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U.S. Targets Terrorists in Somalia; Americans Held in North Korea Beg for U.S. Help; Interview with Jen Psaki, State Department Spokesperson; U.S. Intervention; Obama's Foreign Policy Under Fire

Aired September 02, 2014 - 08:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: Breaking overnight: terror strike. The United States military hits a terror group in Somalia. A drone strike targeting the group's leader. Did they get him? We have breaking new details.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Plea for help. The three Americans detained in North Korea speak out to CNN, their desperate call for the U.S. to send someone to help get them out. Will the U.S. send a high profile envoy? We talk live to the State Department.

MICHAELA PEREIRA, CNN ANCHOR: The hacker hunt. The FBI now investigating that massive celebrity photo hack as Apple admits and is investigating whether its iCloud storage system was breached. How safe are your photos and information?

CUOMO: Your NEW DAY continues right now.

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

BOLDUAN: Good morning and welcome once again to NEW DAY, everyone. It is Tuesday, September 2nd, 8:00 in the East.

And we have breaking news that we're watching overnight. The U.S. military carried out an operation in East Africa, targeting al Qaeda linked terrorists in Somalia. Pentagon officials say U.S. forces launched a military attack against the al Shabaab network. Somali officials say missiles targeted a convoy of senior leaders.

We have complete coverage beginning with Elise Labott live in Washington.

Elise, I know we're working on details overnight. What more are we learning about the operation?

ELISE LABOTT, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kate, all the Pentagon is saying is that they launched this operation, not saying much more at this point. Specifically, who was the target?

But Somali officials do say that the leader of al Shabaab, Ahmed Godane and his deputies were holding a meeting of their top commanders in the rebel-held village that was hit by the U.S. That meeting had to withstand this ongoing offensive by the Somali military and African Union forces trying to flush them out from the region.

Now, Godane has really been a driving force behind al Shabaab's close ties to al Qaeda. He's pressed for the group to launch attacks outside Somali. But it's unclear at this hour, Kate, whether Godane or any leaders were killed. And that's what the U.S. wants to assess -- the success of the operation before they say any more.

You know, we've been here before, U.S. drone strikes in Somalia in January killed top intelligence commanders of the group, but not Godane. We just have to wait and see when the U.S. says it will be ready to confirm who was hit, Kate.

BOLDUAN: Absolutely. Elise Labott in Washington for us -- Elise, thanks so much.

CUOMO: So, that's one situation abroad going on.

Another one is that this morning, the White House is calling for the release of those three Americans still held in North Korea. They say it is a top priority. Now, this comes after CNN's Will Ripley sat down with the men in an unprecedented interview.

So, you had Kenneth Bae, Jeffrey Fowle and Matthew Miller. Those are the men on your screen. They all pleaded for a special U.S. envoy to come to North Korea and help free them.

Will Ripley is now out of North Korea with his team and therefore can speak freely about the interviews.

Will, thanks for joining us.

This was a surprise to you. You were asking for them obviously, but you expected not to get them, and then what happened?

WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, we were on a totally unrelated shoot two hours north of the capital when all of a sudden, we were pulled abruptly, put on a van and told that we were headed to speak with the government official. This is cell phone video I took of the journey, I wanted to document where we were going because we didn't know what was going to happen.

We pulled up to a building and that's when we were told that we were going to speak with these three American detainees, and all of them had remarkably similar messages.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KENNETH BAE, AMERICAN HELD IN NORTH KOREA: I do need help from the U.S. government.

MATTHEW MILLER, AMERICAN HELD IN NORTH KOREA: This interview is my final chance to push the American government into helping me.

JEFFREY FOWLE, AMERICAN HELD IN NORTH KOREA: I'm getting desperate for help.

RIPLEY (voice-over): The three Americans detained in North Korea uniting in a clear and possibly coached message -- send a U.S. envoy.

BAE: I do believe that special envoy needs to come in order to resolve the situation that I'm in right now.

FOWLE: This is an opportunity for maybe Bill Clinton to come back. Maybe George Bush, it's his turn as an elder statesman, to try his hand at that.

RIPLEY: North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un has previously shown no willingness to release Kenneth Bae or the other two men.

So far, the U.S. State Department has not revealed a plan to free the three men held right now, a spokesman only saying, quote, "We continue to work actively to secure these three U.S. citizens' release."

TERRI CHUNG, KENNETH BAE'S SISTER: If there was ever a time to step up efforts, it's now.

RIPLEY: The family of Kenneth Bae pleads for the U.S. to respond, Bae serving 15 years hard labor for what North Korea calls a Christian plot to undermine the regime.

CHUNG: He is an American citizen, a father of three, and, you know, he is pleading for help from our government. The message has been consistent all along. It is up to our leaders to seek his amnesty.

RIPLEY: Bae asked his family to pray for him, saying his health is failing, working six days a week in a labor camp.

BAE: It's been very difficult sleeping at night, and working in the field every day.

RIPLEY: Bae and his sister say he needs help now.

CHUNG: Primary concern is his health and that there's some permanent damage being done. We need to have him come home.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

RIPLEY: Chris, all three of these Americans were held in separate rooms in the same building. They have had zero contact with each other, and yet their messages, their talking points were nearly identical so that would lead one to presume that they were spoken to before the interview just like we were, when we were told we would have just five minutes with each and that if we strayed beyond the agreed upon interview talking points, there could be serious consequences.

CUOMO: Will, always a threatening situation, it's good that you got the interviews now because it keeps the situation in the forefront of people's understanding -- so our thanks to Will.

Let's bring in now, Jen Psaki. She is the State Department spokeswoman and she joins us right now.

Jen, it is good to have you with us. This is obviously a request from North Korea. They are reaching out.

They want a big name. They want to talk, they want attention.

What will do you?

JEN PSAKI, STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESWOMAN: Well, Chris, I think it's important for the American people to know that this is something that the United States government, the State Department, Secretary Kerry, President Obama have all been focused on for months now, since these individuals were detained.

We've offered in the past to have Ambassador King go to North Korea. That trip has been canceled by the North Koreans in the past. We worked through Sweden because they are our protecting power and we remain in very close contact with them, as well as the families of these individuals. We are going to do everything in our power to bring these men home to their families.

CUOMO: Everything in your power would and should include picking up the phone, talking to Bill Clinton, talking to George Bush, their names were mentioned for a reason, get a big shot to go over there and bring these men home.

Is that going to happen?

PSAKI: Well, Chris, I think -- I'm not going to rule out options here -- but I think it's important for people to understand that there have been a range of steps that we've taken. We have had an offer on the table to send Ambassador King to negotiate and discuss the release of these individuals, that trip has been canceled in the past. We're going to do everything we can.

But I think it's also important for people to understand we're not going to outline all of that publicly because our on objective is to bring them home. And sometimes, that means we can't tell you everything that we're working on.

CUOMO: It's true. But the families, hopefully, you're telling them. But it doesn't really seem that way, because as you heard at least from Terri Bae there, you know, the sister of Kenneth Bae -- they feel they're in the dark, and they feel that they are somewhat forgotten, which is why CNN is trying to shout this clarion call for action on part of the U.S.

PSAKI: Well, Chris, I've seen, of course, the interview CNN did, as well as the "Associated Press" but I can assure everybody watching that this is something that is on the top of our minds every single day. We speak regularly with the families and I think everybody can understand the heartache that any family is feeling, and they're going to do everything in their power and call for everything in their power as well.

But lot of these efforts are ones that we're going to be doing behind the scenes.

CUOMO: Well, it does seem as though there's a window of opportunity being offered by North Korea, and we will stand by to see what you do with that invitation.

Now on to the issue of what you've already done -- in Somalia, a drone attack, we hear against al Shabaab. What can you tell us about whether or not it was successful, whether there was a ground element involved on behalf of the U.S. and why you did it now?

PSAKI: Well, Chris I'm not in a position at this point in time to confirm details. We have, of course, seen the same reports. I think it's also important for people to understand that al Shabaab is, of course, a terrorist organization. We designated them in 2008. They've claimed credit from everything from the Westgate mall attack to a range of attacks across northern Africa and they're one of al Qaeda's biggest affiliates in northern Africa.

So, certainly, we take into account and we do everything we can also to take on this threat. But, unfortunately, I don't have any details to confirm for you at this point in time.

CUOMO: Your reaction to the surprise of people who hear that the most urgent situation was Somalia when everyone has ISIS on their brain. Why wasn't the action against ISIS?

PSAKI: Well, first of all, Chris, we have taken steps to take on the threat of ISIL. The president has authorized more than 100 strikes in Iraq, including some over the course of this weekend, to both provide humanitarian assistance and help boost the efforts on the ground and also take on the threat there. But we need to take on threats where they're coming.

And so, without confirming any details, I can assure you that we have multiple pots on the burner at the same time in terms of protecting the American people and doing what's necessary to do that.

CUOMO: What is more likely in your estimation, the U.S. working with Syria to attack ISIS or ISIL or the caliphate or whatever you want to call them, or working with Iran to fight the extension of ISIS or ISIL in Iraq? What's more likely?

PSAKI: Well, Chris, let me introduce a third option, which is something we're actually working on as the United States government, which is building an international coalition with partners around the world, both from the Arab world, from Europe, from Asia, to take on this threat that we're all facing from ISIL. So, that's something that President Obama, Secretary Kerry will be spending a lot of time and Secretary Hagel working on through the course of this week at NATO, and also as we all take trips following NATO to countries around the world to build this.

Now, there are a lot of capabilities that countries have. They're not just military. They can be political, they can be diplomatic. They can be financial, and that's the discussion that we're having with the international community.

CUOMO: NATO, you mentioned. Let's move on to that while I have you. So far, the sanctions haven't seemed to change the mindset or the performance of the Russian President Vladimir Putin. Now, you have NATO.

We had an insider on this morning from Russia, a journalist, TV personality. He says NATO is seen as an existential threat to Russia, that it is as likely the presence of NATO to make them more aggressive than less aggressive. Your thoughts?

PSAKI: Well, I just simply would disagree with that line of thinking. Ukraine is certainly a friend of NATO. They're not a member of NATO.

CUOMO: Right.

PSAKI: But this will be an issue -- having a discussion about what additional tools are at our disposal, whether that's increased sanctions or other tools and that will be something that the president and Secretary Kerry will be discussing with many countries who will be attending the NATO summit this week.

CUOMO: Is there a feeling at the state department that the sanctions are doing anything to Russia? Because the word from within Russia is it's dust off the shoulder.

PSAKI: Well, I think that is simply, is not backed up by facts on the ground. We've seen a dramatic impact on the Russian economy, whether it's the amount of capital flights, hundreds of billions of dollars has departed Russia, the economic growth projections in Russia have -- they are now on a downturn.

So, we've seen an impact on the economy. The question now is, does President Putin care more about his economy and the impact on his people, the people he says he loves and he wants to continue to represent? Or does he care more about continuing to take illegal actions as it relates to the neighboring country of Ukraine?

That's a conversation we're happy to have and we're having with our international partners as well.

CUOMO: One thing's for sure, more men, more weaponry flowing in to Eastern Ukraine from Russia.

Jen Psaki, thank you very much for addressing the issues on the table.

PSAKI: Thank you, Chris.

CUOMO: Always good to have you on NEW DAY.

Mick, over to you.

PEREIRA: All right, Chris. Thanks so much.

Thirteen minutes past the hour.

Let's give you a look at your headlines.

More than 100 family members of victims attacked by ISIS have stormed Iraq's parliament building in Baghdad, members of Iraq's military were attacked in June at a camp near Tikrit by the terrorists. Families are demanding more information about the victim's fates and for their bodies to be returned to them.

The legality of the NSA's bulk collection of phone records faces a test in federal court in New York. The panel of judges will be the first appeals court to address the controversial surveillance program. Today's hearing stems from a suit filed by the ACLU that says the collection of data is a violation of privacy rights and federal law.

A massive search is under way for dozens of teenage boys who escaped from a juvenile detention center in Tennessee. Authorities of the Woodland Youth Development Center say that overnight, 32 boys between the ages of 14 and 18 scaled a fence and fled. Seventeen boys remain at large, 15 others either turned themselves in or were found by police. They're trying to determine if it was planned or a spontaneous escape.

All right. Here we go -- first looks at photos from Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie's surprise wedding at their estate in France. "People" magazine has these in their new issue. Jolie's dress designed by Luigi Massi (ph), features artwork by the couple's children, which I think is darling -- nothing quite as fancy for Mr. Pitt, he wore one of his own suits and had to borrow a tie from one of his son's.

CUOMO: You didn't even show him. There's such a bias toward the bride.

BOLDUAN: It doesn't matter.

PEREIRA: When you are at a wedding, who are you looking at?

CUOMO: Me? The priest I was looking at the whole time.

(LAUGHTER)

BOLDUAN: Praying that you could make it through.

That's a beautiful dress. Am I that unfashionable I've not heard of the designer?

CUOMO: Luigi Massi, I love him, played football with him in seventh grade.

BOLDUAN: Really?

PEREIRA: Oh my goodness.

CUOMO: Probably a different one.

PEREIRA: He's telling lies again, folks.

CUOMO: Did you like the dress?

(CROSSTALK)

PEREIRA: I love that they incorporate -- their kids are such an important part of their family and the fact they got to help design the dress. BOLDUAN: There are so many of them says the woman who can't believe

that she could handle one soon.

CUOMO: Oh, you'll see one leads to three, leads to five, leads to seven.

BOLDUAN: Moving on.

As President Obama heads to Europe today, his foreign policy is under fire from both sides of the aisle. What kind of reaction will he get when he meets with NATO leaders this week? We'll have much more of that coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BOLDUAN: Welcome back to NEW DAY.

President Obama is heading to Europe today ahead of this week's NATO summit. He'll be trying to gather support in the fight against ISIS, as he faces growing criticism at home for a lack of strategy against the terror group ISIS.

Listen to what fellow Democrat, Senator Dianne Feinstein, the chairwoman of the Senate Intelligence Committee had to say on Sunday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. DIANNE FEINSTEIN (D), CALIFORNIA: 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)

BOLDUAN: Fair criticism? What does the president now need to accomplish when he meets with NATO leaders later this week?

Let's discuss with some of our CNN political commentators, Kevin madden, Republican strategist and executive vice president of public affairs from JDA Frontline; and Paul Begala, Democratic strategist. He's senior adviser for the super PAC, Priorities USA Action.

Good morning, gentlemen.

PAUL BEGALA, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Good morning.

KEVIN MADDEN, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Good morning, Kate.

O'DONNELL: So, Kevin, it is not new hearing Republican criticism of the president's stance on foreign policy matters, stance against ISIS. But what do you think the impact is, will be when you hear that coming from a Democrat like Dianne Feinstein?

MADDEN: Well, look, I think if anything it's indicative of just how bad this president's relations are with folks up on Capitol Hill. If he's going to go and make a case for whatever strategy comes up with, he doesn't have one right now, he's really going to need his allies up on Capitol Hill to really deliver on that, and to help make the case to his most important audience here which is the American public.

So, it really is emblematic of just how much work this president still has before him if he is to give people a greater sense of security and clarity that he has a strategy to deal with what even folks in his administration have said is an eminent threat from ISIS.

BOLDUAN: Well, Paul, I also want to get your take. And Kevin makes an important point, he needs to make his case to the more than public.

We had Senator Angus King on earlier in the show and he said the American public's been schizophrenic on this. They want the president to be strong but they also don't want another ground war.

Do you think there's schizophrenia here?

BEGALA: I think I heard senator -- I watched your interview of Senator King, and he's exactly right. Yes, we want two things. We want to kick some ISIS butt and we don't want another war.

So, I think what you do here seriously and this is mission against interests because I am a political hack, you set the politics aside, you develop the best strategy you can and if you take out that gaffe the president had last week, I think he actually outlined a strategy, the heart of it is this --

BOLDUAN: Yes, what is it?

BEGALA: Internationalize the conflict. You saw John Kerry, his secretary of state, writing an op-ed in "The New York Times" to answer Republican critics.

I -- what the president kept saying over and over again at the press conference is this: the U.S. military can go and blow stuff up and they can invade, and conquer and occupy and do a great job -- but as soon as we leave and we will, we'll be back to the conditions beforehand. So, you have to have the regional players and you've got to have the Sunni Arabs in that region and Shiite Arabs in Iran --

BOLDUAN: Right. But, Paul, when the public is schizophrenic, isn't that the job of -- doesn't that call for leadership and isn't that the president's role to lead, to define the strategy and tell the American public why this is a good idea we're doing X, Y, Z?

BEGALA: Yes. In short, yes. But he has to execute on that strategy, right? And that's why you're seeing John Kerry burning up the jet fuel trying to get all the folks together.

It's a more difficult message -- although if I were going to advise him, I guess I would -- I would use phrases like this: burden sharing. We're going -- we're confronting ISIL and we are, already bombing them, we're going to do more, but we're not going to do it alone. And that argument to the American people, we will attack but we will not send your sons and daughters alone into combat against this group.

MADDEN: Here is the problem with that, Paul. I agree with you on principle but one of the big problems is that ISIS is not a new threat. This is something that has been emerging for a very long time and the president has previously said we need to come up with a strategy and we need to build international support.

How much longer does he need? He has to demonstrate that he has already built that international support to deal with the threat rather than talking about it now. That I think is very -- that's why the American people find this so disconcerting that here we are, the president is talking about having a strategy a year ago and he still doesn't have a strategy. He still hasn't built that coalition of international support.

BOLDUAN: I want to know this, Paul, also, and Kevin I want to get your take on this as well. Angus King said another interesting point in our interview that ISIS has ignored the border between Iraq and Syria, so the United States really shouldn't worry about it so much as well. Why is there so much hesitancy to go after ISIS where their leadership is in Syria, in Raqqa, where you see a different situation the United States targeting leaders in Somalia? It seems disjointed.

BEGALA: Right. And when you see Angus King, who is an independent, he caucuses with the Democrats. You see Dianne Feinstein, there's no one more respected on the Hill, at least my side of the aisle, than Dianne Feinstein. She's the chair of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, she knows this stuff cold.

You're seeing Democratic pressure --

BOLDUAN: Yes.

BEGALA: -- now, and liberal pressure even -- to act in Syria militarily against ISIS and I think that will have some real effect but it's got to be part of a coherent strategy. I think the president needs to frankly talk less and act more. The phrase in Latin that I learned from law school, "res ipsa loquitur", "the thing speaks for itself." Right?

The act that American military power has taken in Somalia, took last night in Somalia, well, that speaks for itself. You don't see the president out there talking about al Shabaab. He's sending our forces over there to kill them and that's I think what people want to see.

BOLDUAN: And, Kevin, real quick, I want to get your take. Where is Congress's role here? It sure is easy to criticize from the sidelines. That's for sure. But what is Congress's role when it returns?

MADDEN: Well this is why the presidency is unique. We don't have a Congress-in-chief, we have a commander-in-chief.

I think that Congress, at this point, I think they have done exactly what it is their role is, which is to give the president advice, to have consent over ultimate decisions whether he needs authority to act. But I think what you're seeing right now is that the Congress is really trying to push the president to come up with a more comprehensive strategy because even Democrats up on Capitol Hill, they don't feel that they have an idea or enough of an idea of what the president's strategy is, to take it back and sell it to their own constituents, to make the case for the president's action and ultimately the national security actions of the United States. So -- the national security interests of the United States.

So, that's where they rule. But ultimately, this still does come down to one thing, presidential leadership.

BOLDUAN: All right. We'll continue to talk about it today as the president heads over to begin the NATO summit later this week, an important time, to say the very least.

Kevin, Paul, thanks, guys. Great to see you.

MADDEN: Great to be with you.

BOLDUAN: All right. Talk to you in a bit.

Coming up next on NEW DAY, more details about the U.S. military operation in Somalia, that we were just touching on their -- targeting the al Shabaab terror network. We're going to talk with a counterterrorism expert about the mission, what more we can learn.

And the latest on the situation unfolding in Ukraine. Can NATO leaders come up with a lasting plan to deal with Russian aggression finally?