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One World with Zain Asher
Hong Kong's Deadliest Fire in Decades Kills At Least 83; Putin Says U.S. Delegation To Visit Moscow Next Week; Two National Guard Members Shot Near The White House; Miss Universe Co-Director Under Investigation; Adopt A Turkey: An Alternative To Thanksgiving Dinner; Giving To The Less Fortunate On Thanksgiving; New Aircraft Boasts Short Takeoffs And Landings; The Benefits Of Being Grateful; A Mistaken Text Leads To A Lifelong Friendship; Aired 12-1p ET
Aired November 27, 2025 - 12:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:00:35]
ZAIN ASHER, CNN ANCHOR: All right. It's been over 24 hours and the high- rise in Hong Kong is still on fire. The second hour of "One World" starts right now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HANAKO MONTGOMERY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The authorities are saying that the fire is largely contained. But as you can see behind me,
firefighters and authorities are actually still trying to extinguish all of the flames.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: So what exactly happened here? See the moment the fire began to spread.
Also ahead. The Russians are ready to talk. Vladimir Putin says, sometime between now and the middle of next week, his team will be ready to sit down
for serious discussions.
Plus.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAMAL HINTON, STARTED A THANKSGIVING TRADITION: To stick together and talk about these things and kind of get through them together has just been a
blessing of all sorts. So I appreciate you, Wanda.
WANDA DENCH, THANKSGIVING GRANDMA: Me too.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: Remember these two? Text message brought the unlikely duo to the same Thanksgiving dinner table all by accident. Now, they're celebrating 10
years of friendship.
And an attitude of gratitude is always in style, but frankly, it can be harder than it looks. This hour, an expert is going to teach us how.
All right. Coming to you live from New York, I'm Zain Asher, Bianna is off today. You are watching "One World." Happy Thanksgiving.
Hong Kong's government says its construction industry should move away from bamboo scaffolding a day after a deadly inferno in one of the world's most
densely populated cities. Black smoke is still billowing from charred high- rise buildings in the apartment complex.
The fire department says the death toll has now climbed to 83. Firefighters are trying to reach dozens still feared trapped on some of the higher
floors. An investigation has been launched to see what exactly sparked this disaster.
The apartment complex was under renovation, clad in bamboo scaffolding and green mesh as well. Three men who worked for a construction company have
been arrested.
We need to look at this new video on social media showing the lightning speed at which the fire spread. The green mesh catching on fire, then
ripping through the building. Hundreds of people driven out of their homes by the fire are in emergency shelters across the city.
There's also been, of course, an outpouring of concern and sympathy across Mainland China where people have been closely monitoring this tragedy.
CNN's Simone McCarthy joined us live now from Beijing. So, Simone, just explain to us how Chinese authorities are actually reaching out to support
some of the victims and the victims' families here.
SIMONE MCCARTHY, CNN SENIOR CHINA REPORTER: Well, absolutely. Both in Hong Kong and in Mainland China, there's been a tremendous outpouring of
condolences of sorrow and also of support for relief efforts.
Here in mainland China, we've seen Chinese leader Xi Jinping direct the Red Cross to release additional funds to go towards those relief efforts. A
number of tech giants across China's ecosystem have also set forward and released a significant amount of funding towards that.
But certainly, we're seeing on the ground in Hong Kong, as you pointed out, rescue efforts remain underway more than 24 hours later. This is an immense
tragedy for the city, a city which, it should be noted, has a tremendous safety record which it's known for its high public safety standards.
And so this is a very shocking incident for the city and one in which, certainly, everyone has been riveted by watching these rescue efforts play
out.
Right now, as you mentioned, the official death toll has climbed to 83, making it, by far, the deadliest fire in Hong Kong in decades. But we also
don't know right now how many people remain missing. And that's certainly the focus as rescue efforts remain underway.
ASHER: And just in terms of, and obviously it's early days yet, this fire, it's only been 24 hours since this fire broke out. But a lot of questions
are being asked right now about how this fire was able to spread so quickly. It's been very difficult for firefighters to reach the upper
floors. There are fears that there are people still trapped. The death toll is 83. That's actually already higher than what we saw in London back in
2017 with the Grenfell Tower fires.
You know, at what point does the investigation and the sort of real sort of hard look at what went wrong here begin in earnest? We know that there have
been three construction worker executives who have already been arrested on possible manslaughter accusations.
[12:05:11]
MCCARTHY: Well, that's exactly right. We've seen city officials come out very proactively. They've already launched a criminal probe as well as a
corruption probe. They've made three arrests on suspicion of manslaughter, accusing those arrested who are affiliated with a construction company, as
you note, of gross negligence.
And so there's a couple of key points that they're really zoning in on here. And one of them is whether or not the construction materials, which
were being used in a refurbishment of this estate, were up to code. And one of the questions that remains within that is whether or not some of those
materials were especially flammable.
And now, and here in Hong Kong, excuse me, not here, I used to live in Hong Kong, so.
In Hong Kong, the scaffolding that we see is made of bamboo. It's often encased in fabric. And they're also suggesting that there might have been
something called polystyrene boards, which are placed against windows within this construction, which are, as we know, very flammable. And so
there are a lot of questions about the kind of materials that were being used.
Another question is about the evacuation effort. This is a public housing estate that has some 4,000 residents, a disproportionate number of whom are
elderly. And so there are questions about whether, when the first tower in this estate caught fire, if those evacuation efforts were made fast enough
to get people in other parts of that vast complex out of their own apartments and down into safety before the fire rapidly spread.
And that spread was incredibly rapid. And that's something that has keyed in city officials to these questions about the flammability of some of
those materials.
So while obviously the focus remains very solidly right now on evacuating those who may still be alive and trapped inside the building, on -- on
ensuring the, you know, safety of those who are involved in those rescue efforts.
However, the focus moving forward will certainly be. And we've already seen these steps taking place in terms of questioning of the use of bamboo
scaffolding. The focus will certainly be the safety of those building materials, not just at this housing complex, but I believe across the city.
ASHER: All right. Simone McCarthy, live for us. Thank you so much.
All right. Russian President Vladimir Putin says he expects a U.S. delegation to arrive in Moscow early next week for what he's calling
serious discussions around ending the war in Ukraine.
Putin says he believes the Trump administration's 28-point peace plan could form the basis for a future deal. But he repeated Russia's maximalist
demands and said the war will end once Ukrainian troops withdraw from, quote, territories that they occupy.
Putin made no mention, however, of the 19-point plan drawn up by Ukraine, the U.S. and European officials in Geneva after the initial proposal was
criticized as being way too favorable to Moscow.
President Trump had initially given Russia and Ukraine a Thanksgiving deadline to accept his proposed peace plan. But speaking this week, Trump
seemed to suggest that timeline may actually be more flexible.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Well, I don't have a deadline. I just -- you know what the deadline for me is? When it's over.
And I think everybody's tired of fighting at this moment. They're losing -- they're losing too many people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: Betsy Klein is joining us from Washington D.C. So, Betsy, yes, Thanksgiving Day was initially the deadline that Trump had imposed for the
Ukrainians to sign on to this U.S.-backed peace plan.
I mean, obviously, there has been so much movement in terms of going from the 28-day -- 28-point plan, the 19-point plan, going from one that was
very favorable to Moscow to one that is a little bit more favorable to Kyiv. But explain to us why Trump is backing away from any kind of deadline
at all.
BETSY KLEIN, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Well, I think, Zain, if I give my editor a deadline of one, it's over, I'd be out of a job. But
President Trump making clear that he wants this resolved. This was a day one promise for his second term in office. And a resolution here has proven
so elusive.
I just want to take you through some of the next steps. We do expect Special Envoy Steve Witkoff to travel to Moscow as early as next week as
Putin confirmed right there.
We also have the open question of whether Jared Kushner, the president's son-in-law, is going to join him for those talks. Kushner has emerged as
sort of an outside figure in this administration, but a very top negotiator when it comes to some of these thornier foreign policy issues. The
president indicated that he might also join Witkoff in Moscow. Separately, Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, he is expected in Kyiv later this week.
There's an open question now as well, following the shooting of National Guard members in D.C., whether that pushes his timeline back at all. We've
been asking about that.
But President Trump said that he is willing to meet with both presidents Putin and Zelenskyy. He says he will not do so until a deal is final or in
final stages.
Now, the discussions here have revolved around that 28-point peace plan that has been the subject of very intense negotiations between the Trump
administration, as well as Russian and Ukrainian officials there.
[12:10:06]
But major sticking points still remain among them. Number one, whether Ukraine would surrender key territories in the Donbas region, those have
been annexed, but not yet conquered by Russia. That is a major question.
Number two, proposals for Ukraine to limit the size of its military. That was part of a draft of that 28-point plan. Secretary Rubio has referred to
it as a living, breathing document. It has evolved significantly since it was first put forth.
The third major sticking point is this question of whether Ukraine is willing to give up its ambition of joining NATO.
Now, there is renewed optimism as we've heard from the Trump administration towards striking some sort of peace deal here. And that is by design.
Sources familiar with the matter tell CNN, that the public officials' comments, at the very top of the Trump administration, from the president
himself to the Secretary of State and other top officials, are intended to put maximum pressure on Russia and Ukraine.
They are eager to use this momentum to get both sides back to the negotiating table after all of that momentum had really stalled following
the president's meeting in Alaska with President Putin.
Now, they want to raise the stakes, make it harder for those officials to walk away. But perhaps one of the biggest sticking points here is that
Russia still needs to agree to this deal. Getting Russia to say yes is still a major obstacle. So there is a lot of work still to do here.
But again, Trump administration's signaling optimism trying to project this forward and over the finish line, Zain.
ASHER: All right. Betsy Klein, live for us there. Thank you so much.
All right. We're learning more about the two West Virginian guard members who were shot in the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday. The U.S. attorney says that
Sarah Beckstrom and Andrew Wolfe remain in critical condition at a D.C. hospital.
She adds, the two had actually been sworn in just this week. Police say they were on patrol a few blocks from the White House when a gunman opened
fire on them. Fellow Guard members quickly subdued him.
Police identified the suspect as Rahmanullah Lakanwal. The U.S. attorney says that he drove across the country from Washington State D.C. recently.
Lakanwal came to the U.S. in 2021 as part of a program to help those who helped the U.S. during the war to escape the Taliban.
FBI Director Kash Patel spoke about the suspect's background.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KASH PATEL, FBI DIRECTOR: There is confirmation now that the subject had a relationship in Afghanistan with partner forces. We are fully investigating
that aspect of his background as well to include any known associates that are either overseas or here in the United States of America.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: In response to the shooting, President Trump has vowed to keep up his crackdown on immigration.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: America will never bend and never yield in the face of terror. And at the same time, we will not be deterred from the mission. The service
members were so nobly fulfilling. That is why tonight, I can announce that I have directed the Department of War to mobilize an additional 500 troops
to help protect our capital city.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: CNN's Gabe Cohen joins us live now with more. So just in terms of what we know about the suspect here and also what we know about a possible
motive, Gabe, what can you tell us?
GABE COHEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Zain, this afternoon, we're learning a lot more about these National Guardsmen who were injured in this shooting
who are both still in the hospital this afternoon, having undergone surgery.
And we now know who they are, 24-year-old Staff Sergeant Andrew Wolfe and 20-year-old U.S. Army Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, both of them from here in
West Virginia. Wolfe from here in the Martinsburg area. He is part of this unit, the 167th Airlift Wing.
As we pan over, you can see this base behind me. We're in a very rural area, Zain, and yet, we are only about 80 miles from where this shooting
took place in Washington, D.C.
But a very different community here. And we have talked to several people just devastated today, given that it is Thanksgiving. Thinking about Andrew
Wolfe and his family, they've lived in this community for a long time.
We spoke to his neighbor, shares a wall with him, a duplex, here in Martinsburg who said, described Andrew as jolly, the type of neighbor who
would give him the shirt off his back. They always took care of each other, he said.
We're also learning more about Sarah Beckstrom. She is not from this area. She's from about four hours in Webster (TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES) Army
Specialist, as I mentioned.
And Jeanine Pirro, who's (TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES). Again, these are two people who wanted to serve their country, wanted to serve as part of this
mission in Washington. And we know that people here in West Virginia, Zain, devastated by what's unfolded.
[12:15:07]
ASHER: All right. Gabe Cohen, live for us there. Thank you so much.
Vice President J.D. Vance says the shooting is a, quote, somber reminder of the risks U.S. service members face. He and his wife spent Wednesday with
troops at Kentucky's Fort Campbell. He paid tribute to those that would not be able to spend Thanksgiving holidays with their families.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
J.D. VANCE, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Now I know that a lot of you are going to spend tomorrow with your friends and families, but I also
know that a lot of you are not going to have that opportunity. That you've got deployments you've got to prepare for, that you're stuck on this base.
You're not able to travel home because you've got to prepare for the mission.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: CNN's Fred Pleitgen visited a U.S. base in Germany this Thanksgiving, speaking to U.S. troops serving abroad. Some of them sent
messages back to their families for the holidays.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: What's so special for you serving on a day like this serving abroad?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, I mean, it's special just because, you know, there's some people who can't serve, some people who would like to. And
whereas I get the chance to be able to serve my country and be able to make a difference.
PLEITGEN: What do you miss most?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My mom's cooking. My mom's cooking.
PLEITGEN: It's not bad here though, is it?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, no. It's not bad. It's not bad, but I like to annoy her in the -- in the kitchen. Maybe help. But, you know --
PLEITGEN: It is those family moments, isn't it?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
PLEITGEN: You want to say hi to your folks there?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hi, mom. Hi, dad.
PLEITGEN: That's good. Thank you. All right, sir. Just tell me your -- your name and rank as well.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm John Campbell, Staff Sergeant, Army. Yes. I'm just thankful to be able to be here. I'm with a great unit out of Mesa, Arizona.
And the USO here is a great place to have camaraderie and get together when our -- when we're absent from our families back home.
PLEITGEN: Say hi your folks also too.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. Hey, mom. Hey, dad. Hey, beautiful wife, Megan. Miss you guys. I'll see you sometime next summer.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ASHER: And the U.S. President pardoned two turkeys this week, sparing them from becoming Thanksgiving dinner.
Now, some families across the U.S. are actually doing the same. We'll explain, also ahead.
And Miss Universe has been crowned but drama surrounding the pageant continues. Reports say the co-director of the international pageant has
been targeted by Mexican prosecutors. We are following the latest developments on that story for you.
Plus, a power grab from the military in Guinea-Bissau. We'll bring you the details emerging from the country's latest coup.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:20:11]
ASHER: All right. Just one day after Army officers in Guinea-Bissau announced that they had deposed the country's president, they now say a
general has been appointed in his place. General Horta Nta Na Man was sworn in as the transitional president on Thursday.
The coup is the latest episode of unrest within the country coming just days after the presidential election, where the deposed leader, Umaro
Sissoco Embalo, was up against political newcomer Fernando Dias. The results of that election should have been released today but have not been
as so far as of yet.
This year's Miss Universe pageant was surrounded by a number of controversies. And we've now learned that Raul Rocha, co-director of the
contest, has been targeted by Mexican prosecutors looking into alleged fuel smuggling and arms and drug trafficking.
CNN requested a statement from Rocha regarding the investigation and has not yet received a response.
CNN's Valeria Leon is following this story for us. You know, beauty pageants, in general, are often the subject of controversy because a lot of
people talk about whether it promotes the objectification of women.
But that aside, this particular pageant, this year's Miss Universe pageant has been mired in a number of controversies including controversies
swirling around the co-director who has been accused of drug smuggling. What more can you tell us?
VALERIA LEON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. This Miss Universe win for Mexico has suddenly turned into a much bigger story. What should be a huge celebration
has quickly become a much more complicated situation.
Raul Rocha, the co-director of Miss Universe contest, is under investigation in Mexico. Prosecutors say they're looking into whether he's
linked to a criminal network involving fuel smuggling, arms and drug trafficking. This investigation actually started last year and authorities
say they're still gathering evidence.
Rocha hasn't been arrested but several other arrest warrants have already been issued, including one for a federal official who's now in custody.
Names remain confidential but the attorney general's office confirmed that Rocha is among those wanted for questioning.
Authorities said the network they're investigating operated across several states. Moving fuel illegally from Guatemala into Mexico and using front
companies to distribute it while also looking into possible links to criminal organizations.
Now, this is completely separate from the drama inside the contest itself. The judges' resignations and their claims that the competition was unfair
came just days before the winner was announced.
Several judges stepped down saying they didn't feel the competition was being run fairly. One of the most vocal was Omar Harfouch, who publicly
alleged that the contest's results were pre-arranged.
But the criminal investigation into Rocha however began back in 2024 and we're learning more details. These are two unrelated issues, but together,
they help explain why the story blew up so quickly.
Mexico's President Claudia Sheinbaum has stepped in to defend Fatima Bosch, saying the investigation into Rocha has nothing to do with her win and
shouldn't take her away from her merit.
But once Fatima Bosch won the crown, she faced a wave of backlash, including death threats and aggressive online harassment.
In Mexico, she's received a lot of support but many of the hateful messages she shared publicly are actually coming from outside the country and in
multiple languages, turning this moment into a global controversy rather than a national milestone, Zain.
ASHER: All right. Valeria Leon, thank you so much.
All right. Still to come here on "One World."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What if you had a plane that could take off and land in a space not much bigger than your backyard?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: CNN's Jim Sciutto gets a closer look at the plane that is up against flying cars. We'll show you the aircraft that's vying to be the next taxi
of the skies. That story is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:25:45]
ASHER: Welcome back to "One World." I'm Zain Asher.
Right now, thousands of Americans are counting down the hours until they can bathe their Thanksgiving turkey in gravy and cranberry sauce. It's an
annual tradition here in the U.S. that not only drives up holiday spirits but also demand for turkey.
So much so that 46 million unlucky gobblers are eaten on Thanksgiving every year. But some animal sanctuaries are calling for clemency, encouraging
Americans to adopt a turkey instead of eating it.
One of those places is Luvin Arms Sanctuary located in North Denver. Its adoption program began in 2022 and has seen its numbers of turkey's parents
double every year.
For more on what's motivating this Thanksgiving spirit, let's bring in Kelly Nix, Executive Director of Luvin Arms Animal Sanctuary. Kelly, thank
you so much for being with us.
And I know that this story is going to rain on a lot of people's parades because people across the country do have their turkey technically already
in the oven, but the idea that an increasingly -- increases sort of growing number of animal farm sanctuaries across the U.S. are promoting this idea
of adopting a turkey instead of eating one, saving a turkey, promoting its care.
Obviously, it's about wildlife protection. Is this something that you believe that at some point in the U.S. could actually catch on?
KELLY NIX, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, LUVIN ARMS ANIMAL SANCTUARY: Yes. Good morning and thanks for having us. I also just wanted to quickly introduce
this is Lanette Cook. She is our education and engagement manager and she's joining me on the call today.
So to go back to your question, absolutely. I do believe that this is something that over time, not something that can be done rapidly, but over
time. I do believe that more and more individuals would be willing and receptive to adopting a turkey versus consuming a turkey.
ASHER: What do you want people to know about the sort of conditions? A lot of these turkeys are raised in because I think a lot of people don't
realize the kind of conditions these sort of commercially raised turkeys are forced to live in. They're in these sort of crowded warehouses, they're
crowded by the thousands. They're genetically modified, they're forced to grow so fast, so quickly, so large that sometimes their hearts actually
give out as well.
[12:30:11]
What -- what do you want Americans to know about what's happening behind the scenes, sort of every year, this time of year?
NIX: Absolutely. I'll let Lanette answer.
LANETTE COOK, EDUCATION AND ENGAGEMENT MANAGER, LUVIN ARMS ANIMAL SANCTUARY: Yes. So just in those types of situations for turkeys, you know,
it's 46 million just here at Thanksgiving, and it's over 600 million across the -- the full year in the world.
And those conditions are terrible for them. They have been bred by humans to get so big that their bodies just can't handle it. Their joints can't
keep up with the weight that their bodies have been, you know, forced to put on. And then they don't get to live their full lives.
So a turkey at a sanctuary can live eight to 10 years. In a factory farm, they typically live three to four months. And people don't get the
opportunity to see how incredible turkeys can be when they're in a sanctuary.
Much like our companion animals, they're capable of love and affection. They have complex emotions and they're really great to hang out with. So
it's a really interesting contrast between the life and very short life that they live in a factory farm versus the life that they are given at a
sanctuary.
ASHER: You know, it's interesting because when I first heard about this, you know, I -- my first thought was my goodness, I -- especially when you
think about the sorts of conditions that turkeys are being raised in across this country and how many of them are killed every single year.
My first thought was, gosh, I -- I don't -- I don't -- I genuinely don't want to eat turkey ever again. But at the same time, there does need to be
an alternative because obviously this has steeped an American tradition. Everybody across the country is what you do. The turkey is the centerpiece
of the American Thanksgiving dinner.
So if you're not vegan, you're not vegetarian, which I'm not, what are some of the alternatives? How would you promote an alternative sort of main
centerpiece for Americans to sort of gather around on Thanksgiving for Thanksgiving dinner?
NIX: So I would say as someone who is vegan, I would definitely highly recommend a plant-based option. I know that that's not always going to be
favorable or as well received by individuals who are used to that traditional turkey centerpiece.
However, I do think that the plant-based food has evolved so much over the years to now where there are products out there that essentially mimic like
the taste of turkey, sometimes even the texture of turkey.
So you're not missing necessarily those -- those like tastes and those textures while you're consuming turkey, but really the part that you're,
you know, removing from all of this is that it's no longer the sentient being that is sitting on your Thanksgiving table.
And I don't know if Lanette if you have any other alternatives.
COOK: Yes. So it's also a matter of shifting the mindset with this type of thing. Traditions happen a certain way because the way things started, but
there's always room for shifting and for changing the mindset.
And one thing that would super help is if people would actually learn more about turkeys, learn about what incredible, and as Kelly said, sentient
beings that they are, try to find places where they can spend time with them, but mostly become educated about them.
A lot of our sanctuary works surround -- around education. And because we know it's going to be really difficult for everybody in the world to adopt
a plant-based diet, and we also know that rescue is not necessarily the answer for things. That rescue is a part of the solution, but it's not the
whole solution.
And it's through educating others that we can actually hope to make a difference, where people aren't seeing the fact that if they don't have a
turkey on their plate, that it's a loss, that they can actually gain by changing their traditions and having something alternative plant-based on
their plate.
ASHER: Well, thank you so much for the work that you do. I mean, this story is certainly going to stay with me. I'm heading home to our Thanksgiving
dinner right after this and chances are I'm going to eat everything but the turkey because of this.
So thank you so much for raising awareness, especially about the sorts of really difficult conditions that turkeys, of course, are raised in for our
consumption every single year. Thank you.
Lanette Cook, Kelly Nix. Appreciate it. Happy Thanksgiving to you both.
NIX: Thank you.
COOK: Thank you. You as well.
ASHER: All right. Thanksgiving has long been a time for charity with many people spending today doing something for others. According to the Pew
Research Center, nearly one-fifth of Americans are donating food or other goods that help nonprofits like Baby2Baby provide essentials for children
across the U.S.
CNN's Julia Vargas Jones reports from California.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JULIA VARGAS JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): As the Palisades Fire ravaged through her neighborhood, Jen says she and her three daughters had
just minutes to escape the devastating flames.
[12:35:06]
JEN, LOST HOME IN PALISADES FIRE: We left and then the next day, we found out that our home was gone.
JONES (voice-over): In the harrowing days that followed, Jen turned to Baby2Baby, a nonprofit that provides essentials to children, often in times
of need.
JEN: They offered help without me having to ask and retained my dignity.
JONES (voiceover): Baby2Baby has responded to more than 100 disasters, providing relief to children and moms nationwide.
KELLY SAWYER PATRICOF, CO-CEO, BABY2BABY: We've distributed half a billion basic essentials to children in need across the country.
JONES (voice-over): When families are left with nothing, Baby2Baby's fire relief and disaster relief bundles help them get back on their feet, packed
by volunteers with essentials like clothes, toys, and even a handwritten note.
MICHELLE MONAGHAN, ACTRESS AND BABY2BABY ANGEL: There's schools that come here. There's businesses. There's church groups.
JONES (voiceover): They are supported by a variety of people, including "WHITE LOTUS" star Michelle Monaghan.
JONES: When you became a new mom --
MONAGHAN: Yes.
JONES: -- what were some things that you were surprised that were so important that you didn't know before?
MONAGHAN: It's a universal theme for all new moms. It's overwhelming becoming a new mom physically, mentally, emotionally.
What I, in particular, love about these newborn kids, these maternal health kits now, that Baby2Baby is providing, is that it is giving support of the
very things that we need. Just the very basic essentials.
PATRICOF: It's postpartum care, educational resources, breastfeeding supplies, diapers and hygiene items for the baby.
NORAH WEINSTEIN, CO-CEO, BABY2BABY: So we always are trying to remember that while there's such a link between the baby and the mom, we need to
take care of the mom and her mental health in order to support the baby.
JONES (voice-over): But for families like Jen's what matters most is the human connection that comes with every box.
JEN: I have so much gratitude. I -- it's such a humbling experience to go from being the ones to help others and then to have to show up and ask for
help for not only yourself but your whole family. I am forever grateful to Baby2Baby.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ASHER: All right. Now for anyone who's had a long journey in the run up to this Thanksgiving, this next invention could be for you.
[12:40:02]
Electra's newest aircraft is all about short takeoffs and quick landings, taking away the hassle of a normal commercial flight.
It could one day serve as a taxi for the skies, as CNN's Jim Sciutto found out when he went for a test drive.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JIM SCIUTTO, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): What if you had a plane that could take off and land in a space not much bigger than your backyard? I got to
see for myself.
SCIUTTO: Wow. That was quick.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's pretty fast.
SCIUTTO (voice-over): This is Electra's Ultra Short, meant to compete in the new flying car craze that is a relatively cheap to operate aircraft
that can get you from pretty much anywhere on the map to pretty much anywhere else.
MARC ALLEN, CEO, ELECTRA: And we can save them half the time, right? I mean, half the time you spend in a commercial airplane, or on the road or
in a train, this will get you there twice as fast.
SCIUTTO (voice-over): How does it work? The science is pretty crazy. Its eight electric motors don't just move the plane forward, they generate
their own airflow over the wings, which in the physics of flight then generates their own lift for the aircraft.
ALLEN: You experience something that very few people have experienced. The airplane is going super slow. The wing thinks it's going super-fast because
we're just accelerating all of this air over it, and then some really unique design structures just rises right up. So the wing just lifts the
airplane up at about 150 feet of ground road.
SCIUTTO: You create your own lift.
ALLEN: You create your own lift. And then you just fly on that lift like an airplane.
SCIUTTO (voice-over): Because the plane creates its own lift, we took off at just about 30 miles an hour, about the speed of a racing bicycle,
something of a nod to the bicycle building Wright Brothers, who invented the world's very first flying machine.
From the air, you get the feeling of floating, sort of like taking a ride on a drone.
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 2227 at the tower right across the (INAUDIBLE).
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. Little there's down actually (INAUDIBLE).
SCIUTTO (voice-over): Plus, it's a hybrid with turbo generator charging batteries that run the prop sort of like a flying Prius. And less fuel
means a lower cost per mile than helicopters and many flying cars.
The idea of the Ultra Short is to solve another problem with many flying cars. While they can take a passenger or two, the Ultra Short can take
multiple passengers and cargo and go as much as ten times as far, about 250 miles.
Electra already has more than 2,000 planes ordered, mostly from airlines and the U.S. military, with even the ambition to replace the military's
workhorse transport helicopter, the Black Hawk.
ALLEN: A lot of military applications because the military has the same problem we all have, they need to go from where they are to where they want
to go. And imagine a bombed out runway. How do you get an airplane in with fuel, with munitions, supplies, food, spares? You can't.
And if you're in the ocean, you can't take a helicopter hundreds of miles.
This airplane flies like an airplane, arrives like a helicopter. That bombed out runway, no problem.
SCIUTTO (voice-over): The $10 million price tag for the larger commercial model means most of us can never dream of owning one. But for the military,
airlines, and other transport companies, perhaps a new taxi for the skies.
ALLEN: That's -- that's the idea of direct aviation.
SCIUTTO: Right.
ALLEN: That's the new era of air travel.
SCIUTTO (voice-over): Jim Sciutto, CNN, somewhere over Manassas, Virginia.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ASHER: How cool is that. All right. Still to come, on a day where many of us are saying we're thankful for, we'll explore the benefits of being
grateful more than just on the holidays.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:45:19]
ASHER: All right. We're going to take time out now for a segment on "One World" that takes a step back from the headlines to focus on something
normally not discussed in the news.
Human psychology and the power of mindset has to change our lives for better or for worse. And since it's Thanksgiving, we couldn't think of a
better day to do it when roughly two-thirds of Americans will express their thankfulness while sitting around the dinner table. Happiness or the lack
of it can often come down to just two words, thank you. Thank you.
Gratitude is certainly a word that we hear a lot this time of year. Still for so many of us, it's not something we think about much once the turkey
is gone. But what if it were? What if long after the holiday season was over? Thankfulness and gratitude was something we incorporated into our
daily mindset.
My next guest says that when it's genuine and not forced, there are many reasons why becoming grateful leads to becoming a happier person, but how
you practice it matters.
I'm joined now by Sonja Lyubomirsky, distinguished professor of psychology at the University of California and author of How Happiness -- "The How of
Happiness," rather, a scientific approach to getting the life you want.
Sonja, thank you so much for being with us. Happy Thanksgiving, by the way.
And just in terms of -- I'm a big believer in gratitude. I have to say that gratitude practice -- I've been practicing it over 10 years and it has
absolutely changed my life.
Talk to us about why it should go beyond just something you do around the dinner table for Thanksgiving, but something that you do literally every
single day.
SONJA LYUBOMIRSKY, PSYCHOLOGY PROFESSOR, U.C. RIVERSIDE: Right. Gratitude is something you want to embrace and have at every day, but it's not easy.
It's actually really hard. We tend to take things for granted, right? Like we might get a new house or a new car or we're in a new relationship. We
have a baby and we're so grateful. And then after a while, we sort of stop thinking about it.
And so it really takes an intentional kind of deliberate practice to do it every day or -- or once a week.
ASHER: So one of the things that I do once a month is that once a month, I invite 15 friends who live in my neighborhood to my house. And we have what
is called a gratitude dinner where around the table, myself and these 15 women for the entire dinner, while we're eating, we are only allowed to
speak about what we're grateful for.
There's no gossip. There's no complaining. There's no criticism. There's -- I mean, I think gossip is probably the worst way to spend your time. But I
set the time up for five minutes for each person and they can only speak about what they're grateful for.
And what's interesting is that the next day, a lot of these girls will text me and be like, my God, I had the best day. I felt so alive. All my anxiety
went, my stress went. Just explain the science of that for viewers.
LYUBOMIRSKY: I love this idea. And obviously, the self-selected group rates of their sort of prepared to do this authentically.
Decades of research have shown with randomized controlled trials that when people express gratitude, whether it's by expressing out loud or writing a
letter to someone or counting your blessings, they feel a little happier. They feel a little more connected to people in their lives. They're --
they're inspired to be a better person.
But again, it's not easy. It has to be authentic, you know, it's not forced. Like around Thanksgiving tables, sometimes we're sort of asked to
express gratitude. I mean, we don't feel to -- about doing it at that moment. You know, it has to be something that you really own and you -- you
want to do at that moment.
ASHER: So then explain to us why the human mind has such a bias towards negativity. I mean, you could have everything. You could be in the best
relationship. You could, you know, have a ton of amazing friends. You could have a wonderful relationship with your family. You could be wealthy,
successful, everything.
[12:50:04]
And yet, your mind will still focus on the one thing that you don't have. The one promotion you do not get. The one person that didn't respond to
your text message. Why do we do that?
LYUBOMIRSKY: Right, right. It's called bad is greater than good. And you could argue that it's evolutionarily adaptive, right? For humans to notice
that one bad thing, because that one threat in our environment, right, is important to respond to.
What we tend to sort of adapt or get used to the positive things, I mean, you could argue that if we didn't sort of take things for granted, then we
would stop making progress, right? Because we'd be like, oh, I'm just sort of happy with the way things are. And so I'm just going to sit back and do
nothing.
But we always want more, right? And so we always want more. And then when we -- we notice the bad things, because we need to address them, right?
They're important to address.
And so it's -- it's evolutionarily adaptive, but it has a cost for our happiness, right? It makes us unhappy. And so we have to deliberately try
to override sort of that bias by having a gratitude practice or having an optimism practice by sort of looking at silver linings.
We can't do that all the time, but we can try to do that maybe at least once a day, at least once a week, at least once a month.
ASHER: So the thing about gratitude is you -- you talk about this idea that it has to be authentic, which I completely agree with. I mean, a lot of
people will say, you know, before I went to bed -- before I go to bed every night, or when I wake up in the morning, I list 10 things I'm grateful for.
I think that's all well and good, but you have to feel it, you know. You -- you genuinely have to feel great. You can't go, oh, I'm grateful for my
job.
How do you get to that point where it's not just a random list that you're rattling off with no emotion, but you actually genuinely feel it?
LYUBOMIRSKY: Well, in -- in my book, "The How of Happiness," the -- the theme of it was actually fit. And the idea there is you have to find the
practice that fits your personality, fits your lifestyle, fits your preferences or goals or values.
And so let's say you're -- if you're a visual person, maybe you express gratitude by -- by taking a photo of someone or something that you're
grateful for or -- or drawing something, right? If you like to write, maybe you write about it, if you like to talk, you talk about it, right?
So you have to find the right -- the right fit, the right practice, because if it's the wrong fit, like, I don't like to count my blessings. Like I --
I think is that -- that seems kind of silly and trite to me, but other people say, I love counting my blessings, right? So I just have to find the
-- the right practice.
ASHER: Does gratitude make you more resilient as a person? Are you -- if you are a grateful person, are you better able to handle life challenges,
which are inevitable for every single one of us when they -- when they do come down the pike?
LYUBOMIRSKY: Right. I would say, yes. I don't know if there are any studies that directly test that, but gratitude is really useful, actually, in times
of adversity, right? You hear people, you know, I live in L.A. where we had the fires in January, and -- and people are so traumatic for everyone. It
still is, but people will say, like, I'm so grateful that I have my health, I have my family, right? I lost my house, I lost everything, but I still
have.
So -- so adversity actually often prompts us to -- to feel gratitude, and it's also very, very useful and -- and functional, right, to sort of focus
on the -- the things that we have.
But we have -- we can't force it, right? You never want to say to someone, like, oh, at least you have your health, right?
ASHER: Yes.
LYUBOMIRSKY: It has to come from within.
ASHER: And what do you say to people who are -- who are skeptical? Who sort of see this as woo-woo? I'm sure you run into people, like, people who sort
of think that way. What do you say to them?
LYUBOMIRSKY: Well, I -- I was one of those big skeptics. I always just found gratitude, like, really, kind of almost cringe, right? Like kind of
silly.
And again, but I found that -- I found something that I -- that I really found genuine and found meaningful, which is, for me, it was writing texts
to friends or people in my life to express my gratitude. Just like really, really quick texts.
And by the way, everyone should do this. It's so easy and quick. And -- and it's very meaningful to the person who gets it. I got a text, actually, for
my co-author today, saying how grateful he is for -- for being my friend and author, co-author. But anyway.
So -- so -- so I found texting people was really meaningful to me. So I guess that's what I would say to the skeptic is, like, find something that
-- that feels natural and meaningful to you. And I -- and then you will, I think, you will really -- you really enjoy it.
ASHER: And quickly before you go, two things that you're grateful for today.
LYUBOMIRSKY: Oh, cuddling with my kids, meaningful work, and waking up in a place where the weather is gorgeous on Thanksgiving Day. That was three.
ASHER: You're -- you're in Santa Monica. I just saw that.
LYUBOMIRSKY: That's right. That's right.
ASHER: OK.
LYUBOMIRSKY: Yes.
ASHER: All right. Sonja Lyubomirsky. Thank you. Happy Thanksgiving. Thanks for that. Appreciate it.
LYUBOMIRSKY: You too. Hold your title. Great.
ASHER: All right. At one time or another, most of us have gotten a text sent to us by mistake. But for one grandmother, it was the beginning of a
10-year friendship. Here's how it happened.
On Thanksgiving Day in 2016, Wanda Dench texted her grandson, inviting him to dinner. By mistake, it went to Jamal Hinton, at the time, a high school
student. He asked if he could still come to dinner. She said, yes. And the rest is history.
Here's our Samantha Lindell.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SAMANTHA LINDELL, CNN DIGITAL CONTRIBUTOR (voice-over): Ten years of Thanksgiving meals shared by two strangers who met on accident.
[12:55:01]
You might be familiar with the story. Wanda Dench texted Jamal Hinton in 2016, inviting him over to her Thanksgiving dinner.
Dench meant to text her grandson, but doubled down on the invitation to Hinton. He showed up to her house for a plate of turkey.
DENCH: It's just amazing to have a friendship where, you know, age makes no difference whatsoever. So I feel so blessed that he's in my life. I know
there's no accidents and it was serendipity and I'm -- I'm really joyful.
LINDELL (voice-over): The two have gotten closer while celebrating Thanksgiving over the years, offering support to one another in times of
need, like when Dench was diagnosed with breast cancer or when her husband died in 2020 from complications from COVID-19.
HINTON: That's about each other's support and being there for one another. I mean, Wanda's been through a lot. I've been through a lot.
And to stick together and talk about these things and kind of get through them together has just been a blessing of all sorts. So I appreciate you,
Wanda.
DENCH: Me too.
LINDELL (voice-over): And this year marks a decade of friendship, but the pair say they're more like family.
HINTON: It was just so unlikely that two polar opposites that felt like could come together and become such good friends and family members now.
I'm most excited for Wanda to -- to really meet my family. It's -- it's been some years.
DENCH: And I know from just the way Jamal is, I wanted to thank his parents for their wonderful upbringing of Jamal.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ASHER: Such a lovely story.
All right. That does it for this hour of "One World." I'm Zain Asher. Thank you so much for watching. Happy Thanksgiving. "Amanpour" is up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
