a developing story out of china where dozens are dead after a construction platform collapses. we will have a live report for you. business before pleasure. president-elect trump gets in a cabinet selection before heading off to holiday. will he have to deal with a recount when he returns? and america gives thanks. they will do so for the men and women fighting isis. i'm maxwell foster in london. this is "cnn newsroom."

it is thanksgiving morning in the u.s. and as families prepare to sit down for meals together, president-elect trump is offering a message of unity. he acknowledges the long and bruising political season and emphasizes bringing prosperity to inner cities. this is one of a handful of times we heard from the president-elect since the election. >> we are very blessed to call this nation our home and that's what america is. it is our home. it is where we raise our families, care for our loved ones, look on the for out for o neighbors. it is my messages we move forward as one country strengthened by shared purpose and common resolve. >> perhaps in that spirit, he is putting aside division offering posts to two women who criticized him in the campaign.

jim acosta has details. >> reporter: as donald trump settles in for the thanksgiving weekend, the president-elect is making room at the table for some surprising cabinet picks. for starters ambassador to the u.n. one of the toughest critics, nikki haley. the daughter of indian immigrants is a proven dealmaker. she will be a great leader representing us on the world stage. haley said when the president believes you have a major contribution to make for the nation and nation standing in the world, that is a calling that is important to heed. >> when a bully hits you, you hit that bully back. >> reporter: haley was backing rubio. >> i will not stop until we fight a man that chooses not to disavow the kkk. that is not part of our party.

that is not who we want as president. we will not allow that. >> reporter: trump punched back. >> she is weak on illegal i immigrati immigration. >> reporter: he tapped betsy devos as education secretary and tapping ben carson as housing and urban development secretary. on her web site, devos opposes common core. >> we're going to provide, you will like this, school choice. put an end to common core which is a disaster. we will bring education local. >> reporter: trump's willingness to go outside the comfort zone for an advocate. >> his domestic policies would

lead to recession. his foreign policies would make us less safe. >> reporter: the potential move is enraging core supporters. >> that he goes to a microphone in a public place and repudiates everything he said in that salt lake city speech. >> i can think of 20 other people who are more compatible. >> reporter: the decision to send nikki haley to the united nations comes at an interesting time. one adviser says they hope this is a pressure reliever over the holiday weekend. jim acosta, cnn, new york. the counting is still going on. latest figures show hillary clinton's lead is growing. she has 64 million votes compared to 62 million for trump. a 2 million vote difference comes out about 1.5% of the

votes cast and the new tallies do not change the fact that trump won the electoral college and election. clinton's supporters say it calls into the trump mandate. this comes among calls for a recount. a group of computer scientists are talking about hacks in three states. tom forman has more. >> reporter: trump edged hillary clinton by less than 28,000. in pennsylvania, out of 6 million votes, advantage was 60,000. in the count in michigan still remains too close for cnn to call the race. but now some political activists say in counties using electronic voting, hillary clinton appears to have mysteriously under performed. compared to areas with paper ballots by as much as 7%. according to what they told top

clinton aides urging official review. they did not provide prove of hacking, but that could tip wisconsin and if others went her way too, she would have won. who is leading the charge? >> our democracy is under attack. >> reporter: and the democratic activist who ran for office a few years ago. >> this is a story of where the democratic party needs to be. >> reporter: he is a big proponent of voting rights. he tried to get president bush impeached over the iraq war. >> a constitutional duty to investigate fully and comprehensively. >> reporter: at the university of michigan, the chief computer scientist behind the discovery of the voting oddities is on a different page. concern of a risk of american elections being hacked. he talked about it on cspan before. >> it will hone in on which ever states have the closest margins.

>> reporter: he wants an investigation because he thinks any questions about voting security ought to be addressed. not because he's convince td it would necessarily change the result or prove anyone tried to rig the vote. he posted, were the deviations from the pre-election polls the result of a cyber attack? probably not. i believe the polls were systematically wrong. some went no the balloting confident. >> i could set the machine in the middle of hered square and they could not hack it. >> reporter: the clinton camp has shown little interest in purcha pursuing it. this political conspiracy theory will just drift off into the electoral wilderness.

tom forman, cnn, washington. >> those calling for a recount, wisconsin, michigan, is green party candidate jill stein. there is no reason to think her numbers would change much. still, stein's campaign says this is essential to the i integrity of the election. her web site raised $2.5 million for the filing and legal fees. to syria where claims about the use of chemical weapons coming from all sides. russia blames rebels for using chlorine for targeting the syrian army. the aleppo media center shows a war plane with a barrel bomb filled with chlorine gas. as violence rages on, they are making a plea to the international community. >> we are asking for help for

aid and there are war planes in syria not far from aleppo. we are people of eastern aleppo. we emphasize we have no problem with relief air drop. we hope our voices will be heard and aleppo will be saved. >> it is hard to believe that scenes like this are positive in eastern aleppo. a young girl pulled alive from the bomb building. she is reportedly had been stuck there for hours. iraqi led forces have the tightest chokehold on mosul and the alliance of the military group says isis is surrounded there between the city and raqq raqqah. phil black reports there is still a lot of fighting ahead. >> reporter: for some time now, there is iraqi forces at the gates of mosul from the south

and east. now they closed the circle on the west as well. it is a significant development because it means isis is effectively trapped within the city. they cannot escape across the border into syria and the territory they control there nor can they call for back up or resupply. it does not mean the iraqi forces expect victory in mosul eminently. there is a lot of fighting to do and especially a lot of work to do in the city itself. iraqi forces have penetrated the built-up area of the city around the eastern neighborhoods. that was weak ago. t weeks ago. this is a sign of what is to come. it is urban warfare. house to house and street to street in an environment the isis fighters know well and one they have been preparing and digging in and fortifying. they have built car bombs and using sniper positions and

mortar fire. what that means is the population of mosul is suffering and so are the iraqi forces that are trying to take ground. the iraqi government says it will not reveal official casualty figures while the operation is still under way. we know what we have seen on the ground ourselves. at very forward medical positions. makeshift triage posts. we have seen a steady stream of women, children and men and soldiers coming in before being dispatched to hospitals. hospitals that receive 90 injured people from mosul a day. this is not an accurate tally, but it paints a picture. along with the anecdotal pictures of how tough the fighting is in the city. this will not go quickly. mosul will not be taken from isis easily. phil black, cnn, irbil, northern

iraq. this thanksgiving, and many americans spend time with their families, but some soldiers are fighting isis from the skies away from their families. >> reporter: this thanksgiving, americans are in harm's way fighting isis. on the ground and in the air. we're on board a kc-10 fuelling jet over iraq and syria. the captain clark commanding the a airborne gas station. >> it is very rewarding. >> reporter: the first two planes strike aircraft. getting hooked up to the tanker at 400 miles per hour. a challenge for the crews of both planes. bomb operator says. >> they are moving around the same speed. at the end, you just get closure

at the aircraft toward you and you are able to give them that contact. >> reporter: it refuels planes against all members. including c-130 transporters and the mighty a-10 warthog. without the help of the tankers, the planes flying missions can only stay in the area of operations for an hour or hour and a half. thanks to the tanker airplane, they get fuel in the sky and stay in the area to fight isis up to seven hours. so instead of turkey and football for the crews, it is eight to ten hour missions hovering over the battle field. the pain being away from the loved ones. the mitigation of fighting for their country. >> it is hard being away from

family, but i love this job. i enjoy supporting our country. >> i'm actually honored to be here. you know, being away from family, they understand it. they work through it. i'm home. it is my time to be out here. i'm happy to be serving. >> reporter: around now semosul see the smoke. thanks to the tanker jets, u.s. led aircraft can stay airborne for as long as it takes to find targets and take them out. fred pleitgen, cnn. a tragedy of the families these children will live with every day. the latest from tennessee where a school bus driver is facing multiple charges after a deadly crash. and the search for victims in the twisted wreckage of the construction disaster in china.

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turkey. at least two people killed in a car bomb.

it happened during rush hour at the parking lot near the government building. 16 people are wounded. not clear who is behind the blast. a frightening rescue operation in china. state media saying 40 people killed when a platform at the power plant collapsed. a number of people reported to be trapped under a pile of scaffolding. we have matt rivers joining us with the latest from beijing. this all seems to have happened within a cooling tower? >> reporter: that's right. this was a repair project to a cooling tower at a construction site building a power plant in southeastern china. this accident happened at 7:00 a.m. it happened swiftly. we are told 68 people according to government estimates at the site. they were working and a crane on the site collapsed.

when that crane collapsed, it took down the platform that all of the workers were on. as you mentioned, the damage has been catastrophic. 40 people have been killed so far. five people in the hospital. the rescue efforts are ongoing. going on for nearly 12 hours. as they continue, the number of casualties as they find the remaining missing people, will rise. a very tense situation as rescuers of 200 or 300 firefighters combing through the rubble, max. >> we keep hearing about these accidents on building sites in china. >> reporter: that's right. unfortunately this is not something that we hear about rarely. it happens far more often than most people like. the fact of the matter, workplace safety not that important in china. it is not something anyone puts a premium on.

14,136 people in the first half of 2016 alone according to government figures that died as a result of workplace accidents. that's a staggering number. something we see happen year after year. that 14,000 figure i just mentioned is down 6% from last year. this is a systematic problem in china. we see workers needlessly die. >> back with you when we get more from the scene. matt, thank you very much. in the u.s., a sick killed has now died after a school bus crash in tennessee. families begin to mourn the unimaginable tragedy. the bus driver is appearing in court on multiple charges. nick valencia has more. >> reporter: investigators say 24-year-old johnthony walker was not on the designated route home when he flipped the bus and

killed six children. police released a few details about walker. at the press conference, they answered the questions still outstanding. >> we received toxicology reports back today from the tennessee bureau of investigation. it shows no drugs or alcohol in the driver's system. his record included a minor wreck investigated by our agency. >> reporter: the bus he had been licensed to drive since april was full. 37 children. victims include a girl on board with her sister. dameon brown said she waited five hours before she learned her son was killed in the crash. 8-year-old keyonte wilson died wednesday. 9-year-old zoey nash would have

celebrated a birthday next month. her brother was on board. in an obituary for kordejia jones. police have yet to interview the child survivors for fear of putting them through more trauma. testimony have led them to believe walker was driving too fast. above the 30-mile-an-hour speed limit. >> my responsibility now is to look for answers. >> reporter: in a video released by the school bus company that employed walker, the executive in charge made a plea to the public. the company is one of the largest school bus providers in the country. >> what i can do is promise that i'm determined to find out what happened. and we will ever any support that we can to the families that are affected. >> reporter: the investigation goes on in chattanooga. some of the victims families

have turned to bishop kevin adams. he says he, too, is hurting. he was in the hospital as parents got the news their children have died. >> as the doctors were coming in and just announcing to a family that your child is deceased. i saw mothers literally passing out. people all in the floor with the screams. i can still hear them. >> reporter: nick havevalencia,, tennessee. and violent clashes as hundreds protest the plan to the oil pipeline in north dakota. they say it would ruin sacrred land. police used rubber bullets on sunday. a woman almost lost her arm. this is to protest the pipeline which would carry 500,000 barrels of crude oil a day through several states.

including north dakota and south dakota. still to come, entering diploma diplomacy. >> also it's in my stuff. all kinds of toys from trump. they pay me millions and hundreds of millions. >> that's how then candidate donald trump wants described dealings with saudi arabia. we examine some of the less kind things he said and what it would mean in terms of relation of u.s. and saudi arabia. we travel back to venice. swept up on a tide of i intoleran intolerance, yet thriving all the same.

the green party nominee inu bid for recount in wisconsin and michigan. the campaign launched $2 million for the recount. it follows the computer scientist of hacks in those states. and a car bombing of the southern city in turkey. the last happened in a parking lot near the governor's office during rush hour. no one has claimed responsibility. a rescue operation at the site of the construction accident in china. at least 40 people were killed at a platform. a number of people trapped. and hurricane otto is set to

hit costa rica. we return to the top story. come january, donald trump will have to turn campaign talk into action. the task he is facing is sensitive when it comes to america's allies like saudi arabia. the kingdom has been target of criticism of trump over the past year. as becky anderson states, his rhetoric was interesting given his business links to the kingdom. >> they make $1 billion a day. whenever they are in trouble, our military takes care of them. we get nothing. >> reporter: bad value for money. as candidate, donald trump's assessment of saudi arabia was typically provocative. as president-elect, he may be more diplomatic. his claim washington is helping

the kingdom too much and getting too little in return wrinkled some in the gulf. there is a distinct sense that actions matter more than words sbrch. >> we have to wait and see what trump will do. there has been great concern in saudi arabia. some of the rhetoric, again, mostly rhetoric. >> reporter: that stands for justice against sponsors of terrorism act and allows u.s. families of 9/11 victims to sue over alleged involvement over the terror attack. saudi arabia denied any link. and legislation which trump supported is souring the mood when it comes to america. on the campaign trail, trump threatened to stop importing saudi arabia oil. he wanted independence from america's foes and energy cartels. the president-elect has pledged to stop acting like the world's

policeman. saying our grotroops on the gro are needed to fight isis. regional ties were calling under president obama because of worries about the iran nuclear deal which the president-elect vowed to scrap. the trump/saudi relationship may surprise. >> you get the impression that people have had so much america in the middle east that they would be happy to see the back of america and trump is suggesting that is what we would see. >> reporter: there is one angle to the relationship with the middle east that the former businessman will understand instincti instinctively. gulf states are not just u.s. allies. they are customers. the u.s. is the top arms exporter. saudi arabia is the biggest importer on a global basis. >> i love that sign. >> reporter: trump also have personal business interests in

saudi arabia. and sold property to saudi government to new york in the past. >> i like the saudis. i make a lot of money from them. >> reporter: so while trump, the entrepreneur's views are clear, saudi arabia will be keeping a close eye on how president trump feels come january 20th. becky anderson, cnn, abu dhabi. joining me to talk about this is morris reid. he was the advisor on the bill clinton/al gore in 1996 campaign and leslie mooring. friend of the network. morris. the idea of trump going back to the middle east and rebuilding the bridges. saudi arabia is crucial. >> just not saudi. you run as a candidate, you say and act one thing. you become the president and it

is another. he is familiar with these people he talked about. he has a relationship and he has a leg up. trump the businessman is not trump the president of the united states. that rhetoric will go aside. they are allies. he will dig in and figure out thousa how to mend fences. >> i think everybody will be nervous in the region given the inflammatory rhetoric. this is dangerous. if you are sitting in the northeamiddle east, you are wondering. it is a deeply uncertain time. we don't know. >> he does sound different now. he sounds presidential. >> he does. i will remind you that obama came in as closing guantanamo bay candidate. it is still open. what you say as a candidate is not necessarily what you do as president. that is certainly what donald trump will do. that is what the folks in the

middle east will do. >> and the issue of the mandate. these calls for recount and the margin with clinton and trump. does that delegitimize him on the global stage? >> we keep hearing hillary clinton has passed 2 million votes in the popular vote. >> it doesn't mean anything. >> it means there are a lot of people in the country that did not vote for donald trump. he is the person who is sensitive to that. very aware of it. it is interesting. we see him rieaching out furthe for candidates that did not support him during the campaign. the recount is politically very divisive. >> and lesley, haley and romney coming into the international role. >> haley was a surprise pick. she has traveled as governor a few places. when you have a changing world,

you want experts. he has the experience because he has been in a businessman engaged raaround the world. he has been a candidate. you notice a trend. you go and put them in a very important job. when that person lands with the big american flag, you are speaking for the president and represent millions of voters. >> donald trump holds grudges. they have the authority having opposed him in the past. >> i think that is a can is key. romney's name is out there. nikki haley to the u.n. they both opposed him. i'm sure romney is thinking how much influence will i have if i'm offered and i join. that is something we have to wait and see. it is a good signal he is willing to reach out beyond those that supported him. he hasn't placed a lot of emphasis on expertise in any of the posts. that is something that is

worrying. nikki haley. she comes from an indian background. she is adding a degree of diversity. she is young and energetic. she has openly spoken out against him. it is very interesting. >> because they have not had a particularly big international presence with diplomacy in the past, could that be advantage for them? world leaders dealing with them and foreign secretaries. perhaps this is a chance for a fresh start. >> america has a long established interests. you don't enter into the u.n. interests. the question is will she move the needle on the administration with policies and how she will be able to work the system that she is not familiar with. >> the interesting thing about romney is he is a businessman. trump, you will see a pattern. the next few appointments will be business people. he understands business people more than politicians. people pragmatic and understand

the chain of command. they oppose him, he's the boss. the president of the united states is the boss. they understand that chain of command just like the military. >> and you obviously based here in europe and dynamics going on. how do you think him stepping in to that will change those dynamics? led by the concerns in the eu and brexit in particular. >> this is a guy who doesn't believe in multilateral things. he likes to deal one-on-one. you will see more free trade agreements. if we have a deal with nato, you have to do your part. people are alarmed. he said we have a deal. you have to do your fair share and you get the fruit of the labor. i think he will be a person that digs in. he will look for opportunities to win and anyone that will help with the winning narrative will get a lot of attention from him. >> the frightening prospect of

countries east of the continent is the relationship with russia and russia perhaps encouraging with ukraine. they will not get the resources. >> that will be interesting. this is another reason why mitt romney is an interesting pick. he has a different attitude toward russia than trump. trump is willing to expand the hand to putin. romney is more concerned about the threat russia poses. who does he appoint and how much are they able to influence? i think donald trump is likely to get pulled back into recognizing america's commitment to nato. if you are sitting in europe, that is probably not reassuring. >> we need to hear more from him. >> it is interesting, max. donald trump is doing what obama said he wanted to do. the russian reset. others took over. i think people are alarmed about this, but this is what hillary

clinton and obama wanted to do. let's see if trump can do it. >> thank you very much for joining us. we will talk more in the months ahead. from america to europe. we are seeing a rise in populism. this week, white nationalists held a rally in washington with hail trump. this shows how a rich culture blooms in the inn totolerance. >> reporter: kids on a field trip in venice. today, the ghetto is calm and quiet. with the jews forced to live within its walls. the rulers of venice created the ghetto.

europe's first 500 years ago. this year is a bittersweet remembrance for people who flourished while living in prisons says this historian. >> we could memorandum rarememb jews lived together and also met and exchanged culture and knowledge and information. >> reporter: trading super power, venice attracted jews fleeing the spanish inquisition. and jewish caraftsmen and artisans from the italian peninsula. >> translator: it was like new york city this rabbi tells me. he said it was a cross roads with east and west.

>> reporter: but it was a city where jews struggled under restrictions. hebrew books were published here, but jews were banned from owning printing presses. the gates were shut every night. they used to be here. there was, however, an important exception to the rule. doctors, jewish doctors in great demand all over the city, were allowed to come and go as they pleased. narrow canals formed the ghetto's boundaries. boundaries restricted at night. and at night, christian guards patrolled around the ghetto to make sure nobody got out or in. adding insult to injury, the inn has been people of the ghetto

were forced to pay their guards. the jews of venous weconvenienvo move out. >>holocaust. they were tracked by italians and germans. they were of all age. >> reporter: today, around 400 jews live in venice compared to ten times that when the ghetto was at its height. jews and non vijews alike have moved away. psycho therapist lo

the ghetto. >> we would go mainly to go to the synagogue. it was not a very nice part of town. it was quite poor. >> reporter: today it is undergoing something of revival. attracting jews from outside italy. >> now i feel we feel the heart of the jewish life. >> reporter: a heart that still beats despite it all. ben wedeman, cnn, venice. still to come, motivated by hate. a right wing is jailed for the murder of the beloved politician.

the court in london sentenced a right extremist for the murder of jo cox.

this called for the strict sentence because it was done to further the political motive. she was stabbed as she arrived before the june brexit referendum. cnn's erin mclaughlin has more. >> reporter: her killer, a 53-year-old man with extreme right wing views has been sentenced for life. >> thomas is a cold blooded killer. he planned her death and lay in wait and killed jo in a sustained attack. >> reporter: he was found guilty of murder and bodily harm with intent and possession of a firearm with intent. the murder was a clear act of terrorism. the statement the prosecution served highlighted and he offered no explanations for his actions. motivated by hate, his

premeditated crimes were nothing less than acts of terrorism designed for his twist of ideolo ideology. her family called for unity. >> for the person who did this, we have nothing but pity that his life was so devoid of love and consumed with hate that this became his desperate and cowardly attempt to find meaning. >> reporter: the mother of two was shot and stabbed by him in northern england a week before the brexit referendum in june. the scene was chaotic on the 911 call. >> chaos. stabbed and shot people. >> reporter: the police found nazi memorabilia and books at his home. they found evidence of internet searches for right-wing material and the gun he planned to use. he refused to take the stand during the trial, but he told the court, my name is death to

trait or traitors. cox was considered a rising star in the political arena. her death drew tributes. her family and friends would like to remember her now with this video. a tribute for her commitment to her family and community. >> i'm elated and humbled that the people put their trust in me to be your next member. >> reporter: during the trial, there were two human extreme there is that day. the nazi sympathizer full of hate and the internationalist jo cox full of compassion and love. her family wants to make sure her legacy endures. erin mclaughlin, cnn, london. you are watching "cnn newsroom." back in a moment.

i hereby pardon you from the thanksgiving table and we hope that you have a wonderful time in gobbler's rest. >> this thanksgiving in the united states, the holiday is a feast with pilgrims that reached

the shores and americans already there. this is one of the stranger traditions. president obama marked his final thanksgiving in the white house by pardoning two turkeys that may have otherwise become the first family's dinner. >> i want to take a moment to recognize the brave turkeys who weren't so lucky and didn't get to ride the gravy train to freedom. who met their fate with kcourag and sacrifice and prove they weren't chicken. [ baby cries ] >> it's not that bad. >> president obama and first fame family rolled up the sleeves to serve dinner to veterans. and before we go, one final holiday tradition. thousands and thousands of los angeles residents turned out for the annual lighting of the

freeway. it brought cheers to highway 405. lights in red one side and white in the other. these drivers are committed to the display, many spent hours where you see them now. on a certiserious note, this tr jam caused drivers pain due to the cheapest gas prices since 2008. i'm max foster. "early start" is coming up next with christine romans and boris sanchez. that is coming up after this short break. you are watching cnn.

president-elect trump's thanksgiving message. calling for unity after a bruising campaign. a fund raising drive for election recount. millions of dollars raised in a matter of hours. good morning. welcome to "early start." happy thanksgiving. i'm christine romans. >> happy thanksgiving. i'm boris sanchez. it is thursday, november 24th. 5:00 a.m. on east coast. we start with treatment trump getting diverse. after a series of appointments of white mecn, trump named two women. one the daughter of india