criticism from donald trump's own party slamming his pick for secretary of state. the president-elect is now responding by using these campaign-style rallies to push publicly for his nominee, bracing for the battle ahead. >> a great diplomat, a strong man, a tough man. >> reporter: in wisconsin, donald trump defending his choice for secretary of state, rex tillerson. >> rex will be a fierce advocate for america's interests around the world. >> reporter: trump talking about the exxon ceo after facing backlash from both sides of the aisle over tillerson's ties to russia, especially now in the wake of the cia's finding that moscow meddled in the election. >> rex is friendly with many of the leaders in the world that we don't get along with. some people don't like that. they don't want him to be friendly. >> reporter: the president-elect now filling most major positions for his administration. >> i believe we're in the process of putting together one of the great cabinets. certainly a cabinet with the

highest iq. >> reporter: trump tapping freshman republican congressman ryan zinke as interior secretary and one-time rival former texas governor rick perry for energy secretary. perry now set to run the energy department after trying to suggest eliminating it altogether. but for getting to name the department during this 2011 presidential debate. >> the third agency of government i would do away with the education -- the commerce -- let's see. i can't. the third one, i can't. sorry. oops. >> reporter: if confirmed the top four picks of trump's administration will be led by white males, a first for any administration since 1989. as sources say some trump loyalists are expressing frustration over being shutout after supporting trump's campaign from its early days. but the president-elect giving conditional praise to his one-time antagonist house

speaker paul ryan during their first joined appearance. >> he's like a fine wine. every day goes by i get to appreciate his genius more and more. now, if he ever goes against me, i'm not going to say that, okay. >> reporter: the relationship warming up since trump's victory. >> i want to thank donald trump. i want to thank mike pence for helping wisconsin, michigan, pennsylvania, the midwest finally see the light of day and put a republican back in the white house. >> reporter: trump, though, continuing to attack the media. >> they're very dishonest people. >> reporter: but happy to pose for cameras when meeting briefly with rapper kanye west at trump tower in new york city. >> i just want to take a picture right now. >> reporter: today another interesting round of meetings at trump tower. the president-elect is convening a big meeting with executives from the tech industry like tim cook, cheryl sandburg, elon musk and jeff besios who was very

notably outspoken about trump during the campaign. >> jackie kucinich and solina zito and ron brownstein. jackie, let's talk more about rex tillerson since there are, you know, obviously, conflicting impressions and opinions of him. donald trump supporters, i think, and he, feel isn't it better to have someone who has dealt with vladimir putin, who knows vladimir putin rather than a novelist who doesn't know how to approach this guy? they have a point about that. >> that's what you'll hear ecoed throughout the campaign and people who do like rex tillerson. this is bigger than him. this is about russia. a pick like rex tillerson,

someone who has a friendly relationship with vladimir putin sends to the united states allies. that's what he's going to be struggling against these confirmation hearings no indication it will not be contentious and probably excellent television. >> solina, trump is putting tillerson in a box, russia was involved with the hacking. that's what seems clear from the response of him and his team. but that's putting tillerson in a box because now it's making his russian connection has big, bright lights around it. on the face of it, as alisyn says, being someone that the has been frustrated by, good thing. but the suspicion of rusha and the protection of it by trump and the people around him.

i think it's reinforced to people opposed to trump or haven't quite accepted the election yet. they keep doubling down on the russian connection. so, i think that is what these hearings are for. this is where you'll see more things come out and he'll be able to define the relationship that he has with russia. you know, he hasn't spoken about it at all. >> rex tillerson you're talking about. >> rex tillerson has not spoken about it at all. >> he said he would never accept a friendship award from putin. >> did he accept it? >> he's saying it isn't from putin award directly. i took it from the country. a lot of other americans had. there's not a half on heart and the other half on vladimir's hairy chest. >> people want to see something happen with russia. they don't want to see us form this friendly alliance but maybe part of obama's foreign

relations. they felt there has been this unease and this inability to communicate and maybe this is something better because people look at it and say right now it's not really great. >> ron, let me read for you what senator marco rubio has said about this, which may portend a difficult confirmation. while rex tillerson is a respected businessman, i have serious concerns about the nomination. the next secretary of state be someone who views the world with moral clarity. how do you think this is going to go, ron? >> i think this is a very revealing and consequential choice in a couple different respects. a lot of the domestic policy appointments that president-elect trump has made could have been made by any republican. many of the cabinet officers are people that other republicans might have picked. rex tillerson is someone who is unimaginable, i think, that any of the other republican

presidential candidates would have picked. it reflects the reality that donald trump's foreign views of america's interangz wiction wit world much more than his domestic agenda where he is pursuing small government and less taxes and regulation. so, i think tillerson is the embodiment of the way trump is a challenge and rejection of many of the things that more traditional foreign policy thinkers in the senate believe. you know, donald trump has very little margin for error. the republicans only have 52 seats. marco rubio, lindsey graham and john mccain all expressed serious reservations about the nomination. they all hold true to that. that's it. rex tillerson is not the secretary of state. in that way, the fact that trump went ahead with the nomination after those expressions and reservation is the second way in chis which this is significant. the results of this kind of collision will reverberate way

beyond this one nomination. >> how do you explain rick perry if it's that donald trump is trying to show he'll pick people, this is great distinction and all republicans will respect these people. why rick perry? not only did he have that gaffe which was really more than a gaffe. the reason he couldn't remember the department of energy is because he was just throwing it out there. when you have conviction about something, you don't forget the name of what you're talking about. assuming he could have remembered and he ran down donald trump. donald trump dismissed him as a fool and now puts him in charge of an agency. >> well, it's part of what people like about trump in that he's willing to step out, you know, he changes his mind. if anybody has ever read his book a"art of the deal" it's right in there. he says, i'll change my mind. if there's something in there that convinces me that someone is different or better. >> what about rick perry do we not know? >> rick perry is incredibly popular. he was a very popular governor.

despite his gaffe. he's a very smart, nimble politician and great relationships not only in texas, but within washington. he's conservative. and, you know, trump is putting together a cabinet that conservatives like. alongside with the change that people have been looking for. so, you know, i think he's actually doing an interesting mix and it's very reflective of what people want from him. something different and something nonpredictable. >> panel, stick around. we'll talk much more. we do want to follow some breaking news right now from syria where new shelling is quickly erasing a supposed cease-fire and evacuation plan in aleppo. regime forces are lodging fresh assaults and causing many civilian injuries. let's bring in cnn senior international correspondent frederick from beirut. fred, what's the latest in. >> hi, alisyn. what was supposed to happen this

morning is that the rebel forces were supposed to evacuate the area and then the rebel forces were going to move in and take over all of aleppo. what we're seeing there is full-on war activists saying they are hit by many artillery shells. but the cease-fire was supposed to end all the fighting in aleppo. here's how it came about. after years of holding out against syrian government forces and months trying to fight off a massive final assault, the last remaining rebels and civilians are set to leave aleppo. allegedly guaranteed safe passage in return for full government control of this ancient city. the past weeks have been among the most brutal in the five-year civil war as pro-assad forces kept taking chunks of territory away from the opposition, tens of thousands of civilians fled. a mass exodus under fire that i witnessed first hand. there is a massive, almost

avalanche of people trying to make it to safety. as you can see, there are people who are carrying their children but a lot of children left to make the trek themselves. so difficult for many of them. of course, they've been under siege for such a long time. aleppo is among the oldest cities in the world. syria's cultural center and was the country's economic powerhouse. a melting pot of cultures with a pre-war population of more than 2 million people. the thriving cauosmopolitan cit was a source of pride for syria. it was also one of the first places where the rebels managed to hold any territory in the face of a government crackdown. after years of fighting, what is left in many places is complete destruction. whole neighborhoods flattened, including most of the ancient old city. the rebels retreat from aleppo won't end syria's civil war. opposition fighters still hold large parts of the country and isis is advancing in others.

but the opposition's defeat would mark a major victory for syrian president bashar al assad and their backers cementing their grip of what is left on this war-torn nation. and, alisyn, this recent cease-fire agreement that was supposed to take place was brokered by the turks and the russians and officials from those two countries are saying they're trying to get it back on track, but, of course, as the fighting there continues, it will become more difficult by the minute to try and silence those guns that have become active there, again. >> fred, help us understand this. who is not abiding by the cease-fire? >> well, it seems like it's various factions on both sides. you know, we keep talking about this syrian civil war as being a syrian government against rebels, but many different factions fighting on each side. on the side of the government, you have shiite militias from lebanon, from iraq. you also, of course, have the russians themselves. you have iranians fighting the and getting all of those to latch on to this is very, very

difficult. and then, of course, various rebel factions, as well. all of them need to be onboard and it just takes one group to try to destroy this process and then you have full-on fighting, again. that appears to be what is going on right now. we are certainly hearing from diplomatic circles that they believe it is certain groups within this very volatile mix that don't want the cease-fire to work out. >> fred, thanks for all the reporting. we'll check back with you. as the cabinet start coming together we just talked about rick perry. he's been tapped to head up the energy department, a department he tried to abolish. why is trump picking a big oil ally who once referred to him as a cancer on conservativism? we'll get answers next on "new day." what makes this simple salad the best simple salad ever?

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>> the third agency of government i would do away with. the education -- the commerce -- let's see.

i can't. the third one. i can't. sorry. oops. he was trying to think of the department of energy and now he has been added to the cabinet of president-elect donald trump that trump says is the highest iq cabinet ever as the secretary for the department of energy. that is one-time republican presidential candidate rick perry. so, what does this mean that he has been the choice? let's bring back our panel, jackie, selena and ron brownste brownstein. you like this, trump gives people a second look. he's a very popular governor from texas and known as a popular guy. i don't know if that is a widespread impression of rick per perry. i don't think anybody has ever said that. nobody has come out and trumpeted about him since he has been nominated. what do you think the play is? >> i covered texas politics a lot. he's the longest serving

governor from texas. he is well thought of, not only in texas, but in the conservative community. you know, i think that trump is trying to, you know, put deep conservatives, you know, ones that stick to the conservative orthodoxies and sprinkle them into his cabinet. you see ben carson and nikki haley and you see perry and those are very important picks to him. you see jeff sessions and, you know, he's promised to put the smartest people in there, but, you know, also a lot of change. and i think that that's what perry brings to it. he has the conservative part going. >> donald trump has also put people in there that want to sort of break the system. the epa -- >> scott pruitt. >> thank you. >> if they express disdain for an agency, they become the head of that agency at this point. >> the department of energy isn't just about fossil fuels, it's about nuclear weapons. it's about manufacturing them and keeping them in check. so, that is the open question

about who rick perry is going to surround him and the vast amount of science that is there. so, that is an open question as to how he will handle that part of the job. let's not forget the current energy secretary is a nuclear physicist, correct? >> but part of it, ron, jackie just used the word science. good segue for us, there is word that there has been request to have all department energy officials to have their names put on a list. the department is refusing to comply with that list. rick perry has already said we're going to put jobs and commerce first before regulations that may make some marginal impact on the environment. how do you see this? >> well, look, i think you look across the board on the domestic side that president-elect trump is selecting a very conventionally and conference across a wide range of issues.

putting rick perry at energy kind of, you know, fits i think a couple of different things. one is that. you have people who are essentially dedicated to moving these agencies very quickly to the right. also another point that he values donald trump values experience over expertise. you look across this cabinet at the generals and the former governors and the ceos like rex tillerson as opposed to, you know, as jackie noted, the nuclear physicist that president obama put in energy. democrats put, i think, kind of orient more towards policy expertise. republicans general prefer executive experience and donald trump has really pushed that to a new height. >> selena, this is the first time since 1989 that four white men will have these top cabinet positions. secretary of state, treasury, defense, attorney general. i mean, assuming that everybody is confirmed. did this election teach us diversity? >> i mean, you know, to put a

finer point on it, that's not -- look, as we always talked about, diversity was not one of their top. >> people wanted change. that is the bottom line. more than anything else, they wanted something different. in their eyes, they did not like the direction that the country was going under obama. and, so, they wanted people that were examples and leaders in mixing things up and changing things up and that's what you get, whether you like it or not. election have consequences and that's what you get with a trump cabinet. >> not identified here by economics, more cultural. you saw it swing one way with obama and now seeing it back. political correctness, diversity. these were virtus that he ran on and tried to exercise and amplify and now they're being muted. >> a note of reservation about all the trump political movement. both culturally and economically and politically. if you kind of think of it culturally, obviously, you're

reverting towards a coalition that is more centered on white voters and that is reflected in the cabinet. economically the meeting today with tech leaders is very revealing. donald trump's vision of when the american economy was great is kind of mid-century america when it was nominated by fossil fuels and less dependent on immigration and imports than it is today and in all of those ways in direct conflict with communication with the tech community about what the 21st century is going to look like. so, i think there is this sense within the trump coalition of anxiety both about cultural and economic change. and in many ways, donald trump has been raised to reverse, i think, in some cases, unrealistically generations of change on both fronts that voters in his coalition feel have marginalized. >> jackie, as you know, doplnal trump rejects any notion mat russia meddled -- that it

changed the outcome for a win for him. there is no, i mean, i haven't seen any convincing outcome that it changed the outcome. but a lot of evidence they meddled, according to all the intelligence agencies. gary tuchman talked to online to some of trump's supporters. th they, like he, are now rejecting any conclusion from the cia or the fbi or the intelligence agencies. so, watch this moment. >> cia says it believes that russians did this hacking in order to help donald trump. >> that's nonsense. >> you don't believe the cia? >> no, the cia has been politicized. obama politicized every agency. department of justice, fbi and now cia. >> so you think they're out there to help democrats? >> absolutely. >> we don't have one speak for all. but this is somewhat of a popular. but, once again, we keep saying this. you have to be careful about

what the question is. the cia says the russians hacked. you need to stop right there. that is the fundamental proposition. one that donald trump rejects because of this second condition that's put on it, which is the motive. and there's certainly no consensus there yet. the fbi on one side and the cia on the others. >> i don't know that that person would have changed their feeling. they think it has been politicized. >> no one is trying to change the mind of donald trump supporters here because they're seeing it through the prism of how he is describing it. that said, that's why you see so many -- you see these members of congress who are coming together and stressing this is a bipartisan effort because the minute this becomes nakedly partisan, the minute that the american public is going to tune it out and they're going to think this is politically motivated by the democrats. exactly what donald trump is saying. but what you've heard from some of these senators that this isn't even about this election. this is about democracy. it's about elections going forward that the russians aren't able to do this again. >> you can't -- you know, the

politics part of it is going to be shed in light of the principle that russia was behind this and a problem for cybersecurity going forward and that president-elect then as president when this comes in these hearings. he's going to have to double back and it's going to be a problem. >> panel, thank you very much. great to talk to all of you. america knew him as jason seaver. the lovable, level-headed dad on the hit sitcom "growing pains." hollywood and the country are mourning the death of alan thic thicke. incredible bladder protection in a pad this thin, i didn't...

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yada yada yada. stream some stuff! somewhere! sometimes! you totally nailed that buddy. simple. don't let directv now limit your entertainment. only xfinity gives you more to stream to any screen. ohio governor john kasich trying to strike a bans on competing abortion laws in his state. outlaw most abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy but vetoed the so-called heart beat bill that would ban any abortions where a fetal heartbeat is detected. not clear if republicans who passed that more aggressive measure have the votes to override kasich's veto. bill cosby is expected back in court today after some drama. attorneys on both sides were shouting at each other.

at one point cosby himself spoke up blurting out details about a hotel and his own birth date after the judge asked attorneys for clarification. the hearing is pivotal that is going on right now because the judge is going to decide if 13 cosby accusers should be allowed to testify against him reinforcing the accuser in the current case. sad breaking news overnight hollywood is mourning the loss of alan thicke. the canadian-born star whose resume spans five decades was best known as america's dad, jason seaver in the '80s hit sitcom "growing pains." >> ben, what are you doing? >> watching carol flirt with some guy and he's not bobby. >> that's none of your business -- what guy? >> i don't know. i think he's a little weird. >> why? >> he's interested in carol. wait until i tell bobby. >> ben. >> yeah, yeah, yeah. >> okay. this show holds up. that was a good show.

thicke leaves behind a wife and three children, one of them, of course, singer robin thicke. in an instagram his father was the best man and the best friend he ever had. alan thicke reportedly died of a heart attack. he was just 69 years old. >> so young. >> so young. >> so young, handsome. that show was funny. it was clever and quick. he had great comedic timing. >> one of the few people in that business where people unanimously say he was a decent person on top of his accolades as an actual performer. it is an end of an era on capitol hill. the longest serving female senator barbara mccull russki will step down. what were her highs and her lows? she'll tell us next on "new day."

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the end of an era. trailblazing senator barbara mikulski of maryland who has served longer than any woman in the history of congress is going to call it a career. what is her departing message to her colleagues on both sides of the aisle. she opened up to our chief

political correspondent dana bash. here's the story. >> reporter: when barbara mikulski was elected senator 30 years ago, it was really a man's world. >> when i came to the senate, you know, senators were tom, dick and harry. >> reporter: literally. >> now they're barb, tammy, diane. >> reporter: when she arrived senate women weren't allowed to wear pants. there were only two of them. she is now leaving as 1 of 20. >> we disagree on issues but what we said is number one, we were going to be a zone of sevilcivility even when we disa >> reporter: she is the longest serving woman in the history of congress, but still retiring disappointed. her old senate colleague failed to become the first female president. >> the best things really do some in small packages. >> reporter: on a scale of one to ten hillary clinton's defeat for you was?

>> a 52. i couldn't believe election night as i watched the returns. and it was enormously disappointing. >> reporter: do you think america was just not ready for a female president? >> i'll let the history books analyze that. >> reporter: you're a female trailblazer. you have some informed opinions, i would think. >> i think there were a lot of biases against her. you know what we find when you break the glass ceiling, you end up living in a glass office where everything you do is scrutinized. >> on behalf of all the women who have broken down barriers for others -- >> reporter: it's not just mikulski feminism that makes clinton's defeat so crushing, that her own democratic party lost touch with the kind of working class voters this baltimore native says she never stopped fighting for. >> there are people right now in baltimore that have, you know, three part-time jobs. many of my constituents feel that they're either losing their job overseas or they could lose it to a robot.

>> reporter: you know you sound like donald trump, right? >> no, i think i sound like barbara mikulskmikulski. >> reporter: she admits the election results make it tougher to leave. a lot of her work on obama care and beyond may be undone. >> you cannot take a recing wr ball that are designed to help american workers get on their feet. >> reporter: still the first woman to ever chair the powerful appropriation committee behind the scenes bipartisan she witnessed in this historic room gives her hope. >> we sit next to each other and rather than at the head table. our job is to bring together when the best ideas and the most affordable ideas. not to square off. >> reporter: the 4'11" senator made a long career out of people underestimating her. >> i bring my own stool to have longitudeinal parody. not easy being 4'11" in an

institution like this. >> reporter: she has a reputation for sometimes being intimidating. making male colleagues c s cowe. >> i think that when women are persistent and insistent, we're viewed as tough. now, i view it as just being effective. >> reporter: one of her proudest achievements legislation giving women equal pay for equal work. the first bill signed by the first black president. >> he said this pen is yours. >> reporter: now, it's the end of the obama and the mikulski eras and the trailblazing senator walked out the door, dropping important pearls of wisdoms. >> always listen to the people. they really do have the best ideas. >> reporter: dana bash, cnn, capitol hill. >> she's going to be missed in congress. she's been around so long. i remember when i was a budding young reporter, maybe even an intern and going out and

interviewing her there on capitol hill. >> supposedly a tough decision for her because while she's been in there a long time there is part of her that feels like now is when a mikulski is going to be needed the most. why you're there and what you want to fight for. >> i'm sure she will still have influence there in washington, d.c. meanwhile, speaking of influence. an nfl legend who voted for clinton said he admires donald trump. why the change? we'll ask hall of famer jim brown live on "new day," next.

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so, here's a story you don't hear very often in sports. wake forest said they have found the mole within their program. the person providing opponents with their game plans. andy sholes has more in this morning's bleacher report. tell us about this, andy. >> wake forest says that their radio announcer who is a former player and assistant coach for the demon deacons was providing or attempting to provide confidential game preparations to opponents several times starting back in 2014. now, the man's name is tommy elrod. he's been fired and band from wake forest athletics. previously, though, elrod had unlimited access to the team. wake forest started an investigation after their equipment manager found play sheets inside louisville stadium before their game with the cardinals.

head coach dave clawsussen said- for the first time ever they will play four games in london next season. here are the matchups. the ravens taking on the jags and the saints will play the dolphins and the browns who may still be looking for a win will play the vikings and the cardinals will take on the rams. of course, this week, thursday night football. you have the seahawks taking on the rams and then on saturday we're getting the rare saturday night football now that college is done for the regular season. on saturday night, i know what you're doing, the jets taking on the dolphins. their season not looking so hot right now, chris. but at least they can ruin the dolphins. >> even your beautiful smile cannot brighten up the jets reality. you are not a fan because you expect them to win. all right, my friend, thank you. staying on one more beat of sports. the president-elect, donald trump, huddling with jim brown and ray lewis. why? because after years of promises on both sides of the aisle,

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president-elect donald trump met with nfl greats jim brown, ray lewis to discuss issues impacting african-american communities. both players praised mr. trump after the meeting. hall of fame running back jim brown is here this morning, along with the head of trump's national diversity coalition pastor darryl scott. great to have both of you gentlemen here this morning. >> thank you. >> what was this meeting like? tell us what you talked to mr. trump aboutp. >> it was a fantastic meeting. we talked about helping people and we are offering our services to do that and particularly the african-american people who are

poor and, you know, uneducated to a certain degree. and he was very to the points that we made. >> what made you think he got it? >> he is very dynamic personality and he's also a very friendly committed type of individual. so when he said that he was in, that's what he meant because basically he'll say what's on his mind and he will tell you the truth. so, i felt very good because of his reception of what we brought to the table. so, someone criticized us for being with mr. trump is that he has a power of that office. when you meet him, he's a very personable person. i was very happy and very proud to have had that opportunity. and for him to give us that opportunity to present things that i've worked on most of my life because i do work for the

underprivileged people in this country. >> pastor scott, how do you explain to people why it was okay for then candidate president trump to explain the african-american condition in this country. you can't walk out of your house. you walk out of your house and go down the street and get shot. that was offensive to many. >> it was offensive to some and realistic to others. not too long after he said you can walk out into your community and get shot, we had dwyane wade's cousin suffer a fatalitf. he he when he said what do you have to lose? what he was really saying was give me a chance, give me a shot. i'll prove myself to you. as part of his ongoing commitment to the african-american community that's what led to the meeting we had with him yesterday. he was to be proactive and not

reactive. why wait until another person is killed or another riot erupts. let's address this and tackle this problem now. now, having said that, i've been very familiar with mr. brown's program for years. to me it was a match made in heaven. i mean, why try to invent a wheel. why try to invent a vehicle that could be beneficial to the african-american whunt when such a vehicle that has all the components that we need to address the problems in the inner cities already exists. let's take this vehicle, present it to the trump administration. he'll put some gas in it and get the country behind it and get it going. we can ride it and it can be very -- >> jim, tell us what it does. what do you think is going to happen with it now? >> i can tell you, i've been very happy with the company i've been keeping lately. >> you mean today. >> the last couple days. he's a very important person but

it deals with the underprivileged and we encourage people to take that first step. you know, not look to be delivered but to do everything you can do for yourself and we can help you because you're participating to your own advancement and your own success. and it is a program that has been in existence now for almost 20 years. and very successful because it teaches the responsibility of self-determination which means you are not looking to blame anyone for your play. you're not playing a victim role. but you're getting up off your butt and you're applying yourself with where you have to apply to yourself. but then you can be open to what we can do for you. we do violent intervention on the greatest level because we deal with the people that live in those areas. >> yeah.

>> and we believe in education and, particularly, life management skills education because those fundamentals teach you how to solve problems, make good decisions and set goals. all of those things that we take for granted. but when underprivileged people don't apply that, you can't even help them. >> on the point that you just made that you've been very please would the company you've been keeping lately. yesterday you said something that got a lot of attention and maybe you want to clarify it. i fell in love with him because he really talks about helping african-american and people thought that you meant donald trump when you said you fell in love with him. what were you talking about? >> i was talking to the man who got us together. the man who has been the catalyst. the man who has represented and he's comical and he's very vivacious. >> i fell in love with trump a long time ago. >> a lot of love going around here. >> i'll take the love.

but i think he's a great personality. >> got it. >> so, the big concern you're going to have is to see what the president actually does. so, what we'll do president-elect once president, 37 days from now. we will stay on the policies and we'll keep the conversation going to make sure that the most important part happens, which is the actual actions on the ground where it matters. >> he is a man of his word. he gets behind this program and this program is going to make it happen and he will be behind it to support it. >> do you have any concerns about his cab isn'inet? it is not a very diverse cabinet. the least diverse cabinet thus far. does that concern you at all? >> your job is exactly what you're doing and i have to take action. i always say that i'm not a quart quarterback. i was supposed to be a great football player, but i was a runningback. i don't know too much about quarterbacking. so i cannot comment on every issue in this situation and justify everything that goes on.

i know what we're going to bring to the table. we're not asking for favors. we're going to bring the business world from youngstown, ohio, and you've got ray lewis -- >> you're happy with what you've seen. >> but we're going to support what he can do. >> understood. gentlemen, thanks. jim brown, great to have you here. pastor scott, thank you. >> one clarification, you were the greatest football player at your position and some argue it wasn't even your best sport. you may have been better at lacrosse. you're a champion. that's what we got. >> thank you very much, guys. we're following a lot of news this morning. let's get right to it. >> rex will be a fierce advocate for america's interests around the world. >> a lot of tough questions related to mr. tillerson's relationship to putin. >> i would never accept an award from vladimir putin. >> rex made some of the greatest

deals. >> the department of energy refusing to name employees who worked on climate change issues. >> a career civil servants are evaluated based on maret and not on politics. >> that cabinet looks like the republican party. a lot of white men. >> these are seriously great people. the cabinet with the highest iq. >> announcer: this is "new day" with chris cuomo and alisyn camerota. good morning to you. welcome to your new day. we begin with donald trump taking another victory lap, this time in wisconsin. the president-elect touting the high iq of his emerging cabinet and defending his pick for secretary of state. calling exxonmobile boss rex tillerson a "great diplomat." trump engaging in a bit of a love fest with house speaker paul ryan insisting he has come to admire his former adversary like a fine wine. this as the president-elect prepares to meet with the tech titans of silicon valley.

we are 37 days until the inauguration and every angle of the transition covered for you starting with sunlen serfaty. >> a firestorm of criticism slamming his pick for secretary of state. so, the president-elect is now responding by using these campaign-style rallies to push publicly for his nominee, bracing for the battle ahead. >> a great diplomat, a strong man, a tough man. >> reporter: in wisconsin, donald trump defending his choice for secretary of state, rex tillerson. >> rex will be a fierce advocate for america's interests around the world. >> reporter: trump talking up the exxon ceo after facing backlash from both sides of the aisle over tillerson's ties to russia, especially now in the wake of the cia's finding that moscow meddled in the election. >> rex is friendly with many of the leaders in the world that we don't get along with. some people don'li