, secretary of state. while the finalists had seemed to be mitt romney and rudy giuliani, in no particular order, retired general david petraeus had something of a job interview at trump tower today and said this on his way out. how did the meeting go, sir? >> the meeting went very well. i was with him for about an hour. he basically walked us around the world, showed a great grasp of a variety of the challenges that are out there and some of the opportunities as well. so very good conversation and we'll see where it goes from here. >> did he offer you a job? >> i have to teach this afternoon, so that's all i can do today. >> remembering that a retired four-star could be considered for a number of open jobs, petraeus, if he's in the running for secretary of state, joins a list that also now includes tennessee republican senator bob corker. trump, for his part, said again on twitter, after today's meeting, that he was, quote, very impressed with general dave petraeus. and about this transition process and how it's all playing out thus far, newt gingrich told the wall street journ

one of his chief rivals, mitt romney. mitt romney arrived moments ago. this is happening at trump's weekend home in bedminster, new jersey, where this and several other meetings will take place today. >>> president-elect trump and vice president mike pence got there about an hour ago. >>> let's bring in nbc's kelly o'donnell there in bedminster, new jersey, where this meeting is getting under way. how likely is it a cabinet announcement will materialize from this meeting? >> reporter: well, we don't expect that it's going to go that far. this is a chance for mitt romney, who was an outspoken critic of donald trump during this campaign and had previously expected donald trump's endorsement when romney was himself the gop nominee back in 2012. this was a chance to try to put behind them some of the rancor of the campaign. romney was a critic, and certainly donald trump used some very sharp language against romney, repeatedly during the campaign season. that chapter is behind them. and so we just watched a couple minutes ago vehicle pulled up, governor romney got out, and then we saw b

dinner with reince priebus and mitt romney. what's on the menu? donald trump gets what appears to be a big win, a deal with carrier that will keep nearly 1,000 factory jobs in indiana. and the dinner was wrapped. it's at the trump international hotel. listen to what a gracious romney had to say. >> i had a wonderful evening with president elect trump. we had another discussion about affairs throughout the world, and these discussions i've had with him have been enlightening and interesting, and engaging. i've enjoyed them very, very much. i was also very impressed by the remarks he made on his victory night. by the way, it's not easy winning. i know that myself. he did something i tried to do, and was unsuccessful in accomplishing. he won the general election, and he continues with a message of inclusion of bringing people together, and his vision to something which obviously is connected with the american people in a very powerful way. >> and we asked whether romney will be his secretary of state. the answer? quote, well, we're going to see what happens. there's a lot to get to. >>

"outfront" starts right now. >> "outfront" next breaking news, donald trump and mitt romney about to sit down dpar highly anticipated dinner. will romney be america's next top diplomat. and trump's twitter tired claiming wide spread voter fraud. >>> and the tennessee's deadly wild fires. we're live at the scene. let's go "outfront." good evening everyone. i'm kate baldwin. out front tonight. breaking news. donald trump and mitt romney. who gets the nod remains open. but tonight's dinner, their second meeting in the last two weeks should go a long way to answering that question, we think. also breaking one official telling cnn trump is tapping his campaign finance chairman, form form former goldman sachs partner. and trump turned to former secretary of labor elaine choi to be his secretary of transportation. >> it is still the most high profile cabinet post, that of secretary of state, which tonight is still very much on open question. tonight donald trump is taking major steps to fill out his cabinet. >> we want to be in a position where in the first hundred days we can execute the econo

romney will meet with president-elect donald trump this weekend about secretary of state. donald trump says he is serious. what do we make of all of this? >> donald trump is watching the coverage of the transition. i do not think he likes the way certain things have slowed. he wants a wow cabinet and i think mitt romney would take the job. it would have a lot of people rethink what donald trump is about. mitt romney would be seen as qualified and because he was the staunchest of critics, or it would allow donald trump to say, politics is over. i am building the best government i can. democrats who praised mitt romney would have to say, bravo, donald trump. >> people have been waiting for his cabinet and i could not be more thrilled. at some point, somebody is [indiscernible] mitt romney would be a brilliant higher. as a ceo, i surrounded myself with more measured people. rudy giuliani, newt gingrich -- it is more donald trump. for him to reach across the aisle to the non-trumpers, it would be fantastic. >> it would be a governing pick, not a crony. it would not be picking somebod

for being with us. >> romney most likely choice at-this-point. and senate foreign relations bob corker still in mix for position he met with mr. trump today, ask called it an honor. >> secretary of state, role is so important. to a president, he needs to choose someone who is comfortable with, he knows there is no daylight between them and him, world needs to know that secretary of state is someone who speaks fully for the president. and that is a decision he will have to make again. lou: more contendors, initial favorite for post, former new york mayor rudy guliani, he sent more time today with donald trump, here to talk about trump's expanding cabinet. also joining me tonight, former reagan white house placal director ed rollins. ready to crackdown on sanctuary cities from day one. we have a lot to cover here tonight. including worsening crisis of radical islamist in america, islamic state is now claims responsibility for yesterday's attack at ohio state, where a somali refugee ran pedestrian down with a car, then stabbed others with a knife, speaker paul ryan and republican l

of this weekend's meeting with mitt romney that so many people are focused on. it appears to be a signal for some people who are not comfortable with donald trump of some of his rhetorics. >> i was just talking to somebody. this is from somebody from romney's world. they believe this is a courtesy more than anything else. it did not come from the romney camp. this is considered more of a gesture than anything else. we'll have to find out how serious the trump's team is with this. but, having the two men and potentially having a picture of them together is going to do a lot to mend the wounds of the republican party, much of the same way of having a picture of donald trump as sitting next to president obama in the oval office was a way to try to mend wounds with the country and move forward and give the support that the president elect trump is going to need to be successful because ultimately if he's successful, americans are successful, that's what you are getting from a lot of folks who are trying to put aside of their differences to have patriotism above all and romney is someb

. >>> tonight donald trump has a very public dinner date with mitt romney here in new york city. is a decision on secretary of state coming soon? >>> while we wait on that, we did bet nget new cabinet appoins today, and it has some asking about that swamp drainage project trump has promised. >>> and stripped citizenship for burning the american flag. a new promise by trump that goes against the constitution. "the 11th hour" begins now. >>> good evening once again from our new york headquarters. so much to talk about, so little time, beginning with a night out here in new york this evening at a fancy french restaurant not far from here inside one of trump's branded buildings here in new york city tonight. donald trump sat down to dinner with mitt romney. trump brought a wing man, his chief of staff reince priebus. no word is where romney now stands in the overall selection process for secretary of state. after the meal, mitt romney spoke with reporters, and before you can think it, we'll go ahead and say it, things sure have changed. >> like old times. i had a wonderful evening with pr

following several fast moving developments. donald trump is meeting right now with mitt romney who is reportedly under consideration for secretary of state, one of several people donald trump is meeting with today. kelly o'donnell is live in bedminster, new jersey. let's talk about the latest you're learning about the meeting and what's happening between president-elect trump and mitt romney today. >> reporter: so far no official comment. what we can tell you is mitt romney arrived a little over an hour ago. he was greeted by president-elect donald trump and mike pence, the vp-elect. they're inside the clubhouse in donald trump's frequent weekend home here in new jersey. we harder the vehicle that governor romney arrived in, the motor was turned. that indicates to us that perhaps the meeting is reaching its end and we'll see governor romney soon. so far no staff have provided us with any insight about what happened inside the room. we hope to get that later. the significance of this meeting cannot be overlooked. these are two men who have both held the nomination of their party to be

trump and governor mitt romney right now wrapping up a dinner that is causing heart burn for millions of trump supporters. welcome to "the kelly file." i'm megyn kelly. we got pictures of the president-elect having dinner with mitt romney and reince priebus. they're eating at a hotel in manhattan. the romney meeting may be the most controversial yet for the president-elect on a day when he allowanced e chain khou as his pick for transportation secretary and stephen mu chin. that has folks asking if donald trump is betraying the folks that elected him since these are not the outsiders that trump promised. ms. chao is married to mitch mcconnell. former house speaker newt gingrich with join us on this. he is not happy with the romney sitdown but first peter doocy is live. >> reporter: the president-elect picked a place just a few blocks away from here for his big dinner with mitt romney. it's the french restaurant john georges which is inside another trump property and which has three michigan stars which is just about as fancy a restaurant there is in new york city or anywhere on planet

a legal right, they do it. >> do you think romney could be a loyal secretary of state for donald trump? >> open dissent over mitt romney as u.s. secretary of state. >> we don't even know if mitt romney voted for donald trump. cnn "newsroom" starts now. >> hello, again, thanks for joining me. president-elect donald trump will return to new york city this afternoon and he's gearing up for meetings tomorrow with these potential candidates for his administration. it's the back and forth over who he will pick for secretary of state that has put the infighting within the trump team on full display. this morning on state of the union, senior adviser kellyanne conway was critical of mitt romney as a top contender. >> it's breath taking in scope and intensity the type of messages i received from all over the country and i'm just me, i'm not donald trump. just as his former campaign manager, the number of people who feel betrayed to think that a governor romney would get the most prominent cabinet post after he went so far out of his way to hurt donald trump, there was the never trump move

. president-elect trump and former republican presidential candidate mitt romney are meeting at trump's bedminister golf club. one topic will likely be the secretary of state position in trump's cabinet. >>> meanwhile, gop spokesman sean spicer is hinting we could hear a new cabinet appointment today. >> reporter: yesterday the focus was between the announcements and the landing teams arriving at the various agencies with national security. it is very possible that you will see an additional announcement today of an appointment in that same area. and in the president-elect's schedule, we may have an announcement this that area. -- in that area. >> both trump and pence will be locked in "nonstop meetings" this weekend as they continue to build the president-elect's cabinet. cnn's phil mattingly is following the story and joins me live from bedminister, new jersey. phil, it seems that trump really took the additional first step in trying to patch up their relationship. >> yeah, no question about it. one holding the meeting at all, and what's interesting about it is throughout the course o

, and of course i'm looking for the endorsement of the people of nevada. mark: that was mitt romney in 2012 accepting the endorsement of one donald j. trump. we talked about donald trump's planned tete-a-tete with mitt romney. the meeting is on. several sources say this is not for show and will be a serious discussion about a possible cabinet position, secretary of state most mentioned. so far, the reaction to the prospect of mitt romney as secretary of state has been met with very favorable views, including capitol hill, though one source said this meeting is in fact just for show. i'm not sure where it stands, but as i said, the reactions have been positive, so what is your gut on whether this is real and whether he might end up with the job? donny: someone very high up told me it was very real. they were very excited about it. we talked about this yesterday. this would be such a tremendous gesture, put so many people at ease. the godzilla factor keeps going up. some very scary figures. a guy like romney, his biggest deficit was his calm. it would give a lot of people pause, comfort,

taking donald trump as a threat to decency, mitt romney, the same mitt romney who called trump a con man and trump called a choke artist. that mitt romney. the big question is, is he apparently now being considered for secretary of state. is he interested. in a moment, what trump adviser kelly ann conway has to say about that and a string of other developments today. but first, phil mattingly with the latest. you've been talking about trump sources and republicans outside the trump circle. how real is this potential alliance between the president-elect and mitt romney? >> yeah, anderson, that exact question is the exact question some iteration of it at least from top mitt romney allies. the reality of what we know is this. they will meet. mark preston broke the story. this is a very important meeting for one primary reason. it sends a signal. i think that more than anything else is what republicans outside the trump orbit are taking from this. obviously mitt romney never came around to donald trump and didn't mince words about the fact. the fact that donald trump would be willing to

between president-elect trump and one of his fiercest critics, mitt romney, has just wrapped up. the two appearing moments ago at trump's golf club in bedminister, new jersey. their meeting the first of the day. we're told one top take that may have been up for discussion, the job of secretary of state. our phil mattingly is live in bedminister where the meeting just wrapped up. look, there's been no love lost between the two of these. donald trump has called mitt romney a choke artist. mitt romney has said that donald trump is a phony and a fraud. but the two men met today. what did they say. >> yeah, we're a long way from that. apparently what we saw is what you pointed out. foreign policy is a crucial component of what mitt romney wants to talk about, and it is exactly what they spoke about. what does that mean for perhaps a future cabinet position? that is untold. as they walked out together after an hour and 20-minute meeting, donald trump cupped his hands in front. his face, said it went great. mitt romney said this -- >> we had a -- a far-reaching conversation with regards to the

it comes down to consideration of mitt romney -- well, before you laugh, let me -- >> open warfare? go ahead, chris. >> let me make my case, then you can make fun of me, particularly in the consideration of mitt romney and rudy giuliani. let me put this on the screen. transition official kellyanne conway tweeted this on thanksgiving: receiving deluge about romney. some warn about romney as secretary of state. >> there is only one way that mitt romney can be considered for a post like that and that is that he repudiates everything he said in that famous salt lake city speech. >> mr. priebus, does mr. trump public about people he's choosing? is that the white house you're going to run and that romney must apologize to get the job? >> let me cap this up for you. there are a lot of opinions as far as this topic and many other cabinet positions, but i think what president-elect trump has said is that, as he said the entire campaign, he's going to hire the best people possible. he's going through this process, romney, he's talked to the mayor, he's talked to others like general kelly. he

minute but let's talk about the news that crossed about mitt romney of all people who has never minced his words on the president-elect. they are meeting this weekend. >> reporter: that's right, brooke. great reporting from my colleague mark preston who according to his source, a senior republican source says they are meeting this weekend. mitt romney and donald trump in one room together. we know they will discuss governing moving forward and here's the headline that they will be discussing the possibility of romney potentially serving in donald trump's cap in the. no specifics about what role they are potentially discussing but certainly notable as you said given the fact that mitt romney throughout the duration of the campaign was one of the chief critics of donald trump but i think it's one more sign that the trump transition team and donald trump himself is at least open to hearing voices of opposition, at least within the transition period and potentially broader throughout his administration. as you said here at trump tower it's been a hotbed of activity. we saw rudy giul

mitt romney, and it becomes amid reports that romney is being tapped for secretary of state. and kelly o'donnell is there. how should we be read into trump's meeting with mitt romney today? >> reporter: from talking with various aides, i think the starting point is this is an opportunity for the president-elect to try and heal things with former rival, a former critic, and one of the most prominent members of the republican party to speak out against donald trump, so it's a way to try and fix that situation and come together. i am also told it's about a chance to talk about ideas, and whether or not it kind of extends to a cabinet level job, and that could be too soon to tell and it may also be something that is not knowable until they have this meeting and a chance to sit down and talk. but it gives you an idea of how the president-elect is spending his weekend. there's a lot to do. not only holding meetings with romney but other picks for the cabinet and working with his senior staff to go over the plans for the new administration, and there's just a little over 60 days to go.

don lemon. president-elect trump has dinner tonight with mitt romney and reince priebus, but is a job offer on the menu? or will romney be left with nothing but a doggy bag? this as donald trump gets what appears to be a big win, a deal with carrier that will keep nearly a thousand factory jobs in indiana. and just moments ago, donald trump and mitt romney wrapped up their dinner at new york's jean george restaurant. listen to what a gracious romney had to say. >> i had a wonderful evening with president-elect trump. we have another discussion about affairs throughout the world and these discussions i've had with him have been enlightening and interesting and engaging. i've enjoyed them very, very much. i was also very impressed by the remarks he made on his victory night. by the way, it's not easy winning. i know that myself. he did something i try to do and was unsuccessful in accomplishing, he won the general election. and he continues with a message of inclusion and bringing people together and his vision is something which obviously connected with the american people in a very po

. that's next. begins into the 11th hour with brian williams next. >>> on sunday, mitt romney who once called trump a phony and a fraud will meet with the president-elect president-elect. on the agenda, a big job opening, secretary of state. one job offer has reportedly been made. retired army general mike flynn for national security advisor. that pick has already created controversy "the 11th hour" begins now. >>> good evening from our headquarters in new york. we begin tonight with reports from inside trump tower that mitt romney is under consideration for secretary of state. he is due to meet with the president-elect at trump tow they are weekend. the associated press is reporting tonight that trump has offered the national security advisor job to general mike flynn, retired lieutenant general, u.s. army. the visitors continue to come in and out of trump tower all day today, though not all of them through the public lobby. some, like florida governor rick scott and south carolina's governor nikki haley came and went by private elevator directly to the penthouse residence. one big na

include mitt romney, who earlier this year called trump a phony. >> the president-elect is also taking to twitter to defend his decision to settle three lawsuits against trump university for $25 million. i'm going to start with cnn's jessica schneider who is standing by in bridgewater, new jersey, near where president-elect trump is holding the transition meetings today. jessica, good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning, victor. you know that meeting between mitt romney and president-elect donald trump a highly anticipated meeting. it will happen later this afternoon at the trump national golf club, just a few miles from here in bedminister, new jersey. these men have had quite a contentious relationship, their war of words reaching a crescendo during the primary season when mitt romney stood on a stage for 20 minutes and blasted donald trump as a fake and a phony. all eyes will be on their meeting this afternoon. on the docket this afternoon, could it be that they could work on mending fences or coit also be that they're discussing the secretary of state slot. mitt romney has expre

he had been taken away. >> mike pompeo, jeff sessions, mike flynn, where does mitt romney fit in? mitt romney's views and history with these guys. >> his views are quite frankly very much at odds. he called russia the greatest geopolitical foe and ridiculed at the time for saying that. donald trump has taken a much different approach to russia. these two men, trump called romney a choker. romney has not had kind things to say about donald trump. donald trump made fun of romney's level of wealth which does not reach that of donald trump's. >> we haven't seen donald trump's taxes. but let's remind you, president-elect trump, we'd love to see them. on the campaign trail, talking about mitt romney. >> here's what i know. donald trump is a phony. a fraud. his promises as worthless as from trump university. he's playing the members of the american public for suckers. he gets a free ride to the white house and all we get is a lousy hat. >> mitt romney supremely wealthy guy not just at odds with donald trump but the three men we just mentioned, also has opposing political views. why woul

president-elect trump is having dinner with mitt romney. the same mitt romney who did his best to derail trump's bid for the presidency is now a contender for the cabinet position of secretary of state. it is their second meeting. reince priebus, trump's incoming chief of staff, is dining with them. our jim acosta booked a table in the same restaurant and joins us now by known. what's the scene there like, jim? >> anderson, what we can see right now is the president-elect sitting at a table with mitt romney, who i suppose he's interviewing for secretary of state right now, along with outgoing chair reince priebus. who's going to become white house chief of staff. it's been a warm and friendly discussion, pretty engaging discussion for the last 20 minutes or so since they arrived at this restaurant. inside the trump international hotel. right near columbus circle in fact, just across from our studios at cnn. and from what we can tell so far trump sort of started out the conversation, talked for a good five minutes or so, and then mitt romney chimed right no. right now i can tell you both

mitt romney, to be his secretary of state, but some trump advisers, including newt gingrich are vigorously pushing back. >> i just think the challenge with governor romney is not just what he said about trump. he was trump's most vicious and most explicit opponent through the campaign on the republican side, and you have to list out all the things he said and think, gee, is this guy going to be loyal? governor romney wanted to be president, not secretary of state, and you have to ask the question when he goes overseas is he going to be the secretary of state for president trump or be mitt romney's own secretary of state? charles: we'll be talking about the trump transition team's dynamics and what's next. steve cortes joins us, and we'll be talking as well about the challenges the new president will face in less than two months. iran's leadership threatening america. vladimir putin raising the threat level of his military, and the russian enclave of colin grad. and our top story tonight, trump filling out cabinet, making two additional choices including nikki haley as u.s. ambas

trump today, rudy giuliani and robert johnson. >> there was one name, the meeting with mitt romney yesterday. >> they called each other almost every name in the book during the primary season. it was brutal. but now as trump looks for a secretary of state, perhaps they're finding common ground. cnn's phil mattingly has more. >> reporter: hey, victor and alis alisyn, there was one clear meeting on saturday. that was the meeting with mitt romney. wasn't so long that con man, choke artist, all sorts of insults flying back and forth on the campaign trail. not anymore. for 1:20 mitt romney sat down with president-elect trump and michael pence discussing primarily foreign policy. raising the question is there a potential position in a trump administration for mitt romney. we haven't gotten any comment on that. this is how mitt romney described their conversation. >> we had a far-reaching conversation with regards to the various theaters in the world where there are interests of the united states of real significance. we discussed those areas and exchanged our views on those topics. very

campaign, but today, president-elect donald trump and mitt romney shook hands in a meeting that may have included talk about the job of secretary of state. to say that trump and romney have held and had a rocky relationship is putting it mildly. romney called trump a con man, a phony, and a fraud who would bring trickle down racism to america. trump called romney a choke artist for losing the 2012 election. but that was then, apparently this is now. what remains to be seen is whether they'll join forces. we did hear from trump today that an appointment could be made today. but first, phil mattingly is live for us in new jersey. we just heard from romney. what did he say? >> reporter: that's right, poppy. i think the interesting element, a couple weeks ago, you wouldn't even imagine a hand shake between these two men, let alone the meeting they had here. mitt romney flying to new jersey to sit down with donald trump. donald trump said it was a great meeting. mitt romney said it was a meeting focused entirely on foreign policy. take a listen. >> we had a far-reaching conversation with

don't know if he's coming to the trump tower, but indications donald trump and mitt romney are going to be meeting this weekend, and get this, maybe the president-elect is willing to offer mitt romney secretary of state. now, if you're still sitting down and still in shock, you are not alone. this story is reverberating on a variety of news sources, comes at a time when donald trump extended the olive branch to a lot of republicans, many of whom didn't support his candidacy. but this would be big, this would be jolting, and this for mitt romney would be a big turnaround from comments he made earlier this year to me. >> why are you doing this? >> well, i'm someone who cares very deeply about the country and about my party and i have watched from the sidelines a long time, playing kind of a role as umpire, calling some foul balls now and then, but i couldn't sit back and say nothing as i watched donald trump be more and more outrageous. >> in the course of that interview, the former standard bearer was saying the guy was pursuing the nomination this go around wasn't fit for the nominat

the entire campaign painting donald trump as the threat to decency and democracy itself. mitt romney. the big question, is he now apparently being considered for secretary of state? is he interested? in a moment what trump advisor kellyanne conway has to say and astring of other developments in the development today and phil mattingly at the trump tower. you have been talking to the people. how real is this potential alliance between the president elect and mitt romney? >> reporter: that exactly question is the exact question, some iteration i've been getting from multiple republicans including top mitt romney allies. the reality right now is this. they will meet. our mark preston broke this story. and this is a very important meeting for one reason. it sends a signal and that more than anything else is what republicans outside of the trump orbit are taking from this. mitt romney never came around to donald trump and didn't mince words about that fact. the fact that donald trump would be willing to meet with mitt romney. that mitt romney would be willing to meet with donald trump is

. will it be mitt romney though for secretary of state? a lot of questions to answer tonight. i want to bring in -- we begin this hour with cnn correspondent, phil madding lee, outside of trump tower. good evening. first let's talk about the big news tonight on the trump university law suits. give us the details. >> reporter: the man who never settles, including this specific lawsuit, he settled to the tune of $25 million, that will be paid out to more than 6,000 students. this was about three separate lawsuits related to trump university. again, the for-profit educationentiteducation entity, that has been bogging down the campaign, and really his private business, as well over the course of the last couple years. that is now all put to bed and while donald trump claimed he would never settle, there's pretty good reason, there's really good chance, don that at some point soon, the president-elect would have to take the witness stand during the looming trial. now that's gone, they admitted no wrongdoing and for the president-elect, this is one major issue no longer on its plate. >> let's

campaign against mitt romney. >> why are you campaigning against mitt romney as secretary of state? >> i'm not campaigning against anyone, i'm just a concerned citizen. i'm not campaigning against mitt romney. i felt compelled to mention it because it's breathtaking. the number of people who feel betrayed to think that governor romney would get the most prominent cabinet post after he went so far out of his way to hurt donald trump. there was the never trump movement and then there was mitt romney. governor romney in the last four years, has he been around the globe doing something on behalf of the united states of which we're unaware? did he go and intervene in syria where they're having a massive humanitarian crisis, meaning offer to help? has he been helpful to mr. netanyahu? i'm all for part of unity, but i'm not sure we have to pay for that with the secretary of state position. but again, let me repeat. what donald trump decides, kellyanne conway and everyone else will respect. governor romney ran for the same office four years ago and lost spectacularly. it's donald trump who won 364

who will be donald trump's chief of staff reince priebus as well. after the dinner, mitt romney went to the microphone. >> i had a wonderful evening with president-elect trump. we had another discussion about affairs throughout the world. and these discussions with him have been enlightening and interesting. and engaging. i've enjoyed them very, very much. i was also very impressed by the remarks he made on his victory night. by the way, it's not easy winning. i know that myself. he did something i tried to do and was unsuccessful in accomplishing. he won the general election. and he continues with a message of inclusion to bring people together. and his vision is something which obviously connected with the american people in a very powerful way. >> calling donald trump a winner is the highest form of praise in trump world. i do not think it's an accident that mitt romney chose that language. cnn's jim acosta who got a reservation for him at jean-goerges, so he could get an interview. >> president-elect trump and the manufacturer carrier in indianapolis striking a deal to keep 1,000

auditions or interviews for some of these key top cabinet posts, including with mitt romney who we know is being under consideration for secretary of state, michelle rhee, department of education and james man us in for undersecretary of defense. >> let's drill down on alabama senator jeff sessions. his nomination isn't without controversy. lets me tea take you back 30 years. a black former u.s. assistant attorney testified sessions called him "boy" when he worked for him. sessions adamantly denied these allegations of racism against him and still does to this very day. >> i'm not a racist, i am not incent since to blacks, i supported civil rights activity in my state. i have done my job with integrity, equality, and fairness for all. >> let's go to pamela brown, or justice correspondent with more on senator sessions. he's been a u.s. senator for nearly 20 years. how likely is it that these decades old allegations of racism will hurt his chances. >> these allegations will makely come up during the confirmation hearings. as you point out, this was in 1986 when he was up for a federal judges

is meeting with is mitt romney for secretary of state. and the transition team officially announced the picks for three positions. meanwhile, governor nikki haley, another contender for secretary of state has scathing criticism for the party, and here's what she said just yesterday. >> there have been broken promises at every level of government. we need to go back to the basics, and remember that we are the party of limited government. the party committed to creating opportunities for all people. the party of inclusivetivety. republicans lost our way. >> new reaction from the trump organization after the president-elect reached a $25 million settlement in all three of the lawsuits filed against trump university. one of the cases was scheduled to start in two weeks. the deal did not require trump to acknowledge wrong doing and he strongly denied the allegations and said during the campaign that he would not settle. a spokesperson for the trump organization says we have no doubt that trump university would have prevailed at trial based on the merits of the case, resolution of the mat

the choker. in a bizarre twist, trump now meeting with mitt romney. you heard me right, mitt romney, the former republican nominee in contention for secretary of state. and there is no love lost between these two gentlemen. >> mr. trump is a con man, a fake. >> mitt cannot run. he choked like a dog. >> plus, family meeting. the president-elect's first big meeting with a foreign head of state and who joins him? his daughter ivanka and son-in-law jared kushner. raising new questions about their roles in the administration. we have got to begin this morning with the trump transition shifting officially into high gear. three big appointments confirmed by nbc, expected to be confirmed by the trump team later today. we have our correspondents and analysts here to break it all down. i want to start with nbc's peter alexander a the white house. peter, let's talk about the two picks we heard about this morning, mike pompeo and jeff sessions. what do they bring to the table? >> let's start with the alabama conservative, senator jeff sessions. he was the first senator, one of the earliest alli

romney concept. >> giuliani himself is running his own public campaign for the job telling the wall street journal, i've probably traveled in the last 13 years as much as hillary did when she was secretary of state. i've been to europe six times, france five times, you can't say i don't know the world. remember this? >> you know, you're really beautiful. a woman that looks like that has to have her own special scent. >> oh, thank you. maybe you could tell me what you think of this scent. >> mm, i like that. >> this may be the best of all. oh, you dirty boy, you. oh! oh! donald, i thought you were a gentleman. hmm! >> you can't say i didn't try. >> what do you make of that? trump adviser kellyanne conway is running a campaign against mitt romney. >> why are you campaigning against mitt romney as secretary of state? >> i'm not campaigning against anyone, i'm just a concerned citizen. i'm not campaigning against mitt romney. i felt compelled to mention it because it's breathtaking. the number of people who feel betrayed to think that governor romney would get the most prominent cabinet

. choosing romney would point to cooperation with the republican establishment that shunned trump during the campaign. giuliani of course sort of the opposite of romney. one of romney's long time surrogates. he would be a choice that would reward loyalty on trump's part. apparently tried to stop trump from going with romney. >> the number of people who feel betrayed to think that governor romney would get the most prominent post after he went so far out of his way to hurt donald trump, there was the never trump movement and then romney. governor romney, has he been around the globe doing something on behalf of the united states of which we are unaware. i am all for party unity, but i'm not sure we have to pay for that with the secretary of state position. what donald trump decides, kellyanne conway and everyone else will respect. >> kelly o'donnell has been following this closely. the question everywhere has, this is an unprecedented situation. is she conveying a message or sentiment that donald trump is expressing privately or is this kellyanne conway trying to steer him away fro

runners? >> one of the front runners he met over the weekend, governor mitt romney and of course, what makes that so interesting. the reason why that got so many headlines because these are former rivals. romney was the most out spoken people. he's being very seriously considered for second tieretary state along are rudy giuliani . there is a little bit of entri s entries. there are a lot of republicans saying romney would be a fantastic choice and in terms of who we are seeing today, scott brown, you saw there, he's being looked at possible va secretary as well as rick perry. another rival. will there be a team of rivals? that that's a big question a lot of folks have. she's a democrat and he's been focused on loyalists. we are getting a little bit of a read out who says president-elect trump asked me to meet with him about our current policies regarding syria and al-qaida and as well as other foreign policy challenges we face. i felt it is important to take the opportunity to meet with the president-elect trump now before the drum beats of war to overthrow the syrian government. the

of state. the visit now getting the biggest buzz, cnn has learned that mitt romney is on trump's agenda for the weekend so let's go to phil mattingly with the scoop and, again, this is a man, phil mattingly, who in that utah speech called mr. trump a phony and fraud and fake but kudos to both of them for -- >> also con man repeatedly. and a very lengthy speech and somebody who never came around. there were a lot of republicans who said they wouldn't support donald trump throughout the primary process and came around. nikki haley being one of those individualings, not mitt romney. here's why this matters, this is important. first and foremost the source -- mark preston, our stellar colleague was who broke this news. >> stellar. >> saying this is a one-on-one meeting between donald trump and mitt romney that will discuss covering and a potential spot in a donald trump cabinet. why this matters is a couple reasons, no question in the first week in the wake of donald trump's stunning election, mohelty mattered, it always matters to donald trump but it mattered to his team as well so

notably, with mitt romney, the 2012 republican nominee, who has been said to be under consideration for secretary of state. a job that he has told people he would be interested in. carol? >> all right, sunlen serfaty reporting live from trump tower. sources also telling cnn that mike pompeo has accepted the role of cia director. we go to mark preston with more on that. good morning. >> good morning, carol. yeah, no doubt i can give you two different stories of mike pompeo. he's a third-term congressman from kansas serves on the house select intelligence committee. he also served on the benghazi committee that looked into hillary clinton's involvement in of course the attacks where we lost lives over there, as well. he's been very critical of hillary clinton. said that she put politics ahead of the american people. he also went on to say that she didn't act when american lives were on the line. he's also been very critical of president barack obama's decision to ease sanctions on iran, he thinks that sanctions should be a lot tougher. and what's interesting is that he did not initially s

john: i'm john heilemann. mark: and i'm mark halperin. and "with all due respect" to mitt romney, who is reportedly having dinner with donald trump, would you consider secretary of steak? ♪ mark: it has been a news filled more fallout from fidel castro's november monday. and an attack on the campus of ohio state university this morning. we start the week with three unsolved mysteries. we would get to the mysterious case of the green lady's recounted in a moment, but first, the riddle of kellyanne conway and an ongoing secretary of state thrilla. it took a few interesting twists. for some time it appeared that trump had narrowed his choices to former gotham city mayor rudy giuliani who has been pushing forward his own presidential credentials, and to mitt romney, the former republican presidential nominee, and in the past a vociferous critic of donald j. trump. amidst giuliani frequents of appraisal, his chances were said to have diminished. also, push back against romney from other trump supporters and 80's -- aids and a brazen series of rebukes from transition adviser kellyann

loyalty test disqualifying mitt romney. sky high security t. secret service is looking to take over trump tower. is it ethic am for the president-elect to charge millions for renting a building that he owns. officials say new york is already shelling out a million dollars a day for police protection. who is impressed? russia's vladimir putin denies interfering in the u.s. election, a powerful campaign was to disrupt the election with a flood of fake news. >>> killed by isis and american service members, is killed fighting isis in syria. the first to die in that country since u.s. special ops forces began advising rebels. wolf blitzer is off today. i'm briana keeler. you are in "the situation room." >> this is cnn breaking news... >> breaking news, donald trump makes key staff picks, but the fight continues within his team over the secretary of state job. the president-elect is named campaign lawyer don mcgann as white house council. he will have the grapple with conflicts of interest over the business empire. k.t. mcfarland held posts in three association, will be deputy appoint adv

president-elect met with 2012 nominee mitt romney. this comes after romney was one of mr. trump's harshest critics, calling him a con man and a fraud, but then congratulating mr. trump and his win. doug mckelway is in bedminister, new jersey. good to see you this afternoon. any better sense on who is going to be picked based on these meetings today? >> reporter: as a matter of fact, we have very strong information to that effect. we've been told that general mattis is a very strong candidate for an administration pick here. we all know he's been speculated as possible secretary of defense. there was one issue, this seven-year waiting time between military service and assuming a position like secretary of defense. apparently i'm told there's a waiver you can orchestrate to that. again, general james mattis, very strong and likely candidate for an administration position. we haven't been told which one, the logical choice is secretary of defense. mitt romney arrived here at trump national golf club before 1:00 to an awaiting donald trump and mr. pence, waiting at the front door of t

dinner with mitt romney. trump brought a wing man, his chief of staff reince priebus. no word is where romney now stands in the overall selection process for secretary of state. after the meal, mitt romney you can think it, we'll go ahead changed. i had a wonderful evening with president-elect trump. we had another discussion about and these discussions i've had with him have been enlightening and interesting and engaging. i've enjoyed them very, very much. i was also very impressed by the remarks he made on his victory winning. and was unsuccessful in accomplishing. and he continues with a message of inclusion and bringing people something the last few weeks he's been carrying out a transition effort, and i have to tell you, i've been impressed by what i've seen in the transition effort. members of his cabinet are solid and effective, capable people. some of them i know very well. nikki hailey and i go way back. leader. tom price is actually someone that came to my office before he ran for senate and we spent time what an expert and solid thinker jeff sessions was someone i knew

very public feud over mitt romney. why donald trump is said to be irritated by former campaign manager kellyanne conway. >>> and why is trump's name suddenly allowed to grace trump towers in istanbul? a special report coming up on his conflicts of interest. stay with us. what if a company that didn't make cars made plastics that make them lighter? the lubricants that improved fuel economy. even technology to make engines more efficient. what company does all this? exxonmobil, that's who. we're working on all these things to make cars better and use less fuel. helping you save money and reduce emissions. and you thought we just made the gas. energy lives here. what ever happened to theo say, "handling"?ing and handling"? i do all the handling. can you handle this laptop before we ship it, nick? there's free shipping, and handling on everything at dell.com. ♪ why pause a spontaneous moment? cialis for daily use treats ed and the urinary symptoms of bph. tell your doctor about your medicines, and ask if your heart is healthy enough for sex. do not take cialis if you take nitrate