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Trump Draws From Military For Cabinet Picks; 2 Juveniles Face Arson Charges; Trump Taps WWE Mogul For Small Business Admin; Trump Departs For Ohio. Aired 12:30-1p ET

Aired December 08, 2016 - 12:30   ET

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

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[12:32:03] BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN ANCHOR: A parade of military men has been passing through the Trump Tower lobby as President-elect Donald Trump picks his cabinet. Today, there was Trumps meeting with retired Navy Admiral James Stavridis, he's believed to be on the list for secretary of state, as this former cent com commander General David Petraeus. He's chosen retired General John Kelly to head the department of homeland security. Retired General James Mattis has been tapped to be his defense secretary and retired General Michael Flynn is his pick for national security adviser. Let's bring in National Security Analyst Juliette Kayyem to talk about this. I mean this is -- the question is simply is he hiring too many generals?

JULIETTE KAYYEM, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: I think if he hires all of them on the list, the answer is absolutely yes. And, you know, individually, each of these picks may make sense. But I am sort of thinking it's like a Halloween candy, each of them may be good but eventually you want a steak or a salad like the idea that a general by their experience is the best experience for each of these different agencies really sort of underestimates what these different agencies do. And I think puts an overemphasis on that sort of chain of commands training that so many of these generals have lived under. And the department I worked at, the department of Homeland Security for example, it's not a military department. It does not thrive or work on chain of command philosophy. You have to work with state and locals, the private sector, faith-based communities. That's a very different skill.

KEILAR: OK, chain of command mentality aside, if I can just play devil's advocate a little bit. Because I'm assuming Donald Trump and those close to him say, look, these guys are smart, they have a lot of experience. They have institutional knowledge. You know, they've been around the block. Some, you know, it's not just about being in the war zone. There are a number of other issues that they've dealt with, as we've seen with John Kelly. Do they bring -- what kind of -- what kind of knowledge do they bring that is a positive, but what is the harm of having just too many generals so that there isn't that civilian mind set?

KAYYEM: Right. So I think in practice, especially with General Kelly, who I was on air yesterday supporting, you know, he comes from southern command, he understands the border. We, people may have differences with his immigration stance, but nonetheless, he's a subject matter expert. As I said individually, I think each of these generals certainly stands on their own. But if you actually look at the vast array of issues that are part of the national and homeland security toolbox, the military way, right, is only one way. There is law enforcement, there's intelligence, there's diplomacy. And look, he's not going to like -- President-elect Trump is not likely to pick all these generals.

[12:34:56] But the generals do have a certain mind-set that I think it's fair to say for the future picks we may want to look outside of that box. And then, you know, with you, I just have to say it, if you're going to choose generals, that means a white male over a certain age. That is just clear. And so that diversity that so many of us have been thriving or pushing for in the national security arena, more women, more -- different diverse backgrounds, it's definitely just not reflected in his national security picks.

KEILAR: There's another general on Donald Trump's list for secretary of state. That's General Petraeus. And Paula Broadwell, the woman with whom he had that infamous affair and shared classified information with, is speaking out today. Here's what she said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PULA BROADWELL, ARMY RESERVE OFFICER: No, I think he's unequally qualified for many positions, but that's not my position to say. I think the president-elect would have to decide and members of the senate. As I woke up to the news, you know, it's a bit of a shocker that he's considered for a cabinet position. And I was both shocked that I'm still in this tenuous position, and yet happy, because I think he should be able to go on with his life.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: She says he deserves a second chance. She certainly believes she does as well. What do you think of her saying that and also whether that could affect his chances, just a reminder of his issues?

KAYYEM: Well, look, he's going to have those issues whether Paula Broadwell came out or not. I know Miss Broadwell and I know General Petraeus. And he'll have those issues regarding, you know, whether he has to check in with his parole officer. That's going to exist whether Paula Broadwell came out and spoke today or not. Look, they made personal mistakes. That's the world that we live in. It's not -- to me, that's not a big deal. The one is the professional issue. Only General Petraeus was the director of the central intelligence agency when this happened. Paula Broadwell was not. And if he is allowed and permitted to move on, the issues that she's facing regarding army regulations and an army review certainly should go away as well. That seems to me to be the right thing for a young woman who wants to commit her life to public service. It's a no-brainer in my mind.

KEILAR: You know, she certainly has a strong desire to move on and is unable to. I want to ask you about something Donald Trump said during the campaign, where he said he knows more about ISIS than the generals. He also said this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONLAD TRUMP, PRESIDENT-ELECT: If I think under the leadership of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, the generals have been reduced to rubble. They have been reduced to a point where it's embarrassing for our country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: What do you think about that assessment and then also his insulting the generals at one point?

KAYYEM: Yeah, it is, it's an irony of the transition, but this happens that in a campaign, you know, was denigrating the generals who worked for President Obama. Now he's essentially relying on those same generals to fill his national security post. Look, I served in transition for President Obama and served for President Obama. This transition is going on now. I think what every new president realizes is that most of the people working in government are good committed people. They really tend not to be political, especially in national and homeland security, and they just want to protect and defend America. And I think, you know, in the next couple of weeks, Donald Trump and his team will I think realize that there may be disagreements on policy, but everyone tends to work in good faith in these communities.

KEILAR: Yeah, does -- campaigning is some fantasy and governing is certainly a big dose of reality. Juliette Kayyem, always appreciate you being on. Thank you.

KAYYEM: Thank you.

[12:38:48] KEILAR: Up next, a deadly end to a Georgia manhunt after the shooting of two police officers.

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KEILAR: The following breaking news out of Southwest Georgia. Police say the suspect wanted for fatally shooting one officer and critically wounding another is now dead. CNN's Victor Blackwell is joining us live now. This just happened, Victor. Tell us how this went down.

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, just minutes ago and the major question here is if this suspect, the suspected cop-killer, Minquell Lembrick, died as a result of a gunshot from law enforcement or if he dies as a result of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. There's a news conference at the top of the hour. We'll get that answer from Georgia Bureau of Investigation. But there was a day-long manhunt for Lembrick after police say the two officers in the small town of Americus, Georgia about 140 miles south of Atlanta, Responded to a call about a domestic dispute at an apartment complex.

Officer Nicolas Smarr with the Americus Police Department and Officer Jody Smith with Georgia Southwestern State University Campus Police. Lembrick started firing shots, killed Smarr, and last check, Officer Jody Smith is in very critical condition. We have learned in just the last few moments that there was some interaction between officer Smarr and Lembrick the day before this fatal shooting involving a domestic dispute.

The sheriff there in Sumter County, Sheriff Pete Smith, says that there was some involvement between this officer and Lembrick. And we also have learned about these two officers and their connection to one another. I mean this is a small town but these two were roommates, each engaged to be married, respectively in January and March and now one fiance will plan a funeral instead of a wedding. The other will have to focus on helping her fiance recover.

[12:44:58] We're again waiting for some updates on the specifics of how this all ended pretty quickly after this day-long manhunt their in Americus, Georgia. Brianna?

KEILAR: Yeah, it's just awful. All right, Victor we know that you're following the developments for us. Thank you so much Victor Blackwell.

Two juveniles are under arrest for starting those deadly Tennessee wildfires. They're facing aggravated arson and possibly more charges. And they could be tried as adults, we're told. Authorities are not releasing their names, their ages or their genders.

The fires burned more than 17,000 acres and 2,400 structures, forced thousands of evacuations in and around Gatlinburg. Fourteen people were killed, 175 others were injured. Displaced residents and business owners are now being allowed to return to their homes and properties a week and a half after these fires started.

And you are looking at some live pictures of Donald Trump's plane at LaGuardia Airport. We are expecting the president-elect to leave for Ohio very soon. He is heading there to meet with victims and first responders of the Ohio State University attack before he heads on to Iowa to continue his so-called "Thank you tour."

And up next, she is a woman who happens to be a billionaire as well as a co-founder of World Wrestling Entertainment, WWE. And she just got a big job in the Trump administration.

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[12:50:17] KEILAR: Donald Trump calls her one of the country's top female executives. The president-elect has tapped a billionaire to lead the small business administration. Linda McMahon, the co-founder of World Wrestling Entertainment. She has never held office. But she spent as much as $100 million in her two bids for a Senate seat.

Let's bring in Cristina Alesci. Obviously, Donald Trump thinks that she is a good fit for the small business administration. What is your understanding here, Cristina?

CRISTINA ALESCI, CNN MONEY CORRESPONDENT: Well, according to his thinking, she built a family business of eight people into a global brand with 800 employees. So clearly she understands the challenges that small businesses are facing, and the small business administration.

Remember, what does it do? It helps finance. It helps small businesses get the financing they need. It's also a big advocate in Washington. So what we're likely going to see out of Linda McMahon is advocating against or fighting more regulation and possibly eliminating, which has been, you know, Donald Trump's rallying and cry, regulation, especially for small businesses, so all of that plays into it.

And let's not forget, you know, she is a long-standing friend of Donald Trump. Initially, she didn't support him. But then she ended up contributing $6 million to his Super PAC. So that definitely helped her get in line for this position.

KEILAR: Yeah, sure did. So of course she has her critics though, Cristina.

ALESCI: Yes, and they're definitely coming out, left-leaning nonprofit group said, you know, there were labor practices at WWE. So she's going to be vetted publicly about those. Also, she's another billionaire. How many more billionaires can we get in Donald Trump's cabinet at this point?

So the criticism is that maybe she doesn't have that connection to the average person. So all of these things are going to be, you know, out there in the open for reporters to dig on and the public to decide on.

KEILAR: Cristina, I'm sure this has struck you about how many warnings there were about the stock market collapsing before Donald Trump was elected. And now you see the Dow surging and setting records. How were the predictions so wrong? I mean we could ask that in many ways about this election.

ALESCI: So, what it really comes down to are the analysts really underestimated, how much the market didn't like uncertainty? The market didn't know who was going to be president. And now, that it has clarity that seems to be enough for investors to make a bet one way or another.

And really, that's at the crux of it. That's in the short term. Also investors are seeing a pretty orderly transition process. They're not freaked out by what's happening on these cabinet picks. That's also a positive for the market.

In addition, in the long-term, if you look at the rhetoric, if you listen to rhetoric, you know, we're talking about potentially lower taxes for companies, less regulation and a big focus on economic growth. All of those things together, both in the short-term and the long-term is really boosting stock prices. We're going to have to see how long that lasts because we're already on some indices at record highs, Brianna.

KEILAR: They're not freaked out. Cristina, always keeping it real for us. Cristina Alesci, thank you so much.

[12:53:36] And up next, a long farewell and some kind words for the long time foes as Harry Reid departs the Senate.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) KEILAR: All right, we're looking at live pictures here at LaGuardia Airport. This is Donald Trump's plane. Because he is shortly here going to be heading to Columbus, Ohio. He will be meeting with victims and first responders of that car and knife attack that we saw at Ohio State University just here recently. Then he'll be on to Iowa for another stop on his so-called "Thank you tour."

We're going to continue to follow this. We actually have been seeing some movement by the plane so perhaps he's heading out soon.

No, it is the end of an era and a remarkable run. Less than two hours ago, Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid gave his farewell address on the Senate floor. The Nevada Democrat who interestingly was also a former boxer retires after more than three decades in Congress, including 12 as his party's leader in the Senate. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky often butted heads with Reid on a weekly basis. But today both leaders played nice, kind of. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MITCH MCCONNELL, (R) MAJORITY LEADER: It's clear that Harry and I have two very different world views, two different ways of doing things and two different sets of legislative priorities. But through the years, we've come to understand some things about one another. And we've endeavor to keep our disagreements professional rather than personal. We've also found some common ground through baseball.

HARRY REID, (D) MINORITY LEADER: McConnell we don't need to be hugging out here every day. That is not what we do. We're advocates for a cause. I do the very best I can. He does the best he can. And he made that out just fine a few minutes ago.

So this is not a love session for Reid, McConnell. Although I want everyone to know here, Mitch McConnell is my friend.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: A reception to be held this evening for Reid. His portrait is going to be unveiled on Capitol Hill. He officially ends his career in the Senate this January when the next Congress comes in.

Thank you for watching NEWSROOM. Wolf starts right now.

[13:00:13] WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Hello. I'm Wolf Blitzer. It's 1:00 p.m. here in Washington, 8:00 p.m. in --