Skip to main content

tv   MSNBC Live  MSNBC  December 28, 2016 3:00pm-4:01pm PST

3:00 pm
year worth remembering. we wish you a great happy and healthy year ahead. that's all for us tonight. >> here are the headlines. clash on the international stage. two very different visions about how to make peace in the middle east. is there tension between president-elect and the president? late today, donald trump talking to report betters his relationship with president obama. plus, protests manned for inauguration day. can trump unite the country? and inside the cia, the agency helped drive the assessment that vladimir putin meddled with the elections. we're hear from the ceo office here interrogated saddam hussein. what the agency gets right and what it gets wrong.
3:01 pm
we start with secretary of state john kerry and the israeli prime minister. secretary kerry spoke for more than an hour. he defended the decision not to veto u.n. measure vetoing israel. and he warned that israeli settlements could jeopardize prospects for peace. >> despite our best efforts over the years, the two-state solution is now in serious jeopardy. we have to be clear about what is happening in the west bank. the israeli prime minister publicly supports a two-state solution. but his current colt is the most right wing in history. the result is that policies of this government which the prime minister himself just described as more committed to settlements than any in israel's history. are leaning in the opposite
3:02 pm
direction. they're leading toward one state. >> hours later, benjamin netanyahu hit back. >> now i must express my deep disappointment with the speech today of john kerry. a speech that was almost as unbalanced as the anti-israel resolution passed at the u.n. last week. >> today palestinian president says he is ready to resume peace talks with israel if it halts settlement constructions staying minute they this agree on cease all settlement activities, including in and around jerusalem, and agree on mutual reciprocity, the palestinian leadership stands toward resume permanent negotiations. meanwhile, donald trump jumped into the fray three weeks before he takes office. he tweet this saying we cannot continue to let israel be
3:03 pm
treated with such total disdaen and disrespect. they used to have a great friend in the u.s. but not anymore. the beginning of the end was the horrible iran deal and now this. stay strong, israel. january 20th is fast approaching. in response, president-elect trump, thank you for your warm friendship and your clear-cut support for israel. >> that speech won't for 72 minutes. and it was basically to and or the great israel for being the problem of why we have not had baes the palestinians. what i didn't hear it was fact a peace offer was given by an israeli prime minister in 2000. that was rejected. it followed a wave of terrorism against israel. i did not hear that in 2008, another sweeping peace offer was given and rejected by the palestinians. >> tracking all the international reaction, my friend and colleague. take us through the reaction
3:04 pm
that has been playing out internationally to both the speech and israel's comments. >> quite predictable, israeli newspapers reeling at the strength of john kerry's remarks. a lot of other newspapers here in europe have the two men as writ, side by side. netanyahu and john kerry and talking about the blistering speech that john kerry made. it was a war of words, if you li like. it looks like it is going to the final weeks of the presidency. that speech is probably taking that relationship to a new low. it is a speech he's been trying to give for months, if not years. he probably got it off his chest today in a speech that he said was candid. friends talking on friends.
3:05 pm
benjamin netanyahu didn't sound like a friend two hours later in his reply which i thought was almost bordering on the resentful. so two very candid speeches. john kerry with the belief in two-state solution. and it was also a warning. firing a flare across israel, staying settlements contribute nothing israel's security and only isolate it further globally. john kerry said he was offering uncomfortable truths to israel. as you've heard, next came mr. benjamin netanyahu speaking in english. he claimed he want to do it. he called kerry's speech disappointing, a shame, unbalanced, biased, and a lot of other things. he said he had proof that the u.s. was behind the u.n.
3:06 pm
resolution last week against israel. kerry of course denies that. the two of them at logger heads. this relationship is only getting worse as we approach the final three weeks of the obama administration. >> a critical time indeed. hive from london. congressman sherman, great to have you with us on this busy day. you released a statement prior the secretary kerry's speech saying you were disappointed by the passage of the u.n. security council resolution. i'm curious to get your thoughts. what is your response? how do you think that speech played out? >> well, this is not unprecedented during the reagan and carter administrations. you had similar resolutions passed at the united nations and the u.s. failed to veto them. that being said, i think that there is an inordinate focus on israeli settlements, as if
3:07 pm
they're barrier to peace. there was a ten-month moratorium on settlements on which peace was not reached. the real barrier is that the palestinian side does not accept the idea of a two-state solution in which israel will be a jewish state. you have hamas that very loudly says it wants the ethnic cleansing from the middle east, or genocide. then you have the palestinian authority using this phrase, right of return, to cover up the fact that they have a very similar position to hamas. so you can spend a lot of time criticizing this apartment building or that apartment building being built. but the real barrier to peace is that the palestinian leadership have be gone to their people and said if there is going to be a two-state solution, one of those states will be a jewish state.
3:08 pm
>> there are parties within israel that don't recognize the two-state solution. >> look. it is a democratic society. i'm sure there are parties in israel that believe we have a flat earth. everybody can speak their views. the government's solution is a two-state solution. it is unfortunate to see trump appoint an ambassador who also does not believe in a two-state solution. >> by logic, could you not say that the plo or the authorities involved with israel, despite what hamas thinks, they are representatives of the palestinian people and they believe in a two-state solution. they've acknowledged and second the u.n. resolution that says a jewish homeland. why is that not sufficient? >> because they believe in the
3:09 pm
right of return which means, there are no records. that any of those ancestors ever lived in israel has the try it move there and vote and vote for the expulsion of all the residents of israel. so the p.a. position is well disguised. they may even fool a lot of americans. but the p.a. position is two states as long as they're both arab states. when the p.a. comes forward and says there will be two states, and the right of return means palestinians can move to the palestinian state, then we'll see that they believe in a two-state solution. until then they believe in it, only if an unlimited number of people, none with any records, gets on move to israel and vote immediately. >> and let me ask but the core position.
3:10 pm
the issue of settlements. we've seen subsequent or successive administrations. both republicans and democrats, as you've cited, who try reign in construction on the west bank and east jerusalem. none have been successful in preventing that. do you believe there is a fundamental problem in the inability f the u.s. government to leverage with israel, to stop what american administrations have felt are an obstacle to peace? >> the way is to have a negotiated peace. that could be done if they started negotiations now in an unconditional basis or it could be done in a way that the palestinian authority agrees that the quote right of return allows people to move to a new palestinian state but is not a well covered effort to destroy the state of israel. if that were to happen, i think
3:11 pm
you would have a moratorium on settlements. the focus that constant attempts to kill as many civilians as possible should be mentioned in just a sentence or two. but that building an apartment building on the wrong side, that is a problem. a faults emphasis. so yes. israel has dismantled settlements in the sinai, in gaza, and in any solution would have to dismantle in the west bank. we have to start with both sides taking a reasonable position, or both sides deciding to negotiate without any pre condition at all. the position of the palestinian authority is we want an unlimited right of return for any arabic speaking person. nobody has any records.
3:12 pm
to move to israel and we want the israelis to stop any building and then we'll open discussions. that's an unreasonable position. >> the group, americans for peace now advocates for a two-start solution. >> first, what did you make of the speech? >> look. i think it was an excellent speech. there's a lot in there and it is well worth reading. there isn't a lot new. they are very well known and established. secretary carry went through some of the key numbers, the nonstop construction of settlements that has accompanied the peace process. and it has accompanied the obama administration's efforts. he went you this a lot of
3:13 pm
detail, what the imme indications are for a possible two-state solution down the road. it is somewhat contradicted by the reported of negotiations. settlements have continue asked even accelerated during periods of negotiations. so you know, they laid down an important marker today. there is not a lot new but it is emphatic. a lot of facts on the record with very great clarity and a great defense of the u.n. security council resolution which frankly people talk about it as if it is unprecedented. it is not only not unpress debit. if the obama administration had vetoed that security council resolution, it would have been a decisive change in the policy in favor of settlement. >> i want to give you a chance
3:14 pm
to responsible to the charge that we heard. saying this issue is not about settlements. it is the willingness to recognize israel as a jewish state. their inability to stop as we've heard in the past, exam manies of incitement against, violence against israelis. what do you make to that charge that we've heard repeatedly throughout the day? >> i think there's a lot of obstacles to peace. settlements are one of them. no one is suggesting there are others. the bottom line is as secretary kerry said, if there is ever going to be a peace agreement, there won't be an agreement possible. and by the way, that is their movement. the purpose of settlement is to
3:15 pm
make it impossible of it is very cheer. i feel like there is a misdirection. don't look at the arguments on the ground. the people behind them have a cheer agenda. it is not the only obstacle to peace. if we are ever going to have a two-state solution, we'll to have find a way to carve out two viable states on this land. the constant effort makes it impossible, harder every day. >> the other thing, that this speech is too little too late, secretary of state john kerry said we're speaking truth to our values. we want to be on the record to say we want a two state. but in reality, it the won't challenge anything on the ground. how do you see this playing out with the new incoming administration?
3:16 pm
and is this a bench mark that has been moved down the road because of the fact that trump's incoming administration seems to be favorment settlements? and with the right wing government of benjamin netanyahu. >> we're waiting to see. certainly the early signs are not encouraging in terms of the names being used to cover this portfolio. i think a lot of people are looking at and it moping once the administration gets going, some of the normal constraints on policy exert themselves. the broader interests in the region make it very difficult for a president to go all in with an agenda. and it puts us at odds with the the region.
3:17 pm
so it is not clear what they'll do. separate from that, the question of what europe and others will do. and i think a lot of the world is looking at and it saying, this will strengthen what has been the momentum in europe and elsewhere to say we support israel. we support the right to exist. we are strong allies of israel. our support stops at the green line. >> it will be interesting to see how europe reacts and the rest of the world reacts. decades and no solution in sight. >> over three weeks from the inauguration, trump's team says he will deliver a message that can unite the country. and later, digging into the central intelligence agency. helping to drive the claim that
3:18 pm
russ russia. and a cia agent who interviewed saddam hussein is speaking out. when coughing keeps your family awake. breathe easier with vicks vaporub. soothing cough relief that starts working instantly.
3:19 pm
the full value of your totaled new car. the guy says, "you picked the wrong insurance plan." no, i picked the wrong insurance company.
3:20 pm
with new car replacement™, we'll replace the full value of your car plus depreciation. liberty mutual insurance.
3:21 pm
nobody knows the system better than me. which is why i alone can fix it. >> it was one of donald trump's most memorable lines from the convention. a speech that showed dark imagery and not a almost angry tone. this week we learned the man who wrote that speech,stein miller, has a new job, writing the inaugural address. the speech will focus on uniting americans and that may be a tough task with major protests
3:22 pm
planned for the weekend. one other detail we got today. news that bishop wayne jackson who met with trump in detroit during the campaign will give benediction. joining me now, the director of communications of the inaugural committee. great to have you with us this evening. >> thank you. >> let's talk about the president-elect and what he needs to say to unite americans. we know some of the areas were differences between him and his opponents and those who supported hillary clinton. where can president-elect trump put out an olive branch to connect with people who opposed him. >> it was a tough campaign and a tough political season. as we look forward to post politics, post partisanship. what we're thinking about is american security, the strength of the american economy, making sure americans are safe in their homes and their jobs. you've seen donald trump talk about that already. the jobs with carrier, making sure the jobs stay in the united states of america.
3:23 pm
making sure we're not spending too much on air force one or the military planes with lockheed martin. >> so there is going to be some scheduled protests around inauguration that weekend. will the president have a message for those a man on protesting in d.c. that weekend? >> well, the message from the inaugural committee, we understand that people in this country are free to express opposing opinions. we have the first amendment which we all cherish. as long as folks do so peacefully, with all the rules and regulations, that's their right. we hope that people will unite with us and unite in celebrating the country coming together in this peaceful transition of power. >> and let me ask but the celebrations. there are have been reports that you've suggested that you've had difficulty attracting major celebrities. set the record straight. is that accurate? >> it is not about the celebrities. we've had no difficulty. we've had world class performers reaching out from all over the world. this is about the people, of the people, by the people.
3:24 pm
and we do have great performances already. we have the mormon tabernacle choir, and the singer of the national anthem who is a great young talent, her record sales are through the roof since she's been announced to participate in the swearing in. just today, we announced religious leaders who will be taking part. we're very proud of that. >> let me ask but the relationship between president-elect trump and president obama. early on, there was a lot of praise from both gentlemen, if you will, that their relationship was off to a good start. full of respect. i got the sense and i could be wrong. the tweet that donald trump send out suggested that relationship was beginning to frost a little bit. he wasn't happy with it. >> any transition, have been, it won't be 100% smooth. but we on the team of president-elect are looking forward to the transition of power, to a new day in america
3:25 pm
will come at noon on january 20th. >> i know you have a busy schedule ahead of you. we appreciate you taking time out to be with us. a busy day ahead. a new development in the federal death penalty trial tort charleston church shooter as he awaits the death sentencing phase. when you have a cold, you just want powerful relief. only new alka-seltzer plus free of artificial dyes and preservatives liquid gels delivers the powerful cold symptom relief you need without the unnecessary additives you don't. store manager: clean up, aisle 4. alka-seltzer plus liquid gels.
3:26 pm
3:27 pm
whfight back fastts, with tums smoothies. it starts dissolving the instant it touches your tongue. and neutralizes stomach acid at the source. ♪ tum -tum -tum -tum smoothies! only from tums
3:28 pm
right now, roof is awaiting the sentencing phase of his death penalty trial after being convicted of carrying out the charleston massacre. he does not plan to bring any evidence that would spare his life. that same jury that convicted roof for killing nine black parishioners at a.m.e. church, they'll determine whether he gets the death penalty. up next, more political headlines. stay with us. i thought i was managing my moderate to severe crohn's disease.
3:29 pm
i didn't think there was anything else to talk about. but then i realized there was. so, i finally broke the silence with my doctor about what i was experiencing. he said humira is for people like me who have tried other medications but still experience the symptoms of moderate to severe crohn's disease. in clinical studies, the majority of patients on humira saw significant symptom relief. and many achieved remission. humira can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. serious, sometimes fatal infections and cancers, including lymphoma, have happened; as have blood, liver, and nervous system problems, serious allergic reactions, and new or worsening heart failure. before treatment, get tested for tb. tell your doctor if you've been to areas where certain fungal infections are common, and if you've had tb, hepatitis b, are prone to infections, or have flu-like symptoms or sores. don't start humira if you have an infection. if you're still just managing your symptoms, talk with your gastroenterologist about humira. with humira, remission is possible.
3:30 pm
[vo] quickbooks introduces he teaches lessons to stanley... and that's kind of it right now. but rodney knew just what to do...he got quickbooks. it organizes all his accounts, so he knows where he stands in an instant. ahhh...that's a profit. which gave him the idea to spend a little cash on some brilliant marketing! ha, clever. wow, look at all these new students! way to grow, rodney! know where you stand instantly. visit quickbooks.com. if you're going to wish, wish big at the lexus december to remember sales event get up to $2500 customer cash on select 2016 and 2017 models for these terms. see your lexus dealer.
3:31 pm
3:32 pm
i'm not a customer, but i'm calling about that credit scorecard. give it. sure! it's free for everyone. oh! well that's nice! and checking your score won't hurt your credit. oh! i'm so proud of you. well thank you. free at at discover.com/creditscorecard, even if you're not a customer. mr. president, you said it wasn't going smoothly with president obama. is it going smoothly? >> very good. >> that was donald trump late this afternoon saying that the transition of power is going smoothly and notably declining to say his relationship with president obama is turning sour. he also said he spoke to
3:33 pm
president obama today. take listen. >> did you speak with president obama? >> i did. he phoned me. we had a very nice conversation. we had a general conversation. i think the secretary's speech spoke for itself. we had a general conversation. very, very nice. >> and late today white house confirmed that call did take place. the press secretary saying the call was focused on continuing the smooth transition of power. all of which, donald trump wrote, doing my best to disregard the many inflammatory president o statements and road blocks. thought it was going to be a smooth transition. not. it comes amid growing signs of tension between trump and obama from the spread of nuclear weapons to views on the middle east peace and other policies. which is it? are they friends or foes?
3:34 pm
let's bring in the republican strategists. and political reporter for the "boston globe." >> what's going on? you saw in the span of 12 hours, a tweet that by most accounts would sound like criticism about how the obama administration is handling the transition, setting up road blocks, what have you. it is up on the screen. then you heard him speaking to reporters, it is smooth. had a great call with president obama. >> classic donald trump. says one thing on twitter. says another thing to the media. a few hours later. donald trump makes his decisions around whether or not something is going smoothly or whether or not he likes somebody, paced on whether or not they pay him enough compliments. if you're someone who is paying donald trump compliments like vladimir putin, you're donald trump's best friend. if you're saying what obama said, that he would have won against trump, then it's all out
3:35 pm
war. >> do you think the comments that president obama made in that interview with david axelrod where he said i won't just sit quietly on the side lines if i feel in a year or two there's something fundamental, i will speak out. do you think that unnerved trump? >> i don't think so as much as when he said he thought he could beat president-elect donald trump. that's what got under his skin and that's what started this this morning. it is true. she brings up a good point. we have donald trump interesting private person entertainer tweeting. when it comes to addressing the media directly, i think he shows more of a presidential donald trump. >> i feel the comments when they come out, he sees the media and decides to take a few questions. >> i think when you're looking at donald trump, just because he is unpredictable, in wt he says. it doesn't mean he's plotted it out 12 steps ahead.
3:36 pm
>> here's what chris collins said about the transition process. take listen. >> i've been getting reports myself from what we would call the landing team are in the administration. this administration is not working to help the smooth transition of donald trump. they're doing everything they can to make this a bumpy road. >> now that's the exact opposite from what we heard trump hey, who repeatedly said that things are going smoothly. did chris collins fail to get the memo from the trump team here? >> as you point out earlier, the memo seems to change from moment to moment. it is like weather pattern coming through. a place like san francisco. it just moves temperature from one neighborhood and one moment to the next. so i also think what is interesting about what chris collins is saying, you're going to start hearing that kind of angst coming from different agencies as they get deep spear
3:37 pm
agencies and as the trump team figure out what they want to change. one of the joys of covering donald trump, quite frankly, is there are a lot of leaks and people who are happy to spout off and say what they think or what they happen to think at a given moment. so i think that's a little of what you're hearing woifl anticipate as we go through january, we'll continue to start hearing these reports. >> let me ask you this. we'll switch gears. donald trump announcing that 5,000 jobs, i believe it was sprint bringing 5,000 jobs pack to the u.s. take listen. >> so we just had some very good news. because of what is happening and the spirit and the hope, i was just called by the head people at sprint and they're going to be bringing 5,000 jobs back to the united states. they're taking them from other countries. they're bringing them pack to the united states. and also, a new company will be hiring 3,000 people. so that's very exciting.
3:38 pm
>> i guess because of the hope, they'll be coming back to the u.s. i'm curious to find out how effective politically is this going to be? that we'll get these piecemeal announcements of 5,000, 1,000 jobs coming back to the country. will that work politically? >> it will work until inauguration. he'll have some fun with it. he will use the dialogue, people are concerned about what i'm going to do. they know i'm going to lower taxes. a better business economy. what the schaelg, when companies decide to move jobs out of this country. which will continue to happen. no president can stop companies from leaving. or at least moving jobs outside of the country. there are still competitive places like mexico and china and around the world. >> he says he wants to tax companies that are taking jobs out of this country. >> i think that he's going to have a big challenge with the congress.
3:39 pm
there is still something that most republicans do believe in. that's free trade. so he will have some challenges there. but again, it is what does dough when he's president? i don't think we'll see these kinds of little moments where he announces 5,000 jobs here. at the end of the day, the monthly number is what we're looking at. we need to see 250,000. not 5,000. >> what do you think of this being an effective strategy? we're not seeing a comprehensive approach in terms of what he's doing to bring these jobs in. or to keep them here. we're hearing things like what we just heard. that hope is why these company have decided to deep jobs here. >> sorry. i'll give you a chance. >> as a small business owner, i don't even make decisions that quickly. the notion that somehow sprint made a decision since the election to bring these jobs back into the country, it doesn't make a lot of sense. my timing takes longer and i have five people. so for sprint, that is a big
3:40 pm
difference. the larger issue is that donald trump does have a very strong propaganda arm. will it stick if democrats don't push back? if they don't point out that these are smoke and mirrors? donald trump is excellent at smoke and mirrors. if you allow it to go on you will allow to it penetrate into people's psyche. that's not what you want as the democratic party. >> we'll talk about russia and the russian hacking. go ahead. >> i would say getting back to that propaganda point, trump did build building blocks for this moment. he met with a tech billionaire who owns 80% of present is on december 6. then few weeks goes by and he makes an announcement. he certainly put the blocks in place for this announcement to carry more weight than just a whim per se. it is a good point. it is only 5,000 jobs. 170,000 jobs created this month.
3:41 pm
so a small piece of that but it is getting headlines and it is part of that incredible propaganda arm that he has used to his benefit. >> let me see if i can get one more question in. there is been a question about russian hacking. many senators say they do believe russia was involved. trump has been even suspicious of the claim that russia was involved in the claim. is he going to have to change his tone? >> it is how he deals with the national security agencies and how he deals with the cia and the fbi. that's what has people more concerned. especially internally when you speak to the folks who are career agents. they are very concerned that the president isn't trusting the information that he's been given. >> and we've seen it bore out. a lot of them are republicans. probably some are supportive of
3:42 pm
donald trump. he continues to disrespect people. disregard the work they've done their entire lives and careers. coming from a place of zero experience on your own. that is never a recipe for success. >> all right. thank you very much for joining us. appreciate your insights. after the break, we'll go inside the cia. the agency is in the headlines again thanks to its assessment that russia meddled with the elections. i'll talk to a cia office here interrogated saddam hussein. is . better take something. dayquil liquid gels doesn't treat a runny nose. it doesn't? alka-seltzer plus cold and cough liquid gels fight your worst cold symptoms including your runny nose. oh, what a relief it is!
3:43 pm
it's time for training underwear pampers easy-ups has an all-around stretchy waistband and superior protection so you'll see fewer leaks and they'll see their first underwear pampers easy-ups choose. choose. choose. but at bedtime... ...why settle for this? enter sleep number and the lowest prices of the season. sleepiq technology tells you how well you slept and what adjustments you can make. she likes the bed soft. he's more hardcore. so your sleep goes from good to great to wow!
3:44 pm
only at a sleep number store, right now, save $600 on our best selling i8 mattress, plus 24 month special financing. learn more at sleepnumber.com know better sleep with sleep number. when i was too busy with the kids to get a repair estimate. i just snapped a photo and got an estimate in 24 hours. my insurance company definitely doesn't have that... you can leave worry behind when liberty stands with you™ liberty mutual insurance
3:45 pm
what should america do about the rushing election hack? that president obama may soon announce measures for interfering in the elections. that includes economic sanctions as well as secret cyber warfare. it is unclear if president-elect trump will keep any of those when he is in office. he has dismissed the cia's intelligence pointing out that
3:46 pm
they've gotten it wrong before. particularly on iraq wmds which is true. his aides put out a statement saying these are the same people that said saddam hussein had weapons of mass destruction. joining me now, the former cia officer, the author of debriefing the president. and this is about interrogating the former dictator and leader of iraq. the first cia officer to do so after the capture in 2003. before we get into the details, i want to get your reaction to some of the comments coming from president-elect. the intelligence community and their assessment of the hack. it is like he's casting doubt saying they don't know if it is russia, china or a man in new jersey. >> i am deeply disturbed that there is this sort of sense of doubt emerging on the
3:47 pm
president-elect, with the president-elect and his team on what the cia does. i believe that both the president-elect and the cia need each other and can help each other. but if a wall of mistrust, and i'm sorry to use that metaphor, if a wall of mistrust is built up between president and his intelligence community, the only people that benefit are our enemies. >> let me play devil's advocate. why trust the cia? they've made mistakes. obviously iraq really tarnished the reputation of the agency. and trump is tapping into that. >> look. intelligence work is never going to be 100% right. yes. there were mistakes made and things were gotten wrong. however, i would say this. there are still some very dedicated and honest and really good people who do a very difficult job. and we don't, the cia does not have a crystal ball and it can't predict the future but it can
3:48 pm
help the president make very, very tough decisions. we live in a world that is getting very complex. if a president thinks he can make decision without any information, he is going to find out pretty soon that that -- >> very quickly, is there a way for the agency to release the material it has without compromising its methods? it certain dhi that in iraq in 2003. at least the administration did it on behalf of them. can you envision a way going forward where the outgoing administration or the incoming one says, give us the evidence so we can present it to the american public? >> i would hope that they would. i would think the american people has to know about the integrity of its election process and also, it needs to be, i think, given the truth about what has happened. >> we were talking right before we went on the air. give us a sense of what it was like to be in that room with
3:49 pm
that cold-blooded killer, speaking to him face to face and trying extract valuable information? >> saddam was a jumble of contradictions. he could be very smart and witty and nice and self-deprecating. he could be nasty and arrogant and mean-spirited and kind of vicious and a little bit scary. >> you talked about him before that. in the book, what saddam hussein was really like in some of these interrogations. what is it that you learned that can be relevant to what we are dealing with today in terms world leaders? >> lots. the thing, one of the things that we learned was how disengaged saddam was from what was happening. basically in the world and what was happening with the war. the potential invasion of iraq. in the end, we thought at the cia, we thought he was the
3:50 pm
master manipulator pulling the strings. at the end he was a guy writing a novel. he had turned over much of the day to day decision making to his senior aides. >> let me ask but the ongoing war with isis. there is a lot of reporting to suggest that some of the senior leadership are baathists or served in the iraqi intelligence. they were officers in the iraqi military. do you get sense if saddam hussein were alive today and we had the ability to continuously interrogate him, even if we in prison, we would have a better understanding of how groups were able to rise? >> yes. he, when we talked on him -- >> did he ever offer you insights? >> absolutely. not about the individuals. he made some very prophetic remarks concerning jihadist in this country. that saddam thought the biggest threat on his regime was sunni
3:51 pm
jihadism within iraq. they were so do it route out. they sort of swam in his travel network of support. >> it is one of those questions, i guess, on the long list of the what ifs. what if he were alive today, how would iraqi be different? >> well, i think, the what ifs are very interesting to think about. if saddam hussein were alive today, i think iraq would be in a better place. it might not be what we wanted it to be. but the thing is, when we removed him from power, look at iraq as it stands now. 2 million people displaced. iran asserting itself throughout the region. sectarianism, rampant. and there is nothing good that came out of the war. and that's unfortunate but the truth. >> absolutely fascinating. we'll be right back here. if a denture were to be
3:52 pm
put under a microscope, we can see all the bacteria that still exists. polident's unique micro clean formula works in just 3 minutes, killing 99.99% of odor causing bacteria. for a cleaner, fresher, brighter denture every day.
3:53 pm
3:54 pm
whattwo servings of veggies? v8 or a powdered drink? ready, go. ahhhhhhhh! shake! shake! shake! shake! shake! done! you gotta shake it! i shake it! glad i had a v8. the original way to fuel your day.
3:55 pm
ready for the new year? a question a lot of people are asking for. tired of all the ugly fights? may be you should have been in new york city at the tenth annual good riddance day. that is an actual event held if times square, believe it or not. a chance for folks to rid themselves of painful memories before 2017 comes in. people tore up love letters,
3:56 pm
pink slips. >> we just lost my husband's father a couple weeks ago. we saw our 21-year-old daughter just have her first major heart break. >> very excited. >> what kind of things are you shredding? i'm sletding cancer. >> i'm shredding negativity. >> what are you shredding? >> that's what i was going to say. all the negativity. >> joining me now, daily beast columnist, also host as show on sirius xm. good to have you here in the studio. great to have you here. >> thank you. i snuck in. >> it has been a very difficult year. are we losing perspective, do you think, at the end of 2016 given how bad and tough it's been? >> no. this has been a terrible year. people feel it. the negativity of the campaign
3:57 pm
bled beyond those politics, transcended that. we have a sluggish economy, terrorism. i think a record number of beloved celebrities died this year from prince to mohammed ali. >> george michael, carrie fisher. >> then cherry on the poop sundae is donald trump winning. just when you think it can't get worse, then you see him pick his administration. if you like trump or not, you have to agree. the fighting, the hate read that went on in this campaign interesting heated rhetoric has been off the charts. >> let me play devil's advocate. donald trump winning the election. you're not happy about that but you can look at some early indicators, the stock market is rallying. he has made the announcements that jobs are coming back. he hasn't delivered his inauguration message but says he will strike a message of unity. is there anything that donald trump can do in 2017 change your mind and win you over?
3:58 pm
what's the olive branch? >> i think going out and speaking to the communities he demonized. from muslims to latinos, women, go out and apologize to them. publicly apologize. show us that he understands he was wrong and wants to build some bridges. instead of a victory tour, how about a healing tour. that's what the country needs. >> americans hopefully for a better 2017. i think we're always optimistic about the incoming year. here's what the recent associated press says. 55% say they believe it will be better in the incoming year. that's a 12-point improvement from last year's poll. so people cited politics, one of the reasons 2016 felt so much worse. is 2017 going to be better? i want to you look in your crystal ball. also let me know the lottery tickets. >> if you had me on the show all the time, it would be a much better year for both of us, i
3:59 pm
think. this year has been so bad that the bar is so low, it is easy to be hopeful. also, i wish people were out there when i was looking to date. i'm optimistic that the country moves forward. i hope we heal. and i hope those who don't like trump will unite and hold his feet to the fire. >> put aside politics. what is it that folks like you and other ordinary americans can do to help the healing process and make 2017 a better year? >> i think don't hold people who don't hold your views politically, don't think of them as your enemies. we hate each other. we fight with each other. i think we can find common ground on so many key issues. be respectful and civil and maybe laugh a little bit. >> is there any chance you'll leave comedy? i think that would make 2017 a great year for me. >> if do i and i replace you --
4:00 pm
>> all right. always great to have you on. thanks for watching. "hardball" starts right now with steve kornacki. obama versus trump has the transfer of power in a rough patch. good evening. i'm in for chris matthews. with just weeks to go before the transition of power in washington is complete, the outgoing and incoming administrations are signaling two very different policies when it document mideast peace. today accident secretary of state kerry took israel to task over its settlement construction and he warned the two state solution is now in jeopardy. earlier in the morning, president-elect trump gave