Trump Makes Pitch for Besieged Secretary of State Pick; Ceasefire & Evacuation Plan Falling Apart in Aleppo.
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENT-ELECT OF THE UNITED STATES: We're in the process of putting together one of the great cabinets.</s>REP. PAUL RYAN (R-WI), SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: I want to thank Donald Trump for helping Wisconsin put a Republican back in the White House.</s>TRUMP: Speaker Paul Ryan. Honestly, he's like a fine wine.</s>SEN. RAND PAUL (R), KENTUCKY: I have an open mind.</s>TRUMP: Rex is friendly with many of the leaders in the world that we don't get along with. And some people don't like that.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The secretary of state has to fight for things like a free press, human rights, democracy that frankly aren't always at the top of the list for an international oil and gas company.</s>TRUMP: People are looking at his resume. And honestly, they've never seen a resume like this before.</s>ANNOUNCER: This is NEW DAY with Chris Cuomo and Alisyn Camerota.</s>ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, everyone. Welcome to your NEW DAY. It is Wednesday, December 14, 6 a.m. in the east. Up first, the Trump victory tour rolls on into Wisconsin. The president-elect praises his former adversary, Paul Ryan, comparing the House speaker to a fine wine.</s>CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: Trump also defending his pick for the all- important State Department, in Rex Tillerson. A man whose biggest strengths to Trump are his biggest weaknesses to many in Congress. And what happened to loyalty? Trump said it was his first consideration, but many loyalists have been frozen out. Why? Just 37 days until the inauguration. Let's get going with Sunlen Serfaty in Washington -- Sunlen.</s>SUNLEN SERFATY: Good morning to you, Chris. Well, there really has been a firestorm of criticism from Democrats and those within Donald Trump's own party, slamming his pick for secretary of state. So the president-elect is now responding by using these campaign-style rallies to push publicly for his nominee, bracing for the battle ahead.</s>TRUMP: A great diplomat, a strong man, a tough man.</s>SERFATY (voice-over): In Wisconsin, Donald Trump defending his choice for secretary of state, Rex Tillerson.</s>TRUMP: Rex will be a fierce advocate for America's interests around the world.</s>SERFATY: Trump talking up the Exxon CEO after facing backlash from both sides of the aisle over Tillerson's ties to Russia, especially now in the wake of the CIA's finding that Moscow meddled in the election.</s>TRUMP: Rex is friendly with many of the leaders in the world that we don't get along with. And some people don't like that. They don't want him to be friendly.</s>SERFATY: The president-elect now filling most major positions for his administration.</s>TRUMP: I believe we're in the process of putting together one of the great cabinets. Certainly a cabinet with the highest I.Q..</s>SERFATY: Trump tapping freshman Republican Congressman Ryan Zinke as interior secretary and one-time rival former Texas governor Rick Perry for energy secretary. Perry now set to run the Energy Department after trying to suggest eliminating it altogether but forgetting to name the department during this 2011 presidential debate.</s>RICK PERRY (R), FORMER GOVERNOR OF TEXAS: The third agency of government I would do away with the Education -- the Commerce -- and let's see. I can't. The third one, I can't. Sorry. Oops.</s>SERFATY: If confirmed, the top four picks of Trump's administration will be led by white males, a first for any administration since 1989. As sources say some Trump loyalists are expressing frustration over being shut out after supporting Trump's campaign from its early days. But the president-elect giving conditional praise to his one-time antagonist House Speaker Paul Ryan during their first joint appearance.</s>TRUMP: He's like a fine wine. Every day goes by, I get to appreciate his genius more and more. Now, if he ever goes against me, I'm not going to say that, OK?</s>SERFATY: The relationship warming up since Trump's victory.</s>RYAN: I want to thank Donald Trump. I want to thank Mike Pence for helping Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, the Midwest finally see the light of day and put a Republican back in the White House.</s>SERFATY: Trump, though, continuing to attack the media.</s>TRUMP: You know, they're very dishonest people.</s>SERFATY: But happy to pose for cameras when meeting briefly with rapper Kanye West at Trump Tower in New York City.</s>KANYE WEST, HIP-HOP STAR: I just want to take a picture right now.</s>SERFATY: And today, there will be another interesting round of meetings at Trump Tower. The president-elect is convening a big meeting with executives from the tech industry like Tim Cook, Cheryl Sandburg, Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos, who Chris and Alisyn, you'll remember was very notably outspoken about Trump during the campaign.</s>CAMEROTA: OK, Sunlen. Thanks so much for all that. We want to bring in our panel now. We have CNN political analyst and Washington bureau chief for "The Daily Beast," Jackie Kucinich; CNN contributor and "Washington Examiner" reporter Salena Zito; and CNN senior political analyst and senior editor for "The Atlantic," Ron Brownstein. Great to have all of you here this morning. So Jackie, let's talk a little bit more about Rex Tillerson, since there are, you know, obviously, conflicting impressions and opinions of him. Donald Trump supporters, I think, and he, feel isn't it better to have someone who has dealt with Vladimir Putin, who knows Vladimir Putin rather than a novelist who doesn't know how to approach this guy? I mean, they have a point about that.</s>JACKIE KUCINICH, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: So yes, and that's what you're going to be -- that's what he's going to be saying during his confirmation hearing. That's what you're going to hear echoed throughout the campaign and people who do like Rex Tillerson. But this is bigger than him. This is about Russia. This is about the signal that a pick like Rex Tillerson, someone who has a friendly relationship with Vladimir Putin, sends to the world, sends to the United States' allies. So that's what he's going to be struggling against, during these confirmation hearings that there is no indication will not be both contentious and probably excellent television.</s>CUOMO: Well, Salena, Trump is putting Tillerson in a box because of his reluctance to accept what everyone in the intelligence community knows is fact, which is that Russia was involved with the hacking during the election. He's ignoring that, because it offends his sense of legitimacy in his victory. That's what seems clear from the response of him and his team. But that's putting Tillerson in a box, because now it's making his Russian connection -- has big, bright lights around it. Right? Because on the face of it, as Alisyn says, being someone who has succeeded, working with a man that the United States has been frustrated by, objectively, good thing. But now in this new context, of the suspicion about Russia and the protection of it by Trump and the people around him, puts Tillerson in a box.</s>SALENA ZITO, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Right. And I think that's reinforced by people that are opposed to Trump or haven't quite accepted the election yet. They keep doubling down on the Russian connection. And so, I mean, I think that is what these hearings are for. This is where you'll see more things come out, and he'll be able to define the relationship that he has with Russia. You know, he hasn't spoken about it at all. And so there's all this...</s>CUOMO: Rex Tillerson you're talking about.</s>ZITO: Right. Rex Tillerson has not spoken about it at all.</s>CUOMO: He did say, "I would never have accepted a friendship award from Putin directly." Right? They put out that comment.</s>ZITO: Right. Right.</s>CUOMO: Trying to play a little separation.</s>CAMEROTA: Didn't he accept it?</s>CUOMO: He's saying it isn't from Putin directly. "I didn't take a friend award from Putin. I took it from the country." And a lot of other Americans had. It's not a signal of distinction.</s>KUCINICH: A friendship with Russia?</s>CUOMO: It's not half a heart on Rex and the other half on Vladimir's hairy chest.</s>ZITO: But I think a lot of people want to see something happen with Russia. They don't want to see us form this friendly alliance but maybe part of Obama's foreign relations. They felt there has been this unease and this inability to communicate. And maybe this is something better because people look at it and say right now it's not really great.</s>CAMEROTA: Ron, let me read for you what Senator Marco Rubio has said about this, which may portend a difficult confirmation: "While Rex Tillerson is a respected businessman, I have serious concerns abo his nomination. The next secretary of state much be someone who views the world with moral clarity, is free of potential conflicts of interest and has a clear sense of America's interests and will be a forceful advocate for America's foreign policy goals to the president, within the administration, and on the world stage." How do you think this is going to go, Ron?</s>RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: No, I think this is a very revealing and consequential choice in a couple of different respects. You know, a lot of the domestic policy appointments that President-elect Trump has made could have been made by any Republican. Many of the cabinet officers are people that other Republicans might have picked. Rex Tillerson is someone that is unimaginable, I think, that any of the other Republican presidential candidates would have picked. And it reflects, I think, the reality that Donald Trump's foreign views of America's interaction with the world, apart for traditional Republican thinking, much more than his domestic agenda where he is going to be, kind of pursuing small government, less taxes, less regulation. All the things that made Paul Ryan reconsider his views of him. So, I think -- I think Tillerson is the embodiment of the way Trump is a challenge and a rejection of many of the things that more traditional foreign policy thinkers in the Senate believe. And you know, Donald Trump has very little margin for error. The Republicans only have 52 seats. Marco Rubio, Lindsey Graham and John McCain have all expressed serious reservations about the nomination. They all hold true to that. That's it. Rex Tillerson is not the secretary of state. And in that way, the fact that Trump went ahead with the nomination after those expressions and reservation I think is the second way in which this is very significant. Because it is really a gauntlet that he's thrown down, and I think the results of this kind of collision will reverberate far beyond this one nomination.</s>CUOMO: Then how do you explain Rick Perry? If it's that Donald Trump is trying to show that he'll pick people, you know, this is real great distinction and all Republicans would really respect these people. Why Rick Perry? Not only did he have that gaffe that was really more than a gaffe. OK, the reason he couldn't remember the Department of Energy is because he was just throwing it out there. You know, when you have conviction about something, you don't forget the name of what you're talking about.</s>CAMEROTA: Well...</s>CUOMO: So to put a guy who said he'd get rid of the department in there, assuming he could have remembered, and he ran down Donald Trump. Donald Trump dismissed him as a fool, and now he puts him in charge of an agency.</s>ZITO: Well, I mean, it's part of what people like about Trump in that he's willing to step out, you know, he changes his mind. If anybody has ever read his book, "Art of the Deal" -- I know everybody read Obama's books when he ran -- I mean, it's right in there. He says, you know, "I'll change my mind. If there's something in there that convinces me that someone is different or better."</s>CUOMO: What about Rick Perry do we not know?</s>ZITO: Well, I mean, Rick Perry is incredibly popular. He was a very popular governor, despite his gaffe. He's a very smart, nimble politician. He has great relationships not only in Texas, but also within Washington. And he's conservative. And you know, Trump is putting together a cabinet that conservatives like. Alongside with the change that people have been looking for. So, you know, I think he's actually doing an interesting mix, and it's very reflective of what people want from him. Something different and something non-predictable.</s>CAMEROTA: OK, panel, stick around. We'll talk much more. But we do want to follow some breaking news right now from Syria where new shelling is quickly erasing a supposed cease-fire and evacuation plan in Aleppo. Regime forces are lodging fresh assaults and causing many civilian injuries. So let's bring in CNN senior international correspondent Frederik. He's live from Beirut. Fred, what's the latest?</s>FRED PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Alisyn. Yes, what was supposed to happen this morning was that the rebel forces there were supposed to evacuate the area, and then the government forces were going to move in and take over all of Aleppo. Instead, what we're seeing there appears to be full-on war once again, with activists saying that they've been hit by many artillery shells. Also, the Syrian government saying that mortars were being lobbed the other way. But again, this cease-fire was supposed to end all of the fighting in Aleppo. Here's how it came about.</s>PLEITGEN (voice-over): After years of holding out against Syrian government forces and months trying to fight off a massive final assault, the last remaining rebels and civilians are set to leave Aleppo, allegedly guaranteed safe passage in return for full government control of this ancient city. The past weeks have been among the most brutal in the five-year civil war as pro-Assad forces kept taking chunks of territory away from the opposition, tens of thousands of civilians fled. A mass exodus under fire that I witnessed firsthand. (on camera) There is a massive, almost avalanche of people trying to make it to safety. As you can see, there's people who are carrying their children but also a lot of children left to make the trek themselves. It's so difficult for many of them. And of course, they've been under siege for such a very long time. Aleppo is among the oldest cities in the world. Syria's cultural center and was the country's economic powerhouse. A melting pot of cultures with a pre-war population of more than 2 million people. The thriving cosmopolitan city was a source of pride for Syria. It was also one of the first places where the rebels managed to hold any territory in the face of a government crackdown. After years of fighting, what is left in many places is complete destruction. Whole neighborhoods flattened, including most of the ancient old city. The rebels retreat from Aleppo won't end Syria's civil war. Opposition fighters still hold large parts of the country, and ISIS is advancing in others. But the opposition's defeat would mark a major victory for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his Russian backers, cementing their grip on what's left on this war-torn nation.</s>PLEITGEN: And, Alisyn, this recent cease-fire agreement that was supposed to take place was actually brokered by the Turks and the Russians. And officials from those two countries are saying they're trying to get it back on track. But, of course, as the fighting there continues, it's going to become more difficult by the minute to try and silence those guns that have become active there, again.</s>CAMEROTA: But Fred, help us understand this. Who is not abiding by the cease-fire?</s>PLEITGEN: Well, it seems like it's various factions on both sides. You know, we keep talking about this Syrian civil war as being a Syrian government against rebels, but there's many different factions fighting on each side. On the side of the government, you have Shiite militias from Lebanon, from Iraq. You also, of course, have the Russians themselves. You have Iranians fighting there, getting all of those to latch onto this is very, very difficult. And then, of course, there's various rebel factions, as well. All of them need to be onboard, and it just takes one group to try and destroy this process, and then you have full-on fighting, again. And that appears to be what's going on right now. We certainly are hearing from diplomatic circles that they say they believe it's certain groups within this very volatile mix that don't want the cease-fire to work out, Alisyn.</s>CAMEROTA: OK, Fred, thanks so much for all OF the reporting. We'll check back with you. All right. So as the cabinet comes together we just started talking a little bit about former Texas governor Rick Perry. He's been tapped to head up the Energy Department, an agency he once infamously tried to promise to abolish. He couldn't remember it during the debate. But he said, "Yes, I want to get rid of it." Why is Trump picking a big oil ally who once referred to him as a cancer on conservativism? We're going to get answers next on NEW DAY.