i'm amy goodman.ay coming this holiday special, we will spend the hour with vermont senator bernie sanders, the independent, self-proclaimed socialist from vermont who shocked the political establishment by nearly beating hillary clinton in the democratic primary. since donald trump's victory on november 8th, sanders has emerged as one of the most powerful voices in washington. he just published a best selling i sat down with bernie sanders at the free library of 28th.elphia on a member we will air the interview later in the broadcast, but first let's turn to an excerpt speech he gave that night. bernie: people are interested in knowing, well, how did trump win? how did he win the electoral college? one of the things that he did was tap into an anxiety and a level of pain that we don't often see on cbs or nbc. he said, preposterously i might add, is that he, of all people, was going to take on the astonishment. he was going to take on the economic establishment. he was want to take on the political es

i'm amy goodman. in charleston, south carolina, a judge has declared a mistrial in the murder trial of white former police officer michael slager, who was caught on video fatally shooting 50-year-old african-american walter scott in the back as he ran away in april 2015. officer slager stopped walter scott for a broken taillight. after scott fled the car, video filmed by a bystander shows officer slager fatally shooting scott in the back from more than 17 feet away. despite the distance and the fact that walter scott was unarmed, officer slager argued during his trial that he was in total fear for his life. there were 11 white jurors and one black jury on the jury, which deadlocked after four days of d deliberations. this is judge clifton newman. >> i have a final note from the we as the jury regret to inform the court that despite the best efforts on all tobers, we're unable to come a unanimous decision in the case of the state versus michael slater -- slager. so i'm going to bring the jury out andd

i'm amy goodman. the 538 electors of the

i'm amy goodman. in breaking news, russian president vladimir putin said today syria's government has agreed to a ceaease-fire with rebels said to begigin at midnit tonighght. putin said russia and turkey would guarantee terms of the truce and that the deal excludes fighters with isis, the so proclaimed islamic state. it was not immediately clear which of the dozens of rebel groups fighting the regime of syrian president bashar al-assad would take part in any truths. claims of a truce came as the syrian observatory for human rights said 40 people, including children, were killed in air strikes. amateur video purports to show the aftermath of the attacks with children and adults seen fleeing through smoke-filled streets. in washington, d.c., s secretary of state john kerry blasted israel's government, saying in a address s the relentless expansn of jewish settlements in the occupied west bank has all-but-ended the prospect of a two-state solution with thee palestinians. >> despite our best efforts over

i'm amy goodman. in syria, the evacuation of rebels and civilians from eastern aleppo resumed todayay, after thousands were left strandnd on wednesday amid heaey snowfall a and freezingg temperatatures. syrianan government foforces sad theyey expected the last of thte evacueeses to board buses withtn the coming hours, leaving syria's army to take total control of aleppo which has been , devastated by months of heavy bombing and siege warfare. the evacuation resumed after the united nations general assembly voted overwhelmingly to establish a team to o investigae war crimes and human rights abuseses committeded during the syrian civil war. syria and russia led the opposition to the proposal. we'll havave more on syria after headlines. donald trump has named an ardent critic of china to head the itite hoe e national trade council, in the latest sign the trump administration could launch a trade war with china. peter navarro is an economist at the university of california, irvine, and author of the books

i'm amy goodman. in syria, government forces have seized as much as 75% of eastern aleppo. on tuesday, anti-government rebels withdrew from aleppo's old city, and the aleppo leadership council called for a five-day truce to allow for thte evacuation of civilians from rebel-heldld areas. the syrian government, however, says it's opposed to any more temporary truces in aleppo. and on monday,usussia and chchia vetoeded a u.n. security council resolution for a a week-long ceasefire in the city. the battlele for controlol of easterern aleppo is seen as decisive turning point in the five-year civil war, which began with a democratic popular uprising in 2011. if the syrian government retakes all of aleppo, the antigovernment rebels will be left with h little territory and only the northern province of idlib in some areas in the provinces of aleppo and homs around damascus. the ongoing ground offensive comes after eastern aleppo has been besieged for weeks by syrian government forces and under aerial attack b

i'm amy goodman. president obama announced tuesday a permanent ban on offshore oil and gas drilling across wide swathes of the arctic and the atlantic seaboard. obama used an obscure 63-year-old law in a move that incoming president donald trump may not be able to reverse. the announcement bans all future oil and gas leases for the arctic's chukchi sea, as well as the vast majority of the beaufort sea. canadian prime minister justin trudeau also announced a ban on new offshore drilling in canadian arctic waters on tuesday. obama and trudeau's announcements come as the world meteorological organization says 2016 is on track to be the hottest year on record, in part due to particularly high temperatures in the arctic. >> it does remain on track to be the hottest year on record. 2015 was the hottest year on record, before that 2014 was the hottest year on record. will break those records. temperatures in the arctic have been particularly high. was very, very low in the early part of the year. it was the

i'm amy goodman. the 538 electors of the electoral college are set to meet today to officially choose the next president of the united states. in past elections, the meeting has generally been considered a formality. but this year, an increasing number of people have called on the electors to refuse to vote for president-elect donald trump. there are nearly 5 million signatures on one petition alone. one republican elector has come out saying he will not vote for trump, and there are reports of other so-called faithless electors. the filmmaker michael moore has offered to pay the fines of any electors who break ranks and vote against donald trump. trump needs to secure 270 elector votes to take office. he lost the popular vote by up -- by 2.9 million. we'll have more on the meeting of the electoral college later in the broadcast. today's electoral college meeting comes as president obama has publicly accused russian president vladimir putin of meddling in the u.s. election. pres. obama: not much happe

i'm amy goodman. donald trump has chosen former texas governor rick perry to be energy secretary. governor perry famously attempted to propose to abolish the energy department, but then couldn't remember the agency during a live televised debate in 2011 when he was running for presidident. >> and i will tell you, it is three agencies of government when i get thehere that are gon. commerce, education, and the -- what is the third one? let's see. >>>> five. >> ok, five. commererce, education, and the >> epa? >> epa, there you go. >> seriously? is e epa the one you were e talg about? >> no, sir.. we werere talking about the agencies of f government. ththe epa needs to be rebuilt. >> you can't name the third one? >> the third agency of government -- i would do away with the education, the -- commerce, and let's see -- i can't. the third one, i can't, sorry. ooops. amy: that was rick perry during a televised debate in 2011. he later told reporters that the agency he had forgotten was the energy department.

i'm amy goodman. president barack obama on thursday ordered the expulsion of 35 russian diplomats whom he accused them of spying. he slapped new sanctions on russian agencies he accused of meddling in november's u.s. election. he ordered the closure of two russian owned estates, one on long island, together in maryland, the white house says were used to gather intelligence. these sanctions came as the obama administration made public a 13-page document produced by the fbi and the department of homeland security outlining the government's charges of how russian hackers penetrated u.s. institutions in a bid to undermine the campaign of hillary clinton. russia responded angrily to the sanctions, saying initially it would expel 35 usc limits in return. this is russian foreign minister sergei lavrov. >> we cannot leave such steps unanswered. ministry,n foreign together with our colleagues from other agencies, propose to the president of the russian 31 staffn to declare members of the u.s. embassy in moscow

i'm amy goodman. in germany, 12 people were killed and 48 more wounded in berlin after a truck drove into a christmas market around 8:00 p.m. local time, plowing into the stalls packed with shoppers and tourists at about 40 miles an hour. late monday night, german media, citing local authorities, is reported police have detained one suspect, a 23-year-old pakistani refugee named naved b, he has denied all involvement. early this morning from unnamed sources within the german police told local media a believe naved was not involved in the attack and the perpetrator may still be a large and armed. as many as 250 police officers raided berlin's largest refugee center, which is housed inside a hangar at a defunct airport and questioned at least four people. no one was arrested. this is german chancellor angela merkel speaking this morning. >> there is know with sufficient certainty, but we must assume it was a terrorist attack. i know it would be especially hard frost to bear if it were confirmed the pers

i'm amy goodman. israeli officials vowed on monday to build thousands of new settlement homes on occupied palestinian land in defiance of a united nations resolution passed friday condemning such construction as a flagrant violation under international law. the plans violate security council resolution 2334, which was approved friday on a 14-0 vote after the united states abstained, denying a veto sought by israel and president-elect donald trump. palestinian negotiator saeb erekat welcomed passage of the resolution. >> we hope that this your message to the israeli people is they must accept international committees call to stop settlement activities, to stop the occupation. occupation and settlements provide no peace or security. the only way to peace and security is through a negotiated settlement to achieve a two state solution. amy: the resolution does not provide for any sanctions against israel for failing to halt settlement construction. it was introduced on friday by malaysia, senegal, venezue

i'm amy goodman. in north dakota, water protectors resisting the $3.8 billion dakota access pipeline have scored an historic victory. on sunday, the u.s. army corps of engineers denied energy transfer partners, the company behind the pipeline, a permit to drill underneath lake oahe on the missouri river officially , halting construction. the pipeline is slated to carry crude oil from the bakken oilfields of north dakota, through south dakota, iowa, and into illinois, where it's slated to link up with another pipeline to carry the oil down to refineries in the gulf. the project has faced months of resistance from the standing rock sioux in north dakota, members of more than 200 indigenous nations from across the americas, and thousands of their non-native allies -- all concerned the pipeline's construction will destroy sacred sioux sites, and that a pipeline leak could contaminate the missouri river, which serves as a water supply for millions. standing rock protester maurine archambault celebrated the

i'm amy goodman. the syrian government says it's temporarily suspended the evacuation of civilians from eastern aleppo after accused the anti-government rebel fighters of breaking the terms of the ceasefire. one of the terms c called for anti-government rebels to allow for the evacuation of wounded civilians in another part of syria: two government-held towns in idlib province, which have been besieged by rebels. about 8000 people did successfully escape from eastern aleppo thursday before the evacuations were halted. there are also separate news reports of evacuation convoys being fired upon. on thursday, dozens of united nations workers staged a walkout in new york city to show solidarity with the syrian people. >> we stand united in solidarity with the people of syria. wewe call upon the memberr stats of the united nations, in particular the security council, to take urgent, practical action to end t the horror in syria. amy: in the united states, president obama has vowed to retaliate against russ

i'm amy goodman. president elect donald trump has scottced he will pruitt the head of the epa. pruitt claimed the climate science change is far from settled. he is seen as a close ally of the fossil fuel industry. in 2014, "the new york times" revealed pruitt another republican attorneys general had formed an unprecedented secretive a aligns with the top energy producers to fight oh by ms. climate -- obama's climate effort. said the epa a letter accusing federal regulators of overestimating the amount of air pollution caused by energy companies drilling new natural gas wells in oklahoma. what pruitt did not reveaeal isa letter was to grilli drafted by lawyers at devon energy. senator bernie sanders said " pruitt's record is not only that of being climate change denier, but also someone who has worked closely with the fossil fuel industry to make this country more dependent am a not less, on fossil fuels." more on attorney general pruitt after headlines. donald trump also announced he has picked retire

i'm amy goodman. president-elect donald trump is expected to name exxonmobil ceo rex tillerson as secretary of state. the selection prompted outrage and condemnation among environmental groups. exposes by insideclimate news and the "los angeles times" reveal exxon knew that fossil fuels cause global warming as early as the 1970's, but hid that information from the public, and instead poured millions of dollars into pr efforts aimed at sowing doubt over the science of climate change. responding to the possible nomination, 350.org executive director may boeve said -- "exxonmobil is still a leading funder of climate denial and is pursuing a business plan that will destroy our future. tillerson deserves a federal investigation, not federal office." tillerson has spent the past 41 years at exxon, where he became chair and chief executive more than a decade ago. he has no experience in government service, nor in the diplomatic corps. donald trump praised tillerson during an appearance on "fox news sunday."

i'm amy goodman. in syria, the chaotic evacuation of eastern aleppo continues amidst ongoing fighting punctuated by a series of short-lived cease-fires. this morning, the syrian civil defense, known as the white helmets, say a civilian evacuation convoy was atattacked by syryrian government fororces, killg one persrson and woundndig at least four r more, includinga medical wororker. on wednesday, the syrian army and its russian ally resumed shelling and airstrikes againint eastern aleppo, despite a cease-fire. this is a spokesperson for the un's secretary-general. concerned. is deeply about reports of fighting in aleppo despite the announcement of a cease-fire agreement last night. any continued fighting leaves thousands in the didirect line f fire. the safety and security of tens of thousands of them in, women, and children still trapped in eastern aleppo remains precarious. we urgently call for a pause in fighting to allow people who for to leave safely destinatation of tirir choice.e. amy: the ongo

i'm amy goodman. russian officials are condemning a move by the united states to speed the delivery of weapons to syrian fighters, calling it a hostile act that threatens russian forces and could lead to terrorist attacks on airplanes. the criticism follows president obama's signature of a massive pentagon spending bill, known as the ndaa, which eases restrictions on weapons transfers to syrian opposition groups. russia says that will allow for the u.s. to arm rebels with shoulder-mounted anti-aircraft missiles known as manpads. at the state department, spokesperson mark toner said the obama administration is opposed to such a move. >> we have seen this before, this language before, this rhetoric. our position on manpads has not changed. we would havave a very deep concern about that type of weaponry getting into syria. amy: despite those comments, the incoming trump administration could choose to arm syrian rebels with manpads. crcritics say the weapons coulde used to down commercial jet liners. last

i'm amy goodman. it is official. donald trump has chosen the ceo of the world's largest oil company and a man with no political experience for the top cabinet position. this morning, trump tweeted -- "i have chosen one of the truly greaeat busineness leaders of te world, rex tillerson, chairman and ceo of exxonmobil, to be secretary of state." environmental groups have e widy condemned the nomination. exxon is facing multiple lawsuits over its role in covering up the science behind climate change. tillerson is also known to have close ties to russian president vladimir putin who awarded , tillerson the country's order of friendship decoration in 2013. both senate democrats and republicans have expressed concern and opposition to tillerson's nomination, which comes only days after president obama ordered a review of russia's role influencing the presidential election. the cia has reportedly already concluded russia intervened in the election to help trump win. one of the focuses of the senate confirmat

i'm amy goodman. donald trump has chosen retired marine general james mattis to be defense secretary. trump made the announcement during a rally in cincinnati on thursday night. retired general mattis by his nickname "mad dog," which he reportedly received after leading u.s. troops during the 2004 b battlef fallujah in iraq. mattis listed in the marines at 19. he fought he served as a major general. in may 2004, he ordered an airstrike in a small iraqi village that hit a wedding, killing about 42 people who were attending the wedding ceremony. he went on to lead united states 2010-20 13,and from but the obama administration cut short his tour over concerns mattis was too hawkish on iran, reportedly calling for a series of covert actions there. mattis has drawn criticism over his apparent celebration of killing, including saying in 2005 about the taliban, "it's a hell of a lot of fun to shoot them." general mattis only retired from the military in 2013, meaning he will need congress to waive rules requ

i'm amy goodman. president-elect donald trump raised the prospect of a new global arms race on thursday, after he suggested on twitter he would increase the size of the u.s. nuclear arsenal. trump's tweet read -- "the united states must greatly strengthen and expand its nuclear capability until such time as the world comes to its senses regarding nukes." at the state department, the outgoing obama administration's spokespeperson john kirby wawas asked about the tweet. >> i can't speak for what the nuclear viewst's or his policy going forward. that is for him and his team. what i can speak to is the approach that this administration has taken to try to get us onon a pathh toward -- without nuclear weapons. amy: despite president obama's call for an end to nuclear weapons, his administration has been quietly upgrading its nuclear arsenal to create smaller, more precise nuclear bombs as part of a massive effort that will cost up to $1 trillion over three decades. speaking to msnbc rachel maddow, kellyann