i'm wolf blitzer. you're in "the situation room." >> announcer: this is cnn breaking news. >> breaking news, tensions exploding over a plan to build a border wall after saying his country will not pay for a wall, mexico's president cancels a meeting with president trump. the white house followed that stunning move by suggesting that attacks on imports from mexico could pay for the wall. that would hit american consumers in the pocket as they pay higher prices for a vast array of products from mexico. the president meanwhile picks up where he left off with his unfounded claim of voter fraud and he says he'll pickup his pen again. this time he's ordering an investigation saying he wants to keep the ballot box secure and safe, but republican lawmakers are unimpressed by the president's claims. the house oversight committee chairman jason chafe its an aggressive investigator says he doesn't see any evidence of voter fraud. we're standing by to see if the president will sign that order tonight. >>> presiden

i'm wolf blitzer. you're in "the situation room." >> announcer: this is cnn breaking news. >>> top u.s. intelligence officials lined up against their future commander in chief defending their conclusion that the election cyber attacks were ordered at the highest levels of the kremlin and were accompanied by a campaign of propaganda and fake news all aimed at swaying the u.s. election results. senate armed services committee john mccain who called today's hearing says russia's meddling amounts to an act of war. and president-elect donald trump has repeatedly voiced doubts about russia's role and u.s. spy chief james clapper warned that such disparagement, his word, disparagement of the u.s. intelligence community is very worrisome. republican senator lindsey graham, a trump critic, weighed in on that. >> mr. putin is up to no good and mr. president-elect, when you listen to these people, you can be skeptical, but understand they're the best among us and they're trying to protect us. >> president obama w

i'm wolf blitzer reporting.incoln memorial following the concert thanking his supporters and vowing to take action on his campaign promises. our senior white house correspondent jim acosta is with us. trump has had a full day already but he has a full night ahead of him. >> that's right. donald trump is sounding an inclusive tone, but as he is taking command of the most powerful office in the world, he is definitely doing things his way. the moment few saw coming has arrived. donald trump in the nation's new first family touched down just outside washington, not on his private jet but on u.s. military aircraft and climbed into his motorcade for a ride the world will never forget. >> this is a gorgeous room. a total genius must have built that. >> reporter: within minutes trump arrived at his glitzy new d.c. hotel where he praised his cabinet choices. >> we have, by far, the highest iq of any cabinet ever assembled. >> reporter: and appeared to assign his new ambassador to the united nations a task normally set f

i'm wolf blitzer in "the situation room." "erin burnett out front" starts right now. >>> "out front" next, breaking news, trump versus mexico. the meeting between the two leaders canceled, trump considering a major tariff on mexico. is the white house walking it back? >>> plus more breaking news, the white house promising more executive orders on the way tonight. cory booker is with me tonight to respond. >>> and trump's mar-a-lago club just got a lot more expensive. the fee to join now doubled. profiting from the presidency? let's go out front. good evening. i'm erin burnett. "out front," the breaking news, the war over the wall. the president now battling not just mexico but

i am wolf blitzer. you are in "the situation room." >>> the white house today is playing defense as president trump's order banning travel to the united states from seven mostly muslim nations triggers protests, lawsuits and a congressional counter attack. while demonstrators take to the streets across america, indeed around the world, democratic lawmakers are about to stage their own protest, but a growing number of republicans are also criticizing the president's move. in his first public statement since leaving office president obama criticizes the travel order saying american values are at stake. he says he is heartened by the level of engagement taken place across the country. >>> president trump taking heat for putting steve bannon on the national security council. while he gets a full seat, the director of national intelligence and the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff will be called in only as needed. senator john mccain calls the move radical, while obama national security adviser, susan ri

i'm wolf blitzer. you're in "the situation room." >> announcer: this is cnn breaking news. >> we're following multiple news stories under fire from all sides. the white house is defending its temporary ban on travel from seven mostly muslim nations including an indefinite haul to refugees entering the united states from syria. president trump's order has brought chaos and condemnation when the acting attorney general publicly questioned its legality and the president promptly fired her. homeland security secretary john kelly denies that he was kept in the dark when the order was drawn up and stresses it's not a ban on muslims. white house press secretary sean spicer takes exception to using the word ban altogether, except that he used that very word this week as did president trump. furious democrats have been staaling the confirmation of the attorney general nominee. senator jeff sessions and they boycotted committee votes for the treasury and health nominees leading a top republican senator to call t

. >> i'm wolf blitzer in the "situation room." we're following the confirmation hearings of senator jeff sessions, donald trump's pick to become the next attorney general. we'll get back there momentarily. but we have more breaking news we're following right now. i want to get straight to jake tapper who's joining me with a major story we're following right now. we're breaking this story. >> that's right, wolf. cnn exclusive. cnn has learned the nation's top intelligence officials gave information to president-elect donald trump and president barack obama last week about claims of russian efforts to compromise president-elect trump. the information was provided as part of last week's classified intelligence briefings regarding russian efforts to undermine the 2016 u.s. elections. i've been working on this story with my colleagues jim sciutto, evan perez and carl bernstein. they all join me now. jim, let's walk through the basics here of what we know. >> we will. to be clear, this has been an enormous teamest by my colleagues here

. >> i'm wolf blitzer in the situation room. we're following the first confirmation hearings for donald trump's cabinet nominees. we're going to get back there shortly. but we have breaking news we're following right now. i want to get straight to jake tapper who is with us. jake, you've got some major breaking news. >> that's right, wolf. a cnn exclusive, cnn has learned that the nation's top intelligence officials provided information to president-elect donald trump and to president barack obama last week about claims of russian efforts to compromise president-elect trump. the information was provided as part of last week's classified intelligence briefings regarding russian efforts to undermine the u.s. elections. i've been working on the story with jim sciutto and evan perez and carl bernstein. we've all been working on this and they all join me now. so, let me start with my colleague jim sciutto. jim, walk us through what we've learned. >> want to be very precise here. mul multiple u.s. officials tell cnn documents on russi

. >>> i am jake tapper life in washingtons. >> i am wolf blitzer.o welcome our viewers from around the states and around the world. the outgoing president takes stock, and the trump administration takes shape. and the first of the confirmation hearings on those nominated to trump's cabinet. up first, jeff sessions for attorney general of the united states. overnight we learn he faces a

wolf blitzer is wrong. he didn't defer to defense secretary for anything.wrote a check during the campaign for people to agree we should be aggressive with al qaeda detainees. he said i don't want it sign that check and is hiding behind the press secretary. he never intended to proceed with enhanced interrogation. if you think this is erroneous, he wrote a check on hillary clinton e-mailes. lock her up. i'm an politician but i am a voter. he's not signing that check. we heard this week on his tax returns. yeah, i've got an audit, i'll release them. same thing. secret plan for isis. we heard this repeatedly including from kellyanne conway in september. you know what the secret plan is? breaking news. pentagon, you got any ideas, bring them over and maybe we will sign over to those. we have a truth deficit in the oval office and i think this interrogation issue is another example. >> so you say he never wanted to engage in water boarding but this is his excuse. give the authority to general mat snis. >> right. the general goats take tets to incoming on this o

i'm wolf blitzer. you are in the situation room. >> this is cnn breaking news. >> may be ready to engage in a political fight. in a new tv interview trump says he believes outlawed methods like waterboarding absolutely work even though many dispute that. the president went on to say he will listen to what cabinet secretaries have to say. trump's first steps to overall u.s. immigration policy. one ordering the immediate construction of trump's promise and controversial wall on the southern border. the new action does not cover the cost of the wall or repeated claim that mexico will eventually pay for it. if the president acts on campaign agenda he has created a serious new distraction and calling for a major investigation into allegations that millions of illegal votes were cast in november costing him the popular vote. this hour we may hear more from president trump on this matter as critics warn that focus on baseless claims of voter fraud are dangerous. i will talk about all of this and more. corresp

wolf blitzer is off today. i'm jim sciutto and you're in the situation room. >> announcer: this is cnn breaking news. >>> breaking news tonight, the house of representatives takes the first step towards dismantling obamacare. a mostly party line vote follows a similar move in the senate, allowing republicans to use the budget process to roll back major parts of the health care law. also breaking, congressman john lewis says he does not consider donald trump a legitimate president. in a new interview, the civil rights icon charges there was "a conspiracy by the russians and others to help get trump elected" adding, quote, that's not right, that's not fair. that comes as trump tweets that hillary clinton should never have been allowed to run for president, calling her, quote, guilty as hell. the trump team is confirming his national security advisor retired general michael flynn was in touch with russia's ambassador to the u.s. and discussed setting up a phone call between trump and russia's president vladimir pu

i'm wolf blitzer. you're in "the situation room." >> announcer: this is cnn breaking news. >> breaking news, the commander in chief makes his first visit to the pentagon. after saying he'll let the new defense secretary retired general james mattis override him when it comes to torture, he orders the strengthening of the u.s. military and strong vetting of refugees aimed at keeping out what he calls radical islamic terrorists. president today hosted his first foreign leader over at the white house in his first news conference. he and the british prime minister theresa may, they spoke of the special relationship between their two countries. there may be one area of daylight between them, the prime minister spoke of the need to maintain sanctions on russia, but president trump said only that it's too soon to discuss lifting sanctions. a day before he talks by phone with russia's president vladimir putin. mr. trump said he's looking for a great relationship. his words. >>> and a day after mexico's preside

i'm jake tapper. >> i feel wolf blitzer.e been watching ab extraordinary display of constitutional authority on this day. jeff sessions, republican senator from alabama, donald trump's nominee to become the next united states attorney general examined and cross-examined by his colleagues on the senate judiciary committee. the first confirmation hearing for a perspective member of a new trump administration. they are now wrapping up their little lunch break. it's set to resume momentarily. once it resumes, we'll, of course, resume our own live coverage. also ahead, our retired marine corps general john kelly is due before the senate homeland security committee and his nomination to become the next secretary of homeland security. that's scheduled to begin at 3:30 p.m. eastern. less than two hours from now. we'll have live coverage of that as well. and another key hearing is underway right now as well. the heads of the fbi, the cia, and the nsa. the national security agency. also the director of national intelligence. they are

i'm wolf blitzer. you're in "the situation room." >>> this is cnn breaking news. >> we're following breaking news. a stunning and unsubstantiated claim by president trump, the white house says he believes 3 million to 5 million people voted ivote ed illegally in the presidential election robbing him of a victory in the popular vote, despite his win, impressive win, in the electoral college. the white house offered no proof or evidence of widespread voter fraud. the press secretary, sean spicer, referred to an old study on voter registration whose authors have since said could be incorrect. i'll talk to the political science professor who coordinated data for that study. >>> we're also following confirmation battles for trump's nominees including congressman tom price, the president's pick to head the health and human services department. democrats are grilling price who's also an orthopedic surgeon, on how republicans plan to replace obamacare and how closely he's working on it with president trump. pr

>>> i am wolf blitzer. you're in "the situation room." >>> 11 days before his inauguration, president-elect donald trump is moving full speed ahead despite a blunt warning from u.s. intelligence agencies trump is down-playing russian cyberattacks and touting better ties with moscow. the kremlin calls the u.s. intelligence assessment a witch hunt, the same term recently used by trump and says a summit between trump and president putin is being planned. trump has tweeted that only fools would object to a good relationship with moscow, but senate republican leader mitch mcconnell said today trump's hopes will be dashed pretty quickly. that comes as democrats dig in for a fight over trump's cabinet picks. hearings start tomorrow. nine nominees will go before the senate this week. an ethics watch dog says several have not made financial disclosures or completed ethics reviews. in a move that requires no confirmation but may raise ethics concerns, trump's son-in-law, jared kushner will be a senior adviser to the

. >>> wolf blitzer and jake tapper lead special coverage of the senate confirmation hearings and donaldpress conference. this begins after this very quick break. we'll see you tomorrow. your insurance company raises your rates. maybe you should've done more research on them. for drivers with accident forgiveness, liberty mutual won't raise your rates due to your first accident. and if you do have an accident, our claims centers are available to assist you 24/7. call for a free quote today. liberty stands with you™. liberty mutual insurance. rex tillerson put exxon's interests before america's.. i'm not here to represent the us government's interest. instead, tillerson sided with putin. with billions in russian oil deals... he opposed us sanctions on russia... ...for war crimes forced to pay hundreds of millions for toxic pollution... ...putting profits ahead of our kid's health. tell your senators to reject rex tillerson. and protect american interests not corporate interests. and they're absolutely right. they say that it's hot... when really, it's scorching. and while some may say the

. >>> i am jake tapper life in washingtons. >> i am wolf blitzer. we want to welcome our viewers from around the states and around the world. the outgoing president takes stock, and the trump administration takes shape. and the first of the confirmation hearings on those nominated to trump's cabinet. up first, jeff sessions for attorney general of the united states. overnight we learn he faces a historic challenge from a fellow u.s. senator, and u.s. intelligence officials testify on russian hacking and interfered in the election, and james comey will testify publicly as will the heads of the cia and the nsa, the national security agency. then, the confirmation hearing for required general, john kelly, as secretary of homeland security, and he over sees some of trump's controversial promises, and tonight president obama bids farewell to the nation and ditches white house tradition and instead delivers his speech from his adopted hometown of chicago, recovering all the angles as the very busy day here in washington, d.c. unfolds. our correspondents a

wolf blitzer in washington.o welcome our viewers here in the united states and around the world for our special coverage on the hill right now capitol hill right behind us, and under the microscope over the next hour a new round of trump nominees appears before lawmakers. they are fighting to earn congress' trust and top posts in the incoming trump white house. just minutes from now retired general mattis makes his case to become the next defense secretary of the united states. former combat marine enjoys bipartisan support but lawmakers have to grant an exception to an existing law. mattis has not been retired from the military, the mandatory seven years in toward being eligible to become defense secretary. at the top of the hour, former presidential candidate dr. ben carson also appears before a senate committee. trump's former rival is poised to lead the department of housing and urban development. he'll face questions over his lack of government experience and his own statement that he be a bad fit to lead a

i'm wolf blitzer. you're in "the situation room." >>> this is cnn breaking news. >> we're following breaking news. president trump meeting with congressional leaders at the white house just a little while ago. he also met with business and union leaders today, and he signed three executive actions, including one pulling the united states out of the transpacific partnership trade deal, and another reinstating a rule banning federal funding for international non-governmental groups that provide abortions. we're also following developments up on capitol hill, where the senate foreign relations committee has just voted to confirm former exxon mobil ceo rex tillerson as the secretary of state. tonight, the full senate is expected to confirm trump's pick for cia director, congressman mike pompeo. and new tonight, deadly weather, including a series of tornadoes that slammed the southern u.s. and power. storm s bringing wind, rain and snow to both coasts. the severe weather is blamed for at least 22 deaths. to

i'm wolf blitzer. you're in "the situation room." >> announcer: this is cnn breaking news. >> breaking news, president trump signs orders to build a wall along the u.s. border with mexico, to strip federal funds from sanctuary cities which the white house says harbor illegal immigrants. the white house says federal agencies will una poll jet cli enforce the law. in his first interview since taking office, the president says the border wall construction will begin within months and reveals that mexico won't be funding the wall in the way he promised. instead he tells abc news that u.s. taxpayers will foot the bill and that mexico will somehow at some time reimburse the u.s. meantime the president is not backing down from his false claim that he lost the popular vote because millions cast ballots illegally. instead he's doubling down demanding what he calls a major investigation into voter fraud. key democrats say trump's, quote, bizarre obsession is undermining u.s. democracy and they are happily answer

here's what donald trump's senior adviser jack kingston told wolf blitzer on friday. >> what was clearhat there was no effect of the results because of this. no tampering of machines. and no motive that was found and so forth. so i think that the good part about this report and today's action and the hearings this week is that maybe we can get beyond the politics and say okay, what do we do about this because we know russia isn't loan. there is china and other nations always trying to hack into our computer systems. what can we do about that. and then one other question if we're going to continue, and we as a community of maybe critics in washington, d.c., where was the president, if this was going on in 2015, 2016, why did the president wait to this fall to talk to putin about it and even when he did talk to putin about it, he said you guys need to cut that out. those were ahis word. seems like it would have been a much bigger deal for the president of the united states and would have merited him sitting down with putin saying what the heck are you doing and if you're going to continu

wolf blitzer will be here after a quick break. ♪ dry skin?rizing bath routine: a wash with 10 times more moisturizers... and a rich cream to lock them in. (baby laughs) feels good, doesn't it? johnson's. for every little wonder. pain from a headache can when make this...old, feel like this. all-in-one cold symptom relief from tylenol®, the #1 doctor recommended pain relief brand. tylenol® [he has a new business teaching lessons. rodney wanted to know how his business was doing... ...so he got quickbooks. it organizes all his accounts, so he knows where he stands. ahhh...that's a profit. way to grow, rodney! visit quickbooks.com. >>> hello. i'm wolf blitzer here in washington. it's 1:00 p.m. in washington. from wherever you're watching around the world, thank you for joining us. we start with president trump kicking off his first full week in the white house. part of that will be the first official white house briefing with press secretary sean spicer. he'll take questions from the press, we're told. we'll bring that to you live once it gets u

i'm wolf blitzer. you're in "the situation room." tonight we're watching the very public and growing riff between president-elect donald trump and the country's intelligence professionals. the fbi, the cia, other agencies, they agree russia is behind last year's election related cyber attacks. the president-elect now seems to believe wikileaks founder julian assange who says russia wasn't the source of the e-mails stolen from the democratic party, and hillary clinton's campaign. also tonight, the fight over repealing obamacare is underway. president obama came to capitol hill to encourage democrats, suggesting they label the republican alternative trump care. vice president-elect mike pence was inside the capital at the same time as the president promising obamacare will be replaced with something that lowers the cost of premiums and deductibles. but the republicans aren't revealing their plans. >>> we're also learning more right now about the 5 1/2 million dollars house here in washington that ivanka trump and her family may soon be

>>> i am wolf blitzer. you are in "the situation room." >>> president-elect trump is digging in his heels, casting fresh doubt on the u.s. intelligence assessment that russia directed cyber attacks on the democratic national committee in order to sway the election. but tonight, digital fingerprints tracing the election hacking directly back to russia are giving intelligence officials fresh confidence that they have got it right. trump's spokesman insists the intelligence report is not final and trump claims he knows things about hacking that others don't know and that he'll reveal his inside information this week. top republican senators say that, with or without the next president, they intend to respond to an attack on the united states with tougher sanctions on russia. >>> also tonight, isis is now claiming responsibility for the bloody attack on a nightclub in istanbul in which a lone gunman killed 39 people and wounded dozens more. as turkish authorities step up an urgent man hunt for the assailant, we

i'm wolf blitzer. we begin with breaking fuse this hour. we want to welcome our viewers around the united states and the world. president trump will step in front of that podium to speak. this as a world leader cancels plans to meet with him here in washington. look at these live pictures coming in from the annual republican congressional retreat under way right now in philadelphia. we're going to bring you the president's speech live as soon as it begins. >>> in the meantime, the war over the wall with mexico intensifies. just a little while ago, the mexican president enrique pena nieto canceled plans to meet with president trump here in washington next tuesday. his announcement followed this tweet from the u.s. president earlier this morning. the president tweeted, quote, the u.s. has a $60 billion trade deficit with mexico. it has been a one-sided deal from the beginning of nafta with massive numbers of jobs and companies lost. if mexico is unwilling to pay for the badly needed wall, then it would be better to cancel the upcoming meeting

i'm wolf blitzer. you're in "the situation room." >>> we're following two major break stories this hour including a deadly shooting rampage in florida. gunman opened fire in a baggage claim area at the ft. lauderdale international airport, killing five people, injuring eight more, triggering a chaotic evacuation that saw hundreds of people fleeing on to the airport tarmac. the suspected shooter is in custody tonight. sources identify him as esteban santiago, former soldier in the alaska national guard. we're also told he was on an arriving flight and retrieved the gun from his checked luggage. also breaking right now, the release of the intelligence report on russian cyber meddling in the u.s. presidential race, that president putin order an influential campaign aimed at hurting hillary clinton, helping donald trump and undermining public faith in the u.s. democratic process. trump was briefed on the report hours after he called the focus on russian hacking, and i'm quoting him now, a witch hunt. we're

i'm wolf blitzer. you're in "the situation room." two days before donald trump is set to be briefed on cyber attacks, sources tell cnn his twitter attacks have intelligence officials on edge with one describing the relationship with trump as potentially hostile. republicans have made their first move to repealing the health care act. president obama was warning them to let gop lawmakers go it alone as they seek to replace the law with what he calls trump care. fellow reality tv star omarosa manigault trump has named communications director for the office of public liaison. during the campaign she said a trump victory would be the ultimate revenge and that every critic and detractor would have to, quote, bow down to president trump. and six people including the head of the naacp were arrested at a sit-in protesting the nomination of senator jeff sessions of alabama to be the next attorney general. the head of the organization, cornell william brooks, was among those arrested. he'll join us live this hour. >>> our other guests include

i'm wolf blitzer.round the world, thank you very much for joining us. right now we're keeping an eye on two events during this hour. the first is over at the white house. the daily white house press briefing. you are looking at live pictures coming in. left part of your screen. the white house press secretary sean spicer will be answering reporters' questions about the temporary travel ban involving seven muslim majority countries and the indefinite ban on the united states taking in syrian refugees. we're also watching for an announcement from the council on american islamic relations, care, as it's called, which is planning to file a lawsuit to stop president trump's immigration orders. we're going to bring you both of those events once they happen. this morning during a meeting with small business leaders, president

i'm wolf blitzer and you're in the "situation room." "the lead" starts right now. >>> on speaking terms. donald trump's top spokesman comes out and answers questions from the media for more than an hour after something of a rocky start with reporters over the weekend. and some of the answers he gave could tell us a lot about the trump administration and its plans. >>> he's the man who will be in president trump's ear during pivotal moments in which lives will literally be at stake. today there are new questions about national security adviser michael flynn and russia. >>> plus, what can we learn from president trump's time on "the apprentice" when it comes to his insistence on inflating numbers? reality tv and how past is prolog prologue. >>> good afternoon, welcome to "the lead." i'm jake tapper. we're going to begin with our politics lead. president trump and his team trying to steer back on to a policy track after a first few days marked by accusations of score settling and digressions and of course outright falsehoods. moments ago p

i'm wolf blitzer. you're in the situation room. on the first day of the new gop-controlled congress, donald trump may have let fellow republicans know who will be calling the shots. after a critical tweet from the president-elect, the house gop quickly dropped a move to gut an independent ethics office. newly sworn in republicans are eager to start working on trump's to-do list, and undo key elements of president obama's legacy. while both sides say they hope for common ground, democrats warn they will hold their ground and hold trump's feet to the fire. in one bipartisan move, a group of senators is pushing for more sanctions against russia. official say the intelligence communities' review of election related cyber attacks may be ready this week. and trump will be briefed by the intelligence chiefs. while the president-elect has repeatedly raised doubts about russia's role in the hacking, the state department says the information is rock solid. and ivanka trump and her family may soon be living in the same neighborhood as the oba

i turn you over to wolf blitzer, he is in as always the situation room. a gunman opens fire in florida's ft. lauderdale airport killing five people. sources say his weapon was in a checked bag he retrieved after flying into the airport. fear and chaos, the gun fire sends hundreds of passengers and airplane -- airport workers fleeing. there's a full airport shutdown and a massive security sweep by s.w.a.t. teams. ordered by putin, also breaking. u.s. intelligence agencies release a declassified report. it says the campaign was orded by president vladimir putin and was aimed at undermining the democratic process, harming hillary clinton, and helping donald trump. full briefing, intelligence chiefs brief donald trump on the russian cyber attacks just hours after he called the focus on russia's role a political witchhunt. does the president-elect now accept the investigation's findings and what does he plan to do about it? we want to welcome our viewers in the united states and around the world. i'm wolf blitzer. you're in the situation room. >> this is cnn b

i'm wolf blitzer in washington.at live pictures from the white house briefing room in the west wing of the house. the new press secretary sean spicer will get ready momentarily we're told fairly soon. he'll go in there, make a statement, and then answer reporters' questions. we're going to have live coverage of that. stay with us for that. in the meantime, president trump just a little while ago reacting to news of an ethics lawsuit filed against him earlier this morning. >> mr. president, reaction for the lawsuit today? >> without merit. totally without merit. >> he said it's totally without merit. an ethics watchdog group is claiming that president trump is viola violating the law. i want to talk about this with laura jared. what does the ethics group want the president to do and what are they hoping to achieve? >> first and foremost, wolf, they want the president to divest his business holdings into a truly blind trust but his lawyers said several weeks ago that isn't going to happen. the ethics group sued in fed

i'm wolf blitzer. it's 1:00 p.m. in washington. 9:00 p.m. in moscow.rever you're watching from around the world, thanks for joining us. up first, russia did it. u.s. intelligence leaders say they are more convinced than ever that russia was behind the hacking during the 2016 election here in the united states. and that sets the stage for a clash with president-elect donald trump who has repeatedly raised doubts that russia was responsible. at a senate aed

liberty mutual insurance. >>> i'm jake tapper live in washington. >> i'm wolf blitzer. to welcome our viewers in the united states and around the world. today all eyes are on the last two senate confirmation hearings before donald trump becomes the 45th president of the united states. that will happen at noon eastern tomorrow right here in washington. facing the senate as we speak is the energy secretary nominee, former texas governor rick perry. perry now says he regrets recommending back in 2012 that the energy department should be abolished. moments from now one of trump's most controversial nominees faces the senate. former goldman sachs backer steve mnuchin picked to lead the treasury department, faces questions about his record on foreclosures along other issues. at 2:45 p.m. eastern, the president-elect and the vice president-elect mike pence will place a wreath at arlington national cemetery. later a pre inaugural concert at the lincoln memorial at which donald trump is expected to speak. busy day. >> any moment the incoming white house press secretary sean spic

i'm wolf blitzer. you're in the situation room. >> announcer: this is cnn breaking news. >>> we're following breaking news. the full united states senate in a closed door briefing this afternoon hearing about the u.s. intelligence report on russian medaling in the presidential election. this comes after james clapper, the director of national intelligence butt out a rare statement rejecting donald trump's attacks on the intelligence community and corroborating cnn's reporting that the classified report provided to president obama and president-elect trump last week included allegations that russian operatives claimed to have compromising personal and financial information about trump. during confirmation hearings today, secretary defense nominee james mattis, mike pompeo, trump's pick to run the cia, they both expressed confidence in the intelligence community and differences with the views of russia expressed by donald trump. also breaking, word that justice department's inspector general is open to n

i'm wolf blitzer in the situation room. thanks very much for watching.rconish takes over right after a quick break. that gentleman got the last one. sir, you give me that salad and i will pay for your movie and one snack box. can i keep the walnuts? sold. but i get to pick your movie. can i pick the genre? yes, but it has to be a comedy. a little cash back on the side. with the blue cash everyday card from american express, you get cash back on purchases with no annual fee. throw. it's more than cash back. it's backed by the service and security of american express. youthat's why you drink ensure. it's moresidelined. back. with 9 grams of protein and 26 vitamins and minerals. for the strength and energy to get back to doing... ...what you love. ensure. always be you. i wanti did my ancestrydna and where i came from. and i couldn't wait to get my pie chart. the most shocking result was that i'm 26% native american. i had no idea. just to know this is what i'm made of, this is where my ancestors came from. and i absolutely want to know more about my native

i'm wolf blitzer in "the situation room."erin burnett out front" starts right now. >>> good evening. i'm erin burnett. we begin with breaking news. u.s. officials tell cnn the fbi director james comey personally briefed donald trump on unsubstantiated claims that the russians had info on trump. he briefed donald trump last friday during an intelligence briefing. the fbi director at that time presented trump with a two-page synopsis of the russian claims. the nation's top intelligence chiefs have

i'm wolf blitzer. it's 1:00 p.m. here in washington.und the world, thanks very much for joining us. up first, our critical week ahead with just 11 days until the inauguration. the trump transition team faces a jam packed schedule. confirmation hearings for some of the president-elect's key nominees begin tomorrow. he thinks they will all do well. here's what he told reporters just a little while ago. >> confirmation is going great. >> they haven't started yet. >> i think every nomination will be -- they're all at the highest level. jack was even saying, i mean, they are the absolute highest level. i think they're going to do very we

i'm wolf blitzer. you're in "the situation room." >>> it's not the headline the gop wanted to see on this the first day of the 115th congress. but when president-elect donald trump tweeted his displeasure at a plan to gut an independent congressional ethics panel, house republicans were forced to convene an emergency meeting and scuttle their effort. and new tonight, cnn has learned the classified report president obama ordered on election cyber attacks is expected to be ready as early as this week. a source also says trump who's cast doubt on russia's involvement is expected to be briefed on the findings by the director of national intelligence, james clapper, and the cia director, john brennan. >>> and we're following a protest against the president-elect's nominee for attorney general. members of the naacp are staging a sit-in tonight in the office of alabama senator jeff sessions who was denied a federal judgeship decades ago over alleged racist remarks which he denied making. i'll talk to the head

turning it over now to wolf blitzer in "the situation room." >>> happening now, breaking news. executive action. president trump orders the u.s. to withdraw from a major trade deal, freezes federal hiring and warns business leaders they'll pay a price if they move manufacturing out of the united states. >>> international shift. the white house walks back donald trump's pledge to move the u.s. embassy from tel aviv to jerusalem saying no decisions have been made and it doesn't rule out joint action with russia against isis. >>> nomination fight. the grillings continue but the president is closer to getting his national security team confirmed. we're awaiting a senate vote on the pick to head the cia. and marco rubio and other republicans roll over. they're dropping their opposition to the secretary of state nominee. >>> and alternative facts. after a bruising weekend lecture to the news media focused on the size of the inaugural crowd and full of misstatements, the white house press secretary holds his first briefing, vows not to low and answers dozens of questions from reporter

he was, like, why is wolf blitzer so mean to me? crying ) for cnn, i'm don lemon. ( crying ) the big story. i'm calling it now. what happened today was the funniest story of the year. 2017 is done, and it's only january 3. the republican congressmen got together to determine the rules for the next two years in the house of representatives -- which members can call for a vote, do people have to wear shoes, no muslims, that sort of thing. you remember that for the last year republicans have been selling america hard on the stuff they will do as soon as they take over washington -- repeal obamacare, cut taxes, balance the federal budget -- but one thing took precedence over all priorities. >> house republicans voting behind closed doors monday night in favor of a proposal that guts its own independent ethics watchdog tasked with investigating misconduct among house members. >> trevor: ooh! look at you, republicans! new year, new you! ( laughter ) hey, you know what? republicans getting rid of the ethics office seems disgusting, but i h

i'm wolf blitzer. we begin with breaking fuse this hour. we want to welcome our viewers around the united states and the world. president trump will step in front of that podium to speak. this as a world leader cancels plans to meet with him here in washington. look at these live pictures coming in from the annual republican congressional retreat under way right now in philadelphia. we're going to bring you the president's speech live as soon as it begins. >>> in the meantime, the war over the wall with mexico intensifies. just a little while ago, the mexican president enrique pena nieto canceled plans to meet

i'm wolf blitzer reporting live from washington. once again we want to welcome our viewers here in the united states and around the world. donald trump the candidate, he thumbed his nose at tradition very often during the campaign. but this morning the new president embraces it. any moment now he's expected to leave the white house bound for the national cathedral to attend a prayer service. the vice president, mike pence, has already arrived. it's a tradition for newly installed presidents dating back to george washington. the only scheduled event on the president's first full day in office. also this hour here in washington a women's march is getting under way. just one of many around the country, indeed around the world. today protesters say they're deeply worried about the trump white house and its potential impact on women's rights and civil liberties. similar demonstrations are being held around the country. and as i said, around the world. we're covering all the fast moving developments this morning. i want to quickly get ove

wolf blitzer, you covered a few of these. do you agree with dana this is a fairly traditional inauguration so far despite it is a fairly untraditional president-elect? >> very untraditional president-elect, but a very traditional inauguration. i've covered several of them, and it's unfolding the way it's supposed to unfold, precisely with a very somber ceremony at arlington national cemetery, now a very different event over at the lincoln memorial. david gregory among others is with us right now. you've covered a lot of these inaugurations as well. >> yes. >> so far so good? >> so far so good. it's a great part of our country, our democrat democracy transfer of power. there are a lot of people who come here, a lot of them supporters of our president-elect, others may not necessarily be. but to see this in person, to experience history is really -- i can remember being a student here in washington and going to my first inauguration just as a student. i talked to friends who live in northern virginia who rented out part of thei

wolf blitzer didn't come up with this. this came from the top.t's the only way somebody at cnn could have thought of getting away with this. if someone else thought of this, jeff zucker would have thrown them out of his office and said are you insane? you can on assume this must be zucker's ideas. >> this is something you have to be really careful about. when you are on television, generally in the news the business -- the idea has been if you talked about the assassination of a president it was because someone had been arrested, maybe a plot had been uncovered. you don't just make it up. they just made up this entire scenario about this on this inauguration day. we would have to go back and check to see if they have ever done anything like this before, by the was really extraordinary. >> it would only give them a history of poor judgment and reckless conduct. this is so awful, i can't manage the board of time-warner, those executives at times warner, toll rating this nonsense. to your point, charlie. this is the stuff for which careers should be

i'm wolf blitzer. it's 1:00 p.m. here in washington. wherever you are watching from around the world, thanks very much for joining us. up first, our critical week ahead with just 11 days until the inauguration. the trump transition team faces a jam packed schedule. confirmation hearings for some of the president-elect's key nominees begin tomorrow. he thinks they will all do well. here's what he told reporters just a little while ago. >> confirmation is going great. >> they haven't started yet. >> i think every nomination will be -- they're all at the highest level. jack was even saying, i mean, they are the absolute highest level. i think they're going to do very well. >> there's some concern about jeff sessions in particular. >> no, i think he is going to do great. high quality man. >> confirmation hearings begin tomorrow for senator jeff sessions. trump's choice for attorney general and retired general john kelly who is picked for homeland security secretary. on wednesday hearings get underway for secretary of state nominee rex tille

. >>> good afternoon from washington i'm wolf blitzer we want to welcome our viewers from the united states and around the world. you have been watching special hearings on capitol hill for the president-elect trump cabinet picks. steve mnuchin facing tough criticism. donald trump is officially kicking off his inauguration events. in moments he'll be taking part in a wreath laying ceremony over at arlington national ceremony at the tomb to have unknowns. the theme will be kicked off by a make america great again at the lincoln memorial. that's where we find jake tapper and dana bash. jake, it's going to be a lively two hours there. >> reporter: that's right. crowds are beginning to fill the national hall here all the way down to the washington national monument. these events will serve as something of a tribute to one of america's greatest attributes and that's the peaceful transition of power today will feature three doors down, lee greenwo greenwood, right now there are all these citizen performers going on at nearby, high schools and the like. >> that's right they're trying to mak