good evening, i am john berman here in for aernderson. tonight's trump's controversial cabin picks. we'll look at that and who he will pick next. another choice that flies in the face of something where he said proudly and loudly and repeatedly throughout the campaign that he does not like to settle lawsuits especially the case is against the non-university formally known as trump university. he's expected to be vitamin knd

in court so why charlotsettle? today he settles two big cases in new york. paul, what was the reaction from donald trump and his legal team of the wake of this settlement, why did they settle? >> reporter: well, they were all smiles and both in court and outside court, trump's lawyer, said "donald trump and trump university do not acknowledge any fault or liability in this case and all along in these proceedings over the past couple of weeks, they signaturuggested donald trump need to get to the matter at hands and running the country. they were happy and content pulling this behind them. >> paul, this was what donald trump has been saying for months that he does not do. >> exactly. not only saying but going out on social media and saying such

things as my university had a 98% of approval rating and perhaps, i should settle this but i won't in terms of principles. lets listen to other times that donald trump came out and said that he would not settle this case. >> i will win the trump university case, i am already am as far as i am concerned. i will win the case in the end, i did not want to be forced in the se a settle. i can settle the case now if i want to settle it. we have a situation where i will win in court. i can settle that case. >> reporter: as for the settlement, some $25 million, the plaintiff's attorney is saying that each one of the people who were involved in this lawsuit will get at least half their money back in a no instance of $35,000, john. >> paul, thanks a lot.

now of the cabinet picks and what we know about the next big cabinet picks. sarah murray is at trump tower. explain the president elect trump's whereabouts tonight and what we don't know. >> reporter: so even i am in front of trump tower tonight. donald trump is not inside trump tower. he's already relocated. he's going to spend his weekend at his golf club in new jersey. they alerted the pool and small group of reporters had the pleasure to sit in traffic for three hours to follow him out to new jersey and of course, donald trump gets a motorcade when he makes his trip. so what will come out this weekend? >> reporter: it is not a leisure weekend. he will be in non stop meetings. romney has been critical of him throughout the campaign and he's meeting the former dc public

school chancellor and michelle rhee. maybe gives him advice of how he's going to build his team and others are essentially job interviews and looking to talk to a number of people of top cabinet to educational secretary and defense secretary throughout the weekend. so far, we have a full weekend on saturday. we have not heard of all the folks he's going to be meeting with on sunday, we are expecting for a full day out there on sunday. >> a lot to be made but there were three big announcements today of president elect's choice of the attorney general and national security adviser. how are those being perceived? >> reporter: things are moving fo forward. they are feeling like they are in line with donald trump and promises on the campaign trail and a number of these picks are controversies of their own accord. when it comes to republicans,

the majority in the house and in the senate, come january, it is mostly positive and in part because they know some of these folks, jeff sessions serves in the senate and a number of them have to vote on his confirmation. you are hearing from a lot of republicans that feel that the in coming president should have the opportunity to pick his own team. that does not mean the democrats are going to sit back and not exact their pound of flesh when it comes to the pound of conference hearing though. >> sara murray, thanks so much. matt lewis and our journalist and author and cnn political analyst, carl bernstein and washington post, phillip, we'll start with you of the three picks today when you had michael flynn and sessions.

what does this say about donald trump's world view? >> well, it says that donald trump's world view expressed is the world that's coming into the white house. the point that sara murray made that it is valid. a lot of folks are hoping to see a different trump in the white house. he's going to taking us on a strong stance on immigration and embrace this transport of international policies that he talked about on the campaign trail. it is true to him sticking to the loyal folks that's been there from the beginning but it is understandable that why his opponent is different. >> is donald trump doing what he says he's going to do, appointing people who agreed with what he says he believed in during the campaign. democrats should be surprised here, should they? >> if you are saying donald trump is a bigot and a racist and a fraud and is appointing

people who are like him. that's correct. >> jeff bannon basically promoted antigay and racist and michael flynn who says muslim is -- and you got jeff sessions who said civil rights groups are un-americans and he praised about the american flag to talk about it. these are racists and bigot people of our tolerance and that's donald trump's point of view. >> that's really sad. >> it is facts. i know you are going to try to spin it because it is not true. this is the man who's a bigot >> this is what the left does. >> okay, you have to let me speak. >> they did this to ronald reagan. >> yes, you did. it is a circle and it is a fact. >> you have to let me finish.

the left tried to do this to ronald reagan. they tried to do it to donald trump. guess what? donald trump just won one. the effort is to call stephen bannon a racist and the american people don't buy what they saw. they voted donald trump. >> so on mike filynn -- >> he did not say much. >> i listened to mike flynn's rnc's speech, he says the enemy is radical islam. >> yes, look at his tweet. >> it says fear of muslims is rational. he did what donald trump did. he painted a whole group of people as enemies. >> listen -- let me say this, carl. the one thing apparent from this

discussion and all you are calling this a discussion right here. these picks show that donald trump in a way does not care about appearances. he does not care and this is not being seen as reaching across the isle. >> he does care about appearances. this is the appearance that he wants created. this is these four appointments including bannon and plus the three national security, sessions, represents a hugely decisive statement for the beginning of a presidency and set up of the fact that we are not going to move towards unity in this country. these choices reflect what he said in the campaign and the most extreme in terms of how we look at muslims and how we take on isis which is a strategy that

annuciated. i will use that phrase, it is a dangerous strategy that he embarked on. hillary clinton did win the popular vote. one of the reasons that i brought this up. >> that's a participation. >> it is an indication of how divided the country is. what president obama tried to do and it is clear that he did not succeed in that meeting with donald trump was to try to move trump towards unifying the country. we are not going there. that's what these picks mean. we are in for a terrible kind of conflict between two different visions of america such as we saw in the campaign and there is no attempt in these picks to breach that. >> you are forgetting of the most important pick of mike pence which is a mainspring conservative who's going to be a heartbeat away from the presidency. reince priebus he's a mainstream

republican. we don't know what other picks are going to happen. if nothing else, they are highly qualified. we got one u.s. senator and pompeo that's going to be ahead of the ceo and finished first in his class at west point and flynn served the country for 30 years and barack obama ahead of the dia. these are not ridiculous picks that donald trump has made. what if he picks romney for secretary of state. >> lets take a look at flynn, he had a some what distinguished military record and the course of his colleagues say he has flipped out since his last exert. he states very dangerous views and he's not factual. >> that's the wrap on him from those who knows him best. >> jeff sessions is an

interesting case. >> oh, i am sorry. >> jeff sessions. carl is making a point that these picks are hard line and extreme. >> jeff sessions is a u.s. senator and for 20 years. i am sure you can all agree with him on many points. it is a pick of consequences. it is a place where you can make big changes and someone of jeff sessions' views can change a lot. >> this is somebody who was too racist to begin a federal judgeship back in the 1980s. that's who jeff sessions is. it is not just the racism disturbing itself but when the tape came out, when the "access hollywood" tape came out that grabbing women by genital is not

sexually assaults. he has no business doing that. i want to get on another point here. stephen bannon, i want people to understand how dangerous that is. the thing about stephen bannon is he's the whisper, he's going to be the person that's in closest proximity to donald trump and who donald trump is going to listen to. we have to understand that when we call -- when we call white pr s supramsis and lets talk about the kkk for just a second here. t it terrorized african-americans by lynching or bombing or raping. there was a study that came out in 2015 by the equal justice initiative that said from 1877

to 1950, nearly 4,000 black women, black men, black children were lynched in 27 states. this is the reality that we are dealing. let me finish for a second. >> well, i don't know how long it is going to be. >> come on, don't be rude, let me finish my statement. when we are talking about stephen bannon, that's the fear that we all have. >> as a u.s. attorney, jeff sessions prosecuted -- who murdered an african-american blood. i don't think a lot of people are talking about that. by the way, the so called racist things that he said, i don't know if he says them or not. he might have said them, it is here say, that's what other people are testifying. >> hang on --

>> guys we'll talk about jeff sessions after a quick break. stick around for clues and all the subjects that we are talking about and the direction that he may lead the justice department over the next several year and what trump supporters think of the make up of trump's picks. >> as of now, it is been all white men entering, thas okis ty with you? >> yes, would you like to see a woman? >> yes, if everyone falls that's a white man is okay? >> it is. phone by google. exclusively at verizon. the only next gen network that lets you get the most out of it. how is this possible? (vo) because verizon lte advanced delivers 50% faster peak speeds in 450 cities, coast to coast. buy a pixel and get up to $400 back. and get 20 gigs of data with no surprise overages, and 4 lines for only $40 each. why settle when you can have it all on verizon?

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jeff sessions got thumbs up. he's not as what you saw before the break getting great reviews from everybody especially in the civil rights community. cnn's pamela brad has been looking into the senator's background and where he stands. pamela, tell us more of the allegations against sessions when he was nominated to be a federal judge in the 1980s. >> he was nominated by president reagan in the 1980s and several of his colleagues came forward to testify against sessions saying that he made racist comments in the workplace and one of his former colleagues said that he called the naacp on americans and communist inspired and another african-american attorney who worked with him saying that he called them boyd and he joked about the kkk that

he liked them until he found out that they smoked marijuana. >> people coming forward claiming that he's a racist and that derailed his nomination at the time, john. >> how unusual was it for him at the time to be denied at the bench? >> it was a big deal because there was a republican majority in the committee that made the decision and it was a 10-8 votes voting against recommending him to the senate to be nominated and confirmed and two of the republicans on this committee sided with the democrats because of these allegations and put it in perspective at the time, he was only the second person denied toe the federal judiciary in 48 years, johnny. >> it was big news at the time. >> pamela, what was the response from jeff sessions at the time? >> he denied these accusations that he was racist. he did say he could be lose with

his tongue and he was joking with the kkk. he says that he despise the kkk. he also talked about how he was advocating for desegregation. up until today, he continues to deny that he's a racist and denies those allegations, john. >> pamela for us in washington, thanks so much. back now with the panel which includes our cnn's analyst, laura coast. you heard pamela's comments there. a lot of democrats on the hill speaking against the nomination. what does it say to you that donald trump selected sessions. >> it seems to be reverting back to a peert of time where america is greater and the justice

system sounded more like a connotation -- the doj has had a difficult time even with two successful african-american attorney general, dealing the backlash of the community who believe that the justice department is not serving their interest of police shootings and excessive force and voting rights and etc. this seems to be a piling on indication that this justice department may not be able to be responsive. most certainly, a man who's been charged calling people boy who was a grown man and a colleague. it is not someone is going to -- to have the justice department to be successful. >> as we know in the legal community, you cannot take what

one person said and treat it as proof that he said those things. he denied several of the things that was brought up. if that went onto gain the respects of some of the people that voted against him. he wish he could take his vote back. >> he became a democrat and found that jeff sessions to be valedictori valedictorian. he voted for an extension of the civil rights act for 30 years and voted to confirm eric holder. we tend to forget the nice and good things but then instead going back to the bad things. >> the rhetoric was -- it is going to be a formality to have his hearing in general. what my focus is on is really about the justice department has intended to be a back stab when the community feels that they cannot have neutrality between

local prosecutor and people who they may have personal or prejudice with the officers. so when you have a loss of faith and the ability of the justice department enforcing civil rights laws or promote them, you will have an impact in the community you are trying to serve. the focus on the rhetoric is a mere part of it. the bigger focus is on the change that it will come of the priorities of this administration and that creates change. >> many suggests that we lost faith. >> one second. >> at one point that laurel was making right there. he's going to be confirmed. there is no sense that he will not be confirmed. republicans are unanimous as far as i can tell. democrats, conservative democrats stood up in support of jeff sessions today. is there any sign that this won't be smooth sailing for him

in the session? >> the point that was being made about how the community is responding and how the community that's already nervous of the concept of president elect trump, that nervousness will transfer into the democratic leader. you are right, he's almost certainly going to get confirmed unless something else outrageous and fairly remarkable comes out. >> it is worth noting that the donald trump is going to be president of the united states and he has an opportunity with these picks to send a message to the people who did not support him about how he's going to lead the country and that's going to be the concern. yeah, it does not attract him as things he's done as senator. >> the reason what we have civil rights in the country because of great attorney general. jeff sessions is not someone who has made his mark by becoming a

great advocate of civil rights for this country, that's the d sadness of this. there is been people in the klu klux clan. i don't think we are going to see if jeff sessions becomes a great advocate for civil rights of all americans. but, he's going to win in the confirmation here. you cannot look at this appointment separate from the other four names we have been talking about and what that signal is to all americans of where donald trump is going and they are quite frankly polking in t polking -- poking in the eye. >> we are five for five here. what single does that? >> i don't think anybody says you know what, i really wish we

had a different attorney general or a different chief of staff. i think at the end of the day if donald trump can turn the economy around and can make people feel better about america, and more optimistic, then he will be a success. >> and he gets michelle rhee entering and saying school choice which african-american children and better option for education. it is notover. we have to begin part of this. what i like to see more diversity early on in these picks? absolutely. >> he's sending a strong signal and he has the opportunity to bring the country together. well, we can decembspell this. we have to believe in his actions. his words are not what we should be listening to, actually, his actions. instead of what i said trying to

bring the country together, he's rewarding and putting a high premium on loyalty. >> why do you always -- >> i am sorry, i thought you were complete. >> oh god, geesh. >> just stop, thank you. >> the other thing is he's creating this -- his administration is going to be a white nationalism. that's what he's creating by picking these majority of his picks and having this racial in wilhelms in -- incentive background. >> is there a break here? >> i don't understand the guy who's picked to be the head of the defense intelligence is not bringing america together or even impact. >> matt, i am sorry about michael. do you think anybody in america

cares who michael flynn is. >> if there is a notion of the former head of the dia having a decisive. >> you can stop at terrorist attack. >> and my colleague on the left would stop and take a breath and listen to the president of the united states and the democratic nominee, hillary clinton w, who says give this guy a chance. to call someone racist and saying this, it is deeply irresponsible. lets follow the lead of our president elect and unite as a country and give this guy a chance. if donald trump succeeds, that's when america succeeds. that's what obama says. >> all right, lets do this, lets take a break. we'll talk about the complexion

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three picks filled of some degree of questions. three men that seems to reenforce held by donald trump or seen by critics to be a hard line. our commentator -- david, you have been vocal on trump's choices so far. at least on twitter. donald trump sticking with those who brought him to the dance but to many americans, it will seem a monster's ball. >> if you want to give him credit for, give him credit for sticking to the pledges he has made and of the tone of his

appointments. if you are an immigrant or a minority in the country, jeff sessions as attorney general is going to be unsettling because he's been one of the leading proponent against the reform in u.s. senate, he had a history in the past of statements and actions that called into questions of his racial attitude and in the department of justice, those are a bit concern, and general flynn's, he's shown to be -- not just his attitude from islam but also leading the chance of lock her up at the convention. now, he's a national security adviser coordinating america's foreign policy for the president being the most important policy

adviser to the president and congressman pompeo and cia post taking a conservative member of congress who was in the middle of the benghazi hearing and putting in charge of the intelligence community and i think intelligence professionals and civil libertarians are going to have some concerns about that. but, these are all people consistent with the kind of positioning that donald trump took in the campaign and i think at some point, he meant what he said and he's going to try to govern the way he campaigned >> these are the people who were with him and these are the people he's spoused during the campaign. if you are looking for signs and outreach, david across the aisl. this is the opposite of that. >> without question. you know the appointment i found of reince priebus -- stephen

bannon is a different case and created a lot of concerns. these appointments were not reaching out appointments. these were trenching, these were statements to the base and the world that the statements i made in the campaign are going to be carried forward into the administration. >> on the subject of what's been happening within the transition of the structure and the speed and efficiency of which has been working. you are perhaps, unlikely defender here. you pointed out that they're not doing this anymore slowly than transition has been in the past. >> no, in fact, i think these appointments came earlier than the ones that barack obam obama -- when i was working for him in 2008. this was a bum wrath that they had to score appointments fast and looking at some of these

appointments, i wish he had taken more time. it is not right to say that he has moved fast enough. this is a difficult process you have to interview people and you meet with your advisers and going through the pluses and minuses and it should take some time. people should not jump on him about that. they could be critical of the appointment. >> david, it is great to see you. thank you very much >> good to be with you. up next, more on tonight's breaking news. donald trump reversing course of agreeing to settle for $25 million. why did he change his mind and what does the reversal mean as a fighter?

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back to the breaking news. president elect trump agreed to pay $25 million to settle his lawsuit from trump university. it is also a 180 on his position onset on settling the suits. joining me now is our author on

"the truth about trump." the fact that he decides to settle now and especially given that he always denies the wrong doing. >> it is a concession, it is less in the suit that was issued against him. it is a little bit of a bargain. the reality for him is that, look, this would have dragged out in court and dragged out to depositions. there is not just the financial struggle - struggle is a lose word but also having to be oppo deposed. the idea that he had this burden off the shoulder, listen, i told you of my conflict of interest, i would never subordinate the country under my actual business dealings. this demonstrates just that. the $25 million just for those of us who don't deal something this large. >> oh, you don't? >> god know, i hope not.

it is a lot of money. >> for this settlement? >> no, talking about 6,000 lawsuits and 20 million is going to go towards the california people and 1 million is fine. it is the actual punitive damage given to donald trump. listen, we know there was a hustle that went on here and you are admitting that you are not a university. so in that respect, it is not a lot of money, but it is very, very telling. >> so michael, knowing trump the way you do, how difficult do you think it was for him to come to this service especially he claimed that he does not settle lawsuits? >> well, of donald's word, it was huge. this was really an omission that he did something wrong and he was not going to fight for it. he insisted his whole life that he does not settle or a case that he's going to win. he's hurt so many people in this

case and i met many of them. it is a profound loss for a lot of them and it was their live savings. >> he had admitted that no wrong doing. >> the money applied that he did. >> plenty of people settle lawsuits. >> almost the first thing he said to me is don't slip and fall down tears because if you sue me, i will fight you. >> he used to say, well, we did not sell them anything, we won. he did not win. so you know there are signs in all of these things and our system, money talks and donald understands money talk and it is a big amount to him. he bragged to me about the first check he got for "the apprentice" and this is bigger than that. >> so a lot of reasons where he does mott have to sit there and

answer questions. >> this is a train he's doing and it is happening in florida when he was suing for air traffic controller going over one of his resorts. he dismissed that lawsuit as well. there is a growing trend where he's deciding to prioritize his role as a president elect trump which will be a good thing over these lawsuits. lets be clear. he has not admitted to any kind of fault. in his mind of the idea that he's saying about never settling is the reconcile of his curre y currency. last night he met with prime minister abe, in the room was his daughter ivanka trump. you know a lot of people are wondering will he separate himself from his family's business and there she was in that room. >> i think it is difficult for him to pull back from these family advisers. he's written that he's some what

a paranoid guy and he believes in the closest circle enjoying the most trust. i think it is going to be hard for him. i think it is hard for ivanka, too. he asks for her help, he's going to be incline to give it. they maybe making different decisions. the wall street journal suggested this as well, suggested that donald trump essentially, cashing in on everything to eliminate of any appearance of conflict of interest, would trump ever do that? >> no, that's not his style. it is an extreme proposal. and enterprises, would not be fair. i suspect that there is more to be done eliminate of the gross appearance of conflicts which will arrive almost daily. >> it already has.

>> and dits got to be next to impossible. >> that's the very reason why although congressional members have to have the conflicts checked out and cannot have these things. the vice president and the president have been exempted from that for the reasons that you just stated. that is the issue but you are correct. there is more than a hint in a priori priority. i think it will be prudent for him to operate in a kin of a blind trust. >> we are talking about that at a different time. michael, thanks so much. appreciate it. up next, we'll take you to alabama. the state that went heavily for donald trump to see what there think about what others are calling a controversy surrounding donald trump's staff picks. jeff sessions is a 1986 wants to

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you heard at the top of the program, the reporting about donald trump's picks for national security adviser, head of the cia, and his attorney general. you also heard at the top of the program a lot of noise of people being made about some things that these men have said in the past about certain minority groups. but what about people in states that voted for donald trump, far away from washington, d.c. and new york. what do they think about these picks? we asked gary tuchman to go find out. >> reporter: in tiny heflan, alabama, the cabinet nomination of alabama's own jeff session was the talk of the town. >> i was surprised but glorified. i'm just overjoyed with it. i think he's doing to do us a good job. >> heflan is where we came to talk about sessions and other trump cabinet nominees. >> as of now, it's been all white men into the cabinet. is that okay with you? >> it is, yes. >> but would you like to see a woman? >> i would.

>> but if not, that's okay? >> it is. >> i'm not a feminist, it doesn't matter with me one way or another, as long as they know how to do their job. >> reporter: 88% of cleburne county voters cast their ballots for donald trump, so they are loyal to him as well as sessions. but we had questions. jeff sessions in 1986 wanted to be a federal judge and was rejected by a committee because of racist comments he made. he called the aclu communist inspired and un-american. do you think that should disqualify him? >> no, because 30 years ago, that was common for someone to say. >> if he said something like that more recently, a few years ago or last year, would that be enough to disqualify him? >> yes. >> 30 years ago, i went to an all-white school, or maybe longer than 30 years, but when i was in high school, i went to an all-white school and they had an all-black school. i was all for that, because i didn't know any better. >> reporter: you feel he didn't know my better? >> there's a chance he didn't. >> reporter: if he made those comments today --

>> it would bother me, yes, it would. >> reporter: what about the nominee for national security adviser, retired lieutenant general, michael flynn, who was a fiery controversial advocate for trump on the campaign trail. >> reporter: he in the past has talked about islam and he said that islam definitely hides behind being a religion, as a political ideology. did that trouble you? >> i don't think that's true. that may be his opinion, but i don't think it's true. >> reporter: so does it bother you? should that disqualify him from being the national security adviser, if he's acknowledged making those comments? >> maybe he knows a heck of a lot more than about it than i do. >> reporter: then there's the other nominee of the day, congressman mike pompeo for cia chief. few we talked to knows much about him, but this woman believes he may not have the proper experience to run the cia. >> does that trouble you? >> a little, yes, sir. if he don't have the experience, yes. >> reporter: but donald trump picked him. >> yeah, well, we can't agree with everything he does. >> reporter: but in this small

town, there seems to be a general agreement that the presidential transition is going just fine. >> reporter: do you think there are some people in this country, the political establishment, the news media, who just don't get it? >> they never had it. i'm serious. >> reporter: all right, gary tuchman joins us right now from atlanta. so gary, curious, did you run into any hillary clinton voters out there today? >> reporter: john, it's not easy to find a hillary clinton voter in a tiny county where 88% of the people voted for donald trump. but there was one woman i talked to who hadn't told her family and friends yet that she may never do so that she voted for hillary clinton, so she didn't want to go on camera, but she told me that she felt that her senator sessions and general flynn, neither of them qualify for these spots, because shelves they both have skeletons in their closets. john? >> gary tuchman, thanks so much. in the next hour of "360," president-elect trump's weekend plans, maybe some golf, but he's also going to meet face to face with mitt romney, who called him a phony and a fraud during the campaign. and trump didn't have nice words

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top of the hour here in new york and at the trump national golf course in bed minister, 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.