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Israeli Cabinet to Vote on the Ceasefire Proposal with Hezbollah; 8,000 Displaced in a Large Fire at a Manila Shanty Neighborhood; U.S. Now Racing to Stop Chinese Telecom Hackings; Grocery Prices Too High for Families to Celebrate Thanksgiving. Aired 3-4a ET
Aired November 26, 2024 - 03:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[03:00:00]
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ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world and to everyone streaming us on CNN Max. I'm Rosemary Church.
Just ahead, Israel's political cabinet prepares to vote on a proposed ceasefire with Hezbollah as both sides continue to trade cross-border attacks.
Donald Trump is raising the stakes in a potential trade war vowing to slap big tariffs on Mexico, Canada and China.
And it's been called the worst telecom hack in US history. We will look at how suspected Chinese hackers could have tapped the phones of some of the most powerful people in the country.
UNKNOWN (voice-over): Live from Atlanta, this is "CNN Newsroom" with Rosemary Church.
CHURCH: Good to have you with us. And we begin this hour 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 ceasefire 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.
A 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's on board. Israel's far-right national security minister says the deal would be an historic mistake. CNN's Paula Hancocks is following the developments from Abu Dhabi. She joins me now. So Paula, this vote is happening as cross-border attacks continue. What can we expect to see over these next few hours?
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well Rosemary, it'll be later today that the Israeli cabinet will vote on this ceasefire proposal. As you say, we've heard from the Prime Minister's spokesperson that they do expect it to pass despite the fact that there are some very vocal opponents to this.
The far-right lawmaker Ben Gvir, for example, saying it would be an historic mistake. But we're also hearing from others, including the opposition leader, Benny Gantz, who's saying that the Prime Minister should make the details of this agreement public so that people can see what they are voting on and what potentially the terms of this proposal are.
Now, we are hearing optimism from all sides, but certainly from the U.S. side there are a lot of caveats being placed on everything they say at this point, clearly having learned the lesson of the Gaza situation where a deal between Israel and Hamas is still elusive.
So what we have heard from the White House, for example, from John Kirby, he said it's been based on a lot of back and forth, a lot of discussions, a lot of work, saying we are close but I want to be careful and cautious until there is actually a deal signed. There is no deal.
We've heard a very similar thing from the State Department as well. Spokesperson Matthew Miller saying nothing is final until everything is final.
So we know that there are U.S. officials in the region, Dan Shapiro, for example, the former ambassador to Israel is in Israel at this point for security meetings, we understand.
Also the U.N. Middle East envoy, Brett McGurk is in Saudi Arabia through Tuesday. So there is a huge amount of diplomatic activity trying to push this deal across the finish line.
Now, we did hear more optimism from the Lebanese side. A Lebanese official saying that they believed it could be signed within 24 hours, that they said late on Monday night.
But as we are getting potentially closer to this deal being signed, we are seeing an uptick, an escalation in the strikes from Israel and the missile and rocket launches from Lebanon. And we've been seeing that for several days now. We have certainly seen the amount of projectiles from Hezbollah increasing, and there has been some damage in northern Israel and also in Tel Aviv.
And we are hearing from the Israel Home Front Command that they are increasing their warnings for some of those in these areas, which are potentially within the rocket level, saying that the IDF is warning of a heightened level of rocket fire.
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So potentially, we could be seeing even more of an escalation in the tit-for-tat attacks that we have been seeing that will come in the hours before this ceasefire is potentially signed.
It's very similar to what we saw back in 2006, before the ceasefire was signed between Hezbollah and Israel. It was a very similar situation. Rosemary.
CHURCH: We'll all be watching very closely. Paula Hancocks, bringing us the very latest there from Abu Dhabi. Many thanks.
Well, Special Counsel Jack Smith's mission was to prove U.S. presidents are not above the law. But Donald Trump's re-election means he will not face further prosecution at the federal level, at least not for the next four years.
On Monday, Smith officially shelved the classified documents and January 6th election subversion cases. Trump and his supporters feel vindicated. Critics say he will escape accountability for one of the most serious crimes against democracy in American history.
They also warn justice not served means a future president might also feel tempted to meddle with election results, knowing Trump got away with it.
CNN's Evan Perez has further details now on the decision to drop the cases.
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EVAN PEREZ, SR. U.S. JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Special Counsel Jack Smith asked federal judges overseeing the two criminal prosecutions of Donald Trump to drop those cases, citing the longstanding 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 6th-related case quote, "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? Once Trump is president, he also could order his Justice Department to kill the cases for good.
Evan Perez, CNN, Washington.
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CHURCH: 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, DIRETOR, 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 U.S. 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 6th 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. You might think chief among them would be an individual, Special Counsel Jack Smith who spent the last year or so going after him.
So whether this is rhetorical campaign talk or whether this is something that Trump we're actually follow through on, I guess we'll see soon enough.
When it comes to January 6th rioters, he's been very explicit that he thinks at least some of them deserve pardons.
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 a 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 Bessent 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.
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And you rightly note, Rosemary, that this would have a real significant cost on American consumers just by passing higher prices onto them.
There will be a real question about whether Bessent can mitigate or attenuate some of these tariffs, because you're right, they don't seem to be on the same page. It was 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 picks 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 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, yeah, 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 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 Epstein 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.
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. 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 backstory, 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.
CHURCH: All right. Our thanks to Thomas Gift joining us there. I appreciate it.
GIFT: 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 presidency. His looming tariffs are retaliation for what he considers China's failure to stop the flow of fentanyl into the U.S.
Donald Trump is 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.
I want to bring in CNN's Beijing bureau chief now, Steven Jiang. Good to see you again, Steven. So how will China likely deal with this additional tariff on top of those already promised by Donald Trump once he's in office?
STEVEN JIANG, CNN BEIJING BUREAU CHIEF: Yeah, Rosemary, just a short while ago, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesman actually declined to answer this exact question, which is not surprising because historically they tend to respond to the actual situation instead of preemptively.
There is also probably no upside from their perspective to reveal their cards at this stage. But this is something, of course, they've been preparing to deal with for months.
They probably could use some clarification from Trump as well, is this new additional 10 percent on top of the 60 percent tariffs on all Chinese imports that he had repeatedly threatened during the campaign.
But it's interesting that I've been hearing slightly different sentiment from Chinese officials here. Those in charge of diplomacy are trying to put on a more brave face, saying they're 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.
[03:15:09]
And that, of course, is going to play a major role in their decision making process, with many experts suggesting the Chinese response is likely to be more targeted and asymmetrical, meaning they're going to target U.S. companies and industries that they may already intend to squeeze in the Chinese market.
And the other thing they've been doing, of course, is to try to diversify their export markets and reduce their reliance on the U.S. and its allies.
But perhaps more noteworthy is the fentanyl issue, because privately Chinese officials have been complaining that the U.S. has not shown any appreciation for its effort on this front, that they say they have gone out of their way to cooperate with the U.S., even sometimes harming their own economic interests.
We recently actually got into the national counter-narcotics labs with officials there saying that just resumed talks on this issue has produced progress with their regular communication with their U.S. colleagues, actually helping both sides identify and trace new chemicals used to produce fentanyl.
And the U.S. provided little tips, also resulting in concrete law enforcement actions here in China on the ground. So the irony is if these new Trump tariffs end up triggering another free fall in this overall U.S.-China relationship, it could actually have very negative consequences on this very issue Trump is now linking to his new tariff threats targeting China. Rosemary.
CHURCH: Alright. Our thanks to Steven Jiang bringing us that live report from Beijing.
The fighting in Russia's Kursk region is escalating as Ukraine struggles to hold onto territory and target Russia's military capabilities. That story just ahead.
Plus how thousands of people are working to put their lives back together after a massive fire tore through shanty towns in Manila. Back with that and more in just a moment.
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CHURCH: Ukraine says Russia launched a record number of drones overnight, 188. Ukraine's military says it shot down 76 of them.
Earlier, the mayor of Kyiv reported a massive aerial attack on the city with Iranian-made Shahed drones coming 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.
The White House says the U.S. gave Ukraine permission to use the missiles in Kursk to defend themselves on a quote "immediate need basis."
[03:19:56] Well today, Ukraine's foreign minister will join the G7 foreign ministers' summit in Italy. It is the last day of the international conference and it will be the last G7 meeting for Biden officials before Donald Trump takes office. The allies plan to discuss continued support for Ukraine along with plans for peace and reconstruction.
And Salma Abdelaziz, joins us now live from London. Good morning to you Salma. So what all is expected to come out of this final day of the G7 summit in Italy?
SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Let me start if I may Rosemary with the breaking news out of Ukraine because Ukrainian officials are now reporting that there was a record number of drones fired overnight by Russia towards Ukraine, 188 drones total.
Our team on the ground says that the country's air raid sirens were active all night trying to intercept those drones but some did hit homes or the remnants of those drones hit homes caused damage to residential buildings.
We have yet to hear on casualties and this takes place of course as you mentioned as G7 leaders are meeting G7 foreign ministers rather are meeting with Ukraine's foreign minister.
They're actually supposed to pose for the family photo the group photo this hour and you can expect in this meeting Rosemary that you're going to hear very much the same rhetoric that European leaders and allies of Ukraine have used throughout this conflict which is we are in lockstep with you we will do what it takes for as long as it takes we are with Ukraine.
But of course all of these foreign ministers are preparing for a president Donald Trump next year, a Trump who has said he wants this war to end and to end quickly an indication that he wants to see talks or negotiations take place and that has led to a lot of wrangling on the ground.
This is a very escalatory moment in the war just to remind our viewers it was only a couple of weeks ago, less than a couple of weeks ago that President Biden approved the use of longer range missiles.
Ukraine took him up on that offer very quickly using those U.S.-made ATACMs in Russian territory you mentioned in Kursk as well. Russia has responded by changing its nuclear doctrine essentially lowering the threshold in which nuclear weapons would be deemed necessary or allowed to use.
And of course there was that huge attack on Dnipro with this experimental ballistic missile with multiple warheads potentially the first time that this type of weapon has ever been used in war according to experts.
So you see both of these warring parties trying to push on the ground improve their positions as these G7 leaders are trying to talk about continuing to push forward in support Ukraine despite a President Trump coming up into that Oval Office soon. CHURCH: All right. Our thanks to Salma Abdelaziz for bringing us that
report from London. I appreciate it.
Well as the United States gets closer to Donald Trump's inauguration Russian leaders are hoping his cabinet picks and his Kremlin friendly inner orbit will give Moscow an advantage in its ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
Fred Pleitgen has details now from Moscow.
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FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): As Ukrainian forces grow ever more desperate trying to hold off advancing Russian troops the Kremlin is growing ever more hopeful the incoming Trump administration will try to end the war on terms favorable for Moscow.
The words peace or peace plan come from Trump supporters and those nominated for future positions in the upcoming administration, the Kremlin spokesman said today.
The Russians irate after the Biden administration allowed Ukraine to use longer distance U.S. and U.K. supplied missiles to strike deeper inside Russia.
Russian President Vladimir Putin in return firing a new powerful intermediate range ballistic missile into central Ukraine that's never been used in war.
President-elect Trump's pick for national security advisor confirming ending the Ukraine war will be an urgent priority.
MIKE WALTZ, TRUMP'S U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER NOMINEE: President Trump has been very clear about the need to end this conflict and so what we're need to be discussing is who's at that table.
PLEITGEN (voice-over): And from Trump insiders and cabinet picks proposals seemingly in line with Moscow's demands.
Elon Musk posting his ideas on his X account in early October 2022 calling for U.N. monitored referendums in areas of Ukraine occupied by Russia for Crimea to be recognized as Russian and for Ukraine to remain neutral.
Ukraine's president who has said he does believe the war will end faster under Trump also said last week in a radio interview that Ukraine cannot be forced into talks. Musk then trolling Zelenskyy once again.
Despite Elon Musk giving crucial battlefield support to Ukraine by providing Starlink satellite internet to its troops, Russians we spoke to in Moscow unequivocal they like him.
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He's an extraordinary personality, this man says, and since he fulfilled himself and his business society will work with him well.
I think Elon Musk is a good example of the future of our planet, she says. He's doing a lot to bring our planet forward and it's a good development.
Others in Trump's orbit with clear pro-Kremlin views. Former Fox host Tucker Carlson traveled to Moscow in February where he praised Russian supermarkets. Before sitting down with Vladimir Putin for an extended interview.
TUCKER CARLSON, HOST, TUCKER CARLSON NETWORK: Tell us why you believe the United States might strike Russia out of the blue. How did you conclude that?
VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): I didn't say that. Are we having a talk show or a serious conversation?
PLEITGEN (voice-over): The Russian leader patient saying he's willing to listen to the Trump administration's proposals.
What was said concerning the desire to restore relations with Russia to help end the Ukrainian crisis in my opinion seems to me to be at least worthy of attention.
Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Moscow
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CHURCH: 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.
Thousands of people are now homeless after a massive fire in a Manila shanty neighborhood. CNN's Julia Chatterley shows us how those displaced are trying to piece their lives back together.
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JULIA CHATTERLEY, CNN ANCHOR, "FIRST MOVE" (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 picked 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 seaport 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: Growing fears in the West Bank that Palestinians could see more evictions once Donald Trump takes office in the United States. We will explain why. That's just ahead.
Plus a stunning election outcome in Romania sparks an outcry. Coming up more on how a far-right presidential candidate defied opinion polls.
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ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: 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.
Now, this comes as the Israeli military announced it had struck two Hezbollah command posts in Beirut on Monday, sources tell CNN, the White House, MidEast envoys 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.
Well last hour, I spoke with Paul Salem, Vice President of the Middle East Institute, about a potential ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah and what challenges the Israeli Prime Minister may face.
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PAUL SALEM, VICE PRESIDENT, MIDDLE EAST INSTITUTE: 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 hack 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", quote-unquote, that they've found for it is that there will be a separate letter between Israel and the United States where the U.S. 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 ceasefire 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, 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 will probably be violations that risk an (inaudible).
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: In the West Bank, there has been a surge in violence since the October 7 attacks by Hamas in Israel. An activist group says more than 200 Palestinian families have been evicted in the past year as the Israeli government has authorized more housing projects for Israelis.
Now there are growing fears that U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's pick for U.S. ambassador to Israel could accelerate the land losses for Palestinians.
CNN's Nic Robertson has this report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MIKE HUCKABEE, TRUMP'S U.S. AMBASSADOR TO ISRAEL NOMINEE: There is no such thing as a West Bank. It's Judea and Samaria.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR (voice-over): Mike Huckabee, an at times controversial visitor to Israel, looks set to return as President-elect Donald Trump's pick to be ambassador.
If he does, he'll have plenty of friends.
Yishai Fleischer, an activist and settler, has met with Huckabee many times.
[03:35:02]
YISHAI FLEISCHER, SETTLER LEADER: Now he happens to be a great friend of Israel, and of the kind of Israel that I represent, that lives in its ancestral heartland, which is Judea and Samaria, what on CNN may be called the West Bank.
ROBERTSON: Even the occupied West Bank.
FLEISCHER: Right, even the occupied West Bank, but we don't see it that way.
ROBERTSON (voice-over): But the history of the West Bank is complex and deeply disputed. Under international law, Israel is deemed to be occupying the land.
Huckabee will be arriving when settler violence against Palestinians is significantly up over Trump's last administration.
And the Israeli government's claim to the land is at its most politically charged in years. Powerful right-wing nationalists in the government want to annex the entire occupied West Bank. So too does Fleischer.
FLEISCHER: We're still fighting a war of liberation for that piece of land.
ROBERTSON: And is Huckabee going to be helpful in that liberation?
FLEISCHER: I think he will be.
ROBERTSON (voice-over): 50 miles north, on the fringes of the West Bank Palestinian village Bardala, Israeli diggers are gouging out a new barrier through the middle of Palestinian farms, on land they say is a security risk.
The Israeli government is in the process of taking more land, the head of the council tells me, claiming no security threats here.
What the media is talking about with Huckabee is already happening, he says. These actions are part of Israel's systematic policies to occupy and annex all of this land. Their goal is to drive us out of this area. He shows me documents he says prove Palestinian families have owned this land for more than a century.
As we talk, Israeli troops show up to serve an eviction notice on the farmer below. It's been told his buildings are unlicensed.
ROBERTSON: What he's saying is this document is the official document informing him that he has to be off this land by 9am on the 4th of December, otherwise all of this, he loses it.
ROBERTSON (voice-over): Khaled is 60 years old, heartbroken.
I don't know how to describe my feelings to you, he says. This is my livelihood, my children rely on it. Then someone comes along and takes it away. You can't argue with them, we have no power, they have the power.
ROBERTSON: In the villages around here they call this silent annexation. Little by little, the Palestinians losing their land to Israeli settlement expansion.
ALON PINKAS, FORMER ISRAELI CONSUL GENERAL IN NEW YORK: If Israel unilaterally annexes large parts, large swaths of the West Bank, this is not going to fly well in the Arab world.
ROBERTSON (voice-over): Pinkas is a former Israeli diplomat, believes Huckabee's settler friends could harm Trump's bigger objectives, Saudi-Israel normalization.
PINKAS: He's going to be pressured by the Saudis, the Qataris and the Emiratis to strike a bigger deal. He's going to want to build on the Abraham Accords.
ROBERTSON (voice-over): By the time Huckabee arrives, more land like Farmer Khaled's will have been seized.
What will the future hold, he says, it's a question everyone here is asking.
Nic Robertson, CNN, Bardala, the occupied West Bank.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
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 security forces.
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 these latest confrontations.
So let's turn to CNN's Mike Valerio, who's following developments for us. Mike, what is the latest on this situation?
MIKE VALERIO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Rosemary, I think besides protesters entering the city limits, which certainly is a noteworthy and dramatic development.
We do have new visual confirmation from our CNN team on the ground that there are soldiers who are guarding Pakistan's parliament and are guarding the country's Supreme Court because things have deteriorated in terms of people entering the capital and protesters getting closer to these government buildings. So how exactly we got here, Rosemary, we had the former Prime Minister of Pakistan, Imran Khan, calling to his supporters a few days ago saying, hey, I am in jail, I've been incarcerated, march on parliament to set me free.
And protesters certainly have heard that clear and call. That is how we got here.
[03:40:01]
So that's the first of their three central demands to free the former prime minister, in addition to freeing people whom they deem to be, quote, unquote, "political prisoners."
The second demand they have against the government is to repeal a constitutional amendment. It's the 26th Amendment. And it essentially allows Pakistan's government to more easily appoint superior court judges and to pick those judges to be on the bench in cases that deal with political matters.
The third and final demand, you know, Rosemary, there were elections across Pakistan in February of this past year. And people who adhere to and who are followers of the former prime minister are saying in so many words that their party was robbed, that they won seats in those elections in February and they were not granted those seats.
So they want their representation in parliament for an election. They say that they won back in February.
So we all have those are we're seeing all of those elements wrapped into the images right now. There are swaths of Islamabad, Rosemary, that do not have Internet or mobile phone service, not the entire capital, but certainly areas of that.
The government is rejecting those demands. Prime Minister Sharif is saying that he wants dialogue and talks with the former prime minister's party to avoid further violence. But we're going to see where this goes. It's just after lunchtime in Pakistan. The real question is whether or not more protesters amass and get to the heart of Islamabad. Rosemary.
CHURCH: All right. Our thanks to Mike Valerio. Bring us that live report. I appreciate it.
In a stunning election outcome, Romania's far right presidential candidate won the most votes in the first round of voting.
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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 runoff election on December 8th.
CNN's Anna Stewart has more.
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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.
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 Lascone, leader of the USR, a center- right party focused on an anti-corruption campaign.
Georgescu may be helped by the voters of the far right party he was once a member of. They came fourth 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.
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CHURCH: Still to come, underground hackers keeping tabs on top U.S. political figures without anyone knowing until now. I'll speak with an expert about information they accessed.
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[03:45:00]
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CHURCH: A suspected Chinese cyber attack is being called the worst telecom hack in U.S. history. Officials have been trying to decide the next steps in an effort to root out hackers still believed to be spying on the phone calls and messages of America's top politicians.
Executives from the telecom industry met with national security officials last week to discuss boosting defenses and stemming the leak of sensitive information.
Several figures in the Republican and Democratic parties have been targeted, including President-elect Donald Trump, Vice President-elect J.D. Vance, Jared Kushner and Eric Trump. China has denied the hacking allegations.
David Sanger is a CNN political and national security analyst. He's also the author of "The New Cold Wars: China's Rise, Russia's Invasion and America's Struggle to Defend the West." And he's joining us from Washington, D.C. Appreciate you being with us.
DAVID SANGER, CNN POLITICAL AND NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Great to be back with you, Rosemary.
CHURCH: So what new details are you learning about this sophisticated Chinese hack that penetrated deep inside America's biggest telecommunications companies for perhaps a year, alarming U.S. officials?
SANGER: Well, the first and most interesting thing we've learned, Rosemary, is that it did go on for a year completely undetected by the telecom companies. And we think that they were in all of them, although T-Mobile maintains they didn't get into theirs. There are some doubts about that.
The second thing we've learned, Rosemary, is that they took advantage of the fact that the U.S. telecom system is put together by assembling companies that have been acquired, different systems that have equipment in them, some of which is 40 years old.
And this gave an opportunity to the Chinese to go find holes in the seams where those connect. And the result is that they were able to not only be able to monitor metadata, that is, telephone numbers called, how long a call was, things like that, where the people involved in the call were when the call was connected, but in some cases to actually get conversations, not over encrypted apps like Signal or WhatsApp, but just plain old phone calls.
And we believe that part on their target list and probably successfully on it was President-elect Trump and Vice President-elect J.D. Vance.
CHURCH: And what exactly were these hackers looking for? What did they get and how are they going to use this, do you think?
SANGER: Great question. So sometimes hackers go in to prove whether or not they can and then figure out the exact targets later. But in this case, they also honed in on the FISA system. This is the court, the intelligence court that issues secret warrants for surveillance.
So if, for example, the United States believed there was a Chinese or Russian spy in their midst and they could prove that there was a conversation they needed to go listen to, they could do so and have the FBI do it, even though the person was in the United States.
If the Chinese were able to figure out who was on that warrant list, they would learn very quickly which Chinese spies had already been identified by the United States and thus which one should be withdrawn or which ones were operating without the U.S. knowing that they're there. CHURCH: And David, how is it even possible that these hackers were
able to access the biggest American telecommunications companies for a year, firms that are supposed to have the highest levels of security in place, guarded by top high-tech leaders?
[03:50:03]
SANGER: This is what has most mystified and worried the U.S. government. Because it's not like anybody didn't know these firms were targets. It's not like they weren't spending millions, tens of millions, hundreds of millions of dollars on cyber security. They are, of course, the hub of all of our communication systems.
And as a result, they're a natural target. If somebody wanted to get into a company or a government agency, the telecoms would be a good place to go do it.
There was a meeting in the White House on Friday with the CEOs of almost all the major telecom companies to talk about restructuring their systems so the Chinese couldn't come back in.
But as I said, parts of the system are so old that you might literally have to go close down some telecommunications while you ripped this equipment out and replaced it. And of course, in an economy that depends on communications the way we do, that's not very feasible.
CHURCH: And David, you mentioned the leaders of these top telecommunications companies being summoned to the Situation Room in the White House Friday to discuss how to expel the hackers. Did they get rid of them or are they still in the system? How do we even know that definitively?
SANGER: You know, you don't know what you don't know. The Chinese hackers did go underground and sort of pulled back after the "Wall Street Journal" wrote an initial story about them in September, early October. That was our first understanding of what this group called Salt Typhoon was doing.
So we don't know whether they could come back in with ease or whether they have been blocked. And we don't know fully whether there are any groups that might be left lurking.
CHURCH: David Sanger, thank you so much for joining us. We appreciate it.
SANGER: Thanks for having me.
CHURCH: And still to come, the Thanksgiving holiday brings loved ones together to enjoy lots of food and extra costs, how one family is grappling with the stress of it all.
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CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. 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.
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JOE BIDEN, U.S. PRESIDENT: Based on your temperament and commitment to being productive members of society, I hereby pardon Peach and Blossom.
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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.
Well, the cost of the traditional Thanksgiving dinner has gone down this year, but grocery prices are still high and making it pretty hard for some families to afford a big holiday meal.
CNN's Meena Duerson sat down with one mom who knows this all too well.
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TORI PASCHALE, MOM: We're trying to do spaghetti for Thanksgiving. It's a lot easier.
You try to keep up with the tradition of Thanksgiving, but the way groceries are, unless you're doing a potluck, if you put it just on one person, it breaks the bank.
MEENA DUERSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Last year, Tori Paschale hosted seven people for a big Thanksgiving feast. But this holiday, burned out by high grocery prices and with a baby due any day now, she'll just be cooking for her husband and kids.
PASCHALE: Instead of spending close to $500, I figured I'm going to keep it simple.
DUERSON: You spent almost $500 last year?
PASCHALE: Yes, it was egregious. It hurt, to say the least. And then to turn around knowing that rent was due the next week.
Are you canceling Thanksgiving this year?
DUERSON (voice-over): A few weeks ago, Paschale posted a TikTok venting about the cost and stress of Thanksgiving these days, and was shocked to see it resonate.
PASCHALE: Me doing that beans, greens, potatoes, tomatoes, yam, lamb, ram, ham, hog. I'm not doing it. I ain't got the funds.
My comment section was just like, sister, you're telling the truth. You feel like you're taking the holidays away from your kids or your family. But when you see you have thousands of other people agreeing, you're just like, OK, so it's not me.
DUERSON (voice-over): While a traditional Thanksgiving dinner should actually be cheaper to make this year than it was last year, because the prices of some foods have come down, it's still on track to cost 19 percent more than before the pandemic. And inflation data shows Americans are paying 22 percent more for groceries than they were in January 2021.
PASCHALE: I know for a fact this is probably $50 more than what it was pandemic or pre-pandemic.
How did we get to this point of I'm really trying to figure out if I can afford to get a sack of potatoes and some chicken? It feels like the goal post keeps moving.
DUERSON: What are you hoping for out of this Thanksgiving?
PASCHALE: I'm just happy that we get to experience it, even if it's not the mashed potatoes and green bean casserole type of situation.
DUERSON: You enjoying it? Is it OK?
PASCHALE: I just want my family to know that I love them.
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CHURCH: And our thanks to Meena Duerson for that report.
Want to thank you for your company this hour. I'm Rosemary Church. Have yourselves a wonderful day. "CNN Newsroom" continues next with Max Foster in London.
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