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"Paralyzing" Lake-Effect Snow Hits Great Lakes Region; AAA Forecasts 72M Drivers On The Roads For Thanksgiving Travel; Trump Hosts Canadian Trudeau At Mar-a-Lago Amid Tariff Tensions; Automakers Scrambles As Trump Warns Of Steep Import Tariffs; Officials Investigate Stowaway Passenger On NY-Paris Flight. Syrian Rebels Take Control Of Most Of Aleppo In Surprise Attack; San Jose State To Play Colorado State In Final Amid Transgender Claims; Texas Preps For Trump's Mass Deportation Agenda; Palm Beach Area Booms As Trump Prepared To Return To White House; Australia Is First Country To Ban Social Media For Children Under 16. Aired 1-2p ET
Aired November 30, 2024 - 13:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[13:00:03]
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: We're introducing you to one of this year's top 5 CNN heroes. Every year, nearly 1 million shelter animals in the U.S. are euthanized. Many are pets whose owners couldn't find temporary care when they needed it.
Stephen Kite, or Knight that is, is now drawing on his personal experience to change that.
(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)
STEPHEN KNIGHT, FOUNDER, DOG MATTERS: When somebody makes that decision to go into treatment, it's one of the bravest decisions they'll make.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sit, Stood (ph) OK?
KNIGHT: When people do need to go to rehab and they don't have a place to put the dog, what we're finding out is how big of a need it is. We provide free, temporary fostering services for people that are ready to change their life.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Dice! She hasn't seen me in so long.
KNIGHT: And it becomes their motivator to stay healthy.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, that face.
KNIGHT: When we find a foster, we will do a temporary foster contract. You're saving that dog's life and the owner's life, and we're able to prevent a dog going to shelter. We cannot have the solution be euthanized dogs. We can't. I want to be the voice of the dog and to help them, because they don't have that voice.
(END VIDEOCLIP)
WHITFIELD: And you can go to CNNHeroes.com right now to vote for CNN's Hero of the Year.
Hello again, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.
And we continue our breaking news coverage as record-setting weather, including heavy snow and bitterly cold temperatures, hits much of the U.S. this weekend. Lake-effect snow is topping 3 feet in parts of the Great Lakes region, with the worst still to come.
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro just issued a disaster declaration for Erie County after heavy snowfall shut down several highways in that area. And nearly 2 million people are under snow warnings throughout -- through the weekend and all the way to Monday.
Meteorologist Allison Chinchar is here with the latest forecast. All right, winter weather is here in a very big way, hitting, what did you say earlier, 70 percent of the U.S.?
ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, you've got a --
WHITFIELD: Incredible.
CHINCHAR: -- huge percentage of the population that's going to see those temperatures at or below freezing.
WHITFIELD: Oh my gosh.
CHINCHAR: And it go -- it stretches pretty far. But then you've also got the snow component. Now, that is limited to mostly around the Great Lakes region. But it's incredibly high record amounts of snow in some of these places.
WHITFIELD: It's a short amount of time.
CHINCHAR: It is. Take a look behind me. This is Blue Mountain Lake, New York. Now, we're starting to get a little bit of a clearing, those bands kind of going in and out here. We're starting to be able to actually see the lake in the background. But again, it just kind of goes to show you what you're actually seeing in these areas.
So now we take a look at the radar. You can see a lot of those lake effect bands, again, continuing to make their way across the region in Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, all of them. However, the heaviest bands have really been focused across portions of Lake Erie as well as Lake Ontario.
And some of these spots have already picked up several feet of snow. Take a look at this. Northeast Pennsylvania, 42 inches of snow. You've also got Ashtabula, Ohio, picking up 39. Michigan, New York, Pennsylvania, all of these places already picking up well over 2 feet.
And we still have the rest of the day today and all of tomorrow to continue to see more snow. You've got all these winter weather alerts in place across the Great Lakes. But then also this swath a little bit farther south. Totally separate system here.
And it stretches from St. Louis kind of down through Louisville, Kentucky and over into West Virginia. Now, that particular system is not going to have quite the levels of snow that we're talking farther north. Most of these areas, about 2 to 5 inches, whereas farther north, now we're talking 2 to 5 feet of snow.
And that's to take in mind on top of what's already fallen. So when we say 2 to 5, we mean that's on top of the 2 to 3 feet that's already come down in some of these spots. Not out of the question, especially some of these areas in and around Watertown, they could see as much as 6 feet total when it's all finally said and done.
And it's the cold air in place that's really what's been fueling that lake effect snow. But even if you don't live near the lakes, you are likely going to see that cold air as well. 70 percent of the U.S. population is expecting those temperatures at or below freezing in the next few days.
But look at how far south that spreads. Look at this. Places like Tallahassee, Mobile, Alabama, all looking at freeze alerts in place for tomorrow morning. That's how far south this cold air is expected to go. When you look at the temperatures themselves, people may say, OK, well, I know we're headed into winter, right? This is close.
Now, this is where we would normally be, Fred, say, in mid to late January.
WHITFIELD: Yes.
CHINCHAR: Not necessarily right at the start of December, which is tomorrow.
WHITFIELD: Right. Something tells me this is going to be a very long, cold --
CHINCHAR: It is not.
WHITFIELD: -- winter and maybe even record breaking throughout. You'll keep us posted on that one.
Allison Chinchar --
CHINCHAR: Thanks.
WHITFIELD: -- thank you so much.
All right, so what does this forecast mean for the millions of holiday travelers? Earlier today, I spoke with travel expert and The Point Guy founder, Brian Kelly, about the record number of folks that are hitting the road this Thanksgiving weekend. (BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)
[13:05:04]
WHITFIELD: What's your recommendation to people who feel like they've got to hit the road or at least they've got to get to their destination via road at some point?
BRIAN KELLY, FOUNDER, THEPOINTSGUY.COM: My recommendation is safety first. Your job will be there when you get back. People will understand. Do not put your safety just to get home. You know, the roads can be terrible. So, luckily, the airlines will let you change your flights.
The only problem is tomorrow is suspected to be the busiest air travel day ever in the United States. So even if the airlines let you change, there's a very good chance flights are sold out for several days. So --
WHITFIELD: Oh my gosh.
KELLY: -- call the airlines or chat bot the airlines. That's my favorite tip. Go into the airline app. Many have chat bot features that will get you through way quicker than waiting on the phone.
WHITFIELD: OK. So --
KELLY: And see what the next available flight is.
WHITFIELD: So say you are flying and, you know, whether it's the chat bot or whether you've checked in some other way that your flight is on time, you get to the airport and, you know, the weather has changed everything. And so now you are hearing about delays and cancelations.
What's your recommendation to people about, you know, what do they need to perhaps bring to the airport or be prepared to do if they get to the airport and suddenly they've got a canceled or delayed flight?
KELLY: Well, the first thing you need to do is before you leave for the airport is make sure your airline has your contact information. If you bought a flight through an online travel agency, sometimes your information isn't given to the airline.
So the airline can't contact you to let you know that it's delayed. So go in, make sure that your flights are still on time and that the airline has your information. And just know the Department of Transportation has new rules that went into effect in October.
If your domestic flight is delayed by three hours or more, you can cancel for a full refund. You don't have to take a voucher. You can just try travel again. And that's six hours for internationally. So for some families, you might say, you know what, we're going to put our travel on hold this week. At least knowing that you can get a full refund is peace of mind.
But otherwise, I use an app called Flighty. Flighty actually will alert you usually before your airline does if there's a delay. I will say one thing, though, even if your flight's delayed, you still have to go to the airport and go to the gate.
Because I had an experience recently where the airline undelayed my flight and it went out --
WHITFIELD: What?
KELLY: -- without me, because I thought it was still delayed. So still go to the airport if you intend to fly.
WHITFIELD: Oh, my goodness. And it seems that everybody these days, you know, wants to carry on their luggage. And they feel like there's going to be enough room in the overhead. But aren't we all finding out that somehow there seems to be a shortage of overhead space. Not sure what's going on with that one.
But say that's you traveling, you know, with, you know, carry on. But you're in Zone 7 or 8, I mean, what do you tell people about how to prepare for the inevitability of having to check your bag?
KELLY: Well, I know exactly what's going on. The airlines are jacking up the price of checked bags. So more and more people are saying, I'm not paying that $75. So they're bringing their luggage on the plane.
Now, American Airlines, this holiday season, is rolling out a program where they will buzz you in line if you try to board too early.
WHITFIELD: Yes.
KELLY: Because the airlines also want you to get their credit cards and to pay for that priority boarding. My best tip is just try to get to the gate early, get in line wherever your boarding is. And honestly, even if you fly once or twice a year, getting that airline co-brand credit card, you might get an -- you're going to get more miles than it is the annual fee for several years and you'll get priority boarding.
So don't try to steal it. Just get it by getting one of those low-fee annual credit cards from the airline you fly the most.
(END VIDEOCLIP)
WHITFIELD: All right, traveling is a little complicated these days. That was travel expert and The Points Guy founder Brian Kelly.
All right, President-elect Donald Trump's vow to tariff some of America's biggest trade partners is getting a whole lot of attention from foreign leaders. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau traveled to Mar-a-Lago to meet with Trump last night.
The two had dinner surrounded by some of Trump's most senior allies. And just two days ago, Trump said he would slap a 25 percent tariff on all Canadian and Mexican imports to the U.S.
CNN's Alayna Treene is in West Palm Beach near Mar-a-Lago. So, Alayna, Canada is one of the United States' biggest trading partners. Has this meeting with Trudeau and Trump in any way impacted things?
ALAYNA TREENE, CNN REPORTER: I think that's still to be determined, Fredricka. But I think it's very clear that Justin Trudeau took that tariff threat very seriously. He actually said as much yesterday morning just hours before that surprise visit to Florida and to meet with Donald Trump for dinner at Mar-a-Lago.
Trudeau addressed reporters and essentially said that not only does he believe that when Trump makes statements like this, they -- we have to take them seriously, but also tried to argue that such a tariff threat and imposing a 25 percent tariff on Canada and all products coming from Canada would hurt Americans and American businesses as well.
Listen to how he put it.
(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)
[13:10:08]
JUSTIN TRUDEAU, CANADIAN PRIME MINISTER: One of the things that is really important to understand is that, you know, Donald Trump, when he makes statements like that, he plans on carrying them out. There's no question about it.
Our responsibility is to point out that, in this way, he would be actually not just harming Canadians who work so well with the United States, he'd actually be raising prices for American citizens as well and hurting American industry and businesses.
(END VIDEOCLIP)
TREENE: Now, Fred, we did get a glimpse of Justin Trudeau this morning when he was leaving his hotel in West Palm Beach. Our own Kit Maher asked him how the meeting went. He said that it was an excellent conversation but did not go into further details from there.
But, look, I do want to take a step back and just explain kind of why this is so important. One, we know that Trudeau and Donald Trump know each other quite well. They worked together during his first term.
They had a bit of a rocky relationship also as it related to trade while Donald Trump was trying to renegotiate the North America Free Trade Agreement. But, again, they have entered into a new agreement since then, the one that Donald Trump himself negotiated, the USMCA with both Canada and Mexico.
Unclear how Donald Trump's new tariff threats could impact that deal that Trump negotiated himself. But all of this is something I know in my conversations when I talk to Trump's team, talk to those who work on the transition, that this is a huge priority for Donald Trump.
Remember, he had promised throughout his time on the campaign trail that he was going to impose tariffs on countries he believed were maybe undermining the U.S. and wanting to really deal with inflation and improve the economy. And this is how Donald Trump believes he can do that. And so I think it's very clear that Trudeau took him seriously in order for him to fly and come to Florida to meet with him. I'd also just point out that this is the first G7 leader that is meeting with Donald Trump since the November 5th election. And so I'm sure that, you know, Donald Trump appreciates that in some senses as well. Fred?
WHITFIELD: All right, Alayna Treene, let us know when you learn more. Thank you so much.
All right, let's zero in on these tariffs, what it could all mean. Joining us right now is Executive Editor for Autotrader and Kelley Blue Book, Brian Moody. Brian, great to see you.
BRIAN MOODY, EXECUTIVE EDITOR, AUTOTRADER & KELLEY BLUE BOOK: Thank you.
WHITFIELD: So the U.S. imports billions of dollars worth of vehicles from Mexico alone. I found material that said $69 billion worth. So how would these proposed tariffs potentially impact the automobile industry as a whole?
MOODY: Well, there's -- the way to look at it is there's a short term effect and there's a long term effect. I think what the incoming president is looking for is a long term solution. One of the most harmful things in politics and even in companies are quick wins.
A series of quick wins does not work well for the economy long term. So what he's trying to do is protect the automotive industry long term because -- and the Biden administration agrees they just raised tariffs earlier this year as well. They see a time when Chinese cars and goods might flood the marketplace and harm American car companies.
So they're trying to stop that or at least give a little bit of a buffer for American car companies and car companies based here in the U.S. to kind of retool and catch up. Something similar to what we saw in the 1970s.
WHITFIELD: So then that's the long term view. But short term --
MOODY: Right.
WHITFIELD: -- you know, consumers are thinking about, wait a minute, how is this going to impact me? And if -- Mexico --
MOODY: Yes.
WHITFIELD: -- is the world's seventh largest passenger vehicle manufacturer. I also read that Mexico is the top exporter of cars to the U.S. Then consumers want to know to what degree will these possibly new imposed tariffs impact them. How do they anticipate an increase in cost if it boils down to that?
MOODY: In the short term, it could raise costs slightly. But here's the thing that automakers are looking at in addition to potential tariffs. They already see that there's downward price pressure on new cars because the gap between new and used cars is so wide. Many consumers have just said, I can't afford a new car already pre any kind of tariff. So there's already pressure that plus high interest rates. There's already pressure to bring about lower priced cars. I wouldn't be surprised if in the coming years automakers come up with a line of cars or even a sub brand of cars that are designed to be low priced new cars.
WHITFIELD: The Financial Times is reporting that Nissan executives have said that their company has 12 to 14 months to survive because of a lack of sales. Elon Musk, you know, who has grown quite close to President-elect Trump, tweeted this in response, saying, "Many car companies won't make it".
So, what ultimately happens if some of these auto companies fail?
[13:15:03]
MOODY: They'll likely be absorbed or partner with other automakers. We already see Nissan doing that with companies like Renault and Mitsubishi. Other automakers will partner with each other. We've seen a partnership between Honda and General Motors.
I think that kind of thing will increase. And to your point, Nissan already has six models that start under $30,000. So they've already begun some kind of a transition to say we need to offer something. Even one of those is an electric car, by the way.
We need to offer something to consumers that starts at a lower price than what we're already seeing because consumers are telling us new cars are just getting too expensive.
WHITFIELD: If you're in a position to do so, is it your recommendation that people need to make some car purchases now before first term of the year?
MOODY: Yes. Yes, especially if you're looking for an electric car. People falsely think that electric cars, the sales are slowing. They're not. Sales are picking up. They're just picking up slightly less rapidly than automakers would have hoped.
And so, to help that along, there are incentives on electric cars. If you know that it can work for you, and it won't be everyone, but if you know that it can work for you, right now would be the time to go look at a new electric car, especially.
WHITFIELD: Yes. When you talk incentives, you're talking about the $7,000 like tax credit break, right?
MOODY: Yes.
WHITFIELD: Yes. Which, in your view, do you think it's --
MOODY: Yes. In addition --
WHITFIELD: Yes. Oh, in addition to? MOODY: Well, automakers are putting more money on top of that. So it's in addition to the $7,500. So now is the time to go looking for those for sure.
WHITFIELD: OK. All right. Brian Moody, thank you so much.
MOODY: Thank you.
WHITFIELD: When we come back, a shocking breach of security at one of the country's major airports. How a woman evaded security and flew without a boarding pass from New York to Paris. And later, a women's volleyball team, college level, finds itself at the center of a transgender athlete debate. Why some teams are forfeiting matches against San Jose State University.
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[13:21:50]
WHITFIELD: All right, investigators are trying to figure out how a stowaway passenger managed to board a plane and fly from New York to Paris this week. The woman somehow got past multiple security checkpoints with no boarding pass and may have been hiding in the aircraft's restrooms during the flight.
Here's the moment the plane landed in Paris and the captain alerted passengers about the stowaway.
(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Folks, this is the captain. We are just waiting for the police to come on board. They may be here now and they directed us to keep everyone on the airplane until we sort out the extra passenger that's on the plane.
(END VIDEOCLIP)
WHITFIELD: That was a delicate way of putting it, an extra passenger.
CNN's Holmes Lybrand is joining us now. So Holmes, what can you tell us about this investigation and how in the world this even happened?
HOLMES LYBRAND, CNN REPORTER: That's right. It's a pretty crazy story. Investigators have found that this woman, she's in her late 50s, she has a Russian passport and a U.S. green card. She was able to avoid detection at two security screening stations. These had to do with her -- verifying her identity.
Now, she did go through the initial TSA screening. Both her and her bag went through that initial TSA screening. But she was able to avoid detection at those two stations. One of which included the boarding process itself, actually getting on the plane without a ticket.
Now, while she was on the plane, she was able to avoid detection as you mentioned by going between laboratories on what one passenger called a completely full flight. The airline crew only discovered her at the end of that flight when they had already arrived in Paris. When Paris authorities quickly took her into custody, and she will be sent back to the U.S.
Now, one thing that could explain the security lapse is simply the high volume of people that were going through TSA security. As well as were traveling that week. We're talking about one of the busiest weeks of travel for the U.S.
WHITFIELD: Yes. So now, what's the potential penalty, you know, that this woman might face?
LYBRAND: Yes, so she could face a few different penalties both from state and federal officials. She could face theft of service from Port Authority. She could also face a civil penalty from the TSA, which could amount to a fine.
WHITFIELD: And then is there an explanation, you know, from TSA as to how she got through security?
LYBRAND: So TSA is still investigating. They're still trying to determine exactly what happened. And Delta is also investigating what happened. Because, again, they are responsible for that boarding process.
They are pointing -- one TSA official pointed me to the fact that airports are really cash squeezed. And some investments are needed, especially solutions that kind of automatize the process of screening. Like eGate Solutions that could automate some of these security features. And maybe close in some of those more porous areas of security.
WHITFIELD: Yes. OK. Well, still kind of curious because before you board an international flight, you usually have to show both your boarding pass and your passport.
LYBRAND: That's right.
WHITFIELD: So, you know, a lot went wrong here.
All right, Holmes Lybrand, thank you so much.
LYBRAND: Thank you.
[13:25:09]
WHITFIELD: All right, coming up, a surprise attack by rebels in Aleppo is reigniting Syria's civil war. CNN's Ben Wedeman joins us live with the latest developments and why it all matters.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: We're continuing to follow breaking news out of the Middle East. After years of relative quiet, the civil war in Syria appears to be reigniting. Syrian rebels have taken control of most of the country's second largest city of Aleppo in a surprise attack. Video shows rebel fighters patrolling the city streets. Government forces now appear to be retaliating, carrying out an airstrike today. Rebel fighters have not been inside Aleppo since 2016.
CNN's Ben Wedeman is following the developments.
Ben, did this attack, did it seem to catch the government off guard?
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It definitely caught the government off guard. You know, the Syrian government over the last few years has presented itself as being victorious over the rebels, being able to keep them sort of cooped up in Idlib Province, which is to the west and the southwest of Aleppo.
But what we've seen is that they have charged out of Idlib Province within just a few days. It started just this Wednesday.
They took dozens and dozens of villages in the western part of Aleppo Province and within a matter of hours we're able to go from the western outskirts yesterday morning of Aleppo to the very center and beyond.
What we've seen in the later hours of today is that they appear to be in control of Aleppo's international airport, which is no longer functioning. They've taken over key Syrian government facilities. It appears they've overrun the Iranian consulate in Aleppo as well.
And now we're getting reports that rebel forces are moving south in the direction of Hama, which is the next largest city on the sort of the north-south axis that links Aleppo to the capital of Damascus.
So definitely the government, which says that it's only a temporary situation and it's going to launch a counteroffensive against these rebel forces.
But at this point, it doesn't appear to be able to do that and is definitely on the back foot when it comes to trying to stop this dramatic, this lightning rebel advance -- Fredricka?
WHITFIELD: And then you know, since the Assad regime, you know would frequently, you know, count on Russia and even Hezbollah fighters to help fight rebel factions, what might happen this go round?
WEDEMAN: Well, certainly, it can't depend on Hezbollah at this point. Hezbollah has been mauled by the Israelis. It's senior leadership, by and large, killed by the Israelis.
And they're very much -- Hezbollah has pulled most of its forces out of Syria altogether and focused them in Lebanon itself. So you can count Hezbollah out of this.
The Russians still have a presence in Syria. They still are using their air power to help the Syrian regime. But also their presence in Syria has been reduced as a result of the need for Russian forces to be taking part in the war in Ukraine. And finally, there's Iran, which was also a main backer of the Syrian regime. But what we've seen is, time and time again -- again and again, the Israelis have been targeting the Iranians. Occasionally, the Americans have been targeting the Iranians in eastern Syria.
So all of those main pillars, those countries and forces that were bolstering the Syrian regime, seem to have -- to be preoccupied elsewhere -- Fredricka?
WHITFIELD: All right. Ben Wedeman, thank you so much.
Up next, today, San Jose State University's volleyball team will face Colorado State in their conference final after multiple teams forfeited against San Jose, claiming there's a transgender player on the team. We have the latest.
[13:33:52]
And a live look at Erie, Pennsylvania, where paralyzing lake-effect snow is reaching record levels in the region. The worst of the storm, still to come. We're tracking it all.
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[13:38:43]
WHITFIELD: The San Jose State University women's volleyball team will compete in the conference championship today after facing forfeits from multiple teams over unconfirmed claims that a transgender player was on their squad.
CNN's Camila Bernal is joining us right now.
Camila, I mean, this is a really complicated story. It's been unfolding for months now. But what have you been learning?
CAMILA BERNA, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It has. But the game goes on, Fred. Like you said, that game is happening today between San Jose State and Colorado State. That's at 5 p.m. Eastern time despite the controversy.
The problem was that San Jose State, they did not even play their semifinal match. And that's because Boise State decided to boycott it and withdraw.
And it's actually not the first time that Boise State decided not to play against San Jose. They had done so in two other games during the regular season.
And now what you have here is six victories that San Jose State has because of teams that refuse to play with them. Boise, for example, did not point out that it was because of the gender identity of one of the players in San Jose.
And even San Jose State not confirming any of these -- the information either from the state team or from the player herself. So again, no comment from them.
[13:40:00]
But on the other hand, you have teams that are saying that they refuse to play with them. Now, Colorado State saying they will play and they will face them tonight.
But here is the thing. This went from sports to politics in April when there was a conservative Web site that published this information identifying the player and saying that she identified as transgender, despite the fact that the university and the player did not confirm any of this publicly.
And so this caused a lot of confusion among the players and among other teams, teams that refuse to play against San Jose.
And even one of the teammates here with the player in question who refused to really want to go on and even filed a lawsuit, taking action to try to stop this player, Fred, from competing.
WHITFIELD: All right, Camila Bernal, thank you so much.
BERNAL: Thank you.
WHITFIELD: All right, coming up, new insight on how land in Texas may help Donald Trump carry out the mass deportation of undocumented immigrants. CNN's Rafael Romo joins us next with details.
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[13:45:43]
WHITFIELD: This week, Texas began giving a clearer view on how it will help President-Elect Trump carry out one of his key campaign pledges, securing the southern border and deporting millions of undocumented immigrants.
Texas says it's now offering up even more land for the government to use for detention centers, and it's introducing a new unit of troopers that will patrol the border on horseback.
CNN's Rafael Romo is joining me right now.
Rafael, I mean, Texas isn't waiting until January when Trump is to be inaugurated. They're doing this now, right?
RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right. And maybe you remember, a year ago, we were in Eagle Pass reporting about a park that the state of Texas had taken over --
WHITFIELD: Right.
ROMO: -- in Eagle Pass. So they're doing it again, this time on a much larger scale.
And the men chosen by President-Elect Trump to secure the U.S. border urge officials across the country to cooperate with the new administration to enforce immigration law.
Former acting ICE director, Tom Homan, who Trump has chosen as his border czar, said on FOX News he wants so-called sanctuary cities to give immigration authorities access to their facilities.
Let's take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TOM HOMAN, INCOMING BORDER CZAR & FORMER ICE DIRECTOR: The sanctuary cities have locked us out of the jails and their law enforcement isn't allowed to work with us.
Give me access to the bad guy that you locked in a jail cell. Because you obviously locked him in a jail cell because he's a public safety threat.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMO: And it appears Homan will get plenty of cooperation in Texas.
The states land commissioner, Dawn Buckingham, in the last few days, spoke about an effort that will be, in her words, "the largest deportation of violent criminals in the history of the United States."
Texas is offering a 1,400-acre property at the border to the incoming Trump administration to use for the processing, detention and coordination efforts to expedite deportations.
Commissioner Buckingham made the announcement in Rio Grande City, Texas, with heavy machinery and construction workers in the background at a site where Texas is building a new section of border wall.
Texas launched Operation Lone Star in 2021, which included, among other things, transporting migrants on buses to Democratic-led cities, blocking portions of the border to federal agents, setting up buoys in the Rio Grande to deter migrants from crossing the river.
And signing a bill that would give the state, state law enforcement authority to detain migrants.
The Texas land commissioner says this is also about helping local law enforcement.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAWN BUCKINGHAM, TEXAS LAND COMMISSIONER: A facility here will be the final stop for processing before these violent criminals are deported. This will reduce the burden on our local jails and keep our Texas children safer.
President Trump and Mr. Homan, I meant it when I said that I will do everything in my power to help this administration.
(END VIDEO CLIP) ROMO: And, Fred, meanwhile, in Mexico City, President Claudia Sheinbaum is denying her country is willing to close her country's border with the United States as President-Elect Trump recently claimed.
In her own statement after a phone call with Trump, Sheinbaum said, "Mexico has a comprehensive strategy to address the migration phenomenon while respecting human rights."
Hearing different things as you would expect from either side of the border.
WHITFIELD: Keep us posted.
Thank you so much, Rafael Romo.
All right. The president-elect spent Thanksgiving at Mar-a-Lago with his family and supporters, including Elon Musk. On the dinner playlist, one of Trump's campaign rally classics.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(SINGING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: It was a party.
Mar-a-Lago has become the center of the Trump transition, forcing the usually quieter area of Florida into a transition of its own.
Here's CNN's Randi Kaye.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRUCE HELANDER, ARTIST, LONGTIME PALM BEACH RESIDENT: This is the magnet where everybody who wants to see Trump has got to come to Palm Beach.
RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Artist Bruce Helander first came to Palm Beach in 1983 to open an art gallery on the exclusive Worth Avenue.
A lot has changed since then, and with Donald Trump once again the president elect, Palm Beach, which leans Democratic, is again the center of the MAGA universe.
VINCE MAROTTA, ILLUSTRATED PROPERTIES: We've definitely seen a major Trump bump. I've got my phone ringing nonstop, so there's definitely been an increase in traffic.
[13:50:07]
This is the one we're going to show to the --
KAYE: Vince Marotta is a top-selling real estate agent here. He says some people meeting with Trump are now also looking to put down roots in the area.
(on camera): Did your phones start ringing right after the election?
MAROTTA: They did. In fact, just a few days after, I got a call from a major broker who said to me she's working with somebody in the Trump brain trust and they're looking to find something somewhere close to Mar-a-Lago into $10 million to $15 million range.
KAYE (voice-over): Mar-a-Lago, the 58-bedroom estate that Trump calls home is, where the president-elect has been conducting job interviews to fill his cabinet and holding key meetings during a transition period.
In Palm Beach and neighboring West Palm Beach, just across the water from Mar-a-Lago, there has been a steady stream of limousines ferrying prominent Republicans, world leaders and others around the area.
BERNARDO NETO, GENERAL MANAGER, THE BEN HOTEL: We've seen the president of Argentina was in the city. We've seen, you know, NATO dignitaries. We've seen Fortune 500 CEOs.
KAYE: Bernardo Neto is the general manager at the Ben Hotel, which sits just about two miles from Mar-a-Lago. These days, it's a popular spot for media, dignitaries and anyone hoping to get access to Trump or a job with the new administration.
NETO: I think having any president-elect two miles away, but absolutely since the election, we've seen a big uptick of reservations. But we've seen an increase at least 15 percent.
HELANDER: The airports are filled. The hotels are filled. The restaurants, impossible to get a reservation. It's a very exciting time.
KAYE: Exciting for some but stressful, too. Security around Palm Beach is tighter than ever, especially along what's known as Billionaires Row. That's the area of South Ocean Boulevard, where Mar-a-Lago is located. It's now closed to traffic, which has turned into a nightmare.
ELDA TARRAGO, PALM BEACH RESIDENT: Well, nobody likes the traffic, you know, what used to take 15 minutes to get somewhere, now you're taking 40 minutes to an hour, you know? So, traffic is always an issue, but, you know, that's what happens when a city grows.
KAYE (on camera): Would you like to see them put the helipad back at Mar-a-Lago?
TARRAGO: I would say, why not? Yes, why not? It'll be fun to watch.
(LAUGHTER)
KAYE (voice-over): Palm Beach may be at the epicenter of it all, but business just over the bridge in West Palm Beach is also booming.
Billionaire Jeff Green is building a 1.5 million square foot office, hotel and apartment complex. Vanderbilt University has plans to build a $520 million graduate campus.
And companies like Goldman Sachs are moving in, helping to transform West Palm Beach into the Wall Street of the South.
Longtime Palm Beach resident, Suebelle Whitworth Robbins, came here 50 years ago, and loves all the attention on their tiny enclave and surrounding areas.
SUEBELLE WHITWORTH ROBBINS, THE INSTAQUEEN OF PALM BEACH: Oh, it's magical. I think it's sort of exciting. It's always fun to be around important people.
KAYE: Randi Kay, CNN, Palm Beach, Florida.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[13:53:07]
WHITFIELD: When we come back, Australia passes a social media ban for children under 16. Why the biggest social media platforms say the law was rushed and it leaves questions on how it will be implemented.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[13:58:00]
WHITFIELD: All right. This week, Australia became the first country in the world to pass a law that prohibits anyone under the age of 16 from being on social media. And after months of debate, the bill was quickly passed into law.
CNN's Hanako Montgomery has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HANAKO MONTGOMERY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): How kids use social media is a problem millions of parents face, and Australia says it's now found a solution.
ANTHONY ALBANESE, AUSTRALIAN PRIME MINISTER: World-leading action to make sure social media companies meet their social responsibility. Social media is doing harm to our children.
MONTGOMERY: Under Australia's new law, kids under 16 are banned from accessing social media platforms. And tech companies breaking the rules could face fines in the tens of millions.
(on camera): But the bill, rushed through in just a week, is drawing criticism from those not convinced it'll keep kids off the Internet.
SARAH HANSON-YOUNG, AUSTRALIAN SENATOR: I mean, it's almost embarrassing. I mean, this is boomers trying to tell young people how the Internet should work.
MONTGOMERY (voice-over): Tech giants, including Meta and X's Elon Musk, argue more time and evidence are needed before enforcing the ban.
But for some parents, the law couldn't come fast enough.
KELLY O'BRIEN, MOTHER OF CHARLOTTE O'BRIEN, WHO TOOK HER OWN LIFE AFTER ONLINE BULLYING: I will miss your hugs, your kisses, your laugh, your beautiful, beautiful smile.
MONTGOMERY: Twelve-year-old Charlotte O'Brien took her own life, her parents say, after years of being bullied online.
Cases like hers and Allem Halkic, who ended his life at 17, have driven Australia's push to protect kids from online harm.
ALI HALKIC, FATHER OF ALLEM HALKIC: If that was in place today, I know he would be alive. And that's some of the guilt that I have to live with every day.
MONTGOMERY: Australia's new law is divisive, but for grieving families, it's a fight worth leading.
Hanako Montgomery CNN, Tokyo.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[14:00:05]
WHITFIELD: Hello again, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.
And we're following the latest this hour as treacherous snowfall and bone-chilling temperatures --
