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American Morning
Freed Journalists Heading Home; Four Killed in Gym Shooting; R.V. Capital of America Optimistic About the Future; Selling Health Care Reform Easier Said Than Done for Some Lawmakers; The Anatomy of a Rescue
Aired August 05, 2009 - 07:58 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: It's about two minutes before 8:00 here in New York, meaning two minutes before 5:00 a.m. on the West Coast. That's where in Burbank, California, we're keeping our eye on a hangar there where Euna Lee and Laura Ling, the two journalists held in North Korea. Any moment now, we expect them to arrive. And we're going to be breaking that story down for you today.
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: Yes. And here's what's on this morning's agenda, stories we'll have for you in the next 15 minutes.
American journalists Laura Ling and Euna Lee are free and on a plane right now with former President Bill Clinton, expected to land in about a half-hour's time. Our correspondents and a top team of analysts are all standing by to break the story down for you this morning.
CHETRY: Also, what drove a man to open fire inside of a crowded gym in suburban Pittsburgh. Police say that he strolled into an exercise class, started shooting, killing three people before taking his own life. There are new details this morning. And Susan Candiotti is following all that at the scene.
ROBERTS: And President Obama's taking his economic message on the road today to Elkhart, Indiana, a town in desperate need of some more economic stimulus. The recession has rocked the so-called RV capital of the world. Our Ed Henry traveling ahead of the president is going to join us live.
CHETRY: And big story this morning as we said, American journalists Euna Lee and Laura Ling expected back on U.S. soil within the next 30 minutes. A live look again at the Bob Hope Airport. This is in Burbank, California. This is inside a hangar. You see all of the photographers and reporters lined up there. Family and friends also. They're counting the seconds until they can finally hug these two women after months of uncertainty. Laura's father and her husband spoke to reporters yesterday as they arrived in Burbank for this morning's homecoming.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DOUG LING, LAURA LING'S FATHER: They've brought them closer together. That's about it.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Any message to President Clinton for what he did today?
DOUG LING: Thank you. Thank you very much to the president.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What do you think about his trip there and what he did for your daughter?
DOUG LING: Well, anything that helped, I'm grateful.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What is your message for Kim Jong-Il?
DOUG LING: Well, I wish he'll come around, open that door a little bit more.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Were you concerned she might be stuck there for 12 years?
DOUG LING: No, I didn't think they would be there that long.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You held out a lot of hope.
DOUG LING: Yes, because I have a lot of hope, a lot of faith in our State Department.
IAIN CLAYTON, LAURA LING'S HUSBAND: I'm extremely grateful for him, obviously for President Obama as well as Secretary Clinton, and for Vice President Al Gore as well.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How anxious are you to see your wife?
CLAYTON: I can't wait. It's been about 140 days and so we, you know, we are obviously overjoyed that she's going to be back here.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: And CNN's Thelma Gutierrez is live at the Burbank airport as well where a plane will be landing any moment, I guess in about 30 minutes from now. and we saw some of the family members making their way in there in cars. What's the scene like right there, Thelma?
THELMA GUTIERREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kiran, I can tell you, I am standing inside this private hangar. I have never been in a private hangar like this before. I always fly a regular airport. But you can see how enormous this place is. This is where all the V.I.P.s land and take off. It was quite a process to get inside.
Now, you have a former president who will be accompanying Laura Ling and Euna Lee and so you have Secret Service here, you have the FBI, you have the bomb squad making sweeps and then you have lots of local police as well. And so, it was quite a process just to get in.
But what will happen in a few minutes is that the doors out here on that hangar will open up. The jet will pull in and then there will be the stairs. They'll pull right up to the jet. The VIPs will get out of that jet, and then they will head right over to the microphone that has been set up right behind us, and this is where they're going to hold the press conference.
Now, if you take a look right over here, we just pan right over, you see the white chairs. These chairs are set aside for family members and some of the friends. And I can tell you, there's definitely much more media here than there will be family members and friends. But that is exactly where they're going to be sitting. I can tell you that we really have front row seats.
All of this is going to be happening just a few feet away. It's really tight squeeze in here, lots of media. You can just pan right over and see, we're all just a couple of feet away from each other, trying to stay out of each other's way. So, a very interesting place to be (AUDIO BREAK) so in a few minutes when that plane lands -- Kiran?
CHETRY: All right. And, of course, we'll see it live here. Just about 28 minutes, hopefully. Thelma Gutierrez for us -- thanks so much.
You know, they've been there for so long and they're coming home so eager to see their parents. But, you know, they have to give a little statement as well...
ROBERTS: Oh, yes.
CHETRY: ... because so many people were praying and hoping and wishing for their safe arrival. So, people want to hear from them.
ROBERTS: And I guess you could say, you're fitting for Burbank, Hollywood airport. So, there's going to be almost a Hollywood ending to this saga when the doors open and plane pulls in, the president walks out.
CHETRY: Yes.
ROBERTS: I couldn't choreograph that any better.
Well, former President Clinton wasn't in Pyongyang as an official representative of the United States. There's definitely a lot of politics at play here.
Earlier on AMERICAN MORNING, we spoke with New Mexico's governor, Bill Richardson, who's been to North Korea many times. He sat down with North Korea's twice to negotiate the release of Americans. And he told us what Kim Jong-Il is likely hoping to gain and what this could mean on the international stage.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. BILL RICHARDSON (D), NEW MEXICO: North Koreans, whenever they want something, send a signal, release American prisoners. They've done it with me and others. They want a high-level envoy, and in this case Kim Jong-Il, the ailing leader, wanted the highest possible envoy. He had tried to get President Clinton to come while Clinton was president. President Clinton almost came a few days before he left office, but he didn't.
And so, what Kim Jong-Il gets is a former president to shore up his domestic base and that's what happened. It's a step forward and the tensions are diffused within the international community because North Korea and America had this brief spate of decent relations over the two journalists.
But on the whole, I am sure no negotiations took place. But possibly President Clinton and Kim Jong-Il at least talked about the two countries getting together, face-to-face, bilateral discussions on our differences. No discussions, per se, there.
But since we haven't been talking since relationship is frozen, since we've just had acrimonious tirades among each other, it's a good step forward.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: And helping us now break down exactly how Laura Ling and Euna Lee were released, let's bring in our foreign affairs correspondent, Jill Dougherty.
And, Jill, there is a briefing from the White House officials last night, kind of walked us through the whole process. What did they say?
JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN FOREIGN AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, you know, John, I think, some of the most interesting stuff, the details that show that this goes back quite a while, back to the beginning of July where they outlined that those -- in North Korea, the North Koreans were speaking to the journalists who were being held, and those journalists, in turn, were able from time to time to talk to their parents. And so, in those early days, they raised the issue that, look, we could release you if we got an envoy like Bill Clinton. And so, they said, you know, if he comes, essentially we would release you.
So, the women, in turn, called their parents, parents called Vice President Gore, who was in charge. He started the company that they work for. Then it was relayed to the White House, national security advisor, et cetera. They checked it out to make sure it was really legitimate, raised it with Bill Clinton, and then Bill Clinton said yes but there were conditions.
And, John, I think you know a lot of those conditions. Conditions were: it had to be strictly a humanitarian effort, no negotiating, no nuclear negotiations, et cetera. He would have to be sure that it was going to be successful, and also, that the North Koreans would guarantee that they agreed it would be strictly humanitarian, not connected to that nuclear issue.
There were some other interesting things. What happened in North Korea when former President Bill Clinton was there? They say he spent three hours and 15 minutes total with Kim Jong-il, the leader of North Korea. They had dinner together for two hours and an hour and a half conversation. So, some very interesting details, John.
ROBERTS: So, where does all of this go? This is a question a lot of people are asking. You know, there have been some articles that are out there this morning saying this might reset the relationship between the United States and North Korea, maybe entice them back to the table for the six-party talks. What do you think?
DOUGHERTY: I don't think that that is quite as possible as some people might make it out to be. I mean, these things are separate because -- they have released the journalists. It does not mean that they are doing what the United States or the international community wants them to do, which is go back to the six-party talks. Essentially, they've said, six-party talks are dead.
They want a relationship with the United States. But the U.S. is very reluctant to give them that type of one-on-one. They want six-party talks and they want denuclearization. And the North has said so far they're not doing it. So, where do you go from there?
ROBERTS: Jill Dougherty for us this morning -- Jill, thanks so much. Stick around.
Coming up in about 10 minutes' time, we're going to talk to Gordon Flake about this idea of "So, where do you go next?" He's traveled to North Korea seven times. He's the executive director of the Mansfield Foundation, an organization that encourages better understanding between Asia and the United States.
CHETRY: And now to the breaking news out of Pennsylvania: A deadly shooting taking place at a gym. It was in suburban Pittsburgh. Police say a gunman opened fire, killing three people before taking his own life. At least 10 others were wounded, some critically. It happened in Bridgeville. That's not far from downtown Pittsburgh.
And CNN's Susan Candiotti traveled there overnight.
And you arrived on that scene and you've been getting some new information at this hour. What do know, Susan?
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We're learning even more information about the alleged shooter who has been identified to us by a law enforcement source as George Sodini, age 48 years old.
As you recall, as we reported earlier, a note was found in his gym bag. Now, the police will not say anything about it, but according to one of my sources, I don't have a direct quote, but I am told that in it, Sodini discusses his hatred for women. Now, this appears to go hand-in-hand with a blog that we have been studying written by the alleged gunman in this case in which he discusses plans for carrying out what he did this day, plans that seem to go back to December 2008, again, in January of this year, and then an entry from Monday of this week.
And I'm going to read a bit of a quote here. It says, "I took off Monday, today and tomorrow, to practice my routine and to make sure it is well-polished. I need to work out every detail there because there is only one shot." And then he goes on to say at the very end of this very long blog, that he says, "Any of my practice papers left on my coffee table or notes in my gym bag can be published freely." He finally says, "I will not be embarrassed because, well, I will be dead," that's an end quote.
So, again, to recap what happened here, it was about 8:15 last evening at the L.A. Fitness center behind me, very crowded with people when witnesses and police say a man walked in to the aerobics class, again, very crowded, put down a gym bag, took out some guns, turned out the lights and started shooting.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They were in a pilates class or something like that, and they turned the lights out and all of a sudden, shooting started. So, she said she saw one of the guys had a black hat on and that's all she knew.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He shut the lights off in the aerobic room. And by the time I realize what was going on, I looked over to the aerobic room and I could see flashes in the dark. And that's when I realized that someone was actually using a firearm inside of there.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I took my headphones off because I had my headphones on. Then I heard a loud banging noise repeatedly, like three or four. And that's when I kind of knew what was going on, you know, that someone was shooting the place up with a firearm.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CANDIOTTI: Now, one of the many questions that are out there, of course, how long had this blog been around? Was it posted recently or had it been out there for quite some time? Who is this man? And why did he have these feelings, apparently against women?
I can tell you this, according to the police chief, he said of the note, "He did what he wanted to do. I don't think anyone could have stopped him."
Kiran, back to you.
CHETRY: All right. Susan Candiotti for us on that disturbing story out of Pittsburgh -- thanks.
ROBERTS: Yes, that blog is just -- it's just really, really disturbing. I read some of it. It's terrible. It's -- you know, you wonder was that out there? You know, was it missed? You always ask yourself these questions after these things happen.
CHETRY: You know, after.
ROBERTS: Well, to a happier note now, in just a few minutes' time, probably 20 minutes from now, Euna Lee and Laura Ling should be touching down along with President Clinton. So, what does this mean for the future of relations between the United States and North Korea? Does it mean anything?
L. Gordon Flake joins us live -- he's been to North Korea several times -- to give us his perspective on that.
It's 11 minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Welcome back to the "Most News in the Morning."
And live picture there of the Burbank Airport, the hangar where President Clinton's plane is expected to arrive little more than 15 minutes from now. American journalists Euna Lee and Laura Ling on their way home just about back. The two women are in the air, as we speak, probably, actually beginning their approach now to California, it's expected to arrive any minute now. Former President Clinton secured their release after meeting with North Korea's leader Kim Jong-Il.
And joining me now to talk about the risk and rewards of the president's surprise mission: Gordon Flake. He's the executive director of the Mansfield Foundation, an organization that encourages better understanding between Asia and the United States.
Gordon, it's good to see you this morning. So, Kim Jong-Il, as we understand from White House briefers, asked specifically for former President Clinton to come and pick up the two women. What does Kim Jong-il get out of this besides a high-profile photo-op?
L. GORDON FLAKE, EXEC. DIR., MANSFIELD FOUNDATION: I think there is a chance that North Korea, and Kim Jong-Il in particular, might be looking to reset the relationship with the United States. At least we can hope that they will take advantage of this to kind of back away from the more absolutist positions they've been taking in recent months. They really painted themselves into a corner. If they so desire, I think they could use this as a face-saving way to kind of step down from some of the recent tension.
ROBERTS: As we mentioned, you've been there a number of times. What does resetting the relationship between North Korea and the United States really mean? Because North Korea doesn't want any part of these six-party talks anymore.
FLAKE: Well, as you know, the White House the last couple days has made a very strong point of distinguishing this as a purely humanitarian mission, one that is private in nature. And I think the reason for that is that, at this point, the Obama administration is pursuing a coordinated policy of putting pressure on North Korea in response to their missile test and in response to the nuclear test.
And in that environment, North Korea right now -- you're right -- has expressed no interest whatsoever in coming back to the talks and coming back to the negotiations with the United States. Hopefully, a high-profile face-saving visit like this will provide them an opportunity to again back away from their more reactive and hard-line statements.
ROBERTS: And what -- and what would that bring in terms of any kind of hope for progress?
FLAKE: Well, again, I would think -- first and foremost, we should remain focused on the humanitarian success here and on the sake of the families...
ROBERTS: Right.
FLAKE: ... the two journalists that were released.
ROBERTS: Yes. No question they're really happy about it. But a lot of people are looking to this to say, OK, what's the bigger picture here, and were they pawns in a greater game here -- you know, why were they being held in the first place? And if they weren't being used as some sort of leverage, why would Kim Jong-il ask for President Clinton to come over?
FLAKE: Well, I think both the United States and North Korea had a shared interest in resolving the situation surrounding these journalists. North Korea having convicted them to 12 years labor really couldn't send them to the camp, it was looking for a way to get them out. And so, essentially, what they got out of this is the most high-profile possible visitor that could come to North Korea in the former President Clinton; and then giving them -- again, the international respect that they crave.
And so, I am skeptical that this will lead to some type of a breakthrough or opening in the six-party talks...
ROBERTS: OK.
FLAKE: ... or that North Korea will somehow back away from its stated position on that front. But it certainly does give them an opportunity, should they be recognizing now that there is ever increasing pressure from the international community, and they are looking for a way out of that.
ROBERTS: Yes. You know, the White House was very careful, as you pointed out, to say that this was a humanitarian mission, that this was not about the other issues that face North Korea and the United States, but that same briefer also said that, because it's an issue of importance to former President Clinton, he expects that the issue of denuclearization did come up in the three hours and almost 30 minutes that the two men spent together.
Do you think that President Clinton would have any luck in convincing Kim Jong-il of the apparent error of his ways?
FLAKE: Well, I fully anticipate that President Clinton would have been very strongly critical of recent North Korean actions: the test of the long-range missile, a second test of a nuclear weapon. I am skeptical again that, you know, statements from anybody on this earth is going to be successful in getting North Korea to back away from their current position.
ROBERTS: Right.
FLAKE: It's going to really take the carefully coordinated policies and actions not only of the United States, but of its allies in the region, South Korea and Japan, and other partners like China and Russia as well.
ROBERTS: L. Gordon Flake, it's good to talk to you this morning. Thanks so much for joining us. We really appreciate it.
FLAKE: My pleasure.
ROBERTS: Kiran?
CHETRY: All right. Well, it's 18 minutes past the hour right now.
Little bit later today, President Obama's going to be taking his economic message to Indiana, R.V. Country. What do the folks in Elkhart think? They've been suffering through this downturn. Do they see light at the end of the tunnel? We'll be there live.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Welcome back to the "Most News in the Morning."
President Obama turns his attention to the economy today. He travels this morning, hits the road, you might say, to Elkhart, Indiana, the R.V. capital of the world.
CHETRY: That's right. This is a town that's really been hit hard by the recession. We've talked to the mayor several times. The unemployment picture has improved though, but the jobless rate is still nearly 17 percent -- that is just devastating for this community. This is the president's second visit to Elkhart since he took office.
CNN's Ed Henry is live there for us there.
You know, you're in an R.V. That could easily be "R.V. One," right? The president could leave Elkhart today with his very own.
ED HENRY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely. He should take it back to Washington. It's pretty comfy. I've got some lazy boys here. I got a flat-screen TV, there's a couch, there's a dining room. We've got a full kitchen.
But you're right, people are hurting here because a lot of folks around the country can't even afford a vacation right now, let alone an R.V. that costs tens of thousands of dollars with all the amenities.
But there are little rays of hope here that we found. If you look at the "South Bend Tribune" this morning, a story about the president coming to town and then it talks about an R.V. supplier, the one that makes this very refrigerator, announcing they're going to hire more than 350 people. And that's why folks here say the stimulus is actually starting to work.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HENRY (voice-over): The recession has absolutely rocked the R.V. capital of the world. Elkhart, Indiana's unemployment rate peaked at 19 percent, twice the national average, as dealers of recreational vehicles struggle to stay afloat.
ROB REID, GREAT LAKES RV CENTER: It's been the most difficult thing I've done in my 42 years of life. It's -- it was a struggle and nobody saw it coming.
HENRY: Rob Reid says he's using less electricity each day to pinch pennies at this location after closing his other dealership, forcing him to lay off a dozen employees.
REID: Being a smaller or medium-sized company, they become your friends, you know, because we're with them even more so than we are our families a lot of times.
HENRY: At city hall, Democratic Mayor Dick Moore says traffic at local food banks has never been so intense. And donated backpacks are pouring in for kids going back to school. Still, the mayor believes Elkhart is getting back on its feet thanks to $14 million in stimulus money. Though he cautions, the president can't get too optimistic.
DICK MOORE, MAYOR, ELKHART, INDIANA: That's what I would say to him -- thank you, Mr. President. This program is working here in Elkhart, Indiana.
Now, the problem with that is the guy that's standing here in your place that's unemployed, he doesn't buy that at all.
HENRY: The mayor insists stimulus money spent around the country is trickling down to his city, as people are starting to buy R.V.s again.
MOORE: It isn't an Elkhart, Indiana stimulus program. It isn't a state of Indiana stimulus program. It is a stimulus program for the United States of America.
So, when you talk about how the money flows, somebody gets money in California, and one of our factories here supplies some parts to that company in California, we benefit from it.
HENRY: Back at the R.V. lot, Rob Reid agrees sales have picked up, and so has his outlook.
REID: I always feel optimistic because if you start to feel it, then your customers are going to feel it. So, you know, we're optimistic no matter what happens because we don't want the economy or the doldrums of Elkhart right now to set the tone for our business.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HENRY: Now, one reason they're optimistic is the unemployment rate has dipped back down to just over 16 percent. Nevertheless, that's still far above the national average of 9.5 percent. That's why you still have a lot of Republicans back in Washington saying, "Look, the stimulus may have helped on the margins but it really hasn't provided the economic jolt that the White House promised."
Now, I feel bad -- I want to clear up something I said earlier this morning. I think I pretty much sold, John, on picking up this R.V. I said it was $50,000 to $70,000. That is true. But I also said it was self-propelled.
But now that it's light, it's not dark anymore, I can tell you it is not self-propelled. Actually, you got to hitch it to a pickup truck. But I can tell you, John, this is still...
(LAUGHTER)
HENRY: John, this is still a good deal!
(CROSSTALK)
ROBERTS: Ooh! Details, details!
HENRY: The R.V. you look at today may be an R.V. that somebody looked at yesterday. If you want to buy it, you got to buy it today, John. Stimulate the economy.
(CROSSTALK)
CHETRY: Right. now, he needs an F-150 to haul the thing around. All right, Ed. You just...
(CROSSTALK)
CHETRY: ... his checkbook out now.
ROBERTS: Ed, thanks so much. Minor little detail.
CHETRY: Oh, did I say...
ROBERTS: Did I say it was a self-propelled?
CHETRY: Technically, if you put it downhill, it is self- propelled. You just can't get anywhere after that.
All right. Well, we're going to take a quick break. When we come back, we're talking health care reform. What does the president need to do to win the debate -- to win over the hearts and minds? Tony Blankley and Donna Brazile will join us live with more.
ROBERTS: And a live look now at the Burbank Airport, the hangar where President Clinton's plane is expected to arrive any moment now. It's scheduled to be at 8:30 Eastern, 5:30 Pacific. We're only five minutes away from that.
But no indication of where the aircraft is at this point. But we'll continue to watch that for you. This is the place to be for live coverage of the happy return of Laura Ling and Euna Lee. Keep it right here.
Twenty-five and a half minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: All right. Well, it's now 28 minutes past the hour.
We check our top stories. Any moment now, we're going to be seeing American journalists Euna Lee and Laura Ling right there at this hangar. This is at Burbank Airport. Their families are waiting for them there in California after former President Clinton secured their release in North Korea.
So, here's what Laura's father told reporters yesterday as he arrived in Burbank.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DOUG LING, LAURA LING'S FATHER: I'm all excited. I'm all excited and I'm looking forward to see her. We waited for five months now.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What are you going to tell your daughter when you see her?
LING: I love you. I'll give her a big hug.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I can't wait. It's been, you know, 140 days, and so, you know, we are obviously overjoyed that she's going to -- she's going to be back here.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: We also had a chance to hear there from Laura Ling's husband Iain, who, I can't imagine would have been -- has been like for him as well.
And Laura herself is expected to speak to reporters once they land. We will, of course, bring it to you the second it happens.
ROBERTS: Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad officially beginning his second term in office. He was sworn in overnight, pledging to move the country forward, and blasting those who dispute the results of the June presidential election. Hundreds of protestors gathered in the streets of Tehran. Riot police reportedly fired tear gas to control the crowds.
CHETRY: And the Boston police officer who referred to Harvard Professor Henry Gates with a racial slur in an e-mail is now suing. He's claiming that his civil rights were violated. Officer Justin Barrett is suing the mayor, the police commissioner as well as the city and police department saying that they damaged his reputation and they made him ill.
Hear how he defended himself now on "ANDERSON COOPER."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ERICA HILL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You allege the mayor and the commissioner's actions caused, quote, "pain and suffering, mental anguish, emotional distress, post-traumatic stress, sleeplessness, indignities and embarrassment, degradation, injury to reputation and restrictions on personal freedom."
Justin, though, in many ways didn't you actually bring this on yourself with that e-mail that you sent on July 2nd?
JUSTIN BARRETT, SUSPENDED BOSTON POLICE OFFICER: Erica, I don't think so. I composed the e-mail. I did not mean it to be offensive. I apologized. I've served my country. I volunteered to go to Iraq. I served my city of Boston.
And if I'm -- if I'm charged with a crime, I want the chance to answer. I want the chance for a fair hearing. That's why I got my attorney.
PETER MARANO, JUSTIN BARRETT'S ATTORNEY: My client authored a response that was expressing his opinion as a private citizen. Is he held to a higher standard? Absolutely. But the problem becomes, being held to a higher standard shouldn't eradicate his right under the First Amendment for free speech. And that's part and parcel of the lawsuit.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Well, representatives of both the mayor and police commissioner haven't commented on the lawsuit yet.
ROBERTS: Paula Abdul -- out. The "American idol" judge confirming the rumors announcing on her Twitter page that she will not be back for the show's ninth season.
Abdul says she'll miss nurturing new talent and being part of a show she "helped from day one become an international phenomenon."
And she cut it close. Auditions before the judges start this week.
CHETRY: All right. Democratic lawmakers have their marching orders for the August break. It's to go back to sell health care reform back home.
In some cases, it is proving to be easier said than done. Some members of Congress getting a hostile reception from constituents at town hall events on health care.
Take a look at what Congressman Steve Kagan out of Wisconsin encountered this week.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(SHOUTING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: This has happened in many different places, as we've seen this morning. And these health care hecklers are actually putting Democrats on the defensive.
Joining us from Washington, Donna Brazile, Democratic strategist and CNN contributor, as well as Tony Blankly, conservative columnist and author of "American Grit." It's great to have both of you with us this morning.
Donna, I want to start with you. How damaging are these confrontational town halls that we've been seeing video of taking place, and then sort of in some cases catching fire on YouTube?
TONY BLANKLEY, AUTHOR, "AMERICAN GRIT": Well, it depends...
DONNA BRAZILE, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Tony, sorry. She called on me first.
First of all, this is a very important debate and dialogue that the American people need to participate in. Not only is health care one-sixth of our economy, we know that if we do nothing it will become one-third of our economy over the next ten years.
So the Democratic lawmakers, Republican lawmakers would like to go out there, talk to their constituents to get their input to talk about how this reform will not only preserve what they have, if they have health insurance, how it will, hopefully, lower their premiums and stop the rising cost of health care.
This is an important time to have a discussion, not to disrupt these proceedings, but to have a dialogue or discussion. We can agree to disagree, but we should not disrupt these town hall meetings.
CHETRY: Yes, and it's interesting, White House press secretary, also the DNC spokesman Tony Boats saying that these are actually manufactured confrontations by the GOP. The DNC spokesman described it as "angry mobs of rabid right wing extremists."
Do you agree with that or do you think these are truly the voices of concerned citizens?
BLANKLEY: Look, it is not up to me or the DNC. Each Democratic congressman and Democratic senator will judge their electorate this August. And they will decide, if they think this is just a few loud people who have been organized, it won't affect their performance in voting in September and October.
If, on the other hand, the Democratic congressmen smell a little danger if they go against the sentiments expressed, then the president and the Democratic leadership in the fall will have more trouble.
And we don't know what it's going to be. My hunch is -- I know there's one group that's already got 1 million signatures to oppose Obama-care. That obviously is more than a handful of people. I've been, and as Donna has been, we've been organizing on different sides of the aisle. I go back to the '60s and she -- I guess the '70s maybe --
BRAZILE: '80s.
BLANKLEY: '80s, I'm sorry, my dear.
(LAUGHTER)
And you know, you can get a certain number of people out. But to get thousands at different venues with that kind of energy level, I think there's got to be some authenticity there.
But it will be up to every Democrat -- this is a game on the Democratic side. The Democrats have enough votes to pass everything if they united. If the president can keep them united, he can pass it.
CHETRY: Well, Donna, it is interesting. We did a CNN/opinion research poll. Half the people say they support this, and also those who are opposed to it are more likely to head out to a town hall, they said, when asked about it.
But does the White House risk alienating people that do have concerns, genuine concerns, about what universal health care or health care reform may mean for them by perhaps lumping everybody together and saying, hey, this is orchestrated by the GOP?
BRAZILE: Well, first of all, I don't think the White House is out there saying it's being orchestrated by the Republican Party. What the White House is doing is pushing back on all of the misinformation that has been put out by some of the private organizations. Maybe they're allies with Republicans.
But Kiran, I want to just take this one step higher. This is really about the future of our economy. How do we ensure that we stop the growth of health care premiums? Many people who can afford health insurance today know that they're paying more and getting less.
They're also concerned that with some of the insurance companies, you know, kicking you out of the system.
So this is an issue that should galvanize all the American people, and we should be angry at the fact that we're paying basically everything that we can to stay healthy, but at the same time we're not getting the results from our health insurance companies.
So I think this is an opportunity to have a dialogue, not to disrupt these proceedings.
CHETRY: And Tony, how is the political capital being spent on this by the White House? They've been aggressively pushing back against what they're calling "disinformation" out there.
There was an interesting link to the "Drudge Report," I guess it had the president from 2003 making some comments about health care, and they immediately posted a rebuttal that came out within days. Is this an effective approach coming out of the White House?
BLANKLEY: We'll see. It was a rebuttal. It wasn't a reputation, because all they said that Drudge cherry-picked. Then he put up the whole tape, and it doesn't look like he cherry-picked.
One of the problems that congressmen on both sides of the aisle have now is with the Internet they don't often have the information advantage over the public they used to have because people are sitting down, particularly the people who go to town hall meetings, have sat on the Internet and read stuff.
So you have to be very careful as a congressman to be better informed than you voters and not to misstate facts.
But one thing that Donna said which I think is very important, one of the problems the president has, he promised -- I think, what, wade an appealing vision was he was going to be able to bring the cost of health care down over time.
Now the CBO has said that his proposals or at least the proposals coming out of the Democratic committees do not do it, they do not bend the cost curve down. They bend the cost curve further up.
So his own vision is inconsistent with the legislation that his allies are in the process of trying to legislate.
CHETRY: And Donna, I want to ask you about this, though, because even if there is some disagreement over the numbers and over how some of this was determined, but if a Congressperson is facing election that's only a few months or a year down the road versus trying to convince some of these constituents that maybe decades from now they're going to be better off, do politics win there?
BRAZILE: Well, first of all, 14,000 people are losing their health insurance each and every day. We know if we do nothing health care premiums will rise by at least $1,800 a year.
Over the last 16 years, we've had an opportunity to try to reform the system. Nothing has happened. And during that period of time, small businesses have been -- have dropped employees from their health insurance because they can't afford the skyrocketing costs.
I think what the president laid out was a set of principles that said that he's going to basically reduce costs, provide choice, quality affordable health care for every American.
We know that four out of the give Congressional committees have come up with their own plan. At the end of the day I think the president will look at all of these plans and he will keep to those principles that he promised the American people.
CHETRY: We're going to have to leave it there. Thanks for joining us this morning, Donna Brazile and Tony Blankley. It's always great to talk to both of you. And we want to ask our viewers as well, how do you think the president is doing on health care reform? Grade the second 100 days of the Obama administration. You can cast your vote, CNN.com/reportcard.
And we'll be getting the results with the best political team on television at CNN national reports cards tomorrow night at 8:00 p.m., only here on CNN.
ROBERTS: We've got an updated ETA just a few minutes ago. About ten minutes now until the arrival of President Bill Clinton along with Euna Lee and Laura Ling. They're at that hangar at the Burbank airport, the Bob Hope Airport in Burbank, California. We're staying with this. Don't go anywhere because they will be here very soon.
It's 39 minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Full moon over Los Angeles this morning welcoming back Euna Lee and Laura Ling after being detained in North Korea since the 17th of March.
President Clinton's plane is about to land at Burbank airport. We got a shot inside the hangar at the press waiting for them. Family members will also be there as well.
The big doors down at the end there apparently will be wide open in a few minutes, and the plane will actually pull inside the hangar, and stairs will come out and dignitaries will get off, and they'll meet the folks here. And we expect to hear from a lot of them as well.
So stay tuned for that. It's all coming your way in a few minutes' time. We have actually got our affiliates with helicopters in the air monitoring traffic coming in to Burbank. So we should be able to bring you a shot of the plane landing this morning.
Vice President Al Gore will also be among the people who are waiting for them. Ling and Lee were working for Gore's Current TV network when they were arrested by North Korean officials. It should be a dramatic homecoming. And, of course, we'll bring you every second of it.
CHETRY: In the meantime, President Clinton's mission to secure their freedom lasts less than 24 hours. It came after 140 painful days of waiting for the families of these two journalists.
ROBERTS: And though this is being called a humanitarian trip, there are fascinating politics in play. Our Tom Foreman takes us inside the anatomy of a rescue.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Officially, it was all unofficial. But when a former president and spouse of the current secretary of state comes calling, the official overtones are unmistakable. And that is why Kim Jong-Il was smiling, according to Jack Pritchard, a former special U.S. envoy to the region, and now head of the Korea Economic Institute.
JACK PRITCHARD, KOREA ECONOMIC INSTITUTE: As you know for the last year, Kim Jong-il has been plagued by health problems. There's been speculations that he's not going to survive very long.
FOREMAN: So a visit like this makes him looks strong.
PRITCHARD: It makes him look strong. He looks healthy, he looks happy in that picture. It puts to rest a lot of the speculation, both internally and externally, about his health and his command of authority in North Korea.
FOREMAN: So how was the deal done? First, through Sweden. The United States has no formal relations with North Korea, but Sweden does. The Swedish ambassador in Pyongyang, Matt Foyer, has been there since 2005, and he saw the captives repeatedly, keeping backdoor communications flowing there and at the United Nations in New York.
By all accounts the State Department worked tirelessly through those channels. The White House has not disclosed details.
ROBERT GIBBS, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: This obviously is a very sensitive topic.
FOREMAN: But foreign affairs analysts believe the private talks drove public positions, the second key. For example, Secretary Clinton initially suggested the charges against the pair were baseless.
PRITCHARD: And Secretary Clinton indicated this was somewhat of a sham trial, and she disparaged the North Korean's legal system. The North Koreans were furious over that.
FOREMAN: Then suddenly last month, a much more conciliatory tone.
HILLARY CLINTON, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: The two journalists and their families have expressed great remorse for this incident. And I think everyone is very sorry that it happened.
FOREMAN: The third key -- when the Obama administration responded to North Korea's latest missile test by pressing for sharper international sanctions, Prichard says Kim Jong-il needed to turn down the heat.
PRITCHARD: And this is a very in a very face-saving way for them to recalibrate their relationship with the United States.
FOREMAN: And the final key -- Bill Clinton himself.
Kim Jong-Il had wanted then-President Clinton to visit North Korea back in 2000. It did not happen, but analysts say he never gave up on the idea. And in the end, that's what sealed the deal, a visit from about the biggest unofficial official America could send.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERTS: All right. Tom foreman for this morning.
CHETRY: Yes, and we're seeing the plane right there on our screen. As you can see it, we should take this picture full as we've --
ROBERTS: We believe that's the plane, right?
CHETRY: Hopefully.
We see a plane coming in courtesy of KTLA. We have a KCAL KCBS shot as well. And again, all of this, as everyone is waiting for the two journalists, Laura Ling and Euna Lee, to arrive. Their families have been waiting.
It's been just a heartbreaking situation since March when they were taken as they were doing a story on the China border in North Korea, claiming they violated their borders, took them prisoner and they were actually sentenced to 12 years of hard labor.
And then again, as we said, this quick turn of events that took place, something that we're learning now was in the works for a while.
CNN's Thelma Gutierrez is live at airport. We're seeing this plane. Thelma, do you know anything more about whether this is the actual plane that's coming in for a landing there to that airport in Burbank?
THELMA GUTIERREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: John, Kiran, the only indication that I have had that it is very close is that the PIO came up a few minutes ago and said she was expecting that plane to land.
Also they did some last-minute mike checks and they said this is going to be it. And so lots of preparations for this moment.
I can tell you, though, that Vice President Al Gore is here. Also all the Ling and Lee family members are here. They will be sitting right out on these white chairs that you see right behind me. They will be led out to this area when that plane lands.
We're told that they're in a back office right now in this very massive hangar.
This hangar is about the size of a football field. It's a private hangar where a lot of the VIPs fly in and out of here at the Bob Hope Airport.
And what will happen next, we're told, is that those doors will open, that jet will come in, and then the stairs will come out, pull up to the doors, and customs agents, border and customs agents, will board that plane...
CHETRY: Thelma, one thing real quick -- sorry to cut you off, but we did get confirmation at least from our affiliate KCAL that what our viewers are seeing on the screen is indeed the plane coming in.
So any moment now it will be much closer to you, and they'll come out of that plane in that hangar. So go on with more on what we can expect there.
GUTIERREZ: Kiran, my vantage point is from the inside of this hangar, but I can tell you that we did see border and customs agents arrive a short time ago.
And we're told that they will actually board that plane. They will process Laura Ling, Euna Lee, and then they will be led out. And one of the organizers here told us that they're actually going to have the reunion in front of all the cameras right here when they arrive.
They will all go up to that microphone that's right out in the middle of the floor, and they will hold a news conference.
So it will be very interesting to see if they're allowed to have a private meeting. After all, they have not seen their loved ones for 140 days. So it will be interesting to see if they're allowed to have a private meeting, or if that reunion is going to happen right in front of our cameras.
ROBERTS: Thelma, we're watching this aircraft. It is, I believe, that's a 737 that carried President Clinton over to Pyongyang coming in for landing.
Let's bring in William Cohen, the former secretary of defense in the Clinton administration. Mr. Secretary, where are your thoughts running right now as we watch this plane come in for its landing?
WILLIAM COHEN, FORMER DEFENSE SECRETARY: Well, I think it's obviously a very happy occasion that President Clinton was able to bring back these two young women, and to do so in a manner that may set in motion a better relationship with the North Koreans.
That was not his purpose in going there, but to get them back. But I think any time have you a former president certainly of his popularity, there's bound to be some discussions that would bode well for the future.
ROBERTS: Mr. Secretary, when Euna Lee and Laura Ling were first detained by the North Koreans, we were wondering, are they pawns in a bigger game? Is there a reason why the North Koreans detained them beyond this supposed border infraction?
Do you think indeed that that was the North Koreans' intention, and in letting them go, how might that all play into that scenario?
COHEN: I think that they obviously calculate everything that they do. By holding them hostage for this period of time, then seeing an opportune time to take advantage of that, understanding that the international community was cracking down much harder, the Chinese were sending a much stronger signal, they were running the prospect of having their ships checked or be turned away from ports around the world. And so I think the policy of the Obama administration saying we're going to deal much tougher with the North Koreans may have paid some real benefits here so that President Clinton could then move in. They see this as an opportunity to build some goodwill.
And maybe that's enough to break the ice and say they've saved face now, the United States is happy that these two young women are back home, and now maybe there is a chance to sit down at those six- party talks and really make some progress.
CHETRY: Just -- Secretary Cohen, stay with us here. We're showing our viewers the touchdown of the plane there. We see it heading to that private hangar where the two journalists are going to step off the plane.
And that's where the reuniting will be taking place right there in the public, right there on national and international television. I can't imagine what's going through their head right now as they know they're safe and they're back home.
It must be a surreal moment as they're on the plane as well with the former president who will be stepping off with them as well in front of the cameras.
You can imagine how happy they were to hear, because, as we understand from a White House briefing that took place last night, they kind of walked us through the tick-tock.
There had been negotiations between the White House and North Koreans through the Swedish embassy in Pyongyang. The Swedes were acting as a go-between, which allowed Euna Lee and Laura Ling to make some phone calls back home to the folks.
And then in July during one of those phone calls, the two journalists passed along information that North Korean officials had come to them to say, we will be willing to grant you amnesty if -- and the words were spoken specifically -- former President Clinton comes to Pyongyang to bring you back.
So they were obviously looking for a very, very high-level envoy to come.
And, Mr. Secretary, when you look at the photograph that we saw yesterday of Kim Jong-il sitting down beside President Clinton, I don't know how much that is worth in the international arena, but how much is that worth domestically for him?
COHEN: I think domestically it's a major boon or benefit to him. The real issue for having President Clinton there, they wanted President Clinton there back in 2000. And President Clinton was almost determined to go.
But we couldn't be sure what was going to come out of that, and he, I think wisely, refused to go because, number one, it would seen as many too political, but number two, placed President Bush, his successor, in a position that perhaps would be unfair. So President Clinton decided at the last moment not to make that trip. So I think their wanting him there has been one of their goals for some time. I think the fact that he has such high visibility and such high rating of popularity around the world also was important to them.
ROBERTS: And we still remember, of course, that shall we call it, I guess, difference of opinion between General Colin Powell, the new secretary of state, and Vice President Dick Cheney and President Bush when General Powell said, in terms of North Korea policy, we plan to pick up and continue where the Clinton administration left off.
And within minutes of saying that, he was sort of slapped back by the vice president and the president saying, no, we're rethinking North Korea policy. We're going to come up with our own policy.
So I guess it would be a natural if Kim Jong-il if had an opportunity that he would invite President Clinton back, want to get him in the room with him.
CHETRY: And again, if you are just joining us, by the way, what we're watching right now is this plane carrying Euna Lee and Laura Ling coming in to Burbank airport.
It is going to enter a hangar there where a crush of media are waiting to capture the moment, as well as the families who have had an agonizing several months. This was since March that they were taken.
Our Thelma Gutierrez is actually live inside that hangar as well. We're seeing the plane slowly make its way in there. Tell us what it is like on the inside right now, Thelma.
GUTIERREZ: I can tell you, Kiran, it is getting loud. We can hear that plane approaching. Any time now, those doors will open and that plane is going to come through.
We are told that next border and customs agents will board that plane, and they'll process Laura Ling and Euna Lee, and then they will be allowed to reunite with their family members.
We're also told that all the family members are here. The Lings, also the Lees, and Vice President Al Gore. They're all being kept in a back room.
We were wondering if they would be allowed to have a private meeting. After all, they hadn't seen each other for about 140 days, a long time, very eager to see each other.
But we are told that it is indeed going to happen right here in front of all the cameras.
ROBERTS: It looks like the process outside is they have a tug there, they'll probably hook the aircraft up to a tug and pull it inside the hangar there.
And as we're saying, this is Burbank airport. It's the airport that the rich and famous from Hollywood use. And it is almost looking like it's going to be a Hollywood ending here.
Although they're putting the staircase down. So maybe they'll actually get out of the aircraft here.
CHETRY: Yes, I was wondering about that, because Thelma, you had said something about perhaps customs officials boarding. I don't know if they perhaps changed --
ROBERTS: Maybe the customs officials are boarding outside, then they'll bring it inside the hangar.
CHETRY: Yes, so we are still waiting to figure out that. It looks like people are actually getting ready to make their way onto the plane before we see anybody step up.
But one of the things that has been really heart wrenching, Thelma, throughout this is knowing the four-year-old daughter of Euna, little Hannah, who's been missing her mother so much. And is that going to be taking place as well? She's going to be reunited with her little girl right in front of all the cameras as well?
GUTIERREZ: Well, that's a very good question, exactly how it is going to happen.
But the organizers who are putting this event on have told us that they're going to see each other for the first time right over here. You have to wonder, though, how scary it would be for a little four-year-old who hasn't seen her mother for all that time to come before this crush of cameras. I can't tell you how overwhelming that would be for a child.
You take a look right here, we're all standing about two feet apart from each other. There will be more press in this room than there are family and friends.
So it is going to be interesting to see how that is going to play out -- Kiran?
ROBERTS: And we're also expecting, Thelma, that we're going to hear from Laura Ling and Euna Lee as well as some of the family members. We know Laura Ling's parents, Mary and Doug are there, Lisa, her sister who we all know well here at CNN because she's been with us several times, is there as well, as is Iain Clayton, Laura's husband.
On Euna's lees side of the family, Michael Sadatay, her husband, and, as you mentioned, the four-year-old daughter Hannah is there as well.
But we're just waiting here. We don't know if this is official procedure, if the customs folks will go on the plane here and clear the aircraft and then it will be brought inside, or if they'll actually get off, disembark that aircraft outside of the hangar, and then walk in.
CHETRY: You can imagine there will be some security procedures by the fact that there is a former president, former President Clinton is on that plane as well.
ROBERTS: Yes, there is a large security contingent just out of view, a number of motorcycle police officers as well. There is a small motorcade as well that's there just on stand-by to take the president away should he need to.
I'm not sure where he's going after this, but, you know, it's like hard to hit a moving target. And Bill Clinton certainly is a moving target.
CHETRY: And speaking of the Clintons, this is also interesting. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was speaking this morning about this situation. She was asked about it earlier on one of the networks.
She says she's not necessarily counting on a breakthrough in relations with North Korea just because of this freeing of the two American journalists that her husband helped broker. She talked about being very relieved about it.
But we are seeing people exiting the plane right now.
ROBERTS: Don't know if those are military folks or if those are secret service. But of course, President Clinton, being a former president, travels with a Secret Service contingent. It is expected he would have taken his own security force over there with him. I'm sure they would have maintained a fairly low profile while they were in North Korea.
Mr. Secretary, if we could bring you in just for a second if you're still with us. You said you were somewhat optimistic that this whole thing, just looking at the larger political realm of this, might somehow be influential in restarting the six-party talks.
We talked to other folks this morning who didn't think that it would because North Korea has stated that it has no interest in rejoining those talks.
COHEN: It has stated that. But a lot will depend upon what President Clinton and his team bring back to talk with President Obama and other officials.
There may have been signals sent, again, some overt, some subtle, that would indicate that there is some flexibility on the part of the North Koreans to come back.
We don't know all of the facts just yet. We don't know what the role of the Chinese has been. We don't know exactly what the South Korean signals are being sent to the north. So it could be a much more complicated picture in terms of all the moving pieces.
But nonetheless, I think we should at least look at this as an opportunity. It may turn out that the North Koreans are simply not interested in doing business, sitting down with the United States to resolve this issue. If that's the case, then there's going to be more pressure to intensify the sanctions, and, as we know, North Korea's not exactly a flowering state but closer to a failed state in terms of its economy. And I think they have to take that into consideration.
So I don't want to speculate that this is a breakthrough, but I think that we should always seize and look for every opportunity if there is some avenue that we can proceed to bring about a denuclearized North Korea. That would be beneficial to mankind.
CHETRY: The other interesting thing I want your take on, Secretary Cohen, is current Secretary of State Hillary Clinton apparently rejecting an official report that came out from North Korea's news agency that her husband, Bill Clinton, delivered an apology about the incident to Kim Jong-il. She said that is not true, that did not occur.
So it's interesting that there's already a little bit of a discrepancy there in what exactly was said. Do you think that we will find out more about what really happened?
COHEN: Well, I think President Clinton will be in the best position to indicate exactly what he said. You have a controlled press coming out of North Korea, so it may have been a statement written by the state indicating what they wanted out of this, and president Bill Clinton will be the one to talk to, to say, did you in fact issue an apology, and if so, why. It may have been a repetition of what the young ladies have already said that they apparently have said that they were sorry. It may be some confusion over who said who was sorry.
ROBERTS: We just see the tug hooking itself up to the front of the aircraft there. They'll be opening the doors and pulling the plane inside, we expect, in the next few minutes or so. It's also, Mr. Secretary, interesting to point out this difference, too, that Kim Jong-Il wanted president Clinton to come to Pyongyang to bring Euna Lee and Laura Ling back, at the very same time that North Korean officials are having quite a diplomatic spat with the secretary of state Hillary Clinton.
COHEN: Yes, it's hard to say whether there is a good cop/bad cop being played here, whether that was part of the program. But you may recall that Secretary Clinton, being a team player has taken a very tough position dealing with the north, consistent with President Obama and vice president Joe Biden, saying, look, here they have backed away once again from an agreement, they're under sanction by the United Nations, they are exploding bombs, they are threatening to build five or six or more bombs, they are posing a threat to the entire region, and therefore, the position of the administration has to be a very tough line.
So, obviously the administration taking a tough line was not going to send one of its top people, namely Secretary Clinton, to deal with them on this issue. This issue has to be seen as entirely separate from what the North Koreans are doing with their nuclear program. So, I think it is a good division of labor that President Clinton can say I am a private citizen, a highly recognized private citizen.
That gives the North Koreans what they want in the sense of prestige, that signal being sent to their constituency. We are able to secure the young women safely back into the United States, and just maybe there's an opportunity by virtue of this visit to see if something was said on the side, outside the realm of what was to be discussed, that would indicate an opportunity to move forward on other issues. It may not be there, but at least it was an opportunity -- president Clinton, believe me, is very, very intelligent, sophisticated, and picks up signals awfully quickly in terms of what might be an opportunity for the United States.
ROBERTS: He certainly is that. He's always open to an opportunity as well. We've seen that repeatedly over the years.
