appetit" magazine. "special report," baier alert next. president-elect donald trump's fantasy draft. the intense search for just the right foot, assem try to deliver on his campaign promises. this is "special report." good evening. welcome to washington. i'm bret baier. winning the election may have been the easy part. president-elect donald trump and vice president-elect mike pence who is also now his transition manager went over more names today as they seek to staff some of the crucial jobs in their upcoming administration. tonight, we know one person who is not interested and we're hearing names both familiar and new. as the delicate process

continues. chief political correspondent carl cameron is in new york tonight with the very latest. good evening, carl. >> reporter: hi, bret. that wasn't all that happened today. the president-elect donald trump got his first full-blown presidential daily briefing. this is identical to what presidents get. it's not the shorter version that trump and hillary clinton both got during the campaign. vice president-elect mike pence who replaced new jersey governor chris christie as head of the transition returned to trump tower to start filling in the roster. >> mr. vice president. >> reporter: one of pence's first duties as transition lead is to sign a key white house document allowing the obama administration to share information with the trump transition. it requires pence's signature now that christie's gone. former new york mayor rudy giuliani emerged as a favorite for secretary of state, brushing off being the attorney general, former campaign manager kellyanne conway. >> we know he would be an incredible sec stair of state, would represent this country very well around the world as he went to implement donald trump's vision. >> reporter: trump's campaign -- considered a top pick for treasury secretary.

>> we're working on the economic plan and the transition, making sure we get the biggest tax bill passed. >> reporter: trump's already considering campaign economic adviser wilbur ross, a billionaire investor for secretary of commerce. a draft document of trump's potential trade reform plans over the first 200 days say, "the trump administration will reverse decades of conciliatory trade policy. new agreements negotiated that provide for the interest of u.s. workers and companies first." dr. ben carson, first former primary rival to endorse trump, was angling for secretary of health and human services and separately being considered for secretary of education. carson has told the campaign he believes he'd be more helpful to the movement outside the administration. newt gingrich is trying to create a new post for himself, a sort of long-term national white house vision coordinator. >> you have to have an ability to look beyond the immediate fight and figure out how does that fit the long-term goals and that's what i really want to focus on. >> reporter: incoming white house chief of staff reince priebus is defending soon to be senior counselor to the president steve bannon whose

support for alt-right politics has drown criticism from the left. >> the steve bannon i know is a guy that's really on the same page with a lot of the things, almost everything that i agree with as far as advising president-elect trump. i mean, he was a force for good on the campaign. >> i haven't seen any of these things that people are crying out about. >> reporter: alabama senator jeff sessions, the first senator to endorse trump, ardent border security hawk, is a front-runner for defense secretary but also being considered as attorney general. trump's staffers, not the candidate, inquired informally if it might be possible for his children to get security clearances. it was a request for information, not an action. separately, having called electoral college a disaster in 2012, the president-elect changed his tune on twitter overnight. "the electoral college is actually genius in that it brings all states including smaller ones into play, campaigning is much different." tomorrow vice president-elect mike pence visits washington to

finalize all the necessary paperwork so the obama administration and its transition team can share information and really kick the transition off aggressively, bret. >> carl, another former primary rival turned supporter also turned out to trump tower today. >> reporter: texas senator ted cruz made an appearance at trump tower and it did turn heads. they were very bitter primary rivals. of course, cruz reached at and congratulated the president already. this was a face-to-face meeting and opportunity cruz said on behalf of the 27 million texans he represents, the senator looks forward to assisting the trump administration. don't they all, bret? >> raised some eyebrows. we'll see what that all means. thank you. outgoing california democratic senator barbara boxer is introducing a bill to abolish the electoral college. democrats are blaming the system for electing donald trump despite the fact hillary clinton appears to have won the popular vote as the votes continue to be counted and today michigan's secretary of state said donald trump is likely to win gn begmi though the state hasn't officially been called yet. once the state is eventually

called for trump, he will have won the electoral college, 306-232. getting rid of the electoral college requires changing the u.s. constitution. that means an amendment must be passed by two-thirds vote of both the house and senate then ratified by 38 of the states. meantime, democrats are engaging in some real soul searching tonight. house members have delayed an expected re-election of nancy pelosi as their leader amid calls for new, younger and more populist ideas. chief washington correspondent james rosen has more on democrats in disarray. >> reporter: against house minority leader nancy pelosi how has signaled she continues intends to run to maintain her leadership post, the democratic caucus is beginning to exhibit stirrings of discontent with hi hints of a formal challenge in the air. brushed aside the decision to reschedule thursday's leadership elections until november 30th saying she doesn't care when they're held, sought to distinguish her performance from hillary clinton.

>> what does this mean? >> not very much because we'll be out for thanksgiving, but we'll have for the rest of this week to go over some issues. we want to -- >> we're stopping here. thank you, guys. thank you very much. >> some people who say, you know, you got beat pretty badly here and this speaks of leadership. >> the presidential race more than o race. >> reporter: democratic lawmakers even some publicly pledging support to pelosi agreed the caucus badly needs changes in direction and tone. >> we don't want to rush a vote to leadership for them to think that everything is business as usual. everything is not good. business as usual is no longer going to work. >> i signed a letter that the women are signing on her behalf. i have done that, but obviously if someone from our region were to get in the race, i would have to reconsider. >> reporter: and temerging as a possible contender against pelosi, tim ryan of ohio who just won his eighth term, the democrats need a leader who cab communicate with the rust belt region he represents. >> this started by people

calling me, not calling people. there was some attraction for somebody from youngstown, ohio, sent around the country for hillary clinton to talk to union workers, try to connect with people i know how to connect with. >> reporter: meeting with the greek prime minister in athens, the outgoing head of the democratic party cited widespread fears about globalization as a reason for the democrats' shellacking, not his own performance in the white house. >> when you see a donald trump and a bernie sanders very unconventional candidates have considerable success, then obviously there's something there that's being tapped into. now, having said that, people seem to think i did a pretty good job. >> reporter: mr. obama has said he doesn't want to, quote, big foot the party's internal processes but in a monday night conference call with members of the democratic national committee, he allotted two weeks for moping before resuming the work of making the democratic message heard in the precincts where it was most soundly rejected. >> and that is not something you can just do every four years.

something that you got to do over a lengthy period of time. >> reporter: and with interim chair donna brazile leaving the dnc chairmanship is being contested. congressman keith ellison of minnesota, the first muslim elected to congress, has secured endorsements from the outgoing and incoming senate minority leaders plus senator elizabeth warren as well former vermont governor howard dean, the last full-time chair of the dnc has thrown his hat into the ring. still others are thinking of running, bret, but haven't yet declared their candidacy. >> okay, james. thank you. well, what do you think? do you think democrats will make any significant changes? let me know on twitter @bret baier. use #specialreport or on facebook at facebook.com/bret baiersr. republicans have picked paul ryan to continue as house speaker in the new congress. today, ryan welcomed his members to what he's calling the dawn of a new unified republican government. but not everyone will have an equal seat at the big table, and some conservatives may actually be relegated to the bleachers.

chief congressional correspondent mike emanuel is on capitol hill tonight with the latest. good evening, mike. >> reporter: well, bret, good evening. after talks throughout the 2016 campaign of republicans fighting with one another, several house republican members tell me their conference meeting this afternoon was peaceful, even like a honeymoon. and this afternoon, the entire house republican conference speaker paul ryan, majority leader kevin mccarthy, majority whip steve scalise, and chair cathie mcmorris rogers were re-elected behind closed doors unanimously without opposition. it is the start of a new era on capitol hill with republicans about to lead both the legislative and executive branches and ryan says to americans worried about their future, congress will respond by getting the big things done. >> we hear you and we are here to fix problems. we're very excited to get to work. this leadership team is unified. this entire house republican conference is unified. >> reporter: with incoming president-elect donald trump, it

appears he is setting the agenda and the conservative freedom caucus and outside groups like heritage action known for pushing lawmakers to vote a certain way are likely to lose some influence. last night, a key freedom caucus member who led the push to oust john boehner as speaker signaled he's ready for unity behind ryan. >> as long as we keep the agenda going the way it is, certainly -- >> reporter: in terms of issues lawmakers are looking to tackle immediately, president-elect trump ran on securing the southern border. there's been debate about whether it will be an actual physical wall or whether it will be fencing and technology to stop the flow of illegal immigrants. majority leader mccarthy praised the the president-elect for being first to respond to the american people. >> he became their voice. this leadership team has had the wisdom to listen. now we have the courage to lead. you'll see a new congress with a new approach and one that will start getting the work done on the very first day. >> reporter: another huge priority for the president-elect

and republicans on capitol hill is repealing and replacing obamaca obamacare. gop leaders say the popular components, helping those with pre-existing conditions attain insurance, and allowing young adults to stay on their parents' plans will continue with a gop replacement. moments ago, majority leader mccarthy and the house gop chairman sent a letter to the obama administration asking that any pending rules or regulations not be finalized in the final days of president obama's term in office. bret? >> mike emanuel live only the hill tonight. mike, thank you. the president of the university of virginia is defending her use of quotations from the school's founder, thomas jefferson, in discussing the presidential election. a group of students and professors insist teresa sullivan's citation of jefferson's words undermines her message of equality and unity because he was a slave owner. sullivan says quoting jefferson does not imply she agrees with

all of his actions. southwest airlines employee was shot and killed near will rogers rural airport today. officials closed the airport and ordered people inside to seek shelter. video showed what appeared to be a pool of blood near the bottom of a ramp leading from the airport's departure area. by late afternoon, police said they did not believe there was an active shooter on site. since then, no suspect has been found. president obama is distancing himself from any responsibility for the election of donald trump. you heard some of that earlier in james' piece. the outgoing president is on his final foreign tour and he's getting a lot of questions about how last week's election could have happened. correspondent kevin corke reports tonight from athens, greece. >> reporter: in what's become an all too familiar scene in modern greece, the streets of historic athens were marred by demonstrations tonight. protesters marching at least in part against the visit of

president obama. the first american president to come to the country in 17 years. ♪ the unrest in stark contrast to the president's arrival ceremony, but in many ways, a symbolic reflection of the unease here. especially about the u.s. role in europe under a trump presidency. those concerns forcing mr. obama into the awkward role of ambassador for a man he once said was unfit for the presidency. and now the president is left fielding questions about whether or not he feels responsible for the rise of donald trump. >> earlier this year, matt lauer asked you if you believed you helped create the environment for donald trump to run. >> talk to me if he wins, then we'll have a conversation about how responsible i feel about it. >> i wonder, do you feel any responsibility for the election of donald trump? >> well first of all, i think it's fair to say that i was surprised by the election results and i've said so. i still don't feel responsible

for what the ft.-elect says or does, but i do feel a responsibility as president of the united states to make sure that i facilitate a good transition. >> reporter: comments like this. >> obsolete and we're spending too much and everyone's ripping us off. you have 28 countries, they're ripping us off. >> reporter: then-candidate trump's view of nato just one of many areas concerning european leaders. >> continues to be a cornerstone of our security that is unwavering and it is something that provides significant continuity even as we see a transition of governments in the united states. >> reporter: including future u.s. positions on security partnerships. establishing and honoring deals on trade and the climate. the fight against isis in iraq and syria, and the migrant refugee crisis which has hit greece particularly hard. for some, concern has given way to a wait-and-see attitude. >> translator: what we should be doing is build bridges, not

walls. >> reporter: bret, nato secretary general stoughtonburg says europe needs strong leadership in the face of the greatest threat to western security in a generation, a not so veiled reference to an increasingly aggressive russia, the same russia that president-elect trump has suggested he'd like to improve relations with. bret? >> kevin corke traveling with the president in athens, greece. kevin, thank you. the justice department is siding with a group of virginia drivers whose licenses were suspended by the state because they have not paid their court costs and fines. the class-action lawsuit contends this violates due process guarantee in the constitution. a legal aid group says nearly a million virginians have suspended licenses because of this practice. the commonwealth has not commented. another black mark for veterans' care in arizona. inspector general's report says the southern arizona v.a. health care system manipulates wait time data. it says employees offer veterans

the next available appointment date then document the scheduled date as the veterans' desired care date. v.a. officials have apologized for past practices and say they are making improvements. ford's ceo says the automaker is moving ahead with plans to shift production of small cars out of michigan to mexico. donald trump was very critical of the plan during the campaign, but ford chief mark fields says no jobs will be lost in michigan because the plant will make two other vehicles there. another record high for the dow today. the industrial average gained. 54. the s&p 500 finished ahead 16. the nasdaq jumped 57 in what has been a good string for the markets. we're hearing more tonight from corporate america about the upcoming trump presidency. fox business network's senior washington correspondent peter barnes is live tonight at the four seasons hotel where big business has the floor at the "wall street journal's" annual meeting of its ceo.

good evening, peter. >> reporter: good evening, bret. representatives of both parties in congress as well as the incoming trump administration addressed about 100 ceos last night and today as they try to figure out what kind of policies might be coming out of washington following the election. as a group, it turns out these ceos did not want donald trump as president. the "wall street journal" asked them who they voted for. 50% said hillary clinton. 38% said mr. trump. 12% said gary johnson. none of them voted for jill stein. so they have lots of questions for these policymakers about the future of taxes. tax reform. changes in trade deals possibly as well as repealing and replacing obamacare. senator elizabeth warren, the senate democratic progressive, one of the leaders there, addressed the ceos today as well and, of course, she ripped into the president-elect, especially over his decision to make

breitbart executive chair, steve bannon, a senior adviser in his administration in january. critics charge that the conservative website has, part of the alternative right, alt-right movement, which includes some white nationalists. >> you know, here i am with the business leaders of america. i just want to underline something that every one of you know. bigotry is bad for business. >> reporter: former new york mayor rudy giuliani, a adviser, however, addressed the group last night and he said that as long as he has known steve bannon, he has not found him to be at all racist or anti-semitic. and he said he's just got very strong conservative views and that he will be a good adviser to president trump. >> when you're out there just criticizing, it's one thing. when you actually get on the

inside, there's a certain weight of responsibility for the american people that is on your shoulders and i think steve bannon is the kind of guy who gets that. >> reporter: now, on actual policy, one of house speaker paul ryan's top lieutenants, kevin brady, the congressman who's chairman of the house ways & means committee says house republicans have spent a lot of time already on tax reform and repealing and replacing obamacare and are ready to get to work with mr. trump. bret? >> peter barnes live at the four seasons in georgetown, peter, thank you. up next, what needs to be done to protect you from some of your own electronic devices. first here's what some of our fox affiliates around the country are covering tonight. fox west dakota, the company building the dakota access pipeline goes to court to get permission to finish that project. yesterday we told you the u.s. army corps of engineers said more study is needed.

opponents say it threats drinking water and cultural sites. fox 5, affiliate in atlanta, as a georgia man faces life in prison after he was convicted of malice murder in the death of his toddler son who was left in a hot car for hours. a jury found ross harris guilty on all eight counts against him. the malice murder conviction means jurors ultimately agreed with prosecutors that harris left his 22-month-old son to die on purpose. and this is live look at houston from our affiliate, fox 26. one of the big stories there tonight, texas lawmakers file several proposals to decriminalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana. this follows voter approval of senator measures in four states last week. no comment yet from republican governor greg abbott. that's tonight's live look outside the beltway from "special report." we'll be right back.

britain has approved the extradition of an alleged computer hacker accused of snatching data from the pentagon. that suspect faces 99 years in prison if convicted. the problems of cyber theft and cyber terrorism are some of the most pressing concerns for the next administration. tonight, what needs to be done to keep the bad guys from using your own devices against you? here's chief intelligence correspondent, catherine herridge. >> reporter: last month's denial of service attack, what web experts call a ddos attack shut down some of the web's most popular sites sending a chill through the u.s. intelligence community. cyber experts say these attacks are at an all-time high with hackers using everyday items such as video security cameras, routers and printers to jam the internet's main switch boards. >> this time last year, 30% more ddos attacks than last year.

also, the attacks are much larger right now. a thousand times larger than this time last year. so this is very serious. >> reporter: the national institute of standards in technology, an office within the commerce department, announced new recommendations today urging manufacturers to build in security features at the design level so these wi-fi enabled devices can not be hijacked. >> you want to stop the bad guys when you can, but if they do get in, we also have decades of threat data which show you can't stop all cyber attacks. when they get in, can we limit the damage they can do once they're in? >> reporter: new research shows the depth and breadth of the cyber threat facing the next administration. last summer, a breach at the office of personnel management affected millions of government security clearance holders and compromised 21.5 million social security numbers. the u.s. army, irs and unclassified state department systems were also compromised. and that was months before the dnc, dccc, and wikileaks

election-related hacks. on monday the homeland security secretary urged the trump team to remain focused on cyber threats impacting critical systems. such as the power grid. >> the security of infrastructure, the security of critical infrastructure, is something that i hope and expect will beccepted as gospel, as accepted do accepted doctrine in the new administration. >> reporter: history tells a different story. >> the good news is, there's more awareness. the bad news is, there's a change in administration coming and historically, going back at least to the carter administration, every new change of administration means people forget about the cyber threat. >> reporter: the immediate solution to the denial of service attacks using everyday household items may include service providers and a change in the contract allowing them to debug devices for malicious software, but experts pointed out today there's a lot of risk for the companies and legislation might be required, bret. >> thank you. german law enforcement conducted massive raids today in 60 cities targeting an islamic

group suspected of radicalizing teenagers for attacks in iraq and syria. reporter kitty logan has details of the crackdown. >> reporter: it's the biggest crackdown of its kind in germany in two decades. police enforcing a ban put in place today on a group calling itself true religion. an organization which the german government says is encouraging radical extremism and supporting terrorism. german interior minister wants these mass raids to send a clear message. >> translator: we do not want terrorism in germany. we do not want the promotion of terrorism in germany and the radicalization for it and do not want to export terrorism. >> reporter: there were no arrests but police seized files and documents. they also found a number o weapons including knives and tasers and these copies of the koran which the group distributed along with extremist propaganda accusing them of misusing their religion to

incite hatred. there is heightened concern in germany about the threat of isis-inspired terrorism. highlighted when police arrested a syrian man in eastern germany last month and discovered bomb-making equipment in his home. this memorial in paris a year after the deadly attacks in the city is a stark reminder of how real the terror threat in europe can be. he remembers the 130 people who died. one year on, there is still a feeling more needs to be done to prevent a similar tragedy. >> translator: there is concern about the return of the foreign fighters to our countries and here we need not only to strengthen what we did, cooperation and exchange of information between france and belgium, but among many more european and noneuropean union countries. >> reporter: german authorities say 10 people young people went on to fight in iraq and syria after joining the true religion group. it's not known how many may try to return home. the german interior minister

emphasized there was no imminent threat from the newly banned group. clearly authorities are leaving nothing to chance. bret? >> kitty logan in london, thank you. hundreds of iraqi citizens spilled into the streets today in eastern mosul, areas recently retaken from isis terrorists. they are demanding food from the military as supplies run low. in other parts of the city, isis terrorists are firing mortars from apartment windows as iraqi special forces wage fierce urban combat. the world is getting more dangerous, and the u.s. is not keeping up. that is the conclusion of a new report on the american military. pentagon producer lucas tomlinson takes a look. >> go, go, go, go, go. >> reporter: the bad news, threats to the u.s. have increased in the past year, but what's worse, the u.s. military's ability to respond to them has decreased significantly. this assessment according to a new report from the conservative think tank, the heritage

foundation. an advanced copy obtained by fox news, decades of wear and tear to equipment, sharp budget cuts exacerbated if recent years by congressionally mandated cuts known as sequestration have left the american military in rapid decline. >> it's not a good trajectory. we're weaker than we were a year ago. our competitors are better than they were a year ago. and it's going to take a long time and lots of investment to correct that situation. >> reporter: the report concludes, as currently postured, the u.s. military is only marginally able to meet the demands of defending america's vital national interests." hot spots like in the middle east and iran continue to be the state actor most hostile to american interests." >> all of our major competitors, russia, china, iran, north korea, terror elements in the middle east and elsewhere, have doubled down on their investments, improving their military capabilities, developing new weapons systems. they're getting more aggressive and better and we're in decline.

>> reporter: in washington this week, defense secretary ash carter acknowledged the growing threats abroad. >> our enemies are, and our potential enemies are extremely competitive. it's not going to be 1945 again where the rest of the world is in ruins and the united states is the only power left standing. >> reporter: the defense department's budget has been cut by over $100 billion since 2001 which is why secretary carter's continuing to push for more defense funding. bret? >> lucas, what are you hearing about russia's actions in syria today? >> bret, today russia significantly increased its military escalation in syria, launching cruise missiles from a frigate in the eastern mediterranean, officials tell me struck targets in aleppo, once syria's most populated city and breaking a three-week-old cease-fire. 200,000 civilians are trapped in aleppo surrounded by syrian regime troops. this russian defense video released shows the cruise missile strike in addition to

fighter jets launching from russia's only aircraft carrier off the coast of syria. officials tell me these moves are for show saying russia could easily launch strikes using more than two dozen strike aircraft already based in syria, striking syrian rebels, some of who are backed by the united states. bret? >> lucas tomlinson live at the pentagon. thank you. president-elect donald trump said to be closing in on hiring a few good men and perhaps women. we'll update the transition with the panel after a quick time-out. today we're gonna be comparing these two truck beds. let's start over here with this aluminum bed. you put your toolbox up here... whoa! that's a big hole. that is unbelievable. now let's check out the roll formed steel bed of the silverado. same spot, same empty toolbox. took it way better. the steel held up. you don't have to wait until black friday to make a strong decision. find your tag and get 20% cash back, or, get 0% financing for 72 months on select remaining 2016 silverado double cabs in stock. find new roads at your local chevy dealer.

this leadership team is unified. this entire house republican conference is unified. and we are so eager to get to work with our new president-elect to fix america's pressing problems. >> it would be an honor to serve the country again, but ultimately, this is the president-elect's decision. i don't think it's appropriate to talk about it in public. and god's good time, he'll make

up his mind. >> first of all, i won't be attorney general. >> you won't be attorney general. >> good, i won't have to decide that one, thank god. >> made that clear. >> i can escape that one. >> i should ask jeff sessions that question, should i? >> wouldn't be a bad idea. i don't know who's going to be attorney general. >> the choice for secretary of state in the trump administration is down to rudolph giuliani, john bolton. >> john would be a very good choice. >> is there anybody better? >> maybe me. i don't know. >> rudy giuliani talking to the "wall street journal." we're told that rudy giuliani could have pretty much any position he wants, after being such an integral part of the trump campaign. we will see where he ends up. he is being talked about at the state department. a new name surfacing today for potentially at the defense department, that is senator tom. he is a possibility. we've also hear, as we reported here, senator kelly ayotte who just lost her senate bid in new hampshire. and there are a list of names.

this is the time when you're looking at names. and we'll see what we can nail down. let's bring in our panel. steve hayes, senior writer for the "weekly standard." julie pace, white house correspondent for the "associated press." mercedes schlapp for "washington times." and charles swan, political reporter for "the hill." funny to hear giuliani talk like that, so candid, or not so can did. what are your thoughts in the transition and how close they are to getting these big names nailed down? >> my sources say it's unlikely there will be announcements this week. it's not impossible. probably going to happen next week, but there's a few people, you said something there which is absolutely correct, which is there's a few people in trump's orbit that people say whatever they want, they basically get. jeff sessions is one of those people. people have been floating different agencies like defense, homeland security. i was talking to a source today in trump's circle. they said whatever jeff sessions wants, jeff sessions will get. so i think rudy giuliani is a bit more complicated. there's some good names in there

for secretary of state. one thing i report today was that sheldon adelson, a big donor, he's been pushing very strongly for rudy giuliani and john bolton. he likes both of those guys. >> i've heard bob corker's name, mercedes. i've heard david petraeus' name mentioned for state. >> i think what you're learning in this transition period is the fact there's many voices involved. many influencers. that would be the trump children, obviously jared, son-in-law. bannon. kellyanne conway. they're all really having this impact on who will be placed in these top positions. and i think that's important to point out because we're finding it's not just -- it's not necessarily a very clean process. it's a bit chaotic. there's a lot of strong opinions on where people should go. i think to the case of giuliani, he has been with trump through good, bad, ugly, and so he obviously will be favored to maybe be at the department of state. i thought rudy giuliani would be

good for department of homeland security. he put that off the table quickly. >> julie? >> what you learn in transitions, it's better to be behind the scenes than out front. how unusual people are out there talking about themselves and jobs. normally -- >> shocking, right? >> it's unbelievable. normally if you're in the mix for the top job, you do everything you can to not be out there. you leave town, send your wife andids on vacation, yo not want to be in the mix. trump, it's a very different process. sometimes people communicate to him through television. for some of these people, it might not be a bad idea to be out there so much. >> it reminds us a little bit about like "the apprentice." maybe something, i don't know. he is a businessman. he's going to figure out who's the best position to get his ideas and campaign promises across the finish line. chris christie was not that person. and he was moved aside. pence put in the transition spot. and it's being portrayed as some just normal evolution. it seems more than that. the changes that have been

happening. >> yeah, i think that's right. i mean, it was clear from the beginning, from the moment he picked mike pence, that if donald trump were elected president, he would rely heavily on pence, both his experience in washington, his experience as a policymaker. i think we're seeing that right now very clearly. i mean, mike pence is running the process. everybody reports to mike pence. and then they'll take these decisions to donald trump. i think it's true that there are some people who basically have their pick, but for everybody else, there's this sort of mad scramble and it is funny to see people doing it, politicking in the open. you've had people who are politicking quietly. i mean, people who are, you know, having their surrogates make phone calls to important people who they think can influence the decision. the poor people who are named to the executive committee and the vice chairs, probably voicemails are all full now because everybody's lobbying to get one of these jobs. mike pence is very clearly in charge. >> we rarely hear from the 43rd president of the united states but he weighed in on this election today. >> people become very

frustrated. they become angry. they become frustrated in their lives and that gets reflected in a political process and i think that's part of what was taking place during this recent election. i can understand anger and some people might have been angry when i was president, but anger shouldn't drive policy. what needs to drive policy is what's best for the people who are angry. >> now, the president, jonathan, who won the electoral college. and he obviously dealt with a situation with the iraq war that he was facing a lot of pushback. >> yeah, and it's interesting now, you speak to people in trump's orbit and there's almost a glee with which they have, you know, obviously in public they're accepting the words after the election, there's a real glee that they've destroyed

the bush wing of the republican party and i think foreign policy is just one of the areas we're going to see the most interesting action in and steve bannon, you should watch for him to have big role in national security and foreign policy. everybody talks about him on a domestic level. this is someone who has very big ideas. >> julie, rand paul was pushing back hard, saying it doesn't fit with donald trump, how he talked about foreign policy on the trail. >> i think what you learn from that, what we should take away from that, even though donald trump is going to have a republican senate and republican house, his nominations and eventually his policy positions are not going to be a cakewalk. there are still divisions within the republican party that were not solved by this election. and you have some folks in the party who are more isolationist. you have some who are more hawkish. and he's going to have to try to strike that balance and i think it's going to be a real challenge for him, especially as someone who does not have a lot of experience with the workings of congress.

>> i want to just quickly, mercedes, talk about barbara boxer's efforts. the electoral college. she said the electoral college is an outdated, undemocratic system that does not reflect our modern society and it needs to change immediately. every american should be guaranteed that their vote counts." uphill battle for democrats. >> absolutely. i think that you would go to any of these smaller states who would argue against changing the electoral college because it's not what you would see as candidates simply campaigning in the urban big city areas, in california, in texas, where there's -- where there's a lot of population. so that idea won't go nowhere. >> and donald trump agrees with you now, electoral college is actually genius in that it brings all states including the smaller ones into play. campaigning is much different." so that's settled as far as the president-elect is concerned. next up, the future of the democratic party and what's next on capitol hill.

>> welcome to the dawn of a new unified republican government. it feels really good to say that actually. >> we just got a she lacking last tuesday. it's just like death. differential stages of grieving you go through. >> we shouldn't be struggling the way we are. >> democrats need to meet the president-elect halfway and create a new trade model for this country. >> a pretty healthy majority of the american people agree with my world view on a whole bunch of things. i know that that begs the question how is it that somebody who appears to have a very different world view just got elected? people seem to think i did a pretty good job. perhaps the view of the

american people is that just need to shake things up. >> well, that was president obama in greece following up on his news conference yesterday at the white house. we're back with the panel. the state of the democratic party, it seems to be they are trying to find a way, mercedes that delayed the election of the leadership in congress and trying to figure out where to governmental it's a soul-searching party right now. i think the democrats in congress. pelosi has led the democrats for 12 years. what we have seen this year has been a change electric. will the democrats follow suit? there is real resistance coming from pelosi and the establishment democrats that we're going to keep moving forward, business as usual and then you have tim ryan thinking about running from ohio and saying we need to reach out to the blue collar workers. i think for the democrats they are in a very they still have not -- it's like shell shock.

they are not realize that they are stuck. they did not win over those blue collar workers and that they will probably need to make those substantial changes. >> bill from the "wall street journal" writes a clinton free democratic party and usually nails these things. this one i think he did. for the democrats the defeat of the clintons should be liberating the departure of the clintons opens the door foreother democrats. governors not in office who never would have had a prayer as long as bill and hillary dominated the show. i talked to a lot of democrats who thought that was the problem from the beginning was that the party could never breathe with the clinton kind of operation hanging over it. >> basically from the minute that president obama won re-election in 2012, democrats were moving toward the idea of hillary clinton being their nominee this time around. that's incredibly stifling thing to have hanging over a party. it really is a warning shot to anybody else who might have looked to step up. and if she had one, again,this is a silver lining in what has been a bad election season for democrats. so i don't want to act as

though this is a real positive out there. but, if they can take away something from it, it's that there is now an open playing field. if you are a younger democrat. if you come from a state that might not be looked at. if you have a might be more unusual for a democratic nominee, this is your chance. you have running room. people should look to take advantage of that. >> jonathan, for the people running for chairman of the party, keith ellison, congressman and howard dean, former chairman, that's not exactly moderating the democratic party. >> no, i think we're going to see a lot more attention playing out because when you talk to establishment democrats, more centrist democrats they sort of treat the left like they're pet alligators. like let's not provoke them too much. let's give them a few things, feed them little things. maybe keith ellison can be dnc chair. you still have chuck schumer running the senate.

>> it's going to happen. >> you have to go back further. if you remember how barack obama ran for president, he ran unapologetically as somebody who was a proproent of government. he said i want young people to think working for the government is a cool thing, we're going to embrace our big-government liberalism. and it -- that came out decades of democrats being identity politics driven. and before that, class warfare driven. i think what obama did was temporarily paper over those two polls. those tensions between identity politics, democrats and class warfare democrats and we're starting to see it again. i think it's the outgrowth of this kind of election where they were so badly beaten among blue collar workers and, you know, what were thought of as reagan democrats. >> julie, to hear the president say perhaps the view of the american people is we need to shake things up, i mean, 2010, 2012, 2014, and now 2016. two-thirds of the state legislatures, republican. house and senate. republican. 34 governors. republican.

i mean, that's not just shaking things up. that is dramatically turning the country. >> absolutely is. there's actually an interesting comparison between obama and trump. obama is aligned with the democratic party on policy positions and the democratic party embraced him in a way republicans did not embrace trump for much of his campaign. these are two people who essentially ran as singular political figures. so it leaves us in a bit of a confusing situation right now, you actually have the majority of the country that approves of barack obama and yet you have democrats that are so decimated. trump is now going to face a similar situation, embraced by much of the republican party. he is separate from the republicans. he is his own political figure. some ways it's this weird commonality between two incredibly different men. >> meantime, mercedes, democrats are unified on one thing. that is steve bannon. they are going after what the president-elect, donald trump, named as his senior counselor and strategist. here's senator minority leader

harry reid today and john cornyn. >> as long as the champion of racial division is a step away from the oval office, it will be impossible to give trump's efforts to heal the nation seriously. >> we used to call people like that sore losers but frankly what he does is also contributed to the coarseening of our -- >> senior strategist, announced by president-elect trump. obviously former head of breitbart. also ran really the campaign from the inside. the donald trump campaign. here is allen dershowitz defending steve bannon. >> is he supported by bigots? >> yes, he is. but to show you an analogy of keith ellison, a decent, good person, were to be appointed the head of the democratic national committee, hamas would support it, would cheer and yell because he has had some association in

the past. look, i don't foe whether he's an anti-semite or not. i just don't think you should toss that phrase around casually. >> people are. >> the democrats in this election, one of the biggest problems they've had is the name calling toward the trump supporters, deplorable, racist, sexist. the list goes on and on. >> it goes both ways. >> the fact in so many television interviews -- easy answer would be you're a racist, sexist because you support donald trump. i think for steve bannon, the difficulty has been that he has come across being a controversial figure. say he is not a racist, pro-israel. what he understands clearly is the culture of america. this movement, need for a nation state.

finally tonight, one week after the election, we have heard from a lot of experts, a lot of lawmakers, we have heard from a lot of people about what a future with president trump might be like here in the u.s. well, one late night show decided we should find out what chirp have to tell us. >> how does donald trump make you feel? >> kind of iffy. >> when he became president, what was the face that you made? >> i made an angry face. >> let me see. [ laughter ] >> how does that make you feel and why? >> i don't really care because i'm canadian. >> are you worried that everybody is going to come to canadian. >> kind of but not snoop doing i want snoop dogg to

come. >> how do you think about donald trump? >> a good guy. >> is he a good guy. >> yeah. >> you like him? >> yeah. >> would you want him to be a babysitter? >> no. [ laughter ] >> is donald trump going to be good? >> is he going to be yuge. >> is he going to be huge. you never know whats are going to say. i will tell you my kids on the playground, there was political discussion on the playground. >> you should have the panel with the kids. >> yeah, maybe. so thanks for inviting us into your home tonight. that's it for this "special report," fair, balanced and unafraid. did you see tucker carlson last night? it was really good. "tucker carlson tonight" starts right now. >> it is wednesday, november 16th. trance i transition turmoil between

mr. trump? not according to trump. the cabinet members are at trump tower including ted cruz? suck it up buttercup. protesting the election results and offering pizza bringing in dogs and cancelling exams oo. >> you have a right to be a brat. you do not have the right to throw a temper tantrum on highway 80. >> the woman talking about everything outdoors and even her husband. >> i hear john say you are right? i thought the oy way i keep a positive spirit is by the grace of god. >> her incredible story and how the community is pulling together to help. "fox & friends first" starts

right now. ♪ >> we hope you are happy on this wednesday morning. you are watching "fox & friends first." i am jackie ibanez. >> i am heather childers. thank you for starting your day with us. great to you with us as well. >> nice to be here. >> president elect donald trump smooth shooting down the rumors of early turmoil. >> new names added to the roster while all lobbyists are removed. >> who is in and who is out? >> there were nearly 4,000 positions to fill in this administration. there are a lot of names being mentioned.