jenna: we learned a lot this hour. wine and football, always a good thing to turn to. jon: no arguing politics at thanksgiving, okay? [laughter] jenna: all right. we'll see you back here in an hour, everybody. jon: "outnumbered" starts now. sandra: fox news alert, the trump white house starting to take shape. fox news has learned the president-elect has made his picks for attorney general, cia director and national security adviser. this as more appointments could be made known today. this is "outnumbered," i'm sandra smith. here today, faulkner, meghan mccain, ainslee earhart today, and today's, #oneluckyguy, co-host of the five, juan williams is here. you don't have a children's book out, but you are outnumbered. >> am i the thanksgiving turkey?

[laughter] harris: you're the stuffing. >> i like stuffing. i'm a big fan. i can't wait for thursday. [laughter] sandra: i can't wait to get the show started. [laughter] we begin with president-elect trump filling three key posts in his cabinet and administration. senator jeff sessions accepting the offer from mr. trump to be his attorney general. the alabama republican was the first senator to endorse him and was a close adviser throughout the campaign. for cia director, the president-elect tapping mike pompeo, a kansas congressman. pompeo is a tea party republican and a fierce critic of president obama's nuclear deal with iran. and for national security adviser, retired lieutenant general michael flynn. general flynn, who served as director of the defense intelligence agency under president obama, has been a frequent be critic of the obama administration and the pentagon. doug mckelway live from trump tower where there's an unbelievable amount of activity this week and today on this friday.

doug, what's the latest there? >> reporter: yeah. well, hard to keep up with all the comes and goings of this cattle call right now. having said that, there are a couple of tidbits of new information. we've heard that general jack keane has withdrawn his name as a potential candidate for secretary of defense, apparently for personal reasons. donald trump set to be considering james mattis as secretary of defense. he succeeded, as you might recall, david petraeus as head of u.s. central command. he has combat experience and led troops in both iraq and afghanistan. this is important to donald trump who has vowed that he wants a general to head the department of defense, also somebody with managerial experience. there is one caveat to that, however. there is a rule in place which says that once you leave the pentagon, there has to be a window of eight years where you are supposed to stay away from offices like this. it is unclear to me at least at this early stage where --

whether that's a hard and fast rule. we shall see. also trump will be leaving trump tower at 2:00 this afternoon, we hear headed to new jersey to the trump national golf course, national golf club, i should say, in new jersey. he'll be staying there for the full weekend. that is where he plans to meet with mitt romney. this is a highly unusual meeting according to a lot of analysts who can't believe that there'd be any healing of this adversarial relationship that we saw during the cam indiana and during the primary -- campaign and during the primary season. you'll recall that famous speech from that era that mitt romney said of donald trump, and i quote: if trump's plans were ever implemented, the country would sink into a prolonged recession, and that was one of the more gentle critiques. trump also scheduled to meet with michelle rhee in new jersey. you might remember she was the superintendent of the d.c. public schools. she is no conservative, but she

became during that tenure a huge opponent of the calcified structure of public school systems across the united states, a huge fan of charter schools and of school choice. donald trump likes that very much about her. we also hear that golf mike he can wee -- governor mike huckabee will be meeting with trump before he departs for new jersey, and lastly about those picks today, mike flynn, mike pompeo and jeff sessions, get ready. some cold winter day in 2017 for a great theater and a bruising confirmation fight because democrats who are very wounded are out for blood, and they're going to try to make the most of the sessions and pompeo hearings because they have both been accused of making racially insensitive remarks way, way back in the past. so it's going to be confrontational at least from the democrats' perspective. back to you. sandra: all right, thank you, doug mckelway, outside trump tower. juan, what do you think so far?

so far we've got flynn, pompeo, sessions, these big announcements, more possibly to come later today. but so far your thoughts. >> well, i think we start off with the idea that really the trump campaign wants a smooth transition. there were charges that things were in disarray. we're seeing now, today especially, this flood of announcements, appointments. and i think in most cases what you're looking at is avoiding controversy in terms of the confirmation process in the senate. flynn, i don't believe, could have been con firmed. i think there's -- confirmed. i think there's so much controversy about him, charges not only about islamophobia but be then questions about how he had conducted himself at national security, was he a good manager, things that he said. he was even at one point thought of as potentially a vice presidential candidate running with donald trump -- sandra: made some comments on the trail. >> yeah, and he's a registered democrat, by the way. so i think, you know, flynn is

just so hot right now in the intelligence community and washington, i think there are a lot of people shaking their heads including koh lib powell be -- colin powell who in the wikileaks situation put out some comments. that's all there. harris: remember that, yeah. >> but if we look at pompeo and sessions, i think this is interesting. i think sessions is, just as doug had said, going to get some questions about the racially charged rhetoric jokes that he made in the past, but he's a senator. and you've got a republican majority, and i think you've got enough democrats who want to appear to work with the trump administration that i think sessions will get through. pompeo, again, widely respect ared on the hill. all these gentlemen are very conservative, by the way, sandra. there's no doubt about it, this is a strong conservative group. but i think pompeo is so respected, a harvard grad, well experienced, former -- he'll get through. sandra: well, they're going to try to make the case that those comments by sessions were made some, i don't know, 30 years ago. that would be a problem, is what

you're saying. meghan, what to you make so far of the picks? meghan: i think with jeff sessions, he was the first person to endorse him, the first sitting senator. he's been on the trail for him, a great surrogate, so donald trump rewards loyalty. i'm not surprised by this pick at all. that being said, some of hid comments -- his comments that were made, yes, 30 years ago, i guess they had something to do with the kkk. i don't think donald trump cares, but it is going to be something -- sandra: so president reagan, to be clear, nominated sessions for a federal judgeship in alabama in 1986. in testimony at the confirmation hearing, sessions said he thought the kkk was okay. that is what we're -- meghan: and, again, he is a sitting senator, he has a very high profile. general flynn is more interesting to me just because, again, he had sort of a negative -- when he left the obama administration, it wasn't with on good terms. huge critic of the way they've handled iew sis, how president

obama's handled everything foreign policy wise. he's also the main person people point to regarding vladimir putin and donald trump's relationship with him, meaning he shares the same feelings of trying to unite the united states and russia together. some people who consider it somewhat controversial and maybe not the smartest move -- sandra: ainsley, you've been covering this all week, it's been awesome to watch you on "fox & friends" in the morning, but we've been watching them closely because they have been close to donald trump for quite some time. ainsley: sean spicer who's on the communication team for donald trump, he was on the morning show today, and he was talking about, you know, we've heard the basket of deplorables? this morning he was talking about the bucket of landing teams, that's what they're calling these. [laughter] and today was national security. monday's going to be the economy, maybe that's why he's meeting with mitt romney. and on wednesday he said they're going to be choosing someone to run the domestic policy landing team, veterans affairs and

health and human services. harris: you know what's interesting about mitt romney, he actually could wear a lot of different hats, perhaps the hat of secretary of state. i'm guessing just based on how this is lining up that there's a home for -- meghan: fascinating. harris: i still think the most interesting name to pop up is senator ted cruz out of texas. when you start bringing onboard not just a rival, but they were bitter rivals. we'll talk more about it in detail later, but what shows me is that president-elect trump is looking at not just bringing in those people -- and you and i use this word a lot -- sick pants, but -- sycophants, bringing in people that doesn't always say yes to you -- >> here's problem. there are a lot of people who value loyalty on the trump team to a fare-thee-well, and i think there's going to be some plowback if you get -- blowback if you get somebody like romney who was so critical --

sandra: he called donald trump a phony and a fraud. meghan: i don't believe he voted for him either. >> for real? [laughter] ainsley: i'm not entirely sure -- >> i was joking. ainsley: i think he's more fascinating than ted cruz because ted cruz ultimately came out and campaigned for him. i would love to be a fly on the wall. i've met mitt romney, i know the romneys pretty well, it'll be an interesting conversation -- ainsley: he's smart, he's a billionaire, he might be the perfect fit. sandra: well said. well, there could be more surprises coming as president-elect trump meets with some of his most bitter rivals from the campaign including who we just talked about, mitt romney. but could mr. trump actually name these critics to his cabinet? plus, are president obama and first lady michelle obama preparing to take the mantle as leaders of the democratic party? what this means as democrats regroup after their 2016 loss. ♪

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♪ ♪ harris: well, happy friday, everybody. weaver going to get back to this juicy topic. president-elect donald trump starts to form his cabinet. one of his top advisers says

he's absolutely open to selecting former rivals. mr. trump is set to meet with mitt romney, and he's already met with south carolina governor nikki haley and senator ted cruz. all three battled with the president-elect during the campaign, as you well know. but a transition team official says the goal now is to unify the republican party. here's some of that. >> he wants to get the best people in there, and i think it's really shown a, i think that's something that a lot of people would really have a lot of respect for, the way he's said, hey, maybe we butted heads before, but you know what? now we're on the same team, and we've got to go and lead the country. harris: all right. want to update our comments in the first block. a saturday meeting now with mitt romney, and i want to come to you, ainsley, because you had brought him up as one example, but there are some other examples of rivals. one is kelly ayotte, and your thoughts on that. ainsley: kelly ayotte supported him, and when she was asked -- she was running in her own election, and she was asked by

the media do you consider donald trump a role model, i think for girls, they asked, and she said, yes. she got so much backlash, then she said she can't support him, she's not going to vote for him, she's going to write in mike pence. well, she was neck and neck with her opponent. she lost her election. so it appears the constituents were furious with her. many people thought she needed to stick by trump's side and be loyal to him. harris: you know, one of the things i i heard you say in the leadup to the election, meg land, it isn't so much that you stick by, can you just stick to whatever your guns are? can you keep an opinion? meghan: i'm a huge fan of kelly ayotte, and she only lost by 1,000 votes, it was very tight. i think, unfortunately, she played the political game the wrong way. that being said, there are rumors she could join his administration. she knows a lot about foreign policy. i love seeing strong conservative women getting big roles, places that would help

with his problems with women. i think it's a good choice. harris: so kellyanne conway was taking selfies, and she had a picture with kelly ayotte yesterday on her twitter stream. what are your thoughts about bringing rivals onboard, and are there any democrats we maybe don't know about yet? >> well, i think flynn is a democrat -- harris: you mentioned that, although i don't think that's first thing that comes to people's minds -- >> no, not at all. [laughter] ainsley: is he still a democrat? [inaudible conversations] >> he's always been a democrat. harris: we can probably guess. iowans ames he's been clear about that, he did vote for donald trump. >> but my feeling about this is you get the best people. now, as i said to you, i think there's going to be some people who have been trump loyalists who will say why not keep the trump-loyal team? you look at nikki haley, governor of south carolina, wow. i mean, so it's not just mitt romney who had scathing comments about donald trump, it was nikki

haley as well. and, but, you know, i'm encouraged when i see nikki haley, a woman -- we're talking about republican women coming in, having the face of women as part of it. i think it's very important. and i also think that it's great news when you hear about someone like michelle rhee who i think is a democrat -- harris: yeah. i wanted to push in on that too. she's been working as of late with kevin johnson, who's now the mayor of sacramento, and they've been talking about how charter schools are -- >> they're married, all by the . harris: oh, are they? genius me. they've been talking about how important those schools are, and i'm fascinated by this puck as well. sandra: going back to nikki haley, she's an interesting one because in the primary season she supported two of his gop rivals before coming around to donald trump. but listen, donald trump going back to his business background and business expertise, i mean, in business you merge with rivals, you have ceo withs jump

ship to work for rivals. i mean, this is the way it works. you pick the best people for the job. donald trump could actually come out looking very, very good reaching out to people who didn't always support him. iowans ames i'm the first person to say this surprises me. meghan: him reaching out and trying to give olive branches to people who criticized him. i don't know him, i've been told he holds grudges. i think omarosa said we're making a list, and we're coming after you. but i think it really shows the kind of leadership we can expect, and i have taken great, you know, solace, and it's given me great calm in the past few days knowing -- ainsley: i agree. but he just wants to be a fighter and win. he keeps saying we're going to win. get used to winning, you're going to get sick of winning. [laughter] look, he invited hillary to his wedding, he gave money to her campaign. on the trail we saw them going back and forth at each other. they were running against each other. now that he'sen within in his

latest interview with leslie stahl, she's a good person, i don't want to hurt her. i could not believe that. [laughter] harris: they were both asked to say nice things about her, and he said she's a fighter. that was the one thing that he respected most in her as well. ainsley: he respects that in other people because that's what he wants to be. >> one last point. i would say remember that obama and clinton said the nastiest things about each other on the campaign trail. and then, of course, she was appointed secretary of state. i will say with regard to donald trump, you know, it is true that he is reaching out and going beyond now. i just wonder if it's possible that some people will think this is all about ambition, that he wants to create this image, and mitt romney wants a job. harris: can i just ask one quick question? if it benefits america, does it matter? >> does it matter? harris: yeah, if it benefits america. >> no. you have to have genuine trust between a president and --

ainsley: yeah, because remember leslie staal asked about his brand, and he said more important than anything is this country. harris: we'll move on. maybe hillary clinton and the democrats were on so something about james comey's letter. what president-elect trump's former campaign manager is saying about the impact of the fbi reopening the investigation into the e-mails so close to the election. and why congressman tim ryan is running against nancy pelosi, and you have to hear why pelosi says she's not to blame for the democrats' poor showing last week. stay with us. i'm terrible at golf.

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meghan: president-elect trump's former campaign manager, corey lewandowski, crediting fbi director james comey echoing remarks hillary clinton made on a conference call with donors. he says after the fbi renewed its investigation with just 11 days left in the race, it was, quote, amazing for the trump campaign. watch. >> what that did was remind people that there are two different rules in washington, those for the elites and privileged and those for everybody else. and whether director comey ever moved forward with that investigation, it allows the campaign to have a little extra spring in their step, to redouble his efforts. meghan: this comes as retiring senate minority leader harry reid is now slamming the fbi chief with some very harsh words. watch. >> there's no question in my mind, she would have won this election without any problem if comey had not been the republican operative that he is. for example -- >> those are strong words, senator.

>> but i believe it. he came out what against the attorney general had recommended, against what common sense dictates. he is the reason she lost the election. so you want one reason? that's it. comey, he can be fat and happy in his office there for seven more years after having thrown an election to donald trump. meghan: my gosh, harry reid. do you agree with that? i didn't agree with this sentiment at all because hillary's numbers were already slipping. i actually think this does a complete disservice to the people donald trump reached out to in the rust belt. a lot of -- the thing i think people are forgetting there's a lot of people that voted for obama that switched and voted for trump, so i think social security just shortsighted. >> let on "60 minutes" last sunday when he was asked about comey and whether he would keep him, he said, i'm not sure. he wanted to talk to him because he wanted to hear what comey had to say about what -- why he did

what he did. i didn't know donald trump had any concerns about comey, and hearing from corey lewandowski you would think maybe, in fact, he's grateful for what comey did. but instead, trump says i want to talk to him. i don't know what this guy was up to. and it suggests to me in the political class right now there is great concern about jim comey. i think it's long lasting. i think when we look at the exit polls we see people who made a late decision in that race, almost all went to donald trump. and the question is why do we see -- that's what defeated the polls. the polls thought it might split, you might get some for gary johnson, jill stein. almost all of them went to donald trump, and i think there was a great sense of is she going to be indicted as president, would she be impeached as president. and, of course, it picked the scab totally off the trustworthiness question which was a constant weight for himself. harris: i think you mitt the nail on the head -- you hit the nail on the head, donald trump

wants people who know how to do their jobs and to win. if you have somebody in your camp who goes back and forth, potentially can knife you. and that's -- not literally. [laughter] >> no, but i heard what you said. harris: politically, yeah. and so for hillary clinton and others to have pointed specifically to james comey's timing of that investigation part deux, as i call it, do you want somebody in your camp who could potentially hurt you? he only has the ability, as i understand it, to accept a resignation. this is not an appointment by the president. but it's interesting that he's even considering it. >> i agree. ainsley: she lost this election on her own. she shouldn't have even been doing this. if she had not had a private server, this wouldn't even be an issue, that's the bottom line. >> i understand what you're saying, but you understand that the fbi director totally broke with all precedent. sandra: welcome back, doesn't this -- juan, doesn't this go back to the problem with the democratic party right now, harry reid, does he not get why hillary clinton actually won

this race -- >> lost. sandra: sorry, lost this race, and there's one person to blame for that and that's jim comey? [laughter] i mean -- >> meghan: any self-reflection or culpability for your role in the loss. i'm not saying james comey was a great asset, but to completely put all the blame on him, it will hurt democratic leaders going forward. if you don't look at why you lost -- >> excuse me, i thought this was corey lewandowski. meghan: i disagree with him. sandra: he's not doing his candidate a favor by saying that's why donald trump won the race, but i think we need to move on. oh, it's me! [laughter] nancy pelosi has a challenger, ohio congressman tim ryan announcing he's running against the california democrat for minority leader. here's why ryan threw his hat into the ring. >> we're not winning, and it's time for a change. i mean, we got shellacked tuesday, but we go back to 2010, we lost, 2012 we didn't win enough -- >> how many house races have you lost since barack obama was in office?

>> 68 since 2010. >> you've lost 68 since 2010? >> 68 seats since 2010. we have the lowest, the small estimator since 1929 -- smallest majority since 1929 in our caucus, and we have the smallest number since reconstruction. if that's not a call for doing something differently, i don't know what is. sandra: you heard it there. congressman ryan also says democrats need a leader who can stick to the rust belt constituents that he represents in ohio. meantime, minority leader pelosi says she has support of two-thirds of her caucus and that any disappointment house dems fared last week is not her fault. listen. >> we cannot be taking the full responsibility for what happened in the election. you know, we have to do our after-action review thoroughly and see what we could have done differently. but a lot of it was beyond our control. sandra: all right. so congressman ryan though making the point, juan, we've got some problems, and we need to deal with them now.

>> without a doubt. and i think tim ryan's also an inestimable guy. he's a rust belt congressman. he has also said he can go south and talk to people and say, you know what? this is what the democratic party stands for. we are concerned about jobs. so he has a real platform. the problem? pelosi is the biggest fundraiser coming out of california. she has raised hundreds of millions of dollars for democrats since i think it's 2002. and it's hard to give up on that. and can and so a lot of people are in debt to nancy pelosi. one last point on this, nancy pelosi's in her 70s. you think about, you know, some of people who are on her house leadership team, and they are also an older generation. and i think people like tim ryan in his 40s, and you think about some of the base of the democratic party at this point, you know, i think it was 55 plus percent of people under 34 voted for hillary clinton. they want activist, energetic

people to the take the fight -- ainsley: bernie sanders supporters want to burn this thing to the ground. harris: bernie's older than all of them. ames a.n.s.w.e.r. other than fundraising, what does she have to offer? i don't understand the reasoning for keeping her. she's part of the reason why you guys have this historic loss. and i think keeping the same person in place at least symbolically, and i've talked to a lot of millennial democrats, they are so mad right now, threatening to become an independent. says you have one year to clean this up, specifically points to nancy pelosi. whether you like it or not, when you're in this leadership position, you have to take some of the blame. we saw it in the republican party, he also said in that interview or in another network interview he said it's the definition of insanity, continue to vote for nancy pelosi, because the definition of insanity is do the same thing over and over and keep getting the same results. harris: it's time for your party to find some new stars, and you're not going to do that with

the people at the helm who hold the pursestrings for the money. how do we know that? sure, there was a lot of criticism for republicans having 17 candidates. you had two. both of them were north of 65, so you want to talk about age? but it really comes down to ideas. you had one that was an elite, wealthy, wealthy woman, couldn't even get her speeches, you know? we don't know what she said to special people on wall street, and then you had a guy who led a movement, and he was silenced inside the party. sandra: juan, how would you describe the state of your party right now? >> i think it's in disarray and looking for leadership. we hear conversations about in the senate can chuck schumer, senator from new york, can he really represent this energetic, activist, populist base that was so attracted to bernie sanders? it's not that sanders would be the leader, but you need people like elizabeth warren with, she's another one -- harris: she's been very active of late. >> very active. or you get someone like michelle

obama. meghan: you guys have got to start reaching out to young people too though. young democrats are angry, angry. they wanted bernie in huge numbers, and they feel very betrayed -- >> you know, about 10% of sanders' voters voted for trump? meghan: yeah, it's fascinating. sandra: all right. the campaign is over, but president-elect trump is planning to hit the road again in a victory tour of states he won in the election. is this a good way to thank his voters, or could the time and money be put to better use? we will debate that next. ♪ ♪ i'm about to start the nature's bounty hair, skin and nails challenge. so in 30 days, my future self will thank me. thank you. i become a model?!? yes. no. start the challenge today and notice more beautiful hair, skin & nails or your money back. one nation in all of human history was built on that bedrock, ours.

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a campaign aide says it will happen in the next couple of weeks after thanksgiving. as for where, he says, quote: obviously, to the states we won and the swing states we flipped over. that will likely include pennsylvania, michigan, wisconsin. part of mrs. clinton's blue wall which failed to hold for her as well as some traditionally red states. what do you think about a big party, ainsley? iowans aibs he loves this. he loves his rallies. and i think he could breathe after that last debate, because, i mean, he did great in the last and second debates, so i think he can breathe in and enjoy the rallies. who wouldn't love to jump up on stage and just everyone in the crowd loves you? i mean, that's how -- harris: that's us. [laughter] in the green room. ainsley: kelly anne conway said this tour is called thank you america tour. isn't that sweet? harris: what do you do about the 60 or so million who didn't vote for him? >> i think he's going to rural areas -- harris: but they'll see it on

tv, what do you think? >> i don't think he's going to michigan, and he's not going to detroit. i don't think he's going to the big cities which are, you know, they held if we're talking about the blue wall. the question in my mind, is this spiking the football? you know how they say act like you've been there before if you score a touchdown? sandra: oh, juan. >> no, that's question. is he saying i won -- sandra: he was just elected by the people, and he's going to go see the people -- >> no, no, i love that. what i was saying this response to what harris said, is he, or in fact, saying i want to bring america together? i am the american president, which is what he said, by the way, the night that he won? terrific speech, and he said i want to unify. not just republicans, i want to unify americans. harris: do you see him going to -- do you think he needs to go to those places where he didn't have victories? meghan: i actually think this is a bad move. it is very easy to get addicted to the rallies and the fame and

people adoring you, but i think he needs to take this seriously, continue expanding his cabinet. i think this is rah criticism -- a criticism enr republicans lauded against president obama, because he wanted to do it -- harris: that's an interesting point. meghan: i would wait a little longer into his administration. ainsley: what about the thank you america tour, just to say thank you -- meghan: i think he should focus on getting his white house ready. listen, i get it. i'm sure it helps his morale, the people around him, i'm sure it gets him excited to be president, but i still think -- >> believe me, if you've been out in front of the white house lately, they've already constructed the parade barricades and the stands. there's going to be a big -- harris: well, inauguration is a celebration. >> that's what it is. harris: let's not lose sight of the fact that you get to thank america. but i think based on just bipartisan language about things like the premiums of obamacare, there are a lot of ways he could show he loves america. ainsley: the flip side is people

could criticize him if he didn't do in this because he did rally after rally after rally. if he just said i'm going to take a break, i'm going to sleep, people might accuse him of being hillary -- meghan: his base of supporters are going to love this. this is going to be great -- harris: what about the 60 million others? meghan: the problem is the independents, the people who doesn't vote for him -- ainsley: what if the message is, hey, come to the rally, get to know me, give me a chance? meghan: listen, every experiment he's done has worked so far, if i were advising -- sandra: i think we need to leave it there, but i think it's part of what he promised to the american people when he was campaigning. harris: as president obama gets ready to turn his keys over to the white house -- does it work like that? [laughter] don't they have a code? he says he wants to help mold the next michelle and barack obama, where are those two people? is that what democrats really

want since some see the election as a repudiation of the current president? ♪ ♪ just put on a breathe right strip. it instantly opens your nose up to 38% more than cold medicine alone. shut your mouth and say goodnight mouthbreathers. breathe right.

sandra: more "outnumbered" in just a moment, but first to jon scott with what's coming up in the second hour of "happening now." jon: hey, sandra. more on the transition of president-elect trump. day.

we have the latest on who's where. the founder of tmz joins us, harry levin, he got a tour of the white house by the president himself, howard kurt also joining us on the so-called fake news. all that ahead, "happening now." sandra? sandra: thank you, jon. jon: thanks. meghan: as president obama gets ready to turn over his keys to the white house, he tells the "new yorker" magazine his next mission will include rebuilding the dnc, counseling the next generation of leadership and molding the next barack and michelle obama. the president saying, quote: i think michelle and i are interested in creating platforms that train, empower and boost the next generation of leadership. what we'll be most interested in is programming that helps the next michelle obama or barack obama who right now is sitting out there and has no idea how to make their ideals live, isn't quite sure what to do to give them resources and ways to think

about social change. so i have this bet that president obama is going to be the complete and total opposite of george w. bush, that he's going to be active and vocal and on tv as much as possible during trump's presidency. heifers harris well, this also made me question whether michelle obama might be looking at politics. how many first ladies do we have out there? people running for president is a different category than their spouses, right? what do they mean when they say they want to prepare the next michelle obama in particular? ainsley: and what if she ran for president one day? would they be the next clintons, he was the pratt then she was the -- the president, then she was the president? harris: i don't know if the nation particularly likes dynasties. [laughter] what do you think, juan? >> i think on this couch today you guys have pointed out the bench on the democratic side looks thread bear by comparison -- threadbare, by

compare beson. sandra: we pointed that out? >> i would say to you if you look at people right now in the congress and i'm thinking right now the fight going on over who will chair the democratic national committee, and you get people like keith ellison and howard dean, i'm not sure how far we're pushing. but then you start looking around and come across people like julian castro, you know, the secretary, or you think about people bike cory booker -- like corey booker or what's going on with andrew cuomo, the governor here in new york, and now you start to see well maybe there are democrats who need a national profile, and if they get some support from the likes of a barack obama -- who, by the way, i think his rating is over 55% approval at this juncture which is astounding, but also among democrats he's up in the 80% -- ainsley: chuck todd was talking about how no democrat wants to even utter the name clinton. >> wow with. meghan: we have a clip.

>> even though she didn't get wiped out on the electoral map, it seems like the clintons are being quietly wiped off the map of electoral politics but instead of being done in a public way, a la dukakis or carter, it's just quiet. no rallying, no nothing. just hoping if you don't say the name, it's like beetlejuice, it just never appears. [laughter] meghan: ainsley, what do you think? just can't say the name clinton? ainsley: you know, i wish her well. i know some people on the campaign, and i know that it feels like death to them. you don't wish that on anyone. there's got to be a winner, and there's got to be a loser, but they're all out of work now, so my heart does go out to them because she worked so hard on it. i'm not saying that i believe in her policies, but you do feel for them because she worked her tail off. harris: i have another theory. there's been word that chelsea clinton might run for -- ainsley: no way, no way. i tried to get an interview with her, she won't talk to the media.

harris: she actually may come back and take another bite at the apple. meghan: they were floating that two days after their loss, too, which i came on this couch and said how utterly bizarre and tone deaf i thought it was. she won't even give an interview. i don't know how you run for congress doing that. ainsley: you'd probably know better than anyone because the daughters of -- meghan: yeah, and i did real interviews, and i wasn't scared. she's 36 or 37, mother of two. if you want to run for congress, the media's not going to go easy on her. sandra: as democrats take this look within and start to organize for the next four years, who -- what's the democrats going to be looking for? what are they going to be looking for in leadership other than the clintons and obamas? >> i talked earlier about the idea that the base of the party is pretty far left and young. they're young people. that's the -- i mean, clearly, those are the ones who gave their support to hillary clinton in this last election. but i would go beyond that. i mean, you stop and think about

who are the influencers in the democratic party. people love joe biden, they love barack obama among the democrats, i'm speaking. and the question is who do they see as worthy of handing the baton to. meghan: all right, we've got to move on. who doesn't love a new baby? ainsley has a little girl, and she wrote a new book for her. it's the cutest thing ever, and the best way for you to start your weekend. the sweet story next. ♪ ♪ you have dinner on the table at 6:00 every night. hey guys, i'm home! of course no one said it had to be cooked.

campbell's one dish recipes, designed around one pan and your schedule. made for real, real life.

♪ ♪ harris: she is a new mom and a new author. ainsley earhart's children's book is entitled "take heart, my child," and it is a personal message to her little one that you just saw and to children and adults everywhere. you know, i love it, i read it to my girls. the messages of empowerment, i'm curious, because i needed them too. why do you think this was so needed right now? ainsley: i think after the election and talking about isis, i read it the other day, and i just thought i need to hear this, i need to be reminded just to take heart and to take a step back and realize everything's going to be okay. and there's a -- when i was meeting and we were trying to come up with a title, i said

there's a scripture that i think about when we talk about how crazy this world is. there's a scripture that comes to mind: take heart, i have overcome the world. i said that on "the five," when i was with you. >> you sure did. ainsley: the publisher said, that's the title of book. the timing was pelt. our country needs bonding -- >> and in time for the holidays, it's a great gift. [laughter] harris: whether you're a parent or not, i think i'm going to read my favorite passage, because you know i'm a big dr. seuss fan. [laughter] so i'm always looking for little nuggets to tell my kids for when things don't work out. ainsley writes: but if you get lost in the ocean's vast tides, take heart, my child, i'll be by your side. and then there's a big ocean here which we all know we can get lost in. i love it. sandra: the illustrations are beautiful. ainsley: jamie kim did a great job. this is her first book. she's from north carolina, and

we had contacted some other illustrators. this just shows you how things work out perfectly. we contacted a few, they had other projects going on, and her agent sent in work, the first time ever that the publisher had ever seen her work, and we were like, wow, this is great. we sent the manuscript, she did the pictures to match the manuscript, and we got them back, and they are amazing. and 10% of everything we make goes to folds of honor -- >> i was just going to mention that because -- sandra: what is it? >> for children of fallen soldiers. boy, that is so sweet. i just think, first of all, as a granddad, i think it's a great christmas gift, i really do. i think for kids, for young people, it's not so much that i think the kids can read it, the ones who would most benefit from it, i think it's just so great for bedtime reading for granddad to be sitting there -- ainsley: oh, juan, that's so sweet. harris: like a little one --

sandra: i read it to my 3-year-old, she was captivated. ainsley: it's out of stock on a few sites, but they've reordered, you'll get the first few weeks of christmas -- i mean, of december. harris: great to have you both. have a great weekend. "happening now" ames eans thanks y'all, i appreciate support. president-elect trump 52 speaking with the head of nato. they agreed on the importance of the western nato alliiance. >> they also discussed defense spending and funding. >> president-elect trump announcing who will take key positions in his administration. and also, as we approach the busiest travel day of the year, new concerns of security in our nation's airport. and their mission is to remember and honor remember heroes laid to rest in arlington national