 6 related case, "without prejudice," meaning that the dismissal applies only while Trump is president. Chutkan wrote the dismissal without prejudice is also consistent with the government's understanding that the immunity afforded to a sitting president is temporary, expiring when they leave office. So, does that mean that the cases against Trump could be revived after he leaves office?

That's anyone's guess. Once Trump is president, he also could order his Justice Department to kill the cases for good. Evan Perez, CNN, Washington.

[02:15:01]

CHURCH: Let's go live to London now. Thomas Gift is the director of the Center on U.S. Politics at University College London. Thank you so much for joining us.

THOMAS GIFT, DIRECTOR OF THE CENTER ON U.S. POLITICS, UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON: Good morning, Rosemary.

CHURCH: So, it looks like President-elect Donald Trump's legal woes are over for now, at least with us. Special Counsel Jack Smith dismissing all federal charges against him. How likely is it that Trump will go after Jack Smith, and would you expect him to pardon many of those associated with the January 6 case?

GIFT: That's a really good question. Two big ones and two different ones. Donald Trump certainly has promised to go after his political adversaries, and you might think chief among them would be an individual Special Counsel Jack Smith who has spent the last year or so going after him. So, whether this is rhetorical campaign talk or whether this is something that Trump will actually follow through on, I guess we'll see soon enough.

When it comes to January 6 rioters, he has been very explicit that he thinks at least some of them deserve pardons. You know, he said that individuals that weren't violent, that were just happening to be at the Capitol shouldn't be sitting in jail cells. So, I would expect, given his pledges in the campaign that that's very high likelihood.

CHURCH: And Donald Trump's pick for Treasury Secretary, Scott Bessent already has his work cut out for him, of course, if confirmed. But now Trump's threatening new punishing tariffs on China, Canada and Mexico. Why do you think he's doing this now, especially when economists were already warning that Trump's tariffs would raise prices for Americans and can dissent perhaps change his mind on this, because he's not on the same page with him, is he?

GIFT: I think you're absolutely right that it would be really interesting to see this tension between Donald Trump and Bessent on the issue of tariffs. Of course, Trump has promised 10 percent tariffs on all imports into the United States, upwards of 60 percent tariffs on imports from China, which is huge. And you rightly note, Rosemary, that this would have a real significant cost on American consumers, just by passing higher prices on to them.

There will be a real question about whether dissent can mitigate or attenuate some of these tariffs, because you're right, they don't seem to be on the same page. It's a very similar situation, actually, if you recall during the first Trump White House where Steve Mnuchin who also held this Treasury Secretary position, was kind of working behind the scenes to lessen some of these tariffs that ended up kind of blowing up within the White House. So, I think it's very possible that you could see a similar contention here this time around.

CHURCH: And President-elect Trump has filled all his cabinet spots with pics of varying ideologies and degrees of risk, but his most controversial choices include Tulsi Gabbard, Pete Hegseth and Robert Kennedy, Jr. Who do you think has the toughest path forward for confirmation?

GIFT: I think Pete Hegseth probably has the toughest path forward. I would have said Matt Gaetz before Matt Gaetz stepped down, but if you just look at the credentials of Pete Hegseth. He did serve in the military. However, he spent most of the last several years, just as a Fox News anchor. And I think that some of his opinions, particularly on international humanitarian law, his lobbying and advocating for U.S. service members who have been convicted or accused of war crimes, is certainly going to raise some eyebrows among the Senate.

I think that there are some more establishment of politicians, the old guard, even though Trump has control of the Senate with the Republicans that might just say Pete Hegseth is not our choice, especially to lead a department, the Department of Defense, that is so critical to national security.

CHURCH: So, you think that Tulsi Gabbard could get through?

GIFT: Well, yes, you asked me to rank who is going to be the most difficult, and I think it's hard to pick among all of those. Tulsi Gabbard, I think it's maybe 50/50. It's really hard to say. I think the real question is whether, you know, Donald Trump can keep his party in line, or whether there's some number of U.S. senators who want to exercise their independence and aren't just going to fall in line behind Donald Trump.

CHURCH: And Trump lawyers are investigating allegations that top aide Boris Epshteyn sought financial gain from his influence with the president-elect and others in Donald Trump's orbit. How significant is this do you think and what do you expect to come of it?

GIFT: Well, I think it just raises the question about ulterior motives of individuals within the Trump White House. You know, wrongdoing is one thing, malfeasance is one thing. Then there's just sort of the question of trying to use your influence within the Trump White House to benefit individuals, personally. You know, we see that, for example, I think with Elon Musk, where he's very, very involved.

I think that this will ultimately be kind of a back story. Won't be at the center of attention, but certainly it's not the step that Donald Trump wants to get out on with his administration.

[02:15:04]

CHURCH: All right. Our thanks to Thomas Gift joining us there. Appreciate it.

GIFT: Thank you.

CHURCH: Ukraine's capital city is fighting off new Russian drone attacks. The mayor of Kyiv says Moscow is launching Iranian major head drones from different directions. Now this comes as battles escalate in Russia's Kursk region. The White House says Ukraine used U.S.- supplied ATACMS ballistic missiles there. This video posted on social media Monday purports to show explosions from those missiles.

And CNN's Oren Liebermann walks us through the latest developments in Ukraine.

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: We're seeing another wave of drone attacks against not only the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, but across the country, with air raid sirens going off in multiple areas across Ukraine, these Iranian-made Shahed drones being used once again, and this comes just one day after we saw another drone attack against Ukraine and against the capital of Kyiv.

In that case, Ukraine says they intercepted 50 out of 73 which is certainly an impressive number, but we have seen so many times the damage even a few of these drones can do when they get through Ukraine's air defenses. Worth noting that this isn't even close to the most powerful weapon we have seen Russia use in past days. Just last week, they used for the first time, an intermediate range ballistic missile with multiple warheads that were launched as that missile was in flight, what are officially called MIRVs in the lingo of the Pentagon.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said it was a an experimental hypersonic missile, claiming, as he has before, that it's impossible for Ukraine's air defenses to intercept this missile that has been proven wrong in the past and may well be proven wrong once again, but Russia clearly showing that it's willing to escalate, saying that this was in response to the U.S. permission for Ukraine to use U.S.-made long range attackers missiles to strike targets inside of Russia.

A green light that Ukraine only got within the course of the last few weeks. Last week, they used eight of these ATACMS missiles according to U.S. officials to strike an ammunition depot in the Kursk region with reports of secondary explosions indicating that they were able to successfully hit ammunition. There were more explosions in the Kursk Region overnight. So, it's possible Ukraine used more of these ATACMS missiles, though, that part isn't clear.

At this moment, the National Security Council publicly acknowledging for the first time that Ukraine has used attack of missiles to strike targets deep inside of Russia. They don't have a lot of these ATACMS missiles, so each time they are used, it is clearly against an important target, and they seem to be using a number of them at once to be able to evade or overpower Russian air defenses. This is clearly a space to watch as is the escalation on the ground between Ukraine and Russia.

Oren Liebermann, CNN at the Pentagon.

CHURCH: In Pakistan, thousands of protesters are defying police orders and tear gas to demand the release of their imprisoned former prime minister. The latest on the unrest has to head.

Plus, Gisele Pelicot was mesh with applause in France on the final day of the trial against her former husband. Now a court will decide if he spends decades in prison for allegedly organizing her mass rape during their marriage.

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[02:25:35]

CHURCH: In Pakistan, supporters of imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan have breached the city limits of the capital as they continue to clash with police. Earlier, police fired tear gas and rubber bullets at demonstrators in Islamabad. Khan's supporters have defied a police lockdown and court order prohibiting rallies inside the nation's capital, sparking the latest confrontations between security forces and protesters.

More than 4000 have been arrested since Friday, according to Khan's PTI party. The former leader has been in jail for more than a year and faces dozens of criminal charges, which his party claims are politically motivated.

And CNN's Mike Valerio is following developments for us. He joins us now live. So, Mike, what's the latest on these deadly protests?

MIKE VALERIO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, Rosemary, we actually just got a new dispatch from our team on the ground in Islamabad. And as you mentioned, protesters have breached the city limits. So, that was an open question, whether or not security forces would allow that. Our team is saying that protesters have gathered at zero point and interchange well inside the city.

And they also note that soldiers can be seen outside key government buildings in Islamabad, including Parliament and the Supreme Court. So, things are certainly seeming to be heightening in terms of the tensions that exist between the government and the protesters. But it's key to understand what the protesters want, Rosemary. And how this all started a few days ago, we have Imran Khan, the former Prime Minister of Pakistan saying from his -- from his jail cell essentially that he wants his supporters to march on Islamabad and march on parliament to call for his release.

That is the first demand of three central demands that protesters have. They want Imran Khan out of jail, as well as people whom they deem to be "political prisoners." They also want rosemary, a repeal of the 26th Amendment to Pakistan's constitution. And what exactly that does? It makes it easier for the government to select Superior Court justices and put those judges and justices in positions of decision making when there are cases that involve political matters.

And the third demand that they have returned what they call the "stolen mandate." Back in February, there were elections across Pakistan and Imran Khan's party is saying, hey, we won all of these seats throughout Parliament and they were denied to us unfairly. From their point of view, the elections in February were neither fair nor free. So, they want again, a return of those seat -- of those seats which they say are rightfully theirs.

So, what does this all amount to? It amounts to the tableau that we're seeing on the screen right now. Protesters being met with tear gas. The government in power right now, Prime Minister Sharif saying they need to maintain order within and around the capital. Islamabad, with population of more than one million people, the government is saying it's in talks. It wants talks with former Prime Minister Khan's party.

Those have not happened yet. Officials are banning gatherings of more than five people for two months plus, Rosemary. And we have reports of internet service being down within the capital, mobile phone service. So, the question, as we go forward, will these protests continue to grow in the heart of Pakistan's capital and how will that be met by security forces, Rosemary?

CHURCH: All right. Our thanks to Mike Valeria bringing us that live report. Appreciate it.

Well, 16 people are missing after a tourist yacht sank in the Red Sea along the Egyptian coast on Monday. Egyptian officials say 28 passengers were rescued. Authorities are still investigating what caused the boat to sink, but Egyptian meteorologists say there were warnings of high waves and rough waters in the area.

Still to come, a stunning election outcome in Romania that opinion polls did not predict how a far-right presidential candidates swayed voters. We'll take a look at that next.

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[02:31:50]

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR OF "CNN NEWSROOM": We are monitoring the latest out of the Middle East where the Israeli cabinet is expected to vote on a ceasefire deal with Hezbollah today. This comes as the Israeli military announced it had struck two Hezbollah command posts in Beirut on Monday. Sources tell CNN the White House Mid-East envoy is in Saudi Arabia, and is expected to discuss with regional partners the potential agreement and how it could help progress a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal in the Israel-Hamas conflict.

In a stunning election outcome, Romania's far-right presidential candidate won the most votes in the first round of voting. A large crowd of students held a rally in Bucharest Monday to protest the results. The NATO-critic, who has praised Russia, campaigned largely on the soaring cost of living in Romania and will face the center- right opposition leader in a run-off election on December 8th. CNN's Anna Stewart has more.

ANNA STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It was a victory few saw coming. A far-right candidate called Calin Georgescu secured the most votes in the first round of presidential elections in Romania. Local surveys had predicted he would get less than 10 percent of the vote. Georgescu doesn't even have a party affiliation. He ran as an independent on what's being called a TikTok campaign. It included videos like this.

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[Foreign Language]

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STEWART: As you can see, he's depicted as a strong man, not unlike Russian President Vladimir Putin, with traditional values. He's pro- Russian and anti-NATO. He has praised leaders from Romania's fascist movement in World War II, an opinion which got him expelled from Romania's far-right party, the AUR. The second round of this election will take place on 8th of December. Georgescu will run against Elena Lasconi, leader of the USR, a center-right party focused on an anti- corruption campaign. Georgescu though may be helped by the voters of the far-right party he was once a member of. They came forth in the ballot with 14 percent of the vote. All that ahead, plus before then, Romania holds parliamentary elections and elects a Prime Minister. So, there could be more political surprises to come.

Anna Stewart, CNN London.

CHURCH: French prosecutors are asking for the maximum sentence for Dominique Pelicot, the man accused of organizing the mass rape of his former wife over 10 years of their marriage.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Prosecutors say he is fully responsible for crimes committed against Gisele Pelicot, who has become a face for women and sexual abuse survivors, amid this public trial. She was greeted with cheers and flowers as she exited the courthouse on Monday.

[02:35:00] (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JACQUES PIERRET, PARTNER OF FEMINIST ACTIVIST NADIA GUENT: She's a heroine, a heroine -- a very, very brave person, very dignified, very dignified. Each time I see her pass in front, I think she stands tall. She's very dignified and magnificent. That's what she is. I'm full of adoration for that woman.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Dominique Pelicot, who is 71, could face up to 20 years in prison. Activists are pushing for harsher punishments for the dozens of other men accused. CNN's Saskya Vandoorne has more from outside the courthouse.

SASKYA VANDOORNE, CNN SENIOR PRODUCER: I've just come out of the courtroom where no cameras are allowed inside, and prosecutors have requested a 20-year prison sentence against Dominique Pelicot. And it's really only when you are inside that the sheer scale of it hits you. Row after row of men, most accused with aggravated rape against Gisele Pelicot, who's sitting just a few feet away from them, with her head literally held high.

Across the room from her, sits the man accused of organizing these rapes, her husband of 50 years, Dominique Pelicot. His eyes are often closed and his hands are resting on a cane. As for the men on trial, some seem to share friendly exchanges while others just keep to themselves. Many of the defendants could get a maximum of 20 years, angering women's rights campaigners who have come here asking for heavier prison sentences.

After months of hearings, this case really has whipped up emotions, not only here in France, but around the world with many calling for change.

Saskya Vandoorne, CNN, Avignon.

CHURCH: Thousands of people are now homeless after a massive fire in a Manila shanty neighborhood. CNN's Julia Chatterley shows us how those people are trying to piece their lives back together.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JULIA CHATTERLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A blazing fireball erupts in Manila, filling the air with smoke and flames. What looks hellish from the air is far more destructive on the ground. Officials say the raging fire burned for nearly eight hours on Sunday, incinerating about a thousand makeshift homes in the city's largest slum.

About 8,000 people have lost their homes. Smoke was still seeping from the debris as residents pick through the ash and rubble to find anything unscorched by the fire. But for many, it's a total loss.

ELVIRA VALDEMORO, MANILA RESIDENT AND SHOP OWNER (through translator): I feel bad because we have no livelihood and no home. Everything is gone. We don't know how we can eat. We're in a very bad situation, and it's almost Christmas.

CHATTERLEY (voice-over): Some tried to escape the fire by sea, piling their belongings on rafts as the fire spread to the edges of the sea port where the slum is located. Manila's mayor urged people to evacuate to a temporary shelter where the displaced can get meals and supplies. The cause of the fire is still under investigation, but faulty wiring and gas canisters have sparked previous fires and the densely populated slums, often filled with shacks made of flimsy and flammable materials, are no match for a fire of this size and ferocity.

Julia Chatterley, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Coming up after the break, the Bidens have officially kicked off the Christmas season with the arrival of the annual White House Christmas tree. We will hear what it means for the first lady, after the break.

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[02:40:35]

CHURCH: First lady Jill Biden welcomed her fourth and final White House Christmas tree. Pulled in on the traditional horse-drawn carriage, the massive tree was inspected by the first lady and her grandson, Beau. Biden called this year's tree a symbol of hope. Hurricane Helene destroyed thousands of trees where it was grown, but this one stood strong. Jill Biden took the opportunity to express gratitude to those working to rebuild after this year's hurricanes and for her husband's health.

Well, two turkeys at the White House will live on past Thanksgiving. The birds were hatched in Minnesota and rode the gravy train to Washington over the weekend. And Monday, Joe Biden used his presidential pardon power to grant clemency to the pair of lucky turkeys.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, (D) PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Based on your temperament and commitment to being productive members of society, I hereby pardon Peach and Blossom.

(APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Spared from the Thanksgiving table, Peach and Blossom will soon retire to a farm and learning center in Minnesota where they will be poultry ambassadors for students studying agriculture.

And Thanksgiving week isn't exactly known for portion control, people in Chicago are getting a health message, not for them, but for their pets. Cue a giant dog balloon stuck between buildings in the downtown area, it's not a rogue Thanksgiving parade balloon, but a prop aimed at raising awareness on dog obesity.

Iams pet food company launched the balloon and says more than 59 percent of American dogs are overweight. The portly pup was inspired by a real-life dog whose weight loss story is on the company's website.

I want to thank you so much for joining me. I'm Rosemary Church. "World Sport" is coming up next. Then I'll be back in 15 minutes with more "CNN Newsroom." Do stick around.

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[02:45:00]

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