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Fire Swept Through A Crowded Late Night Party In Oakland, California; Protests Over The Dakota Access Pipeline That Starts In North Dakota; President-Elect Trump Taking To Social Media Today Doubling Down On The Threat To American Companies That Are Even Thinking About Exporting American Jobs; Italy's Prime Minister, Matteo Renzi, Toppled By The Power Of The Wave Of Populism We Have Seen Across The World; Donald Trump's Search For Secretary Of State Expanding; "Saturday Night Live" Skit Poked Fun At The President- Elect's Twitter Habits. Aired 7:00-8:00p ET

Aired December 04, 2016 - 19:00   ET

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

[19:00:00] POPPY HARLOW, CNN HOST: Stephanie Elam is live for us tonight in Oakland.

And this is also incredibly personal for them because one of the sheriff's deputies we learned tonight has lost their son. It is shaking the entire community. What else did we learn from these officials?

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: So many people affected and they are saying that the investigation is a tremendous undertaking, Poppy, because they have so many witnesses that they need to interview, as well. But when you listen to what the priorities, the mayor of Oakland saying their priorities are the respectful removal of the human remains that they find inside of this building, assisting the families and then also preserving the evidence fully so that the investigation can completely finish up here and it is going to take some time to do that. But listen to the mayor as she describes where they are in this investigation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR LIBBY SCHAAF, OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA: But it is with so much grief and so much compassion that we as your city family share with you this horrific news. And as this tragedy continues to unfold, I want to again reassure you of what our priorities are as a city of Oakland.

Our first priority is the humane and compassionate removal of the victims of this tragedy. And I want to assure you that we are continuing to operate a 24/7 recovery operation to effectuate that removal.

Secondly, we are focusing on supporting the families and the loved ones, some who are coming from very far away. And we are working as fast as I can and I really want to commend the coroner's office that's put extraordinary resources to speed up our ability to positively identify the victims of this fire.

(END VIDEO CLIP) ELAM: And the sheriff also saying that they have broken the warehouse up into four quadrants to search. And they said that they have found victims in all four of those quadrants as they have been searching. They are also saying that there are some juveniles who have lost their lives here. We know 17-year-old he said were found and that there were several of them. And that there were other young adults there, as well as some 30-plus. We also know that there were some international students who were involved. And we also know that there is person associated with the Berkeley who is also missing. University of California at Berkeley that is missing, as well.

So getting more information out about this. But they are saying it's way too early to determine what the cause of this fire was. But they are making sure that that investigation is ready to go and that they have a criminal investigation team that is getting prepared, that's launching to look into this event, incident, as well, Poppy.

HARLOW: And Stephanie, a criminal investigation team of the district attorneys has been activated tonight. Do we know why?

ELAM: They want to know -- I mean, at this point they don't know what happened here but I think the issue is because we know there were two exits or entrances and that this building had been cited before, as recently as November for blight and debris outside. We also understand that there were trailers that were inside of this warehouse that they said they haven't been able to access yet. They don't know if there's victims inside this. So, if this unit was not being used the way it was sanctioned for that would be a problem. They are not saying that so far as yet but what they're looking at, Poppy.

HARLOW: Stephanie Elam live for us in Oakland. Stephanie, thank you very much.

And for ways that you can help those affected by this tragic warehouse fire, 33 people now dead, go to CNN.com/impact. Many ways there that you can help.

Also tonight, breaking news out of North Dakota, those protests over the Dakota access pipeline that starts in North Dakota, goes through four states, a major victory for those protesters tonight. They are celebrating as they learn that the army corps of engineers is halting construction of that controversial pipeline for now. This comes hours before the state of North Dakota. It was set to enforce an emergency evacuation order that would have forces protesters to vacate the camp so that construction can proceed.

Our Sara Sidner has been on the ground in North Dakota there for weeks covering this. She joins me not night from Cannon Ball.

So Sara, obviously, a major celebrations there. Major disappointment on the side of those who were supporters of this pipeline. Where does this battle go after tonight?

SARA SIDNER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's such a good question. We just talked to someone who is a member of the standing Rock Sioux (ph) who said that in his opinion the battle isn't over. Yes, there has been a victory that people are celebrating that victory. But his biggest concern is the next administration. The Donald Trump presidency which will begin after January 20th when he is sworn in.

They want to take a look at this because this just happened. I mean, for some people this was just a surprise to happen on a Sunday. That it learned that the army corps of engineers was going to stop this for now and ask them to reroute it, saying that they are not going to give them a permit for the easement that would allow them to go underneath the Missouri river.

And so, at this point, there is celebration and consternation. Not knowing exactly what is going to happen after this and not having seen all of the legal details about this. The call has gone out to stay put until they can figure this out hoping that it cannot be reversed. That is the position of some of those folks that are members of the standing Rock Sioux.

But certainly, in talking to those who were here today to hear this news, there was jubilation. Let me let you listen to someone who was here when it happened.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[19:05:42] UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It feels good. I'm really happy that I'm here witness it and be on this land and celebrate with my elders and the youth but I think we also need to keep in mind that we need to be ready to keep going.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SIDNER: Now, the chairman of the standing Rock Sioux had told us just yesterday there's nothing else but a reroute of this pipeline that would stop their protests and their insistence to keep it away from the water, worried that one day the pipe leaks. And that oil, that crude would end up in the water that sustains life for the standing Rock Sioux. And millions of other Americans down river, now he has reason to celebrate.

Is it over? Probably not. Right now, the camp is actually filling up. People aren't leaving - Poppy.

HARLOW: Yes. You know, certainly, you have been there reporting for weeks. And many people didn't expect it tonight. And certainly didn't think that the protesters would be victorious in all of this. Obviously, Sara, there's another side of it. Right? There is the economic argument. The huge boon it would have been to the state of North Dakota. All the jobs that would come from across the country there. What about those people?

SIDNER: That's right. I mean, we haven't heard a lot from them. But we have certainly heard the disappointment. And we asked the tribe about that. We asked the chairman about that. He says, I understand that there was going to be some sort of economic boon. And I understand that those folks that work for the unions, the unions were for this because it gave jobs that paid well to the folks here in North Dakota. And in other places who came in to start working on these pipeline.

But ultimately, the answer he gave was, we can't let that blind us to poison the very thing that sustain life which is the water that runs through this area. And that he says the entire world including all of America needs to realize that we need to be careful and more careful with our resources that everything can't be about oil, that water, air, all of those things should matter just as much. But really this is a victory because the standing Rock Sioux believe they finally have been heard - Poppy.

HARLOW: Sara Sidner live for us tonight in Cannon Ball, North Dakota. Thank you so much for the reporting throughout on this, Sara.

All right. Ahead tonight, a lot of breaking news. We are going to take you to Italy. A monumental vote, the prime minister will resign as a wave of populism sweeps from the United States through Europe. We will talk about how this is transforming our world ahead tonight.

Also, the search is on for a secretary of state but Donald Trump not narrowing down his options. Instead, his list is expanding. Find out who's been added tonight.

You are live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:11:29] HARLOW: President-elect Trump taking to social media today doubling down on the threat to American companies that are even thinking about exporting American jobs. Writing, any business that leaves our country for another, fires its employees, builds a new factory or plant in another country and then thinks it will sell its products back into the U.S. without retribution or consequence is wrong.

What would he do? He said he would slap a 35 percent tariff on all of those goods brought back to sell here. This threat, I should note, worked in the case of Carrier. That Indiana company where Trump negotiated to save 800 jobs from being shipped to Mexico. But also important to note the company will still move hundreds of its jobs south of the border.

Economist Ben Stein is with me. He is a conservative. He initially supported Senator Lindsey Graham but did vote for Donald Trump in the end. Nice to have you on the program.

BEN STEIN, ECONOMIST: Honor to be here. Very, very sad about the tragedy in Oakland.

HARLOW: Unbelievable. And we have much more on that breaking news ahead.

On this point, Ben, as an economist, so, let's say that Donald Trump does, indeed, slap in 35 percent tariff on any goods made from the companies outside of the United States coming in this country. Does it start a trade war? If it do, what does that for the American people? STEIN: It's a disaster. The whole thing is a disaster. I mean, it's

good to save those 800 jobs and we should not disregard the welfare of those workers but it is profoundly anti-freedom, it is profoundly anti-capitalist, it is profoundly anti-free market to tell people they cannot move their factories and to threaten with personal retribution by a person who obviously thinks that he is above the free market and above the law. It's an -- it's a paronism (ph). It is the word that occurs to me. Take his name Juan Perone, the dictator of Argentina. I think it is profoundly disturbing.

HARLOW: So interesting from you, a lot to unpack there. This is the guy you voted for to be president. This is the ultimate capitalist and someone who in his companies -- is.

STEIN: Well, he is sort of. Sort of

HARLOW: Well, before he became president -- OK. Before president- elect, his companies made a lot of things and frankly still do outside of the United States and ship them in to be sold here. Do you think that this is his tactic is, OK, if I threaten they won't do it?

STEIN: I think he is going to have to threaten them and then going to have to bully them and he is going to have to send the FBI after them. Then going to have to threaten to look at their income tax returns. And I think it's going to be a step against freedom for the individual, against freedom for free markets.

Look. I feel very sorry for people unemployed. My grandfather was employed for mostly the great depression. It is a terrible thing to be unemployed. But let's give those people money to be retrained or money to move to a place where there are jobs. But let's not destroy the free enterprise system.

The free enterprise system a gigantic weapon, machine for prosperity and happiness. Let's not kill it.

HARLOW: It just need - the thing is, it needs to work for more people. And you brought up two ways that it can.

You bring up the great depression. The last time this country and government instituted a massive tariff was back during the great depression, it was back in 1930. And you know, Smooth Holly act it, the thing that did it. And it was largely seen to make the great depression even more prolonged and worse. Is there any reason to think that wouldn't be the case if we do it again now?

STEIN: Well, only reason I'm smiling is that's what I talked about in "Ferris Beuhler" (ph), famous person. But no, the Smooth Holly act was a disaster. Trade wars are a disaster. It's a very bad idea to eliminate or greatly cut down or free trade. And it's a frightening idea that this is coming from a Republican president.

"The Wall Street Journal" is hammering him about it and they are right to do so. We have to have freedom to have a prosperous society. And eventually, it is going to get to the point where the FBI is leaning on people and we are going to end having freedom for corporate executives and investors and it's not going to be a free society for anyone. It's -- this is the camel putting the nose under the tent.

[19:15:35] HARLOW: So Ben, here's how "The New York Times" put it this week. In pledging to bring manufacturing back, Mr. Trump is effectively putting the interest of a very small -- relatively small group of people against, those who work in factory against hundreds of millions of consumers.

Now, you nor I can put ourselves in the shoes of American workers whose jobs are under threat all the time. So, keeping that in mind, is the times right on this? Because what they are bringing up is the amount that millions of Americans would pay extra for are goods. The fact that the goods to rise in price considerably with these tariffs.

STEIN: Well, the -- look. If I lose my job so that somebody out there in Des Moines can have a TV screen for $25 less, I'm not going to think it's a particularly great idea. But I think the basic idea is much, much bigger and "the Times" is basically right about this. And it's not about price, it is basically about freedom. We have as our main asset in this country our freedom and that includes freedom to move capital and move businesses. If we lose that freedom, it is a much, much bigger loss than 800 jobs and 800 jobs is a lot. I'm all for raising my taxes to give them money to be retrained. But freedom is a precious commodity. I don't want Mr. Trump throwing it away to make himself look like a big wheel.

HARLOW: Something tells me your taxes are not going too up that significantly under this administration.

Ben Stein, thank you very much.

STEIN: Thank you.

HARLOW: Breaking news tonight out of Italy. Another leader, Italy's prime minister, Matteo Renzi, toppled by the power of the wave of populism we have seen across the world. Italian voters tonight rejecting a constitutional amendment that would have slashed the size of the Italian Senate. Italy's vote is just as much a part of a bigger wave of discontent sweeping across the world.

Our international diplomatic editor Nic Robertson is live with me tonight in London.

A resounding no from the people of Italy to a referendum that many argue would have improved the stagnant economy in Italy. They did not want to see this. Now Renzi will meet with the president of Italy tomorrow and hand in his resignation. How big is this?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: It's big. I mean, look. It just sounds like we are listening to the Brexit vote in Britain in the summer where the experts said, if you do this, the economy will be worse for Britain. And the experts in Italy have said essentially support this referendum because it will help the economy. But the majority by 20 percent have voted to reject the reforms that the economists say are needed.

The winners, political winners in this in Italy are those that generally don't support the European Union so you could see a further weakening of the European Union which will weaken the economy in Europe. The economies won't grow as fast and this potentially has a knock-on effect. I don't want to get ahead of where we are today. But this is what we are faced with right now. The populists have won.

HARLOW: You did say last hour this could lead to a run on Italian banks. I know that that is not immediate concern. But the other question is, does this lead -- is this the beginning of the road to Italy perhaps voting on pulling out of the EU altogether?

ROBERTSON: Potentially. The second largest party in Italy has a lot of, if you will, anti-EU issues on its agenda. It wants to be - it doesn't want to have the Euro anymore. The indications are it would like to go back to its own economy (INAUDIBLE). Going back to its old currency, the lira, so it can control its own economy. It's hard the see how the European Union would allow that kind of change. It is not the sort of thing that they do easily. And that, really, was the type of fundamental issue or even larger fundamental issue that Britain is trying to negotiate to lead to that situation.

So, you know, and then you have the nationalists that had prospered as well in this vote. They do want to be out of the European Union. So that voice to leave the EU is certainly, certainly one to emerge here.

HARLOW: And obviously, another key vote in Austria tonight where the far right candidate did not win in that case but you're seeing just a sweeping change across Europe and the United States.

Nic Robertson live for us in London, thank you very much.

HARLOW: Coming up, Donald Trump's search for secretary of state expanding. What does it mean for Mitt Romney? The two men had dinner together in New York. Clearly not a done deal yet. Who else is on the list in, that's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:23:47] HARLOW: Let the elevator watch continue, those golden elevators. Donald Trump's senior adviser confirming t president-elect is now considering more than four candidates for secretary of state. And that he will do more interviews this week.

Sources tell CNN former Utah governor Jon Huntsman now among the candidates. Huntsman served as President Obama's first ambassador to China. He also ran for the presidency in 2012 as a GOP candidate.

Of course, this news comes just days after Trump's high-profile dinner with Mitt Romney in New York. One of the leading contenders for the secretary of state job.

Let's talk about all of it now with Betsy Woodruff from political reporter from "Daily Beast" and Jane Newton-Small, contributor for time magazine.

Ladies, let me begin with you, Betsy. What should we read into this? BETSY WOODRUFF, POLITICS REPORTER, THE DAILY BEAST: I think what we

can safely read into it is that Romney is far from being a lock to be secretary of state. Just the fact that Trump insiders are floating these two brand new names as potential contenders likely means that Romney's stock is falling. Of course, it's that extremely fraught project to try to predict what Trump is going do and how he is making these decisions. But the fact that Huntsman and Rohrabacher, two men who have very different dispositions and extremely different backgrounds, the fact that their names are now in the mix probably means that Romney's not in great shape.

[19:25:06] HARLOW: But as you know, Rohrabacher really on the same page with Trump when it comes to Russia so that may, you know, lean him that way a little bit. But obviously, his name obviously decision not made at all.

Jay, we look at pictures of this dinner on Tuesday night. Seemed chummy enough. Nice comments from both sides afterwards. Listen about how Newt Gingrich reacted to that meeting.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NEWT GINGRICH (R), FORMER HOUSE SPEAKER: You have never, ever in your career seen a serious adult who is wealthy, independent, has been a presidential nominee suck up at the rate that Mitt Romney is sucking up.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARLOW: He says Mitt Romney is sucking up. I mean, do you think that Trump is broadening his search because he is starting to listen to some of these critics like Gingrich?

JAY NEWTON-SMALL, CONTRIBUTOR, TIME MAGAZINE: I mean, I have never seen anything like this before in terms of a search of secretary of state or really any cabinet official where the jockeying is so overt and so naked where you have Kellyanne Conway, former campaign manager, saying that Romney was unacceptable to the base. And Newt Gingrich saying this weekend, that he was sucking up. I mean, it is really insulting to Mitt Romney if he doesn't get the job. The poor man is really -- his reputation is kind of trashed.

At the same time, you know, there's clearly a lot of anger with the base that Mitt Romney didn't support Donald Trump. In fact, he is one of the leader of the Never Trump movement. Gave whole speeches against Donald Trump. And so there's a lot of baggage that they have to work through if he is going to become secretary of state, if they are going to be able to bridge. And so, he has to figure out -- Mitt Romney has to figure out how to (INAUDIBLE) all of those fears.

HARLOW: And Betsy, let's talk about another name, right. Because another secretary of state candidate, former general David Petraeus, seeming to make an appeal to -- in terms of the appeal as to why his guilty plea for receiving classified information shouldn't disqualify him. Listen to what he said this morning on ABC's "This Week."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEN. DAVID PETRAEUS, (RET) U.S. ARMY: What I would say to them is what I have acknowledged for a number of years. Five years ago I made a serious mistake. I acknowledged it. I apologized for it. I paid a very heavy price for it and I have learned from it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARLOW: He served two years probation. He was fined 100,000.

But Betsy, if Trump does picks Petraeus, how does he explain that? I mean, considering the fact that he not only hammered Hillary Clinton over her handling of classified information, he led chants lock her up.

WOODRUFF: It's really tough. Now, Trump did frequently cite Petraeus on the campaign trail saying that he was treated unjustly. That he did what he, Trump argues, that what Petraeus did was less problematic than what Hillary Clinton did. But that Petraeus got a worse shake for it. So in a weird way, Trump has used Petraeus on the entire fiasco to his own political benefit.

That said, of course, it is going to be incredibly tricky for Trump spokesman to defend Petraeus. And Petraeus' confirmation hearings would be extremely good television. Senate Democrats are licking their chops to get a chance to lambaste this guy and to lambaste the Trump administration over the fact that someone who mishandled classified information could potentially be fourth in the line of succession to be president.

Remember, secretary of state is the top cabinet position. It is in line. It is a really powerful position, much more powerful than number of other cabinet positions. And if Petraeus is serious contender for that job, Trump is going to get grilled over it.

HARLOW: All right, guys. Stay with me. Betsy, Jay, got to get a quick break in. We are going to talk about more on the other side.

Coming up, Donald Trump's response to one of the most shocking moments of the campaign. What happened behind the scenes when that "Access Hollywood" video came out? We get the story straight from the head of his campaign.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:31:48] HARLOW: Campaigns are often defined by unexpected moments and how candidates respond. For Donald Trump, his moment came when post published this previously unseen footage from "Access Hollywood."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: And when you are a star, they let you do it. You can do anything.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: WHATEVER YOU WANT.

TRUMP: Grab them by the (bleep). You can do anything.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARLOW: So what happened behind the scenes that day when that video was released?

Our Jake Tapper asked Trump's campaign manager Kellyanne Conway to take us back to that moment.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JAKE TAPPER, CNN CHIEF WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Who told Donald Trump about the tape? Who watched it with him? What was his reaction?

KELLYANNE CONWAY, TRUMP CAMPAIGN SENIOR ADVISOR/GOP POLLSTER: We were in debate prep. And one of the members of the team came in and took some of us -- a few of us out and showed us. We didn't have the tape for a long time. Only have a transcript. And so, but anyway, you know the rest. Donald Trump decided he would like to put out a video apology and he did that night. And two days later -- less than two days later was the second debate in St. Louis and he carried forward with that.

I will tell you if you look at the polling that incident affected Donald Trump's numbers much more significantly than the Comey letter affected Hillary Clinton's numbers. That's just a fact. You can go back and look at the data. And there was not early voting really under way on October 7th that is opposed to when it was banked by October 28th. A lot of folks have voted already by the time the Comey letter came out, three weeks to the day.

ROBBY MOOK, HILLARY CLINTON CAMPAIGN MANAGER: Probably 80 to 90 percent of the electorate had not yet voted when that come in.

TAPPER: (INAUDIBLE) Hillary Clinton was popping a bottle of champagne.

MOOK: That was ridiculous.

TAPPER: Was -- but was that your reaction? Did you think, my God, this is done, this is over?

MOOK: Not at all. That was not. In fact, I remember the meeting I was in when that news came out, was we were dealing with WikiLeaks. And that was something that our campaign, the stolen emails that the Russians were leaking out. We deal with that every day and we stayed focused on that.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARLOW: My panel back with me. Betsy Woodruff from "the Daily Beast." Jay Newton-Small, contributor for "Time."

So Jay, let me begin with you. Kellyanne Conway argued, look, the "Access Hollywood" tape hurt Donald Trump's poll numbers more than FBI director James Comey's letters of Clinton's emails hurt her. When you just look take a step back and you look at that moment, what do you think was key for Trump in recovering from that scandal? Because I had people on my program that day saying this is it. This is over. I mean, no one thought he could recover. The way Kellyanne put it to Jake is, you know, everyone misjudged the electorate and the difference is between the 2012 electorate and the 2016 electorate.

NEWTON-SMALL: Sure. I mean, certainly, when you look at the polling that Kellyanne was looking at and I was looking at, especially amongst women voters, there was a really large swing away from Donald Trump, particularly amongst non-college educated women voters after that tape came out. And you saw by October 16th basically there was an Atlantic poll that had them tied. Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump amongst non-college educated women voters because essentially of that tape, whereas, you know, a few weeks beforehand he had been ahead by almost 20 points and that same demographic.

Now, that demographic also swung incredibly hard back to Donald Trump in the wake of the Comey. So I do think the Comey letter certainly had some effect. And you can see that in the polling, particularly of this demographic.

So, and it just was a question of, frankly, did they trust Donald Trump more to be president? They like him more and do they feel that Hillary - did they buy the crooked Hillary line and ultimately they bought the crooked Hillary line and the way the electorate swung.

[19:35:22] HARLOW: Yes. And they were willing -- many voters told me they were more willing to roll a dice on an unknown quantity than a quantity they knew and didn't love.

Betsy, Jake Tapper also asked Clinton's campaign manager Robby Mook about that moment when Bernie Sanders taken off the VP list. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MOOK: Butt the end of the day, she felt like Tim Kaine would represent her views and values if, you know, God forbid, he had to become president. That he had the background and preparation to do the job. But also, that partnership and chemistry was the right one.

TAPPER: Do you think that Bernie Sanders might have made it a tougher race?

CONWAY: Yes. And Bernie Sanders, I would also like to publicly thank Bernie Sanders for his effect on our campaign because he softened up Hillary Clinton. He won 22 states and 13 million voters and that isn't nothing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARLOW: Kellyanne Conway saying there Sanders, you know, would have made the job tough. Do you think, Betsy, that the Clinton camp has regrets about not picking him as a running mate?

WOODRUFF: You know, I doubt it. It is tricky question that seems like what it came to it At the end of the day Hillary Clinton really wanted to run with somebody who she liked as a human being and who she had a good connection with and would have trusted to run the White House.

That said, it seems pretty clear that having Bernie Sanders on the ticket would have helped her out, particularly in those rust belt states, those state where so many voters frustrated with globalization and frustrated with trade. Remember, Bernie Sanders won the Democratic primaries in Michigan and another shocking upset that the polls didn't catch as well as in Wisconsin. It is certainly probable that if he would been barnstorming the states --

HARLOW: States she did not think she would lose and didn't go to Wisconsin once during the general. Hindsight, yes, it is 20/20.

Guys, I want your take on this final thing because I thought it was very interesting also during interview. Robby Mook disputed the reports that have been asked there. That President Obama had to encourage Hillary Clinton to come out, to concede the election. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MOOK: She made the decision to call Donald Trump. No -- before --

TAPPER: She didn't do that because President Obama told her?

MOOK: She made that decision on her own before she spoke to the president, and she made it because she believed and she had said during the campaign that it is important to our democracy that whoever wins that their opponent concede the election and be supportive of them becoming president-elect.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARLOW: Jay, why do you think it's important for him to clarify that? That the president didn't have to convince her to concede?

NEWTON-SMALL: Because you don't want to say that like somehow she was bullied into this or somehow that she was thinking of not conceding especially when you are looking at the recounts that are still going on in Wisconsin, potentially still in Michigan. With the Jill Stein campaign pushing those.

The idea that somehow she wasn't potentially going to concede the way Al Gore was pulled back last minute in 2000 and said told not to concede. In this case it was really much her idea. She believed in the sort of peaceful transfer of power and that this is what she wanted. And that she wasn't some guy, some man or some other president didn't say you need to do this. It was her decision.

HARLOW: Guys, thank you very much. Betsy, Jay, appreciate it. Have a good week.

WOODRUFF: Thanks, Poppy.

NEWTON-SMALL: You, too.

HARLOW: Coming up, she is Donald Trump's superwoman. Seriously, she is. And she dressed up like it last night. Kellyanne Conway dressing the part last night for a party. The story behind the photo.

Plus, the "SNL" skit hitting Trump against this so and directly against Alec Baldwin.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:42:26] HARLOW: A "Saturday Night Live" skit poking fun at the president-elect's twitter habits, has Donald Trump responding, where else, but on twitter. First, the sketch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. Trump, please stop retweeting all of these random real people. You are not getting any work done.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's not true. I was elected 25 days ago and already unemployment is at a nine-year low. Millions and millions of people have health care and Osama bin Laden is dead.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, yes. He is dead. Just like my soul and all of my hair.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARLOW: In response, Trump tweeted just tried watching "Saturday Night Live." Unwatchable. Totally biased. Not funny. And the Baldwin impersonation just can't get any worse.

That internal list did a response from Alec Baldwin who tweeted, release your tax returns and I'll stop.

Let's talk about it with Ryan Lizza, Washington correspondent for the "New Yorker."

We thought we would have fun tonight, Ryan. So, "SNL" has been making fun of presidents, not just Donald Trump, making fun of presidents and candidates since it went on the air. Trump was even guest hosted.

RYAN LIZZA, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Yes.

HARLOW: Some point does he need to, you know, as he takes office, gets inaugurated, laugh along?

LIZZA: Most presidents, that, has been their approach to the comedians, right? This is going on a long time. Not just "Saturday Night Live." It goes back decades. It was Nixon went on "Laugh In." And obviously, more and more pop culture is a bigger and more important part of politics.

But most presidents have not fought with the people that made fun of them. They have been self-deprecating about it. And you know, that one time that Trump on "Saturday Night Live" that was his approach. But the Alex Baldwin portrayal seems to really get under his skin

and it is a pretty biting portrayal. It's not -- it's not necessarily light. If you think of like Chevy Chase when he portrayed Gerald Ford back in the '70s --

HARLOW: Yes.

LIZZA: You know, mostly it was physical comedy because Gerald Ford, if course, you know, tripped once and then that defines him. This is much more biting and a little bit more ideological.

HARLOW: Do they - maybe they know -- do they know each other, Ryan? Do you know? Perhaps that's why it's hurts.

LIZZA: I don't know. I don't know if Alec Baldwin knows him or not.

HARLOW: I shouldn't ask if I don't know the answer.

LIZZA: But Alec Baldwin is pretty political. If you follow him on Twitter, he has always bee pretty liberal guy and no secret that the cast of "Saturday Night Live," you know, leans left. So -- but, you know, this is the best thing for Alec Baldwin and for "SNL." The president-elect tweeting about them. Attacking their characterization of Trump only helps "SNL," right?

[19:45:07] HARLOW: Let's get to twitter because Kellyanne Conway was asked by Jake Tapper in that interview that aired this morning about Donald Trump and twitter and what he is going to do as president. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: Is that really presidential behavior?

CONWAY: He is the president-elect so that's presidential behavior, yes.

TAPPER: So the things that Bill Clinton did --

CONWAY: Are you actually comparing what Bill Clinton did in the oval office with a twitter feed?

TAPPER: You are saying does it, it is presidential. I'm saying --.

CONWAY: Shall we review for those who were not born then what President Clinton did in the oval office?

TAPPER: I'm saying just because a president does something doesn't make it presidential.

CONWAY: Yes. I wasn't saying otherwise.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARLOW: Ryan, your thoughts? LIZZA: Well, Kellyanne was saying otherwise. She literally said

because Trump said it, it's presidential. So very, very good follow- up by Jake pointing that out.

Every president defines when's presidential and Trump is going to define this in his own way. He is defining in it a completely different way. We saw that in very casual ways with the tweets about "SNL" and was seen it much more serious ways this week with his call to the presidents of Taiwan.

HARLOW: Absolutely.

LIZZA: He is not playing by the rules.

HARLOW: No. He is not.

Before I let you go, let's look at the picture. This was a big party in New York last night, a heroes and villains' party. Donald Trump went as himself. Kellyanne Conway went as superwoman. Undeniably she did sweep in. She did really helped save his campaign. Does she get the credit she deserves?

LIZZA: You know, I don't think there's been much applause for Kellyanne breaking a barrier. And pretty important barrier in American politics. And she was the first woman to manage a Republican presidential campaign and she won. So, yes, she deserves some credit for that.

You know, Trump is a very polarizing person. And so there are a lot of people who don't like Trump, who haven't dwelled on the fact that he broke or Kellyanne broke that barrier. But yes, she deserve that. She will go in the history books as first woman to successfully run a Republican presidential campaign. First one to do it and first one to win.

HARLOW: Yes. I'm still waiting to see when she gets to take a nap because I swear that woman works around the clock. She is mother of four.

LIZZA: Absolutely. It will be interesting to see what she does if she takes a White House job or not.

HARLOW: Yes. We will see.

Ryan, thank you. Have a great week.

HARLOW: Thank you, Poppy. You, too.

HARLOW: Coming up, his impassion remarks on election night were replayed and shared for days and days after. They went viral. Van Jones joins me next to talk about the candid and frank conversations he is having with voters on the other side of the aisle, in one of the most divisive campaigns in memories.

You are live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:51:25] HARLOW: This political season has been unprecedented to say the least. President-elect Donald Trump's win caught most of us pundits, politicians, media and many voters by surprise. It's a subject of a town hall, the messy truth with Van Jones. It airs this Tuesday night on CNN. Look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VAN JONES, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: You couldn't vote for Hillary Clinton?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We put Democrats in office. And she turned around and forgot completely about us. We are what makes this world go round.

We built the tanks and bombs that won these country's wars. And for you to come in through here and completely neglect us, we would have rather vote for anybody, instead of her. And all the other stuff that Donald said didn't seem to make a hill of beans. She hurt us. And that's what it is.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARLOW: Pretty raw emotion.

Van Jones is with me.

The messy Truth, where does the title come from?

JONES: Well, I think that we spent about 18 months with everybody, you know, insisting that their side was 100 percent right and the other side is 100 percent wrong as if it's, you know, completely polar realities when the truth of that play messy in the middle. You know, you have voters like that guy. You know, he heard those inflammatory comments by Donald Trump. That guy voted for Obama twice. OK?

HARLOW: Yes. I met a lot of those folks along the rust belt.

JONES: Exactly. But he felt like, you know what? He found those comments distasteful. They weren't just disqualifying because he had pain that nobody was talking to but Donald Trump. So that's messy. You know, he is not saying, you know, Trump is perfect but he felt like his needs weren't being addressed by Hillary Clinton.

I want us to start having a conversations as a little bit more nuanced, the kind of deals with a lot more stuff because now, look, we have got to try to understand each other. We don't have to agree. We have to do a better job of trying to understand.

HARLOW: We do. And because, you know, this country has to move forward.

JONES: Yes.

HARLOW: You talked to people on the left like Michael Moore, people on the right like Rick Santorum. Is there a common ground? Is America ready for a common ground?

JONES: I don't think we're there yet, and again, truth part is the truth.

HARLOW: You are not being Pollyanna about it.

JONES: No. The truth part is the truth. I don't think we are there yet. But see, I don't thing disagreement is the problem. In a democracy, you get to disagree. A dictatorship you can't disagree. Democracy, the whole point is you don't have to agree but how do you disagree? You can have destructive disagreement and fight about everything or constructive disagreement where even though you have different points of view you at least respect each other and try to find some solutions. We stopped doing that for 18 months.

HARLOW: What about for you, personally. I mean, I'll never forget watching you on election night and watching you talk from your heart and your soul and your gut about your family and your children and explaining things to them. Where have you landed on that personally?

JONES: Well, first of all, you know, I was actually talking to my kids because through the TV screen because my kids were in California watching that go down. And I was getting text messages from Muslims and dreamers and people who were really terrified by what it might mean for Donald Trump to be president. I was trying to speak to their pain. But when I said white lash that actually caused some pain for Republicans who thought I was saying that all of them were voting on racial grounds. So that was not what I was saying. So it's messy. We are trying to get to a place where we can hear each other better and that' why you want to --

HARLOW: I'm so glad you're doing this. I can't wait to watch it. Tuesday night, 9:00.

Van, thank you very much.

JONES: Check it out.

HARLOW: We appreciate it.

"The Messy Truth" hosted by the man, Van Jones, Tuesday 9:00 p.m. eastern only right here on CNN.

Coming up, painting the town red, green and gold, how group of sixth graders are spreading holiday cheer. It is in our America tonight. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:58:59] HARLOW: Tonight before we go, a look at something wonderful happening in our America. Despite our many differences, we also come together in some pretty incredible and unexpected ways. And we want to make sure that you see those things on this show, as well.

So tonight, in our America, we take you to Idaho where School kids helped spread a little bit of holiday cheer Wednesday by literally painting the town red, green and gold among other colors. Ninety sixth graders decorated more than 30 store fronts with their winter wonderland theme. Teachers there say projects like this teach the kids a pretty valuable lesson.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SARI STEWART, 6TH GRADER TEACHER: At this point, they are learning how important it is to do community service and they feel that sense of pride that a lot of them have never had before.

KELLEE, 6TH GRADER: I don't really care about presidents. I mean, hey, it is more about giving than receiving. I like helping the community.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARLOW: If you see moments like this, communities coming together, tweet them to me @PoppyHarlowCNN. We will bring them to you on this show.

All right. Coming up tonight on CNN, the finale of Anthony Bourdain, "PART UNKNOWN, Rome." That is tonight 9:00. I'm Poppy Harlow in New York.

Have a great week.