good morning. i'm alisyn kosik in for christi paul. >> i'm victor blackwell. this morning president-elect donald trump is moving forward with another full schedule as he looks to fill up his administration. he says announcements could be coming today. >> in just a few hours from now trump and his transition team are going to be returning to meeting with potential high-level cabinet appointees. so far he says the process is going well. >> really efficiently. very good. tremendous talent. we're seeing tremendous talent

for people that, as i say, will make america great again. these are really great people. these are really, really talented people. >> some notable names today, chris christie, the new jersey governor who was recently removed from trump's transition team. also meeting with trump today, rudy giuliani and robert johnson. >> there was one name, the meeting with mitt romney yesterday. >> they called each other almost every name in the book during the primary season. it was brutal. but now as trump looks for a secretary of state, perhaps they're finding common ground. cnn's phil mattingly has more. >> reporter: hey, victor and alis alisyn, there was one clear meeting on saturday. that was the meeting with mitt romney. wasn't so long that con man, choke artist, all sorts of insults flying back and forth on the campaign trail. not anymore.

for 1:20 mitt romney sat down with president-elect trump and michael pence discussing primarily foreign policy. raising the question is there a potential position in a trump administration for mitt romney. we haven't gotten any comment on that. this is how mitt romney described their conversation. >> we had a far-reaching conversation with regards to the various theaters in the world where there are interests of the united states of real significance. we discussed those areas and exchanged our views on those topics. very thorough and in depth discussion in the time we had. and appreciate the chance to speak with the president-elect and look forward to the coming i i ing administration. >> reporter: it's important to know that they are considering mitt romney. there was another very

interesting meeting that happened on saturday here as donald trump continues to work poords tilling out his cabinet. that was with retired marine general james maddis. that went for more than an hour. longer than any other meeting and a potential defense department pick. it's likely as republicans control capitol hill that would be in the offing if he was selected. donald trump saying he is, quote, the real deal. let's just keep an eye on mitt romney and general james mattis as well. >> phil mattingly, thank you. i want to bring in cnn politics reporter steven collins in to talk more about this steady parade of people meeting with trump this week end. good morning to you. i want to begin with people that he is meeting with and start with a list. it. >> chris: kobas, the secretary

of state for kansas, glover ross who owns a private equity firm, chris christie, rudy giuliani, robert johnson who is the founder of b.e.t. in this laundry list of people, who stands out to you and where do you think they would fit in a trump administration? >> alisyn, i think the name chris kobach is very intriguing. he was a bush era. he became an intellectual fire power behind some of the hard lined immigration measures we've seen in the last few years in arizona, for example. he's at the center of this debate for a muslim registry. he warned that sanctuary cities, places like chicago and new york would shield migrants. perhaps homeland security secretary. you would see him as a lightning rod for the way the immigration debate develops during the trump

presidency. i don't think democrats would be able to stop him but they could use him as a way to get an early attack in. then there's rudy giuliani and chris christie. at one point it seemed that these two loyal tenants during the campaign of donald trump were going to get cabinet posts. rudy giuliani wanted secretary of state. that appears less certain. we're waiting to see where giuliani and chris christie fit. >> what about robert johnson? >> that's an interesting one. and i think it's symptomatic of the fact that donald trump doesn't necessarily sort of go down traditional routes. he was a very unconventional candidate. it looks like he's going to be a very unconventional president. he's going to take advice from places where you might not necessarily expect it. having such a prominent african-american sort of engage with him in this transition

process is very interesting. we've seen this procession in and out of bedminster, the gulf resort. we saw this procession of people in and out of trump tower. it's a very strange, unusual transition process. the last two transition processes, the obama and bush transitions were much more buttoned down. we didn't see a trail of people having their picture taken with the president-elect. it reflects donald trump's style in many ways. >> i was reading an article in "the new york times" how donald trump is picking his cabinet. in this report they say that mr. trump loves attention and the drama of the election process. he's got to stoke it. a senior advisor describing the romney meeting as mr. romney simply coming to pay his respects to the president-elect and kiss his ring. do you agree with this? and is this an indication maybe of how trump could govern? >> yes, i think it is. what we know about donald trump is he's not the kind of

candidate, president-elect and potentially president who sits there with a huge pile of briefing books and works through them. he interacts with people. he's a gregarious person. one of the most difficult things presidents experience when they go into the white house, they're in this bubble. if president-elect trump is talking to people like mitt romney who don't agree with him on many different things, that will be seen by people in washington as a good sign. he's not just going to get the sort of go into a circle of limited information that could sort of then chart the way he rules. i think many people will see the fact that he's talking to lots of different people as a positive. >> steven collinson, thank you very much. from chair of the rnc to chief of the white house staff,

jake tapper talks to reince priebus on "state of the union" at 9:00 a.m. eastern time on cnn. donald trump meeting with former primary rival chris christie after forcing him out of his transition team. with his strange relationship with trump's son-in-law and the bridgegate scandal still haunting him, what white house job is still left for the embattled new jersey governor. our panel is here to discuss what may be in store for this meeting. one famed guitarists seeking an apology or owes an apology to mike pence. >> i wouldn't be president without you. >> oh, yes, the wig and all. he's back. alec baldwin returning to snl as president-elect trump. so that you can spend more time making special moments...

...with your family. marie callender's. it's time to savor. sometino big deal.shing my gums bleed. but my hygienist said, it is a big deal. go pro with crest pro health gum protection. it helps prevent gum bleeding by targeting harmful bacteria on your gums. left untreated, these symptoms could lead to more serious problems including tooth loss. gum crisis averted.

seconds can mean the difference between life and death.

for partners in health, time is life. we have 18,000 people around the world. the microsoft cloud helps our entire staff stay connected and work together in real time to help those that need it. the ability to collaborate changes how we work. what we do together changes how we live.

really efficiently. very good. tremendous talent. we're seeing tremendous talent from people that, as i say, will make america great again. these are really great people. these are really, really talented people. >> president-elect donald trump is optimistic about building his new administration, but today he has another round of interviews with a couple of surprising people for key cabinet positions. on the list, chris christie, the embattled new jersey governor who just weeks ago was ousted from the transition team and reportedly was feuding with trump's son-in-law jared kushner and when pressed about christie's involvement he said

this. >> does this disqualify chris christie from being in your cabinet. >> i like chris a lot. >> a great meeting with one of his harshest critics of the campaign, mitt romney. let's talk more about these meetings. andre bower, former lieutenant governor of south carolina and bill press, cnn political commentator and was a hillary clinton supporter. good to have both of you. >> good morning. >> hi, victor. >> i want to start with this romney/trump meeting. there's the history, of course, of the criticisms back and forth during the election and they have seemed to put that behind them. one issue that still separates them is russia and vladimir putin. i want you to listen to romney in 2012 about russia and putin and what trump said this cycle nkts first of all, russia, i indicated, is a geopolitical

foe. i said in the same paragraph, i said, and iran is the greatest national security threat we face. russia does continue to battle us in the u.n. time and time again. i have clear eyes on this. i'm not going to wear rose colored glasses when it comes to russia are mr. putin. >> if he says great things about me i'm going to say great things about him. i've already said he is very much of a leader. he called the man terrible things. the man has strong control over our country. it's a different system and i don't like the system but certainly in that system he's been a leader. >> so, andre, if mitt romney is being considered potentially for secretary of state, how does he go out to the world and offer a full throated support for president's policy when mitt romney himself is very suspicious of russia and putin and we see a very different approach from the president-elect? >> well, i think there's probably no one any more capable than mitt romney. a fine gentleman. a stellar record in the state of

massachusetts and clearly is a well-thought and well-spoken individual and the two of them will come together behind closed doors and come out with the best absolute approach to how we deal with what has been a foe for many years but hopefully we're able to extend an olive branch and at least have communication to try to move forward as two countries that are world leaders and have some problems that are unilateral that they need to solve. >> bill, it seems like there's little overlap here on russia and putin. >> well, i have to say, first of all, i have a high opinion of mitt romney, believe it or not. i didn't vote for him. i think he would be a huge asset to the trump administration if he were offered that job, but i'm very skeptical, victor. i think this is pure window dressing. so far we've seen that donald trump has just surrounded himself and given jobs to his loyal acolites like steve bannon and mike flynn and jeff sessions and mitt romney is clearly an

outsider so i think he's -- this is not going to be any team of rivals we're going to see out of this administration. i think mitt romney was just there to -- as a coombaya moment and it's not going to go anywhere. >> let's stay with you and this group of loyalists and chris christie certainly was one of them endorsing him immediately after he dropped out of the primary. he won't be ag. that's going to jeff sessions. >> right. >> he won't be chief of staff. that's going to reince priebus. where does a chris christie go in a trump cabinet? >> first of all, i feel sorry for chris christie. i don't know about you. he's been a loyal puppy dog for donald trump, right? he was the first of the rivals in the primary to stand behind him. we remember those awkward moments standing there without saying anything. he certainly has put himself out for donald trump and now the son-in-law has dumped him over board because chris christie made a mistake he feels of putting his father in prison.

chris christie is out in the cold. it depends on whether or not donald trump has a sense of humor. if he has a sense of humor -- >> i know what you're about to say. >> you know where i'm going. he will make him secretary of transportation. you've got it. >> andre, where does a chris christie go? >> my thought is secretary of commerce or health and human services. we know he's got the ability to lead. he is a trusted confidante. he's more than well prepared. keep in mind, they have been friends for years so donald trump is a guy that trusts his friends. he likes people that he has close -- that he has confidence in and we all know he has confidence in chris christie so i hope that folks within the campaign won't stop the ability for him to surround himself with people that he can work with easily and doesn't have to go out and build this relationship. >> all right. andre, let me stay with you on bob johnson, founder of b.e.t. who will be meeting with the team today. he wrote this letter to black america, after the election, actually, just a couple of days

ago. i'm going to read part of it. to the republican party, we say to you, even though you have ignored us or oftentimes actively conspired against our rights, we have no permanent enemies. to the democratic party we say to you even though you have taken our vote for granted and often patronized us, we have no permanent friends. he's quoting another representative who he was very fond of and knew, but let me understand from your perspective the importance of this meeting with bob johnson and if this is as phil said window dressing or if there's a real role for him moving forward in the trump administration. >> well, i don't think it's just window dressing. if you look from the night of the election, you saw a magnanimous donald trump who has tried to reach out to -- if you look at the stock market, what it immediately did after donald trump gave a speech, you can see he's reaching out. he's becoming a -- basically he's rising to the occasion of president which even though i wasn't a big obama fan, i think he did the exact same thing.

you're going to see donald trump continue to elevate, continue to move towards the businessman that he's been but the president he'll be to reach all folks, try to cross party lines, try to go to folks that have not historically been republican supporters and say, look, let's work together. where can we forge alliances? where can we make america a better place to live, work and play? i think this absolute fundamental part of taking that business perspective where you've had to be in the board room and work with different folks that could have been not customarily a person that would have been your friend that you were always working with and he's reaching across that aisle and saying, look, let's come together and make something happen. i am excited about what i see happening with donald trump and his leadership skills. >> bill, there are some critics that say this plays into the window dressing narrative that rhetorically donald trump might have been very magnanimous since election night but the choices of bannon, of sessions, of

flynn, these aren't by some communities seen as choices that are reaching out to a broader country, a broader electorate. >> well, first of all, as somebody in the media, i've always had huge respect for robert johnson. i think he's a giant in our industry. i think the fact that he would meet with the president-elect is very important for him. i don't see any job in the administration that he would either accept or be offered. back to your point, victor, i hear what andre is saying. i don't see that at all. what i see is a very closed group of hard liners that donald trump despite this theory that we were going to see a kinder, gentler donald trump once he actually was elected president, it hasn't proven true. the people that have been most loyal, hard liners like him, those around him, you just mentioned the names. they're the only ones so far that have gotten jobs. i think we've seen that donald trump is, in fact, more radical or as radical as we thought

during the campaign. >> bill preston, andre bower, thank you for being part of the conversation. >> thank you, man. donald trump says the cast of hamilton owes mike pence an apology and at least one famous musician agrees. guitarist steven van zandt will be weighing in. plus, experts worn trump's foreign business ties may violate the constitution. we'll tell you which clause could be a big problem for him. . that's why you drink ensure. with 9 grams of protein and 26 vitamins and minerals. for the strength and energy to get back to doing... ...what you love. ensure. always be you.

the search for relief often leads here.s, introducing drug-free aleve direct therapy. a high intensity tens device that uses technology once only in doctors' offices. for deep penetrating relief at the source. new aleve direct therapy.

. in washington protests outside a white nationalist conference turned violent after members of the group, look at

this, have clashed with the demonstrators there. one member of the white nationalist group was injured. the conference was being hosted by the alt right national policy institute. plus, in new york, vandals painted swastikas and go trump on the park in brooklyn. the park is named after a member of the group the beastie boys who died of cancer in 2013. the graffiti was quickly painted over with images of hearts and flowers. this morning there will be a rally at the park. the beastie boys tweeted fans to take a stand against hate messages. steven van zandt is calling for the creator of "hamilton" to apologize to mike pence. the cast made a mistake giving a speech to pence on friday night. after the performance the actor asked pence to, quote, uphold our american values. >> we, sir, we are the diverse america who are alarmed and

anxious that your new administration will not protect us. uphold our inalienable rights, sir. we truly hope this show has inspired you to uphold our american values and to work on behalf of all of us, all of us. >> van zandt said that speech was inappropriate and a form of bullying. he tweeted this, "hamilton" made a mistake. audiences shouldn't have to worry about being blindsided like that. theaters should be sanctuary for art to speak. van zandt continues. when artists perform the venue -- when artists perform, the venue becomes your home, the audience are your guests. it is nothing short of the same bullying tactic we rightly have criticized trump for in the past. it's taking unfair advantage of someone who they -- who thought they were a protected guest in your home. a lot of strong feelings with

that situation. >> yeah, a lot of the feelings coming from the president-elect himself who was tweeting about "hamilton" yesterday. pretty obscure clause in the constitution. it may affect trump's foreign businesses there, his interests there, even after he becomes president. plus, president obama takes his last trip abroad as president and tries to reassure the world and world leaders about a donald trump presidency. when heartburn hits, fight back fast with tums smoothies. it starts dissolving the instant it touches your tongue. and neutralizes stomach acid at the source. ♪ tum -tum -tum -tum smoothies! only from tums don't put off checking out your options until sixty-five. now is a good time to get the ball rolling.

consider an aarp medicare supplement insurance plan insured by unitedhealthcare insurance company. like any of these types of plans, it could help you with out-of-pocket medical costs. call now and request your free decision guide and explore the range of aarp medicare supplement plans. start gathering the information you need... to roll into sixty-five with confidence.

mortgage rates picked up this week. have a look. ade the bold decision to buy their home four months ago. and even though they have no idea what the future has in store for them, they bought into a 30-year mortgage anyway. because they weren't just thinking about their future... buy in.

quicken loans. home buy. refi. power.

welcome back and good morning. i'm alisyn kosik sitting in for kris at this paul. >> i'm victor blackwell. donald trump has more meetings scheduled to pick out who will get a spot in his cabinet. on tap today new jersey governor chris christie and former new york mayor rudy giuliani among others. trump also told reporters there may be some announcements today. >> yesterday he met with mitt romney who you'll remember called him a phony and a fraud. they had a substantive and in depth discussion. mr. trump is also saying that he is very interested in having retired general james mattis serve in his administration.

>> who do you feel as the process goes? >> really efficiently. very good. tremendous talent. we're seeing tremendous talent. people that, as i say, that will make america great again. these are really great people. these are really, really talented people. >> [ inaudible ]. >> well, we think he's a great guy. he is some great man. >> okay. so donald trump is about two months away from becoming president, but it's still not clear what he plans to do with his businesses once he takes office. >> so the question is what could be potential conflicts between his businesses and his administration. cnn money correspondent cristina alesci takes a look for us. >> place your left hand on the bible and raise your right hand and repeat after me. >> the president is sworn to preserve, protect and defend the constitution. >> so help me god. >> so help me god. >> so help me god. >> reporter: but conflicts of interest between donald trump's

businesses and his presidency could spark a constitutional crisis. how? president trump could run afoul of an obscure section of the constitution, the emolluments clause. >> that's been in there ever since the founding of the country and could lead to a serious constitutional crisis if there were to be an accusation. >> it bars government officials from accepting payments and gifts of any kind from any prince and state. >> i just sold an apartment for $15 million from somebody from china. am i supposed to dislike them? >> reporter: what we do know is his business relationships span the globe. it plays a role in china, dubai and russia. there are even questions state side. according to "the new york times" the trump administration is partly on the hook for a $950 million mortgage, one of the lenders, the bank of china, which the chinese government controls.

>> you know where their united states headquarters is located? in this building, in trump tower. i love china. >> reporter: so could a mortgage be a gift under the emoluments clause? >> the bank of china, if that loan is to be renegotiated, the question is going to come up, is it an arm's length transition or not. >> reporter: a lender, for example, could sweeten the deal by reducing the collateral or lowering the interest rate. >> emergency the following situation. you have a large foreign government that has a government-owned enterprise. that government decides that it's going to put an extra $100 million bonus in a contract, that would be a violation. even if mr. trump didn't ask for it. >> reporter: trump's solution is to have his kids run his business. >> the children, don, ivanka, eric, they're really intelligent, they're really qualified. >> reporter: but ethics lawyers say that's not a fix.

>> that won't stop the emoluments clause. the question is whether they're getting a gift from a foreign government. you can't say it's a gift to a blind trust run by my son. i don't think that's going to fly at all. >> reporter: it may, in fact, fly for now simply because trump will be a republican president with a gop controlled congress. >> welcome to the dawn of a new unified republican government. >> reporter: but that might not always be the case. >> the democrats ever got control of the house and senate -- >> we will go toe to toe against the president-elect whenever our values or the progress we've made is under assault. >> that could lead to a very serious situation and an attempt maybe at impeachment. >> reporter: christ nineteen ni alesci. cnn, new york. we want to talk more about this emoluments clause that is in the constitution because there is no law per se that

prevents a government official, in this case the president, from avoiding conflicts of interest. they just have to want to avoid those conflicts of interest. it's questionable whether trump is going to step away and put that separation between the businesses and the presidency. so there's no law but there is this emoluments clause. could that result in an impeachment at some point if trump is bound to do anything that is wrong? >> in theory, it could but i think this whole argument points to the real difficulty that the trump campaign and the trump presidency is going to have getting away from this issue and making it so it's not a constant distraction from the presidency. there's been a discussion about the new trump hotel in the old post office building on pennsylvania avenue just a few blocks from the white house. just to let you know what a strange occurrence this whole thing is. when donald trump is sworn in on january the 20th, his motorcade will pass that hotel with his

name on it on the way back to the white house. so there are all sorts of questions being raised by this. for example, if you're a foreign leader, why would you not if you wanted to curry favor with donald trump book and stay at his hotel when you visit washington instead of the guest house at blaire house or a different hotel? the hotel is actually leased from the general services administration which looks after government facilities by the trump organization. donald trump would, therefore, in effect become the tenant and the landlord because the general services administration will be part of the government in which he heads. so you can see there's this real labyrinth of business relationships and webs that will interact with politics that will make it very, very difficult for the trump operation to separate itself from the trump presidency. and we don't really know exactly how trump is going to deal with this so far. >> yeah. he's kind of running out of time because to unwind some of these

deals is going to take time. i think about an office building on avenue of the americans where trump is carrying a $950 million loan. the bank of china is one of the lenders. he's got to start thinking about how to put that wall up between trump business and trump president, doesn't he? i mean, he is running out of time? >> that's right. it's not clear how much work has been done on that aspect of the transition even as trump, you know, is starting to stop his administration. another key question is so if he were to hand his businesses to his children in what he calls a blind trust which many experts say would not be a true blind trust, how does that lend -- intersect with the children being his viadvisors. this is going to be a consistent theme. >> until he does something about it, it will certainly dog the trump presidency for a long time if he doesn't separate the two. steve collinson, thanks so much.

all right. the president-elect is up and he's tweeting. is he tweeting about his transition? no. is he tweeting about the future of america and his plans? no. he's tweeting about "hamilton" again. the cast and producers of "hamilton" which i hear is highly overrated should immediately apologize to mike pence for their terrible behavior. this is the third tweet where he has more than a dozen interviews to fill his cabinet and cabinet level positions. this is what he's tweeted about now three consecutive times. we'll continue to talk about this but i want you to hear what the cast of "hamilton" said. here's part of it. >> we, sir, we are the diverse america who are alarmed and anxious that your new administration will not protect us. our children, our parents will defend us and uphold our

inalienable rights. we truly hope this show has inspired you to uphold our american values and to work on behalf of all of us, all of us. >> that from the actor playing aaron burr. the cast and producers of "hamilton" which i hear is highly overrated should immediately apologize to mike pence for their terrible behavior. we'll talk about this tweet throughout the morning. president obama asking world leaders to give donald trump a chance but china is warning about the dangerous effects a trump presidency could have on the world economy. plus, you knew it had to happen. just one last time. >> hey, beautiful boobs and big buildings. >> mr. trump -- >> yes. what do you need, kellyanne? >> a time machine. >> alec baldwin reviving his parody of donald trump this time

as the president-elect. i use what's already inside me to reach my goals. so i liked when my doctor told me i may reach my blood sugar and a1c goals by activating what's within me... with once-weekly trulicity. trulicity is not insulin. it helps activate my body to do what it's supposed to do... release its own insulin. trulicity responds when my blood sugar rises. i take it once a week, and it works 24/7. it comes in an easy-to-use pen and i may even lose a little weight. trulicity is a once-weekly injectable prescription medicine to improve blood sugar in adults with type 2 diabetes when used with diet and exercise.

trulicity is not insulin. it should not be the first medicine to treat diabetes or for people with type 1 diabetes or diabetic ketoacidosis. do not take trulicity if you or a family member has had medullary thyroid cancer, if you've had multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type 2, or if you are allergic to trulicity. stop trulicity and call your doctor right away if you have symptoms such as itching, rash, or trouble breathing; a lump or swelling in your neck; or severe pain in your stomach area. serious side effects may include pancreatitis, which can be fatal. taking trulicity with a sulfonylurea or insulin increases your risk for low blood sugar. common side effects include nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, decreased appetite and indigestion. some side effects can lead to dehydration, which may make existing kidney problems worse. with trulicity, i click to activate what's within me. if you want help improving your a1c and blood sugar numbers with a non-insulin option click to activate your within. ask your doctor about once-weekly trulicity.

i'll take jobs back from china. i'll take jobs back from japan and every other country that's killing us, i'll bring the jobs back. >> bringing jobs back from china, just one of many ways donald trump said he would make america great again, but now china is warning donald trump that his actions could derail the global economy. >> on the trail then candidate trump promised to renegotiate trade deals in asia and said he would put tariffs on chinese goods so they would not be able

to undercut americans. he's been promising cooperation between the two countries that is meeting with chinese counterpart in peru. let's go to cnn correspondent tasha darlington live in lima this morning. the president trying to reassure countries around the world as they have so many questions about this incoming president-elect. >> reporter: that's right, victor. we had president obama and chinese president xi jinping in their final sitdown in lima when they called the relationship the most consequential in the world. we heard from president xi that he hopes for a smooth transition when president-elect trump takes over the office. he hopes they can work together to focus on cooperation and manage their differences. that's not what we heard from trump when he was on the campaign trail when he accused china of, quote, unquote, raping the you states, said that he

would impose 45% tariffs on chinese goods if elected. now obama, of course, took this opportunity to reassure the opportunities from 21 apec countries that there wouldn't be any wild swings in direction and he asked the world to reserve judgment. take a listen. >> my main message to you though and the message i delivered in europe is don't just assume the worst, wait until the administration's in place, it's actually putting its policies together and then you can make your judgments. >> all right. shasta darlington, we're hearing from the president as he goes on this final trip around the world, a lot of it reassuring those allies. shasta, thank you very much. have you been watching "saturday night live"? alec baldwin, oh, yeah, he's quite the favorite. >> mr. trump -- >> yes, kellyanne, what's the

matter? is there something on your shoulder? >> yes. olive dust. >> loving him in that role. baldwin is back as donald trump, this time as a president-elect with a comic call take on the trump transition. when standard cancer treatment no longer works

for patients like lynn, advanced genomic testing may lead to other treatment options that can work. learn how genomic testing is changing the way we fight cancer at cancercenter.com/genomics who says i shouldn't havmy doctor.very day? my dentist. definitely my wife. hey wait. we have better bubbles. make sparkling water at home and drink 43% more water every day. sodastream. love your water.

and we're partnering with cigna to help save lives. we are the tv doctors of america. by getting you to a real doctor for an annual check-up. so go, know, and take control of your health. doctor poses. learn your key health numbers, and take control today.

sat nig"saturday night live alec baldwin joining together. baldwin is back this week with his parody of donald trump. no longer the candidate but now the president-elect. here's the actor's take on how the trump transition is progressing.

>> mitt romney this year. >> really? send him in please. >> hey. mr. president-elect, thank you for taking the time for me. >> romney, so good of you to come. >> this isn't going to work, is it? >> i don't think so. >> great. >> mike pence is here. >> perfect. >> hello, sir. >> heard you went to see "hamilton." how was that? >> it was good. i got a free lecture. >> i heard they booed you. >> absolutely. >> i love you mike. you're the reason i'm never going to get impeached. >> or maybe he is the reason. maybe they do want him in there instead. that's for another day. joining us to talk about snl is holland reed. did baldwin nail it or was he as funny this time around as

president-elect? >> there was something a little lackluster about the whole skit especially being a cold open. the audience response wasn't as, you know, robust as it usually is. i think that has to do with this is no longs ger a joke but this is our president-elect. alec baldwin nailed it. he's so good as trump, but i don't know if he was holding back or if it was just maybe his own opinions. he's an outspoken hillary supporter. maybe he was feeling some type of way about playing the now president. >> but he got this job now to parody donald trump. he's in it. you know, i thought that was funny. kellyanne conway showing kind of regrets, right? >> absolutely. i mean, he's definitely in it. alec baldwin and his wife have said it will not be a regular thing. they have a child on the way. time is a reason why we won't see him as often playing trump down the road. but, yeah, kate mckinnon was absolutely downplaying i guess

the excitement that conway was as far as being the reason why trump is in office. she made it seem like, oh, god, i can't believe i did this which was an interesting take for snl to have. >> do you think the muted response is because snl is getting too politically involved in this? they maybe need to take a step back and find the humor? >> snl has never been a stranger to politics. i think they're equal opportunists when it comes to making fun of politicians whether it's a debate or an election. i don't know if they took a stance. i didn't see it that way but if you're far left or far right and your candidate is being made fun of, you're going to feel a different way about that. snl's job is to make people laugh. i don't think they went in thinking they were making a statement. i think they're putting out there what a lot of people think and i can't believe this happened. >> i'd say alec baldwin, come out. i love you. i love the wig. spend time with your kids but we want to see you on snl.

>> totally agree. >> thank you so much. >> thank you. a pair of college football teams face challenges ahead. up next, we show them. andy shols has more for us this morning. andy? >> victor, with one week of games remaining, the college football picture didn't get any clearer. the number two team in the country pushed to the limitment.

ohio state and michigan are on a collision course that comes to a head next weekend. >> andy scholes has more on the epic showdown. >> i would not want to be on the playoff picture -- playoff committee this year. it's going to be so hard to pick four teams. this season especially. someone is going to end up being

mad. second ranked ohio state and third ranked michigan, both in a position to make it. they play in the game. one of them likely to be eliminated. in the meantime, winter has arrived in college football. snowy conditions for many of the games around the country yesterday. in east lansing, michigan state giving the buckeyes all they could handle. they cut the lead to 1 and head coach mark antonio makes the gutsy call, we're going for the win, going for 2. pass intercepted by the buckeyes. ohio state avoids a huge upset for the win, 17-16. the snow coming down in ann arbor. the cheerleaders having some fun near the end making snow angels on the field. plenty to celebrate. they were able to rally to 20-10. that will set up a huge match-up with ohio state next saturday. this year's game going to be in columbus. finally, florida playing the hurricane matthew makeup game. getting in a little scuffle in warmups.

running back leonard frenette giving them a shove. he decided to suit up after all of that pushing an shoving. he didn't make a difference in this one. he had to leave the game in the second half with an injury. it all came down to one play, fourth and goal from the 1 with three seconds left. the gators stop the tigers. they win 16-10. florida now going to play alabama in the sec championship game in two weeks in atlanta. i'll tell you what, guys, alabama, they're undefeated. probably the only team that's a shoe in for the playoffs once they make that decision in a few weeks. it's going to be a wild final two weeks of college football. >> and snow already. >> i know, right? >> november. >> snow already. >> i'm glad i live in the south. >> it's supposed to be snowing. >> when the new yorker comes down to atlanta, it's supposed to be snowing. no, it's not. >> thanks, andy. >> take care. thanks for starting your morning with us. >> we have a lot more ahead in the next hour of your "new day." it starts right now.

good morning, i'm alisyn kosik sitting in for christi paul. >> president-elect donald trump is moving ahead as he looks to fill his administration. announcements could be coming today. >> in a few hours trump and his team will return with potential high level appointees. so far he says the process is going well. >> really efficiently. very good. tremendous talent. we're seeing tremendous talent. people that, as i say, we will make america great again. these are really great people. these are really, really talented people. >> [ inaudible ]. >> yes, partial. we're doing this again tomorrow. >> [ inaudible ]. >> well, we think he's a great guy. he is some -- he is some great