joins us from trump tower. the president-elect's son-in-law, what are you learning about his plans to avoid conflicts of interest? and is he even legally allowed to take this position according to anti-nepotism laws that are in place? >> reporter: those are the big questions, anderson. donald trump made a major announcement today, tapping his son-in-law jared kushner to be a senior adviser to the president. there was a lot of discussion about this for several weeks, but officials held a conference call with reporters and laid out the case that they believe yes, jared kushner is legally able to serve as a senior adviser to donald trump despite the fact that he is the president-elect's son-in-law. they say he does not violate federal anti-nepotism laws, laws put in place in the 1960s after john f. kennedy tapped his brother, bobby kennedy, to be attorney general. later, congress and lawmakers decided that that was no longer something that should be done in this country, so laws were changed. but according to these transition officials, essentially the president has broad discretion to apoint whomever he chooses to serve as an adviser. that is the legal framework they're going with here. but to satisfy some of the conflict of interest laws that jared kushner would be subject to, they are saying he's going to be selling off most of his assets, resigning from positions that he has, not only with his companies, but also with the new york observer newspaper here in the city. it is all a part of a very big move and shakeup inside the transition today. we also learned that ivanka trump, the president-elect's daughter, she will not be taking on a position in the administration right away. although she will also be selling off some of her assets and resigning from some of her positions to remove that appearance of a conflict of interest. but democrats on capitol hill, the ranking democrat on the house judiciary committee is saying hold on. he's asking for the justice department under the obama administration to take a look at whether any of this is legal. and while the president-elect is taking these steps, he is at the same time avoiding some very big questions on russia and his own potential conflicts of interest in the upcoming white house. with inauguration day closing in, donald trump is trying to change the conversation away from the cloud of questions hanging over his looming presidency. >> we'll talk about that on wednesday. >> reporter: asked by reporters about russia interfering in the election, trump punted. >> who do you trust more julian assange or nsa? >> reporter: a key question, whether he believes russians tried to tilt the election his way. advisers indicate that trump believes some of the findings. >> he's not denying that entities in russia were behind this particular hacking campaign. >> reporter: but suggesting it doesn't really matter. >> there's no smoking gun when it comes to the nexus between these hacking activities and the election results. >> reporter: over the weekend, trump tweeted having a good relationship with russia is a good thing, not a bad thing. only stupid people would think that is bad. that is something that worries democrats and republicans. >> after having been briefed by our intelligence leaders, donald trump is still unsure as to what the russians did, that would be incredibly unnerving to me, because the evidence is overwhelming. >> reporter: adding to the preinaugural drama, hearings for a slew of cabinet picks are getting under way, and democrats are howling over delays of background materials coming in to the committee. 2009 is reprizing a letter to harry reid, outlining standards that should be met before obama nominees were met by the senate. >> they are almost exactly what democrats requested. mr. president, i don't bring this up to play gotcha. i'm showing that our requests are emmentally reasonable, and in fact, have been shared by leaders of both parties. >> reporter: now senate majority leader mitch mcconnell insists there will be no holdup. >> everybody will be properly vetted and i'm hopeful we'll get our national security team in place on day one. >> reporter: and we're getting a sense of how big this job will be for jared kushner, serving as senior adviser to president-elect donald trump. just this evening, he's meeting in the office of house speaker paul ryan on capitol hill to go over a tax reform package that they would like to roll out in the upcoming administration. once donald trump is sworn in as president. also at that meeting, steve bannon, a top adviser to the president with reince priebus. jared kushner would not be at that meeting if this were not a very important job he's about to take on. >> it is apparently not too big for the president-elect to respond with a tweet storm. last night at the golden globes, meryl streep singled out a moment that as she put it, broke my heart because of what it said about donald trump. today, donald trump responded. >> reporter: at the golden globe awards, meryl streep tore into donald trump without saying his name. >> it was that moment when the person asking to sit in the most respected seat in our country imitated a disabled reporter. someone he outranked in privilege, power, and the capacity to fight back. it -- it kind of broke my heart when i saw it. and i still can't get it out of my head, because it wasn't in a movie, it was real life. >> reporter: before sun rise, trump responded on twitter, in three back-to-back messages. meryl streep is one of the most overrated actresses in hollywood. doesn't know me but attacked last night at the golden globes. she's a hillary flunky who lost big. for the 100th time, i never mocked a disabled reporter, would never do that. but simply showed him groveling when he changed a 16-year-old story he had written in order to make me look bad. just more very dishonest media. for trump, it may be good politics to spar with hollywood liberals. he's right about streep's support for clinton, as seen last summer at the democratic convention. >> hillary clinton will be our first woman president. >> reporter: but his comments about "the new york times" reporter, who has a disability, are the subject of far more dispute. >> this guy, i don't know what i said, ahh, i don't remember. >> reporter: it's the latest front in america's culture wars. playing out in elections and spilling over into the theater. on sunday, bill, hillary, and chelsea clinton receiving several standing ovations as they attended the find broadway performance of "the color purple." a stark contrast from the reception vice president-elect mike pence received at "hamilton," where he was addressed by cast members. a deeply divided country awaits trump, as he prepares to succeed president obama. streep was among the celebrities invited to the white house on friday night to say farewell. back in los angeles, she used her golden globe platform to make a political plea. >> this instinct to humiliate when it's marvelled by someone on the public platform, it filters down into everybody's life, because it kind of gives permission for other people to do the same thing. >> reporter: what's different about this chapter of the country's long-running culture wars is that trump's own celebrity helped him win the white house. from reality television -- >> you're fired. >> reporter: to his own cameos. >> excuse me, where's the lobby? >> down the hall and to the left. >> thanks. >> reporter: trump's fame preceded him in politics. yet he drew few celebrities to his side while clinton surrounded herself with a-list stars. >> by the way, i didn't have to bring j-lo or jay zee. the only way she gets anybody. i'm here all by myself. >> reporter: in just 11 days, trump will have the last word. a script hollywood cannot rewrite. >> jeff zeleny joins us now. it seems like donald trump may have a different relationship with hollywood than president obama did. >> reporter: i think in every way. there were celebrities here over this past weekend until nearly sun rise saturday morning. having won last farewell with the president, do not expect that any time here soon in the next administration. but there's one thing, anderson, donald trump has a long-standing relationship with many celebrities, many stars. one friend of his told me today that he wants to be respected and liked. but it is simply good politics for him to be against hollywood, against these liberals. we'll see if that relationship ever heals. >> jeff, thanks. let's bring in our totally underrated panel. kirsten, certainly no one likes to be criticized obviously, especially on a national broadcast. does it make any sense that the man who is about to be president of the united states is tweeting about this predawn, responding to meryl streep? >> once you accept that he tweets all the time, then i think for him to tweet about this, it weirdly does make sense because of what jeff was just talking about. i think this feeds his base. they like this fight with hollywood. i think it works to his advantage to be attacked by somebody like meryl streep who is an icon of the left in hollywood, right? and i think what she said was very fair, and i'm not surprised that trump responded the way he did. >> can i jump in? he spent 16 minutes tweeting about meryl streep and her speech was like six or seven minutes. but what she said is the same thing moms say in ohio or michigan, pick on somebody your own size. >> i agree. >> i'm not sure how that makes him look bigger or better or more presidential. >> no, no, i don't think it makes him look bigger and presidential. it just reinforces this idea that he is under attack by the elites in this country, and he's just pushing back. i think what she said was one of the least offensive things you could really say in terms of you just want to be totally factual. >> during the election, he did use the fact that hillary clinton was surrounded by, you know, well-known celebrities who would show up and sing for her and stuff like that. he wore that as a badge of honor. that seems to be trying to -- it does seem like this hurts him. he pretends it doesn't, but if he's tweeting predawn -- >> i think what we've learned about trump, if you attack him, he will attack back. it's what he showed throughout the entirety of the election and that's not stopping now. but to kirsten's point, she's right. listen to the words meryl streep said. she said hollywood was vilified and hollywood is full of outsiders and characterized trump's supporters at people laughing at a disabled reporter, which wasn't the case. that the juxtaposition that donald trump won this election. trump supporters are laughing and they're uncouth and we are the vilified outsiders. >> but there's no dispute that he was mocking a disabled reporter. >> there's a lot of dispute. there's video of him using the same hand motions referring to ted cruz, a general, and he used the same hand motions in 2005 on larry king. so that is the subject of debate. >> we're not talking about his supporters, those were his words, he was humiliating somebody. when she said humiliation incites humiliation -- >> that was your interpretation. >> here's where i think there's a shock test of what we see differently. if democrats want to win again, this is the exact wrong way to do it. there's a trope now that goes, this is why donald trump won, this is smug. it's pretentious. it is condescending. if you were a liberal living on a coast and you hear meryl streep say that, you say oh, she's so right. she's saying all the things people feel. if you live in most of the country, if you were watching the oakland raiders play -- >> or someone that likes mma. >> this is not how you win the rust belt with apologies to someone who is from there. in my opinion, going to college, most of the folks i know do not identify with meryl streep. this is a turnoff to middle america. >> she wouldn't be such a hugely popular actress if she didn't have a massive amount of following. she is enormously well liked. it's not like she's rosie o'donnell. she's been married for almost 40 years, she's a bit of a different package than you might otherwise ascribe to a liberal hollywood -- >> whether you agree she should have made this speech, whether you like what she said or not or thought it was just this liberal elite, whatever, it was certainly clearly a heartfelt, you know, thoughtful -- >> why do you bring it up? >> my point is, his comeback is, she's overrated is like, really? that's what the comeback is? >> you know, i think maybe to prove matt's point, i found it to be a very eloquent speech. so i guess that makes me a coastal elite. but why did she say it then? where else is she going to say it? >> as president-elect for someone to be such a raw nerve of emotion is amazing to me. stay with us. we'll talk about the confirmation battle getting under way tomorrow, starting with attorney general designee jeff sessions. and van jones goes back to michigan to hear from voters there who could have kept it blue but stayed home instead. and see what authorities are learning about everything leading up to the horrible moment at ft. lauderdale. i need to promote my new busi can make that happen.et. business cards? business cards, brochures, banners... pens? pens, magnets, luggage tags, bumper stickers. how about foam fingers? like these? now, get 15% off making your company stand out. staples. make more happen. asmy family tree,ing i discovered a woman named marianne gaspard... it was her french name. then she came to louisiana as a slave. i became curious where in africa she was from. so i took the ancestry dna test to find out more about my african roots. the ancestry dna results were really specific. they told me all of these places in west africa. i feel really proud of my lineage, and i feel really proud of my ancestry. ancestry has many paths to discovering your story, get started for free at ancestry.com mom washed our clothes. credibility as handymen. one wash with tide pods and we're right back where we started. we look like catalogue models! who trusts a clean handyman anyway? we can't look this good! dinge is the dirt the bargain detergent can't get to. tide pods can. the breaking news tonight. team trump testing anti-nepotism laws, naming son-in-law jared kushner to a senior adviser position. unlike a cabinet position, a white house adviser does not require senate confirmation. hearings for those jobs get under way tomorrow. back now with the panel. kirsten, clearly the trump team feels anti-nepotism laws do not apply in this case. that the white house is not an agency. >> and they can make their case. here's the problem. part of the reason -- there are many reasons the nepotism laws exist. but one that would apply in this case, if you have somebody on the staff who is related to the boss, and that person isn't doing a good job or giving bad advice, it's very hard to go and say, mr. president, your son-in-law is completely screwing this up. and so it actually affects other people. so i think that's just something that they should consider. they have to obviously pass muster with all the legalities and he has to divest probably from a lot of his businesses and all the conflicts of interest. even if they get past that, they have to consider these other assets. >> the president wants people who he trusts implicitly and who they have a track record with, and jared kushner is somebody who has had donald trump's ear throughout the election and has proved his worth. >> that's right. i think he has the president-elect's ear the most. and he is beloved by the early trump campaign, by the late trump campaign. people loved to work with him and he had the president-elect's ear from the very beginning and i think it's unfair for folks to try to say now you have to separate yourself from your most senior adviser. it is square with nepotism laws. there's a 1990s appeals court case that suggests it only applies to federal agencies, not white house staff. conflict of interest will be the area that has to be honed in on. millions and millions in property holdings and although conflict of interest doesn't apply to the president-elect, it applies to jared kushner. >> democrats that are raising objections about this. the courting gave the green light for hillary clinton to run health care for then president clinton. >> and i think your point about the people around him and feeling comfortable going and talking, either about the president or to the president is really an important point from a psychological point. from a legal point of view, this was resolved, or at least somewhat resolved. i think the biggest point is this question about conflict. so he says today that he's going to step down from the kushner companies, that he will divest himself of some of his holdings. that is very interesting. because what is donald trump going to say? because even if conflicts of interests don't apply to the president, there is an appearance and especially as it relates to the area of foreign policy, where jared kushner apparently is going to be advising the president. and is the foreign policy of the united states for sale, meaning will jared kushner and his holdings, the president and his holdings, benefit from decisions that the president is making? >> and that's because donald trump hasn't released tax returns, a lot is unknown about his connections to foreign businesses. this is not going away for donald trump. >> no. that's the real concern. if you're rooting for donald trump, if you want donald trump to succeed, you would have to be worried about conflicts of interest, having to do with business, maybe he could have -- maybe he could get things done and it would be brought down by scandal. jared kushner, if you're rooting for donald trump, you should be rooting for him to have this adviser. i think he's a force for good. if bad people are whispering in donald trump's ear, if they're the last person to talk to him, bad things might happen. i think jared brings balance to the force. you have steve bannon and the established reince priebus. this is a member of the family who is really trusted. it would be silly to say because you're the son-in-law you can't talk to him. that's ridiculous. >> he was the bridge between the outsiders and -- >> a lot of balance. give trump credit for in many ways balancing out these voices. coming up, new details about the deadly shooting on friday. the suspect was in court for the first time today. what we learned about him and what happened, next. 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>> reporter: the proceeding this morning lasted 10 to 15 minutes. the shooter walked in, looked around and sat at the defense table and kept his head bowed except to answer a few questions from the judge whether or not he knew his rights and the seriousness of the charges and whether or not the court should appoint him an attorney. the judge asked him about his finances, which he revealed he was unemployed, he hadn't been working since november when he was a security guard for a company in alaska for almost two years. he also revealed he only had $5 to $10 in his bank account. after that, the judge appointed him an attorney. he's due back in court next week. all of this on the heels to have release of that gripping video from tmz, a video we're about to show you and some viewers may find it disturbing. the man seen in this terrifying video obtained by tmz pulling a pistol from his waistband and firing at ft. lauderdale's airport is now charged with three federal crimes. two of which carry a possible death penalty. five people were killed in that violent attack friday. his family told cnn that his personality changed dramatically after his last deployment to iraq. all this as questions emerge regarding his mental health and how he was able to gain access to the weapon used in the massacre. investigators say he fired approximately 10 to 15 rounds, aiming at his victim's heads. >> my husband was shot in the face. the guy next to him was shot in the cheek. >> reporter: police say this 9 millimeter handgun had been confiscated in november after he walked into an fbi office in alaska to tell them he was hearing voices and being influenced by isis. but after a mental health evaluation, the gun was returned. >> how is that possible? under existing law, mental illness can only be grounds to take away somebody's weapons if a court has ordered you involuntarily committed to a mental hospital. if you're merely surrendering voluntarily, that does not deprive you of the right to have weapons. >> reporter: it's a loophole that baffles the shooter's own family. >> translator: how are you going to let someone leave a psychological center when they're hearing voices? >> reporter: court documents show he has confessed to planning the attack. he recently began selling his possessions, including his car. friends and associates noticed more erratic behavior, all leading up to friday. >> there was no escape. i just began to pray, pray that my children wouldn't lose their mother. >> reporter: families of the victims are providing images of their loved ones killed in the attack, including mothers, fathers, and grandparents. those left behind no doubt wondering how things could have been done differently. >> are authorities any closer to finding out the motive? >> reporter: they're not revealing if they are or not, anderson. from what we understand, he told them that this was a planned attack. but we still don't know exactly why he chose to do this in ft. lauderdale. cnn spoke with a brother of his in puerto rico who told us he has two half brothers and half sister there. still, that doesn't explain why he would go to florida to carry out this attack. just ahead, more breaking news. a big endorsement for attorney general nominee jeff sessions. also coming up at the top of the hour, cnn special town hall with vermont senator bernie sanders. cnn's chris cuomo is moderating that. coaching means making tough choices. jim! you're in! but when you have high blood pressure and need cold medicine that works fast, the choice is simple. coricidin hbp is the only brand that gives powerful cold symptom relief without raising your blood pressure. coricidin hbp. i use what's already inside me to reach my goals. so i liked when my doctor told me that i may reach my blood sugar and a1c goals by activating what's within me with once-weekly trulicity. trulicity is not insulin. it helps activate my body to do what it's supposed to do release its own insulin. trulicity responds when my blood sugar rises. i take it once a week, and it works 24/7. it comes in an easy-to-use pen. and i may even lose a little weight. trulicity is a once-weekly injectable prescription medicine to improve blood sugar in adults with type 2 diabetes when used with diet and exercise. trulicity is not insulin. it should not be the first medicine to treat diabetes, or for people with type 1 diabetes or diabetic ketoacidosis. do not take trulicity if you or a family member has had medullary thyroid cancer, if you've had multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type 2, or if you are allergic to trulicity. stop trulicity and call your doctor right away if you have symptoms such as itching, rash, or trouble breathing; a lump or swelling in your neck; or severe pain in your stomach area. serious side effects may include pancreatitis, which can be fatal. taking trulicity with a sulfonylurea or insulin increases your risk for low blood sugar. common side effects include nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, decreased appetite, and indigestion. some side effects can lead to dehydration, which may make existing kidney problems worse. with trulicity, i click to activate what's within me. if you want help improving your a1c and blood sugar numbers with a non-insulin option, click to activate your within. ask your doctor about once-weekly trulicity. life... is unpredictable. life is deaths. and births. sickness and health. love and heartbreak. and covered california is there for it all. not just to help keep you well. but to make sure the cost of being unwell doesn't ruin this whole life thing. because it's more than just health care. it's life care. and they're absolutely right. they say that it's hot... when really, it's scorching. and while some may say the desert is desolate... we prefer secluded. what is the desert? it's absolutely what you need right now. absolutely scottsdale. noteworthy, because sessions' controversial record on race has sparked intense opposition. tonight, a closer look of a chapter of his past that is almost certain to come up at his hearing. >> reporter: she's 80 years old, sharp as ever. still not afraid to speak out against injustice anywhere. evalyn turner and her deceased husband turner lived the civil rights movement. >> throughout the nation, even in canada, there were marches through the streets of towns and cities. >> my husband is second in line, the guy with the white cap. you can see him on all the pictures. he was running, trying to help an old lady that had fallen down. >> reporter: she stayed home that day, albert often told her if he got arrested, she had to take care of the kids. albert turner formed the perry county civil league, building political power in the black community. >> they didn't want us to be in charge. there's more black folks in perry county than white. >> reporter: in 1984, albert and fellow civil league member, spencer hogue, began a new absentee campaign that led straight to the confrontation of her lifetime. the confrontation that brought her face to face with the man now poised to become the next attorney general of the united states. >> every time they mention that man's name, i can't stand him. >> reporter: that man's name is jeff decisions. alabama's u.s. senator. who in 1984 was the u.s. attorney for southern alabama. and the man who tried to put evalyn, her husband, and spencer hogue in prison for decades. they were called the marion three. >> we were just trying to help people. we had been helping people for over, i don't know how many years. >> reporter: jeff sessions did not see it that way. based on complaints he said came from black voters who said their absentee ballots had been tampered. he indicted the marion three on 29 counts of voter fraud. >> if anybody going to put you in jail for 250 years, how would you feel? >> reporter: the defense attorney fact sheet said race was a factor. our contention that this is a one-sided investigation designed to intimidate black voters. civil rights leaders from across the country rallied behind the marion three. to them it was a clear case of a u.s. attorney trying to prevent blacks in alabama from gaining power. national figures came to their defense, witnesses for the prosecution began changing their stories. sessions would later explain his two-lawyer federal prosecution team was understaffed and unprepared to handle the defense. it took the jury just a few hours to return the verdict. the headline would say it all, the marion three acquitted on all charges. evalyn turner, the last living member of the marion three, says to this day she believes the prosecution and the federal prosecutor were motivated by race. >> sessions has not changed. have you ever known a leopard to change his spots? i haven't. every time i see one, his spots still there. zebra, still striped. sessions, still a racist. >> reporter: there is another side to this story, and it comes from a most unexpected voice. albert turner, jr., evalyn and albert's son, now a county commissioner himself, and he supports jeff sessions for the next u.s. attorney general. >> i feel that he's qualified for the position, and i think that he has not shown any reason to me when it comes to the prosecution of my father and my mother and mr. hogue, that that should not be the reason he should not be confirmed. >> reporter: turner says the case against the marion three developed from local perry county political infighting, not racism and not jeff sessions, he says. blacks in power and a white district attorney just wanted his dad out of politics. >> in part, you had blacks who didn't like my father, who, you know, felt that he was too influential in this community when it came to politics and other aspects of perry county's life, and they sought to make sure that he -- his influence was diminished by putting him in jail. >> reporter: a spokesperson for jeff sessions says what happened in the failed federal prosecution of the marion three is simple. >> sessions again was bring thing case on what abehalf of officials in his state, so he went forward. and a jury of his peers found them innocent. the system worked. >> i don't think jeff sessions did it because my father was black and he was trying to do anything to harm blacks. >> reporter: but there was harm done and albert turner's 80-year-old mother can't bring herself to forgive jeff sessions for what he did, prosecuting the marion three. >> he never said, i'm sorry that i put you through that, that it was my job. he hasn't told me that. and why should i forgive him? but i know in order for me to get to heaven, i'm going to have to forgive him, but i'll never forget as long as i stay black. i will not forget it. >> so drew, the mom believes sessions is a racist who tried to destroy her family, yet her own son supports him. >> reporter: albert turner, jr., says jeff sessions was being pressured to bring the case. the fbi thought they had a case that really fell apart at trial. but since then, turner says he's gotten along with sessions. the senator has always been there to listen to his concerns. so politically speaking, they have since worked together. but his mother bristles at the mention of jeff sessions' name. >> how has it affected their relationship? >> reporter: clearly, it is strained, especially over this nomination. albert turner wants his mom to forgive, but it really hurts her. it's hard on both of them. >> has sessions apologized ever? >> reporter: she said mr. sessions tried to give her a hug in washington once, a ceremony sessions set up. she rebuffed him. she says she certainly has not gotten an apology. >> drew griffin, thanks. just ahead on the eve of president obama's farewell address, we asked van jones to go to detroit to ask voters there what they think would be the president's legacy. stick around for that. we'll be right back. do you know how your laxative works? 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i begin my search for answers here at church. all four of these mothers lost their sons to violence. why didn't detroit, with all the pain and suffering here, with all obama did for the auto industry, why didn't detroit come out for hillary clinton? >> maybe because people thought it would just be a landslide. you know, especially after watching the debate. it's like, hillary, she, she won the debate, and it's like, well, why do it? you know, she's going to went anyway, so i think it was a little complacency. >> and i think trump accomplished her credibility enough to make you even question it. like, it questioned me. i wrote in a candidate. >> i think the party failed us, period. i think the democratic party failed us, because they were so sure that trump could not become the president, that they didn't do, they didn't put in the work. >> do you think that the clinton campaign saying over and over and over again he can't went,in can't win, do you think that depressed turnout? >> yes. >> if hillary clinton had won, she would have been the first female president coming after the first black president, but all of you didn't support hillary clinton. >> i didn't per se support her on a personal level, just because she was a female. i am a female. i just don't think a female is ready to run the most powerful country in the world. you know, emotional, she can push it, we got too much going on within our dna. >> now you got emotional trump, who has fits on twitter. >> i think that it's not, definitely not a gender thing, you know, because equally, one can do it. the other one could do it as well. i think that hillary was running the country when clinton was in office. >> thank you. she was. >> and obama, i think that michelle, you know, who does he go to to concult wi culsult him. men are just as emotional. i voted for hillary, not because i wanted the first woman to be the president, like i thought a woman would see what we were going through and push our agenda, that would say, you know, i feel you. >> you're talking about a situation where people are being killed every day. >> mm-hm. >> and yet you ahave a black president. you have president obama who is there. what's disconnect there? do you feel he did all he could do to handle this situation? >> i think with the misconception of black president we had more expectation from president obama than we should have. i think being the high chief that he did what he could do. could he have done a little more? absolutely. but he had a republican legislature. he had, you know, a lot of fight against him. >> trump did come to detroit, you know, he got many speeches where he came and said i care about black people, after the all, what the hell do you have to lose, when he said that is correct how did that land with you? >> ignorance, arrogance. no compassion. >> i clap. >> why? >> because it's true. and truth hurts. it's like a sore. what do we have to lose? we've been running a democrat for 40 years. has anything really changed? so what do we have to lose? let's try something different, because what we're going with is not working. it's obvious, it's not working. >> but you didn't vote for him. >> right. i was related to his campaign. >> when he said what the hell do you have to lose, did you feel insulted? >> i absolutely did. >> why? >> because you got me down here. you don't have no thoughts about who we are as a people or i am as a person. when you say what do you have to lose, you're saying i don't have anything to again with, and we have a lot. our capacity is huge. >> i tell you what, i've never got and date by saying look at you, you got nothing, go out with me, what do you have to lose? most of you don't feel like that. look at you. your clothes are raggedy, your car is terrible. what have you got to lose? go out with me! i don't think that's going to work. >> oh, my goodness. >> i think we had a better chance with hillary continuing on with some of the things that obama did, at least we had a chance of what we have to lose, we have a lot to lose. all the things that obama put in place. we're losing all of those things. >> so you have this group here in detroit. and there are groups like this all across the country, this almost invisible army of mothers who are trying to stand up. and other groups, with other issues, trying to stand up. in this new era of trump, what do you think is going to happen with all these different groups? >> the organizations will unify. because we have this new president, and i don't think that his sights are on our issues. and all the community activists on the ground doing the work will come together. then we'll be a force to reckon with. >> what would you say to donald trump if you had a chance to? >> i feel that he needs to really search his soul and his heart. take the blindfold off and tap into the world. everything and everybody, not just his circle. come out of the circle. he might tap into care. he might feel our love that we have for our loss that we had, and he might gain some compassion. >> and van jones joins me now, cnn political commentator, david axelrod. i love these pieces that you're doing, talking to people and listening most importantly, and also i like hearing your dating advice, but in truth, the democratic party, who are the leaders of the future for the democratic party. we're talking to bernie sanders tonight, elizabeth warren obviously, but is there another crop of people? >> there always is, there always is, but i tell you what, you're going to have to listen. those moms have gone through the worst things you can imagine, they lost a child, not to a police officer, to another americane aft african-american. they said they wanted this treated like ebola. where is the help? there are issues out there and ideas out there that don't show up in the polling data, and when you get out there and hear it, it moves you. and i've been moved to listen to these voters. >> beyond who should lead the party, what do you think the party needs to do? the democratic party over the course of the next two, four years? >> i think in a sense, van has given us a map here. the democratic party has to respond to the real problems of real people, with real solutions. it's not enough to be anti-trump. there'll be plenty of battles with donald trump for sure, but the party also has to offer something different. i think part of the problem that the clinton campaign faced, she had many, many ideas, but it didn't add up to anything that people could digest or feel was real. these folks have been hearing from politicians for years, but the problems haven't improved. and the party has to get down at the grassroots level and really work through these problems with people and come up with viable solutions, real solutions to try and deal with these problems, and if the democratic party does that, the democratic party will come back. >> it's interesting, president obama, van said in an interview, that he didn't spend as much time on the democratic party as he should have. he said basically, he was too busy between being president and commander in chief. do you think that's true? >> you know, look, i think that at the time, coming off that 2008 campaign, there was such a movement, and it was really a movement, don't forget, that had gone around the democratic party to elect obama. so we've said don't give our movement to the democratic party. we want to stay independent. so organizing for america was this independent force alongside the party. you look back now, and you think, maybe we should have put that inside the party, because the party waned and waned and waned. we lost the house. nobody noticed. we lost the senate, nobody noticed. we lost 6,000 democratic seats and nobody noticed it until november that the democrats were in trouble, because would were -- we were so excited about obama. >> and in terms of president obama's speech tomorrow in chicago which obviously we're going to be bringing to the viewers, what does hillary clinton's loss mean for his legacy? he campaigned hard for her, so did michelle obama? >> yeah, and obviously, that's going to be a sad coda. but it doesn't reduce the impact of some of the things he's accomplished. he's taken the country in a different place, even on this health care debate. it's not going to back to where it was. he's changed the terms on the debate, and that's true on a lot of issues, so i don't think that all is lost because this election was lost, but it certainly was an unhappy end to the story. >> what happened to all, during the campaign, all the democrats were talking about the vaunted data machine, all the operations about get out to vote. nobody's seen a machine like this. what happened? >> well, as it turns out, and as we always should have known, the machine only works as well as the product. and if people aren't enthused about the candidate then the machine isn't going to get you across the finish line, and i think there was, first of all, bad data. there was an assumption for example in michigan that she was well ahead. that turned out not to be true. >> yeah. >> so there's going to be a lot of soul searching about that, anderson. >> david axelrod, van jones, thank you. remember, the messy truth. and looking ahead at the trump inauguration. that does it for us. thanks for watching. the cnn bernie sanders town hall the cnn bernie sanders town hall starts now. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com [cheers and applause] we are live from george washington. center with senator bernie sanders. i'm chris cuomo. i want to welcome our viewers in the united states and around the world. we are being seen on cnn of course, but cnn espanol and cnn international. welcome to those listening on the w