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CNN NEWSROOM

Cuba Mourns Death of Former Leader; Trump's: We Will Help Cuba Move Towards Prosperity, Liberty; Former Cuban Leader Dies At 90; Campaign Lawyer Donald McGahn Named White House Counsel; Unprecedented Security At Trump's Florida Estate. Aired 11a-12p ET

Aired November 26, 2016 - 11:00   ET

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


(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Attention, you see it at the bottom of the raft; you can see that look of accomplishment and pride on their faces. You can't teach that or give that to something. It's something they have to go earn, and this program seems to allow them with that opportunity.

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[11:00:14] CHRISTI PAUL, CNN ANCHOR: You can go for Brad or any of your favorite top 10 heroes now at CNNheroes.com and thank you for doing so, and thanks for, you know, sharing a little bit of your morning with us. We always are very grateful to see you.

MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN ANCHOR: We are indeed. There is much more ahead in the next hour of the CNN NEWSROOM.

For that we turn to our colleague, Fredricka Whitfield. Hey --

FEDERICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Hello to both of you, and a still Happy Thanksgiving weekend.

SAVIDGE: Thank you.

PAUL: That's true.

WHITFIELD: Still stuffed, overstuffed?

(CROSSTALK)

(LAUGHTER)

WHITFIELD: Okay, well we still got quite a few leftovers to help you throughout the weekend. All right thank you so much you all.

PAUL: Thanks for having you too.

WHITFIELD: You too. All right. So much straight ahead here. It's eleven o'clock eastern hour, I'm Fredricka Whitfield. Newsroom starts right now. All right. To some a hero, to others a tyrant, former Cuban leader

Fidel Castro is dead at the age of 90 and reactions are pouring in from around the world. President Obama has just issued this formal statement saying, "We know that this moment fills Cubans in Cuba and in the United States with powerful emotions. History will record and judge the enormous impact of this singular figure on the people and world around him."

Those powerful emotions on display in Havana where Castro's supporters are mourning.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

The Cuban people are feeling sad because of the loss of their commander in chief Fidel Castro Ruz, and we wish him, wherever he is, that he is blessed. And us Cubans love him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: But in Miami, the heart of the Cuban exile community, celebrations broke out in the streets there. Some say his death will close a dark chapter of Cuba's history. And although Castro lived long enough to see the historic thaw in Cuban-U.S. relations. He was defiant and mistrusting of the U.S. is steadfast in his communist beliefs. We'll talk about the political implications of all of this in just a moment but first, we have a team of reporters covering this story from Havana Cuba to Little Havana in Miami.

Let's begin there in Little Havana, Miami, with CNN's Chris Moody. So Chris you've spoken to a number of Cuban exiles who fled the country so many years ago. What has been the reaction there?

CHRIS MOODY, CNN POLITICS SENIOR DIGITAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, there may be displays of mourning in Havana, but in Little Havana it's been a celebration since dark since dark -- since darkness. Earlier this morning, about two o'clock in the morning, people began pouring into the streets the pots and pans, with noisemakers having impromptu parades and they're still out here today.

You will notice I'm standing in the middle of the street because police have blocked off the roads, because people are just pouring in and they feel just safer just to let them come through and come open. I've spoken to a lot of people today; Cuban exiles and their families, who express why they're celebrating when someone has died. Take a listen and let's let him explain themselves.

(START VIDEO CLIP):

Well we are here because we are celebrating the liberation of Cuba, because we believe that after this moment, many things are going to change in Cuba. Also, we are in -- not in social happiness because we also celebrating all those people who have given their lives and are not here today.

My parents will not see this moment. For them it would be a very happy moment. (END VIDEO CLIP)

MOODY: Now, many people we've spoken to realize that the death of Fidel Castro is not going to mean a complete change in the government, but they are obviously hopeful for the future and their former homeland where many of them still have family. President Obama has opened diplomatic relationships and opened up travel between the two countries allowing more interaction and allowing people to see and support their families there and we'll be speaking to many more people here in Little Havana about the death of Fidel Castro.

Back to you.

WHITFIELD: Chris Moody in Miami, thank you so much. So President- elect Donald Trump says that he will help Cuba move toward prosperity liberty as well. CNN national correspondent Ryan Nobles joining us now from outside Trump's Mar a Lago resort there in Palm Beach. So Trump is later in the weekend to have meetings in New York. But for now he has released a statement. What more does he say about Castro and what potentially could be next between the U.S. and Cuba?

RYAN NOBLES, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes Fredricka, we got the statement in just a few minutes ago, it is much more than what Trump said this morning in a one sentence tweet where he just said, "Fidel Castro is dead!" with an exclamation point. This is a three paragraph statement and I want to read one paragraph of it for you and Trump writes, "Well, Cuba remains a totalitarian Island. It's my hope that today marks a move away from the horrors endured for too long and toward a future in which the wonderful Cuban people finally live in the freedom they so richly deserve."

And of course Donald Trump has been very critical of the Castro regime throughout his campaign, and he's also been very critical of that deal that President Obama struck to normalize relations between Cuba and the United States. But that doesn't necessarily mean he doesn't think that the U.S. and Cuba should move toward more normal relations. He just doesn't think the deal that President Obama struck goes far enough and in this statement what's revealing Fredricka, is that Trump does not mince words about his feelings about Castro as a leader, he calls him a brutal dictator and talks about the firing squad during Castro's reign.

So it's clear that this is going to be one of the things that we need to keep an eye on in the early days of the Trump administration. How does he handle this relationship with Cuba especially because these executive orders were put in without congressional approval which means that Trump as president does have the power to will all of them back if he chooses, Fred.

[11:06:09] FREDERICKA: All right. Ryan Nobles, thank you so much in Palm Beach. So the U.S. and Cuba only recently began restoring ties. The two countries reopening embassies in each nation's capital in July of last year and that was followed by a meeting earlier this year between President Obama and President Raul Castro. Last hour, President Obama released a statement on the death of Cuba's former leader Fidel Castro. And CNN's Suzanne Malveaux is in Washington in front of the White

House there, so Suzanne, what more is the president's say about his hopes for the continuation of U.S. and Cuban relations?

SUZZANE MALVEAUX, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Sure I will. This is a critical time for U.S. Cuban relations. And obviously it's a major signature achievement, foreign policy achievement for President Obama. It is something that he would like to see move forward in the years to come. But they are not that optimistic, but they are hoping that at least some sort of normalization with Cuba will still exist.

I'm going to be part of the statement here in which the president released just within the hour, he said, "For nearly six decades, the relationship between the United States and Cuba was marked by discord and profound political disagreements. During my presidency, we've worked hard to put the past behind us pursuing a future in which the relationship between our two countries is defined not by our differences but by the many things that we share as neighbors and friends. Bonds of family culture commerce and common humanity."

And Fred, one of the things that the president very much believes here is that you have people to people contact, direct contact. That that is something that will allow the country Cuba to open up politically as well as economically. The freedoms of those people in the country, and that is why for his policy what he put forth through executive orders is that direct contact -- that contact, making it easier for direct flights, for mail for money exchange, for businesses to actually promote their businesses inside of the country.

One of the main concerns that the Obama administration has, and it has been cited before, is because this was done through regulations that were easing some of those restrictions, and also executive orders. It can all be undone by President elect Donald Trump. So everybody has taken a look to see what he really believes. The other thing too is that trade embargo is still very much in place Fred. And that is going to require an act of Congress, a Republican Congress if they're going to change that. And so far that's not very likely, Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Suzanne Malveaux at the White House, thank you so much. All right, still ahead President Elect Trump has threatened to tear apart President Obama's efforts to restore ties between the U.S. and Cuba. Does that feeling remain? We'll ask the experts.

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[11:12:08] WHITFIELD: The death of Fidel Castro means there could be another change for the relationship between the U.S. and Cuba. Cold War tensions only recently began to thaw just last year. The U.S. flag was raised above the American embassy in Havana for the first time since 1961. Obama administration restored full diplomatic relations in July of 2015. And at the time, Obama also loosened regulations on U.S. companies selling their products in Cuba.

On the campaign trail of President-elect Donald Trump criticized the deal promising to roll it back by executive order. Let's discuss all of this with my next two guests CNN political analyst Josh Rogin and former CNN Moscow bureau chief and foreign affairs correspondent Jill Dougherty. Good to see both of you.

JOSH ROGIN, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Likewise.

WHITFIELD: So I want both of you to listen to what President Obama and President elect Trump have said about U.S. ties to Cuba.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

Still many people on both sides of this debate have asked, "Why now? Why now?" There is one simple answer. What the United States was doing was not working. We have to have the courage to acknowledge that truth. A policy of isolation designed for the Cold War made little sense in the 21st century.

All of the concessions that Barrack Obama has granted the Castro regime were done through executive order, which means the next president can reverse them and that I will do unless the Castro regime meets our demands not my demands, our demands.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: So Jill, you first, you know, among the demands that Donald Trump -- president elect Trump has mentioned, he says the release of political prisoners. Do you see that there will be a potential continuation of what Obama has set forth or do you see there would be indeed a roll back as Donald Trump on the campaign trail threatened to do.

JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN FOREIGN AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think Trump has two different things going on. One is, he has said that he will basically talk with anybody. He would talk with Kim Jong Un, the leader of North Korea. He would talk with Vladimir Putin, and so conceivably, you know, he would be open to better relations and he said in that statement that you just heard about relations with Cuba.

But then he also has the other part, let's say of the Republican Party which traditionally, has been quite anti-Castro, anti policy of the Cuban government. And so I think you have both of those factors playing against each other. How he will come out is a question, but judging by this comment that he made or the statement, it would sound like he's open to some type of continuation I think -- but we have to define, you know, what exactly would he want the Cubans to do differently.

[11:15:11] WHITFIELD: And Josh, how do you see a President-elect Trump kind of reevaluating his stance, especially considering Raul Castro has been described as a very different Castro and now upon the death of Fidel Castro, with Raul in power until 2018, the potential is very great in terms of a new Cuba on the horizon.

ROGIN: Well that's right. And I think what any incoming administration would have to do is first take a look at the situation and realize that the United States cannot control events in Cuba, right? That's the part of what President Obama said that was absolutely correct. These are going to be Cuban events determined by mostly the Cuban people. Now what we can do is control our reaction to these events, and what President Obama is trying to do is, he was trying to shift U.S. policy toward Cuba, slowly but surely in the direction of opening.

And this was done mostly through executive action and because it was done mostly through executive action Donald Trump has the ability as president to reverse those executive actions. I don't think he's determined whether or not he's going to do that. I don't think he knows who his secretary of state is going to be, who his leader for Latin American policy is going to be. So all of these things are yet to be determined. And in a sense that's a good thing, because it gives time for this situation to play out in Cuba without the United States stepping in and feeling that they can over influence the outcome one way or the other.

WHITFIELD: And do you believe that the selection of a secretary of state greatly would influence how a Trump administration would move forward on these relations? We know the names that have been tossed around from, you know, Mitt Romney to Rudy Giuliani and now even Congressman Dana Rohrabacher. How do you see Josh, the first selection helping to dictate the direction the U.S. would go as it relates to Cuba under this administration?

ROGIN: Sure. I think there is a large wing of the Republican Party, and in that camp we can put people like Senator Marco Rubio from Florida, who believe that not only would any further opening of U.S. policy toward Cuba detract from our ability to pressure them to make political form and open up to human rights but actually we should return to a policy of isolation, right. If you look at people who were in that camp, somebody like Mitt Romney would tend to agree with that.

Now, somebody who comes from the outside of, sort of, that portion of the hawkish foreign policy part of the Republican party, let's say David Petraeus for example, might be more open to more creative solutions. So I think that does make a difference you know. The other thing is that, underneath the top level you have this whole bureaucracy, and if you're talk to Obama administration officials, they'll say that they've had a lot of trouble moving this bureaucracy along with them, along with the White House and opening up Cuba, that means travel regulations, tourism regulations, how businesses can conduct themselves in Cuba, licenses; all of these things are done by bureaucrats and so whoever the heads of these bureaucracies will be actually has a big effect on whether or not these bureaucracies move towards more federal issues with Cuba or move away from it.

So I think a lot of this is left to be determined.

WHITFIELD: All right, we'll leave it there. Josh Rogin, Jill Dougherty. Jill hope to have you back to talk about the reaction there in Moscow on the news of Fidel Castro's death. Talk to you soon on that. Thanks so much. Also coming up Trump Tower, it's one of the world's best known addresses and that's presenting huge security issues. Rachel Crane joins me now from New York, Rachel.

RACHEL CRANE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The Secret Service considering renting an entire floor in Trump Tower, the staggering price tag to taxpayers after the break.

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[11:20:11] WHITFIELD: Protecting president-elect Donald Trump will -- continues to be quite extraordinary and very costly and a real challenge. And part of that is because Trump's family doesn't have an ordinary address, 5th Avenue in New York City. Now CNN is learning the U.S. Secret Service may be renting out an entire floor at Trump Tower, the Midtown Manhattan epicenter of Trump's business and family life. Let's bring in Rachel Crane in New York. So Rachel, these are very unique security challenges. How will the decision be rendered here?

CRANE: Well Fred, the price tag to rent that floor in Trump Tower will be a whopping 1.5 million dollars per year. This of course is raising a lot of questions surrounding conflict of interest. That's because the Trump Organization actually owns Trump Tower. So the taxpayer dollars would be going back to the Trump organization. And we know that Trump's children are set to take over the organization once he becomes president. We break this all down here. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

They are fantastic people so I want to thank the Secret Service.

725 5th Avenue, also known as Trump Tower might be getting a new tenant, the Secret Service. A law enforcement official tells CNN that the Secret Service is considering renting a whole floor of the same tower in order to establish a 24/7 command post ensuring the safety of the future first family, who will all be moving to the White House in January. Melania and their 10 year old son Barron will continue to live in Trump Tower. When asked about the timing of their move, Trump said this, "Regardless of when they relocate, the command post at Trump Tower won't be cheap." The going price for the space, around 1.5 million dollars per year. The price tag is striking, but it's not just the cost that's raising eyebrows.

The Trump Organization owns Trump Tower. So taxpayers will be paying the president elect for his own security. Officials tell CNN security plans are still evolving since many things are up in the air, like when the future first family will move to the White House and how often the president elect's plans to visit them in the meantime.

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CRANE: And Fred, believe it or not, despite that 1.5 million dollar price tag, this could actually be the cheaper alternative, because the Secret Service would actually have to rent hotel rooms in the area, and being in midtown Manhattan of course, hotel rooms are not cheap. That's if they did not rent this floor in Trump Tower. And also his security detail of course involve the NYPD, and it's been costing the city and over a million dollars a day according to some sources to keep that area secure Fred.

[11:25:27] WHITFIELD: But then Rachel, it seems like the really important dilemma is going to be, is this, the conflict of interest that is protected or is it the price tag that has to be protected? I mean how will a decision be rendered about what's the priority here?

CRANE: Well, as I pointed out, you know, in that piece, there a lot of questions still surrounding all this. It's unclear when Melania and Barron will be moving to the White House. And of course that would impact how much security would be permanent at Trump Tower. So a lot of these details will be ironed out in the coming future.

WHITFIELD: Rachel Crane, thanks so much in New York, appreciate it.

All right, thousands of Cuban Americans called Fidel Castro a dictator. Still ahead how his death could affect not just relations with the West but possibly Russia and other countries. We'll ask our panel of Cuba watchers.

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WHITFIELD: Hello again, welcome back. I'm Fredricka Whitfield, thanks for being with me. So word has traveled, the death of former Cuban leader Fidel Castro and now the world is reacting. Boris Johnson, the U.K.'s foreign secretary called it the beginning of a new era for Cuba's people. India's prime minister said India mourns the loss of a great friend. And in Russia the Kremlin sent official condolences to the Cuban people and to president -- and President Vladimir Putin rather, praised Castro for building quote "a free and independent Cuba."

[11:30:00] Aand in China, the president, Xi Jinping, said, "Castro was a great leader" and hailed his achievements for the development of world socialism.

CNN Patrick Oppmann is the only U.S. television correspondent in Cuba. He joins me right now from Havana. So Patrick as we are getting reaction from around the world, what kind of reaction are you getting from people there in Havana?

PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Cuba is now officially in a state of mourning that will continue for some nine days. That means last night after the news broke, bars and night clubs were quickly shuttered.

This morning, I heard that from his son and manager that a famed tenor was set to give his concert in Cuba this evening, had to have that concert canceled. The Cuban government, of course, not wanting to see any kind of celebrations here. It's a very different atmosphere than Miami, a very somber atmosphere.

Let's walk through what's going to happen. So throughout the weekend there will be this kind of very somber atmosphere. Starting Monday we suspect that Fidel Castro's ashes, he asked to be cremated will be displayed in the Museum of the Revolution Square here.

And tens of thousands of people will walk by that -- those ashes to pay respects to him and those ashes will be transported 700 miles from where I am. Thousands of people lining up along the road to see him off, and then he will be buried on December 4th.

So quite a schedule to go here. Of course, Cubans really not sure what comes after that. In the immediate future, is Cuba will put on a funeral to mark the passing of this very controversial icon -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Patrick Oppmann, thank you so much in Havana. Let's talk more about this with my panel, Michael Weiss is a CNN contributor and analyst on Russian affairs, and Lisandro Perez, a CNN contributor and author of the book, "The Legacy of Exile, Cubans in the United States." Good to see both of you.

So I wonder, Lisandro, as we hear these sentiments coming from leaders around the world from Russia, China and India, is it your feeling that particularly in these days of mourning in Cuba that there might be visits from those leaders who are expressing compassion on the passing of Castro?

LISANDRO PEREZ, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Well, we don't have, I think, all the details yet on the funeral arrangements. We'll see if there will be one opportunity in which foreign leaders may attend, but I anticipate that, yes, there will be a significant number of foreign delegations and leaders attending this funeral.

Fidel Castro was an iconic person and what has been called the third world, he has supported many governments around the world. He has headed a revolutionary movement that had a great impact on the world.

I think we'll see a lot of foreign leaders if there one occasion in which there will be a funeral that they will be attending. I'm sure that would be the case.

WHITFIELD: Michael, how do you see this as a complicated endeavor for the U.S. in terms of its positioning? You heard President Obama in his statement, who expressed a real understanding for Cubans on both sides and wishing both sides well.

At the same time, in Trump's statement, he took more of the approach of characterizing Fidel Castro in his totalitarian rule. But moving forward, how does this further complicate things for these U.S.-Cuban relations that have thawed?

MICHAEL WEISS, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Well, I think the Obama administration's goal by opening up Cuba was the hope that this will somehow liberalize the regime. Cuba will be on this new path toward a more pro-market orientation, less hostile to the United States and possibly even eventually fall into a kind of pro-western orbit.

Now you can say that this is wishful thinking or utopianism as I think Donald Trump, the president-elect certainly seems to think it is. But President Obama has a got a lot of flak for his statement and I do think it was a bit wishy-washy not enough on the human rights abuses, the imprisonment of homosexuals.

Castro's pro-Soviet tilt, which remember nearly brought the United States to the brink of World War III in the 1960's. However, he was careful to address his remarks mostly to the Cuban people and he said that history is going to judge this man.

And again, this is -- for Obama this is one of his legacy foreign policy issues, although, very minor in comparison with, say, the Iran nuclear deal. But Obama came to office basically promising this, right.

He said we're no longer in the cold war. There is no longer a zero sum game on the geopolitical international stage, although the irony of history being with the passing of Fidel Castro in many ways, one of the most iconic until today surviving actors of the cold war.

[11:35:04]The United States does indeed now find itself in Russian relations not seen since the collapse of communism. So this is one of the sort of unforeseen ironies or unexpected turns of events I think as Obama leaves office.

WHITFIELD: And Lisandro, is it your feeling that people have a clear understanding of who Raul Castro really is? Because he has been operating, you know, in the shadows of his brother, Fidel Castro. Now that Fidel Castro has passed, do you feel the real Raul Castro will emerge or do you believe that he is a striking continuation of a Fidel Castro?

PEREZ: Well, I think he's going to keep in place obviously the basic outlines of the system that he and his brother created. I think that's a system that for which they have gotten -- they brought the Cuban people into solidarity with that system. I think the basic outlines will stay.

Some people believe that with the death of Fidel Castro that the government will show a certain flexibility in market reforms and a number of other things. That remains to be seen. You have to see the other side of this, however.

Which is that there is a U.S. administration coming in that has essentially been talking tough on Cuba. The pattern, both when Ronald Reagan was elected and when George W. Bush was elected was for the Cuban government in the face of what might be an unfriendly administration might retrench.

And I think that they're going to not move very quickly on anymore reforms. No matter what president Trump demands. You have to keep in mind that what President-elect Trump has been talking about that he will do as president, that those have been demands the U.S. government has had a for a very long time.

These are 11 U.S. presidents that Fidel Castro has lived through. They've been demanding human rights, release of political prisoners, all these things that President-elect Trump believes that he can get the Cubans to do. They haven't done. There's no reason to believe that they're now going to do something different than that.

WHITFIELD: All right, Lisandro Perez, Michael Weiss, thank you so much, Gentlemen. Appreciate it.

And then we just received this statement now from U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on the death of Fidel Castro. Kerry saying this, "As our two countries continue to move forward on the process of normalization restoring the economic, diplomatic and cultural ties severed by a troubled past, we do so in a spirit of friendship and with an earnest desire not to ignore history but to write a new and better future for our two peoples."

That from John Kerry. And we'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:41:30]

WHITFIELD: Welcome back. The Trump transition team is still hard at work this weekend. In fact we understand that President-elect Donald Trump will be heading to New York tomorrow to meet with his team.

Meantime, the team has named campaign finance attorney, Donald McGahn, a former head of the Federal Election Commission to be the White House counsel. Here is more from CNN's Brian Todd.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We've got new insights into President- elect Trump's most controversial lawsuits and why he's been involved in so many of them. It has to do with a bare knuckle bravado he picked up more than 40 years ago from a legendary legal brawler who told a young Donald Trump when in doubt, fight them in court.

(voice-over): The "Access Hollywood" tape and the barrage of accusations from nearly a dozen women of sexual misconduct didn't exactly humble Donald Trump.

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT-ELECT: The events never happened. Never. All of these liars will be sued after the election.

TODD: Trump has also threatened to sue NBC for the release of the "Access Hollywood" tape. He's threatened to sue the "New York Times" for reporting two of the accusers' accounts and for publishing several pages of his 1995 tax return.

A.B. STODDARD, ASSOCIATE EDITOR AND COLUMNIST, "REAL CLEAR POLITICS": Donald Trump loves to sue and he loves to threaten to sue because it scares people. Threatening to sue people and run up their legal bills is terrifying. That's a tactic that he's used. I can threaten to sue you. I have more lawyers than you do. You will lose.

TODD: According to an analysis by "USA Today," at least 70 lawsuits involving the president-elect are still open and overall, he's been involved in more than 4,000 lawsuits. The general counsel for the Trump Organization tells CNN those numbers are grossly exaggerated. Nowhere near accurate.

But Trump did just settle three class action suits over claims of fraud at Trump University for $25 million. Trump's bare knuckle legal philosophy goes back at least to the early 1970's. The Justice Department was suing Trump, his father, Fred, and their company for allegedly discriminating against minorities who wanted to rent apartments from them. Around that time according to the book, "Trump Revealed," Donald Trump had a faithful first meeting with a New York legend.

MARC FISHER, CO-AUTHOR, "TRUMP REVEALED": Donald Trump went to a night club in Manhattan where he happened to meet Roy Cone, who is famous for having defended Senator Joseph McCarthy back in the 1950's in the communist hunting days.

TODD: From McCarthy to the mobsters he represented, Roy Cone, was a battler. Cone's message to Trump in that nightclub conversation, tell the government to, quote, "go to hell."

FISHER: In that very first meeting, Cone laid out for him his philosophy of how to fight back in lawsuit, how to fight back against a federal investigation that was to hit back ten times harder.

TODD: If Trump sues the women who accused him, analysts say his legal claims are debatable, potential pit falls, numerous.

RICHARD LEVICK, CRISIS COMMUNICATIONS SPECIALIST: What about the depositions? It's one thing to sue, but then you have to defend. He's going to have to answer questions.

TODD: And it could lead to something politically dangerous for Donald Trump as his presidency leaves the gate.

PAUL CALLAN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Bill Clinton, of course, got into litigation with Paula Jones regarding things that happened when he was governor of Arkansas, and that ultimately as a result of statements that he made under oath, led to impeachment charges being brought against him. That's a good example for Mr. Trump to look at.

TODD (on camera): Will Donald Trump follow through on his threat to sue nearly a dozen women who have accused him of sexual misconduct? The general counsel of the Trump Organization, Allan Garten (ph), told me the president elect is focused on running the country, pursuing his political agenda, and removing distractions. Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[11:45:11]WHITFIELD: And still ahead, Mar-a-Lago and the challenges ahead in securing that for President-elect Donald Trump. We have a behind scenes look at how the compound could be protected.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. Welcome back. It's already the new reality on New York's Fifth Avenue. Police everywhere, barricades up, traffic slowed to a crawl, all because of Trump Tower, President-elect Donald Trump's home and office and securing that infrastructure is costing taxpayers a lot of money. New York residents say it's costing them a lot of headache. So what about the sprawling Mar-a-Lago beach compound in Florida? CNN's Ed Lavandera has a look at the security being put into places there.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Palm Beach might be the kind of town that is used to what comes with all the glitz and glamour here, but residents will have to start getting used to some new neighbors, all of those officers that come with the presidential security detail.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Protecting President- elect Donald Trump is a challenge unlike any other from Trump Tower in New York to his private club in Florida.

(on camera): So we're approaching Mar-a-Lago right here.

[11:50:01](voice-over): It's a 20-acre waterfront estate in Palm Beach, secluded from the public, but he also shares it with as many as 500 members, who are willing to pay $100,000 to join.

RONNIE RODRIGUEZ, FORMER SECRET SERVICE AGENT: Basically it's a compound and we have to treat it as such.

LAVANDERA: Former Secret Service and ATF special agent, Ronnie Rodriguez, says in many ways it's ready made for presidential security.

(on camera): Behind this natural barrier here, which I assume there's a fence --

RODRIGUEZ: It appears there's a wall back there.

LAVANDERA: There is a wall, a tall wall.

RODRIGUEZ: Yes. It's more than 13 feet, I believe, which is great for deterring anyone trying to come on the premises.

LAVANDERA (voice-over): Behind the wall, Trump keeps a residence that could become the winter White House.

TRUMP: I love Florida. This is my second home.

LAVANDERA: Where presidents spend their vacations is a window into their personalities. George W. Bush like to spend the hottest month of the year on his ranch in Crawford, Texas --

FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH: There is a wonderful spot to come up in here and think about the budget.

LAVANDERA: George Bush Senior famously enjoyed the peaceful a serenity of Kennebunkport, Maine. Mar-a-Lago stretches across a barrier island cut down the middle by a two lane road nestled between a stunning stream of multimillion-dollar homes. The best view comes from across the bay.

Rodriguez says Secret Service teams are assessing threats that could come by land, sea, and air. And standing outside of the club, it doesn't take long to see the skies above will be a major concern.

(on camera): That plane is maybe a couple thousand feet over us.

(voice-over) : Palm Beach International Airport is just a few miles west of Mar-a-Lago.

RODRIGUEZ: You can see the path for commercial aircraft.

LAVANDERA: For years Trump has waged a legal battle to keep commercial and private planes from flying over this estate, and now that he's president-elect, he might have just gotten his way. When he's on the property Rodriguez says, the air space over Mar-a-Lago will be closed.

RODRIGUEZ: This will be a type of aircraft that an individual would use to drive his plane into the property.

LAVANDERA: And in the waters around Mar-A-Lago, the U.S. Coast Guard is already setting up security zones, some parts completely off limbs, other areas that require permission before entering. Rodriguez says Secret Service agents will also conduct renewed background checks on every club member and inside the club they can also expect to see new levels of visible and invisible layers of security.

(on camera): Are they in for a bit of a rude awakening?

RODRIGUEZ: I think it depends. You know, some of the neighbors may like it. Others may complain because they don't like the intrusion.

LAVANDERA: But life will change around here for the next four years.

RODRIGUEZ: Yes, it will. Most definitely.

LAVANDERA: Security presence very tight since Donald Trump arrived on Tuesday night. You see there the Coast Guard boat just off the edge of the property as well as other Coast Guard boats in the water, as well. Guards at every entrance to the gate as well. This is the kind of activity that residents here will have to get used to for the next four years.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Ed Lavandera, thank you so much there in Palm Beach.

Coming up on CNN, Jake Tapper sitting down with Bernie Sanders to likely talk about Trump's security and the future of this country. That interview airing tomorrow morning 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time right here on CNN.

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[11:59:01] WHITFIELD: All right, a look now at our top stories. A French prosecutor says five suspects who pledged their allegiance to ISIS are in custody. They have been charged with conspiring to commit a terrorist act. The suspects were first arrested in police raids last weekend.

And the case of a California woman who disappeared three weeks ago while jogging and was later found alive, that case still under investigation. Sherri Papini was reunited with her family on Thanksgiving Day after flagging a car about 140 miles from where she was last seen. The woman says she was later released by her captor. There is still no clear motives on her reported abduction.

And the first memorials and funerals are taking place this weekend for the victims of that catastrophic school bus crash in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The crash happened Monday when the bus driver slammed into a tree splitting the bus in half killing six children. The driver, Johnthony Walker, has been charged with vehicular homicide. The next hour of the CNN NEWSROOM starts right now.

Hello, again, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.