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CNN NEWSROOM

Trump: Possible Cabinet Announcements Today; Police Officer Shot And Killed During Traffic Stop; Trump: Cast Of "Highly Overrated" Show Should Apologize; Transition Meeting Holds Meeting At Trump's Golf Club; Report: Hate Crimes, Harassment Increase Post-election; Muslim Family Targeted With Hate Letter After Election; Activists: 300 Killed In Eastern Aleppo In 6 Days; At Least 120 People Killed In Indian Train Derailment; Obama & Putin Have APEC Sideline In Peru. Aired 3-4p ET

Aired November 20, 2016 - 15:00   ET

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


[15:00:02] FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: ... has meetings scheduled with at least a dozen people today as he looks for candidates to fill his cabinet. The names including New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani. Trump also is telling reporters that there may be some announcements today.

Trump also tweeting about one of the top names being considered for secretary of defense saying, "General James 'Mad Dog' Mattis" who is being considered for the secretary of defense was very impressive yesterday. A true General's General.

Let's bring in CNN's Phil Mattingly who is covering Trump's meetings. So Phil what more can you tell us about the people coming and going?

PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah. The big question right now Fred is who's here to provide advice and who's here for a possible position in a Trump administration? As you noted the president-elect going through another marathon day of meetings. Yesterday, some very big names including -- as you noted Retired General James Mattis. Somebody, the transition officials tell me is absolutely not only in consideration to be the next secretary of defense but can be now considered the leading candidate for that position.

Another big meeting, Mitt Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts and the former foe throughout the campaign of President-elect Donald Trump. These two never thought that they probably end up in the same room together but they have. And it actually might mean something for the future. Take a listen to how Vice President-elect Governor Mike Pence put it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. MIKE PENCE, (R) VICE PRESIDENT-ELECT: The -- I know the president-elect was very grateful that Governor Mitt Romney came here to New Jersey yesterday. We spent the better part of an hour together with him, and then I know that the two of them actually had some private time together. I would tell you that it was not only a cordial meeting but also a very substantive meeting. And I can say that Governor Romney is under active and serious consideration to serve as secretary of state of the United States.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MATTINGLY: And Fred, that's a very definitive statement right there. And one that I think a lot of people questioned when this meeting was first put on the books if it was actually real or a possibility. It appears so. But it's also important to focus on the meetings today.

A number of potential cabinet officials today have come through. One in particular Wilbur Ross just finished his meeting with President- elect Trump. Wilbur Ross, a billionaire investor, very well known throughout the financial community, well known to President-elect Trump before he even ran his campaign. He is actively being considered for commerce secretary, another cabinet official.

We also just saw Kris Kobach, the secretary of state of the State of Kansas, a top immigration adviser to the Trump campaign. Throughout the campaign and has been working with the transition team as well. He just walked in. So two individuals to keep a very close eye on. I think as you go through these meetings today though Fred, also very important to note as you pointed out, Governor Chris Christie, Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani.

The former obviously had been a key player, a key endorser of Donald Trump during the campaign, had fallen kind of out of favor with the president-elect's team over the course of the last couple weeks. Now getting a face-to-face sit down with the man whose transition he was once running just a couple of weeks ago. And then you look at New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani. He, along with Mitt Romney now we're told, obviously active consideration of potentially being secretary of state in President-elect Trump's administration.

So, two other very crucial meetings to keep an eye on. We'll keep you posted on those as they come throughout the day, Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right, please do. Thanks so much Phil Mattingly. Appreciate it. From Trump's golf course in New Jersey there.

All right, let's take a closer look at one of the candidates that Trump is considering for secretary of defense, even tweeting about it. Governor James "Mad Dog" Mattis, he's a retired marine corps general and the former head of the U.S. Central Command. He's served in the Persian Gulf War, Afghanistan and Iraq.

Joining me right now to discuss this candidate is Major General James "Spider" Marks who is a CNN military analyst. And also with me, Bob Baer on the phone and who's a CNN intelligence and security analyst and former CIA operative. All right, glad you both could be with me whichever way you can.

All right, so General let me begin with you. What can you tell us about General Mattis and if you think he would be a good fit to be secretary of defense.

MAJ. GEN. JAMES "SPIDER" MARKS, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Well, Fredricka, thanks for letting me join you. I've got to tell you, the short answer is General Jim Mattis would be a phenomenal choice. And our nation would be very grateful if that decision were made. He's more than just a marine's marine and more than just a warrior. What Jim Mattis brings to the table is a sense of focus. He's very nuanced but he's very clear in terms of the directives and his thoughts.

He also understands I think primarily is how the military aspect of all the elements of power integrate with those other elements of power which are diplomacy and economic footing, as well as the use of information to try to drive and to influence operations around the globe. So, Jim Mattis would be a phenomenal choice.

[15:05:01] WHITFIELD: So Bob, do you agree, a phenomenal choice? We also know that he has been a real critic of the Iran nuclear deal. We've heard Donald Trump say that he wanted to get rid of that. Bob, how do you see him as being a possible fit as secretary of defense?

BOB BAER, CNN INTELLIGENCE AND SECURITY ANALYST: I think he'd be a good secretary of defense. The thing that troubles me is the Iran angle on this because if you look at General Flynn, he wants to go into Iran, undo that agreement, you know, put more sanctions on. And just the whole administration seems to be heading toward a confrontation with Iran.

They look at Iran as a next substantial threat to the United States and we have to do something now which are and so terrible. I mean, going back to Mattis, I mean, he's a General's General. He's a good choice. You know, but at the end of the day, it's up to President- elect Trump to decide what we can to do about Iran. You know -- but this would be a completely new chapter in the Middle East. And it would be a high risk of going after Iran right now.

WHITFIELD: And Gen. Marks, do you see it as possible and even plausible given that Mattis retired in 2013? And as I understand it, that kind of retirement wouldn't meet certain qualifications, meaning a retired general is required to be out of uniform for at least seven years before taking control of Pentagon responsibilities. Would that be applicable here?

MARK: Well, it certainly would apply but I don't -- that's not the long pool and that's it. That could be approved very simply. But if I could Fredricka, you know, what Bob is saying is really the crux of the issue. It's not simply as we focus in on the different individuals, certainly there's a voyeuristic desire to see who those players are and we want to know who's competing with whom, and who lines up.

The key issue is as Bob described is, what are we going to do relative to Iran? Certainly, we've got the existential threat that exists right now. The tactical threat right now is ISIS and how that applies. But it's this competition between Saudi Arabia and Iran, and how are we going to try to align ourselves going forward that makes sense for our nation in our best interests. And this is a fundamental shift from the predecessors.

WHITFIELD: And so Bob, do you see that as being a critical criteria in which to make a decision in terms of how the president-elect would select secretary of defense?

BAER: Gen. Marks is right. I mean, here's the problem, right now we are effectively allied with Iran. We are providing the air cover, the bombing and the rest of it so that that pro-Iranian militias can take Mosul and eventually Raqqah. And that would also mean allying with Bashar al-Assad. So I'm not sure how you separate the two.

You know, can we confront Iran at the same time, provide their -- you know, support their offensive on Mosul? You know, I don't like either side. Either Iran or Saudi Arabia, and the Middle East is a target and just -- you know, we just don't know the way it's going to go. It's very, very unpredictable. I'll be fascinated to see what this president does.

WHITFIELD: Well he -- this president-elect may have already kind of intimated which direction he might go by way of this tweet saying, "Gen. James 'Mad Dog' Mattis who is being considered for secretary of defense was very impressive yesterday. A true General's General. It would seem Gen. Marks you wouldn't say that out loud if you weren't considering, you know, this candidate as a real serious contender.

MARKS: Well, you know Fred, Jim Mattis is an absolutely impressive guy, and he's no nonsense. I mean, he cuts to the chase. He can get to the heart of an issue extremely quick. And he's a veracious reader. He's married to the profession. There's no one that's more, I would say steeped in the profession of arms but the implication of the profession of arms. Not only as he's phenomenal tactician but he understands how it fits.

So he realizes immediately -- he is the type of guy who's already, what we say in the military -- he's already on the objective before he begins the attack. In other words, he sees the end state and how it's going to unfold. That's what you need directing the Department of Defense, especially now since there's going to be some fundamental shifts.

Bob laid it out very, very clearly, there'll be some fundamental shifts and you want somebody who can help design what that needs to look like moving forward.

WHTIFIELD: All right, Gen. Marks, Bob Baer, thanks to both of you, appreciate it.

MARKS: Thanks Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right, meantime, this breaking news we're also following for you. We're getting more information now. A police officer in San Antonio, Texas has been shot and killed. We're learning more about the circumstances now. CNN's Polo Sandoval is with me with more on this. How did this happen?

[15:10:02] POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fred, at this point, what investigators are saying is that this San Antonio police officer was in the process of writing a ticket for a driver. He was in his patrol unit when this afternoon when -- according to investigators, somebody simply walked up to his patrol vehicle, to the passenger side and then shot the police officer once.

The Police Chief there in San Antonio saying the suspect then shot well apparently, shot the officer a second time and then proceed to get back into the vehicle that he used to pull up to the scene and then quickly fled.

As for what we do know at this point, about a suspect description, fairly vague, but investigators have this to go on. They believe that he's about 5'7" to six feet tall. He was bearded, was wearing a hoodie at the time and some baggy pants. He was last seen fleeing the area in what was described as a dark-colored vehicle. In fact, because it happened so close to the Police Department, they are now able to count on some surveillance footage here saying that they have put out at least -- the police officer there's, the investigators have put out an image of a vehicle that they believe could have been involved in this, Fred. So, all of this information is being put out.

As we speak to the general public in South Texas as they try to track down a suspect. And finally what is interesting here is the San Antonio Police Chief already comparing this to previous police shootings in which officers were specifically targeted. Just a few moments ago, the police chief there telling reporters, unfortunately like Dallas, like Baton Rouge, it's happened here.

So, again, initial indications appear that this officer was specifically targeted. Of course, the question is why and where is the suspect.

WHITFIELD: Tragic situation. These pictures that we're seeing with all the vehicles, squad cars, et cetera that was the live scene right there. Here it is again in San Antonio. So it's our understanding, correct me if I'm wrong here on this, Polo, that the police officer did pursue this one vehicle, perhaps even that vehicle to the left, as he pulled over was possibly writing that citation, or at least in his squad car. That's when this other suspect came up. Not that that suspect came out of the car that he pulled over, but the suspect coming from some other direction and then opening fire on the officer as he was sitting in his squad car?

SANDOVAL: Exactly. And as you see these images from the scene here, Fred, it is a highly trafficked area. This is in the Downtown San Antonio area. I'm very familiar with it myself, having gone to school in and around the region.

So, on a Sunday when people are out and about enjoying what does appear to be a beautiful weather out there, this is a highly traffic area so that could potentially be something that will help investigators. Perhaps somebody saw something as this was playing out on a public street not very far from the Police Department.

WHITFIELD: All right. Polo Sandoval, keep posted on that. Thank you very much.

SANDOVAL: You got it.

WHITFIELD: And of course, we'll continue to follow this story out of San Antonio when we get more information. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:16:02] WHITFIELD: Welcome back. As Donald Trump meets with potential cabinet picks, the president-elect is still weighing in on the hit Broadway show Hamilton and what happened. He was asked about the controversy by a reporter this morning. And here is what Trump said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. Trump, are you still upset about Hamilton?

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT-ELECT: It was very inappropriate. Thank you.

WHITFIELD: He said it was very inappropriate. The controversy erupted Friday night when the Vice President-elect attended the Broadway show Hamilton and actor Brandon Victor Dixon who played Aaron Burr in the show delivered this message from the stage.

BRANDON VICTOR DIXON, "HAMILTON" CAST MEMBER: We, sir. We are the diverse America who are alarmed and anxious that your new administration will not protect us, our family, our children, our parents, or defend us and uphold our inalienable rights, sir. But we truly hope that this show has inspired you to uphold our American values d to work on behalf of all of us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right. So, when Pence was asked about it this morning, this is what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIKE PENCE, VICE PRESIDENT-ELECT: I heard the remarks that were made at the end. And you know, that, you know, what I can tell you, I wasn't offended by what was said. I'll leave the others whether it was the appropriate venue to say it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right. Let's discuss all of this with our panel, Lynn Sweet, Washington Bureau Chief for the Chicago Sun-Times, good to see you, and Jay Newton-Small, Contributor for Time Magazine and author of "Broad Influence". Good to see you as well.

OK. So, ladies this underscoring perhaps how differently Pence and Trump are handling this very issue. So Lynn how much of this is a sign of things to come?

LYN SWEET, WASHINGTON BUREAU CHIEF, CHICAGO SUN-TIMES: Well, it's interesting that Pence gave a diplomatic and non controversial answer that was meant to move ahead of this story and not create more commentary on it. While Trump said something a little more provocative and controversial. I suppose it's better than being asked about your $25 million Trump University settlement that you can't answer in a word or two.

So I think we'll see in the way is the two sides of this administration, a more measured conciliatory Pence, and Trump being his provocative self which we're all waiting to see if that changes in the presidency.

WHITFIELD: So, Jane, your view. This exemplifies more about the relationship of Trump and Pence or something greater or bigger about an audience that feels a willingness to say something when there's access.

JAY NEWTON-SMALL, TIME MAGAZINE CONTRIBUTOR: Well, I think - it, it - look, it does mostly about Donald Trump that this is sort of his modus operandi. If you look back in his career, especially his -- the host of "The Apprentice". He was the king of celebrity feud. He was feuding with Rosie O'Donnell. He was feuding with Mark Cuban. He is feuding, you know, Seth Myers.

I mean he's -- I -- literally, every week he had somebody in feud and that was how he got the show publicity. And that was how the show became a hit, frankly. And the same thing happened in his election where he was much more focused on feuds, on fighting with people whether it was the miss universe, you know, Former Miss Venezuela or all kinds of different feuds rather than substantive policy.

And it seems to be that this is going to be the way he's going to govern where he's going to be having feuds with the cast of "Hamilton" instead of talking about, you know, whether or not he's going to be enforce the Iran deal, who he might hire as secretary of defense and the substantive things that they're before the -- the very pressing substantive things that are before the government right now.

WHITFIELD: And Lynn, we saw in a tweet, Donald Trump is demanding an apology. Is this -- we know that he said as president, he won't be tweeting as much. He'll show in a more restraint.

[15:20:02] But then as President-elect we've seen a whole lot of Trump's tweets. Will there just simply this -- will this be his way in which, you know, he chooses to talk to the American people?

SWEET: Well, we'll see if he really has access to his personal device to tweet out as often as he wants and that he will make the time to do it. I think he'll have to -- if he doesn't want to use that as a powerful communication tool, he'll certainly have to wean himself from it.

But it's not so much that he communicates through tweets. You know, the Potus Handle will be available to him the moment he becomes president. It's what you say and why you want to say it. What we have not seen yet in any of the meetings or we haven't seen enough of speaking to the majority of Americans who didn't vote for him.

I mean, obviously, I know he won the Electoral College. But, instead of being, ewe, you're the president-elect, you could take the higher road here. If you choose instead of keep thinking people owe you apologies for things. Maybe understand that people are hurting, trying to absorb this election. Everyone gave him his due. He is the president-elect. So you don't have to pick more fights. Take some incoming. Let people, you know, let people express themselves.

WHITFIELD: And as you were talking, Lynn, we are looking at pictures of Mr. Kobach of Kansas who was meeting with Donald Trump today. Donald Trump met with a number of people ...

SWEET: Right.

WHITFIELD: ... from them Wilbur Ross. And we know that about the weekend ...

SWEET: Ari Emanuel.

WHITFIELD: Right.

NEWTON-SMALL: Right. And Ari Emanuel, that's right.

SWEET: Ari Emanuel is what I'm keeping an eye on.

WHITFIELD: William Morris Endeavor. A to Z.

SWEET: Right, super agent.

WHITFIELD: What, so. How do you asses this? Wee don't know the jobs or we don't know if these are conversations of, you know, breaking bread, advisement. Lynn, how do you see this? It's quite a variety.

SWEET: Well ...

WHITFIELD: I mean we can put up a screen showing the variety of people, you know ...

SWEET: Right.

WHITFIELD: ... from Bob Johnson and you know, and Chris Christie, et cetera. How do you make of this?

SWEET: Well, I am a student of the Emanuel Brothers. You know, obviously for me, from the "Chicago Sun-Times", Ariel Emanuel is of Paramount interest.

Ari is a Democrat. He is a dealmaker. He bought the miss universe pageant from Donald Trump. He was his agent during the apprentice but he's a Democrat. So, it will be interesting to see if he is talking to him about anything about a job in the administration or just helping him deal with the optics or planning of some special events.

WHITFIELD: Because party, of course, probably did make a difference when we're talking about representation and he's representing him as, you know, an entertainer. But now, you know, and we know that Donald Trump likes to surround himself by those who are loyal, those in which he already has a relationship with, you know, Jay. So is that all this is, a continuation of, you know, him talking to people he's most comfortable with? NEWTON-SMALL: No, I think you see him, for example, he met with Mitt Romney who was a sort of the leader of the Never Trump Movement for quite a while today, over this weekend. And so he is beginning to try the bridge a little bit and this is going to be I think the theme of the entire transition where you have him bringing in somebody like Reince Priebus, he's head of the RNC as chief of staff.

WHITFIELD: Yeah.

NEWTON-SMALL: He's very much an establishment figure and then also bringing in Steve Bannon, who's the Former Breitbart Chairman and is very much the bomb thrower. And so for every sort of one bomb thrower he's going to picks or two bombs he has already pick. He'll have to -- he'll also want to find someone who can bridge back to the Republican Party so he can begin to heal things and bring things together.

WHITFIELD: OK.

NEWTON-SMALL: And yet they'll also appeal to his base and so represent the change that they are hungering for on watching him.

WHITFIELD: All right. We will leave it right there, ladies. Thank you so much Lynn Sweet, Jay Newton-Small. Appreciate it.

SWEET: Thank you.

NEWTON-SMALL: Thanks Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right, welcome back. We want to keep you posted on the many meetings of Donald Trump today and Mike Pence. They are in Bedminster, New Jersey. This was the most recent arrival, a Former New York City Mayor, Rudy Giuliani arriving there at the golf course at Bedminster, New Jersey where Trump has been meeting a number of people all week end long in meeting people individually. You see them they're shaking hands upon the entry there.

The meetings have been lasting on average about 15 to 20 minutes. We'll let you know. We're hearing very little about the considerations that are being made today in terms of cabinet posts or appointee positions. So all we know for now, is people are meeting and are chatting, getting to know one another. And of course when there are some announcements we'll bring them to you.

All right. Meantime, many Americans are still reeling from the outcome of the election. In fact an uptick of incidents across the county is leaving some people feeling less safe in their homes and in their schools. CNN's Stephanie Elam spoke to people who feel they have been the target of hatred since the election.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: After the tide-shifting presidential election, messages of hate, some invoking President-elect Donald Trump's campaign rhetoric, have emerged across the nation.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We won. Now, get your ISIS loving family out of this country or we will do it ourselves and make America great again.

ELAM: The day after Trump won, a Muslim family in a Seattle suburb found this threatening note at their home.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are American. We are Muslim.

ELAM: The man and his wife have lived in the U.S. for more than 20 years. Their children were all born here.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: America great because this country have, you know, allowed a lot of good knowledgeable people to come here to make America great.

ELAM: The son who found the letter shredded it but not before taking a picture. He was afraid it would scare his parents. The father said he is not afraid but remains vigilant and above all he was to protect the most important person in his life, his wife.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nothing going to happen to her while I'm here. But I'm worried that she will be worried. She stays at home most of the day. I don't want her to be scared.

ELAM: Do you think that Donald Trump should take some of the blame for the behavior that we've seen across the country?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yeah. He should take some of the blame. He should actually become a president of all American. This is his responsibility. If you want to make this country continue to be strong, a number one country in the world, you cannot bring this weapon down. The strongest weapon you have, being diverse.

[15:30:03] ELAM: Trump addressed the spate of threats and assaults, telling Lesley Stahl on "60 Minutes".

LESLEY STAHL, "60 MINUES" HOST: Do you want to say anything to those people?

TRUMP: I would say don't do it. That's terrible because I'm going to bring this country together.

STAHL: They're harassing, Latinos, Muslims.

TRUMP: I am so saddened to hear that. And I say stop it if it helps I will say this, and I'll say right to the camera, stop it.

ELAM: This man hopes the person who wrote the letter will see this and come talk with him.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I will defend the value of America all the time and the value of being Muslim all the time. Ignorance usually creates fear, and fear creates hatred, and hatred creates violence, and violence creates more hatred. And we are going to continue in this cycle until we break it with knowledge.

ELAM: And find common ground in love of country. Stephanie Elam, CNN, Seattle.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right. Straight ahead, we'll discuss the concern surrounding Trump's pick for attorney general. Here's what the future chief of staff thinks of Senator Sessions.

REINCE PRIEBUS, RNC CHAIRMAN: This is an honorable, decent, good human being that we're talking about. I can assure you that if there's wrongdoing out there, whether it's on the streets or whether it's on the -- in the Police Department, no matter where it is, Senator Jeff Sessions going to find it.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Thank you very much for being with me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

So President-elect Donald Trump is continuing to build out his administration. And one appointment, Senator Jeff Sessions, has been haunted by allegations of racism. CNN's Jake Tapper asked Trump's newly announced Chief of Staff, Reince Priebus about the attorney general nominee and here's part of that interview.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAKE TAPPER, CNN CHIEF WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Democrats have criticized his record on civil rights issues and comments he allegedly made, though he denies it about race years ago.

[15:35:02] I want to ask you a policy related question about attorney general Sessions, should he be confirmed. Under Attorney General's Eric Holder and Loretta Lynch, the Justice Department has looked into local Police Departments and investigations found examples of systemic racism and the Justice Department mandated reforms.

Senator Sessions has called such interventions an abuse of federal authority. Does that mean that under Attorney General Sessions there will not be these kinds of investigations and federally mandated reforms of local Police Departments?

PRIEBUS: Well, first of all, I mean that's -- it's a good question for Senator Sessions. Let me hit this issue that you brought up initially, something he denies 30 years ago. Let's look at this man's life.

I sure wish that people would judge me on my entire life. And I know that you and others out there watching wish the same. He started out his political career fighting George Wallace. He served an incredible career as a U.S. attorney, attorney general filing one desegregation lawsuit after the next. He prosecuted that person that was alleged to in this story, for the murder. He then presided over the execution of this person. He voted for Eric Holder. He fought for a congressional gold medal for Rosa Parks.

This is an honorable, decent good human being that we're talking about. I can assure you that if there's wrongdoing out there, whether it's on the streets or whether it's on the -- in the Police Department, no matter where it is, Senator Jeff Sessions' going to find it and bring justice to whomever justice needs to be brought to.

TAPPER: I guess my question, I don't want to get into a whole issue about but there's going confirmation hearings that examine all of that. But, he is called these interventions by the Justice Department into local Police Departments.

He's called them intrusive. And I'm just wondering for people out there who believe that there are issues with systemic racism in some Police Departments, with some police officers, not all. I'm wondering if they should expect that the Sessions Justice Department will not look into the behavior of local Police Departments.

PRIEBUS: Well, of course not. I mean if there is in fact, systemic racism then I'm as certain that he would. But, I'm sure there are also cases where there had been intrusive investigations.

Look this is something for him to answer but I can assure you that where wrongdoing is taking place. The Trump administration along with I'm sure the soon to be attorney general will look into it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right. I want to bring in a Political Analyst Ellis Hennican and Republican Strategist Brian Morgenstern. All right good to see both of you gentlemen.

BRIAN MORGENSTERN, REPUBLCIAN STRATEGIST: Hey, Fred.

WHITFIELD: OK. So, you know Reince calls Jeff Sessions honorable, the NWCP and other some groups that allege that he called them un- American many years ago say Sessions is the wrong choice. So, Brian, you first, is it fair to judge Jeff Sessions on allegations from 30 years ago as criteria in which to measure whether he's fit for attorney general?

MORGENSTERN: No, especially when you look at the rest of his body of work. The fact he was bringing suits to desegregate schools and advocating for awards for Rosa Parks and her civil rights activism.

The fact that he was fighting towards George Wallace in persecuting clansmen. I mean, look, he has a great resume as well having been a U.S. Attorney, having been the attorney general of Alabama, having served on the Senate Judiciary Committee which exercises oversight -- over the Department of Justice.

I mean you'd be hard pressed to find someone in America who is more qualified for the position of attorney general. And his life work is, you know, is very impressive. And so, if the Democrats are going to hitch their wagon, there's on some confirmed comments from 30 years ago, that suggest to me that his confirmation hearing is going to very smoothly.

WHITFIELD: Ellis?

ELLIS HENNICAN, POLITCAL ANALYST & AUTHOR: I think he's the perfect candidate for what we called extreme vetting. You know what? There's a lot of evidence that piles up. I don't know that he's quite the towering civil rights figure that Brian and Reince are making him out to be today.

In fact, he really is someone who comes from quite the hard right part of the Republican Party, but just not just opposed to illegal immigration, but having made a quite a cause to oppose many examples of legal immigration, not doing the squat frankly on these efforts to try to maintain the voting rights laws that we have in place and doing in fact quite the opposite, trying to undermine them.

You know what? Let's have a robust discussion about the kind of values he's going to bring to the Justice Department and let's see whether represents that notion to that Donald Trump talks about the bringing all Americans together.

WHITFIELD: So, gentleman, you have Sessions isn't the only you know controversial appointment or even you know nominee. Trump's Chief Strategist, Steve Bannon, is also causing quite the stir.

[15:40:06] He had this to say there in a rare interview to the Hollywood reporter saying this," Darkness is good. Dick Cheney, Darth Vader, Satan. That's power. It only helps us when they, (Liberals), get it wrong. When they're blind to who we are and what we're doing." So, how do you interpret this, Brian?

MORGENSTERN: That is ominous, isn't it?

WHITFIELD: I need better understanding.

MORGENSTERN: Yeah. But I think that's -- that reminds me of an interview that Dick Cheney gave a while back when he was asked about how he's portrayed as sort of, you know, the villain and, you know, pulling puppet strings behind closed doors. And he said he relished that role. And look, in politics there -- there's always sort of a hatchet guy or a strategist guy who's going to be able to pull on some emotional strings and push buttons here and there and work, you know, sort of the back channels of power. And it seems as though Bannon really relishes that sort of a role.

And look for everybody who's knocking the guy, he seems to have played an integral role in a successful campaign for president of the United States. So, he's clearly no dummy. His strategy worked to get Trump elected. So it shouldn't be strange anybody that Trump would like to use him and his political skills to now get his policy implemented.

WHITFIELD: So real quick Ellis, at all, you know, concerning to you, do you digest that, you know, with full understanding? What is your view (ph)?

HENNICAN: Of course. No, of course it's concerning. Listen -- and it's especially true in a Trump administration, right because we've got a president-elect who has not provided a very clear road map for what he wants to do. A whole lot contradictory statements, some promises already been tossed out the window. Some are being doubled down on. That seems to change by the hour.

So, of course you need to be concerned about the kind of folks that he's gathered around. And even in this very first batch, there are a number of choices that make an awful lot of Americans not just the cast on Broadway by the way, but a lot of Americans say, oh, hold on a second, what does is this stuff mean? We don't know yet.

WHITFIELD: OK. All right, Brian, Ellis, thank you so much. We'll see you again, next hour. Thanks so much for now.

MORGENSTERN: Thanks Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Here's another look at Trump's team so far. RNC Chair Reince Priebus, White House Chief of Staff now Steve Bannon, as senior counsel and strategist, he's the Breitbart CEO. And we also have Michael Flynn for National Security Adviser. Here is Senator Jeff Sessions as we just discussed, you know, for U.S. Attorney General, who, you know it's so had to be a confirmed and Mike Pompeo for CIA Director.

So Trump says more cabinet picks could be announced today. So stay with us as we continue to keep our eye on Trump's transition meetings taking place right there in that building in Bedminster, New Jersey. We'll have much more after that.

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[15:46:34] WHITFIELD: All right, welcome back. We're continuing to follow the breaking news out of San Antonio, Texas. A police officer shot and killed during a traffic stop and police say he was specifically targeted.

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WILLIAM MCMANUS, SAN ANTONIO POLICE CHIEF: It's always difficult especially in this day and age where police are being targeted across the country. Hopefully, you know, we'll solve this one real quick and if this individual is a danger to more police or anybody else, we'll try to get them off the street as quickly.

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WHITFIELD: And the mayor of San Antonio has also released a statement saying this, "I want to extend my deepest condolences to the family of the officer killed outside police headquarters today as well as to our entire police force. This type of crime cannot and will not be tolerated. I asked for the community's thoughtfulness and patience as the investigation continues, and SAPD searches for the suspect." That's from the mayor there in San Antonio. Also in Syria, a heartbreaking scene is unfolding in Eastern Aleppo. Activists say nearly 300 people have been killed in six days of air strikes. A quarter million people are believed to be trapped in the city without a single hospital operating at full capacity. CNN's Will Ripley has more on this. And we warn you that the images you're about to see are very disturbing.

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WILL RIPLEY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Just when they thought it couldn't get any worst, one of East Aleppo's major hospitals takes a direct hit. Moments after the blast, a thick cloud of white dust making bloody patients look like plaster mannequins. And they were the ones who survived.

No one go up stairs, he says, go down. There aren't any patients left. Upstairs an apocalyptic scene. The intensive care unit devastated. It was full of patients. Many just transferred from other hospitals hit hours earlier. Choking dust makes it nearly impossible to breathe. Patients who can walk escaped to the relative safety of the lower floors. Activists say many people are afraid to even go to the hospitals. Basements are becoming makeshift triage centers.

Even in war torn East Aleppo, many say they've never experienced bombing like this. Hundreds of air strikes and thousands of artillery rounds fired on Saturday alone. At one destroyed building, rescuers drill and dig, franticly trying to save a little girl trapped underneath what used to be her home. They find her silent, clutching her blanket in shock. Seconds after pulling her out, they must run for cover. The planes and the bombs are coming back.

Will Ripley, CNN, Istanbul.

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WHITFIELD: And now, also look at other stories we're following. From India, a terrible scene in the northern part of the country this morning. At least 120 people were killed in a train derailment. Officials say dozens of other passengers might still be trapped in the wreckage. And investigators are working to find out what caused the crash near Kanpur. A railway ministry person says the number of casualties will likely rise.

[15:50:04] And President Barack Obama finishing up his last stop of his final foreign trip as U.S. President as he meets with leaders of the Pacific Rim Countries at the APEC Summit in Peru. President Obama sharing a quick huddle with Russian President Vladimir Putin. They spoke for four minutes apparently and Obama said Russia needed to continue to work with the U.S. toward peace in Syria. And Obama also reminded Putin of America's stance on Ukraine's sovereignty. And we will be right back.

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WHITFIELD: Before Donald Trump was the President-elect, he was a reality T.V. star. "The Apprentice" made him famous as a tough boss and it gave us some insights into how he picks talent or fires them. CNN's Jake Tapper went back to the video vault to look for clues in this week's "Cartoonian".

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TAPPER: President Obama will soon hand over t keys to the White House to President-elect Donald Trump. And the press is a buzz with questions about who will join his administration. Trump stoked the drama with a tweet declaring himself, "The only one who knows who the finalists are." The finalists. Remind you of anything?

[15:55:05] Perhaps Trump is thinking less about the situation room and more of the board room.

TRUMP: You're hired.

TAPPER: So we looked to "The Apprentice" for clues on how the new cabinet might be chosen.

TRUMP: Getting along with people is very important to success.

TAPPER: He likes to meet face-to-face.

TRUMP: Family is very important in business.

TAPPER: He likes to have his family around such as, in this case, son-in-law Jared Kushner, who might be a top adviser.

TRUMP: There's nothing worse than disloyalty. If you find a disloyal person, get rid of him or her immediately.

TAPPER: And he defers to his family. That might be why Chris Christie who sent Kushner's father to jail years ago, is on the outs.

TRUMP: You're fired.

TAPPER: Whoever ultimately makes the cut, it's clear that this is unlikely to be like any White House we have ever seen.

TRUMP: I make life interesting. It's always different. It's always exciting.

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WHITFIELD: Oh, exciting, different, unprecedented. How bout that word to describe what this election season has been like? Well, guess what? CNN politics captured all of the new drama in a new book called "Unprecedented: The Election That Changed Everything." Guess what? It's in stores December 6th and you can pre-order your copy today at cnn.com/book. A pretty good holiday gift. What do you think?

All right, straight ahead, in the CNN "Newsroom", Trump is holding high level meetings with potential cabinet picks as -- at his national golf course in Bedminster, New Jersey. We'll continue to monitor that door right there, where we're seeing people come in, leave, after their 15, 20 minute meetings. We'll have much more after this.

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