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Trump Says Sons Will Run His Company; Sources: Ceasefire & Evacuation Deal In Aleppo; Behind The Scenes Covering Trump Campaign; Ramsey's Father Speaks Out 20 Years After Her Death. Aired 12:30-1p ET

Aired December 13, 2016 - 12:30   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:30:19] BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN ANCHOR: President-elect Donald Trump is promising a news conference in the near future. Last night he tweeted that he'll discuss the business and -- his business, cabinet picks all other topics of interest.

And back with me now, A.B. Stoddard, the associate editor and columnist for RealClearPolitics, Matt Viser, national political reporter for the Boston Globe and CNN's political analyst, Josh Rogine, he is a columnist for the Washington Post.

OK. I want to read a couple of tweets, actually, that Donald Trump put out there today. He says, "Even though I am not mandated by law to do so, I will be leaving my businesses before January 20th so that I can focus full-time on the presidency. Two of my children, Don and Eric, plus executives, will manage them. No new deals will be done during my terms in office.

OK, let's take apart a couple of things here. But one, I mention of his two children, there's no mention of Ivanka, right, Matt?

MATT VISER, NATIONAL POLITICAL REPORTER, BOSTON GLOBE: Yes, and that's an interesting point. Where in the past he has mentioned her, you know, along with his sons. And perhaps an indication along with rumors of her and her husband Jared Kushner, looking for property in Washington D.C., to move here. So that seems to indicate that she will have a role within the administration, some sort of advisory role or her husband will, you know. And so he's trying to pass along the business conflict questions only to his sons.

KEILAR: There's hurdles to having them officially involved, A.B. that you pointed out in the commercial break that it's hard to enforce and obviously there's informal advisors all the time?

A.B. STODDARD, ASSOCIATE EDITOR & COLUMNIST REALCLEARPOLITICS: Right, I eman Ivanka's daughter and one of the people he's closest to an adviser for everything, they're going -- they are the last word. And you can talk to anyone around them. Jared Kushner and Ivanka are the last word on every decision and he doesn't really make a move without them, particularly his son-in-law. And so he -- they will be there all the time, and consulting with him throughout the day. And whether or not it becomes a formal role or not that's they're moving down here.

KEILAR: How is that different than things in the past where other, you know, sons of presidents, daughters of presidents, wives of presidents have advised them? I mean, I think of Hillary Clinton having very formal roles in Bill Clinton's White House.

JOSH ROGIN, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: I've never seen a daughter of a president meeting with a Japanese prime minister before any actual diplomats met with him, OK. This is beyond -- above and beyond, right. Jared Kushner has been well reported, has been taking meetings with a range of foreign officials, OK. He's heavily involved in the development of foreign policy even now, OK. This is before the Trump team had a secretary of state.

KEILAR: Meaning, you see his role as a special adviser in a way, right, a very coveted position. Is that how you would -- how would you describe him?

ROGIN: He is performing that role right now. That's exactly what he's doing. He's taking meetings. He's representing the president in issues domestic and foreign. That's going on. Now, how they work out the legalities of it is a different question.

Another question is, how do Ivanka and Jared Kushner deal with their own business conflicts? She's got extensive international holdings. So does he, right. If they -- the President-elect Trump is right, he is exempt from conflict of interest, technically, not ethically but legally. They are not. So if they -- even if they have an advisory role those are going to be a whole other set of conflicts of interests ...

KEILAR: We've learned that Donald Trump is only getting about one presidential daily briefing, an intelligence briefing, normally a daily thing. He's been getting about one a week. And the current president, President Obama, had something to say about this, because Donald Trump had responded, you know, I'm smart. I don't need to hear the same thing every day. Let me know if something changes. Here's what President Obama said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It doesn't matter how smart you are. You have to have the best information possible to make the best decisions possible. And my experience with our intelligence agencies is that they are not perfect. They'd be the first to acknowledge that. But they are full of extraordinarily hard-working, patriotic and knowledgeable experts. And if you are not getting their perspective, their detailed perspective, then you are flying blind.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: He seems concerned that his replacement is not informing himself enough?

STODDARD: Because Donald Trump admitted in an interview on Sunday that he's like a smart guy and he doesn't need to hear the same thing every day for eight years.

Now, even if it is the same thing, that's part of your brief, apparently, you know, there's a lot -- Barack Obama is not the favorite president either of the intelligence community. But they're all we have. And there's a lot of criticism right now about the intelligence community and what they did with WMD in Iraq and false pretenses going into the Iraq war. They're taking a lot of flak right now. But they are risking their lives around the world to provide us with information for which we mitigate threats against us.

[12:35:18] Donald Trump has passed this off to Pence, he said, he's not interested. But now we know he's meeting with Kanye. So it is something that is going to be once he's actually president, if things continue to remain dangerous, a criticism and he'll take if he is not informing himself with those PDBs.

ROGIN: Yes. I just think we have to look at this in the broader context of a president-elect who's actually at war with the U.S., intelligence community over the Russia interference, OK. He thinks it's been politicized. He thinks he's not getting real honest information. I don't think that's right but that's what he believes. That's also what the National Security Adviser, Mike Flynn believes, right. So what -- the optimistic, he was that after Trump installs his own people at the top of these intelligence agencies he'll have more confidence in the product.

KEILAR: But there aren't -- I mean just to be clear, there aren't that many people to install. I mean these are a lot of lifetime people which is I think is an important thing to point out.

ROGIN: But at least he'll feel better about it when his people are in charge of these agencies. And then maybe he'll start to listen to them more and believe them more. That's the optimistic view. The pessimistic view is that he's going to continue to get his information from conspiracy websites.

KEILAR: Josh, Matt, A.B., thank you so much to all three of you.

And still to come, reports of a cease-fire in Aleppo, this as we get disturbing new reports from within the besieged city, one U.N. official describes the scene as a complete meltdown of humanity. We'll bring you the latest from the ground there, next.

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KEILAR: We have breaking news from the war torn Syrian City of Aleppo. Sources there telling CNN that a cease-fire and evacuation agreement has just been reached, we're told residents have been receiving cell phone text messages from rebel leaders.

[12:40:06] This news comes amid grim reports of what's being happening there in just the past 24 hours as regime forces continue to sweep through rebel-held areas.

Now, CNN cannot independently confirm it. But the U.N. says it received reports that troops loyal to the government, to the Assad regime shot and killed 82 people Monday, including women and children. It says, Syrian troops or their allies have been entering homes in rebel-held parts of Aleppo and just shooting people on the spot.

We have no way of knowing what's become of this little girl, who's been begging the world to stop the carnage. She sent out this tweet early this morning. She said, "My name is Bona. I'm 7-years-old. I'm talking to the world now live from East Aleppo. This is my last moment to either live or die." And there have been other heart wrenching messages from those still left in her city.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: At least we know that -- we are a free people. We wanted a freedom. We didn't want anything else but freedom.

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KEILAR: All of this as the U.N. Security Council holds another meeting on Syria this very hour.

CNN's Fred Pleitgen is watching this from Beirut. And, Fred, what else do we know about this cease-fire?

FREDERICK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, we know this agreement was hammered out in the past couple of hours. And apparently according to the terms of this agreement what's going to happen is that within that small rebel enclave that was still left over there in Eastern Aleppo, which had been getting pounded over the past couple of days that both -- the fighters and civilians in that area will be evacuated. They're either going to go to the north of Aleppo, into the northern countryside, or to the west of Aleppo, the countryside there.

But all of them will be evacuated, as you mentioned, there were apparently text messages and phone calls sent around to people telling them about this agreement that had been reached. All of this usually happens with buses in that area. We're also hearing that the Syrian Arab Red Crescent is going to be monitoring the following through of this agreement.

Now, of course, all of this which is said to be set in motion in the next couple of hours, all of this will probably save a lot of lives on the ground there. Especially when you consider the amount of fire power that was raining down on that rebel enclave. But on the flip side of things, if nothing derails this agreement, Brianna, it will essentially mean that Aleppo will have fallen, because on the flip side of it, Syrian government forces are going to move in to those areas that will be evacuated. The Syrian government forces, pro- government forces will have full control of Aleppo. There will not be a rebel presence in Aleppo anymore. Brianna?

KEILAR: Fred, these reports the U.N. is getting of dozens of Syrians including women and children, basically atrocities of these people just being mowed down in their own homes, is the government responding to these reports? PLEITGEN: You know what, they haven't responded at all to these reports yet. And the U.N. was the one who flagged this up earlier today. And they say they've been getting these reports, that as many as 82 civilians had been killed by pro-government forces as they were sweeping through the districts that they captured from the opposition. They say that they got this information from people who had been credible in the past but at the same time they had no way of absolutely verifying whether this information was true. And said they hoped that it wasn't true.

So right now, with the chaotic situation there on the ground, with many civilians still fleeing that area, it's very difficult to really confirm whether or not all of it is true. But it certainly is a troubling situation on the ground there. It's something that concerns not just the United Nations but of course the U.S. as well. And we all set to keep in mind, Brianna, that there's a lot of different factions fighting on the side of the Syrian government including Hezbollah, including Iranians, Iraqi Shia militias and the Russians as well.

KEILAR: All right, we will keep that mind as we try to get more information. All right, Fred Pleitgen, thank you so much.

Still to come, it's been no secret that the president-elect relationship with the media has turbulent from jeers to threats. The challenge for journalist has been unprecedented.

[12:44:21] Up next, we hear a firsthand account of what it's like to cover Donald Trump.

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KEILAR: The president-elect is shaping his cabinet today with his pick for secretary of state, a nomination that will likely lead to a bit of a battle on Capitol Hill. But Donald Trump is no stranger to showdowns. Especially when it comes to the media which he's labeled as dishonest, disgusting, even calling out reporters by name. And things got even nastier behind the scenes towards the early part of his campaign.

CNN Political Analyst and Editor-in-chief of the "Daily Beast," John Avlon joining me now, you know this better than anyone. You wrote a piece about it for the first ever book from CNN Politics "Unprecedented: The Election That Changed Everything." Tell us about this moment, John, when one of your reporters towards the early part of the campaign was dealing with a close associate of Donald Trump's.

JOHN AVLON, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: It was a very revealing moment, Brianna. It was our reporter Tim Mack doing a story, sensitive nature, having to do with his divorce and allegations around that divorce from his first wife. And a reporter called up a senior -- the special counsel of the Trump organization Michael Cohen, who I know you're familiar with. And asked him questions, which made Mr. Cohen uncomfortable, and in response, his reaction instinctively apparently was to threaten the reporter, was to threaten to bankrupt him, was to threaten to sort of destroy his reputation, go after him personally, financially, and it was revealing in two respects.

First of all, this was apparently considered best operating procedure. Tone comes from the top of organizations. And this was apparently a way to deal with the free press.

And second of all, we published the threat which I think was something they were not used to. But I think it does speak to the fascinating sort of twisted relationship Donald Trump has with the press. He craves media attention unlike other politician. He's a creature of media attention. But at the same time he deeply resists any attempt to hold him accountable and will target individuals or news organizations by name. And it sets the stage for a contentious environment between the president and the press in which we need to do our duty to hold the president and people in power to account.

[12:50:13] KEILAR: Do you think that kind of thing, which you describe, and that was from some of the earlier days of the campaign, do you think that kind of thing is something you saw later in the campaign, or that you're seeing now or that we are going to see into this presidency?

AVLON: Well, I think, you know, there was a -- the infamous blacklist of news organizations which we were proudly part of and wore as a badge of honor but shared with organizations as wide ranging as the "Washington Post" and "National Review." That was rescinded. And there, I think there has been an attempt at a degree of greater transparency. But the word needs to be degree. The normal protocols that are in place to keep the press aware of a president-elect's actions, the normal transparencies which are part of the constitutional broader balance of power have been frequently discarded. There's not been a presidential press conference, as this traditional for a president-elect. That is notable. And I think that's a troubling sign.

Look, we've got to remember, and I think folks at home need to also appreciate that the constitution doesn't mention political parties, but it does mention journalists, it does mention freedom of the press. And this is an essential check on our power, structures in a democracy. And if that gets eroded even slowly, if concepts of truth themselves get degraded from the top, that's a dangerous structure that we exist to push back on as part of the overall arc of self- governance in a democracy, and it's an essential part of it.

KEILAR: Yes, John, thank you so much, really clarifying sort of one of the issues that we're going to see here in our role as the media moving forward, do appreciate that.

And a reminder that CNN's book, "Unprecedented: The Election That Changed Everything" is on sale now. You can order it at cnn.com/book.

Still to come, a case that captivated the nation now nearly 20 years after the mysterious death of 6-year-old JonBenet Ramsey, who did it, it's still a mystery. Up next, CNN talks to her father as he relives the tragedy.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [12:55:52] KEILAR: It is one of the greatest unsolved crimes in history, the murder of JonBenet Ramsey. And tonight at 9:00 eastern a CNN special report explores the theories, secrets and bombshells of the case. It has been nearly 20 years since the 6-year-old girl was found strangled to death in the basement of her home on December 26th, 1996. Who did it, remain as mystery.

Jean Casarez sat down with those closest to the investigation, including JonBenet's father.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It was noon, six hours had passed since Patsy Ramsey had called 911. Their little girl JonBenet was still missing.

Police combed the house trying to figure out how an intruder could have gotten in. One possibility, an open window in the basement, but that was dismissed quickly.

FRED PATTERSON, FMR DET., BOULDER POLICE DEPT.: The window well had cobwebs on it. You can't go through cobwebs without disturbing them.

CASAREZ: Officers examined the ransom note and tapped the phone.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The kidnapping note said, I'm going to call you between 8:00 and 10:00.

CASAREZ: As the deadline came and went, John Ramsey was pacing so police asked him to search the house for clues.

JOHN RAMSEY, FATHER: One of the detectives asked me and my friend who was there to go through every inch of the house, started in the basement. We have one room in the basement that there are no windows in that room. When I opened the door and when I turned the light on and I hoped that she was still OK, but I could tell that she probably wasn't.

CASAREZ: JonBenet's body was covered in a blanket.

Did you take duct tape off her mouth?

RAMSEY: I took the duct tape off immediately and then tried to untie her hands. But the knot was way too tight. I couldn't get it loose. I couldn't do anything but scream.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And John Ramsey carried his daughter rigid from rigor mortis up the stairs and set her body down on the floor.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: Jean Casarez joining me now. And I mean, this is just a riveting look back at this crime that I think still has so many people puzzled, and we know that people have grown up hearing this name. They maybe aren't familiar with basic facts of the story. What happened? CASAREZ: Well, it is just as you saw. It was a little girl. She was in kindergarten. It was a family from Atlanta that moved to Boulder because of John Ramsey's business that had grossed $1 billion that year. It was in the local newspaper. It was big news. And they had a wonderful Christmas day, and Christmas evening. And John Ramsey does not like to talk about this. But we went to him. He lives in a very remote community, very private now. Agreed to sit down one on one, and he takes me through how that the last time he saw her was when he put her to bed Christmas night. And then the next morning a scream from Patsy and it was that ransom note.

Now, as you know, it went on and all forces were looking at the parents. They became the prime suspects. Very controversial that they wouldn't sit down for a formal interview with police when their daughter was murdered until months afterwards, John Ramsey has another reason he believes that games were being played. And he was told, look, they want to convict you. They want to convict you. Get a defense attorney. The best you can find. And he and Patsy had to do that. And it goes on from there. So he relives it, he talks about finding her body. Things we had never heard before of what he found when he opened that cellar door, as he called it, in the basement.

KEILAR: And Jean, this is a reminder. I want to tell people that this is a special that airs tonight at 9:00 p.m. right here on CNN. We'll learn a lot more. We'll learn about some of the outstanding facts in the case. And Jean will be taking you through that. It's a great report.

Jean, thank you so much. And thank you for watching NEWSROOM. Wolf starts right now.

[13:00:12] WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Hello. I'm Wolf Blitzer. It's 1:00 p.m. here in Washington, 8:00 p.m. in Aleppo, Syria --