campaign, but rather, an incredible and great movement. >> voters certainly called for change in 2016. the test for 2017 is whether donald trump, a first-time politician and unconventional candidate and president-elect can deliver his promise to fix washington. >> makes you wonder what's ahead in 2017. my goodness. >> what a year. all right we're following a lot of news this morning. let's get right to it. >> the two-state solution is in serious jeopardy. >> israelis do not need to be lectured by foreign leaders. >> we were treated very, very unfairly. >> friends need to tell each other the hard truths. >> israel looks forward to working with president-elect trump. >> trump and obama seemed to smooth things over. >> we talked about it and smiled about it. >> we're going to hit putin for interfering in our election.

>> we need to get on with our lives. >> optimism is solely with donald trump. >> -- in this country. >> debbie reynolds has died just one day after her daughter passed away. >> she died of a broken heart. ♪ >> this is "new day." with chris cuomo and alisyn camerota. >> good morning, good morning is very fitting for the show. welcome to your "new day" everyone. i'm don lemon with poppy harlow. alisyn and chris are off. we're going to begin with another hollywood tragedy. film legend debbie reynolds has died just one day after her daughter carrie fisher passed away. >> the 84-year-old actress sang and danced her way right into movie history. she shot to stardom with the classic 1952 musical "singin' in the rain." celebrities and fans today mourning the unspeakable loss of mother and daughter.

we begin with paul vercammen live in los angeles. good morning, paul. >> poppy, it feels like all of hollywood has gone through a mountain of tissue paper as they mourn this loss. must have been hard on debbie reynold's son, carrie fisher's brother. he reported to cnn that his mother had died after reportedly suffering some breathing problems. he said, spoke to me this morning and said that she missed carrie, and she's with carrie now. ♪ ♪ singing my song >> reporter: singer, dancer, actress, debbie reynolds was a hollywood triple threat and america's sweetheart. her film career began at the age of 16, after being spotted in a beauty pageant. ♪ i'm laughing >> reporter: her star officially launched just a few years later after a spirited performance opposite gene kelly in 1952's

"singin' in the rain." >> they put me in "singin' in the rain" and just locked me in a big old studio and for three months i had five different teachers. one for tap, ballet, jazz, modern, and just work, work, work, work. you know, until i just fall apart. >> reporter: other notable roles followed including "tammy and the bachelor" which resulted in her number one hit song "tammy." she played opposite gregory peck in "how the west was won" and her performance in the unsinkable molly brown earned her an oscar nomination. ♪ i'm going to learn to read and write ♪ >> reporter: she had two children with her first husband eddie fisher. todd fisher and carrie fisher who died just one day before her mother. in 1959, the marriage ended in a highly publicized divorce when fisher left reynolds and married her close friend, elizabeth taylor. a painful betrayal, reynolds was

able to joke about the scandal years later. >> i was a girl scout. i really was very a simple little girl and that's what i was. he fell madly in love with elizabeth. now i understand so many years later. it's in the past. >> reporter: her second and third marriages ended in divorce. each time causing reynolds financial pain. however, she was collecting hollywood memorabilia over the years. that would prove to be a wise investment. in 2011, reynolds sold marilyn monroe's white subway dress at auction for $4.6 million. ♪ singing is my celebration >> she never quit performing. she stepped away from film for much of her career, reynolds continued to entape on broadway stages and in las vegas nightclubs. in addition, reynolds had several tv roles over the years, notably playing liberace's mother in the 2013 emmy winning tv movie "behind the

candelabra." her wide array of work was recognized in 2015 when the screen actors guild honored reynolds with a lifetime achievement award. reynolds said she loved every minute she spent in show business in her 2013 autobiography "unsinkable." she credited the love she had for her friends and family for her personal and professional resiliency. >> i paid 20,000 bucks for this. >> and it is that spark and sense of humor, along with her talent, that reynolds will be remembered for. >> i love you. good night, everybody. thank you. >> i was fortunate enough to have interviewed debbie reynolds some 20 years ago and i asked her if she was the type of mother whose children could do no long and she said, i was a slob of a mother, meaning she was very lenient. don, poppy? >> yeah. but a great mother, i think, and a great actress. i don't think she's a slob mother. >> not at all. absolutely. thank you so much, paul. we appreciate it. >> we'll continue to follow that news. in the meantime we have some breaking news that we need to

turn to you. russian president vladimir putin announcing a cease-fire in the civil war between the syrian government and the rebel opposition. the cease-fire goes into effect at midnight in syria. measures to control the cease-fire and a declaration to enter into peace talks have also been agreed upon. so let's discuss this breaking news now. want to bring in former chairman of the house intelligence committee mr. keith hookstra. also a national security adviser for donald trump's campaign and serves his trump team now as well. thank you for joining us. i want to begin with this breaking news. a cease-fire declared in syria done without the u.s., which spent years on syria with nothing to show for it. now, assad stays in power. what will trump do about this? >> >> number one we've just got to be very, very thankful that the christmas season, finally there's some hope there may be an actual cease-fire that will stop the fighting in syria.

roughly it's estimated 500,000 people may have lost their lives in the last five or six years. so let's hope the cease-fire, regardless of the fact that the united states is not involved in negotiating, let's hope that it holds, and brings an opportunity for some relief to the people in syria. you know, mr. trump will take a look at this situation, when he -- obviously taking a look at it right now. he will not announce or indicate his plans on this until he's sworn in as president on january 20. recognizing that there's one president at a time, and that this is a -- you know, this is a very, very important development, and let's hope that it continues to move forward. >> he's also urging patience, because he says that the agreements reached on syria are fragile. they demand special attention, and i'm talking about vladimir putin and patience. he said that in a meeting. it is fragile at this point. and there have been cease-fires before. but they have not stopped.

>> that's exactly right. everything right now in the middle east is fragile and probably not any more fragile situation than what you have in syria but also the situation with, you know, with christians in iraq, with isis in iraq, and what's going on in mosul. i think, you know, there's roughly 7 million people who are either refugees or who are displaced because of what's going on in syria, and what's going on with isis in both syria and iraq. >> mm-hmm. i want to read something. this is sergey lavrov, who is the defense -- the foreign minister there. he talked about syria policy. he said the russian foreign minister saying he hopes trump will join russia in its syria efforts. it's another case of a foreign government going around the current administration, isn't it? why is that? >> well, i mean, i think the die has been cast in terms of the relationship between russia and this administration. it's been cast between israel and this administration. and both russia, israel, and

others recognize that there's a new administration that's going to come in on january 20. they recognize that there's going to be significant policy differences. mr. trump has indicated that, you know, he wants a good working relationship with russia. he's willing to invest in trying to make that happen. he's going to do it from a position of strength. he's going to expect reciprocity, and respect in that process. but, he realizes that in certain parts of the world, it's important to have a relationship with russia to address the issues and the conflict that's going on and he also recognizes that in certain parts of the world, clearly, the united states and russia will be at great odds, specifically what's going on in crimea, and what's going on in ukraine. so, again, it's a very delicate situation in russia. but he's going to look to places where we can have common ground, where we can have a common agenda, and hopefully move various issues forward towards resolution. >> representative, president-elect donald trump

distanced himself from obama's plans to punish russia for hacking our election saying i think we ought to get on with our lives. as a farmer chairman of the house intelligence committee, do you agree with that? >> here's a couple of things i hope happen, you know, number one, i spent a long time, you know, the words that come out of the intelligence community mean a lot. we need to -- we need to get a clear distinction and definition as to exactly what the intelligence community is saying russia did during this election cycle. did they hack data? did they release it? what was the intent? and those type of things. so i want a clearer definition. and the second thing that i want to have happen is it's time for the intelligence community to brief congress. you know, chairman nunes of the house intelligence committee asked for a briefing a couple of weeks ago. the intelligence community refused to come and brief the house intelligence committee. i found that to be outrageous. you know, they're releasing -- >> should donald trump be

second-guessing the intelligence community because he's going to have to build a relationship with them and rely on them for information on their expertise. >> oh, i think it's very, very healthy for the president, i think it's healthy for the intelligence community. to be skeptical, and tout pressure on the intelligence community to make sure that they put forward great information. you know, again, them not being willing to brief congress, i would be greatly concerned about what they're saying and the information that they're leaking out to the public if they're not even willing to brief congress. so yes a healthy skepticism. because these are very difficult issues, and the intelligence community in recent his it try has had a very mixed record of actually assessing and providing our leaders with the kind of information that they need to make decisions. you know, they were wrng on libya. they were wrong on egypt. they've been wrong on syria. they've been wrong on isis. so yes, intelligence and the people that i know in the

intelligence community, they respect -- they respect congress and a president that challenges them to be the best that they can be. >> okay, speaking of congress -- >> it's really hard -- >> i can -- we have a short time. i want to talk about congress and lawmakers because republican lindsey graham told cnn this week that donald trump is going against virtually the entire senate. listen to this. >> i would say that the 99 of us believe the russians did this and we're going to do something about it. along with senator mccain, after this trip is over, we're going to have the hearings and we're going to put sanctions together that hit putin as an individual, in his inner circle, for interfering in our election. >> so you say -- you, correct me if i'm wrong, you question the intelligence of our expert, say donald trump has every right to question the intelligence of our experts. but does donald trump really want to go into this battle with lawmakers on both sides of the

aisle when he's going to need them on other issues, as well? >> oh, i don't think he's battling with lindsey graham at all. lindsey is laying out a process that i think is very similar to what i laid out is they're going to hold the hearings. they're going to find out exactly what the russians did. then they're going to go through the legislative process. they're going to develop sanctions, and they're going to coordinate that activity with donald trump. and so, it's, again, it's the way the system works. lindsey and senator mccain, i have a tremendous amount of respect for both of them. they're moving in one direction. donald trump may not be totally on board with where they're going but ultimately they're going to have to work together because neither one of them will get what they want if they don't -- if they don't have a dialogue and if they don't come to some agreement. >> representative, thank you for your time. >> great, thank you. meantime, israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu and u.s. secretary of state john kerry railing against each other in the duelling speeches over a path to middle east peace. kerry accusing netanyahu of

undermining the two-sate solution. netanyahu at the same time saying that kerry was paying, quote, lip service to palestinian attacks, our oren liebermann is live for us this hour in jerusalem with more. what's the reaction on the ground there? >> prime minister benjamin netanyahu offered a withering criticism of secretary of state john kerry's speech. the u.n. security council resolution. and the obama administration's vision for middle east peace. this relationship, netanyahu/obama relationship which we already knew was strained is even falling apart more in its final weeks. >> friends need to tell each other the hard truths. >> secretary of state john kerry issuing a stern warning that a two-state solution is now in jeopardy. >> the two-state solution is the only way to achieve a just and lasting peace between israelis and palestinians. >> kerry blasting israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu, accusing him of undermining peace efforts. >> the israeli prime minister

publicly supports a two-state solution. but his current coalition is the most right-wing in israeli history with an agenda driven by the most extreme elements. >> netanyahu firing back, calling the speech a disappointment, and an attack that pace lip service to terror attacks by palestinians. >> israelis do not need to be lectured about the importance of peace by foreign leaders. >> despite repeated denials, netanyahu again accusing the u.s. of orchestrating friday's united nations vote condemning israeli settlements in the west bank and east jerusalem. >> we have it on absolute incontestable evidence that the united states organized, advanced, and brought this resolution >> kerry vehemently defending the obama administration's refusal to veto the u.n. resolution. >> no american administration has done more for israel's security than barack obama's. we cannot properly defend and protect israel if we allow a

viable two-state solution to be destroyed before our own eyes. >> president-elect donald trump weighing in on kerry's speech from florida. >> we have to have peace. i think it set us back. but, we'll see what happens after january 20th. right? >> netanyahu saying he'll work with trump to try to repeal the u.n. security council resolution, and limit the damage done to israel. he says he's -- he's urging president barack obama not to make any more moves at the u.n. security council. don, it was kerry who tried to defend the obama administration's past eight years on israel citing a $38 billion military aid deal the largest in u.s. history. that fell on deaf ears when it came to the netanyahu government. >> speaking for 72 minutes yesterday. thank you, orrin. appreciate that. coming up next we're going to continue this discussion with u.s. and israeli relations hitting rock bottom what does it mean for palestinians and the path to peace. we'll ask a member of the palestinian authority next.

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israel.

welcome back to "new day." secretary of state john kerry araising israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu of undermining the path to peace in the middle east. this comes after a united nations resolution condemning israeli settlements in east jerusalem and the west bank. joining us now is an executive committee member of the palestinian liberation organization dr. hannah ashrawi. thank you for being with me. i appreciate it. we have a bit of a delay here so i'm going to get right to it so we're not speaking over one another. let me begin with this, david keys from the israeli government spoke before benjamin netanyahu just came on the program earlier and spoke with don about -- about where we go, frankly from here, really pointing his finger at you and palestinians. i want your reaction to this. listen. >> every time they offered, they said no. and the reason is simple, because the conflict is not about the creation of a palestinian state, it's about the existence of a jewish state.

and i can quote palestinian ministers saying precisely that, as well, and i can, you know, tick down the list from nabil schaaf who said we will never accept two states for two people to president abbas who said we will never accept a jewish state, on and on down the list. >> your response to that. what is the palestinian commitment to a two-state solution at this point in staple? >> i think instead of dealing with deception let's look at the facts. we have recognized the state of israel in 1993 -- >> but not as a jewish state, doctor. not as a jewish state, and you know that it is conditional the netanyahu government is saying that -- >> we've already answered that. now, that's a new precondition. before the condition was that the palestinians have to recognize israel and have to recognize israel's right to exist and so on.

now when they destroy the peace process and all the talks they introduce another precondition. is that we have also become zionists suddenly and we have to accept the idea of a jewish state when we are definitely starting to have as i said the other day an inclusive, democratic, tolerant palestinian state. we cannot aaccept religion for a state. we cannot talk about jewish states or islamic states or christian states. otherwise you will end up having to deal with the islamic state. we certainly believe that there is no license to discriminate against any group, any ethnicity, any religion or to give them any additional value because of their religion. so if you want equality, and if you want a state to be an equal among other states, then you recognize the democratic state, and that should be enough. we recognize -- >> doctor -- >> if they want us to take that back, we will. but we're not going to take it back just because they want us to become zionists suddenly.

>> doctor, you have said that, and, and, and the -- you know the plo, you have to stop this settlement building before we can get to peace talks again before we can get move forward with this process. if you look historically back not that long ago 2009, the israeli government spent ten months with a complete freeze on settlement building, and the palestinians did not come to the table for months and months and months until the very end. what guarantees do they have that a freeze would be meaningful for moving the peace process forward this time? >> well, please, look, israel wants to be rewards, it wants to diminish some of its illegal actions and violations. settlement activities are illegal. it shouldn't be up to a question on negotiations. they shouldn't be building settlements. they shouldn't be stealing the land of the other state, to come to a two-state solution. now this is a grand deception that they froze the settlement building. they didn't.

because they consider jerusalem annexed, and they build in and around jerusalem and they continued. they said they had already given up hundreds and thousands of permits and they couldn't renege on these permits so if you look at the facts you will see in the so-called ten months of freeze, they built even more than they did before that. so that -- >> doctor -- the israelis -- >> the israeli deception. let's look at the facts. >> you say the israelis should not be building these settlements. >> yes, of course. >> at the same time they say -- >> absolutely. >> they say that -- that terrorism on the part of some palestinians must stop. even secretary kerry addressed that with these words yesterday. listen. >> the most recent wave of palestinian violence has included hundreds of terrorist attacks in the past year. including stabbings, shootings, vehicular attacks, and bombings. many by individuals who've been radicalized by social media. yet the murderers of innocents

are still glorified on fatah websites, including showing attackers next to palestinian leaders following attacks. >> doctor, as you know, prime minister benjamin netanyahu has condemned attacks on the part of israelis calling those attackers jewish terrorists who did the firebombings. also condemning the arson that was carried out by jewish extremists at the church in northern israel. where is the palestinian condemnation of -- of the attacks as secretary kerry is talking about? >> look, look, we can always enter into a verbal game and show how much we have not only condemned violence but we have worked actively against violence against civilians. the question is, israel uses its military machine in order to wreak havoc, to kill, thousands of palestinians, to bomb and shell and to carry out extra judicial killings and they don't

care, they don't mind. the thing is israel is used to acting with impunity and internally it has given its settlers, including the person who shot a wounded palestinian was exonerated. people who burned a whole family alive were not punished. people hole burned palestinian young boy alive were also told that they were not balanced and so on. this impunity has continued because palestinian lives do not matters to israelis and the rest of the world. daily you have palestinians being killed. this is what we call the essence of israeli state federalism against a captive civilian population. and this population -- excuse me but you cannot constantly tell the palestinians, who have no rights, no freedoms, living under a brutal military occupation, that they have to constantly turn the other cheek and they have to lie down and die peacefully, when the israelis have the free hand to use the most horrific violence against us, and to get away with

it. under the claim of self-defense from their own victims. i said this before i'll say this again, we are the only people on earth who are asked, who are held responsible for the safety and security of their occupiers. whether it's the army or the settlers. occupation -- >> doctor, let me get your reaction -- >> for the safety of a captive population. >> to what democratic senator said after kerry's remarks yesterday. i'm just going to read you part of this in the sake of time. he said the israeli government forced settlers to withdraw from all settlements and palestinians responded by sending rockets from gaza into israel. while he may not have intended it i fear secretary kerry in his speech to the united nations has emboldened extremists on both sides. what is your reaction to that? emboldening extremists on both sides. >> i think the last eight years of allowing for the israeli impunity and violations have

emboldened extremists on the israeli side. this is why the israeli government has stepped up settlement activitieactivities. because it knew it could get away with it. secondly kerry's speech was a last-ditch effort to rescue the chances of peace knowing that it's going to fall on deaf ears in israel because they're the ones destroying the chances of peace. if you're talking about gaza, israel is still controlling gaza it controls territorial waters, airspace, and of course the land itself by closing all the exit and entry points and turning gaza into a massive prison. with 40% unemployment. with 80% poverty. this is what israel is doing to gaza and every couple of years, it launches horrific military campaigns against a captive population killing thousands, op lit rating whole families, and yet everybody's worried about israel's safety -- >> doctor we're out of team --

>> -- extremism exists -- >> doctor we're out of time. you know we'll have you back. but also the united states, as you know -- hamas the government of gaza -- >> we need to continue. >> we will have you back. thank you for joining us this morning. don? >> much more to talk about now including presidential politics. president-elect donald trump meets with a well-known presidential historian who is a familiar face here on cnn. what did trump want to know about his predecessors? we're going to talk with douglas brinkley next.

the president-elect meeting with a noted presidential historian, none other than douglas brinkley. yesterday at mar-a-lago his estate. so what did the incoming president want to know about his predecessor's heading into his inauguration? douglas brinkley is here to tell us. so what did he want to know? >> well, first of all -- >> before you get to that. there's an interesting back story here, right? you were there at mar-a-lago. you were a lunch guest, one of his longtime friends, christopher ruddy. then apparently donald trump himself came over and talked to you quite a bit. >> yeah, i came over with

christopher ruddy, a friend, and with the idea that i'd get to have some face time with him. to talk about presidents, and inaugurations, and presidential memoirs and things like that. and he didn't disappoint. really gave me an opportunity to ask him anything i wanted and so i talked to him about presidents that he admired. reagan is the one he talked about first. but he said not just the policies of reagan but just the way the style of the reagan years, the presidency. but also john f. kennedy. somebody that he's attracted to that felt that kennedy still has credence today. and then i asked him about knowing presidents like richard nixon and he told me stories about how they got to know each other, and his relationship with jimmy carter. and even a little bit about barack obama. so i've kind of went through the galaxy of presidents. he said -- told me he's excited to sleep in the lincoln bedroom.

his first night -- >> let me say about the current president because there's been some contention and now he's saying the transition is going well. >> he likes him. he likes him very much and feels that he's been helpful and that the transition couldn't be going better. staff level. and personally he seems to have been -- a bit taken with president obama's intelligence, and willingness to develop a relationship with him. on the other land, bill and hillary clinton, he feels like he's known them for a long time, there's nothing new, really, that he's going to be learning from them at this moment in time. so he made it seem like his relationship with president obama is healthy right now. >> in the context of, you know, really being a leading voice on the birther movement et cetera it's fascinating to hear that. talking about his inaugural address, he said to you that he will be writing it, and that he's sort of modeling in the style of reagan and the aspiration and grand nature of kennedy? >> what happened to steven

miller? >> yes, well you know, that's the -- what's interesting is one of the things we were talking about, william henry harrison, who gave the long-winded inaugural and then died of pneumonia a month later and donald trump said look, i'm going to give a short inauguration. i don't want something long-winded. i don't like that. i want to get right to my point and i'm going to write it all myself. and i kind of maybe raised an eyebrow about that and he said, look, i've done best-selling books and i'm going to put my energy, it's going to be mine and i'm going to write it. so yes he's going to have speech writers. i'm sure there are other people who are going to be giving input but i think he liked to think that that end product that we're going to hear on that historic day in january comes from donald trump. he's probably going to take things that work for him on the campaign trail and kind of put some of those together, and give it his own aura. >> so you are -- you're here on cnn. a lot. you appear on my show a lot.

we an liz the -- the president-elect, what he's saying. what he's tweeting. what he's doing. is it surprising -- maybe a little bit surprising to me that he would come over and speak to someone from a quote elite media. what did he say? did he have -- did he weigh in on the media? >> he seemed to be aware -- he was not very keen on the fairness of our network, of cnn. he thought we're being hard on him. but overall, you know, i think he's just feeling in a victorious mode right now. he now me from history books where people had told him about some of the things. one of the things i liked about donald trump is he'll tell you i don't know anything about that. or, you know, when it comes to histo history, he doesn't do history faking. i don't think he processes life from a historical perspective. i think it's very much from the gut and perception of things around him. but he talked a little bit about the american spirit, and i mentioning him going to the moon.

and neil armstrong that he would be president in 2019 for that 50th anniversary of the moon and he said i want to double-down on nasa. i think it's good, the spirit of the american people that we're competitive, and we're getting reports now, of course, about china going to mars and the like and he was talking about nasa, not the privatization of space, but the u.s. government getting back and making space exciting again. >> fascinating to see. douglas brinkley, wish we could have been there. thank you. >> it was fascinating. thank you. >> coming up he joined the cub scouts but now he's not allowed to go to the meetings. so why is this 8-year-old being foesed out? and is it discrimination? we will ask the boy and his mother, next.

boy scouts under fire after a decision to ban an 8-year-old transgender boy from participating in the cub scouts over his gender identity. joe maldonado and his mother kristie are fighting this decision and they join me now. how are you guys doing? >> good. >> good morning. >> merry belated christmas. i understand you got a drone for christmas? >> yeah. >> you excited? >> yeah. >> we're forgetting all this that we're dealing with an 8-year-old boy here. when you got the call from the scouts saying that they didn't want him to participate, what was your reaction? >> i was angry, and hurt. because he was going for a month, and he was enjoying himself, right from the

beginning, i actually got permission, because i had asked to see if he could join. and they had mentioned no problem. so, i went, i gave them my fee, i filled out the application, and everything going well for a month and then i received a phone call from the council saying that he can no longer be in the scouts because his identity is a female. >> but you told them, you asked about it, right? so what do you think changed? what changed, do you think? >> i believe it had to do with some of the parents. they made a call. because they didn't ask for a birth certificate. >> mm-hmm. yeah. >> so -- >> what -- why did you want to join? >> because all of my friends were in the boy scouts and it was really fun. i had a barbecue. i was playing with my friends.

i did science experiments. and it was just so fun. i can't believe -- >> the last day he was in they had a big party and it was three hours. it was around halloween. they had cupcakes. they were giving out badges. and then downstairs they were doing like science experiments. so he had a lot of fun the last day. and then four days later, i received a call from the council. >> joe, how does this make you feel when you heard that? >> well, it made me feel sad at first but then i got really mad. >> yeah. yeah. >> and no crying? you were just mad and upset about it, right? >> i wasn't crying. >> you don't think it's fair? >> no. not at all. >> why not? >> because -- because -- because all my friends get to do it and i can't. >> yeah. >> kristie this is what the boy scouts released a statement they're saying it was brought to our attention that their child does not meet the eligibility requirements to participate in this program. so boy scouts of america, bsa,

leadership reached out to the family to inform them and to share information on alternative programs. did they explain the eligibility requirements before? >> they did not. the last time i talked to them was that day when he mentioned that he could no longer be in the boy scouts. and that was on the phone. that was the last time. >> what were the alternatives? >> they didn't. >> they didn't say anything? >> no. >> no? >> huh-uh. not at all. the conversation on the phone, no. >> not at all? >> no. >> and you want to be a part of the cub scouts? >> absolutely. >> correct? so what do you say? you know people are watching. i know you're a big guy, 8 years old, what do you say to people out there who are wondering why you wanted to join, and you know, about this whole thing, what's going on? >> well i really don't understand why they kicked me out all because i was born a

girl. this is just -- >> because he lives as a boy. his identity is a boy. he wouldn't look right if i put him in girl scouts. >> you do think that you're going to help people understand transgender issues? do you think that maybe there's a reason that this happened? that maybe you're going to sort of be a conduit to the public to help people understand? >> yeah. >> mom? same question. >> i just feel they should go -- they should accept all transgenders, and go by their identity, and not go by their birth certificates. >> i see the way you're looking at him. what did you -- what did you say to him? >> when -- >> when you found out. how do you -- >> he was actually in the car when i got the phone call. >> it upset you more than it did him. >> it did. because he wants to just live life normal. he plays basketball. everything's going well in

school. he's accepted by his peers. i don't understand what the issue is. >> are you going to take -- are you considering legal action with this? >> i am not. no. >> anything you -- >> i think this is the best way to go. >> are you going to be okay if you can't participate? >> yeah. i guess. >> thank you. i appreciate you joining us. thank you. >> oh, thank you. >> best of luck to you. happy new year. >> poppy? >> thank you, mom. thank you, joe. we'll stay on this one. still to come for us, the death of hollywood legend debbie reynolds just a day after her daughter carrie fisher passed away. up next we'll speak with one of reynolds' longtime friends about her life and her legacy. but first, what you eat before you work out can be just as important as the exercise itself. whoops i've already screwed up on that this morning. cnn health writer shares some nutritionist approved picks in today's food as fuel. >> fuelling up before exercise

comes down to carbs. before a moderate workout like brisk walking or swimming, nutritionists recommend a low-fat granola bar or a banana for more high intensity workouts, go for pasta or peanut butter and jelly sandwich. timing also matters. eat one to four hours before exercise. and if you like to work out first thing in the morning, nutritionists say to still eat something first, like eggs, toast, or fruit and yogurt. my personal favorite, multigrain toast with peanut butter, sliced bananas, and a dash of cinnamon. yum.

dad and son: we just finished dinner and it was time for homework. he hates [i hate] homework. dad: i know he's bright. son: why is it so hard for me? both: he's just got to try harder. i'm trying as hard as i can. narrator: 1 in 5 children struggle with learning and attention issues. go from misunderstanding to understood.org

♪ film legend, debbie reynolds, one of hollywood's biggest stars, died just a day after her daughter carrie fisher passed away. joining us now is one of debbie reynolds' close friends, hollywood legend, the author of hunter confidential. let's talk about your memories of this woman who meant so much to you. you said that she was a contributor. that she gave so much. what do you mean?

>> well, i think it's very important in life, i mean we're all on this journey, and i think we've got to be contributors and do something. and she was amazing. i knew her at the very beginning of her career because we were both starting out about the same time. you know, she was, from burbank high school, played the french horn in the band, lived in a wonderful little house in the neighborhood in burbank with her mother maxine, and her father and her brother. and with her first big paycheck she bought a swimming pool that just fit inside the backyard so when you step out of the screen door you'd fall in the pool, practically. we did a lot of movie magazine layouts around that pool. and i dated her a lot. she was a heck of a lot of fun. very dedicated young woman. >> you guys dated i mean you've known her for six decades and then debbie wrote in her book "unsinkable" she said we always laughed and had fun when we were together. tab is a wonderful man. i'm glad we've been friends for so long. how would you describe her

friendship? >> we were both kids starting out in the industry. and she was put under contract with warner brothers, and they dropped her, and luckily, you know, mgm snatched her up and put her under contract, and she went on from there. and she was outstanding. mgm did great musicals and it was the end of the studio system or toward the end of it, and made a major star out of her. she was phenomenal. we used to go skiing to the and the ice shows together. and it was sort of a, you know, just a young group. but i loved being with her. and then we didn't see each other for a long, long while, but every time we would i'd say hi mary francis. she'd say hi, art. with our real names before hollywood got its stamp on us. >> and you really know her. and that's why i want to ask you because you -- >> i didn't see her for a long, long while. but every now and then i would see her and i asked her to be a part of my documentary tab hunter confidential and she

graciously did that. and then i heard from her not long before carrie's 60th birthday and she asked me if i would join them. i was unable to. and then when i heard about carrie's passing, i just sent her a note. and then to see that on the news last night, just was a major shock. >> broken heart, you think? >> without a doubt. without a doubt. and i can't wait to go to church this morning and say a prayer for her. >> talk about her sense of humor. her bawdy sense of humor. >> she always -- she had a great spark. she was wonderful. she really was. >> when we look at what she and her daughter have done for women in hollywood, it really can't be overstated. i mean, they were in these incredible roles, i think a lot of people, sort of didn't realize how much they would both break through and lay this path. >> well, without a doubt. and debbie was a -- just a hair

of a tomboy. she was this little gal and she had a little -- she had a spark. it was quite incredible. i was very fortunate to know her. >> what's the takeaway from her life? >> sorry? >> what's the takeaway from her life? what did the world learn from debbie reynolds? >> i think just what i said about her being a contributor. we're all on a journey and her journey was a fabulous one. we've got to be thankful every day that we're here. >> tab hunter. >> it's wonderful to see. thank you for sharing your personal memories. >> thank you so much for, you know, she's been a major part of my early hollywood career. and i love, loved her. >> and our condolences. we appreciate it. >> thank you, tab. >> "newsroom" picks up right after this break.

good morning to you. i'm victor blackwell in for carol costello this morning. thank you for being with me. we're beginning this morning with sad news.

tributes pouring in as hollywood mourns the death of actress and singer debbie reynolds. she died just one day after her daughter carrie fisher. her son tells cnn that she's with carrie now. the beloved star took hollywood by storm for decades making her debut in 1952's "singin' in the rain." ♪ good morning ♪ good morning good morning to you ♪ ♪ rather be in louisiana in the morning in the morning ♪ >> as i said, we know that she wasn't real little a dancer before that. cnn's paul vercammen is live in los angeles with more for us this morning. put in a lot of work for that and a lot of work over many decades, paul. >> that's exactly right. as you pointed out she was not a dancer by nature but she got into "singin' in the rain." they say that she danced and felt until her feet for bloody. it is definitely something that debbie reynolds will always be