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Report: Obama to Rolling Stone: Trump's win not a miracle; Minority leader Pelosi fends off challenger Tim Ryan; Carrier deal with Trump, keep 1,000 jobs; Lawmakers weigh top honor for WWII OSS spies

Aired November 30, 2016 - 15:30   ET

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

[15:30:00] BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: Anthony, back over to you, the question Winter asked is what advice do you have for Trump? What did he share and what of this entire wide ranging interview surprised you the most?

ANTHONY DECURTIS, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR, ROLLING STONE: Well, I was struck by his clarity. There is a sense on his part -- I understand completely what Bill was saying about the state of the Democratic party but a week before we were burying the Republican party. It was -- they were in shambles, it was all over. They were not going to win another election so these things move.

And I think Obama has a certain kind of focus that impressed me and I think when he was talking about the way he felt as President and the sense of legacy and how things change when you sit behind the desk, I think he's -- none of us know exactly for many reasons none of us know exactly who President Trump is going to be. And I think Obama was taking that position. Like let's not panic before we have to panic. Let's watch the situation, there's plenty to do.

BILL PRESTON, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Brooke?

BALDWIN: Go ahead, Bill.

PRESTON: Just one quick point to build on what Anthony said is what struck me was a contrast between here's President Obama and the Democratic party is losing the election they never should have lost and he's so calm, so collected, so measured, he's thinking through everything he says. Contrast that with the style of Donald Trump, right? Who would have been up for two hours tweeting away like a 14- year-old. So, we have to get used to that, I guess.

BALDWIN: I guess so. At least he's holding a news conference December 15. I will be curious to see over the course of the next four years the relationship that perhaps President Obama and President Trump could continue. We know they've been on the phone much more than anyone anticipated in maybe an adviser in chief role if Trump would accept it. Bill Press, Anthony Decurtis, thank you for swinging by. Cover of "Rolling Stone". it's a fascinating, fascinating read, thank you.

Just a couple of hours ago, house Democrats voted to keep minority leader Nancy Pelosi in her job in that leadership role but the man who challenged her, Congressman Tim Ryan, will join me live to discuss his reaction for the loss. What about the 63 members of Congress who did vote for him? And how the Democratic party moves forward. That's coming up.

[15:35:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: House minority leader Nancy Pelosi has just been able to hang on to her job, reelected as the top Democrat in the U.S. House of Representatives. She fended off a challenge there from Ohio Congressman Tim Ryan to fill the role she has filled for the last 14 years. Leader Pelosi pulled in the support of two-thirds of house Democrats, as she had predicted. And moments ago, she thanked her opponent.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NANCY PELOSI, HOUSE MINORITY LEADER: I want to also commend Tim Ryan for the race that he made for leader. He's an enthusiastic advocate for his point of view which is shared by a number of members in our caucus. I thank him for his courtesies extended to me and I look forward to working with him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Congressman Tim Ryan good enough to join me from Capitol Hill. Thank you so much. This was not the day you hoped for, not the outcome you anticipated. You have already congratulated leader Pelosi but how does the loss feel?

TIM RYAN, CONGRESSMAN, OHIO: Well, you know, as a former athlete, you look at the scoreboard and you certainly want to win but I think we have won the argument, I mean, we got 63 members which was pretty high. 20 some members more than the last time someone ran against leader Pelosi and that means that the economic message that I've been talking about is starting to take hold and that more and more people are supporting it. And if you look at the public message outside of the caucus there's even more support. So, I think we moved the needle on getting back to those working-class issues and I'm proud of that.

BALDWIN: I'm glad you brought up the 63 votes. We shouldn't discount 63 members of the house voted for you and not leader Pelosi. How do you think that may make her at all vulnerable?

RYAN: I hope it helps her in the entire leadership team understand that people like me who come from areas like mine really understand what is on the minds of working class people in the industrial Midwest and south. It's jobs, it's wages, it's pensions, it's security. It's not just the minimum wage which we're all for an increase, it's about middle-class wages that have been stagnant for 30 years and we don't talk about that.

So, my hope is leader Pelosi needs to understand that that needs to be the heart and soul of the Democratic message because it ties the party together. We're progressive on so many issues, we're very inclusive but over the last few years we've sliced and diced this electorate up to where we're just taking to have one position as opposed to the real issue that maybe drives their family, the things they talk about at the kitchen table. So, I think it's certainly a signal to her and the rest of the leadership that this economic message is one that at least 63 members want her to talk about but there's more who are still loyal to her but believe that is the message that will get Democrats back in the majority.

BALDWIN: Since Ohio is home and you least 63 members want her to talk about but there's more who are still loyal to her but believe that is the message that will get Democrats back in the majority.

Since Ohio is home and you talked about jobs, the economy, middle- class America is near and dear to your heart. I'm sure you heard how Trump is running the victory lap because he was able to keep a thousand jobs from moving to Mexico with Carrier. I'm wondering what your first thought was when you heard that news.

[15:40:00] RYAN: Hey, more power to you, congratulations to Carrier. I've unfortunately been on the other side of that. At our local General Motors plant, they just laid off 1200 people who are on the third shift there, and then you watch as the week went on the suppliers laid off 75, 50, 25 people because of that third shift going down.

So, hey, look, I'm all for workers staying in the United States and if President Trump did it he should be commended for doing that. I don't know the whole story, I've been focused on this. Congratulations. That's great, let's not wish bad for a thousand workers because we voted against the guy who made it happen, I won't play that game.

BALDWIN: Back just to Nancy Pelosi, Congressman, what would you fear the most about her being in charge of the caucus? You're looking ahead to a Trump administration, a Senate, you have supreme court, what is your specific number one worry?

RYAN: With leader Pelosi?

BALDWIN: Yes.

RYAN: Well, my concern is -- and I've talked about this, is back in 2010, for example, they spent $65 million against her and ran 160,000 TV ads tying her to our Democratic candidates and my concern is that the un-favorability of our leader is damaging to future candidates and future recruiting to get people into the caucus and who want to run for office. Which is why I advocated for a change so that concerns me that the perceptions of her are such that it's going to make it hard to recruit candidates and connect back to voters who may have already made a decision and have an opinion about our leader.

BALDWIN: The perceptions of her. That's interesting. Last question before I let you go. We know the vice President-elect is somewhere around those halls today meeting with Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker Paul Ryan. If you were to bump into him, Congressman Ryan, you could say one thing, what would it be?

TIM RYAN: No gimmicks. Let's sit down and do what's right for the American people. There's no need to throw people off health care and privatize Medicare. Let's get people back to work and focus on the issues that Trump ran on and that's getting people back to work. Let's sit down and try to do that before we start doing other things that may appease the fa- right wing or the Republican study committee in the house or the alt-right. Let's get people back to work.

BALDWIN: Congressman Tim Ryan, thank you so much. I truly appreciate it.

RYAN: Thank you.

BALDWIN: Minutes from now American troops who performed covert missions during World War II may finally receive the proper recognition they deserve. You will hear from a former member of this secret unit about what it means to him. We'll talk to Jake Tapper.

[15:45:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Before the CIA existed, there was an Office of Strategic Services, it was the U.S. agency in charge of our most secret missions during World War II, placing American spies behind enemy lines. In just a couple minutes, Congress is due to vote on honoring surviving members of the now-defunct agency with its highest civilian honor, the Congressional Gold Medal. Jake Tapper has the fascinating story of one of these unsung war heroes.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

U.S. GOVERNMENT TRAINING FILM: When you get your hair cut, be sure it's enemy-area style. The hands must look as if they've done the work. Every scar must conform with your cover story.

JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: These World War II training films could be taken from a spy thriller.

U.S. GOVERNMENT TRAINING FILM: The identities of the recruits remain a carefully guarded secret which explains the use of masks in this film.

TAPPER: But dangerous missions and secrecy of the Military Intelligence Agency they were made for were all too real. The Office of Strategic Services, or OSS, was the 1940s precursor to the modern Cia, Navy Seals and U.S. Special Forces Command. Its members were tasked with some of the most important and covert assignments in the war.

CAPT. JOHN BILLINGS, OFFICE OF STRATEGIC SERVICES (RET.): We weren't even supposed to mention that we were with Oss. The less people that know, the safer it is for all of us. I was a good boy. I didn't talk about it to anybody.

TAPPER: Now, more than seven decades later with the help of the OSS society, legislation passed to recognize members of the OSS such as Captain John Billings, with Congressional Gold Medal, the highest civilian honor.

BILLINGS: To me it means that at least somebody thinks we did a good job.

TAPPER: Billings had already flown countless bombing missions when he was recruited to the OSS at age 21. His assignment? To fly other agents and supplies to drop zones within enemy territory. Some marked in the snow with letters such as this one.

BILLINGS: We weren't supposed to learn their names. Occasionally we'd drop "Joes". Everybody's name that was not going to come back with us was named Joe. You as a single plane were probably shortening the war much more than hundreds of planes just dropping bombs, hoping to hit a factory or something of that sort. The OSS was very powerful. And we liked it.

[15:50:00] TAPPER: Billings says perhaps his most daring mission was Operation Green Up in 1945. He flew three Joes deep in the Austrian alps to parachute out behind enemy lines and gather information on the Nazis. Two of the men were Jewish. Including the late German born spy Fred Mayer whose work inspired the film "Inglorious Bastards".

BRAD PITT, PLAYING FRED MAYER IN "INGLORIOUS BASTARDS": I need me 8 soldiers, 8 Jewish American soldiers. We're going to be dropped into France dressed as civilians.

TAPPER: Billings tells CNN the film's fictional portrayal missed the real bravery and aptitude of OSS members such as Mayer.

BILLINGS: The people, especially the people who went out of the airplane, they were going into unknown things and they had chutzpah. Especially, Fred.

TAPPER: The kind that Congress may finally honor, though much too late for far too many members of this greatest generation.

BILLINGS: I would have liked to have had this medal knowing that he was going to get one too.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BALDWIN: Jake Tapper. I jotted down when he said at least somebody thinks we did a good job. Wow! Tell me what will be happening on Capitol Hill?

TAPPER: First of all, we should say at its peak the OSS had 13,000 members. There are only about 100 members of the OSS alumni left. And we're expecting that the vote in the House of Representatives will be in the next hour or so. I am not sure if we have a shot at it but some of the surviving members of the OSS, including former spy Hugh Montgomery -- I think that's him right there on the screen sitting in the chair -- they are there to witness this historic vote in person.

Finally honoring their sacrifice after more than 70 years after they helped to defeat the enemy, the Nazis and the -- and others in World War II. And one of my crew members was watching the spot. And like you, he is such a wonderful guy, Captain Billings. He just said, why do we have to vote on this? Can't we just give them a Congressional medal -- BALDWIN: I know. I don't understand!

TAPPER: The good news is that the Senate already passed it. It is expected to pass the House of Representatives within the next couple hours. And then it would go to President Obama's desk. So, it does look like this long-overdue recognition will finally come to men like Captain John Billings, who, wow, I mean, what a guy, right?

BALDWIN: Right. Totally. Totally. Tapper, thank you for calling attention to all of this and we will be watching for when it lands on the President's desk, thank you. We'll see you at the top of the hour.

Of course, on "The Lead." Meantime, we're watching, of course, a very busy day. Again, Trump tower. Retired Marine General John Kelly, he arrived moments ago, said to be a possible candidate for secretary of state. More on that coming up.

[15:55:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: At least four people have been killed in wildfires raging near the resort town of Gatlinburg, Tennessee. Right now, rescue crews are going door to door searching for people reported missing. The fires have devoured hundreds of homes. John Madewell is joining me on the home. He a property manager in Gatlinburg. I understand 25 of your properties are damaged or totally gone? We've got some photos of some of what you've taken. What is -- you've described this as a war zone.

JOHN MADEWELL, CABIN MANAGER, GATLINBURG, TENNESSEE: Yes, ma'am, I was able to gain access to a couple of areas yesterday, and really, it was -- it was unbelievable. It was totally devastated. Probably 95 percent of the homes burnt all the way to their foundation.

BALDWIN: How about your own home? Is it OK?

MADEWELL: Fortunately, we were probably about a mile, mile and a half away. Everything was good at my home and all the staff here and their homes and families. Everybody came through really well.

I was talking with some other local businesses today that, you know, a lot of the employees were affected, losing their homes, have nowhere to go. So, I'll tell you, the Red Cross, just the authorities down here, have done a tremendous job providing lodging and providing shelter and food and all of the surrounding communities and counties and even states have just been incredible.

BALDWIN: For people who don't know this part of the country, first of all, it's absolutely gorgeous. But second of all, you know, we are talking resorts, cabins, Dollywood. This is a mega-draw for tourists. What is your message to people right now?

MADEWELL: You know, I would just ask that people don't let this deter them from coming, OK. Pigeon Forge came through this relatively unscathed. All the attractions are open and running. Dollywood will be open Friday. The main business street in Gatlinburg will be fully functional. It will probably take three days or maybe even a week to get it up and running good. But everything is intact. What you can do to help us is to come down here, to still visit, to support all the small local businesses that rely totally on tourists.

BALDWIN: Absolutely. It's hard to imagine based on the pictures we're looking at, but I do know you're right about Pigeon Forge and the other areas. Thank goodness, they're OK. John Madewell, we're thinking about you and the community. Thank you so much. I'm Brooke Baldwin.