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At This Hour

Surprise CNN Meeting with 2 North Koran Prisoners; Should U.S. Get Involved in Ukraine/Russia Issue; Congress Asks Should Obama Get Take Action Now Against ISIS.

Aired September 01, 2014 - 11:30   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Three Americans detained in North Korea are pleading for help from Washington. They are desperate to get home.

MICHAELA PEREIRA, CNN ANCHOR: Their interviews this morning with our Will Ripley certainly came as a surprise to everyone here at CNN. Will and his crew were on a government tour about two hours outside of Pyongyang. They were told they had to leave immediately for a meeting with a high-level government official. They boarded a van where they found out the meeting was with the three detained American, Kenneth Bae, Matthew Todd Miller and Jeffrey Edward Fowle.

BERMAN: All three seemed to have one consistent message. They are asking the U.S. government to send an envoy to North Korea to help negotiate their freedom.

PEREIRA: Let's give you a more background on these three men. Matthew Miller is 24 years old, from Bakersfield, California. He is the youngest of four sons and a 2008 graduate of Bakersfield High School.

Jeffrey Fowle, 56, he's from Miamisburg, Ohio. He told our Will Ripley I'm good for the time being.

PEREIRA: Kenneth Bae is serving a 15-year sentence. He's been in custody the longest of the three men.

Our Will Ripley asked Bae what he wants people in the U.S. to know.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Your message for the American government?

KENNETH BAE, DETAINED IN NORTH KOREA: For the American government, right now, I've been asking the American government to act to getting release here. I do believe special envoy needs to come to resolve the situation I'm in right now. I do ask the U.S. government to send an envoy as soon as possible. Otherwise, I think that's the only hope I have right now for me to go home and be reunited with my family.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PEREIRA: Kenneth Bae is 44 years old. He was born in South Korea but came to the U.S. when he was 16 years old. He's married and has three children.

BERMAN: His sister, Terri Chung, says she's worried about his health.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TERRI CHUNG, SISTER OF KENNETH BAE: Two years of being isolated and working in labor camp. I know it's not easy. So I think you can see that it's taking a toll both physically and mentally and we are concerned about him for sure.

PEREIRA: What are you asking of the U.S. government this morning?

CHUNG: We are asking that -- this is an American citizen, hard working father of three who has been imprisoned in North Korea for two years. Please do everything possible to bring him home now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: Terri Chung, they said it doesn't sound like her brother. Normally he's so optimistic.

PEREIRA: It's also very curious what the U.S. government is going to do, what the plan is to try and get those three men free and home to their families.

Ahead @THISHOUR, we'll turn to Ukraine. Ukraine's president says the country is inching closer to a full-scale war with Russia. Should the U.S. get involved? Hear what one Senator has to say.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. ROBERT MENENDEZ, (D-NJ), SENATE FOREIGN RELATIONS CHAIRMAN: Russia has come, invaded with thousands of troops, with missiles, tanks. This is no longer the question of some rebel separatists. This is a direct invasion by Russia and we must recognize it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: Do you hear that? A direct invasion by Russia. That was out of the chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee describe what is happening in Ukraine. Senate Bob Menendez says the United States should now arm the Ukrainian government forces.

PEREIRA: Ukraine's president says his country is inching closer to a full-scale war with Russia. Over the weekend, hundreds of Ukrainians forming a human chain leading to rebel controlled areas in protest of the escalating violence there. Ukraine said one of its patrol boats was sunk and two crew members are missing.

Joining us, former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, William Taylor, who clearly knows so much about this area and the intricacies of all these conversations going on.

First of all, what do you make of the Senator's point that the U.S. should arm Ukrainian troops?

WILLIAM TAYLOR, FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR TO UKRAINE: I think the Senator is exactly right. This is an invasion. These are Russian troops, army formations, Russian army formations with heavy equipment. They have coming across the border. They have been photographed both on the ground and in the air. This is clearly an invasion and what we should do is support the Ukrainians, including with military support. We should provide weapons, intelligence and advisers to help the Ukrainians.

BERMAN: There are those who say Russia has one of the big army's in the world. There is no amount that you can give Ukraine that can possibly help them if Russia is intent on invading.

TAYLOR: If Russia is intent on invading, which they have denied up till now, nonetheless, they will pay the price and the price they are pay is Russian soldiers dying. There is 5 percent support in Russia for an invasion of Ukraine. So the Russian military and the Russian government is lying to its own people because the Russia people do not want to invade Ukraine. So if they do and Russian soldiers start getting killed, which they will in their hundreds, this will be a direct threat to the Kremlin.

PEREIRA: Putin certainly seems to speak out of both sides of his mouth as evidenced by how he was referring to statehood for eastern Ukraine. Then of course the Kremlin quickly said oh, no, you misunderstood him. So what is the end game here then?

TAYLOR: The end game that I believe the Russians are after, Mr. Putin is after, is a destabilization of Ukraine. But it's broader than that. The Russians want to rewrite the rules that have been in place since World War II and certainly since the end of the cold war. This is why this is such a dangerous time for Ukraine but dangerous time for Europe and dangerous time for the entire international community. If we don't support Ukraine, we will be appeased Russia like we appeased Hitler in 1939.

BERMAN: This will be one of the major topic of discussion this week in Wales when NATO gets together to discuss its plans for the future. One of the things they are discussing is putting together a force, perhaps to look threatening to Russia, should they try anything like this again.

Thank so much for your time, William Taylor.

(CROSSTALK)

PEREIRA: They will certainly have their share of topic to discuss.

BERMAN: No shortage there.

Is it time for President Obama now to take action against ISIS in Syria? That's a question coming from Congress now, including some members from his own party. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. DIANNE FEINSTEIN, (D-CA) SENATE INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE: I think I've learned one thing about this president, and that is he's very cautious. Maybe in this instance, too cautious.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PEREIRA: Too cautious? You might expect that kind of comment from a Republican critic of the president, but of course, Dianne Feinstein is one of the top Senate Democrats.

BERMAN: Needless to say, there's also some criticism coming from Republicans. Dianne Feinstein's Republican counterpart in the House said the president's foreign policy is an absolute free fall.

We're joined now by CNN political commentator, Maria Cardona; and Doug Heye, the former chief of staff for communications for former House Majority Leader Eric Cantor.

PEREIRA: Good to have you both with us on this labor day.

Marie, I'll start with you first. What is your take on the idea that the president is being far too cautious?

MARIA CARDONA, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR & DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: I think that people are mistaking especially his Republican opponents and critics, dithering for what really is thoughtful pragmatism. What Senator Feinstein said she's also look forward and she's confident that the Pentagon and the State Department actually are looking at a strategy, they do have a strategy and that our allies will coalesce around that strategy. That's critical. What's interesting about the op-ed that the Senators put forward, there's nothing they laid out that the president department lay out in his press conference last week, in terms of things that we are considering as options of the difference is we're not going in there guns ablazing without knowing exactly what intelligence there is, who is with us, who is against us, and that's what we're waiting for and specifically, to work with our coalition partners to help us on that.

BERMAN: Doug, I want to ask you kind of a twist on this because we're seeing plenty of Republican criticism of the president, that he's being too cautious or as Mike Rogers says his policy is free fall. One of the things we're not seeing is Republican candidates out on the stump in these key swing races being critical of the president. Is that because public opinion is still basically where the president is on this?

DOUG HEYE, FORMER DEPUTY CHIEF OF STAFF TO ERIC CANTOR: : I think you are still having candidates figure out if they are going to be candidates or not and while Republicans certainly feel there's a lot to be critical of, with the president, Republicans also are having their own internal debate how much are we going to support the president. Right now is September 1st. On September 3rd of last year, John Boehner and Eric Cantor, at the administration's request, said that they would support a vote for military strikes, to authorize military strikes in Syria. What we found out is the administration didn't want the vote but never informed Congress of this.

(CROSSTALK)

PEREIRA: Because they didn't have the votes.

HEYE: Right, because they no longer wanted it, but didn't tell us about that. Something I was involved with personally. One could say that was dithering. In Syria, that was a red line that was crossed. We didn't do anything about it. ISIS is a very real threat. We don't have a plan for it. The president has been consistent in his lack of resolve on anything in foreign policy. That's something you hear from our allies all the time.

PEREIRA: I want to put another topic to each of you, give you 30 seconds each to respond to. North Korea, we saw this really compelling interview, set of interviews our Will Ripley got.

I'm curious, Maria, what your thoughts are on whether the president should intervene, what can be on it from the White House, from the Obama administration, to get these men home.

CARDONA: First of all, it was heart wrenching. As a mother, I can't help but look at those videos and think, oh, my god, what is the White House doing. I can assure you there are certainly conversations going on behind the scenes to try to get these folks back home with their families. And that is exactly what our priorities should be. And so this brings me to another point, Michaela, which is there are a lot of conversations going on both with North Korea, on Ukraine, on ISIS, with our coalition partners, with the folks who are on the ground, with the Kurdish, who are fighting them, and we don't know what these conversations are. The president is not going to lay bear everything he hears from his military commanders, so we just need to focus on what he's saying publicly, and he said he's going to come up with a strategy so we hope in a couple weeks to hear what is.

BERMAN: Doug, last word?

HEYE: Obviously, we want our folks in North Korea to come home safely. This is where the Congress would support the president. On the issue of foreign policy, where we see a lack of engagement, it's not just what we see from even a respected Democrat like Dianne Feinstein. Foreign leaders will say, where is the American leadership? And that's more troubling than what suit the president wears in a press conference.

(LAUGHER)

(CROSSTALK)

BERMAN: Inside Britain, David Cameron not doing anything militarily inside Syria at this point.

Guys, we have to go. Doug Heye, Maria Cardona, thanks so much for being with us.

CARDONA: Thank you. HEYE: Happy Labor Day.

PEREIRA: You, too.

Two Americans from Minnesota died fighting for ISIS. We're going to speak with a head of a youth group in Minneapolis that is fighting for the hearts and souls of young Somali immigrants coming up next.

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PEREIRA: The U.S. has been concerned for more than a decade about radical Islamic groups recruiting Americans. Last week, you'll recall, some men from Minnesota were found dead in Syria after having joined is. Something that worries the large community of Somali mothers living in that state.

BERMAN: A community group formed several years ago to try to steer Somali youth aware from radicalization.

Joining us to talk about this, the executive director, Mohamed Farah.

Thanks so much for being with us. Appreciate it, Mohamed.

When you see these pictures of Douglas McCain, hear that he was recruited to fight, ultimately die for eye six recruited from Minnesota, that's what it feels like?

MOHAMED FARAH, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, KA JOOG: Well, this really hits home. First and foremost, thank you for having me. McCain was not actually a Somali individual, but this shows us that we're not doing enough. And we need to do more and more.

BERMAN: You talk about the fact that, again, you're targeting the young Somalis because this is your community, the kid, you know. Talk about why you think they're being enticed, so vulnerable to recruitment.

FARAH: Oh, definitely. When we talk about radicalization, first and foremost, you know, to be radicalized, it's a process. It's not an overnight deal. There's a lot of underlying issues that sometimes we don't talk about. There is chronic, you know, unemployment rate within the Somali community. High school dropout. Lack opportunity for young people. So these are things we really need to tackle before we tackle this bigger issue of radical radicalization. Also, we need to re-strategize, when we talk about a national level, because it's missing a key important aspect, which is the community. We need to be investing in the community more and more and that's what's missing our radicalization strategy.

BERMAN: Give me a sense how you try to engage one young man?

FARAH: Definitely. We are playing the preventive role. We've got programs, afterschool programs, sports programs, job development. What we're doing is really trying to engage these individuals ahead of time before any terrorist organizations tries to engage them. So, this is what we really need to align with our national strategy, and we really need to empower. This is another thing that's very important. We need to empower the community to do more work and the community has a strategy, we have a strategy. The question is, is that strategy aligned with our national strategy?

PEREIRA: Mohamed, hopefully other groups, other communities can say, look, we can take what we're doing there, work with kids in our areas as well, reach them before they might get reached by the wrong people.

Thank you so much, Mohamed Farah.

FARAH: Thank you so much.

PEREIRA: And that's it for us @THISHOUR. I'm Michaela Pereira.

BERMAN: I'm John Berman. Still time to barbecue. Happy Labor Day, folks.

(LAUGHTER)

"LEGAL VIEW" with Ashleigh Banfield starts right now.