traps, cyberwar. the kremlin has form. russia do this like bread and butter. trump denies everything and blames the cia. that is something that nazi germany would do and did do. we ask what does the trump/putin bromance mean for us. we ask what does the trump/putin bromance mean for us? it is not going to be business as usual. and what happens if the two leaders fall out. and what happens if the two leaders fall out? they're behind us. in 2013, donald trump's biggest worry was his golfing handicap. hello sir. i was making a film about him and the murky characters he had been doing business with. i'm playing in a big tournament. i met him in bedminster in newjersey. no russian spies here. i have been asking as many provocative questions as possible. i know. i have seen him. he is very provocative. do you want to take me for a spin on the golf buggy. experience the wall of trump charm. i'm glad you came out. i appreciate you taking the time. i'm just worried about the driver! bedminster projects the image of donald trump that millions have bought into — the millionaire with the midas

center. ambassador samantha power to the united nations will talk to us about russia policy. bio,ll of her -- have her so i will just say she started as an accomplished journalist. with that, i will turn the platform over to her. if you want to follow the tagversation, it is hash #russiafactor. ambassador power, please. [applause] thank you so much. thank you. i have had the privilege of serving in the obama administration eight years. , and,in the white house for the last three and a half years, as u.s. ambassador to the united nations. i have never had a more meaningful job. and now i have just three days left. this is my last major speech as a member of this administration. much as i would have liked to urge young people to go into public service or make to pragmatic case strengthening the united nations, i feel the circumstances require me to focus on a much more immediate subject. a major threat facing our great nation -- russia. before getting to the core threat posed by russia, i want to stress, from the bottom of my heart, that the most -- some of the most rewarding and impa

regime and a ceasefire deal brokered by russia and turkey is just about folding. moscow's dominant role in the diplomatic endgame is now undisputed with an corrupt playing a pivotal role as well. my guess is bassma kodmani of the negotiating tea m bassma kodmani of the negotiating team of the syrian opposition. is it time for the moderate rebels to accept their de facto defeat? bassma kodmani in paris, welcome to hardtalk. hello, stephen, thank you. it's a pleasure to have you on the programme. let me start with a question that comes directly from the new year. do you see 2017 bringing with it better prospects for the end to the conflict in syria then we have seen at any time in the previous almost six years?” then we have seen at any time in the previous almost six years? i do, carefully optimistic, but i do. i do hope and we are working towards making 2017 the end of the disaster of the tragedy at the beginning of a political transition. that is what we are hoping for in the coming weeks will tell us whether we are moving in that direction but there is certainly a turning point

russia has always denied it ordered the hacking of democratic party e—mails and the production of fake news. donald trump is to be briefed by intelligence agency chiefs before the weekend. two people have been killed and least five have been wounded in a car bomb explosion in the turkish resort of izmir. the blast took place outside the city's courthouse. two of the attackers were shot dead by police and a third is said to be on the run. in mexico, a police officer is dead and more than 600 people have been arrested after violent protests followed a demonstration over petrol prices. demonstrators are furious about a 20% increase announced five days ago. protestors have blockaded highways and petrol stations. let's have a quick look at some of the front pages of the morning's papers. the ft says top spies in the us are on a collision course with president—elect donald trump two weeks before his inauguration. it's after they rejected his dismissal of their findings that russia interfered in the recent election. the metro pays tribute to the sex assault campaigner and rape survivor

>>> this sunday, the battle over russia's election year interference. the intel community says the russians are guilty. case closed. >> russia has clearly assumed an even more aggressive side or posture by abusing cyber espionage operations. >> president-elect trump got an intel briefing on friday, but says hs still not sure. >> my sitdown with two republican senators, lindsay graham of south carolina. >> after the briefing he's still not sure that would shake me to my core about his judgment. >> and john mccain of arizona. >> if we were able to succeed doing that then you destroy democracies. >> the secretary of defense ash carter live this morning on what options the u.s. really has to counter russia. >> and obamacare, the republican party is increasingly divided over how fast to repeal it. >> health care will be better and less expensive when obamacare is completely repealed. >>> if there's nothing to replace it with. >> i think it would not be the right path for us to repeal obamacare without laying out a path forward. >> joining me this morning for insight and analysis are dav

feel about vladimir putin and russia? >> well, i think in the present elect you have someone who is willing to approach this terrible relationship of the united states has with russia today with fresh eyes, and to at least be open to a better relationship with vladimir putin. and with russia. look, we have some common interests that would be well served if we were able to improve our relationship with russia, most notably the battle to defeat radical islamic terrorism and to defeat isis at its source, but i think the president elect also made it clear this week, john, that while a better relationship with russia would be a good thing, that i think he is realistic about the possibility of that and i think when you see the cabinet that he assembled, general mattis and general coates and -- we are coming at this with realistic expectations. but the president elect is determined to reengage the world, put america first and see if we can make progress for the security and peace of the world. >> dickerson: let me ask you about that, because the picture that donald trump puts forward about

also efforts by modern ukraine and modern russia and poland to claim in the past which has been claim. in fact his work demonstrate influences from all three areas. it cannot be boiled down to just a russian artist or a polish artist in the way we think of it today. and then to go back to the painting black square, it was his very radical theories of the avant-garde and on the revolution. so for him the black square in some ways represented what we could almost call to use a term that calls from a very different area field in time, the end of history. his idea was that once the revolution was completely filled, once the goals were reached that time would stop and there would be this emptiness that came after. for me, although he was very different to claim the history after the fall of the soviet union, but in some sense this idea that once you achieve your political goal time a lens, i thought was relevant for what has happened with the years following the fall of the soviet union. there was a sense that now that the soviet union is gone and the cold war is over this means all the co

— said to be carrying us military id — is now in police custody. russia tried to boost donald trump's election campaign — and discredit hillary clinton — according to a report by us intelligence officials. and — tears and cheers as michelle obama gives her final speech as first lady. she said the role of first lady had been the greatest honour of her life. now on bbc news, it is time for hardtalk with stephen sackur. welcome to hardtalk. i'm stephen sackur. after six years of terrible bloodshed, could 2017 dramatically shift the dynamic of the syria conflict? change is in the air. aleppo has fallen to the assad regime, and a ceasefire deal brokered by russia and turkey is just about folding. moscow's dominant role in the diplomatic endgame is now undisputed, with ankara playing a pivotal role as well. my guest is bassma kodmani of the negotiating team of the syrian opposition. is it time for the moderate rebels to accept their de facto defeat? bassma kodmani, in paris, welcome to hardtalk. hello, stephen. thank you. it's a pleasure to have you on the programme. let me st

russia, expelling those diplomats. does president-elect trump agree with the moves or will he reverse them? >> as he said he's going to sit down with with intelligence committee heads next week, get a full briefing. i think one of the questions we have is why the magnitude of this. when you look at 35 people being down, the question is is that response in proportion to the actions taken? maybe it was, maybe it wasn't. that's nothing we haven't seen in modern history. when we look back -- >> we have seen diplomats -- >> hold on. in 2015 china took sensitive data, people like me, classified or personal information where we lived, things we had written down on our applications and security clearances and a white house statement wasn't issued. no action publicly was taken. nothing. nothing was taken when millions of people had their private information including information on security clearances that was shared. not one thing happened. there is a question about whether there is a political retribution here versus a diplomatic response. >> it sounds like you think these measures are too m

was it really so? what is the truth behind the swirl of allegations? and what now for russia—us relations? well, i'm going to the kremlin to meet vladimir putin's spokesman, dmitry peskov. is he triumphant or cautious? dmitry peskov, welcome to hardtalk. dmitry peskov, welcome to hardtalk. do you care that a host of western intelligence agencies have accused your government of sophisticated, covert operations, dirty tricks, meddling in their internal politics, do you care? you mean cyber attacks? cyber attacks, not just that, but cyber attacks have been one very big part of it. let's talk about the united states first of all. yes. we have to be very precise in wording. you're speaking about secret services and special services of the major states. we're speaking about only the united states of america and some retired gentlemen who used to work in mi6 or mi5, i don't know exactly, from great britain. the rest of special services in european countries, they have never accused russia of interfering into somewhere, they have just started to feel uncomfortable, at the same front of

thursday the heads of the top intelligence agencies made their conclusions clear, russia interfered with the presidential election. on friday, those same intelligence agencies released a report that included this line, putin and the russian government appeared to help president-elect trump's election chances when possible by discrediting secretary clinton and contrasting her unfavorably to him. it did not include the sources and methods of how the intel agencies came to these conclusions. that portion is classified but that was part of mr. trump's briefing on friday. the president-elect reacted by neither accepting nor rejecting the finding. there was absolutely no evidence that the hacking affected the election results voting machines want touched. the president-elect tweeted. no one is suggesting that voting machines were impacted and the president-elect still appears to be largely on his own, at least within his party, on this dispute. >> reporter: donald trump is calling the controversy over russian interference during the presidential election a political witch hunt, putting himself

believe the hacking was justified? does russia have any leverage over you, financial or otherwise, and if not, will you release your tax returns to prove it? >> so i tweeted out that i have no dealings with russia. i have no deals in russia. i have no deals that could happen in russia, because we've stayed away. and i have no loans with russia. as a real estate developer i have very, very little debt. i have assets that are -- and now people have found out how big the company is, i have very low debt. but i have no loans with russia at all. and i thought that was important to put out. i certified that. so i have no deals. i have no loans. and i have no dealings. we could make deals in russia very easily if we wanted to. i just don't want to because i think that would be a conflict. so i have no loans, no dealings, and no current pending deals. now, i have to say one other thing. over the weekend, i was offered $2 billion to do a deal in dubai with a very, very, very amazing man, a great, great developer from the middle east, hussein damack, a friend of mine, great guy. i was offered $2 bi

russia. it is a threat to the fundamentals of democracy. >> with three weeks to go, what will the new president do on day one? incoming trump press secretary sean spicer is here. plus -- >> make america great again. >> new year's revolution. 2016 broke all the rules. so what's next? our powerhouse round table looks ahead to 2017. and predictions from a pair of high powered insiders. >> when you look mr. speaker, at the trump presidency, what do you fear the most? >> from abc news, it's "this week." here now chief white house correspondent jonathan karl. >> good morning. and welcome to the new year. breaking overnight. a nightclub massacre in turkey. a gunman opened fire inside add crowded nightclub in istanbul killing at least 39 people. in this surveillance footage you can see gunfire. as the attacker shoots his way into the club. police are searching for the shooter. no claim of responsibility. turkey's president is calling it an act of terror. we'll talk to the top democratic on the house intelligence committee on what we know about who is responsible for the attack. but first,

levels in the russian government. russia has just responded saying no evidence was presented supporting the allegations. a state-run news agency in moscow calls the hearing, quote, two hours of unsubstantiated statements, calls for aggression towards russia and hyperbole. >>> also breaking tonight, pointed remarks by the vice president, joe biden, aimed at donald trump. in an interview with pbs, biden said, and i'm quoting him now, grow up, donald. time to be an adult. you're president. you got to do something. show us what you have. close quote. and new tonight, a deposition by trump in one of the legal battles he's fighting with two celebrity chefs. a trump attorney says it lasted just over an hour and describes it as fairly straightforward. we're covering that and much more this hour with our goetzes including senator chris coons of the senate foreign relations committee and our correspondents and expert analysts are also standing by. let's begin with the senate hearing on russia's cyber meddling with the u.s. election. our senior reporter is up on capitol hill. president

had a long discussion about russia and about russia's influence. russia's influence -- we know about russia's influence in ukraine. we had a little discussion about russia's desires in regards to the baltics and whether the baltics could be the next ukraine, as far as russia's aggression. we know that russia is already in georgia. russia is already in moldova. russia is in ukraine. and do they have their sights now for lithuania or latvia or hestonia or poe landed land -- r poland, where there's large russian-speaking populations? well, interesting were made, if russia doesn't use that resolve. russia a few years ago had very little influence in the middle east. now it has a growing influence in the middle east, not only in syria but in other countries in that region where you see russia's active engagement. so this is not theoretical. and russia's interests are different than our interests, make no mistake about that. they don't share our values. they're not our friends. they're trying to compromise our democratic institutions. we've seen that over and over again, not only on the at

thing to end off on. i don't blame putin, to be honest. when you're in russia, you have to take national pride where you can get it. obama is all over there, the tv, america has the world's number one economy, military and top innovators in tech and science. and putin is, like, we have world's best prostitutes! we also have bear who knows gymnastics! ( laughter ) but you know what the truth is, it's actually a great time to be vladimir putin right now because, for a long time, nobody was even thinking about russia. but now he's got us playing his game. we're all obsessed with russia because of all the hacking and e-mails. seems like russia is the sinister force behind everything. for instance, did you guys see what happened on c-span the other day? in the middle of the speech about russia, the feed suddenly cuts to russian tv. now, i mean, if that was just a one with-off thing, it could be a mistake or stupid incident prank. but how do you explain that on the very same day, the happened. >> it was a weird day on capitol hill. in the pompeo hearing they were talking about a russi

winnings to set up a new newspaper in russia. and that literally was its name. "new newspaper." that paper got off the ground in 1993, independent paper with an investigative bent. came into its own over the course of the '90s as the old soviet union became the new kleptocratic oligarch-run russia and as an intense little man named vladimir putin rose from the kgb to be the head of the successor agency to the kwk, the head of the fsb and he rose from there to be prime minister and then president and then prime minister again and then president again. and unlike us, hiroshirush has long-term political consensus that there ought to be an aggressive an independent press holding its politicians accountable for their actions. but for 24 years novia gazettea has done its best and they have done great independent hard hitting investigative work and they have paid a brutal price for in the putin's russia "putin's russia" was actually a book written by the paper's star reporter. she published "putin's russia" in 2004 before she was murdered in 2006 in the elevator bank of her apartment building in

relationship with russia. russia today poses a danger, but it is not unpredictable in advancing its own interest. it has invaded the, crane, including the taking of crimea, and supported syrian forces that brutally violates the laws of war. our nato allies are right to be alarmed at a resurgent russia. but it was in the absence of american leadership that this door was left open and unincontinue euni unintended signals were sent. we backtracked on commitments we made to ally. we sent weak or mixed signals with red lines that turned into green lights. we did not recognize that russia does not think like we do. words alone do not sweep away an uneven and at times contentious history between our two nations. but we need an open and frank dialogue with russia regarding its ambitions so we know how to chart our own course. where cooperation with russia baseod common interest is possible, such as reducing the global threat of terrorism, we ought to explore these options. where important differences remain, we should be steadfast in maintaining the interest of america and her allies. russia mu

influences, tension between multiple influences, and then also efforts by modern ukraine, modern russia, modern poland to claim certain figures from the past, including -- who has been claim by all those people and yet in fact his work demonstrates influences from all three areas. he can't be boiled down to just a russian artist, just a ukrainian artist or a polish artist and then going back to painting, black square, the -- his very radical theories of the the avan -- darde and the black square represented what we -- a term is very different area, field and time, the end of history, and his idea was that once the revolution was completely filled, once the revolutionary goals were reached, that all time would stop and that there would be this emptiness that came after. and so for me, although he was very different from fokoyuma two coined the term the end of history after the fall of the soviet union, but sometimes this idea that once you achieve your political goals, time will end, the thought was relevant with what happened in the years after the fall of the soviet union, because for

that he believes russia was behind the u.s. election hacks. that was the only headline since november he hasn't had one. to be completely accurate yes he said i think it was russia. he said later in the press conference i think it was russia but he could have been someone else. that reluctance is still there. >> he did say for the first time that russia carried out the sign area tacks in hopes of interfering with the election but he did save his anger for the u.s. intelligence agencies and the media during the first press conference in six months that took a page out of his campaign play book. >> donald trump saying for the first time he accepts that russia carried out the sign area tacks during a rowdy and contentious press conference. >> i think it was russia but we also get hacked by other countries. >> spending much of the hour long news conference blasting the media and deflecting reports that the nation's top intelligence leaders about possible incriminating information in the hands of the russians. >> it's a disgrace that information will be let out. it's all fake news. it's ph

new american security. she is also one of the smartest people in town on europe and russia. when i started studying the soviet union we went to peering into the putin's eyes and who knows what phrase we will use to come up with a putin change. representative schiff, maybe you can help us get clarity. thank you very much. [applause] >> thank you. it is a pleasure to join you today and my special appreciation for the center for american progress for the fabulous work that the center does and for the invitation to come and speak with you today. i very much look forward to the panel. there is a lot to talk about. what i thought i would focus my brief remarks on is the convergence of two trends tht world. the trend affecting russia at its place in the world and the world view of vladimer putin. as well as the trend of the increasing potency of cyber as a weapon. we saw those trends come into a unique combination last november which brings us to the heart of the topic today. let me start off talking about russia with an antidote from a few years ago when i was introduce today a russian a

other people don't know about hacking? and whether russia was involved? >>> and a statesman weighs in tonight on the dangers of president-elect trump's constant praise for vladimir putin. the "11th hour" begins now. >>> happy new year, i'm nicolle wallace. brian has the name off. same year, i'm sorry, new year, same donald trump. he's confident in his own assessment of what is widely believed to be russian hacking of the dnc over the summer, leaving us in suspense tonight about why. when it comes to russia, two men who often share a news cycle rang in the new year in two very different ways. here's donald trump on the hacking scandal l on new year's eve at his florida club, mar-a-lago. >> i know a lot about hacking and hacking is a very hard thing to prove. so it could be somebody else. and i also know things that other people don't know. and so they cannot be sure of this situation. >> like what, what do you know that other people don't know? >> you'll find out on tuesday or wednesday. >> and then there's john mccain who spent new year's eve with ukrainian troops on the front lines o

doubt russian cyber attacks tried to influence last year's race for the white house. russia denies ordering the hacking of democratic party emails and the production of fake news. donald trump, who's been unconvinced so far, will be given a briefing on friday. two people have been killed and least five wounded by a car bomb in the turkish resort of izmir, outside the city's courthouse. two attackers were shot dead by police and a third is said to be on the run. police suspect a bigger attack was planned. prosecutors in the us city of chicago have charged four people with hate crimes over a video live—streamed on facebook, in which a bound and gagged man was tortured. police believe the victim, who's described as mentally disabled, may have been kidnapped for up to 48 hours before the attack. let's have a quick look at some of the front pages of the morning's papers. the ft says top spies in the us are on a collision course with president—elect donald trump, two weeks before his inauguration. it's after they rejected his dismissal of their findings, that russia interfered in the

portion from earlier today, including questioning by florida republican marco rubio about russia and vladimir putin. >> good morning. chairman corker and others. i'm honored to have the backing of senator cornyn, senator cruz from my home state of texas. i want to thank senator nunn for his commitment to nuclear nonproliferation, something he remains a steadfast today as ever. and secretary gates for his service to eight u.s. presidents, and his own leadership as president of the boy scouts of america. chairman corker, ranking member cardin, members of the committee, it is an honor to appear before you today as president-elect trump's nominee for secretary of state. and seek the approval of this committee and the full senate for my confirmation. i come before you at a pivotal time in both the history of our nation and our world. nearly everywhere we look, people in nations are deeply unsettled. old ideas and international norms which were well understood and governed behaviors in past may no longer be effective in our time. we face considerable threats in this evolving new enviro

everyone. exxon's recollection tillerson will be grilled on climate change and dealings with russia's vladimir putin. his confirmation on secretary of state is about to begin. minutes from now, there will be hostile questioning from the democrats and you will see it. then, at 11:00, the president-elect holds his first former news conference in six months. watch out, this will be very contentious. unverified and unsubstantiated claims this morning that the russians have damaging information on mr. trump and that his lawyer met with russian officials and said cash payments to them. the lawyer says totally untrue. trump angrily calls it a political witch hunt and fake news. the russians say they have no compromising material, but it's all over the media. it will come up at the tillerson hearing and it wil be center stage at the news conference. so, here is the state of political play. the left continues its full court press to discredit and undermine the trump presidency. they are in attack mode. you will see how trump responds. "varney & company" is about to begin. ♪ >> exxonmobil chi

friendly and adversarial. while russia seeks respect on the global stage, the recent activities has is regarded american interests. radical islam is not a new ideology but it is hateful, expression a wrong of the islamic faith. as we confront these realities, how should america respond? my answer is simple. to achieve this ability that is foundational to peace and security, american leadership must not only be renewed but asserted. we have many advantages on which to build. our alliances are durable, and our alliances -- our allies are looking forward to our return to leadership. our men and women represent the world's strongest fighting force. [inaudible] >> senators, be brave. protect my community. protect america. i reject you. mr. tillerson: our men and women in uniform are the world's finest fighting force. we possess the world's largest economy. america is still the destination of choice for people the world over because of our track record of benevolence and hope for our fellow man. america has been indispensable in providing the stability to prevent another world war, increa

matters of russia, that is very notable. we heard from senator bob menendez of new jersey who was bringing up one of the more famous quotes of donald trump from announcing his candidacy, derogatory comments of mexico and rex tillerson separated himself from those words and talking about the strong partnership he would want to have with this long-standing neighbor and friend, as he described mexico. the president-elect also tried to repair the relationship and the things he said in his news conference today. so, the recently retired ceo of exxon who has had a global reach in his business life is being challenged on matters where he might differ from donald trump or on areas where some of trump's more controversial statements or tweeting habits could, perhaps, conflict with the work of the secretary of state. so, this is a very high-profile hearing, rigorous questions. that's what stands out. this won't be an easy ride for someone new to public life. being a ceo made him a public figure but public life is something different. we saw that play out. he had big support, roberts gates s

. some lawmakers have expressed concerns about tillerson's dealings with russia, jim. we got a lot to get through in the next few hours. >> yeah, look -- cross talk with joe in the market yesterday though everything is up for grabs. i think the tillerson's hearing is very much encapsulate the whole rally. but tillerson is at the heart of what i regard business agenda who is secretary of state. and part of the business agenda by the way is to do business with everyone including russia, which by the way before you went to sochi was one of our brightest possibility of partners of energy. so let's say too much is on the line to not cut away. >> not the only one going on as well. elaine chao in front of commerce this morning. tillerson now apparently in the room shaking hands with members of the committee. expect to see more protests today as they've been lined up in the hall. busy day for the capitol police. and as it regards the trump press conference, obviously everybody's read up on what happened last night, allegations of -- questions of even whether he was briefed on friday about som

whether anybody from any of the campaigns had any kind of contact with anybody in russia that they weren't supposed to in the run up to election day. now in a joint statement, the top democrat and top republican from the senate intelligence committee say this, as part of the senate select committee on intelligence oversight responsibilities, we believe it is critical to have a full understanding of the scope of russian intelligence activities impacting the united states. one law maker in the house who thinks russia tipped election in trump's favor is democratic congressman john lewis, well-known for his role in the civil rights movement. lewis's district represents most of atlanta in a state mr. trump won and dean of the congressional delegation is saying he doesn't think trump deserved to win. >> going to be very difficult. i don't see this president-elect as a legitimate president. reporter: well, the president-elect doesn't like that. so he tweeted the following, congressman john lewis, should spend more time fixing and helping his district in horrible shape falling apart, not t

prepares to press the brexit button. and secondly, how far president putin and russia are steering events in the middle east and elsewhere, with donald trump perhaps in the passenger seat. my guests today are: greg katz of associated press. annalisa piras, who is an italian film maker. lyse doucet, who is the bbc‘s chief international correspondent. michael gove of the times, and who is also a conservative mp. good to see you all. britain's top diplomat in the european union, sir ivan rogers, quit this week amid the continuing political row about britain being unprepared for brexit. but with italy's banks in trouble, the greek crisis unresolved, elections in germany and france in 2017 and in italy by 2018, plus fears about the euro, how much of a mess is the european union and more importantly the eurozone actually in? michael? over the course of this year, the attention will focus on german elections and french elections and dutch elections, particularly in these three countries there will be strong populist challenges. i believe geert wilders in the netherlands will top the poll, but

intelligence services and suggesting there could be warmer relations with russia. that, in any time in the last 50 years, would seem like that sentence got mixed up. many things sound like they could never have happened before. that's the answer to your question. donald trump and his coterie not only cannot heal divides, they don't want to heal divides. they understand that his power and the way he got to where he is today is by exploiting divides. in his last press conference, that he gave when he was in a fight with cnn and buzzfeed, when things get calm, donald trump gets nervous and has to perform on content and substance. so he tries to pick fights all the time. because then the polarisation is reinstated. he is going to govern from the fringes. he's going to govern people on his side and alienate everyone else. whether that includes the cia, the republican party, whoever it is, he knows that all he needs is the support of those people who voted for him. they got him to where he is and they'll keep him there. until, for example, if we're going to put a tax on mexico to pay for

of state under question from russia. the 11th hour begins now. >> well, good evening once again from our headquarters here in new york. and what kind of day was today in american politics? today, for starters, we watched marco rubio go after trump's nominee and we watched donald trump call cnn fake news while comparing u.s. intelligence to nazi germany. it was as if he was making up for the 168 days that gone by since his last news conference in july. it was an action packed session. here now a sampling. >> i want to thank a lot of news organizations here today because they looked at that nonsense that was released by maybe the intelligence agencies. who knows? but maybe the intelligence agencies, which would be a tremendous blot on their record if they, in fact, did that. a tremendous blot. because a thing like that should have never been written. it should never have been had, and it certainly never have been released. president putin put out a statement today that this fake news was fake news. now somebody is going to say, of course he's going to say that. >> since you're att

views of russia expressed by donald trump. also breaking, word that justice department's inspector general is open to new investigation into how the fbi and the justice department handled the probe of hillary clinton's e-mail. we'll speak with clinton's former campaign manager. we'll also get more on the breaking news with republican senator tom cotton. he's here with me. and our correspondents analysts and guests, they will have full coverage of today's top stories. let's begin with the breaking news. vice-president joe biden confirming publicly he and president obama were briefed on the intelligence community's unsubstantiated claims against the president-elect. our justice correspondent evan perez has been following the story for us. evan, update our viewers. what are you learning? >> wfl, wolf, vice-president joe biden is confirming that he and president barack obama were briefed last week by in tell jensen officials about unverified claims russia may have information on donald trump. cnn first reported the napgs's top intelligence chiefs provided both the president and the pre

>> narrator: tonight on frontline, with russia in economic crisis and tensions simmering over ukraine, the world is watching vladimir putin. >> when he's in the corner, that's when he's dangerous. >> narrator: tonight, the inside story of the russian president's rise to power. >> he has got so many guilty secrets, so much money's been stolen, but he doesn't really trust anyone to keep him safe if he steps down from power. >> narrator: correspondent gillian findlay investigates the allegations that have haunted putin. >> there have been a number of credible investigations. >> all this propagandistic quasi-investigation. >> don't become victim of propaganda. if you put these people in the united states and check what they've done, they're criminals. >> narrator: tonight on frontline... >> instead of seeing russia as a democracy in the process of failing, we need to see it as an authoritarian system in the process of succeeding. >> narrator: "putin's way." >> frontlinis made possible by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. and by the corporation for

we're also learning much more about his possible plans toward russia. in an hour long interview donald trump suggested to "the wall street journal" that he is open to lifting sanctions on russia but he also said that he would keep those sanction in place for at least appear idea of time. the u.s. placed those additional sanctions on russia just last month for alleged hacking during the u.s. presidential election. intelligence agencies that say that russia ordered the hacks in order to help donald trump win the election. the senate intelligence committee plans to not only look into russia's alleged medaling but to investigate whether there were contacts between moscow and the presidential campaigns. >>> there have been a lot of questions across washington. what's the next step in the waik of the explosive u.s. intelligence report that russia meddled in the elections. the u.s. select committee will be holding a bipartisan investigation into the russian intelligence activities. it's important the scope of this investigation. because it's not narrow. it's not just looking into the u

clear-eyed about our relationship with russia. russia today poses a danger. but it is not unpredictable in advancing its own interests. it has invaded the ukraine, including the taking of crimea, and supported syrian forces that brutally violates the laws of war. our nato allies are right to be alarmed at a resurgent russia. but it was in the absence of american leadership that this door was left open and unintended signals were sent. we backtracked on commitments we made to allies. we sent weak or mixed signals with red lines that turned into green lights. we did not recognize that russians do not think like we do. words alone do not sweep away an uneven and at times contentious history between our two nations. but we need an open and frank dialogue with russia regarding its ambitions to we know how to chart our own course. where cooperation with russia based on common interest is possible, such as reducing the global threat of terrorism, we ought to explore these options. were important differences remain, we should be steadfast in defending the interests of america and her allies. ru

. blasting unconfirmed reports being investigated by u.s. intelligence about russia and whether vladimir putin has material on the new president to blackmail him. and what we now know about that report. brian ross standing by. >>> and that very tense moment today with a reporter. >> you are attacking our news organization. can you give us a chance? >>> also breaking tonight, the family business. since election day, the president-elect promising to offer a plan to avoid conflicts of interest. tonight, his big reveal, and the office of government ethics calling it, quote, wholly inadequate. >>> trump's pick for secretary of state, rex tillerson. a leading republican grilling him. >>> and the alarming images coming in tonight. tearful hostages begging the president-elect, donald trump to save their lives. >>> good evening, and it's great to have you with us here on a wednesday night, and we begin with the lightning round of questions today at trump tower. this was the president-elect's first news conference in 168 days. since july, in fact. and mr. trump came ready. the president-e

partnership. we must also be clear right about our relationship with russia. russia today poses a danger, but it is not unpredictable in advancing its own interest. it has invaded the ukraine, including the taking of crimea. if supported syrian forces that brutally violate the laws of war. our nato allies are right to be a learned that a resurgent russia. but it was in the absence of american leadership that this door was left open and unintended signals were sent. we backtracked on commitments we made two allies. we sent week or mixed signals with red lines that turned into green light. we did not recognize that russia does not think like we do. do not sweep away and uneven, and at times contentious, history between our nations. but we need an open and frank dialogue with russia regarding it ambitions, so we know how to chart our own course. based on common interests such as reducing the global threat of terrorism, we ought to explore these options. differencesant remain, we should be steadfast defending the interests of america and its allies. russia must know that we will be accountable to

documents alleging russia has compromising material on him. i think it is a disgrace that information would be let out. i saw the information, i read the information outside of that meeting. it is all fake news, it is phoney stuff, it didn't happen. a dossier compiled by an ex—mi6 agent makes unproven allegations that russia has damning details of mr trump's business interest and lurid claims involving sex workers. i am surrounded by people, and i always tell them, anywhere, i always tell them, if i am leaving this country, be very careful, because in your hotel rooms, no matter where you go, you are probably going to have cameras. be careful. because you don't want to see yourself on television. cameras all over the place. and again, notjust russia. all over. does anyone really believe that story? i am also very much a germophobe, by the way. believe me. mr trump is having none of it, neither is the kremlin. only a handful of people had this information. the president—elect is clear who he thinks leaked it. i think it was disgraceful, disgraceful, that the intelligence agencies a

really thinks or would do. yes, he likes talking about russia, but he is not unlike obama, he is no gentleman. he will not be doing concessions to russia. he is here to be the president of the united states and not help russia and its problems. that is why the window of opportunity, there is a big risk that our relations well -- will keep deteriorating and kind of -- and a sudden deterioration. putin arew president looking for some kind of -- what obama and hillary wanted in 2009, 2010. whether trump and his people are interested in these new -- i do not know. think gave the indication to putin and moscow at the large that they might have a better relationship with a trump administration and offers place? -- nfl first place -- in the first place? and heton is a pragmatic is ready to talk to every president and -- putin is a pragmatist and he is ready to talk to every president. it is not like we used to embrace the previous residents. but is in power, russia is always for change. let's take syria. and clear, direct signs that russia wants good relations with but when theytes expelle

came up in the hearing today was about russia, russia's role in the elections, for you personally, how concerned are you about what russia has done and what recourse should the united states take in order to retaliate against russia? >> okay. well, of course, who wouldn't be concerned about any nation trying to effect policy in another country? the united states has done that

, including putin, who said that russia stands with turkey and the white house called this a horrific terrorist attack. >> we have seen them get closer this live. >> back to you as news warrants. >> the shooting in istanbul marks the fifth terror attack in six months. two in germany, what he man attacked and kill a teen, and just before christmas, a large truck went through a christmas market. and in july, two men stormed a church, taking five people hostage and killing a priest. the men who were later arrested are said to have carried out eight talk in isis. the deadliest attack took place when 77 people were killed in nice france, and let's bring in wally ferris, thank you for joining us, on the news which is devastating. what is your reaction to this particular event? what do you find unique? this is the last attack and then this attack where he didn't sacrifice himself and the enact he was wearing a holiday costume. >> well before we get do that, number 1 he was wearing a santa outfit, so were many other security guards, we're just learning that he may have done that because he wa

will investigate any possible links between russia and the campaigns. and more questions are raised about the president-elect's national security adviser michael flynn and his contact with the russian ambassador. meanwhile the house joining the senate in taking first steps to repeal obamacare. let's get to it. david gergen, kiersten powers and -- happy friday evening. tonight the committee announced going to investigate any links between russia and individuals in this presidential campaign, cyberactivity in the election and interview and subpoena if necessary individuals from the trump and obama administration. what is your reaction? >> it was a surprise wasn't it? earlier in the day, statements were they were not going down all those trails. now for whatever reason, maybe because looked at more evidence, they decided they should. what it means is these investigations are going to be shadowing president trump as he takes office and into the first hundred days. going to make a higher hill for him to climb. >> this is surprising because donald trump also telling the "wall street journ