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Castro's Death Causes Contrasting Reactions of Grief, Relief; Will Trump Ditch Obama's Cuba Initiatives?; Interview with Dr. Jill Stein; U.S. Service Members Spend Holiday Week Fighting ISIS; Interview with Mel Martinez; Castro Twice Welcomed by African- Americans in New York. Aired 4-5p ET

Aired November 26, 2016 - 16:00   ET

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


[16:00:05] PAMELA BROWN, CNN ANCHOR: Top of the hour now. I'm Pamela Brown in for Poppy Harlow on this Saturday. And you are live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

And we begin with the death of former Cuban leader Fidel Castro. To some, he was a revolutionary hero. To others he was a brutal dictator who ruled the communist nation with an iron fist.

When Castro and his revolutionaries took power in 1959, he released white doves to symbolize a new era of peace and prosperity in Cuba. Well, 57 years later, Castro's death is triggering two very different types of reactions. Some are shedding tears of grief, others tears of joy.

In Miami, the heart of the Cuban exile community, celebrations erupted when news broke that Castro had died on Friday at the age of 90. Many there say Castro's death will close a dark chapter on Cuba's history. And the mood in the Cuban capital, meanwhile, is quiet and somber as people there worry about what might happen next.

And we're also getting reaction from President Obama and President- elect Trump on Castro's death. From Trump, he says, "While Cuba remains a totalitarian island, it is my hope that today marks a move away from the horrors endured for far too long, and toward a future in which the wonderful Cuban people finally live in the freedom they so richly deserve."

And from President Obama, "During my presidency we have 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."

Well, the death of former dictator Fidel Castro is cause for celebration by many in Miami. The streets of Little Havana, as you see right here, are full of people, marching, chanting and waving the Cuban flag. Many people here fled Castro's oppressive communist regime for freedom in America. But in Havana, Cuba there is a very different reaction to Castro's death.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The Cuban people is feeling sad because of the loss of our 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)

BROWN: CNN correspondent Ed Lavandera joins me now from Little Havana.

So, Ed, how do you reconcile the different reactions to Castro's death? Why do most people there in Little Havana celebrate, while some in Havana mourn, as like the woman we just heard?

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, to Cuban exiles here in Miami, Fidel Castro represents the evilness of the Cuban dictatorship, as someone who imprisoned political dissidents, tore apart families. That is the very real anger and animosity that many of the Cubans that live here in the United States feel toward the Castro regime, not just Fidel Castro but also his brother and the entire regime that has existed there for so many decades.

We are here in the heart of Little Havana in front of the Versailles Restaurant. This is the owner of the restaurant, Felipe Valls.

You left Cuba when you were 2 years old, 1960. Here in 2016, people are celebrating this moment in front of your restaurant. How do you put into words what this day is like?

FELIPE VALLS, OWNER, VERSAILLES RESTAURANT: Well, first, I feel honored that Versailles is always the epicenter of the Cuban happening. It's always been a place where the media has come to interview and tug and touch the pulse of the Cuban population. But this moment is a historic moment. It's a symbolic moment but it's also a reality that things are going to change. This has to be good for Cuba that Fidel has died. And I think now with the softening a lot hasn't happened. Some say it's worse than before.

But the symbol of Fidel, the originator o this false revolution and this whole horrible things that have happened to Cuba, he's the man, he's the symbol. So I think now the hope in the hearts of Cubans there, the hopes of the Cubans here is that there'll be betterment in all sizes.

LAVANDERA: I think this is the kind of thing that people are debating in front of the coffee stand these days, right? What exactly is this going to mean for the future? And I've heard a wide -- some people think it's not going to do much, that the system that is in place is going to be entrenched for generations. Do you think it will make a difference?

VALLS: Well, there's no doubt that it's entrenched. There's no doubt there's very little movement from the regime in general. So there's nothing really to do to move that too much. But if there's one thing and one symbol that really kind of alleviates in the minds of so many over there and of the hopes of the ones here is that of Fidel Castro. There has to be positive from this happening. LAVANDERA: I'm sure over the last year or so, as President Obama has

tried to normalize relationship -- the relationship between U.S. and Cuba, you've heard the conversations here about that. What are people saying about the future of that relationship? What do they want to see? Do they like the path that it's on or do they want to take it backwards?

[16:05:03] VALLS: Well, I think in general the generations of my parents have a more negative view of that than the youth. There's also 100,000 or so Cubans that have come from the island from the regime that are here and have a little bit of a different view. So everybody has a different view on what's going to happen.

The one common thread is that everybody wants liberty and democracy and a true vote to see who leads Cuba. Everybody wants that. There are some more skeptical than others on when is this going to happen. But the death of Fidel is very -- is much more powerful than any approach to Cuba and any softening of all these things. The death of Cuba is very important -- the death of Fidel is very important.

LAVANDERA: Have you ever been back?

VALLS: I have not.

LAVANDERA: Do you plan to?

VALLS: Some day, yes. When Cuba is free, we shall be there.

LAVANDERA: Very good. Thank you. It's got to be quite a sight for you to --

VALLS: A heck of a weekend.

LAVANDERA: Yes. A heck of a weekend, as he says. As we mentioned, this has been a place where throughout the day, Pamela, people have been chanting, "At last this day has come" -- Pamela.

BROWN: And I know this is personal for you as your parents fled Castro's regime.

Ed Lavandera, thank you so much for bringing us that reporting there in Little Havana. We do appreciate it.

And Fidel Castro's death is triggering powerful reactions around the globe. Yet it's the reaction of one man, President-elect Donald Trump that may have the biggest impact on Cuba's future. President Obama spent a lot of time trying to defrost the U.S.-Cuban relationship. He asked Congress to end the 50-year embargo on Cuba. He made a historic trip to Cuba this year, becoming the first sitting U.S. president to visit Cuba since 1928.

Plus Obama took smaller steps to reopen economic and diplomatic ties with Cuba. Will President-elect Trump toss Obama's Cuba initiatives out the window? That is the big question now in the wake of Fidel Castro's death, and we want to talk it over with CNN political analyst Josh Rogin, a "Washington Post" columnist. What do we really know about Trump's policy on Cuba, Josh? Break it

down for us.

JOSH ROGIN, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Sure. Well, as a candidate, President-elect Trump has said various things about what he would do to U.S.-Cuba if elected. The vast majority of the time he has said that President Obama's opening to Cuba was a bad deal. In other words he's not opposed to bringing Cuba back into the fold, as he said at one campaign rally, but he does think that Cuba must do more in order to receive the social and economic benefits that come with a normalized relationship with the United States.

What more, do you ask? Well, freedom and democracy. Those are what the things that Trump is demanding. Now what we've seen over the course of the past 50 years is that the U.S. trade embargo in Cuba has not proved to move the Castro regime away from its admittedly brutal policies and its repressive policies.

The question will be for Donald Trump when he takes office, does he want to roll back those policies? He will have the ability to do so, they're mostly executive orders. Congress has not lifted the embargo. So the question is, does he really see any benefit in taking those relationships away, taking U.S. businesses access to Cuba away, what does that get him?

BROWN: And he has said that, as you point out, he will roll it back unless Cuba gives religious and political freedom. How likely is that? We know Raul Castro was handed the reins back in 2008. Fidel Castro's brother. He has said he's going to step down in 2018. What can we expect?

ROGIN: Well, as the critics have pointed out, we have not seen a relaxation of the repressive policies of the Castro regime, A, since Raul Castro took power in 2006, over 10 years ago, nor since the Obama administration normalized relations with Cuba last year. So we haven't seen any progress really that we can point to. And we're not likely to see progress just based on the threats of President-elect Donald Trump. It's simply not going to happen.

We might see some progress in 2018. Raul Castro has pledged to step down as president. It's totally unclear what happens after that. He could appoint a new dictator. He could have some sort of a competitive process. It's not really clear. But what is clear is that Cuba is changing. OK. And how the United States positions itself to respond to those changes will determine how the relationship functions. In other words, you know, we can go ahead and put back those walls up, but will that really achieve our goals in the end? Probably not.

BROWN: And just to kind of put it all into context, why is it important for the U.S. to have a thawing of relations with Cuba?

ROGIN: Well, overall Cuba is our neighbor and is going to be our neighbor forever. And in the end, everyone, even the critics and the supporters of President Obama's policies can agree that Cubans, millions of people currently living under the Castro regime, would be better off in the long run if the relationship with the United States was better.

The question is, how do you get there? Do you get there through pressuring the regime or by engaging the regime? And, you know, most experts that I talk to who really know Cuba will tell you that it takes a mixture, OK?

[16:10:05] You can't just isolate the island and expect them to -- the Castro regime to fall. At the same time, we shouldn't abandon our appeals to the Cuban government to give its people more basic and human rights. So what the Trump administration will have to do is thread that needle and come up with a system of sticks and carrots that uses limited U.S. influence in the greatest possible way.

BROWN: All right. Josh Rogin, thank you so much for breaking it down for us. We do appreciate it.

ROGIN: Thank you.

BROWN: And ahead this hour, more reaction on the death of Cuba's Fidel Castro. Former U.S. senator from Florida, Mel Martinez, joins me live

But next, the recount efforts in several key states heating up. Jill Stein will join me to talk about the effort and Trump's sharp reaction to it.

You are live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BROWN: We are following breaking news. President-elect Donald Trump is responding for the first time to the vote recount filed yesterday in Wisconsin by the Green Party's Jill Stein. In a just-released statement, Trump says, in part, "The people have spoken and the election is over. This recount is just a way for Jill Stein who received less than 1 percent of the vote overall and wasn't even on the ballot in many states to fill her coffers with money, most of which she will never even spend on this ridiculous recount. This is a scam by the Green Party for an election that has already been conceded and the results of this election should be respected instead of being challenged and abused which is exactly what Jill Stein is doing."

I am joined now by Jill Stein herself.

First off, Dr. Stein, thank you for coming on the show to talk about this. What is your reaction to Trump's scathing statement about you?

DR. JILL STEIN, 2016 GREEN PARTY CANDIDATE FOR PRESIDENT: Well, you know, I'm really glad he's talking about it.

[16:15:02] And I feel honored that he's blaming the recount effort on me. I think this is clearly a grassroots, very people-powered campaign, powered by over 110,000 donors, contributing on average $45. And for his information, this is actually all going into a dedicated and segregated account so that it can only be spent on the recount campaign. So, you know, he may be creating his own facts here, as he's been

known to do sometimes in the past. And I think, you know, he himself said that it was a rigged election unless he won it. But I think that sort of, shall we say, not exactly compelling thinking is not particularly persuasive to the American people.

This is an election. You know, a very bitter and divisive election. The American people are looking for a positive way forward that will protect our rights to vote. Not only against Republicans, but against Democrats, and as we know, there are concerns about three states in particular as examples of potential hacking. But there was likewise in the Democratic primary. And I myself was very disappointed when Bernie Sanders did not mount a challenge.

The point to drive home here is that having a secure elections process benefits us all. And I invite everyone. I invite Donald Trump's campaign, Hillary's campaign, we've had calls out to Gary Johnson's campaign, this should be a non-partisan, people-powered effort to ensure that we can rely on the integrity and the security of our votes.

BROWN: As it stands now, Dr. Stein, there is no -- there's no evidence that there was actually hacking on any of systems on Election Day to tamper with the outcome. And there were allegation, as you'll recall, leading up to Election Day that these alleged attempted hacks by Russia was really an effort to undermine our democracy by passing doubt on the election.

Does pursuing a recount do the same thing?

STEIN: You know, I think what we need is confidence in our system. And we walk out of this election, you know, with American confidence, you know, at an all-time low. Over 80 percent of voters said that they were disgusted by the process of this election. And there's been an incredible loss of faith in our basic institutions of government.

I don't think we fix this by just trying to sweep it under the rug. We need to stand up. We need to take a look. And this should be a first step towards creating institutions that we can rely on. We're not only calling for a verified vote in this election, but going forward we need to have paper evidence of our votes. Right now we have a lot of electronic machines. In fact in the state of Wisconsin, electronic voting machines are being used that have been rendered illegal in the state of California because they are an open door to hacking.

What we know is this. Going into this election, and throughout the election, we saw hacking taking place all over the place, of state voter databases, of the Democratic Party's voter database, of private e-mail accounts. This was a hack-riddled election. And add to that voting machines that are basically an open door to tampering and interference.

When you get into an airplane, you want to know that there are safety systems and backup systems to be sure that you're going to be safe in that airplane. Our voting system deserves no less. We need to put an end to these electronic machines that have no paper trail. We need to ensure that we have a paper trail and that we not only have the ability to recount, as now, but that we install in the process, in all of our elections, quality assurance through an automatic audit that ensures that the vote count is accurate.

BROWN: Let me just ask you this, Dr. Stein. I want to get your reaction to Trump's campaign boss, Kellyanne Conway, who released this statement. She says, "What a pack of sore losers. After asking Mr. Trump and his team a million times on the trail, will he accept the election results, it turns out Team Hillary and their new BFF Jill Stein can't accept reality?"

What do you have to say to that insinuation that essentially you're being hypocritical here?

STEIN: Well, I cannot speak to the Clinton campaign and have had no contact with them, although our lawyers are going to contact them to ensure that if there are any moves in the legal area, if they actually do request a recount, and it's not clear that they're going to, but if they do, we don't want to be in each other's way.

[16:20:03] I cannot speak for the Clinton campaign. I can speak for my campaign. And what I said consistently throughout the campaign was that if there were questions raised about the reliability or the accuracy or the security of the vote, that I would stand up and file that challenge, no matter who the winner was.

To me, this is not about overturning the results of the election. It's not about who's the winner and who's the runner-up. The question here is whether we the voters can start to have a voting system that we believe in. And right now people don't believe in it. And you can see that by the incredible outpouring of grassroots support.

Basically what we did was put out a press release that we were intending to call for a recount in three highly vulnerable states. And when we put out that press release and we put up a Web page, the floodgates opened. And that's all that we have done to actually solicit support.

People were wound up and ready to go. People wanted to do something positive after this very brutal and discouraging election. People want to see a new direction going forward, a direction that we, the people, are leading, that the political establishment is not leading, that ensures us that we can trust our voting system so that we the voters can start to take back this promise of a democracy that we deserve.

BROWN: Let me just ask you because some people may look at your efforts and say you're trying to help Hillary Clinton here, that you're on Hillary Clinton's side with this. Is that true? And what is in this for you personally?

STEIN: You know, I would say what's in this for us as voters. We need to know that our votes are counted, that they're not being hacked, that they're not being tampered with. But as an independent political party, we need to know that our votes are being counted as well. So we want to know what our vote count is in this election and we also want to know going forward, you know, where we have candidates running in 2017 and 2018, we want to know that our votes are being counted in local elections as well.

As Democratic and Republican and independent candidates deserve to have confidence that their votes are being counted. But I think this is not a partisan effort. This is about just basic principles of democracy.

BROWN: So essentially even before Election Day, did you plan on doing this recount then?

STEIN: I have always said, you know, because the question always comes up, in 2004, the Green Party led the recount effort in Ohio when there was rather glaring evidence of tampering. In fact, based on the results of that campaign for verified voting, the state of California changed its rules and changed what voting machines would and wouldn't be allowed.

The state of New Mexico, based on the discussions in 2004, they went forward and modified their voting process so they now use paper ballots, they have all automatic audits of those ballots, and they have automatic recounts when the -- when the counts are very close. So that we as voters are all going to benefit here.

And what I always said from the very beginning of the campaign when the question came up, I always said that we would step forward and support the American people in our quest for a democracy that we can count on, and for a voting system that we can trust.

BROWN: All right.

STEIN: And when the evidence began to emerge that we were being hacked all over the place, you know, my conviction only strengthened that this is something we have to do as ordinary people here in -- throughout the U.S. whether our political establishment buys into it or not. I don't expect them to because they don't particularly benefit here as we become a more --

BROWN: OK.

STEIN: -- small D democratic system.

BROWN: Thank you, Dr. Stein.

STEIN: This is what all of us need. Thank you.

BROWN: Thank you for coming on and sharing your voice with us. Interesting discussion. We do appreciate it.

Moving right along here, as Americans gather on this holiday weekend, we can't forget about our brave men and women who are in harm's way overseas.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) STAFF. SGT. JOHN LEORA, U.S. AIR FORCE: So I'm actually honored to be here. You know, being with family, they understand it. We work through it at home. But right now it's my time to be out here, and I just happy to be serving.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: Up next in a CNN exclusive, we take you to the skies above Iraq and Syria to show you how the air war against ISIS is heating up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:28:28] BROWN: Millions of Americans are spending this holiday weekend celebrating with their families. But others are putting their lives on the line in the fight against ISIS.

And CNN's Frederik Pleitgen was in the air with Americans assisting in that fight.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): 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.

CAPT. CLARK PALICKA, U.S. AIR FORCE: The dynamic air space, challenging environment. But it's very rewarding.

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

STAFF SGT. URIEL ESCAMILLA, U.S. AIR FORCE: It is two moving aircraft but they are moving at around the same speed, so at the end it's just the rate of closure that the aircraft has towards you when they stop and you are actually able to give them that contact.

PLEITGEN: The KC-10 refuels planes from all members of the U.S.-led coalition against ISIS. Including C-130 Hercules transporters and the mighty A-10 warthog with its massive cannon and many bombs clearly visible through our window.

(On camera): Without the help of these tankers the planes that are flying missions against ISIS could only stay in the area of operations for about an hour, maybe 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.

[16:30:07] (Voice-over): So instead of turkey and football, for the KC-10 crews it's eight to 10-hour missions hovering over this key battlefield. The pain of being away from their loved ones mitigated by the contribution they are making to the war against terror.

FIRST LT. TYLER JOHNSON, U.S. AIR FORCE: 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.

LEORA: So I'm actually honored to be here. You know, being away from family, they understand it. We went through it at 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)

BROWN: Thanks to Frederik Pleitgen for that report.

And coming up live in the CNN NEWSROOM, more reaction on the death of Cuba's Fidel Castro. Up next, the first Cuban American U.S. Senator Mel Martinez joins me live.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BROWN: Fidel Castro established a communist regime on America's doorstep in 1959. He defied 10 U.S. presidents and once brought the U.S. and the USSR to the brink of nuclear war. Remarkably, Castro went on to survive the collapse of his Soviet benefactors decades later.

To discuss Castro's legacy and death, I'm joined by former U.S. senator from Florida, Mel Martinez, who also once served as chairman of the RNC. He fled Castro's Cuba in 1952 and settled in Florida.

Senator Martinez, welcome and thank you so much for coming on the show. We appreciate it.

[16:35:04] MEL MARTINEZ, FORMER FLORIDA REPUBLICAN SENATOR: Sure, Pamela. Good to be with you.

BROWN: First off, what is your reaction when you heard the news?

MARTINEZ: Well, you know, it's something that has been anticipated for a long time. And it finally came. And it was almost anticlimactic in a way, although it was a day of tremendous excitement for Cubans inside and outside of Cuba. One of my first thoughts was my parents didn't live long enough frankly to see a day without Fidel Castro hanging over our heads. But at the same time I believe that for those of us who are here, we need to be thinking about the future of the Cuban people, the opportunity that perhaps is available now for there to be real change inside of Cuba.

And the hope is that freedom, democracy, the same kind of opportunity to live a free life, that frankly all the other countries in the western hemisphere, with some rare exceptions, can enjoy, that it would come to the Cuban people as well, so that they also can improve their lives economically, which are mired in misery right now and have been under this regime.

BROWN: And --

MARTINEZ: So, it's --

BROWN: Go ahead.

MARTINEZ: And you know, look, I -- my thoughts just ramble on. But I mean, I'll be glad to answer your questions.

BROWN: Well, clearly this is something that evokes powerful emotion from those who live in Cuba. And, you know, as we talked about, you left Cuba, you once lived there. What do you remember of your life in Cuba under Castro?

MARTINEZ: Oh, well look, I mean, I remember the dramatic change that occurred in my life before and after the Castro regime. You know, I mean, it's often thought of improvements that came about and whatnot. I only lived under Castro for three years. But what I can remember is firing squads, the inability to speak freely, the closing of Catholic schools and all religious schools, the repression and imprisonments.

I remember the Bay of Pigs. I was then here alone as part of the Peter Pan exodus when my parents were still in Cuba during the missile crisis. And so to me my youth was marked in many ways by Fidel Castro's taking over our country and turning it into a brutal military dictator. So when you look at his legacy, I mean, it's a legacy of a lot of very negative things, I believe. I don't know that it equates in any way with anything positive that might have come about as a result of his rule in Cuba.

And by the way, it's not only those of us that are Cuban Americans that live in the United States. We're the only ones that are free to express that. But when CNN reports that the people in Cuba are mourning, I'm sure there are people in Cuba that are mourning, and I'm sure his family is mourning. But I promise you there's an awful lot of Cubans who would love to tell to your air that they're rejoicing today for the hopes of freedom, for the hope of democracy, and the hope of a better life. But they wouldn't dare say it because in Cuba one is not allowed to do what I'm doing with you today, which is freely express my view.

BROWN: Fascinating. We spoke to a congresswoman last hour who had the same sentiment, saying that some of these people who are outwardly mourning in Havana really would go home and secretly celebrate. Do you think that there is any genuine mourning, though, in Cuba and around the world? I mean, we've seen this sort of dichotomy of responses to his death.

MARTINEZ: Well, around the world, I'm sure because they don't have to live under his brutal, tyrannical, dictatorial regime for 57 years. And in Cuba, those who have benefit by the regime, the ruling class, the same people who were in Ceausescu's Romania, sad to see him leave the scene, or those in the old Soviet Union or any other country that has been oppressed by communism, there are those who benefit by that regime and benefit by that system.

But the question really is, how far does that filter and what is best for the Cuban people going forward? So, I mean, look, rather than focus on that and the sordid past that Castro has been a part of, my hope is that a future that can come to the Cuban people in the near future, be one of change, of dramatic differences from what the past has been, that perhaps Raul Castro will use this as an opportunity to institute the kinds of changes that I know President Obama was hopeful would be the case with his opening to Cuba.

None of that has materialized. And one can only hope that this might be a moment, a turning point in which change could come to the Cuban people.

BROWN: We will have to see what happens.

Senator Martinez, thank you very much.

Ceausescu My pleasure.

BROWN: And up next, the Clinton campaign joining recount efforts in several key states. For President-elect Donald Trump calling the efforts, quote, "ridiculous" and a "scam." We're going to talk about it up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

16:43:19] BROWN: President-elect Donald Trump is firing off on what he calls a ridiculous effort to recount votes in several key states. In a newly released statement, Trump blasts Jill Stein who is leading this effort, saying in part, "This recount is just a way for Jill Stein to fill her coffers with money. Most of which she will never even spend on this ridiculous recount."

Let's talk, with me now, Symnone Sanders, a Democratic strategist and former national press secretary with the Sanders campaign. She supported Clinton in the election. Also with us, Scottie Nell Hughes, political editor and RightAlerts.com. She supported Trump in the election.

Thank you, ladies. Good to see you again.

Scottie Nell, you're up first. For months Trump insisted this election was rigged, so much so that he encouraged supporters to monitor polling stations. If Trump had lost, and there were concerns of possible hacking or voting discrepancies, would he also not be calling for a recount as well?

SCOTTIE NELL HUGHES, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: If there were some actual evidence to it. Now this is one difference between Hillary Clinton saying that we need to look at it, who possibly might actually alter the change, versus Jill Stein who got less than 1 percent of vote. She's raised more in the last two days than she did her entire election campaign. $5 million compared to the $3.5 million. And if she was not just doing this for money, why is she continuing to up the amount that she wants to raise, not based on what actually she needs but for some reason what she says will be attorneys' fees and consultants and poll watchers?

Just in the last 48 hours, she's started off saying she needed $2.5 million. Now she's up to $7 million. So this isn't necessarily about doing what's best and bringing back what actually bringing some sort of belief to the system. This is all about just making sure for some reason either she pays off her debts or she has some other ulterior motive to do with all of this money.

(CROSSTALK)

BROWN: Hold on. Hold on. Because we just spoke to Jill Stein in the last hour, the last block. And she says that all this money will be put into a separate account and will go toward the recount. So that is what she is saying about this.

[16:45:05] HUGHES: Well, what about the extra? Does she return the money that she doesn't use? She's saying that she's going to apply for it. That doesn't necessarily mean that it's going to happen. You have to have evidence in all three of these states for this to happen. She's only talking about the one state right now. The other two --

(CROSSTALK)

BROWN: Well, she's saying the other two and perhaps beyond that.

But let me just go to you, Symone. Democrats pounced as we remember when Trump made these rigging claims. There were serious concerns about whether he'd accept the results if he lost. Are Democrats -- aren't Democrats now sort of doing what they spoke out against? Is this hypocritical?

SYMONE SANDERS, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: No, not at all. You know, during the general election, Mr. Trump flat out denied to go ahead and say that he would just go ahead and accept the election results because we just don't know. He casted doubt upon our democracy, basically. That's not what Democrats are doing. What Democrats are saying is, look, Jill Stein has led this effort, and I am not here to defend Jill Stein under any circumstances, but she has led this effort.

She says she wants to get folks together to do this recount. Now you have the Clinton campaign coming in to make sure that since this recount is happening to make sure that it goes on the up and up because what we do know is that we do have evidence that the -- that our elections in general were tampered with. We know that the Russians dipped their toe into our elections more than a couple of times with the fake news, with hacking of the Democratic National Committee, and the Clinton campaign's personal e-mails.

So that's what this is. It's not hypocrisy. It's really coming in to ensure that whatever recount that is happening, it's happening on the up and up. And if there's anything that's found, then we'll deal with it as it comes. BROWN: All right. Scottie, 30 seconds. Go.

HUGHES: Well, what's interesting about it. You don't hear the Democrats screaming back in 2008 when actually Barack Obama lost to Hillary Clinton the popular vote. We didn't hear the idea of rigging and we need to make sure that every vote counted. Instead they just accepted it and continued to push Barack Obama who later on became president. It's time to move on and unify the country.

BROWN: All right. That was impressive.

SANDERS: The Russian weren't hacking our elections.

BROWN: Six seconds.

HUGHES: No, but that's what I'm saying, popular vote. That's how they're justifying it.

BROWN: So what is remarkable, you look at the amount raised, millions of dollars. And now we know that there has been a filing in Wisconsin. Jill Stein says she will continue to file for recounts and we'll be watching this story, of course.

Scottie Nell Hughes, Symone Sanders, thank you so much. Do appreciate it, ladies. We'll see you soon.

SANDERS: Thank you.

BROWN: And coming up on this Saturday, Fidel Castro had many detractors in America's Cuban exile community. But African-Americans in Harlem gave him a warm welcome on two separate occasions. We'll tell you why. Coming up. You are live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

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[16:51:15] BROWN: Well, Fidel Castro may be despised by Cuban exiles in Florida who fled his oppressive regime for freedom in nearby Florida, but thousands of miles away in New York, the reaction was much different on two occasions when Castro came to town. Castro got a warm welcome from African-Americans twice when he was in the city addressing the United Nations.

Senior U.N. correspondent Richard Roth explains why.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RICHARD ROTH, CNN SENIOR U.N. CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Fidel Castro was despised by Cuban exiles in Florida and opposed by the U.S. government. But in New York's Harlem community, many welcomed him as a hero.

In 1960, Castro came to address the United Nations as the new leader of Cuba. His delegation checked into a nearby hotel.

PROF. MANNING MARABLE, AFRICAN-AMERICAN STUDIES, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY: He ran into trouble in a Midtown Hotel in part because of the live chickens he had brought with him. So Fidel and his entourage moved uptown to the Hotel Theresa. And a stimulated, excited crowd of African-Americans, thousands, who gathered in the street below the hotel, cheering him on.

FELIPE PEREZ ROQUE, FORMER CUBAN FOREIGN MINISTER: He was invited by the popular leader in this community. And he received in the Theresa Hotel a lot of -- a lot of visits from the main political people of that time, like Nikita Khrushchev and some others.

ROTH: He also met with black nationalist leader Malcolm X.

MARABLE: In the United States in the 1960s segregation was still legal. So African-Americans looked at the situation in the early '60s, what Fidel had been going to do is to target racial discrimination in Cuba.

ROTH: Castro returned to the U.N. and the U.S. in 1995. And when he addressed the General Assembly, it seemed he might have given up on some of his revolutionary ways.

MARABLE: When Fidel was downtown, he was wearing a suit and tie, trying to fit in as best he could with the suits. But when he came here, he could relax, and for Fidel, that means military fatigues. It just restates the revolutionary commitment that black folk feel about a country that takes seriously the struggle against racism.

ROTH: That night, Castro was greeted to a standing ovation at a Harlem church.

REP. CHARLES RANGER (D), NEW YORK: Anybody that can talk for two, three, and four hours and have the crowd constantly cheering, I've met nobody in my life that can do that to us as Americans.

FIDEL CASTRO, FORMER CUBAN DICTATOR (Through Translator): If there is something that makes us proud, that is that 15 years that we fought against South Africa against apartheid.

RANGEL: When the South African revolutionists needed help, it was Castro that was there for them.

MARABLE: Whatever criticisms one would make of the Cuban regime, African-Americans of various political stripes appreciate what Castro and what the regime has accomplished concretely around issues of racial discrimination.

ROQUE: I think that New York has a very special place in Fidel's heart.

ROTH: Richard Roth, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BROWN: Thank you to our Richard Roth.

And coming up live in the NEWSROOM, we're going to go to Miami's Little Havana where people are celebrating the death of Cuba's Fidel Castro, as you see in these live pictures right here. Stay with us. We will be right back.

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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANTHONY BOURDAIN, CNN HOST, "PARTS UNKNOWN": Perhaps the most famous dish in Minas, beans, flour, smoked and cured meats, and if you're lucky, fresh eggs.

(On camera): There we go.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's the foot. The pig foot.

BOURDAIN: Right.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: May I?

BOURDAIN: Yes, please.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The food has nothing to do with our climate.

BOURDAIN: Yes. You're right. This is cold weather food.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. Always nice.

BOURDAIN: Yes, right.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a very comfort food, isn't it?

BOURDAIN: Beautiful.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Every step.

BOURDAIN: You have a great culinary tradition of flavors. You have fantastic ingredients. But in the upper class, people are insecure about their food until recently. Where did this come from?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's the plane. Italian and French food, I used to say it's complex.

BOURDAIN: Right.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Like a -- so they impose it.

BOURDAIN: Right.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have excellent -- good products in France. They make good food in France with their products. But here let's make the same technique but with our products. We started saying, listen, this is good, put in your restaurant.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: A taste of inland Brazil. Tune in on "PARTS UNKNOWN" tomorrow night at 9:00 right here on CNN.