. >>> president-elect trump nominated secretary of state, rex tillerson, russia opposes a danger, the united states must be clear-eyed with the relationship of russia. joining us from washington is a member of the committee that'll be questioning secretary of state nominee, rex tillerson. this committee will have a huge role in shaping the portions of the trump administration. senator murphy, i have to begin these explosive allegations in this story tonight. were you reading them as we all have and were you briefed as a member of the committee? >> no, we have not been briefed on these allegations. the director of the fbi and james clapper will be before the senate and all senators briefing later this week and so i expect that either we'll be briefed or ask questions about the allegations at that time. i hope and i pray that these allegations are not true. many of us have been scratching our heads over a year now trying to understand why donald trump has become a very purposeful ally of a vicious time in vladimir putin and why he seems to defend his actions every turn. i hope it is not

state. in fact, we have reason to fear that mr. tillerson would run the state department like he ran exxon, where he repeatedly worked against u.s. national interests. mr. tillerson opposed sanctions levied against russia in the wake of their invasion against ukraine. he tried to pull one over on the committee, telling the committee this ridiculous story of first not lobbying congress on sanctions, then not knowing if exxon was lobbying for or against sanctions. that just doesn't pass the smell test. he called the chairman of the foreign relations committee to express his misgivings about sanctions. he personally lobbied congress against the sanctions. his company spent millions of dollars lobbying against the sanctions. and when asked by president obama and his administration to work -- refrain from attending a major economic development conference hosted by vladimir putin in the middle of the ukraine crisis, tillerson thumbed his nose at america. he intentionally embarrassed his own country and our allies by sending his top deputy to that

the oath overs as 45th president of the united states and work through these issues, john, i think what we should be encouraged by, whether it be rex tillerson as our secretary of state, nikki haley going to the united nations, general mattis is he is surrounding himself with a group of men and win that will bringing the, bring the broadest raping of information to make these decisions and fake the actions that will put american first. >> dickerson: mr. tillerson says he hasn't had a discussion about russia with donald trump, how can that be? >> i think in the context of these confirmation hearings, the president elect has made a point to talk to each of the various candidates for these positions and the nation of those conversations is usually wide-ranging and so i -- >> dickerson: but how, why didn't he get russia in there, if got is driving the bus, shouldn't secretary of state know where the bus is going? >> i think rex tillerson will and has no confusion about who will be making the decisions in the trump administration, and that is true of all of us. i mean, what is so encouraging to be around a donald trump and literally be sitting si

tillerson as c.e.o. and chairman of exxonmobil conducted business with all three foreign state sponsors of terrorism through a foreign subsidiary in a way that allowed exxon to evade u.s. sanctions. as the head of exxon, mr. tillerson did business with the terrorism trifecta: iran, syria, the sudan. this raises serious questions that the man who is nominated to be the face of the united states to the world has so much experience doing business with our most prominent and concerning adversaries. at the hearing under questions from the senior senator from new jersey and the senator from oregon, mr. tillerson denied having knowledge of these dealings and directed senators to seek more information from exxonmobil itself. three times he told the committee that -- quote -- he did not recall any of the details. throughout the afternoon it sounded like he was following the dodge ball rules for confirmation hearings. dodge, dip, duck, dive, and dodge. in fact, he basically admitted it to the junior senator from virginia. now, i just read in "the washington post" that on three separate occasions the sec, the securiti

rex tillerson was donald trump's surprise choice to be secretary of state.or thejob, he appeared to have a tougher line on russia than the man who picked him. russia today poses a danger, but it is not unpredictable in advancing its own interest. it has invaded the ukraine, including the taking of crimea and supported syrian forces that brutally violates the laws of war. but mr tillerson's background as chief executive of oil and gas giant exxonmobil involves extensive ties with russia, even receiving the country's medal of friendship from vladimir putin. some politicians are clearly not convinced he's really able to get tough on the kremlin, and it finally showed. is vladimir putin a war criminal? i would not use that term. let me describe the situation in aleppo and perhaps that will help you reach that conclusion. senator rubio went on to describe what he called the "targeting of civilians" by russian forces in syria. you are still not prepared to say that vladimir putin and his military have violated the rules of war and have conducted war crimes in alep

. >>> trump's pick for secretary of state, rex tillerson. a leading republican grilling him. >>> and the alarming images coming in tonight. tearful hostages begging the

tillerson does not seem to treat russia with the same gravity. we need a secretary of state who is going to work with our nato allies and stand up to russia, not give punitive -- putin a pass. and we are all aware of mr. tillerson's inappropriate stance toward relations with a country responsible for assaults on the world order through cyber attacks, illegal land grabs and war crimes. we are the victim of a cyber attack by russia, an act of cyberwar. the secretary of state must be somebody who regards that kind of attack as intolerable and unacceptable, and mr. tillerson's affinity for russia is alarming because he adds to the growing list of putin admirers in this administration. and that list, unfortunately, includes the president himself and national security advisor michael flynn. mr. tillerson's opposition to sanctions imposed on russia for its illegal annexation of crimea in 2014 was not the result of national security concerns, but rather because exxonmobil stood to make millions, even billions of dollars from a business deal that corporation had recently made with ru

we had senator bob menendez of new jersey questioning rex tillerson, the secretary of state candidate, about mexico, referring back what donald trump said about the start of his campaigns, that some mexicans are racists and murders, menendez pointedly asking tillerson, i jusheard this, so it was pretty interesting, wou you say that about mexico? rex tillerson saying i would never characterize mexico or any nation as all rapists and murderers. mexico is a friend of this nation. what we're getting final hour of trade, serious clarity from capitol hill to, trump tower and wall street on how donald trump will shape and deal with business, energy, foreign policy, diplomacy. president-elect trump outliningg to the how he plans to eliminate conflicts of interest of his role running a successful corporation, to overseeing the operation of the entire federal government. in that sweeping news conference, trump also announced his new veterans affairs secretary pick. he provided a timeline for a supreme court nominee. but right at top of it, he dismissed a new salacious report about him and he ad

state. tillerson could come under scrutiny for having no government experience, and also harsh questions about his ties to russian president vladimir putin. of course, tillerson served as ceo for exxonmobil for the past ten years, and also betsy devoss for education secretary. she, of course, has no education experience on thursday we'll be watching ben carson and his nomination for secretary of housing and urban development. carson, of course, with no previous agency experience. he is also criticized government programs in the past, so a lot happening this week on clel. a lot of names, a lot of intense scrutiny. >> can you update our viewers. ivanka trump's president, he will be -- become a senior advisor in the white house to the president. is that right? >> that's right. that's something that we've been long expecting. of course, kushner, has been a top advisor to donald trump throughout this election cycle. he played a large role in getting donald trump elected. also pennsylvania, wisconsin. of course, there's been questions about some of the conflicts of interest or the nepotism, anti-nep

state? mr. tillerson: yes. it is an important part of all of our foreign aid assistance efforts, whether it is usaid or other opportunities in more structured ways. sen. shaheen: thank you. under your leadership in 2012, exxon mobil developed a roadmap for promoting women's economic empowerment that specifically cited access to family planning and reproductive health services as a means to improve productivity and earning potential for women. 2010 oni also served in the center for strategic and international studies on smart local health policy, which also advocated for expanded access to family planning services. will you pledged to continue to prioritize quality family planning and reproductive health services for women worldwide, and ensure that resources and access to these programs are not conflated with support for abortion? mr. tillerson: senator, there are statutory requirements in place around the foreign aid. they are well known to yourself. and myself as well. we currently invest around half $1 billi

state. has been. tillersonand while certainly does not know the political things we , i do think he is a person that can be a very good anchor on the things we care about. and that was what i measured can by, not by comments made during a campaign. not by comments made at an inaugural address. we cannot possibly hold nominees responsible for what someone else says if we happen to disagree with that. i look at it in a different way. the, andy evident to in some cases on the committee, it is really turns out to be a proxy on the election itself. it is disappointing. >> if i could respond very briefly on that. i don't think that is the case at all. i think what has been said is mr. trump is our president and be one him to succeed, and he cannot possibly manage every part of government, and his cabinet appointments are critically important to this country. they have a great deal of discretion in the way they operate their agencies. the advice and consent role of the congress or the senate is critically important to

if the united states senate confirms rex tillerson as secretary of state, it will be the first job he held outside of exxon mobile since 1975. he was the chief executive officer and the republicans say the experience of negotiating deals around the world is an asset to bring to the united states government. and the demupon dems question if he can truly working for the american people. >> you would be willing to recuse yourself for the duration as secretary of state from any matter dealing with exxon economic interest, any matter that might involve exxon mobile or has the appearance that it being lead to a conflict, i will seek the guidance of the ethic's council. >> reporter: tillerson said he will fully end his relationship with the private sector as he transition to the secretary department, heather. >> questions on russia dominate the session and they talked about china and iran as well? >> reporter: they did. they mentioned a whole host of the issues particularly on russia. this is something that rex tillerson was going to have to answer because of the way exxon expanded the opera

>> well, secretary of state tillerson will actually view israel as a friend and do everything he canrengthen our friend and weaken our enemy and that's the almost exact opposite of what the secretary did in his shameful address, the shameful abstention from the vote -- the anti-israel vote in the united nations security council. we really do need to recognize who our friends are. we need to support them and do everything we can to strengthen their hand, not weaken them. >> you know, a lot of democratic -- jewish democrats in this country who are not happy with the settlements that will be done in israel, so they agree with the president in terms of that, the resolution in the u.n. >> it's been a longstanding united states policy to recognize the only way you're going to achieve peace in east between israel and palestine is let the two baeparties achieve between themselves with their talks. the problem has been is the united states has coerced israel to make every possible concession and the palestinians renews refuse to say yes. basically the plalestinians hav not yet recognized the

thank you. >>> it was a rocky confirmation hearing for secretary of state nominee rex tillerson.e was grilled about russia and his world view. one prominent republican was unsatisfied with his answers. that's ahead on "new day". an average of nearly $600, but who's gonna save me? [ voice breaking ] and that's when i realized... i'm allergic to wasabi. well, i feel better. it's been five minutes. talk about progress. [ chuckles ] okay. ...one of many pieces in myss. life.chuckles ] so when my asthma symptoms kept coming back on my long-term control medicine. i talked to my doctor and found a missing piece in my asthma treatment with breo. once-daily breo prevents asthma symptoms. breo is for adults with asthma not well controlled on a long-term asthma control medicine, like an inhaled corticosteroid. breo won't replace a rescue inhaler for sudden breathing problems. breo is specifically designed to open up airways to improve breathing for a full 24 hours. breo contains a type of medicine that increases the risk of death from asthma problems and may increase the risk of hospitaliza

we delayed the confirmation vote on secretary of state rex tillerson until these executive heers are overturned and commits to a opposing them. so far, this is the most important foreign-policy order of the new administration and in the committee hearing for his nomination, mr. tillerson was not 100% certain he would roundly reject the idea of a blanket travel ban, just like the one president trump sign. he said quote, i don't support a blanket travel ban on people coming into this country. he stressed in his opening statement that moderate muslims would be our greatest allies in the fight against extremist. the implication was he would not support a proposal that would in any way and alienate and inflame them. suggest he might be wary about a policy that explicitly singles out seven majority muslim countries for different treatment under u.s. policy. many of these comments, mr. president, that he made to the committee, mr. tillerson did, are at odds with the president's policy. so mr. president, democrats and republicans alike, and the american people most of all deserve to know whe

state. two me mr. tillerson is an adult who's been around and while he doesn't know the things that we know and hasn't been sitting through hearings for ten years, i do think he is a person who could be a good anchor on the things we care about. that was what i measured him by, not by comments during the campaign. i don't think any of us could possibly hold nominees responsible for what someone else says if we happen to do it. i look at it in a different way but it's very evident to me that in some cases here on the committee it's turned out to be a proxy on the election itself. >> if i could respond briefly on that. i don't think that's the case at all. i think what has been said is that mr. trump as our president. we want him to succeed. he can't possibly manage everything by himself and cabinet appointments are critically important to this country. they have a great deal of discretion in the way that she they conduct the agency. it will give us an opportunity and the american people to understand the passion

state. at the time at which mr. tillerson took over as ceo of exxon mobil they had very small , holdings in russia. today, exxon mobil holds an area that is the size of wyoming for drilling purposes inside of russia. that is, for my purpose a , fundamental conflict of interest. i would feel a lot more comfortable if mr. tillerson would agree to recuse himself from any matter related to exxon mobil for the duration of his time as secretary of state. he has refused to do so. during his time as ceo of exxon mobil, of the company opposed the sanctions on rush of that -- on russia that would hamper the business activity of exxon inside the country so i think it is fundamental that mr. tillerson just recuse himself he can is the american people have a right to know it is there interest and not exxon mobil interest that are going to be advanced by these huge decisions that will be made over the next several years. at the state department, and in the white house. for that reason i will cast a no , vote for his nomination. mr. chairma

while his choice to be us secretary of state, rex tillerson, has called free new approach to dealingith china. a new species of primate has been found in china. you are up—to—date. stay with us here on bbc world news. first on bbc news, it is hard to talk. welcome to hardtalk. the waiting is almost over. we are about to see what kind of impact of president donald trump will have on the us and world at large. today, my focus is the international arena. our guest has been close to the centre of us policy—making for three decades. he was a senior adviser to both bush presidents and has offered his insights to the president—elect as well. from diplomacy with russia and china to global trade. how one predictable will trump be? richard haass in new york city, welcome to hardtalk. thank you, stephen. you've just written a book with the cheery title a world in disarray. in your opinion, does the election of donald trump to the presidency add to that sense of a world in disarray? it's more the world the 45th president of the united states will be inheriting. it's the result, in part, of thing

than the gentleman you mentioned, incoming secretary of defense mattis and also secretary of state tillerson. mr. tillerson said, russia poses a danger. he called russia an adversary. he said there are a number of areas where america is going to have to confront russia. that's not an opinion, that's confrontation. mr. mattis said, the most important thing to recognize is that putin is trying to break the north atlantic alliance. my question is, if the american trump and listening to those men, and more importantly countries overseas are listening, who's driving the bus, mr. trump or those two men? >> well, the great thing about being around donald trump is you never have any confusion about who's driving the bus. and where the buck stops and who will make the final decision. but i think as you hear the testimony of rex tillerson, of general mattis, of mike pompeo, i think the american people should be encouraged by the fact that the president-elect is assembling around him people of extraordinary background and capability, who will bring their own experience and their own perspective to info

state. tillerson dealt with russia as ceo of exxonmobil. some democrats on the senate panel expressed concern about his personal relationship with russian president vladimir putin. >>> california's senior u.s. senator dianne feinstein now has a pacemaker. a spokesman said feinstein underwent the nonemergency surgery yesterday just hours after questioning jeff sessions. president-elect's nominee for attorney general. she plans to submit additional questions for the hearings. her pacemaker was installed out of an abundance of caution but no details were released. she is 83. she is currently the oldest member of the senate. ♪[ music ] >>> still ahead, the controlled avalanche that got out of control, the damage in the lake tahoe area after tons of snow come sliding into homes. >> we have been monitoring yet another storm that's heading this way. we are going to track it. we'll tell you exactly when it's going to arrive to the bay area and how much more rain to expect. the news continues right after this. , (upbeat music) - [voiceover] you are

trump's choice for secretary of state putting his diplomatic skilled to work today, rex tillerson under aggressive questioning, during his confirming a hearing from one of mr. trump's former rivals on the campaign trail. senator james langford and congressman chris collins joining me here. donald trump today delivering his phys new his first news conference at president-elect, his plan to separate his private business have public service at president, announcing obama will be repealed and replaced simultaneously, allegations of russian interference in the elect, fake news scandal and speculation that u.s. intelligence, might have been involved. and one reporter in left wing national media, unsuccessfully tried to railroad the president-elect. on a mistake. >> no, are in president-elect. >> go ahead. >> go ahead. >> no, not you, not you. >> can you give us a chance. >> your organization is terrible. >> can you give us a chance to ask a question. >> go ahead. >> quiet, quiet, go ahead. >> she is asking a question, dowdon't be rude. >> can you give us a question. >> don't be rude, i am not

here today with my colleague, senator cruz, to introduce a fellow texan, rex tillerson as the nominee for the secretary of state. without a doubt, rex tillerson is an inspired choice by president-elect trump for this critical position. the depth and breadth of his experience as an accomplished and successful business leader and skilled negotiator give him a solid understanding of our current geopolitical and economic challenges, making him uniquely qualified to serve in this important office. after graduating from the university of texas with a degree in engineering, mr. tillerson joined the exxon corporation eventually moving up the ranks and into overseas combinements in asia, the middle east and europe. in 2006 he assumed command of exxonmobil helping exxon weather complex geopolitical obstacles to make the company into one of the world's most profitable corporations. as a lifelong texan, rex has been recognized for something you don't ordinary associate with being a powerful business lead erd and head of one of the largest corporations in the world. he's been recognized for his humility and his altruism. on

i'll be filing cloture on secretary of state designee rex tillerson which will ripen next week. and then we will anymore fulsome way moving to approving cabinet appointments both controversial and noncontroversial beginning next week.

state. rex tillerson gave a clear indication of what relations between the u.s. and china could look like. >> it doesn't look like much of a relationship. in a confirmation hearing on wednesday tillerson reaffirmed washington's commitment to japan if it ever faces provocation from beijing over the disputes in the islands. said he wants to send china a clear message that its island building activity should stop. on the same day that china since it's only aircraft carrier through the taiwan strait. it was returning from a weapons drill and had to pass through taiwanese waters. taiwanese authorities see it as provocation. china says taiwan is overreacting. china daily says it adds more uncertainty and tension to an already tense situation. genie: we will end with a story looking internet users at poland's foreign minister over comments he made at the u.n. a if you're going to be foreign minister you should probably brush up on your the very least your knowledge of countries that exist and don't exist. metpolish foreign minister with officials from some caribbean nat

tillerson to be the secretary of state. mr. tillerson's business orientation and his lack of moral clarity to questions that were asked during the confirmation hearing to me compromises his ability to forcefully promote the values and ideals that defined america's leading role in the world for more than 200 years. and when i'm referring to the values, the values of good governance, the values of standing up for human rights, the values of speaking up for a free press, the values of recognizing the importance of civil societies, which is lacking in so many places around the world. so when mr. tillerson was asked the question as to how he would characterize what russia is doing in syria in supporting a regime that has attacked humanitarian convoys, whether that would be -- should be considered as war crimes, mr. tillerson was less than clear as to how he would characterize russia's conduct in syria. when i asked mr. tillerson how he would characterize philippine president derte's extra judicial killings, this is a president that h

about the exchange between senator rubio and rex tillerson, she said, in his confirmation hearing at the foreign relations committee, secretary of state designate rex tillerson came across as distinguished, call, informed, intense questioning, marco rubio was strangely hostile, is vladimir putin a war press, i mr. rubio would not use that term mr. tillerson replied with an expression that allows you to imagine a thought bubble. you can mess with me, son, but it will not end well for you. new york city, democratic line, what was your key moment from the confirmation hearing? caller: coincidental that i was going to talk about tillerson denying knowing about exxon mobil lobbying efforts. the u.s. from putting sanctions on russia after they invaded and stole back crimea and the ukraine. you know, i have a lot of respect for marco rubio and his ability to get to it. my second comment really is that donald trump is in over his head in all of this of government. he does not know government, he does not know what he is doing and to distract us from his inexperience and his ignorance, he is throwing out this date, these tweets -- bate, these

state. rex tillerson. and the toughest questioning coming from a prominent there is new reporting at this hour. could that republican end up voting against tillerson? abc's mary bruce back on the hill tonight. >> reporter: the man who could be the nation's top diplomat strolled into a grilling about his close relationship with vladimir putin. >> what do you say to criticism that you're too close to russia? >> reporter: those pictures of them toasting with champagne. putin giving him russia's order of friendship award. former exonn ceo rex tillerson addressed the concerns head-on. >> we usa also be clear-eyed about our relationship with russia. russia today poses a danger. our nato allies are right to be alarmed at a resurgent russia. >> reporter: so will there be a new relationship? >> i think the important conversation that we have to have with them is, does russia want to now and forever be an adversary of the united states? we're not likely to ever be friends. we need to move russia from being an advers

state. tillerson today getting the backing from senator john mccain, despite how he will deal with russia. >> this wasn't an easy call. but i also believe that when there's doubt, the president, the incoming president gets the benefit of the doubt. >> reporter: mccain says he has the utmost kchs in it was in trump's security team. what about the man in charge. >> do you have utmost confidence in president trump? >> i do not know, george. i do not know. because he made so many comments that are contradictory. >> a stunning statement from one of the most refacted republicans in congress. mary bruce live from the white house. for months, trump promised to release his taxes and today, a statement whether or not that will happen. >> the word is in and it is now. the white house will not be releasing his taxes. they say the issue was litigated through the election and people didn't care because they voted for trump any way. tom? >> thank you very much. >>> president trump reacting today to saturday's women's rights marches across the country. this is the scene in the nation's capital. millions joi

rex tillerson was donald trump's surprise choice to be secretary of state. thejob, he appeared to have a tougher line on russia than the man who picked him. russia today poses a danger, but it is not unpredictable in advancing its own interest. it has invaded the ukraine, including the taking of crimea, and supported syrian forces that brutally violates the laws of war. but mr tillerson‘s background as chief executive of oil and gas giant exxonmobil involves extensive ties with russia, even receiving the country's medal of friendship from vladimir putin. some politicians are clearly not convinced he's really able to get tough on the kremlin, and it finally showed. is vladimir putin a war criminal? i would not use that term. let me describe the situation in aleppo and perhaps that will help you reach that conclusion. senator rubio went on to describe what he called the "targeting of civilians" by russian forces in syria. you are still not prepared to say that vladimir putin and his military have violated the rules of war and have conducted war crimes in alepp

president—elect donald trump's nominee for secretary of state rex tillerson has hit out at china in hiscising the asian power‘s island—building and its lack of support in curbing north korean power. the former ceo of oil company exxon mobil told us senators in a committee session that lasted for around nine hours that the us should take a new approach to dealing with the asian power. china's island building in the south china's island building in the south china sea is an illegal taking of disputed areas without regard for international norms. china's economic and trade practices has not a lwa ys economic and trade practices has not always followed commitments to agreements. it steals our intellectual property and is aggressive and expansionist in the digital realm. it has not been a reliable partner in using its full influence to curb north korea. china has proven a willingness to act with abandon in pursuit of its own goals which at times has put it in conflict with american interest. we have to deal with what we see, not what we hope. dane chamorro from global security consultancy co

. >>> trump's pick for secretary of state, rex tillerson. a leading republican grilling him. >>> and the alarming images coming in tonight. tearful hostages begging the president-elect, donald trump to save their lives. >>> good evening, and it's great to have you with us here on a wednesday night, and we begin with the lightning round of questions today at trump tower. this was the president-elect's first news conference in 168 days. since july, in fact. and mr. trump came ready. the president-elect taking aim at the intelligence community, calling it disgraceful. they could have information to hold over him. and the president-elect was asked, did anyone on his team have contact with the russians during the campaign. and there was a very tense exchange with a reporter from another network. we do have it all covered tonight, beginning with our chief white house correspondent, jonathan karl. >> reporter: it's donald trump versus the intelligence community. in his first press conference as president-elect, trump accused the nation's top intell

state. tillerson's ties to president vladimir putin have become a flash point for republicans who want to take a tough line on russia but the chairman of the foreign relations committee tells cnn that tillerson is privately reassuring the gop hard-liners that his views on russia are mainstream. >> one of the reason tillerson will have so many questions on russia, no doubt, is going to be because the president-elect has expressed some views that are somewhat out of the mainstream. i think tillerson will express a harder line on russia than we've seen from the president-elect. my hopes are over time the president-elect will evolve too. >> reporter: the nominees have spent many hours in mock hearings, all to help republican leaders accomplish their goal to confirm at least a half dozen nominees by the time trump is sworn into office on january 20th. republicans say they gave president obama's nominees a similar courtesy in 2009. >> everybody will be properly vetted, as they have been in the past. and i am hopeful that we'll get up to six or seven, particularly a national security team, in place o

i want to ask you about rex tillerson, the exxon ceo who has been nominated to be secretary of state. you've met with him. he has been criticized by those who feel he has too friendly a relationship with russia. are you convinced he can take a hard line? how do you think he's going to, or not make it through the senate? >> i had a good conversation with rex tillerson about many of the issues that we face around the world as well as the challenges of managing the state department. i think it's a good thing when a secretary of state understands foreign leaders and understands the cultures and history of foreign peoples. i think it will help him take a firm line in defense of u.s. interests as secretary of state in the same way that he took a firm line in defense of the shareholders of exxonmobil's interests with vladimir putin when he was the ceo of exxonmobil. that's what we need. hard nosed, clear eyed, unsentimental statesmanship we haven't had the last eight years as president obama and his administration have continued to look the other way and continued to skill yat and appease ad

the senate foreign committee, they are deliberating right now the nomination of rex tillerson for secretary of stated to hold a vote a few minutes from now. again, with marco rubio saying he now supports rex tillerson's confirmation and now looks like he will have the votes in that committee and presumably on the senate floor to become the secretary of state. we will keep those pictures up on the screen. we will let you know if and when there's any movement on that. ben ginsburg, i want to ask you about a bigger picture question about the first few days of trump administration. obviously on saturday, you had donald trump through his twitter account, you had sean spicer with the press, really litigating the question of how many people showed up at his inauguration. how many people were watching, really going aggressively at the administration. we saw in spicer's briefing today and what trump said yesterday, maybe a different tone. i'm curious what you make big picture the first few days of the trump administration. >> well, i think you come into a game really sort of looking for contact and a little

tillerson, rex tillerson and his nomination to being confirmed as secretary of state? eems more likely now that senator graham says he would -- that a is one thing. >> dickerson: and mccain says he will as well. >> mccain says he will as well. rex tillerson is in that category that people at least insiders believe is one of the grownups who is going to play a responsible role, along with jim mattis in making sure that the useful fills its commitments overseas, there are obvious questions of putting the head of exxon in the state department but he seems to have emerged as one of the more credible figures to be nominated by donald trump so far. >> dickerson: all right, we are going have to end it there. of course senator marco rubio with his vote will be outstanding and that is a real question sips he is on the foreign relations committee. thanks for being here and a thanks to all of you for watching and we will be back in a moment. >> >> dickerson: finally today, with all of the drama and emotion and division surrounding the events of the last two days, we leave you with

i believe president-elect trump and secretary of state tillerson are going to change that equation. >> neil: you know, general, on iran. i didn't expect it from tillerson. while donald trump is critical of the iran nuclear deal and maybe it was a case of mr. tillerson being caringful. he wouldn't come in to office or post assuming he gets confirmed trying to dismantle the agreement. he would talk it over with with his boss. what do you think of the administration not quick to shelve the agreement. >> i also agree with that. if're it is unfortunate we have the agreement. we have to hold the iranians accountable to the agreement. they are likely already cheating and we have to get in to this with the intelligence service and friend's intelligence and certainly hold them accountable. and if they are indeed dhaeting, we hammer them with tough sanctionses that brought them to the table in the first place. i believe that the iranians want to dominant the middle east. and when we push back to that, i believe the iranians will pull out of that nuclear deal themselves. i don't believe the admi

. >>> secretary of state rex tillerson facing incoming fire over his ties to vladimir putin and russia. a key republican senator relentless. >>> pure chaos. a record-breaking storm and tonight a new threat is moving in. >>> and to the rescue, a heart transplant for batman. a band-aid for fido and an x-ray for elmo. a doctor who is inspiring. nightly news begins right now. >>> from nbc news headquarters in new york, this is "nbc nightly news" with lester holt. >>> good evening. after months of disembodied tweets, donald trump had a long-awaited formal news conference today that was nominated by questions of russian influence, not just in the election but ug kblee and discredited allegation brought to the attention of u.s. intelligence and brought to the surface last night. at the same time, his secretary of state nominee was getting a grilling from senators on capitol hill and the president-elect was facing a slew of questions from pent-up reporter in new york in a spirited exchange. there were lots of headlines made and we've got it all covered beginning with nbc's hallie jackson. >> r

. >> secretary of state nominee nn rex tillerson was asked about at his connections to russia.ussi the toughest line ofe o questioning came from senatorm r marco rubio. rubio laid into the nominee for failing to take a hard line on russian cyber attacks a against the united states and ad the kremlin's involve. invol in the syrian civil war. war he also asked him aboutbo vladimir putin. >> is vladimir putin a warvl war criminal. >> i would not use that term. >> well, let me describe theet e situation in aleppo andond perhaps that will help youelp y reach that conclusion.onclion. in aleppo mr. putin hasut has directed his military toitar conduct a devastatingdestating campaign, he's targeted schools, markets not justt assisted the syrians in doing dg it his military has targetedar schools market and other civilian infrastructure that'sea resulted in the death ofthe dehf thousands of civilians.ilia >> the transportationrt secretary faced a friendlierdl group of senators.enator analysts say that's becauseause she's the wife of senate majority leader mitch mcconnell.nnel >> happening today

tillerson was announced as donald trump's pick for secretary of state, he expressed his concerns about tillerson's ties to put in -- putin right away. he says he still has concerns. how he approaches the hearing, what questions he raises and how he feels after the confirmation hearing will be very important to watch. >> briefly on health care repeal, what is the status of things in the senate with the repeal them with -- when can we see it in the house? >> there are several tech -- steps that republicans must take to get the repeal track going. first is approving a budget resolution that sets in motion all of the procedures for republicans to be able to draft a repeal law. that is going to come up next week. we're talking long days on capitol hill. i will tentatively be wednesday will be wednesday night where they can put forth a budget amendment of their own choosing. anything can get voted on. you are going to be here late into the night. that will be the big day for the budget resolution to happen and it will go over to the house. aree know, republicans talking about how to draft a

. >>> and trump's pick for secretary of state, rex tillerson, new details about his golden parachute when he leaves exxonmobil. >>> high drama on the seas in tennessee. tennessee. we'll tell the apartment building where the fire was. when things like this happen, i think you find a new perspective on life. hi. red cross put us in a hotel so we were able to stay together. we're strong and, if we overcame that or if we can overcome that, we can overcome anything, so. [ sniffle ] and i take my job seriously. while i'm busy watching the game, i need your help keeping an eye on the stands. if you see something that doesn't look quite right, tell a law enforcement official. we all play an important role in protecting our communities, and you can help. if you see something suspicious, say something to local authorities. [ crowd cheering ] >>> rescuers have been combing the pacific ocean off the coast of los angeles after cruise ship passengers reported seeing a helicopter go down. no contact has been made with the missing chopper. which was registered to a tour company and was reportedly on