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CNN NEWSROOM

At Least 40 Dead In Tower Platform Collapse In China; Trump Nominates First Two women To Cabinet; Stein & Others Demand Voting Hack Investigation; Activists & Doctors Beg Help In Eastern Aleppo; Iraqi Forces Have Mosul Surrounded; ISIS Fighters Trapped Within City Of Mosul; U.S. Service Members Spend Holidays In Battle. Aired 1-2a ET

Aired November 24, 2016 - 01:00   ET

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


[01:00:00] ISHA SESAY, CNN ANCHOR: You're watching CNN NEWSROOM live from Los Angeles. Ahead this hour, dozens are dead after a construction platform collapses in China. Crews are on the scene trying to rescue anyone who may be trapped. The Iraqi Forces say they have Mosul surrounded, but ISIS likely won't give up the city without a serious fight. And Donald Trump wants to try a little tenderness. The U.S. President-elect, calls for unity following a bruising campaign.

Hello and thank you for joining us. I'm Isha Sesay. This is NEWSROOM L.A.

The search is on for survivors after a platform collapsed at a power plant cooling tower in Southeastern China. China's news agency, Xinhua, reports at least 40 people are dead and a number of others remain trapped. Rescue workers and firefighters are on the scene in Fengcheng City.

Let's bring in Matt Rivers who joins us now from Beijing with the very latest. Matt, what more are you hearing about the rescue efforts and what happened here? What caused this platform to collapse?

MATT RIVERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, this accident happened around 7:00 a.m. This is in a city that it is in Southern China, Inland China. It was at a construction site where they are building a power plant, it's a $1.1-billion project set to open in 2018. And so, it was around 7:00 a.m. that according to state media, a crane that was on site there collapsed, and that crane collapsing brought down a platform that these dozens of workers were on at the time that this accident occurred.

We're told from Chinese state media that 68 people were on site working at this site. And we know that at least according to Chinese state media, 40 of those people are dead and a number of others remain missing.

Over 200 firefighters now on scene, trying to comb through the wreckage with life-detecting equipment as well as rescue dogs that are there on site. But we're also told that the number of casualties could go higher as these rescue efforts continue in Southern China. SESAY: Yeah. Very sad, indeed. And Matt, China suffered a series of

major industrial accidents in recent months. Give us some context here.

RIVERS: Unfortunately, these kinds of reports are all too common here in China. I have some numbers that are really just startling.

According to China's state administration of work safety, in the first half of 2016 alone, just from January to June, there has been 14,136 deaths in industry accidents, work site accidents and that is out of a total of 23,534 cases where accidents occurred. So, it really is a very, very high number. And, Isha, we've seen these for ourselves.

I mean, it was just this morning that I walked out of my apartment and there was a man welding without a mask on. And that's the kind of thing you see all the time, where in factories, pretty frequently, where you see people operating heavy machinery without any type of safety gear on.

Workplace safety still very much an issue here in China, and it ends up causing the deaths, the needless death of thousands of workers each year.

SESAY: Wow. Very troubling indeed. Matt Rivers, joining us there from Beijing. Matt, appreciate the reporting. Thank you.

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump says when America is unified nothing is beyond reach. He delivered a thanksgiving message Wednesday from his resort in Florida.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT-ELECT OF THE UNITED STATES: We've just finished a long and bruising political campaign. Emotions are raw and tensions just don't heal overnight. It doesn't go quickly unfortunately. But we have before us, the chance now, to make history together, to bring real change to Washington, real safety to our cities, and real prosperity to our communities.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SESAY: Well, Trump is putting aside division with some of his former rivals, offering cabinet posts to two women who criticized him during the campaign. CNN's Jim Acosta has details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JIM ACOSTA, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): As Donald Trump settles in for the thanksgiving weekend the president- elect is making room at the table for some surprising cabinet picks.

For starters, his choice for Ambassador to the U.N., one of his toughest GOP critics, Nikki Haley, saying in a statement, the South Carolina Governor and daughter of Indian immigrants is a proven deal- maker and we look to be making plenty of deals. She will be a great leader representing us on the world stage. Explaining her decision to step down as governor, Haley said, "When the president believes you have a major contribution to make to the welfare of our nation and to our nation's standing in the world that is a calling important to heed."

[01:05:05] NIKKI HALEY, SOUTH CAROLINA GOVERNOR: When a bully hits you, you hit that bully right back.

ACOSTA: Hailey had a different calling in the primaries. As she was backing Marco Rubio, she attacked Trump as a race-baiting bully.

HALEY: I will not stop until we fight a man that chooses not to disavow the KKK that is not a part of our party. That's not who we want as president. We will not allow that in our country.

ACOSTA: Trump punched right back.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT-ELECT OF THE UNITED STATES: She's very, very weak on illegal immigration. You can't have that.

ACOSTA: In addition to his selection of Haley, Trump also tapped billionaire school choice advocate, Betsy DeVos for Education Secretary; and appears to be closing in on announcing Ben Carson to lead housing and urban development.

The DeVos pick is already angering some conservatives who are outraged over her alliance with Jeb Bush's push for common core standardized testing in schools. But on her website, DeVos, then says she opposes common core. Something Trump repeatedly vowed to end.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT-ELECT OF THE UNITED STATES: We're going to provide -- you're going the like this, school choice and put an end to common core, which is a disaster. We'll bring our education local.

ACOSTA: Trump's willingness to go outside his comfort zone may well be a sign he could turn to one of his biggest republican adversaries to become as Secretary of State, Mitt Romney.

MITT ROMNEY, FORMER REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: His domestic policies would lead to recession; his foreign policies would make America and the world less safe. He has neither temperament nor the judgment to be president.

ACOSTA: The potential move is enraging some of his core supporters.

MIKE HUCKABEE, FORMER ARKANSAS GOVERNOR: There's only one way that I think Mitt Romney could even be considered for a post like that and that is that he goes to a microphone in a very public place and repudiates everything he said in that famous Salt Lake City speech.

NEWT GINGRICH, FORMER U.S. HOUSE SPEAKER: I could think of 20 other people who would be more naturally compatible with the Trump's vision of foreign policy.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ACOSTA (on camera): The decision to send Nikki Haley to the United Nations comes at a critical time for the Trump transition team with so many Americans uneasy about a Trump presidency; one Trump adviser said they hope Haley's selection serves as a pressure reliever over the holiday weekend. Jim Acosta, CNN, New York.

SESAY: Well, joining me now, Mo Kelly, he's the host of "The Mo'Kelly Show" and The Mo'Kelly Experience" radio programs in Los Angeles and San Francisco. Mo, thank you for staying with me for a second hour.

MO KELLY, "KFI AM 640" HOST: Thank you for having me.

SESAY: So, Donald Trump putting out this thanksgiving message; the tone, very different, lots of talk of emotions and healing and unifying. Let's listen to a little bit more.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: It's my prayer that on this thanksgiving, we begin to heal our divisions and move forward as one country, strengthened by shared purpose and very, very common resolve.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SESAY: Before we get into the actual content, let's talk about the tone here. What did you make of it?

KELLY: I like the tone. If I can get this Donald Trump, the President-elect Donald Trump on a consistent basis, then me and a lot of other people will be much more comfortable and much more confident in terms of how his administration might proceed.

But the problem is, I may not get that same President-elect Donald Trump the next day. And you have to be presidential all the time, not just some of the time. You have to be presidential at 3:00 in the morning even if you're holding your phone, you have to be presidential --

SESAY: So, in all mediums? Not just when you speak in the video.

KELLY: All media all the time. I mean, even when you're addressing the press; even you're your addressing other world leaders, presidential is knowing not to bring your daughter to a meeting with a head of state such as the Prime Minister of Japan. You have to observe protocol. Presidential behavior is more than just 1:45 taped message for Thanksgiving.

SESAY: OK. Well, that 1:45 message was full of, you know, tender loving kindness, a call for a moment of "kumbaya" and the nation to come together --

KELLY: And I liked it.

SESAY: Is the nation ready? Is the nation going to hear his prayer?

KELLY: Yes. If he continues to be consistent in that message. If he diverts or reverts, going back to other behavior which is inconsistent with that or is divisive in nature or breeds more concern and caution or makes people more fearful as we're hearing all around the nation, then that message, even though it was nice, will be all for naught and will be forgotten before we even finish our Christmas shopping.

SESAY: Let's talk - let's talk about the cabinet he's building and the pixy he has chosen. He has chosen and let's put up to the graphic on the screen, Nikki Haley to be the U.S. ambassador to the U.N., GOP mega donor, Betsy DeVos, and as we heard there in that piece by Jim Acosta, it looks like we're moving towards Ben Carson for the head of HUD, Housing and Urban Development.

I mean, certainly when it comes to Nikki Haley and to Betsy DeVos, these are people who were critical of him. He does seem to have no problem with bringing his rivals closer and building a team of rivals if you will.

[01:10:01] KELLY: Yes, and that's positive. You think and hopefully that principle would supplant politics. And that was exactly the criticism of Mitt Romney for how critical he was of Donald Trump. That's the plus. The minus is what's the quality of the individuals that he's choosing?

SESAY: So, do you have concerns about those people we have up on the screen? Let's put that up again?

KELLY: Yes. I would have questions about Betsy DeVos of only because she's never been an advocate for education. And we're talking about the public education system. She is for privatization of education. That's a problem.

I don't know if you can fix a system if you don't - if you're not knowledgeable or are not willing to work within the system.

Dr. Ben Carson, he has absolutely zero experience in housing and zero experience in urban development. How is he supposed to lead a federal agency if he has zero experience? That concerns me.

SESAY: You know, clearly from these picks and his willingness - the President-elect Trump, to go for these individuals, you know, again, it seems to suggest that again, he's maybe walking back some of that kind of harshness or that inflexibility that he may have displayed on the campaign trail.

Some of the other elements of that, we heard him on Tuesday say, he wasn't that keen or committed to following through on the promise to prosecute Hillary Clinton for her use of a private e-mail server. That is not going over well with some people, some of his base. Listen to how Rush Limbaugh explains that. Rush Limbaugh, the conservative talk radio host.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RUSH LIMBAUGH, RADIO HOST (via telephone): I'm hearing from people who are -- they're livid at Hillary. They're still mad. I mean, there are a lot of people -- maybe a lot, I don't know how many -- who really thought that when Trump said you ought to be in jail, they agreed with that and thought that she should be. (END VIDEO CLIP)

SESAY: Is this a problem for Donald Trump, these angry people?

KELLY: It's part and parcel of a larger concern. There are a lot of day-one promises that he's already backed off from. From repealing and replacing Obamacare, to the prosecution of Hillary Clinton, to building a wall, to torture. He's now kind of walked back his feelings about using waterboarding.

After a while, you run out of reasons why his base, the overwhelming majority of people within his supporters, why they voted for him. They run out of reasons. And so, since he ran on a platform of anger and discontent, it doesn't stop just because he's elected. Anger is usually impatient in nature and they're unwilling to hear excuses. So, as quickly as people began to support him, they can and will turn on him.

SESAY: Anger and discontent, you said with a platform discontent primarily around jobs. If he brings the jobs, will they care about anything else?

KELLY: Yes, in other words can he pull a rabbit out of his hat, because if you are talking about returning coal jobs, which he did, that's not going to happen. I mean, our economy has changed; it has evolved. Those jobs are gone and not coming back because our society has moved on.

Is he going to be able to bring jobs back that are overseas? Is he going to be able to force Apple or the "Big Three" to actually create plants and jobs here? That remains to be seen, and that's not a magic wand. That doesn't happen overnight.

So again, it goes back to whether people are willing to be patient and if they are not seeing the types of results that they expect given the other campaign promises that he's already broken. I'm not so sure that he will have as much of a honeymoon phase as other presidents have had.

SESAY: And the fact that he is choosing people who are generating controversy of their own, by that, Michael Flynn as his National Security Adviser; even Jeff Sessions as Attorney General is troubling to some. You made the point about Betsy DeVos and Nikki Haley having no experience, how much will the chatter around these people weigh him down as he tries to give people what they want?

KELLY: Well, it only weighs him down if he doesn't know how to deal with criticism and that goes back to what we've seen so far. He's been very reluctant to let criticism pass without a response, without an - I would say, an authoritarian response, or in a way that he has dealt with media; he's been heavy-handed, he's been very reminiscent of Richard Nixon and his administration. And that didn't end well.

Donald Trump has to prove, still prove everyone else wrong; his critics as far as having the temperament, and also the patience to work through these issues and not let his critics distract him and have him complain about "Hamilton" or "Saturday Night Live."

SESAY: Let me - let me get your thoughts on these news that we're getting that the Green Party's presidential candidate, Jill Stein, had been seeking $2 million, so that she could file for a recount in three states, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania; citing suspicious results.

We see now on her website she's raised the $2 million. We don't know what comes next. But she said if she had the money, she would file for a recount. Listen to what her campaign manager said to sum this up.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[01:15:09] DAVID COBB, JILL STEIN CAMPAIGN MANAGER: Over the last 48, 72 hours, reports have come in from cyber experts, from forensic experts and others who are reporting to us some very troubling news about the possibility of security breaches in voting results across this country in the last election cycle.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SESAY: She's got the $2 million dollars. If she follows through and files for the recount, what will it achieve?

KELLY: I don't get it. What does she want? 1.5 percent of the vote as supposed to 1 percent of the vote? Is she now campaigning for Hillary Clinton after the fact - expose facto, where if you get a recount or an audit, it might help Hillary Clinton get elected? What's the end game here?

I'm emotionally sympathetic to it. But without evidence, I can't intellectually support it in any way. If you can show me evidence of some sort of misconduct or a hack, then I'm all in. But statistical anomalies are not it.

SESAY: You mentioned in the last hour that, you know, this country believes in the smooth transition of power and you felt that may be that fed into why Hillary Clinton's campaign have not said anything on this matter since it broke on Tuesday. Should she come out and say let this go?

KELLY: I don't think that she has to. I don't believe that the losing candidate in a presidential election has a responsibility to speak on behalf of other people. You do have a president-elect. It's time for the president-elect to start leading.

Maybe Hillary Clinton would like to say something but I understand why she doesn't say anything because she gains nothing at this point. She does not have any position of power and it gains her nothing in terms of her legacy.

SESAY: Mo Kelly, such a pleasure. Go and get ready for turkey day.

KELLY: Absolutely. You, too.

SESAY: Enjoy. Thank you.

KELLY: Thank you. Time for a quick break now.

Next on NEWSROOM L.A., a breakthrough for Iraqi forces as they fight to recapture the City of Mosul from ISIS.

Plus, the move Facebook may be making to appease Chinese censors.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[01:20:00] SESAY: Hello, everyone. Renewed assaults on Eastern Aleppo by Syria's regime has left hundreds of people dead. But there is one bit of good news in all of this devastation.

Rescuers managed to save this young girl from the rubble of a bombed building. The Syria Civil Defense volunteer group took this video. The girl had reportedly been trapped for more than five hours before workers were able to save her.

While doctors and activists in Eastern Aleppo are pleading with the international community to step in and stop the heavy shelling from the Syrian regime and Russia.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We wonder why do we have United Nations? Why do we have human rights laws?

This has been a slow motion train wreck and this message is from the people who lasted in Aleppo to the world. Don't look back years from now and wish that you can do something. You can still do.

We ask you to ground Assad Air Force that's killing us or at least have some diplomatic leverage to force the Syrian regime and Russia's bombardment of the city of Aleppo to be stopped.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SESAY: Russia's envoy to the United Nations says the country is facilitating political efforts and humanitarian aid in Syria.

SESAY: Iraqi-led forces now have their tightest choke hold yet on Mosul. An alliance of paramilitary groups says ISIS is surrounded there.

A critical ISIS supply route between the city and Raqqa has also been shut down, but as Phil Black reports, there's still a lot of fighting ahead.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PHIL BLACK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: For some time now, the Iraqi forces have been at the gates of Mosul from the north to south and the east. Now, they say they're close to circle on the west as well. It's a significant development because it means ISIS is effectively trapped within the city. They can't escape across the border into Syria and the territory they

control there. Nor can they call for backup or resupply but it does not mean the Iraqi forces expect victory in Mosul imminently. There is still a lot of fighting to do and especially a lot of work to do in the city itself.

Iraqi forces have only penetrated the built up area of the city around its eastern neighborhoods and that was some weeks ago and the fighting there has been incredibly difficult. It's a sign of what is still to come on an even greater scale.

It is urban warfare, house to house, street to street in an environment that the ISIS fighters know very well and one they have been preparing. They have been digging in, fortifying. They have been building car bombs, they're using sniper positions, they are using mortar fire in this incredibly built-up populated area.

So, what that means is that the population of Mosul is suffering and so are the Iraqi forces that are trying to advance and take ground. Now, the Iraqi government says it will not reveal official casualty figures while the operation is still underway, but we know what we've seen on the ground ourselves, at very forward medical positions, essentially makeshift triage posts. We have seen a steady stream of women, children, men, and of course soldiers as well, coming in injured before they are dispatched in ambulances to hospitals elsewhere.

Hospitals here in Erbil tell us they've received around 90 injured people from Mosul a day. Now, this is not an accurate tally by any means but at altogether, paints a picture along with the anecdotal stories of just how tough the fighting is in the city that is not going to go quickly, that Mosul will not be taken from ISIS easily. Phil Black, CNN, Erbil, Northern Iraq.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SESAY: While many American spend time with their families this holiday season, some U.S. service members will be far from home.

CNN's Fred Pleitgen introduces us to one air force team fighting ISIS from the sky.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

[01:24:58] FREDERICK PLEITGEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This thanksgiving, Americans are in harm's way fighting ISIS on the ground and in the air. We're on board a KC-10 extender refueling jet, flying over Iraq and Syria. Captain Clark Palicka, commanding the massive airborne gas station.

CLARK PALICKA, UNITED STATES AIR FORCE CAPTAIN: It's a dynamic airspace. It's a challenging environment, but it's a very rewarding one.

PLEITGEN: The first batch of planes, two F-15 Eagle Strike aircraft. Getting them hooked up to the tanker at around 400 miles per hour, a challenge for the crews of both planes, Boom operator, Uriel Escanilla says,

URIEL ESCANILLA, UNITED STATES AIR FORCE STAFF SERGEANT: It is two moving aircraft but they are moving at around the same speed. So, at the hand, it's just the rate of closure the aircraft pass towards you, when they stop and when you are able to give them that contact.

PLEITGEN: The KC-10 refuels planes for all members of the U.S.-led coalition against ISIS, including C-130 Hercules Transporters and the mighty A-10 Warthog, with its massive cannons and many bombs clearly visible through our window.

Without the help of these tankers, the planes that are flying missions can only stay in the area of operations for about an hour, may be an hour and a half. But thanks to the tanker airplane, they can get fuel in the sky and stay in the area to fight ISIS for up to seven hours. So instead of turkey and football, for the KC-10 crews, it's 8-10-hour

missions hovering over this key battlefield. The pain of being away from their loved ones mitigated by the contribution they're making to the war against terror.

TYLER JOHNSON, UNITED STATES AIR FORCE 1ST LIEUTENANT: I love flying. So, I wouldn't rather be doing anything else. It is hard being away from family, but I love this job. And I enjoy supporting our country.

JOHN LOERA, UNITED STATES AIR FORCE STAFF SERGEANT: So, I'm actually honored to be here. You know, being away from family, they understand that when were through it, I'm home. But right now, it's my time to be out here. And I'm just happy to be serving.

PLEITGEN: Around Mosul, we see the billowing smoke of oil fires ISIS has started to try and distract coalition planes. But thanks to the tanker jet, U.S.-led aircraft can stay airborne as long as it takes to find their targets and take them out. Fred Pleitgen, CNN, with the U.S. Air Force over Iraq and Syria.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SESAY: Well, next on NEWSROOM L.A, the extremist who killed the British MP has been sentenced. The emotional response from her family is just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

You're watching "CNN Newsroom" live from Los Angeles. I'm Isha Sesay. The headlines this hour -- rescue workers and firefighters are searching for survivors of an accident at a Chinese power plant.

The Xinhua News Agency reports at least 40 people were killed when a construction platform at a cooling tower collapsed. A number of others are trapped under scaffolding.

Turkish media report two people are dead, 16 others are wounded in a car bomb explosion in the southern city of Adana. The blast happened in a parking lot near the government's (ph) office, during morning rush hour.

Authorities have not said who is responsible. A rare late-season hurricane is heading for Central America.

Otto is expected to make landfall around noon local time along the Costa Rica-Nicaragua border. The storm formed earlier this week in the Caribbean and killed at least three people in Panama.

People in Costa Rica and Nicaragua could see almost 40 centimeters of rain and flash flooding. Meteorologist Derek Van Dam joins us with more.

Derek, how is it looking right now?

DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, Isha, it seems as if there is a first for everything. In fact, it's possible that Costa Rica experiences its first hurricane ever on record.

Some interesting stats about Hurricane Otto as well, I remember, it is impacting Nicaragua and Costa Rica here within the next 12 hours, so very pertinent. This is the lowest latitude hurricane that's ever formed since Irene back in 1971.

Also interesting enough (ph), this is the latest hurricane to ever form in the southwestern Caribbean and the latest Atlantic Basin hurricane to form since 2005. Here is the threats going forward.

I talked about landfall within the next 12 hours. It's really going to be right on the border of Costa Rica and Nicaragua.

But this is a very popular area for -- area for coffee plantation. And they typically harvest their beans between November and December.

So this could be extremely detrimental to the coffee industry coming out of Central America, the impacts there being flash flooding, mudslides, landslides. Remember, we have a series of volcanos and mountainous terrain across this area.

So heavy rainfall on top of that very moist and wet soil means that landslides, mudslides, flash flooding certainly a possibility. This is the latest from the National Hurricane Center -- 140 kilometer per hour winds, higher gusts near the center of this circulation.

That makes it an equivalent to a category one Atlantic hurricane. And by the way, the hurricane season should start to wrap up at the end of November.

So this is very, very rare. This storm will move in a slow westerly direction, only exacerbating the rainfall potential across this area.

You can see that the center of the circulation is where we find that small area of hurricane winds. It's really about a hundred-kilometer diameter that we have tropical-storm-force winds.

But that's not our major concern. It really is the potential for flooding across this region and not to mention, the possibility of flash floods. So this is a storm, Isha, that we're going to monitor for days to come because they're be recovering this -- from this storm for several weeks at least.

SESAY: Yes, very worrying indeed. Derek, we are thankful for you. Thank you for that. Appreciate the reporting.

VAN DAM: Thank you.

SESAY: Well, the government and rebels in Colombia are taking a second shot at a peace deal after an agreement collapsed last month. Patrick Oppmann has the details from Cuba.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: After more than five decades of bloodshed, there may be a chance for peace in Colombia again. The Colombian government and the Marxist (ph) guerillas known as FARC are due to sign a revised peace deal Thursday to end the conflict that has killed more than 200,000 people and forced millions more Colombians from their homes.

Colombia's president, Juan Manuel Santos has bet his legacy on the agreement to end the war that he said could not be won militarily.

JUAN MANUEL SANTOS, PRESIDENT, COLOMBIA: In our constitution, one of the obligations of every citizen starting with the president is to seek peace. And some people think that the peace can be achieved by killing the last member of the FARC.

And that is not possible and this is not the way.

OPPMANN: At a peace agreement signing in September, where government officials and rebels shared the stage for the first time in Colombia, military planes flew over the crowd. And Santos declared that the war was over.

But voters had other ideas, many apparently harboring a deep hatred for the FARC rebels. Numerous Colombians said they could not stomach seeing guerilla leaders go free after kidnapping and murdering so many thousands of their fellow citizens.

From the negotiating table in Cuba, FARC leaders said they would not accept prison time.

"We aren't considering going to jail," this FARC commander told me. He who fights for justice doesn't deserve that.

We don't act like a criminal terrorist group. We have a sacred fight.

Despite polls that showed the peace deal would be approved, voters rejected the agreement by a narrow margin, shocking much of Colombia and the international community that supported peace. Dealt a crushing defeat, Santos and the peace deal were revived in October after the Colombian president was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Nobel Peace Prize for 2016 to Colombian President, Juan Manuel Santos.

OPPMANN: Negotiators restarted talks again in Cuba, and struck a modified deal that include provisions for tighter sanctions on FARC members accused of war crimes. Critics of the new deal like former Colombian President, Alvaro Uribe, say the government is still (ph) giving away too much to the rebels.

This time, though, the Colombian people will not vote on the deal. Perhaps still stinging from the first defeat, Santos will send the updated agreement directly to Congress, saying another referendum would be quote, "too divisive for Colombia."

Patrick Oppmann, CNN, Havana.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SESAY: At least nine people on a passenger bus were killed in Pakistan-administered Kashmir. Pakistan blamed Indian forces for the attack.

The nuclear powers blame each other for recent deadly clashes over the disputed region. Thousands of Indian and Pakistanis have been evacuated from the volatile area.

India and Pakistan have been arguing over Kashmir for over 60 years and have fought two wars over the area.

Now, a judge has sentenced a far right extremist to life in prison for the murder of British M.P. (ph) Jo Cox. The attack on the lawmaker stunned Britain just days before the Brexit vote.

CNN' Aaron McLaughlin has the details.

ERIN MCLAUGHLIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The murder of British M.P., Jo Cox, shocked Britain and the world. Her killer, Thomas Mair, a 53- year-old man with extreme right-wing views has been sentenced for life.

NICK WALLEN, DETECTIVE SUPERINTENDENT, WEST YORKSHIRE POLICE: Thomas Mair is a cold-blooded killer. He calmly planned her death. He lay (ph) in wait and then killed Jo in a sustained attack.

MCLAUGHLIN: Mair was found guilty of murder and of grievous bodily harm with intent as well as having possession of a firearm with intent and having an offensive weapon. The murder was a clear act of terrorism, the prosecutor said. The statement the current (ph) prosecution service highlighted, Mair has offered no explanation for his actions.

But the prosecution was able to demonstrate that motivated by hate, his pre-meditated crimes were nothing less than acts of terrorism designed to advance his twisted ideology. Cox's family issued an emotional statement and called for unity after the verdict.

BRENDAN COX, JO COX'S HUSBAND: For the person who did this, we have nothing but pity that his life was so devoid of love and consumed with hatred that this became his desperate and cowardly attempt to find meaning.

MCLAUGHLIN: The mother of two was stabbed and shot by Mair and her constituency in Northern England, a week before the Brexit referendum in June. Mair shouted, "Britain first."

The scene was chaotic as described on this 911 call, released by police.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's hell on this chaos. He stabbed people and shot people.

MCLAUGHLIN: The police found a large collection of Nazi memorabilia and books at Mair's home. They also found a dossier on Cox and evidence of internet searches for extreme right-wing material and the gun he planned to use.

Mair refused to take the stand during the trial. But during an earlier hearing, he told the court, my name is death to traitors, freedom for Britain.

Cox was considered a rising star in British politics and campaigned for Britain to stay in the European Union. Her death drew tributes from all sides and led to the suspension of the campaign for several days.

Her family and friends would like to remember her now with this video, a tribute for the commitment to her family and community.

JO COX, MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT, BRITAIN: I'm elated. I'm -- I'm humbled that the people have got me (ph) kind of (ph) -- put their trust in me to be your next member of parliament.

MCLAUGHLIN: During the trial, the prosecutor said that there were two human extremes there that tragic day, the Nazi sympathizer full of murderous hates and then the internationalist, Jo Cox, full of compassion and love. Her family wants to make sure her legacy endures.

Erin McLaughlin, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SESAY: Very sad. Time for a break. It's no secret, Facebook wants to reenter China. Here (ph), Mark Zuckerberg has met before China's propaganda chief.

Now, the tech giant may have developed a tool to appease Chinese censors. Stay with us for details.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SESAY: The economic outlook for the U.K. is revealing some stark new challenges. Treasury Chief Philip Hammond delivered the news on Wednesday.

Officials say because of the U.K. decision to quit the European Union, Britain will be forced to borrow an extra $72 billion over the next five years. Growth is predicted to slump just 1.4 percent next year.

That's the weakest since 2009. And the government is raising the minimum wage to $9.30 an hour starting in April.

Well, Facebook has quietly built a censorship tool in hopes of pleasing Chinese media regulators. That's according to "The New York Times" which cites current and former Facebook employees.

The new software reportedly prevents certain posts from showing up in newsfeeds in specific regions. Facebook, as we know, has been trying to get back into China where it's currently blocked.

The tech giant has not confirmed the report. Makan Delrahim joins us now. He's a former deputy assistant attorney general for the U.S. Justice Department and an international trade lawyer.

He's a friend of the show.

Makan, good to have you with us. What do you make of this?

MAKAN DELRAHIM, FORMER DEPUTY ASSISTANT ATTORNEY GENERAL, DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE: Thanks for having me.

SESAY: You know, on the one hand, one can understand, you know, China's population of 1.6 billion, why they want to get in there. But on the other hand, it would seem, at least these reports of the censorship suppression tool, kind of go against its philosophy -- Facebook's philosophy of joining the whole world together.

DELRAHIM: I think you -- you have to look at it, you know, as a practical matter for Mark Zuckerberg and Facebook. They're a public company.

I think they have a duty -- you know, at one level, they almost have a duty to their shareholders, a fiduciary duty to go and expand the market. One point four, 1.5 billion population is significant and important.

And the -- I think the other aspect of this, it's just better to be able to be there because if they're not, another technology company might be there.

SESAY: But they will be (ph) -- have their own way (ph), we were (ph) -- Tencent. I mean, haven't they missed the boat anyway?

And to go down this road, doesn't it maybe just risk alienating the -- the followers they already have who believe in the brand?

DELRAHIM: It certainly, it seemed like they -- what was reported is that some of their employees were, you know, were offended and had left the company. But I think because of the network effects, because of the fact that there are people, friends, family, colleagues who might be in various parts of the world, who want to communicate with their counterparts in China, the -- the positive impacts for that extra communication may be worth it. But you're right in the sense that it seems to be counter to what

their original view and motto is. But I think there's a really important practical impact of this and a practical reason for them to go into China, be respectful of the Chinese policy.

But you know, I think related to that, it raises new public policy concerns of what, you know, perhaps there should be a global dialogue on issues, what we call first amendment and -- and access to services, you know, as -- as Facebook, a service provider. And we have agreements that, you know, this new administration, you know, President-elect Trump has talked about trade.

And it's going to be a major agenda for him, but perhaps in opening the markets for service providers and our, you know, what's called a general agreement on trade and services, could be an important next step.

SESAY: Again, just to reemphasize that Facebook has not confirmed this, again, this is "New York Times" reporting, let me ask you this, though. Should Facebook go ahead with this, and put this in play in China?

Could you see other countries, then, coming back and saying, hey, well, you did that there, we want some of that?

DELRAHIM: Absolutely. I think that's one of the dangers of this. Once the technology, the tool is there for what's so-called censorship, other countries will come in. And they'll say, you know, not in my country without, you know, need (ph) this tool as well.

So that's going to be something they're going to have to grapple with, which is probably what has taken them so long to find the right way and right solution to go there with the -- with the new leadership in China and enter that market.

SESAY: Makan, we appreciate the perspective. Thank you very much.

DELRAHIM: Thanks so much for having me.

SESAY: Now, a quick break, retailers are gearing up for the red and green of Christmas season. But this year, U.S. shoppers may be paying more attention to red and blue.

We will explain.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VAN DAM: Late season tropical activity for the Southwest Caribbean Sea. We have Otto regaining strength, now officially a hurricane, category one, just off the coast of Nicaragua and Costa Rica.

You can see the satellite imagery there, with some of the convection really just starting to billow out from the center of the storm, 140- kilometer-per-hour sustained winds near the center of circulation, gusts over 160 kilometers per hour. This storm will make landfall within the next 12 hours, move across both of these countries. And really, the main threat aside from strong gusty winds is the

extremely heavy rainfall we're anticipating across this area. The greatest impacts from Hurricane Otto, really flash flooding, mudslides and landslides as this storm moves in a slow westerly direction.

Here is a look at temperatures across the United States. Daytime highs, 15 in San Francisco, 9 degrees for Denver, so starting to cool down across the Rockies.

Look at Chicago -- single digits for you, New York, 11, showers anticipated, the Pacific Northwest looking very active as storm systems start to move into the region bringing snowfall and rainfall to the valleys below.

Havana, Cuba, 28 degrees, Kingston, Jamaica, 30, Mexico City hilltop (ph), 21 with a few afternoon thunderstorms.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, U.S. PRESIDENT: I hereby pardon you from the Thanksgiving table. And we hope that you have a wonderful time in gobbler's rest. And I give a little special presentation...

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SESAY: Thanksgiving is upon us here in the United States. But it just wouldn't be the traditional holiday without a presidential poultry pardon or indeed some very, very painful puns (ph). Barack Obama marks his final turkey day in the White House by reprieving two of the birds.

But he didn't grant his audience any reprieve from the usual awful jokes.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OBAMA: I want to take a moment to recognize the brave turkeys who weren't so lucky, who didn't get to ride the gravy train to freedom, who met their fate -- fate with courage and sacrifice, and proved that they weren't chicken.

(LAUGHTER)

It's not that bad now. Come on.

(LAUGHTER)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SESAY: Even the baby cried. Now, if you haven't noticed, the holiday season, the holiday shopping season, in fact, is officially here.

And in the U.S., where you shop matters more than ever, CNN Money's Clare Sebastian explains. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Getting ready to shop this holiday season? Get ready for a political mine field.

Despite the election being over, social media has been awash with calls from both sides of the political spectrum to boycott certain retailers because of their perceived political leanings, public statements or products they stock. One prominent campaign, #grabyourwallet, arose from comments Trump made about women in an "Access Hollywood" tape leaked in October.

SHANNON COULTER (ph): Yes, the auction is over. But we can vote -- vote with our wallets everyday. I think there are issues that the Trump tapes raised in our culture transcends politics to some degree.

SEBASTIAN: The campaign keeps a spread sheet of stores to boycott, DFW or Designer Shoe Warehouse, clothing store, T.J.Maxx and Bloomingdales all on the list for stocking Ivanka Trump branded products. The companies have not commented.

And there are the pro-Trump campaigns. Thinking of having a drink while shopping?" #boycottpepsi is spreading after fake news reports suggested the CEO told Trump fans to quote, "take their business elsewhere."

PepsiCo has not commented on the boycott. Another growing anti- Starbucks campaign, #trumpcup, after a Trump supporter posted a video showing a Starbucks employee refusing to write the name Trump on their cup.

Starbucks says it does not actually require its staff to wrote or call out names.

WENDY LIEBMANN, CEO, WSL STRATEGUC RETAIL: We're hearing the -- the post-election vitriol quite high or quite expensive. Normally, things sort of calm down a bit by now, a week or two later.

This is a very different kind of election.

SEBASTIAN: As for the heart of New York holiday shopping, Macy's, this is something both sides agree on. Macy's stopped selling Donald Trump branded products like ties and cufflinks last year after his comments about Mexican immigrants.

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT-ELECT: Macy's, which is extremely a very disloyal company...

SEBASTIAN: So now, some Trump supporters want to boycott Macy's and because the store still stocks Ivanka Trump branded products, so does the other side.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It wouldn't influence my spending.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's still not OK. And we still want to improve things and boycott stores if you (ph) want to. SEBASTIAN: So while experts still expect strong sales this season, it

seems some Americans may be making a list of where not to shop and checking it twice.

Clare Sebastian, CNN Money, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SESAY: You're watching "CNN Newsroom" live from Los Angeles. I am Isha Sesay. I'll be back with another hour of news right after this.

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