Against isis fighters. Theres something about kirkuk thats so different from everywhere else. In other places when these things happen, people hide and run away. The people of kirkuk do the contrary. Sreenivasan all that and more on tonights pbs newshour. Major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by lincoln financial committed to helping you take charge of your financial future. And by the alfred p. Sloan foundation. Supporting science, technology, and improved Economic Performance and Financial Literacy in the 21st century. Supported by the rockefeller foundation. Promoting the wellbeing of humanity around the world by building resilience and inclusive economies. More at rockefellerfoundation. Org Carnegie Corporation of new york. Supporting innovations in education, democratic engagement, and the advancement of International Peace and security. At carnegie. Org. And with the ongoing support of these institutions and individuals. This program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. And by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. Thank you. Woodruff president elect donald trump is back in new york tonight, after a day of first meetings in washington. It was the formal launch of the transition, and there was no sign of the bitter broadsides that marked the campaign. John yang begins our coverage. Well, i just had the opportunity to have an excellent conversation with president elect trump. Yang president obama welcomed donald trump to the oval office today, just days after he called him dangerous and unqualified, and after mr. Trump called the obama record a disaster. How did their first facetoface meeting go . I have been very encouraged by the i think interest in president elect trumps wanting to work with my team around many of the issues that this great country faces. We now are going to want to do everything we can to help you succeed, because if you succeed, then the country succeeds. I have great respect. The meeting lasted for almost an hour and a half. And it could have as far as im concerned it really could have gone a lot longer. We discussed a lot of different situations. Some wonderful, some difficulties. I very much look forward to dealing with the president in i look forward to being with you many, many more times in the future. Yang as rerpoters shouted questions, mr. Obama even offered his suessor a bit of advice this is a good rule dont answer any questions when they just start yelling them. Its always the last one. Yang White House Press secretary josh earnest said the meeting was a little less awkward than some had expected. I feel confident that they did not resolve all their differences, i also feel confident that they didnt try to solve all their differences. What they sought to do was to lay the foundation for an effective transition from the Obama Presidency to the Trump Presidency. Yang another part of that Foundation Relations with congress. Donald trump will have a unified government republicans in control of the white house, the senate and the house. But will the republicans be unified . Meeting with the president elect this afternoon, House Speaker paul ryan, whose relationship with candidate trump was sometimes rocky, pledged to work together. We are now talking about how we are going to hit the ground running to make sure that we can get this country turned around and make America Great again. Yang mr. Trump made clear that some of the republican houses priorities are also his priorities whether its healthcare or immigration, so many different things, well be working on them very rapidly. I think well be putting things up pretty quickly. Yang he also met with Senate Majority leader Mitch Mcconnell. The trump team is also gearing up for the arduous job of building an administration. New jersey governor chris christie, former House SpeakerNewt Gingrich and former new york major Rudy Giuliani are being widely mentioned for top positions. For the pbs newshour, im john yang at the white house. Woodruff also today, Vice President biden had his own meeting, with the Vice President elect, mike pence. And First Lady Michelle Obama hosted Melania Trump at the white house for tea, as their husbands talked. Sreenivasan in the days other news, the trump rally carried wall street to a new record. Investors bid up bank shares, amid hopes for an easing of financial regulations. That sent the Dow Jones Industrials to a new record close, gaining 218 points to finish near 18,808. The nasdaq fell 42 points as money shifted out of tech stocks, and the s p 500 added four. Woodruff the president elect still faces legal troubles, over his nowdefunct trump university. Its the subject of a civil fraud lawsuit, and today, a federal judge in san diego refused to issue a blanket ban on using campaign statements as evidence. The case goes to trial on november 28, but the judge urged both sides to settle, given, as he said, all else thats involved. Sreenivasan tuesdays election has sparked a wave of protests against the outcome. At least 10 cities saw demonstrations last night, with more to come tonight. Not my president , not my president sreenivasan that refrain echoed across cities throughout the country overnight, from new york, to kansas city, to seattle, washington. Thousands of protesters, mostly young people, condemned the election of donald trump. In los angeles, they blocked major highways, slowing traffic to a crawl. And elsewhere, they burned a papiermache effigy. We cannot tolerate that man as president of this country. I will not. I will never accept this. This is a protest advocating love and that there are good people out here in this world that want to fight for equality. Sreenivasan there was some scattered violence. Crowds in oakland, california, set fires in roads and broke windows of businesses. Police responded with tear gas. All told, more than 100 people were arrested nationwide. The trump camp dismissed the protesters. Former new york mayor Rudy Giuliani spoke on fox news this morning the reality of the fact is that theyre a bunch of spoiled crybabies. Sreenivasan white house spokesman josh earnest said president obama believes in non violent protest, but also that, in his words, were americans and patriots first. Demonstrations carried into the day, including walkouts by High School Students in some places. More protests are set in several cities tonight as well. We are not going to stay quiet. Were not going to go back to the closets we are going to go out on the streets and continue to fight for our rights. Sreenivasan Natalia Aristizabal is with the Immigration Rights group make the road n. Y. , which claims about 20,000 members. These actions are not this is actually for our communities and for us to be able to have a space that is safe but that allows us to yell and to shed our anger and tears but do it together because thats the only way that were going to get through this. Sreenivasan her group plans to march sunday in manhattan. Woodruff theres more reaction overseas to the trump victory. The president of the European Commission called for clarity today from the president elect on trade, Climate Change and nato. Jeanclaude juncker spoke in berlin, and noted mr. Trump has voiced doubts or criticism on all three issues. translated we expect the designated u. S. President to be clear on what his intentions are. We would like to know how things will proceed with the global trade policy, we would like to know what intentions mr. Trump has regarding the alliance. We must know what Climate Policies he intends to pursue and all this must be cleared up in the next few months. Woodruff meanwhile, british Prime Minister theresa may spoke with president elect trump by phone. Her office says he invited her to visit him, soon. And south korea President Park geunhye had her own phone chat. Candidate trump had talked of withdrawing some u. S. Forces from the south. Today, parks office quoted him as saying we are going to be with you 100 . Sreenivasan a top advisor to the president elect caused a stir over israeli settlements today. Jason greenblatt told Israeli Army Radio west Bank Settlements are no obstacle to peace. That would be a marked departure from longstanding u. S. Policy. Woodruff back in this country, a man accused of exploding bombs in new york city and new jersey had his first appearance in federal court. Ahmed khan rahimi is facing terrorism charges for the september attacks that injured 30 people. He did not enter a plea today. Rahimi was born in afghanistan, but is now a u. S. Citizen. Sreenivasan and, the man who bills himself americas toughest sheriff has been turned out of office. Longtime arizona lawman joe arpaio lost his reelection bid on tuesday, after 24 years in office. Hed gained prominence for his aggressive stance on illegal immigration. But he also sparked federal investigations of alleged racial profiling. Still to come on the newshour what a President Trump could do his first 100 days in office. Why women did not vote the way many expected. The islamic states attempt to take over another iraqi city, and much more. Woodruff a peaceful transfer of power is a pillar of american democracy. As president obama welcomed president elect trump in the oval office, we take a look back at how these transitions have gone in the past with jon meacham, author of destiny and power, the american odyssey of George Herbert walker bush. And nancy gibbs, editorinchief at Time Magazine and coauthor of the president s club. Welcome both of you back to the program. Jon meacham, to you first. I know we dont have a lot to go on, just that short photo opportunity in the oval office, but how did it look to you that this transition is getting off . Well, better than expected given that 48 hours ago they were at each others throats. So its. The bar has been lowered in many ways in this campaign. And so why wouldnt that be true in terms of a transition . I think that president obama has hit all the right notes. I think that president elect trump has hit all the right notes since election night, as did secretary clinton. And so i think that this may be the short et cetera honey moon ever, but at least its a period of some tranquility after the storm. Woodruff nancy gibbs, as someone who studied transitions going back for many president s, how does this one look so far . Well, it looks like a pattern weve seen before, which is two politicians of different parties who have been cast as political opponents who very quickly come together when they find themselves in a new position. This tradition goes back to 1952 when harry truman invited the newly elected Dwight Eisenhower to the white house after eisenhowers election. Those two men could not stand each other and were barely on speaking terms. They were very, very bitter rival, and truman, who himself had taken office with no precipitation, so suddenly when Franklin Roosevelt died, felt in the nuclear age it was just too dangerous for anyone to walk into the oval office unprepared. So he invited eisenhower to come, briefed him, had the cabinet secretaries meet. Ized eisenhower in turn did the same thing with john f. Kennedy, once again a man from a Different Party whom eisenhower had little respected for, but they respect the office and the demands of it. They want to make sure the guy coming in to take over understands just what it is hes facing. A lot of us dont realize theres been witterness going back for a long time. Jon meacham, what are examples of what. Of a transition that has worked well, where the two sides have had to overcome some challenges, but they have made it happen . Well, i dont think we have to go back very far. If you go back to the dismal autumn of 2008 when a lot of people believed that the economy, i think as president bush put it at the time, that the sucker could go down, and there were an enormous number of emergency financial steps that had to be taken. Weve heard both president obama and president bush talk about how smooth that transition was. And i think as nancy says, it speaks well of the office. The other factor here i think is politicians admire votegetters, even if they disagree with everything that they did to get the vote. And so theres a certain clubbiness here that they respect strengths, they respect those who master the world that theyve mastered. And i suspect though president obama might not admit it, i suspect somewhere in his being theres a curiosity about this man who has shaken up american politics so profoundly. Woodruff what about that, nancy gibbs . What are some of the factors that might lend themselves to a more successful hanover handover of power . One thing thats important to bear in mind is some part of this is very practical about the nuts and bolts of a smooth transition, not just the level of president to president , but cabinet members, white house staff members, National Security officials, of having as much communication as possible so that goes smoothly, but some part of this is theater, and i think particularly after a very Bitter Campaign of the kind we just saw, theres a recognition that the country needs to see this, that the world needs to see it, that the country comes first and the wellbeing of the people comes first, and to see these two teams working together is an important part of sort of national reconciliation. Woodruff jon meacham, how much has that played in the transition in the past, especially right now . These two men have their own differences, but were watching a country thats still very divided. Absolutely. The first peaceful transfer from one party in power to the other party was in 1800. And it was a very closerun thing because of a controversy with the election between adams and jefferson, and they were insistent that the Constitutional Order cleanup that auntilly in the Electoral College and make this transition happen. That set a pattern. One of the remarkable things is that we had in the union states an election in 1864. There are certain, to go to nancys point, there are certain rituals that send an important cultural and political signal that the body politic is intact. It may be fighting each other, one arm may be trying to punch the other fist, but ultimately it is one country, and the political order is bigger than any one person. Woodruff nancy gibbs, if youre donald trump, what are you looking for from president obama and the people around him, and conversely, what is president obama looking for from the trump team in. Well, you know, this is going to be so interesting to watch because naturally anyone who has just been elected president may think they have all the answers and have no need for advice, that they have just had the affirmation from the country they are ready to lead, and they very quickly discover how much they dont know. So i think that it was interesting that president elect trump today talked about turning to president obama for counsel, and theres a listening tradition of that, as well. Again, from former political adversaries, from people who dont share any partisan views in common, and yet recognize the need to be talking to each other and the resource that former president s can be. So i suspect, you know, president elect trump would like to know that he can call president obama in months to come when he needs to, and i think president obama would like the know that that phone line is open, as it has been in the past between sitting president s and their predecessors. Woodruff jon meacham, go ahead. The real danger is hubris. President kennedy did not have, as nancy mentioned, eisenhower didnt think much of kennedy. Kennedy didnt think too much of eisenhower. He thought he was too bureaucratic, and kennedy comes in, wants a freewheeling style, empowers the c. I. A. , empowers kind of a more improvisational decisionmaking world, and that led him to the bay of pigs in april of 1961. What does he do after that disaster . He picks up the phone and he invites Dwight Eisenhower to comp to camp david, and that do it all again. They sort of had to have a second transition to some extent. And so i think thats the great cautionary example. These men need to listen to each other. And learn quickly. Woodruff whats for sure is all eyes are on the two of them. We thank both of you, jon meacham, nancy gibbs, we appreciate it. Thanks, judy. Sreenivasan after that transition to the white house, donald trump will settle in for his first day of work january 21, 2017. Hes already proposed the actions he wants to take within his first 100 days in office, but which Campaign Promises can he realistically tackle in that time . For more on this, were joined by alan gomez, immigration reporter for usa today, julie rovner, Senior Correspondent for Kaiser Health news and Scott Horsley, White House Correspondent for npr who was at the white house today for trumps meeting with president obama. Scott, let me start with you. He has specified, he has specified a contract with his voters that have a lot of things on it. It ra