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CNN NEWSROOM

Trump, Shinzo Abe Met Face to Face; Michael Flynn in a Trump White House Controversial; Obama Reassures European Leaders on Trump Presidency; Death, Destruction Daily Life in Aleppo; Trump Advisor's Controversial Immigration Plan; Clinton Supporters Trying to Come to Terms with Trump Win. China Looks to Make Splash at APEC Summit; Electoral College Decides Presidential Win; "World Sport Report". Aired 2-3a ET

Aired November 18, 2016 - 02:00   ET

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


02:00:00] JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: This is CNN NEWSROOM, live from Los Angeles.

Ahead this hour --

(HEADLINES)

VAUSE: Donald Trump met with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in New York on Thursday. It was an unofficial meeting. The two had what Abe called a very candid discussion. The prime minister said he feels the U.S. and Japan will be able to maintain a relationship of trust with Trump as president.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHINZO ABE, JAPANESE PRIME MINISTER (through translation): I do believe without confidence between the two nations the alliance never would never function in the future. As an outcome of today's discussion, I'm convinced that Mr. Trump is a leader whom I can have great confidence in.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Andrew Stevens is live in Hong Kong with more on this.

Andrew, do we know how this meeting came about? Any reason why Mr. Abe was the first world leader to meet with Donald Trump?

ANDREW STEVENS, CNN ASIA-PACIFIC EDITOR: The bigger context as far as the U.S. and Japan is concerned, John, the U.S. is critical to Japan. The biggest export market for Japan, one of the biggest investment destinations and U.S. provides Japan with a security umbrella. The Seventh Fleet is based in the U.S. (sic). Japan and the U.S. have been in lock step on geo political decisions for decades. It's fair to say that Japan, like many other countries, were blindsided by a Trump victory. Given the rhetoric that has been coming from the Trump campaign, there were real fears in Japan about exactly what this would mean for the alliance going forward, the fact that Donald Trump criticized Japan for not paying enough to upkeep U.S. troops on Japanese soil, the fact that Donald Trump suggested Japan should look at having its own nuclear weapons to protect itself against North Korea. Those issues resonated loud in Tokyo.

When Prime Minister Abe rang Donald Trump to congratulate him on his victory, he engineered this meeting because he wanted to get over there and get to see Donald Trump. Abe is a man who believes in close, personal relationships. He wanted to get to Mr. Trump to help form opinions, if you like.

Let's face it, Donald Trump still hasn't come out with clear policy, foreign policy. So, a chance for Mr. Abe to get there to reassure himself and to try to push the new American leader that this alliance has to stay and has to stay intact.

VAUSE: I guess in some ways it was hastily arranged meeting on behalf of the Japanese prime minister but it seems to be a break in protocol in some respects. Normally, an incoming U.S. president would meet with one of the major allies, Great Britain perhaps or Canada. Japan seems to be an odd first choice for what has been an odd election campaign.

STEVENS: Well, absolutely. Unconventional is the word to use. The State Department has not been involved in any of the -- not only the congratulatory phone calls to Donald Trump but the meeting with Abe. Protocol is not observed here. Mr. Abe made it his point to get across there early. He's on his way to APEC to drop off literally in New York to see Donald Trump. Donald Trump apparently invited him to dinner but Abe couldn't make it because of other commitments. It gives you an idea how important it is to Tokyo to have this sort of relationship continue with the U.S., John.

It's interesting, Abe is a nationalist. He's conservative. There have been some suggestions that he is a better fit with Donald Trump than with President Obama, for example. It's personal. These personal connections are important for the Japanese prime minister. So, he is doing whatever he can. He would have hoped to have heard -- we don't know what was said at the meeting, but he would have hoped to have heard Donald Trump's campaign rhetoric was just that and the alliance is intact. We don't know. We will have to wait and see. Certainly, it is a very, very strong move from Japan to cement that relationship to keep the alliance alive.

VAUSE: Yeah, funny how many world leaders are finding what they have in common with Donald Trump.

Andrew, thank you. Andrew Stevens, live this hour in Hong Kong.

Donald Trump is set to meet this weekend with one of his loudest critics, Mitt Romney. The U.S. president-elect and the former Massachusetts governor sparred in the past. Romney slammed Trump as a con man, phony, fraud, and even refused to endorse him in the election, but now a senior Republican source says Romney may be offered a spot in Trump's cabinet, even secretary of state.

The news comes as Trump may have added another name to his White House staff. A transition official said that Trump asked retired Army General Michael Flynn to be the national security adviser. He is an ardent Trump supporter, despite being an intelligence official under President Barack Obama. His place in a Trump White House is not without controversy.

Barbara Starr explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LT. GEN. MICHAEL FLYNN, U.S. ARMY, RETIRED: This was not an election. This was a revolution.

[02:35:24] BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is retired Lieutenant General Michael Flynn, a one-time Army intelligence officer whose loyalty to Donald Trump will likely catapult him to one of the most important jobs in the Trump presidency.

FLYNN: This is probably the biggest election in our nation's history since bringing on George Washington when he decided not to be a king.

STARR: Flynn is controversial in military circles after several jobs dealing with Middle East terrorism. In 2014, he was pushed out as head of the Pentagon's Defense Intelligence Agency. One official who served with Flynn at the time says there were ongoing tensions. Flynn wanted more authority.

FLYNN: Wow.

STARR: After forced retirement, Flynn appeared to change, two senior military officers who served with him tell CNN. They describe a somewhat bitter officer who adamantly believes barrack Obama isn't paying enough attention to the ISIS threat.

(EXPLOSION)

FLYNN: We must regain our ability to truly crush our enemies.

STARR: The question now, can he operate on a global scale?

LT. GEN. MARK HERTLING, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: He's going to have to expand his skillset after a 30-plus year career of dealing primarily in the military element of national security.

STARR: Flynn will have to work well with the rest of the Trump team.

HERTLING: There's a whole lot of pieces of input that come in to decision making, rather than just the one you are providing.

(MUSIC)

STARR: Ultimately, the new commander-in-chief will still set the tone in national security. But just what is Trump still trying to tell the Pentagon?

TRUMP: We have great generals.

LESLEY STAHL, CO-HOST, 60 MINUTES: You said you knew more than the generals about ISIS. TRUMP: Well, I will be honest with you, I probably do, because look

at the job they have done. OK, look at the job they've done. They haven't done the job.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: Our thanks to Barbara Starr for that report.

Meantime, Barack Obama will spend Friday trying to reinforce U.S. alliances as his term nears an end. He is meeting with a number of Western European leaders. Mr. Obama spent time with German Chancellor Angela Merkel trying to calm fears about the impending Donald Trump presidency.

Senior international correspondent, Atika Shubert, is joining us from Berlin.

President Obama over there trying to reassure them about his successor, the Iran nuclear deal, climate change. Any indications Europeans are buying this?

ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I think what he is trying to do is present a realistic clear-eyed view of the administration and assure them he is doing everything he can to ensure a smooth transition. The problem is nobody knows what to expect for a Trump administration. So, a lot of discussions today happening with other E.U. leaders from France, U.K., and Italy and Germany.

But what the message has been from both President Obama and Chancellor Merkel, when I had a chance to speak yesterday, is that globalization cannot be rolled back, this is an interdependent, and a retreat to nationalism and isolationist policies will not work. Listen to what they both said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: If that voice is absent, or if that voice is divided, we will be living in a meaner, harsher, more troubled world. We have to remember that.

ANGELA MERKEL, GERMAN CHANCELLOR (through translation): A lot of people who are looking for simplistic solutions, who are sort of preaching policies of, well, very unfriendly policies. We have them here in Europe, too. We have them here in and Germany, too.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SHUBERT: These all seem to be specifically warning to Donald Trump but to other nationalist movements across Europe that really they can't go backwards, and there needs to be an adherence to the shared principles and values of democracy, the rights to dignity, whatever religion, political beliefs or where you are from. This was the message reinforced by them both. We expect more press conferences today when the other E.U. leaders come in -- John?

VAUSE: Atika, many leaders like Angela Merkel and Francois Hollande may be concerned about the Donald Trump election and his presidency to come but there are others on the far right, across Europe, who are celebrating this moment.

[02:10:07] SHUBERT: Yeah. I mean, Marine le Pen, the head of the Front Nationale in France, said her chances of becoming president has been boosted. In fact, the betting agency in the U.K., William Hill, has moved her odds from 8:1 to 2:1. So there's a worry about the Trump effect. Also, in Germany, groups like the party AFD, the Alterative for Germany, as seen a surge in regional elections. And they believe they could do well in the elections next year. In fact, France, Germany and the Netherlands all elections new year. It will be a pivotal time to see what happens.

And Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel hasn't announced whether or not she will run again. She's already been 10 years in power but it is widely expected she will run again and try to continue to be chancellor.

VAUSE: Atika, thank you. Atika Shubert live this hour with the latest on President Barack Obama's last trip there as president.

Security forces battling ISIS in northern Iraq discovered two more mass graves. Soldiers say they found them in a town south of mosul. One of the graves was inside of a well where bodies had been dumped over the last two years. The soldier held a toy bear he found in a field at another mass grave discovered nearby two weeks ago. The military says the newly found graves hold the remains of about 250 people, all of them murdered by ISIS.

A car bombing killed at least 20 people at a wedding party south of the Iraqi city of Fallujah. 40 others were hurt. Several of the victims were children. One witness says the groom is among the dead. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack and said they were targeting Sunni militias.

In Syria, residents say air strikes and barrel bombs are falling on eastern Aleppo like rain. At least 45 people were killed on Thursday The U.N. predicts the humanitarian catastrophe could get more brutal as winter approaches.

CNN's Will Ripley has details reporting from Istanbul.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WILL RIPLEY, CNN INTERANTIONIAL CORRESPONDENT: Day three of the Syrian regime's renewed bombing campaign on east Aleppo. Reports from Syrian activists on the ground of dozens of explosions, barrel bombs, artillery, a lot of explosions happening in heavily populated areas. Reports on the ground from those activists that the number of people killed on the third day jumped from 21 to 45, which means around 140 people have been killed in the first three days of the renewed bombardment. If that pace continues, it would far exceed the 500 people who died in a month before this three-week lull that ended with a that ominous text message on Sunday telling residents to get out or die. Food is running low. Medicine is running low. We've been speaking with parents, including a father of a 4-month-old

boy who said he just prays he doesn't get sick because there isn't any medicine to give children or adults, for that matter, who fall ill.

I spoke with a father whose wife is five months pregnant. She can't get vitamins. She is malnourished. So, most women who are expecting in east Aleppo are not only malnourished but run the risk of dying during childbirth. It's a very grim reality for expecting parents in the city who are bringing children into a world. And they don't know what the future is going to look like.

We've seen the video of children clutching their backpacks walking through the rubble sobbing, living in fear. And for this generation of children growing up in east Aleppo, this is the only reality they know. They have never known what it is like to live life and not be afraid. And sadly, their parents can't offer words of reassurance. Because they don't know what will happen next.

We have seen in the past the Syrian regime used the technique of using ground troops to surround and cut off the areas and continue the bombardment and essentially starve out the population.

But there are more than a quarter million civilians living in east Aleppo, along with 8,000 rebel fighters, and amongst those civilians are the children. And more children have died in this new bombing campaign and more are expected to die if this bloodshed continues.

Will Ripley, CNN, Istanbul.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[02:15:20] VAUSE: Next, a closer look at a controversial immigration plan from Donald Trump's adviser. Why he says it's not a Muslim registry.

Also, Mexico's currency in a tailspin prompting the government to take action. What they are doing to try to save the peso from an all-time low.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(SPORTS REPORT)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VAUSE: Opponents of the late Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos are outraged after the dictator received a hero's burial in Manila on Friday. The country's Supreme Court approved the burial earlier this month. An immediate black out was order. Marcos died in 1989 in Hawaii where he was exiled after being ousted from power. Protesters say corruption and human rights violations during his rule should have kept him out of the National Hero's Cemetery.

Donald Trump took a tough stance on immigration in the U.S. presidential race and critics say he is planning a national Muslim registry. A Trump adviser dismisses the claim but says authorities should give some immigrants a closer look.

Here's Drew Griffin.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DREW GRIFFIN, CNN CHIEF INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's an idea that has immigration groups in a panic, forcing people from some majority Muslim nations to register when they come to the U.S. And it comes from this man, Kris Kobach, the Kansas secretary of state, a highly polarizing figure, who's an immigration hardliner and reportedly helping President-elect Trump form immigration policy.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT-ELECT OF THE UNITED STATES: My plan ends illegal immigration and suspends immigration from terror-prone regions.

(CHEERING)

TRUMP: Now, I have to tell you, we're going to have the wall.

GRIFFIN: The idea isn't new. The U.S. had such a registry in place for nine years. It was called the NSEERS, or National Security Exit- Entry Registration System, developed largely by Kris Kobach when he worked at the Department of Justice.

[02:20:05] KRIS KOBACH, (R), KANSAS SECRETARY OF STATE: One of the things we did right after 9/11 -- I say, we, the Justice Department -- was implement the NSEERS system, which took people from high-risk countries and required they check in after 30 days.

GRIFFIN: Immigrants and visitors from more than two dozen countries were required to check in, be interviewed, fingerprinted and monitored while in the U.S. Virtually all of those countries were predominantly Muslim.

Kobach is talking with the Trump transition team to bring it back.

Critics calling it a Muslim registry.

Today, in a text to CNN, Kobach says it is no such thing.

"There's no registry of Muslims proposal," he wrote. "The model I discussed was the SNEERS system for screening aliens from high-risk areas without regard to religion.

The program began under President George Bush following the 9/11 attacks and ended nine years later."

An inspector general's report in 2012 called the program then "obsolete, unreliable and an inefficient use of resources."

The ACLU, which fought the program, said it was worse than that.

OMAR JADWAT, AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION: They had actually made genuine efforts at trying to combat terrorism more difficult by destroying relationships with immigrant communities, and negatively impacting the ability of the federal government to cooperate with foreign governments in fighting terrorism.

GRIFFIN: The screening of people from certain high-risk countries is the start of the ACLU's problems with Kris Kobach. He has spoken before groups considered to be white nationalists. He pushed for very strict immigration laws in at least six states. He was the architect behind Arizona's controversial State Bill 1070 that allows police to ask for immigration papers for anyone who looks like they might be from another country. Kobach has been sued over his policies against illegal immigrants.

The ACLU says if Trump follows his advice, they expect to file many more lawsuits.

JADWAT: Our focus is on his policies and the abject failure of those policies to respect the Constitution and the laws, and the fact that they have been incredibly discriminatory.

GRIFFIN: Drew Griffin, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: Women, minorities, Hillary Clinton supporters throughout the United States are still coming to terms with Trump's win.

As Kyung Lah reports, it is personal for many.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KYUNG LAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Well, John, we saw how the raw emotions were there in the immediate aftermath of the election, but more than a week and a half on, Hillary Clinton supporters say they are still there and they are not fading.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CNN's Kyung Lah reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LEONORA PITTS, CLINTON SUPPORTER: All right, you ready to get moving?

LAH (voice-over): Nothing in Leonora Pitts' routine in her liberal community in Los Angeles has changed in the week since the presidential election. Yet, everything has.

PITTS: As comforting our bubble is that we live and as hard as it is to have these conversations now. It's important to -- I'm sorry. It's important to sympathize. It's important to start listening.

LAH (on camera): Why is this so personal for you?

PITTS: Children matter to me and minorities matter to me because they're my friends and my community, and I want to make sure they're OK and they don't feel OK. And they don't feel OK. They feel really scared.

LAH: If 2016 was identify politics, women across social media feel theirs is under attack in Clinton's loss.

Video messages from Miley Cyrus --

LAH (voice-over): From Miley Cyrus --

MILEY CYRUS, SINGER: Please treat people with love, treat people with compassion and treat people with respect.

LAH: -- to ordinary voters.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This country is my home and I feel like it's not -- I feel like I'm not welcome here anymore

LAH: Emotion has spilled onto the streets of Los Angeles. Mothers carrying signs and children. Students walking out of classrooms at UCLA.

These UCLA students supported Hillary Clinton.

(on camera): When you say you have fear in you, what do you mean?

HANNA ALMALSSI, UCLA STUDENT: Well, I'm a woman, I'm black, I'm Muslim, and those three factors -- basically, being a black America today is very scary. And Trump being elected just further builds onto my fears.

ABBEY CHAPMAN, UCLA STUDENT: I think it scares me about how people look at me as a woman, you know? How can I go forward knowing that people are OK with somebody coming out and bragging about sexual assault and then still voting for that person?

MELISSA MEISELS, UCLA STUDENT: I've had to wake up to the reality that a lot of America is like.

LAH (voice-over): More than a week on, west coast women are learning about their new national reality. It doesn't look like any reality they believed they were living.

PITTS: There's this underlying fear that's permeating everything and it's -- it's really unsettling. It's an unsettling feeling for me.

LAH (voice-over): We asked the women who we interviewed, do you want to get to know the other half of the country, the half of the country that voted for Donald Trump? The mother in the piece, Leonora Pitts, said, yes, she needs to know them, she needs to understand them in order to try to bring them in to the Democratic fold, but the college students said, they are not quite so sure -- John?

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[02:25:31] VAUSE: Kyung Lah, thank you. Kyung Lah with that report.

To Mexico, where the central bank has announced an interest rate hike. It is trying to support the peso that sank after Trump's election victory. Here's how the Mexican currency has fared against the U.S. dollar since the start of the year. Just last week, it fell to an all-time low. Mexicans and investors are concerned about Trump's trade policies and his plan to have Mexico pay for a wall along the U.S. border. Now officials are looking to reassure Mexicans living in the U.S.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CLAUDIA RUIZ MASSIEU, MEXICAN FOREIGN SECRTARY (through translation): Fellow countrymen, these are times of incertitude. Be calm. Don't fall into provocation. Don't be fooled. The government of Pena Nieto and the Mexican people are with you. We want to inform you on the possible immigration actions and in regard to your belongings that might be affected starting February. We are going to get this information and deliver services to you wherever you might be.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Still to come, Donald Trump has made a lot of promises to put the brakes on China's power, but if he does what he says, it could backfire. We'll explain next.

Also, a Donald Trump presidency is not entirely set in stone. How the U.S. Electoral College could still pick Hillary Clinton.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:30:04] VAUSE: Welcome back. You are watching CNN NEWSROOM, live from Los Angeles. I'm John Vause.

The headlines this hour --

(HEADLINES)

VAUSE: Mr. Abe's next stop is Lima, Peru, for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit. Now, with the U.S. leadership in a state of transition, China is expected to step forward and even offer its own free trade agreement.

Our Shasta Darlington is there.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(MUSIC)

SHASTA DARLINGTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The world's rising superpower singled out for the wrath of Donald Trump in the leadup to the U.S. election.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT-ELECT OF THE UNITED STATES: We can't continue to allow China to rape our country. That's what they're doing. It's the greatest theft in the history of the world.

DARLINGTON: He threatened to slap 45 percent tariffs on one of America's biggest trade partners.

Trump's victory arguably bad news for U.S.-China relations. But if he turns inward and focuses on domestic issues, as he suggested during his campaign, it could provide an unexpected boost for China's regional clout.

MEREDITH SUMPTER, EURASIA GROUP: Strategically, Beijing will be under less pressure from a less active U.S. presence in the region, so Beijing's operating environment will be freer.

DARLINGTON: To start with, President Barack Obama's dream of signing the Trans-Pacific Partnership, or TPP, trade deal with 11 countries, and excluding China, now appears dead in the water.

(on camera): Which means it's going to be Beijing, not Washington, seeking support for its regional trade deal here in Lima when leaders from 21 nations meet for the Asian-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit this weekend.

(voice-over): Will we see leaders warming to Chinese Perhaps Xi Jinping's proposed trade deal?

Perhaps joining the ranks of Rodrigo Duterte, who is already in Beijing this month seeking investments. Despite the country's historically strong ties with the U.S., he has been an outspoken critic of Washington and Obama.

RODRIGO DUTERTE, PHILIPPINES PRESIDENT: Trump, you can go to hell. Mr. Obama, you can go to hell.

DARLINGTON: China may have room to flex its military muscle if U.S. alliances weaken. Japan and Korea rely heavily on the U.S. for military support but Trump has threatened to withdraw that support unless they pay more for it.

In the South China Sea, China has sought to wrest control of the important trade route from its neighbors using island building and land seizures.

The U.S. has been viewed by China's neighbors as a stabilizing force.

SUMPTER: As long as Donald Trump does not invest considerable time and energy to chart out a multilateral strategy for the South China Sea, China will have greater latitude to pursue its interests.

DARLINGTON: In the end, President Trump will spell major changes but might not put the brakes on China's ascent.

Shasta Darlington, CNN, Lima, Peru.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: A young boy has made an amazing save, all caught on camera. Watch this. The 6-year-old runs across the room, catches his little brother after the baby fell from changing table. It happened in Florida. It was caught by the family's security camera. Mom says she turned her back for a moment -- always happens that way -- when the 11-month-old flipped off the table. Big brother, though, right there to make the catch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) JOSEPH LEVI, BIG BROUGH WHO CAUGHT LITTLE BROTHER: I would have never caught him and I can't run that fast. I felt like something came and pushed me forward. And when it happened, I just ran and caught him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[02:34:30] VAUSE: It happened a month ago but mom is showing the video to show other parents that accidents can happen in a split second. They sure can.

Next on NEWSROOM, L.A., there's a still slim, or a rather slim chance that Donald Trump may not be the next U.S. president. How the Electoral College really decides the race for the White House.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VAUSE: Everybody, let's buckle up because we are heading deep into legal nerd land, American history and the Constitution. Right now, Hillary Clinton is way ahead in the popular vote, leading Donald Trump by more than a million votes. And with heavily Democratic California still counting for another month, her lead could be two million or more. And, yes, that means nothing. It is irrelevant because Donald Trump won the Electoral College. That is the 229-year-old system which relies on state-by-state tallies to decide the president. It was a compromise at the time to southern slave states so they would actually sign the Constitution. The south was worried they would be overwhelmed by the north's larger population and political power, so the Electoral College creates what's known as a regional balance.

And under that system, next month, delegates from each state will travel to Washington to vote. It is usually just a formality. But almost 4.5 million people have signed a petition to urge those delegates, once they get to D.C., to elect Hillary Clinton. They argue that the Electoral College can actually give the White House to either candidate, so why not use this most undemocratic of our institutions to ensure a democratic result?

Joining us now from Atlanta, in the Deep South, is Paige Pate, a constitutional lawyer.

Paige, thank you for being with us.

PAIGE PATE, CONSTITUTIONAL ATTORNEY: Absolutely.

VAUSE: In theory, is this possible? Could the delegates get to Washington, D.C., vote for Hillary Clinton, and put her into the White House? What's the deal?

PATE: It's an interesting question, John. And I will tell you the Constitution does not prohibit it and federal law does not prohibit it. An elector has the right to choose who they want for president and vice president. But the states individually have different laws that restrict those electors to choosing the candidate that won their particular state. While there is nothing in the Constitution that would prohibit it, and nothing under federal law that would prohibit it, most states prohibit their electors from casting a vote different from what their state voted in the election.

VAUSE: And the reality is, in practice, it ain't going to happen.

PATE: Right.

VAUSE: But if we look closer at three states that went Republican, the margins are thin, Michigan by 11,000 votes, Pennsylvania by 67,000, and Wisconsin just over 27,000 votes. So, do the math, it is over 100,000 votes. Is it fair to say those votes could determine the outcome overriding the one million-plus margin that Hillary Clinton has in the popular vote?

[02:40:14] PATE: Absolutely. And that's how the Electoral College system works. Remember, in 2000, it was a couple of counties in Florida that determined that George Bush would win the White House over Al Gore, even though Gore won the popular vote. It's the way the system has been set up, it's constitutional, but it sometimes leads to very, say, undemocratic results.

VAUSE: I think only four times in the history of the United States has the candidate won the popular vote but not gone on to be president. Four years ago, Donald Trump tweeted this, "The Electoral College is a disaster for democracy." That's when it looked like Mitt Romney would win the popular vote and lose lost the election. It didn't turn out that way. How difficult would it be to scrap the entire system of the Electoral College?

PATE: Well, it would be extremely difficult. I understand Senator Boxer, from California, has introduce legislation, or will shortly introduce some legislation to attempt to do that but you have to amend the Constitution. That is an incredibly difficult thing to do. First, it has to pass Congress by a two-thirds majority of the House and the Senate, and then it has to be ratified by most of the states. We have had very few amendments over our 200-plus year history, and I cannot imagine something like this being able to pass.

VAUSE: But this brings us to the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact -- a very big name. The way I understand it, 10 states as well as the District of Columbia, have passed laws at a state level and a district level to award their delegates to the candidate who won the popular vote. Some see that as an end run around the Constitution.

PATE: John, again, it's difficult to do. But the Constitution does leave it up to the states to determine how they choose their electors and there is nothing in the Constitution that binds an elector to the result that was the result in the state, in other words, the popular vote for that particular state. Even though it is difficult to do, there is at least some constitutional argument that it is possible.

VAUSE: And if anything like this happened, it would probably end up in the Supreme Court or have to go through Congress?

PATE: First, if there's going to be any change to the Constitution, it will start in Congress and end with ratification among the several states. If there is a challenge to any particular electoral system that a state has, if it is somehow inconsistent with the Constitution, it would most likely be challenged and end up in the United States Supreme Court.

VAUSE: Paige Pate, thank you for explaining everything. We appreciate it.

PATE: Thank you, John.

VAUSE: Took a lot of work to get a system that complicated.

Thank you for watching NEWSROOM, live from Los Angeles. I'm John Vause.

"World Sport" is up next.

You are watching CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:45:14] PATRICK SNELL, CNN WORLD SPORT ANCHOR: Hi, there. Thanks for joining us. I'm Patrick Snell, at the CNN Center in Atlanta.

Starting off with what is shaping up to be a pulsating finish to the European gold tour season. It's all eyes on the race to Dubai. That's the D.P. world tour championship. The overall points race, the man to beat the 2016 British Open champion, Henrik Stenson but he has a lot of suitors for the would-be crown. And it is Stenson, not the best of starts. He would end up with a level par opening round of 72 for him. Masters champion, from England, Danny Willett, looking to make his move this day. Featured four birdies and three bogeys en route. 3 over par, 75. That is his worst round in this event. A good start from Lee Westwood, superb round of 66. Elsewhere, Westwood who won the first staging of the tournament in 2009 with one bogey during his round. Sergei Garcia was going well. The Spaniard with six under part through 14 and then a double bogey on 16 en route to 68. By the way, Rory already nine shots back. He's currently 55th ahead of round two in a 60-man field. As far as the race to Dubai is concerned, Stenson leads the way in the points tally but Willett can surpass him with a victory in the UAE. And another Swedish player, Alex Noren needs to come in second and hope his rivals fall to the wayside.

Let's switch the focus away from Dubai. We head to England, it's historical city London. But as far as Novak Djokovic is concerned, a chance to reclaim he hopes the prize. The current incumbent, Andy Murray, closing in on a place in the semis. He will face the Swiss player on Friday. On Thursday, all eyes on Djokovic who received a boost. His opponent pulled out to be replaced by the number 11. He is now 0-5 after Djokovic gets the easy win, 6- 1, 6-2. How do Murray and Djokovic compare? The Serbian has won seven titles, two of which were grand slams and Murray won eight, one a slam and one Olympic gold. Murray has the better match win percentage, as well. Close, though, 89.3 percent, versus 89.1 percent for Djokovic and Murray. Murray has played more matches overall. Novak has done better in term of prize money, taking home $11 million.

Of course, he's been world number one for 44 weeks. Walter Scott has been there for just the last couple.

Earlier, my "World Sport" colleague, Amanda Davis, sat down with Ravi Uber to see who he thinks should be world number one.

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RAVI UBHA, TENNIS BROADCASTER: Worthy very much to be in the conversation because he is currently world number one. I go back to the grand slam titles, two for Djokovic, one for Murray. And also, too, Amanda, look at Djokovic against the top five. First start of the season when he won at the French Open to the start of the year. He was 7-1 against the top five. Yesterday was Murray's first match against a top five player since the start of the grass court season. That's a big thing for me.

AMANDA DAVIS, CNN WORLD SPORT CORRESPONDENT: One of the debates we talk about in Formula One with the title race drawing to a close there is who is a better champion? In terms of tennis, where do you stand on that? Is a new world champion a better boost to the sport, or perhaps Murray's image counts against him and tennis trying to sell itself internationally?

UBHA: A couple of facets in that, Amanda. I think Andy gets a bad rap sometimes. We know, on court, he can be grumbling as he was yesterday. To an extent, he was fist pumping after losing points. After losing points, he was fist pumping. That was something we hadn't seen before. But off the court, he's well spoken and liked and comes across well in press conferences. Off the court, it is another thing. In terms of the shake-up for the sport, is it good that lets Murray be the year end number one? I think it is. It adds dimension. In years past, when Roger and another were ruling the roost, everybody was saying, well, will these guys be around much longer? Do we need new blood to shake things up. And along came Djokovic and it was a good thing. I don't think it is a bad thing if Murray finishes number one.

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[02:50:07] SNELL: We shall see.

It's no secret English giants, Man United and Liverpool, are fierce rivals on the field of play. Just who extended a hand of friendship when under fire Wayne Rooney probably needed it the most?

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SNELL: Welcome back. The Manchester United football's Wayne Rooney received support from a rather unlikely corner -- no pun intended. It's been a difficult week for the Red Devils captain after allegation of late-night drinking. He has apologized after a British newspaper published pictures that it said showed him at a wedding. Now the country's football association is reportedly banning players who represent the national team from having nights out while on international duty.

But a high-profile rival manager had this to say about it all. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JURGEN KLOPP, LIVERPOOL MANAGER: I feel for the players. We are on the sunny side of life and we earn a lot of money and do the job and all of that stuff. At the end, maybe it's a surprise that a human being is behind the kid. I don't know, wedding, birthday, and we can play the professional role still and say, no, don't drink, and if you smoke, please 20 yards between me and you, because I want to be a passive smoker. That's not how life works.

So -- these boys, this generation is the most professional generation of footballers, not only in England but in England, too, we have ever had. All the legends you still love and guys you admire and that stuff, they drank like devils and smoked like crazy and they were still good players. And nobody does it anymore.

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SNELL: Well, someone who may have well have taken more than a keen interest is former NBA legend, Steve Nash. He had a stellar 18-year career in which he won two league most-valuable player awards. Despite his dominance, he grew up playing football and was heavily involved in the sport after his retirement from basketball.

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STEVE NASH, FORMER NBA PLAYER: I follow football more, you know. Even when I was playing basketball, I was obsessive, but I really liked to get away from the game when I wasn't playing. When I would go home, I would find football. I would find inspiration as well. So, it kind of gave me a boost to be the best that I could be at my sport. It also allowed me to get away from my sport when I was at home.

When we found Majorca, it was a reasonably prices team with a great history, on a beautiful island, had a youth set up. And I think it had been under managed so to speak for the last decade or so. It was an opportunity where we could bring a lot to have table and help improve the club not only with some capital, but with our best practices that we, you know, marketing and sporting-wise from the NBA.

We have to gain their trust. I think a lot of times they're worried about a horror story of an American group coming in and buying a soccer team only to want to develop hotels or condominiums. That's not our goal. We love the sport. We have fallen in love with the history of the club and the fans and uniqueness and we're happy to be a part of it and hope to leave it in a much better place than we found it, hopefully, many, many years from now. This isn't a flip for us. This is something we're passionate about, we want to see succeed.

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[02:56:05] SNELL: Interesting times on Majorca.

Motorsports world endurance championship will be decided this coming weekend. The final round of the series in Bahrain. With that in mind, as we sign off for this edition of CNN "World

Sport," here is our latest "Rolex Minute."

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UNIDENTIFIED WORLD SPORT CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The world endurance championship conclusion this Saturday with the six hour of Bahrain, the ninth round of the series. In 2015, Neil Yanni (ph), Romando Dumas (ph), and Mark Leed (ph) took victory in the 919 hybrid. With the 2016 manufacturer's title secured, a repeat win will also guarantee the Porsche trio the driver's title. Toyota still has an outside chance of glory. Stefan Sarasand (ph), Mike Conway and Kamuni Kobayashi (ph) hoping to overturn their rival's 17-point advantage with just 26 left available. High cockpit temperatures and an abrasive track will add extra extension to an already challenging occasion with tire management key to a successful performance. And the secure circuit will act as an emotion on the final stage for Mark Webber. The veteran Australian ends his racing career at the track where he and his Porsche teammates were crowned world champions last year.

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[03:00:10] NATALIE ALLEN, CNN ANCHOR: The Trump transition. The president-elect meets with a foreign leader and he --