jim mattis understands those costs and will bring the caution am to the job and that's what you want d foremost. >> do you believe, mike, that mattis represents the best? that you're taking top tier if you go with him? >> oh, absolutely. i had the great privilege to work with him when i was chairman of the intelligence committee and then subsequent to his leaving his role in the united states marines. and he got that nickname mad dog because he is a very tough warrior, but he is an intellectual warrior. he understands when force is necessary and when force is not advisable. that's why i think he's impressed so many people along his career. and we've -- i've had the great fortune to sit with him in occasions where the debate was in a room to do something that was a little bit aggressive and to not do it. you'd be surprised. again, this is a very tough warrior who is a strategic thinker that thinks about the second and third order effects of every decision when you use your military. that's why i think he's attractive to the trump folks and why he would, if he could go through this proc

>> reporter: well, i think one of the things we're waiting for now, richard, is for general jim mattis, retired marine general, who is in meeting with president-elect donald trump and vice president-elect mike pence. that meeting is under way. they've been through a series of meetings earlier today, but general mattis is a strong contender, i am told from a variety of sources, for donald trump's consideration for a job in the administration. so we have talked about some of the people who have come today for various positions, possible, but i'm getting a stronger indication from sources that mattis is a name we may, in fact, see in a trump administration. could that be an announcement today or this weekend? we don't yet know, but the meeting is happening now. is it a job interview? perhaps. we saw with a brief photo op on the front end donald trump referring to the general as a great man. sort of a gesture towards him telling us that. so we expect to hear from them soon. so perhaps if it happens while we're live on camera we'll just watch it unfold. earlier today, of course, governor mi

so jim mattis, i'm 100% high on that guy.ing thing i heard about the incoming administration that he could be sec-def. heather: he is known for all of his quotes. perhaps most quoted general around and he definitely does not want america to be perceived as being weak. >> no. no, heather, jim mattis is a master, a listener. he is not a shouter. he listens dissects arguments carefully and politely but a lot of the things he said with the nickname mad dog mattis, that is how you inspire young marines to say some of these things. he is very deeply, thoughtful man who will be great benefit not only to our defense and security policy but our foreign policy as well. he is just great. i can't help gushing about him. heather: inspiration not to just young marines, there was 90-year-old marine giving me his opinion. he is overwhelmingly excited as well. >> people love jim mattis. heather: thank you so much for joining us. have a great thanksgiving. >> you too, heather. sean: semper fi. protests over election of donald trump they have b

donald trump, i would feel better about a president trump who is being advised by mitt romney and jim mattis. so, you know, it's a little -- we can all laugh about it and show the clips of romney criticizing trump and remind people that mattis thought of running as an independent against trump but i've got to give trump credit for being more open-minded or broad-handed than i might have expected. >> you have nikki haley and ted cruz and romney going from his hit list to his hot list, but i want to ask you about the five high-profile job appointments since the election. all white men. and three of them we're talking about sessions, bannon and flynn have been accused of bigotry, so, if a member of a minority community, if you're a member of the minority community and you're concerned about a trump presidency, how should you feel about this administration and how it's shaping up right now, bill? >> i think you should keep an open mind, honestly. i don't know that -- i don't approve of things bannon has said. i'm not sure i would make flynn my national security adviser. i respect jeff sessions,

promises to prosecute hillary rethinking his support for with general jim mattis. >> i met with him at length and i asked him that question. i said what do you think of waterboarding? he said, i was surprised. he said, i've never found it to be useful. he said, i've always found, give me a pack of cigarettes and a couple of beers and do i better with that than i do with torture. >> another example of how trump now appears willing to reconsider some of the hard line campaign trail. for more now, i'm joined by the "washington post" robert costa, an mbls analyst, as well as a political report we are nbc news. you've interviewed him. you've been following this guy from the very beginning. the trump who showed up on what seemed to be a charm offensive, how much of that is donald trump moving into a new role now that he is president-elect and not a candidate? has always changed his volume level, his settings politically depending on his audience. not that he changes the message or the substance but he changes the presentation. he wants to keep the populist conservative side of the party with

jim mattis is considered a top contender-- nat trump: "he is the real deal." (gfx) other top posts awaiting appointment: treasury, homeland security, and veterans affairs [wild line: meanwhile the transition team announced two staff- level appointments but said no cabinet appointments would be made before monday] and on a very different note--former green party candidate, jill stein has raised $3.5 million green party presser sot -- "what we are saying is there is enough peripheral evidence to warrant that our system should be investigated// 13:36:19 it's not about the outcome - it's the process." her campaign officially filed for a wisconsin recount in advance of their friday deadline. hillary clinton, who now leads in the popular vote by around 2 million, has not weighed in. lana zak standup close: "meanwhile, a us official tells abc news the president-elect has had just two intelligence briefings...the vice president has had more...but there is lana zak, abc news, washington." the holidays a time for decorating -- and feeling festive. but too often --that f

made and perhaps there could be an announcement made related to that and perhaps talking about jim mattisho is a former marine general and secretary of defense possibly, and there is also the former new york mayor rudy giuliani as secretary of state, and also others here for that, and beyond a job search, there are ideas being floated around with disciplines from the economy and the military to come with ideas that they believe could come into the new administration, and part of it is to seek out the policy ideas and expand iing the conversatio and some of it is of course what we think are these very high profile job interviews that we are waiting to see if there are any further developments today, richard. >> interviews and potential announcements could possibly be happening there can kelly o'connell there in front of the purported door, and we will get back to you. the handle of appointments by president-elect trump are already receiving scrutiny including jeff sessions for attorney general. he lost out on a judgeship in 2006 because of some racist statements. and some are not ready to

jim mattis is strategically focused. internationally focused. good relationships on the international side and someone who is born to serve and could make a difference really significant difference as well. >> mike flynn was your intelligence officer called the j2. you've said great things about him. as an intelligence officer. different job as a national security adviser. >> completely different. he was a terrific intelligence now he's at the hub of the national security apparatus and he's got to be an honest broker and present all opinions. he has to actually -- he and his deputy have to make the trains run on time in the white house. the number of issues are extraordinary and he has to do that to give the president and the cabinet but really the president all the options in a way where the president can make the best decision for the security of the country. >> thanks very much for joining us. we would love to have you back to talk about this more. we'll be right back with the powerhouse round table in 30 seconds. 30 >>> let's bring in our ro

on trump's part honestly and i think rising to the job perhaps if he makes the offer, same with jim mattis, who i know, retired marine, four-star general, fantastic human being. i don't know that he wants to be secretary of defense. there would have to be a waiver because he's a recent general. if he would advise him i would feel better about a president trump being advised by mitt romney and jim mattis. so, you know, it's a little -- we can all laugh about it and show the clips of romney criticizing trump and remind people that mattis was thinking about running as an independent. i have to applaud him for being more open-minded or broad-handed than i expected. >> you have nikki haley and ted cruz going from his hit list to his hot list. but i want to ask you about the five high-profile job appointments since the election. all white men. and three of them we're talking about sessions, bannon and flynn have been accused of bigotry so, if a member of a minority community, if you're a member of the minority community and you're concerned about a trump presidency, how should you feel about thi

. >> let's talk about retired general jim mattis, a marine corp. legend. the troops do love him. mr. trump seemed before impress bid him. what's the likelihood he could be secretary of defense? >> i think it's a very real possibility. but obviously, we've got more work to do martha. he is a hero of our country and bring america together. someone you can point to no matter who you are and say this is a man that every american would respect and someone certainly more than capable of leading the department of defense at a time when we need to get serious about isis and our security around the globe, whether it be china, north korea, syria, libya, you know as well martha, you're an expert at these things, we need leadership and certainly general mattis a leader and president-elect trump loves leaders like general mattis. >> let's talk about another retired general and that would be mike flynn who he has chosen as national security adviser. he is highly admired for his work as an intelligence officer but has a history of controversial views about islam. he said in an interview in july

the secretary of defense, it jim mattis is considered a top contender. other top posts awaiting assignment include veterans affairs. the holidays are underway in concord where the tree was lit tonight in front of the state house. activities have been going on all evening for the 30th tree lighting. it was saved thanks to generous donors. out of the tree and 600 balls were lost. the community raised $500 for new lights and everyone can enjoy the tree. >> now is the time to focus on the holidays and all of the good that comes out of them. i hope everyone has a great holiday season. >> my grandmother and i tried to come out here as often as we can because it gets us excited for christmas. shelley: the t tradition in concord and for many families the chilly weather was not an issue. they say they would not miss this kickoff or anything. let us talk about the weather. chilly and grade. hoping for some this weekend. mike: it did not stop people from getting out there. you could really zip on 293. many taking the opportunity to get indoors and do some shopping.

general jim mattis is at the to be of the list for secretary of defense. over major posts awaiting appointment including treasure, homeland security and veterans affairs. >>> coming up, on the run, two inmates bust out of prison as police close in they're upping the ant ee in hopes of apprehending the pair. >>> just in, that new information on the missing mom. surfacing about her disappearance. >>> and the pesky rain that just wouldn't go away. well, good news, we're finally get ago break and temperatures are starting to warm up too. coming up in just minutes. >>> breaking down those door busters. what you need to know about all those holiday deals so you don't waste your money. but first tonight's winning lottery numbers. >>> happening right now, 20 grand up for grabs. police offering a reward as they search for two escaped inmates. the pair broke out of a california jail wednesday night. detectives say they're making some progress with search dogs tracking their scent but they believe the men are getting outside help and they hope the money will encourag

. >>> also meeting with donald trump this weekend is retired marine general, jim mattis. right now, mattis is a visiting fellow at the hoover institute. and sits on the board of the silicon battle blood testing company, serinos. >> who is going to be president in 2020? how about kanye west? he said he's interested. last night the rapper was in san jose and many people who paid big money to go to this concert were actually booing his performance, not because of his music or lyrics, but because of his political statements. our business and tech reporter, scott budman, joins us at the s.a.p. center, where last night's concert is still being buzzed about. >> reporter: it is, raj, being discussed all day long. kanye west getting political here in san jose, giving his fans something to argue about, and get angry about. >> if i were to vote, i would have voted on trump. >> reporter: of all places, kanye west picked a bay area tour date to pledge his allegiance to donald trump. and as recorded by a fan in the crowd, the san jose fans booed back. >> i love kanye. he talks a lot. >

i can't think of anyone better than jim mattis. he's a warrors warrior.e also understands the backbone of our service. the sergeant and the chief petty officer. and it's the front line. if we want to straighten out the military. the right rules of engagement and the right equipment to win decisively on any field of battle. he to do that the question has to be stronger than it is. the budget has to be bigger than it is for the military. and we have to have a new attitude on the part. our leadership. the generals as a class didn't win a victory over the course of the past 15 years against radical islam. we have been fighting for 15 years. general petraeus talked about a long war. you and i i think would say a long war isn't in the interest of this country ever. we have to come up with a new generation of leaders to make certain we don't ever get into what we have been through the course of the past 15 years. >> it starts out with a policy. what is your policy in iraq. our policy in syria. our policy with iran.oue amar

jim, general james mattis appears to be the top contender right now to lead the pentagon. learning? >> reporter: that's right. he's very popular inside the military, both soldiers and commanders, he's been described as a soldier's soldier. he's also popular on the hill with republicans and democrats. but oddly enough it may not be politics that stands in the way but the law. >> all i can say is, he is the real deal. >> reporter: president-elect donald trump is "extremely impressed with retired marine general james mattis" following their meeting with weekend. sources say that mattis is now the leading candidate for secretary of defense. >> the u.s. military is quite capable of giving their enemies their longest and worst day if ordered to do so. >> reporter: he's a seasoned combat commander with 44 years of service in the marine corps and key commands in afghanistan and iraq. he won praise for the deadly 2004 battle of fallujah, earning him the nickname, bad dog. reaction so far has been positive. >> jim mattis understands how the military can influence and is influenced b

that is where jim mattis is coming from. is our next guest there, talking about marine corps general james mattis, leading candidate for secretary of defense. mr. trump calling him a quote, general's general. so how then would a former general at the helm of the pentagon change things? general jack keane, retired four-star general, institute of study of war and fox news military analyst. sir, thank you for coming back today. i want to make it clear to our audience you were offered this position and you, what is the right word, is it declined? >> i with drew from consideration is probably the right way to discuss it. you know, i mean the facts of the matter is, you know, i was honored to to have this discussion and not able to serve at this time. that is the reality of it even though you want to. bill: fully respect your decision there. now you have james mattis who you have known for a very long time. this would be a break in tradition to have military man head up the department of defense. is there a advantage or disadvanta

for instance, telling jim mattis, after he said he was in favor of waterboarding, now he talked to jimp is against waterboarding. i don't gain say the authenticity of his opinion. he is able to change his mind. that is what people have to keep in mind about donald trump. stuart: there is nothing wrong with it, in your opinion. >> there is limit to it. the president of the united states and whole word world is listening he can't talk about things like military affairs and strategic affairs because countries likes china and russia. i think the switch he made about hillary clinton is entirely defensible and this is why. fbi is making a call on this. he can shut down a fbi investigation but would be scandalous. why waste all your political capital prosecuting hillary clinton making her a democratic martyr, drawing all the attention to her. she is pretty much forgotten. she lost the election as he said. he has to spend his political capital on the things that matter on first 150 days of his presidency, on tax bill and dodd-frank. stuart: it changes the tone. move away from cain tanker us in

general jim mattis at the top of the list for secretary of defense. other posts are for treasury, homeland security and veterans affairs. >>> several mosques in southern california say they've received threatening letters. the same hand written photo copied letter was sent to three islamic centers this week. it was addressed to "children of satan." it says donald trump will cleanse america starting with muslims, members targeted mosque say while it's been on edge they are still hoping to spread a message of love. >> if this person is listening i would like to send a message of peace and blessing to him or her. and i would like to invite this person to our center, our center is open any time. >> san jose police are now investigating and say the letters are being treated as hate motivated incidents. >>> this morning one person is vandalizing three starbucks in albuquerque. the fbi says suspicious devices were found at the stores on friday. one of them went off and caused some damage. luckily the store was closed at the time so no one was hurt. it's not

i know jim mattis.his is a terrific choice if this is a decision that president-elect trump is going the make and it looks like he's heading in that direction, why? he's a experienced commander and thoughtful and insightful and absolutely conversive with all, with all of the global security challenge that is are currently facing the united states and he knows that the indispensable item that is going to help provide stability and security to the world is strong american leadership. and we have had -- not had in the last years. mattis understand that and knows a strong military is essential. melissa: and he's blunt. one of the reasons he got name mad dog is he's not afraid of speaking true to power. this was a problem before when he was delivering messages maybe to president obama about how things are going, does that sound right to you? >> no, it's absolutely true. he's a straight talker, he speaks his mind clearly. people know exactly where he's coming from. i'm not talking about somebody who is bombas

and that is where jim mattis is coming from. >> reporter: he would be the first general to be secretary of defense since george c. marshal at the start of the korean war. the tradition of civilian control of the military dates back to george washington and the 1947 national security act which instituted a seven-year cooling off period for generals. before retiring in 2013, he served as the head of u.s. central command for three years. his opposition to the iran nuclear deal raised eyebrows in the west wing. >> it's an arms krog s control agreement that fell short. >> reporter: he never made any secret about who he believed posted the greatest risk to the u.s. >> iran presents the most significant regional threat to stability and security. >> reporter: general mattis was told to retire through months early. he was never given the courtesy of a phone call from president owe pa baa obama. he was handed a note informing him of the decision. >> reporter: what role would president obama play if any in whether or not mattis gets the job? >> general mattis would need a law passed by congress to

. >> jim mattis understands how america can influence and is influenced by the military power. >> reporterreer has not been without controversy. in 2005 he came under fire for remarks he made in a panel discussion which seemed to make light of killing in combat. >> mattis' nomination would, however, face an immediate and significant legislative hurdle. federal law requires that the pentagon be led by a civilian or a military veteran who has been out of uniform for at least seven years. mattis has only been retired for three years, so congress would have to vote to give them a waiver. congress has only used the waiver once in history, in 1950, allowing president truman to appoint george marshall to the position of defense secretary. it is moved by a longstanding principle of civilian command in the military. >> they want enough time to say are you separated enough from the military ethic and culture and part of the community as such to be a civilian boss? >> reporter: joining me now is democratic congressman adam schiff. he is a ranking member of the house means committee. as we said there,

clinton, he showed he was rethinking his support for torture after a conversation with general jim mattis. >> i met with him at length and i asked him that question. i said what do you think of waterboarding? he said, i was surprised. he said, i've never found it to be useful. he said, i've always found, give me a pack of cigarettes and a couple of beers and do i better with that than i do with torture. >> another example of how trump now appears willing to reconsider some of the hard line positions he took on the campaign trail. for more now, i'm joined by the "washington post" robert costa, an mbls analyst, as well as a political report we are nbc news. so robert, i'll start with you. you've interviewed him. you've been following this guy from the very beginning. the trump who showed up on what seemed to be a charm offensive, how much of that is donald trump moving into a new role now that he is president-elect and not a candidate? >> trump throughout his career has always changed his volume level, his settings politically depending on his audience. not that he changes the message or th

as for secretary of state general jim mattis is considered a top contender. >> he's the real deal. >> other ato introments awaiting appointment is treasury, homeland and consumer affairs. and on a very different note former green party candidate jill stein has raised $3.5 million for recounts in key states. >> what we are saying is that there's enough peripheral evidence to warrant that our system should be investigated. it's just not about the outcome. it's about the process. >> her campaign officially filed for a wisconsin recount in advance of the friday deadline. hillary clinton who now leads in the popular vote by 2 million has not weighed in. >>> meanwhile a u.s. official confirms that the president-elect has had just two intelligence briefings. the vice president has had more, but experts say there is still time for him to get up to speed. lana zach, abc news, washington. >>> and the money keeps adding up. the recount effort has now raised more than $5.3 of $7 million. >> a new report suggests a sophisticated russia propaganda campaign flooded social media with fake stories lea

covering a lot of military stuff a lot of guys and gals i speak to in the military are excited about jim mattis. mad dog as they call him. he is a soldier's soldier. kennedy: trump called him a general's general. >> he did. before he mentioned that, talk to any guys in the field last four years his name comes up. he is a somebody a lot of men and women in the military really follow. it will be interesting to see if he gets the job. sandra: are you being impressed who he is assembling so far and now who he is talking to because he still has big positions to fill? meghan: goes to show the wounds of primaries can be healed for the greater good after a general election. mitt romney especially, i don't believe he voted for him or endorsed him. i like both men are coming together to put the past behind them. sandra: let me remind you of some. words exchanged. he called trump a fraud during the primary season. he in turn called romney a choke artist. and, pence by the way is confirming that he is being considered for secretary of state. this would be a huge role in the trump administration after they

so the combination of being in an intellectual and a soldier's soldier or marine's marine, jim mattis fits the bill. you have to remember that sect secretary of defense is number two. directly secretary of defense, directly to the president. the only three people in the chain. not the chairman of the joint chiefs, not the vice president, secretary of defense. so the president would have to have obviously very strong confidence in his secretary of defense, and general mattis would obviously have the support of the military, and the challenge there would be, would he be seen as being too subservient to the military, since he served 44 years in the military? or be able to be the civilian boss of the military in that position? reporting directly to the president? >> an issue of normally there has to be a seven-year lag time between when you're in uniform and the secretary of defense nap would need to be waived. >> it would. >> how would that work? >> there's nothing -- i guess it's biblical, in seven years, but i think george maershall, became secretary of state and then secretary of defe

i think the case of water boarding and general jim mattis a good representation of that. he made strong comments about the value of the interrogation techniques. he sits down with this highly decorated general who has strong views that run counter to it and comes out saying, you know, maybe i will rethink this. that trend may continue on different issues. when he goes into the administration he'll have other voices like steve bannon, his chief strategist, mike flynn his national security adviser. one thing we need to acknowledge about donald trump is these aren't positions likely set in stone. these aren't reversals that i think we can assume will hold. i think he is, to some extent, a moving target and someone apt to change his view depending who he speaks to. >> i'm glad you pointed that out. i agree completely on this. he often reflects the last person he spoke to. i want to play the exchange from the "new york times" on the subject of waterboarding and general mattis. >> i said, what do you think of waterboarding? he said -- i was surprised -- he said, i have never fo

the short answer is general jim mattis would be a phenomenal choice and the nation would be grateful if that decision were made. he's more than just a marine's marine and more than a warrior, he brings to the table a sense of focus. he's nuanced but clear in terms of the directives and his thoughts. he also understands, i think, premierely how the military aspect of all the elements of power integrate with those other elements of power which are diplomacy, economic footing, as well as the use of information to try to drive and influence operations around the globe. >> bob, do you agree? phenomenal choice? we know he's been a real critic of the iran nuclear deal. we heard donald trump say he wanted to get rid of thachlthat. how do you see him as being a possible fit? >> i think he would be a good secretary of defense. the thing that troubles me is the iran angle on this. if you look at general flynn, he wants to go into iran, undue that agreement, put more sanctions on. and just the whole administration seems to be heading towards a confrontation with iran. they look at iran as an exi

. >> reporter: in terms of how no leaning in on jim mattis from the vice-president-elect, donald trump himself, certainly indicates that they have great interest in him. it would be a matter is a job actually offered, is it accepted? perhaps that's the news they are hinting at. there will be a dozen people prominent individuals who will come to see donald trump today. >> kelly, his first meeting is with ari emanuel. why do you think that is? >> reporter: we were not given a specific reason. this was an addition. yesterday we were given a slate of names. he was not on it. we can tell you that the campaign now transition is saying that they want to have a diverse group of people with expertise, life experience, business experience, military experience. and ari emanuel has been very prominent and obviously comes from the emanuel family, if that isn't obvious to people, rahm emanuel, zeke emanuel. so those three brothers are famous in their own right. today, ari will be first person to see donald trump, meeting expected to be happening just about now. betty? >> it looks like we're looking

and that is where jim mattis is coming from. >> reporter: he would be the first general to be secretary of defense since george c. marshal at the start of the korean war. the tradition of civilian control of the military dates back to george washington and the 1947 national security act which instituted a seven-year cooling off period for generals. before retiring in 2013, he served as the head of u.s. central command for three years. his opposition to the iran nuclear deal raised eyebrows in the west wing. >> it's an arms krog s control agreement that fell short. >> reporter: he never made any secret about who he believed posted the greatest risk to the u.s. >> iran presents the most significant regional threat to stability and security. >> reporter: general mattis was told to retire through months early. he was never given the courtesy of a phone call from president owe pa baa obama. he was handed a note informing him of the decision. >> reporter: what role would president obama play if any in whether or not mattis gets the job? >> general mattis would need a law passed by congress to

a defense secretary, we think it's going to be jim mattis, has not been named yet. the top positions in the cabinet, many of them have not been named yet. as far as ben carson goes, who knows what is going on. ben carson said he wasn't qualified to head a department after he ran for president. this is a circus on the level of donald trump's campaign in terms of the leaks and the counter-leaks and counter espionage is going on within that campaign right now, within that transition. >> and what does this guy know about urban policy and housing? >> as much as we do about brain surgery. knows about the u.n. this is a real problem. it's not something -- it's a circus, but it's a bad circus. >> we're out of time. but it is a circus question of who is qualified. david corn, liz mair, john allen, thank you for a lively discy thanksgiving. i think i learned a few things. donald trump's choice to be education secretary? >>> later, new report about the role of the trump kids as reports indicate trump junior was talking about is the role of stay with us. o is for ordinarily i w