alabama. after i completed that process, i began a tour with the assistant attorney in alabama, i was there from 1985-1987. then my life changed. i got a phone call one day, in my secretary comes in the office, and she says, jeff sessions is on the phone. i am sitting there wondering, why is jeff sessions calling me? i was well aware of the allegations that had happened in his bid to become a federal judge, which made me wonder why he was calling me. i answered the phone, then i find out that jeff sessions wants me to become an assistant united states attorney in the southern district of alabama. this presented an ideal situation, so i decided to take advantage of that, in the first time i actually met him was at a dinner in montgomery. that dinner was supposed to last probably an hour or an hour and a half year we ended up meeting for about three hours. during that time, we discussed in a boat delete my number of topics, football, religion, politics, family, and during thy meeting with him, i got the feeling more and more and more that the allegations that had been spread through the press were

the alabama state troopers on the bridge were seeking law and order. the marchers were seeking justice and ultimately a greater peace. one of the victories of the modern civil rights movement was the 1957 civil rights act which, in this effect, made the attorney general not only the chief law enforcement officer of the united states but also vested in that office the responsibility to pursue civil rights and equal protection for all of americans. senator sessions has not demonstrated a commitment to a central recolleprerequisite of to demand equal rights and justice for all of our citizens. in fact, at numerous times in his career he has demonstrated a hostility towards these convictions and has work to frustrate attempts to advance these ideals. if it confirmed senator sessions will be required to pursue justice for women, but his record indicates that he won't. he will be expected to defend the equal rights of gay and lesbian and transgender americans, but his record indicates that he won't. he will be expected to defend voting rights, but his record

the alabama state troopers on the bridge were seeking law and order. the marchers were seeking justice. ultimately, they were seeking a greater peace. one of the leaders of the civil rights movement was the civil thets act that made attorney general that only the chief law enforcement officer, but also vested in that office the responsibility to pursue civil rights and equal protection for all americans. senator sessions has not demonstrated a commitment to a central requisite to the job -- to aggressively pursue the congressional mandate of civil rights and equal rights and justice for all of our citizens. in fact, into numerous times of his career, he has demonstrated hostility towards these convictions, and he has worked to frustrate these ideals. if confirmed, senator sessions will be required to pursue justice for women. his record indicates he will not. will be expected to defend the equal rights of lesbian, gay, and transgender americans, but his record indicates that he will not. will be expected to defend voting rights, but his record to just

remember what i was tryinging the do. >> sure. >> at least in alabama. the court's cases at that moment pre-alabama, i am one of the problems. so, i am trying to reflect what is actually there in "miller" for better or for worse and to make it clear. the column i have referred to talks really about evidence showing predominance. does it or doesn't it? and there are two things there that are crucial in that, i think, in the two paragraphs. one, there was district evidence that they moved 70 or 15,000 people that were all black, and then when you are look at the redistricting criteria, two, they are pretty weak at applicable to that case. and they don't seem to have much relevance to what they are talking about. >> right. >> and 71, the same kind of thing they are arguing. the same kind of thing. they are moved, and u i don't know, you have nit in the s.g.' brief, too. but they have moved 11,293 people out, and 79,000 in, and looking at those people. the ones they moved out were 3/4 or something like that white and the ones they moved in were 3/4 or somethi

many of the alabama motor vehicle offices were moved out of urban areas. people had to go to driver's licenses to get to the polls. here he is saying, oh, he plooefz in voter id, and then they just came up with an agreement with the department of transportation to fix this problem, and this is the devil is in the details. this is the first time in 15 years that people have not seen the full enforcement of the voting rights act, and there is still a problem. if they get into that piece, that is a big piece. then criminal justice. it almost sounds like he was in a different stand than president-elect donald trump. donald trump says he is putting more of a focus on supporting the police, but now we heard sessions say, yes, we support police but also he supports kplooint community policing, which is a big piece in the urban community to help stop much of this tension, which is considered once the tension happens, it's considered a national security issue from jay johnson, the head of homeland security. the issue is donald trump really has put a focus on support

. >> the tigers shocking the world. alabama, the biggest moments from the come from behind victory. >> as well as what everyone was really talking about during that game, yep, the ref. >> yes, but the new year's quiz about your finances. what do savers freelancers and boutique fitness studios all have in common? the answer a little later this half hour of "world news now." >>> "world news now" weather brought to you by mega red advanced four in one. red omega-. but did you know your eyes, your brain, and your joints really love them too? introducing megared advanced 4in1... just one softgel delivers the omega-3 power of two regular fish oil pills... so give your body mega support with megared advanced 4in1. i'start at the new carfax.comar. show me minivans with no reported accidents. boom. love it. [struggles] show me the carfax. start your used car search at the all-new carfax.com. th...oh, baked-on alfredo?e. ...gotta rinse that. nope. no way. nada. really?

the state. he was a progressive democrat by alabama standards. he was also close to the wing of the african-american wing of the democratic party at that time. at their request, he probably brought on the denial of sessions's appointment of the judgeship. he was close friends with ted kennedy and a lot of the more liberal democrats in the senate. we all loved him, but he really was a progressive democrat. --ot of democrats ran with they really work republicans. he probably was, too. at that time, that was probably why sessions was denied. host: was there one or two examples that sunk the sessions's nomination back in 1986? what sealed the deal for him not being confirmed? guest: i think there were two things. you may have clips on it. i do not follow the hearings one ofosely, but i think the complaints was saying he referred to -- he was a young african-american man and said that sessions referred to him as boy. there were other insinuations, but none of them were confirmed. it was just one of those things. it was a partisan thing. as susan mentio

trt he were to in the southern district of alabama. jeff was prosecuted at that time by the name of henry hayes. jeff prosecuted that person for the abduction and murder of a black teenager. following jeff's election as attorney general i had the privilege to serve with him and his administration as his chief investigator. the beginning of jeff's tenure as attorney general presented senator sessions with challenges that included budget crisis, and one-third reduction of staff. things that jeff did when we came with the budget crisis and the reduction of staff, there were several people in the office that had to seek other jobs elsewhere. there was a black investigator in the office that came and had less than a year left before he was eligible to retire. jeff sessions allowed that to take place. he didn't have to do that. he did not have to do that at all, because of the situation that we were in. jeff sessions retained me. he did not have to do that. but he did. following the election, you know, we were charged with the responsibilitie

the district court had alabama in front of him. he also had the arguments of the parties and i think if you go back and look, with all due respect to my friends on the other side, they did not argue this in terms of let's look at all the people moving in and out. that was not the thrust of their case. they really argued that this was a direct evidence case based on the fact that -- >> that's why i have to do after this argument. you gave me exactly what i needed. you gave mel the things to look up, you gave me the things on the other side and they didn't use exact right test but does it matter and i think the reason i approach it that way is because this is such -- the reasons you said, okay, you have to give leeway here but the government makes a pretty good point here that they really was important evidence he didn't look at and that's my job, isn't it, to go back and read these things and figure out how the evidence is? >> absolutely. i think you should look at the evidence in this case and you shouldn't look at the evidence that

the tigers knock off alabama with a last-second touchdown to win the national championship. >>> a massivehunt under way in orlando, and police search dozens of homes for a suspect wanted for killing a veteran police woman. >>> and the confirmation begins for trump's nominees, and he gives a position to his son-in-law. >>> your world in 90 seconds. >> this is the final play of the college season. watch. touchdown! >> stunning alabama and winning the national championship. >> it has been a struggle. you can't make it up, man. >> waited 35 years, and it's finally coming home, baby! it's coming home. >> cabinet picks, at least nine of them scheduled to testify this week. >> are you going to vote against him or for them? >> before i vote against them i want to hear what they have to say. >>> a massive manhunt underway in orlando, florida, for the suspect in the shooting death of a female police officer. >>> and the suspect in the airport shooting made his first court appearance. >> charged with three offenses. >> there's a billion cars in line. i don't know what they are doing up there, but it

the u.s. department of justice. at that point, alabamaas the only state in the country that handcuffed prisoners to hitching posts, and we talked about this will be met before. i said i would ask you about this in this hearing. a hitching post was used as a punishment for prisoners perceived as being unwilling to work or participate in the daily lives of the prison, whether serving on a chain gang or participating in work, and they would be cuffed by both wrists to a pole at chest height, sometimes for seven, eight, or nine hours, protected from sun, heat, or rain or without access in some cases to water or even a bathroom. as attorney general, you received letters from the u.s. department of justice telling you that alabama's use of the hitching post in both men and women's prisons was unconstitutional and unjustified. but as i understand it, the use of the hitching post continued throughout your term and you did not act to stop it. during this same period in the state of alabama, the state was sued not just about hitching posts, but als

all were arrested, including seven, who tried to occupy the alabama senator's office, even before the hearing started this morning. sessions had a lot of support, among republicans. but democrat his questions about his positions on a lot of issues, including race, abortion, immigration. >> protestors tried thbest to -- their best to disrupt but the alabama senator was not shaken. his senate colleagues grilled him on several topics from immigration to several rights records and racist comments he allegedly made in the 1980s while he was a federal prosecutor. >> i am totally committed to maintaining the freedom and equality that this country has to provide to every citizen. >> reporter: mr. sessions also announced he would recuse himself from any investigation of hillary clinton. >> this country does not punish its political enemies, but this country ensures that no one is above the law. >> senator sessions said he would follow past supreme court decisions on marriage equality and abortion, despite being an outspoken critic on both issues. >> the majority of the court has established th

speaker, the certificate of the electoral vote of the alabama of alabama seems to be regular in form and authentic. it appears therefore that donald j. trump of the state of new york received nine votes for president and michael r. pence of the state of indiana received nine votes for vice president. vice president biden: for what purpose does the gentleman from massachusetts rise? mr. mcgovern: mr. speaker, i object to the certificate of the state of alabama on the grounds that electoral votes were not under known circumstances regularly given and that the electors were not lawfully certified, especially given the confirmed in inlegal activities given by the country of russia and the widespread violations of the voting rights act that unlawfully suppressed thousands of votes in the state of alabama. vice president biden: title 569 united states code require that any objection be presented in writing, signed by both members of the house of representatives and both members of the house of representatives and the senator. it is the objection in writing and signed not only by the member

we just heard the second round of questioning for alabama senator jeff sessions. going to take your phones calls. want to hear what you think about the testimony. the numbers to call up on the screen. if you're joining us by radio, 202-748-8920 for democrats. 202-748-8921 for republicans. and all others, 202-748-8922. trey is waiting on the line from chicago, illinois on the line for independents and others. hi, trey, go ahead. >> caller: yes, hello. i find it jarring watching senator sessions and senator kennedy talking about police brutality and police violence and talking about the rhetoric surrounding and how it can lead to violent incidences when they just so readily started talking about radical islamic extremism. i find the words just have a little jarring to comprehend. >> all right, thanks for the call, trey in chicago. next call, sean, california, democrat. >> caller: yes. i'm just calling because overall, sessions' review or whatever, it seems to be that he has a lot of support with the police departments, but at the same time it is quite jarring that he

alabama? >> well, he stayed true to his roots over the years. an ultraconservative politician, and he's never really waivered from that. and alabama is one of the reddest of the red states. it is supported a g.o.p. presidential candidate since 1980. it's only getting redder. donald trump's returns on november 8 were the most that a presidential candidate's had in alabama since richard nixon in 1972. so senator sessions has, you know-- he's been a darling for the conservative movement in alabama. and he has a spotless election record. his conservative viewpoints on anything from gun control to immigration reform to religious liberty has really sold well with the conservative voters here in this state who turn out and dominate on election days. >> stewart: what's an example of a way he stayed true to his roots on the local level? >> back in the early 2000s, the "mobile press register" at the time ran a series of stories about dental services in underserved areas, in small rural counties. and senator sessions, he saw those stories. he was intereste

clemson going down to the wire to unseat alabama. did they succeed? we'll tell you. >>> good morning. welcome to "early start." i'm john berman. >> i'm christine romans. let's begin with this. breaking overnight. word that new jersey senator cory booker will take the unprecedented step of testifying against the confirmation of another sitting senator. booker added to the witness list for senator jeff sessions' confirmation hearing on wednesday. booker says he is concerned about trump's pick for attorney general. especially the failure to defend the civil rights, women and minorities and lgbt americans. he said i do not take lightly the decision to testify against a senate colleague. the immense powers of the attorney general with the deeply troubling views of the nominee is a call to conscious. the attorney general is responsible for ensuring the fair administration of justice and based on his record, i lack confidence that sessions can honor this duty. also set to testify is representative john lewis. sessions is winning new support from republicans l

any minute now the alabama senator, jeff sessions, will face his peers in the confirmation hearing toome the next attorney general. in a surprise move, cory booker from new jersey will testify against him, and it's the first time a sitting senator will testify against another sitting senator for a cabinet post during a confirmation, and that will happen, jake, tomorrow, when cory booker testifies against senator sessions. it's an extraordinary moment. >> we will also be facing the testimony of john lewis, a democrat and civil rights icon from the great state of georgia, although you have in one way people like cory booker and john lewis emboldening democrats to oppose jeff sessions, and on another level you have the opposition of cory booker and the fact he is doing this unprecedented thing, is, i believe, bringing republicans around jeff sessions saying this is all politics, and cory booker has not heard what jeff sessions has to say. >> jeffrey tubin, you studied the u.s. legal system for a long time. your analysis? >> this is a moment in civil rights history because jeff sessions s

the final score. clemson lost last year no alabama. this time around -- abc's jessie palmer recaps the game from tampa. >> clemson tigers, new kings of college football. overnight the making of a college football classic. number two clemson ending number alabama's season. >> it's coming home baby! >> the tigers clawing back beating the crimson tide, 35-31. >> touch down! >> heisman trophy winner desean watson connecting with just one second on the clock with the game winning come from behind touch down. >> we waited for this all year long. >> but for much of the game it was a different story. >> touch down bama. >> and crimson tide dominating from the beginning, rolling into the end zone for a 14-0 lead early on. and showing off their tough defense. >> but it wasn't enough. the tigers came roaring back making clemson the national champions for the first time since 1981. giving the coach a gatorade shower. -- >> you can't make it up. i said tonight we'll win it because we love each other, man so thankful and blessed and it doesn't even s

how the alabama senator is defending past allegations of racism against him. ,,,, lucas announced todayhis futuristic, billion-dollar museum will be built in l-a... not san francisco. the decision ends a long- >>> "star wars" creator george lucas announced his billion- dollar museum will be built in los angeles, not in san francisco. that decision ends a long- standing rivalry between the two cities. the museum will showcase lucas' arts and film memorabilia and will be built near his alma mater, usc. no word yet on when it will open. >>> in pleasant hill, a truck veered across several lanes of traffic hitting two cars and later plunging right into the side of the building. it happened just before 9:00 this morning on southbound interstate 680 near contra costa boulevard. 77-year-old driver later died at the hospital. no one else was injured. >>> the damage to the other two cars was pretty minor. the cause of the crash still under investigation. >>> fireworks on capitol hill as lawmakers question president- elect donald trump's pick for attorney general. senator jeff sessions. as kpix 5

president i object to the certificate of the state of alabama on the grounds that electoral votes were not under known circumstances regularly given and that the electors were not lawfully certified, especially given the confirmed and illegal activities given by the country of russia and the widespread violations of the voting rights act that unlawfully suppressed thousands of votes in the state of alabama. vp. biden: read it aloud. objection be presented in writing, signed by both members of the house of representatives and both members of the house of representatives and the senator. is the objection in writing and signed not only by the member of the house of representatives but also by a senator? mr. mcgovern: the objection is in writing signed by a member of the house of representatives but not yet by a member of the united states senate. vp. biden: in that case, the objection cannot be entertained. [applause] >> mr. president the certificate , of electoral vote of the state of alaska seems to be regular in form and authentic, and it appears therefrom that donald j. trump of the s

he was a wide receiver on the 1992 alabama team. is after the game. >> you can't make it up, man. this is -- only god can do this, take a guy like me frand go to alabama -- win a national championship. come to clemson and have a chance to win a national championship against the best team in the country up until the last second of this game. and to see my guys fight, it just -- i told them tonight, i told them that the difference in the game was going to be love. it's been my word all year, love. and i said tonight, we're going to win it because we love each other. >> what a fourth quarter. what a win. it's the end of a 26-game winning streak for alabama. and as they failed to capture the fifth title in eight years, as it cries tears throughout the night, auburn fans celebrate alabama's loss. you can see it right there. >> roll tide, whoops! >> you'll be hearing about this for a while. i wonder what kind of mood joe is going to be in this morning. i'm going to get out of here quickly. >> yes, just duck down the hall. louis, thank you

clemson beat the crimson tide of alabama. ey scored 21 points in the fourth quarter in the comeback. alabama took the lead here with two minutes to go. a touchdown run from jalen hurts. watch this. jalen hurts scrambled to score a touchdown late in the fourth quarter. you think the game is over at this point. no. the tigers hunter renfro caught a touchdown pass with one second remaining to give clemson their first national title since 1981. alabama, it would have been their fifth title in eight years under coach nick saban. clemson very happy. you see the celebration last night at clemson on campus. i imagine it is still going on. if you are watching the news this morning at this bar in clemson, congratulations to you. >> wow. they really take football seriously. >> they do this in economics class. >> do they? >> in business administration. >> i thought that was the student newspaper staff. >> do they have newspapers in college? >>> 4:42 a.m. in the east. police in florida expanding search for the man they say held a police of

the building shook. >> reporter: animals had to be rescued from the alabama gulf coast zoo. >> the cages were blown into the pond and they were in the water until we could get to them. >> reporter: the severe weather threat remains for parts of alabama, georgia and florida through morning. hena daniels, cbs news. >>> the latest storm system is the second major rainfall within the last few days for some areas. parts of southern mississippi and southwest alabama have received more than 8 inches of rain since saturday. >>> if you are trying to get rid of christmas decorations recoly has a ecofriendly way to do it. the trees will be sent through the wood chipper to make mulch and biomass fuel. the wrapping paper bocks and bottles will go through a 1.6 million dollar trash sorter and the idea is to repurpose thetrash as fast as we make it. >> where does this stuff go? >> well the bottles stay right here in the bay area and go to a glass plant and get made into new bottles. they are back on the shelf in 6 weeks. >> the system can handle nearly 700 tons of material per day. it was designed in t

i'm glad the clan is gone from our part of alabama. i hope we will find more people who have the courage to say we are not going to use race for inappropriate purposes. we are going to make sure we take race out of the calculation altogether. king said just look at the content of people's character and not be so concerned about the color of their skin. mike is in ohio. independent. good morning. caller: good morning. i would like to follow up on that. robert byrd from west virginia. i only have one west. he can no passed away longer defend himself. i do believe he apologized and took back anything he said about part of the kkk before he passed away. , can you lookyou and the camera, and say the word to both rush limbaugh and sean hannity. because every time those people the deceased robert byrd and put kkk in the middle of his name. i never heard either one of those ever say his name without those three letters in the middle. would you please look into the camera and say please rush limbaugh and sean hannity, please stop doing that. god

the alabama senator was elected back in 1996. he also served as u.s. attorney and attorney general for the state of alabama. sessions was dividend a federal judgeship back in 1986 after allegations of racism surfaced, allegations that he has always denied. as our chief political correspondent dana bash reports, those old allegations, though, could play a role at the upcoming hearing. >> i have a man who is respected by everybody here. >> jeff sessions. donald trump's nominee for attorney general was the first u.s. senator to endorse him. >> this is a movement. look what's happening. >> the alabama republican gave the new york reality tv star credibility with the gop base. jefferson session iii is a rock ridge conservative. an eagle scout from the heart of the south who was an alabama attorney general. 30 years ago when he was nominated to be a federal judge by ronald reagan, democrats blocked him. sessions talked with us about it in 2009. >> it was not a pleasant event. i got to tell you. it was really so heart breaking. >> he was accused of racial inse

and this made hayes the first white man executed in alabama for murdering a black person since 1913. when you were the attorney of alabama, you later argued to uphold hayes' death penalty. in 1997, five months after you joined this body as a senator, hayes died in alabama's electric chair. i would note, not only that, not only did you assist in the prosecution of the face of evil, a ku klux klan murderer who saw ultimate justice, but as it so happened, you also prosecuted hayes' father, kkk grand titan benny jack hayes who ordered his son to kill an african-american and you prosecuted him for attempting to defraud his home insurer in order to collect money to pay for his son's legal defense. is that correct? >> that is correct. >> and beyond that, your office cooperated with morris dees and the southern poverty law center to bring a civil suit against the kkk and mr. galanos explained, "after the criminal cases were over, the southern poverty law center took the evidence we had developed and gave to them and they sued civilly and got a $7 million verdict on behalf of ms. donald. and t

it was a championship rematch that lived up to the hype. alabama and clemson go down to the wire for the national title in tampa, florida. the crimson tide and their top ranked defense up against 2-time heisman finalist deshaun watson--and the match up would be an instant classic! alabama down four in the fourth quarter, freshman quarterback jalen hurts takes off, avoiding clemson defenders for the touchdown..bama goes back up by 3. but deshaun watson would march clemson down the field and with just seconds left in the game he finds hunter renfrow for the game winning touchdown! clemson wins! 35-31 their first title since 1981! it's the end of an era.. a winter storm battering the western united states - now claiming a new victim. coming up - the two-thousand year old piece of history destroyed in the rain. and back east - a welcome warm-up. temperatures, finally getting above freezing. the even warmer weather, next. i am totally blind. i lost my sight in afghanistan. if you're totally blind, you may also be struggling with non-24. calling 844-844-

just on top of us, just that fast, the whole building shook. >> animals had to be rescued from the alabama golf coast zoo. >> the cages were blown, into the ponds, and they were in the water until we could get to them. >> the severe weather threat remains through parts of alabama, georgia, and florida through the morning. hena daniels, for cbs-3, "eyewitness news". >>> well, it is not a happy day in happy valley. >> no it is not. penn state came up short in the rose bowl. good effort though. third quarter, through for 7 yards touchdown. penn state ahead, 49 to 35. but the trojans came back to tie it in the fourth quarter. time expired. matt broke the tie with the 46-yard field goal. and penn state season ends with a lost to usc, 52 to 49. >> the rose bowl was also nail biter for penn state alumni. members of the delaware county alumni chapter held rose bowl watch party at meg i owe kneel's in drexel hill there. were cheers every time the nittany lions scored, the ending obviously was not what they had expected. >> it is in, you know, you start there as a freshman, you just kind of get the

clemson defies the odds. alabama crimson tide rolling into tampa for the game of the year against the underdog clemson tigers. we pick up the action in the fourth quarter, less than 5 minutes to go. clemson's wayne dalman takes it up the middle. then with just over 2:00 to go, this happens. >> took a peek down field and now just barrels downfield. still running. clear and scores! >> but clemson had one more chance, six seconds on the clock and folks, here's the play of the game. check this out. >> touchdown! >> the clemson tigers avenge last year's defeat to knock off number one alabama in dramatic fashion, 35-31 as they capture their first national championship since 1981. congrats to clemson. what a gram really from both sides. pretty impressive. >> i think they are still celebrating right now. >>> the brutal and extreme weather slamming the west. some 60 million people are under threat from california where 30 rivers have surged above flood stages. nevada where disaster has been declared and evacuations have been

now, throughout the day, members of the naacp held a sit-in at alabama senator jeff sessions' mobile ce, this is his government office, the footage you're looking at is of that sit-in today. the country's oldest civil rights group saying they want to continue to protest sessions until he removes himself as the nominee or, they were saying, up until this evening until they got arrested. well, within the last hour, police officers arrived at the -- excuse me, police officers arrived and the naacp members, including president cornell brooks, were arrested for continuing their sit-in there. a sessions confirmation hearing begins one week from today. a key question facing the senator is whether he would put his political views aside and basically be able to enforce the law equally for all americans if he was confirmed as attorney general. those arrests within the last hour and we'll keep you posted on developments in this story. >>> coming up, kicked out by the president-elect. i'm going to talk with the trump biographer who says trump had him removed from his golf course this weekend. he'

attorney in the southern district of alabama. he then headed that office after the senate confirmed him for u.s. attorney, a post he held for a dozen years. so all totaled, this senator, colleague of ours, has served 15 years as a federal prosecutor in the department that he will soon head. it was during that time that he oversaw the investigation of clansman francis hays for the murder of michael donald. he made sure that case was brought to state court where the defendant was eligible for and received the punishment that he justly deserved, the death penalty. his office then successfully prosecuted murders in federal court. based on his prosecutorial record the people of alabama elected him ey general and then their senator. he has served with us since 1997. and as our former chairman observed, this committee has relied on him for his prosecutorial experience during the course of his senate service. throughout his public service both within the department, outside of the department, he has raised his hand and served when called

the alabama senator has been dogged for decades by accusations that he once made racist statements. >> this caricature of me in 1986 of not correct. i did not harbor the kind of animosities and race-based discrimination ideas that were-- i was accused of. i did not. >> reporter: republicans came to his defense. >> you're a good and decent and honorable man. >> reporter: democrats said they are more worried that the deeply conservative sessions won't be able to enforce laws he opposes. california's dianne feinstein: >> you have referred to "rov.wade as one of the worst colossal erroneous supreme court decisions of all time. end quote. is that still your view? >> it is. i believe it's a-- it violated the constitution, and really attempted to set policy and not follow law. it is the law of the land. it has been so established and settled for quite a long time. and it deserves respect, and i would respect it and follow it. >> reporter: rhode island's sheldon whitehouse: >> does waterboarding constitute torture? >> congress has taken an action now that makes it absolutely improper and ille

i traveled across the state of alabama with jeff sessions. th blizzard at dairy queen, quote, heavy on the heath. i have watched him prepare for hearings. i debated him on legislative matters. i have written speeches for him. i have made speeches onç his behalf. i have been in every political situation with him. senator sessions is unquestionably qualified for the job. for which he has been nominated. he is a good christian man and a good family man. he is a man who has dedicated his life to public service and in the course of that, he has actually fought for the disenfranchised. he fought for sentencing reform and not only did he fight for it, he accomplished it. he fought for civil rights. he prosecuted members of the ku klux klan and most importantly, he fought for the liberty of all americans regardless of color of their skin or their personal beliefs. this is the way it should be. after 20 years of knowing senator sessions, i have not seen the slightest evidence of racism because it does not exist. i know a racist when i see one and i've

>> the lead changed hands four times in the fourth quarter. last year, alabamat clemson to win its fourth title under nick saban, but this year's sequel ended up in clemson favor. >> arrived at the tallest line on the top of that mount. we saw the top of it last year. couldn't quite get there. tonight, we took that next step. the only thing we haven't done in the last eight years and we got it done. >> it's clemson's first title since 1981. >>> well, coming up on the "morning news," milk during mass. the pope gives his blessing to breast-feeding moms. >>> and heated dispute. you won't believe why this michigan man was ticketed by police. this is the "cbs morning news." but today there's entresto... a breakthrough medicine that can help make more tomorrows possible. tomorrow, i want to see teddy bait his first hook. in the largest heart failure study ever, entresto was proven to help more people stay alive and out of the hospital than a leading heart failure medicine. women who are pregnant must not take entresto. it can cause harm or death to an unborn baby. don

the alabama crimson tide and the clemson tigers with the most exciting final five minutes in sports. "early today" starts right now. >>> good tuesday morning, everyone. i'm ayman mohyeldin. >> and i'm frances rivera. today marks the biggest test in the trump transition as the first of his nominees prepare to be grilled. that as senate democrats went into the wee hours of the morning holding a marathon series of protests against republican's efforts to repeal the affordable care act. they're accusing republicans of trying to repeal and run. with trump cabinet confirmation hearings set to start, both sides are bracing for a fight. first up, trump's pick to head homeland security, general john kelly, and his choice for attorney general, senator jeff sessions. but it's sessions who's taking the brunt of the controversy as his civil rights record comes under fire with groups like naacp and aclu denouncing his nomination. democrat cory booker is planning to come out against sessions becoming the first sitting senator to ever testify in opposition to another for a cabinet position. still, t

every second of the game to win. alabama looks like the handout.'m his favorite at 2025-yard touchdown. take the early lead 70. scarborough again gets great blocking can the knicks defenders to his feet and scampered 37 years to begin soon. trying to give momentum quarterback draws back inside over the middle. split think it a touchdown. clemson down only three. alabama strikes again near the end of the third quarter. great protection with a wide-open sideline. but i didn't go 68 yards untouched for the touchdown. clemson down by three, punches that have caused the line. take the first leg 28-24. down by three again. the following the two-yard line. clemson comes back to win it 35- 31. the second championship. the other one was way back in 1981. write to the nba. the mystery surrounding the team. the pelicans game at madison square garden. the team did not know where rose was. we only say he's not with the team. they may return to chicago but the team has not confirmed that. officials only said they have reason to believe rose's not in danger. laur