secretary kerry's remarks and have much more on what's happening in aleppo and getting these men, women and children out of there. first, let's go to charleston, south carolina. a jury is is in hour one of deliberations regarding the fate of a confessed church shooter. was he a hate-filled coward who wanted to start a race war? a man who despised black people or was he a suicidal loner, mentally unstable and radicalized online? these are the two characterizations that jurors listen to during these powerful closing arguments today in the death penalty trial of this young man accused of shooting nine black church goers at charleston's historic mother emanuel church. and here, the faces of the nine victims. pastors, aunties, mothers and fathers shot and killed in what prosecutors describe as a premeditated act of murder spurred by hate. imagine their families sitting in the courtroom crying and wiping away tears as the bodies of their loved ones are flashed on screen. let's begin with nick valencia who is in charleston with more on today's closing arguments. and hour one with the jury deli

. >>> save the aleppo children. thousands take to the streets to show solidarity while the people of aleppo wait to be evacuated. >> let them keep it. u.s. president-elect donald trump says to china. >>> company icy rain makes skating rinks of major u.s. highways. the forecast and how much ice is accumulating. we'll get that from sara maginnis. we're live here and in atlanta. welcome to our viewers around the world and in the united states. welcome to "cnn newsroom." i'm natalie allen. >> we begin with the horror in aleppo. thousands trapped in eastern aleppo. still trapped, hope a new evacuation deal could save their lives. civilians there are starving and afraid. and somehow they're existing in freezing temperatures. reuters is reporting the syrian government has confirmed the evacuation deal but that doesn't mean it will hold. just on friday, the last vac wapgss were suspended. the new deal, well it's more complicated. syria and its ally, iran, want the two towns on the lower left of this map to also be evacuated. those towns are near idlip city and have been besieged by rebels. a

likely, including president putin, himself meddled in the u.s. election. >>> thousands fleeing aleppo. a tenuous truce holding. >>> dylann roof found guilty for the charleston church massacre. >>> good morning. i'm alison kosik. welcome to "early start." >> i'm christine romans. new this morning, president obama vows to take action of the hacking of the u.s. election. with the interview with npr, he directly confronted vladimir putin warning russia of a potential u.s. response. >> i think there is no doubt when any foreign government tries to impact the integrity of our elections that we need to take action and we will at a time and place of our own choosing. >> the president was not specific about the form of u.s. response might take. he said some of it may be explicit and publicized. so may not. this as the u.s. official confirms to cnn that u.s. agencies believed putin ordered cyber attacks. for the latest on that, let's get to jim sciutto. >> reporter: it is believed that the intelligence community since they called russia out for this a month before the election, this hacking ope

washington. 8:00 p.m. in aleppo, syria. 9:00 p.m. in mosul, iraq. wherever you're watching from around the world, thanks very much for joining us. >> announcer: this is cnn breaking news. >>> we're following two major stories this hour. breaking news out of syria first. artillery shells are raining down on aleppo as regime forces are on the brink of taking the city. buses are waiting outside the evacuation point to carry civilians, men, women and children, to safety, but the cease-fire to allow them to be eva eevacuated collapsed. an estimated 50,000 people are believed trapped in one of the last rebel-held areas, according to the united nations, regime forces are executing men, women and children. the white house weighing in as well on the worst in a situation, the humanitarian crisis. listen to what the white house press secretary said just moments ago. >> the idea that you would target a playground and bomb kids hoping that you would then convince people to give up, because you would kill their kids? what kind of a sick mind comes up with a strategy like that? >> much more on the disast

. >>> the assault a heon aleppo. thousands warned to get out or die. >>> welcome back to "early start." i'm george howell. we're following the fighting in syria. government forces there are closer than ever to retaking aleppo. northern 70% of the last rebel stronghold has been recaptured. assad regime is now using massive fire power to either kill or replace thousands of people. cnn's jomana karadsheh is following the story. jomana, we've been talking about the story for a while now. the extreme fighting so intense in parts of aleppo, many parts of that city have simply been leveled. >> and we have seen those images, george, coming out of those neighborhoods that have been claimed by the syrian regime. and what's left of them is large-scale destruction, and pretty much leveled when you look at these neighborhoods. as you mentioned over the past 24 hours, more advances by the syrian regime and their allied forces who have been provided by this air cover. this really powerful air cover, that they have been advancing undertaking a neighborhood after neighborhood, of eastern aleppo. at th

trump in the past. >>> a grim, grim scene in eastern aleppo. civilians reportedly being slaughtered in their homes by syrian forces. can plans for a cease-fire and mass evacuations take hold. this is a dangerous situation. good morning. welcome to "early start." i'm christine romans. >> and i'm george howell, it's wednesday, december 14th, 4:00 a.m. on the east coast. today, with donald trump, his thank you tour, the president-elect on stage with one-i am adversary, the speaker of the house, paul ryan. the rally turned into a lovefest with trump praising ryan, and ryan complimenting trump right back. the exxonmobil chief rex tillerson who may face an uphill battle for the senate confirmati confirmation. cnn's jim acosta has the latest from wisconsin. >> reporter: george and christine, donald trump has taken another victory lap here at the rally here in wisconsin. trump praised tillerson's contacting around the world but he did not mention tillerson's past ties to russian president vladimir putin. trump looked back at the election victory and thanked his supporters, including house s

back. >>> syrian state tv reporting evacuations have been suspended in aleppo. thousands of people are still trapped in the city. we will tell you the latest next. this year at t-mobile, the holidays are on us! switch your family of four to t-mobile. get unlimited everything ...and we'll give you $800 to spend anywhere you want. hurry to t-mobile and get your holidays on us. hi, we(laughter)lford quads. we're in 8th grade. technology is the only thing that really entertains us. i'm gonna use this picture on sketchbook, and i'm going to draw mustaches on you all. using the pen instead of fingers, it just feels more comfortable for me. be like, boop! it's gone. i like that only i can get into it and that it recognizes my fingerprint. our old tablet couldn't do that. it kind of makes you feel like you're your own person, which is a rare opportunity in my family. (laughter) >>> fluid changing situation in syria. the evacuation of civilians out of aleppo has stopped. syrian state television says the evacuations were halted because the cease-fire was broken by the rebels. activists are b

. here in washington. 8:00 p.m. in aleppo, syria. wherever you're watching from around the world, thanks very much for joining us. >>> up first, president-elect of the united states rallies republicans in louisiana. look at this. live pictures from baltin rur right now, we're we're waiting for the president-elect donald trump to take the stage. attending a get out the vote rally for republican candidate kennedy running for re-election. live, coming by, stand by. coming up soon. >>> earlier met with paul ryan over trump tower in new york city. ryan's leadership crucial for the president-elect to turn his campaign promises into policies. >> very exciting meeting. i really enjoyed coming up here, meeting with the president-elect. had a great meeting talking about our transition, excited about getting to work and hitting the ground running in 2017 to put this country back on track. thanks, guys. >> trump has major openings to fill in his cabinet. among them, secretary of state, secretary of energy. director of national intelligence. secretary of state of agriculture, and director of

. as people flee to safety, he shouts, god is greatest, do not forget aleppo. do not forget syria. get back, get back. only death will remove me from here. everyone who has taken part in this oppression will one by one pay for it. >> reporter: he was neutralized. the gunman was a law enforcement officer, a 22-year-old member of the riot police who was born in turkey, off duty on the night of the attack. the state department condemned it. >> we stand ready to offer any assistance that may be required to russia and turkey as they investigate this despicable attack, which was, as the secretary noted, also an assault on the right of all diplomats to safely and securely advance and represent their nations around the world. >> reporter: a journalist took these stunning photographs moments after the carnage began. after the attack, as the ambassador was quickly taken to the hospital, turkish security forces swarmed the area. it is not clear what impact the killing may have now on turkey's sometimes fragile relations with russia which hit an all-time low after turkish forces shot down a russia

aleppo and thousands still trapped in the city. the latest on the fight for syria next. isjust wanna see ifa again? my score changed... you wanna check yours? scores don't change that much. i haven't changed. oh, really? ♪ it's girls' night they said business casual. i love summer weddings! oh no. yeah, maybe it is time. maybe i should check my credit score. try credit karma. it's free. oh woah. that's different. check out credit karma today. credit karma. give yourself some credit. >>> syrian government forces waging battles this morning with the isis fighters in the city of p palmera. and in aleppo, forcing thousands trapped in the five-year old civil war to flee. senior international correspondent frederik pleitgen has more on those trying to escape the violence. >> reporter: john and alison, the battle for aleppo is fierce and it continues. the latest information we gotten a couple hours ago is the syrian army has taken another key district in aleppo and now controls 90% of syria's second city. this is a district in the southern part of aleppo. i was on the frontline ther

the past. >>> and the battle for aleppo. waiting to evacuate many, many displaced people as activists on the ground report new shelling. it's a heartbreaking story. good morning, welcome to "early start." i'm george howell. >> nice to see you again, george. i'm christine romans. it's wednesday, december 14th. it's 5:00 a.m. in the east. here's what happened overnight. president-elect donald trump hit the next stop on the thank you tour in wisconsin. he turned a rally in wisconsin into a lovefest, praising one-time adversary paul ryan, speaker of the house. it wasn't all kumbaya. the president-elect waited for his next nominee, rex tillerson. he will face a battle in the senate confirmation over his ties to russia. cnn's jim accoosta has the late. >> reporter: george and christine, donald trump has taken another lap. trump praised tillerson's contacts around the world but he did not mention tillerson's past ties to russian president vladimir putin. trump also looked back to his election victory and thanks his biggest supporters here in the state of wisconsin including house speaker pau

aleppo in syria. good morning. we welcome to "early start." i'm miguel marquez. >> i'm christine romans. it is 4:00 a.m. in the east. members of the electoral college cast votes for the president of the united states. the formal election is a foregone conclusion here for donald trump. there is drama behind the vote. more drama than in generations. trump opponents lobbying trying to vote against the man. this as the trump transition fights back against a u.s. intelligence assessment that russian hacking was intended to help trump win. the very latest, let's bring in ryan nobles from mar-a-lago estate. >> reporter: after the thank you tour, trump and his family are here in south florida getting ready to celebrate christmas holiday. the trump administration has a couple of holes to fill. including the secretary of the veterans administration. no word if that announcement will come before the christmas holiday. the trump transition is pushing back on the u.s. assessment that they tried to intervene. this is what reince priebus said this weekend. take a listen. >> if there is this conclusive

. >>> hello, i'm wolf blitzer. it's 1:00 p.m. in washington, 8:00 p.m. in aleppo, syria, 2:00 a.m., friday, in beijing. wherever you're watching from around the world, thanks very much for joining us. up first, like the fox guarding the henhouse. that's how critics are describing one of president-elect's donald trump's latest cabinet picks. trump is charging oklahoma attorney general scott pruitt for administrator of the environmental protection agency. pruitt is a critic of climate change science and has sued the very agency he's been picked to run. trump has chosen a third general for a key position. retired u.s. marine corps general john kelly is his pick to lead the department of homeland security. and a vote by the way expected in the house this hour could help trump's choice for defense secretary, general james mattis needs a waiver from both chambers to be eligible for the position. so far, president-elect trump has filled more than half of his cabinet and top level positions. today, he's on the road once again. he continues what's called his thank you tour with a rally later tonight in

talking about syria, particularly the war ravaged city of aleppo. news that the mission to evacuate thousands of families and children is now back on. that's after several days of on again, off again evacuations because of serious safety concerns. international agencies have been trying to get people out of aleppo for days but the operation keeps getting called off because nearby fighting is continuing. also some of the these buses are using to bring people out of aleppo have literally been set on fire. let me take you now live to the border between syria and turkey. that's where it's after 2:00 in the morning. we're hearing now that these evacuations are become on. what are your sources telling you about how many people, especially those children are still trapped inside of aleppo? >> reporter: well, we know there are still several thousand people trapped in that eastern part of aleppo. the fact we're starting to see some buses move is very good indication especially if it holds. people have been holing out hope that the buses would be moving all weekend. they haven't until now jus

get tax reform. >>> escape from the war zone in aleppo delayed. a fleet of buses sabotaged. a live report coming up. ♪ i want a hippopotamus for christmas ♪ ♪ only a hippopotamus will do at the united states postal service, we deliver more online purchases to homes than anyone else in the country. and more hippopotamuses, too. ♪ so whatever your holiday priority, our priority is you. therthere is nothing typical about making movies. i'm victoria alonso and i'm an executive producer... ...at marvel studios. we are very much hands-on producers. if my office... ...becomes a plane or an airport the surface pro's perfect. fast and portable but also light. you don't do this 14 hours a day, 7 days a week for... ...decades if you don't feel it in your heart. listen, i know my super power is to not ever sleep. that's it. that's the only super power i have. ( ♪ ) ♪ they tell me i'm wrong ♪ ♪ to want to stand alongside my, my love ♪ ♪ whoa, talkin' 'bout my love ♪ ♪ to want to stand alongside my, my love ♪ (vo) it's the holidays at verizon, and the best deals are on

aleppo, syria. wherever you're watching from around the world, thanks very much for joining us. >>> we start with a new member of president-elect trump's cabinet. dr. ben carson picked to be the next secretary of housing and urban development. dr. carson was, of course, a highly respected pediatric neurosurgeon. one of 17 republican running for the republican nomination. when he dropped out in march became a top adviser to donald trump. house minority leader nancy pelosi is calling doctor, carson disconcerting and disturbingly unqualified choice also saying there's "no evidence doctor carson brings the -- that impact families." a remaining spot to be filled, that of secretary of state. over the weekend we learn add few more names on on that list of potentials including miami rodney, general pennsylvania -- petraeus and jon huntsman. there are others. and with us, jessica a couple weeks ago dr. carson been seem to be want to be part of the cabinet. what changed? >> reporter: wolf, you know, it was just a couple weeks ago a close aide to dr. carson said, dr. ben carson was not, i

out this horrific attack was referring to the bloodshed that has been taking part in aleppo saying, do not forget aleppo, do not forget syria whether or not this was a lone wolf attack or was more org niced is going to be at the heart of how turkish russian relations end up coming together over the next couple of days and we're going to see whether or not that relationship which has been repaired and has been cooperative on syria will continue to be rapprochement or will sour. >> thank you. >> more on this story now. jill dougherty. jill, first to you, with an announcement of the shooting. the turkish and russian presidents made similar statements. listen to this. >> translator: the committed crime is obviously a provocation designed to spoil russia/turkey relations. and derailing peace process in syria. >> after the incident during the talk with mr. putin, we agreed this was a provocation and on behalf of my country and my nation, i repeat my condolences to mr. putin and all the russian people. >> it seemed there was a conscious effort to show there's no daylight between these two

speaking in turkish shouting saying do not forget aleppo, do not forget syria. we have much more on this, including the initial russian response coming up but first, for 538 people it is voting day and right now members of the electoral college all across the country are meeting to formally cast their ballots to make done a ald trump's win official. here's the tally so far. 176-93. let's be clear. this happens every four years but today is no ordinary electoral college vote. across the country you have protests as some people are still furious with the result of the election. many of them are urging to vote their conscience. recent revelations much russian hacking that some say helped deliver trump the win adding fuel to the fire. reality check, in order to block trump from the white house, 37 electors would have to switch votes. that is not going to happen. let's begin our coverage, boris sanchez in tallahassee, florida, the voting has just begun. tell me what's happening around you? >> reporter: hey, brook, i'm going to keep my voice really low. the procession is under way, they a

suffer before our eyes. this morning, we do believe evacuations are finally under way in eastern aleppo just hours after a convoy carrying wounded civilians came under sniper fire, leaving one dead, four injured. that's according to activists on the ground there. a new cease-fire was reached overnight after a previous agreement collapsed within 24 hours. tens of thousands of civilians remain trapped inside that city. several of them sending heartbreaking messages to the world pleading for help. some people saying good-bye. one of the messages came from an orphanage. watch this. [ speaking a foreign language ] >> oh, my god. defense secretary ash carter spoke out about all the developments, what's happening in aleppo, just a short time ago and he pointed the finger at the assad regime and russia. >> this tragedy reflects an incredible brutality on the part of the regime and also their backers, including russia. as michael noted. and a willingness to suspend anything like the rules that we apply to ourselves when we conduct military operations. >> cnn's senior international correspondent

>>> a deadly wait. civilians in aleppo hope evacuations resume soon as winter conditions punish them even more. >>> wrapping up the tour. donald trump makes a final stop in his swing to thank supporters. >>> plus, winter weather's great isiah cross major u.s. highways and you can see what the drivers are up against right there. it's all ahead on "cnn newsroom." welcome to our viewers in the united states and around the world. we're live in atlanta. i'm natalie allen. >>> we begin with aleppo. thousands trapped in the eastern city in freezing temperatures. they hope a new deal to evacuate them comes through. reuters is reporting the syrian government has confirmed a deal that it will hold. just on friday, the last evacuations were suspended. the new deal is more complicated. syria and its ally, iran, want the two towns on the lower left of this map also to be evacuated. those towns are near i had lip city and have been besieged by rebels. this is a life or death situation for them. a journalist working with channel 4 news was able to video there before the cease-fire went into ef

was captured on video. a gunman shouting do not forget aleppo and god is greatest. a allahu akbar. the shooter identified as a 22-year-old police officer. he died in the attack. that's according to reports of a number of media organizations. in the last hour, turkish authorities say they detained six people in connection with the assassination. they arrested his mother, father, sister, ut quote i swea don't play with us. we have matthew chance live with us. at a time when turkey and russia, sometimes at odds and sometimes together, to provide a corridor to get people out of aleppo. what does this do? >> reporter: president putin condemned this on national television. he calls it a terrorist act as they continue to normalize the relationship with turkey. a russian war plane violated turkey territory. they have been rebuilding the separated ties since. putin and erdogan say this incident is not going to derail that and derail their efforts to try and find some kind of solution to the syrian crisis. to the end, the turkish foreign minister and russian foreign minister meeting in mosc

killed while giving a speech at an art exhibit. the killer was heard shouting do not forget aleppo, do not forget syria. the third breaking stories, we have learned in berlin, a truck has just plowed through this busy christmas market in the western part of the city. so let's begin there. fred is on the phone with me and knows berlin better than anyone i know. fred, tell me first what happened. >> this happened about an hour ago. exactly one hour ago at 8:00 p.m. local time. you're absolutely right. this christmas market is one of the main ones in the west berlin. only five miles away from my house, heading there right now. the latest we have is that apparently this truck came from one of the streets close to the christmas market. the market itself is in a very busy pedestrian zone. and from what we hear the truck simply plowed into the market and hit several market stalls. there was an eyewitness said it was going 40 miles per hour and showed no signs of slowing down as it went into the christmas market. it's unclear at this point, the police tell us whether or not it's terror related

russian ambassador to turkey gunned down, his assassin shouting don't forget aleppo. attacks in switzerland and yemen. world leaders now calling for action. we're covering these stories with our team of reporters around the world. let's begin in germany with cnn's senior international correspondent frederik pleitgen, hi, fred. >> hi, carol. yes, the german authorities of course earlier today said they had someone in custody but since then have said they're not sure or they believe that person might actually not be the one who was at the wheel of that truck when it plowed through this christmas market. of course killing so many people and injuring so many others. they say all of this is very alarming because they believe that if someone is still at large, they think that person could be armed and is most certainly very dangerous. the reason why they say that is after the truck came to a standstill here just a couple yards from where i'm standing now, carol, they found a body. on the passenger seat of that truck. and that body was riddleled with gunshot wounds. there was never a w

next, the crisis in aleppo. thousands of civilians trying to flee the cka carnage there. reports of mass executions by forces. what is the status of the rebel movement? a live report ahead. >>> humanitarian groups in syria pleading for help this morning as government forces enter the final stages of recapturing aleppo. several groups reporting large numbers of people with ties to rebels have been executed. cnn has not been able to verify those reports. we have jomana karadsheh live for us. jomana, what do we know about the rebels caught in the cross hairs? >> reporter: here is what we know about the situation, christine. we are hearing from residents on the ground and activists from a monitoring group. saying there are reports. unverified reports at this point of mass executions that have taken place. they say it was committed by regime forces in areas that they captured from rebel fighters. they say people who are relatives of rebels have been rounded up and that includes women and children and they were executed publicly. the united nations is receiving the unverified reports and

baer, you note this is all happening as aleppo and syria in some cases spiraling out of control. why do you believe the timing is no coincidence? >> well, aleppo has just fallen. there's incredible carnage going on there and you've got muslims in europe and i'm assuming this is a terrorism act, has all the hallmarks of it, who are reacting to the carnage there. just as the shooter did that killed the ambassador in ankara, the russian ambassador. this is effecting people terribly and they're simple thesing with people dying in the battlefield, the way they're fighting this war is taking it to the west, taking it to russia, although we have nothing to do with aleppo, nor, of course, the germans, we are still held responsible, the west is, so i think we're going to be seeing more and more of this. none of this is coming as a surprise. the european security services have been seeing over and over again, it's a high alert, we're going to get attacked, and i think aleppo, the fall of aleppo, is the catalyst of this and i think as the civil war in syria goes on, we're going to see more and

in aleppo as thousands of desperate citizens try to evacuate. a popular tourist destination in the middle east under attack. "newsroom" starts now. >> it is 2:00 on the east coast. thanks for joining us. i'm boris sanchez. we start with two acts of defiance from two foreign governments escalating hostility during the presidential transition. president-elect donald trump refusing to concede ha russia hacked the election and after the pentagon said that china will return that underwater u.s. drone that it seized from international waters, trump tweeted this out, we should tell china that we don't want the drone they stole back. let them keep that. what exactly did he mean by that? jake tapper asked john mccain for his take on trump's comments. listen. >> what does it mean to tell the chinese to keep the drone? is there a strategy behind that? >> i don't know. i know that the chinese are able to do a thing called reverse engineering where they are able to while they hold this drone able to find out all of the technical information and some of it is pretty valuable. but the fundamental

. >>> also the u.n. secretary general says aleppo is a synonym for hell. ahead, the fate of thousands of civilians trapped inside that city. your insurance company won't replace the full value of your totaled new car. the guy says you picked the wrong insurance plan. no, i picked the wrong insurance company. with liberty mutual new car replacement™, you won't have to worry about replacing your car because you'll get the full value back including depreciation. and if you have more than one liberty mutual policy, you qualify for a multi-policy discount, saving you money on your car and home coverage. call for a free quote today. liberty stands with you™. liberty mutual insurance. >>> the on again, off again cease-fire in aleppo, syria is back on again. there have been multiple attempts at a cease-fire this week. if it holds this time, it would allow civilians to flee aleppo as syrian troops move in. hundreds of children are trapped in the area and face certain death if not rescued. the out going secretary of the united nations, ban canbanki mos it is not enough. >> aleppo is a synonym

in the middle after evacuations from aleppo sop. we're learning agreements have been reached to allow evacuations. >>> plus, the u.s. braces for more frigid temperatures over the week. we'll have the latest for you. >> welcome to our viewers here in the freezing united states and around the world. we're live in atlanta where it's not so cold. i'm natalie allen. >> and i'm george howell. "newsroom" starts right now. >>> u.s. president barack obama says russian cyber attacks stopped during the u.s. presidential campaign after he saw the russian leader at the g20 summit and told him to cut it out. that's the statement. it came at his final news conference friday. mr. obama says there is no doubt the kremlin was behind last summer's breach of the democratic national committee's e-mail server. he also says he warned mr. putin of serious consequences if the hacking continued. listen. >> batesed on uniform intelligence assessments, the russians were responsible for hacking the dnc. and that as a consequence, it is important for us to review all elements of that and make sure that we are prev

a little girl who knows nothing but war. they're still trapped inside aleppo and tell cnn they fear the syrian regime will kill them. >>> good afternoon, welcome to the lead, i'm jake tapper. today the senate majority leader voiced support for a full congressional investigation into russian meddling into u.s. elections as we learn new details about russia would have been acting this way though there is some disagreement as to whether the goal was to definitive help donald trump or weaken hillary clinton or if there was some other goal. 17 u.s. intelligence agencies reached a consensus in october that the kremlin had orchestrated hacks of democratic party organizations. president-elect trump yesterday expressed doubt that russia was behind the hacking, whatever the reason. >> personally, it could be russia. i don't really think it is, but who knows. i don't know either. they don't know and i don't know. >> cnn is covering all of the angles, working our sources in washington. in moscow, ryan is outside trump tower. as you heard us say earlier, one former cia director called these russ

," the 7-year-old girl who captured the world's attention by tweeting from war-ton aleppo is now safely in turkey, and look at that. she's met with the turkish president. ♪ come on, wake up!!! come on, why ya sleepin'? come on! what time is it? it's go time. come on. let's go, let's go, let's go. woooo hoooo!! yeah!! i feel like i went to bed an hour ago. i'll make the cocoa. get a great offer on the car of your grown-up dreams at the mercedes-benz winter event. it's the look on their faces that make it all worthwhile. thank you santa!!! now lease the 2017 c300 for $389 a month at your local mercedes-benz dealer. yeah, chevy was great in that. who played the wife? beverly d'angelo! juliette lewis costarred as the daughter. oh, i think it was um... chris columbus was the director... it's called claymation... narwhals really exist... actually guys, it was the ghost of christmas past... never stick your tongue on a frozen flag pole... yukon cornelius... "die hard" is considered a christmas movie! that's the unlimited effect. stream your entertainment with unlimited data when you switch t

. as pro-syrian government forces bombard aleppo, a top u.s. official warns the slaughter of innocent civilians may amount to war crimes. tonight, tens of thousands are trapped in an exploding humanitarian crisis. >>> and the seating chart in the white house briefing room could affect news coverage of the next president will. the trump administration mix things up? >>> we want to welcome our viewers in the united states and around the world. i'm wolf blitzer. you're in "the situation room." >>> tonight, we're learning more about the role of donald trump's adult children in his frtransitn and the influence they may have. they're all taking part in the president-elect's meeting today with tech industry leaders. this as sources say don jr. and eric were involved in vetting and interviewing cabinet posts. trump has said his son also take the help of his business. >>> tonight, new evidence that ivanka trump may be a very visible presence in the white house, a source saying she'll get space in an office usually used by the first lady. we're told it will be designated as the first family's o

hospitals in aleppo and have committed atrocities throughout the region and has destabilized ukraine. invaded ukraine. destabilizing baltic kcountries. the list goes on and on. >> ellis, i'll start with you. the simple fact there is a relationship or a friendship. is that a positive or is that a negative as senator mccain states? >> that is fine. i don't have a problem with the secretary of state who knows people in the world. rex tillerson does. that's on the good side of the equation. you have to take some pause with the name is greeted with high five notis in the kremlin and h shaking on capitol hill. we don't know the political issues in washington. it is still coming together. does the russian hacking investigation have anything to do with it? there will be questions. >> when someone is so closely tied with the russian president at a time when we are having the questions about the russian hacking. donald trump's point is this is a guy who knows how to get stuff done. he picks up the phone and kings and prime ministers pick up the phone. diplomacy is more powerful than wa

under way. a new cease-fire in aleppo is holding, at least for now. but the constant airstrikes have taken their toll. hundreds of thousands of civilians have been killed and there is still fear that many people won't make it out alive. >> the voice of an orphan in aleppo. this is what he's saying, quote, this might be the last day you will hear my voice and see me. i am ten years old. i have been living in an orphanage for the past two years. i lost my mom and dad two years ago from airstrikes. i am sending this message to those concerned with human rights, and the rights of children and to the entire world. i hope you get us out of aleppo. there are 47 children here, and they are all my brothers and sisters. we hope to get out of aleppo and eat and drink. we love tea. we cannot go outside because of the airstrikes and shelling. we can't go outside because of that please get us out of aleppo. oh. more now from cnn's senior international correspondent frederik pleitgen. hi, fred. >> hi, carol. yeah, and one of the things that the international community is now trying to do is trying

neighborhoods in eastern aleppo. are going on right now. that is a violation of the supposed cease-fire turkey was said to have helped negotiate that deal. they blame the syrian regime for breaking it. at least two dozen people are dead. dozens more are hurt. buses have been brought in earlier today to help transport injured civilians as part of an evacuation plan but at last check those buses are empty. the u.n. estimates there are still 50,000 residents trapped inside a war zone. >> the controversial president of the philippines admitting that he used to personally kill suspected criminals. in a speech late last night, president rodrigo duterte said when he was mayor of davao city he drove around on a motorcycle both looking for trouble to set an example for hesitant police officers. the obama administration has expressed concern about human rights violations under duterte's populist authoritarian government. >>> breaking overnight hollywood in mourning at the loss of alan thicke. canadian-born star whose resume spanned five decades. he was best known, of course, as america's dad jaso

president vladimir putin. i'm thinking specifically of aleppo and of syria and all the carnage there, much of it at the hands of russian firepower. >>> they were supposed to be brought to safety. instead, they're running for their lives once again. a convoy meant to take these east aleppo residents out of the besieged areas under fire. [ shots ] >> we're going to build safe zones. we're not having them come over. we're going to build safe zones in syria. >> good morning, everybody. welcome to saturday morning at 7:00 a.m. i'm christi paul. we're grateful for your company. >> i'm victor blackwell. good morning to you. the election is over, but president-elect donald trump is getting his supporters together for one last big rally, a stadium rally, just before christmas. >> yeah, the final stop of trump's thank you tour heads to mobile, alabama, today, this after trump brought the tour through florida last night, and the sunshine state was a battleground state, remember, that trump visited the most during the campaign, and it paid off, as supporters delivered him the state, setting up h

a near genocideal campaign in aleppo. this is a man who as you mentioned in the earlier segment was awarded the order of friendship. he was personally awarded it by vladimir putin. another person awarded that particular award was the president who liked to torture his citizens. is going to try to detain or deter russian revengism in europe. i have gone to europe over the past few years and repeated instances and talked to european officials that were worried about this thing, that american would adopt a more transactional relationship with the russian federation than even it had under obama. they would also fault obama with being perhaps a little too naive, a little too indifferent to america's relationship with russia which led to the so-called reset. i think you will see a reset 2.0 that will make the first reset look like an act of aggression. >> jonathan, i saw you disagreeing with the first part of what michael said and agreeing with the second part. what was that? >> yes, first of all we've elected a president of the united states who doesn't care about human rights, doesn't c

your other entertainment. on xfinity x1. >>> syrian rebels in aleppo calling for an immediate five-day humanitarian cease-fire. they're hoping to evacuate civilians to safer areas. government forces have taken three quarters of east aleppo from the rebels. frederick has the latest from the front lines inside aleppo. fred? >> yeah, it really looks as though the rebels are crumbling in eastern aleppo, aliysn. i was in a neighborhood taken by the syrian military just last night where rebels were treated and thousands of civilians fleeing from that area. i could barely describe what we actually saw there. people who were malnourished and elderly people who are being carried out and a lot of babies. a lot as young as 7 days old. you can feel the momentum that the syrian government has on its side and that's also what we saw as we visited some of these areas in recent aleppo that were recently a retaken by the regime. here's what we saw. this is aleppo 24/7. shelling and air strikes raining down mostly on rebel-held areas. near the front line, it's not just syrian troops, russians and ir

speaking in an art gallery. the gunman shouts "god is greatest" and "remember aleppo." is the region headed for more turmoil. >>> the electoral college seals the deal for donald trump. across the country electors resist protests and are making the white house win official. >>> you don't even know me. michelle obama says she was hurt by being labeled, quote, an angry black woman. she said critics have no clue what she was really like and racial sensitivity is built on fear. wolf is off. i'm brianna keeler, and you're in "the wags rosituation room." >>> we're following multiple breaking news stories right now. nine people are dead and at least 50 others are hurt after a truck plowed through a christmas market in a major public square in berlin. one witness says people are crushed, adding that the truck did not slow down. a german intelligence official says the incident is being investigated as an act of terrorism. police say a co-driver died at the scene and that a suspect has been apprehended. and in a shocking act of violence caught on camera, the russian ambassador to turkey is assassinate

about syria right now? because what's going on in aleppo, and you're not that far away, is horrendous, when we see hundreds of thousands of people over the past four, five years killed. millions displaced. refugees, what, if anything, for example, is egypt doing to ease this problem? >> well, we have been very heavily involved in trying to alleviate the humanitarian d difrlt difficulties that exist. with the security council trying to push ahead a solution to the humanitarian solution. >> the rebels fighting the syrian regime is what you're saying? >> oh, yes. >> who does egypt side with? the rebels or regime of president bashar al assad? >> with the national opposition, we maintain our close cooperation with the u.n. envoy and promoted resolution to this conflict. we don't feel continuing violence after five years, there's no military solution and we have to move on to a political solution to -- >> what's the syrian military of president bashar al assad supported by the russians, the iranians, lebanese hezbollah, going to win in aleppo. looks like they've got the momentum. >> that's

. evacuations are under way in aleppo, syria, where this fragile cease-fire appears to be holding bus after bus, ambulance after ambulance, tens of thousands waiting to escape. we just heard from secretary of state john kerry with some blistering words for the governments not just of syria but their friends in russia as well, calling this a massacre and a slaughter. that's next. >>> breaking news on cnn, we're following news out of syria. evacuations are under away in eastern aleppo. we heard u.s. secretary of state john kerry commenting on the situation just a short time ago. >> i don't think i have to elaborate but i'm going to focus on the anger and the anguish that everybody feels -- or most people feel about the continued relentless and inexcusable attacks that have been directed at the civilian population in aleppo, including women, humanitarian workers and medical personnel. there is no justification whatsoever for the indiscriminate and savage brutality against individuals shown by the regime and its russian and iranian allies over the past few weeks or indeed the past five ye

, hospitals in aleppo. >> now, on the floor, tillerson cannot lose more than three republican votes. if the democrats stay united in opposition. already four republicans have expressed some level of concern about the selection. that has led the outgoing senate democratic leader harry reid to say he doesn't think tillerson will get approval from the chamber. >> well, i don't know if he can get 50 votes or not. i think it might be hard to do that. >> reports he was seeing about the russian connections concern you any way, given -- >> it's in keeping with trump. he's already stated he likes putin better than he likes obama. so it's obvious he likes russia. and that's fairly concerning to the world and certainly concerning to america. concerning to me. >> now, the trump team is going on a pr offensive and they're getting backing from a number of heavyweights in the republican foreign policy establishment, including condoleezza rice, that could potentially give some cover to republicans nervous about tillerson's nomination and, carol, tillerson has plenty of time to allay some of those concerns

live in iraq ahead. >>> plus, syrian rebels try to stop a government offensive in aleppo, details on a new alliance they say they formed. stay with us. >>> welcome back. in iraq november was a particularly bloody month in the fight against isis. the u.n. says nearly 2,000 iraqi troops were killed across the country, nearly triple the number of military casualties reported in october. almost 1,000 civilians were also killed just last month. for more on these figures and the war against isis, cnn's producer live from erbil. thank you for being with us. let's explain exactly why we're seeing such high casualty numbers. >> reporter: george, these numbers are staggering. 2,000 soldiers killed, 1,000 civilians killed in just a matter of a month. we're seeing high numbers now for the first time. the iraqi army had not provided us with figures since the conflict began in october. and what this paints a picture of it is a grueling battle. the iraqi army has now entered mosul. they are fighting house to house to retake that city in isis which is deep leap entrenched. we're -- deeply entrenched

gunfire and shelling never seems to stop. a live report from aleppo, syria, as calling for a cease-fire to get desperate families out. he is.errible at golf. but i'd like to keep being terrible at golf for as long as i can. patented ensure enlive has hmb plus 20 grams of protein to help rebuild muscle. for the strength and energy to do what you love. ensure enlive. always be you. my budget used toespecially downer. around the holidays. but thanks to fingerhut.com, we can shop over 700,000 items from brands like samsung, kitchenaid and lego. all with low monthly payments. ♪ >>> the u.s. and five other western world powers are sending a message to the syrian regime and russia. they want an immediate cease-fire in the besieged city of aleppo and accusing russia of blocking efforts to halt the bloodshed. this comes as syrian government forces made their biggest push yet into eastern aleppo, grabbing control of areas held by rebel fighters for the past four years. meantime, caught in the middle of thousands of civilians fleeing trying to get help. joining us on the phone like from ale

, syria is calling on civilians to return to east aleppo. and our fred pleitgen goes to the city for a grim homecoming. >>> and donald trump turns up the rhetorical heat on china alleging beijing is manipulating its currency unfairly against the u.s. we'll take a look at that. [ male announcer ] eligible for medicare? that's a good thing, but it doesn't cover everything. only about 80% of your part b medical expenses. the rest is up to you. so consider an aarp medicare supplement insurance plan, insured by unitedhealthcare insurance company. like all standardized medicare supplement insurance plans, they pick up some of what medicare doesn't pay and could save you in out-of-pocket medical costs. call today to request a free decision guide to help you better understand what medicare is all about and which aarp medicare supplement plan works best for you. with these types of plans, you'll be able to visit any doctor or hospital that accepts medicare patients. plus, there are no networks, and virtually no referrals needed. there's a range of plans to choose from, too, and they all trave

. >>> new hope for people in east aleppo. rebels say they've reached another evacuation agreement. this after the previous one fell apart. >>> plus, venezuela's economic woes grow deeper as people run low on usable cash. >>> live from cnn world headquarters in atlanta, welcome. to our viewers here in the united states and around the world. i'm george howell. >> i'm natalie allen. "cnn newsroom" starts right now. >>> it is 4:00 a.m. on the u.s. east coast. the u.s. president barack obama says that russian cyberattacks stopped during the u.s. presidential campaign. this only after he saw the russian leader at the g-20 summit and told him to "cut it out. ." >> that's a quote. at the final news conference of the year, president obama said there's no doubt the kremlin was behind the breach of the dnc's e-mail server. he said he warned of serious consequences if the hacking continued. >> based on uniform intelligence assessments, the russians were responsible for hacking the dnc, and that as a consequence it is important for us to review all elements of that and make sure that we are preventi

. that's next on "early start." >>> most of aleppo is now back in the hands of the syrian regime. neighborhoods in the eastern part evof the city have now bee flattened. the remaining opposition forces are proposing a five-day cease-fire. the rebels are begging for a truce according to bashar al assad. cnn's jomana karadsheh has the latest for us. secretary of state kerry and foreign minister lavrov. where do they stand? >> reporter: on wednesday, john, kerry and lavrov met in germany for 45 minutes. they are scheduled to meet again today. it is unlikely we will see a cease-fire coming out of the talks. we heard the russian position on this. we heard the syrian regime's position on this from president assad himself yesterday. the syrian regime and allies are on the verge of recapturing most of aleppo. they won't agree to a truce. what we may see is agreement on the humanitarian on eastern aleppo with medical evacuations and aid. the idea that the united states floated last week that would allow for the safe passage providing that option to the rebels in eastern aleppo to have pas

to you. >>> derek. a dire situation in aleppo. russia claims civilians are leaving and the fighting has stopped. those are the claims. residents are telling a different story. we're live with a report next. w. especially in my business. with slow internet from the phone company, you can't keep up. you're stuck, watching spinning wheels and progress bars until someone else scoops your story. switch to comcast business. with high-speed internet up to 10 gigabits per second. you wouldn't pick a slow race car. then why settle for slow internet? comcast business. built for speed. built for business. >>> breaking overnight with a huge majority. south korea parliament voted to impeach park geun-hye. this process could take up to six months. president park apologized to south korea for quote negligence for the scandal which led to her fall. she says she takes this seriously and will prepare for a court review. >>> the war weary number of civilians are desperate to leave eastern aleppo. this as russia claims the pro rebel forces stopped fighting to let civilians leave. we have muhammad lila

. the gunman shouting defiantly, god is greatest, and do not forget aleppo, do not forget syria. according to turkey's interior minister, the lone gunman is a 22-year-old police officer born in turkey. his body taken from the scene after he was shot and killed by security forces shortly after the attack. the brazen public assassination coming as many blame russia for its part in supporting syria's president in the civil war and the ongoing humanitarian crisis in aleppo. turkey and russia often at odds over the syrian civil war, trying to put aside their differences this year. russian president vladimir putin vowing the assassination won't damage relations, pledging to step up the fight against terror and saying, quote, criminals will feel the heat. the president of turkey agreeing, calling the attack a provocation aimed at driving a wedge between the two countries. the u.s. state department condemning the attack. >> we stand ready to offer any assistance that may be required to russia and turkey as they investigate this despicable attack. >> reporter: just hours later, another f

, clean-shaven man in a suit yells god is great. do not forget aleppo, do not forget syria. do not forget aleppo, do not forget syria. get back, get back. only death will remove me from here. everyone who has taken part in this oppression, will one by one by for it. this man was rushed to a hospital now russia's ambassador to turkey is dead in what they are calling an act of terror. the turkish news agency says the gunman has been neutralized. in a plot twist out of a spy movie it appears the shooter identified as mevlut mert altintas was an officer assigned to turkey's riot police who stood behind the ambassador as if he were guarding him. what remains unclear is if he was working alone or part of a larger conspiracy. the as in a nation cou the assassination puts pressure on the turkish government over an urgent security problem. what analysts call a growing number of turkish police and security forces who have been radicalized in recent years. >> junior people knew to those organizations and sources within the turkish government have indicated those problems have been greatest wi

to escape have reportedly been stopped by rebel fighters in aleppo. we have a light report, ahead. >>> out of the running, u.s. president-elect donald trump says loyalists rudy giuliani will not be in his cabinet. we'll have details. >>> plus, russian interference. the u.s. president barack obama wants a full review of russia's alleged involvement in u.s. elections. live from cnn world headquarters in had atlanta, welcome to our viewers here in the united states and around the world. i'm george howell. cnn n "cnn newsroom" starts right now. it is 5:00 a.m. on the u.s. east coast. some of the world's top diplomates are meeting right now hoping to revive the peace process in syria this week. the u.s. secretary of state, john kerry, and a number of his counterparts from around the world are meeting in paris this hour. the foreign ministers will discuss stopping the ongoing assaults on rebels in eastern aleppo and bringing in humanitarian aid to the many people trapped there. another meeting is just about to happen in syria. it's also set for switzerland involving u.s. and russian off