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Securing Trump Tower; Florence Henderson Dies; Trump Cabinet Picks. Aired 3-3:30p ET

Aired November 25, 2016 - 15:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[15:00:02]

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: And longtime Washington insider and election law expert Don McGahn will serve as assistant to the president and White House counsel.

So, to Ryan Nobles, we go, covering all things Trump. He is down at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach.

Tell me about -- tell more about these new names.

RYAN NOBLES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Brooke, it seems as though there's been some pushback both on these two big names that the Trump team has pushed out in Rudy Giuliani and Mitt Romney.

So it seems now there's a bit more of an open competition for secretary of state, that the president-elect is looking around at other possible people to fill that very important role. You showed those three names already.

Let's go back over them, General John Kelly, not necessarily a household name, but he is someone with al to of experience. He's a Marine. He's a former head of U.S. Southern Command. He's considered to be a top candidate, as is former CIA Director David Petraeus, who obviously is who is someone well known in numerous political and military circles, and then Tennessee Senator Bob Corker, who has said in the past he would be willing to serve in the Trump administration if asked.

He wasn't necessarily the most vocal Trump supporter during the campaign, but he is someone with a bit of Washington experience, but also someone who is considered a bit of an outsider, a businessman himself and someone whose politics could marry that of Donald Trump.

Now, we don't know exactly what direction that Donald Trump intends to go in, but we know that announcement is not going to come today. We already mentioned he put those two staff announcements out earlier today. He and his family are now just going to relax here over the weekend at Mar-a-Lago.

They going to return back to New York on Monday. And that's when vice president Mike Pence will join Trump again. That's when they are going to really start to get after this list of Cabinet positions that still need to be filled -- Brooke. BALDWIN: Have another mega-meeting on Monday of eight other people.

Lots of names to take in. Ryan Nobles, thank you so much at Mar-a- Lago.

Let's get reaction to this news here.

Let me bring in Jesse Byrnes, associate editor of "The Hill," and CNN politics reporter Eugene Scott.

Welcome to both of you. Great to see both of you guys.

Eugene, let me just begin with the new names. Right? We heard kind of rumors, but this is confirmation from the Trump transition team. The possibilities over at State include now General Kelly, General Petraeus and Senator Corker, some names that were also previously floated as potential picks for vice president. What do these names tell you?

EUGENE SCOTT, CNN POLITICS REPORTER: These are names of people who really supported Donald Trump really early on. You know, as a candidate, he was someone who very much valued loyalty and people who went against the grain and risked a lot and put a lot on the line to get behind him, which I think further magnifies and highlights how exceptional it is for Mitt Romney to be considered, so much who was very critical of him until the last second, but now in being considered for this spot that is highly desirable for many of his longtime allies.

BALDWIN: What about -- Jesse, when I look at the name Senator Corker, Senate Foreign Relations, senator from Tennessee. What would he bring to the table?

JESSE BYRNES, "THE HILL": Well, he was definitely a key player even last year, when the deal -- the Iran deal was being debated on Capitol Hill.

And so even in that kind of fierce debate scene, he largely approached it in very diplomatic terms. So it's not surprising he would be floated and, of course, he was being considered earlier this summer for the vice presidency. And so he would definitely bring -- he's widely respected on Capitol Hill among Republicans and he would probably easily be confirmed if he were the pick.

He would be a safe pick over maybe Giuliani, but he would definitely bring a lot of Capitol Hill connections with him.

BALDWIN: OK. So those are potential contenders for secretary of state in addition to, of course, the Mitt Romney or the Rudy Giuliani picks.

Then you have the other two names today, news of K.T. McFarland. She was an aide to three Republican White Houses and a frequent FOX News contributor.

Eugene, she will be deputy national security adviser. Thoughts on that pick and also the fact that she's come from FOX? SCOTT: Yes, she's been a long-term critic of American foreign policy,

most recently President Barack Obama's.

But she has this experience. She has worked in White Houses before, I believe in the Nixon, Reagan and Ford administrations. And she was very early and very vocal on FOX that Donald Trump was the best person to alter the direction of America's foreign policy and perhaps improve relationships with allies.

It would be really interesting though to see how she could work with someone like Mitt Romney if he was named secretary of state. They seem to have different views in terms of what is best in terms of Russia.

BALDWIN: The K.T. McFarland, the Don McGahn, that came out formally, but I think, Jesse, what I'm so fascinated by, and whether we want to celebrate as journalists is the transparency, but also seeing how the political sausage is being made here between the Kellyanne Conway tweets and how she feels about a potential Governor Romney selection, to Mike Huckabee taking to TV on another network and saying, it could only be Romney if there is a mea culpa of some of what he said about my friend Donald Trump.

[15:05:11]

What do you make about the fact al of this is so out in the open?

BYRNES: Yes.

No, it's absolutely remarkable to be seeing top advisers out there publicly advocating for one potential candidate over another for those top Cabinet spots.

And, yes, I think there's obviously this -- it's on full display, this internal struggle, these two different camps advocating Romney and then advocating Giuliani.

Romney's side seems to be doing it behind the scenes. And we haven't seen him out there giving interviews even personally casting himself as the best pick, whereas we have maybe seen that with Giuliani.

But it's a high-stakes game. It's a very senior position, obviously. Many people think Giuliani going into this was going to get his selection of job, but now it's obviously that, at the end of the, day Trump will be the one who makes that decision and the fact he's considering a former critic of his, outspoken critic in Mitt Romney, it's a very remarkable moment in this selection process.

(CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: Go ahead, Eugene.

SCOTT: I Actually think this is Just a taste of what we're going to get into this administration.

We saw Donald Trump was supported by quite a few different blocs within Republicanism. And I think they're going to very vocal in trying to pull him in the direction that they desire for him to go. What he will do remains to be seen.

BALDWIN: Yes. It's like what does Trump Tower think and then what does the Washington, D.C., establishment think?

Final question. Eugene, let me just stay with you. We know on Monday that Trump is meeting with these eight people. And want to throw, if we have them, their faces and their names up on the screen, but one of them is more controversial sheriff, Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke, spoke at the RNC.

Does that -- here they are. Does that surprise you that he's meeting with Mr. Trump?

SCOTT: It doesn't surprise me. He's been very much a vocal critic -- I'm sorry -- vocal supporter of Donald Trump and a critic of Black Lives Matter movement and many activists, which is something Donald Trump has also criticized.

But it will be very telling if Donald Trump picks him, given the issues that the Black Lives Matter movement has brought to the forefront in this presidential election and other issues related to black Americans in inner cities and just these issues that have been at the forefront regarding identity politics.

It certainly will tell us where Donald Trump is trying to go forward regarding race relations.

BALDWIN: All right, Eugene and Jesse, thank you both so much.

Have wonderful weekends

(CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: I want to move along -- thank you -- and talk about this breaking news.

As Americans are rushing to give a boost to the economy on this Black Friday, U.S. stocks also getting a bounce today. The Dow -- look at this on the screen, all the green, the Dow, S&P and Nasdaq all hitting record highs.

Hitha Herzog, retail analyst at H Squared Research, is with me now.

Good to see you again.

HITHA HERZOG, H SQUARED RESEARCH: Good to see you again.

BALDWIN: Let's begin with this, all of this green. What is this a sign of?

HERZOG: This is a sign of the American consumer feeling a little bit better about their economic future.

I think, for a really long time, for the last year or two, it was pretty uneasy. People weren't sure of what to make of what was happening with the economy. Were the Federal Reserve rates going to go up, were they not, where were their jobs coming from?

So, I think, with this election, surprisingly -- I know there are two very divided camps in this country -- but I think there's a swathe of America, sure, that feels a lot great about what may be happening and sure feels like their jobs are going to be preserved.

BALDWIN: A boost.

Now, is that transferring into -- it's funny. We talk about Black Friday. People don't shop in regular stores as much anymore. It's all about the deals online. Is Black Friday -- or is there the mad dash that we have seen in years past?

HERZOG: Well, it's interesting, because I was out last night at Wal- Mart and Target.

BALDWIN: That's right. Have you slept?

HERZOG: I haven't.

(CROSSTALK)

HERZOG: I took a power, a disco nap for about three hours.

BALDWIN: OK. Nice.

HERZOG: So, I was at Wal-Mart and Target and a lot of these brick- and-mortar stores.

What was interesting is, in the years past, when I went out, there was a ton of traffic from the hours of 10:00 to 1:00 in the morning. Everyone was out. And I think really you saw these droves because people really felt uneasy about where they were going to get their next deal.

They felt that this was the only time that they could get a discount. And, therefore, you would see people really desperate to get those discounts and get that merchandise for the holidays.

BALDWIN: That's interesting.

HERZOG: If they did not take advantage of the Black Friday deals, that meant that their holidays weren't going to be as merry.

And it was more out of desperation vs. them being greedy. People getting punched in the face, that was a desperate move vs. them wanting to have...

BALDWIN: I feel funny saying this, but I have only seen video of one fight, thank goodness, because, in years past, it was like everywhere.

HERZOG: Exactly.

And I think that has something to do a little bit with people feeling better about their economic situation.

BALDWIN: Good. Good.

HERZOG: A lot of these Black Friday deals started earlier. So, there's a little bit less chaotic situation.

[15:10:00]

BALDWIN: On the deals for people who are still stuffed from food, but plan to get out later today, what's the one item that really that the deal is truly there today?

HERZOG: OK.

So this is interesting. When I was at Wal-Mart and Target, a lot of electronic items were getting sold like crazy. But RetailMeNot came out with a study that was saying a lot of the discounts, the biggest discounts were actually on travel items, so, suitcases, luggage, that kind of stuff, tickets going elsewhere.

Also, office supplies -- now, I know, Brooke, you don't want printer ink for Christmas or the holiday.

(CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: Right. But printers, iPads, that kind of stuff that you could use for the office, and then electronics.

Now it's actually reverse. If you wait until Monday, Cyber Monday, the electronics will have the biggest discount. So, you wait a couple more days, stay in, go out there and get some of your electronics.

BALDWIN: Hear that? Hold out. Hold out.

Hitha, thank you. Go sleep. Go sleep.

HERZOG: Going to take a nap now.

BALDWIN: Next: the loss of a television icon, Florence Henderson, known as America's mom for her role, of course, as Carol Brady on "The Brady Bunch." She has passed away overnight.

We will talk live with Barry Williams. You knew him, you loved him as Greg Brady. He will share his memories with us here live on CNN.

Also ahead, Donald Trump, who raised up the forgotten man, is hiring and considering many billionaires for members of his Cabinet. We will talk about that and what that means for our country.

And weeks ago, this California mother goes missing, she's out on a jog, and then she just showed up alive on the side of the road in some sort of restraints -- more details on what could have happened ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:15:27]

BALDWIN: And we're back. You're watching CNN. I'm Brooke Baldwin. Thank you for being with me.

Florence Henderson, known as America's mom and of course for her iconic role as Carol Brady on "The Brady Bunch," has passed away. The legendary actress of stage and screen died of heart failure at a Los Angeles hospital overnight. She was 82 years young.

A family spokesman says Henderson hadn't been sick and her death comes just as a total and utter shock.

Stephanie Elam takes looks at this wholesome star who went from the stage to Hollywood royalty.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Florence Henderson captured hearts across the country as one of television's most iconic mothers, Carol Brady.

UNIDENTIFIED ACTRESS: Good luck on your debate today, Jan.

UNIDENTIFIED ACTRESS: Thank you.

Do I look OK, mom?

FLORENCE HENDERSON, ACTRESS: Oh, sweetheart, you look lovely. Now, don't be nervous about a thing.

ELAM: Starring as the matriarch of a blended family, her career would forever be defined by her character on the 1970s family comedy "The Brady Bunch."

HENDERSON: I created the kind of mother that I wished I had had, and I think that everyone longs for.

ELAM: Taking on the role was something Henderson embraced.

HENDERSON: I get so much fan mail from all over the world. And everybody wants a hug from me. And I hug everybody.

ELAM: And in the decades following the show, Henderson never shied away from the limelight, returning to her beloved Carol Brady for multiple spinoffs of the Brady show.

ELAM: But before she became a Brady, Henderson seemed destined for show business.

HENDERSON: I don't ever remember not singing, and I would sing and pass the hat and I would sing for groceries.

ELAM: Henderson's career took off at the age of 17, when she landed a leading role in Rodgers and Hammerstein's "Oklahoma" in 1951. Becoming a bona fide Broadway star, her TV career progressed as she became NBC's Today Girl in 1959 and she broke barriers as the first woman to guest-host "The Tonight Show" in 1962. Henderson earned her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1996 and

danced her way to a new generation of fans on "Dancing With the Stars" in 2010. Today, America mourns the loss of everyone's favorite mom.

(SINGING)

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BALDWIN: Florence Henderson had said that she created the kind of mom in Carol Brady that she had wished she'd had.

So with me now is someone who can attest to the kind of TV mom Florence Henderson was, Barry Williams, who played who we watched every day when we came home from school on "The Brady Bunch" as Greg Brady.

Barry, thank you so much for taking time today. I'm so sorry that I'm even talking to you about this. Has it even fully hit you yet?

BARRY WILLIAMS, ACTOR: No, it has not really processed yet because it was such a surprise.

And she had been active right up until her last day. So, it's an awful lot to take it.

But I think it's important to talk about. I know that people are asking me questions about "The Brady Bunch" mostly centered around, well, was Florence Henderson the real deal? Was she really that nice? Was she really that giving? Was she that maternal, that much fun?

And it's important to know that, yes, and you can hear it even in her own words. She took what she did very, very seriously. She was very gracious always. She was an inspiration with how to conduct yourself in public as a famous person, and because she was so kind and would always take time.

And I want to remind the people that -- and there are many, many of us that will miss her -- that she was a genuine person.

BALDWIN: I can't imagine how tough this is for you.

When, Barry, when is the last time you saw her or spoke with her?

WILLIAMS: Well, we would communicate via text, sometimes by phone, fairly often. I would send her flowers on her birthday, which happens to be Valentine's Day. So that was easy to remember.

(LAUGHTER)

[15:20:01]

WILLIAMS: But also with Maureen McCormick sharing the season on "Dancing With the Stars," we were texting back and forth and cheering her on and supporting Maureen.

BALDWIN: Take me back, Barry, though. I was trying to look back to when you joined "The Brady Bunch." Correct me, but I saw it was 1967, so you would have been, what, 14, 15 years of age?

Go ahead.

WILLIAMS: We filmed the pilot in 1968, December, and then went on the air in 1969.

BALDWIN: Do you remember the very first time you met Florence?

WILLIAMS: I do.

It was a little complicated, because we had not met. In fact, none of the cast had met before we started filming, but started filming before Florence Henderson joined the cast because she was filming a movie and had not finished her location work.

So we filmed around her character for six episodes. Then she came in.

BALDWIN: Wow.

WILLIAMS: And when she came in, you know, we were -- I had not seen her before and didn't have pictures.

But when she came in, I thought, wow, this is more than just a mom. She was all done up and looked terrific. And I thought she was quite splashy.

BALDWIN: Glamorous. A lady is how I have heard her described, but always would stop and sign the autograph.

And when I read more about her, that she came from this humble beginning, small-town Indiana, she talked about how she sang for groceries at age 8, could you tell in her later years that she never let go of her roots?

WILLIAMS: Yes, I could, in part because she wrote a memoir which detailed her upbringing.

And even after knowing her or being around her for some 30 years, when I read the book, I developed an entirely different insight into her early life and what made her the person that she is, why she was so grateful, why she cared so much, and probably what was part of the drive to make her so successful.

BALDWIN: I know this next question is going to be like asking someone to pick their favorite child, but in all the seasons that you all shot, did she ever share with you her favorite "Brady" episode?

WILLIAMS: I think the ones that she enjoyed filming the most were those that we shot in Hawaii, because it was kind of a travelogue, and we were all out at the beach and working in this great environment, and she was very comfortable there.

BALDWIN: Can you just tell me a story, Barry? Tell me a story when the cameras were not rolling when you guys were on set.

WILLIAMS: Let me share a story with you that happened right after the show ended.

BALDWIN: OK.

WILLIAMS: And this is a story about how supportive and loyal she was and how much she cared and how much she got who we were and I was.

I immediately from Los Angeles flew to New York. I auditioned for the title role in "Pippin" for Bob Fosse at the Imperial Theatre. I didn't have any experience auditioning. I knew my song. I was prepared, but quite, quite nervous, a lot of actors my age trying out for the same role, big deal.

Just before my name was called, Florence Henderson showed up backstage at the Imperial Theatre.

BALDWIN: No way.

WILLIAMS: And when my name was -- she went out. She went out.

And, of course, she knew everybody, but she pretended to be a young ingenue just looking for a job, hoping and praying. And she sang a couple little verses a cappella and broke the ice in such a way that, when she left and my name was called, and I actually went out, I was much more focused, much more ready for the audition, and less distracted. And it was such a wonderful thing for her to do.

And I became the next Pippin.

BALDWIN: Wow. I have got magic to do. I love that show.

WILLIAMS: Yes.

BALDWIN: How about -- speaking of musicals, and I know Rodgers and Hammerstein were taken by her and they made her the leading role in "Oklahoma" once upon a time and she always talked about she loved to sing.

We all know "The Brady Bunch" theme song word for word. Did she like it?

WILLIAMS: I think she did. But, you know, she didn't sing it.

BALDWIN: Right. No, I know. I know.

WILLIAMS: It's only "The Brady Bunch" kids that actually sang it from the second year on. Yes.

I think she did. I think not a lot of people know how important that song was to getting on the air, and because our network felt it was so complicated, the premise, we'd have to spend a half-an-hour explaining how all those kids got to be living in the same house.

And those lyrics are put what put the network at ease. He says, now I can explain this whole show in the opening credits.

BALDWIN: It worked. It worked. WILLIAMS: It worked.

BALDWIN: Just last question, final, what do you want the rest of us to know, before I let you go?

WILLIAMS: Well, I think that her loss is a loss for many, many people, and I share with.

[15:25:03]

I know she will be loved and remembered by many for a long, long time, including me.

BALDWIN: Barry Williams, thank you for your time and your words. It's uplifted all of us. It's a story about a lovely lady on TV and in real life.

Thank you so much on Florence Henderson, 82 years young.

WILLIAMS: Thank you.

BALDWIN: We will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Bottom of the hour. You're watching CNN, I'm Brooke Baldwin.

We do have some new information just into CNN regarding the security plan at Trump Tower. We are learning the Secret Service may rent an entire floor or floors in the building as a command post.

Let's go to our justice correspondent, Pamela Brown, who's got some of the breaking details.

Pamela, tell me what the plan is.

PAMELA BROWN, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Well, as of now, because this plan is evolving day by day, I'm told, the Secret Service is considering renting one floor in Trump Tower