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President Obama Goes To China; Americans Kenneth Bae and Matthew Todd Miller Released From North Korea; Germany Celebrates 25th Anniversary Of Fall Of Berlin Wall; U.S. To Send 1,500 More Troops To Iraq; Obama, GOP Already Heated Over Immigration; Police: Girl's Abduction Foiled By Her Stepdad

Aired November 09, 2014 - 14:00   ET

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

PAMELA BROWN, CNN ANCHOR: Get ready. An arctic assault is on its way, and it could engulf more than 200 million people from Minnesota to Georgia. Freezing temps and possibly snow on the way.

And home at last. Kenneth Bae and Matthew Miller are back on American soil after being freed from North Korea.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KENNETH BAE, FREED IN NORTH KOREA: We thank you all for supporting me, lifting me up, and not forgetting me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: The reaction from their families and a look at the timing of they are release.

Plus, we go live to Berlin, Germany, where the 25th anniversary celebration of the fall of the wall is underway.

Hello. So great to have you along with us on this Sunday. I'm Pamela Brown in for Fredericka Whitfield.

And we begin this Sunday with that emotional reunion seen around the world. The last two Americans known to be held by North Korea back with their families here on U.S. soil. Kenneth Bae and Matthew Todd Miller stepped off a plane in Washington state late yesterday as we see in this video and walk into the arms of their overjoyed families who were waiting on the tarmac. Bae and Miller have been detained in North Korea after being accused of hostile acts against the government. They were sentenced to several years of hard labor. When he arrived, Bae told about his -- talked about his ordeal and thanked everyone who supported him.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BAE: It's been an amazing two years. I learned a lot. I grew a lot. Lost a lot of weight, good weight. But I am standing strong because of you.

(END VIDEO CLIP) BROWN: And CNN Ana Cabrera is right outside Kenneth Bae's sister's church in Seattle.

Ana, I think a lot of people might find it surprising that Bae would say it's been quote "an amazing two years." Tell us what else did he say about his time in North Korea? We understand that Miller did not speak.

ANA CABRERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That is correct.

Well, Bae is such a humble man, and you can see in that little segment that we played for everybody that he is just relieved to be here. He is thankful to be home. He also expressed a lot of affection for the people of North Korea and asked the world to continue to pray for those who are in that country. We know he is a very devout Christian, and we are outside the church of his sister and her family. They've been coming to this church for several years, and we know this has been the p site of several rallies and vigils praying for his release, and now this weekend those prayers are answered.

We heard from terry this morning, Terri Chung the sister, who say they plan to come to church today to give thanks. It was an emotional moment last night. Less than 11 hours ago when both Kenneth Bae and 25-year-old Matthew Todd Miller stepped off that plane a moment that had been anticipated for months, even years. Of course, Kenneth Bae was held for two years this past week. It was November 3rd, 2012, when he was detained. Matthew Miller was held for seven months sense April.

Both men had been arrested and convicted of crimes against the government, quote "hostile acts against the government of North Korea." And they both had been sentenced to hard labor. Bae had already been serving that sentence. Talked about working in a field for eight hours a day, six days a week.

There are still a lot mystery surrounding their released -- why now? We do know that it was the director of national intelligence James Clapper who went carrying a letter from the president himself said that this short and sweet, it handed to the government of North Korea specifically address to Kim Jong-Un. But Clapper never met directly with him.

The family is saying they had no idea. They didn't see this coming. They got a call at 2:00 a.m. yesterday morning, and when Kenneth Bae and his sister spoke to the media last night, they were so elated. We want to play a little bit of that sound for you.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BAE: Thank you all for supporting me and standing by me during this time, and it's been just amazing blessing to see so many people being involved getting me released for the last two years. Not to mention -- not only mentioning for the thousands of people that have been praying for me as well. I just want to say thank you all for supporting me and lifting me up and not forgetting me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: And we're hearing from people all around the world who are expressing their gratitude and they're giving thanks today as well for the release of both Kenneth Bae and Matthew Miller.

I want to read you a statement from Laura Ling, (INAUDIBLE). She's the sister of Lisa Ling, a journalist who was also held captive in North Korea back in 2009. And here is what she had to say today. She said quote "I was overjoyed to learn about the release of Kenneth Bae and Matthew Miller from North Korea. I hope their release is a signal of potential opening between our two countries and that despite our stark differences we may find a common humanity."

And so now the world watches to see whether this does open the door between the U.S. and North Korea and where we go from here -- Pam.

BROWN: Anna Cabrera live in Seattle for us. Thank you so much for that report, Ana.

And while the release of Bae and Miller is good news, the timing is raising eyebrows. Will North Korea's Kim Jong-Un want something in return?

Our Paula Hancocks looks into that.

PAUL HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A top secret mission in the dead of night. The top spy chief in the United States arrives in Pyongyang carrying a letter from the U.S. president. He leaves one day later with two former prisoners, no conditions and no strings attached according to the U.S. So why this sudden humanitarian gesture from North Korea?

CHRISTOPHER HILL, FORMER AMBASSADOR TO NORTH KOREA: Clearly, they crave having this kind of high level attention. So obviously, they are pleased that General Clapper came.

HANCOCKS: Another suggestion Kim Jong-Un wants to show he is still in charge after disappearing for six weeks recently. He is back in the spotlight, limping but without the cane. Other experts believe Pyongyang's recent charm offensive including a high profile visit to Seoul, technically enemy territory, is a PR exercise to improve its image. The trigger, the United Nations inquiry of human rights abuses in North Korea, abuses the report terms crimes against humanity.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It had to basically show a lighter side, a more humane side to the international community because although there could be legal sanctions or even the national criminal court proceedings against North Korea, North Korea is also very much conscious of its reputation.

HANCOCKS: The release of Kenneth Bae and Matthew Todd Miller comes two weeks after a third U.S. citizen, Jeffrey Fowle, won his freedom. No U.S. citizens remain in North Korean captivity.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BROWN: And Paula Hancocks joins us live from Seoul, South Korea.

Paula, what is the reaction like there?

HANCOCKS: Well, Pamela, there was shock to start with. I have to say. That not only had both men being released, but the fact that both men had been released together. And it appears as though there were no conditions, no strings attached.

And so, what most analysts assuming here in inside Korea is that this decision did come from the top. It came from Kung Jong-Un himself. And also, that they came for a reason.

If you look at the statement that North Korea released, they specify the fact that President Obama made numerous requests. They also said that he gave an apology. Now, of course, if that is the case, that is propaganda gold for the North Korean leader.

Domestically he can now show that the most powerful man in the world gave an apology. And it makes him more relevant on the international stage. So certainly, it gives Kim Jong-Un a lot in the short-term. But of course, analysts are expecting them to want to level more in the long-term -- Pamela.

BROWN: Paula Hancocks, thank you so much.

Well, the calendar may say fall, but the temperatures, they're about to plummet into an arctic winter impacting about two-thirds of the country. CNN's meteorologist Jennifer Gray says an estimated 200 million people will experience the blast of fidget air -- Jennifer.

JENNIFER GRAY, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Pamela, we have some very, very cold arctic air that's sinking down into much of the country as we go through the beginning part of the week.

We're talking 200 million people affected by this. We are going to see temperatures well below normal anywhere from the Dakotas all the way down to Georgia. Folks in the south will experience temperatures five to ten, maybe 15 degrees below normal. But when we talk about the northern plains in the Midwest, we're going to be talking about temperatures up to 35 degrees below normal.

In fact, today already we have winter storm watches and warnings in place. We have winter weather advisories that stretch across seven states, and we could see as much as a foot of snow in Minneapolis. So that's going to be the hardest hit area right around Minneapolis on into portions of Wisconsin. We also could see anywhere from six to nine inches of snow in the Dakotas. And this is basically going to be where the snow is concentrated. Anywhere south of this, this is going to be a dry front, but we are going to have very, very cold temperatures behind it.

What we are talking about in rapid city, temperatures in the teens (ph) through much of your workweek in Minneapolis, we won't even get above freezing for your workweek. In fact, we could be looking at an eight-day stretch of temperature below freezing around Minneapolis. A lot of areas around here will be about 35 degrees below normal. Chicago, you don't look all that bad compared to Minneapolis even though your temperatures will be chilling especially Wednesday and Thursday, you may not even hit freezing on Thursday. And when you look at places like Atlanta and New York City, the south, the northeast, won't even hit quite as hard. However, temperatures would still be below normal, 55 degrees or high temperature on Thursday in Atlanta. New York City won't be even hit 50 on Thursday -- Pamela.

BROWN: A little early for all this to be happening, it seems. Thanks so much, Jennifer.

President Obama due to land in China in just a few hours from now. But some are concern about his agenda. We take a look at it up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BROWN: After his party's thrashing in the midterm electrics, President Obama is on his way to Asia. He left earlier today to weigh in on massive foreign policy challenges in during an eight-day trip that starts and stops in China.

CNN's Erin McPike is live at the White House for us.

So Erin, what is the president hoping to accomplish in this trip?

ERIN MCPIKE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well Pamela, he does have a wide array of foreign policy goals. First, he is in Beijing right now where he will be meeting with the Chinese president there and those two will talk about, of course, trade and climate change. But President Obama is also expected to probe into some of the cyber crime that is are happening in the U.S. largely due to Chinese hacking.

The most important part of this meeting, though, is about the economic relationship between China and the U.S. Secretary of state John Kerry has called this relationship the most important economic relationship that the U.S. has. And I would point out that when President Obama was running for reelection in 2012, one of the things that foreign policy analysts said was that President Obama has done a very good job of managing China's rise and the relationship there.

Now, next he is going to Myanmar. And you may remember that back in 2012 President Obama was the first sitting U.S. president to visit that country, and there have been a number of political and social reforms that have happened there largely due to U.S. influence. He wants to keep those going even though some international community members are saying that that is beginning to backslide.

Then the last stop is in Brisbane, Australia, where there is the G20 summit. The important thing to note there is that Russian president Vladimir Putin will be there, and as you know, the relationship between President Obama and President Putin has been frayed over the last eight months or so. They're not scheduled to have a bilateral meeting at this point, but they might have some sort of side conversation and we'll be looking for that -- Pamela.

BROWN: All eyes will be on that. Erin McPike, thank you so much. We are going to check back in with you a little later from now. And one thing is certain from an economics standpoint. The

president's trip to China is very important. For that part of our coverage of Mr. Obama's Asian tour, here is chief business correspondent Christine Romans in NewYork.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: President Obama travels to China on Monday as a political trip with huge of locations for the economy. Secretary of state John Kerry sums it up well.

JOHN KERRY, SECRETARY OF STATE: The U.S.-China relationship is the most consequential in the world today. Period. And it will do much to determine the shape of the 21st century. That means that we have to get it right.

ROMANS: Here are three reasons that U.S.-China relationship is so critical.

First, trade. The U.S. trade deficit with China is the largest in the world. The U.S. imports more from China than from Canada, Mexico, Japan, and Germany. China has become America's factory floor. The U.S. imports so much more from China than it exports. The trade deficit is hundreds of billions of dollars. Where do all those dollars go? The communist leadership is flush with cash to invest in oilfields, factories, buildings, and it lends the rest to the U.S. government to finance American borrowing. You could say China is America's banker.

Second, China's economy is now slowing after a decade of greatness expansion, thanks to those government investments, widespread construction, and an expanding middle class. With home prices are slowing, lending is getting tighter, if a China bubble were to burst, China is so big, it would hurt everyone.

Number three, cyber spying, a top concern of the European, business owners, and the White House. The summer, attorney general Eric Holder charged five Chinese nationals with stealing companies secret from metal producers in the U.S.

China has also been accused of having defense contractors and other very sensitive businesses. Officials in Beijing always denying engaging in any government-backed cyber espionage, but it's an issue many are urging the president to take up directly with Chinese leadership next week.

Christine Romans, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BROWN: And still ahead right here on NEWSROOM live to Berlin, Germany, where the anniversary celebration of the fall of the wall is in full swing.

Our own Fred Pleitgen is there -- Fred. FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. We'll show you the best

pictures of the amazing celebrations here where 7,000 balloons were released into the air as this country and the city commemorates 25 years since the fall of the iron curtain. When we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BROWN: A huge celebration is happening right now in Germany marking the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin wall. Music, fireworks, and emotional speeches are re-counting the painful quote "war divide" between east and west Berlin. And the joyous moment on this day in 1989 when the wall came crashing down.

CNN's Frederick Pleitgen joins us now live from Berlin.

Frederick, there have been ceremonies throughout the day and evening there. Describe the scene for us.

PLEITGEN: Well, it was an amazing ceremony here happening, Pamela. There is one police car guard pass through right now. It's going to get a bit noisy. But it was an amazing ceremony. The climax of that ceremony was some 7,000 balloons that were lift off being released into the air to a crowd that was chanting in absolutely -- in absolute jubilation. The place that I'm at here right now actually has a lot of significance as well. I'm actually at the longest stretch of the Berlin wall that still remains. It's called the east side gallery, and it is a stretch of the original wall that was then turned into art.

I would say there were tens of thousands of people here to celebrate this moment. A lot of them, of course, are still very much here. It was really interesting also because 25 years since the end of communism and since the fall of the wall, Germany has really grown together. You can sense that sense of unity as you saw from the people that came here in the celebrations today -- Pamela.

BROWN: Want to know, Frederick, because you're German, what are your memories of the wall coming down?

PLEITGEN: Well, I have some very vivid memories of the wall. But I was actually on the communist east side for five years of my life. My parents worked as West Germans in East Germany. And I can tell you it really wasn't very nice at all. My family was spied on by the secret police. They use listening devices. There were spies that tapped into my parents and tried to spy on my dad. Both of his offices as well as our home. Our home was broken into. So certainly not very good memories of the wall itself.

But when the wall came down, I remember, it was really a very special time. There was a time of great celebration for many people. And one of the things that I always say is that it really is remarkable to what extent the people of Germany have come together because there were a lot of difficulties at the beginning. There were a lot of people in the east of Germany who lost their jobs. There were a lot of people in the west of Germany who weren't happy with the amount that unity was costing, but if you look back at it now 25 years later, the vast majority of Germans will tell you that every single penny they paid was worth it, Pamela.

BROWN: Frederick Pleitgen, thank you so much.

So a lot of memories of this very pivotal time in history. And joining us now from Carmel, California Francis Fukuyama, a senior fellow at Stanford University and the author of the "Origins of Political Order."

You were working for the state department when the wall fell. Tell us, did it take the world by surprise?

FRANCIS FUKUYAMA, AUTHOR, THE ORIGINS OF POLITICAL ORDER: Absolutely. I was in a meeting of NATO planning departments in late October, so this was just a week before the wall came down. I remember the German representative there saying we will never see German unification many my lifetime. And then we went on to east Berlin after that, and we were set up with meetings with young members of the communist party in east Germany because the embassy thought this was going to be the future of east Germany for, you know, the foreseeable future. So absolutely nobody in the state department at that time really understood what was about to happen.

BROWN: Everyone who was alive then remembers the images. The people (INAUDIBLE) over the wall exactly 25 years ago. Describe what that moment signified for Berlin (INAUDIBLE) and Germany as a whole?

FUKUYAMA: Well, I think that the paradigm completely shifted because previous to the whole existence of the west had been under the threat by the massive soviet military machine where you had divisions in the outskirts of Berlin that we had been planning against for the previous two generations, and all of a sudden that entire structure was dissolving. I think the possibility of democracy spreading not just in Germany, but throughout eastern Europe and to other parts of the world became a really live possibility.

BROWN: And the wall, it is really a simple fear of the repressive east German regime. We were just speaking to Fred Pleitgen who grew up in east Germany until he was five. And he was saying his family was actually speed on. Describe what it was like for people living in east Berlin during the cold war.

FUKUYAMA: Well, I think we forget completely about communism. It was a totalitarian system, meaning they wanted to control every aspect of your life. I mean, not just political activities, but what you thought, what you read, and people began to change in the early 1970s with the opening up with when east Germans suddenly began to realize that actually there is prosperity and freedom and, you know, personal liberty on the other side of the wall. And this is what began this really intense time or keep to trying to get out east Germany. And that's what really undermine the system there because they can no longer control their won population.

BROWN: OK. Well, thank you so much for sharing your insights, you opinions. Very interesting. And thank you so much.

FUKUYAMA: Thank you. BROWN: President Obama sending more U.S. troops to Iraq, but he says

his strategy for defeating ISIS hasn't changed. We are going to take a closer look right after this break. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BROWN: Bottom of the hour. Welcome back. I'm Pamela Brown. Here's a look at the top stories making news on this Sunday. The last two Americans held prisoner in North Korea are back home.

Kenneth Bae and Matthew Todd Miller met with their families after landing in Washington State late yesterday. Bae told reporters he thinks the U.S. and North Korean governments for their roles in his release.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KENNETH BAE, RELEASED BY NORTH KOREA: Also, I would like to thank the North Korean government as well for allowing me to go home and come home and be united with our family.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: Bae and Miller were found guilty of hostile acts against North Korea. They have been serving multiple-year sentences in labor camps.

An in Los Angeles, a 22-year-old Army veteran who survived his mission in Afghanistan was shot and killed this morning right outside his homecoming party. Police say he was gunned down during some sort of argument. Our Nick Valencia joins me with more. What a heart breaking story, Nick?

NICK VALENCIA, CNN NATIONAL REPORTER: A very heartbreaking story. It's really sad and tragic story for my hometown and Los Angeles. Twenty two-years-old, he had survived his tour in Afghanistan, only to be shot and killed at his homecoming party.

Now, police tell me that his girlfriend threw a party for him after Garcia had just been back a couple of weeks. At some point in the night, the suspect and the victim had some sort of contact, according to the LAPD.

That boiled over only for the suspect to come back looking for Garcia. Police tell me they believe Garcia was the intended target, and they speak also about the ironies that Garcia was able to survive his mission in Afghanistan only to be shot and killed in his old neighborhood.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LT. PAUL VERNON, LAPD: It is a sad fact, yes. He was in Afghanistan combat, and comes home, and has this happen to him. I think it's terrible. I really honestly do.

(END VIDEO CLIP) VALENCIA: No one else was injured in the shooting. Right now the suspect is still at large. Police say there were witnesses in the shooting, Pamela, so they're asking the public to come forward with any details or information that they may have.

BROWN: Yes, hopefully, we'll learn more about that. Thank you so much, Nick. Let us know.

Well, the last of polar air is about to send shivers through 200 million Americans across two-thirds of the country. This week temperatures will plunge from Montana to Myrtle Beach. Highs many some cities could drop as much as 35 degrees below normal. Winter advisories, watches and warnings are already posted in at least seven states.

In two days, the United States will pause to honor military veterans, and U.S. forces will continue to face new challenges and dangers. President Obama plans to send 1,500 more troops to Iraq as advisors in the fight against ISIS. This morning, President Obama is defending his decision about deploying more troops.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: What hasn't changed is our troops are not engaged in combat.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Should we expect that more troops may be needed before this is over?

PRESIDENT OBAMA: You know, as commander in chief, I'm never going to say never, but what, you know, the commanders who presented the plan to me say is that we may actually see fewer troops over time because now we're seeing coalition members starting to partner with us on the training and assists effort.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: So let's bring in now retired Army Lieutenant Colonel Tony Shaffer. Colonel, thanks for coming on to talk with us. We talk about the fact that these troops are going to be in advisory roles. Do you think this is just a matter of semantics? Because my understanding is that they would still be in harm's way.

LT. COL. TONY SHAFFER, U.S. ARMY (RETIRED): Absolutely. This is how Vietnam started. I hate to bring up that is a kind of part of the narrative, but it's absolutely correct. During the early days of Vietnam, we were doing two primary missions. Training the Vietnamese military and assisting them.

The assistance missions, Pamela, were those which were most dangerous by the fact that to be an effective advisor, that means you have to be in the field with those you are advising, and that's what's happening now.

Admiral Kirby, on Friday, I listened to his entire briefing to the media really try to downplay this issue, but clearly -- and I have gone record on several other interviews with the network saying this will inevitably result in U.S. casualties probably sooner than later.

Again, if they're going to be effective, our advisors have to be out there leading the effort with the Iraqis to be effective.

BROWN: Do we know wherever they're going, if they're going to be sort of protected? Is it a kind of area -- my understanding is some parts of where they're going is an ISIS controlled area.

SHAFFER: Right.

SHAFFER: Irbil and close to Baghdad are the two ostensible starting points with these forces. Now we already have folks in Anbar Province, one of my close friends, his son is actually there right now. They're moving troops around very quietly, but they are moving them in.

And Admiral Kirby did say that they are going to have force protection assets available to them, which is really (inaudible) for combat forces. We will be engaged in combat one way or another there, and this is where the president I think is losing the narrative both practically and politically.

People know what's going to happen. We're going to be effective in defending the Iraqis, helping them. We will be in harm's way. There's no way we're not going to be in harm's way the way they're doing this right now.

BROWN: Do you think that Congress should authorize military action?

SHAFFER: I think the debate has to be done. Patty Murray, Senator Murray has actually said that the 60 days of the war powers act is up. I've been meeting with both members of both houses on this to talk about it.

And no matter which side of the political spectrum you are on, Congress has the obligation to do this. Plus, Pamela, they've asked for more money. They've asked for approximately $5.6 billion to go along with this effort.

So to approve that, they have to approve first an authorized use of military force, which must be separate and distinct. The one the president has been referencing regarding using the one from 9/11, this is not relevant to the 9/11 issue at all.

BROWN: I want to ask you one last question here because part of what these troops will be doing is training the Iraqi forces, but haven't we been down this road before?

SHAFFER: Yes.

BROWN: And then we saw them drop their weapons and flee when ISIS was coming to Iraq? So why is this time around different?

SHAFFER: It's not different. This is why the president was advised by the Kurd commander, the central commander to leave 20,000 troops in place to do the training and advising role. Now we're having to pick up again.

It's very clear if they're left to their own devices, they will probably drop their weapons and run. They're trying to train a total of 12 brigades, nine regulars and three Peshmerga. Peshmerga are our best bet, which continue to double down and triple down helping them. I think that's the best move of this new part of the strategy.

BROWN: Yes, we'll be training Kurdish forces as well. Thank you so much, Colonel Tony Shaffer. We appreciate you coming on.

SHAFFER: Thank you for having me.

BROWN: Well, President Obama has a message for House Speaker John Boehner on immigration. But Boehner already delivered his own message, mess with immigration on your own and you'll get burned. So is there any hope for an agreement? We debate it up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BROWN: Well, just a few hours ago, President Obama delivered a message to House Speaker John Boehner about passing immigration reform.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: I still prefer to see it done through Congress, but every day that I wait we're misallocating resources. We're deporting people that shouldn't be deported. We're not deporting folks that are dangerous and need to be deported. So, John, I'm going to give you some time, but if you can't get it done before the end of the year, I'm going to have to take the steps that I can.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: Obama's warning comes after both Boehner and Senator Mitch McConnell are warning the president not to act on his own, so can anything get done on immigration reform? That is the big question.

We're now joined by CNN political commentator and Democratic strategist, Maria Cardona, and Rachel Campos-Duffy, conservative blogger and spokeswoman for the Libre Initiative. Thank you both for coming on to talk with us.

Maria, I'm going to start with you. We heard there the president says he can take executive action on his own. Well, Congress works on a bill and once that bill is passed it will supercede whatever he does. Do you think this is the way to move forward on this issue?

MARIA CARDONA, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: I think right now it's the only way to move forward on this issue. Look, let's be very clear here. The Republicans have been dragging their feet for years. There's a very good Senate bill that has been languishing in the House for over a year now. That could have solved this problem a year ago.

But Republicans have time and again turned their backs, not just on the Latino community, but on the American economy, which stands to gain more than $1.5 trillion if we are able to get comprehensive immigration reform done.

And deficit reduction of more than a trillion dollars in the next 20 years, if we're able to get comprehensive immigration reform done. So I would say to the president personally that he should wait to see what Republicans do except for he has already done that. He has waited for more than a year and a half to see what Republicans do.

We have seen this movie already, Pam. We know how it ends. You can't tell me that with a more conservative Republican caucus coming into the House and the Senate that they're now going to decide to get immigration reform done.

So the president is going to do what he can. When Republicans get it together, if they can get it together, then let's do it legislatively, which is everyone's first choice.

BROWN: But the argument on the other side is being said that this will poison the well with the new Republicans coming in to take over the Senate, Congress really. Rachel, what do you think? As Maria did say, the president has waited for the House to act on this bipartisan Senate bill for more than a year now. Should the president use executive action?

RACHEL CAMPOS-DUFFY, CONSERVATIVE BLOGGER: Well, I would like to remind Maria that it's the president who had two years of full all levers of power in the House, in the Senate, and in the executive and could have moved on immigration reform and didn't for political purposes.

Again, I think right here the president just got crushed in this election and he is once again using the Latino community as a political football. He knows darn well that his executive action is temporary. It only lasts as long as he is president.

The best thing he can do is show some goodwill, take his lumps from his election, listen to what people are sharing and they are saying, they want to do it legislatively and permanently.

The most powerful members of the House, Boehner, McConnell, Paul Ryan, Rand Paul, Marco Rubio, John McCain, 150 to 170 House numbers. I know my husband is in the House of Representatives. They want to move on legislation to make it permanent solution to reform immigration.

CARDONA: Why do they do it in the last year and a half?

CAMPOS-DUFFY: Well --

CARDONA: And why now? I think it's ridiculous when Republicans say let's wait when we have waited for a year and a half.

CAMPOS-DUFFY: They are not saying let's wait. They were going to. Let's remember things were moving along --

CARDONA: We are not going to do -- (CROSSTALK)

BROWN: All right, ladies, I'm going to jump in here because clearly this is a contentious issue. So we both -- we all agree something needs to be done. The system is broken. What is the solution? Can there be compromise?

CAMPOS-DUFFY: The solution is for this to happen in the people's House where they could hash it out, have a long-term solution, not a temporary politically expedient solution for the president. That is the right thing to do.

Maria, you wouldn't let me answer before. When it was going to happen, we have -- well, it was going to happen. Boehner was in secret talks with the president, and then what happened?

The president's executive order, another illegal move that he made this last summer, and executive order for DACA caused an influx of tens of thousands of children from Central America, and it freaked people out. That's what happened. Again, when the president acts --

BROWN: Final word. Go ahead. Maria.

CARDONA: Rachel, that is just a tired talking point from the Republicans --

CAMPOS-DUFFY: It's not.

CARDONA: Frankly, from the Libre Initiative, which is just a Koch brothers funded front so it doesn't represent the Latino community.

CAMPOS-DUFFY: Come on.

CARDONA: To go back to the reality, to go back to the reality --

CAMPOS-DUFFY: Give me a break.

CARDONA: To go back to the reality, Speaker Boehner told President Obama this summer before the influx of undocumented children that he was not going to get immigration reform done.

CAMPOS-DUFFY: Why didn't he do it when he had two years with the House and the Senate?

CARDONA: Go back to the clips and look at it.

CAMPOS-DUFFY: Why didn't he do it then?

CARDONA: When you ask that question, Rachel, it actually betrays your party's absolute complete and the interest in getting something done because you're saying that the president and the Democrats should have done it by themselves.

BROWN: All right, bottom line, this discussion will continue. Thank you so much, Ladies, for the spirited debate. We really appreciate it. As again, we heard today President Obama reiterating he does want to take executive action by year's end if nothing has happened. Thank you much.

Moving along on this Sunday, new details about how police track down a man they say kidnapped a Philadelphia woman. The device they used that's probably in your car. We'll be right back.

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BROWN: New details today in the investigation of a man accused of kidnapping a Philadelphia woman last Sunday. This right here that you are watching, this is surveillance video of Delvin Barns ripping Carlesha Fraylin-Gaither from the street and forcing her into a car.

Authorities found her alive thanks to a GPS device in her car and other evidence. Now police tell CNN they have the full GPS read out from Barn's car and as they go through the data, they will determine if Barnes visited other localities and other states and contact police there to see if Barnes pops up in their system and if any other reports of missing girls are there as well.

Meantime, a little girl was almost abducted from her home in Utah. A man tried to kidnap her in the middle of the night, but was foiled by the girl's stepfather. Chris Miller with our affiliate, KUTV, has the frightening ordeal.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED CALLER: There was a man in my home and he took my 5- year-old daughter.

CHRIS MILLER, KUTV REPORTER (voice-over): A mother's chilling 911 call, after her daughter was abducted from her own bed in the middle of the night by a complete stranger.

UNIDENTIFIED CALLER: He has my daughter outside.

MILLER: The mother's voice clearly shaken and distressed.

UNIDENTIFIED CALLER: Please hurry.

MILLER: She's on the phone with police dispatcher moments after her husband, the little girl's stepfather, caught the kidnapper, and retrieved the 5-year-old girl.

UNIDENTIFIED CALLER: He's white and he's down the road.

MILLER: The mother describes the man as he disappears down the street.

UNIDENTIFIED CALLER: Forty to 50.

UNIDENTIFIED DISPATCHER: He was bald?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This little girl is a charming, delightful little girl was not harmed physically, and she's doing very well emotionally.

MILLER: A friend says the family is very emotional about the outcome.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is like 4:00 in the morning when this happened, and if they had not awakened until 15 seconds later, that child would have been down the street and gone.

MILLER: Moments after the first kidnapping attempt, the suspect enters another house, a short distance away through a doggy door.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My mom came down the steps and she just looked over here, and she seen the guy here crouched down right here and had his shirt off.

MILLER: Officers were at that house in moments to arrest 48-year-old Troy Mitchell Morley who faces multiple felony charges.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Be safe. Watch your kids. That's the most important thing you have in your life.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BROWN: What a story there. We're going to have more newsroom right after a break. Stay with us.

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