if you don't intervene you are helping assad. but assad emerges victorious and it will be very difficult to depose him since aleppo falls to the hand of his forces. have we just got it wrong? in terms of russian policy, that is perfectly coherent policy, whether we find it despicable, the way it's worked out on the ground. has the west got it wrong? the russians have been brutal but consistent. they have achieved the end they set out to reach which is more than you can say for western policy in syria. bearing in mind we were against assad before we were sort of for him, we still say we are against him now. the stated position of our foreign secretary, when he meets other counterparts is the future of syria has to be without assad, even though this seems to make it far more likely he remains in place. plainly if this series of events in aleppo brings peace then it is to be welcomed. i think there are many who would rather we were talking about the fall of assad rather than the fall of rebels. the caveat from my perspective is in 2

if you don't intervene you are helping assad. but assad emerges victorious and it will be very difficult to depose him since aleppo falls to the hand of his forces. have we just got it wrong? in terms of russian policy, that is perfectly coherent policy, whether we find it despicable, the way it's worked out on the ground. has the west got it wrong? the russians have been brutal but consistent. they have achieved the end they set out to reach which is more than you can say for western policy in syria. bearing in mind we were against assad before we were sort of for him, we still say we are against him now. the stated position of our foreign secretary, when he meets other counterparts, is the future of syria has to be without assad, even though this seems to make it far more likely he remains in place. plainly, if this series of events in aleppo brings peace then it is to be welcomed. i think there are many who would rather we were talking about the fall of assad rather than the fall of rebels. the caveat from my perspective is in

he stepped in to rescue assad. then he saw there was no response on the part of the west, no penalty whatsoever, even economic, coming from the united states. he decided to drive the advantage. we are reduced now to getting speeches from our u.n. spokesman, pleading, saying to the iranians and russians and to assad, have you no shame, have you no pity? the answer is obvious, they have none. the only thing that could have stopped this ultimately would have been some kind of deterrent from the united states, warning from the united states to keep the russians out. we didn't. and now we have what we have. >> laura, the images out of syria are painful. orphans pleading for their lives. >> someone who visited a lot of orphan anl ages and seeing the children, i think charles is right. it will go down as without a doubt i think one of the biggest humanitarian crises, war crimes obviously committed in syria. the narrative on -- you can read on facebook and videos released of mothers who are asking priests if they can kill

assad forces are backed up by russia and iran, of course, and the u.n. alleged more have been shot by forces. there are bodies in the streets. they have holed up in the eastern side of the city, but tens of thousands of civilians are thought to be trapped along with them. nbc's bill mealy has the latest. bill? >> reporter: good evening, chris. it's been said in the past in the middle of cease fire deals that before the ink is dry, the cease fire has collapsed. that appears to be the case in aleppo. last night we understood there was a deal brokered by russia and turkey that would allow hundreds, if not thousands, of people, including rebels and their families, to get on buses and leave the city. those buses were lined up at dawn this morning, but as the sun rose, the cease fire deal collapsed. there was shooting, then shelling. many of the people who thought they would get out had to scatter and run for their lives. and today, well, the shooting and shelling is just increased. i've just heard from a friend and colleague inside aleppo who said all day the

this is a proxy war, against assad, the iranian forces and the russian military. the united states and the rebels lost a major battle in the war with no signs of victory ahead. hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians eave been murdered. some reported through through war crimes, including barrel bombs and gassing. vladimir putin's forces made this possible. it could not have happened without him. today, thousands are at -- last fearing forces. witnesses say civilian bodies litter the city. the world has watched as ash a assad with the help of vladimir putin has slaughtered children for years, a proxy war between the united states andwish with our proxies being the rebels in syria, and russia along with assad's forces and we have lost again and thousands are dead. now what? >> well, now what is certainly the big question and you're right, this has pitted the u.s. against russia in a very sharp way over the last few years. now the big question, as you have this big culminating moment in aleppo, that strengthens a asad's hand at the same time as the obama administ

unfortunately, putin assad and assad have chosen to target the civilians who also lived there. it is a deliberate strategy. make life so miserable that ultimately the city has no choice but to capitulate. there is tremendous fear on the part of civilians in all of these enclaves your targeted and on the one hand they fear staring -- staying there because they are facing bombardment by the russian and syrian troops. on the other hand, they fear going into syrian hands because we know what happens in syrian prisons. we has seen extensive torture and executions. we have photos of thousands of people who have died in those prisons. if you are a young man, for example, you're facing a choice -- do you either risk your life in assad's detention facilities, or with their increasingly doing, forcing you to get into the syrian military and go to the front line and essentially a suicide mission. it is a very poor possibility. many families are staying with their relatives who are fighters, and these are the people who are being first targeted by the pro-government forces that are coming

let hip retake large parts of syria but of course, assad is a very close ally of issue and in effect, you would be strengthening iran by giving it its main regional ally, a huge boost. so is that a good idea? >> no, i think robin is right about what's happening in the home of the caliphate in sishia and iraq and that part of the world. but isis operates in some 30, 40 countries in one way or another. and one has to deal with them on lots of home turfs .not just on one big home turf. i think it is important to fracture iran's support for any of its proxies in the middle east. i think iran is our main problem in that part of the world. and i think that it's going to be for some time because it's a theecratic toe talnarian set of revolutionaries and i'd say imperialists. they want to build an empire. >> they've been the ones fighting isis allied with assad and against isis. the president-elect seems to like that just fine. >> these are tactical decisions. we had a tikhonoval decision in '41 whether to sign on with stalin against hitler and we did. it was good we did. sometimes you have t

down side to pushing assad back. that's where isis grew in that space. 1500 different factions fighting assad, many of whom don't like us, don't like israel, don't like our ways but don't like assad either. it's really sad. i don't know that there's an easy solution now what to do but i think we could have done something different four, five, six years ago than what we did. >> rand paul, very quickly. only have 15 seconds here. are you concerned that big government republicanism may be coming back to d.c., tax cuts, massive defense spending, no entitlement reform, huge outlays in transportation spending. is this going to be a replay of bush republicanism? >> absolutely. senate republicans are putting forward a budget that will never balance. i won't vote for it because there have to be some remaining fiscal conservatives remaining. >> we'll leave it there. thank you so much for being on the show this morning. >> thank you. >>> that does it for us this morning. stephanie ruhle picks up the coverage. >> nice scarf. loo

assad has murdered and thousands of his own people, many of them women children. where does this stand, ab? >> it's a -- -- the cease fire and refugees are being evacuated but the criticism is we're well into the siege, too many people have dried or become sick or starving or freezing and this is kind of u.n. coming in to monitor what has already happened, as you reported, the buses taking people out have been attack educement you have this agreement that is on eggshells with the assassination of the russian ambassador in turkey today, meeting between representatives of the government of russia and assad's government and the iranians regime, set for tomorrow, in

it does appear that both sides, the pro-assad and the anti--assad opposition forces are attacking civilians as they try to flee. there are reports that both sides are trying to do this and that is important because there is talk about the good buys and the best guys and the pro-west and the anti-west and we're seeing a break down of everything in syria. both sides attacking civilians, civilians trying to flee, both sides trying to get out of the conflict area and that is the key at this point. but it does appear there isn't much help on the way. the evacuation efforts have been stalled because every time there is a announcement there is going to be an evacuation, at least one of the bus conveys seems to come under attack, arthel. >> it is just not right. conor powell, live in jerusalem. eric. >>> never again. you know that was the legacy and the promise of the civilized world in the aftermath of the holocaust. but as we have seen, this humanitarian catastrophe unfold in syria, it has betrayed our values. and john bought enjoins us, former ambassador to the united nations and fox news contri

but he should not leave assad in power, because assad is the biggest supporter of hezbollah. if you want security for israel, you better get syria in a better spot. so yes, moving the embassy is a symbolic move that i appreciate. but if you want to help israel, give them more weapons and money. the iranians threaten to destroy israel every day. trump is right to want a better deal with iran and the only way is to support new sanctions on the ayatollah. and i look forward to working with president trump to deal with iran. >> thank you very much for joining us. >>> just ahead, he says they're going to run his business empire. but donald trump's sons are also helping him pick cabinet members. should the president-elect untangle these family ties? >>> plus, new progress reported in the fight against isis. thousands of fighters according to u.s. officials have been killed. is the u.s. closing in on the isis leader, al baghdadi? he bes. with no surprise overages, you can use your data worry free and even carry over the data you don't use. and right now get four lines and 20 gigs fo

so what we could have is the russians saying assad stays on because there is no alternative. meanwhile, i think they will look for opportunities with the turks in the northern part of syria, the corks have carved out a de facto safe zone, they call it, that could be the base for rebel support from turkey. we'll have to see if president-elect donald trump wants to jump on that. last week, president-elect trump said that he was going to build beautiful bases inside turkey. it could be the base for some kind of ground operation against i.s.i.s. in the part of syria. >> brangham: the trump administration son its way to power. what do you think he would do once he's handed thi this moras? >> he says he wants to be on the side of putin and destroy i.s.i.s. i don't believe he'll get hunks of syria under american or turkish control. i think syria is trying to rebuild after the economy is in a tail spin, failed coup, terrorist attacks, war with the kurds, turkey is trying to get back to normal and that means finding a way out of the syrian quagmire. it wants one thing guaranteed and t

russia was helping the assad regime massacre civilians. what is their response to these allegation that's putin ordered a signer hacking. these are the questions that will be raised. it is the questions that tillerson has good answers for. >> some of the people raising points leek that, he didn't sign any renewing sanctions, and they're participating in the very same conflict that you're talking about in syria on the same side. >> i think it is an utter disaster. it will have be a stain on obama's legacy. i think this was the worst week about obama's presidency, and the fact that the president of the united states has not gone in front of cameras to condemn it is shocking and appalling to all americans. i don't think they have any grounding to criticize the claims that trimp is making at this point. >> whoever will be secretary of sta state. >>> the kremlin calling reports that president pew tin was personally behind efforts to influence the presidential election is nonsense. >> the impact of this operation is not in doubt. it's not in dou

we don't see a future for president assad in syria, evenif future for president assad in syria, even if he defeats the opposition in aleppo. aleppo though looks to be a turning point. tonight, britain's foreign secretary said again that president assad must go. but the downfall of the president looks like a hollow dream. diplomacy hasn't done it. earlier in the war there was a chance to make it happen. but that chance has gone well president assad remains russia's man. it will not be easy for his coalition to move from aleppo to victory in syria. but now they have the momentum. jeremy bowen, bbc news. former england manager sam allardyce has agreed a deal to become the new manager of crystal palace. a formal announcement is due this evening. he has been out of the game since leaving the england job in september after one match. here is richard conway. three months on from losing his dream job as england manager, sam allardyce is on the brink of a return to the premier league. he was forced out of wembley after just one match in charge, following a newspaper sting in which he discusse

russia will assure -- russia will in sure that assad stays in power. what happens in the east, where isis still predominates over most of the city is an open question. and an extremely, one because in that situation, the issue is going to be a regional one, which talks to the relationships between sunni and shia population in the whole region. what is going to happen in eastern syria is an open question. basharis unlikely that al-assad will have the power to throw back insurgent groups in that area. i have no doubt that the u.s. will want to have a significant say in what occurs. genie: we are seeing that already, this move into aleppo by the syrian army, opening up opportunities. the syrian regime has admitted that it has taken it back. what needs to be done to get a handle on the islamic state group in syria? -- it decisive fight moves very interestingly. there are two major fights, aleppo and mosul. aleppo is essentially finished and done as far as we can tell. we now move to the fight over mosul. if mosul is taken -- and i think, again, one needs t

so, trump, assad, putin, shinzo abe. one country and leader that we know that trump does not have an affinity for is iran. when it comes to the negotiations about syria, there is the potential if trump decides to join those that he would be at the table with iranian leaders at the same time that he wants to tear up the iranian nuclear deal. >> that's exactly right. >> what will he do? >> not a lot of gap between the iranian position and the russian pe position on syria. one of a dozen different contradictions that he is going to have to try and balance out when he becomes president. a lot of these contradictions his attitude towards russia and putin. now he's president. it's very clear that he wants to have a good relationship with putin. but that means that you have to, you have to position yourself against the many policies that putin has. which is very unusual for the united states to respond in that way to the russians. it's usually the other way around. in the last 25 years it has been the other way around. these ar

the three stages of the revolt ininst assad, which began 2011. could you talk about what those three stages are and how the opposition has been transformed in that time? are after around six years of the uprising. i can differentiate between three states. maybe after aleppo, there is a .ourth stage i can't say anything about it now. yearirst stage covers the 2011 and 2012, maybe the first two or three months of the year of 2013. -- freesition was syrian army, fighting against the regime defending the local communities, local towns or neighborhoods. and it was syrians versus syrians. i mean, it was our civil war. actually our civil war ended in 2013. it began maybe in september or october of 2011 because there was a peacefulperiod of the revolution. only -- june 2012, then still syrian against syrian, up to the intervention of hezbollah , open intervention of has the law, up into the attendance of daesh. both of them appeared in april 2013. this time in early spring 2013, .egan the second stage other shiaollah and militias came from iraq, afghanis

you are arrested and imprisoned under bashar al-assad's father. can you talk about where you fit into the resistance today? and also talk about the terrible loss of your wife, who was kidnapped several l years ago along with the prominent syrian activistd human rights . >> what i want to say is our struggle hasn't begun five or six years ago. because going for two generations now. we were young -- i was less than 21 when i was arrested and stayed in prison for 16 years. my colleagues [indiscernible] i'm sorry, tens of thousands were killed and tortured. it was -- i found myself naturally part of this second wave of struggle for democracy, for freedom, and for justice in my country. i lived in hiding in damascus for years from the beginning of the revolution, and i participated in many activities. i tried to be part of this uprising -- great struggle of syrians for change, for real change. samira, my wife, herself was a political prisoner. she was arrested for four years and tortured. in douma inther 2013. go to raqqa again in hiding for a while. i

regime is allowing and the assad regime is aiding and abetting and the assad regime is carrying out nothing short of a massacre. and we have witnessed indiscriminate slaughter not accidents of war, not rat clal damage but, frankly, purposeful. a cynical policy of terrorizing civilians. so we believe this is a moment where the syrian regime and the russian military have an opportunity to make the decision to -- a strategic decision, i might add, for peace. one that will make it possible for a cessation of hostilities all across syria which could flow right out of this. every minister i've talked to said we're for a cease-fire country wide. but you have to be able to deal with aleppo to legitimize getting to a country wide effort. and in addition to that everyone has reconfirmed to me their readiness to go to geneva for discussions aimed at putting an end to this horrific war. so that's the only way that anybody i've talked to with any common sense and any strategic vision says you can end this war. it will take negotiations. and they haven't taken place in all of these years any real

turkey is a staunch opponent of president assad. moscow has deployed troops and its air force in support of the syrian leader. our diplomatic correspondent james robbins reports. moments before the shooting, behind the ambassador, his assassin waits calmly, rising no suspicion. and then this. gunfire the audience scream. the gunman is shouting, he says, do not forget about syria. so long at these places are secure you will not taste security yourself. with the ambassador lying close by, his killer shouts at the audience to stay back. "get away, only death will take me from here". eventually, security forces intervene and the gunman is shot and killed. amid chaos at the art gallery, moscow is getting reports of what has happened to their ambassador. he was 62 and had been a diplomat for a0 years. the ambassador to turkey since 2013. the foreign ministry in moscow confirmed the ambassador‘s death. it is a shocking blow to russia's relations with turkey, the countries backing opposite sides in syria's war, with turkey strongly oppose

and so assad hopes to seal up or fall into his hands in the coming days or weeks. >> jim, is this the turning point? >> this is the turning point, not just for the war in syria but for what is going on below the surface in the middle east which is an iranian grab by power enabled since last area by putin without very much pushback by the united states. and that is the underlying problem that has us all, and people in the region really scared right now. >> we can and they can properly credit russian influence for this? >> absolutely. >> richard, there's been a lot of talk about the new administration and what impact they have on this. i know that secretary kerry i think has been trying to broker some sort of last-minute deal before the current administration leaves. i'm not sure what interest the russian presidency has in making a deal now when they can just wait for the next administration to come in. but what does that incoming january administration mean? >> well, first on secretary is kerry's efforts, the motive is admirable but he has no real leverage to work with. and this is com

nap sa assad. that said, john, the relationship had come along leaps and bounds, particularly in the last six months. there was a very high point of tension between the two countries after turkey shot down a russian warplane it claimed had flown into its airspace. and a meeting with president erdogan this summer, the relationship was a lot stronger. so far no response from the kremlin and president putin in terms how they plan to react to this essentially. it's very awkward giving the timing. is complicates a summit due to take place tomorrow in which the iranian an turken foreign minister were meeting with the russian foreign minister and russian defense minister to discuss the situation in syria. this could have a haven't destabilizing effect on those efforts. we just don't know yet who was responsible. it appeared the attacker was speaking turkish. we don't yet know enough about xabt exa exactly what was said what group he was involved with, if he is a lone wolf. all of this needs to be carefull

it is that of the assad government and the russians. when it comes to the silence on the fate of aleppo, it has not only been the west. the arab countries have not stepped into help the people of aleppo. have been known to this. that explains in part, not excuse but explain, the shameful silence. there is no more outreach. on the part of arab leaders and intellectuals. people in cairo don't care because they have their own problems. people in baghdad don't care because they have their own violence. same in other places. there is a failure on moral and political grounds. throughout. not only in syria, but yemen and other places. the main corporate's are the syrian regime, iran, and their allies. there is more responsibility lacking. when was the last time barack obama mentioned aleppo? aleppo will haunt him forever. what we have seen in aleppo, the monumental carnage is unique that never before -- we have seen it streamlined live, heard killed on youtube, their cries, and there is incredible indifference. katty: use at a level haunt the

removing assad from control in syria. the area loyal to him would alieu the sunni arabs to run the country and allow the kurds to make their own way. none of this is possible as long as assad fights to the death which if the russians hold fast to their alliance with him and i'm no middle east expert but can i see the obvious. we, the united states, led by obama and kerry are in a box. we can't get rid of assad or unite syria. how do you push isis off the land if you don't have someone to give it to? perhaps russia is the key. perhaps. but right now, we don't have a key. that's "hardball" for now. join us tomorrow at 7:00 a.m. eastern. see you then. these birds once affected by oil are heading back home. thanks to dawn, rescue workers only trust dawn, because it's tough on grease yet gentle. ♪ i am home, i am home, i am home ♪ ♪ ♪ see ya next year. this season, start a new tradition. experience the power of infiniti now, with leases starting at $319 a month. infiniti. empower the drive. we have got attorney general

and bashar al—assad relies on syria to further enhance his agenda. furthermore, they have the largest power in the region and believe they have an obligation to serve and support all those in iraq to lebanon, syria, even the houthis in yemen. but they do have a political interest and a national security interest and a national security interest to support the shias there. that was the red line for the iranians. if they are going to let this evacuation happen and allow the syrian government to allow safe passage for the militants, they wa nted passage for the militants, they wanted to see their clients, there shi'ite bretheren also receive the same passage. but as far as the un security council is concerned, anything that will have any language, like the blue helmets on the ground, it will most likely be vetoed by the russians. all you need is one country. all you need isjust the russians to veto any un security council resolution. and if you want a resolution you probably have to get it now. it is less like a trump administration will allow this. —

assad's forces are backed by russia and iran. and more than 80 men, women and children have been shod. there are bodies in the streets. the rebels are holed up in a tiny sliver of a hole on the eastern side of the city but thousands are thought to be trapped with them. here's the latest. >> it has been said in the past, the middle east cease fire, before the ink is dry, the cease fire has collapsed. last night we understood there was a deal brokered by russia and turkey that would allow hundreds if not thousands of people, including rebels and their families torsion get on buses and leave the city. as the sun rose, the cease fire collapsed. there was shooting and shelling. many people thought they would scatter and run for their lives. and today, well, it has increased. i've just heard from a colleague inside aleppo who said all day will has been very heavy shelling. it is a terrible betrayal of the people inside eastern aleppo. there are about 50,000 in there about, one square mile. we're not sure how big it is and how many are

for backing assad and helping him kill his own people and beat back the rebels. trump said several times that russia is just helping kill isis there, and that we should let them take care of it or have a deal with them to go after isis and has not acknowledged that russia is aiding the assad in kills his own people. so i don't see at this point that we have any kind of a different increase in our leverage or any desire on the trump -- incoming trump administration to sanction the assad government, bank inside syria, iranian's the russians the way the hawks in congress want to do. >> ab stoddard, thank you. >>> the president-elect says he can create jobs here in the united states by cutting better trade deals, but analysts say american jobs are not going just to foreign workers but also robots. so what can the president-elect do about that? that's next. >>> president-elect trump could have hard time keeping a campaign promise to bring back factory drops because factories are learning thank you do more work with less people. this past june, the number topped two tr

assad has won. that's probably to me the most tragic aspect of this all. if you recall the russians came in when we saw the rebels having some success and then assad and the russians respond. the united states does not act at that moment. the way i think about this is, what could the u.s. have reasonably done? if you remember, hillary clinton had the idea of no-fly zones to try to keep the russians out, also to stop that kind of not only attack on civilians but attacks that were against the rebels who were opposing assad. president obama decided no. then if you impose that, then you are potentially in conflict with the russians. the question,how are you going to resolve that? i suppose that's the way he is thinking. today at the press conference, what he says is, we cared. he has -- he was very -- he kno children are suffering, dieing who don't deserve it. how much do you put the united states at risk in order to resolve those issues? this is eric's point. a degre i agree. i understand. i think at some point in this one, i just can't stomach assad winning

we are seeing the unleashing of a sectarian passion, allowing the assad regime, not allowing, the assad regime is allowing, the assad regime is aiding and abetting. the assad regime is actually carrying out nothing short of a massacre. and we have witnessed indiscriminate slaughter, not accidents of war, not collateral damage, but, frankly, purposef purposeful, a cynical policy of terrorizing civilians. so we believe this is a moment where the syrian regime and the russian military have an opportunity to make the decision to become a strategic decision i might add, for peace. one that will make it possible for a cessation of hostilities all across syria which could flow right out of this. every minister i talked to says we are for a cease-fire countrywide. but you have to be able to deal with aleppo to get to a countrywide effort. in addition to that, everyone has reconfirmed to me their readiness to go to geneva for discussions aimed at putting an end to this horrific war. so that's the only way that anybody i've talked to with any common sense and with any strategic vision says you ca

we talk about the assad regime or the syrian arab army. in truth there is very little left of the assad regime. this is a proxy war being fought chief baby iran and iranian built militias on the ground including imported afghan and pakistani shi'a death squads, including iraqi shi'a militias that are technically now part of the iraqi state security establishment that is said to be an ally and treated as an ally buy the united states. these are the guys shooting women and children dead in the streets under the cover of russian air power. now, we can have a conversation about what donald trump purports to do about this. there has been one consistent thread that has gone throughout his candidacy for president and throughout this transitional period and that is everybody seems to be talk pointing to top national security posts are hawk issish when it comes to iran. mike flynn has called for regime change for all islamic republics, first among equals in his latest book, jim mattis has said? april he considers the islamic republic of iran to be

long live free of aleppo, says bashar al-assad. to the u.s., where donald trump is trying to shore up support for his choice of secretary, rex tillerson. >> amid growing concerns that rex tillerson is to close the-- o cozy to vladimir putin. the interesting thing is a lot of these people, like jeb bush and robert gates have been critical of donald trump's decisions, but their endorsements of rex tillerson suggest they need donald trump as much as donald trump needs them. fact that donald trump has described the exxon mobil chief as a world-class player and dealmaker will bolster his own instincts for a transactional foreign policy, and it could tear up old alliances and transform america's place in the world. imagine what that might look like. it looks a little bit like moscow. trump's latest addition to the white house. trump a different kind of tower. you have been looking at the polish press. >> thousands have joined protests across poland on the anniversary of the imposition of martial law by the then communist regime. it is a

.“ civilians, a grave accusation dismissed by president assad. if we liberate aleppo from the terrorists the western officials and the mainstream media are going to be worried about the civilians. they are not worried about when the opposite happens and the terrorists are killing those civilians. state tv shows what they say is the evidence, a weapons factory captured during the army's offensive, the rockets rebels had been firing in the west aleppo. it is why it has been so hard to reach a deal to let the fighters go. all these crimes that they have committed, after bombing the old city of aleppo, through explosive tunnels, robbing, looting factories, no—one likes to see those. after killing 11,000 civilians in the western parts of aleppo, no—one likes to see them just go! so the fight goes on. but there are reports a new deal is done, that rebels will leave, that an evacuation of civilians will at last happen, and that this brutal battle for aleppo may, just may, be over. lyse doucet, bbc news, beruit. to the human tragedy of the war in yem

how does he interact with assad? how does he confront the crisis in syria and isis even though he had so much support from working class americans disgruntleelled by the wars, wearied by them. >> i think we cannot discount how his personal conflicts of interest wipe up influencing his foreign poll see. we diplomat know which banks he is in debt, if his children are still running his company and there is a hotel to be built in dubai does that influence his reaction if their government acts in a way we don't know or turkey or other cups. these entanglements become really important. this is a republican strategist to said to me repeatedly, you start to have anything with the trump name on it around the world becoming an instant terrorist target. how do we react to a world in which the name of the president of the united states is plastered all over hot spots around the world. >> in all our history, no one is less predictable. i think the sunday shows, when he starts doing them. any former leader, theresa may, putin, the

rebel forces lose their long fight for the city and president assad declares victory. did vladimir putin personally authorized the hacking of the u.s. presidential election? we ask the former head of the cia. an unveiling the glory of the case pending -- cave paintings in southwest france, but all is not quite as it seems. katty: welcome to our viewers on public television in america and also around the globe. thousands of civilians and rebels are being evacuated from eastern aleppo and being driven to another area of syria under rebel control. the first people allowed out work the sick and wounded, put on a convoy of ambulances and buses. today the syrian president claimed victory, but the u.s. secrary of state described it as nothing short of a massacre. our middle east correspondent quentin sommerville starts our coverage. aleppo, here was a fight that torah city of heart and split a nation. today the battle ended with a convoy of white flags, and cautiously, eastern aleppo began to empty. in the thousands, rebel fighters, the sick, and the injured were transported

is against assad, russia supports him. russia used its un security council veto repeatedly to protect the regime. both countries are actively fighting against the islamic state and the al qaeda spinoff in the name of combating terrorism. --ssure uses terrorism tag pressure uses the terrorism type two bomb other groups. in december, the biggest victory against rebels in the six years of the civil war. syrians were able to escape the bloodshed by fleeing by millions into neighboring countries, straining resources and creating a global humanitarian refugee crisis. here is the argument -- russia says it wants to keep syria sovereign and independent by backing assad that for years, the u.s. has insisted assad must go. presidency,trump's the stance may soften further. he suggested partnering with russia to combat the islamic state should take president over supporting rebels. julie: you can read more about syria and all of our "quicktakes" on of the bloomberg. head to bloomberg.com for more stories. mark: as we get ready to say

. >>> the al assad regime is carrying out nothing short of a massacre. we have witnessed indiscrimin r slaughter, not accidents of war, not collateral damage, but frankly purposeful, a cynical policy of terrorizing civilians. >> secretary of state john kerry thursday addressing the unfolding catastrophe in syria as evacuations begin from the besieged city of aleppo. russian-backed syrian forces have taken hold. a defining victory for president bashar al assad in the civil war. we're back with our panel. bill, where does this leave the civil war in syria right now with assad's victory in aleppo? >> it leaves us in a very bad place. assad is firmly in power. this is not leading from behind, this is hiding from behind. we have john kerry talking about the largest humanitarian disaster in the world, admitting the red line was a problem for u.s. credibility. >> the red line from 2013 when president obama -- >> given just to avoid taking action. >> just to rehearse this, president obama said if assad uses chemical weapons, we will punish him. then he threatene

aside -- assad's regime cannot hold on to the victory. russia has gotten into a trap. >> the latest events in palmyra seem to support the spirit. just last march, the recapture of the historic city was held as a so-called victory of the so-cald d islamicc state. today palmyra is back in islamic state hands. russian state television is broadcasting the news that bashar al-assad will soon visit aleppo and start rebuilding. syrian journalist bassar el ysef says the reporting on russian television is extremely one-sided. >> bashar al-assad is depicted as a educated ruler anand the rt are depicted as radical fundamentalist. >> he says of the opposition is being ignored completely and russia's making a huge mistake giving all in support to bashar al-assad 11. >> once it stops, it will be clear that russia has supported a criminal that murders his own people. >> russia has been using the war in syria to prove it is a major player, but the price is high. the military operation is already lasting longer than a russia had forecast, and a time when

it's now in the hands of president assad's forces. but from the carnage here, the convoys of people have been continuing through the night and today, thousands of people being evacuated from the final rebel-held area of this city. the temperatures here have been below freezing, so those people are not only cold and hungry, they are traumatized and exhausted. they have lived through six months of siege here and through four years of war. remember, president assad's forc force's tactics were surrender or starve. many of the people are hungry, indeed. no update yet on the 47 orphans who were evacuated yesterday. the u.n. said some of them were in critical condition. but from the twitter feed of bana, the 7-year-old who chronicled the suffering of her city, a new tweet calling for peace across syria. now to that end today in moscow, russia, iran and turkey will hold talks aimed at restarting the peace process. the u.s. not involved very much on the sidelines, but the prospect for peace is core indeed. because over the last 24 hours, presi

a second thing is that syria will never be whole again even if assad is able to roll up the rebels, he still has isis and still has the kurds. syria is going to be a problem for presidents for a long time to come, jenna. jenna: as we continue to watch the news. thank you so much for your time. >> thanks for having me. jon: in this country mega watt entertainer dolly parton pledges to help, her heartfelt message to those who lost and everything the fire disaster. stand-off that left police officer dead, what we are learning from the suspects and hostages held in harm's way? you didn't read your car insurance policy. you just stuck it in a drawer somewhere and forgot about it. until a dump truck hit your pickup truck and now you need a tow truck. does your policy cover the cost of a tow truck? who knows? you didn't read it. you can't even find it. the liberty mutual app with coverage compass™ makes it easy to know what you're covered for and what you're not. call liberty mutual for a free quote today at coverage compass™ gives you the policy information you need at a glance. availabl