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Hala Gorani Tonight
Prince Harry And Actress Meghan Markle Engaged; Royal Wedding To Be Held In Spring 2018; Country In Mourning After Deadly Mosque Attack; Pope's Visit Comes As Islamophobia Is On The Rise; White House Holds News Briefing; Trump Makes "Pocahontas" Comment At Native American Event; White House: Mulvaney Has Taken Charge Of Consumer Agency; Prince Harry And Actress Meghan Markle Engaged; Mount Agung Creates Huge Ash Cloud Over Bali; Going Green: A Global Adventure In An Electric Vehicle; Cyber Monday May Set A Sales Record. Aired 3-4p ET
Aired November 27, 2017 - 15:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[15:00:28]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CLARISSA WARD, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Hello and welcome. I'm Clarissa Ward in for Hala Gorani.
Tonight, a royal engagement, we get the intimate details of how Britain's Prince Harry got American actress, Megan Markle to say yes.
Plus, we are monitoring the White House press briefing this hour. We will be sure to bring you all the top lines from that as soon as we get them.
But we begin here in London with a proposal that has the whole world talking. For weeks, rumors have swirled that Britain's most eligible
bachelor, Prince Harry, was about to come off the market.
Earlier today, it was confirmed that he is engaged to American actor, Meghan Markle. The happy couple showed off the new ring, which apparently
Prince Harry designed himself. In the last few hours, we have heard from the happy couple who sat down with the British media for an interview.
Take a listen to what they had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PRINCE HARRY: It happened a few weeks ago. Early this month here at our cottage, it's a standard typical night for us.
MEGHAN MARKLE: It's just an amazing surprise. It was smooth and natural and very romantic. He got on one knee.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's an instant yes from you?
MARKLE: Yes, as a matter of fact, I could barely let him finish proposing. I said, can I say yes now?
PRINCE HARRY: Let me finish (inaudible) I have the ring in my finger and I said, can I give you the ring (inaudible).
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: In the case of your relationship, unlike for most people, there's this whole layer of what it means to get involve with
someone from the royal family. How much of the sense did you have, Meghan, of the enormity of what you were getting into? What it might mean for your
life?
MARKLE: I think I can very safely say as naive as it sounds now having gone through this learning curve in the past year and a half, I did not
have any understanding of just what it would be like. I think that we both said that even knowing it would be --
PRINCE HARRY: I tried to warn you as much as possible, but I think both of us were surprised by the reaction of the first four, six months when we had
to ourselves, but what actually happens from them. So, I think we can have as many conversations as we want and try to prepare as much as possible,
but we were particularly unprepared for what will happen after that.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And some of that scrutiny and you ended up making both public statement about it. Some of that scrutiny was centered around
your ethnicity, Meghan. When you realized that, what did you think?
MARKLE: Of course, it's disheartening. I know it's a shame that that is the climate in this world to focus that much on matter that that would be
discriminatory in that sense, but I think, you know, at the end of the day, I'm really just proud of who I am and where I come from, and we have never
put any focus on that.
We just focused on who we are as a couple and so when you take all those extra layers away and all of that noise, I think it makes it really easy to
just enjoy being together and (inaudible) the rest of that out.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Have you met the queen?
MARKLE: I have, yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (Inaudible)?
MARKLE: It's incredible. I think you know, A, to be able to meet her through his lens not just with his honor and respect for her as the
monarch, but the love that he has for her as his grandmother.
All of those layers have been so important for me is that when I met her I had such a deep understanding and of course incredible respect for being
able to have that time with her and we had a really -- she is an incredible woman.
PRINCE HARRY: From the (inaudible).
MARKLE: Just laying on my feet during -- it's very sweet.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WARD: Let's go now to get the latest from Max Foster. He is live for us at Buckingham Palace. Max, how is the U.K. responding? Is in the country
going to be swept up in Royal wedding fever once again?
MAX FOSTER, CNN ROYAL CORRESPONDENT: I think, you know, (inaudible) a view on monarchy. I think that interview was very endearing, and you really did
see two people genuinely in love and (inaudible) at Kensington Palace today when they do their photo call.
And you could see the way they are supporting each other. They are very connected and that sort of emotion, that sentiment is really undeniable.
(Inaudible) really came across today was that huge amounts of responsibility that comes with this position.
[15:05:07] She is giving up a career. She's worked very hard on an acting career. She has been trolled on digital and that's been based around
racist comments made about her background, about her African-American mother, and that's been very disappointing to her.
But the message really today is this is a relationship. They are in love. They want to go ahead together. It does involve being in the same city
together. So, she's come over here. She brought her dog over here.
They are living in Kensington Palace and now, you know, there is a lot of emotion around this because it's quite an exciting moment, and then we look
ahead to where they will get married next year. We'll find out a bit more about that tomorrow.
But certainly, people are questioning whether or not monarchy is an appropriate system for the modern age. What they certainly agree on is
that she is modernizing the brand, at least.
WARD: And Max, just to explain to us quickly her title, her future title, what will it be? She won't be Princess Meghan.
FOSTER: She'll never be Princess Meghan because you have to be born into the royal family to have that as your initial title. Princess Dianna
wasn't princess. She was Princess of Wales is her title, but actually she was never a princess, and Kate isn't a princess either.
So, as soon as she gets married, she will technically become her Royal Highness Princess Henry of Wales. She won't use that because, you know,
speaks of modern equality, but while she is getting married, I am sure she will be given a title, granted a title by the queen.
So, we are expecting something like the Duchess of Suffolk or perhaps the Duchess of Clarence. That is the most likely options because those are the
two vacant (inaudible) as it were. So, she'll be her Royal Highness, but she'll never be a princess.
WARD: All right. Max Foster at Buckingham Palace, thank you so much.
And of course, we all remember William, Harry's brother, and his lavish royal wedding back in 2011. Seven years later, will Harry have more of
that same? I'm joined now by Kate Williams, who is CNN's royal commentator.
And I wanted to start out by asking you because it does feel like with Meghan Markel, this is a lot of first. I think it is the first time we've
seen an actress. The first time we've seen someone who is biracial. Take us through some of the things that make Meghan such an extraordinary
potential princess.
KATE WILLIAMS, CNN ROYAL COMMENTATOR: Well, she is very special and she is the first time we've seen actress. She's certainly a working woman. Some
princesses have not been, and of course, the last American to marry into royal family almost brought down the Royal family itself, (inaudible), in
1936 when the king abdicated.
But what we have with Meghan is she has fabulously powerful voice. She is very open. She is a great speaker. She talks incredibly powerfully about
feminism, about this possessed in society and particularly about her experiences of being biracial.
She said that with a white father and a black mother, she sometimes felt that she didn't (inaudible) and she's experienced a lot of racism over the
years and during her work as an actress.
So that I think -- she said lately that she wants to use her role as Harry's wife, as princess, her title will be Duchess for a change, as a
platform, a change for good. She really feels it's a big opportunity for change and that I think is very, very unique.
And that's why Harry loves her. It's a marriage of love that is clearly devoted to each other, but also, he sees him and her moving in together in
this really important international partnership, and it's all about charity and making the world a better place.
WARD: And you mention that confidence, I mean, she really was so different watching that interview to the interview that we had seen with the Duchess
of Cambridge, Kate, also when we had seen Princess Diana speaking.
Meghan by contrast seems so comfortable with the cameras, so authoritative and obviously having an acting career will play into that. I'm curious as
to your thoughts on her giving up her acting career. Is that something that is basically essential when you take on a royal role like this?
WILLIAMS: Meghan, she is no longer doing "Suit." She said that she has left the series, "Suit." She finished filming and came over to London.
She could continue with bits (inaudible), but the problem is, of course, to do something big like "Suits," you are away most of the year in Toronto.
It's a big series so as any movie.
And it seems like she is talking -- she talked about the transition in her career. It does seem as if acting is something that is moving behind her
and what she is moving forward to is a role in the world stage.
She studied international relations in drama. Drama might be a bit in the past and now it's about international relations and about working with
foundations, working with the U.N., and really absolutely using the royal family using the platform for causes for the dis-possessed, vulnerable.
And she and Harry will be working together. She has given up the role of acting, but it's going to be the biggest role of her life that she is now
undertaking.
[15:10:07] WARD: Do you think that she will be embraced by traditionalists or is there likely to be some kind of disappointment the fact that she is
American, an actress? I mean, what do you see -- how do you see the British public responding? Is she the breath of fresh air that the
monarchy needs right now?
WILLIAMS: I mean, I think she's wonderful. She's a breath of fresh air. She is a powerful woman. She's a real advocate for women. She is a great
role model. She will make a fantastic princess, a great wife for Harry. But certainly, when the dating relationship was revealed, there was a lot
of very upsetting, abusive media coverage.
She felt Prince Harry put up that very strong statement saying that she's being abuse, suffered harassment, excessive, racist and misogynistic, and
that completely taken them by surprise.
There was some change in the tone after that, but it maybe we might have to see some more of Kensington Palace being quite tough at some parts of the
media saying, you know, this really isn't acceptable.
She is very young modern woman and I think there has been some talk about a divorce, but let's remember that Charles and Camela (ph), and Andrew and
Ann, they are all divorced as well. So, there's a lot of divorce in the royal family.
WARD: Well, hopefully, it stops there. Thank you so much, Kate Williams. Thank you.
Still to come tonight, can Pope Francis build bridges in Myanmar where the government is accused of ethnic cleansing and where hate speech is on the
rise.
Also, the deadliest terror attack Egypt has ever seen. Exclusive new video reveals the horror of the attack on mosque in the Sinai. That's coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WARD: As Egypt mourns the hundreds killed in an attack on a Sufi mosque, the country's foreign minister says the attack was the result of barbarism
and left a very deep impact worldwide.
Three hundred and five people were killed on Friday when gunmen stormed a Sufi mosque in Sinai. Officials say at least some of the attackers carried
the ISIS flag. Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry spoke to CNN's Christiane Amanpour. He says the government is doing everything it can to
protect its citizens.
But we've been getting details on how this attack unfolded and now CNN has obtained some exclusive and we caution you very disturbing video showing
the aftermath.
Senior international correspondent, Ben Wedeman, is in Cairo. He joins me live now. Ben, what have you been learning?
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, so far, Clarissa, there is no claim of responsibility for last Friday's gruesome
massacre at (inaudible) Mosque in Northern Sinai, but that attack left that small community decimated and in shocked and a nation, Egypt, demanding
action.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
[15:00:00] WEDEMAN (voice-over): Blood and gore soaked the mosque's carpet splashed on the walls and stained the pavement at the entrance. The
authorities have banned the media from going to the site of the worst terrorist attack in Egyptian history.
But CNN has obtained exclusive video and accounts from eyewitnesses. This young man's father was killed in the massacre. He recalls men in military
uniform with long hair, firing indiscriminately into the mosque.
Off camera another eyewitness says, he heard the attackers shout they would kill all infidels. He said the militants had threatened the Sufi built
mosque five times in the past. The ISIS affiliate here, (inaudible), the province of Sinai has yet to claim responsibility.
But a statement from the public prosecutor said the attackers numbering between 25 and 30 waived ISIS' black banner. For years the Sinai has been
a battleground between militants and the Egyptians.
In the chaos of the 2011 uprising that toppled the regime of Hosni Mubarak, thousands escape from prison, many going to the Sinai. Shortly afterwards,
one group (inaudible) emerged pledging its allegiance to ISIS in 2014 renaming itself (inaudible).
They waged a relentless guerrilla war against the army and the police hiding among the population resentful of the heavy hand of the government
(inaudible) of Cairo. By some estimates they killed more than 1,000 soldiers and policemen.
(Inaudible) claimed responsibility for the 2015 downing of Metro Jet Flight 9268, killing all 224 passengers and crew, and it carried out a series of
attacks in the Nile Valley in December against a Coptic Cathedral in Cairo and this year boasted of attacking churches in Tanta and Alexandria on Palm
Sunday.
Friday's mosque massacre is the first time they target a Muslim house of worship, and that is a new and dramatic change in targets warns analyst,
(inaudible).
DR. H.A. HELLYER, ATLANTIC COUNCIL AND RUSI: With the Christian attacks, it seems to be aimed at creating some sort of divide within the (inaudible)
society that radical groups then take advantage of. They failed and now they are just going after anybody that doesn't actually support what they
want to do.
And I think that that's really message that people have to takeaway from this. That there is no type of target anymore when it comes to groups like
this. Everybody is a target unless they are on their side.
WEDEMAN: Hours after Friday's attack, President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi vowed to respond to the terrorist with brute force. (Inaudible), a cleric came
to visit the wounded in hospital. His prescription for the terrorist, no mercy. Killing them would be best, he says. To end the bloodshed in
Sinai, more bloodshed.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WEDEMAN: And the Egyptian government has since last Friday's attack launched a series of air raids and raids on hideouts of the militants in
the Sinai, but still this war has been going on since 2011 and it is not clear if this military action is actually bringing this war to an end --
Clarissa.
WARD: OK. Ben Wedeman, no end in sight. Thank you so much, Ben, live for us in Cairo.
Pope Francis is in Myanmar on a delicate mission of diplomacy. He landed in Yangon Monday, the first pontiff to visit the majority Buddhist nation.
Francis met with Myanmar's military chief, a key figure in the Rohingya crisis.
A papal spokesman said the two leaders discussed the great responsibility of Myanmar's leaders in this time of transition. The Pope is also
scheduled to speak with de facto leader, Aung San Suu Kyi. She has been denounced around the world for her response or lack thereof to the brutal
atrocities committed against Rohingya Muslims.
But it's unclear how the pontiff will address Myanmar's treatment of the Rohingya during his visit. And as our Ivan Watson reports, the pope is
walking into a toxic atmosphere where hatred has been building for years.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Funeral for a fallen man, this was the scene in January after the brazen daylight
shooting of a well-known lawyer in Myanmar. The victim, Ko Ni, was an outspoken member of Myanmar's tiny Muslim religious minority.
His daughter says he was gunned down while cradling his 2-year-old grandson outside Yangon International Airport.
[15:20:04] YIN NWE KHAING, DAUGHTER OF MURDERED LAWYER: When I turned around and looked and my father was still on the ground, so I just ran and
held him, but at the time, there is no sign of life.
WATSON: Ko Ni's killing came during a surge of religious tension in this overwhelmingly Buddhist country, a phenomenon CNN reported on two years
ago.
(on camera): Who is threatening Buddhism in this country?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Muslim.
WATSON (voice-over): Muslims only make up around 5 percent of the population, but some Buddhist monks preach that they pose an existential
threat to the country.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator: We are worried they will explode our ethnic heritage, cultural buildings, religious monuments, and our
brethren when they carry out suicide bombings.
WATSON: Nowhere is this fear of Muslims more acute than in Rakhine State where a deadly attack by Rohingya Muslim militants against security forces
last August triggered a campaign of reprisals.
More than 600,000 Rohingya Muslims have since been driven from their homes across the border to neighboring Bangladesh. Refugees accuse the military
of torching their villages, mass rape, and murder.
Myanmar says it's fighting against a terrorist insurgency and denies deliberately attacking civilians. The U.S. and the United Nations called
it ethnic cleansing. There's little public sympathy in Myanmar for the Rohingya.
For decades authorities labeled them illegal immigrants and denied them citizenship. The Rohingya crisis has raised fears among other Muslims in
Myanmar, who do enjoy full citizenship rights.
LI THAN AUNG, IMAM (through translator): The hate speech overwhelmed the minds of Muslim people in Myanmar. If you look at these people, it's all
because of fear, and because of this fear, they are afraid of us and we are afraid of them.
WATSON: In 2015, there was hope that the election of Nobel Peace Prize winner, Aung San Suu Kyi would calm religious tensions. The murdered
Muslim lawyer, Ko Ni, was one of her top legal advisers and a defender of the Rohingya Muslims.
Aung San Suu Kyi's government labeled his killing an act of terrorism, a trial of several suspects is under way. But even one of Aung San Suu Kyi's
Muslim supporters argues the political climate in Myanmar is toxic.
LI AYE LWIN, ADVISORY COMMISSION ON BUDDHISM STATE: They keep on using religion as political tool and there were a lot of traps. So, she has to
be very careful. So I'll be very blunt, if she come out and defend the Muslim, it would be a political suicide for her.
WATSON: Ko Ni's daughter warned her father to be more careful about challenging Buddhist nationalists. For that, he may have paid the ultimate
price. Ivan Watson, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WARD: Well, let's take a look now at what is happening in the White House press briefing where Press Secretary Sarah Sanders is speaking now. Let's
take a listen.
SARAH HUCKABEE SANDERS, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: -- close to delivering a big, beautiful Christmas present to the American people in the
form of maxive -- massive tax relief.
To that end, on Wednesday the president will travel to St. Charles, Missouri, to deliver an important address to the nation on the need for tax
cuts and reforms.
Unemployment is already at a 17-year low, wages are starting to raise (sic), the stock market continues to hit all-time highs and optimism is
through the roof.
Just imagine what's going to be possible once this plan passes. And I think it will be a great lead in to the Christmas season, and something we can
all be excited about.
And with that, I will take your questions. Jeff (ph)?
QUESTION: Sarah, is Director Mulvaney firmly in charge of the Consumer Financial Protection Agency, or is there a still a back-and- forth between
him and Leandra English and who's actually the boss?
SANDERS: Director Mulvaney has taken charge of that agency. And he has the full cooperation of the -- the staff. And appeared there this morning
and things went very well on his first day over at CFPB.
QUESTION: How did he handle that power struggle when he arrived there?
SANDERS: I think the legal outline shows very clearly who is in charge of that agency, and both he and the White House as well, as the general
counsel for CFPB, who was appointed by Condray (sic), said that he has the legal standing to be there and serve as the director. And we all agree with
that and, again, feel very confident in moving forward.
Cecilia (ph)?
QUESTION: Why not just fire Leandra English?
SANDERS: Look, she's still the deputy director and has a legal standing in that capacity, but not as the director.
QUESTION: Do you believe -- does this White House agree with Mulvaney when he called this agency a joke?
SANDERS: Look, we -- we think that a lot of the past practices, under the previous director and under the previous administration, were used more to
advance political ambitions and not about protecting American consumers, which is what that's supposed to be. And our goal is to make sure we get
back to that.
Matthew?
QUESTION: Thanks, Sarah.
Does the president still accept the authenticity of the Access Hollywood tape that he apologized for during the campaign?
SANDERS: Look this -- the president addressed this. This was litigated and certainly answered during the election by the overwhelming support for
the president and the fact that he's sitting here in the Oval Office today. He's made his position on that clear at that time, as have the American
people in his (sic) support of him.
Jon Decker?
QUESTION: He apologized for it, which would seem to acknowledge its authenticity. And that position hasn't changed?
SANDERS: No. Like I just said, the president hasn't changed his position. I think, if anything that the president questions, it's the
media's reporting on that accuracy.
Jon?
QUESTIONS: Thanks a lot, Sarah.
Just two questions on the CFPB. The first one has to do with whether or not you would like the courts to clear up any confusion as to who is in
control of the CFPB. Of course a lawsuit has been filed, you'd like the -- that case to be -- a ruling on that case to be decided very quickly.
SANDERS: Look, of course, we're aware that a lawsuit's been filed, but we're also aware that the law is extremely clear and that Director Mulvaney
is the acting director here, as his been outlined by the counsel's office, by the Department of Justice and, as I said before, CFPB's own general
counsel, which was appointed by Condray (sic).
So I think that everybody is in full agreement that he's the director of this office.
Trey?
QUESTION: I had two.
SANDERS: Sorry, Jon. (Inaudible).
QUESTION: How do you envision the agency operating under Director Mulvaney?
SANDERS: Much better than it has in the past.
QUESTION: What are the functions of the agency?
SANDERS: Like I said, we're not going to put political ambitions as the number one priority. We're going to make sure that the consumers are
actually being protected, which is what the agency was created for. Trey?
QUESTION: Thanks, Sarah.
On the Senate race in Alabama, does President Trump plan to campaign for Roy Moore?
SANDERS: The president is not planning any trip to Alabama at this time. And, frankly, his schedule doesn't permit him doing anything between now
and Election Day.
QUESTION: Over the weekend the president weighed in on -- about this race on Twitter. Does the president continue -- does he have plans to continue
his campaign against the Democrat in Alabama, Doug Jones?
SANDERS: Look, I'm not going to get into a back-and-forth from the podium. As you know, I've declined that opportunity many times.
But I can tell you that the president obviously wants people who support his agenda, and certainly wants people that are looking to make America
better, to improve our education system, to grow our economy, to continue to fight against ISIS, continue growing the economy. Those are the
president's priorities and he wants people in place that are going to help and support those priorities.
Jonathan (ph)?
QUESTION: Sarah, the event that the president just did with the Navajo code talkers he referred to Pocahontas being in the Senate. Why did he feel
the need to say something that is offensive to many people while honoring the Navajo code talkers, these genuine American heroes?
SANDERS: I think what most people find offensive is Senator Warren lying about her heritage to advance her career.
Steven (ph)?
(CROSSTALK)
QUESTION: That's (ph) a racial slur. She said it was a racial slur. What is your response to that?
SANDERS: I think that's a ridiculous response.
Steven (ph)?
QUESTION: If I could just follow up with that, because the president was speaking at an event to honor members of the Greatest Generation, people
who fought in World War II who are in their 80s and 90s now, and the moment had many people online asking whether the president lacks decency. What's
your response to that notion (ph)? SANDERS: Look, I think the president certainly finds an extreme amount of value and respect for these
individuals, which is why he brought them and invited them to come to the White House and spent time with them, recognizing them and honoring them
today.
So I -- I think he is constantly showing ways to honor those individuals, and he invited them here at the White House today to meet with them and to
also remind everybody about what the historic role that they played many years ago.
Kristen (ph)?
QUESTION: Why is it appropriate for the president to use a racial slur in any context?
SANDERS: I -- I don't believe that is appropriate for him to make a racial slur or anybody else.
QUESTION: Well, a lot of people feel as though this is a racial slur. So why is it appropriate for him to use that...
SANDERS: Like I said, I don't think that it is and I don't think -- that was certainly not the president's intent.
QUESTION: Sarah, does he see political value in...
(CROSSTALK)
SANDERS: I think -- like I said, I think the more offensive -- the most offensive thing...
QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE)
SANDERS: I'm sorry?
QUESTION: Does he see political value in calling people out racially? Why use that term (ph)?
SANDERS: Look, I think that Senator Warren was very offensive when she lied about something specifically to advance her career. I don't understand why
no one's asking about that question and why that isn't constantly covered.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) on Syria, first off, (INAUDIBLE).
SANDERS: No. look, once we started winning the campaign against ISIS, the plan and part of the process is to always wind down support for certain
groups. Now that we're continuing to crush the physical caliphate that we're in a position to stop providing military equipment to certain groups.
But that doesn't mean stopping all support of those individual groups. But that was the whole purpose, was to help defeat ISIS. We're making massive
progress on that front. And once that was moved forward, that was always in the plan. That hasn't changed.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE 1:06). Is it still policy of the United States that (INAUDIBLE)?
SANDERS: We don't have any changes in our position at this time. Jeff?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sarah, back to the "Access Hollywood" tape, you said that he made his position clear at this time. At the time, he said I said
it, I was wrong, I apologize. But you just said the media's reporting of it (INAUDIBLE). Can I ask you again? Does the president acknowledge
saying of that - what was on the "Access Hollywood" tape?
SANDERS: Look, I said that he'd already addressed it and that we didn't have any updates to that. I said what he didn't like and what he found
troubling were the accounts that are being reported now.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What accounts are being reported now that weren't reported last year? What accounts are you talking about?
SANDERS: The ones that are current that he's questioning.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE). So, what is the official policy on Assad's position? Does he stay or no?
SANDERS: Look, as I said, we don't have any changes into past statements that we've already made on that front. Nothing new. Blake?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE). Does the White House believe that Leandra English is unqualified for that position?
SANDERS: We believe that Director Mulvaney is the right person at this time to lead the agency and that's why he's over there.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you believe that he's the right person, I guess, the follow-up to that is, what is the White House or what does the president
have against Leandra English in that spot?
SANDERS: Look, I'm not saying that we do have anything against her. I'm saying that we want Director Mulvaney to lead this agency, and that's a
decision that the president is allowed to make and one that he's made and has legal authority to do so.
John?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you, Sarah. Two questions about personnel. The president's appointment of Gov. Brownback for the ambassador at large slot
dealing with religious liberty has been stalled and the Senate has yet to confirm him or -
CLARISSA WARD, CNN HOST, HALA GORANI TONIGHT: All right. Well, you have been listening there to the White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders,
talking to members of the White House press corps.
And we're joined now by our own CNN White House reporter Stephen Collinson to go over some of the things that came up during that press briefing.
I mean, Stephen, the first thing that seemed to come up on several occasions was this issue of the president making a joke earlier on today,
referring to Sen. Elizabeth Warren as "Pocahontas" jokingly before an audience of Native Americans.
Can you explain to us exactly what happened today and how this came about?
STEPHEN COLLINSON, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yes. The president was honoring some Native American Marine veterans in the Second World War in
the Oval Office and he used that occasion to not just honor their service.
But then he went into a rather awkward joke, saying that, in the Senate, there was someone called "Pocahontas", which is the nickname that he uses
to refer to Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who has claimed some Native American heritage herself.
He did this many times in the campaign and was accused of using a racial slur. And the fact that he did this in this context is just another
occasion when the president doesn't always seem to be in complete control of what he's trying to say, and perhaps matching the standards you might
expect of a president in the Oval Office.
So, it does raise new questions about his attitude on racial issues, on cultural issues and is going to cause a huge political storm. Sen. Warren
already has accused him of, again, using racially discriminatory language.
And Sarah Sanders there said that was a ridiculous accusation. But this one is, I think, just starting to turn into a really big story.
WARD: One can imagine how that joke went down. Of course, the other issue that came up several times during this press briefing is this sort of issue
of the Consumer Financial Protection Agency. This dispute that is going on that has ignited a war of words inside the agency about who the director
actually is.
[15:35:12] I just want to bring our viewers up to speed. Here are the basics. You've got Leandra English and Mike Mulvaney. Both consider
themselves to be the leaders of this watchdog agency. And both sent emails recently signed "acting director."
Today, English wrote an email. She was wishing her staff a happy Thanksgiving. She was thanking them.
Then Mulvaney wrote his own email, saying it has come to my attention Miss English has reached out to many of you this morning via email in an attempt
to exercise certain duties of the acting director. This is unfortunate, but in the atmosphere of the day, probably not unexpected." He went on to
tell the staff to disregard any instructions from Miss. English.
I mean, help us understand this, Stephen, because from the outside and from overseas, it all sounds rather dysfunctional.
COLLINSON: Sounds like a complete farce. Basically, what you have is a government agency which has supposedly right now two bosses. What happened
was the previous director, Richard Cordray, resigned last week and appointed his successor, Miss English, as the interim director, saying that
he had the legal authority to do so.
The White House turned around and appointed Mick Mulvaney, the White House budget director, as the interim director, saying it had the legal
authority.
Basically, what you've got is two dueling laws here. We're going to have a court hearing in the next few hours in Washington that's going to try and
sort this out at least on a temporary basis.
But in a wider sense, what this is, there's an ideological clash about the bureau itself. It was set up and modified during the Obama administration
to try to take care of consumers who find themselves at risk of shark practices by banks, for example, by the financial industry.
The Trump administration has come in and said these are unnecessary regulations. Their critics say that they're sort of kowtowing to the
financial industry, their financial backers in politics. So, you've got a real ideological clash.
Eventually, the president will get to appoint and get the senate to confirm someone for the bureau, to have the bureau. But this is another kind of
almost typical Washington class in the Trump era.
WARD: All right. Stephen Collinson, thank you for helping us break it all down.
Well, still to come tonight, Meghan Markle is known for her role on the TV show " Suits", as well as for her philanthropic work. Now, as she takes
the step into new role, we take a look at the woman about to become royalty.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WARD: Here in the UK, Britain's most eligible bachelor is looking forward to his future, with American actor Meghan Markle by his side.
Prince Harry confirmed their engagement on Monday, saying he knew Markle was the one the first time they met.
[15:40:12] Amara Walker has more on the woman now set to become British royalty.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
AMARA WALKER, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Rachel Meghan Markle is an American actress who has reportedly been dating Prince Harry
for more than a year.
The 36-year-old stars as paralegal Rachel Zane on the legal drama "Suits".
She currently lives in Toronto where the show is filmed. Markle, who was raised in Los Angeles, is the daughter of an African-American mother and a
white father. She identifies as biracial and has spoken publicly about struggling with her ethnic identity as a child.
Markle went on to graduate from Northwestern University with a degree in communications. Markle has also appeared as a model and she ran her own
lifestyle website.
She's appeared in a number of TV shows, including the TV sci-fi thriller "Fringe" in 2009. She's also appeared in several films, including the 2011
comedy "Horrible Bosses".
Markle was married to film producer Trevor Engelson for two years. They divorced in 2013.
She is involved in several charities as the global ambassador for World Vision Canada. She's traveled to Rwanda to promote clean water.
She's also a United Nations advocate for women. Most recently, Markle wrote a powerful essay for "TIME Magazine", "How Periods Affect Potential,"
about the stigma in some countries surrounding menstrual cycles, prohibiting young girls from pursuing an education.
But ever since news broke of her alleged relationship with Prince Harry, Markle has stepped into a much larger spotlight, becoming the subject of
global scrutiny as a possible royal in waiting.
Amara Walker, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WARD: The pair have not played out their love story too publicly. Still, the world is captivated. So, let's go over to CNN correspondent Stephanie
Elam. She is in LA.
Stephanie, give us a sense. How is America reacting to the news that it may finally have its own princess?
STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Clarissa, there is this intrigue with what's going on with the royal family. No matter what, even here in the
United States, a lot of people have lot of speculation about it and a lot of people are thrilled about the news.
But, obviously, this is very different in the sense that, yes, she is from here in Los Angeles. She grew up in California. She's a graduate of
Northwestern University with a degree in communications.
And she has grown pretty much around Hollywood because her dad was a lighting director on a show called "Married with Children", which was on
the air forever. It's in syndication. So, I imagine a lot of people across the pond know it as well.
So, because of that, she got to see the inside of Hollywood workings early on and still decided that that was something that she wanted to pursue.
But now, she's giving that all up to go into this new life.
What's interesting to a lot of people is the fact that, yes, she's 36 years old, she's divorced and she's half black. So, a lot of that very
intriguing to see how that will be taken in the UK and whether or not that will be something that people will have a problem with.
But, overall, here, people are happy with this news and enthralled for the couple and waiting to see all the pomp and circumstance about where they're
going to get married.
Some wondering if they'll get married here in Los Angeles. My guess is that they'll probably stay there where you are, Clarissa.
WARD: That would be my guess too. One thing I found interesting. She gave this interview with Prince Harry and she talked about the fact that
it's been a shock to be sort of thrust into the spotlight.
You would think as an an actress she would be prepared for that. But take a listen to what she had to say about the shift into the spotlight.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MEGHAN MARKLE, PRINCE HARRY'S FIANCE: There's a misconception that because I have worked in the entertainment industry that this would be something I
would be familiar with.
But even though I've been on my show for, I guess, six years at that point and working before that, I've never been part of tabloid culture. I've
never been in pop culture to that degree and lived a relatively quiet life, even though I focus so much on my job.
And so, that was a really stark difference out of the gate. And I think we were just hit so hard at the beginning with a lot of mistruths that I made
the choice to not read anything.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WARD: Stephanie, for a lot of our international viewers, they basically don't have a point of reference for how big a celebrity was Meghan Markle
before this whole romance blossomed.
ELAM: Here's the thing. She's on a very popular show, but that show films in Toronto. So, it's not like she's here. She's not living here in Los
Angeles. So, she's in Hollywood, but removed all at the same time.
So, even still, she was steadily working and doing her thing, but it's not as if she was walking around as, say, a mega superstar that we all know
when everyone is watching the movie and they can't go anywhere.
She was steadily working, but not that high in the profile. Because of this, her profile has been blown up and blasted and it's like everyone now
knows who she is, and it's changed everything.
And I think that's what people forget that in Hollywood. There are a lot of working actors who are constantly working day in and day out and you may
not know their names all the time or you may not know their names at all.
[15:45:12] But there's a lot of more people that keep the machine moving. And she was definitely more famous than the average person, but she was
still able to live a very normal life.
WARD: OK. Stephanie Elam, I have a feeling that normal life is about to change forever. Thank you so much.
In Indonesia, a volcanic eruption has choked a resort island to a halt. Almost 60,000 tourists are stranded in Bali. The island's international
airport is shut after the Mt. Agung of the volcano heaved thick black ash into the sky.
Almost 30,000 people have been evacuated. And now, as authorities issued the highest possible warning, the island is bracing for the possibility of
another eruption.
Let's get more now from Tom Sater. He is our meteorologist at the CNN Weather Center. He's live now with us. Tom, what are you learning?
TOM SATER, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Clarissa, we've been watching Mt. Agung since September when tremors started to occur. More and more seismic
activity. And even though technology was getting better, it's not an exact science.
But we knew this was coming. But will there be a bigger one?
Now, this tourist had taken this picture just couple of days ago. You can see the dried lava formations in the past. There's 127 volcanoes in
Indonesia.
Mt. Agung has been dormant for over 50 years. And the last time was 1963. And it was a big one; 1,700 people lost their lives.
At 5:30 PM Saturday, the first of three eruptions, small in size, but, again, relatively speaking, you can see the ash, the gases in the air, over
9000 meters. That's over 5.5 miles up into the sky.
And that's important because the one in '63 was much higher, about 12 miles in the sky. So, even though we believe there will be a larger and more
dangerous eruption, it's not going to be as bad as '63, they believe.
Now, the volcanoes in the northeastern part of the Island of Bali, most of the tourists are fine. They are down in this area. They're just stranded
for some time.
Until we can see the smoke leave the airport, and that's going to be a little erratic because we've got a cyclone that's trying to develop off the
southern coast. It went through a level 4. That's the highest level to be aware.
We're now seeing it change to more what we call a magmatic possible eruption. That's with the molten lava. That's the problem here because
once it spews that, then we're going to have lava flows.
And again, this bigger and possible eruption, yes, even though it may be imminent, it may not be as bad as '63. We've got the eruption, as we
mentioned. We've got ash flow and debris now that is falling in many villages.
In fact, back in September, thousands evacuated, but they didn't want to leave their livestock and it was a major operation. Many went back because
it's been two-and-a-half months.
Now, we've got these lahars. That's the flow. It's like a mud debris flow, but it's this volcanic material. And that could get worse.
But it's what we're watching now, because we've had these three small eruptions, we've got lava that is now in the surface of the crater. And
that lava spreads out, traps all the gases underneath it, so it builds up more energy and pressure. That's why we believe it's going to be possibly
a stronger one to come.
This is what these lava - these lahar flows look like. And again, it's the rainy season. So, we're going to have more of them. Look at the
difference in the rain pattern we're seeing across parts of Malaysia and Indonesia.
But, again, traffic is halted. Possibly propeller planes could get to some other parts of Indonesia. It's the jet engines that we're concerned about
because they can't really ingest any of this volcanic ash because it just melts in the engines and then solidifies and chokes them.
But, again, we've had a larger problem with some other airports closed up as well. So, again, most of the tourists should be fine. They're just
going to hunker down for some time. Clarissa.
WARD: All right. Tom Sater at the CNN Weather Center, thank you very much.
More to come, including a road trip with a twist. One couple drives an electric car across the globe to prove just how far it can go. More on
that after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:50:34] WARD: We have a story of a power couple for you now. But, no, it's not Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
In our "Going Green" series, we meet a couple who drove their electric car two-thirds of the way around the world in a global adventure to prove that
electric vehicles are a practical way to go green.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRIS RAMSEY, DROVE TWO-THIRDS OF THE WAY AROUND THE WORLD IN AN EV: I'm very passionate about electric vehicles. I wanted to go out there and
prove that electric vehicles can do just what combustion engine vehicles can.
My name is Chris Ramsey. And my wife and I have just driven two thirds of the planet in an electric car.
So, the Mongol Rally is a drive from London all the way to southern Siberia. I decided it would be a great idea to drive in my fully-electric
Nissan LEAF. And this is the first time ever an electric car has ever actually taken part in this rally. And it's completed it, I'm happy to
say.
Because we're driving about 80 to 90 miles per charge, it forces us to stop in places where other rally teams would just drive through. And that was
just domestic plug sockets in cafes, restaurants, fire stations, all these amazing and wonderful places. But it really was a massive challenge.
The charging cable, this really was our lifeline. And allowed us to plug into domestic sockets allover Turkey, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan and Russia.
So, here we are at the mud volcano in Alaska.
Ho, ho in Azerbaijan.
He's just having a look at it behind me.
JULIE RAMSEY, DROVE TWO-THIRDS OF THE WAY AROUND THE WORLD IN AN EV: There's hordes of people all the time surrounding the car, like wanting to
find out more. And they pop out the engine base. They look for an engine and there's no engine. And, like, what is this thing and you're plugging
it in. And it's like, they think it's something from out of space.
C. RAMSEY: The environmental impact that we had, this is evidence. So, we have driven this 10,000 miles with zero tailpipe emissions. And,
Obviously, All the Other Mongol Rally teams have been burning fuel all the way.
They spent somewhere in the regions of $2300 in fuel, whereas we spent only $105 in our electricity.
I wanted to inspire and make the public out there want to look at what we've done, and think if this person can drive from London to Siberia in
their electric vehicle, then I can type my workshops, I can drive to the city down the road.
Electric vehicles are a viable solution for more people in this world today (INAUDIBLE). They are more viable today.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WARD: Online retailers are hoping for a record breaking splurge this Cyber Monday. Shoppers flashed the cash on Black Friday. But it looks like they
may show even greater enthusiasm today.
One retail analyst projects Cyber Monday sales might top $6.5 billion, a big increase over last year's record-setter.
Samuel Burke is here with more details. Samuel, when did Cyber Monday become a thing and what does this mean? Does this mean the economy is
going gangbusters?
SAMUEL BURKE, CNN BUSINESS AND TECHNOLOGY CORRESPONDENT: Well, less than a decade ago. But I think this time around, it is out with the old and in
with the new. Black Friday has been dethroned by Cyber Monday.
But if you take a look at this list, it's actually not the busiest shopping day of the year, at least in the United States. That title still belongs
to the Saturday before Christmas. I know you're not that much of a procrastinator, Clarissa.
Here's the deal. Yes, it is a good sign, seeing the numbers for Black Friday and Cyber Monday that the American economy is very healthy,
especially if you're Jeff Bezos. The Amazon stock crossing the $1,200 mark per share a couple of times today.
[15:55:11] Jeff Bezos is now the first person to be worth $100 billion. What you do with that type of cash.
WARD: I don't even know what that means. Where does that put him on the list?
BURKE: The richest. Don't worry. Bill Gates was there for a while. I think Forbes still has him at just $99 billion. Still scrapping along.
WARD: Well, we won't cry for him just yet. Amazon were one of the big winners, but not everyone has been a bigger winner this Cyber Monday.
BURKE: I think you see stores like Amazon and Walmart that have a digital and a physical presence. Of course, Amazon more and more with the lockers,
Whole Foods. Walmart acquiring Jet.com. They're doing very well.
But it's not clear what will happen with retailers like Target and Costco, which have really struggled digitally. And then, you have companies like
Toys "R" Us in bankruptcy right now.
Make no bones about it. For a lot of companies today, Cyber Monday is break or make for them because they're hoping it doesn't break them and
they hope some type of online presence, great deals can make them, but it's going to be tough going for a lot of those traditional retailers.
WARD: So, if you're a consumer, how important is important is Cyber Monday? I didn't buy anything on Cyber Monday?
BURKE: Because you were busy today.
WARD: I was busy.
BURKE: Getting ready for the show.
WARD: I was busy. I'm clearly not the most savvy consumer. But should consumers be going for Cyber Monday? Are these the best deals?
BURKE: Absolutely. There are great deals to be had, especially smart speakers. We've talked about the Amazon Echo a lot on this show and its
competitors. All highly discounted today, including the Google Home.
You have Samsung phones. I saw a lot of discounts out there. Still out there. Especially in the United States, if you want to buy a gift for
somebody, that's always the best place for Cyber Monday, is back in the States.
And lastly, DNA test. If you want to find out more about where you're from -
WARD: I bought one for my parents for Christmas.
BURKE: And? We don't have the results? My mom just did hers and we found out that I'm part East Indian. All of those rumors were true, but you
couldn't have guessed that.
WARD: Well, you're full of surprises. Samuel Burke, thank you so much for helping us understand Cyber Monday.
That is it for us. Thank you so much for watching tonight. Stay with CNN because "Quest Means Business" is up next.
END
