tv Anderson Cooper 360 CNN November 18, 2016 6:00pm-7:01pm PST
6:00 pm
keeping the power lines clear,my job to protect public safety, while also protecting the environment. the natural world is a beautiful thing, the work that we do helps us protect it. public education is definitely a big part of our job, to teach our customers about the best type of trees to plant around the power lines. we want to keep the power on for our customers. we want to keep our community safe. this is our community, this is where we live. we need to make sure that we have a beautiful place for our children to live. together, we're building a better california.
6:01 pm
it is 9:00 p.m. here in new york and at the trump national golf course in bedminster, new jersey, where donald trump will be meeting the tomorrow with the man who he called a con artist, 2012 republican nominee, mitt romney. we'll look at that and at the three men trump has tapped to run the cia, the justice department, and be his national security adviser. we begin, though, with breaking news. a settlement in the cases against so-called trump university, which wasn't really a university at all. 6,000 people who forked over tens of thousands of dollars, some even taking out new credit lines to pay the tuition, and all claim that the real estate seminars were nothing short of a fraud. donald trump during the campaign vowed again and again never to settle. today, his lawyers settled. and while they did not admit any wrongdoing and he still does not admit any wrongdoing, they did pay and pay big league. cnn's phil mattingly has the
6:02 pm
late details and joins us now. phil, what are you learn tonight? >> reporter: big league to the tune of $25 million. that's the tune of the settlement, as you noted, that will go out to about 6,000 students of the for-profit education institution, i guess we can with call it. look, an interesting element here is this. donald trump in the trial that was in this case was facing the very real probability that as president-elect, he would have to take the stand. what this does, what this settlement does is take that off the table. it puts to bed an issue that not only had been plaguing his campaign for much of the last 18 months, but plaguing his personal business operation for the last couple of years. that is now gone. as you noted, the trump organization, very keen to point out that they admitted no wrongdoing. actually saying that they felt like they could have won this case. but when it comes to what was important going forward, clearing the decks, getting this off the table and off their plate was a very important component of things. and when you look at what's on donald trump's plate from here on out, you can see why.
6:03 pm
>> so what more can you tell us about the newest choices from donald trump to fill some of the high-profile national security positions in his cabinet? >> you know, one of the most interesting elements, actually, one of the more interesting e-mails i got as i was reporting on this throughout the day was from republican official, who had been in the trump orbit, who said, look, if you're surprised by any of these picks, you haven't been paying attention the last 18 months. all three of these picks track very closely with the national security message donald trump campaigned on. this was donald trump the candidate. now trying to turn his candidacy and his campaign into donald trump, the president of the united states. when you look at all three of these picks, two of which can absolutely be called controversial, senator jeff sessions, lieutenant general mike flynn, those were two of donald trump's closest advisers throughout the campaign and remain two of the most powerful advisers inside trump's inner circle. the third, mike pompeo, the congressman, the pick to be the new director of the cia. john, this is an important pick for a couple of reasons. most notably, republicans are very happy with this pick, but also, democrats on capitol hill,
6:04 pm
while they might not have been thrilled about congressman pompeo's targeting of hillary clinton during the benghazi investigation, they have been very complimentary of his work on the intelligence committee, of his work as a member of congress. a bit of an olive branch, if you will, but no question about this, mike pompeo's credentials are very conservative and track very closely with what donald trump has been touting is his national security policy throughout the course of his campaign. >> all right, phil, donald trump not where you are at trump tower, he's at his golf resort in bedminster, new jersey, where he's got some brig meetings this weekend. what's in store? >> reporter: he left and shut down new york traffic a few hours ago as he motorcaded the hour and a half away out to bedminster. we're all focused on one meeting in particular, mitt romney, the 2012 nominee called donald trump a fraud, called him a con artist, now sitting down with him. andening it's important to note, while a lot of people who were against donald trump over the course of the campaign eventually came around and said
6:05 pm
they would support him, mitt romney was not one of those. so is this a head fake or is this real? there's a very real possibility that mitt romney is being considered for a cabinet position. but something that's even more interesting tomorrow are some of the other names that are meeting with donald trump. probably more real prospects for cabinet positions. retired marine a general, james madison, hearing repeatedly from people in and out of the trump orbit that he's being considered strongly for secretary of defense. two potential education picks to keep a close eye on. michelle rhee, also, betsey devoss, a big-time republican donor, but also runs in education circles, very in line with some of the education themes that donald trump was pushing during his campaign. keep an eye on both of those names, as well. also both meeting with donald trump tomorrow in bedminster. >> phil mattingly, a lot of information there. thanks so much. more now on retired general mike flynn, how he sees the world and how it could shape the world that the trump administration operates. cnn's jim sciutto has background. >> the next president of the
6:06 pm
united states, right here. >> reporter: retired will not general michael flynnflynn, onc registered democrat, will be the president's closest advisers on the threats to u.s. national security, but with views that are a marked departure from long-held u.s. policies. he has called islam itself, not radical versions of it, a threat. in tweets such as this one during a campaign, fear of muslims is rational, he wrote. and in public speeches, calling islam a cancer. >> islam is a political ideology. it is a political ideology. it definitely hides behind this notion of it being a religion. >> reporter: more broadly, he supports a significant reversal of which states the u.s. views is as threats. he has identified longtime ally saudi arabia as a danger, while growing u.s. adversary russia, who the u.s. blames for invading ukraine, atrocities in syria and meddling in the u.s. election. as, at worst, an exaggerated
6:07 pm
threat, at best, a potential friend. this is a view that contradicts the u.s. intelligence community and senior defense officials from both parties. he has also unsettled u.s. allies, by arguing that military commitments to nato and other treaty allies should be conditional. >> i've been called an angry general. i'll tell you what, i'm -- you know what? i'm not angry. what i am, what i am is i'm very determined to make sure that this country is ready for my children and my grandchildren. >> reporter: flynn's military record is impressive. as an intelligence officer, he is credited with helping turn the tide against al qaeda in afghanistan. and isis' predecessor in iraq. and yet, when he served as chief of the defense intelligence agency, his management style antagonized many in the intel community, leading to his being forced out. since then, he was vladimir putin cea putin's dinner guest in december last year, accepting an undisclosed speaking fee. and flynn's for-profit consultsy
6:08 pm
was still working for a foreign client while he was also attending classified security briefings with donald trump during the campaign. the ranking democrat on the house committee on government oversight is now questioning flynn's ties to lobbyists, requesting more information on his foreign connections, as well. >> he has a reputation as an iconoclast and an independent thinker, and some of that is good and necessary. i think the deeper problem, potentially, is that he has publicly said that, you know, he thinks this war can go on for several generations. he's probably called for expanding the war to basically any islamist militant around the world. and that comes with some potential downsides. >> reporter: jim sciutto, cnn, washington. >> our thanks to jim for that report. back now with our panel, joined this hour by former cia officer, bob baer, and rezas aland, host of cnn's "believer with reza asland." i want to get your thoughts on the appointment of mike flynn to
6:09 pm
be the national security adviser, given the fact that mike flynn has called islam, quote, cancer, and that fear of muslims is rational. >> i think it's a dangerous appointment. i think that this is a man who is about to be in charge of what is a very important, very complex fight against an international cabal, a militant organization that does see the world in very cosmic terms. that does believe this is a battle between good and evil, between islam and christianity, between america and the very religion of islam. and having someone in the nsa, running the nsa, who is very much engaged in the same kind of rhetoric only bolsters the propaganda of our enemies, only makes us, i think, more threatened by the possibility of these kind of jihadist attacks. >> taylor, you are a trump supporter, a supporter of mike flynn, when you hear criticisms like this, your response?
6:10 pm
>> my response is that mike flynn is the exact person who needs to be in this role. back in 2012, 2013, 2014, when the obama administration was coming out and saying that al qaeda was on the run, we know centcom was tasked with painting a rosier picture of isis back in 2013/2014 than what was happening on the ground, mike flynn was the one in the administration sounding the alarms saying, we need to be worried, al qaeda is not waning, they are in fact, growing, we need to be worried. there is a new movement of radical islam taking over the middle east and he was right. he was right, he was let go of his job because of it. and he is the person i want having the ear of the president. >> reza, you heard ckayleigh. is that different in your mind from his overall criticisms, his overall statements, mike flynn's statements, about islam in general? >> he's a very good military general, and that's where, i think, his strength comes, is, i think, even his biggest supporters would say that the issue here, of course, is that
6:11 pm
we are in a place, no matter what kayleigh or anyone else thinks, in which isis is on the run. we are in a place where this organization has taken severe hits, in which its very capitol, the capitol of its caliphate, raqqah, is on the verge of collapse. and there is a reason why isis is celebrating donald trump's victory, why they are calling it a gift from god. it's precisely because of people like michael flynn, who will just simply bolster the propaganda that isis uses, in order to draw muslims to its cause in this imaginary battle between islam and america. >> bob baer, if i can, i want to bring you into this conversation. because you worked out there in the field. and you know what role a national security adviser can have in an administration. so when you're out there on the front lines, whether it be, as a cia operative, or as a soldier, or as a marine, what can views like that, what impact can that
6:12 pm
have? >> well, michael flynn, i've watched him for years, especially his assessments on afghanistan. and they were brilliant. he's said things no one else would say. his taking on saudi arabia, as well, is going to be a big change. his position in the white house is not going to be welcome in the intelligence community, where there's consensus. i think he's, i think he's experienced, at the same time, i worry about conflict of interest, especially russia. he's too close to the russians, the russians are not our friends. and in that, we have to come to terms with that country, in particular. and all these conflicts of interest. and now there are certain elements that are accusing him of taking money from turkey on the debgulan extradition. so it's a conflict of interest
6:13 pm
that bothers me, but i'm 50% for flynn. >> 50%, so matt lewis, you were sitting there nodding? >> i was a never-trumper during the primary. i did not support donald trump. i did not vote for donald trump in the general election, but now he is our president-elect. i think we should be rooting for his success. and part of that is allowing him to surround himself with the advisers -- hopefully he has a team of rivals, different people whispering in his ear, offering different advice -- >> but you haven't seen any evidence of that? >> i've seen mike pence, a mainstream republican, reince priebus, an establishment republican, but not with these picks. three picks today that are pretty consistent. so i would like to see more diversity, not just in terms of ethnicity and gender, but also in terms of world view. we could see that. we could see michelle rhee, for example, with education reform. we could see a mitt romney possibly. i don't predict that, but it's within the realm of possibility. it's very early to say this, but, look, mike flynn served in the military for 30 years,
6:14 pm
headed the dia, three-star general, i do worry about his political judgment and some of the things that he has said, but if you put that in the context of this whole career and the knowledge he has about, you know, about military issues, i think you've got -- this is a respectable, decent pick. >> but islam is a political ideology hiding as a religion? >> that's a problematic thing to say. he needs to say -- >> problematic? >> it's problematic. >> it's more than problem atic. >> you can talk about islamism and radical islamism, but to attack an entire religion like that -- >> -- it's not a decent appointment. and that is, donald trump and one of the best things he said, he was going to be the president who drained the swamp. it's not draining the swamp when your national security adviser has been paid by the russians to come to dinner. when the turkish government has had him in their employ and
6:15 pm
influence. also, when your daughter, your son-in-law, and your family does not have a blind trust for your holdings and is going to run these things. so instead, you know, kayleigh was talking about unity, that the president talked about, that hillary clinton talked about, and then she said something about the left, the left doesn't want to give him a chance. i think people do want to give him a chance. but i think what he's done here is, by a series of signals, he has undercut any ability from the start to get off on the right foot and say, we're going to pull together here. we are going to be a reform administration, and instead, we are knee-deep in a news swamp of his making and he isn't even to january 20th yet. >> jonathan, you were waiting patiently? >> i just wanted to add, the point is, when you have somebody, the national security adviser, it sort of goes to what corrine said about banning being the whisperer to the ear of the president. you've got the national security
6:16 pm
adviser, who will filter everything that comes in to the oval office about national security. you've got a guy who says that the fear of muslims is rational, who talked about the spread of sharia law, and that's quite dangerous for our country. i think back, actually, going back to the nixon administration, when henry kissinger, one of the great war criminals of our time, whispered into the ear of president nixon, and they conduct an illegal war, bombing war in cambodia and vietnam that killed hundreds of thousands of people and destroyed southeast asia. you have a guy like flynn, who thinks of all muslims in this way, the way that matt talked about, that's quite dangerous for our country and our position in the world. >> reza, you were waiting from afar here. you've been listening to this conversation. do you want a last word on michael flynn? >> i want to say one thing. over and over again, we have talked about on this panel and earlier on cnn that michael flynn has said repeatedly that islam is not just a cancer, but that it's not a religion, it's an ideology. and we've been tossing this around, but i want you to understand very quickly what
6:17 pm
michael flynn means when he says this absurd, ignorant canard that islam is not a religion. he means, that therefore, muslims should not have religious protections in the united states. that's what that means. that means that the 3 1/2 to 4 1/2 million muslims in the united states should not be protected by the constitution. and i know that a lot of viewers right now are looking at this and saying, well, this has to do with islam, it doesn't have to do with me. but if you think that this kind of autocratic tendency, this sort of abuse of power is going to stop only at muslims, then you don't know your history. >> all right. kayleigh, i know you'll want to respond to this. let me give you a chance right after the break. we'll take a quick break, pick up with, and have a closer look at not just this issue, but also the congressman now chose ton run the cia, mike pompeo. what he stands for and what makes him tick. and later, the real news about
6:18 pm
fake news. how fake news ended up bamboozling donald trump and there were many, many others who retweeted these stories. stay with us. your insurance company won't replace the full value of your totaled new car. the guy says you picked the wrong insurance plan. no, i picked the wrong insurance company. with liberty mutual new car replacement™, you won't have to worry about replacing your car because you'll get the full value back including depreciation. and if you have more than one liberty mutual policy, you qualify for a multi-policy discount, saving you money on your car and home coverage. call for a free quote today. liberty stands with you™. liberty mutual insurance. for patients like lynn, advanced genomic testing may lead to other treatment options that can work.
6:19 pm
learn how genomic testing is changing the way we fight cancer at cancercenter.com/genomics ♪ sing girl, come on. ♪[ singing ]♪ sorry, ariana you gotta go. seriously? verizon limits me and i gotta get home. you're gonna choose navigation over me? maps get up here. umm... that way. girl! you better get on t-mobile! why pay more for data limits? introducing t-mobile one, unlimited data for everyone. get four lines just $35 a month.
6:20 pm
6:21 pm
originally brewed for the holidays. enjoyed ever since. stella artois. host one to remember i want to pick up our conversation on the new trump national security team. before the break, reza asland warned that mike flynn calling islam an ideology and not a religion effect live strips american muslims of their constitutional protections. i want to bring in kayleigh mcenany, donald trump supporter for well over a year now, to get
6:22 pm
your reaction on this. again, to be clear, mike flynn said that islam is a political ideology, masking as a religion. >> right, and it's important to understand why he made that statement. you have andy mccarthy, a very respected former federal prosecutor, nation"national rev columnist, who has written extensively on this and he said 90% of the koran is in fact a legal doctrine, it is sharia. he's not saying that as an insult to the religion, but that's structured differently than typical-type christian religions or jewish religions, the way those books are structured. that's what he's meaning academically. and i think it's completely unfair to say that he called islam a cancer, because when you listen to the whole statement in context, he says, look, this ideology is being used for people to cut off other people's heads, to commit mass atrocities across the globe. that's a problem, that is a cancer. he was referring to the way it is being used, the radicalized version of islam, so to just caricature him as being
6:23 pm
anti-islam and take bits and pieces of his statement and to suggest that muslims are not going to have constitutional rights under the trump administration i think is absurd hyperbole and i don't think it's a responsible way to speak. >> reza? >> no offense to kayleigh, but you really don't know what you're talking about when it comes to either the koran or the bible. about 120 verses of the koran have to do with legal matters out of tens of thousands. and if you've actually read the first five chapters of the bible, you would know that it is mostly law. all religions are about not just your faith, but about the way that you conduct yourself in the world. so in a way, all religions are about ideology, however you define that. but that's not what michael flynn was saying. michael flynn was saying, and it seems as though you may agree with him, that islam is different. it's not like other religions. and so it has to be treated differently. not islamic radicalism, not islamic extremism, but islam,
6:24 pm
and by definition, the 1.5 billion adherents of it, regardless of their political or military views, and that includes the 1% of the american population, citizens here, under the united states constitution, that actually follow islam as a religion. >> well, reza, i just want to quickly respond, because, you know, when confronted with facts a lot of times, the other commentators ad hominem attacks, which is what you just did to me. i have read the bible, and there are academic scholars that disagree with your facts, andy mccarthy, i named him, federal former prosecutor -- >> he is not a scholar of religion -- >> -- with your characterization. so let's not descend into ad hominem attacks, and worse than that, let's not descend into absurdities and suggest that islamic americans will not have constitutional rights. they have all the constitutional rights that i have as a christian. president-elect trump has never suggested otherwise. and it's irresponsible to come on here and cry racist, islam
6:25 pm
phob noboislamophobic. let's listen to president obama and give him a chance. >> fear of muslims is rational, that's what he said. >> president-elect trump at various times in his campaign has called for banning all muslims from the united states, he's called for monitoring muslim neighborhoods, he has peddled a lie that american muslims celebrated 9/11, and even after that lie was repeatedly exposed, continued to say that lie. these are not opinions, kayleigh. i am actually stating observable facts. >> well, let's start with the first thing he said -- >> not the facts, per se. you said a complete ban of muslims. he said, a temporary ban until we find out what's going on. that was on the heels of someone getting into our country, tashfeen malik, and taking 18 lives. that was on the heels of that. it's since been reformed to be people who come from terror hotbed countries. let's get our facts right, because nuance matters. and to come on and say, a complete ban, you leave out all the nuance, you leave out the
6:26 pm
temporary, and you scare a heck of a lot of people. >> actually, the truth is, kayleigh, that donald trump has yet to actually clarify the ban on muslims is still on his website. it's still part of his platform. we've gotten numerous indications, back and forth, from his campaign, about whether that actually means a religious test or whether that's from muslim majority countries, which in and of itself is quite problematic, because that's not where all the terrorism is. i mean, look, the fact of the matter is that anti-muslim bigotry has been the hallmark of donald trump's campaign throughout. and now, he has brought together a cabinet, so far, of people who tend to agree with his views about islam and about muslims. and that has to be problematic. and again, to this whole constitutional element thing here, it's really just math, kayleigh. if islam is not a religion, then muslims don't get religious rights, period. >> there's also the whole element of the propagandas for this islamophobia, and that's
6:27 pm
bannon. we are looking at a unified view of islam, that is antithetical to the notion of our democratic principles, of saying, instead of the president-elect, bannon, the whole group there saying, our primary concern is to see that our muslim citizens, like all citizens, are protected, and from there, let's look at problems of immigration, let's look at problems of terrorism. but nobody in this cohort is saying, our interest is to protect the rights of muslims in america, all our people. that should be the first thing -- >> president-elect trump, that's the first thing he said. he said, i want to be a president for all the people, all religions -- >> okay, what we're going to do, guys. this is actually a great conversation. we're going to take a quick break and get to some of these opinions i know you all want to say right after this. there is no typical day.
6:28 pm
6:29 pm
if my office becomes a plane or an airport the surface pro is perfect, fast and portable but also light. you don't do 14 hours a day 7 days a week for decades if you don't feel it in your heart. listen i know my super power is to not ever sleep. that's it, that's the only super power i have. p is for permission to indulge. o is for out of this world. l is for loving the seasonal cuisine. a is for access to everything, including the aisle. r is for reclining in tailor-made bedding. and i, must be dreaming. s... so long, jet lag. polaris, from united. will your business be ready when growth presents itself? american express open cards can help you take on a new job,
6:30 pm
6:31 pm
6:32 pm
phillip bump of "the washington post," you have been listening patiently, jumping out of your chair at times. choose to say whatever you want, but let me suggest this question, you can choose to answer it or not. a lot of this discussion is within the parameters of things that were crystal clear during months and months of this campaign. donald trump's position, michael flynn's position. it doesn't mean that people shouldn't choice their vivoice views right now, but it does mean that voters had a choice on this subject a week and a half ago. >> that's very true. and donald trump was, from the moment that he captured the republican nomination, there was an expectation he was going to moderate what he was saying to appeal more broadly to the general election. he never did that. there were times in which he hinted that he was going to do that, he didn't. he continued to be the same person that he was in the primary, through the general election, and ended up winning. he ended up winning more electoral votes. he did not end up winning the popular vote. that's important here because, kayleigh's right. president obama and donald trump both said, give me a chance, you know, let's unify around my
6:33 pm
presidency. but it's incumbent upon him to also do some of that unifying. and i think part of the challenge we're seeing with these picks is that he's showing no signs of actually trying to recognize the reasons that people were dissatisfied with him, as a candidate. and so i think one of the things that also happens over the course of the weekend, to matt's point, we'll see these conversations with mitt romney, whatever it happens to be and what his next picks are, but that said, he has a pon responsibility to, if he wants a unified united states of america, to do something unifying. and he hasn't done that. >> i'm fascinated by the democratic respondent. it started with steve bannon and continued all the way to today. where really, all we can do, they've written strongly worded letters, literally, that's what they've done, but to an extent, that's all they can do. >> they're in a really tough spot. i want to bring this point up. the justice department released a report today on hate crimes and how much it's increased since donald trump has been elected. when it comes to the muslim community, it's gone up 66%.
6:34 pm
and that's the fear, you know, when we talk about brown and black people in the muslim community, what's the fear, that's it. 66% for the muslim community. so, that is also the problem with mike flynn, who doesn't give, continuously doesn't give a distinction between islam and isis. and so, just wanted to make sure that we're aware that hate crimes -- >> quick point. >> that increase was from 2014 to 2015. >> yep, sorry. >> and he's right that donald trump has not moderated. and what we've seen, actually, is it's true. to your point. donald trump is acting in the same way he acted in the campaign, when he basically fomented hate and racism against mexicans, against muslims, and he generated that. so, in fact, he is acting exactly as he acted -- >> the life of donald trump for one second. it is about getting results. and it doesn't matter to donald trump and it has never mattered in his life how the hell he gets there. who gets run over, what happens to those students at trump
6:35 pm
university. he is all about results. whether you pay people 12% back on your loan you took and you cheat them out of the money, it's about the results in donald trump's pockets. and what we are seeing here is, donald trump is moving now to get the results that he wants, he thinks he ran on this. he's going to get the results by driving this sledgehammer home. with these picks, with this strategy, and that's where we are. but let's not forget what his life has been like -- >> but hang on one second, matt. i want to bring up mike pompeo, donald trump's pick to run the cia. mike pompeo is a guy who graduated number one in his class from west point, he sat on the intelligence community, bob baer. but in your mind, again, as someone who has worked in the cia, does he have the right experience to run the cia? >> no, he's not qualified. i mean, being on hipsy doesn't count for intelligence experience. john brennan had been in the cia
6:36 pm
for many years. i think he is much too partisan, but he had been in riyadh. he knew the intelligence community. george h.w. bush knew it. he had been ambassador to china. and i could go on and on. porter goss, all these directors. and what worries me is the cia's very partisan right now and if you take the congressman, and put him -- he's been very straightforward on benghazi, that was a failure of the clinton administration, and breaking with iran, undoing this agreement. so he is a partisan choice. i had hoped trump would go into this and pick a professional or somebody that was fairly neutral. so i think as a choice, he's actually worse than flynn, because he has less experience as a former professional. >> let's be clear, you would rather not see a politician, period, running the cia? >> i would get somebody out of the ranks or a four-star general. >> stick around. a lot more to discuss. next, he wasn't donald trump's biggest fan. mitt romney, who, as you know,
6:37 pm
has a weakness for chocolate milk. the question now is, is he ready for a sip of kool-aid? we'll talk about the possibility of him joining the trump administration right after a quick break. when you find something worth waiting for, we'll help you invest to protect it for the future. financial guidance while you're mastering life. from chase, so you can. mshe said i should think of my rteeth like an apple. it could be great on the outside not so great on the inside. her advice? use a toothpaste and mouthwash that strengthens both. go pro with crest pro-health advanced. it's uniquely formulated with activestrength technology to strengthen teeth inside and is better at strengthening the outside than colgate total. crest toothpaste and mouthwash makes my whole mouth feel amazing.
6:38 pm
6:39 pm
so the roll can last 50% longer than the leading ordinary brand. so you get more "life" per roll. bounty, the quicker picker upper ♪ ♪ ♪ is it a force of nature? or a sales event? the season of audi sales event is here. audi will cover your first month's lease payment on select models during the season of audi sales event. (bing)
6:41 pm
as we have said tomorrow, president-elect donald trump will meet in new jersey with one of his harshest critics, mitt romney. the 2012 republican presidential nominee, former governor of massachusetts, i know, awkward, right? this is a taste of the words the two traded during the last year. >> donald trump is a phony, a fraud. >> midwas a disaster as a candidate. >> he's playing the members of the american public for suckers. >> romney let us all down. he was a very poor campaigner. >> he gets a free ride to the white house and all we get is a lousy hat. >> romney choked like a dog, he choked. he went -- >> his promises are as worthless as a degree from trump university. >> i have a lot of friends. no, i have a lot of friends. by the way, mitt romney is not one of them. >> so mitt romney has told friends, he would like to serve in government again, particularly he would like the
6:42 pm
job of secretary of state. this is according to a senior republican with knowledge of the transition. rudy giuliani also said to be under consideration for a cabinet position, like with south carolina governor, nikki hal haley, who also met with the president-elect. that happened yesterday at trump tower. joining me now, cnn political commentator, republican strategist, kevin madden, who worked on both of mitt romney's presidential campaigns. and kate doszen, former chair of the south carolina republican party. kevin, you just heard there, president-elect donald trump and governor romney. they were more than just the usual political ruthless against each other. i mean, these were deeply personal. and i also think, deeply serious attacks between the two men. so given that, how do you think mitt romney goes into this meeting this weekend? how do you think he approaches it? >> well, i think governor romney is very aware that there's a hot rhetoric of a campaign and then there is bringing people together and trying to find
6:43 pm
areas where you agree, as you look towards governing. so i think -- but i also think governor romney, while very polite and very gracious, as he always is, and is known to be even by his harshest critics, will be very direct with some of the differences that he has with president-elect trump. and i think very direct about some of the challenges he expects president-elect trump to face, when he deals with foreign policy and national security issues. these are issues that governor romney has studied very closely, these are issues that he's written about and talked about, and campaigned on during his 2012 campaign. he is very serious about them. and i think that he is going to try to pass along, as much insight as possible. look, he is somebody who is driven by a sense of duty. he is driven by a curiosity about these issues. and i think he will do everything he can to be helpful
6:44 pm
to president-elect trump. he knows that this is an awesome challenge, an awesome responsibility that he's assumed as president-elect, and that effort to be helpful, i think, something that he's going to be very focused on. >> how do you think he would try to reconcile those major policy differences with donald trump, if asked to serve? and i'm not even talking about the differences where mitt romney thought that donald trump was a fraud and donald trump didn't think that. >> yeah, i think it would require a certain degree of concession, quite frankly. there would have to be a meeting of the minds of -- on something like this. these are not small differences. if you look at governor romney and president-elect trump's positions on the threat that russia presents, the importance of nato, as part of a national -- american's national security posture, trade, for example, not only an economic issue, but a diplomatic one. these are very big differences that i think governor romney
6:45 pm
would require some element of -- not concession, but an element of understanding that you have to have a much more comprehensive approach on many of these issues, if he were to try and advance a foreign policy platform in a trump administration. >> so cade, up until the mitt romney meeting that's happening this weekend, the meeting that raised the most eyebrows that the president-elect has had is with governor nikki haley of south carolina, who was a critic of donald trump's during the primaries, especially, although of a different order, frankly, than mitt romney. she is a friend of yours. what do you think it would take for her to leave her job as governor of south carolina and join a trump administration, given that she has a couple years left on her term? >> well, i've been asked the difference of ann and mitt romney. mitt is probably in the twilight of his republican career, nikki haley is soon in 2018 to be chairman of the governor's association. she's got one of the best jobs
6:46 pm
in politics. she's the governor of the state of south carolina, that came out today with a 4.7% unemployment ratio, the lowest we've had in modern history in south carolina, done a tremendous job. she's a patriot. nikki is fiercely conservative, a good leader, and i think it would take a tremendous sense of duty and the right fit for nikki to leave the governor's post in south carolina. and it's hard when you've got a president or president-elect that's asking you to come help. but then again, i think it would have to be the right fit. and unlike the romney's and i are a big fan of mitt and ann romney's, and i hope he finds a place in the administration, because he brings a lot of value to the trump team. and nikki's got a job right now, i think she would be hard-pressed to leave it, john. but we'll see what happens. she would be a great pick for any mirpadministration. >> quickly, we have a few seconds left. do you think this is for real, these meetings with nikki haley
6:47 pm
or mitt romney? do you think they're really up for jobs or do you think this is just appearances? cade, you first. >> you know, you've got to look at the map that elected donald trump and what he did, whether kevin and i haven't agreed with the rhetoric or how the tone was, what i can tell you is he is doing exactly what we thought. he is putting away his personal grievances with anybody and looking for the best team that he can put together to enact what he said he was going to do running for president. and he won! and i think the panel keeps missing it. this guy won! look at the red on the map and see what the pexpectation was. so he's got to put together a team regardless of his personal press conferen preferences. >> kevin, for real or appearances? >> i think it's a little bit of both. i think the appearance part of it is important, john. i think the transition team is trying to send a message that they are open to voices that they don't necessarily agree, and they're looking for insight
6:48 pm
across the spectrum. and as a result of these conversations, very real agreements or understandings can be come to, where you do have job offers to people that might not necessarily have fit what you think what would be a trump cabinet. >> that's a good point. even if they are just pae appearances, the appearances do matter and count for something. >> great to be with you both. all right, a flood of fake news saturated social media during this presidential election. the question is, did it shape the outcome? want a feast fit for the season?
6:49 pm
at red lobster's holiday seafood celebration nothing says "treat yourself" like any of these indulgent new dishes. so try the new grand seafood feast with tender shrimp, a decadent crab cake, and a lobster tail topped with white wine butter. or the new wild-caught lobster & shrimp trio crispy and garlic grilled red shrimp, and a lobster tail with creamy lobster mac-and-cheese? you wanted a feast, you got it. feasts like these make the holidays the holidays, so come try one before it ends.
6:52 pm
in just about every conceivable way, the 2016 election was like no other, including the role social media played in the flood of fake news stories that were posted and shared. the volume of bogus news stories across social media is coming under growing scrutiny. tom foreman reports. >> reporter: in the final weeks. raging election, stunning news, pope francis endorses donald trump, an fbi linked to hillary clinton's e-mail is found dead, and a person is paid $3,500 to protest trump. finally, the truth comes out, his son tweets.
6:53 pm
the problem, those stories were all flat out lies. fake news, which media analysts say hit this election like no other. according to one analysis, even being shared more than legitimate news stories. >> we have an epidemic of false information racing around, using social networks as the accelerant. >> here's one. >> you have sacrificed nothing. >> reporter: when the muslim family of the slain u.s. soldier grabbed headlines by criticizing donald trump, this story soon appeared claiming they were paid almost $400,000 by the clinton foundation, complete with a dang document as proof. it was all fake. >> i pledge allegiance to the flag. >> another said president obama outlawed the pledge of allegiance in federal offices and schools. there was even a photo of him signing the executive order. this was a recycled old one and
6:54 pm
still fake. some times even mainstream media gets taken in. sean hannity came across a story about twitter and the investigation of hillary clinton. >> what? barack obama -- >> barack obama and elizabeth warren have unfollowed hillary clinton, as well as scrubbing their timelines of tweets with her. >> wow. that means they know it's huge. >> huge. >> because obama is implicated. >> hannity found out the tale was false and apologized. >> mike flynn. >> reporter: before the election, michael flynn now in line to be the national security advisor tweeted a link to hillary clinton with money laundering and petophelia. after donald trump won the vote, a fake story saying he took the popular vote, too though clinton beat him by about a million ballots and another claiming
6:55 pm
ireland and canada were granting asylum to the election of trump presidency. >> facebook and google announced plans to try to block some of this fake news, but that could be tough. many of these stories originate with rabid partisans or web sites that make money out of publishing this propaganda and don't much value the truth. john? >> tom foreman, thank you so much. shifting gears if you're looking for a break from politics, don't forget anthony bourda bourdain. this weekend, buenes arias. bourdain andand talked about it, take a look. >> so, buenes aires. >> i have not spent a lot of time there. >> it's a perfect city. >> i feel like you're team brazil or argentina. and i go for brazil, so i haven't dedicated time to argentina. >> it's a beautiful city with a
6:56 pm
forelorn, bitter tweet quality that we wanted to capture. it's a very visual show. it's not particularly about food, though i will say if you're a vegetarian, don't go to argentina because in argentina, chicken is considered a vegetable. even i, after like four days in buenes aries, it's like jesus, i need a salad, someone bring me something green. but very beautiful place and i think we've made a lot of shows and we try to make them as visually interesting and beautiful as we can. this is easily among the most beautiful we've ever shot, maybe the most beautiful. >> that's saying a lot. >> we worked really -- this was a cinematographer's dream. it's got a dream-like quality.
6:57 pm
7:00 pm
145 Views
IN COLLECTIONS
CNN (San Francisco)Uploaded by TV Archive on
![](http://athena.archive.org/0.gif?kind=track_js&track_js_case=control&cache_bust=429366216)