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New Day

CNN Speaks with Americans Detained in North Korea; Two-Month ISIS Siege Ends in Iraqi Town; Video Shows Libyans Partying at U.S. Embassy

Aired September 01, 2014 - 06:00   ET

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

ANNOUNCER: This is NEW DAY, with Chris Cuomo, Kate Bolduan and Michaela Pereira.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, everyone. Welcome to NEW DAY. It is Monday, September 1st, 6:00 in the East. It's Labor Day. I'm John Berman.

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Alisyn Camerota. Chris Cuomo and Kate Bolduan are off today. And we begin with breaking news.

BERMAN: I got to say, shocking and surprising when I woke up and saw this. We are hearing this morning from three Americans being held by North Korea, Kenneth Bae, Matthew Miller, Jeffrey Fowle. The latter two have been held since the spring. We have reported extensively on Bae who has been detained since November of 2012.

CAMEROTA: CNN's Will Ripley was in North Korea. He was reporting on other stories when North Korean officials brought him in to meet with these three separately. North Korean officials, as you would expect, monitored these interviews.

So, how are the Americans doing? And do they think they will ever make it back home to the U.S.?

Here is some of what Kenneth Bae, remember, being held for two years, here's what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: What do you know about the charges that you now -- do you believe you're guilty of the charges that you've been convicted of here?

KENNETH BAE, AMERICAN HELD CAPTIVE IN NORTH KOREA: Yes.

RIPLEY: And you're currently serving time. Can you tell me about your conditions?

BAE: Yes, I'm serving a 15-year sentence right now. And I've been -- I've been going back and forth from hospital to the labor camp for the last year and a half. And right now, I'm serving at the labor camp right now.

RIPLEY: Can you tell me about the conditions at the labor camp?

BAE: Condition in labor camp is I'm working eight hours a day, six days a week and working agricultural work to other hard labor that is required to do every day.

RIPLEY: Are you being treated humanely?

BAE: Yes.

RIPLEY: And your message to your family.

BAE: Well, I'm sure they're very worried about my health at this time. Even though right now -- last month and a half, my heart has been -- or so, not -- it's been failing. So, right now what I can say to my family and friends is continue to pray for me and also ask them to continue an effort in getting me released here.

RIPLEY: Can you tell what you did? Did you know at that time you were breaking the law here in North Korea?

BAE: I did have some assumptions (ph), but I not quite agree what the charges until I got here. So -- and after being trial for, you know, during that period of time, I realized that what I did was offended and has violated their law. But at the time that I wasn't quite sure that it was as quite serious as they're charging me now.

RIPLEY: Can you give me more insight about your daily life. Do you have any contact with any of the other Americans --

BAE: No.

RIPLEY: -- or Korean or other people, Koreans, that are imprisoned?

BAE: No. I'm the only prisoner in the camp. I've been the only prisoner in the camp for the last year and a half. I didn't have anybody else in the camp other than the guard. And there's one doctor stationed in there as well.

RIPLEY: How many staff members are overseeing you?

BAE: At least 15 or 20 people on a daily basis. But there are I think 30 or more people in the camp.

RIPLEY: Do you get to talk to people on a daily basis? What kind of communication do you have?

BAE: Just talking with the guard and just small talk, and that's all.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CAMEROTA: And Will Ripley now. He is in North Korea for us.

Will, what incredible access you were granted. Did the North Korean officials put any restrictions on you or what you could ask?

RIPLEY: Yes. So we were told that we had five minutes with each American and we were only allowed to discuss very specific topics, the charges that they're facing in North Korea, the conditions under which they're being held, and any message they have to pass along to their families and to the American government. We were told very strongly not to go beyond the five-minute limit or beyond those topics.

CAMEROTA: OK. Tell us about your --

(AUDIO GAP)

RIPLEY: We interviewed in addition to Kenneth Bae, who just heard from. We also spoke with Matthew Miller and we spoke with Jeffrey Fowle.

Matthew Miller was detained here in April. And he admitted to essentially coming here to the airport in Pyongyang, tearing up his tourist visa and seeking asylum in North Korea.

Here is what he had to say when I asked him about his detainment here.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RIPLEY: Can you tell me about the charges you're facing in North Korea?

MATTHEW MILLER, AMERICAN HELD CAPTIVE IN NORTH KOREA: I will not find out until I go to trial, but I will say that I prepared to violate the law of the DPRK before coming here, and I deliberately committed my crime. I have already admitted my guilt and apologized to the government of the DPRK, and I have been asking for forgiveness.

RIPLEY: Tell me about your conditions here, how you're being treated?

MILLER: I'm with good health, have received medical checks and provided with humanitarian treatment.

RIPLEY: And what is your message to your family?

MILLER: First, I'll just say my message to my government. I've been requesting help for a long time and there has been no movement from my government. The American government is known for having a strong policy of protecting its citizens, yet for my case, there is still no movement. I've also written a letter to my president with no reply.

RIPLEY: While you're in North Korea?

MILLER: Yes, about one month ago. So, for this reason, I am disappointed in my government. However, I want to believe that my government or someone is trying their best to help me, and I would be very glad to meet the person that saves me.

RIPLEY: What's the bottom line about your situation here and your message that you want to put out?

MILLER: That my situation is very urgent. That very soon I'm going to trial and I will directly be sent to prison. I think this is -- this interview is my final chance to push the American government into helping me.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

RIPLEY: I also asked Miller why he sought asylum in North Korea in the first place. And he told me that's a question he did not want to answer. He, by the way, is awaiting trial in about a month.

Another American, detained American awaiting trial very soon is Matthew Miller. And this is a man from Dayton, Ohio, a father of elementary schoolchildren. He was arrested on his daughter's birthday. He admitted what he did was left a bible in a seamen's club while he was on a train tour of the DPRK.

He says he now realizes that that was considered a covert act. He signed a confession admitting his guilt and he desperately wants to return to his family. Here is what he told us.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RIPLEY: How are you being treated well?

JEFFREY FOWLE, AMERICAN HELD CAPTIVE IN NORTH KOREA: Reasonably well. I have no complaints. The food has been good. I've got a daily walk. Even medical care has been furnished a couple of times. And quarter's good, I got a hotel suite type of room.

So, I have no complaint about it. The treatment has been very good so far. I hope and pray it continues whether I'm here two more days or two more decades, whatever the case is.

RIPLEY: And your message to your family?

FOWLE: The message is, I'll come home as soon as I can. My family is the biggest thing on my mind right now. I've got a wife and three elementary age school kids that depend on me for support. And my mother-in-law is staying with us, too. So, there's six of us in our household.

While I'm gone, my wife is trying to operate the household by herself, and it's a chore to do with two people, let alone one. She depends on my salary, almost a single salary household. My wife's got a smart part-time job as a hair stylist, she doesn't bring in that much money. She only works part time. So, money is going to be tight.

If this goes beyond the end of September, I'm in grave danger of losing my job. That's when my vacation been fits run out. And I'll be out of job, out of income. My kids might be out on the street.

In three more days, my oldest is going to be turning -- having a birthday. I missed my middle kid's birthday in June. The day I found out I was in this deep trouble, it was my daughter's birthday.

So, I've missed a lot of birthdays since I've been here in detention since the 7th of May. So, I appreciate what you guys are doing getting the message out. I also want to express my gratitude to the governments involved. RIPLEY: So, the bottom line, your message about your conditions here

and your situation?

FOWLE: I'm good for the time being, but I need to let people know that I'm getting desperate, I'm getting desperate for help. This is -- I understand that there are three Americans in detention here now in DPRK, which I think is the most since the Pueblo incident.

RIPLEY: You have no communication with the others?

FOWLE: No. I didn't know the name of the third guy. I know Kenneth Bae has been here for the longest. Kenneth Bae, I'm sure he's desperate to get back.

This is an opportunity for maybe Bill Clinton to come back. He had secured the release (ph) a couple of journalists a few years back. Maybe George Bush, maybe his turn as an elder statesman to try his hand at that. I appreciate any help they can lend, helping resolve our cases and bring us home.

RIPLEY: Mr. Fowle, thank you very much.

FOWLE: Thank you very much.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

RIPLEY: Jeffrey Fowle from Dayton, Ohio, we just heard from there. No contact with the other detained Americans, Matthew Miller and Kenneth Bae.

All men appeared to be in good health, although Kenneth Bae has been in and out of the hospital with a number of different health conditions. He says the work at the labor camp has only made his health deteriorate. All of these men are desperate for some sort of intervention from United States government so that they can leave North Korea and come home.

CAMEROTA: Will, Jeffrey Fowle and Matthew Miller has been there for several months. You heard him say that it was the 7th of May for Fowle. Kenneth Bae has been for a couple of years.

Why do you think the North Korean authorities pulled you aside today to grant these interviews?

RIPLEY: Yes, we were in the middle of a government-approved tour and were whisked to an area where we were told -- we weren't told what -- where we're going, who we were talking to, we were told it might be a government official. And just before we entered the building where the Americans were being held, we were told that, in fact, we would be speaking with the detained Americans. We put in a request when we arrived here in Pyongyang five days ago.

This is an indication, the fact that the North Korean government has granted these interviews to CNN and is making these men available to pass along a message, not only to their families but the U.S. government, it may be a sign that North Korea is hoping -- in fact, it's not a sign. We know from talking to officials, that North Korea is hoping to open up a line of communication with the United States. They have a very important relationship with China, that has seen some tension as of late.

Obviously, United States sanctions hurt the economy here very much. So, this country is very keen to have a dialogue with the United States. These three men may be an opportunity to bring a diplomat over here for the North Korean government and open up a channel of discussion.

We'll have to see what unfolds from here.

CAMEROTA: Absolutely. So, Will, we know you're in Pyongyang right now and so North Korean officials are watching everything you're doing and every word that you're saying.

But the interviews seemed somewhat peculiar, particularly the one with Matthew Miller, the 24-year-old. He seemed sort of cryptic and scripted. Was he following a script?

RIPLEY: Well, some of the men had prepared notes in front of them, although Kenneth Bae did not. But Jeffrey Fowle certainly did. He wrote down a list of bullet points.

They knew as did we that time was limited and there would only be certain topics that we would be able to discuss.

You know, Miller was interesting because he actually didn't use the allotted five minutes. When I asked him if he had anything else he wanted to say, he said that was it. He didn't want to talk about what he did that caused his arrest here. He didn't want to talk about is conversation, a recent phone conversation that he had with his family.

What he wanted to say is that he feels at this point, that the American government has not done anything to help his situation here. And then I asked, but you tried to leave America when you came here allegedly seeking asylum. He said he didn't want to talk about that.

Jeffrey Fowle says he didn't mean to do what he did, and he now realizes that he made a mistake, a very serious violation of the law here in North Korea.

And also what Kenneth Bae told me as well, initially he didn't agree with the charges that he was essentially part of a plot, a Christian plot to overthrow the regime here. He came in as a missionary. Now, however, he says he feels he is guilty of the charges and all three men are hoping for forgiveness and some sort of arrangement that will allow them to return to the United States.

CAMEROTA: And, Will, all three of them, we heard they are making a personal appeal to the U.S. government for more help, because they say there's been no movement -- this is a quote from Matthew Miller -- no movement from the U.S. and you heard Jeffrey Fowle say this might be an opportunity for Bill Clinton or someone of that high echelon to come to North Korea to help out.

Do you think there's any movement on the U.S. side in terms of getting these guys out?

RIPLEY: That's going to be a question we will have to pose to the U.S. government officials after they watch this interview. And you saw most of the raw interview just now right here. We played it for you relatively unedited so that you could hear how the conversation went down.

Again, we were -- we were under very strict guidelines. None of these men had communication with each other. They were all kept in separate rooms, in a darkly lit hotel in central Pyongyang. And then, as soon as the interview was over, we were put in a van and taken back to our hotel here, which is where I'm standing.

But what will happen here is the United States government will hear this message, the message that these men so desperately wanted to convey and then we'll have to see what their response is.

But the message we're getting from the North Korean government officials who granted this interview today is that they allowed these men to speak, and it clearly is a sign that they may be willing at this point to open up some channel of communication where really for now, communication has been done through Swedish embassy.

There's been some interaction between Jeffrey Fowle's wife and Vladimir Putin. She actually wrote him a letter because she has dual citizenship. And he wrote her back.

But they are now ready, it appears, to open a direct line of communication with the United States government.

CAMEROTA: Will Ripley, great work over there in Pyongyang. What a fascinating insight, your interview into talking with those three men. We will check back in with you throughout the show. Thank you.

BERMAN: Absolutely fascinating.

I think the key phrase from Kenneth Bae -- and it was subtle -- was send somebody. We heard that message from all three men. I think that was the message that North Korea wanted them to send. It seems like they're begging for a high profile envoy to come and negotiate. It would be a propaganda coup for North Korea, but it also could lead to the release of these three men.

CAMEROTA: Oh, in fact. I mean, Jeffrey Fowle spelled it out. He said he thinks it would be an opportunity for Bill Clinton to come back and help negotiate this.

BERMAN: Send somebody.

OK, look, Will Ripley did not know he was getting this interview. CNN did not know he was getting this interview. The United States clearly did not know that Will Ripley would be speaking to these three prisoners.

The question now is, what will the U.S. response be? What will the White House say and do when they wake up to this, this morning? Our Michelle Kosinski live at the White House with more. Good morning, Michelle.

MICHELLE KOSINSKI, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.

Yes, this is interesting. I mean, it is clear that North Korea is sending a message via these interviews to the U.S. saying let's engage at a high level.

You know, two of these detainees, we heard from them on camera about a month ago. It was just sort of this on-the-fly interview and the details of how it came about weren't even clear. But that was released.

It was two of them on video saying essentially the same things, but it was much, much briefer, less detail given by the detainees themselves than this Will Ripley interview.

So, North Korea wants to get this message out to the world and to the U.S. specifically. I mean, just when you heard some of the things that the detainees said, I feel like this is my last chance to urge the U.S. government to help me, I need help now, tell my family that, you know, pray for me and I need help from the U.S. Those are the kinds of things -- many might call that propaganda that we've heard when it's under this controlled situation by North Koreans in the past.

And we can only sort of judge in terms of what we've seen in the past, too, in terms of these detainees. Remember, in 2009, there were two female journalists who were arrested. One was the sister of American journalist Lisa Ling. Laura Ling was detained I think about a month or so.

And it took Bill Clinton going there, meeting with officials before they were released. I mean, clearly, the U.S. administration doesn't want to send someone there and engage in that way, sort of at the beck and call of the North Koreans. But it is possible through channels like that there could be some movement.

In the past, the U.S. has said they've used all diplomatic channels to try to secure these people's release, that they've been in regular contact with their families, have tried numerous times to send a U.S. envoy who is focused on North Korean human rights, but with no success.

So, again, we're going to have see what the U.S. reaction to this is and what happens now -- John.

BERMAN: Fascinating how they walk that line. Michelle Kosinski at the White House for us -- thanks so much.

And, of course, this is just one more dish on the crisis menu facing the United States right now.

We want to get to the latest developments out of Iraq this morning. U.S. airstrikes helping Iraqi troops on the ground end a two-month ISIS siege of Amerli. Thousands of Turkmen Shiites have been facing a massacre by the terrorists there. The conflict suddenly has long-time rivals battling on the same side, if not quite coordinating the efforts.

We're going to get straight now to Barbara Starr at the Pentagon.

Good morning, Barbara.

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, John.

As you say, the United States and Iran somewhat on the same side, but not exactly together.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STARR (voice-over): This morning, 120 total U.S. airstrikes across Iraq now proving effective, following the strikes around the town of Amerli over the weekend, joint Iraqi forces, some backed by Iran, broke ISIS' more than two-month siege.

Amerli is home to thousands of Shiite Turkmen, an ethnic minority who were facing an imminent massacre by ISIS according to U.N. official.

It was the Iraqi military with the help of some Shiite militia, some who once fought American soldiers that led to the ground offensive.

This would be the first time U.S. forces and Iran-backed militias have worked together against the brutal extremists.

The Obama administration says there's no direct coordination with the militias.

REP. DUTCH RUPPERSBERGER (D), MARYLAND: We got into Iraq because we had humanitarian issues we had to deal with and because we have to -- in our ways, we have to stop ISIS. It's a very dangerous group of people.

STARR: The U.S. also made a humanitarian air drop in Amerli. According to the U.N., residents have been without power and face severe food and water shortages, this as U.S. military forces continue conducting strikes throughout northern Iraq, mostly supporting efforts around Iraq's largest dam, critical infrastructure once under ISIS control.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

STARR: And several hundred marines on station in the Persian Gulf are actually going to be kept there an extra three weeks until their replacements arrive. Just one indication of how much the U.S. wants to keep everything it has there in place given the pace of activity now -- John.

BERMAN: Interesting, extending the deployment a little bit.

Barbara Starr at the Pentagon, thanks so much. CAMEROTA: Meanwhile, John, State Department officials say the U.S.

embassy in Tripoli, Libya, remains secure, this despite a video posted online that you're watching right now, showing Libyan militiamen partying in a pool at the evacuated embassy. American personnel had left about a month earlier because of the threat of violence.

So, is this space being safeguarded or is another American compound in Libya in jeopardy?

CNN's Nic Robertson is in London with more details.

What do we know, Nic?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Well, a spokesman for the Libyan National Congress says, no, the embassy is not in jeopardy, this is not an attack. The embassy is not being ransacked.

But what you're seeing is an Islamist militia has sort of moved in and taken control over the international airport in Tripoli over the last month, have been behind the escalation and fighting in Tripoli over the last month, have taken control of areas now in Tripoli. You see them diving from the second floor balcony into the swimming pool. There are photographs around what Ambassador Deborah Jones describes as embassy annex buildings, photographs of a living room, of a bedroom, of a gymnasium. None of them appear sort of very badly ransacked. Books are moved, papers on the floor, there are a few windows are broken.

But, really, this raises a very significant question of, you know, who really is in control of that compound now?

Now, according to the militia themselves, they say that they're safeguarding it, they're taking care of it. But clearly, there's a limit to their control over that building. There's a lot of exuberance you see in that video there, people diving into the swimming pool.

I talked to people familiar with that complex itself. The ambassador says the chancery and main part of the embassy are untouched and not ransacked. There are others who have seen the video who raise questions about how much of the embassy have fallen into the hands of this Islamist militia -- Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: Yes, it's a little hard to believe that it's not in the hands of the militia when you see that video.

Nic Robertson, thanks so much.

Let's go over to the headlines, what we need to know for --

MICHAELA PEREIRA, CNN ANCHOR: What we need to know.

Good morning to all of you. Good morning to you at home.

We start with some chaos on the streets of Pakistan's capital of Islamabad. Protesters there clashing with police in the capitol and closing in on Prime Minister Sharif's official residence, demanding he step down. Police used teargas and rubber bullets in an effort to keep those protesters away. Pakistan's military is now calling for calm without further use of force and urging rival politicians to resolve differences quickly.

Back here at home, a flight from Michigan to Orlando, forced to make an emergency landing in South Carolina, Sunday. Allegiant Air Flight 683 experienced some sort of problem with cabin pressure about two hours after takeoff. That flight has been rescheduled to continue to Orlando later this morning. No reported injuries among the 153 passengers and six crew members on board that flight.

A spokeswoman for Oscar-winning Jennifer Lawrence says nude photos of leaked online are, quote, "a flagrant violation of privacy and vows to prosecute whoever is behind it." Lawrence and other celebrities were targeted in an apparent hacking scheme, reportedly of Apple's iCloud storage system. Other victims include Victoria Justice and Ariana Grande who claimed those photos of them in the nude were fake.

BERMAN: Not surprisingly, I was reading last night, about midnight last night, Jennifer Lawrence was on the top of Google trends.

CAMEROTA: I was surprised that her spokesperson confirmed the pictures were of her. They could say they're fakes, they're photoshopped. But by denying it so vociferously, seems like they are authentic.

PEREIRA: You think many people would believe when, you know when you hear, oh, they're fake? It's hard to know. You know what I mean?

(CROSSTALK)

BERMAN: Twenty-four minutes after the hour right now.

The conflict in Ukraine heating up this morning. Russia denies it is invading Ukraine despite what a U.S. lawmaker on the ground now says, despite what NATO says, despite what NATO says about 1,000 Russian troops being across the border. The question now, should the United States start providing weapons to the Ukrainian government?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CAMEROTA: Russia's foreign minister still denying any Russian incursion into Eastern Ukraine. The assertion comes as Moscow calls for talks between the Ukrainian government and pro-Russian rebels. Meanwhile two crew members are missing and seven injured after a Ukrainian patrol boat was attacked Sunday off the coast of Mariupol.

Reza Sayah is in Kiev with more on this ever escalating conflict -- Reza.

REZA SAYAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Alisyn. Over the past several days, Ukrainian forces one loss after another to pro-Russian rebels. One of the latest losses coming on Sunday off the coast of southeastern Ukraine, that's where a Ukrainian patrol boat came under fire, was shot and sunk.

Also, within the past hour, a senior government official here in Kiev confirming that Ukrainian forces have been called to retreat from a critical airfield in southeastern Ukraine after that airfield came under fire from rebels backed by Russian tanks. All of this part of mounting evidence that rebels in this conflict are fast gaining momentum.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SAYAH (voice-over): In southeastern Ukraine, fresh remnants of a battle where pro-Russian rebels routed Ukrainian forces to take back control of the town of Elabask (ph). For Ukrainian troops, the retreat was swift, leaving behind a wreckage of war and another town in shambles. The rebel takeover is the latest triumph in a counter offensive that seen pro-Russian separatists seemingly regained the upper hand.