Transcripts For CNNW CNN Newsroom With Fredricka Whitfield 20161211

Calling for an investigation. This cannot become a partisan issue. The stakes are too high for our country. Newsroom starts right now. Thanks for joining us. Im Boris Sanchez in for fredricka whitfield. Senators are pushing for an investigation into claims that russia intervened in the election to help donald trump. In a joint statement, Democratic Senators schumer and reed, and republican senators, mccain and graham, said recent russian interference in our election should alarm every american. President elect trump dismissed those claims, blaming them on democrats still bitter over the outcome of the election. I think it is ridiculous. I think it is just another excuse. I dont believe it. I dont know why. I think it is just, you know they talked about all sorts of things. Every week, it is another excuse. We had a massive landslide victory, as you know, in the electoral college. I guess the final numbers are now at 306. Shes down to a very low number. No, i dont believe that at all. You say you doint know why. Do you think the cia is trying to overturn the results of the election, somehow to weaken you in office . If you look at the story and take a look at what they said, there is great confusion. Nobody really knows. Hacking is very interesting. Once they hack, if you dont catch them in the act, youre not going to catch them. They have no idea if it is russia or china or somebody. It could be somebody sitting in a bed someplace. I mean, they have no idea. Why would the cia put out this story that the russians wanted you to win . Im not sure they put it out. I think the democrats are putting it out because they suffered one of the greatest defeats in the history of politics in this country. And, frankly, i think theyre putting it out. It is ridiculous. We have to get back to making America Great again, which is what were going to do, and weve already started the process. Cnns ryan nobles is following this story and joins us now, live from outside of trump tower in new york. Ryan, if anyone thought there was going to be this great coming together, kumbaya moment after the election, think again. Yeah, i think youre absolutely right about that, boris. There seems to be a serious disconnect between how donald trump assesses this analysis from the cia on the hack and how some leading members of the United States senate view it, including members of both parties. Both democrats and republicans seem to want to know more about this hack. Donald trump dismissing it, saying it has nothing to do with the outcome of the election and we should move on. Even questioning whether or not the United States Intelligence Community has this done correctly. Listen to what chuck schumer, a leading democrat, and john mccain, a leading republican, are saying about this situation. They did hack into this campaign, and they did it, i think, with some of at least what seemed to be effective. Sort of every week or so, there was new information. And were they hacking the republicans the same way, the Republican National committee . If so, why didnt they there is a whole lot of issues out there. It roadway quiequires investiga the fact the cia and fbi disagrees shows the need for a bipartisan investigation that gets to the bottom of this. The investigation should be tough, strong and bipartisan, and should have access to all materials, classified and not. This is significant on a number of levels, but it also leads to a greater discussion about how the Incoming Trump administration is going to handle the United States relationship with russia. Take a look at a senator like john mccain, who believes we should look into this a bit more. He is a harsh critic of the kremlin and Vladimir Putin in general. Donald trump obviously said kind things about putin and russia. He believes that russia had nothing to do with this hack. This is going to be a big point of discussion on both sides of the aisle and between the Incoming Administration and the congress once Trump Takes Office here in a couple of weeks. Especially considering the potential secretary of state, tillerson, the exxonmobil ceo, with close ties to russia. Thank you for that report. Lets dig deeper on this, especially the russian perspective. Joining me is the professor of russian studies at New York University and princeton university. Professor, thank you for joining us. There is a Bipartisan Group of senators calling for a thorough investigation of these alleged russian cyber attacks. One of them is republican senator john mccain. He signed that letter. He also had some very strong words about Vladimir Putin on cbss face the nation today. I want you to listen to this. Vladimir put season a thug and a murderer and a killer and a kgb agent. He had people murdered in the shadow of the kremlin. He dismembered ukraine. He had precision strikes on hospitals in aleppo. Lets call Vladimir Putin for what he is. Does that mean you dont deal with him or talk to him . Of course you talk to him. But you do it the same way that Ronald Reagan did. Thats from a position of strength. Professor, do you agree with that assessment, that Vladimir Putin is a thug and a murderer . No, i dont. I want to point out that mccain went on to say that anyone who did not agree with him, mccain, was lying. The impact of that is to childress cushion chil childrechil chill discussion in this country about russia and american policy, when the relationship with russia is in hot war from the baltic region to ukraine. Is american policy wise . We cant have the discussion when mccain, politically a jihadist against putin, who has been at it a long time, has powerful allies. The bipartisan consensus, which there should be, is an inch walk. They never allow truly dissenting voices. The tragedy is, and it could be a tragedy for the United States at home and abroad, is that regarding the hacking and what the russians did or didnt do, we have a megaton of allegations and hysterical and almost no facts being produced. Neither by the cia or the fbi. I mean, show us the facts, and then let us judge. Well, president elect donald trump is obviously slamming the cia report, that russia intervened in the election. Here is his response on fox this morning. I just want to ask you about your skepticism about the Intelligence Community. You are getting the president ial daily brief. Yes. Only once a week. Well, i get it when i need it. But is it if there is skepticism first of all, these are very good people giving me the briefings. I say, if something should change from this point, immediately call me. Im available on one minutes notice. I dont have to be told, you know im a smart person. I dont have to be told the same thing and the same words every single day for the next eight years. Could be eight years. But eight years. I dont need that. But i do say, if something should change, let us know. In the meantime, my generals are great, are being briefed. Mike pence is being briefed. Security experts tell us that if russia did interfere in the election, it wouldnt be the first time. They say that this kind of attack is part of their m. O. , to try to instill chaos in the west and democratic elections in the west. Do you agree with that . Is that not what russia does . Professor . Yes. Oh, i thought you were still talking to president elect trump. I was just asking you, you know yeah. We heard from Security Experts again and again, saying that this would be typical of russia. You would you agree with that . No, i would not. It is a fundamental question. I think that if you were to ask objective scholars of russia, western scholars of russia, as i try to be, maybe i fail, you would ask yourself, why would putin want to destabilize the west . Heres a man who came to power in 2000, head of a state that had collapsed twice in the 20s century. Enormous state collapsed. His political and Historical Mission was to rebuild russia, to stabilize russia and make sure such collapse never happened again. He said from the beginning, and experts in the west agreed, he needed, in order to do that, partnerships with the west. Primarily with europe but also with the United States. That is still his mission. Rebuilding russia. Why would he want to destabilize the very people he needs technology, investment and Nuclear Security from . It makes no sense. Sir, critics make the case that he is trying to weaken, perhaps, nato, to try to impose his will in, you know, the baltic area, in ukraine, in syria. You dont feel like thats part of his agenda, to try to perhaps enforce his will in these places and weaken anyone that might challenge him . All right. Ukraine is a separate issue. If we leave that aside for a moment, why would russia, putin, want to take over the baltic countries, those little countries, estonia, latvia and lithuania . Putin can barely pay pensions in russia. Is he going to pay the pensions in those countries . This is preposterous. What putin does not want, and no russian president would want this, are nato military bases on russias borders. Keep in mind, please, because its never reported here, that nato, having built up in the baltics, the countries you mentioned, can hit st. Petersbu petersburg, russias second city, with ordinary artillery. Not with missiles or bombers, but ordinary artillery. Now imagine that there were chinese or russian bases in mexico or canada with that capability. Would we be hysterical . Absolutely. The problem we have here is theres all sorts of allegations being made in this country, along with the kind of neomccarthyism, who labels anyone who disagrees with the consens consensus, and labeled trump this, too, a puppet of putin about, a, what the russians did or didnt do during our election, and, b, what putins geopolitical motives are. Only one side is being heard here. Im grateful you invited me today to present a different perspective. But generally speaking, just look at the front page of New York Times and the Washington Post today. One war party, hawkish point of view is being presented. There is very little evidence for it. We thank you veryperspective. It is not one that many lawmakers would agree with, but we thank you for offering it to us. Still ahead, republican and Democratic Senators are calling for an investigation into the russian hacking report. How that could play out in the coming weeks. Well talk about that next. This is your daughter. And she just got this. Ooh boy. But, youve got hum. So you can set this. And if she drives like this, you can tell her to drive more like this. Because youll get this. You can even set boundaries for so if she should be here, but instead goes here, here, or here. Youll know. So dont worry, mom. Because you put this, in here. Hum by verizon. The technology designed to make your car smarter, safer and more connected. Put some smarts in your car. A Bipartisan Group of senators is calling for further investigation into claims that russia interfered with u. S. Elections. Donald trump says these reports are being perpetuated by democrats and could be retribution for them losing the election. President obama ordered a full review of russias involvement hacking in the election, and democrats are now calling for hearings. Do you think this is part of an effort to undercut you . Could be. President obama has been terrific, very respectful of the process and everything else. I saw that. But and i want it, too. I think it is great. I dont want anyone hacking us. Im not only talking about countries. Im talking about anyone, period. But if youre going to do that, i think you should not just say russia. You should say other countries, also. And maybe other individuals. Its not necessarily could be a political effort here. Could be. I mean, look, we had many people saying one of the greatest victories of all time. Theyre very embarrassed. Lets dig deeper with republican strategist Brian Morganstern and ellis. Do you think this investigation, the reports coming from the cia, are these politically motivated attacks against trump . I think there are a number of different reports coming out, right. In terms of the cia saying that russia had an interest in this election, thats one thing. The fbi seems to have come to a different conclusion. In terms of what the white house has been saying, the Obama Administration or the white house came out after the election and said, we have no reason to think that this election was not legitimate or that a foreign government, you know, hacked in and affected the voting patterns or anything like that. And now, this seems to be part of this seems to be a bit of a Political Mission to delegitimize the Trump Presidency and say, you know, along with the fact that Hillary Clinton had more overall votes, there is this russian issue sort of overhanging. So he shouldnt get what he wants. If you think the democrats are not going to come at it from that angle, ive got a bridge id like to sell you. But there is, you know of course, we want our government to be on top of any foreign threats to our cyber security. That is, of course, a separate and legitimate issue. Again, the Trump Administration is going to be pushing back on this, that there was any sort of impropriety, you know, that led to his election. Ellis, do you agree that what were hearing from the cia is an attempt to delegitimize trumps win . No. These are intelligence professionals. Partisans will be partisan, right . The dems want to harass trump and the trump people want to avoid any investigation or anything that casts any doubt on their victory. Thats just i mean, grownups understand that. The next step though is what happened . There are some actual facts here. Intelligence professionals who were uniquely capable of gathering and presenting those facts. I think all of us ought to be on the side of letting every single siyllable of that come out. See where it lands. Whats better that n that . Lets talk secretary of state. Tillerson, the exxonmobil ceo, now the front runner according to sources, he has experience overseas but it is pretty much limited to his role as a businessman. Do you think he is qualified to be secretary of state . I think a chief of a multinational, multibillion Dollar Corporation with tens of thousands of employees, who has overseen operations in over 50 countries, i think youd be hard pressed to find somebody who is more qualified. Obviously, diplomatic experience, you know, is valuable, also, but i would think that his skills as a ceo of a giant Corporation Like that would be very transferable. I think the issue that youre seeing now with members of the Foreign Relations committee in their statements is with respect to his relationships in russia with Vladimir Putin, with the leaders there. And i think it is fair to say that if he is ultimately nominated, and we dont know yet, but if he is ultimately nominated, those lines of questioning will get a lot of coverage in the confirmation hearings. The senators, senator rubio has already come out with a statement about that. You know, senators mccain and graham, more hawkish toward russia, will want to understand a lot more about mr. Tillersons relationships there. Sure. And, you know, how he would approach negotiations with russia. Ellis, we have maybe ten seconds. What do you think about this potential pick . Is he too close to russia . I think his stock is falling by the hour, boris. 24 hours ago, id told you he is going to be the secretary of state. Let me tell you, a lot of republicans are being made nervous. A lot of dems already started skeptical. I think it is starting to fade, honestly. Pleasure to talk to you gentlemen. Marco rubio taking aim at trumps potential pick for secretary of state. The florida senator calling exxon ceo, quote, a friend of putin. Well talk about that next. This is more than just a credit card. Its how adventure begins. And with the miles you can earn, its always taking you closer to your next unforgettable experience. Become a cardmember and start enjoying benefits built to take you further. Like group 1 boarding. And no foreign transaction fees. Plus, when you fly on american airlines, your first checked bag fee is waived for you and up to four companions. Every purchase with the citi® aadvantage® platinum select takes you closer to adventure. Whether its somewhere you can see your breath, or a place that takes it away. Apply today for a limited time offer and earn 50,000 aadvantage® bonus miles after spending 3,000 in purchases within the first 3 months. By using the citi® aadvantage platinum select® card, you can begin to pack more into your adventure. Become a cardmember to enjoy these benefits. Apply today. Visit citi. Com travel, or call 8773592290. Were getting more details around the investigations into russian hacking into the 2016 i election. As calls grow for an investigation, there is a split between intelligence agencies of the cia and the fbi over how conclusive the evidence is. Cnn justin correspondent evan perez is following this story. He joins us now over the phone. Evan, where does this divide stop . Where do they disagree . Well, boris, one of the first things we have to say is that, you know, theres nothing that is 100 at this point with the assessment on what was going on with the russian hacking. Its clear that the russians did hack democratic National Committee and other democratic organizations. What is in dispute is whether there is enough evidence to say definitively that the russians were trying to get donald trump elected. I think in some briefings in recent weeks, the cia certainly is leaning more in the direction that it appears that what is happening, the russians were favoring trump, trying to hurt Hillary Clinton by releasing certain types of information that was published by wikileaks and other websites. The fbi is the one who thinks there needs to be more evidence gathered. That even the russians seem to be very surprised that donald trump was elected. So it is not clear what factually they were trying to do, beyond that they were trying to sow discord. They were trying to cause there to be to undermine our systems, to undermine the u. S. Election system, and to cause confusion in that way. Thats part of the behind the scenes discussions that are still ongoing. Theres still a lot of work being done by the fbi, by the cia and other agencies. It is clear the cia has developed information from some of its sources that they believe more firmly puts it in the direction of that the russian intelligence agencies were definitely trying to get donald trump elected. I think thats one of the things thats causing so much pushback from the president elect. I think what he hears from the reporting thats been coming out this weekend in the Washington Post and elsewhere, what he hears is that his election was illegitimate. I dont think that that is the point the intelligence say jen si agencies have been trying to make, boris. One of the points of contention over the weekend in the reporting about the information that the cia has and what were hearing from, specifically, the rnc, is whether or not the rnc was hacked. Have you heard anything about that . Well, im glad you asked. Exactly, weve been following this very closely. We have been checking every few weeks on whether or not the rnc was breached. Were told the fbi has still not found that the rnc itself was directly breached by these russian hackers. What they did find was there were thirdparty entities, at least onethirdparty entity, that had some data belongings to the rnc and there might have been a breach there. The data appeared to be outdated and didnt really have much value, which is why you havent seen the same impact as the dnc breach. It is also clear the fbi found there were conservative groups and pundits that were hacked. We did see some emails get published from those accounts. It is clear though that, at this point, the fbi has not found that the rnc itself was breached. Thats a point that the spokesman for the rnc has been making all weekend. It is sort of rebutting some reports out there that the rnc was breached. Boris . Just another fascinating angle. The divide between the cia and fbi on this story. Evan perez, thank you so much. Well be back after a quick break. Nt make cars made plastics that make them lighter . The lubricants that improved fuel economy. Even technology to make engines more efficient. What company does all this . Exxonmobil, thats who. Were working on all these things to make cars better and use less fuel. Helping you save money and reduce emissions. And you thought we just made the gas. Energy lives here. And her new mobile wedding business. Tte at first, getting paid was tough. Until she got quickbooks. Now she sends invoices, sees when theyve been viewed and tada, paid twice as fast see how at quickbooksdotcom. Tits whats inside the person insidwho opens it. Give ancestrydna, the simple dna test that can reveal their ethnic origins. Order now at ancestrydna. Com and save 10 . Chris kchristie turned down several offers to join the Trump Administration. Sources familiar with the offers say the new jersey governor rejected trumps offers of Homeland Security secretory, secretary of Veterans Affairs and an ambassadorship to italy. The one job he did want, attorney general, as we know, has been offered to alabama senator jeff sessions. Back at transition headquarters at trump tower in new york, donald trump is reviewing his choices for secretary of state. A decision is expected this week. Sources say the leading candidate right now is exxonmobil ceo Rex Tillerson. Trump tweeted about him this morning, writing, quote, whether i choose him or not for state, Rex Tillerson, the chairman and ceo of exxonmobil, is a world class player deal maker. Stay tuned. Even before making it official, critics are extressing outrage, especially over tillersons relationship with russia. Marco rubio tweeted this out. Quote, being a friend of vladimir is not an attribute im hoping for from a secretary of state. Its worth noting in 2011, exxon signed a deal with a russian oil giant whose largest shareholder is the russian government. After the signing, putin awarded tillerson the countrys order of friendship. So how close are Vladimir Putin and Rex Tillerson . Here is rachel crane. When i was a brandnew engineer with exxon in 1975, i was reporter he runs one of the worlds biggest companies. Rex tillerson, ceo of exxonmobil, spent his entire career at the oil giant. I think we are the largest american oil company. Reporter born in wichita falls, texas, and a lifelong boy scout, till erman joined exxon out of the university of texas in 1975, starting as a production engineer. He worked his way up the ranks and became ceo and chairman in 2006. And has amassed a fortune, estimated to be over 240 million. According to executive data providers. Tillerson has no experience in the public sector, but his work at exxon has taken him all over the world, and he has forged close ties to russia. This is a guy who has business relationships in every continent in the entire world. Reporter tillerson received the friendship award from Vladimir Putin in 2013. He describes his nearly twodecade long relationship with the russian president as, quote, very close. He understands that im a businessman. And ive invested a lot of money. Our company has invested a lot of money in russia very successfully. Reporter his business acumen, and extensive work overseas, caught the attention and gained the respect of president elect trump. In his case, hes much more than a business executive. He is a world class player. And to me, a great advantage is he knows many of the players. And he knows them well. He does massive deals in russia. He does massive deals for the company, not himself. Reporter under tillersons leadership, the company softened its stance on climate change, publicly acknowledging its existence and potential risks. Im not disputing that increasing co2 emissions in the foo atmosphere is going to have an impact. A warming impact. How large it is is what is very hard for anyone to predict. Reporter tillerson, who is 64, is expected to retire as ceo of exxonmobil when he turns 65 in march. The mandatory retirement age at the company. Rachel crane, cnn, new york. Still ahead, donald trump claims hes been turning down business deals since he was elected. But that doesnt mean his kids cant pick up what he turns away. The possible conflicts of interest. Plus, trump says the u. S. Doesnt need to be, quote, bound by the one china policy. Hear what he has to say when we come back. Or something . You dont just graduate from medical school, or something. And we dont just pull smoked chicken, bake fresh foccacia and handslice avocado. Theres nothing or something about it. Its how adventure begins. Credit card. And with the miles you can earn, its always taking you closer to your next unforgettable experience. Become a cardmember and start enjoying benefits built to take you further. Like group 1 boarding. And no foreign transaction fees. Plus, when you fly on american airlines, your first checked bag fee is waived for you and up to four companions. Every purchase with the citi® aadvantage® platinum select takes you closer to adventure. Whether its somewhere you can see your breath, or a place that takes it away. Apply today for a limited time offer and earn 50,000 aadvantage® bonus miles after spending 3,000 in purchases within the first 3 months. By using the citi® aadvantage platinum select® card, you can begin to pack more into your adventure. Become a cardmember to enjoy these benefits. Apply today. Visit citi. Com travel, or call 8773592290. Whoa, papa run, run, run, run, running run, run, run, run, running theres nothing in this life thats ever bringing me down she said dont you ever ever, ever run, run, run, run, running whoa, papa, run even if youre trying your best. Along with diet and exercise, oncedaily toujeo® may help you control your blood sugar. Get into a daily groove. Lets groove tonight. Share the spice of life. Baby, from the makers of lantus®, slice it right. Toujeo® provides blood sugarlowering activity for 24 hours and beyond, were gonna groove tonight. Proven blood sugar control all day and all night, and significant a1c reduction. Toujeo® is used to control high blood sugar in adults with diabetes. It contains 3 times as much insulin in 1 milliliter as standard insulin. Dont use toujeo® to treat diabetic ketoacidosis, during episodes of low blood sugar or if youre allergic to insulin. Allergic reaction may occur and may be life threatening. Dont reuse needles or share insulin pens, even if the needle has been changed. The most common side effect is low blood sugar, which can be serious and life threatening. It may cause shaking, sweating, fast heartbeat, and blurred vision. Check your blood sugar levels daily. Injection site reactions may occur. Dont change your dose of insulin without talking to your doctor. Tell your doctor about all medicines you take and all your medical conditions. Taking tzds with insulins, like toujeo®, may cause Heart Failure that can lead to death, even if youve never had Heart Failure before. Dont dilute or mix toujeo® with other insulins or solutions as it may not work as intended and you may lose blood sugar control, which could be serious. Find your rhythm and keep on grooving. Lets groove tonight. Ask your doctor about toujeo®. Share the spice of life. President elect donald trump says the u. S. Is not necessarily bound by the one china policy. The long standing position that taiwan is part of one china. Trump made the comment while discussing his controversial phone call with the president of taiwan. China issued a diplomatic protest after that phone call because china considers taiwan a renegade province. Trump is defending the conversation. He is questioning whether the u. S. Has to be bound by that one china policy. I fully understand the one china policy, but i dont know why we have to be bound by one china policy, unless we make a deal with china, having to do with other things, including trade. I mean, look, were being hurt badly by china with devaluation, with taxing us heavy at the borders when we dont tax them. With building a massive fortress in the middle of the south china sea, which they shouldnt be doing. And, frankly, with not helping us at all with north korea. You have north korea. You have nuclear weapons. China could solve that problem. Theyre not helping this at all. So i dont want china dictating to me. This was a call put in to me. I didnt make the call. It was a call, very short call, saying congratulations, sir, on the victory. It was a very nice call. Joining me now to discuss this is a member of the president ial transition team. Anthony, is the president elect serious about ending the one china policy, or is this, as weve seen before with trudonal tru trump, a bargaining chip in a much bigger move . Listen, everything should be on the table. At the end of the day, hes the leader of the free world. Hes looking at things that he doesnt necessarily like. There are certain things that have happened since 1979, frankly, that we didnt anticipate, like the building of those military fortresses out in the south china sea. So hes nearly saying, listen, there is a new sheriff in town. I want to have a very friendly, terrific relationship with china, but i also want to recognize the taiwanese by accepting a call. Thats really all he did. The call came in, and he said, you know, thank you to the congratulations. So i think what i mind most fascinating about the conversation related to china is that there is a struggle there. There is a competitive tension between us and china. The president elect feels that we need to strengthen the u. S. Hand, particularly for the working class people, and the middle class, as it relates to our trade deals. I can tell you, im sitting in these meetings, and im very prefreshed by this. I expect it to happen. The competitive tension you talk about is something we heard over and over again on the campaign trail. Some very interesting rhetoric from donald trump when it comes to china. But is he hesitant at all to potentially start a trade war with them . Listen, and ill state the position again on pe habehalf o of us. There is no intent to start a trade war, but there is an intent to make things super fair for the American People. At the end of the day, the bargaining chips of a trade war are obviously out there. The imposition of potential tariffs is obviously out there. None of that needs to pass if we can go through a rigorous review of each of these deals and make sure these deals are right for the American People. I think the American People are super happy in the last four weeks. They see the president elect has somebody that is really going to champion in their interests. Not only here in the United States and keeping jobs here, but also overseas. Theyre going to stand up for america, frankly. So i agree with where the trade deals were, meaning they were unbalanced for the last 71 years, to help create more Global Economic interdependence. The president elect and i had this conversation, recognizing we have to be more focused on america, putting American Workers first, putting the country first, getting jobs here in our country, manufacturing back, et cetera. I think the American People love that message, boris. Donald trump, first and foremost, is known for his business acumen. He is known as a businessman. He was on fox news today and talked about not only his business but the election and now becoming president , how it might impact that. I want you to listen to this. If i were going to do new deals right now, i am turning down billions of dollars of deals. I will tell you, running for president , the money i spent is peanuts compared to the money i wont make. And thats okay. Because this is so important. What im doing is so important. This is a calling. This is a movement. Its not just me. It is millions and millions of people. You got to see it firsthand. Im not going to be doing deals at all. Now, that would be i dont even know if that is a conflict. I have the right to do it. You know under the law, i have the right to do it. I just dont want to do it. I dont want to do deals. Because i want to focus on this. Now, anthony, he says he is turning down these billiondollar deals and hes more interested in the white house than he is really trump tower to some degree. Should the American Public be concerned about the expanse of his empire and potential conflicts of interest . I dont think so. What i love about that interview right there is you really see the charm and the commercial intensity of the new president elect. Im sure that hes he would be salivating at the prospect of doing those deals. He is sending a message to the American People right there by saying, listen, this is so much more important than that. The stakes are so much higher on behalf of the entire country. I do think on december the 15th, we will hear from him about how he has gone away from his corporation and all of his interests. And i think after that press conference, i think people are going to be very happy that the conflict of interest issue thats on the table right now will also be in the rearview mirror. But i love the fact the president is a commercial guy. I can tell the American People he is going to bring that to the table in trade negotiations. Hes going to bring that to the table with his diplomatic skills. Hes also going to bring that to the table in terms of defeating isis and making the world safer. Not only for americans but for citizens all over the world. Anthony, we have to ask you about this. It is the story of the weekend really and likely to continue to be the story in the coming weeks. Do you think this investigation into the russian meddling in the election could potentially lead to a rough start for a Trump Presidency . Could this be a black eye on his presidency . Listen, i really dont think so. I think the case that the president elect is making at this point is that the election is over. It was a broadbase landslide in the electoral college. These president ial elections are based on the electoral college. Thats why the president elect had his strategy over the course of the intense campaign. I would like to see it end. I know most of the American People, if you poll them, would like to see it end. So my guess is that this will get put to bed. Theres a lot of speculation, frankly. Were trying to figure out where the sources are for the stories. Its like weapons of mass disinformation, if you will. My guess is that hes going to have a very strong, robust start. The 100day agenda is a fantastic agenda for the American People. Youre seeing people unite around the president elect, boar ry boris. Look what happened yesterday at the armynavy game. It was an unbelievable, patriotic, rousing cheer for the president elect. I know he was very emotional about it. My guess is that well be putting this behind us, as we have so many things over the last 18 months. It is important to point out, anthony, it is not just democrats calling for the investigation. Some highranking republicans, as well. We are out of time but we thank you very much for your time. Thank you very having me. Well be right back. My lineage was the vecchios and zuccolis. Through ancestry, through dna i found out that i was only 16 italian. He was 34 eastern european. So i went onto ancestry, soon learned that one of our ancestors we thought was italian was eastern european. This is my ancestor who i didnt know about. He looks a little bit like me, yes. Ancestry has many paths to discovering your story. Get started for free at ancestry. Com keeping the power lines clear,my job to protect public safety, while also protecting the environment. The Natural World is a beautiful thing, the work that we do helps us protect it. Public education is definitely a big part of our job, to teach our customers about the best type of trees to plant around the power lines. We want to keep the power on for our customers. We want to keep our community safe. This is our community, this is where we live. We need to make sure that we have a beautiful place for our children to live. Together, were building a better california. Tonight is the tenth annual cnn heros. Anderson cooper and kelly ripa are hosting the show. Well have reporters on the red carpet starting at 6 00 p. M. Eastern. Youll have celebrities thatll recognize each hero. Well take a closer look at one of the honorees, sheldon smith. I was taught to overcome because i didnt have a father figure around to teach me what fatherhood was. It doesnt come with a map or a manual. Sometimes you can learn from others or you learn on the fly. Trying to do better so my son doesnt have to go through what i went through. Amen. 70 of africanamerican children grow up in single parent households. I wanted to provide the men with the skills and tools they need to stay involved in their childrens life and really support the next generation of children. My goal at the end of the day when i started the dovetail project was to break the cycle. I grew up in a community where a lot of young men faced the same issues i was facing. No one was doing anything about it. There arent too many places where a father can go and get the help and support he actually needs. Being able to have those resources that you actually need in order to make an impact on your childs life, like employment or some type of assistance, is key and very important. I really wanted to be the person who built the hub for that. Sheldon smith, a really inspiring guy. You can see all the honorees tonight at 8 00 p. M. Here on cnn. Anderson cooper and kelly ripa hosting with a long list of celebrity presented, including Neil Patrick Harris and richard gere. Be sure to watch. Announcer they are the kind and the caring. They are the strong and the brave. They are the ones who see a need. Fill a void. Make a difference. Im trying to get them all the opportunities they deserve. This has become my life. I dont ever want to do anything else. Announcer they dont do it for themselves. They do it for all the rest of us. They are a reminder of whats good in this world and what it truly means to be a hero. We give them the foundation from which they can thrive. The feeling of family. We have transformed the lives of thousands of children. Announcer tonight, cnn presents a very special, live event. The tenth annual cnn hero heros allstar tribute. Tonight, were gathered to celebrate extraordinary men and women who highlight the best of what humanity has to offer. Announcer join host Anderson Cooper and cohost kelly ripa, as we honor ten extraordinary people. The tenth annual cnn heros allstar tribute, live tonight at 8 00 on cnn. Cnn heros, everyday people changing the world, is brought to you by subaru. Love. Its what makes a subaru a subaru. And by astellas. The allstar tribute, sunday night at 8 00 p. M. Eastern. Take a good look around. And if youre lookin down, put a little love in your heart. Put a little love in your heart. In your heart. avo the subaru share the love event is happening now and will have given ninety Million Dollars to help real people like these. vo its the holidays at verizon, and the best deals are on the best network. With no surprise overages, you can use your data worry free and even carry over the data you dont use. And right now get four lines and 20 gigs for only 40 per line. Youll even get the Samsung Galaxy s7, the pixel phone by google, or the motoz droid for only 10 per month. Hurry, these offers end soon. Get the best deals and the best network, only on verizon. President John F Kennedy was a lover of american culture, asking robert frost to read his inaugural poem and inviting artists and authors to the white house. When it comes to culture, president elect trump is going for a slightly different vibe, you could say. Thats a subject of this weeks state of the cartoonian by jake tapper. Screw off, costal elites. Donald trump is stacking his administration with leaders from real american pop culture. Wow. His tpick to head the Small Business administration is linda mcmahon, ceo of wwe. Making her, im pretty sure, the only head of that agency to have ever survived one of stone cold steve austins stone cold stunners. His pick to be secretary of labor runs the carls jr. And hardees franchise, with the racy commercials with scantily clad models. We learned this week that the next season of celebrity apprentice, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and featuring snooki will have donald trump as an executive producer. Money, money, money is it ridiculous to wonder if the inaugural poem will be given by Andrew Dice Clay . Hickory dickory dock. That would be something. Thank you for joining us. Im Boris Sanchez. Ill be back next weekend. Fredricka whitfield is taking a well deserved vacation. The next hour of cnn newsroom with poppy harlow starts now. Captions by vitac www. Vitac. Com we begin with a call into russias attention to sway the u. S. Election. Four sitting u. S. Senators, two republicans and two democrats say every american should be alarmed. The Group Includes republicans mccain and graham, along with democratic senator, chuck schumer, the incoming minor te leader, and jack reed. In a joint statement, they warn, quote, this cannot become a partisan issue. The stakes are too high for our country. Senator mccain spelled out his concerns. Listen. Because it is clear the russians interfered. Whether they intended to interfere to the degree that they were trying to elect a certain candidate, i think thats a subject of investigation. But the facts are stubborn things. They did hack into this campaign. The russians have interfered in a lot of other elections. The russians have hacked into some of our most secret military information. The russians have been active, using as a tool, as part of Vladimir Putins ambition to