Trump Meets with The New York Times; 100,000 Passengers Impacted By Lufthansa Strike
ISHA SESAY, CNN ANCHOR: You're watching CNN NEWSROOM live from Los Angeles. Ahead this hour, it was campaign promise that really got supporters fired up. But now Donald Trump is backing away from his pledge to lock up Hillary Clinton. Also ahead, protests after Japan and South Korea strike a deal of their militaries, the first such agreement since World War II. And later, case closed. The FBI makes its decision in a child abuse case against Brad Pitt. Hello and thank you for joining us. I'm Isha Sesay. This is NEWSROOM L.A. U.S. President-elect Donald Trump hasn't held a news conference since his victory. He is talking to The New York Times. And CNN's Jim Acosta reports he is moderating some of his more controversial campaign positions.</s>JIM ACOSTA, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Today, Donald Trump met face-to-face with one of his favorite targets, The New York Times. And the newspaper's reporters were live tweeting the highlights. To all of his supporters calling for Hillary Clinton to be jailed over her e-mails in the Clinton Foundation, Trump hinted he is leaning against pushing for any sort of prosecution, saying it would be very, very divisive for the country. It's a reversal for Trump who shattered presidential campaign norms by threatening to imprison his opponent repeatedly.</s>DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT-ELECT OF THE UNITED STATES: I am going to instruct my attorney general to get a special prosecutor to look into your situation. Because there has never been so many lies, so much deception.</s>ACOSTA: On his Chief Strategist, Steve Bannon, who has been accused of showcasing racist views on his Breitbart News site. Trump said, "It's very hard on Bannon. I think he's having a hard time with it because it's not him." And Trump even moderated his stance on global warming, which he once called a hoax, telling The Times, "I think there is some connectivity between humans and climate change." With his inauguration getting closer, the president-elect has no shortage of flames to put out. From a new revelation in The Washington Post that the Trump Foundation admitted to the IRS, it was engaged in self- dealing and illegally misusing charitable donations to the mounting conflicts posed by his business affairs overseas. Trump told the Times, "In theory, I could run my business perfectly, and then run the country perfectly. There has never been a case like this."</s>MICHAEL FLYNN, RETIRED U.S. ARMY LIEUTENANT GENERAL: We are facing another ism, just like we faced Nazism.</s>ACOSTA: And there are new questions about Michael Flynn who is tapped to be Trump's national security adviser, after the retired general's comments on Islamism last August.</s>FLYNN: This is Islamism. And it is a -- it is a vicious cancer inside the body of 1.7 billion people on this planet. And it has to be excised.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Dr. Carson, Dr. Carson --</s>ACOSTA: Trump also met with rival turned supporter Ben Carson and tweeted, he is seriously considering the doctor to run housing and urban development, even though a Carson adviser just last week said, "Dr. Carson doesn't think he's qualified to run a federal agency." Trump has mostly tried to bypass the media since his election, revealing his upcoming agenda in this transition produced video.</s>TRUMP: My agenda will be based on a simple core principle, putting America first.</s>ACOSTA: A top supporter's message to the press, "Get used to it."</s>LAURA INGRAHAM, RADIO TALK SHOW HOST: But now Donald Trump is going to, you know, make his own way with the press. And he is probably going to do a lot of those videos, I would imagine.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sure.</s>INGRAHAM: Words straight to the American people. Go around the press.</s>ACOSTA: CNN has learned Mitt Romney is seriously considering the possibility of joining Donald Trump's administration as Secretary of State. A source familiar with transition discussion says, it's likely the 2012 republican nominee will be consulting with his family over the weekend. That source tells CNN a decision is not expected until next week. Jim Acosta, CNN, New York.</s>SESAY: Well, joining me now here in L.A. are Matthew Littman, a democratic strategist and a former senior adviser to Barack Obama in his campaign, and CNN political commentator, Lanhee Chen, former public policy director for Mitt Romney. Good to have you both with me again for round two. And Lanhee, as that report from Jim Acosta ended on the note of your old boss, Mitt Romney, let me pick up there and ask if you were a betting man, would you say he'd take the position?</s>LANHEE CHEN, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATO: I -- you know, I think it's tough to say, honestly, there are a lot of different factors--</s>SESAY: Oh, don't hedge your bet.</s>CHEN: Look, you know, I think -- I think -- look, there are -- there are a lot of different factors involved here. And obviously, Governor Romney cares deeply about the country. He always has cared deeply about the country. When Donald Trump asked for his advice and council after being elected president-elect, he provided that to him. So we'll have to see what happens. I've said this a lot. I mean, I really think that Romney would be terrific in any number of positions, senior positions in the U.S. government. I voted for Governor Romney again this year. In fact, that's how qualified I think he is. So, I'd be delighted if he were in any senior role.</s>MATTHEW LITTMAN, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: I think Mitt Romney would also be good in a lot of positions in government, regardless of whether democrat was -- our president was a republican or a democrat.</s>LITTMAN: I just -- I just --</s>SESAY: It didn't happen.</s>LITTMAN: But I just have a hard time believing that Romney could take this job and have to deal with Trump sending out these tweets, and then Romney having to apologize to people around the world. I just think that Romney should think better of it and should not be Secretary of State. If I were Romney, I wouldn't do the job.</s>SESAY: Speaking of the issue of consistency, which is really what you're getting at there, you know, as you were saying, Matt, you know, you just don't necessarily know which Donald Trump you may get. Let's talk about his walking back on this whole campaign promise of prosecuting Hillary Clinton. Let's put up the tweet. Because it came from The New York Times, from the meeting he had with them on Tuesday. And this is what one of their journalists put out. Trump is pressed if he has definitively ruled out prosecuting Hillary Clinton. He said, "This is just not something that I feel very strongly about." Matt, are you surprised?</s>LITTMAN: I'm not surprised because nothing about Donald Trump at this point is surprising. The fact that he changes his positions, I don't think he knows what his positions are from one day to the next. Anyway, but what he did was, he riled up his supporters. He riled up these people who would yell "Lock her up." all the time, got them to vote for him and is walking it back immediately. Couple of things; one, Trump doesn't decide who gets prosecuted. Number two, the FBI said that Hillary didn't do anything that they can prosecute her for, so they're not going to. So, there's nothing here anyway. So, what Trump was telling his people during the campaign about "lock her up" was never going to happen. This is basically an admission of</s>SESAY: All right. Listen to -- Lanhee, listen to what Kellyanne Conway, Trump's campaign manager had to say as she spoke to one of the morning shows on Tuesday.</s>KELLYANN CONWAY, SENIOR TRUMP ADVISER: I think when the president- elect, who is also the head of your party now, Joe, tells you before he is even inaugurated, he doesn't wish to pursue these charges, it sends a very strong message, tone and content to the members. Look, I think he is thinking of many different things as he prepares to become the President of the United States. And things that sound like the campaign aren't among them.</s>SESAY: All right. So, Lanhee, Kellyanne Conway saying that, he is sending a message to the GOP congress, drop it. It's over. I'm good with it. Will they?</s>CHEN: Well, first of all, I think that's the right message to be sending. So, I'm glad that he sent that message. I'm glad that Kellyanne sent that -- sent that message. I do think republicans in congress want to focus instead on this first 100-day agenda. I mean, it is a very ambitious agenda. They're talking about doing a lot of things, some of it through executive action. But most of it is going to require congress to act, you know, if they're going to do anything about the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, they're going to need congress to act. If they want to do anything at all with tax policy, tax reform, it's going have to go through the congress. So, my guess is, that republicans in congress, and they're going to take their lead from Paul Ryan. And I can tell you that Paul Ryan would much rather be focusing on the substance than on a potential investigation into Hillary Clinton.</s>LITTMAN: Yeah. No, I agree with that. Donald Trump has a very difficult agenda to get through quickly, including building that wall, right, on the Mexican-American border? That's going to be very tough to do.</s>SESAY: Was not mentioned in that transition video.</s>LITTMAN: He's also got -- he said he is going to defeat ISIS very quickly. That's going to be very tough to do, within the first 100 days or the first six months. You know, when Barack Obama came in, he fulfilled, actually, a lot of the promises that he made. The one thing that didn't work out was, he said he was the candidate of hope and change. And within a very few months after he got into office, people started to say, "Where is that hope and change he promised?" Donald Trump has to be careful of the same thing because he promised that things are going to happen very fast. And if those jobs don't start -- manufacturing jobs don't start coming back, those coal jobs don't start coming back very quickly within those first few months, people are going to start to wonder.</s>SESAY: But is that why he's loaded his 100 days with tasks that require executive action so he can get a couple of easy wins?</s>LITTMAN: He can get those easy wins, that's true, but those aren't what he promised people, and people know that what he promised -- and I think people are going to look within those first few months -- within the first six months and they're going to start to say, "Where are those jobs. you promised us those jobs. You promised that you would defeat ISIS." He said he would do it fast. And that's what they're going to be looking for.</s>CHEN: You know, it is traditionally the case in the U.S. presidency, when the new president takes office, that first 100 days is so critical because they do get a little bit of a pass from congress. They do get a little bit of honeymoon period. And that's really when things have to get gone. Things become exponentially more difficult after that period is over. So, for Donald Trump, I do think it is going to be crucial for him to get things done. I do think also, though, Donald Trump is a master brander.</s>LITTMAN: Right.</s>CHEN: Regardless of what happens, he is going to be able to say, even if the Affordable Care Act is not fully repealed, he'll say, "We repealed it. We did a great job." Now, we're going to have "Trumpcare" and it's going to be fantastic.</s>LITTMAN: I actually agree, right.</s>CHEN: And he's very skilful with that.</s>SESAY: Well, as he heads to the Oval Office, you know, there are clouds over it, as we're all aware. Amongst them the things that played out in Washington, D.C. on Saturday involving the Alt- Right Movement. Ugly scenes from this group, effectively, a group of racists and bigots. Let's remind our viewers of some of what we saw on Saturday that has many people questioning Donald Trump and how he's using his voice at a time like this.</s>RICHARD SPENCER, ALT-RIGHT MOVEMENT LEADER: Hail Trump! Hail our people. Hail victory!</s>SESAY: Nazi salutes, horrific language being used at that gathering. Matt Littman, why didn't President-elect Trump come out and immediately condemn this?</s>LITTMAN: Is it hail, H-E-I-L or H-A-I-L?</s>SESAY: I don't think you're focusing on the right thing.</s>LITTMAN: No, I do wonder because you're talking about people who often are in support of the Nazis, some of these people. And in the case of Trump, you've got a lot of people. I'm not saying all of his support, you know, is from racists. But there is definitely a segment of the Trump support that this white national movement. And Trump has really not forcefully disavowed this movement. He just says things like, "I disavow, or I don't want them to support me." But he has used their support to get to where he is now, when he is not forcefully disavowed these people.</s>SESAY: Lanhee, the president-elect told The New York Times that the Alt-Right is not a group I want to energize. And if they're energized, I want to look into it and find out why. And that's according to a tweet that was put out by The New York Times' Maggie Haberman. Now, the southern poverty -- the Southern Law Poverty Center kind of just saying that is disingenuous, the whole thing of I don't know why they're energized. Let's put up the statement that they actually put out after Donald Trump's comments at the New York Times. Is that, "The reason he's energized the "alt-right" is simple: He's been playing its tune from the day he announced his campaign and called Mexican immigrants rapist. His proposal to ban Muslim immigration, his talk of mass deportations, his attacks on political correctness, it's all been music to the ears of a movement that envisions a white America. And that's exactly the America that the "alt-right" wants to see." So here is my question to you. He comes out, he says, "This is not a group I want to recognize. I condemn everything that they stand for." But he continues his language of talking of Muslims in ways that is troubling to people, at least through the campaign. He continues to say, you know -- he continues to support the attacks on political correctness. It's kind of conflicting messages, is it not?</s>CHEN: I think that you can never be forceful enough in denouncing the kind of hatred that was expressed in that meeting. And I think that as president-elect now, it is his responsibility to rise above whatever campaign rhetoric, some of it clearly problematic. Some of it clearly, maybe even more than problematic, you know, the statements about the judge, the Mexican-American judge, for example, were very troubling to me personally. I think that you can never denounce those folks enough. I think he needs to continue doing that. But I think if you look at what they're starting to do now and talking about what a President Trump would actually do, he has begun to come off of some of these more extreme positions from the campaign trail. And I actually think that's probably a good thing, in terms of bringing the country together. So I would hope that as they pursue policy, they do pursue a more reasonable pathway, while at the same time denouncing this sort of stuff, like we saw over the weekend.</s>LITTMAN: Could I ask? What are those positions where he has become more reasonable?</s>CHEN: Well, I think, for example, on immigration, they've talked about enforcing existing laws a lot more. They've talked about executive actions that would --</s>SESAY: But it was</s>CHEN: Yeah, I mean, I think we have to be careful to distinguish the language that the president-elect himself is using from those that he may be considering for post. He can't control everything Kris Kobach says.</s>LITTMAN: Banning Muslims and banning people from countries that have terrorism, basically support terrorism, those are still on his agenda. So, I don't think he has moderated that very much.</s>CHEN: Well, now -- well, to be fair, I think that some -- again, some who he's considering have continued to support a Muslim ban. He has talked about needing to look at immigration from countries that are known harbors -- known safe harbors for terrorists. I think that's a little different.</s>LITTMAN: Let me -- OK. Well -- but on his website, that Muslim ban still exists.</s>CHEN: Well, I -- you know, I think that's one of those things that they have to --</s>LITTMAN: So he hasn't moderated it? So when we're saying he has moderated his views, what views has he moderated?</s>CHEN: Well, again, I think he is certainly on issues like Obamacare, for example, he has basically said, look, I think there are elements upon it that we should -- we should keep.</s>LITTMAN: This goes to your point about messaging.</s>CHEN: With respect to -- but with respect to the issue at hand, which is the racial tension that clearly exists in many quarters in the United States. Again, I think he does need to be forceful. He does need to continue to do those things. But at least, early on, the signs I do think, are promising with respect to issue likes immigration.</s>SESAY: Final words to you, Matt</s>LITTMAN: You're saying two different things, though. You're saying that he needs to continue to do these things and be forceful. The things he's -- if he continues to do them, he is not being forceful. He needs to be forceful.</s>CHEN: No, no. I mean, he needs -- he needs to continue to moderate some of this stuff and also be forceful in denouncing this kind of speech.</s>SESAY: Boy, though we must leave it, Matt Littman. We should leave you to dream of a democratic presidency. Lanhee Chen, thank you so much.</s>CHEN: Thank you.</s>LITTMAN: Thank you.</s>SESAY: Thanks to both of you. All right. Next on NEWSROOM L.A., new deal between South Korea and Japan is sparking protests. Why the two countries have agreed to something they haven't tried since World War II. Plus, ahead of the holiday season, the U.S. warns Americans about the threat of terrorism both at home and in Europe.</s>PAUL CRUICKSHANK, CNN TERRORISM ANALYST: ISIS has one message for its followers in the west, and one message only. Kill as many people as you can. It sees truck attacks as was carried out in Nice as a very practical way of doing this.