The house, representative paul ryan. Our thanks to George Washington university and to all of you at home for watching and participating. Good evening, thanks for joining us. A big night tonight and a big week for president elect trump. About an hour from now, a cnn town hall with Bernie Sanders. Chris cuomo has the honors. The audience just arriving. The Incoming Administration certainly to be a topic. The Transition Team late today making it official, naming trumps soninlaw, Jared Kushner a Senior Adviser to the president. The first of many headlines to come this week. The president elect also called an actress with three oscars and 19 nominations in total overrated. More in the hour ahead. We begin with jim acosta. So the president elects soninlaw. What are you learning about his plans to avoid conflicts of interest, and do we know, is he even legally allowed to take this position according to antinepotism laws. Reporter donald trump made a major announcement, tapping his soninlaw Jared Kushner to be a Senior Adviser to the president. There was a lot of discussion inside the transition for several weeks. But early this afternoon, transition officials held a Conference Call with reporters and basically laid out the case that yes, they believe Jared Kushner is legally able to serve as an adviser to the president given that he is the soninlaw. They say it does not violate antinepotism laws. Those are the laws put in place in the 1960s after john f. Kennedy tapped his brother Bobby Kennedy to be attorney general. Later congresses and lawmakers decided that that was no longer something that should be done in this country, so laws were changed. But according to these transition officials, essentially, the president has broad discretion to appoint whom ever he chooses to serve as an adviser, that is essentially the Legal Framework theyre going with here, but to satisfy some of the conflict of interest laws that Jared Kushner would be subject to, they say hes going to be selling off most of his assets, resigning from positions he has with his companies and with the new York Observer newspaper here in the city. It is all a part of a very big move and shakeup inside the transition today. We also learned that ivanka trump, the president elects daughter, she will not be taking on a position in the administration right away. Although, she will also be selling off some of her assets and resigning from some of her positions to remove that appearance of a conflict of interest. But democrats up on capitol hill, the ranking democrat on the house judiciary committee, john conyers, is saying hold on. Hes asking for the Justice Department under the Obama Administration to take a look at what any of this is lyle. And while the president elect is taking these steps, he is at the same time avoiding some very Big Questions on russia and his own potential conflicts of interest in the upcoming white house. With Inauguration Day closing in, donald trump is trying to change the conversation away from the cloud of questions hanging over his looming presidency. Well talk about that on wednesday. Reporter asked by reporters about russias attempts to middle in the election, he punted. Well be talking to you very soon. Reporter a key question for trump is whether he believes the Intelligence Report that says russia tilted the election his way. Advisers arent offering much clarity. Hes not denying that entities in russia were behind this particular hacking campaign. Reporter but suggesting it doesnt really matter. Theres no smoking gun when it comes to the nexus between these hacking activities and the election results. Reporter over the weekend, trump tweeted having a Good Relationship with russia is a good thing, not a bad thing. Only stupid people or fools would think that is bad. Part of a softer tone towards moscow that worries democrats and rpepublicans. If after having been briefed by Intelligence Leaders donald trump is still unsure as to what the russians did, that would be incredibly unnerving to me because the evidence is overwhelming. Reporter a slough of hearings for cabinet picks are getting under way. Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer is making his case by reprising a letter from Mitch Mcconnell do harry reid. Theyre almost exactly what democrats requested. Mr. President , i dont bring this up to play gotcha. Im doing it to show that our requests are eminently reasonable and in fact have been shared by leaders of both parties. Reporter now Senate Majority leader mcconnell insists there will be no holdup. Everybody will be properly vetted as they have been in the past, and im hoping it will get up to six or seven on day one. Reporter and were now getting a sense of just how big this job will be for Jared Kushner serving as an adviser to president elect donald trump. He is meeting in the office of paul ryan to go over a tax reform package that they would like to roll out in the Upcoming Administration once donald trump is sworn in as president. Also at that meeting, steve b bann bannon and reince priebus. Jared cukushner would not be at that meeting were this not a very important position hes about to take on. As big as the week promises to be for the president elect, a apparently not too big for a tweet storm. Today donald trump responded. More from cnns jeff zeleny. Reporter at the golden globe awards, meryl streep tore into donald trump without saying his name. It was that moment when the person asked to sit in the most respected seat in our country imitated a disabled reporter, someone he outranked in privilege, power and the capacity to fight back, it kind of broke my heart when i saw it, and i still cant get it out of my hid, because it wasnt in a movie. It was real life. Reporter before sunrise, trump responded on twitter. Merriyl streep is one of the mo overrated actresses. She is a hillary flunky who lost big. For the 100th time, i never mocked a disabled reporter. Would never do that, but simply showed him groveling when he changed a 16yearold story to make me look bad. Just more dishonest media. For trump, it may be good politics to spar with hollywood liberals. Hes right about streeps support for clinton. Hillary clinton will be our first woman president. Reporter but his comments about New York Times reporter serge cove lesski are the subject of far more dispute. I dont remember. Reporter its the latest front in americas culture wars, playing out in elections and spilling over into the theater. On sunday, bill, hillary, and chelsea clinton, receiving several Standing Ovations as they attended the final broadway performance of the color purple, a stark contrast from the reception Vice President elect mike pence received where he was addressed by cast members from the stage. A deeplydivided country awaits trump as he waits to succeed president obama. Streep was among the celebrities invited to the white house to say farewell. She used her golden globe platform to make a political plea. In this instinct to humiliate, when its modeled by someone in the public platform, by someone powerful. It filters down into everybodys life, because it kind of gives permission for other people to do the same thing. Reporter whats different about this chapter of the countrys longrunning culture wars is that the president elects own celebrity helped him win the white house. From Reality Television youre fired. Reporter to his own cameos. Excuse me, wheres the lobby . Down the hall and to the left. Thanks. Reporter trumps fame presided him in politics, yet he drew few celebrities to his side while clinton surrounded herself with alist stars. And by the way, i didnt have to bring j. Lo or jay z. Reporter in just 11 days, trump will have the last word, a script hollywood cannot write. There were celebrities here over this past weekend until nearly sunrise on saturday morning, having one last farewell with the president. Do not expect that anytime here soon. In the next administration. But theres one thing. Donald trump has a longstanding relationship with many stars. One friend told me he wants to be respected, he wants to be liked. But it is good politics for him to be against hollywood, against these liberals. Well see if that relationship ever heals. Jeff zeleny, thanks. Lets bring in our totally underrated panel. Kiersten, certainly no one likes to be criticized, especially on a national broadcast. Does it make any sense that a man whos about to be president of the United States is tweeting about this predawn, responding to meryl streep . Once you respect that he tweets all the time, it weirdly does make sense given what jeff was talking about. They like this fight with hollywood. I think it works to his advantage to be attack bid someone like meryl streep who is sort of an icon of the left in hollywood, right . And i think what she said was very fair, and im not surprised that trump responded the way that he did. Can i jump in . You know, he spent 16 minutes tweeting about meryl streep and her speech was like six or seven minutes. But what she said in it was the same thing that moms in ohio and in michigan say to their kids, which is pick on somebody your own size, essentially. I agree. Im not sure, my point is, im not sure how that makes him look bigger or better or more president ial. Oh, no, no, no, i dont think it makes him look bigger and president ial. I just think it reenforces this idea that he is under attack by the elites in this country, and hes the person standing and pushing back. I think that what she said was one of the least offensive things you can really say in terms of you want to be totally factual. During the election, as jeff pointed out, he did use the fact that Hillary Clinton was surrounded by wellknown celebrities who would show up and sing for her, he wore that as a badge of honor. That seems to be trying to what hes doing, but it does seem this hurts him. If he pretends it doesnt, but if hes tweeting predawn. What you have learned about trump, if you attack him, he will attack back. Thats what hes shown the entirety of the election, but to kierstens point, shes exactly right. She said hollywood was vilified. She said hollywoods full of outsiders, and then she characterized trumps supporters as people showing their teeth, laughing at a disabled reporter being mocked, which wasnt the case. We dont need to relitigate that, but that is the juxtaposition that won donald trump this election. Trump supporters are showing their teeth and laughing and uncouth and we are the vilified outsiders in hollywood. If you go online, you can see imitations on ted cruz. And he used it on larry king describing himself. I do think that is a subject of debate. Fact check disagrees with you. And liberal Fact Checkers disagree 67 disagree. He was the one humiliating somebody. When she said humiliation incites humiliation. Lots of people didnt think it was mocking. Democrats, heres what i think that theres a rorschach test of what we see differently. If democrats want to win again, this is the exact wrong way. Theres a troep that goes now, this is why donald trump won. This is smug. Its pretentious, it is condescending. If you are a liberal living on a coast and you hear, you know, meryl streep say that, you say, shes so right, shes saying all the things that people really feel. If you live in moist of the cin country, as someone who likes mma, its not an art maybe, but i like it. In is not how you win the rust belt with apologies to someone who is from there. In my opinion, going to clj in West Virginia from maryland, most of the folks that i know do not identify with meryl streep. This is a turnoff to middle america. She wouldnt be such a huge lypopular actress. Shes been married almost 40 years. Shes bit of a different package than you might otherwise describe as liberal hollywood. Whether you agree she shouldnt have made the speech, whether you like what she said or not or thought it was just the liberal elite, whatever, it was certainly clearly a heartfelt, you know, thoughtful why do you bring it up . My point is that his come back is shes overrated. Its just kind of, like, really . Thats what the come back is . I feel like we could say that about so many of his tweets, right, so i dont, i think maybe to prove matts point, i found it to be a very eloquent speech, so i guess that makes me a coastal elite. But why did she say it then . Where else is she going to say it . As president elect, to be such a raw nerve of emotion is amazing to me in this most powerful position, but thats where we are. En everyone stay with us. Were going to talk about the confirmation battle getting under way tomorrow, starting with designee Jeff Sessions. Then we go back to michigan. Well hear from voters there who could have kept it blue but stayed home instead. And a story behind the ft. Lauderdale shootings, see what authorities are learning about everything leading up to that horrible moment. My arthritis pain used to make my favorite things to do. Painful. But now with oderfree blueemu maximum arthritis cream, i can enjoy lifes big moments and lifes little ones. Blueemu maximum arthritis cream. Beat the pain and enjoy life. The breaking news tonight. Team trump testing antinepotism laws, naming soninlaw Jared Kushner to a Senior Adviser position. Kushners attorney saying it will not be a obstacle. Unlike a cabinet position, a white house adviser does not require senate confirmation. Hearings for those jobs get under way tomorrow. Back now with the panel. Kirsten, clearly the trump team feels antinepotism laws do not apply in this case. That the white house is not an agency. And they can make their case. Heres the problem. Part of the reason there are many reasons the nepotism laws exist. But one that would apply in this case, if you have somebody on the staff who is related to the boss, and that person isnt doing a good job or giving bad advice, its very hard to go and say, mr. President , your soninlaw is completely screwing this up. And so it actually affects other people. So i think thats just something that they should consider. They have to obviously pass muster with all the legalities and he has to divest probably from a lot of his businesses and all the conflicts of interest. Even if they get past that, they have to consider these other assets. The president wants people who he trusts implicitly and who they have a track record with, and Jared Kushner is somebody who has had Donald Trumps ear throughout the election and has proved his worth. Thats right. I think he has the president elects ear the most. Not only that, i dont fear him being approached by staff members. And he is beloved by the early trump campaign, by the late trump campaign. People loved to work with him and he had the president elects ear from the very beginning and got limb him to this position. I think its unfair for folks to try to say now you have to separate yourself from your most Senior Adviser. It is square with nepotism laws. Theres a 1990s Appeals Court case that suggests it only applies to federal agencies, not white house staff. Conflict of interest will be the area that has to be honed in on. Millions and millions in Property Holdings and although conflict of interest doesnt apply to the president elect, it applies to Jared Kushner. But with wilmer hail a very good law firm. Democrats that are raising objections about this. The courting gave the green light for Hillary Clinton to run health care for then president clinton. And i think your point about the people around him and feeling comfortable going and talking, either about the president or to the president is really an important point from a psychological point. From a legal point of view, this was resolved, or at least somewhat resolved. I think the biggest point is this question about conflict. So he says today that hes going to step down from the kushner companies, that he will divest himself of some of his holdings. That is very interesting. Because what is donald trump going to say . Because even if conflicts of interests dont apply to the president , there is an appearance and especially as it relates to the area of Foreign Policy, where Jared Kushner apparently is going to be advising the president. And is the Foreign Policy of the United States for sale, meaning will Jared Kushner and his holdings, the president and his holdings, benefit from decisions that the president is making . And thats because donald trump hasnt released tax returns, a lot is unknown about his connections to foreign businesses. This is not going away for donald trump. No. Thats the real concern. If youre rooting for donald trump, if you want donald trump to succeed, you would have to be worried about conflicts of interest, having to do with business, maybe he could have maybe he could get things done and it would be brought down by scandal. Jared kushner, if youre rooting for donald trump, you should be rooting for him to have this adviser. I think hes a force for good. If bad people are whispering in Donald Trumps ear, if theyre the l