healing on this thanksgiving. let's go to jason carroll who is live at trump's mar-a-lago estate in florida. good morning, happy thanksgiving. look at that gorgeous sky behind you. >> it is beautiful. what a gorgeous day here in palm beach. you know, i know a lot of people are waiting for more announcements, but no announcements, brooke, expected today. this is a down day for the president-elect and his family. meanwhile, the president-elect is saying it's time for the country to put the election behind us. he says it's time for the country to come together. president-elect donald trump diversifying his administration. picking two women to fill key positions tapping former critic nikki haley as u.s. ambassador to the united nations. >> i will not stop until we fight a man that chooses not to disavow the kkk. that is not a part of our party. that is not who we want as president. >> she is very weak on illegal immigration. you can't have that. >> reporter: trump now touting the south carolina governor as a proven dealmaker with a proven track record of bringing people together. haley has accepted the position, she says, out of a sense of duty. haley, the daughter of indian immigrants is the first women and first person of color to be elected as governor in south carolina. but some are questioning if she has enough foreign policy experience for her new diplomatic post at the u.n. >> thank you, everyone. thank you for being here. >> reporter: trump also naming a top billionaire gop donor betsy devos as secretary of education. the president-elect calling the school choice activist a brilliant and passionate education advocate. even though she also heavily criticized him throughout his candidacy, raising money for other republicans on the ballot. and devos previously served on the board of an education group led by jeb bush that supports common core standards. >> we are going to provide school choice and put an end to common core. bring our education local. >> reporter: devos setting the record straight on common core in a statement saying, "i am not a supporter. period." trump also announcing on twitter that he seriously considering dr. ben carson as head of housing and urban development. >> there are a lot of things that were put on the table and i'm thinking about them. >> reporter: all as trump channels the spirit of thanksgiving releasing this holiday message on youtube after what he calls a long and bruising campaign. >> it's my prayer that on this thanksgiving we begin to heal our divisions and move forward as one country. >> and, again, alisyn, no cabinet announcements expected today. dr. ben carson did tweet that an announcement on his end should be forthcoming. again, forthcoming, don't know what forthcoming actually means. some question in terms of when we might hear something about the position of secretary of state mitt romney being the frontrunner there. he is said to be mulling things over with his advisors and not expected to hear something on that front, alisyn, until after the holiday weekend. >> hopefully you will have a quiet holiday down there. jason, thank you very much for all of that reporting. let's discuss it with cnn political commentator and host of "smerconish." michael smerconish. happy thanksgiving. >> to you, as well. >> let's get your thought on the latest cabinet picks. nikki haley and betsy devos education secretary. your thoughts? >> i thought on someone else's watch someone else been elected president and then put forth these nominations there would be more conversation than we will probably hear relative to their backgrounds. what i mean by that is that i think he's inoculated in so far as draining the swamp was his priority and he made it crystal clear that he wanted to bring outsiders to washington, d.c., or in this case, to the u.n. in the case of nikki haley. so, yes, i'm sure democrats will make some issue of these appointments. but in the end, i think they're secure. >> do you give him some credit, though, michael, the fact that, it's not that governor haley was a never trumper, but it took her a long time to finally get there and, you know, we could -- so many quotes from governor romney and the speech in utah and how he was so highly critical of mr. trump. do you give them credit for opening their arms to those voices? >> i do. i not only give credit to president-elect trump for being willing to listen to those voices, but i give credit to nikki haley or to a betsy devos and being willing to serve with president trump because they were critical of him. brooke, initially when mitt romney's name was put forth and that meeting took place i wondered like many others, is this just window dressing. is this just him trying -- >> you weren't buying it. >> looking appeasing but not really appeasing. no one was more loyal to donald trump than rudy giuliani. if the president-elect is now contemplating going with one of his harshest critics. i remember that particular speech that romney delivered at the expense of rudy who apparently have said this is the one job that i really do want. that would be quite significant. >> let's talk about that. about which voice next to donald trump is going to win in terms of the rudy/romney debate. now newt gingrich and mike huckabee have come out. they were both supporters of mr. trump when he was running. they've come out and talked about how critical they are both of mitt romney. so, it would really be bucking a lot of voices to pick mitt romney at this point. >> alisyn, there is the donald trump who sought and received the republican nomination. very hard line and very draw a line in the sandish. meaning not retreating on anything. then there is the donald trump that showed up at the "new york times" just two days ago for the on the record conversation where he reconsidered torture, water boarding. where he seemed to strike a different tone relative to climate change. where he spoke favorably, respectfully of president obama and said that he really doesn't have any interest in locking her up. that is a much more conciliatory appeasing donald trump. donald trump on election night who said it's time to bind the wound. >> so, what about, though, yes, and we're looking at perhaps a moving to center, but on these intelligence briefings. i don't know if you saw the "washington post" piece but the fact that donald trump has elected to take two of these intel briefings when you look at previous presidents like when president obama was elected president or even george w. bush. they took them daily. apparently it's mike pence who is doing this daily and one of the sources cited in this piece said trump has a lot of catching up to do. at this point, though, is it alarming for you or not yet? >> not yet alarming, but i wish he were taking the briefings on a day-to-day basis. look, i think it's a very fair criticism to say as the c consuimate outsider the first without government experience and i realize that was an asset on the campaign trail. now, president-elect, you're going to do the job. you need to be brought up to speed. i expect that is going to change. if it doesn't, i think it will be voiced criticism of it. >> michael, there is all these supporters, hillary clinton supporters who are hoping for some miracle and some change before inauguration day that would stop the inevitable from happening. one of the things that jill stein who, herself, ran for president is looking at whether or not there was some technical glinch glitch in the battleground states. >> she wants a recount. >> if it was determined that something went awry with these machines before inauguration day, then what? >> so, the issue here is that she appears in some electronic voting areas to have run behind how well she did else where on paper ballots. here's what i'm not convinced of. i'm not convinced that is a reflection of the electronic versus paper ballot as opposed to the cultural factors of who voted in that particular poling place. but of this i'm pretty confident. and that is that the model here is one set by two despaindividu. richard nixon and al gore both who lost incredibly close elections and for the good of the nation said it's not worth it to fight it. clintons would only want to get involved in a recount if they believed the facts were on their side and it would alter the outcome in a convincing way and i don't think we're anywhere close to that. >> let me loop back quickly as it's thanksgiving, we know that he is considering it over the holiday weekend. do you think it would be a step forward for this country, even though they have been like this, especially when they talked about russia in the past. they being trump and romney. would you be in favor of mitt romney saying yes? >> i'm for growing the tent. i'm for inclusion. i think that this campaign was so devisive, so exclusionary that if governor romney would play a role for donald trump, it would send a great message about his willingness to entertain, points of view and even those who were his harshest critics. >> michael, thank you very much. >> we just doomed him. >> i was thinking that. >> we just doomed him by saying that. >> michael, you have been so honest about your lack of a good track record during this election and you're in good company with 95% of people who got it wrong. so, it's possible you did just doom mitt romney. >> we'll see. >> happy turkey day, michael sme smerconish. let's look at these live aerials over the macy's thanksgiving day parade. what do you see there, brooke? >> i'm not totally up on my balloons, alisyn. i enjoy charlie brown and garfield. i don't have kids. i don't know what these balloons are. i'm not hip with it. >> you're very fluent for someone without children in the garfield ball game. >> boris. >> boris, save us. you're live in the middle of the action. go ahead. >> yes. this crowd is so pumped, alisyn and brooke. they are thrilled. waiting for the spectacle that is the macy's thanksgiving day parade. i want to show you on our right and take you behind the scenes. this is the west virginia marching band. they are getting ready to bring music to the 3 million people that are going to be lining the streets of new york this morning. as we get closer to give you another angle of the balloons we were just looking at. there's the big block head himself, charlie brown. all-new balloon for this year's parade. two other new balloons we're excited to see "diary of a wimpy kid" and dreamworks movie "tolls" and felix the cat. he was the first balloon back in 1927. you can hear the music going off. that is those folks over there rehearsing. it's the muppets. they're getting ready for the start of the parade. we have people dressed as christmas trees and people dressed as power rangers. 1,000 clowns unsettling and eerie. 1,000 clowns lining the street. fortunately, we also have 3,000 uniformed new york police department officers keeping a watchful eye over the crowd and make sure everything goes off without a hitch. you ladies excited? where are you guys from? >> alameda, california. >> california. all the way from california dressed in bright green to celebrate the holiday. again, a lot of excitement in the air. a watchful eye making sure that everything goes well. i'll send it back to you guys. >> i like those christmas trees. >> i love them. >> 1,000 clowns, i don't know. christmas trees i'm cool with. >> hoping they're not the creepy clown variety. >> we'll see. we were talking with the balloons and it depends on how the weather is and the wind as far as how high these balloons will be able to fly. chad myers i bet knows about balloons. what do we need to know? >> they are going to be flying high today. winds will be five miles per hour. we have a great day for a parade. rain probably around 1:00 but the parade will be over by then. more rain and snow in the forecast for other parts of the country, but for the most part, i think the snoopy will be up in the air. let's take a look at snoopy and the forecast. hour by hour where he's going to go. flying high. 53 will be the afternoon high temperature. we'll have temperatures in the 40s, though, during the parade. maybe up to around 42 it stays cloudy because of where the warm front is. there goes snoopy even with the warm front, he goes all the way up there and continues all the way through the day. eventually, i mean, the big finale is santa claus. have to wait for that. rain showers get to new york city about 1:00 and move away 4:00, 5:00 tonight. a decent day for traveling today. lake-effect snow, but, brooke, we're in good shape for travel today. >> the grand finale santa claus and turkey. >> that was a nice touch. >> getting fancy on this show, this "new day" show. chad, thank you. coming up next, stunning and really terrifying video that shows us what happens when e-cigarette goes horribly wrong. but, first, we have a thanksgiving message from one of our service members overseas. >> staff sergeant john and i miss being home definitely for the holidays. but i'd like to say hi to my wife, danielle, and i love her very much and i'll be home soon. ...into jewelry. jewelry that tells her she's the best thing that's ever happened to you. in a way... ...that goes beyond words. it could be a piece jewelry designers created just for jared. or a piece we custom made... ...just for you. because we're more than a store that sells beautiful jewelry. we are jewelers. the one, unique gift... ...that tells her exactly how you feel. that's why he went to jared. ...stop clicking around...travel sites to find a better price... the lowest prices on our hotels are always at hilton.com. so pay less and get more only at hilton.com. see me. see me. don't stare at me. see me. see me. see me to know that psoriasis is just something that i have. i'm not contagious. see me to know that... ...i won't stop until i find what works. discover cosentyx, a different kind of medicine for moderate to severe plaque psoriasis. proven to help the majority of people find clear or almost clear skin. 8 out of 10 people saw 75% skin clearance at 3 months. while the majority saw 90% clearance. do not use if you are allergic to cosentyx. before starting, you should be tested for tuberculosis. an increased risk of infections and lowered ability to fight them may occur... ...tell your doctor if you have an infection or symptoms... ...such as fever, sweats, chills, muscle aches or cough. or if you have received a vaccine or plan to. if you have inflammatory bowel disease, tell your doctor if symptoms develop or worsen. serious allergic reactions may occur. see me. see me. see me. on my way. find clear skin... and a clearer path forward. for a different kind of medicine, ask your dermatologist about cosentyx. (vo) it's black friday at verizon and people are ready. because they know a deal is only as good as the network it's on. verizon gives you the best network and a lot more. our best deals of the year on top android phones. like the pixel, phone by google and the samsung galaxy s7. $10 per month and no trade-in required. or get an ipad mini 2 for $99. shop our best deals early online thursday, and all day in stores on friday. hurry, and get it all at verizon. what's the best way to get v8 or a fancy juice store?s? ready, go! hi, juice universe? one large rutabaga, with eggplant... done! that's not fair. glad i had a v8. the original way to fuel your day. well, thousands of former and current u.s. sailors are getting the troubling news this morning that their identities have been breached. hackers infiltrating navy records gaining access to names and social security numbers. cnn chief national correspondent jim sciutto has more. >> reporter: good morning. we're learning of a potentially damaging security breach affecting the u.s. navy. this began with just one laptop, a single laptop that belonged to a contractor for the navy. but because that laptop was compromised, someone was able to access the names and social security numbers of more than 130,000 sailors. those sailors now being notified. the navy saying it's taking this very seriously. they don't know who did it. to this point, that information has not been shared more widely, but, obviously, investigating this potential for real damage here. alisyn and brooke, back to you. >> gym chute . >> jim sciutto, thank you. a wain university afrs has died after being shot in the head tuesday night. 29-year-old collin rose has been on the job for five years. was engaged to be married next year. authorities say rose called for backup when he saw a man approach a neighborhood prone to car thefts. he was on a bike. the suspected shooter is in custody, but police have yet to find and recover his weapon. well, hampsure college in massachusetts facing a wave of backlash after removing all american flags from the campus. the college president says the school initially lowered the flags to half staff after hate-based violence escalated around the country following the presidential election. the president of the college says removing the flags was meant to create, "meaningful discussion." cue the crazy video of the morning here. this is a surveillance of a liquor store in new york's grand central station. all of what's happening here. you have otis gooding working the cash register. we'll loop it back, don't worry. when an e-cigarette in his pants pocket explodes. he tried unsuccessfully to pull the device out of his pocket. he required surgery overnight for third degree burns to his leg, thigh and hand. see, i hear my mother. this is what she would -- brooke, this is why i told you never ever to smoke because this could happen. >> because your pants could explode. you'll wind up in the hospital. >> that is terrifying. he's wearing them. >> kaboom. late-night comics are cooking up plenty of zingers. >> after previously calling it a hoax, donald trump aw acknowled warming might be real. trump said i had a hard time believing something could get hotter as it got older. >> yesterday he told staffers at "new york times" that his son-in-law jared kushner could help broker peace in the middle east and after that peace between america and the other half of america. >> on tuesday the same man who might run our department of energy deejayed for vanilla ice. ♪ >> rick perry looks like he should be secretary of energy drinks. >> the big news today is that donald trump has appointed south carolina governor nikki haley to be ambassador to the united nations. yep. her main job will be learning how to say sorry in over a dozen languages. >> with all of trump's businesses, there are bound to be conflicts of interest. 100 foreign diplomats from brazil to turkey gathered at the trump international hotel in washington, d.c., to dine on sliders and hear a sales pitch about the u.s. president-elect's newest hotel. well, of course, trump hotels serves sliders. those mini burgers make tiny hands look huge. >> how about hip-hop rick perry. >> deejaying for vanilla ice. >> and dancing. that was amazing. meanwhile, donald trump spending thanksgiving at his mar-a-lago estate. what does it take to secure trump's winter white house? that is next. ng you to a real dr for an annual check-up. so go, know, and take control of your health. doctor poses. learn your key health numbers and take control today. every tv doctor knows scrubbing is serious business. they also know you need to get your annual check-up. now with one touch using the mycigna app you can find a doctor in your plan's network to save money. need to be thorough. president-elect donald trump spending the thanksgiving holiday at his mar-a-lago resort. we get more from cnn's ed lavandera. >> reporter: protecting president-elect donald trump is a challenge unlike any other from trump tower in new york to his private club in florida. >> so, we're approaching mar-a-lago right here. >> reporter: a 20-acre water front estate secluded from the public but also shares it with as many as 500 members who are willing to pay $100,000 to join him. >> basically, it's a compound. we have to treat it as such. >> reporter: former secret service and atf special agent rodriguez says in many ways it's ready made for presidential security. >> behind this natural barrier here, which i assume there is a fence. >> there is a wall back there. >> a tall wall. >> it's more than 13 feet, i believe, which is great for deterring anyone trying to come on the premsis. >> reporter: behind the wall trump keeps a residence that could become the winter white house. >> i love florida. this is my second home. >> reporter: where presidents spend their vacations is a window into their personalities. george w. bush would like to spend the hottest month of the year on his ranch in texas. >> wonderful spot to come up here and just kind of think about the budget. >> reporter: george bush sr. famously enjoyed kennebunkport, maine. cut down the middle by a two-lane road nestled between a stunning stream of multi-million dollar homes. the best view comes from across the bay. rodriguez says secret service teams are assessing threats that could come by land, sea and air. and standing outside the club, it doesn't take long to see the skies above will be a major concern. >> i mean, that plane is, what, maybe a couple thousand feet over us. >> reporter: the palm beach international airport is just a few miles west of mar-a-lago. >> you can see the path for commercial aircraft. >> reporter: for years, trump has waged a legal battle to keep commercial and private planes from flying over this estate and now that he's president-elect, he might have just gotten his way. when he's on the property, rodriguez says, the air space over mar-a-lago will be closed. >> this would be a type of aircraft that an individual would use to drive his plane into the property. >> reporter: in the waters around mar-a-lago the u.s. coast guard is setting up security zones. some off limits and other areas that require permission before entering. rodriguez says secret service agents will also conduct renewed background checks on every club member. inside the club, they can also expect to see new levels of visible and invisible layers of security. are they in for a bit of a rude awakening? >> i think, i think it depends. you know, some of the neighbors may like it. others may complain because they don't like the intrusion. >> but life's going to change around here for the next four years. >> yes, it will. most definitely. >> reporter: ed lavandera, cnn, palm beach, florida. >> that is comforting to know that mar-a-lago is ready made for presidential security. >> with the water and with the planes. they would have to shut that down, but other than that, it's great. >> you make a good point. >> conflicts of interest emerging is a big concern for the incoming trump administration. some actions by the president-elect's son and daughter are raising some questions. let's discuss now with cnn political commentator simone sanders. good morning and happy thanksgiving. >> good morning. >> john, let me begin with you. let's throw up on the screen. multiple examples of potential conflicts of interest. he has more than 500 business interests and more than a dozen countries around the world. does this raise red flags for you? >> i'm worried about a million different things this morning. i'm worried my aunt is going to forget the pecanpie and i'm worried about e-cigarettes blowing up and this is one of the things that i'm not worried about. we still have two months to go before he puts his hand on the bible and takes over the country as president of the united states. >> what do you think he'll do between now and then? >> well, he's figuring out what everyone's role is going to be both within the administration and then i'm sure he is going to figure out what is going to happen with the company. at some point someone not named donald trump is going to be running that company. whoever it is running that company is not going to be able to speak on behalf of the united states. it's church and state. if they don't do that, they'll get killed by the papers and they deserve to get killed by the papers. they'll figure it out. >> i appreciate your, you know, being level headed and your concern for your bloody marys on your thanksgiving. i understand that, john. but, simone, i'm reading your mind. i think you might be concerned. but before you tell me how you feel, let me remind everyone this trump tweet. he said this was november 21st. prior to the election it was well known that i have interest in properties all over the world only the crooked media makes this a big deal. legit? >> no, not legit. look, i think prior to the election it was known that the trump organization was a global organization, but we haven't seen donald trump's tax returns. we don't know the extent of his financial holdings and i think that is concerning for a lot of people and now we're coming to all these realizations that mr. trump's name is on buildings in turkey and he has dealings in argentina where he wants to move these windmills. i think this definitely raises some red flags. many ethical advisors that i think have written to mr. trump and his organization saying they need to make sure they have a strong person in the white house, some ethical counsel and it is, it would behoove him to separate these businesses. i mean, this is dangerous. i know folks like that mr. trump is uncontentional but this has real national security implications. >> a lot being reported on with the president, with mr. trump and also with iva in, nka on th phone. i think the thing, john, is how he will potentially separate church and state because, you know, there was talk of a blind trust, but it wouldn't be blind if he hands it over to his kids, who, by the way, are on his transition team and what role they may play. >> yeah, it's been a long time since we had an outsider without government experience either in elected office, appointed office or in the military take over as president. however, we see this happen all the time at the state and local level. we had dick riordan here in los angeles who is a big-time businessman and developer and michael bloomberg in new york and the governor of florida. and a lot of people brought up those same concerns. they were elected and they took care of it and it wasn't an issue after they became mayor or governor of their state. i think the same thing will happen here. >> what about to john's point, simone, that the fact that clearly america voted. they wanted change. they wanted someone not within the washington establishment and if you, looking ahead to potential conflicts of interest of other presidents, we're talking about entrepreneurs and successful businessmen around the world would that then dissuade them from running? >> i don't think it will necessarily dissuade people from running. i heard a lot of folks say they voted for mr. trump in thinking that he would make this presidential pivot after he got elected. and i'm still waiting to see the presidential pivot. we've got him on record saying that the president can't have a conflict of interest. so, this is being set up to be possibly one of the most corrupt presidencies in american history because of all this undo influence of his children and business and looks like mr. trump might be putting business interest before the interest of the american people. >> we don't know yet. his hand hasn't been on the bible yet. that is coming january 20th. before i let you go, have you seen this number i'm thinking of all of us having our turkey and stuffing and sweet potatoes and a lot of people not agreeing on politics around the dinner table. 53% of americans dread the thought of talking politics at the thanksgiving dinner. clearly, john will be downing bloody mary to assuage any concerns on his side of the table. what is your plan? >> i will be having a little crown and coke and i'm going to not talk about politics. i went to a friendsgiving this past weekend and we led with the politics conversation and someone quickly shut it down. i just want a little crown and coke and peach cobbler. >> you know, brooke, the only thing alcohol solves is your problems. >> nothing. that's nothing. crown and coke, bloody mary and we may have some champagne after the show. meanwhile, simone and john, thank you so much. what is your take on all of this? tweet us at new day and post your comment on facebook.com/newday for that. now, to this. the grief, the loss in chattanooga, tennesste tennesse deepening after a sixth student dies in that school bus crash. up next, we'll remember one of the young victims when her cousin joins us live next. rown e leading wherever i choose. the east and the west are mine. the north and the south are mine. all seems beautiful to me. love or like? naughty or nice? calm or bright? but at bedtime... ...why settle for this? enter sleep number. don't miss the ultimate sleep number week, going on now. sleepiq technology tells you how you slept and what adjustments you can make. she likes the bed soft. he's more hardcore. so your sleep goes from good to great to wow! give the gift of amazing sleep. only at a sleep number store, right now save 50% on the ultimate limited edition bed. hurry, ends soon! learn more at sleepnumber.com know better sleep with sleep number. generosity is its oyou can handle being a mom for half an hour. i'm in all the way. is that understood? i don't know what she's up to, but it's not good. can't the world be my noodles and butter? get your mind out of the gutter. mornings are for coffee and contemplation. that was a really profound observation. you got a mean case of the detox blues. don't start a war you know you're going to lose. finally you can now find all of netflix in the same place as all your other entertainment. on xfinity x1. a sixth child has died from injuries in that horrifying school bus crash in chattanooga, tenness tennessee. police say the driver had no traces of alcohol or drugs in his blood. the ntsb they say that the driver was not on the usual route when the speeding bus plowed into that tree. so, joining us now is lafrederic his 9-year-old cousin cordayja jones was killed in that crash. we're so sorry for your family's loss. >> thank you. >> i know that you are the principal at a neighboring elementary school and on that day, that morning of the crash, you heard ambulances screaming by your school. but, of course, you didn't know at the time that your 9-year-old cousin might have been in one of those ambulances. how did you find out? >> well, i came home that evening at around 6:00 p.m. and i put a post on facebook to send out condolences to my colleagues and the families at the neighboring school and about two minutes after that i got a call from a family member who informed me that one of our cousins was one of the fatalities in the accident and, of course, immediately heartbroken to hear that. >> it's heartbreaking to see these beautiful pictures of her. on the other side of our screen looking so, you know, vibrant and smiling and pretty and just like a 9-year-old. what can you tell us about cordayja? >> she was a sweet young lady. she was 9 years old. her birthday was coming up on december 11th. one of the things that i remember about cordayja she always smiled and she would always give you a hug and she loved being a little girl. she embodied the essence of childhood and, of course, she loved her mother and father. they deeply loved her. and understandably they're grieving and so is the rest of our family. but cordayja will be truly missed and i'm sure that all of her friends at her school are feeling the grief during this loss. she was a student at my school at one time and, so, i enjoyed seeing her every day and she'd come up and give me a hug. she had to treat me as the principal, but she knew that she was my little cousin and i enjoyed seeing her every day. she was such a sweet kid. never behavior problem or anything. >> she looks like it. she looks really warm. mr. thirkill, you received a phone call from the bus driver's sister. there's so many questions about this bus driver and his troubling past driving record. he said to possibly have had a recent accident, as well as some other infractions in his driving record. what did his sister tell you? >> well, you know, she has students who attend my school, as well. so she called very emotional and, obviously, grieving. she was sharing with me that it was her brother. i shared with her that my cousin was on the bus, as well. she just reassured me that her brother was a good person and she said that he was terribly heartbroken by the accident and she said that he was driving and he hit a curb or something and he tried to overcorrect the bus and caused it to flip over. i think he hit the gas pedal trying to self-correct or overcompensate and it caused the bus to flip over. she talked about how he desperately tried to get back into the bus and help render aid to some of the students. so, i know that her family is grieving, as well. and i have to believe that he must feel remorse, you know, with this accident. and i pray for his family, as well as i do mine and the other families involved in this terrible accident. >> i mean, we all want to believe, of course, that he feels remorse. do you have any idea why there have been some suggestions that this might have been intentional? >> i think that's just rumors. it's emotions. it's, you know, speculation. but i just like to wait until the investigation is completed and get the facts. and so i've tried to steer clear of believing all of the things that various people have said and just want to hear the facts. and i'm sure that my cousin, both of cordayja's parents would appreciate knowing the facts and knowing what happened. and i believe that when the investigation is complete, they will get the answers as well as many other people who have wondered how this terrible accident happened. >> mr. lafrederickthank you for joining us with the memories of your cousin and that message for waiting for all the information. we appreciate that. please, give our condolences to your family. >> thank you. >> brooke? >> no words. no words for that one. they spent their first 13 months attached conjoined at the head. now these twins are recovering from marathon separation surgery. we have an update on the boys next. we have an thanksgiving message from one of our service members overseas. >> staff sergeant and i would like to say hello to my family. my dad, my mom, my sister and my brother and also my nieces and nephews. and i hope you have a happy thanksgiving. once i heard i was be a park ranger, i got really excited. gabe's obviously really sick. and there's a lot that he isn't able to do, and make-a-wish stepped in. we had to climb up the mountain to get the injured hiker. he fell from, like, a rock. he's been the one that has been rescued so many times. he said to me, "today, i got to be the hero." 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>> hey, good morning, brooke. i can barely hear what you're saying this crowd is so excited. they are so pumped to be here today. excited to see the floats, the balloons, see charlie brown is about to make his way down the street. one of the things these folks are most thankful for is the presence of police officers. some 3,000 uniformed nypd officers out here this morning, keeping a close eye on everything that's going on. good morning, gentlemen, thanks so much for talking to us. you were telling me this is one of the most important days for the city of new york. >> we have three really big days, thanksgiving one of them, new year's eve and fourth of july. i look at the crowd, listen to the noise, it's just going to be a fantastic day. thank all the men and women from the nypd for what they're doing today and what they do every day. with me is chief patrol terry monahan. he's the incident commander. >> such a huge operation. what are some of the challenges you guys have to think about? >> this is something we do every year. this is why the new york city police department is the best ever. our cops are out here every day. over 2.5 million people will be out here watching this parade and they will stay safe. that's what we do, we keep them safe. >> the most important question of the day, what are you guys most excited to see? cats, maybe? the clowns? >> i think felix is back, right? >> felix is back. >> that's one of the original floats. so i'm really looking forward to see him come down sixth avenue. >> chief, thank you so much. commissioner. appreciate it. >> thanks. >> appreciate it. brooke and alisyn, obviously a great time ahead today and a big part of it because of the nypd and the important work that they do. >> absolutely. i mean, hots off to them for keeping everybody safe and festive. thanks so much. we'll check back with you. so of course thanksgiving is always a good time to count our blessings. and that's especially true for one illinois family, you know them because just last month they had conjoined twins, jadon and anias and they were separated in this marathon surgery last month. chief medical correspondent dr. sanjay gupta brought us that cnn exclusive and this morning he brings us a progress report. >> when nicole mcdonald got to hold her son jadon for the first time it was as if she saw him for the first time. >> as a mother you know when you hold your child, you know every bit of their face. well, his face also encompassed anias'. so it was my first moment of relearning. >> jadon and anias are literally one in 2.5 million. they were born conjoined at the head, sharing between 1.5 to two inches of brain tissue. after over a year of planning last month the boys were separated, after a 27-hour long operation. at children's hospital at montefiore in the bronx. mcdonalds allowed cnn to follow their journey from surgery through rehab exclusively. >> oh, my goodness. oh, my goodness. >> hi, buddy. >> hi. >> the last time we were in this room they were on a -- they were on one bed. >> they were conjoined. >> he seems pretty happy with the outcome. >> i think so. >> is he sticking his tongue out at me? >> yes, that's a new trick. >> for the mcdonalds this entire month has been full of first times. first time in separate beds. first time being held. first time seeing each other. but it hasn't been easy to get here. the boys have battled infections, fevers, seizures. it's been particularly trying for anias. >> serious infections close to the brain. skin involvement. they've -- they had to take, you know, the bone out of anias. they had to take skin out -- you know it's just been for anias, there's never a break. >> despite all of that, the boys' doctors are so pleased with their progress. dr. james goodrich, the boys' neurosurgeon. >> he said he was right on or ahead of schedule even. is there -- i mean, because it's so rare, is there a schedule? >> well, dealing with traumatic cases, people with injuries, recovery times are in months. sometimes years. so, we're a month. if you consider this is one month out, this to me is incredibly fast. >> do you feel like you have permission or do you allow yourself to think about the future? >> i think about their future all the time. all the time. i think about the first time they go to a park. and i think about, you know, them getting married some day. i think about -- i think -- i've thought through their whole future 100 times. >> it's not that i'm not optimistic. i guess i -- i'm just more curious what the furt your holds for them. but i guess i don't want to get my hopes up, you know. i guess i just take it one day at a time. >> but each day, continues to bring more blessings. the day i visited, nicole and christian got to see jadon without his head dressings. >> i've never seen you like this. >> for the first time. >> your first time without the dressings. >> oh, it's amazing. this is the most amazing thing. i can't even believe it. and look at his little head. on top, it's growing, hi, baby. >> so when i look at them and see them laying in their beds whole, and generally healthy, and -- and i think mentally with it, and moving forward, i don't just see that miracle, the separation miracle, but it's been the miracle that took place every step of the way. >> oh! >> you're your own little boy. >> well i think the images speak for themselves there. no question these boys are doing really well. and what you've seen is something rare. very rare. i'm a neurosurgeon i've never seen anything quite like this. one in 2.5 million pregnancies flult babies who are conjoined at the head. obviously a much smaller percentage make it all the way to birth and a smaller percentage ever get the resources of a hospital like montefiore and are able to have this sort of operation. so it's incredibly rare. the doctor who performed the operation, the world expert in this type of operation, said this was the most challenging procedure he'd ever done. the most challenging separation he'd ever done and one of the most rapid recoveries he's ever seen. so some good news in there, certainly. next stop for the boys over the next several days, maybe weeks, is going to be rehabilitation. remember these boys have never sat up before. they've never been able to crawl. they've never walked before. they're 14 months old. so in many ways this is a second birthday of sorts. and now, they have a second shot. we'll keep an eye on them. back to you. >> oh, my gosh. what a beautiful, beautiful -- i know. i mean, seeing little jadon touch his head for the first time like that. without -- >> without his brother. where's my brothers. >> i know. it gets me every time. >> they haven't done so much what a normal 14-month-old has because of how they had to lay and function and that is all different and for this mom to talk about how she is hopeful, she this about their future, dad is a little bit more cautiously optimistic. but, you know, we pray for them. >> we pray for them and of course we will follow their progress for you. we're also following a lot of other news so let's get right to it. >> we have before us the chance to bring real change to washington. >> governor haley is a good pick. >> a lot of things put on the table. >> represent dramatic change. >> looking for the top talent. not out to settle scores. >> mitt romney. will he be offered the secretary of state job? >> a lot of other people who are more qualified than romney. >> thanksgiving is a chance to finally turn our attention from polls to poultry. >> millions of people across the country are on the move. >> new york police taking extra security measures along the route of the parade. >> we're just hours away from the thanksgiving day parade. >> this is "new day." with chris cuomo and alisyn camerota. >> good morning, everyone. welcome to your special thanksgiving edition of "new day." hope you're already off to a wonderful holiday. >> okay. >> thursday, november 24th, 8:00 in the east. chris is off. brooke baldwin is here. >> when chris cuomo is gone. >> the turkeys play. >> we're also just one hour from the start of the thanksgiving parade here in new york city. the balloons are up. there's your favorite one! there's going to be millions of people lining the parade route, and we will have live reports, as well as your holiday forecast, coming up. >> it's the little things, people. it really is. first before we do balloons and thanksgiving day parade let's talk politics. president-elect donald trump diversifying his team by nominating not just one but two women to serve within his administration. with other cabinet nominees expected shortly trump released a holiday video message calling for national healing on this thanksgiving. jason carroll is live for us at trump's mar-a-lago estate in florida. we'll send it to you first, happy thanksgiving jason, good morning. >> good morning to you. the president-elect enjoying a very sunny palm beach. he's having a down day with his family. no announcements expected today. meanwhile donald trump has