you could be a useful tool to vladimir putin. i don't know. yes, i'm allowed to talk to the bbc, but unfortunately i'm not allowed to talk to the russian tv stations. you had an interview with mr peskov and you asked him about me several times. did he ever mention my name? the same as putin. even pro—kremlinjournalists are laughing about the situation because for all these years he never mentioned my name. he's afraid of... not about me, but he's afraid of the people i represent. you talk about dmitry peskov, who i'm going to see again injust a couple of days‘ time. he seems supremely confident that vladimir putin has a grip on this country that will not be relinquished. what would you say to peskov that might undermine his confidence? well, i guess, a lot of russian people have a major question to ask mr peskov, and the question is, why are you lying all the time? for decades he's never said a single word of truth. he's lying all the time. how does he manage to deal with himself? getting up in the morning and looking at himself in the mir

vladimir putin. externally, he's projected russian power from ukraine to syria, and internally opposition has been repressed, intimidated and silenced. but not altogether. my guest today is the most prominent leader of russia's anti—putin opposition, alexey navalny. now, he has committed to fighting putin in the 2018 presidential election. but will his defiance cost him dear? alexey navalny, welcome to hardtalk. thank you very much for having me here. you have been involved in opposition politics of one form or another for almost ten years, maybe more, and itjust seems to me that right now, your position is perhaps more dispiriting, more depressing than it's ever been before. do you agree? absolutely not. actually, ironically, i can call vladimir putin as my godfather in politics, because when he came to power and the way he talks and the way what he's saying, what he's doing, the laws he's passing through duma, told me that russia is done with democracy and i should do something, i should join the

its former boss — vladimir putin. the party line in moscow is emphatically that russia did not hack the election. this man is a russian senator. a lot of people in the united states, including people in the cia, who say that russia hacked american democracy? as faras i read i, it does not point anywhere. so russia did not hack american democracy, full stop. russia did not hack american democracy, full stop. but look at this press conference last month. is that is wink from putin that he did have a hand in trump's victory? translation: no—one believed he would win, except for us. alexander dugin has been described as vladimir putin's philosopher king. he also has his own pro—kremlin tv show. this shows that america is on brink of a revolution. was the election of donald trump to do with vladimir putin? you overestimate our capabilities. we are happy that american people has made such a choice, but i am absolutely sure that our influence on the free choice of american people was strictly zero. absolutely zero? zero.

vladimir putin. externally, he's projected russian power from ukraine to syria, and internally opposition has been repressed, intimidated and silenced. but not altogether. my guest today is the most prominent leader of russia's anti—putin opposition, alexey navalny. alexey navalny, welcome to hardtalk. thank you very much for having me here. you have been involved in opposition politics of one form or another for almost ten years, maybe more, and itjust seems to me that right now, your position is perhaps more dispiriting, more depressing than it's ever been before. do you agree? absolutely not. actually, ironically, i can call vladimir putin as my godfather in politics, because when he came to power and the way he talks and the way what he's saying, what he's doing, the laws he's passing through duma, told me that russia is done with democracy and i should do something, i should join the opposition movement. but, you know, i didn't find myself in the more depressing situation than previously. for

what's your response to vladimir putin? >> first of all, it sounds like he got his copy of the talking points. second -- >> from who? >> i don't know. sounds a lot like what the incoming administration's team is saying. >> so there's josh earnest pointing out the similarities between what appeared to be vladimir putin's talking points today and donald trump's. >> i agree with him. vladimir putin is doing donald trump no favors by defending him. he is simply highlighting this salacious rumors, these rumors were in the dossier in the first place and he is bringing it back to the public and giving it more legs. i think that trump's mistake has been that he's elevating putin throughout the process of being unwilling to criticize him and shower praise on him. that's what putin wants. he wants this to be an equal power relationship with the united states and he wants to be seen as the world leader. i think that's where donald trump has made a real mistake feeding some of his own power as the american president. >> steve clemens,

and why are we suddenly talking about vladimir putin. which you heard today they could not ascribe this operation whatever it was to vladimir putin. you remember he was personally involved in this just a week ago. >> they did tea describe it. rinse to what general clapper said. he said nothing like this happens in russia without you continues approval. and we all know that. vladimir putin is not r frie. i's not a good guy. lou: who acertained that he is -- who asserted that he is? have you ever heard me say he's our friend? not one. but you quickly said why are you defending vladimir putin. you are defending a bureaucracy

do you think undergirds his affection for vladimir putin? >> i can't explain it, honestly. >> do you think john mccain has met with him and talked to him about the brutality putin shows to the former soviet -- >> i know, of course, john is pretty blunt, putin's a thug. >> and a butcher. >> and a butcher. unfortunately, the record shows john is absolutely right on the facts. the best explanation of what donald trump is saying what he's saying about putin is he's really trying to set this up for some kind of a global deal, but what is the deal you make -- >> right. >> -- with an expansionist tyrant who leads a terribly corrupt and repressive government? he's, you know, going to try to eat your lunch and donald trump may be the master at the deal, but in this kind of deal, when you're dealing with trump, you got to be strong. you got to be tough. he's got to at some level be afraid of trump and that's what -- that's what i hope will come out of the coming months, but the reaction to the alleged russian attempt to corrupt and exploit our politic

rubio: let me ask you this question, is vladimir putin a war criminal? mr. tillerson: i would not use that term. sen. rubio: let me describe the situation and aleppo to help you reach that conclusion. conducted a devastating campaign at schools, markets, and of military has targeted schools, markets, and other civilian infrastructure. it has resulted in the deaths of thousands of civilians. it is not the first time mr. putin has been involved in campaigns of this time. back when he was appointed prime minister, i am sure you are aware of that time, there was a series of bombings and a blanket on the chechnya. mr. putin said he would punish them by bombing their capital. they had hospitals, outdoor markets act with shoppers, 137 people died instantly. they used fuel air explosive bombs, the kind that ignite and burn the air breathed in by people hiding in basements. used cluster ammunition against civilians. when it was all said and done, an estimated 300,000 civilians were killed and the city was completely destroyed. reportingrom credible , they were part o

is vladimir putin a war criminal? >> i would not use that term. >> rex tillerson. i think it's brilliant what he is doing and what he is saying. >> do you lack the knowledge to answer my question or are you refusing to answer my question? >> a little of both. >> despite bipartisan calls from ethics expert, mr. trump will not be divesting from his business. >> my two sons are going to be running the company. they're not going to discuss it with me. >> we fails the test and hasn't set up a true ethics wall. >> can a president be impeached before he is even inaugurated, or do we have to wait? >> we all remember exactly what we were doing, exactly 24 hours ago. we were either listening to the discussion on this network about president obama's speech or staring at things on social media that we couldn't really believe with our own eyes. last night at this hour, when the tv news audience was still in the grip of the emotional aftermath of witnessing president obama's last speech as president of the united states, social med

-- sanction what vladimir putin? -- sanction what vladimir putin? -- sanction what vladimir putin has done in the ukraine. laughter we do not phone each other that often(!) the idea of trump getting along with vladimir putin cannot be along with vladimir putin cannot be a bad thing, it depends what he gives away, vladimir putin is very shrewd, as we can see, it is quite clear that if trump goes to a summit and is hoping for a nuclear deal, a wonderful nuclear deal, there has got to be won over ukraine, syria... it is what vladimir putin once at the end of it all which is the tricky bit. is he likely to stick to it, like donald trump, vladimir putin is someone that you cannot second guess. he has played a blinder recently. quite clear, what donald trump has said about nato would be very convenient for vladimir putin. vladimir putin is probably smarter strategically than donald trump. and probably has more to gain because what he really wants is us sanctions to be lifted, that was the whole thing with the dossier and everything that has been going on.

what's your response to vladimir putin? >> first of all, it sounds like he got his copy of the talking points. second -- >> from who? >> well, i don't know. it certainly sounds a lot like what the income administration's team is saying. it's not the first time that the president of russia has said things about the u.s. government that just don't withstand any scrutiny. >> so it's not true? >> of course it's not true. the suggestion all along and it was repeated yesterday by the president-elect, was raising doubts about the integrity and the intentions of the men and women of the intelligence community and that's deeply miss guided. and to call into question the integrity of john brennan, who has served at the cia for three decades, has served in dangerous locations around the world to try to keep us safe. i'm offended by it. >> trump for his part tonight made a round trip to washington dc and back. the press pool was able to record some of his opening comments. >> i want to thank you all for being here. we have great respec

the first line was that vladimir putin ordered it. it didn't say russian hackers or officials at the kremlin, it put it very much at vladimir putin's door and then told a story which from the us intelligence community's viewpoint is what happened which isn't that at different points the russians intervened in different ways will stop at one point they thought hillary clinton would win so they we re hillary clinton would win so they were seeking to undermine the legitimacy of the whole electoral process. another point, they were intervening to try and denigrate her and therefore to help donald trump. doing that not just and therefore to help donald trump. doing that notjust a hacking, cyber espionage and release of information but also other forms of propaganda. but, that is the story they tell. what there isn't is a lot of evidence behind those assertions. it has not got the secret material which you might not expect to see in an unclassified report which says why they believe that all what they base thesejudgements. i why they believ

vladimir putin could remain in power until 2024. but the country he rules over is in deepening trouble. in russia's cities, there is a veneer of prosperity left over from the earlier days of high oil prices. but the economy has been pillaged, and in the vast reaches where the majority of russians live, deep poverty stubbornly prevails. >> putin's greatest fear is that the russians will realize that his modernization project has failed. he came into power promising to make russia into a modern, western country, and it's still basically a corrupt, backward country. >> the bottom line, just to put it with two numbers. two numbers is all we need. the median or the midpoint wealth for the average russian is $871, according to credit suisse-- very neutral report. $871. that means half the population has more than that in wealth and half the population has less. median wealth in india, over $1,000. so the average russian is poorer than the average indian. so that's one number: 871. the other number is 110. 110 individuals own 35% of the we

donald trump is attacking mat or vladimir putin is attacking mat or vladimir putin is attacking mat. meanwhile, donald trump continues to want to align our country with this very regime that is undermining our democracy. that was a fundamental issue that is causing the tension between the intelligence community and donald trump. these other things are symptoms of a problem but that is the core issue. given his pronouncements on vladimir putin despite syria, despite crimea, despite syria, despite crimea, despite ukraine despite the murder of activists and a opponents and putting them injail, you are of activists and a opponents and putting them in jail, you are chilly tweeted in september that vladimir putin may be blackmailing donald trump. what was your basis for that then? well, iwas trump. what was your basis for that then? well, i was asked while on television to explain the unexplainable which is why is it that we have come at the time, and republican party presidential nominee so closely aligned with the foreign atmospheric, and adversarial not just the united foreign atmospher

do you think undergerds his affection for vladimir putin? >> i can't explain it, honestly. >> do you think john mccain has met with him and talked to him about the brutality putin shows to the former soviet -- >> i know, of course, john is pretty blunt, putin's a thug. >> and a butcher. >> and a butcher. unfortunately, the record shows john is absolutely right on the facts. the best explanation of what donald trump is saying what he's saying about putin is he's really trying to set this up for some kind of a global deal, but what is the deal you make -- >> right. >> -- with an expansionist tyrant who leads a terribly corrupt and repressive government? he's, you know, going to try to eat your lunch and donald trump may be the master at the deal, but in this kind of deal, when you're dealing with trump, you got to be strong. you got to be tough. he's got to at some level be afraid of trump and that's what -- that's what i hope will come out of the coming months, but the reaction to the alleged russian attempt to corrupt and exploit our politic

surely vladimir putin was comforted by donald trump calling him very smart, but is vladimir putin the enemy? treason is the only crime that is specified in the constitution. it says "treason against the united states shall consist only in levying war against them or in adhering to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort." that's it. treason is levying war against the united states or giving the enemies of the united states aid and comfort. the united states supreme court has come to interpret that sentence to mean giving aid and comfort to our enemies in a declared war. which is why no one has been charged with treason in the united states since the last time we were in a declared war, which was world war ii. without a declaration of war against russia, russia and vladimir putin would not fit definition of enemy in the constitution's definition of treason, and so, no, donald trump did not commit treason because it is virtually impossible to commit treason when we are not formally in a declared war with another country. that's why when cia officer alder james was caught selling secr

we have a man who succeeded with a difficult partner, vladimir putin. we have a man who is sponsored by unimpeachable in terms of personality, in terms of history, unimpeachable people in the republican party. condoleezza rice, roberts gates, jim baker, people who have a terrific record across lines, democrats and republicans in washington. finally, if you want to tell me that a man who was president of the boy scouts can't figure out how to leave behind corporate america and represent the higher cause, that is, the american people, if he becomes the secretary of state, my answer is give me some evidence. i have not seen that yet. >> rebecca berg, trump says he wants to have a good relationship with putin. he says it would be stupid if the u.s. had a bad relationship with russia. will this cause some sort of potential rift among republicans, his desire to open up a new, more positive relationship with russia right now? >> well, i think it already is creating some division among republicans, wolf. i mean, for the most part republicans in the past have be

>> reporter: a lot of focus today on that call to vladimir putin. you already have republican members of congress raising concerns about whether president trump is going to relieve those sanctions that former president obama put on russia over russian meddling in the u.s. election. so that's what to watch from that call today. but in the meantime, there's increasing backlash over that executive order that president trump signed yesterday that temporarily bans immigrants from certain countries. there are reports this morning that people with iraqi and other passports were not allowed to board an egyptair flight from cairo to new york because of concerns about this new executive order. now, nbc news is still working to confirm those reports. this policy president trump calls extreme vetting, but critics say it amounts to a ban on all muslims. fallout this morning from president donald trump's move the make good on a divisive campaign promise. >> new vetting measures to keep radical islamic terrorists out of the united states of america. >> reporter: a

what's your response to vladimir putin? >> first of all, it sounds like he got his copy of the talking points. second -- >> from who? >> well, i don't know. it certainly sounds a lot like what the income administration's team is saying. it's not the first time that the president of russia has said things about the u.s. government that just don't withstand any scrutiny. >> so it's not true? >> of course it's not true. the suggestion all along and it was repeated yesterday by the president-elect, was raising doubts about the integrity and the intentions of the men and women of the intelligence community and that's deeply miss guided. and to call into question the sgrit of john brennan, who has served at the cia for three deck edsades, has sevened in dangerous locations around the world to try to keep us safe. i'm offended by it. >> trump for his part tonight matonight made a round trip to washington dc and back. the press pool was able to record some of his opening comments. >> i want to thank you all for being here. we have

>> yes, sir. >> is vladimir putin a war criminal? >> i would not use that term. >> well, let me describe the situation in aleppo. perhaps that will help you reach that conclusion. in aleppo, mr. putin has directed his military to conduct a devastating campaign. he's targeted schools, markets, not just assisted syrians to do it, his military has targeted schools, markets, other civilian infrastructure. it's resulted in the death of thousands of civilians. this is not the first time mr. putin is involved in campaigns of this kind. back when he was prime minister, before he was elected, i'm sure you're aware, during that period of time there was a series of bombings and they blamed it on the chechens and mr. putin personally said he would punish them. he ordered the air force. they used scud missiles, 137 people died instantly. they used air explosive bombs, the bombs that ignite and burn the air breathed in by people who are hiding in basements. they used cluster munitions. he used battlefield weapons against civilians. when it was al

a military intelligence agency means vladimir putin himself? the operation was most likely started as a bottom—up initiative and then vladimir putin signed off on it at some point in the middle of last year which is also part of the intelligence estimate. it's easy to understand what russia wants to gain from this. how do you think donald trump himself has handled the leaks? we know from history, and this is a very long history, cold war history, the russian intelligence community have honed their skills in driving wedges into the political systems of their adversaries, to multiply divisions. first they wanted to divide clinton and bernie sanders which they succeeded in doing, and now it seems they are daring trump to deepen the division between his administration and his own foreign policy and intelligence establishment. so by tweeting out these unhinged statements, he is indeed doing exactly what the russians and probably vladimir putin want him to do. thomas, thanks forjoining us. the former director of the cia james woolseyjoins me now. h

putin is to -- and consent of vladimir putin? mr. tillerson: i am not in a position to make that determination. that is indicated in the report, but there is additional classified information. sen. rubio: you have engaged in significant business activities in russia, so i am sure you are aware very things happen in that country without vladimir putin's permission. based on your views of russian politics, and your experience, for something like this to have happened without vladimir putin authorizing it? mr. tillerson: i think it is a fair assumption. sen. rubio: that he would have? mr. tillerson: yes. sen. rubio: if congress imposed visa bans and sanctions on persons who undermined the server security and public and private infrastructure of thecratic institutions in united states, would you advise the president to sign it? mr. tillerson: i would certainly want to examine all four corners of that. sen. rubio: those are the four corners. we would sanction people involved in separate attacks against the united states and interferin

now i don't know if i get along with vladimir putin. i hope you i do, but there's a good chance that i won't. do you believe that hillary would be tougher on putin than me? does anyone bloelieve that? give me a break. >> reporter: but in a response to a question from abc's ceci a trump admonishment of vladimir putin. >> if you indeed do believe that russia was behind the hacking, what is your message to vladimir putin right now? >> he shouldn't be doing it. he won't be doing it. russia will have much greater respect for our country when i'm leading it than when other people have led it. >> reporter: as as the press conference ended and trump moved through the crowd, cecilia asked him point-blank about another key confirmed allegation in the intelligence report. >> did you or anybody in your campaign have any contact with russia leading up or during the campaign? none at all? >> no. none at all. >> mr. trump called out cnn for saying they have material on the president-elect. here's what happened. >> can you give us a question? mr. presi

now i don't know that i'm going to get along with vladimir putin. i hope i do, but there is a good chance i won't. and if i don't, do you honestly believe that hillary would be tougher on putin than me? does anybody in this room really believe that? give me a break. >> reporter: but in a response to a question from abc's cecilia vega, another first -- a trump admonishment of vladimir putin. >> if you indeed do believe that russia was behind the hacking, what is your message to vladimir putin right now? >> he shouldn't be doing it. he won't be doing it. russia will have much greater respect for our country when i'm leading it than when other people have led it. >> reporter: as the press conference ended and trump moved through the crowd, cecilia asked him point-blank whether anyone on his team communicated with russia before the election. >> did you or anybody in your campaign have any contact with russia leading up or during the campaign? none at all? >> reporter: no, trump said. not at all. >> jon karl joining us. there was that tense moment betwee

listen. >> is vladimir putin a war criminal? >> i would not use that term. >> based on all this information and what is in the record about what happened in aleppo and russian military, you are still not prepared to say vladimir putin and his military slighted t violated the rules of war in aleppo? >> those are serious charges to make and i would like more information before reaching a conclusion. >> more hawkish approach except for that. >> except for that. that is a problem because we were not looking mainly at rex tillerson, head of exxonmobil. we were looking at rex tillerson, soon to be head of the secretary of state. the state department. how he views russia is very important. his refusal to speak very clearly about them in relation to war and activities, that is concerning to rubio. i think it is note worthy he did very clearly say that we have very different values from russia and we are not their friends. >> that was a dramatic moment. thank you, eugene. >>> let's see what is coming up on "new day." chris cuomo joins us

i don't know that i'm going to get along with vladimir putin. i hope i do, but there's a good chance i won't. if i don't, do you honestly believe that hillary would be tougher on putin then me? does anybody in this room really believe that? give me a break. >> how do you handle that? >> i think he was direct about it. he spoke to them and said think about it. no, i don't think someone is liking that someone is pushing against him. in vladimir putin tries to act up, he's not going to say hey, no problem. he's not that person. not in business, personal life, et cetera. i don't think vladimir putin thinks he's going to get away with anything with, then we'll be president trump. i think it was clear that vladimir putin, he got even read he was very angry with hillary clinton and the clintons in general for what happened before and so he said okay. here we go. >> putin also put out a statement saying this dossier is fake news. >> which you would expect. i think president-elect trump has to remind himself, why is putin powerful? he has no restraints a

i have been in the presence of vladimir putin. i've spent four hours with secretary kerry our ambassador to russia and putin in sochi. he's smart. he's crafty. he's patient. he doesn't tweet. all of these executive orders we have been seeing are like expampbded tweet storms because they are not executed, implemented, not gone through legal or congressional test and haven't been consulted with members of the trump administration. so i hope he gets prepared. i hope he gets briefed before this call and i hope he has some talking points that make some sense. >> the article that you mentioned in "time" magazine by my kale gorbachev, he wrote it looks as if the world is preparing for war. this is a stunning place to be in the 21st century. >> indeed it is a stunning place to be. i think that we all need to be very serious about what's happening in the world. president obama certainly approached the world serious. everyone may not agree with what he did but there was no question that he was not only dignified but serious, calm, thoughtfu

these are extraordinary statements by vladimir putin. >> they really are, carol. came up at the end of a rather uninteresting news conference, and then all of a sudden, a reporter, i believe it was russian, asked about the dossier with compromising material alle -- allegedly compromising material, and he uttered the word prostitutes, and he went on for several minutes, and this is the just of what he said, and he said it's to undermine the legitimacy of trump's victory, and they are trying to -- and meaning this administration, the obama administration, trying to bind the hands and feet of trump, preventing him from doing what he wants to do. he said compromising material is obviously fake, and then he said, i don't know mr. trump, i never met him, i don't know what he's going to do internationally, and i have no basis to attack or criticize him, and he went on to mock reports that the fsb, the security forces were following american millionaires around moscow when they came, and he said that's absolutely ridiculous, insanity, to think that. and finally, it got re

vladimir putin on offense, firing a parting shot at president owe ba marx while pulling donald trump closer in their strange international bromance reaching a whole new level. putin came to trump's defense accusing the obama white house of trying to undermine mr. trump and stating that individuals who created that 35-page dossier of unverified allegations against trump were "worse than postfutures." putin's comments come in the midst of a public battle between trump and cia director john brennan over who leaked that dossier and one week after trump told reporters he considered the russian president viewing him favorably as an asset not a liability. joining me is kristen welker outside trump tower and bill neely in moscow. donald trump saying on twitter he's going to keep his twitter account and continuing to escalate the feud with the cia, the intelligence agencies, specifically director brennan and other leaders and also the workforce by implication and also with the obama white house, what started so smoothly is certainly going off the tracks. >> reporter: that's right, andrea. thi

when he talks to vladimir putin. i'm concerned he's going to make some kind of a deal on relieving the sanctions and that's something that -- those sanctions are in the law. congress would have to act to relieve those sanctions. i'm frus just afraid about what he's going to say and we'll never know. >> we know that john mccain has expressed the willingness to codify those sanctions into law if this moves forward in a direction that would lift those sanctions. but we know that certain folks on your side of the aisle like senator chuck schumer is back on the newest executive order, pushing back on it about refugees and what this means going forward, specifically for kentuc kentucky, your home state. since 2011 they've resettled 4,000 refugees from syria, iraq, somalia, and iran. this is perception being reality, this is a willingness of an executive order of what the administration wants to do, not so much law. >> it's heartbreaking to me. i've had the opportunity to meet a number of the refugees who have settled here

i have been in the presence of vladimir putin. i've spent four hours with secretary kerry our ambassador to russia and putin in sochi. he's smart. he's crafty. he's patient. he doesn't tweet. all of these executive orders we have been seeing are like expampbded tweet storms because they are not executed, implemented, not gone through legal or congressional test and haven't been consulted with members the trump administration. so i hope he gets prepared. i hope he gets briefed before this call and i hope he has some talking points that make some sense. >> the article that you mentioned in "time" magazine by my kale gorbachev, he wrote it looks as if the world is preparing for war. this is a stunning place to be in the 21st century. >> indeed it is a stunning place to be. i think that we all need to be very serious about what's happening in the world. president obama certainly approached the world serious. everyone may not agree with what he did but there was no question that he was not only dignified but serious, calm, thoughtful a

he's not saying anything negative about vladimir putin but his description about how vladimir putin feels about donald trump, very excited he won, a brief moment of euphoria, expecting an acceptance of russia's agenda. does this concern you? >> it does. a little dangerous, frankly, if the expectation is that the united states with the new president is going to fully embrace vladimir putin and what he wants, pew tip, to achieve. it's a good thing that our president-elect wants to try to have a better relationship with russia, but let's be frank, this is the third administration that's tried to do that. and for a whole bunch of reasons, primarily our focus and deep engagement in the middle east, we've been diverted by putting resources and real attention to this. but bush 43 and president obama and now president-elect donald trump would to try to improve that relationship. i'm concerned that there's going to be an embrace here and we need to -- the only way that you improve this relationship is to trust building measures that are very, very measured and very precise. >> of course we'll see

is vladimir putin a war criminal? >> i would not use that term. >> well, let me describe the situation in aleppo and perhaps that will help you reach that conclusion. in aleppo, mr. putin has directed his military to conduct a devastating campaign. he's targeted schools, markets. not just assisted the syrians. they've targeted schools, markets and civilian infrastructure. it's resulted in the death of thousands of civilians. this is not the first time mr. putin is involved in campaigns of this kind. back when he was just appointed prime minister before he was elected. i'm sure you're aware of that period of time, there was a series of bombings. and they blamed it on the chechens. and mr. putin personally said he'd punish them. he ordered the air force to bomb the chechen capital of grazni. they used scud missiles to hit the main outdoor market packed with shoppers. 137 people died instantly. they used air explosive bombs that ignite and burn the air breathed in by people who are hiding in basements. they used cluster

is vladimir putin a war criminal? he directed his military to conduct a devastating campaign he started in schools, markets, not just assisted the syrians, his military has targeted schools and markets and other civilian infrastructure resulting in the death of thousands of civilians. not the first time vladimir putin has been involved in these kinds of campaigns. when he was appointed prime minister before he was elected, there was a series of bombings and they blamed it on the chechens but mr. prudent said that he would punish them so he ordered the air force to bomb and a used capital scud missiles and hit hospitals and the city's main outdoor market packed with shoppers, 137 people died instantly, they used bombs that ignite and burn the air breathed in by people hiding in basements. they used cluster munitions and battlefield weapons against civilians and an estimated 300,000 civilians were killed and the city was completely destroyed. there is credible reporting, open-source and others that this was all part of

now i don't know if i get along with vladimir putin. i hope you i do, but there's a good chance that i won't. do you believe that hillary would be tougher on putin than me? does anyone bloelieve that? give me a break. >> reporter: but in a response to a question from abc's cecilia vega, another first -- a trump admonishment of vladimir putin. >> if you indeed do believe that russia was behind the hacking, what is your message to vladimir putin right now? >> he shouldn't be doing it. he won't be doing it. russia will have much greater respect for our country when i'm leading it than when other people have led it. >> reporter: as as the press conference ended and trump moved through the crowd, cecilia asked him point-blank about another key confirmed allegation in the intelligence report. >> did you or anybody in your campaign have any contact with russia leading up or during the campaign? none at all? >> no. none at all. >> mr. trump called out cnn for saying they have material on the president-elect. here's what happened. >> can you giv

intel reports, painting the attack on vladimir putin personally. almost in the same breath, trump refused to accept that russia's motive was to try to help him win the presidency. ? his first press conference in 168 days, trump said putin will respect america more with him in the white house. >> russia will have much greater respect for our country when i'm leading it than when other people have led it. you will see that. russia will respect our country more. do you honestly believe that hillary would be tougher on putin than me? does anybody in this room really believe that? give me a break. >> that press conference was 77 minutes long. it was contentious. there were fireworks, especially when trump vehemently attacked reporting first broadcast on cnn that u.s. intelligence officials presented him with documents alleging russian on ra tifs claimed to have compromising personal information about trump. our chief national security correspondent jim sciutto is part of our team breaking that story. a major reversal for the president-elect on the issue

what vladimir putin needs is a sense of new boundaries. he's had free rein throughout the world over the last eight years. he needs to have a sense of boundaries and know that costs are going to be imposed if he crosses those boundaries. the administration has not drawn those boundaries and in fact they have gone farther than just being weak on russia action they have actively opposed measures to toughen up on russia. i proposed measures, for instance, that would enforce existing travel restrictions on russian diplomats, by which i mean russian spies in the united states, that would force the government to crack down on these russian spies who are traveling all around america without the proper approvals. i got a call just weeks afoe from a senior administration official after the election, after the hacking, asking me to remove that from the bill because it would be too provocative. it's not just that the president and his administration has been weak on russia, they have actively stopped other efforts by people like me and other republic

vladimir putin is kgb. he always has been, he always wi president obama has consistently looked the other way from russia's provocations and aggressions. the dnc hack last year was just one minor item in what russia has done over the last eight years, to include things like invading and occupying crimea and supporting rebels in eastern ukraine as well as threatening nato air ships -- aircraft and ships and so forth. but what has barack obama done for eight years? in the very early years of his administration, he sent hillary clinton to push the reset button with the russian foreign minister. in the middle of his re-election campaign in 2012 he told the russian president that he would have more flexibility after the election. when mitt romney characterized russia as our number one geopolitical adversary, barack obama mocked him and said that the 1980s wanted their foreign policy back. i'm glad the president has finally realized the threat that russia poses to the united states and our interests but i wish he

he is expected to be grilled about his ties to vladimir putin. let's begin our coverage with cnn justice correspondent evan perez. >> classified documents presented last week to president obama and president elect donald trump include allegations that russian operatives claim to have compromising personal and financial information about mr. trump. the allegations were part of a two page summary based on memos compiled by a former british intelligence operative that u.s. intelligence officials consider credible. the fbi is still investigating the credibility and accuracy of these allegations based primarily on information from russian sources but the bureau has not confirmed many essential details about mr. trump. officials tell us that the two page summary also included allegations that there was a continuing exchange of information during the campaign between trump surrogates and intermediaries for the russian government. these senior intelligence officials included the summary in part to make the president elect aware that such allegations invo

cnn, a favorite target. >> vladimir putin ordered this attack. scott: but the broadcasts are designed for an overseas audience and, in fact, isn't widely seen within russia. so even with claims of worldwide viewership, the constant critique of america and its media has little impact on many in moscow. >> my perception is positive, i understand that there is an information war, but it is between the governments and not the ordinary people. scott: do you look at america as a friend or enemy? >> of course as a friend because i have many friends there, my relatives live there, and i don't see any confrontation between us. scott: just how ruia perceive and portray americans depends on where in the country you ask that question, but will also depend in the future a great deal on what happens next in american politics, under a trump presidency. >> it's good country and with new president donald trump. we invite you to come to vladimir putin to talk together and make good relations. scott: and here, some attribute trump's victory to vladimir putin. >> mr

vladimir putin is a trained kgb agent. 0ne that is a good point. vladimir putin is a trained kgb agent. one of the things they are trained in is winning over people to your site. and he will see trump as a target for recruitment. he has done this successfully with other western leaders who he has exploited psychological weaknesses and political weaknesses to get on their side, and he is sitting pretty at the moment. he has done 0k in ukraine and syria and he has plenty of control at home. trump is the one who needs success, particularly after his disastrous episode with mexico in the last couple of days, which has shown him to be cack—handed in diplomacy. so putin will be the adult in the room, and i fear he will manipulate president trump, who doesn't show any sign of having taken trump, who doesn't show any sign of having ta ken any trump, who doesn't show any sign of having taken any advice from the american russia specialists who are covered in scottish you from their dealings with putin in the past.|j am assuming th

vladimir putin can even influence the united states. but on the other hand, if you look carefully at long term, russia has less than 3% of the world's gdp. he can only play the spoiler. in the long term it will be a huge problem for somebody who likes to manipulate people. i don't think donald trump will be easy prey for him to manipulate. i feel it would be a very difficult case, impossible, basically. >> an interesting relationship to watch. thank you so much for being with us. we appreciate it, sir. >>> coming up, breaking news out of florida. we're continuing to follow the massive manhunt under way for this man suspected of shooting and killing an orlando police officer. you are just heard the horrible story of her death this morning. we'll have details on the manhunt, ahead. >>> plus insults and threats are flying on capitol hill ahead of cabinet hearings for president-elect trump's nominees. we have details ahead. (vo) maybe it was here, when you hit 300,000 miles. or here, when you walked away without a scratch. maybe it was all

and it's not like, you know, they hadn't taken it seriously or hadn't been trying, vladimir putin and his party did their absolute best to win as many seats as possible in that election in december, 2011. they did their best. it also appears that they did their worst. there's an international organization called the organization for security and cooperation in europe, one of the things they do is monitor whether or not elections are basically rigged. they monitor whether or not elections are fair. and they monitored that election in december, 2011, that parliamentary election in russia, and they did not like what they saw. "the contest was slanted in favor of the ruling party. there was undue interference of state authorities at different levels. there was a lack of independence of the election administration. the elections were marked by the convergence of the state and the governing party." putin's party. "the playing field was slanted in favor of putin's party." united russia. the playing field was slanted. and remember, these elections, even with all of that, they didn't work out

>> donald trump's praising of vladimir putin doesn't bofrt bofrt you? >> one week praising week before saying we are going to strengthen our governments going to modernize nuclear weaponry if russia wants to engage in arms risk have at it donald trump is being somewhat unpredictable some say trying to say things about donald trump to bring him closer i think the opposite might be true donald trump might be playing russia saying positive things about vladimir putin again, one thing we know with donald trump likes to keep adversaries off balance one thing about donald trump he loves america he wants to grow our economy make -- going to put us first, and if that means, having strong stance against russia going to do that -- going back to first part of your story -- is the russia united states of america other allies have to work together to defeat radical rising threat of islam carry the same interests we do defeating terrorists that is one place we agree on a lot of other places we will disagree on. >> russian propping up assad isn't exactly helping isis.