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Anti-Trump Union Boss: Keep Fighting for Jobs; Democrats Threaten to Block Bill Avoiding Government Shutdown; Dow Nears Major Milestone: 20,000. Aired 10-10:30a ET
Aired December 09, 2016 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[10:00:16]
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KELLYANNE CONWAY, SENIOR ADVISER TO PRESIDENT-ELECT TRUMP: These two men are captains of industry who already deal with the developing country, in the case of Mr. Tillerson, has dealings with Russia and China, Yemen and of course, most of the world. So it's Exxon - it's a fascinating way of approaching such an incredibly important job and it's very Donald Trump.
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CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: CNN's Sunlen Serfaty is following all of the developments from Washington. Good morning.
SUNLEN SERFATY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you Carol. We know at this hour, President-elect Donald Trump is sitting down in Trump Tower with Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, but that's not the only item on his long agenda list today. Certainly the most notable of this, is still outstanding question of who will be chosen as the next Secretary of State. We know that in the last week that the search has expanded, that Donald Trump asked for more names to be added to that list, but it does still seem that he is inching towards making a final decision. Trump transition advisers saying that decision could come soon, potentially as early as next week, potentially an announcement early next week.
And I thought it was notable in that interview with Kellyanne Conway this morning on "New Day" that she really ticked through a long laundry list of names, these people that Donald Trump is considering for the job, really trying to project that he is being very deliberate with this decision, making sure to talk to a wide variety of people. So certainly something that transition officials this morning are trying to emphasize.
Now, today, this is not Trump's only focus. He will be hitting the road for the majority of the day. First, he will be traveling very shortly to Louisiana to attend a get out the vote rally from the Republican Party there, and then it is onward to Michigan. Carol, this is his last stop for his big "Thank You" victory tour that he's been having, these campaign style rallies. Carol?
COSTELLO: All right, Sunlen Serfaty reporting live from Washington, thank you.
A union boss in Indiana says he's been receiving death threats after calling Donald Trump a liar. Chuck Jones says the president-elect inflated the number of jobs saved at a Carrier plant but in a news conference that just wrapped up in the last hour, I would say, he extends an olive branch. CNN's Martin Savidge, live in Indianapolis with more. Good morning.
MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol. You know, according to Bernie Sanders, Chuck Jones is now the most famous union leader in all of the United States. That as a result of the tweets that have come, the negative ones, from Donald Trump to his 16.9 million, I believe it is Twitter followers. Chuck Jones wasn't backing down from his initial comments holding the president-elect accountable for numbers that he said were initially inaccurate. But he also said that he is grateful to Donald Trump that he was able to save 800 jobs. Chuck Jones has always said that. And then he said he would love to work with the president-elect. Here's what was said.
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CHUCK JONES, PRESIDENT UNITED STEELWORKERS LOCAL 1999 UNION: If he somehow, some way reached out to me today, tomorrow, next week, next month, and said hey, what can you guys, the steelworkers here, do and work with me to try to save these jobs at Rexnord, Carrier and U Tech in Huntington, we would be glad to sit down with the man. Now, we are all going to disagree on different things and if Trump is sincere about keeping jobs in the country and you guys heard him numerous times, that's what his goal is, we'll sit down, we'll work out something, keep these jobs here.
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SAVIDGE: And Chuck Jones, I should point out Carol, is a very popular union leader here in this part of Indiana. Local 1999 was founded in actually 1998, go figure, but anyway, he has been the only president of this local they have ever had, repeatedly voted in over and over for a three-year term. Lastly, I should point out, the reason he had this press conference, there have been so many people wanting to get an interview with him in light of how Trump tweeted about him that they felt this was the best way to handle all of the demands, a real David and Goliath kind of situation that came out of all of this, Carol.
COSTELLO: And also during that news conference that Chuck Jones held, he mentioned another company that was planning to move 300 jobs to Mexico.
SAVIDGE: Right. He actually started working at that job before he got elected to being the union leader. That's Rexnord we're talking about. It's only about a mile away from the Carrier plant. And it was just back in October that all of the employees were told there, shortly after Carrier made its announcement that they too, were going to lose their jobs because that plant is moving to exactly the same place, Monterrey, Mexico. And it's not just ending there. As they point out in this state, Donald Trump may have saved 800 jobs at Carrier, but there are still 2100 other jobs right now that are slated to leave this state alone in the next year or so, Carol.
COSTELLO: All right, Martin Savidge reporting live from Indianapolis this morning. So let's talk about that and more. With me now is Andre Bauer, former Lieutenant Governor of South Carolina, David Lauter, he's the Washington bureau chief of the "Los Angeles Times" and Abby Phillips, she's a CNN political analyst and political reporter for "The Washington Post." Welcome to all of you.
[10:05:16] ANDRE BAUER, FORMER LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR SOUTH CAROLINA AND DONALD TRUMP SUPPORTER: Good morning.
ABBY PHILLIPS, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST AND POLITICAL REPORTER "THE WASHINGTON POST": Good morning.
COSTELLO: OK. So Andre, I will start with you. Chuck Jones said, you know, he would gladly sit down with Mr. Trump and talk about how they both can work together to save jobs in America. Do you think that's possible?
BAUER: I think it's highly possible. We have already seen him demonstrate this with the Carrier deal. What you are seeing is a renaissance of the American worker -
COSTELLO: Well, we haven't seen him demonstrated with Chuck Jones, though. I'm talking about the union guy, Chuck Jones.
BAUER: Well, you have seen Donald Trump sit down with some of his biggest adversaries, people that criticized him and did everything they could not to see him elected as president. He sat down with them, shown them an olive branch and is even considering them or actually, when you look at someone like Nikki Haley who has actually opposed to him. He's actually already given her unbelievable post. So he is actually doing what he said he would do, and that's bringing America together.
COSTELLO: David, do you think he would?
DAVID LAUTER, WASHINGTON BUREAU CHIEF "LOS ANGELES TIMES": Well, he might. You know, what we have seen with the president-elect so far, is an interesting contrast. He's been making very conciliatory statements on the one hand, sometimes, and then he will attack people on Twitter other times. So it's sort of a good cop/bad cop routine in which he gets to play both cops. That keeps people off balance and tactically it probably works for him, but whether it works over the long run, that's another question. So far, the polling, you know, indicates that a lot of Americans are still very doubtful -- about Mr. Trump. There was a poll yesterday by the nonpartisan Pew Research Center that said 80 percent of Americans think he needs to be more careful about how he tweets, what he says.
COSTELLO: OK. On the other hand, there is -- Drew Greenblatt, he owns a manufacturing business in Baltimore, Maryland, a small one. He met with the Vice President Mike Pence and talked about exactly how Mr. Trump and Mr. Pence saved Carrier. Here's what he said to me last hour.
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DREW GREENBLATT, PRESIDENT MARLIN STEEL WIRE PRODUCTS: He mentioned three things, repeal Obamacare, number two, roll back regulations that add no value, that don't clean the environment, that don't improve the livelihoods of employees and lastly, tax reform, because if we have a new tax reform system, all of a sudden we will be competitive. It makes no sense to move to Mexico. We got to change it so that everybody says of course I'm going to make it in America because if I make it in America, I will save money.
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COSTELLO: So he's very psyched to have, right? He's really happy, but he owns a company and Chuck Jones is a union guy. So is that the difference or is it just because Chuck Jones called Donald Trump a liar?
PHILLIPS: Well, I think on some level, you know, what business owners are experiencing right now is the potential for a Republican administration to implement Republican policies, namely cutting down on regulations, cutting taxes and so on and so forth. So that has had beyond just small businesses but broadly in the economy, an effect of inserting some optimism in markets and in business leaders. We'll see what actually ends up happening, but for workers, the calculus is pretty simple. Do I have my job or do I not have my job. And it's actually very difficult for the Trump administration to sort of make broad sweeping claims about keeping jobs in the United States because as you pointed out, even while Carrier's keeping some 800 jobs in America, a plant down the street is shipping 300 more jobs to Mexico.
So you can't necessarily take a company by company approach to save every single job. And I think as long as that's the case, you are going to have employees who are disappointed in the process and this is something that we'll have to watch play out as Donald Trump makes these promises. Some people are still going to lose their jobs. What is going to be the balance between the number whose jobs are saved and the number whose jobs continue to be shipped overseas due to global economic forces out there?
COSTELLO: And I think some people are worried about the quality of jobs, too, Andre. Because of Mr. Trump's pick for Labor Secretary, same as Mr. Puzder, he's the CEO of Hardee's and Carl's Jr. He opposes the $15 minimum wage hike. He opposes overtime for full-time workers and he has criticized sick leaves. So, when people hear that, they may think well, does he just want us to work at low wage jobs and that's it and the company reaps all the benefits?
BAUER: Well, you saw Carrier. Those are not low wage jobs in any way. I mean, I think the lowest paying job at Carrier was $14 an hour, then the next tier went over $15 an hour, then you look at the different other positions that paid way over $50,000 a year. So it's incredible that he was able to save those jobs. But keep in mind, he has not even been sworn into office yet. He's assembling a group of business leaders and world - at least U.S. leaders that are known around the world and these are going to unleash an economic engine that people haven't [10:10:16] seen for decades in this country. You have got a businessman that's going to be back at the helm that understands how tough it is just like I do in my business, what regulation impedes growing jobs. I mean, we continue to see whether it be from an EPA level, from a tax level, there's a multitude of things that continue to make folks decide to move those jobs overseas and we have immediately seen a president-elect who has turned that around and surrounded himself with business leaders who have actually gotten something done, haven't just talked about it.
COSTELLO: Yes, but see, I think that some people might think, David, that we are talking like the economy is in the tank and it is not. It is for some people and I'm not denying that. But the country is going along pretty good and I don't see big-time CEO's losing much money or companies suffering or big banks suffering, either.
LAUTER: Well, that's right, Carol. I mean, the unemployment rate now is quite low by historical standards and -- but part of the problem, and it's a big part of the problem is that manufacturing these days doesn't need nearly as many workers as it -- used to require. So president-elect can adopt new policies that could spur manufacturing in the country, perhaps, but that doesn't necessarily mean a big burst of new jobs.
A lot of steel plants, for example, or auto plants, they are highly automated these days. A lot of the work that used to be done by manual workers is now done by robots. So, the nature of manufacturing has changed and that creates a problem for people whose jobs are based on manual labor. And there's not a whole lot that Donald Trump or even, you know, highly skilled business people who he may select for his cabinet can do to change that basic reality.
COSTELLO: Yes, because we live in a capitalist society, right Abby? I mean, the name of the game is to make money.
PHILLIPS: Yes and I think to some extent we have to -- the question before us here is to what extent is giving incentives to corporations lowering their regulatory burden and maybe their tax burden going to have a positive impact on their workers. And we don't actually really know the answer to that yet, because of some of the forces that David just mentioned, that many of these companies, not just manufacturing companies but fast food companies and so on and so forth, are moving toward automated systems. They are moving away from humans and toward robots. And the question remains, what is the Trump administration's plan for dealing with the need to equip workers by and large with new skills so they can compete in a new economy versus just promising that the old jobs of an old economy are going to remain which I think we all know in the long term is probably not going to happen.
COSTELLO: All right. I have to leave it there. Andre Bauer, David Lauter, Abby Phillips, thank you so much.
Coming up in the NEWSROOM, you are looking at Capitol Hill where a crucial spending bill is hung up in the Senate, the issue that Democrats are willing to risk a government shutdown over, next.
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[10:17:25] (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. PAUL RYAN, (R) HOUSE SPEAKER: Very exciting meeting. Really enjoyed coming up here, meeting with the president-elect. We had a great meeting to talk about our transition. We are very excited about getting to work and hitting the ground running in 2017 to put this country back on track. Thanks guys.
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COSTELLO: All right. That was the House Speaker Paul Ryan. He just met with President-elect Donald Trump, as you could see, at the Trump Tower. Democrats and Republicans could be headed for a showdown over a must-passed spending bill to avoid a government shutdown at midnight. In a high stakes gamble, led by Virginia Senator Joe Manchin, Democrats are threatening to block the measure if their demands are not met. At issue, extending an expiring health insurance program for retired miners and their spouses. CNN's senior political reporter Manu Raju has more. Good morning.
MANU RAJU, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL REPORTER: Good morning, Carol. Exactly, that's exactly the point that they're fighting right now, how to extend that expiring health insurance program for coal miners. Now, -- in this proposal, this bill, this must-pass spending bill that has to be passed by the end of the night to avoid a shutdown, it includes a four-month extension of that program. But what the Democrats want is a year-long extension. And they are demanding action. The problem though, is that the House is already gone for the year. So there's really no choice but either to pass this bill or block it and lead to a government shutdown. Now, these Democrats from coal mining states are pushing very hard for this, including Senator Joe Manchin, who had strong words last night.
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SEN. JOE MANCHIN, (D) WEST VIRGINIA: We are asking for the permanent fix for the miners' extension. -- We have been even willing to negotiate. We have even negotiated down, they said - how about one year? We've taken it. Give us the one year to fight another day. Four months doesn't do a thing. One year gets us to fight another day. Four months doesn't do a thing. But there's no reason why we can't do the permanent fix. No reason whatsoever.
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RAJU: Now interestingly, Joe Manchin is purportedly under consideration for a position within Donald Trump's cabinet. They are supposed to meet today. Actually, that was re scheduled for a Monday meeting. So I'm sure this issue will come up. But they have to get a more immediate resolution to avoid that shutdown tonight. Just moments ago, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell came to the floor. He too, -- comes from a coal mining state. And he said I want a year-long extension just like the Democrats but there's a four-month extension in this bill. Let's deal with this next year and avoid a shutdown. So the two sides are staring at each other and we will see which side blinks first. Carol?
COSTELLO: All right, Manu Raju reporting live for us this morning. Thank you.
Have you checked your 401(k) lately? You might want to, for a little bit of good news. Excitement about what a Donald Trump presidency might mean for the economy has sent stocks on Wall Street to record highs, this morning, the Dow nearing a major milestone closing in on 20,000 for the first time in history. CNN business correspondent Alison Kosik has more. Wow!
[10:20:16] ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, this is an incredible way to end the year when you look at how stocks are doing. You know, you look at -- how close right now the Dow is to 20,000. It's less than 400 points away. But even more incredible is how fast it got there. Look at this. Just a week before Election Day, we saw the Dow below 18,000. Earlier this year when we saw oil prices crash, we saw the Dow below 16,000. So this has happened really, really quickly. And just about every area of the market is feeling this Trump bump. Three quarters of the stocks in the S&P 500 have been higher since the day after Election Day. And who is winning? You see them there, bank stocks in double digits, Bank of America up 35 percent since the election. Even Wells Fargo which had that huge scandal is up almost 26 percent over this past month. What's fueling the gains? Well, the prospects of what a Trump -- presidency could bring, less regulation, less taxes and higher interest rates, Carol. We will most likely, everybody believes that the Fed will go ahead and raise interest rates next week at its meeting, Tuesday, Wednesday.
COSTELLO: OK. We will check back. Alison Kosik thanks so much.
Still to come in the NEWSROOM, Hillary Clinton back in Washington's quarters of power. But this time, as a vanquished visitor. Not the milestone visit that her fellow Democrats expected just weeks ago.
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[10:25:57] COSTELLO: Hillary Clinton lost the election but she isn't fading away. She's turned up to bid Senator Harry Reid good-bye. He's retiring. But she didn't stop at good-bye.
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HILLARY CLINTON, (D) FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: This is not exactly the speech at the Capitol I hoped to be giving after the election, but after a few weeks of taking selfies in the woods, I thought it would be a good idea to come out.
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COSTELLO: Clinton also posed for selfies with some sobbing admirers, proving she still has quite a fan base and a voice in American culture. After all, it's not just Trump who was being parodied on "Saturday Night Live." With me now to talk about this is Douglas Brinkley. He's a CNN presidential historian. Hi, Douglas.
DOUGLAS BRINKLEY, CNN PRESIDENTIAL HISTORIAN: Hey, how you doing?
COSTELLO: I'm good. So is it unusual for someone who has lost an election to pop up and give speeches? This is I think Hillary Clinton's second one.
BRINKLEY: It's not that unusual. I mean, after all, you know, -- sometimes you have people that are stepping out of power. I mean, Harry Reid's been her great friend and ally for so long, for virtually decades, that she really needed to make an appearance there. I'm sure it meant a lot to Senator Reid that she did it.
Also, you know, you have got to kind of slowly come out from the woods, as she put it, and you know, I'm waiting for her to do the Anderson Cooper interview. I'm waiting for her to tell us what it was like on election night. We still don't know how she got the news that Donald Trump had won. And as historian, we like to reconstruct that evening because conventional wisdom was that she had this in the bag. So we would like to hear her story and hopefully it will be coming out in the next few weeks.
COSTELLO: It would be fascinating. You know, Clinton went to Capitol Hill for that speech. She was surrounded by her embattled aid, Huma Abedin and also by John Podesta, whose e-mails were leaked, right, and then she talked about the dangers of fake news. Listen.
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CLINTON: The epidemic of malicious fake news and false propaganda that flooded social media over the past year, it's now clear that so-called fake news can have real world consequences. This isn't about politics or partisanship. Lives are at risk. Lives of ordinary people just trying to go about their days, to do their jobs, contribute to their communities. It's a danger that must be addressed and addressed quickly.
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COSTELLO: You know, fake news is a problem, a big problem, and it can be dangerous, but I kind of found it interesting that Hillary Clinton chose that to talk about.
BRINKLEY: Well, it's a way of complaining about the press when you lose. You know, it's somebody else's fault. Remember, she had once, went after the vast right wing conspiracy. She used to call it that was after her. Now it's fake news, it is Russian hacks, it's the FBI. There are reasons that why she lost, but not herself. And that's a healing process. That's going to take a while to be able to publicly talk about what you did wrong, why didn't you go to the state of Wisconsin once to try to get voters up there.
But look, it's all going to happen. And she still has the foundation that she's going to be running, the Clinton Foundation. She has secret service apparatus following her around. She won the popular vote in the United States. She was the first woman to ever get, seize the nomination of a major political party in U.S. history. She's a large figure, casts a large shadow and I hope we see more and more of her in the coming days.
COSTELLO: Well, she did have lunch with Dianne Feinstein. And Feinstein said, you know, they were sipping Chardonnay over lunch and she said that Mrs. Clinton was ready to take some time away from the spotlight. And will that be hard for her, you think?
BRINKLEY: She's been fairly effective since election. She's just not going to be out there giving speeches, stumping around the country anymore. But look, strange things happen after you lose. I mean, Bob Dole lost to Bill Clinton, went on and did Viagra television ads. In Russia, when Mikhail Gorbachev tumbled, he ended up doing Pizza Hut commercials.
