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CNN Larry King Live
Is Government Broken?; 'Growing Pains' Star Missing; Interview With Evan Lysacek
Aired February 23, 2010 - 21:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LARRY KING, HOST: Tonight, a "Growing Pains" star is missing, last heard from more than a week ago.
Where is Andrew Koenig?
His sister is here desperate for answers.
Plus, men's Olympic figure skating champion, Evan Lysacek, joins us. He won the Gold Medal fair and square, but the Russian runner-up is still griping.
Is there a new cold war heating up over this?
But first, American's government broken?
If so, who can fix it?
Sarah Palin?
President Obama?
Who?
Can anyone solve the problems that could kill this country or are they bigger than any person or political party can solve?
All next on LARRY KING LIVE.
Good evening.
We begin with two distinguished American governors.
In Minneapolis, Governor Tim Pawlenty, the Republican of Minnesota.
In Sante Fe, New Mexico, Governor Bill Richardson, the Democrat of New Mexico.
We'll start with Governor Pawlenty. Governor, five Republican senators, including the new senator from Massachusetts, Scott Brown, broke ranks with their party. They're supporting a $15 billion jobs bill. A vote expected tomorrow. It could pass.
Good idea, Governor Pawlenty? GOV. TIM PAWLENTY (R), MINNESOTA: Well, I don't personally agree with that because I don't like that particular bill and the approach that they took with it, Larry. But for those individuals, they're doing what they think is right for the country ask that and, you know, that's something that they've got to decide for themselves. And now we'll see what happens with the bill and whether it makes a positive difference.
KING: Were you surprised that five Republicans went with it?
PAWLENTY: Well, you know, it's -- you know, it's not the type of bill that is so polarizing. I think they were disappointed that they took out a bunch of the Republican tax cuts earlier from an earlier version. But I don't think it's a complete surprise or a total surprise they -- that they got at least a few Republican votes for it.
KING: Governor Richardson, what do you think of the bill?
GOV. BILL RICHARDSON (D), NEW MEXICO: Well, I might note that Senator Brown, the new senator from Massachusetts, voted for it. I think it's a good bill. It shows that President Obama is anxious for bipartisanship. This bill is needed. It -- it covers unemployment insurance. It covers a number of other benefits that are needed right now to -- to help people.
Hopefully, the next jobs bill is going to have some initiatives for small businesses to get capital, tax incentives for companies to create new jobs.
President Obama met with all of us governors yesterday and he was extremely bipartisan. It was a love feast. Republican governors were -- Democratic governors thanking him for the stimulus bill, for the help that is coming to us -- has come to us in highway jobs and education and keeping teachers and cops employed. KING: But I was asking...
RICHARDSON: -- so I...
KING: -- only about the jobs bill.
RICHARDSON: Well, the jobs bill, I believe, is -- is necessary. Hopefully, the...
KING: OK...
RICHARDSON: -- the bill in the House will have more job creating initiatives.
PAWLENTY: Well, Larry, can I just add one thing here, because I think this is very instructive to your larger question about is the government broken?
Not long ago, with a previous version of this bill. They had a lot of Republican support because they had some tax cuts in it. And then the Democrats removed those provisions from the bill and they lost almost all the Republican support over that maneuver, with a few exceptions that you noted. So instead of having a real bipartisan bill with lots of Republicans on the bill with the prior tentative agreement that they had, they basically, again, made it a very partisan bill -- a mostly a partisan bill.
KING: Let me...
PAWLENTY: And that's disappointing...
KING: Let me...
PAWLENTY: It goes right to the heart of your question.
KING: Let me touch a couple of other bases.
Governor Richardson, what do you expect out of that summit on Thursday?
Is that all politics?
RICHARDSON: Well, no. The president has said he wants Republican ideas on health care. And I think you've seen Republicans basically reject his bipartisanship.
I am pleased that the president put forth a more modest bill that involves, I think, potential bipartisan compromises on preexisting condition, on insurance reforms, on insuring more Americans, on incentives for small businesses.
I believe it's a -- a good bill, a health care bill that hopefully will pass very soon in the House and Senate. And then we move on to more initiatives, as he said, on job creation, on the economy, on education reform.
He talked to us about standards and testing and improving our educational system as the core of our economy.
KING: Governor...
RICHARDSON: Again, I think, the president is -- is more than extending an olive branch. I hope the Republicans have some good ideas tomorrow that might be incorporated in this new health care bill.
KING: Governor Pawlenty, are you optimistic about Thursday?
PAWLENTY: Well, the president and the first lady were very gracious to have the governors at the White House and we appreciate their hospitality, Larry. But he's taken basically a 1970s jalopy and run it through the car wash and tried to declare it something new. It's still a 1970s jalopy.
It's a -- it's a start, it's a discussion. But I think it's a prelude to make it look like they're reaching out to Republicans. Unless he actually incorporates some of our ideas and if he's just going to ram through this -- what amounts to what was the Senate Democrat version of the health bill, that's not bipartisanship. If he wants to be bipartisan, he could take some of the ideas, like medical malpractice reform or paying for performance rather than volumes or procedures and the like.
But so far, he's just basically compromising between two Democratic positions. He hasn't meaningfully incorporated some Republican ideas. And that would help a lot.
And I wrote an op-ed about this not long ago. It was in "The Washington Post." And it's at timpawlenty.com, so people can check out some of those ideas.
KING: All right.
Governor Richardson, CNN's is asking all this week on a lot of programs about broken government.
Do you think we have a broken government?
RICHARDSON: Well, I think there's -- just having gotten back from Washington, the atmosphere is too partisan. It's poisonous, in some cases. I -- I -- I said that if the governors and the president worked out a lot of these issues, we could get a lot more done than what's happening right now in Washington.
But I believe that the president has been sincere in his efforts at reaching out. He's addressed a lot of issues.
Look, he brought us back -- we were heading into a depression and the president basically has saved this country in -- in -- in -- in the initiatives he has put forth on health care, on job creation, on helping our banking system, on many other initiatives that needed urgent attention.
I will say that I was discouraged by the partisanship.
KING: All right...
RICHARDSON: But it's not coming from the president's part. He has reached out...
KING: Well...
RICHARDSON: -- and I think he's going to be very effective.
KING: Governor Pawlenty, do you think we're -- we're -- we're broke?
PAWLENTY: Well, Larry...
KING: We're broke and we're broke?
PAWLENTY: We're broke financially, that's for sure. And we've to get our hands around the spending and get it under control.
But in terms of the system, it's a reflection of a divided country. It's a reflection of a lot of polarized discourse and discussion. But when you get, for example, the nation's governors in a room and you say, well, what can we agree on in health care and you set aside the things we can't agree on, you can get a pretty quickly develop a good list. And I think rather than trying this big overreach that the administration and the Congress have done, they'd be much better served at having done this in steps, including some of the Republican ideas and we could have gone down this road in steps. That's what we're going to have to do, instead of trying the big overreach.
KING: All right, let us...
PAWLENTY: But the system reflects a divided country.
KING: As someone once said, let us pray.
We shall call on you both often.
Governors Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota and Bill Richardson of New Mexico.
We're just getting started.
Republicans and Democrats are mixing it up, right here, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KING: We're back.
Olympic figure skating champion Evan Lysacek is here a little later in the hour and he'll answer your questions. Send them on your Facebook page -- on our Facebook page, Facebook.com/cnnlarrykinglive or Twitter us at KingsThings.
Here's our panel.
Bay Buchanan, president of The American Cause. Its mission -- to advance and promote traditional American values rooted in conservative principles.
Peter Beinart, contributor to "Time Magazine," including its current cover story, "Why Washington is Frozen," professor, City University of New York.
Stephen Baldwin, actor, author, activist, born-again Christian. He attended the Conservative Political Action Conference over the weekend and worked on youth recruitment.
And old friend, Leslie Marshall, commentator, political analyst and host of "The Leslie Marshall Show."
All right, Bay, we'll start with you.
A CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll shows 86 percent of those surveyed think the United States government is broken.
Do you agree with that? BAY BUCHANAN, PRESIDENT, THE AMERICAN CAUSE, CONSERVATIVE ACTIVIST: Absolutely, I agree with it. And -- and they have good reason to -- to see what's happened here.
What are we looking at here, Larry?
These -- these proposals that even came out this week, it's clear that the people in this city do not know how to solve this problem. They're putting through bills that are against -- against what the American people have asked for. They're worried -- they're worried sick out there that they're not going to be able to take care of their families and they see no turnaround. They see things getting worse and without any kind of response from Washington that they deserve.
KING: Leslie, do you agree or disagree?
LESLIE MARSHALL, COMMENTATOR, POLITICAL ANALYST, TALK RADIO HOST: Oh, I agree that there's fragmented parts of both parties. And I agree that the government is a bit broken. But I think one year into a guy's presidency, we don't say let's throw in the towel.
What we're clearly seeing is a president who wants bipartisan support. We're seeing some Republicans who are thinking about the people as opposed to the party.
So I think we need to be -- and it's weird coming from me, a pessimist, but we -- we need not be so pessimistic.
So I -- I don't -- you know, I don't think we throw the baby out with the bathwater, as they've suggested.
KING: Stephen, what's your read?
STEPHEN BALDWIN, ACTOR, CONSERVATIVE ACTIVIST, ATTENDED CPAC: My read is, Larry, that it is broken. I think that when you have an administration that's trying to force a hair -- a health care bill through here in 2010, knowing that it's going to be more difficult to do it later, even when most of the country doesn't want it at this point, it's a scary time when the (INAUDIBLE)...
KING: People don't want a health care -- people don't want better health care?
BALDWIN: They don't want -- not -- not this particular health care bill. A majority of people don't understand it, don't know what it is. So when the administration is trying to force it through because they're playing politics, regardless of what the American people think, that's a broken government.
KING: Peter, do you think it's broken?
PETER BEINART, CONTRIBUTOR, "TIME," PROFESSOR, CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK: Well, yes, I think it is broken. It's not surprising that at a time of almost 10 percent unemployment, people are pretty negative on Washington. But it's -- you know, it's remarkable to me that we would say that President Obama is forcing this through if he can get 50 plus one votes. That's actually the way our political system is supposed to work. One of the reasons that people think government is broken is the Republicans have filibustered 80 percent of major legislation and created -- this is totally historically unprecedented. There's no proceed in American history for using the filibuster on the vast majority of a president's legislation. And that's part of the reason it's so difficult to get things done.
BUCHANAN: But, Larry, the reason you say that it's been forced is not because they can't -- you know, the means by which they get it passed. It's because the American people spoke out very clearly last summer in town hall meetings. They had rallies across the country in September and October. They win up there in Massachusetts. Democrats in Massachusetts, of all places, went to the polls to vote for Scott Brown for one reason -- he said he would stop it.
And yet there it is, the president saying, oh, we're going to jam this thing through no matter what...
BEINART: But what about...
BUCHANAN: -- no matter what...
(CROSSTALK)
BEINART: What about Barack Obama...
BUCHANAN: -- want.
BEINART: What about Barack Obama...
KING: Bay, that -- that -- hold it. Hold it. That Senator Brown voted to -- with the Democrats on the jobs bill vote...
BUCHANAN: Sure he did.
KING: -- which will take place tomorrow.
BUCHANAN: He -- he voted on the jobs bill, but that doesn't explain why the president is pushing through health care. That's what the American people are responding to.
BEINART: But the president was elected on...
(CROSSTALK)
KING: All right, hold it...
(CROSSTALK)
BEINART: The president was elected...
KING: Hold it. Hold it.
Leslie?
MARSHALL: It's best for the American people, Larry. It's best not only for our financial health, but for our fiscal health. This isn't just about politics, this is about not -- not looking for the levy to break. This is about being preventive in -- in our country's health.
KING: Stephen, don't polls show that the public wants a public option?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
BALDWIN: Yes. But you...
KING: So?
BALDWIN: But you -- but it's not the point.
Who decides, Barack Obama and Leslie, what's best for everybody that's -- that fits into the equation?
No, that's not the American process. And what the gentleman just de -- just talked about is it's forcing it through within the Democratic Party.
KING: Well, what else do you do...
BALDWIN: It's not being bipartisan. It's not crossing over the lines...
(CROSSTALK)
BALDWIN: -- and getting the Republican Party to be involved. They're saying, hey, hey, you Republicans, we -- you know, if you're not going to help us or you're not going to agree...
KING: Doesn't the party in power always try to push its agenda through?
BALDWIN: Yes, but...
KING: I mean what's the point of government?
(CROSSTALK)
BALDWIN: -- health care plan, forcing this issue is going to be one of the...
KING: All right...
BALDWIN: -- biggest, most powerful forcings ever to be done before.
KING: Peter?
BEINART: Excuse me. The Democratic Party won 59 seats in the Senate, which is quite a lot. Barack Obama won on health care.
Yes, Scott Brown won, in part, because of opposition to health care. But 59 Democrats won, in part -- in part, because they supported health care.
So I think that to say it's un -- somehow forcing or un- democratic for them to pass what Obama and these senators ran on, I think it -- it's not un-democratic at all.
(CROSSTALK)
BUCHANAN: If they keep this up...
(CROSSTALK)
KING: All right. Let me get a break and we'll pick right back...
(CROSSTALK)
KING: I've got to get a break.
We'll come right back.
By the way, we'll discuss more likely candidates in 2012 -- Sarah Polin -- Sarah Palin, rather or Ron Paul, who won that CPAC debate or vote, rather?
That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KING: Bay Buchanan, do you think Thursday's sit-down summit is a good idea?
BUCHANAN: Well, I -- I think it's a -- it's a strategy. They -- they asked the Republicans and they sent a message to America, we're trying to work with them. And then the Republicans obviously are going to say no. And they go out and they say we did everything we could to get them aboard, so now we're moving ahead.
So it's -- you know...
KING: How do you know that's going to happen?
BUCHANAN: It's shallow. It's shallow. It's really -- I think it's transparent.
KING: Leslie, what do you think?
MARSHALL: Oh, I totally disagree. I think it is -- well, I would agree with Bay saying transparent, because that's what the American people want. That's what the president promised. We're going to see our government in action. We're going to truly see what Democrats and Republicans are saying and what they're thinking. There's no private, behind closed door meetings and no one can make such claims.
And I think it will clarify what the plan is truly about, because I -- I do agree with Stephen, that there are -- there is a bit of confusion among the American people (INAUDIBLE)...
KING: What's wrong with the summit idea, Stephen...
BALDWIN: Well...
KING: -- putting people together?
BALDWIN: Well...
KING: Is that a bad idea?
BALDWIN: No, it's not a bad idea...
KING: You won't even try it?
BALDWIN: I just think with this administration and the Democrats being so sure about what they already know they want to do and the Republican Party and the conservatives saying, well, we're not sure that this is what's best, what's wrong with taking a little more time to figure it out?
That's -- and then you said yourself just a little bit ago, Larry, you said, well, isn't that just the -- the political process and people trying to force this and that?
This is way too important. This is going to cost way too much money to rush it.
KING: We haven't had a major health bill in 175 years.
BALDWIN: So then shouldn't we do it right and not rush it?
KING: Well, 14,000 people a day go off insurance every day in America...
BALDWIN: Well, I...
KING: -- 14,000 people.
BALDWIN: Well, I can tell you right now, when we get into CPAC and we start talking about all that, I'll tell you what, the youth -- the conservative youth of this country had to say about...
KING: We may not get to it.
So, what, the youth are not in favor of health care?
BALDWIN: I was at...
(CROSSTALK)
BALDWIN: I was at CPAC. And I was there. We did this thing called the XPAC Lounge. We had 4,000 young college conservatives at this event. They are terrified about the future of this country and what's happening with big government controlling everything and making decisions for everybody.
A lot of these young kids in college today are really scared, Larry. And they want to see things change in the future.
BEINART: With all...
(CROSSTALK)
BEINART: With all due respect...
(CROSSTALK)
BEINART: With all due respect...
KING: By the way, Peter Beinart -- Peter Beinart, before I ask him, we want you to check out his article. He's got the front cover story in "Time Magazine" this week. It's entitled, "Why Washington is Frozen." The you see its cover. And it's very adeptly witty -- written, no matter what your opinion is.
All right, Peter, do you think this Thursday idea is good?
BEINART: Look, I -- I agree with Bay. I don't think this is going to lead to lead to very much. I think the Republicans have dug in their heels.
But what's really remarkable here is actually if you look at this bill, it's very similar to the Republican alternative to the Clinton health care bill of 1993. It has a lot -- the Charles Grassley staff, the Republican leader on the Senate Finance Committee, they were deeply involved in crafting this. Their handiwork is all over it.
It's similar to a proposal that Howard Baker, the former Republican Senate majority leader, made.
So the idea that this is some kind of wild-eyed, crazily liberal bill, this is why so many liberals are frustrated by it, because it includes so many Republican ideas.
BUCHANAN: Yes, but, Larry, let me ask you, why is it then that a party, the Democrats, have control of the House and control of the Senate and control of the White House and they can't get the bill through?
BEINART: Because they need 60 votes...
BUCHANAN: Yes, no...
BEINART: -- which is unprecedented by historical standards.
BUCHANAN: No, no. Steny Hoyer himself over there, one of the leaders over there in the House, said he does not think this is going to get through. And I tell you now that there's a lot of Dem -- Democrats who are anxious to have a chance to vote it down, because they voted for it the first time and they're -- they're hanging loosely by that loose noose over there. And they're hoping to get out of it by a vote, saying I got the message, folks, I'm voting it down.
BEINART: But if they only needed 50 votes...
MARSHALL: But, Bay, a lot of the reason they haven't been able to...
BEINART: -- they could actually vote it (INAUDIBLE)...
MARSHALL: -- pass anything...
KING: All right.
MARSHALL: A lot of the reason they haven't been able to pass anything is because the Republicans have been, up until yesterday, the party of no. And -- and -- and one of the reasons that, you know, Democrats, you know, are constantly up against a wall is because liberal Democrats in this country strongly believe that the Republicans just want a failure for the president...
BALDWIN: No, I don't agree with that.
MARSHALL: -- because they want him to be a one-term president.
BALDWIN: I don't agree with that.
MARSHALL: -- and they don't want him and they don't want...
(CROSSTALK)
BALDWIN: I don't agree with that.
BEINART: Wait, there's clearly -- every...
(CROSSTALK)
BEINART: -- what Leslie is saying. The Republicans demanded a bi -- a deficit reduction commission.
Do you remember this?
They demanded it and demanded it. And when Obama supported it, they voted against it so it didn't get 60 votes. There's a class -- we have textbook evidence of the fact...
(CROSSTALK)
BEINART: -- that the Republicans are doing everything to try to bring him down.
KING: I think, Stephen, this whole -- this whole discussion says we're broken.
BALDWIN: Absolutely. And -- and I -- and I think, clearly, another sign that a lot of America, particularly the regular Joe, blue collar people, they're unsure. They're uncertain. They're confused about what's going on. That's why you see a lot of Republicans winning back a lot of these positions right now. Things are swinging back right now because President Obama said, I'm going to go in, I'm going to do this, small government. I'm going to take care of the little guy. And that's just not what we're seeing, Larry.
KING: We'll be back with more.
Don't go away.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KING: A little presidential politics in our -- in this portion.
Bay Buchanan, were you surprised that Ron Paul won the straw vote at CPAC?
BUCHANAN: Not in the least. CPAC was packed full of young people.
And what are they worried about there?
They are worried about that deficit. That's something that he's been key on. They're also worried about the enormous expense of the wars. And there -- he comes right home. Ron Paul is -- has been out there.
You know, what the interesting thing is, in the early days of those debates in the Republican primary -- I was at most all of them. And people ridiculed Ron Paul when he spoke out. And he just kept saying the same thing. He's been very consistent. And he's got an incredible following across this country.
KING: All right. Leslie, are you concerned or happy that Sarah Palin is a threat?
Or is she a threat?
MARSHALL: I don't think she's the threat.
(LAUGHTER)
MARSHALL: I -- no, I don't -- I don't think she's the threat. And one of the reasons I don't think she's the threat is, what, 32 percent of Republicans are saying, look, like her, wouldn't vote for her, I don't think she's qualified to be president.
I don't think she's going to run, Larry. I really don't think she's going to run. If she did, she is great fodder for talk show hosts. And as a liberal Democrat, I -- I -- I think that we will have an easy victory over that. But I don't think she will be the -- the candidate party puts forth.
KING: Stephen, will the Tea Party movement have a powerful impact? BALDWIN: Absolutely. I think the Tea Party movement is just going to continue to build and build. I can't talk about Sarah Palin. It's a little unfair. I'm her favorite Baldwin, which she stated on "Saturday Night Live," Larry.
But when I was there at CPAC and we did this thing called the XPAC Lounge for the young people, it was the young people that I see kind of rallying right now. We're getting ready...
KING: But Ron Paul got the vote.
BALDWIN: Ron Paul got the vote. But only 2,400 kids were -- participated in that straw poll and a lot of them were his followers. A wonderful sponsor of the XPAC thing, this incredible organization called Choose for Troops, is going to sponsor now the XPAC bus tour, because now we have all these conservative groups at all these colleges throughout the country that want to see this change come in.
KING: Peter, do you expect a big change in the House and Senate this fall?
BEINART: Yes. I think the Republicans are going to do really, really well. They're going to pick up a lot of seats. I don't know if they'll pick up the Senate, but I think it's entirely possible.
Look, when you're running and unemployment is this bad, Americans don't like all the deficit spending and the bailouts and the takeover of the auto companies.
If it had proven -- if they were seeing the results -- and I think they actually will start to see the results in the next couple of years -- then I think they would be more acceptable -- more accepting of it.
But Obama has the worst of all worlds right now, which is that people don't like the medicine and the disease has not been cured.
BUCHANAN: The worst of all worlds...
KING: (INAUDIBLE).
BUCHANAN: The -- he -- the medicine he's delivered isn't working worth a hoot and people -- there's no -- no consumer confidence out there, banks continue to fail at huge numbers, you have more and more lay-offs and inflation is looming.
So for heaven's sakes, you know, this medicine you're giving us clearly isn't working, fellow.
(CROSSTALK)
BUCHANAN: And he hasn't figured it out.
BEINART: With all due respect, if we had not passed the stimulus bill, I think unemployment would be -- would be 15, even 20 percent. And I... (CROSSTALK)
BEINART: -- this is not a liberal point of view. There needs to be...
MARSHALL: Top economists say it would top 13 percent. It would be -- it would be much higher than 10 percent.
BUCHANAN: Are those the guys that work for him?
BEINART: Yes, no, these are the people who believe what Senator John McCain said, which is when there's no consumer demand and no business demand, the government has to step in. It's pretty elementary economics.
BUCHANAN: And this jobs bill isn't a jobs bill. And even the credit that they're giving the businesses, the businesses who are going to get it say we can't use this. We can't be hiring people to get a credit. We need sales in order to hire people.
They don't understand what's happening...
(CROSSTALK)
MARSHALL: -- Republicans vote against a bill that's entitled Jobs Bill?
That doesn't resonate well with the American people.
KING: Well, but you could disagree with it.
Thank you all very much.
We'll have you all back.
MARSHALL: Thanks, Larry.
KING: Bay Buchanan, Peter Beinart, Stephen Baldwin and Leslie Marshall.
Olympic Gold Medalist Evan Lysacek is warming up for our interview and he brought his Gold Medal with him. By the way, send him a question at our Facebook page or you can Tweet him.
But first, a "Growing Pains" star is missing. His sister is here, hoping he's alive, ready to come home. She's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KING: We're back. Andrew Koenig, best known for his role as Richard "Boner" Stabone on the 1980's TV sitcom "Growing Pains," is missing. Last seen February 14th, Valentine's Day, at a bakery in Vancouver, Canada. His worried sister, Danielle Koenig, is here. It's a LARRY KING LIVE exclusive, by the way. And Maggie Langrick, a long-time friend of Andrew, and arts editor of "The Vancouver Sun" joins us from Vancouver, along with Constable Tim Fanning, spokesperson for the Vancouver Police Department.
What do you make of this, Danielle?
DANIELLE KOENIG, SISTER OF ANDREW KOENIG: Well, it's just very upsetting. And my brother does suffer from depression. So we're very, very worried about him. And we just want to find him.
KING: When was the last time you spoke to him?
KOENIG: I think, through e-mail, maybe around the 8th or 9th.
KING: About a week before?
KOENIG: Yeah.
KING: How was he doing then?
KOENIG: It was just a brief e-mail exchange. I don't really know. I saw him on, I think, January 31st, and he was OK. He seemed a little down, but he was at my house for my birthday, so he was sort of -- you know, he was -- I think he was trying to be --
KING: Was he working?
KOENIG: Yeah. He was doing a lot of editing. And he is involved in this podcast. Actually, it's my husband's podcast, and Andrew films it. And so he -- yeah.
KING: Does he have family? Wife, children?
KOENIG: No. No.
KING: He's single?
KOENIG: He's single.
KING: How are your parents doing?
KOENIG: Not great, obviously. My mom is really being strong, and making all the phone calls, and doing all the organizing, and being very strong. My dad --
KING: We're showing his picture a lot, of course. Has he ever gone off before?
KOENIG: Not without announcing it. It's not unusual for him to sort of go somewhere for a while, but he would tell us.
KING: Danielle and Andrew's father is actor Walter Koenig, right? Who placed Ensign Chekov on "Star Trek." And he gave a brief interview about his missing son. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WALTER KOENIG, ACTOR: He's trying to get ahead in this business and he works -- he's been working at it a long time. He went up there to see his fans. He has some very close friends up there and Vancouver is the place that he really felt most comfortable.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: Constable Fanning, what can you tell us from a police standpoint about this missing adult?
CONSTABLE TIM FANNING, VANCOUVER POLICE DEPARTMENT: Well, Larry, I can tell you that the police have been working very hard. Since we were involved February 18th, we have canvassed the neighborhood where Andrew was staying. We took his picture around to the cafes and restaurants in that neighborhood. Nobody had any information that helped the investigation.
Of course, we've been talking with Andrew's family throughout this investigation, as well as friends here in Vancouver. We just finished a search today in Stanley Park, not because Andrew was seen in Stanley Park, but because he loved the park. When he used to live here, he used to take walks in the park. So we've had our mounted squad going through the park all weekend, along with park rangers and other people who work in Stanley Park.
And today we had the Northshore Search and Rescue team walking through the park, covering every square inch, looking for any sign that Andrew may have been here in the past few days.
KING: Where did he live, Danielle?
KOENIG: Venice.
KING: In Venice, California.
KOENIG: Yeah, yeah.
KING: Did he used to live in Vancouver?
KOENIG: He used to live in Vancouver many, many years ago.
KING: Is his place in Venice intact? Is there anything missing from there?
KOENIG: Yeah.
KING: There is things missing?
KOENIG: Yes. He moved out.
KING: So there is no furniture of any kind there?
KOENIG: Yeah.
KING: Where was he in Vancouver? Was he staying in a hotel?
KOENIG: No, he was with friends. He was in Toronto with certain friends, and then he went to Vancouver to stay with a different friend.
KING: Maggie, what do you make of this?
MAGGIE LANGRICK, FRIEND OF ANDREW KOENIG: Obviously, all of us who love Andrew are very upset and concerned for him. It's a surprise that he would come to Vancouver without telling us ahead of time that he was planning to come for a visit. And it's unusual for him to come this distance, or go to Toronto and Montreal, as he did to see close, mutual friends of ours for such a short stay. He was in Toronto and Montreal both only for a few days each time --
he sent me a Facebook message on the night of the 10th, which I understand was the day he arrived here, asking if I could get together and saying that he was only here for a couple of days. Unfortunately, it being the first -- the opening ceremony of the Olympics the next day, I was working pretty hard in the newsroom and was unable to get together with him. That's the last I heard from him.
KING: We'll have more in a minute. More on the mystery of Andrew Koenig when we return.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KOENIG: Kirk Cameron played Mike Seaver on "Growing Pains." Andrew played his pal Boner. He released this statement: "Although I have not had contact with him for many years, I can remember many of the fun times we had on the set of 'Growing Pains.' I'm praying for his family during this time of distress and for his safe return. Andrew, if you are reading this, please call me. Mike and Boner could always work things out when they put their minds to it. I'm praying for you, pal. I hope to hear from you soon."
If anybody has any information about Andrew, they can contact the Vancouver Police Department.
KOENIG: Vancouver Police Department, Officer Rala (ph) or Officer Paya (ph), or actually the constable there.
KING: Constable who is on with us, Tim Fanning. You mentioned depression.
KOENIG: Yes.
KING: Does that add to your concern?
KOENIG: Absolutely. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
KING: Has he ever tried to harm himself?
KOENIG: No, not that I know of. But --
KING: Has he been treated for depression?
KOENIG: Yes. I know he was on anti-depressants. And I just found out, through a friend he was visiting, that he has not been on them for a while. I did not realize that.
KING: How old is Andrew? KOENIG: Forty one.
KING: Did he plan to act a lot of too? You said he was editing.
KOENIG: He was always writing and directing and -- like my dad said in that clip, it's sort of difficult some times to make your way in this business. Not that that was what his depression was necessarily --
KING: Constable Fanning, have you gotten leads from the public? Anybody reporting in? Any sightings at all?
FANNING: We've had a number of sightings, Larry, over the past few days. We've received sightings from as far as the west coast of Vancouver Island, which is probably about a four-hour trip away from here. We also received a call today that somebody thought they saw him in one of our Olympic venues last night.
So tips are coming in, but we're pleading with the public, if you think you see him, go up, if it's possible, and try and talk to him and certainly alert us. If you think you've seen him over the past few days, then give us a call. If you think he's somewhere else, if it's outside of Vancouver, call your local police department and have them help you.
We put this call out to the media after an exhaustive investigation. We started on the 18th, and a couple days later, realizing that we weren't coming up with the leads that we needed, we asked the media to put it to the public, because we needed more eyes out there. We haven't been able to validate any of these reported sightings. We're hoping that all this media will get this raised to the point that we can find Andrew safe and sound.
KING: Maggie, is there anything he said to you in that last phone conversation that gave you inkling to worry?
LANGRICK: As I said, it was a Facebook message that I got from Andrew. It was our last point of contact. This has come completely out of the blue, in a sense, as I say, in terms of his trip to Vancouver. But those of us who love him and have known him for a long time know that he has struggled with depression, as his sister says, for quite some time. So that's not a new factor.
KING: Well, we can all hope for the best. Again, you've seen his picture. You know all about his story. We hope that you can help. And if you spot him or think you've seen him, contact the Vancouver Police Department, or a local police department, if you're in another city.
KOENIG: Right.
KING: Danielle, will you keep in close touch with us?
KOENIG: Yes. Thank you so much.
KING: Anything we can do. KOENIG: I appreciate it.
KOENIG: The first American man to win Olympic figure skating gold in more than two decades is here, Evan Lysacek. Send him a question at Facebook.com/CNNLarryKingLive. Or Tweet us at King's Things. There he is. There's the medal. He's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(NEWS BREAK)
KING: Evan Lysacek, the first American man to win Olympic figure skating gold since 1988, the first reigning world champ to win the gold medal since Scott Hamilton did it back in 1984. He brought the medal with him. Going in, did you think you were going to win?
EVAN LYSACEK, OLYMPIC GOLD MEDAL FIGURE SKATER: I wasn't thinking about the result. For me, the outcome and the placing is never a healthy thought process. So it's difficult to block that out of your head, but I really just wanted to have my best performance at the Olympics. And I've been such a fan of the games my whole life. It's such a special event that I wanted to do the training and do the work, so that I could ensure that I could have that moment.
KING: What do you make of all the response, the negative comments from the Russian silver medallist, Evgeni Plushenko? He's criticized you for not doing a quad jump. What do you react to that?
LYSACEK: Well, my decision to not do a quad jump came a couple weeks before the actual games began. Last year, before the World Championships, about one year ago, I had a stress fracture in my left foot, which came from training that quadruple jump. So I couldn't do anything on the left foot for about six months.
Before the Olympics, I started training the quad again on the left foot and it started to bother me again. And I had, you know, visions of last year. And I didn't want my Olympics to be the same experience that I had at the World Championships, where I was wondering if I would get through it. So the solution was to just alleviate the pressure on the left foot, and take that one element out.
KING: Is the figure skater expected to do the quad?
LYSACEK: Well, I think with the way the sport is judged now -- we have a new judging system, and it really is accurate in judging every step you make in the four minute and 40 second program. If it was about doing a quadruple jump, it would be a ten-second free skate, where you go and do your best jump, and that's it. But it really is about accumulating points. And for me, that's taken, you know, countless hours of work to be able to figure out the right strategy to maximize points in four minute and forty second routine.
KING: If we have it right, you tied to 0.01 of a point in the artistic. However, even without the quad, you won the technical side. You won gold by 1.31. Are you surprised that he keeps complaining? LYSACEK: Well, I guess a little bit. But --
KING: Disappointed?
LYSACEK: Not disappointed, I think. It just stings to me a little bit, even though it shouldn't, because he's someone that I really look up to, and have looked up to. And he's been a trail blazer in the sport and will go down, of course, as one of the best ever, dominating the sport for 12 years now. He has three Olympic medals, two silvers and a gold.
And I've tried really hard to not feel like it's a personal attack, but it's starting to feel that way. And coming from a stranger, it wouldn't bother me. But coming from somebody I really look up to --
KING: A hero, in a sense.
LYSACEK: Yeah. But, you know what, it's hard to lose.
KING: It is what it is.
LYSACEK: It is what it is, but it's hard to lose. And, you know, whatever the reason is, I can't blame him for it. I have to give the guy the benefit of the doubt.
KING: Well said. A question from our Facebook page. How do you pick your music and costumes?
LYSACEK: My music is picked a lot of times by my coaches. I like to have input, but I like so many different types of music that pretty much anything they bring me I usually say yes to.
KING: And what you wear?
LYSACEK: My costumes are done by Vera Wang, a good friend of mine.
KING: Not bad. She does a lot of wedding dresses.
LYSACEK: Yes. She has so many lines in -- she has her foot in the door in many different areas.
KING: More Facebook questions and his predictions for the ladies next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KING: A question from Twitter for Evan. Where is he going to keep his medal, which I have in my hand, and does he plan to be at 2014 Olympics?
LYSACEK: Well, for the time being at least, I'm going to keep the medal, if not around my neck, as close to me as possible. All my friends like to hold it and see it. I'm keeping it with me. It's got a good weight, right? I think so. KING: Are you going to compete in the next one?
LYSACEK: It's in Russia, so if they let me into the country, maybe. We'll see.
KING: You're going to appear on "Stars on Ice." Start touring in April.
LYSACEK: That's my next project is joining "Stars on Ice."
KING: That's not like a show. That's a competitive thing, right?
LYSACEK: It's really strong skaters, serious titles, skating chops, Olympic, world and national champions there.
KING: You were telling me something about this gold medal that's unusual. Can we get a closeup?
LYSACEK: It's unique to me, actually, because each medal is cut out of a grand plate, and they fit back into it like a puzzle piece. So the etchings on it and the curvature of this one is unique just to me. So it's so rare, but it's nice that this one is really my own.
KING: So no two golds are the same?
LYSACEK: No two golds are the same, or two silvers or two bronzes. They're all unique.
KING: You have a forecast on the ladies' side?
LYSACEK: You have my favorites. My good friend Yuna Kim, the South Korean, is a huge star in South Korea, and she's also the reigning world champion going in, which comes with a considerable amount of pressure, but she can handle it.
KING: Are you picking her?
LYSACEK: I'm picking her, I would say, yeah. And the Canadian Joannie Rochette (ph) is also very, very nice to watch.
KING: You ever do pairs?
LYSACEK: I never have, no. It's something you decide at a younger age and go in one direction for pairs and train one way, or go another direction in singles.
KING: How old were you when you started skating?
LYSACEK: I was eight.
KING: Did you want to go into hockey?
LYSACEK: I started. I wanted to play hockey. I grew up Chicago and idolized the Blackhawks, and idolized Chris Chelios (ph) and I actually met Chris Chelios, and decided, like any eight year old, I wanted to be like him. I had no ability.
I got ice skates from my grandma for Christmas, stepped on the ice, had no ability. So I started basic figure skating classes. I hated it at first. But once I got enough stability to go fast and to feel the wind on my face -- it's a unique feeling being on ice. So I fell in love with the sport. To this day, with everything that comes along with it, for me to be able to step out even on the training rink and feel the wind on my faces, it's pretty cool.
KING: When you're skating, do you fear falling?
LYSACEK: Well, as I get older, falling hurts a little bit more than it used to.
KING: Or do you think, oh, I almost fell?
LYSACEK: Do I think, I almost fell? Not really. I think working on specific elements, like the quadruple toe loop or, for me, even a triple toe loop, is difficult because I always have that little bit of fear that I'm going to break my foot again. That's not -- some elements are fun until you hurt yourself. Then there's an element of fear involved.
KING: Is it always fun?
LYSACEK: It's not always fun. But I think that I have to remember to realize that I'm so fortunate to be able to do something that I truly love on a daily basis. And of course, I have tough days. But if I didn't love it as much as I do, I don't think I would get through the tough times. And my love and my passion and, I guess, my appreciation for the sport is what keeps me going and keeps me motivated.
KING: Congratulations, Evan. We salute you. You live here in LA now?
LYSACEK: I do, yeah.
KING: A Chicagoan by birth, though?
LYSACEK: Yes.
KING: One of the stars of "Stars on Ice." They start touring in April.
Evan Lysacek, the gold medal skating champion -- Olympic gold medallist, men's figure skating.
An update. Last night, we aired an interview with the Dalai Lama. During the interview, he talked about his relationship with the Chinese government, a topic the Chinese embassy and the United States addressed in a statement sent today to CNN.
It reads in part, "what Dalai Lama has said and done in the past decades has fully shown that he is not a pure religious figure, but a political figure in exile, who's long engaged in activities to split China and undermine ethnic unity in China under the cover of religion. While claiming that he visits foreign countries and he is aimed to spreading religious teaching, he has never stopped defaming Chinese government, selling Tibet independence proposals, and undermining relations between China and other countries."
By the way, as an aside, he did say he is opposed to independence in our interview.
"This is well reflected," continued the Chinese embassy, "in his remarks during the current visit, including those he made on CNN's LARRY KING LIVE. In addition, the talks between Dalai's private representatives and the Chinese government at the end of January have demonstrated once again that the Dalai group is still clinging to their separatist propositions, including the so-called greater Tibet region, and meaningful autonomy, whose ultimate goal is to separate a quarter of Chinese territory from China. And this is something that no sovereign country can allow to occur."
That from the Chinese embassy. Tomorrow night, the star and director of an amazing movie, "The Hurt Locker." That's tomorrow night with Kathryn Bigelow and Jeremy Renner, both nominated for Oscars. Here's Jessica Yellin and "AC360." Jessica.
