thanks for watching this hour of "msnbc live," it's time for our lunch break with brad at bubba. katy tur, take it away. >> i want some pizza? are you going to bring it here? next time. next ahead on this hour of "msnbc live," breaking news. an arrest in the shooting death of former football player joe mcknight. the sheriff took on criticism levied over the handles of the case, repeating language aimed at community leaders. >> you rat [ bleep ] punk. that's the tone of what we're calling our elected leaders for standing up and simply saying, let justice prevail.

>> we'll go live to louisiana where all this unfolded today. we're also following breaking news out of california. the manager of the ghost ship warehouse speaking out in an emotional interview about the inferno that claimed 36 lives. >> i'm only here to say one thing. i'm incredibly sorry. i didn't do anything ever in my life that would lead me up to this moment. plus, the president-elect appears before the camera at trump tower and wages war over the construction of a new air force one. we begin with break news out of louisiana and today aus announcement of criminal charges filed against the man who shot and killed a former nfl player. 54-year-old ronald gasser now facing a manslaughter charge in the death of joe mcknight. eventually released after the apparent road rage incident last week where he admitted to shooting mcknight but told

officers he feared for his life. when announcing the charges today, jefferson parish sheriff. >> people don't think that we know what we're doing strategically. and that we were going forward, as i said on friday, in a deliberate and definitive way. tough. i don't care. we began to criticize people for just asking for pause. let the process take its course. you [ bleep ] looking [ bleep ] on tv. i bet they made you say that, puppet boy. i know what i see. i know that norman is a piece of [ bleep ] and you stood behind that white boy with that [ bleep ]. you won't even stand with your people, you self-serving [ bleep ]. really? >> our team covering all of

today's developments in this case. let's begin with the latest on the ground in new orleans, that's where we find nbc's blake mccoy. what is the reaction there not only to the charges but also to how the sheriff took on the criticism of his department's handling of this case? >> reporter: well, there is no doubt, you heard it right there, he was not only defensive but at times angry by the pushback and criticism his department has received for not filing charges initially after that shooting last week. he says, from the sheriff department's perspective, they had a suspect here, mr. gasser, who was cooperating. they were able to actually interview him, they say, for more than ten hours without an attorney present. he didn't ask for an attorney. they had a witness who was cooperating and they also had a lot of witnesses who left the scene. they were able to interview more than 160 witnesses since that incident then but they said only six people stuck around after the shooting.

the sheriff said it took a long time to track those people down and figure out exactly what happened. they said at the time, you only have mr. gasser's statement, but you have no one to either corroborate it or contradict it. so, he was very upset by the pushback from the community here for not filing those charges. and he said that this is normal in a case like this. ari will be able to speak to this better than i can, but he says this is a normal thing to sometimes release people and then file the charges later on. >> let's go to ari melber and ask him that question. is it normal to initially release a suspect a few days before you go back and file manslaughter charges against him? >> there's nothing inappropriate about releasing a suspect and taking time on the investigation, particularly if the person is cooperating, which according to authorities, mr. gasser was, and you're not concerned about them being a flight risk. both of those seem to be qualifications that were present here. so, we reported on in last week. there was immediate outrage given that someone shot someone

else, why are they walking the streets? i reported at the time, we shouldn't overinterpret that because we live in america and people are innocent until proven guilty and you can't hold someone beyond questioning them unless they had charges. they didn't have charges ready because they wanted to do a full investigation. that's where the sheriff is right and where this process has played out in a completely appropriate manner based on what we know. i also want to be clear. where the sheriff is wrong is to elevate his personal standing and criticism that he got from some stray, you know, facebook comments into the level of a press conference about someone losing their life in a shooting. i just -- i know we're out of time, but watching the press conference last week and today and people around the country are watching this are getting a peek into what police and justice looks like down there. as much of this was totally unusual, and i would say even inappropriate. the sheriff hopefully will foek can cuss more on the facts of the case itself and less on whether or not he thinks people are writing mean things about him on the internet, which

welcome to public life, happens to just about everybody in public life. >> blake, how is the community down there reacting to that sort of bizarre language, that sort of outburst from the sheriff in this case? is that increasing tensions? >> reporter: well, we're still working to get reaction from the family. mr. mcknight's mother is actually a school teacher so she's in class right now. we're waiting to hear what her reaction to this as well as the naacp. you can imagine they're not going to be happy they heard from the rhetoric today. >> i would add briefly. this is not the first time this sheriff has used his official podium to make these comments. he's previously from that podium, used the "n yt yt word in what he said was a quote from urban dictionary. here he used what i'll call the "c" word in what he said was from facebook. it raises a question why someone in law enforcement feels the need to repeat things like this

when they're not germane to the case itself. if a suspect said it, sure. but bringing it in in way, it's highly unusual. >> he said it in a press conference being carried live by cable news networks. have to go. thank you. we're also following breaking news out of california. the manager of an oakland warehouse breaking down after an inferno that killed 36 people. ten additional victims of that fire were identified overnight. as firefighters continue to search the charred wreckage of that building. the manager of the warehouse known as the ghost ship spoke about the tragedy in an emotional interview earlier on "today." >> i don't want to talk about me. profiting. this is profit, the loss of mass life? i'm a father. i laid my three children down there every night. profit? this is not profit. this is loss. this is a mass grave. i'm only here to say -- i'm only

here to say one thing. i'm incredibly sorry. i didn't do anything ever in my life that would lead me up to this moment. i'm an honorable man, a proud man. no, i'm not going to answer these questions on this level. i would rather get on the floor and be trampled by the parents. i would rather let them tear out my flesh than answer these ridiculous questions. i'm so sorry. i'm incredibly sorry. >> nbc's steve patterson is at the scene in oakland with the latest. the warehouse manager, as you just saw, clearly very emotional. where does he fit into this investigation? and what's the status of the search so far? are they fearing they might find more bodies? >> reporter: crews are about 85% through searching that building. they're on scene right now combing through the last remaining parts. just a few pockets left to search now. 36 victims, 26 families have

been notified, another 10 positively identified. they're hoping now that that death toll will remain where it is at this moment. so, now this turns into the investigation, both criminally and looking at what started the fire. to help me talk about that, i want to bring in a guest. this is jose avalos, a tenant, an artist. first and foremost, jose, you're a survivor. you were inside when that fire broke out. can you tell me what it was like when the fire sparked? >> there was just so much smoke. you couldn't see past the smoke but you could only see in the building because of the flames. i knew i had to get out as fast as i could. >> reporter: you had to kick your door out to get out, to escape. can you tell us about derick almena, the founder of the ghost ship. can you tell me, do you hold him responsible for this at all? >> no, i don't.

>> reporter: why not? >> because i feel it's a problem of the building, perhaps. i don't know. i don't really know what started the fire. i guess nobody does. >> reporter: what kind of guy was derick? >> he was a father. you know, he's -- he spent most of his time taking care of his kids and his wife. and you could see him, you know, taking his two little kids to school on the back of a bicycle, you know, down the street. >> reporter: you had daily interactions with derick and his family? >> i did. >> reporter: it seemed like he was managing this property because it was for profit? did it seem like he was mismanaging the property at all? >> no. i didn't really think of him as a manager. he was providing somewhere for people to go that don't have somewhere to go, much like is the case in the bay area. you know, i didn't have anywhere else to go.

and he took -- you know, he let me come here and be a part of a community. and that's all we were trying to do, is build community. >> reporter: jose, thank you so much for joining us. so sorry to hear what happened and good luck to you, sir. this investigation is now going to go into full swing. the atf is on scene. the da's office working in concert with the atf to determine whether or not there was any sort of criminal activity and then who is to blame for that. of course, the building manager is a large focus of that investigation. back to you, katy. >> nbc's steve patterson in oakland. we want to go live to trump tower right now. donald trump is speaking with the press. we'll take a listen. >> and he's one of the great men of industry, so i just want to thank you very much. >> thank you, thank you. >> thank you very much. >> if you'd like to speak to him, you can, but one of the truly great men. thank you. >> thank you, thank you. thank you so much. >> you may want to say hello. i'll see you soon. >> thank you.

>> trump speaking with the press very briefly. we'll get a little more information on what he was talking about. they've got to work that out. we'll find out what donald trump is referring to. let's go live to kristen welker in front of trump tower. talk to me about where donald trump stands in the transition and do you have any idea who this man is that's speaking to cameras right now? >> reporter: you know, i don't, katy, i can't see the shot right now. we do know he was speaking to a whole host of people. as soon as we get a name, i'll update you. he's been holding some high-level meetings today, including with rex tillerson, the ceo of exxon mobile, a possible candidate for secretary of state. he's also scheduled to meet with former secretary of state henry kissinger. that comes on the heals of kissinger visiting china and also on that controversial call

that president-elect trump had with the leader of taiwan, which has come under a lot of criticism. some foreign policy experts calling it a foreign policy blunder. we're learning according to transition officials, president-elect trump had had conversations with some of his top advisers about opening up communications with taiwan prior to the election. and then those communications intensified after the election. of course, it's the real shot across the bow at china. really trying to send a message to china that he's going to be tough. it doesn't necessarily indicate a shift in policy, though. so, a lot of people scrutinizing that choice, wondering exactly what will come next. and, of course, you have a lot of foreign policy experts saying they hope the conversation with henry can kissinger helps it guide his policy when it comes to china. the white house saying it could actually backfire. but that's what he's doing in terms of meeting with people here. katy, as you know, we've also been following the fact that he's threatened to pull the deal

with boeing for two new air force one airplanes. a deal that would cost about $4 billion. the president-elect saying that it's too expensive. this was boeing's reaction today. take a listen. he says, we are currently under contract for $170 million to help determine the capabilities of these complex military aircraft that serves the unique requirements of the president of the united states. we look forward to working with the united states air force on subsequent phases of the program, allowing us to deliver the best planes for the president at the best value for the american taxpayer. now, in terms of estimates that have been given by the department of defense, so far the estimates have those planes at $2.7 billion for research and development. when you tack on the rest of the costs it will likely add up to about $4 billion. why are those planes necessary? that contract was put in motion back in 2015. typically air force one aircraft lasts for about 30 years.

right now the planes are 20 years old. so, white house press secretary josh earnest saying today, look, this is something good not only for the future president and all future presidents but also for the american people, katy. >> donald trump giving us an emergency of how he'll be negotiating when he's president, at least starting some negotiations with tweets on twitter. we can rerack that donald trump press avail, of sorts, we just saw moments ago. let's take a listen to what he was talking about. >> ladies and gentlemen, this is masa from japan. he's just agreed to invest $50 billion in the united states and 50,000 jobs. he's one of the great men of industry, so i just want to thank you very much. thank you. >> thank you. thank you. >> thank you very much. >> if you'd like to speak to him, you can. but one of the truly great men. thank you. >> thank you, thank you. appreciate it. >> you may want to say hello.

thank you. >> i'll see you soon, okay? >> donald trump right there. you can see it wasn't much longer than what we had, introducing the softbank masa of japan has agreed to invest $50 billion in u.s. towards businesses and 50,000 new jobs. also tweeting that. let's go back to kristen welker outside of trump tower. this is the second time he's come down and addressed reporters. it's pretty unusual for him we know he hasn't had a press conference since july. that is, quite a bit longer than anyone who has won the presidency in the past. president obama had a press conference pretty quickly after he had won. the campaign, though, says they're going -- their progress is going along well in terms of appointing cabinet positions. can you talk to me a little bit more about secretary of state and who is in real contention at the moment? is rudy giuliani still in the

mix? >> reporter: he's still in the mix, katy. there's a sense he might not be one of the top two contenders. mitt romney very much in the mix, i'm told very much under serious can consideration. of course, there are some drawbacks with both of those candidates. rudy giuliani had questions about some of his past business dealings but he's a loyalist, he's a hawk, he's someone who's been bullish on a whole host of issues and sees eye to eye on a number of issues with president-elect trump. when you talk about a mitt romney, of course, he was one of donald trump's early critics. so, a lot of donald trump supporters have expressed concerns about whether he would be the right person to serve in that role. such a critical role moving forward. then some of the other names we have been talking about. david petraeus. of course, he's someone who's pleaded guilty to mishandling classified information. he was out on the sunday circuit having a test run, of sorts,

answering tough questions. senator bob corker is a name that gets mentioned over and over again, john bolton, former u.n. ambassador. the list is long. he's meeting with rex tillerson as well. we had heard about jon huntsman but we understand he's not in serious contention and has no plans to meet with the president-elect. here's the takeaway, transition officials insist the president-elect is not in a rush to make this decision. he wants to make the right one. >> kristen welker outside of trump tower. go get warm. let's go to fayetteville, north carolina, nbc senior white house correspondent chris jansing is there. that's where president obama will make the -- excuse me, that's where donald trump will make a stop on his thank-you tour and also where the president -- the president will be in tampa the next hour. he's going to be giving his own speech on terrorism and national security. these are dueling speeches, we can say between the two men today. what can you tell me about what we expect to hear from donald trump tonight in fayetteville?

>> reporter: well, i think that it's definitely going to be focused on defense because he'll have general mattis, his defense secretary nominee, with him. very popular here. i've talked to politicians, both republicans and democrats, talked to people who work here at ft. bragg. it's the largest military installation in the world. about 53,000-plus people here. obviously, they have a very big stake in what donald trump decides to do, vis-a-vis the military, given many have been deployed not just once or twice, but some of them three or four times to iraq and afc. this is going to be a push, i think, on the part of this president to look like someone who is going to push a strong military. obviously, the folks here would like to see more money invested in it, but it will be definitely a lot of cheers for general mattis here, who earned the name mad dog mattis, a term of respect for him. this is, again, the second time

we will see the president-elect on this thank you tour. he's going from here to iowa and then michigan. interesting to note, katy, these are all states he's won. critics say maybe given the closeness of the election, the fact he lost the popular election, it might be a good idea to go to a state he lost and try to win over those other folks. here in north carolina he won the primary and general. >> we'll see if he adds any of those states to his schedule. chris jansing in fayetteville, north carolina, thank you so much. still to come, the veep is at it again, tossing another one-liner our way en route to a meeting with house democrats on the hill. two days, two hints of a white house run in 2020. but what's the reality here? kelly o'donnell is working her sources to find out. and she will join us next.

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will he or won't he? the question of who will run in 2020. vice president joe biden teasing reporters yesterday he's going to run for the top job in four years. and he jokingly doubled down on it this morning. >> vice president, are we right to take you seriously about 2020? >> msnbc watcher was kelly o'donnell's voice, i'm sure you recognize it. kelly o'donnell is at the capitol right now. talk to me. how real is this idea that biden might run in 2020? >> reporter: i think the reason we are giving this this much attention is because of what the vice president did not say. it would be very easy and very understandable at the end of eight years of serving as vice president for him to say, my time in public office is over. i'm going to do over things. he's not doing that. he is stoking this by the way he's interacted with us. sure, some was in a fun tone but we gave him multiple

opportunities last night and today to really address it more seriously. the most he would say today is i don't make decisions this far out. and that, again, keeps the door open. i tried to change up the question and ask him if he wants a role as the voice of the party, a counterweight to donald trump in the next hour years. that would be a difficult role for president obama to do as a post-president but a vice president said. he said, i want to help the party. later told me he wants to win back the senate. that's a visible joe biden. here's how it all got started. an audio clip from our very small conversation with joe biden last night where he really let this begin to run. here's our conversation. >> are you going to run again? >> yeah, i am. i'm going to run in 2020, so -- >> for what? >> for president. what the hell, man?

anyway. >> we're going to run with that, sir, you know, if you drop that. >> that's okay. that's okay. >> just to be clear were you kidding about run aring for president in 2020? >> i'm just -- i'm not committing not to run. >> reporter: i'm not committing not to run. in washington speak for someone who's been in office for more than 40 years, that is significant. it's not a decision for today. before donald trump's even inaugurated. but this is joe biden making certain his party and those who have supported him know he he does not plan to leave the public stage. >> i am only now starting to barely recover from 2016. i don't think 2020, even setting our sights on it right now. i'm not personally ready. before you go, i want to ask you about vice president-elect mike pence who's on the hill right now. what can you tell us about his movements today? >> reporter: we'll be road warriors 2020, katy, one way or another.

yes, the vice president-elect is here. today he is meeting with republican senators for a weekly lunch meeting they have where they talk about top agenda items. this is going to be a way for mike pence to be the sort of emissary between the white house to capitol hill to try to get the legislative agenda. when you talk to paul ryan and mitch mcconnell, their focus is about what particular legislative steps can be done early in a new administration when you have any type of a honeymoon that might exist for getting things done and they are trying to map that out now. so, today's visit is a part of that. he also stopped at the washington, d.c., transition office. >> capitol hill correspondent, kelly o'donnell. thank you so much. see you in 2020. now for today's microsoft pulse question. vp joe biden says he won't rule out a run for president but he also says he's not committing to anything. should he run in 2020? we want to hear from you. go to pulse.msnbc.com to cast

your vote and let your voice be heard. ahead, widespread reaction to the mistrial in the case against the former officer who shot and killed walter scott in south carolina. the man who caught the fatal shots on camera reacting to the outcome as the scott family vows to continue their fight for justice. with a healthy smile. start yours with philips sonicare, the no.1 choice of dentists. compared to oral-b 7000, philips sonicare flexcare platinum removes significantly more plaque. this is the sound of sonic technology cleaning deep between teeth. hear the difference? get healthier gums in just 2 weeks vs a manual toothbrush and experience an amazing feel of clean. innovation and you. philips sonicare. save now when you buy philips sonicare.

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welcome back. i'm katy tur at msnbc world headquarters in new york with a look at what we're watching this hour. breaking news in the deadly warehouse fire in oakland, california, where authorities have now identified more victims. the death toll stands at 36 after firefighters have now cleared 85% of the building. the owner of the warehouse got emotional in an interview earlier on "today." >> i didn't do anything ever in my life that would lead me up to this moment. i'm only here to say one thing, that i am incredibly sorry and that everything that i did was

to make this a stronger, more beautiful community. we're also following breaking news out of new orleans. police now filing charges in the death of an ex-nfl player, joe mcknight n an apparent road rage incident. ronald gasser was originally released friday after police say he admitted to shooting mcknight, telling officers, he feared for his life. gasser now faces manslaughter charges. developing news in los angeles where officials are ramping up security after receiving a tip about an imminent terror threat. the caller wonder of an attack involving a metro station near universal city. authorities say the threat is unsubstantiated but urged commuters to be vigilant. >> threats like this all the time. oftentimes when we have more days to look at them, we do conclude ultimately that they're not credible. when there's a short time lapse, though, we always default to additional resources to reassure

people and be extra secure. in south carolina the family of an unarmed black man shot dead by an police officer vows to keep fighting. former officer slager was charged with shooting walter scott. the jury consisting of 11 white men and women and 1 black man said they could not come to a unanimous decision after four days of deliberations. here's scott's mother and brother after the verdict was read. >> i am encouraged because i know god is able. it's not over. y'all hear me? it's not over! till god say it's over. >> he gets to spend christmas with his family. he gets to go home at night with his family. me and my family, we will never see walter, never again. justice hasn't been served yet. but we have more chances.

nbc's gabe gutierrez is live in charleston for us. gabe, you had a chance to talk with the man who captured the shoot willingi shooting on his cell phone. what is his reaction to the mistrial? >> reporter: good. santana was that eyewitness that shot that cell phone video that resonated around the country. he was in the courtroom yesterday as the judge declared this a mistrial. i spoke with him last night. he said he was deeply disappointed by the decision, but here's the rest of what he had to say. >> officer slager when he testified said that he was in total fear for his life. do you believe that? >> i can't speak for him, but that's not what i saw. i saw a person that was in total control. saw a person that was -- walter scott was -- the only thing he tried to do was run, get away from that taser.

and michael slager didn't really -- don't make sense for me. >> reporter: now, feidin santana said he's prepared to testify in any of the other two trials that may be forthcoming. the local prosecutor says she plans to retry this case. michael slager also faces a federal civil rights trial some time next year. i want to get some reaction from the president of the naacp. the president says -- of the naacp says the organization is deeply frustrated by what went on here. reaction is also pouring in from this community. they say they're ready for this next round of legal proceedings in this case. we also got reaction from the attorney of michael slager. he says that there is no joy in a mistrial and he is also saying that -- he's vowing to do better essentially next time in preparing for the next steps in this legal case. this is certainly not over, even though this judge declared a mistrial after four days of jury

deliberations. >> nbc's gabe gutierrez, thank you so much. now for more on the potential ram fiction let's talk to executive director of color of change, rashad robinson, joining me now from washington. i'm not sure if you were just listening to that interview my colleague, gabe gutierrez was doing, but given that the witness who shot the video says that he saw a man, officer slager, that was in total control. what is your reaction to the declaration of a mistrial? >> well, this case sends a powerful message about just how hard it is to hold police accountable in our current context. and how easy it is for so many in our country to justify the killing of black people, of unarmed black people. he was shot in his back. it was on video. there were witnesses to tell the story and still this police officer goes home to his family. what type of message does that send to any of us about how the justice system works and about

how we should respond and engage in the community with law enforcement? so, you know, for the good law enforcement officers out there, the law enforcement officers that continue to say that they're not being given the benefit of the doubt, this is an opportunity for them to speak up and speak out because enough is enough. over and over again we see these videos. and over and over again we see no justice for the families and for our community. >> well, slager is still facing separate civil rights charges for shooting scott. we're looking at donald trump electing -- or nominating attorney general jeff sessions. do you have confidence that sessions will continue to pursue federal charges against officer slager? >> over and over again, jeff sessions has proven thate's had no interest in federal government involving in local matters n holding local officials accountable. this is a person who's joked

about the kkk, has talked against voting rights, has consistly been a person to oppose civil rights. so, in fact, jeff sessions has been on the wrong side of policies like this over and over again. as we are in this age of participation and cell phone cameras and videos and more and more of this information continues to come out. how does this desceensitize the humanity in one another, stand up for one another? for folks not just in black communities but community of all races? people of all faiths should be outraged by this moment, outraged by the fact that we simply can't get justify and that messages continue to be sent about the value of black lives. as we go into this new administration, as we see appointment after appointment of people who have spoken up against civil rights, spoken out against civil rights, and yet we

continue to see the wheels of justice not working for our communities. more needs to be done. >> just a few minutes ago senator john mccain released a statement about jeff sessions. he said yesterday i had a productive meeting with my senator and colleague jeff sessions. i respect and appreciate jeff's long service to our state and nation, law enforcement and government. we've had our disagreements over the years, i believe jeff has the right knowledge and experience to effectively lead the justice department. and i look forward to supporting his nomination for attorney general when he's considered next year. so, obviously, a differing opinion from senator john mccain to yours. we appreciate you joining us. we'll speak to you, soon. next, the state of trump's transition. the vp says they're make record time filling out the cabinet despite there not being a clear front-runner about secretary of state. the latest on who is still in contention is coming up.

let's see what you are saying about our microsoft pulse question. vp joe biden says he won't rule out a run for president but he's not committing to anything. should he run in 2020? 84% of you say yes. that's a resounding yes. just 16% of you say no. you can still weigh in at pulse.msnbc.com.

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so dad slayed the problemt with puffs plus lotion, instead. with lotion to soothe and softness to please. a nose in need deserves puffs, indeed. are you guys filling enough positions quickly enough? >> well, the president-elect is filling them more quickly than any transition for the last 40 years, including when -- when vice president george h.w. bush was putting his cabinet together. it's remarkable. >> that was vice president-elect mike pence insisting that the administration is being staffed at a record rate. a quick comparison of where

president obama stood in the days and weeks following his election tells a different story. obama had at least five posts filled by december 1st after being elected on november 4th, 2008, including his secretary of state, which was, of course, hillary clinton. who will be trump's secretary of state? well, that is still the big question of the day, at meetings continue in trump tower. the president-elect making several appearances in the lobby of the transition headquarters today. he's meeting with exxon mobile ceo rex tillerson, another man under krrgs for that all-important post. chris is a democratic strategist and ceo of park street strategy. steve, the first one to you. you just heard governor pence say the transition was happening at record speed, but that isn't quite true. insiders are reportedly concerned trump is focusing more on personnel than policy. could this hurt his efforts to govern in the long run, in your opinion, steve? >> no, you know, indicakaty, i'

worried about it. we're very much on track with historical norms in terms of naming people. when i say we, i'm not part of the transition but i was part of the can campaign. he's on track right now. he's been an incredibly busy man. today, it's not just all about naming personnel to his administration. it's also about getting jobs to america. softbank ceo investing $50 billion from a japanese company and higher 50,000 americans. so, he's incredibly hard at work, whether it's saving jobs in indiana, creating them in america and then naming the right people to important jobs. the secretary of state job getting the most attention right now. i have no doubt he'll select someone who will represent our interests and his america first policies powerfully around the world. >> steve, let me ask you a quick question on that. what do you think of what critics are calling this reality show-like atmosphere that donald trump is creating around his cabinet posts. do you think this is a good way to go about it or is this

something detracting from what should be a very serious process? >> right. listen, i think it's deadly serious when it needs to be. of course, the president-elect does things differently than most politicians. he's never been a politician before he was elected just a few weeks ago. he was an unconventional candidate. he's going to be an unconvent n unconventional president in some ways. when we look at his national security team, other than secretary of state, it's completely filled out. these are people with incredibly seergs resumes. he's not just handing out roses playing for the camera. this is about the protection of the american interest, about growth and security. i'm confident he will follow through powerfully on both of those twin agendas as president. >> lot of questions vouning the secretary of state post. is former ceo exonmobile rex

tillerson a good candidate? >> i think he's an excellent -- >> no, this is for chris. i know you're going to say excellent. i want to hear chris' opinion. >> i think the ceo -- given his background, which is basically been in business and the lack of diplomatic experience, i'm not sure how that serves him, the president-elect very well. listen, this entire transition process is not typical because he's clearly not a typical candidate as we found out in a typical president-elect perform he has a -- i think it's personality-based. it's an odd process in how it's playing out. i don't think it serves him well, to be honest, but he clearly has his style. how it ends up playing out in terms of who's going to be the secretary of state, i can't imagine he's not going to choose someone who has a serious foreign policy or foreign affairs background. you know, given his lack of

diplomatic foreign policy, policy governing experience, you need someone who understands the issues and has that knowledge. they may not share my personal idea logical views of the world necessarily, but you need that expertise. right now i don't see how you get that from a ceo of a big oil and gas company. >> chris, one more to you. trump's claims about the number of jobs saved at carrier is now being questioned. first it was 1100, now 900 and now i believe the number is around 730 factory jobs, if you don't count the 350 research jobs that were never slated to leave the plant. is this deal still a win for donald trump? and maybe if the media doesn't think so, his critics don't think so, will his supporters think so regardless of what the numbers actually are? >> i'm not surprised donald trump and his team exaggerated what the actual number is. i don't think that is a potentially news-breaking story.

any time you save jobs, that's a good thing. you have to put into perspective. the optics serve the president-elect well because that was his goal, to create kind of a good narrative for him in the few weeks after the election. in terms of the reality, when in comparison to what president obama has done creating tens of millions of jobs, it doesn't come close. but, listen, the presidency is more than just numbers and, unfortunately, what you're seeing i think in president-elect trump is a tendency, i think, to make up a bigger story than it needs to be. >> numbers are never been the campaign's strong suit. they often overstate numbers, be it at rallies. nonetheless, thank you for joining us. we'll be right back. as we head to break, amazon's new move this holiday season is taking a step away from the shopping deals and the grocery

aisle instead. here's "the verge update". >> amazon launched a new grocery store free of scanners and checkout lights. in seattle it function like a usual grocery store stocking everything from bread and milk. sensors monitor what shoppers take out of the store and automatically charge your amazon account. the store is only open to amazon employees for now but expected to open to the public next year. that's it for now. says it won't let up for a while. the cadillac xt5... what should we do? ...tailored to you. wait it out. equipped with apple carplay compatibility. ♪ now during season's best, get this low mileage lease on this cadillac xt5 from around $429 per month, or purchase with 0% apr financing.

a new article in politico calling donald trump's children his informal ambassadors, from ivanka trump sitting in on a meeting with japanese prime minister and trump jr. holding discussions on syria with russian diplomats. state department officials reportedly fear trump's children are blurring the line between their family's business and

america's foreign affairs. joining me from washington, ambassador marc ginsberg, former middle east policy adviser. thank you for joining us. >> hi, katy. >> trump has also suggested his son-in-law jared kushner could broker peace talks between israel and palestine. what's the danger of getting family involved in foreign policy? >> i'm not sure there is a danger as well as they're well briefed. i know mr. kushner, his family has been involved in middle east issues, particularly in israel as a philanthropist for a great many years. it's not as if the children do not have, shall we say, a world knowledge of events. like anything else, i've served in the state department on and off for 16 years and you want to make sure that you're well briefed on the ins and outs, the nuances of these relationships. obviously, the goal and objective of peace in the middle east is something that is, shall we say, failed to have been obtained by successive partisan administrations, whether they be democrat or republican.

at the same time, when the children are involved in foreign policy and whispering in father's ear, who happens to be the president, let's remember that robert kennedy was the attorney general of the united states and he was the brother of president kennedy. so, there is a -- >> but that's also why nepotism laws were put in place, because of robert kennedy. quick question to you, donald trump hasn't yet had a meeting or briefing from the state department. his kids are going out and having relationships with overseas leaders. is there a fear they're not going to be on the same page or is it too early to tell? >> i think it's too early to tell. there is a fear they need to be on the same page. it's quite clear that my colleagues in the foreign service have a great deal to offer the president-elect. when the secretary of state is appointed and the national security adviser has his team in place, it's going to be extraordinarily essential that the president have the briefings necessary so that he can make the decision about whether or not having any of his children

serve, even as informal advisers, is going to be beneficial to the united states or not. he needs to get those briefings, no doubt about it. >> unfortunately, ambassador ginsberg, time is not on my side today, so i have to leave it there. thank you so much for joining us. >> good to be with you. time for one last week at today's microsoft pulse question. vp joe biden says he won't rule out a run for president but he's not committing to anything. should he run in 2020? 80% of you say yes, 20% of you say no. i think that's a clear message to vp biden to go ahead and make that run. we will be right back. every day starts better with a healthy smile. start yours with philips sonicare, the no.1 choice of dentists. compared to oral-b 7000, philips sonicare flexcare platinum removes significantly more plaque. this is the sound of sonic technology cleaning deep between teeth. hear the difference? get healthier gums in just 2 weeks vs a manual toothbrush and experience an amazing feel of clean.

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that wraps things up for this hour. i'm katy tur in for thomas roberts. kate snow picks things up right now. hey, kate. >> good to see you. i'm kate snow. here are the top three stories we're following at this hour. a short time from now, president obama will be speaking to

service members at mcdill air force base in tampa, florida. he'll round out the afternoon with a broader speak about his administration's approach to counterterrorism. it will be somewhat of a final farewell and look back. this is his last planned address on foreign affairs. later, the arrest in the shooting of ex-energy player mcknight. ronald gasser is under arrest as the sheriff provides more minute-by-minute detail of what happened last week. now we're hearing from the owner of the ghost ship, providing a new perspective on the inferno that killed 36 people. we start this hour at trump tower. last hour trump appeared alongside one of the richest men from japan. kristen welker is out there for us. explain what that was all about. kind of a surprise. >> reporter: it was a surprise. it was a surprise that he came