Return to Transcripts main page

CNN NEWSROOM

Former Cuban Leader Fidel Castro Dead at 90; White House Considers North Korea A Grave Threat to America; Vladimir Putin Has Also Paid Tribute To Fidel Castro; Jury Selection Resumes Monday in the Trial of Dylan Roof. Aired 1-2p ET

Aired November 26, 2016 - 13:00   ET

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


[13:00:00] FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: "History will record and judge the enormous impact of this singular figure on the people and world around him," end quote.

So we will talk about the political implications of all of this in a moment. But first we have a team of reporters covering this story from Havana, Cuba to Little Havana in Miami.

Let's begin in Miami with Ed Lavendera.

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Fredricka. Well, here in the middle of what is effectionally known as (INAUDIBLE) in the heart if Little Havana here in Miami. This is the famed Versailles restaurant, Cuban restaurant here in Little Havana. This has been for decades, a gathering spot for Cuban exiles to debate the future politics of Cuban/U.S. relations, the dictatorship of Fidel Castro, and as everyone imagined, with this news, the chance of (INAUDIBLE) last this day has come is what you hear repeatedly from the people here who have poured out into the streets since midnight last night when the news of Fidel Castro's death was first announced.

The husband of Gloria Estefan, Emilio Estefan, two of the most well- known Cuban exiles here in Miami releasing a statement just a little while ago saying in part, we thank to all those who died seeking freedom, we thank you and honor you for fighting for freedom and human rights for our homeland. Your sacrifice will never be forgotten. Today there is a new dawn filled with hope for our beloved Cuba. And that is definitely the sense that you get from all of the people who have poured out here into the streets in this part of Havana, hoping that this would be one of the first dominos to begin the real democratic changes that many people here in Miami, Cuban exiles would like for see take place in Miami.

But when you also talk to people here, there is also a stark realization that perhaps all of the changes, and that when the moment came, it hasn't exactly unfolded the way many of them thought it would. And many of them when you talked to will also tell that you that perhaps any kind of real change in Cuba won't happen until Raul Castro steps down from power, which he has said he would do in 2018.

But that in many ways that initial step in that process, this decades long struggle that they say they have been fighting to bring about real democratic change to the island of Cuba. But here in Little Havana, since midnight last night, a festive atmosphere, many people celebrating the death of Fidel Castro with chants of (INAUDIBLE) at last -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Right. Ed Lavendera in Little Havana there.

So lots of expressions of hope for what is next. Let's check in with our Patrick Oppmann who is in Havana where despite the contrast because you have been showing us all morning long that there is great sadness. What else from the people there?

PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely. Only about 100 miles away from Ed. But it is a very different picture here, very somber. Also very controlled, though, the Cuban government. Late last night, shortly after this announcement was made put more troops out in the street. More police on the street, began closing bars and restaurants where music is played. They have showing the exact opposite of scenes we saw in Miami, a very -- the opposite of a celebratory attitude.

And today of course it's usually quiet the here on the weekends, but you just feel like you can hear a pin drop because so many people are wondering what the future brings, what is going to happen with this island now that Fidel Castro is no longer in the scene. And we will now of course see nine days of official mourning. And at the end of that, of course, Cubans have a lot of uncertainty about their future.

WHITFIELD: Patrick Oppmann, thank you so much in Havana. Appreciate that.

So for many Cubans and Americans, Castro's passing evokes memories of the cold war and fear of nuclear warfare. CNN has received some impassioned statements in response to his death from both Democrats and Republicans.

I want to bring in a lawmaker who has a personal tie Cuba, New Jersey senator Bob Menendez.

Senator, thanks so much for being with me. I know you have been very critical in the past of President Obama's, you know, gestures. You were critical that he did not meet with dissidents, human rights activists when he visited Cuba. You are a byproduct of your parents who are Cuban immigrants. So what is your feeling today with Castro's death because in your statement you appear to sound very hopeful about what is next?

SEN. BOB MENENDEZ (D), NEW JERSEY: Well, it is my hope that we take this moment to do what we did at other parts of the world at different times, what we did in the (INAUDIBLE) and the Czech Republic, what we did with (INAUDIBLE) in Poland. (INAUDIBLE) former Soviet Union, which is to help the human rights activists, political dissidents, independent journalists, many which I have personally met and told me that since President Obama's engagement of nearly two years ago, life in Cuba for them has gotten worse. They had seen more arrests, more beatings, more jailings. And they see money flowing to the Castro regime, but not going to the Cuban people.

And so I would hope that we would be calibrating our policy to engage human rights activists, political dissidents, independent journalists inside of Cuba so that they can push for the type of freedoms that we enjoy and just gave thanksgiving for yesterday here in the United States.

[13:05:46] WHITFIELD: So, can you kind of paint the picture of what you envision if you, you know, you would want to see people of course enjoying more freedoms in Cuba, do you believe that U.S. can help facilitate that by continuing a momentum that has been set particularly by the Obama administration in terms of talks lifting embargoes? How do you see the U.S. engaging in what you are hoping to be a more free Cuba on the horizon?

MENENDEZ: Well, if you listen the human rights activists and political dissidents, and independent journalists inside of Cuba, some who have gotten out to speak to me and I have seen for example (INAUDIBLE), one of the leading human rights activists, (INAUDIBLE) the ladies in white, and they tell you that life I worse.

And so what that means to me is that a policy that allows money to go to the Castro regime is not engaging the Cuban people, it's keeping the regime and its oppressive system in shape. So it seems that you directly assist human rights activists, political dissidents, independent journalists to a variety of entities both domestic employer that you galvanized global opinion.

WHITFIELD: How do you do that? What do you mean by that?

MENENDEZ: Well, we used to do with (INAUDIBLE). We used to do it with (INAUDIBLE). You assist them in being able to communicate inside of the island. You assist them in helping them have the resources to organize for freedom and democracy. You do it as we did during the Soviet Union in the eastern bloc countries that then ultimately divide freedom. We did much there. So we can do that.

And the other thing we should stop doing is just giving one way unilateral concessions to the regime that allows enormous monies to flow and you do business in the regime. The only way do business is with Castro's son and his son-in-law. One heads the tourism industry, the other heads the agriculture industry. They are both high ranking military officials.

So at the end of the day, you have to think about who you are helping here and it is not the Cuban people.

WHITFIELD: Is it your help that the next secretary of state or even the next president, now president-elect Trump, will actually have direct face-to-face meetings with Raul Castro since it is Raul Castro that is in power until 2018?

MENENDEZ: Well, it is my hope that the president-elect and the next secretary of state will say what President Obama said to Burma, which is you want to have a relationship with the United States, you have to release political prisoners like (INAUDIBLE). You have to hold independent legislative elections, you have to permit the U.N. (INAUDIBLE) on special - on human rights into your country. And if you do those things, you can have a relationship with us. And guess what, that all happened. I don't know why the people of Cuba deserve less than the people of Burma.

WHITFIELD: Senator Menendez, thank you so much for your time.

MENENDEZ: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right. Coming up next, the delicate new relationship with Cuba on the line as president-elect Donald Trump prepares to take office. Some Cuban-American lawmakers such as Senator Menendez who we were just talking really having questions about continuation of the Obama policies set forward as it pertains to the U.S. and Cuba. What is potentially next?

Plus, Hillary Clinton's campaign says it will join efforts to push for recounts in several states. What is the end game?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:12:18] WHITFIELD: Welcome back. Already a deepening divide over U.S.-Cuba relation following Fidel Castro's death. The Democrats and the White House are sounding diplomatic tone while several prominent Republicans saying the U.S. never should have reopened relations with Cuba.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. LLEANA ROS-LEHTINEN (R), FLORIDA: President-elect Trump has correctly stated that Obama's overtures to the Castro regime were one- sided and only benefited the Cuban regime. I hope that the new administration under the leadership of President Trump seizes this moment as an opportunity to reaffirm its commitment to the Cuban people that it will pressure the Castro regime by rolling back these executive actions of the Obama administration.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Let's talk more now. Mustafa Tameez is a Democrat strategist and former consultant at homeland security. Good to see you.

And Mike Shields is a CNN political commentator and former chief of staff at the RNC. Good to see you as well.

MIKE SHIELDS, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Good to see you.

WHITFIELD: Alright, gentlemen. So Mustafa, you first. If president- elect Trump were to roll back things like lifting the embargo, you know, cooling relations between Cuba and the U.S., how would that go about?

MUSTAFA TAMEEZ, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: It's really difficult. You know, we have just started the process. Airlines are about to open up next week. And these people -- to people diplomacy is what is going to make Cuba free again. And going backward, you know, what we had the sanctions for 50 years and we haven't made much progress. So the right step is to allow this integration between the United States and Cuba to begin. And I think that that democratic process will begin there, as well.

WHITFIELD: And so, Mike, critics of the Obama administration's approach to this, talking to Fidel Castro, lifting the embargo, allowing funds to flow into Cuba without the conditions of political prisoners, you know, being released, many of the critics are saying, you know, hooray for many of those things if for political prisoners being released. But just as Mustafa said, how do you do that without some sort of person to person relations?

SHIELDS: Well, first of all, I think anytime a brutal dictator dies, we should all rejoice. Anyone who believes in freedom, religious freedom, freedom of the press, democracy, should be happy today that a brutal dictator is dead. But we should also -- no one watching this should be under the illusion that Cuba is free because he is dead. It still is not free country. It still is not free. It still has a dictatorship. It still represses its people. And so we have to keep as a democracy as a shining light in the west. We have to keep fighting to help the Cuban people and not prop up the Cuban government. And that is where Donald -- president-elect Donald Trump's policy comes in.

He wants a better deal and says that over and over again throughout where there is trade, where there its weakness being shown and how we deal the Cuban regime. He is for having some kind of dialogue and opening up things for Cuba given that we actually get a good deal. Given that we --.

[13:15:26] WHITFIELD: Does it mean, though, ending the current deal, or does it mean building on the current deal?

SHIELDS: Well, we will have to wait and see. I mean, you can see a little bit in for instance the people he is considering for secretary of state. Mitt Romney, Rudy Giuliani, these are really outspoken critics of the Cuban regime. And so, you are seeing that he is putting strength, at least considering people to have a strong position on this in this administration. And his election sends a signal for the Cuban regime.

The weakness of the Obama administration is over. A stringer leaders coming in. We are going to have to start all over again and we are going to have to take a look at what it is that we want to get out of this before we just hand you these things.

By the way on the airline flights, that is very easy to stop. That is not really an official agreement. There is no treaty that has been signed there. I believe that is something he can revoke with executive order. And I believe you will starts to see that because that he will do is he will start revoking some of these things and say, OK, you have to come back to the table with us if you want to do something. Why don't we start releasing political prisoners? Why don't we start freeing up your media, your press? Why don't we start giving some of your people the rights that they deserve? Now, we can talk about having airline flights put back into the country. President-elect Trump is going to put himself in a strong negotiating position. WHITFIELD: So Mustafa, do you see as president-elect Trump is

discussing with his team who to select, you know, for the next U.S. secretary of state? Do you believe the death of Fidel Castro now changes the dynamics and the conversations about who would be the most appropriate U.S. secretary of state?

TAMEEZ: Well, I certainly hope so. Look, this is an opportunity to turn the page in the relationship between Cuba and the United States. We have tried the sanctions for the last 50 years and we have tried a lot of tough talk and it got us nowhere.

There is an opportunity really to move forward in building diplomacy between Cuba and us. And with that, freeing the prisoners. And with that making a life better for the Cuban people and building this trade. And we have been very successful in other places in doing this. Tough talk isn't the way forward. The way forward is really working together and Cuba is just 90 miles away. This should be our strong ally, not our enemy.

WHITFIELD: All right. And let's shift gears a little bit now from the transition, you know, team and all that is on the table and what they have to consider. And now we understand green party candidate Jill Stein has raised millions of dollars and has asked official for a recount in Wisconsin. And we are hearing today that the Clinton camp will be participating in that recount effort.

Mike, what is your reaction to that and how far do you believe this might go?

SHIELDS: Well, you know, we just went through one of the most divisive elections in the country's history. And since the election, president-elect Trump has said we have to bring people together. He met with President Obama. We talked about bringing people together. Now we see the Clinton campaign joining something where their own lawyers have said we found no evidence of any wrongdoing whatsoever and yet they are going to raise money, build their list, put out emails and sort of continue to divide the country so soon after election when they don't even believe themselves that a recount would change the outcome.

The recount is not going to change the outcome. But this is a side I think it's really - it is a shame that the Clinton campaign is joining this. Maybe they are worried about losing vote count to the green party and they want to be at the table making sure the green party doesn't steal their votes. But I think they have a responsibility.

After the election Hillary Clinton said the election is over. We should put it behind this. Let's all move on and accept the results. And now her campaign is saying they are not going to accept the results.

WHITFIELD: So Mustafa, is this moving toward more healing or more divide?

TAMEEZ: Well, look. I mean, she has won over two million votes across the country. The race in Wisconsin was between 27,252 votes. And her vote count is increasing. I think the Trump campaign does want Hillary Clinton involve because, you know, they he always been gracious about this. She came out right after the election. She was very gracious. She called him. And this is a close election and it's a divided election. And you want some, you know, finality to this. And if that is going to happen rather than Jill Stein, you do want Hillary Clinton involved.

WHITFIELD: All right. Mustafa Tameez and Mike Shields, thank you gentlemen. Appreciate it.

SHIELDS: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right. Next, the president-elect warned about the danger of the North Korean regime as he prepares to take office. What is the delicate relationship with the aspiring nuclear power might look like under Trump.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:23:25] WHITFIELD: Welcome back.

Donald Trump will officially begin his job as president after he is sworn in on January 20th. And as the echoes of his inaugural address fade, the challenges and threat he faces as commander in-chief become more are clear. One of the most prominent threat comes from North Korean and its young, impetuous leader, Kim Jung-Un. Now we are being told the White House considers North Korea a grave threat to America and the president-elect has been briefed.

CNN's Brian Todd has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): New information that Donald Trump got a dire warning about a major national security threat he will face when he enters the oval office, a threat that comes from a young impetuous dictator who executed his own uncle.

U.S. intelligence officials tell CNN the White House is conveying that North Korea is a grave near term threat to America. The "Wall Street Journal" says the Obama team viewed North Korea as Trump's top national security priority and warned the Trump transition team about the threat.

MICHAEL GREEN, CENTER FOR STRATEGIC AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES: Once the president-elect got the detailed briefings on the state of the North Korean nuclear and missile programs, I imagine it was new information and rather jarring.

TODD: U.S. officials and weapons experts say Kim Jong-Un's regime probably has the ability already to put nuclear weapons on medium range missiles which could hit Japan and South Korea. And they are improving their longer range intercontinental ballistic missiles. One is called the KN-14.

RICHARD FISHER, INTERNATIONAL ASSESSMENT AND STRATEGY CENTER: They have tested the ICBN engine. It may have new fuels that give it far greater energy and range. And with that range, the KN-14 can possibly reach Washington, D.C.

[13:25:04] TODD: Those missiles haven't yet been tested to be able to re-enter the atmosphere. But experts say the North Koreans could be able to fire those missiles at the U.S. during Trump's administration. There are also new concerns about Kim's violent tendencies and how president Trump will deal with him personally.

What should Donald Trump know about Kim Jong-Un as an (INAUDIBLE)?

GREEN: Kim Jong-Un is a dangerous man. He has grown up around violence. He seems to even enjoy violence. He has brutally killed dozens of his generals. And he is a leader without legitimacy. He needs to prove to the green people's army that he is a tough guy.

TODD: On the campaign trail, Trump alternated between saying it's possible he could meet with Kim and saying he wanted to push him out of power.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT-ELECT OF THE UNITED STATES: He is like a maniac, OK? And you have to give him credit. How many young guys, who is like 26 or 25 when his father died, take over these tough generals?

TODD: Now analysts have a serious question. Are these two leaders who will act rationally toward each other or impulsively?

BRUCE KLINGNER, THE HERITAGE FOUNDATION: Kim takes any insult very personally. We've seen that threats of 9/11 style attacks after the movie "the Interview" was released and perhaps Mr. Trump is very amenable to responding strongly to any kind of criticism.

TODD: We have press, the Trump transition team for a response to that. And for specifics on how they will handle Kim Jong-Un. We haven't gotten a response.

Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right. Next, global reaction pouring in to CNN about the death of Cuban leader, Fidel Castro. We are live in Moscow where the Russian president and the Russian people are remembering the dictator fondly.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:30:03] WHITFIELD: Hello again, everyone. And thank you so much for joining me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. So we have been getting reactions from around the world on the news of Fidel Castro's death. And during his lifetime, the Cuban leader met with three Popes including Pope Francis back in September of last year.

CNN's Ben Wedeman has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Pope Francis has sent a telegram of condolences to Raul Castro on the death of his brother, Fidel. Now, Fidel Castro had a complicated relationship with the Catholic Church.

In 1961 when Cuba declared itself a socialist country, it shut down the catholic university there, closed 350 catholic schools, and expropriated hundreds of catholic churches. Nonetheless as time passed and as for instance the Soviet Union collapsed, Cuba was definitely in need of friends.

In 1996, Fidel Castro visited Pope John Paul II in the Vatican. And two years later Pope John Paul went Cuba on a historic visit. And of course it was Pope Francis who behind the scenes played a key role in re-establishing relations between the United States and Cuba.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, has also paid tribute to Fidel Castro. Global fellow for the Woodrow Wilson center and former Moscow bureau chief Jill Dougherty is with me now on this.

So Jill, what are you hearing about the tribute that are being paid from Moscow?

JILL DOUGHERTY, GLOBAL FELLOW FOR WOODROW WILSON CENTER: Well, you know, I think from president Putin on down to average Russians, at least a lot of them, there is a lot of nostalgia. After all, you know, Fidel Castro was a revolutionary right to the end. And that kind of brings back some memories of the old days when Russia was a super power and it had a lot of super power influence around the world. And the relationship is very strong.

But president Putin did issue a statement quite long. And he said that Fidel Castro was a symbol of an era, a sincere reliable friend of Russia, and he said that the memory of him will live forever in the hearts of Russian citizens.

And over at the Cuban embassy here in Moscow, Russians came by. They laid flowers. They laid candles. And some of them actually -- there were some who were crying. They were remembering saying that they remembered even from their youth Castro.

And as I was saying, I think, you know, there was very much this feeling that here was a man who was a leader of a very small country, actually an island, who stood up to the big United States. And that is a message that goes over well even in today's Russia. There is one Russian politician who was quoted saying, you know, when you look at Fidel Castro, the sanctions against him, against his island and also the international isolation did not work because there was a strong leader. So I think that you could almost take that as a hint about president Putin and how many Russians look at president Putin right now.

WHITFIELD: And Jill, there will be many days of mourning in Cuba and the funeral scheduled for the 4th of December. Is it your feeling that the Russian president Vladimir Putin would attend?

DOUGHERTY: You know, we don't know. That we really want to know that very much. We still don't know at this point who would represent him. But, you know, the relationship has changed. Because remember after the Soviet Union ended, then Russia could no longer afford to subsidize Cuba. So the relationship really dropped off. And then most recently, they used to have a base. It was an intelligence listening base in Cuba. And president Putin back when he became president closed that. And then just recently in October, the Russian military were saying, well, perhaps we might be reconsidering opening that.

So although the relationship is many years ago, it still is politically significant for Russia.

WHITFIELD: All right. Jill Dougherty, in Moscow, thank you so much.

Next, Donald Trump's list of potential cabinet and staff pick reads like a who's who of the super wealthy. But can millionaires and billionaires really deliver on Trump's common man message in his campaigning? We'll discuss.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Disabilities, it doesn't mean they can't do what we can do. I'm the head instructor at breaking barriers martial arts. Breaking barriers teaches children with all types of abilities. So we have down-syndrome, autism, ADHD. It's just really fun to see them coming out of their shells and really being comfortable in who they are, and knowing that being different is OK.

I have two younger brothers, David and Kenny, and they were both diagnosed with autism at a young age. It was really hard to find something for my brothers to be involved in. So it was really need when we joined tae kwon do and we could do it as a family. I felt like the environment was so much my understanding.

[13:35:28] UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Most importantly I think the heart of tae kwon do is basically how to become like a better person.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I started this program, I had no idea it was going to be anything more than just a Saturday class that was going to be fun for kids to just come and play and learn martial arts. But it's made an impact on these kids.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Feels good to know that we're helping other families that are like us.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When I got white belt, I was thinking that I would never quit.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He has just blossomed through this program. As a parent, the most incredible feeling. (END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [13:39:50] WHITFIELD: All right. Welcome back.

Forget about a team of rivals. How about a team of millionaires and billionaires? President-elect Donald Trump considering a variety of policy experts and politicians for key jobs. And let's just say they have some serious cash.

Betsy Devos, Trump's pick for education secretary. Her family has an estimated net worth of $5 billion. Some of Trump's other potential picks have deep pockets, as well. Mitt Romney who is under consideration for U.S. secretary of state has an estimated net worth of $250 million. Oil tycoon Harold Hamm, a reported contender for energy secretary has an estimated net the worth of more than $15 billion. I bring this up because Trump ran on a promise to fix a rigged system and to rein in Wall Street.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[13:40:37] TRUMP: My weakest support is with very rich people. Isn't that funny? I don't get along very well with the rich. I don't even like rich people that much. It is sick and we are deal.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right, let's discuss. With me now, CNN political commentator Mike Shields and Democratic strategist Mustafa Tameez. Good to see you back, gentlemen.

All right. So Mustafa, what does this say about Donald Trump, his decision making especially on the heels of him saying I don't even like rich people?

TAMEEZ: Well, you know, Donald Trump has a history of saying things and then doing something completely opposite. In this case he said that he was going to heal the nation, bring people together and he appointed Steven Bannon, one of the most divisive people in American politics. He said he is run against the Republican establishment, he appoints Reince Priebus, epitome of the Republican establishment as he puts out. And then he says he is for the working people and he is appointing billionaires to key positions both in secretary of education which where we need someone to bring up the middle class. And now you have a billionaire there who is for school vouchers. This is, to say the least, is concerning.

WHITFIELD: And so, Mike, so these picks you know, demonstrate Donald Trump who says he wants to put in together an administration for the forgotten man?

SHIELDS: Yes. Look at the people that elected Donald Trump. They knew he was wealthy person himself and they knew what that meant was. He couldn't be bought. And that was a really powerful message for him. And if you look at the voters that really carried him in the election, they were working class voters in the Midwest that switched from Obama to Trump in the last election. And so who he is appointing? He is appointing them based on their policies. Based on the things that they are going to do. Betsy Devos is a champion for education, for school choice, for

getting people out of failing government-run schools and getting them in o schools that their children can go to regardless of their income is. So her very policy reason that she is being put into the department of education is because she is trying to create an education system where children get taken out of failing schools regardless of their income and put into schools that work even if they normally wouldn't be able to afford it.

So I think the idea - look. John Kerry is one of the wealthiest people in the country. He is a secretary of state. I think almost all of the senators in the country are very wealthy people. It's really not a matter of how much money you have. It's a matter of what the policies are that you're putting forth in this administration. And the public has faith on Donald Trump because they know he can't be bought and they know that he is someone who didn't run on his wealth. They ran on his policies.

WHITFIELD: And Mustafa, you know, Trump has repeatedly said that he wants outsiders, not Washington elite. Betsy Devos, for one, she is not, you know, a Washington insider. I mean, elite in other circles. But do you see a real congruent message here?

TAMEEZ: Look, not really. Look. Donald Trump, you know, kept on saying he may not be bought, but he is trying to expand his own wealth based on some of the meetings that he has had with his daughter in the room with the leader of Japan and many other instances.

SHIELDS: That is an accusation. There is no fact behind what you just said.

WHITFIELD: Well, except that Ivanka Trump was in a room for the meetings that -

(CROSSTALK)

TAMEEZ: Well, if you allow me to speak, I can actually tell you what happened, right? I mean, his properties in the UK where you met a UK leader and said that I don't like the way that the wind farms face his property. He has talked about, you know, taking those wind farms away. That is a way of -- that is a factual thing. So nobody --.

WHITFIELD: So Mustafa, you are really talking about the potential conflict of interest here, how being president, you know, how is he going to straddle being president and also being a businessman or will he be handing over and not profiting in a business sense from his presidency.

TAMEEZ: Absolutely. So if you ran on saying I'm for the common man, and then you say I can't be bought. And then instead of, you know, other -- helping other people with influence, he is helping himself and his family. And that is concerning. And I think there needs to be a much stronger line between people in public office and that private interests. And Donald Trump has not done that.

WHITFIELD: So Mike, how is Donald Trump going to do that, to convey to people that he is not using the presidency for, you know, the gains of his business?

SHIELDS: Well, this is why we have a transition period. In our system, you don't become the president the day after the election. You get sworn in on January 20th. People - the voters knew that he was a businessman. That's why they supported him. They wanted someone outside of Washington. You know, if you had elected a typical Washington politician, this wouldn't even be an issue. The fact is you have a transition period and that's the period of time where they have to come up with --

[13:45:17] WHITFIELD: But there are many that take issue with that which is if you thought potentially you would be the president, why wouldn't you do that before the transition period just in case you were to be elected?

SHIELDS: Well, I think that you -- first of all, I can't speak for the president-elect on that, but my understanding is you want to have the right counsel, the right lawyers involved do this the right way. He was focused on winning the election. He was focused on talking to the American people about winning the election knowing that there is a transition period between now and when he is sworn in. And the White House incoming chief staff Reince Priebus has said they are consulting counsel. They are looking at the ways do this correctly. They will come out with something. They don't have to answer this question, you know, ten days in when they are busy trying to put a cabinet together. By the time he is sworn in, they will have an answer on this. And I think this is just a distraction from the real issues.

WHITFIELD: So do you think it was appropriate for, you know, Ivanka to be in these meetings even though he is in transition when he was talking to other heads of state?

SHIELDS: Absolutely. He is in transition. He is not the leader. And by the way, the British politicians that he talked to doesn't hold office. And so - Britain.

TAMEEZ: Leader of the party.

SHIELDS: He is no longer the leader of the party. He is no longer the leader of UK either. And so. But that is - look. That is why this is all a political distraction. There are people in the country that are hurting. They want jobs. The last thing they care about is people talking in Washington, D.C. about what blind trust Donald Trump is going to put his money into.

He is focused on a transition to put people into the cabinet that can help solve the problems on the issues that he ran on and that's what he should be focused on. In the meantime, there is going to be some lawyers that get together and figure out exactly how he will put things in to a blind trust. He has said he is going to follow the letter of the law. And everything is going to be abide for. And he has time to do that. And so, that's why we have a transition period while they sort that out.

WHITFIELD: All right. We are going to leave it right there. Conflict of interest is indeed a pretty fair amount concern for a

number of voters. So I'm sure we are going to be talking about this again potentially.

Gentlemen, thank you so much. Mike, Mustafa, appreciate it.

All right. Next, jury selection resumes Monday for the trial of the young man accused of gunning down nine people in a Charleston church. What to expect now that the judge has ruled he is competent to stand trial.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:51:07] WHITFIELD: Welcome back. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

Jury selection resumes Monday in the trial of Dylan Roof, the 22-year- old that is facing multiple counts of murder after the Charleston church shooting that killed nine people back in June of last year in South Carolina. The judge in the case ruled Roof is confident to stand trial.

Let's bring in our legal guys, Avery Friedman, a civil rights attorney and law professor joining us from Cleveland. Good to see you.

AVERY FRIEDMAN, CIVIL RIGHTS ATTORNEY: Hi, Fred.

WHITFIELD: And Richard Herman, a New York criminal defense attorney and law professor joining us from Las Vegas. Good to see you as well.

RICHARD HERMAN, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Thanks, Fred.

WHITFIELD: OK. Avery, you first. Dylan Roof, deemed confident to stand trial. How was that decision rendered?

FRIEDMAN: Well, it was a very revealing opinion written by U.S. district judge Richard Gurgle. He had to balance the right of freedom of the press. He permitted the media to argue that they should be able to publish information about the eight witnesses concerning competency.

But on the other hand, the defense lawyers for Dylan Roof argued that by disseminating the information, it is going to prejudice his rights. It is going to poison the jury pool. And therefore he wouldn't receive a fair trial.

So on balance, while it is controversial, I think the judge did exactly the right thing.

WHITFIELD: So Richard, you are in disagreement?

HERMAN: Well, I'm not in disagreement, Fred. It is just the issue in the competency hearing was, does you Mr. Roof understand the nature and consequences of the charges brought against him? And is he able to assist in his defense? That was the issue before the judge.

The judge ruled, yes, he is competent. Just like the state court judge ruled he is confident because there is a state murder trial that is going to take place in January right after this federal trial.

WHITFIELD: Now, jury selection was scheduled earlier in the month. But Dylan Roof's attorneys wanted him to be analyzed. What was their hope in that kind of analysis? You know, that he would be found incompetent, that it was just a stalling technique, what, Avery?

FRIEDMAN: Well, you know what? It's amazing that they started the process before the defense lawyers argued strongly that their client wasn't prepared, at least mentally, to move forward, both in terms of the act. And in terms of understanding what was going on.

The trial actually started on the 7th of November, was adjourned for purpose because of a two-week competency hearing. And based on judge's Gurgles' resolution will now resume. I think this is something that should have started before the trial. And this is what happened. It got interrupted. Jury selection was interrupted and now it will precede again starting on Monday.

WHITFIELD: And then, and Richard, you know, change of venue is always, you know, a tool that attorneys will use, particularly when you have highly publicized cases. In a case like this in South Carolina where so many were touched, you know, by this, is it your feeling that it will difficult, you know, to seat a jury and that a change of venue motion could still potentially be made?

HERMAN: No, Fred. The defense has waived that right to make a change of venue. And they did it based on a strategy.

Just in a quick nutshell, Fred. This individual went into bible study in a black church, sat with members and (INAUDIBLE) and the pastor for an hour. After the hour, he pulled out a gun and opened fire. He killed nine people. He let three leave so they could proclaim to the world that he hates black people and that's why he did it.

Then, law enforcement went to his house within an hour and found a manifesto where he admitted to the killing. He showed that he is a racist. And so, this is the case that's going to go to trial here, Fred. And so, you ask why did the defense attorneys do this? It is panic. I mean, it is outright panic right now. There is no defense. They are going to keep it in Charleston, because they believe in that jury pool they are going to get a lot of urban citizens, church-going citizens. And an ironic twist, that's who they are going to looking for for forgiveness and mercy to prevent the death penalty. And they feel if they go rural, there is going to be no chance. Suburbs want to kill him.

WHITFIELD: Yes. And people can't forget that early on, they were church members who said despite all that had happened, nine people killed from their church, they forgave Dylan Roof.

All right. Avery Friedman, Richard Herman, thank you so much gentlemen. Appreciate it.

All right, next, famed Cuban-born musician, Gloria Estefan weighs in on the death of Fidel Castro. We will hear from her in a statement and take you live to Miami's Little Havana neighborhood where people continue to celebrate in the streets there.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:59:55] WHITFIELD: Hello again. And thanks so much for joining me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

So to some, a hero, to others, a tyrant. Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro is dead at the age of 90. And reaction are pouring in from around the world. In Havana, some of Castro's supporters are in mourning.