Return to Transcripts main page
CNN This Morning
Parents Of American Hostage In Gaza Hope Biden And Trump Will Work Together On Hostage Deal; Mexico's President Denies Trump Claims Over Southern Border; Viral Friends Celebrate 8th Thanksgiving Since Meeting. Aired 7:30-8a ET
Aired November 28, 2024 - 07:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[07:30:10]
JIM ACOSTA, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back.
This week's ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hezbollah is renewing hope for some hostage families that a deal between Israel and Hamas is possible. That goal among one of the highest priorities for the Biden administration.
CNN's Arlette Saenz joins us now. Arlette, what do you think? Will the Israel-Hezbollah truce open up an opportunity for a ceasefire with Hamas? What are you picking up on?
ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, President Biden has made clear that he wants to spend his final weeks in office really drilling in on this issue, trying to secure the release of these hostages, returning them back to their loved ones, and also find an end to this war in Gaza. But there are very real questions about whether that could actually become a reality.
But for the families of the American hostages who are still believed to be held in Gaza they are really viewing this Lebanon ceasefire as a potential opportunity. A hope that they could potentially have their loved ones return sometime soon. We have heard from senior administration officials that they feel that the Lebanon ceasefire really could potentially push Hamas back to the negotiating table.
I know that we have both spoken with the parents of Omer Neutra, an Israeli American who is still in Hamas. His parents, Rona and Orna Neutra, told me yesterday that they really want to see President Biden and President-elect Trump work together to try to secure some type of deal.
We know that President Biden and Trump spoke about the Middle East conflict -- and specifically, the need to get those hostages out -- when they met in the Oval Office about two weeks ago. And the White House team has kept the Trump transition team fully abreast of the developments, including on that Lebanon ceasefire.
What remains unclear at this moment is whether there is any actual strategizing for how the two men could work together. They obviously have their own relationships and have their own leverage in the region. That is something that the family -- the Neutra family really wants to see both of them tap into. They told me yesterday that the hostages don't have until Inauguration Day to wait. That it's time for President Biden and President-elect Trump to work together on this.
The White House team has said that they anticipate trying to keep the Trump team fully abreast of their moves relating to this Middle East conflict as they are hoping that somehow they can find an end to this war before Biden leaves office.
ACOSTA: Yeah, we hope for all those families that there is some kind of breakthrough.
Arlette Saenz, thank you very much. We appreciate it.
Still ahead on CNN THIS MORNING an unlikely bond. The story of how a mistaken text message has led to nine years' worth of tradition and friendship. It's a great story. More on that coming up.
Plus, the public back-and-forth between President-elect Donald Trump and Mexico's president over the future of the border between the two countries.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, (R) THEN-PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: Their owned and built by China and Mexico. I'm telling you right now, I'm putting a 200 percent tariff on, which means they're unsellable.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL)
[07:37:20]
ACOSTA: Donald Trump is now engaging in a very public back-and-forth with Mexico's president over the border.
On Wednesday, the president-elect wrote about a recent discussion that he had with Mexico's President Claudia Sheinbaum saying she "agreed to stop migration through Mexico and into the United States, effectively closing our border."
But Mexico's president does not seem to be agreeing with that characterization, sort of throwing some cold water in her own statement about the call. She said in part, "We reiterate that Mexico's position is not to close borders but to build bridges between governments and between peoples."
Joining me now to talk about this is CNN's Maria Cardona, political commentator and Democratic strategist. And Joe Walsh, former Republican congressman from Illinois. Great to see both of you. Happy Thanksgiving.
Maria, I'll start with you first. What do we -- what should we make of this exchange between Trump -- MARIA CARDONA, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST (via Webex by Cisco): Yeah --
ACOSTA: -- and Mexico's president?
CARDONA: Yeah. I think that you're going to see -- or we're seeing something that we're probably going to see moving forward, which is Donald Trump taking credit for things that he has never done. And what I mean by that is that today, Jim, border crossings are less than they were when Donald Trump was in office four years ago.
And that is because of the diplomacy of the Biden-Harris administration. Because of the negotiations that they have put in place. Because of the two executive orders that they did over the summer, one of which was strengthening asylum requirements, and the second one was expanding legal pathways. We all know that is the path forward for fixing our immigration system.
And President Sheinbaum -- la presidenta Sheinbaum is no pushover, and we are seeing that now. She understands that the negotiations that have taken place are what has minimized and diminished the crossings at the border. She's going to continue to work with this administration and with the incoming administration. She is not going to suffer any fools. And I think that that's a great thing and Donald Trump is going to see that.
ACOSTA: Yeah, Joe, what do you think? I mean, it sounds as though Trump is trying to say problem solved. He's already solved the border crisis before he's come into office. What do you make of that?
JOE WALSH, DIRECTOR, THE SOCIAL CONTRACT, (R) FORMER U.S. REPRESENTATIVE (via Webex by Cisco): Hey, Jim, happy Thanksgiving. Maria, happy Thanksgiving.
He's lying. I mean, let's just say it. This is what --
CARDONA: Yeah.
WALSH: -- he does. And he's lying.
And I don't want to go through four years of this. America still has to grasp with the fact that we just re-elected somebody who lies every time he opens his mouth -- I mean, period.
[07:40:00]
This is the game -- Maria's right -- this is the game he plays. He threatens to do something unless he gets his way. He doesn't get his way, but he lies and says he got his way. And now, looky here, Mexico is going to do something brand new. Bull crap this Thanksgiving. I caught my tongue.
ACOSTA: There you go.
WALSH: Jim, he's lying, plain and simple.
ACOSTA: Well, I appreciate that caution that you're showing there, Joe. It is Thanksgiving, you know, and we haven't welcomed --
WALSH: Yes.
ACOSTA: -- everybody to the dinner table just yet. But is suspect a lot of the conversations happening today will be along these lines.
And Maria, I do want to ask you about something else because Elon Musk -- you know, he's taken on an outsized role in this transition. He's been going after federal employees on X basically calling them out by name -- just individual federal workers -- and making life difficult for them.
He's now going after Alexander Vindman -- Col. Vindman -- who testified in the first Trump impeachment during his first administration.
And Elon Musk is saying this. Take a look at this. "Vindman is on the payroll of Ukrainian oligarchs and has committed treason against the United States, for which he will pay the appropriate penalty."
Vindman responded, saying in part, "That's the kind of response one would expect from a conspiracy theorist. What oligarch? What treason?"
Maria, I mean, this is -- I mean, this is -- I think this is disturbing that Elon Musk is doing this. Obviously, Alexander Vindman has not committed treason. That is -- I mean, just -- that's just not even in the realm of reality. But, I mean, this is a sign of things to come it seems.
CARDONA: Yes, Jim. This is one of the most grotesque things that we have seen from somebody who is very close to Donald Trump -- not officially part of the administration but is going to have a lot of power and is going to be whispering into Donald Trump's ear. And it's terrifying --
ACOSTA: Yeah.
CARDONA: -- because he is the richest man in the world. He is very powerful. And clearly, he was the victim of somebody or some people who bullied him when he was a child because now, he's acting out.
And look, Alexander Vindman can take care of himself. I'm glad he responded. He was not cowed.
But what we have seen is when Elon Musk goes after civil servants, goes after people who are not in the -- in the spotlight, goes after people who are deathly afraid and terrified of losing their job or even losing their livelihoods, people who have even --
ACOSTA: Yeah.
CARDONA: -- reported have not even wanted to talk to people on CNN -- reporters on CNN for fear of Elon Musk's wrath. That's disgusting. That is not something that should happen in the United States of America.
And frankly, there has got to be something that keeps Elon Musk from doing this. I mean, I would think at some point that's illegal --
ACOSTA: Yeah.
CARDONA: -- and certainly people should look into it. That should not be allowed in the United States of America. But sadly, in the Trump era and for four more years --
ACOSTA: Right.
CARDONA: -- we are going to see things like this. Someone should put a stop to it.
ACOSTA: Yeah, Joe. I mean, Joe, what do you think about Elon Musk's role in this new administration? I mean, he says he's going to be part of this DOGE -- this Department of Government Efficiency going after government waste, but he seems to be just acting like a cyberbully and going after Trump's perceived enemies. That's different.
WALSH: Jim, it's different. He's the wealthiest man on the planet, he has the biggest platform on the planet, and he's the greatest purveyor of disinformation on the planet.
Enjoy your Thanksgiving, America. But Jim, we've all got to buckle up. This is going to be --
ACOSTA: Yeah.
WALSH: -- four years of disinformation, cruelty, and lies.
ACOSTA: All right, Maria and Joe. I wish we could have ended on a more hopeful note, but I want to wish both of you a happy Thanksgiving. Always enjoy talking to both of you. Thankful for friendships and thanks for coming on.
CARDONA: Thank you, Jim. And I am --
WALSH: Thanks, Jim.
CARDONA: -- I am thankful -- I am thankful for you. I'm thankful for Joe. I'm thankful for everyone who is willing to speak out for these next four years because we're going to need them.
ACOSTA: Yeah, and let's keep things civil at the dinner table. I've been saying that all morning.
CARDONA: Absolutely.
ACOSTA: Please make it civil as best as you can. Guys, thanks so much. Maybe the tryptophan will --
CARDONA: Thank you.
ACOSTA: -- put everybody to sleep in the afternoon or something.
All right. Just ahead on CNN all the football you can eat, speaking of which. Thanksgiving Day kicking off with the high-flying 10-1 Detroit Lions. Why can't my Commanders be in this place right now? Darn it. The Bleacher Report is next.
Plus, a story of perseverance on this Thanksgiving Day. An unlikely and unbreakable friendship in the face of difficulty.
And Thanksgiving Day is here, which we've been saying, which to some means the kickoff to the holiday shopping season. CNN's Erica Hill is getting the breakdown on all the deals you don't want to miss.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ERICA HILL, CNN ANCHOR AND NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: With Black Friday upon us, it's the perfect time highly some of the year's best products as recommended by our team of experts at CNN Underscored. The Underscored team works independently from the CNN newsroom. They test and review thousands of products to make recommendations.
And for you, it's really a great first stop before you start your shopping. This way you make sure you're not just falling for the excitement of that deep discount on Black Friday or the online hype.
[07:45:00]
Mike Bruno is the vice president of CNN Commerce and also one of the founders of CNN Underscored.
It is important to note when you make a purchase from an Underscored link CNN may earn a commission.
So, Mike, you have some options for the homebodies in our lives starting off with all of us who deeply love our caffeine in the morning.
MIKE BRUNO, VICE PRESIDENT, CNN COMMERCE, CO-FOUNDER, CNN UNDERSCORED: A great way to get it started here with the caffeine. It's the Breville Bambino Plus Espresso Machine. This is our pick for best espresso machine. It's good for beginners. It's good for a novice. It's a simple automated machine. A couple of buttons -- easy to do.
It only takes about three seconds to heat up. Some of the more advanced machines will take up to 10 minutes. You have to manually adjust the pressure. There's a lot to go on. And you'll get good pulls. We were getting really good consistent pulls on this -- three seconds. I'd say even if you have one of those fancy machines this thing is still good if you're in a hurry --
HILL: Wow.
BRUNO: -- in the morning.
HILL: Three seconds versus 10 minutes -- it's a big difference.
BRUNO: Big difference.
HILL: I especially like that in the morning.
What are we talking in terms of pricing? BRUNO: We're talking about $500 for this, which isn't bad for a really high-quality machine like this.
HILL: OK.
So moving on from coffee to ice cream --
BRUNO: Ice cream --
HILL: -- and everything else.
BRUNO: I would say a frozen dessert machine.
HILL: OK.
BRUNO: This is the Ninja CREAMi from our friends at Ninja. The Ninja CREAMi makes about 11 different desserts, so it's ice cream, yogurt, slushies, something called the Creamiccino.
HILL: Oh, wow.
BRUNO: The desserts were all really delicious. It takes about 24 hours to freeze your base. So you make your base. You put it in the freezer for about 24 hours, which is standard with a lot of ice cream machines. But then once you take it out of the freezer you pop it in there, you put on the lid, and you go -- and it's a couple of buttons and you go. The instructions we found to be a little tricky.
But what's cool about this thing, it's gone viral. It's all over the social media. It's all -- you could go to recipe sites. You could go to forums. You could get good recipes. You could get really creative and join the community of people kind of playing with this. It's a lot of fun.
HILL: I also read that it's dishwasher safe. I think I may like that the best.
BRUNO: It's dishwasher safe. Very easy cleanup, absolutely. Just throw it all in and all that stuff will go right through the dishwasher.
HILL: That's great. And this is how much?
BRUNO: This is about $160 right now.
HILL: OK. All right. So we've got that.
This is the Bissell -- what is it, the pet -- the Little Green Pet Pro.
BRUNO: Yes.
HILL: This kind of does a little bit of everything.
BRUNO: This does do a little bit of everything. If you have a lot of carpets in your house you might want to get an upright -- HILL: Um-hum.
BRUNO: -- a big upright shampooer for your carpets. But for spot cleaning, for if you spill a little coffee on the carpet, if you spill a little wine on the sofa, or, of course, if you have pets making accidents around the house --
HILL: Um-hum.
BRUNO: -- this is perfect. It's portable. It comes out. It has strong suction and does a great job.
I have one of these myself. You can use it to touch up a little upholstery somewhere. It comes in and out real easy. It cleans up real easy.
This is the Pet Pro model, which has a little bit bigger tank and has some attachments and things to kind of get in crevices, and a slightly stronger suction. And this thing is about $120.
HILL: Wow, OK -- and portable. I'm just going to try to pick it up because -- oh, all right.
BRUNO: Yeah.
HILL: You could take that one the stairs.
BRUNO: Not too bad.
HILL: Not so bad.
So we've got this for cleaning some of the stains -- smaller items. You also have a Dyson vacuum for us.
BRUNO: We do. We have the Dyson V11. If budget allows, you've got to get a Dyson. The performance, the build quality, the longevity of this machine -- it's just outstanding.
We've tested this thing on carpets, both tall and short.
HILL: Um-hum.
BRUNO: We tested it on all different types of hardwood floors from tile to vinyl to woods. It just cleans up everything in a flash. It's got a really big canister. And you can get about 30 minutes on this thing before you have to charge it again, which is a pretty long time to be able to get around your house.
We love the Dysons, and this is a nice one.
HILL: That's sounds pretty good. So 30 minutes on a charge. My kids would have no excuse if it was their turn to vacuum. It would definitely last long enough for any teenager.
BRUNO: Yes, and it's a must for pets. I mean, we have one of these at our house, and you walk around the house with a pet, and you can't believe there's, like, a baby chihuahua inside that thing by the time you're done with it.
HILL: Yeah. And this sets us back how much?
BRUNO: This one is about $350, which for a Dyson -- for the big V11, that's a steal.
HILL: All right. I do love a steal.
BRUNO: Um-hum.
HILL: All right, Mike, thank you.
So we've got all of these items for you. If you want to learn more about any of them just head to underscored.com. You'll find the full reviews for each one of these products as well as real-time coverage of all those Black Friday deals that we're seeing on these items and lots of other great products recommended by our friends at Underscored.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL)
[07:53:30]
ACOSTA: All right. Now, for a lot of us it's not Thanksgiving without football. That goes for me right here.
Andy Scholes joins me now with more on today's games. Andy, great to see you. And, I mean, most Thanksgivings the Lions come on and we're like, oh man, the poor Lions. Not this year -- not anymore.
ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Yeah, not -- yeah, that is definitely not the case this time --
ACOSTA: Right.
SCHOLES: -- around, Jim. And, you know, there aren't many traditions better than food and football, especially on Thanksgiving. And like every year, the Lions are going to get things started.
But as you just mentioned, these aren't your Uncle Larry's Lions. This is the first time ever on Thanksgiving, Jim, that the Lions are the favorites to win the Super Bowl. Detroit 10-1 on the season. They're tied with the Chiefs for the best record in the league right now.
And they've been outscoring their opponents by an average of more than 16 points a game. They're huge 10-point favorites today against a Bears team that's lost five straight. But recent history kind of working against the Lions. They have not won on Thanksgiving since 2016.
And quarterback Jared Goff -- he's been a part of the last three losses, and he says well, he really wants to get the win for the fans but also for his family.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JARED GOFF, QUARTERBACK, DETROIT LIONS: Yeah, it sucks when we lose. It certainly affects my mood, and I don't -- I don't like being grumpy around family -- no one does. But you want to get this W. You want to win this game and be able to enjoy your Thanksgiving dinner with your family. And it will be my first time experiencing that year and I want to do.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCHOLES: All right. So after Lions-Bears we're going to head to Texas for Cowboys-Giants.
[07:55:00]
It's been rough going for both of these teams this season, but it's been especially bad for Cowboys fans at home games. Dallas has not won at AT&T Stadium this season. They've been blown out a number of times.
The 2-9 Giants, though -- you know, they're unlikely to deliver a blowout there in Texas. They've been so bad. They released quarterback Daniel Jones and turned to Tommy DeVito, but he's questionable with a forearm injury so we may be watching Drew Lock under center for G-men today. This may be the best time to take a nap this afternoon during that game.
The last game of the day and by far the most compelling are the suddenly red-hot Dolphins. They're riding a three-game winning streak heading into the frozen tundra to play the 8-3 Packers.
The weather likely going to be a huge factor. Dolphins' quarterback Tua Tagovailoa -- he's 0-7 all-time in games when the temperature is 40 degrees and under. And the forecast in Green Bay at kickoff for this one is going to be in the 20s, a slight chance of snow.
You -- we talk about it every year, Jim.
ACOSTA: Yeah.
SCHOLES: The Dolphins -- you know, they love their Florida weather. They like practicing in 75 and sunny.
ACOSTA: (INAUDIBLE).
SCHOLES: Can't play in cold weather. At some point though they're going to have to win in cold weather if they hope to be successful in the playoffs. We'll see if they can buck that trend finally today.
ACOSTA: Yeah, the fish and the frozen tundra.
All right, Andy. Thanks a lot.
SCHOLES: All right.
ACOSTA: I really appreciate it. We'll be watching. This morning we want to share with you a special story of friendship. In 2016, Wanda Dench accidentally invited Jamal Hinton to her Thanksgiving dinner. She thought she was texting one of her grandchildren. The text went, instead, to Jamal and he jokingly asked if he could come over anyway. Wanda invited him in and the two have celebrated every Thanksgiving together since.
And this year Wanda has shared she has been diagnosed with breast cancer and is receiving chemotherapy, but she says she won't let that stop her and Hinton's annual tradition.
Wanda Dench and Jamal Hinton join us now.
First of all, Wanda, you know, my heart goes out to you and everything that you're going through right now. But this is such a special story and when I heard about this I just thought there's just no way this can be true, but it is true.
WANDA DENCH, ACCIDENTALLY INVITED STRANGER TO THANKSGIVING DINNER (via Webex by Cisco): Yes, it is. It came as a surprise to me, especially at my age. I'm 67 now. And breast cancer doesn't run in my family, so I didn't think that this was ever going to be an issue in my life. But it's here and I'm dealing with it, and it's been a journey and an awakening.
ACOSTA: And Jamal, tell me about this friendship and this Thanksgiving tradition that you both have had over the years and how much it means to you, and I guess now what Wanda is going through. I know your heart must go out to her as well.
JAMAL HINTON, WANDA DENCH'S THANKSGIVING GUEST (via Webex by Cisco): Yes, yes. The friendship -- it's not really a friendship; we're more a family now. It means the world. We talk about anything. We go through everything together.
I mean, I went with her to -- for her first tattoo. She was actually there the day after I got my first tattoo. So it's kind of like we --
ACOSTA: Tattoos?
HINTON: -- jump through everything -- yeah, yeah. Her first tattoo was a little bit smaller than my first one.
But we jump through everything together and I think that's what really makes us family -- that we're not just together on Thanksgiving. We kind of -- we kind of try to hang out anytime we can, and we talk all the time. So our friendship is more than just a friendship for sure.
ACOSTA: That is wonderful. I mean -- and it just goes to show you that you just don't know what life is going to bring you.
And Wanda, what about your Thanksgiving plans? Have they changed at all this year? What can you tell us?
DENCH: Well, yes, this year is a little bit different. I just recently finished up with chemotherapy so I'm not 100 percent yet. And I live about two hours away from where Jamal lives. And so we decided that this year it would be best for my health if I stayed at home. And we will Facetime with each other.
I was looking so forward to meeting his family and having turkey with everybody, but things just -- we have to accept things the way they are. And I'm sure next year is going to be so much better.
ACOSTA: Absolutely. And you get -- you get to be together virtually, you know, through our program here, which we appreciate very much.
And Jamal, talk about this friendship and why it's so important, and what it tells us about having friends that you just don't expect in life, and what it means to you.
HINTON: Um, personally, I have always wanted to make friends with everyone. I always felt like any and everyone could bring any type of joy into your life. And I'm glad that I actually reached out to Wanda when I did even though I was joking and that it turned out to be something amazing.
This friendship is -- this friendship changed my life, obviously, in the best --
ACOSTA: Wow.
HINTON: -- way possible but not just because of the social media or anything like that. Wanda is a truly amazing person --
ACOSTA: Yeah.
HINTON: -- and I'm happy to call her my family.
ACOSTA: Well, we're happy that you both shared that story with us. We appreciate it so much. Happy Thanksgiving, Jamal. Happy Thanksgiving, Wanda. All the best to you. We're rooting for you, Wanda, as you battle cancer.
[08:00:00]
