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Four Police Officers Shot in Separate Targeted Attacks; More Trump Cabinet Picks Possible Today; Trump Calls Mattis A "General's General"; Obama Urges World To "Wait And See" On Trump. Aired 9-9:30a ET
Aired November 21, 2016 - 09:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[09:00:25] CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning, I'm Carol Costello. Thank you so much for joining me. We do begin with breaking news this morning.
Police in Texas hunting for this man. They say he may have information about the ambush-style shooting of a police officer in San Antonio. The 50-year-old detective named Ben Marconi was sitting in his marked police car outside of headquarters when he was fatally shot in the head. This attack, one of four officer shootings in three states, all happening within 24 hours.
CNN's Polo Sandoval is covering this from outside the San Antonio Police Department. Good morning.
POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Carol, good morning. There seems to be two prevailing questions here in south Texas, and that is why was Detective Marconi targeted and by whom? Meanwhile, there is this overwhelming sense of grief not just in this community, but in several others across the country.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SANDOVAL (voice-over): Four separate shootings targeting police officers across the country.
WILLIAM MCMANUS, POLICE CHIEF, SAN ANTONIO POLICE DEPARTMENT: Unfortunately, like Dallas, like Baton Rouge, it's happened here.
SANDOVAL (voice-over): A massive manhunt in Texas for a man suspected of killing a San Antonio officer. Around 11:45 a.m., Detective Benjamin Marconi was shot and killed while sitting in his squad car. The 50-year-old officer was writing a ticket during a traffic stop when a man walked up to his driver's side window and opened fire. He shot Marconi in the head from outside of the car. Police say the suspect then reached through the window and shot the 20-year veteran, again.
Police releasing this photo of a man who may be in connection with the shooting, and this photo of a car they say fled the scene.
MCMANUS: Most families will be celebrating the holidays. SAPD will be burying one of its own.
SANDOVAL (voice-over): Hours later, in St. Louis, a 46-year-old sergeant was waiting in traffic when the suspect, a man wanted in other violent crimes, pulled up to the driver's side of his patrol vehicle and opened fire. He shot the 20-year veteran twice in the face.
SAMUEL DOTSON, POLICE CHIEF, ST. LOUIS POLICE DEPARTMENT: The officer says he saw the muzzle flashes and felt the glass breaking in his window as the shots came through and struck him in the head
SANDOVAL (voice-over): The suspect apparently worried about being identified now dead after a shootout with officers overnight. No other officers were injured.
DOTSON: We were tracking him. We came to this neighborhood. We found him. He shot at police officers, again. Police officers returned fire. SANDOVAL (voice-over): Another officer shot in Missouri late Sunday
night in a traffic stop in Gladstone. That's near Kansas City.
And in Florida, a suspect already in custody after police say Officer Jarred Ciccone was shot while conducting a routine traffic stop in Sanibel. According to police, Ciccone was on the side of the road when a suspect drove by and started shooting. Ciccone was injured but has since been released from the hospital.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SANDOVAL: And back out live outside San Antonio Police headquarters where, Carol, we have seen this makeshift memorial continue to grow. Members of the community, even law enforcement officers themselves, coming out here lighting a candle, leaving some flowers or balloons behind. That sign of support for not just Detective Marconi's family, but the rest of his brothers and sisters in uniform.
One thing that is clearly going to be helping investigators, Carol, the shooting happened outside police headquarters, a place that is highly watched. There are cameras almost on every corner, so investigators poring over that footage right now. And lastly, Carol, there doesn't seem to be any direct link between this shooting and some of the other shootings across the country according. That's according to investigators.
COSTELLO: All right. Polo Sandoval reporting live for us this morning. Thank you.
On to politics now, the Trump National Golf Club hosted a sort of speed dating for cabinet positions. One by one, a slew of candidates met with Donald Trump. But Trump's adviser and former campaign manager says don't put too much stock in who you see and don't see at that transition headquarters.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KELLYANNE CONWAY, SENIOR ADVISER TO PRESIDENT-ELECT DONALD TRUMP: There's a long short list for each of these positions.
CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: Right.
CONWAY: I mean, he's also met with Senator Bob Corker from Tennessee, who is rumored to be on the list for Secretary of State. There are others, obviously, who are qualified. But, again, let's go back to my previous comment, which is not everyone who consults with the President-elect and comes to meet with him, Chris, is going to be in his cabinet or in his federal government.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: CNN's Jason Carroll outside Trump Tower in New York with more. Good morning.
JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: And good morning, Carol. Kellyanne Conway called it a long short list of candidates that Trump will be looking at. Adding to that long list, we've just found out that Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard will be meeting with Trump today. She's a Democrat from Hawaii and a former combat veteran. So she is now on that very long short list.
Also on that list, former Texas Governor Rick Perry. He will be meeting with Trump here today as well, possibly for a position as Department of Energy. You remember back in 2011, that was the department that Perry said he would eliminate potentially if he became President. Now up for consideration.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
[09:05:13] CARROLL (voice-over): President-elect Donald Trump interviewing potential cabinet picks but has not yet made a decision on who will be Secretary of State.
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT-ELECT OF THE UNITED STATES: Oh, we made a couple of deals, but we'll let you know soon.
CARROLL (voice-over): Meeting with one of his top adversaries, 2012 GOP nominee Mitt Romney, about possibly joining his administration.
MIKE PENCE, VICE PRESIDENT-ELECT OF THE UNITED STATES: It was not only a cordial meeting but also is a very substantive meeting. Governor Romney is under active and serious consideration to serve as Secretary of State of the United States.
CARROLL (voice-over): The two men frequently sparring during Trump's campaign.
MITT ROMNEY (R), FORMER GOVERNOR OF MASSACHUSETTS: Donald Trump is a phony.
TRUMP: Romney choked like a dog. He choked.
CARROLL (voice-over): A steady stream of possible cabinet picks in front of the cameras throughout the weekend, including loyalists like former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani. Trump repeatedly praising retired Marine Corps General James Mattis, the leading candidate for Secretary of Defense.
TRUMP: All I can say is he is the real deal.
CARROLL (voice-over): Mattis, widely respected throughout the military, could be the first former ranking general to become Defense Secretary in nearly 70 years. Trump also considering billionaire investor Wilbur Ross for Commerce Secretary.
TRUMP: That's what we're looking for.
CARROLL (voice-over): Ross, the type of administration official Trump pledged to appoint throughout his campaign, a businessman with a history of resurrecting dying companies who has billions in the bank. But in the middle of assembling his new team, Trump making his grievances to Twitter. This time, criticizing the cast of the hit Broadway musical "Hamilton" for this message delivered to Vice President-elect Mike Pence, Friday night, at the end of their performance.
BRANDON VICTOR DIXON, ACTOR: We truly hope that this show has inspired you to uphold our American values and to work on behalf of all of us. All of us.
(APPLAUSE)
CARROLL (voice-over): In a series of tweets, Trump says Mike Pence was harassed and that the cast was very rude. Trump insisting they should apologize for their, quote, "terrible behavior."
PENCE: I wasn't offended by what was said. I'll leave to others whether that was the appropriate venue to say it.
CARROLL (voice-over): But Trump would not let it go.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. Trump, are you still upset about "Hamilton"?
TRUMP: They were very inappropriate.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CARROLL: So, again, Tulsi Gabbard, congresswoman from Hawaii, up for consideration, possibly as a U.N. Ambassador, possibly as Secretary of State or Defense. A number of people who have met with Trump, ready to join his administration, ready to make that move to Washington, D.C. But, Carol, two people not ready to make the move, at least not yet, his wife Melania and their 10-year-old son Barron who will stay here in New York, so Barron can finish out the school year. Carol.
COSTELLO: All right, Jason Carroll reporting live from New York City this morning. Thank you. So let's talk about this and more.
I'm joined by the director of the University of Virginia Center for Politics, Larry Sabato. "TIME" magazine contributor, Jay Newton-Small also joins me. And she's also with the Woodrow Wilson Center for Distinguished Fellows and an author of "The End of" -- oh, my goodness. I'm getting this all messed up. Aaron David Miller, you are the author of "The End of Greatness." Thanks to all of you for joining me this morning.
AARON DAVID MILLER, VICE PRESIDENT FOR NEW INITIATIVES, WOODROW WILSON INTERNATIONAL CENTER FOR SCHOLARS: Thanks.
JAY NEWTON-SMALL, WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT, TIME: Thank you, Carol.
COSTELLO: Larry, before we do this deep dive into Trump's cabinet, let's talk about President Obama. Because over the weekend, President Obama refused to say that he would follow tradition and stay quiet as the new President leads, saying, quote, "If I think that it's necessary or helpful for me to defend those American ideals, then I'll examine it when it comes." So, Larry, we know President Obama will be living in D.C. for a time after he leaves the White House. So what might this be like?
DR. LARRY SABATO, DIRECTOR, UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA CENTER FOR POLITICS: Honestly, Carol, despite that comment, I doubt President Obama speaks up very much, at least in the very beginning of the Trump administration. He seems to be using, as his model, the way that President George W. Bush handed over the presidency to him. And he has said many times that President Bush and Laura Bush could not possibly have been more gracious. I think he wants to follow that model to give President-elect Trump a chance.
Now, if President-elect Trump or President Trump starts dismantling Obamacare from day one or revoking all the executive orders that President Obama feels strongly about, I don't think it will be too long before we know that and hear from him. But his preference is clearly to be optimistic. He's unlike the vast majority of Democrats, who, frankly, are having nervous breakdowns with some justification.
He is trying to stay strong, I think, for his legacy and hopefully, to have some kind of influence on Trump.
[09:10:06] COSTELLO: Interesting. Jay, I asked Larry that question because the President also said that he is sure that Americans like his policies because, after all, he said, Hillary Clinton, won the popular vote by 1.5 million votes.
NEWTON-SMALL: Yes. I mean, look, he's made it very clear that he doesn't think that Donald Trump has the same kind of mandate that he came into office with eight years ago, where he had a supermajority in the Senate and he had clearly won the popular vote. And it was -- I think he's sort of almost snarkily, slyly, this weekend noted that Donald actually only won 27 percent of the electorate, which is clearly what he was saying, not a mandate.
And so I think he's saying, look, I mean, he wants to see Donald Trump reach out. He wants to see Trump with not just the Republicans -- he has some healing to do in his own party -- but also to Democrats and see if they can work together and sort of build something across the aisle. And I think he's waiting to see how ideological Trump is because, fact of the matter is, Donald Trump is not considered a true conservative ideologue.
And I think a lot of people are trying to see where he's going to draw lines and where he might actually spend some money, you know, build some infrastructure, do things that fiscal conservatives might have actually blocked in the last eight years.
COSTELLO: OK. So let's get to the transition process right now because, Aaron, one reporter said, you know, taking place at one of Trump's golf resorts, right, and then one person after the other started going in, and you could see them on the porch shaking Donald Trump's hand. Somebody said it looked like speed dating. Effective?
MILLER: Well, you know, to paraphrase Dorothy in "The Wizard of Oz," I think it's quite clear, we really aren't in Kansas anymore. And whether the realities of campaigning will reconcile with the realities of governing remains to be seen. But most of this appointment process is handled quietly and very carefully and very discreetly.
I think this was meant to send a signal, as are some of the appointments, that, in fact, this administration is, to some degree, breaking with past precedent. Even though, Carol, many or at least some of the appointees, certainly on the national security side, Mike Flynn and Mike Pompeo, all have conventional -- all well within the parameters, backgrounds -- head of the Defense Intelligence Agency, head of CENTCOM, Pompeo was a Harvard-educated lawyer, head of the Harvard Law Review.
The real question to me, I think, is how do you reconcile the notion of campaign statements with the cruel and unforgiving realities of governance? And it may well be that Larry's comment on President Obama is right, that he's waiting to see to what degree this administration can find a way forward once rhetoric meets reality.
COSTELLO: Well, some people might say that the fact that Donald Trump talked to Mitt Romney over this weekend is a positive sign, right? To sort of try to heal the wounds throughout the country. Mike Pence called the meeting between Trump and Romney warm and substantive, right? Of course, on Saturday Night Live, they had -- well, they saw the meeting as something different. Let's watch that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KATE MCKINNON, ACTRESS: Mitt Romney is here.
ALEC BALDWIN, ACTOR: Really, OK? Send him in please.
MCKINNON: Yes, OK. Yes.
JASON SUDEIKIS, ACTOR: All right.
(APPLAUSE)
SUDEIKIS: Hello, Mr. President-elect. Thank you for taking the time to meet with me.
BALDWIN: Governor Romney, so good of you to come.
(LAUGHTER)
SUDEIKIS: This isn't going to work, is it?
TRUMP: I don't think so.
SUDEIKIS: Great.
(LAUGHTER)
SUDEIKIS: Thank you. I didn't so. I thought it was a long shot.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Oh, Larry. Mike Pence, though, said that Romney is being considered seriously for Secretary of State. So what do you think?
MILLER: Is that to me, Carol?
COSTELLO: Yes, to Larry. Larry?
MILLER: Oh, to Larry.
SABATO: Oh. Well, look, it's a good sign. At least, they're talking. Now, some people would say that's hypocritical. I would say that's politics. You want politicians to be able to bury the hatchet and not just in each other's backs. You want them to go forward and to try to work together, and Mitt Romney would be a more soothing choice. He would definitely give people some confidence in the administration's foreign policy. And I agree with what Aaron has said, that the other people are also interpreted as hard-liners. And while Romney is certainly conservative in foreign policy, he's also mainstream.
COSTELLO: So somebody else that might bridge the gap is General Mattis, right? Because a lot of people within the military really like him, a lot of Republicans in the never-Trump camp really him. And he is being considered for Secretary of Defense. So, Jay, a good choice?
[09:15:01] NEWTON-SMALL: Yes, I mean, Mad Dog Mattis certainly is somebody who is popular and can also bridge and I think that's really what Trump is looking for as much as possible, is other people besides himself who can bridge this divide between this very angry Republican base, who wants to see a lot of change, wants to see rapid change in government, and the Republican establishment.
And you saw that with his first appointments with Reince Priebus and Steve Bannon, Reince is very much an establishment Republican, Steve Bannon is going to represent that base that is going to be kind of the custodian of Donald Trump's re-elect to keep that base engaged and active and advocating on behalf of the president while Reince is going to have to govern and figure out what to do with the Republicans in Congress. And really make something work for them for the president.
COSTELLO: OK. Some of the other people seen going in and out of Trump's golf resort over the weekend, Aaron, were Rudy Giuliani, Chris Christie and Ari Emanuel. Ari Emanuel is Trump's talent agent for "Celebrity Apprentice." And you heard what Kellyanne Conway said not everyone walking through that door is going to be considered for any position within the White House. But it was kind of strange, right, Aaron?
AARON DAVID MILLER, VICE PRESIDENT AND DISTINGUISHED SCHOLAR, WILSON INTERNATIONAL CENTER: I mean, the whole process I think is a bit strange, but then again I think in many respects in the national security side in a world that we've never inhabited. Let me just make one additional point I know Washington is fixated on the notion that personnel is policy.
And while who a president appoints is critically important on the national security side, no doubt about it, the reality is there are two other factors that need to be taken into account.
Number one, what does the president want? And second what will the world allow on the national security side the president to do? And when it comes to these appointments, particularly secretary of state, it's critically important having worked for half a dozen that one of the key elements of success is that relationship with the president.
Unless you're the White House's man or woman at the State Department and not State Department's man or woman at the White House, you're -- your ability to influence a president and carry out a policy going to be highly constrained. So that's critically important variable in all of this.
COSTELLO: All right. I have to leave it there. Jay Newton-Small, Larry Sabato, Aaron David Miller, thanks to you all.
Still to come in the NEWSROOM, President Obama overseas wrapping up his presidency and smoothing the path for the next one. His message to the world, wait and see.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[09:21:44]
COSTELLO: President Obama delivers his final news conference abroad, but finds himself defending his party's politics back home.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: I'm not worried about being the last Democratic president. I think -- not even for a while. I -- I -- and I say that not being cute, the Democratic nominee won the popular vote.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Not only did Hillary Clinton win the popular vote, her lead has been growing and now stands at about 1.3 million votes. In fact, nearly two weeks after Election Day, Michigan is still too close to call. But of course that will not change Trump's victory in the all- important Electoral College. He breezed past the 270 electoral votes needed to clinch the White House. Let's get more from CNN's Suzanne Malveaux live in Washington. Hi, Suzanne.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Carol. Well, the president's schedule is really pretty light. No public events on his schedule today. Tomorrow, he's going to be honoring the recipients, the honor of the Medal of Freedom recipients, some 21 or so and then pardoning the Thanksgiving turkey later in the week.
But make no mistake about this, Carol, the president very much invests in shoring up his legacy, whether or not it's saving Obamacare, as much of it as he can, the Iran nuclear deal, the Paris climate agreement as well as shoring up our friendships and relationships with our allies, particularly those in NATO.
And so what we saw from the president overseas and what we're seeing here now is that he is really playing the role comforter-in-chief, trying to address some of the concerns that people have under a Trump administration, worried that there might be an erosion of our democracy and civil rights and even religious freedom. Here's what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PRESIDENT OBAMA: The president-elect now has to put together a team, and put forward specifics of about how he intends to govern and he hasn't had the full opportunity to do that yet. And so people should take a wait and see approach in how much is policy proposals once in the White House, once he is sworn in, matches up with some of the rhetoric of his campaign.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: Carol, he also said he wants to be respectful of the office, that he is going to allow Trump to simply move forward with his own platform and see how it goes. He says he's not going to pop off at every instance, but rather really weigh in when he thinks that the ideals of the country have been threatened.
And he also made the point, too, that he can't underestimate U.S. influence around the world, that there is a huge void no one can fill that void except for the United States, and that is something that President-elect Trump should appreciate -- Carol.
COSTELLO: All right, Suzanne Malveaux reporting live at the White House this morning. Thank you.
Still to come in the NEWSROOM, Trump's Twitter attack on the Broadway show "Hamilton." The cast now responding after the president-elect called for them to apologize.
But first we are moments away from the opening bell. Christine Romans is here with more on that, and some not so great news if you're looking to buy a home. Hi, Christine.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN MONEY CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Hi, there, Carol. Well, the stock market will likely advance again today. You know there's been this sort of Trump rally for the past couple of weeks. The stock market has been moving higher. The Dow Jones Industrial Average getting ever closer every day to 19,000, a number it's never seen before.
[09:25:00]But, with all that money going into the stock market, it's coming out of the bond market and that is pushing up yields, and that means mortgage rates are rising, Carol. Mortgage rates the highest in 17 months.
That means if you are buying a home or refinancing a home it's now pretty much more than 4 percent. A half a point bounce since the Trump election. Tax cuts, and higher interest rates expected to come under the Trumponomics.
That means mortgage rights are rising. So Carol, your 401(k) is rising, but your mortgage rates are rising, too. Still historically low but above 4 percent. That's something we haven't seen in awful long time -- Carol.
COSTELLO: All right, Christine reporting for us. Thanks so much.
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