i want to bring in kelly o'donnell. vice president-elect mike pence is meeting with president-elect in the trump tower. the two are discussing some of these names for the next administration, some cabinet names. there's a possibility we may get a more thorough readout from that in the next few hours and they may also be getting the so-called presidential daily briefing. talk to us about your reporting on this. >> reporter: this is something that is available to the president-elect once he won the office and it is sort of notable that it's now a week later and our sourcing tells us that it will happen today and this will be an opportunity for both president-elect, vice president-elect pence to receive this information identical to what is delivered to barack obama each day and contains intelligence summaries of the hot spots around the world, the sources and methods. essentially, it's a file of the government's secrets and the threats that are imminent on a daily basis. this is, of course, to help a leader shape their vi

we'll check in with kelly o'donnell in just a moment. i'm sheinelle jones. have a good day. my hygienist said the most random thing. she said i should think of my teeth like an apple. it could be great on the outside not so great on the inside. her advice? use a toothpaste and mouthwash that strengthens both. go pro with crest pro-health advanced. it's uniquely formulated with activestrength technology to strengthen teeth inside and is better at strengthening the outside than colgate total. crest toothpaste and mouthwash makes my whole mouth feel amazing. advance to healthier gums and stronger teeth from day one. my check-up was great. want to make thanksgiving extra here's a few suggestions. always cut the head off the turkey before you cook it. and don't forget to serve delicious stove top stuffing. my mouth is watering just thinking about it. the stuffing... not the turkey head. >>> good saturday afternoon, everyone, we're following several fast moving developments.

and kelly o'donnell is there for us, and kelly, i was just commenting on how it's been a busy day there. the cameras moving back and forth and watching there the retired marine corps general james mattis leaving a meeting and you were shouting out several questions about, you know, will he be part of the administration? what are we watching here in terms of the general? >> reporter: well, we think, and i'm going to step down here because we also have another possible pick for the trump cabinet, mr. bob woodson, being greeted, and he is a potential hud secretary, housing and urban development. he is a prominent figure in the trump universe for this particular pick. so rime going to let him enter as i continue to tell you about general mattis. what we saw just a short time ago based on all of my sources was an important sign for the trump administration. sources tell me there is a very strong indication that general mattis would have a role in the trump administration. again, root night now we see th president-elect and vice president-elect meeting bob woodson, who we believe is here to t

i want to bring in kelly o'donne o'donnell. nikki haley was critical of donald trump throughout the campaign. is that part of his strategy to appear more balanced? >> nikki haley was a marco rubio endorser and got to the place where she said publicly she did vote for donald trump. she has been tested after the tragedy of that mass shooting in her state where she really met the head winds and that resulted in the removing of the confederate flag. she had a degree of profile and has been through crisis. she would be very much that person who was not in the trump camp and if he is in fact seriously considering her as joe scarborough's reporting told us, that would be a way to do a couple of things.placing her in cabinet and when there is so much controversy with where steve bannon is to have the first indian-american governor in a state where w a large african-american community. that is helpful. now, she just got a new job today. she was voted by fellow republican governors the vice chair of the association working behind chairma

kelly o'donnell is live in bedminster, new jersey. let's talk about the latest you're learning about the meeting and what's happening between president-elect trump and mitt romney today. >> reporter: so far no official comment. what we can tell you is mitt romney arrived a little over an hour ago. he was greeted by president-elect donald trump and mike pence, the vp-elect. they're inside the clubhouse in donald trump's frequent weekend home here in new jersey. we harder the vehicle that governor romney arrived in, the motor was turned. that indicates to us that perhaps the meeting is reaching its end and we'll see governor romney soon. so far no staff have provided us with any insight about what happened inside the room. we hope to get that later. the significance of this meeting cannot be overlooked. these are two men who have both held the nomination of their party to be the president in 2012. it was romney who had donald trump's support. and then in 2016, a real falling out. deep division between the two of them over politics, over

kelly o'donnell, thank you so much. of course we'll be stopping by with you later as things continue to happen. we could get an answer, we may not, we'll see what happens. "washington post" reporter janice johnson, and strategist hogan gibley. we can talk about mitt romney, michelle rhee, two individuals that have evidently met with donald trump for a portion of time. what would mitt romney mean for a trump administration if he is being considered for potential secretary of state? >> it would be a complete turn around for where mitt romney was. you remember the famous press conference where he came out and said nasty things with donald trump, where he pointed out that donald trump actually had more votes than mitt romney did. you saw the actual final general election when donald trump outperformed mitt romney in almost every segment of the position. it's clear that donald trump is trying to mend some fences. when he received the nomination, you remember people like paul ryan wouldn't even come on board, he actually had

let me go back to kelly o'donnell with more on the meetings on capitol hill and kelly, i know that you know better than anyone else the pushback on the republicans has been, while you've had this democratic president, the republican party has chosen to be obstructionist whether it's the supreme court and many other issues but to your point, it seems like people want to erase the board and start the count again. >> reporter: honestly, tamron, i get that genuine impression from the leaders i've been talking to that this is really going to be a new day in washington. and it happens with every administration change, especially when there's a party swap involved and i'm told paul ryan will, what issues does he want to talk about or bring to the table? they're ready to talk about what should try to be liberdiscussed the lame duck session and members reelected or some defeated, what can be accomplished before a new congress begins which will be the 115th? sometimes, that is the case of trying to get rid of some of the things that must be done that you don't want to have as much attention arou

i'm joined right now by kelly o'donnell, robert costa and you eugene robinson with me, columnist for the "washington post" and nbc political analyst. i want to get to you on this, kel. i never know when news is going to come flying out of that tower you're covering but what do you make of this death squad? suddenly mike rodgers is kicked rush. who is it inside telling people "you're fired"? >> based on my reporting, chris, what i have been told is jared kushner, the president-elect's son-in-law, has been the center of power for a very long time. through the campaign and now especially in the transition. while kellyanne conway had campaign manager title, steve bannon had the ceo title, it's the tilelessless jared kushner who has been the power base, trusted business hi father-in-law, obviously trusted by his wife ivanka and flying under the radar for quite a bit of time now. what my reporting tells me is that a figure like mike rodgers, widely respected, former fbi agent, former head of the house intel committee, someone respected but doesn't have chris christie ties. he was, in fact,

joining us from capitol hill, nbc news correspondent kelly o'donnell who is tracking every bit of the transition. we are talking about for five names of secretary of state, one of them is bob corker, who was considered for vice president running mate for a time. job?would he bring to the why is he on the list with all these other impressive people? >> at the moment he is the seniormost foreign policy kind of responsible person on capitol hill in that he is the chairman of the senate foreign relations committee. that is a post which really allows him to speak to ministerial level officials from all over the world. he is constantly thinking of issues that are the same portfolio as secretary of state. so, he has got that. he is also, and his former life was a real estate investor, so he can speak trump in that way, as a businessman, and he's a traditional republican among those early to come out in sort of quiet supportive donald trump. he is not waving the flag so much, but he cited things he thought were positive in trump, policies, and back to those. -- back to those. that gives trump

kelly o'donnell joins us. what she was saying in cleveland and new hampshire leaving west chester, she's not going to talk about the e-mails. >> absolutely. i was with her in cleveland when lebron james was the headliner. speaking to some of her top aides. the personal reaction to this was the second big comey letter was, quote, under stated. they know it is being talked about and analyzed. in this very busy final day on the campaign trail she's hitting states that are key for the day of voting meaning they didn't have the opportunity to vote early with the exception of some absentee ballots. they are clear battlegrounds. she will be in grand rapids, michigan. then back to pennsylvania for the spectacular finale at independence hall. she'll be joined by the president. bruce springsteen will be there. closing it out and one of the most important battleground states that connects in raleigh, north carolina. this is a time when she's trying to reach people in a very big way by television. 20 million are expected

joining me now with the latest on the transition, kelly o'donnell, katy tur and nick confessore. first to you, katy. where do we stand with secretary of state. the competition between rudy giuliani and mitt romney played out in public. rudy giuliani might be up for the director of national intelligence in charge of 17 agencies. >> what we saw over the weekend was donald trump as rudy giuliani was leaving when they waved to reporters. somebody shouted a question. is rudy giuliani being considered for secretary of state? trump said, among other things. they were alluding to the idea that he could get another role. the competition for secretary of state is a big competition right now. but that's exactly what donald trump wants us to say. there is a lot of jockeying for the top spot. he's meeting with people. he called them finalists at one point in a tweet. >> this is "the apprentice" like. >> if you will. mitt romney, the meeting went well and is a serious meeting. we'll find out if donald trump does choose him. but rudy giuliani, director of national intelligence, this is the thir

i want to bring in kelly o'donnell. president obama is trying to work that electoral magic for her in ohio. the key for them, it seems in a state where donald trump is going hard, trying to increase his lead over clinton, seems to be early voting, right? >> it does. it is a reminder to democratic voters they supported twice in 2008 and 2012. he won the state. we are here at capital university where there is, of course, an appeal from the president expected later today to the younger voters they hope to get out as well as just all of the trappings that come with a rose garden strategy that gets on the plane and hits the campaign trail. bringing the president here to be a super surrogate for hillary clinton. the president is the main event trying to make his hardest pitch not only for his own legacy but hillary clinton. if you are looking at early voting, based on the statistics, more than a million, 150,000 voters submitted their ballot. that's a sizable ballot about the rules in early voting. how does it break down? so

kelly o'donnell joins me now from capitol hill where she's tracking what's happened there. what can you tell us about this decision? >> reporter: as republicans try to project unity as we just heard, democrats try to find some and it's a much bigger struggle for them. there's a lot of discontent among democrats about trying to do the autopsy about what went wrong and why they were not more successful in these elections and part of that is, are they responding to what the voters are telling them? and part of the way that is reflected is the team they choose to lead them in the next congress. what we see happening behind closed doors, some of this is the expected post-election sort of tension. they come back to washington. they have a meeting privately and they're trying to hash it out. for nancy pelosi, who's been a long time leader both as the democratic leader and as speaker when they were in the majority, she has had a tight control over her caucus and there is real discontent. so instead of having a planned vote on new leadership this week, they'll do that on november 30

back now to kelly o'donnell and the issue with what's going on with the gop. kelly, this is kind of a surprise to so many folks that they seem so united, now that we just had the re-election of speaker ryan getting this vote of confidence. we had former speaker john boehner giving this exclusive interview to our colleague on cnbc and laying out advice for the president-elect. take a look. >> nobody really knows, but trump is not an idealog. he's barely a republican. if you want to get something done, you have to a real relationship with congress. >> boehner sounding like president obama, calling president-elect trump much more pragmatic about things. now we have speaker ryan staying in place. is this an indication, though, of we have, you know, the conservative leader in speeshg ryan maybe that donald trump can start to emulate a little more? the two of those folks coming together about their agendas? >> i think the pragmatism is still very much a part of it, even though you would certainly call paul ryan more ideological and conservative. this is about victor

kelly o'donnell has been watching that for us. kelly? >> reporter: well, richard, it has been a very active day of potential job intervous and also the president-elect meeting with people who could offer ideas on a range of different subjects for his coming administration. we just saw the new jersey governor who has been a friend of the president-elect for more than a dozen years. i asked the president-elect if he sees a place for governor christie in his administration. he responded indirectly saying he is smart and tough, a great guy, that kind of a banter we've been seeing today with the president-elect. earlier i asked him about rudy giulia giuliani. i said to the president-elect, are you considering him for the department of state? he said yes, and other things. so that certainly opened some doors about a possible role for rudy giuliani, who was one of the most vocal and visible surrogates for donald trump during the campaign phase. will there be a job for him in the next administration. rudy giuliani has spoken publicly about his i

nbc's kelly o'donnell is near the president-elect as golf club. this is new jersey. the president-elect will hold meetings including one with the high profile critic and the team briefs reporters on the transition with just eight weeks to go. the motorcade pulled in to what may soon be known as the jersey white house. trump's weekend home. at his golf resort to work on transition plans. today's big meeting could be awkward. >> here's what i know. donald trump is a a fraud. >> reporter: eight months ago, mitt romney led the charge against trump's candidacy with a whithering takedown. their relationship that once included a nomination in 2012 unravelled. >> mitt romney choked. pure and simple. he choked like a dog. >> reporter: but today, trump will host romney for a private fence mending meeting. sharing ideas than a cabinet job interview. friday, the president-elect filled three positions. attorney general. senator jeff sessions. trump advisors defended the pick sending praise from fellow senators who need to confirm sessions. 30 years ago, sessions was blocked from

nbc's kelly o'donnell is near the president-elect as golf this is new jersey. the president-elect will hold meetings including one with the high profile critic and the team briefs reporters on the transition with just eight weeks to go. the motorcade pulled in to what may soon be known as the jersey white house. trump's weekend home. at his golf resourt to work on transition plans. today's big meeting could be awd. donald trump is a phony. a fraud. >> reporter: eight months ago, mitt romney led the charge against trump's candidacy with a whithering takedown. their relationship that once included a nomination in 2012 unravelled. >> mitt romney choked. pure and simple. he choked like a dog. >> reporter: but today, trump will host romney for a private romney may have opened the door. the meeting is more about sharing ideas than a cabinet job interview. friday, the president-elect filled three positions. attorney general. senat senator jeff sessions. trump advisors defended the pick sending praise from fellow senators who need to confirm sessions. 30 years ago, zis

kelly o'donnell in janesville, thank you. chris jansing at the white house, thank you. the white house is where we heard president obama take a dig at what some are calling a november surprise. saying the one bit of prognosticating that came true, the sun came up. so we're going to take a look at why the polls didn't predict donald trump's upset victory. i'm hallie jackson filling in for andrea mitchell. we have much more ahead after the break. >> picking up for kyle. here you go. you wouldn't put up with part of a pizza. um. something wrong? so when it comes to pain relievers, why put up with just part of a day? you want the whole thing? yes, yes! live whole. not part. aleve. ♪ everything your family touches sticks with them. make sure the germs they bring home don't stick around. use clorox disinfecting products. because no one kills germs better than clorox. >>> we just model the electorate very differently than i think conventional pollsters do. sometimes there are conclusions in search of evidence. and if everybody around you is saying the same thing, you convinc

my colleague kelly o'donnell on capitol hill. steve bannon getting a lot of attention. he was put as trump's chief strategist. obviously he was the head of breitbart news. which has linked, which has a following among white nationalists. ipts put republicans in a really tough spot. what are they saying? >> well, democrats have seized upon this, kristen, because it is one of the few things that have sort of been an easy low-hanging fruit dangleled by the new trump administration in waiting. because of bannon's connections, because of the rhetoric and views associated with him. democrats including the current leader of democrats in the senate harry reid, he spent time on the senate floor going after bannon. and that drew a response from his counterpart john cornyn, republican of texas, who said that harry rae was essentially out of line, a sore loser. but interestingly, he doesn't offend bannon. he talks about the opportunity for the new president to assemble a team of his choosing, to make those decisions. an argument for giving him space, let this new team sort of form.

that's where we find kelly o'donnell. it would be politically smart to have, as an outsider, an outsider to politics, who has to make his way and figure out how to get things done, a chief of staff who can work so closely with the speaker of house, especially since there's been such a fractious relationship. >> as you lay it out, that would make it a fluid relationship and there would be value to considering that seriously. and as we also know in his stewardship at the republican national committee, part of what reince priebus was able to do was to bring some organizational changes, based on some of the structure that he wanted to bring, on fund-raising and how it was organized. that is exactly the job of the chief of staff. the chief of staff is the most powerful person to anyone who wants to speak to the president or put information in front. president. you have to go through the chief of staff. a hugely powerful and yet largely behind-the-scenes role. that would certainly be something i would think especially the affec

joining us from capitol hill, abc news correspondent kelly o'donnell, those tracking the transition. we're talking four or five numbers -- names for several state. one of them, bob corker, who was considered for the running mate for a time. why is he on a list with all of these other very impressive people? the moment he is the seniormost foreign policy kind of responsible person on capitol hill in that he is the chairman of the senate foreign relations committee. that is a post which really hasn't you talked to a lot of ministerial level officials from all over the world. he is constantly thinking of issues that are the same portfolio as secretary of state. so, he has got that. in his former life, he was a real estate investor, so he can speak trump in that way, as a businessman, and he's a traditional republican among in sortrly to come out of quiet supportive donald trump. he is not waving the flag so much, but he cited things he thought were positive in trump, policies, and back to those. that gives trump and his menu of someone from the traditional mold who has a portfolio that

. >> kelly o'donnell covering the trump transition for us today joins us from washington. we've got the protest we are watching right now and these key questions. who is he going to put in the cabinet? what are you hearing? those are interlinked. >> what i can tell you is our reporting shows that there has been a plan that has been a work in progress where those top cabinet positions like 15 different positions for each of those, a few different names have been collected. there has been what's known as sort of a public source vetting, meaning taking available information that is out there about a figure. it could be everything from past statements they've made, available google search information, that kind of thing, and then there would later be a private source vetting, which would include asking them for personal information much like what we saw during the vp search where there are different phases of this. in terps of picking expertise, it would be from what we're getting a handle on now, a combination of some of the loyal figures who have been around donald trump bei

katy tur, kelly o'donnell, kristen welker. kelly, i want to start with you in the field. i know you cover congress as the day jo. you are at the white house today. i want to talk about the house majority leader who struggled to defend the pick of steve bannon as chief strategist for the trump administration. >> reporter: we'll begin to hear from republican leaders who have to address their own identity politically. if they want to be as separate from this reputation around steve bannon it's going to start to come out. that's a treacherous place politically, if they are also trying to bond with a new trump administration. but for their own voters, their own reputations, their own constituencies, they want to speak out on this and hearing from kevin mccarthy first up is significant because of the role he plays within the house. he's from bakersfield, california. of course there are many constituents who are persons of color in his community. he wants to try to get out in front. we may feel more from other republicans as they are asked. it is the issue where people don't typ

nbc's kelly o'donnell is near the president-elect as golf club. >> reporter: jose. this is new jersey. the president-elect will hold meetings including one with the high profile critic and the team briefs reporters on the transition with just eight weeks to go. the motorcade pulled in to what may soon be known as the jersey white house. trump's weekend home. at his golf resourt to work on transition plans. today's big meeting could be awkward. >> here's what i know. donald trump is a phony. a fraud. >> reporter: eight months ago, mitt romney led the charge against trump's candidacy with a whithering takedown. their relationship that once included a nomination in 2012 unravelled. >> mitt romney choked. pure and simple. he choked like a dog. >> reporter: but today, trump will host romney for a private fen fence mending meeting. romney may have opened the door. the meeting is more about sharing ideas than a cabinet job interview. friday, the president-elect filled three positions. attorney general. senat senator jeff sessions. trump advisors defended the pick sending p

kellie o'donnell, nbc news, cleveland. >>> d.c. voters will see a statehood referendum on their ballots tomorrow. if it's approved, officials will make another push in congress to make d.c. the 51st vote since 1982. >>> new developments in the startling kidnapping and murder investigation in south carolina. investigators will be expanding their search after a second body was found on the property. where a woman was found chained inside a metal container. on friday the body of the kidnapped woman's boyfriend was found. police have charged suspect todd relief. >> gives me closure in what happened that day. it doesn't give me the peace you think one would feel. >> police are working to identify the second set of remains. >>> jurors are back in court today, to determine how much "rolling stone" magazine will pay a university of virginia associate dean. on friday, the jurors found "rolling stone," its publisher and a reporter defamed nicole eramo. the lawsuit centered around the magazine's discredited 2014 at a fraternity house, an inve

thank you, kelly o'donnell. fascinating stuff we're doing here. >> can i give you one more? so there is talk about nikki haley being a potential pick. if she were to he will 58 to the cabinet, think about something. who is the lieutenant governor of south carolina? henry mcmaster. one of the earliest trump supporters. one of the most vocal trump supporters. we're looking at nicki haley as a natural figure, big in the republican party. a job for her also would elevate a loyal trump supporter in the lieutenant governor in south carolina. >> now we're talking bank shots. thank you. coming up, it is a bank shot. it could bring us senator bob corker who is coming up next. and tim ryan from a real rust belt area. he sees a lot of people voting for trump now. he is considering running against nancy pelosi for democratic leader of the house. and the "hardball" roundtable will be here to talk about trump's transition. finally, let me finish with trump watch. getting serious. this is "hardball," the place for politics. >>> americans are emerging, 62% about, three in five americans say

kelly o'donnell, when we talk about a different sounding donald trump now as president-elect than he was as cabinet, one of the things that's come up is his promise to lock her up, regarding hillary clinton. now sources with direct knowledge, his former campaign manager saying that won't happen. >> it animated his supporters with the vitriol and he pledged to appoint a special prosecutor to look into the foundation and e-mail. this is a new day. we believe there are more pressing matters. politically that has a number of benefits. you're trying to work with democrats now including the sitting president. to keep that kind of antagonistic tool against hillary clinton would really not sit well with democrats. in terms of trying to build a government, allies, trying to have a hundred days with some accomplishment, going after hillary clinton is not a way to get democrats to cooperate. so they seem to have their own detante. wishing her well and letting her move on with her life. it may upset his supporters but in washington that's a sigh of relief. >> from what we heard from rudy giulian

kelly o'donnell has the story. >> reporter: the new hampshire heart pounder. >> i'm going to continue to fight. >> reporter: raiserer close. incumbent against current governor. the north carolina head shaker. a tougher than expected battle between and former state law maker, deborah ross. the coattails contest. pennsylvania democrats hope hillary clinton can carry katy mcginty to victory, but pat toomy has been polling ahead of trump and keeping it close. and wisconsin's big rematch where democratic ross finegold is fighting to get back to the senate. working to keep that seat. nbc news, cleveland. >>> just ahead dr. strange crushes the competence at the box office and you're watching "early today." "early today." red 97! set! red 97! did you say 97? yes. you know, that reminds me of geico's 97% customer satisfaction rating. 97%? helped by geico's fast and friendly claims service. oh yeah, baby. geico's as fast and friendly as it gets. woo! geico. expect great savings and a whole lot more. does your child need help with digestive balance? try align junior probiotic. so she can have a

this is where we find nbc's kelly o'donnell who joins me now. talk about what you heard on stage. did the name we haven't heard a lot of establishment republicans utter much donald trump, did he come up? >> he came up, but never by name. it required the people who have been listening to mitt romney and john mccain talk about some of the values they think should be in leadership. i think it was pointed. yet subtle in that donald trump's name doesn't come up. as you know, mitt romney forcefully against donald trump. john mccain is voting, writing in his friend lindsey graham for president. these two both former nominees of the party. national figures. it looks almost like a buddy movie being with him the last couple of days. they talked about how they were fierce formal rivals in 2007-2008, competing for the nomination. when mccain prevailed, romney worked with him and when romney won in 2012 mccain worked with him. the implicit part of that is how politics should have some professionalism to it. it should have team work. that's something they have been talking about. mitt romney ha

kelly o'donnell is covering the trump transition and joins me from ourashington bureau. so far who is on the list? >> it is a list that goes about three to five names for each of the big jobs, the 15 top cabinet posts and agencies. some of those names might be reassuring to conservatives like we see reporting, my reporting says dr. ben carson is considered for a position like education or health and human services. those would both be in his wheelhouse. there is some reporting that tells me a former congressman from michigan mike rogers could be in line for a i.r.a. post. he had served in the fbi so that's some of his background. and with the change at the transition team, we are now vice presidential candidate elect mike pence has now taken over chairmanship. that is a new piece. what we expect is that because he has the job, there was a lot of sort of expectation of jockeying for position among top advisors and a lot of kind of concerned about who had the inside track. making pence in charge of this transition now, he can work without any expectation he's angling for a

kelly o'donnell on capitol hill. kelly, thank you for that. as trump's trip to washington formally kicks off, the arduous transition over the next 70 days. there are now rumors over who will take what job in the trump administration. allie has the top jobs. all these positions like the secretary of defense, what do we know about what's going on there? >> a lot of the names you put up on that board is names they're talking about. you're looking at rudy giuliani, mike flynn, steve luchen, newt gingrich. donald trump has always been very loyal, so when you're looking at who he might fill in these key positions, yes, it's going to be outsiders he has staked his campaign on, but you'll also see who has been with him in the recent past and who could be with him in the near future. although nothing is out there yet, when you're speculating, you want to see who has been around him and who has been loyal to him during the duration of his candidacy when others backed away and distanced themselves. that piece is going ahead with enthusiasm and dedication

>> kelly o'donnell, great reporting as ever. thanks so much. appreciate it. >> thank you. >>> we're also following developing news from capitol hill. at this hour, mitch mcconnell is meeting with donald trump's nominee, senator jeff sessions. i want to start with msnbc's kasie hunt following the latest on capitol hill. this meeting is happening now, isn't it, with mcconnell and sessions? >> reporter: kate, that's the plan. we're going to see sessions here in the capitol building with majority leader mitch mcconnell. ahead of mike pence coming here to meet with congressional leaders. we've seen him a couple of times already meeting as well as donald trump, coming up here to capitol hill to talk with paul ryan and then with motorcycle. that's where we're going to see today. there obviously has been a lot of changing in the last week and a lot of new faces. this impacts congress and they have to confirm all of the cabinet picks and most of the senior advisers to donald trump with a couple of personal exceptions and the house and some of its member

. >> i need to get to kelly o'donnell in wisconsin with reporting for us, kelly? >> one of the things we need to think about, lester, that is now that he is president-elect, within days donald trump and mike pence will get higher-level intelligence briefings to prepare them in transition to take office. as candidates they had received some basic level. one of the things that one can expect when you move from that point of being candidate to president-elect is the sober nature of everything that becomes a responsibility on his shoulders. so he will be informed at a greater level now to prepare. and that of course will be involved in the decisions that he has to make to set up a new administration. in conversations i've had with senate majority leader mitch mcconnell, he has talked about a willingness to try to work with trump and to have a lot of and hope that they can work together to get some of these things done. now with republicans in control of the white house, the house of representatives, and the united states senate. >> all right, kelly. this headline has

. >> kelly o'donnell joining us live from the white house with more on the transition team. so kelly, are republicans on the hill expressing some reservations and concerns about bannon given headlines from the paper that he led? >> reporter: i can tell you on the first appointment, reince priebus, there's kind of a widespread relief. that is a person they know how to deal with and i'm told that speaker ryan and mitch mcconnell, the senate majority leader each asked donald trump in those private meetings to place reince priebus in this role and he'll be the conduit. the bannon issue is getting all the heat now, especially because during the campaign months, he was a figure largely in the background and there wasn't the kind of scrutiny. although, a lot of issues were raised, it didn't get the white hot spotlight it's getting now because he's being put forward as a white house official, one of the most senior and powerful. so already a lot of groups and there are a lot of individuals who are raising concerns about this. congress is not yet back in town so difficult to gauge th

kelly o'donnell is covering the clinton campaign and joins me here in philadelphia where we are now waiting secretary clinton's rally tonight with katy perry, stevie wonder. >> it's an all-star weekend. >> what strikes me is a tale of two campaigns. you have secretary clinton, all her top political surrogates, but she's got an all-star lineup. donald trump said i don't need those big names to get big crowds. what do you think that brings to the table? does it matter? >> it is a stark difference and tells us about the story of the campaign we already lived. for the clinton side, every card they have in the deck, let's play it. those super surrogates from the current president, former president, all that star power can be effective. they speak to their own consistencies. they have their own history with voerts. with celebrities, there is reflected glory. fans want to participate in the experience at these events. democrats typically have more celebrity star power. for donald trump, he is trying to make a point that although he is absent these big sur gates, he can stand alone. for hillary cli

let's go to nbc's kelly o'donnell. kelly. >> sources tell me that hillary it is now president-elect donald trump the phone called was placed just a short time ago where the former secretary of state has conceded the general election to donald trump. who has never held elective office and is now president-elect. >> if that is the case, that occurred less than an hour after john podesta came before the crowd and said all the votes need to be the same data drawing conclusions perhaps at a different pace, but it's becoming clearer and clearer where this is all pointing. right now we have donald trump at 248. 218 for hillary clinton. there's the breakdown for you of the electoral votes in the race to 270. nonetheless, there is excitement here. as we said, others interpret data differently. trump in a few moments. he'll have a lot to say. rightfully so. he will have pulled off, if in fact he is victorious, he will have pulled off the equivalent of a ten magnitude political earthquake in this country on every level. but you c

kelly o'donnell is at the white house where president obama is speaking to the dnc after big news in that leadership race. kacie hunt where the democrats are holding a news conference of their. they will begin the process of selecting their new leadership team. moderating a conference call between hillary clinton and house democrats happening right now as well. katy has the latest on the transition. a 5:00 call at the rnc as they look to replace the chairman just named donald trump's chief of staff. that's where we begin this afternoon. first president obama holding that news conference since the election and nearly every question was about, you guessed it, donald trump, the most notable parts of this news conference were all the times the president refused to criticize president-elect trump. there is a ground swell of attacks and the leaders attacking appointment of steve bannon. he not only refused to engage, but he seemed to take a shot at those within his own party who are criticizing trump's decision. >> look, the people have spoken. donald trump will be the 45th president of th

. >> nbc's kelly o'donnell is joining me from wisconsin where paul ryan was. kelly, you heard him talk about a mandate, does he have one? >> that is a powerful word in politics and that means what that candidate now elected official wants they get. and it is defined by the force of the vote. and with the kind of upset victory the margin of victory even though there is a popular vote difference, donald trump has done something that was so unexpected that the force of that gives him a mandate. partnered with republicans in congress on the house and the senate side. it's easier to carry out such a mandate, divided government makes that much tougher. so paul ryan, who we know had been critical of donald trump in sort of moments of time during the campaign season when something cried out for an elected official to sort of chastise or criticize or try to shape donald trump's rhetoric, now fully embracing him saying that it is in part because of donald trump's understanding of the electorate and the work that he did that the majorities in congress for republicans are

>> a lot of work ahead there, kelly. thank you so much. nbc's kelly o'donnell. thank you for that. >>> here we are in the days after donald trump winning the presidency, and some question, still lingering about how he won. what happened? well, how we, for instance, the media, and even the political class, missed the signs of a gop victory. that's one big question. friday the "morning joe" team convened a team including michael moore to explore this and what ensued as the most effective topic to date. play most of it for you right now. take a look. >> the election results came to a stunning shock to all those who never saw or refused to see -- >> nobody saw it coming. i can't think of one person who saw it coming. >> the issue hardly a secret as tom brokaw reported in january with an undecided voter in iowa. business own charlie good. >> if you asked me would i take anybody from washington, d.c. to come in here and run my business? no way. no way. because i got something to lose. they'd have nothing lose. they're playing with our money. i think a lot of things we

kelly o'donnell in philadelphia, what are we hearing from the trump campaign when it comes to chris christie? what are we hearing from chris christie? >> the trump campaign is stand buying chris christie. no change is expected to his role advising donald trump or serving as the transition team chairman. that is a role that is largely behind the scenes anyway. he has been conducting meetings in washington, d.c. as part of that formal process. the clinton team is doing it as well. they are looking for hiring, planning out a 100-day agenda for a future trump administration. and the hiring is important because that could reflect in some ways on what happened with the bridgegate issue, with former staffers, former aides being involved in this. now convicted of misusing public resources in this lane realignment which happened three years ago which caused days of snarling traffic. the issue from the clinton campaign is to seize upon this moment and urge donald trump to throw chris christie to the side. from what i'm hearing from trump campaign sources, that is not going to happen. christy will cont

kelly o'donnell is in cleveland. ohio, democrats seem to have a renewed hope they can somehow sneak ohio back into the blue column. can they? >> certainly in cuyahoga county where we are, it is a democratic stronghold. you get the sense in this part of the state there is enthusiasm. when you add to the mix lebron james, there aren't enough superlatives how people feel about him and a lot of the good work he is doing through his town dawgs dags, he talked about that before introducing hillary clinton and talked about being one of those kids in the community who thought his vote didn't matter and now he does. trying to make the connection to the african-american youth. it is a tougher state for hillary clinton because of the economic distress that's gone through in this industrial sort of decay. this is my hometown so i get it from that level. but there is a sense as she closed cleveland here she felt good about where they stand and they're looking to try to use this to block donald trump. >> all right. let's go down t

cabinet spot. >> kelly o'donnell. great seeing you. thank you very much. >>> and protecting america's national security, the men selected to do it and the political baggage that might come with them. anything meant to stand needs a stable foundation. a body without proper foot support can mean pain. the dr. scholl's kiosk maps your feet and recommends our custom fit orthotic to stabilize your foundation and relieve lower-back, knee or foot pain from being on your feet. find your nearest kiosk at drscholls.com. also available from dr. scholl's: heavy duty support for lower back pain, lightens the impact of every step. do you have thecare? coverage you need? open enrollment ends december 7th. so now's the time to get on a path that could be right for you... with plans including aarp medicarecomplete insured through unitedhealthcare. call today or go online to enroll. these medicare advantage plans can combine your hospital and doctor coverage with prescription drug coverage, and extra benefits all in one complete plan for a low monthly p

nbc's kelly o'donnell is near the president-elect as golf club. >> reporter: jose. the president-elect will hold meetings including one with the high profile critic and the team briefs reporters on the transition with just eight weeks to go. the motorcade pulled in to what may soon be known as the jersey white house. trump's weekend home. at his golf resort to work on transition plans. today's big meeting could be awkward. >> here's what i know. donald trump is a phony. a mitt romney led the charge against trump's candidacy with a whithering takedown. their relationship that once included a nomination in 2012 unravelled. >> mitt romney choked. pure and simple. he choked like a dog. >> reporter: but today, trump will host romney for a private fence mending meeting. romney may have opened the door. interview. friday, the president-elect filled three positions. attorney general. senator jeff sessions. trump advisors defended the pick sending praise from fellow senators who need to confirm sessions. 30 years ago, sessions was blocked from becoming a federal judge after

let's start first with nbc's kelly o'donnell in cleveland. clinton just wrapped up a rally with lebron james. kelly, that was supposed to be the headline. king james, hillary clinton, big rally, swing state ohio. pretty much overshadowed this news. what is the reaction from the clinton campaign. is clinton herself going to be addressing this you think? >> i've fwn talking to senior advisers. do not expect her to talk about this. do not do this here. i was told she was informed about this latest letter her reaction was, quote, understated. i guess that's left open to interpretation what that means but understated was the word used. instead advisers say hillary clinton is trying to focus on her closing argument, trying to turn some of her connection with voters to look past tuesday. you've got a bit aviles partisan message, tal about working together, talking about dealing with gridlock and how that can be undone. sort of reaching past to a time when the country could come together if she were elected. in this room when lebron james was here an

both of you, kristen walker and kelly o'donnell. jason miller the communications director for president-elect transition team defended the selection of stephen bannon. >> steve bannon i've gotten to know is somebody who has embraced diversity, has helped the president-elect take this populace message into communities that have been neglected and forgotten for far too long. steve ban swron is a zionist. he's solidly pro israel he went and founded breitbart israel. >> your take on steve bannon. >> i wouldn't have recommended him but donald trump is entitled to have tads he wants in the white house. we'll see what mr. bannon does and how much donald trump listens to him. you know, i suppose one has to get people a fresh start. >> now it did get personal. breitbart called you a renegade jew. i'm not sure what that means. >> i'm not sure. he was only the editor of the website or the writer using that. i suppose, i didn't realize the fate of the state of israel depended on the election of donald trump. even though i'm pro israel i didn't

kelly o'donnell has the story. >> reporter: the new hampshire heart pounder. >> i'm going to continue to fight. >> reporter: raiserer close. incumbent against current a tougher than expected battle between republican richard burr and former state law maker, deborah ross. the coattails contest. pennsylvania democrats hope hillary clinton can carry katy mcginty to victory, but pat toomy has been polling ahead of trump and keeping it close. and wisconsin's big rematch senate. and also getting a big push all working to keep that seat. nbc news, cleveland. >>> just ahead dr. strange crushes the competence at the box office and you're watching "early today." "early today." red 97! set! red 97! did you say 97? yes. you know, that reminds me of geico's 97% customer satisfaction rating. helped by geico's fast and friendly claims service. huh... oh yeah, baby. geico's as fast and friendly as it gets. woo! geico. expect great savings and a whole lot more. does your child need help with digestive balance? try align junior probiotic. so she can have a fraction dominating... status updating... hell

i want to go to kelly o'donnell at the white house. we're learning a lot of new details about that historic meeting that took place between president obama and president elect trump. some sources saying that mr. trump seemed overwhelmed. apparent he was learning some of this stuff for the first time. what are you hearing? >> reporter: it's important the meeting is what it was. meeting for the very first time because we've seen these two prominent figures going at each other over the course of the campaign season and even earlier and so the notion that they met face to face for the first time is historic on its face. and then what we're learning is that trump and his team here at the white house had questions, of course, as you would expect about how they make this transition, what's required, and we know, the meeting went longer than anticipated, longer than on the schedule and each side talked about it publicly in respectful tones and told there were questions raised from the trump side about how many white house personnel would need

kelly o'donnell in cleveland. this was supposed to be the headline of the 4:00 hour. she's got a rally with lebron james, with the king in cleveland. now we're talking about the latest twist in this e-mail saga. are we expecting hillary clinton to say something about this when she appears with lebron james? >> reporter: well, we have not been given an indication from the campaign about that. but i can tell you that the campaign has believed over recent days that this issue was not making a big difference in poll numbers. i think there's greater urgency for her to be talking about getting out the vote and not reintroducing what has been a complicated and difficult topic for campaign throughout. so it's like would hillary clinton want to get negative only to say that comey has resolved it. maybe we'll see. it is good news in the sense of she can say it's really behind her in this final turn, this final weekend. my hopes is she'll want to be more in the moment here in a key state, one of the biggest stars locally in sport and a hometown here hoe here that could bring the

kelly o'donnell, thank you. tammy leitner, for more on last night's "hamilton" scuffle. >> mike pence got more than he bargained for last night when he showed up at one of the hottest tickets on broadway, "hamilton," arrived to boos and cheers and as he was leaving the theatre, stopped by one of the cast members who plays former vice president, aaron burr. he delivered a plea, basically, on half of the entire "hamilton" cast that has gone viral, obviously. and this morning donald trump weighed in on social media. he tweeted out o our wonderful future vice president, mike pence, was harassed last night at the theatre by the cast of "hamilton." cameras blazing, this should not happen. he went on to send another tweet. that tweet said the theatre must always be a safe and special place. the cast was very rude last night to a very good man, mike pence. apologize. well, donald trump did not get that apology today, though. he did get a response, though, from cast member brandon victor dixon, who tweeted out, donald tr

. >> thing, kelly o'donnell, robert costa and eugene robinson. pick for secretary of state could come down to two hawk, i'll ask senator corker and also senator rand paul who has serious concerns about both bolton and giuliani. this is "hardball," the police for politics. the most consequential decision the incoming president will have to make is who will be secretary of state. the former u.s. ambassador to the united nations john bolton who has called for bombing iran. that's right. senator bob corker of tennessee, the chairman of the foreign relations committee who said he's in the mix for the job. then there's former new york mayor rudy giuliani, reportedly the front-runner. giuliani is making it clear he'd like the job. >> now you're being considered for important jobs, the one i hear most often is secretary of state. >> i have. >> can you tell us about them? >> they're between him and me. since i left mayor -- this is a rough estimate -- i've been in 80 countries with, 150 different foreign trips. i've been all over the world. >> i know you