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Trump's Latest Twitter Rants; House Republicans Drop Plan To Gut
Ethics Panel; Trump Threatens Higher Tariffs in GM Trade Tweet; Ford
To Cancel Mexico Plant, Create 700 U.S. Jobs; U.K. Ambassador To E.U.
Resigns Before Brexit Talks; New French Law Lets Workers "Disconnect"
From E-Mail; Heartbreaking Image Shows Plight Of Rohingya Refugees;
Twin Saves Brother From Fallen Dresser. Aired 1-2a ET - Part 1>
[01:00:00] MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: You're watching CNN NEWSROOM live from Los Angeles. Ahead this hour, more arrests in Turkey, but the prime suspect in the New Year's nightclub attack still on the run.
Donald Trump takes to Twitter to question U.S.; lawmakers, intelligence officials, and an American carmaker all in one day.
And later, a tale of brotherly love; when a falling chest of drawers traps a toddler, incredible video. Hello, everyone. Thanks for your company. I'm Michael Holmes, and this is NEWSROOM L.A.
Turkey extending a state of emergency, another three months as police hunt for the nightclub attacker. 16 people have been detained so far for questioning; that includes two foreign nationals, arrested at the main airport in Istanbul on Tuesday. But authorities believe the shooter who killed 39 people in the New Year's attack is still on the loose. CNN's Ian Lee joining us now from Istanbul. The latest on this manhunt, they're still looking for him but the trail must be getting cold.
IAN LEE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right. It's been about four days now since that incident, that gun attack happened, Michael. They still haven't found him. They have -- they do have 16 people that they're interrogating, trying to find out if they know anything or had any role to play in this. That's one of the other things that police are looking at right now to see if he had any support. But we are learning a little bit more about his time -- the gunman's time before this attack, taking a taxi from a neighborhood on the outskirts of Istanbul to another one that was close to the club before carrying out this attack. These are little clues that they're trying to get to create a picture of how this took place and where he possibly could have gone next.
HOLMES: And now, Turkey has had a number of attacks on its soil, terror attacks. Give us some context about why that is so.
LEE: It's not just ISIS attacking Turkey, there's also Kurdish militants; predominantly the PKK who have been fighting Turkey. And this is something that Turkey has been trying to deal with for over a couple of years now. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
REVELERS: Three, two, one.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LEE: At least 39 killed revelers at a nightclub on New Year's Eve, just the latest deadly attack in Turkey. In 2016 alone, 45 people killed at Istanbul's Ataturk airport in June. No one has claimed responsibility, though, the Turkish government blames ISIS. An explosion at a wedding, in Gaziantep in August killed close to 50 people. Tourists targeted, the Russian Ambassador assassinated. Who are Turkey's enemies and why do they keep attacking?
SIMON WALDMAN, AUTHOR OF THE "NEW TURKEY" AND ITS DISCONTENTS: Turkey's borders are with that of Iraq and with Syria, both home to large Kurdish populations. And there's instability in both of those states which have allowed the rise of militant groups such as the Islamic States to really gain momentum and then attack Turkey in turn.
LEE: Kurdish separatists have long held Turkey in their sights. Their tactics, at times brutal. Twin bombings killed dozens at an Istanbul soccer stadium last month. Claimed by the Kurdish separatist group, TAC, an offshoot of the banned Kurdish Workers Party. The government responding carrying out regular and deadly attacks in Turkey's Kurdish region.
On Turkey's borders, the civil war in Syria has given Turkey another front to fight. ISIS, with its stronghold in Syria, claimed this latest nightclub attack, at a point when Turkey has immersed itself deeper in the Syrian question. Battling both ISIS and Kurdish fighters in northern Syria, and working closely with Russia to come up with a peace proposal. But this alignment between Turkey and Russia also leads to questions about where Turkey sees its relationship with the United States, which backs those same Kurdish fighters in Syria.
All of this, against the backdrop of Turkey's own internal political struggle. Last July's attempted coup and subsequent emergency measures not just resulted in thousands of civil servants and military personnel being detained.
WALDMAN: Where individuals who have had years of experience in dealing with terrorism are no longer there. Instead replaced by people who have less experience. And that is left quite frankly, a vacuum within Turkey's domestic security operations. [01:05:05] LEE: And led to claims that President Erdogan is essentially forming his own autocracy where opposition, political or otherwise, is not tolerated. But the government has been quick to push back at critics.
RECEP TAYYIP ERDOGAN, PRESIDENT OF TURKEY: Some are car bombs, others, suicide bombers. But many have been prevented.
LEE: A country seems to have enemies on many fronts. The question is, can it fight them all and win? (END VIDEOTAPE)
LEE: And Michael, we saw that heavy security presence of -- on the night of New Year's Eve just behind me in Taksim Square. They were searching people's bags, they were patting them down, looking for anything suspicious. So, Turkey does have this heavy security presence on the street. It just doesn't seem to be stopping all these attacks.
HOLMES: Yeah. Ian, thanks so much. Ian Lee there in Istanbul for us.
Donald Trump making news on Twitter, again. He was supposed to reveal information this week that, he says, only he knows about Russia's hacking into the U.S. election. Now, instead, Trump saying, quote, "The intelligence briefing on so-called Russian hacking was delayed until Friday. Perhaps, more time needed to build a case. Very strange." U.S. and intelligence officials, though, deny there is any delay in that briefing. They say, Trump hasn't been able to fit a meeting with top intelligence agency heads into his schedule.
Well, the President-elect also chiding lawmakers on Capitol Hill, tweeting this, "With all that Congress has to work on, do they really have to make the weakening of the independent ethics watchdog, as unfair as it may be, their number one act and priority. Focus on tax reform, health care, and so many other things of far greater importance." Well, not long after that, house republicans dropped, for now, their plan to gut the independent ethics panel.
The winds have changed, blowing on Capitol Hill, of course. New members of Congress sworn in on Tuesday. And the republican majority looking forward to Donald Trump's inauguration. CNN's Jeff Zeleny, reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you solemnly swear --
JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: The new republican order is taking shape tonight in Washington. For the first time in a decade, republicans set to control the House, Senate, and White House.
MITCH MCCONNELL, UNITED STATES REPUBLICAN SENATOR: We know that the coming days are going to require hard work and cooperation from both sides.
ZELENY: Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, becoming senate majority leader as the 115th congress opened for business. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, easily re-elected Speaker of the House.
PAUL RYAN, 54TH AND CURRENT SPEAKER OF THE UNITED STATES HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES: This old chamber might look the same, but in the hushed whispers; and the whirl of activity, you can feel the winds of change.
ZELENY: In just 17 days, Donald Trump will join them as President, completing the GOP's ascension to power. The optimistic applause echoing across the Capitol will soon give way to the challenges of governing; with republicans facing the burden of delivering on the change voters demanded. For making good on their pledge to repeal and replace Obamacare to passing tax reform and easing government regulation. Republicans are crafting a bold agenda. Speaker Ryan, called it a once in a lifetime opportunity.
RYAN: The people have given us unified government. And it wasn't because they were feeling generous. It was because they want results. How could we live with ourselves if we let them down?
ZELENY: Out of power, democrats say they will find common ground when they agree, and hold their ground when they do not. In the house, republicans now have a majority of 241 to 194. Yet in the Senate, republicans still need democrats. With republicans holding 52 seats and democrats 48. Most pieces of legislation need 60 votes to pass.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When you lose an election like this, you can't flinch. You can't blink. You have to look it right in the eye; analyze it, learn from it.
ZELENY: The Trump cabinet will be one early test. Secretary of State nominee; Rex Tillerson, and Defense Secretary nominee, retired General James Mattis. Visiting Capitol Hill today, preparing for their confirmation hearings. In a day of pomp and pageantry, the new congress came with one old touch. Vice-President Joe Biden, in his formal role presiding over the Senate, swearing in one final class of senators. It's one of his last official acts after 44 years, in Washington.
JOE BIDEN, VICE-PRESIDEN OF THE UNITE STATES OF AMERICA: Anyone else want to sworn in?
ZELENY: Vice President-elect, Mike Pence, coming to the capital on Wednesday to work with republicans over how and when to repeal Obamacare. President Obama, also set to be at the Capitol on Wednesday, trying to urge democrats to hold fast on that key piece of his legacy and others. This is all coming some 16 days before Donald Trump is set to take office.
[01:10:01] Hillary Clinton and Bill Clinton will also be at the inauguration on January 20th. The first time the two rivals will come face-to-face since their bitter election, last year. Jeff Zeleny, CNN, Capitol Hill.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: And joining me here in Los Angeles, Ron Brownstein, CNN's Senior Political Analyst and the Senior Editor for the Atlantic. Good to see you, Ron. Here we go again with Twitter. And basically, the President-elect almost doing policy via 140 characters. Is that a concern to, you know, the GOP, as much as anyone? I mean, what do you make of it?
RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST AND THE SENIOR EDITOR FOR THE ATLANTIC: I think -- I think it's a concern to a lot of different institutions but he has found it to be an effective way. Not only to reach his voters, but also to drive the media. I mean, it is -- I mean, not to get too meta, but the point of the tweets maybe, that we are here talking about the tweets. And he has found it to be a very effective way to kind of drive the daily narrative, the daily story.
You know, and the assumption has been that a lot of this is just kind of casually tossed off. But it does, in many cases, there are themes that he returns to, and it seem to have policy -- we don't have policy yet. But seem to point toward policy implications, for example, his confrontations with American Auto companies about moving production to Mexico, in particular. So, it is, I think, clearly a feature -- going to be a feature of his Presidency. Now, when you get to foreign policy and you're, kind of, interacting with the world in 140 characters, that may be a much dicer proposition.
HOLMES: It's risky, and the one that leaps to mind was the one about North Korea. And the Intercontinental Ballistic Missile that could reach the U.S., blah blah blah. He ends up saying that won't happen.
BROWNSTEIN: Yeah.
HOLMES: There was -- there was confusion about that. What did he mean? And there is a tweet there and that last words -- three words that caused confusion. South Korea thought -- took it as a warning.
BROWNSTEIN: In North Korea.
HOLMES: Others said, well, he actually means that technically they won't get there. That's the danger, isn't it?
BROWNSTEIN: Absolutely.
HOLMES: You tweet, you cause confusion on important things.
BROWNSTEIN: Ordinarily, any word that comes out of the President's mouth, particularly on foreign policy, has been through an exhaustive process. A deputy's committee, principles a committee where the message is massaged, and honed, and the new ones is, you know, tried to be balanced. It's not clear what is the process for Donald Trump's tweeting. There was one, you know, celebrated tweet about China where he misspelled the word "unprecedented". Which gave you the impression that not a lot of other eyes had read that tweet before it went out to the world. So, there's -- there as I think a lot of, kind of, confusion about what exactly is the kind of the road before any of these thoughts are, kind of, loosed on the world.
HOLMES: I wanted to ask you about the one, too, about the intelligence community and we can put that up too. Which -- and the thing -- there's a couple of things that are striking about this; and the first thing is, the intelligence briefing. Now, it's "intelligence briefing", and as you pointed out as well, so-called Russian hacking. You know, what sort of impact does his continued skepticism about the Intelligence Community that he will be leading, if you like, when he's President. What sort of impact does that skepticism's having? It must be creating a lot of -- BROWNSTEIN: Well, the first point is, it is clear by now that he will resist to the bitter, bitter, bitter end -- the conclusion that Russia was behind the hacks that roiled the 2016 election. I think he sees it as a threat both in a retrospective and a prospective sense. Retrospectively, see -- he views it, as undermining the validity of his election, and kind of, besmirching, you know, the magnitude of his victory. And in a prospective sense, he clearly wants to pursue a very different relationship with Vladimir Putin than most of the American Political System supports. Even in the Republican Party, and he views these kinds of allegations as an obstacle toward heading in that direction. But on the narrow front, it is putting him in an unprecedented -- to use his word -- position of kind of systemic conflict with the Intelligence Community before he took office.
HOLMES: Who in theory are apolitical. They're there to help him. They're not a political outfit. So, he's damaging their credibility in the eyes of the public, is he not?
BROWNSTEIN: He is.
HOLMES: Or in the eyes of his support.
BROWNSTEIN: He is. And, I think in the eyes of the public. And I think that he is also setting up a concern among intelligence professionals that in essence, only intelligence that fits either his policy agenda or his up read elections will be accepted. This is a very volatile, unpredictable relationship. It is really hard to say how it's going to play out.
HOLMES: And when it came to the ethics office, what did -- what did you make of his role in that? Because I think it's important, depending on how you read his tweet when it came to that, he didn't say that taking them down was a bad thing. He basically said -- and he says "it's unfair as it is". But, he did --
[01:14:57] BROWNSTEIN: Did say not to do it, not to do it now. Look, I think a lot of republicans in congress have been hoping. And I know Paul Ryan, who is biting his lip throughout the campaign, was basically, that the main role of Donald Trump as President would be to sign the legislation that they pass. It's pretty clear that's not how Donald Trump views their relationship. That he views it as one where he is going to be heavily engaged in setting the agenda and kind of driving them toward his themes rather than the other way around. And whatever else, you know, even though he did not expressly condemn what they did. It was interpreted that way and seemed to have an effect.
HOLMES: And got a result. One or the other, of course, major issues throughout campaign and will be going forward, is the Supreme Court. There is a vacancy there. There could be other vacancies in the next four years. How do you see that playing out?
BROWNSTEIN: Well, look. I mean, the republicans maintain the vacancy by refusing even to hold a hearing on President Obama's nominee, basically for the last year of his Presidency. A pretty unprecedented move. The question now, is how far in the same direction do democrats go? It's important to understand that when democrats in the last -- the last time they had the majority ended the filibuster for appointments. They did so with one exception, Supreme Court nominees. You still need 60 votes to pass a supreme -- to confirm a Supreme Court nominee, which means eight democrats will have to vote for whoever President Trump -- President-elect Trump nominates.
Chuck Schumer tonight, on another network kind of suggested they would hold that to a very high standard, and might in fact, be willing to keep the seat open for a sustained period of time. The challenge he has, and maybe one of the most important numbers to remember in general as congress returns, 10 democratic senators in 2018, will be running in states that voted for Donald Trump. And can he hold on those -- and can Chuck Schumer hold them on issues like this is going to determine how a lot of different questions play out.
HOLMES: In theory, then, if the democrats wanted to play the way the republicans did --
BROWNSTEIN: They could -- they could block it. They could block it. You could block it for four years. And, you know, we are in a period where all of the, kind of, Geneva conventions of American politics; one by one, are being dismantled. The refusal to hold even a hearing on Merrick Garland.
You know, Elizabeth Warren is a senator only because when President Obama nominated her for a job in the new Consumer Finance Protection Board, the republicans filibustered not because of an objection to her, but because they objected to the underlying law and said they were not going to confirm anyone at all for the job. So, when they blocked her, she ran for the Senate. That's just another way. All of the rules that are kind of bounded the competition of American politics one by one are falling. So yes, it would be striking if democrats did something like it. It would be kind of, out of character to have that level of cohesion. But it is not inconceivable.
HOLMES: Extraordinary times. Ron, great to you here. Thanks so much.
BROWNSTEIN: Thanks for having me.
HOLMES: Ron Brownstein. Well, Donald Trump also criticized as Ron pointed out there, automakers. The largest U.S. automaker, in fact. Coming up, what the President-elect is threatening to do to General Motors.
Also, France giving workers the right to disconnect from work e-mails after hours. Wouldn't that be nice? How that new law could impact the upcoming election there. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[01:20:00] DON RIDDELL, CNN WORLD SPORT HOST: Hey, I'm Don Riddell with your CNN WORLD SPORT headlines. Arsenal staged a remarkable second-half comeback to draw 3-3 (INAUDIBLE) in an absolute thriller on the south coast of England in the Premier League. The gunners looked out for the count at 3-0 down, but Alexis Sanchez gave them some hope by scoring with 20 minutes to play. Five minutes later, a brilliant finish from Lucas Perez set up a frantic finale with Bournemouth down to 10 men, Olivier Giroud headed in a late equalizer.
On Wednesday, Chelsea will take their 13-game winning streak across London to play Spurs at White Hart Lane where Tottenham are unbeaten this season. Spurs don't just want to close the gap on the Blues at the top of the table, but they hope to avenge November's 2-1 defeat. And they won't forget last season's ill-tempered clashes at Stamford bridge, in May when Chelsea ended Tottenham's hopes of winning the league.
Now, you may remember the story of the Chelsea fans when the Parish Metro almost two years ago, they were on their way to see Chelsea play Paris Saint-Germain in the Champion's League. When a group of supporters repeatedly pushed a black commuter off the train. The incident was filmed, and the footage formed the basis of a criminal trial, which was completed on Tuesday. Four men were convicted of racist violence and given suspended prison sentences. Only two were in court. Two were tried in absentia. All have denied that their actions were racist. That is a quick look at your sports headlines. I'm Don Riddell.
HOLMES: Welcome back, everyone. Donald Trump is threatening to slap a big tariff on an American automaker for its decision to build one of its models in Mexico. The President-elect tweeted, yes, Twitter again, quote, "General Motors is sending Mexican made model of Chevy Cruze to U.S. car dealers tax free across the border. Make in USA, or pay big border tax." But here's the thing, General Motors says, Mr. Trump is wrong. The company says they make the Sedan version of the Cruze at its plant in Ohio. Only the hatchback version is made in Mexico, and that is mainly for international markets.
Meanwhile, Ford Motor Company has scrapped plans to build a plant in Mexico and will invest $700 million in the U.S., instead. CNN's Poppy Harlow spoke to Ford's CEO who says he was in no way influenced by incentives from Donald Trump.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
POPPY HARLOW, CNN NEWSROOM ANCHOR AND REPORTER: In a stunning about- face, Ford today, scrapping plans to build a $1.6-Billion small car plant in Mexico.
Are you cancelling the plans to build this huge plant in Mexico because of the President-elect?
MARK FIELDS, CEO OF FORD MOTOR COMPANY: We do what's right for our business. This makes sense for our business. And we look at all factors, including what we view as a more positive U.S. manufacturing business environment under President-elect Trump. And it's literally a vote of confidence, around some of the pro-growth policies that he has been outlining.
HARLOW: That plant was going to mean 2800 new jobs in Mexico. Now, Ford says it's creating 700 new jobs here at home, instead. FIELDS: This business decision was done independently. But we did speak to the President -- the President-elect and the Vice President- elect this morning.
HARLOW: Did he say he's going to stop with the tweets and the attacks against Ford?
FIELDS: No, I don't think we got into that level. He was just very appreciative for the announcements that we're making.
HARLOW: But there's little doubt Trump's persistent threat of a 35 percent tariff on cars made in Mexico and sold in the U.S. made that plant a lot less attractive. Why not as many jobs here, as you're going to create in Mexico?
FIELDS: Well, first off, we have to understand the reason we are cancelling our plant in Mexico. The main reason is because we're seeing a decline in demand for small vehicles here in North America.
HARLOW: This is a trend we've seen. The President-elect calls out carrier. He gets jobs to stay here. He calls out Boeing. He gets a cheaper Air Force One. He calls out Lockheed Martin, and they say we're going to work with you. There is a concern among some, Mark, that this is in essence a form of Crony Capitalism that is dangerous to American democracy. That the President can cut deals with companies and then they expect favors from the administration in return.
FIELDS: Well, first off, we didn't cut a deal with the President- elect. We did what's right for our business.
[01:24:56] HARLOW: You said on CNN, this fall, one of the things you'd like to see from the administration is as they review fuel economy standards. What about the concern from some who might look at this and say, is this Crony Capitalism? They might get more favorable regulation on fuel economy standards, because they're bringing jobs home? To those critics, you say?
FIELDS: To those critics, we say, first off, as a company we are very dedicated to improving our fuel economy. But we just want it to be a fact-based discussion. And we want to make sure that we preserve vehicle affordability, customer choice, and American jobs.
HARLOW: Trump and Ford, have quite a history. For more than a year, Trump has repeatedly slammed the company.
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT-ELECT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Ford is leaving. You see, that their small car division leaving. Thousands of jobs leaving Michigan, leaving Ohio.
They think they're going to get away with this. And they fire all their employees in the United States, they move to Mexico.
HARLOW: Ford's CEO shot back in this exclusive CNN interview. Will Ford cut any U.S. jobs as a result of this move? One? Any single one? FIELDS: Absolutely not. Zero.
HARLOW: In October, Chairman Bill Ford called Trump's attacks, "infuriating."
BILL FORD, CHAIRMAN OF FORD MOTOR COMPANY: He knows the facts. So, you know, and but who knows what the campaign trail is all about?
HARLOW: This morning, the President-elect took on G.M. Tweeting, "General Motors is sending Mexican made model of Chevy Cruze to U.S. car dealers, tax-free across border. Make in USA or pay big border tax."
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: And our, thanks to Poppy Harlow for that report. And I'm joined now by Eric Schiffer. He is the CEO of Reputation Management Consultants and The Patriarch Group. Good to have you here, Eric.
ERIC SCHIFFER, CEO OF REPUTATION MANAGEMENT CONSULTANTS AND THE PATRIARCH GROUP: Thank you.
HOLMES: I mean, first of all, we're talking about a $1.6 billion plant that they were all going ahead on. Now, they're not. Do you see politics or economics?
SCHIFFER: I see fear. I mean, think that these CEOs, especially Ford, they're scared. They don't want to have the attack. These are not people that are used to this kind of thing. They're not used to this type of discourse. They don't want this kind of fight. They don't want the negative press. So, I think that they are -- they're deflecting, they're tempted to ingratiate themselves. And I think you're going see a lot of it. I think Donald Trump will be doing this sector by sector. Wouldn't surprise me.
HOLMES: And do you think that, you know, do you think a series of Donald Trump tweets, if he went after Ford, if he decided to make them a Twitter campaign, would that stop people buying Ford cars? Would it have an impact on the company's bottom line? SCHIFFER: It depends what level he goes at. It depends what conspiracies may come out of all of this. It depends the level of, I think, the intensity of the attack. But, I don't think it will even go that far because I don't think they're going to want investors to be concerned. And so, I just think that they're going to want to get away from it, deflect it any way they can.
HOLMES: So, you think it could impact the decisions made in boardrooms. I mean, because companies are meant to be there for the investors. And it cost -- as Poppy was saying, it's 40 percent cheaper to make those cars in Mexico. When does the politics or the fear of being eviscerated by the President-elect weigh up against the cost benefit of building a plant in Mexico? Is it going to impact decision-making?
SCHIFFIER: Well, look, I think it's a systems-type of a thinking equation. So, you have to look at the totality, you've got to look at over the next four years and potentially eight years, what's the implication if you begin to take him on? And there are a lot of different possibilities that could come. You don't know. And certainly, look G.M. needed a bailout. So, you certainly don't want to put yourself in a position where you don't have any options. And I think they're going to consider all of those implications. I don't think it will be just a linear, one-shot view.
