Happening Today: Trump, Alt-Right, Supermoon, Democrats

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Trump Says "Don’t Be Afraid"

In a “60 Minutes” interview that aired Sunday night, President-elect Donald Trump says he's a "very sober" person and says he'll conduct himself "in a very good manner" as the nation's president. In the interview, Trump tried to put to rest fears over the sometimes divisive rhetoric he used on the campaign trail. "Sometimes you need a certain rhetoric to get people motivated,” he said. Trump also demanded that any of his supporters who are harassing people or destroying property to "stop it." And he had a message for people protesting him and his campaign message across the country. I would tell them, 'Don't be afraid,'" he said, adding that he believes they could be afraid only "because they don't know me." In the interview, Trump also said he’s willing to deport 2 to 3 million people who are in the U.S. illegally.

Alt-Right in White House

Trump is signaling that the far right wing of the party, or alt-right, will be going with him to the White House, where it will have a chance to influence policy. Steve Bannon, former president of the incendiary Breitbart News and more recently chief executive of Trump's campaign, is taking on a role as "chief strategist and senior counselor." Bannon's ascension is the clearest sign yet that Trump will maintain his ties to the populist white nationalism that helped propel him to the White House against overwhelming opposition from party leaders and traditional media. NBC News analyzed Trump’s decision to pick Bannon for the job.

Swastikas in NYC

Police are investigating after a swastika was spray-painted on the sidewalk in front of a Brooklyn home — the same weekend that swastikas were found on dorm room doors at a Manhattan college. “Swastika spray painted on Montgomery St in heart of Jewish Crown Heights,” Rabbi Mordechai Lightstone tweeted on Sunday, along with photos of the swastika. Police have released images of a suspect. 

Democrats Look to Future

Still reeling from a devastating defeat in last week's election, Democrats are beginning the process of charting the direction of their party in the Donald Trump era. With Hillary Clinton and her team staying out of the public eye, liberal politicians have begun jockeying for control of the party's future. "We have to do a lot of rethinking," said Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, who mounted a fierce challenge to Hillary Clinton in the primary. After losing the White House and Congress — and likely the ideological tilt of the Supreme Court — the Democrats' future chief will likely be one of the party's most visible faces in politics. Around a dozen Democrats' names have been publicly floated to succeed interim chairwoman Donna Brazile.

Supermoon

Though the previous supermoon was only a month ago, night owls who missed out on the Oct. 16 moon can catch a repeat in the early hours of Monday and maybe Monday night. The moment marks the closest a full moon will get to earth since January 26, 1948, according to NASA. Stargazers can also look for the supermoon on Monday night, however Storm Team 4 says that much of the tri-state area will be shrouded in cloud cover and the moon may not be visible, despite its super powers. Here are photos of the supermoon from across the New York City area.

Chappelle on SNL

"Saturday Night Live" called on host Dave Chappelle's wit and Kate McKinnon's performance of "Hallelujah" for a thoughtful coda to a divisive presidential campaign. Chappelle, claiming to be rusty after a decade largely out of the TV spotlight, proved ready and eager to offer his take on Donald Trump's victory over Hillary Clinton, including the protests that followed. "I haven't seen white people this mad since the O.J. (Simpson) verdict," the comedian said drolly, suggesting he would take a knee like football player Colin Kaepernick and let whites figure out the election. Watch Chappelle’s monologue.