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CNN NEWSROOM

Trump Transition; Deadly Train Derailment in India; South Korean President Now a Suspect; China's Xi Urges Bilateral Resolution to South China Sea; Syrian Civil War; American Muslims React to Presidential Election; Iraqis Make Gains against ISIS in Mosul; U.S. and Mexican Football Fans Unite. Aired 4-5a ET

Aired November 20, 2016 - 04:00   ET

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


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GEORGE HOWELL, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): More meetings, more candidates seeing the U.S. president-elect to possibly fill top posts. We'll have the latest on Donald Trump's transition, from Fifth Avenue in Manhattan to Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington.

NATALIE ALLEN, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): A scene of tragedy in Northern India, a deadly train derailment has rescue crews scrambling to save those still trapped.

HOWELL (voice-over): Plus, the crisis in Aleppo is at another breaking point. Days of heavy airstrikes have now left the city's east without a fully functioning hospital. There's still many people in a very dire situation there.

Live from CNN World Headquarters in Atlanta, welcome to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. I'm George Howell.

ALLEN (voice-over): And I'm Natalie Allen. CNN NEWSROOM starts right now.

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ALLEN: Thank you for being with us.

The enormous task of staffing the new Trump administration is going full speed this weekend at Trump's resort in Bedminster, New Jersey. The president-elect held marathon meetings Saturday as he invites Vice President-Elect Pence , interviewed numerous potential candidates for important cabinet posts and staff positions.

HOWELL: At this point, though, no new announcements came Saturday but Trump said that he is very happy with how the process is going so far. He also indicated that he may reveal more decisions Sunday. Here's just a bit of what the president-elect told reporters.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT-ELECT: Really efficiently. Very good. Tremendous talent. We're seeing tremendous talent for people that, as I say, will make America great again. These are really great people. These are really, really talented people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOWELL: Two of those meetings on Saturday were especially significant. Each took up more than half an hour; as CNN's Phil Mattingly explains, they could foreshadow two crucial cabinet picks.

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PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: There was one clear meeting that everybody wanted to know everything about here in Bedminster on Saturday. That was the meeting with Mitt Romney.

It wasn't so long that conman and choke artist and all sorts of insults were flying back and forth on the campaign trail. Not anymore. For an hour and 20 minutes, Mitt Romney sat down with President-elect Trump and Vice President-elect Michael Pence discussing primarily foreign policy.

Of course raising the question, is there a potential position in a Trump administration for Mitt Romney?

Well, we haven't gotten any comment on that. But this is how Mitt Romney described their conversation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MITT ROMNEY (R), FORMER GOVERNOR OR MASSACHUSETTS: We had a far- reaching conversation with regards to the various theaters in the world where there are interests of the United States of real significance. We discussed those areas and exchanged our views on those topics.

Very thorough and in depth discussion in the time we had. And appreciate the chance to speak with the president-elect and look forward to the coming administration.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MATTINGLY: Now it's important to know that Trump transition officials do confirm that Mitt Romney is in the running for something. People have been talking about the potential for a secretary of state slot. But again, we don't have any final answers on that.

There was another very interesting meeting that happened on Saturday here as Donald Trump continues to work towards filling out his Cabinet. That was with retired Marine General James Mattis. I'm told from a Trump transition official to give very close eye on General Mattis. That went for more than an hour. Longer than any other meeting but the Romney meeting and a very potential pick for Defense secretary.

Now James Mattis would need a waiver from Congress to actually get that position because he retired in 2013 but it's very likely as Republicans control Capitol Hill that would be in the offing if he was selected. Donald Trump himself saying that he is, quote, "the real deal," and that they had a great meeting.

So, guys, don't just keep an eye on Mitt Romney. Keep an eye on General James Mattis as well.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOWELL: Phil Mattingly reporting there for us, Phil, thank you.

All the while in Washington, hundreds of anti-Trump protesters packed the streets Saturday, just blocks away from the White House.

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HOWELL (voice-over): The protesters came together outside the Ronald Reagan building at the International Trade Center.

Inside the white nationalist group, the National Policy Institute is holding a celebratory meeting on Donald Trump's election.

A scuffle then broke out when two of the white nationalists came outside with a video camera and then approached the protesters.

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HOWELL (voice-over): Ugly scene there. The man with the camera took a gash to the forehead. Two protesters also were handcuffed by police.

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ALLEN: Far from Washington, D.C., police and the FBI are searching for a kidnapped woman in Washington State. She's still missing, even though the ransom was paid and a suspect was nabbed; 69-year-old Sandra Harris was taken from her home in Kennewick, Washington, Friday.

The ransom was negotiated; Saturday the exchange was made. A woman was apprehended, as we mentioned, traced through a rental car but she was alone. Officials believe Harris' family was specifically targeted and they are still trying to find her.

HOWELL: Turning now to Northern India and scene that is indeed very tragic, at least 95 people were killed in a train derailment. Early Sunday morning an official told CNN affiliate CNN News 18 as many as 70 passengers may still be trapped in the wreckage. A railway ministry spokesperson says the number of causalities still may rise.

CNN New Delhi bureau chief Ravi Agrawal is live this hour.

Ravi, let's talk about the fact, again, that the death toll is presently around 95 but could rise higher. Explain how some of these cars are, indeed, packed with people and that this is just a big concern right now. RAVI AGRAWAL, CNN NEW DELHI BUREAU CHIEF: That's right, George. So this train crash took place about halfway on its journey, it was an overnight journey and about 3:00 am is when it derailed.

A majority of the coaches, the carriages on the train just flipped over and there are lists of people on the train and this is part of the problem with the rescue efforts.

In the first class compartment, the second class compartment, you can assume that the people on the list are the people on the train but there are general compartments on Indian trains that are oftentimes packed with people who may not have reservations, who just jumped on; people who may not be paying as well.

And so one of the things authorities are struggling with, among the many things they're actually struggling with, is how many people are actually there, how many people are actually under some of these carriages. And you can see those images on your screen.

Flipped-over carriages, there are people underneath them; authorities saying that they are using gas cutters. The national disaster response force is there and the Indian railway is saying that it's trying everything it can to rescue people. It says it's on war footing, so very much a developing, breaking story here -- George.

HOWELL: We're seeing these images from (INAUDIBLE) India and just to get a sense of where that is, explain to our viewers around the world where this train was leaving from, where it was headed to and then also how easy or how difficult is it for these rescue crews to actually get in there.

AGRAWAL: Sure, George. So this train is the Patna indoor train and what that means is that it was going from the city of Indore, which is in Central India, and it was going towards the east of the country, the city of Patna.

And this crash took somewhere along the way, about halfway through near the city of Konfor (ph), which is in the northeasternish part of India. It's a -- Konfor (ph) itself is a big city but the site of the crash is a more rural area.

So rescue operations, well, the rescue tenants that are there, they have come from the city of Lakna (ph), from the city of Konfor (ph). And these are cities that have national disaster response teams.

But they are likely also going to need teams from New Delhi, teams with bigger sort of equipments to sort of cut through those carriages and try and rescue more people.

This is a rural part of India. Train crashes in India are not entirely unusual, George. This happens five or six times a year, derailments.

But I have to say this now, with 95 people dead and rising, is perhaps the most -- the deadliest such train derailment in India in the last seven years, for sure, because there was only one other train crash, about seven years ago, that killed more people. So this is a real tragedy for the people of India today.

HOWELL: Just keeping in context, India, with some of the largest transportation infrastructure in the world, so a lot of people use this rail system and, you know, there's a great deal of concern, as you rightly point out, just about how many people could have been on these trains, where the passenger lists -- you know, there is no list.

Ravi Agrawal, live for us in New Delhi, thank you for the reporting.

ALLEN: South Korean President Park Geun-hye is now being --

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ALLEN: -- investigated as a suspect in the corruption scandal gripping the country. Her close friend and two former aides were all indicted Sunday on charges, including abuse of power, fraud and coercion.

But President Park herself cannot be charged while she's in office under the South Korean constitution. That brings up some questions. Paula Hancocks joins us now from Seoul with more on this.

So she's being investigated but the outcome may or may not send her somewhere or have her lose her job.

What does that mean, that she can be investigated but not charged?

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Natalie, while she's still president, she has immunity, so she's unable to be officially charged. But, of course, she only has just over a year left in office.

There are many calls for her to step down. Some opposition leaders today, as well, this Sunday, saying if she doesn't step down, then they'd start impeachment processes.

So what we've heard this Sunday, which is significant, is the fact that prosecutors have now changed exactly how they will investigate the president. She was going to be questioned as a witness this week. They've now said that they will question her as a suspect.

We've just had a response, as well, from the Blue House, saying that they reject what the prosecutors have done. They say it's a regrettable announcement. The accusations against Park Geun-hye suggesting she's committed a serious crime is simply not true.

Also saying that this has really jeopardized the chance of her getting a fair trial, not an official trial, of course, but the fair due legal process. Of course, you've got hundreds of thousands of people over the past four weeks or so, coming onto the streets of Seoul, calling for her resignation. This is only likely to inflame the angers on the street.

ALLEN: All right, Paula Hancocks for us in Seoul, thank you, Paula.

HOWELL: The President of the United States and other Pacific Rim leaders have another day of talks ahead of them at Peru at the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit.

President Barack Obama met with the Chinese president, Xi Jinping, on Saturday and talked to an audience of young people about democracy, about trade and, of course, the new president-elect, Donald Trump. CNN's Athena Jones was there and has details from Lima.

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ATHENA JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This last foreign trip by President Obama has been very much focused on reassuring world leaders that the U.S. is going to remain engaged in the world, that it will continue to uphold long-standing alliances, like for instance the NATO alliance. That is something that he has stressed on both sides of the Atlantic.

President Obama telling Latin American leaders that he doesn't expect the relationship between the U.S. and Latin America to change drastically under a Trump presidency but also acknowledging there could be some tensions in certain areas, areas like trade.

We've seen President-Elect Trump exhibit some skepticism toward trade deals, both existing trade deals and trade deals that were in the works. But the president's message, part of his message today, was to tell the leaders of the world and the citizens of the world to give President Trump a chance. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I think it will be important for everybody around the world to not make immediate judgments but give this new president-elect a chance to put their team together, to examine the issues, to determine what their policies will be because, as I've always said, how you campaign isn't always the same as how you govern.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JONES: So the president there, offering reassuring words to the world leaders and to the citizens of the world about the Trump presidency. But I should add both in Europe and here in Peru, he offered a few warnings.

In Berlin he warned about what he called a crude nationalism, an "us versus them" way of thinking and he echoed those same themes today in Peru, saying people around the world, both leaders and the populations of all countries of the world, should resist the urge to define themselves by race or tribe, skin color or birthplace, this "us versus them" way of thinking that he believes could be detrimental to governing.

He said instead that people should be proud of their identity but they should see what they have in common with people that don't look like them so they can work together to solve problems.

That appeared to be a reference to some of the concerns you hear from Trump critics, about the tone and tenor of his campaign and people who are concerned with how he may govern. So some difficult conversations for the president to have on this last

foreign trip. And confronting world leaders, talking about an election that did not turn out the way the White House expected it would. Back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ALLEN: Athena Jones with the president there in Peru.

Chinese President Xi Jinping told the Philippines and Vietnam in separate meetings at APEC that disputes over the South China Sea should be handled bilaterally.

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ALLEN: State media reports that Xi told Philippines president Rodrigo Duterte to consider more maritime cooperation. Xi reportedly made similar comments to Vietnam's president. This underscores Beijing's opposition to involving other countries in the dispute over the islands in the South China Sea.

In Eastern Aleppo, Syria, a quarter million people now trapped there under attack and they don't have a single hospital operating at full capacity. We'll have that for you coming up here.

HOWELL: Plus a look at Donald Trump's cabinet picks, staff picks so far and what they tell us about what a Trump administration may mean. Stay with us.

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HOWELL: He continue following the crisis in Syria. In Aleppo, activists say nearly 300 people have been killed. This following five consecutive days of government airstrikes. A quarter million people there are trapped without a single operating hospital in that city, in the east part of Aleppo, at full capacity.

ALLEN: Doctors without Borders demand Syria stop bombing medical centers in the city.

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ALLEN: CNN's Will Ripley has more for us from Istanbul, Turkey. And we want you to know that some of this video is disturbing.

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WILL RIPLEY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: When the Syrian regime sent out that mass text message last Sunday warning residents to get out or die, they promised brutal attacks on terrorist targets. Apparently, their definition of terrorist targets also includes the city's medical facilities. RIPLEY (voice-over): Just when they thought it couldn't get any worse, one of east Aleppo's major hospitals takes a direct hit. Moments after the blast, a thick cloud of white dust making bloody patients look like plaster mannequins and they were the ones who survived.

"No one go upstairs," he says, "go down. There aren't any patients left."

Upstairs, an apocalyptic scene. The intensive care unit devastated. It was full of patients, many just transferred from other hospitals hit hours earlier. Choking dust makes it nearly impossible to breathe. Patients who can walk escape to the relative safety of the lower floors.

Activists say many people are even afraid to go to the hospitals. Basements are becoming make shift triage centers, although the Syrian regime's bunker busters designed to pierce through reinforced concrete bomb shelters mean nowhere is safe.

Even in war-torn East Aleppo, many say they've never experienced bombing like this. Hundreds of airstrikes and thousands of artillery rounds fired on Saturday alone. At one destroyed building, rescuers drill and dig frantically trying to save a little girl trapped underneath what used to be her home. They find her silent clutching her blanket in shock.

Seconds after pulling her out, they must run for cover. The planes and the bombs are coming back.

RIPLEY (on camera): Three other medical centers in east Aleppo were attacked on Saturday, the surgical hospital and children's hospital. We're told that all of the children were safely evacuated and nobody was hurt -- Will Ripley, CNN, Istanbul.

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HOWELL: Will Ripley, thank you.

Now let's bring in CNN's Jomana Karadsheh, live from Amman, Jordan, this hour, following this story.

Jomana, thank you for being with us. We have been talking now for days about schools that have been targeted, medical facilities that have been targeted and, again, we're seeing a hospital targeted, people in that hospital, patients marked for death.

JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: George, it's an absolutely devastating situation in Eastern Aleppo. In those past five days, people have been living in hell pretty much when you talk to people there and they describe what they have been going through.

This is a conflict where there have been no red lines; where, as you mentioned, schools, markets, people in their own homes, while sleeping, are being targeted and killed -- and, of course, hospitals. And we've heard from medical organizations, from aid groups; we've

heard from Doctors without Borders, MSF, saying that four hospitals in Eastern Aleppo have been hit in the past five days, some of them, including that only specialized pediatric hospital catering to Eastern Aleppo, was hit several times actually during this recent wave of bombardment that we have seen that started, again, on Tuesday.

And, George, this is not an isolated incident. For months now, we have been reporting on medical facilities that have been targeted. According to MSF, since the siege of Eastern Aleppo in July, there have been 30 separate bombing attacks on medical facilities.

And the house (ph) sector that they say is already on its knees, it's really unclear how much longer it will be able to function for.

HOWELL: These images are compelling. They really drive the story home.

But, Jomana, there are certain images that are even more powerful. You know, I think back to the little boy that washed ashore on the Mediterranean, that show really in full detail the pain of people trying to escape conflict in the European migration.

I also think back to Omran Daqneesh (ph), the little boy that was sitting on that orange chair, to show what happens with these children who survive, the ones who survive the bombing.

And now there's another piece of video that is heartbreaking and I want to just show our viewers -- again, it is disturbing but, you know what, let's just sit with it for a minute. Let's look at this.

A child.

What do you see?

You know, the question is --

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HOWELL: -- when these images come across and when people see it, you know, our viewers here in the United States are looking at this, viewers around the world are seeing this little girl, this little girl who survived, and the rescuers trying to get her away before more bombing continues.

Jomana, do these images make a difference with people?

KARADSHEH: Well, George, you know, we've asked this question so many times, too; you know, people in Eastern Aleppo and, you know, activists there, who tell you that, you know, when the world was stunned at those images, whether it was Aylan Kurdi (ph) or if it was Omran Daqneesh (ph) or some of these other images that we see, that have such an impact on people all over the world, everyone would tell you that there are thousands of children like them, who have suffered throughout this conflict. Yes, these stories have been highlighted. But they are repeated on a

daily basis in so many parts of Syria, especially Eastern Aleppo, as we see right now.

But the feeling is that this is what people tell you, is that the world has really grown numb to this cycle of grief, this never-ending, it seems, cycle of grief and death and destruction in Syria.

HOWELL: CNN's Jomana Karadsheh, live for us, following this story in Amman, Jordan. Thank you for the reporting.

ALLEN: And still ahead here, Donald Trump spent much of his Saturday with two men, leading to speculation they may soon be offered important roles in the new administration.

Yes, that's Mitt Romney.

Plus, Alec Baldwin, he is back on "Saturday Night Live," portraying a rather nervous future commander in chief of the United States.

We are live in Atlanta, broadcasting across the United States and around the world this hour. This is CNN NEWSROOM.

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NATALIE ALLEN, CNN ANCHOR: Well, back to the U.S. election, a core part of Donald Trump's campaign was his promise to build a border wall between the U.S. and Mexico. And isn't backing down on that.

GEORGE HOWELL, CNN ANCHOR: In fact, he said the security of that border will be a top priority during his first days in office, in fact, by day one. Ed Lavandera has more now on the reaction from Mexico.

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TRUMP: We're going to build a great wall.

The wall just got 10 feet higher.

Maybe someday they're going to call it the Trump Wall.

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The border between the United States and Mexico stretches nearly 2,000 miles; nearly 700 miles of it is already covered with some form of border wall or steel fencing. But Donald Trump wants more.

TRUMP: On day one, we will begin working on an impenetrable, physical, tall, powerful, beautiful, southern border wall.

MICHAEL DEAR, CITY AND REGIONAL PLANNER: Well, of course it can be done -- LAVANDERA (voice-over): Professor Michael Dear is an expert in city and regional planning and the author of the book, "Why Walls don't Work."

DEAR: A large concrete structure which might be 25 feet high would be very intensive in terms of resources and money.

LAVANDERA (voice-over): In fact, CNN has surveyed a number of civil engineers, architects and academics about what may be most feasible. The wall would mostly likely need to be made of precast cement wall panels, 25 feet tall, 10 feet wide, eight inches thick, requiring 339 million cubic feet of concrete.

The panels would be held together by 5 billion pounds of reinforced steel with an estimated cost of at least $10.5 billion and possibly much more.

Trump supporters say they can't wait to see the beginning of the border wall construction.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That wall will get built and Mexico's going to pay for that wall.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think he will try to build a wall and I think he will try to secure our borders.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If people want to come into the country, they should do it legally.

LAVANDERA (voice-over): But in Mexico, the idea of a wall is often shrugged off as a bump in the road north.

Jose Torres Hernandez says he has illegally crossed into the U.S. many times to find work picking fruits and vegetables. He says a wall might make crossing over a little harder but immigrants like him would always find a way to find work to feed their families.

And Armando Flores Gutierrez says he has crossed the border 25 times, starting when he was just 16, to work farm fields all over the U.S. He says keeping people like him out of the country will only hurt the U.S.

He says if he tries to remove all of the Mexicans in the United States, Donald Trump will realize what a huge mistake that is and how much the U.S. economy depends on Mexican immigrants -- Ed Lavandera, CNN, Mexico City.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ALLEN: From the Mexican issue we turn to the Muslim issue, among U.S. Muslims, the reaction to Trump's win has been mixed. Some were afraid that the man who wanted to ban Muslims from entering the country.

HOWELL: But there are others who say the president-elect will do great things for the American dream. Jessica Schneider has more for us. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JESSICA SCHNEIDER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: In Hamtramck, Michigan, where Muslims make up a large portion of the population, there is widespread uncertainty about a Trump presidency.

SCHNEIDER: Are you angry at the things he said throughout this election?

HASAN ALTAII, MICHIGAN VOTER: Definitely. I mean, you got to be kind to people.

TRUMP: Donald J. Trump is calling for a total and complete shut down of Muslims entering the United States.

SCHNEIDER (voice-over): Trump made that promise last December, but dialed it back by the time his party's convention convened in Cleveland.

TRUMP: We must immediately suspend immigration from any nation that has been compromised by terrorism until such time as proven vetting mechanisms have been put in place.

The Muslim ban is something that in some form has morphed into an extreme vetting.

SCHNEIDER: But tonight, his statement calling for a total and complete shut down of Muslims entering the United States is still on his official website. For some Muslims and many others, the rhetoric crossing the line.

FAYROUZ SAAD, MICHIGAN VOTER: I don't know how he got elected, I'll be honest.

SCHNEIDER: Fayrouz Saad's parents immigrated to Dearborn, Michigan, from Lebanon. She works on immigration issues at Detroit's mayor's office and says Trump's divisive rhetoric has made Muslim lives more difficult.

SAAD: I'm definitely angry. I don't want to say I'm fearful because I still have faith in the democratic process.

TANIA SHATILA, MICHIGAN VOTER: It is inexcusable the things that he said. It was shocking to hear, it is very scary as well.

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SCHNEIDER: Tania Shatila runs this Middle Eastern bakery. She is still hopeful.

SHATILA: We can't stand against him, you know?

We have to support him and wish for the best. So, hopefully, he will instill that unity that he's been saying in his speeches ever since he won.

SCHNEIDER: Nedal Tamir has a much different view.

NEDAL TAMER, MICHIGAN VOTER: And Mr. Trump should be held as an image of the American dream.

SCHNEIDER: Tamer voted for Trump and convinced his family to vote for him, too. As a small business owner, he sees Trump as a role model and believes he speaks from strength. He wants his fellow Muslims to see it the same way.

What do you say when they have shock or anger?

TAMER: I say to them the country is going to be great.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOWELL: That was CNN's Jessica Schneider, reporting for us in Michigan.

Since the election, we having getting reports of racist graffiti and hate crimes, targeting several groups from Jews to African Americans and Muslims.

So some people are using safety pins to show solidarity for Muslims and anyone else who feels threatened by a Trump presidency. A similar movement happened in the U.K. after the Brexit vote.

HOWELL: CNN NEWSROOM press is on. The battle for Mosul continues in Iraq and the U.N. says ISIS is once again targeting civilians. Details (INAUDIBLE).

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HOWELL: Welcome back to CNN NEWSROOM.

The battle for Mosul continues in Iraq and we're now getting reports that ISIS has executed more civilians.

ALLEN: The U.N. says the terror group killed at least 60 civilians this week. Some of the victims' bodies were hung at intersections, with notes alleging they collaborated with Iraqi forces. Witnesses tell CNN some were killed just for having cellphones.

HOWELL: The news of these killings as Iraqi government forces continue to push in two neighborhoods in Eastern Mosul. The images --

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HOWELL: -- that you see here from the Iraqi defense ministry appear to show civilians cheering Iraqi forces as they advance on.

People in Mosul say that ISIS commanders have started to flee that city but they've left teenage combatants to fight in their place. For more what's happening on the ground, let's go to CNN's Phil Black,

who is live in Erbil, Iraq, following developments.

Phil, good to have you with us. Let's talk more about what we're hearing: about 60 civilians who were killed in Mosul.

What more can you tell us about this?

PHIL BLACK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, George, this has been reported by the U.N. It's been backed up by people we've spoken to in Mosul as well. They all talk about what appears to be a campaign of terror against people who are suspected of collaborating with the operation to take back the city.

By all accounts, dozens of people have been executed in Mosul over the last week or so. In some cases, the U.N. says children have been used as the executioners, as the people who pulled the triggers. Some of the bodies of those killed have been strung up at electrical poles across the city at major intersections, dressed in orange, branded with words like "traitor." It is a brutal, terrifying message to the population of Mosul -- George.

HOWELL: Also, as these Iraqi troops continue to push into Mosul, we're hearing these reports of ISIS commanders fleeing and leaving teenage combatants to fight in their place.

Explain that situation and how difficult it is for these Iraqi forces to make their advances.

BLACK: Yes. So what we're seeing from Mosul for the last three weeks or so has been an advance in operation, not to retake Mosul but the territory around it. Over that time, fairly significant rapid progress has been made.

But now as Iraqi forces enter the eastern built-up outskirts of the city, the fighters become so much more difficult. The progress much slower by the Iraqi forces' own admission. That's because they're going up against an enemy that is so strongly motivated and so prepared, motivated to the point where they're prepared to fight to the death, yes, but also prepared to sacrifice themselves.

As we're told they're doing every day in waves of suicide bomb attacks. On top of that, you have the network of tunnels that the ISIS fighters have been working on clearly for a long time, booby traps, sniper positions, all of these things being used.

It's something of an endless onslaught against those who are trying to move into the city itself. So it's a slow, difficult, brutal example of urban warfare. That's what we're being told.

And on top of it, you have the added complexity of the civilians who were there. Many people, families, huddled in their homes as the fighting wages around it. And in the words of an Iraqi officer, who said to me yesterday, retaking the city will not be considered a success if it comes at the cost of many civilian lives. So the Iraqi forces say that they have determined to try and minimize

that as much as they possibly can -- George.

HOWELL: Phil, so we're talking about the situation as it relates to troops going into Mosul.

But what about those families that have been able to flee, families that are looking for places to stay, to live until this operation reaches it conclusion?

What is the humanitarian situation?

And are people able to get the medicine, the food that they need?

BLACK: The latest figure from the International Organization for Migration puts the number of people displaced as a result of the latest fighting in Mosul somewhere around 50,000 now, which is clearly a very significant number.

They're moving into camps, which are filling up and where those resources, as you say, food, medicine, shelter, they are all being tested. But so far what we've seen is not as great as the warnings had been from the humanitarian organizations at the outset. Some of the predictions were in the order of 800,000, closer to 1 million potentially, displaced as a result of the fighting.

But I guess what that shows is that this operation is still very much in its early stages. For all the progress, there is still so much work to do. Those Iraqi forces are now only in that eastern sliver of the city. They're talking about moving into the center and west of the city, where the bulk of the population is believed to be living.

And obviously the humanitarian impact there will be far more significant -- George.

HOWELL: It is a desperate situation for the many families that are fleeing. And certainly a bloody ordeal, this operation that continues to press into Mosul. International reporter, Phil Black, live for us in Erbil, Iraq.

Phil, thank you for the reporting. We wish you and our teams there continued safety and we'll be in touch with you.

The Taliban are claiming responsibility for an attack on the largest U.S. military base in Afghanistan. At least four people dead there, 14 more wounded.

ALLEN: NATO says --

[04:45:00]

ALLEN: -- an explosive device was detonated at Bagram airfield early in the morning. A local Afghan official says the people killed were foreign citizens but their nationalities are not yet known.

HOWELL: Also now to South Korea, thousands of protesters are demanding again that the president of that nation resign. This is one of the largest anti-government protests there. Just about three -- in about three decades. We see these images of the protest. President Park Geun-hye has apologized for sharing state documents with a long- time friend.

ALLEN: That confidante has been arrested and is accused of using her connection with the president for personal gain. Two aides have also been accused in the influence peddling scandal. Park has reshuffled her cabinet but her approval rating remains at an all-time low and we'll have a live report from Seoul in our next hour.

HOWELL: Let's switch over to weather now. La Nina has finally arrived and its effects are being felt right here and everywhere.

(WEATHER REPORT)

HOWELL: So sports can either divide or unite, especially if it's a match between the United States and Mexico. We show you what the fans of each group had to say about the U.S. president-elect, Donald Trump. Stay with us.

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[04:50:00]

(SPORTS)

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HOWELL: The new president-elect of the United States, Donald Trump, will lead a divided nation but sports have always had the potential to bring people together.

ALLEN: Hope so right now. Our Martin Savidge has more from a soccer match or football, between the U.S. and Mexico in Columbus, Ohio.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is the fifth time that these two teams have faced off here in Columbus, Ohio, dating back to 2001. And they are known to have a very spirited rivalry here at times.

And the concern was that, given the political events of the past week, that maybe the election might cast some kind of cloud over this international gathering. It was the farthest thing from the truth.

What we found out in the parking lot was one just big tailgate party. It was music of all kinds, fans of all kinds. And we found when you talked to those fans, politics wasn't about to interfere.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We have a lot of heart for our Mexican team of soccer or football is very, very in our hearts. And nothing matters right now. As you see, as you say, people are just so happy. Tomorrow, they'll be worried about paying the rent or buying groceries.

(LAUGHTER)

SAVIDGE: You haven't, in any way, had anybody treat you badly or...?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You know, yes, yes, we have, but I don't think it's new. It happens. (INAUDIBLE) people do profile and (INAUDIBLE) we're going to hear, especially somebody has either has alcohol in their system or (INAUDIBLE) inappropriate. But in a way, we're used to it. I mean, it's -- all we can do is just ignore it and keep watching.

SAVIDGE: Does politics in any way --

[04:55:00]

SAVIDGE: -- change this game?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, I think the Mexican team actually is (INAUDIBLE) on TV until (INAUDIBLE) we're going to try to get you guys to be happy today. So we're going to win today.

SAVIDGE: So you think this actually inspired the Mexican team?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, big time. Big time. Yes.

SAVIDGE: Have you been to this game, this particular matchup before?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I have. I have. I came here three years ago, September 10th, (INAUDIBLE).

SAVIDGE: What's it like, if somebody hasn't been here, what's it like?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The atmosphere is absolutely amazing. The football or soccer, how -- whatever you want to call it, it's the sport that we all love. And that's all we're all here. I don't think politics should play a part in this game. That's not what it's about. It's just about the rivalries and the passion of the sport.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, we're all here to support the USA, it's soccer, let's bring the country together. (INAUDIBLE).

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We want to treat them well. (INAUDIBLE) we go to Mexico City (INAUDIBLE).

SAVIDGE: There were a couple of ways that you very evidently saw how sport can unify people. As the fans all went into the stadium, you saw that it was the American fans that were giving high fives and welcoming Mexican fans and vice versa. Both were wishing each other good luck.

At one point, an American fan smacked the hand of a Mexican man and said, "Sorry about that Trump thing." And finally then, inside the stadium, it's a tradition before every

game, they take the team photos. Usually the teams are by themselves. In this case, they took one large mass team photo, a clear message of unity. It was a good game that came at a very good time -- Martin Savidge, CNN, Columbus, Ohio.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ALLEN: Mexico won but who cares?

How utterly refreshing the attitudes of those sports fans.

HOWELL: Yes, just given there's been a lot of racist graffiti things that have played out. So it is nice to see something that's heartening happen.

ALLEN: On the soccer field.

Thanks for watching this hour, I'm Natalie Allen.

HOWELL: And I'm George Howell. We'll have more news just right after the break. This is CNN, the world's news leader. Stay with us.