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CNN Live Event/Special

Thanksgiving in America. Aired 11:30a-12:00p ET

Aired November 27, 2025 - 11:30   ET

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

[11:30:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:33:43]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STAFF SGT. DIANA BALIATICO, U.S. ARMY: Hi, guys. This is Staff Sergeant Diana Baliatico. I'm deployed to the Middle East.

I just wanted to say hi to everybody at home, my mom, my dad, my brother, my sister, and my boyfriend, Corey (ph). Jackson, New Jersey, happy Thanksgiving, guys.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ERICA HILL, CNN HOST: And I have very happy Thanksgiving to all of those service members who can't be with their loved ones today.

Fred Pleitgen, our good friend Fred Pleitgen is actually in Landstuhl, Germany, there with a number -- at the USO with a number of service members for a very special Thanksgiving Day meal.

Fred, can you hear me?

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Erica.

Yes, certainly can hear you. And you're absolutely right. It is really a special day here at the USO Warrior Center in Landstuhl. Of course, we're at the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, which is pretty much America's top clinic outside of the U.S. for military.

And, of course, there's so many people whose lives have been saved here, who've gotten reconstructive surgery here, and who have then been sent on to the U.S. to get better. So the job that the folks who serve here are doing is so very important.

And, of course, so many of them, as you pointed out, Erica, very correctly, cannot be with their loved ones on a day like this, because they are serving here overseas. One of them is with me right now.

Madam, first of all, thank you for your service.

SGT. CATHERINE VITUNA, U.S. ARMY: Thank you. PLEITGEN: Can you tell me your name, your rank, where you're from,

and why it's special to be serving here on this day?

[11:35:01]

VITUNA: My name is Sergeant Catherine Vituna (ph). I'm from Fresno, California.

And it's really important for me to serve. I feel so blessed to serve today. It's rough being away from the family, but, I mean, this is second best. I mean, I get to be around awesome people. I have a great team and the mission itself is just very rewarding.

PLEITGEN: What's the mission? Tell me a little about it.

VITUNA: We help soldiers who are injured and then we send them back home to go be with their families.

PLEITGEN: That is very important. What's the most difficult thing for you on a day like this being away from home and being away from the family?

VITUNA: I just miss my family. I can't be with them. I know tonight they are cooking dinner and I can't be with them. So that's really rough.

PLEITGEN: Yes. Yes.

VITUNA: But being in the USO is the second best, because they create a family atmosphere. And so, yes, it's like being at home away from home.

PLEITGEN: Anyone want to say hi to?

VITUNA: Yes, my family in Fresno.

Hi, guys. Save some turkey for me.

PLEITGEN: But she has turkey here as well.

VITUNA: Turkey.

PLEITGEN: She has some here as well. This is really good.

I want to show you guys really quick. First of all, I know that John Berman was talking about how much I like football, how much I love Thanksgiving. For you guys, this is the only time I'm ever going to do this on TV. I am going to put on a turkey hat.

You guys know how much I love my hair, and that nothing gets between me and my hair. But now I'm putting on the turkey hat. But, second of all, look at this.

HILL: Wow.

PLEITGEN: Look at what these guys have made here. These folks have been in the kitchen here since 6:00 a.m. this morning. This is absolutely amazing. One thing I totally recommend is the cornbread stuffing.

And then they have the sweet potatoes, some of them with marshmallows on them as well, absolutely amazing food. I want to thank our bosses for sending me down here to cover the story because I have never eaten better in my life, guys.

(CROSSTALK)

SARA SIDNER, CNN HOST: Not ever on an assignment, I will note, Fred, because you have been all over the world. It is.

(CROSSTALK)

HILL: Fred, I think this hat is working for you.

(LAUGHTER)

SIDNER: It is.

PLEITGEN: It is, yes.

SIDNER: It's great. Fred, thank you so much. And, obviously, thank you to the troops that are there far away from home. A beautiful sight to see them there and having a good time eating.

Now let's take you to another beautiful sight, the Harlem Gospel Choir singing "Celebration."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: One, two.

(MUSIC)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN BERMAN, CNN HOST: And thank you so much to the Harlem Gospel Choir. That was so fun to see.

SIDNER: Awesome.

BERMAN: They will be performing at the Blue Note Jazz Club -- you saw them right there -- during the month of December. So be sure to check them out.

In the meantime, we got to get back to Houston.

SIDNER: Yes.

BERMAN: Our favorite cowboy, Andy Scholes, is there.

But I do understand he's made a costume change. I can't wait to find out what it is.

Andy Scholes? Oh, my goodness. An elf?

SIDNER: He's an elf on the shelf.

[11:40:01]

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Elf on the shelf, Berman and Sara. December 1 is Monday. Thanksgiving's about to wrap up.

And, hey, all you families and parents, I'm coming,and a different spot every single night. So it's going to be a lot of fun for everyone out there, Christmas right around the corner. I got some friends here. What's your name?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (INAUDIBLE)

SCHOLES: What would you like for Christmas this year?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (INAUDIBLE)

SCHOLES: OK, what about you?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My name is Mia and I want an iPad for Christmas.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: An iPad, nice.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And I want a Barbie house with a doll.

SCHOLES: Barbie house with a doll. Awesome presents.

Well, I'm sure Santa's going to bring them to you. Give the old elf on the shelf high-fives, high-fives. All right, I hope you all have a happy Thanksgiving.

But, Berman, this -- the parade wrapped here. Everyone's gone. It was as quick as I could see, 15 minutes. Poof. Everyone is ready to go eat some dinner and get ready to feast before they watch some football.

BERMAN: All right, Andy Scholes, just have a few things to say. Number one, A, like, never suggest that you aren't committed, you are not committed to the bit.

I am so impressed with everything you have done there. And the second thing I have to say is, as an elf on the shelf aficionado, I mean, like indistinguishable. Like, you could be the elf on the shelf.

(LAUGHTER)

SIDNER: Except for he's about 16 feet taller than the elf on the shelf.

BERMAN: But he's very pliable, just like the actual thing.

(CROSSTALK)

SCHOLES: I can't fit in to all this...

(CROSSTALK)

SCHOLES: ... that our elf does, yes.

SIDNER: You cannot, but it suits you. You look good in it.

BERMAN: All right, Andy, thank you very much.

(LAUGHTER)

BERMAN: Let's get down to Erica Hill right now.

And I understand you have got a special guest with you.

HILL: I have my own little my own little elf.

(CROSSTALK)

HARRY ENTEN, CNN SENIOR DATA REPORTER: I'm your mensch on a bench.

HILL: But you're not on a bench. You're a mensch right next to me, which is even better. Here we go. He can sit just like a mensch on a bench, the one and only Harry Enten, ladies and gentlemen.

He brought his turkey leg. I'm not going to take a bite of it. It is now laying on Sixth Avenue. We're going to pick it up. We're going to put it in a trash can. Nobody is eating any more turkey leg.

ENTEN: No.

HILL: No.

ENTEN: No one's eating any more turkey legs. But, Erica, you and I are very big fans of a certain local ice cream joint known as Carvel.

And so I have decided to give the gift of thanks. Thank you to Carvel. And I have decided to gift you some little gobblers from Carvel right over here.

HILL: Oh, they got -- they're very cute and a little melted.

ENTEN: They're very cute. They're a little melted, hence why I'm keeping them in the case, because I don't want to get Erica's nice jacket all messed up.

HILL: You are a giver, Harry Enten.

ENTEN: I am a giver.

HILL: You are a true mensch.

ENTEN: I am a true mensch, even if I don't have a bench.

And the truth is...

HILL: I know what to get you for Hanukkah. Don't worry.

ENTEN: There we go.

And this is what I want to just note. As a Jewish boy, I was always -- felt maybe a little out of touch, because Santa, Santa, Santa, no Hanukkah Harry. So I have decided to be the mensch on a bench, Hanukkah Harry. I have dressed up in the sweater. I have got my nice little saying up here on...

HILL: Oy to the world. I love it.

ENTEN: Oy to the world.

And, Erica Hill, I have walked all the way down from the upper 70s and Central Park West, all the way down here to West 43rd and Sixth Avenue just to wish you a happy Thanksgiving, my friend.

HILL: You are the best.

ENTEN: There we go.

HILL: Happy Thanksgiving, everyone's favorite mensch.

Stay with us. Much more to come right here on CNN's Thanksgiving in America.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:47:52]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

T.I., RAPPER: Hey, what's up man? T.I. right here man wishing a happy holidays man to you and yours, man. We servicing in the community in Atlanta on the West Side. This is our 20th anniversary.

Turkey. Turkey. Gobble, gobble.

It's a blessing to be able to give back to others.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Welcome to the ATL.

T.I.: Thank you, CNN, for choosing to come cover this event.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Happy Thanksgiving, everybody.

T.I.: Enjoy your holidays and be safe.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SIDNER: That was cool.

Thank you to everybody who's been hanging out with us. We have got some more to go. And thank you to the Congregation Sherith Israel for hosting us today. We are right outside in the most fantastic weather that I think we have had in a while.

BERMAN: Yes, they are just incredibly wonderful. They just wrapped up their annual Thanksgiving Pack-A-Thon, where volunteers packed more than 1,000 nutritious meals for families who need support this holiday season, delivering them free of charge.

I ran in and saw all the great work they were doing. Everyone had a smile on their face, loving the idea of giving back.

SIDNER: And...

BERMAN: Let's get down to Erica right now, who is on 43rd Street in the middle of it all.

HILL: I am. It's amazing how quickly -- I think anybody who's ever been in New York City for this parade or celebrating New Year's in Times Square, how quickly the city can clean things up, people having a great time, but they are now making their way to their Thanksgiving dinners.

I will tell you, though, who is still with us, our good friend Isabel Rosales.

So, last we saw her, she was in a Henry Ford papier-mache head in Detroit. I understand that -- I was told by the control room this is like nothing they have ever seen before, so it's going to be the big reveal here for all of us. All right, I'm staring at my monitor, Isabel. What do you have in store for us, my friend?

ISABEL ROSALES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: OK, so, Erica, you know Waddle and Gobble up in the nation's capital? They got a pardon?

Those are actually my cousins, but I'm Goner (ph). This is Detroit, baby, Motor City. Look at this. Come on right over here. We got so many kiddos in the crowd. I mean, you're talking about this is the 99th year that they have done this parade, so generations of family coming by to take part in this tradition that brings joy to so many and millions across the nation that watch on.

[11:50:13]

What's your name?

RITA MURTAUGH, PARADE WATCHER: Rita Murtaugh (ph).

ROSALES: OK.Tell me, what was your favorite float?

MURTAUGH: So there is this float where there's like the monkeys jumping on the bed, and they're doing like flips into the air. That was really fun to watch.

ROSALES: Do you know what's the final float that comes through? Well, you have...

MURTAUGH: Santa?

ROSALES: Santa. Are you looking forward to seeing him?

MURTAUGH: Yes. ROSALES: Oh, my goodness. Wait. What were your favorite floats?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The one where they were jumping on the bed and the one where they're -- where you had the bikes and the skateboards.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: All of them.

ROSALES: All of them. Good answer.

UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: All of them.

ROSALES: All of them.

Well, the big climax of the day is, for sure, Saint Nicholas, Santa Claus, that ushers in the start of the holiday season. So we're waiting on that right now. A little gap here as we wait for old Saint Nick.

Actually, wait, zoom in. Zoom in, Bart. Can you see him? Can you see him back there? I think we can see him. I think I catch a glimpse of Santa all the way back there by the truck.

Yes, Erica, I'm waiting on Saint Nick, and I have a long list of things I'm asking for.

(LAUGHTER)

HILL: Well, I hope that you get to give your list to Saint Nick.

Goner, you look great.

ROSALES: Yes.

HILL: I mean, I think this is -- maybe this is a new thing for you.

I feel like, Isabel, they're going to ask you to be the grand marshal in Detroit next year. I don't know why, but I have a feeling.

ROSALES: Oh, my God, I would be so honored to do that. I would be honored to do that.

And, actually, I have one little piece of video for you, Erica. We got video of me on a float. I made it on a float for like 10.5 seconds. I think we're running through that right now. That's the Rocket Mortgage float, one of the eight new floats of the entire year here.

I mean, you're talking about floats upwards of 25 feet, 130-feet-long, just incredible. I mean, I made it on there, super quick, but life- changing. So if they need a new grand marshal, I'm here. I will wear whatever costume. I mean...

HILL: Yes.

ROSALES: I'm here.

HILL: That, you have proven, my friend. That, you have proven. (CROSSTALK)

ROSALES: ... in here.

HILL: So you made it on the float. You rode in the car. You wore the papier-mache head. There's very little left. I think you nailed this assignment, my friend.

Isabel Rosales for us, see, there she is emerging, emerging from Goner the turkey costume.

Isabel, thank you.

HILL: Sara, John, I mean, hats are one thing. An inflatable turkey costume, that is a whole other story.

SIDNER: She just won Thanksgiving, I think, with all of those changes, no?

BERMAN: I have to think the turkey costume was eating Isabel Rosales at the end. Her head was being fully subsumed. That was amazing.

SIDNER: It was so cool.

BERMAN: Thank you to her and thank you to you, Erica.

SIDNER: All right, let's take you to the Temptations performing "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town" before we get swept away.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(MUSIC)

[11:55:00]

(MUSIC)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SIDNER: That was amazing.

I -- thank you to all of you who hung out with us. But I want to say a special thank you to our Frank Bavano (ph).

(CROSSTALK)

SIDNER: Frank, I know you're not -- you didn't know this was going to happen, 35 years at CNN. He is going to be leaving us. This is his last parade. You are here for the 99th, and we love you. Thank you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you very much.

BERMAN: Thank you very much.

SIDNER: Thank you, Frank.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I will be happy to...

(CROSSTALK)

SIDNER: So great.

BERMAN: Listen, and thank you all for being with us. Thank you, Erica Hill.

This has been our special coverage of Thanksgiving in America. What a day it's been. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving with you and your family and your friends.

SIDNER: Happy Thanksgiving, Berman.

BERMAN: Happy Thanksgiving.

SIDNER: Happy Thanksgiving to you.