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Trump Transition; South Korean President Now a Suspect; Obama Talks Trade and Trump at APEC Summit; Syrian Civil War. Aired 5-6a ET

Aired November 20, 2016 - 05:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


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GEORGE HOWELL, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Extremely positive and productive conversation, that's what the Trump camp said after the U.S. president-elect met with the former severe critic, the man right there, Mitt Romney.

NATALIE ALLEN, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Also ahead this hour, tragedy on the rails; a train jumped the tracks in India, killing dozens of people and many are still trapped. We'll have a live report from New Delhi.

HOWELL (voice-over): Plus, investigating the president. South Korean prosecutors say that their head of state is now the suspect in a corruption scandal as they indict two of her former aides and a close confidante.

ALLEN: Live in Atlanta, welcome to our viewers in the U.S. and around the world, I'm Natalie Allen.

HOWELL: And I'm George Howell. 5:00 am on the U.S. East Coast. CNN NEWSROOM starts right now.

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HOWELL: The, as Donald Trump would say, "huge" cast of staffing the Trump administration is at full speed this weekend. It's all happening at Trump's resort in Bedminster, New Jersey, and some of the meetings that are set for Sunday, the former mayor of New York and a staunch Trump supporter Rudy Giuliani and also New Jersey governor, Chris Christie.

ALLEN: He's still in there.

(CROSSTALK)

The president-elect held marathon meetings Saturday as he and Vice President-Elect Mike Pence interviewed numerous potential candidates for important cabinet posts and staff positions, in all Trump and Pence met with at least nine people on a wide range of topics, from public education and tax reform to trade and cancer research.

The two highest profile meetings were with former Republican presidential candidate, Mitt Romney, and retired Marine Corps General, James Mattis. Each man spent more than an hour with Mr. Trump.

HOWELL: CNN's Phil Mattingly explains, though, the two meetings could foreshadow two very crucial cabinet picks.

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PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: There was one clear meeting that everybody wanted to know everything about here in Bedminster on Saturday. That was the meeting with Mitt Romney.

It wasn't so long that conman and choke artist and all sorts of insults were flying back and forth on the campaign trail. Not anymore. For an hour and 20 minutes, Mitt Romney sat down with President-elect Trump and Vice President-elect Michael Pence discussing primarily foreign policy. Of course raising the question, is there a potential position in a Trump administration for Mitt Romney?

Well, we haven't gotten any comment on that. But this is how Mitt Romney described their conversation.

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MITT ROMNEY (R), FORMER GOVERNOR OR MASSACHUSETTS: We had a far- reaching conversation with regards to the various theaters in the world where there are interests of the United States of real significance. We discussed those areas and exchanged our views on those topics.

Very thorough and in depth discussion in the time we had. And appreciate the chance to speak with the president-elect and look forward to the coming administration.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MATTINGLY: Now it's important to know that Trump transition officials do confirm that Mitt Romney is in the running for something. People have been talking about the potential for a secretary of state slot. But again, we don't have any final answers on that.

There was another very interesting meeting that happened on Saturday here as Donald Trump continues to work towards filling out his Cabinet. That was with retired Marine General James Mattis.

I'm told from a Trump transition official to give very close eye on General Mattis. That went for more than an hour. Longer than any other meeting but the Romney meeting and a very potential pick for Defense secretary.

Now James Mattis would need a waiver from Congress to actually get that position because he retired in 2013 but it's very likely as Republicans control Capitol Hill that would be in the offing if he was selected. Donald Trump himself saying that he is, quote, "the real deal," and that they had a great meeting.

So, guys, don't just keep an eye on Mitt Romney. Keep an eye on General James Mattis as well.

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ALLEN: Phil Mattingly, we will.

No new announcements were made on Saturday but Trump said he's very happy with how the process is going, he said he may reveal more decisions Sunday. Here's a little what he said to reporters.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT-ELECT: Really efficiently. Very good. Tremendous talent. We're seeing tremendous talent for people that, as I say, will make America great again. These are really great people. These are really, really talented people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ALLEN: Fifteen of the positions to be filled are cabinet level jobs that require Senate confirmation. White House staff positions, on the other hand, are straightforward appointments that do not need congressional approval.

HOWELL: In Washington, D.C., a scuffle broke out Saturday among hundreds of anti-Trump protesters and a white nationalist.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hands off! Hands off!

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HOWELL (voice-over): That's an ugly scene there. These protesters just outside the building, blocks from the White House. Inside, a white nationalist group was celebrating Donald Trump's election win.

Tempers then suddenly flared, when one of the white nationalists came outside with a video camera. He took a gash to the forehead. Two protesters were handcuffed by police.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOWELL: In Northern India, a train derailment has killed at least 107 people.

ALLEN: Rescuers in Uttar Pradesh state are scouring the wreckage for survivors. An official earlier told CNN affiliate CNN News 18 there, up to 70 people could still be trapped in these rail cars. Over 150 passengers were reportedly injured, more than 40 of them seriously.

HOWELL: A very serious situation there. Let's bring in CNN's New Delhi bureau chief, Ravi Agrawal, following the story live this hour.

Ravi, it's good to have you with us. Let's talk just a bit more about this train. Some of those cars tend to be more packed than others. RAVI AGRAWAL, CNN NEW DELHI BUREAU CHIEF: That's right, George. You know, a lot of the different types of compartments on Indian trains, that's first class, second class and the general compartments usually go packed because they are cheaper. Sometimes you don't need reservations; you can just get on.

Sometimes you can get on without paying. So officials we've spoken to have said that they have the names and numbers of people on the higher classes. But on the general compartments, there's still been some confusion as to how many people are on those trains.

And that's part of the problem with this rescue operation, or one of many problems, I would say, they are running out of time; 107 people dead so far.

That death toll has risen steadily every single hour that we've been following this and it happened in the middle of the night.

So almost everyone who was on that train was taken completely by surprise. They were asleep.

Remember, this is a train that has sleepers berths, so people lie flat and go to sleep. Then, you know, when the train derailed, most of the coaches, the carriages, were just sort of thrown off the tracks. Some of them flipped over on their sides.

You can see the images on your screen and it has been a race against time to try and get any survivors from the wreckage.

The last person we spoke with at the railway authority said they've already, you know, some of the rescue teams have already left the scene. They are looking at just another hour or two within which to try and save more lives -- George.

HOWELL: When you talk about transportation in India, India has some of the most extensive transportation infrastructure in the world. And infrastructure, transportation, it is a concern among officials there.

I just think back months ago to the overpass collapse that happened.

Ravi, it's very early in this situation that we're seeing here but is there any indication or suggestion as to what might have been behind this?

AGRAWAL: No, there is no sense from the government or the railways yet as to what exactly happened. All we know so far is it was a foggy night. It was pitch dark, obviously, since it was 3:00 am.

A few eyewitnesses have said there were a couple of jerks along the way to the point at which the train derailed. But, again, no suggestion to say that that was the reason why it later derailed.

So we just don't know right now. Really, it's an all-hands-on-deck situation for the government.

But a bit more about the railways, train crashes in India are not uncommon. Five or six of these happen every single year. And that's because this really is a vast network that crisscrosses the world's biggest democracy.

Large tracks crisscross through rural parts of India, which are not very well serviced in terms of basic infrastructure, basic rescue operations. So when these tragedies happen, they can often be even more disastrous than they would have been, say, in a developed country, so infrastructure is certainly a problem.

The government has talked about upgrades for decades; successive governments have talked about them.

But, again, this is a very old railway system. It's a Colonial era system; 1.3 million people work in the railways and the railways are still overwhelmed. Hundreds of millions of people use it, billions of passengers a year.

So when you put all of that together, it's an overwhelmed system. And what we've seen today is symptomatic of that stress -- George.

HOWELL: CNN New Delhi bureau chief, Ravi Agrawal, live for us, following the story. Thank you for the reporting. We'll stay in touch with you to learn more. Thank you.

ALLEN: Prosecutors say they are now investigating South Korean President Park Geun-hye in the corruption scandal that has engulfed her presidency. Her informal adviser and two former aides were indicted Sunday. Paula Hancocks joins us live from Seoul now.

Was this step expected there, Paula?

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PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Natalie, I don't think it was expected today, the fact that prosecutors have now announced that President Park Geun-hye is effectively being investigated as a suspect.

She was expected to be questioned this week as a witness into this corruption scandal, which has really gripped the entire country. But certainly it is a very significant development that she is now being considered by prosecutors at least as a suspect.

They say that they've found evidence that she did conspire with Choi Soon-sil, her former confidante, and two former aides; as you say, all three of those were indicted this Sunday on charges such as fraud, abuse of power and coercion.

We have had a response, though, from the Blue House; they reject this announcement by prosecutors, saying that it effectively makes it sound as though President Park committed a serious crime and that's simply not true. They say they don't believe that this is a politically mutual investigation.

Now they also say that this seems to be based on imagination and speculation rather than facts, so they are pushing back against this announcement but, of course, it will fuel the anger of hundreds of thousands of people who have been on the streets over recent weeks, calling for President Park to resign.

ALLEN: So they were going to interview her as a witness and now that has changed.

Do we have any idea how long this might take?

These people have been in the street quite a long time, haven't they?

HANCOCKS: It's just not clear at this point. Absolutely. It's very difficult to say. I mean, certainly, prosecutors still want to speak to President Park Geun-hye. They'll be putting a priority on that this week.

They were actually hoping to talk to her last week. But the Blue House said that they are still to find a location and a timing for that.

Of course, now this announcement from the Blue House raises the question as to whether or not she will allow herself to be questioned by prosecutors, saying that they don't believe that this particular investigation has been fair and they believe it's politically motivated.

We've heard from opposition leaders that they are calling for her resignation, they say if she doesn't go, they may actually start the process of impeachment. And that is supported by a lot of people in this country.

The approval rating for President Park Geun-hye at this point is only 5 percent. That is the lowest it has ever been for any president of South Korea -- Natalie.

ALLEN: All right, Paula Hancocks there in Seoul, South Korea, we will continue to talk with you about this. Thanks, Paula.

HOWELL: And the current President of the United States and other Pacific Rim leaders will soon start another day of talks at the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit that's happening in Peru.

ALLEN: Yes. Barack Obama met with Chinese President Xi Jinping Saturday and talked to an audience of young people about democracy, trade and Donald Trump. Athena Jones is traveling with the president.

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ATHENA JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This last foreign trip by President Obama has been very much focused on reassuring world leaders that the U.S. is going to remain engaged in the world, that it will continue to uphold long-standing alliances, like for instance the NATO alliance. That is something that he has stressed on both sides of the Atlantic.

President Obama telling Latin American leaders that he doesn't expect the relationship between the U.S. and Latin America to change drastically under a Trump presidency but also acknowledging there could be some tensions in certain areas, areas like trade.

We've seen President-Elect Trump exhibit some skepticism toward trade deals, both existing trade deals and trade deals that were in the works. But the president's message, part of his message today, was to tell the leaders of the world and the citizens of the world to give President Trump a chance. Take a listen.

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BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I think it will be important for everybody around the world to not make immediate judgments but give this new president-elect a chance to put their team together, to examine the issues, to determine what their policies will be because, as I've always said, how you campaign isn't always the same as how you govern.

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JONES: So the president there, offering reassuring words to the world leaders and to the citizens of the world about the Trump presidency. But I should add both in Europe and here in Peru, he offered a few warnings.

In Berlin he warned about what he called a crude nationalism, an "us versus them" way of thinking and he echoed those same themes today in Peru, saying people around the world, both leaders and the populations of all countries of the world, should resist the urge to define themselves by race or tribe, skin color or birthplace, this "us versus them" way of thinking that he believes could be detrimental to governing.

He said instead that people should be proud of their identity but they should see what they have in common with people that don't look like them so they can work together --

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JONES: -- to solve problems.

That appeared to be a reference to some of the concerns you hear from Trump critics, about the tone and tenor of his campaign and people who are concerned with how he may govern.

So some difficult conversations for the president to have on this last foreign trip. And confronting world leaders, talking about an election that did not turn out the way the White House expected it would. Back to you.

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HOWELL: Athena Jones there, thank you.

One thing that The U.S. president-elect will have to weigh in on at some point: the situation in Eastern Aleppo in Syria. A quarter million people there trapped, they are under attack and now they don't have a single hospital operating at full capacity. We'll have that story as CNN NEWSROOM continues.

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ALLEN: In Eastern Aleppo, Syria, activists say almost 300 people have been killed in only the past five consecutive days of heavy government airstrikes. A quarter million people trapped there do not have a single hospital operating at full capacity.

HOWELL: Medecins sans Frontieres demands that Syria stop bombing medical centers in that besieged city. CNN's Will Ripley has more from Istanbul, Turkey, and we do warn you: many of the images you'll see in his report are disturbing.

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WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Just when they thought it couldn't get any worse, one of East Aleppo's major hospitals takes a direct hit. Moments after the blast, a thick cloud of white dust, making bloodied patients look like plaster mannequins. And they were the ones who survived.

"No one go upstairs," he says, "go down. There aren't any patients left."

Upstairs, an apocalyptic scene, the intensive care unit devastated. It was full of patients, many just transferred from other hospitals, hit hours earlier.

Choking dust makes it nearly impossible to breathe. Patients who can walk escape to the relative safety of the lower floors.

Activists say many people are afraid to even go to the hospitals. Basements are becoming makeshift triage centers; although the Syrian regime's bunker busters, designed to pierce through bomb shelters, mean nowhere is safe. Even in war-torn --

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RIPLEY: -- East Aleppo, many say they've never experienced bombing like this. Hundreds of airstrikes and thousands of artillery rounds fired on Saturday alone.

At one destroyed building, rescuers drill and dig, frantically trying to save a little girl trapped underneath what used to be her home. They find her silent, clutching her blanket, in shock. Seconds after pulling her out, they must run for cover. The planes and the bombs are coming back -- Will Ripley, CNN, Istanbul.

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HOWELL: Following the story live this hour, CNN's Jomana Karadsheh, live from Amman, Jordan. Jomana, thank you for being with us, I want to make sure you -- yes,

you hear us fine. Just talking about this story that Will just reported and these details that you've been following.

We've been talking for days now about hospitals, schools that have been targeted and now another hospital, with patients marked for death.

JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is unimaginable, George, these hospitals that we have seen, targeted over and over again, with this renewed bombardment of Eastern Aleppo that began on last Tuesday.

According to Doctors without Borders, they say that at least four hospitals were hit. These are two surgical hospitals and the only specialized pediatric hospital in Eastern Aleppo and it never has -- Eastern Aleppo needed hospitals more than it does right now.

If you look at the figures from the past few days, unimaginable, really staggering figures, when you're talking about nearly 1,000 people who have been wounded, some of them in very serious conditions.

And this is not an isolated incident, George; according to watchdog groups over the past year, we have heard them say that they believe that there's this systemic targeting of medical facilities in Syria.

According to the World Health Organization, more than 130 hospitals across the country have been targeted so far this year. And when it comes to Eastern Aleppo, that health sector that is already struggling to cope with the siege, with the number, the sheer number of people, wounded, that have to come into these facilities on a daily basis, MSF says that there have been 30 separate attacks, bombings, that have targeted these medical facilities only since July, since the siege began.

And a really alarming statement from Doctors without Borders, George, saying that the health sector in that city in the besieged area has been on its knees. It's really unclear how much longer it can function if the bombings do not stop. And at this point there has been no sign of the bombings really stopping any time soon.

ALLEN: Jomana, 24 hours ago when we did this story, there was something, I believe, in our story about some principle that they were wanting the rebels to accept to try to work something out to stop the bombing.

KARADSHEH: I'm sorry, Natalie, could you repeat that question, please?

ALLEN: Is there something in the works to try and stop the bombing between the rebels and the government regime?

KARADSHEH: Well, we've heard this from the United Nations, Natalie; they have said on Friday, I believe, the U.N. said that they do have a humanitarian proposal for Aleppo to try and stop the fighting, to try and get aid into Eastern Aleppo. That has been very critical, because we know, we've heard the warnings

that Eastern Aleppo is not only enduring this bombardment campaign, it is also facing the possibility of mass starvation because of the siege.

And they say the U.N. has been working with the different parties involved in this conflict, whether it is the Russians, the regime or the rebel groups, to try and find a humanitarian pause, to try and get aid into the city.

Now the last thing we heard from U.N. officials on Friday, they said that they have some sort of an agreement from the rebel groups but they are still waiting for the green light from the Russians and the Syrian regime.

This is something, of course, everyone will be keeping an eye on today from the United Nations. We expect possibly some sort of talks between the Syrian regime and the United Nations on this.

But we have seen this in the past, Natalie, all these talks, all these agreements have failed in the past, even during cease-fires in the past. The United Nations did not have enough guarantees to be able to get this desperately needed aid into Eastern Aleppo.

So it is a very grim situation for the quarter of a million people living in the besieged part of Aleppo.

HOWELL: Jomana Karadsheh, live for us in Amman, Jordan, Jomana, thank you for the reporting, we'll stay in touch with you.

Iraqi paramilitary forces are fighting to take a key ISIS stronghold west of the city of Mosul. Shia-led fighters called popular mobilization units or --

[05:25:00]

HOWELL: -- PMUs are advancing toward the city of Tal Afar. But the predominantly Sunni population is concerned about the risk of sectarian violence if they enter the city.

Iraq's prime minister promised that only the Iraqi army and national police would enter Mosul when the campaign to free that city began back in October.

Brazilian military police say that four officers died when their helicopter crashed during a shootout in Rio de Janeiro on Saturday. Firefighters could be seen struggling to pull those victims from the crumpled wreckage.

ALLEN: The chopper went down near the impoverished district known as City of God, where police and criminal gangs were locked in a gunfire exchange. The cause of the crash is under investigation.

Pope Francis is marking the end of the Jubilee Year of Mercy in the Roman Catholic Church, the year-long event began with his ceremonial opening of the Holy Door of St. Peter's Basilica 12 months ago. HOWELL: And now the rite is reversed. Pope Francis closed the holy

door at the beginning of Sunday's mass at the Vatican. He is celebrating the mass with 17 new cardinals inducted on Saturday. The diverse group includes three people from Africa, two from Asia and one from the Middle East.

ALLEN: Ahead here, we'll look at Donald Trump's cabinet and staff picks so far and what they may be telling us about the kind of administration he will support.

HOWELL: Plus, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg changes his tone on a growing problem online. It's the spread of fake news stories. What he had to say later this hour.

We are live from Atlanta, broadcasting across the United States and around the world this hour. This is CNN NEWSROOM.

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ALLEN: Welcome back to our viewers here in the U.S. and around the world, you're watching CNN NEWSROOM, live from Atlanta. I'm Natalie Allen.

HOWELL: And I'm George Howell, with the headlines we're following for you this hour.

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ALLEN: All right, well the Trump transition team has been in high gear, interviewing numerous candidates this weekend for more jobs in the administration.

HOWELL: That's right. Our colleague, Victor Blackwell, looks at the positions that are already announced and what they may tell about an incoming Trump presidency.

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TRUMP: When it comes to Washington, D.C., it is time to drain the damn swamp.

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VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It was a rally crowd favorite in the last days of the campaign, President-elect Donald Trump's promise to get rid of Washington insiders.

But as he staffs his White House and top cabinet positions, many of the president-elect's picks are part of the so- called political establishment and so far they're also all white men. And some of the choices are receiving major resistance. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is someone who ran a campaign on hatred and bigotry, who has since he has been elected chosen some of the most dangerous people possible to staff his White House with.

BLACKWELL: The most recent pick, Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions. If confirmed, sessions will serve as attorney general. In 1986, the then U.S. attorney's nomination to a federal judgeship was defeated over claims he made racially charged remarks about blacks and referred to a white lawyer as a race traitor.

SEN. JEFF SESSIONS, (R) ALABAMA: I am not a racist. I am not insensitive to blacks. I supported civil rights activity in my state. I have done my job with integrity, equality and fairness for all.

BLACKWELL: The former prosecutor has opposed immigration reform as well as bipartisan proposals to cut mandatory minimum prison sentences. Sessions has been accused of calling civil rights groups un-American and communist inspired, criticizing the Voting Rights Act and its impact on southern states. Once said he was fine with the KKK until he found out they smoked pot. Sessions later dismissed that remark as a joke.

Kansas Representative Mike Pompeo has been tapped to be the next CIA director. He will also need Senate confirmation.

Elected to Congress 2010, Pompeo was a Tea Party favorite and one of the lead Republicans investigating the 2012 Benghazi attack. He was a sharp critic of Hillary Clinton's leadership as secretary of state. The third-term congressman has been accused of being anti-Muslim.

During his run for Congress in 2010, he personally apologized after his campaign tweeted a link to a blog that referred to his Indian- American rival as a "turban topper" and President Obama as an "evil Muslim communist usurper." Pompeo called the posting a mistake.

For this top adviser on national security, President-elect Trump has turned to retired army lieutenant general Michael Flynn. He's an outspoken critic of President Obama and was forced out of the Pentagon's top intelligence job in 2014 for his combative style.

Flynn has tweeted a series of statements calling fear of Muslims rational and in August he compared Islam to cancer.

LT. GEN. MICHAEL FLYNN, (RET) U.S. ARMY: Islam is a political ideology. It is a political ideology. It definitely hides behind this notion of it being a religion. I don't see a lot of people screaming "Jesus Christ" with hatchets or machetes or rifles shooting up clubs or hatcheting -- literally axing families on a train. So it's like cancer and it's like a malignant cancer, though, in this case. It has metastasized.

BLACKWELL: And then there's Steve Bannon, Trump's --

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BLACKWELL: -- chief strategist. He spent seven years in the U.S. Navy, was an investment banker for Goldman Sachs and was one a Hollywood investor. Most recently he's made it his mission to take down the Republican Party establishment.

STEVE BANNON, DONALD TRUMP CAMPAIGN CEO: What we need is to bitch- slap the Republican party and get those guys heeding to. And if we have to, we'll take it over.

BLACKWELL: Bannon is the former chairman of the conservative website "Breitbart News."

The site has a history of inflammatory headlines, like "Meltdown continues, wave of fake hate crimes sweeps social media and anti- democracy crybabies march by thousands nationwide."

Another reads "Bill Kristol, Republican spoiler, renegade Jew."

And this, "Birth control makes women unattractive and crazy."

And finally the chairman of the Republican national committee, Reince Priebus, who will be the president-elect's chief of staff.

While he's a mainstream pick that many congressional Republicans find encouraging, one prominent Tea Party leader fears Priebus will make it more difficult, not less, for President Trump to achieve the change that people voted for -- Victor Blackwell, CNN, Atlanta.

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HOWELL: For an international take on the Trump transition, let's bring in Jacob Parakilas (ph). He is the assistant head of the U.S. and Americas program at the Chatham House, a London-based think tank, focused on international affairs.

Let's chat just a bit about the list of possible candidates that our colleague, Victor Blackwell, just listed out for us.

We're talking about Mr. Flynn, Pompeo, Sessions and Steve Bannon; Bannon even quoted as of saying in an article that darkness is good, from Darth Vader to Dick Cheney and Satan, pointing out it only helps us when they, the liberals, get it wrong, when they are blind to who we are and what we're doing.

Your read on those choices?

JACOB PARAKILAS (PH), CHATHAM HOUSE: I think what Trump has done in the first week, the first selection of choices, is to sort of stake out the far end of his negotiating position. He's put people who are the most loyal to him, who are as far as possible out on the sort of political edges, and then he's seeing what the reaction will be.

Given the resistance, I wouldn't be surprised if his next announced picks are somewhat more moderate. I think that's what the Mitt Romney meeting was about. Whether or not Romney is offered a position, secretary of state, I think what he's trying to do is determine what sort of space he has from the Republicans in Congress particularly to nominate the people who are maybe most far down the line of his -- the extremity of his choices.

HOWELL: It's still not clear but it is widely reported Mitt Romney could very well be being looked at as a possible candidate for secretary of state. That is a role that Mitt Romney has indicated before that he would want to take in any type of administration.

But what could a Mitt Romney pick bring to the Trump administration?

PARAKILAS (PH): I think a Romney pick would immediately go some way toward assuaging a lot of the fears that American allies in Europe and Asia and elsewhere have about a Romney administration.

Romney's positions on NATO, on Russia, on various things, where the U.S. has been engaged globally over the years, are much more conventional and I think he would bring with him much more of the traditional, experienced Republican national security establishment.

Romney doesn't have traditional foreign policy experience but he did take the job of preparing for the presidency in 2012 very seriously and his foreign policy team are very well stocked.

HOWELL: As the Trump transition continues, I'd like to also just get your read on how viewers or how people -- I think we just lost Jacob.

That happens when you bring in satellites and computers.

We have Jacob back?

Jacob, you're right back; there you are.

You disappeared, now you're back.

The question that I'd posed to you is how are people viewing this Trump transition?

I was looking back at a previous transition, several, and the story line is similar, that transitions can be chaotic.

It's not working so smoothly, so this is not an uncommon story line.

But how are people viewing the Trump transition as he goes through the process of picking these different candidates?

PARAKILAS (PH): Well, it's interesting because, if you look at a timeline of transition picks for Obama's administration, for Bush's, for previous administrations that have come in, the actual timing of the announcement is much quicker this time.

But I think there's a lot more uncertainty, precisely because Trump's transition was more opaque, because there's a much broader range of people, because he's willing to consider people like Bannon, who wouldn't have been anywhere near the administration of a more traditional Republican or, indeed, a Democrat.

I think that results in a lot of people being very sort of nervous about the kinds of people he might pick and, of course, he does tend to set up opposite or alternate centers of influence within the administrations that he runs, within his business career, for example.

So if you look at Bannon and Priebus as an example, I wouldn't be surprised if you ended up with Flynn, who's more of an insurgent candidate, as national security adviser, and someone --

[05:40:00]

PARAKILAS (PH): -- more moderate and establishment focused as secretary of state, competing for influence. And that in itself creates a dynamic of uncertainty.

HOWELL: So the dynamic of competition within the Trump inner circle.

Jacob Parakilas (ph), live for us in London, thank you so much for your insight. And we'll stay in touch with you.

So this is a real challenge for journalists that are covering this story, covering many stories. We vet our facts, we make sure they are accurate before we share them with viewers.

There are many organizations that don't really have to do that, I guess.

So the challenge for many people, what do you do when you can't tell fact from fiction?

How fake news online sites may be impacting and have impacted the U.S. presidential campaign -- next.

ALLEN: Also ahead, Derek Van Dam joins us to talk about sea ice and what is happening at the poles.

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ALLEN: Fake news has been a growing problem on the Internet and many people are convinced it played a factor in the U.S. election. Facebook has taken a lot of criticism for not filtering the content on its website. Its CEO, Mark Zuckerberg -- right there -- addressed the issue at the APEC summit in Peru.

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MARK ZUCKERBERG, COFOUNDER AND CEO, FACEBOOK: We can work to give people a voice but we also need to do our part to stop the spread of hate and violence and misinformation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ALLEN: Our Brian Stelter takes a closer look at the fake news epidemic and what can be done about it.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN STELTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Did the spread of fake news on the web help elect Donald Trump?

We may never know for sure. But researchers are asking the question because made-up --

[05:45:00]

STELTER: -- false stories are polluting people's Facebook timelines and Twitter streams.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This cesspool of nonsense.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Bogus stories. It's horrible.

STELTER: And getting worse. Even President Obama is raising the alarm.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: If we are not serious about facts and what's true and what's not, then we have problems.

STELTER: These problems are not brand new. But they are becoming a lot more prevalent. Here is an example. A story claiming a protester was paid $3,500 to make trouble at a Trump rally. This went viral during the campaign. It looked like an ABC News story.

But the URL reveals it's a fake registered to a domain in Colombia. It was a hoax, which tricked Trump's campaign manager, Kellyanne Conway, and Trump's son, Eric, who shared it on Twitter.

DAN GILLMOR, PROFESSOR, ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY: We have an epidemic of false information racing around using social networks as the accelerator.

STELTER: The Pope endorsing Trump?

Fake.

FOX's Megyn Kelly fired for backing Hillary Clinton?

Fake.

Clinton linked to crimes by an Anthony Weiner?

Fake.

But as that well mis-tweeted by retired general Michael Flynn, Trump's pick for national security advisor.

Now, staffers at social media giants are doing some soul-searching, though Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg says Trump's election is not his fault.

ZUCKERBERG: You know, personally, I think the idea that, you know, fake news on Facebook -- of which is a very small amount of the content -- influenced the election in any way I think is a pretty crazy idea. STELTER: Others disagree. These fake sites are easy to set up and profitable for the creators. Every time we click and share, they make more money. But we are worse off.

Now, Facebook and Google are banning fake sites for making money off their ad networks. It's a first effort to choke off some of the revenue. The bigger challenge, providing more B.S. detection tools without threatening free speech.

GILLMOR: Suddenly they have these social societal duties to help us not be faked out all the time and yet I don't want the terms of service of one company, two or three companies, to have more influence than the First Amendment.

STELTER: The root problem is that some people want to believe the lies. That's why the responsibility isn't just Facebook or Google or Twitter. We all have to get a little smarter about what we share.

GILLMOR: We have to be relentlessly skeptical of absolutely everything. We have to go outside of our personal comfort zones and read and watch and listen to things that are bound to make our blood boil.

STELTER: Brian Stelter, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ALLEN: Check the source.

HOWELL: Well, you think about it because there are a lot of journalists working and some putting risking their lives to go out and bring us facts.

ALLEN: Exactly.

HOWELL: So it is frustrating, you know, when people are being flooded with crap.

ALLEN: Absolutely.

Well, there's news, there's fake news and there's parody and that's what we have again on "SNL."

HOWELL: Alec Baldwin reprised his role as Donald Trump on "Saturday Night Live," joined by his running mate. Stay with us.

(MUSIC PLAYING)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:50:00]

(MUSIC PLAYING)

HOWELL: Welcome back to CNN NEWSROOM.

An unlikely rescue of epic proportions took place in the midst of a snowstorm in northeastern China.

(CROSSTALK)

ALLEN: Unlikely rescue, epic proportions.

(CROSSTALK)

DEREK VAN DAM, AMS METEOROLOGIST: I did write that tease, by the way. I'll think we'll just get the director to roll the video right away so you can see what I'm talking about.

This is 160,000 or a group of 160,000, that may not be that many, but in the video but sheep, by the way and their shepherds. They got lost amongst a snowstorm in northwestern China and they pulled out the heavy artillery to come and dig a 750-kilometer trek.

ALLEN: That is an unlikely rescue.

(CROSSTALK)

VAN DAM: They saved 160,000 sheep and the shepherds. I thought, this deserves some respect.

Right?

Let's show the people and the masses how they saved the sheep. So good on them. Everybody's safe.

(WEATHER REPORT)

[05:55:00]

ALLEN: For the first time since the U.S. election, Alec Baldwin's back on "Saturday Night Live" as President-Elect Donald Trump. In the opening skit, Trump's vice president-elect, Mike Pence, showed up played by Beck Bennett.

HOWELL: Baldwin as Trump brought up Pence's appearance at the hit Broadway musical in New York, "Hamilton," where Pence reportedly was booed and the cast of "Hamilton" urged him to work on behalf of all Americans. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BECK BENNETT, COMEDIAN, "MIKE PENCE": Hello, sir.

ALEC BALDWIN, ACTOR, "DONALD TRUMP": Heard you went to see "Hamilton."

How was that?

"PENCE": It was good. I got a free lecture.

"TRUMP": I heard they booed you.

"PENCE": Absolutely. "TRUMP": I love you, Mike. You're the reason I'm never going to get impeached.

"PENCE": OK, let's move on to ObamaCare. As you know, 20 million people use it and, it sounds crazy, but a lot of them like it.

"TRUMP": Keep it. Let's just keep it. All of it. No change.

"PENCE": Sir, being president is not going to be easy but we'll get through it if we work hard together.

"TRUMP": Thank you, Mike.

Oh, and, Mike, you're going to do everything, right?"

"PENCE": Yes, sir.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ALLEN: And it goes on and on.

That's all for us this hour. Thanks for watching. I'm Natalie Allen.

HOWELL: And I'm George Howell.

For our viewers in the United States, "NEW DAY" is next.

For other viewers around the world, "THIS IS LIFE" with Lisa Ling starts in a moment. Thank you for being with us on CNN, the world's news leader.