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New Day

NBC Freelancer Now Ebola Free; Ebola Czar Ron Klain on the Job Today; American Freed After Five Months in North Korea; Remembering Ben Bradlee; Dow Climbs Again

Aired October 22, 2014 - 06:00   ET

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

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: Breaking news, the American freed from North Korea set to arrive in the U.S. any minute. This, as the country's reclusive leader makes another appearance. Is this a sign of things to come?

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: And, startling new details in the case of three teenager girls from the U.S. arrested on their way allegedly to join ISIS. This as an extremist in Canada runs over two soldiers in a park, killing one of them. What experts fear most about these home- grown terrorists.

MICHAELA PEREIRA, CNN ANCHOR: A towering figure in journalism is gone. Ben Bradlee, the legendary editor of the "Washington Post," the man who oversaw the paper's Watergate coverage has died. Woodward and Bernstein join us live to remember a true great.

CUOMO: Your NEW DAY starts right now.

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

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CUOMO: Good morning, welcome to NEW DAY. It is Wednesday, October 22nd, 6:00 in the East. I'm Chris Cuomo joined by Alisyn Camerota. And happening right now, an American who had been held in North Korea is heading home this morning. Jeffrey Fowle is en route to an Air Force base in Ohio after being picked up by a U.S. military jet in Pyongyang. He had been held for five months.

His crime, leaving a bible at a club for foreign sailors, he admitted it. But it remains very unclear this morning, why North Korea decided to release Fowle?

CAMEROTA: As Fowle heads home, there are questions about what this means for Kenneth Bae and Matthew Miller, the other two Americans, who were still detained by the North.

And amid these developments, the regime's reclusive leader, Kim Jong- Un has made yet another public appearance, an apparent attempt to stifle those rumors that his leadership is in jeopardy. So let's bring in CNN's Will Ripley. He is live from Tokyo. Will had a rare interview with all three detainees recently. So Will, was there any sign that one of them would be freed?

WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Not at that time. In fact, all of them were very concerned, Alisyn, that they were going to be held in North Korea possibly for years.

Just within the past few minutes, I received a statement from my source inside the North Korean government, a source that I've kept in touch with since I left Pyongyang.

And this source tells me that it was in fact, Kim Jong-Un himself who agreed to allow Jeffrey Fowle to make his journey home.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RIPLEY (voice-over): A rare sight on the runway in North Korea, an American plane bringing home a U.S. citizen. This morning, Jeffrey Fowle's six-month nightmare is over.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're thrilled. We're overjoyed.

RIPLEY: Fowle's family pastor says his Ohio hometown was praying for this day. The middle-aged father facing the possibility of years of hard labor for leaving his bible at a North Korean club in April, independent religion viewed as a dangerous threat to the regime led by Kim Jong-Un. Fowle told CNN last month, he'd asked North Korean officials for forgiveness.

JEFFREY FOWLE, RELEASED FROM NORTH KOREA: I admit my guilt to the government and signed a statement to that effect.

RIPLEY: He also begged to go home to his family and pleaded for help from the U.S. government.

FOWLE: I need to let people know that I'm getting desperate. I'm getting desperate for help.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're preparing for the worst-case scenario.

RIPLEY: Fowle's attorney says his family was preparing for the long haul, years of hard labor, just like the two other Americans held in North Korea. Missionary Kenneth Bae, convicted of a religious plot to overthrow the regime and Matthew Miller convicted of committing hostile acts for tearing up his tourist visa and seeking asylum.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We are pleased that he was able to leave and urge the immediate release of the other two.

RIPLEY: The U.S. State Department says work continues to secure the release of Miller and Bae, but won't reveal why the secretive regime allowed Fowle to board this plane and make his long-awaited journey home.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think we'll let the North Koreans speak for themselves why they decided to do this, why now.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

RIPLEY: And this morning, the North Koreans are speaking for themselves. Giving CNN an exclusive statement just within the past few minutes, saying that Fowle's case was dismissed and he received a special dispensation from the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-Un.

But what is still uncertain, what North Korea is not talking about the is the fate of those other two detained Americans, Kenneth Bae and Matthew Miller, who have already been convicted and are currently serving time inside North Korea -- Chris, Alisyn.

CUOMO: All right, Will, do me a favor, stay with us becuase I want to get your insight into especially what we're hearing in the latest statement. I'm reading it as you were reporting it.

So let's continue this conversation. Keep Will and let's bring in Bobby Ghosh, CNN global affairs analyst and managing editor of "Quartz." Bobby, you don't have the release. Will was looking at it and I'm sure he's still reading it now.

Comrade Kim Jong-Un, first chairman of whatever his title is in deference to the agreement between the DPRK, North Korea, and U.S. What agreement?

BOBBY GHOSH, MANAGING EDITOR, "QUARTZ": We don't know anything about any agreement. Either the Koreans are making this up, which is not beyond them to do that or there's some sort of a secret deal that has been made, which is less likely.

CUOMO: Not that secret, right?

GHOSH: No, not that they're saying it out loud. We know that the North Koreans don't do anything for purely altruistic reasons, so if they released Mr. Fowle, there must be something they're expecting in return or something they have been promised in return.

CUOMO: Will, you've got sources there. You were discussing them earlier, is your head anywhere on what agreement would be in place? And if there were an agreement, why would it include Fowle, who hadn't even been sent to trial yet and not Kenneth Bae, who is obviously in much worst shape and held there under much more curious circumstances?

RIPLEY: Well, I think there are a lot of factors at play here, Chris. One is the fact that Fowle out of all three men, his charges were considered less serious. His case was less complicated. He simply left a bible.

Whereas Matthew Miller was accused of tearing up his visa, committing a hostile act, North Korea thinks he was trying to get into the country to expose widespread alleged human rights abuses that were detailed in that U.N. report early this year.

And of course, Kenneth Bae, a missionary accused of a Christian plot to overthrow the regime. He's been held longer than any other American. So those two other Americans' cases are much more complex, which may be why Fowle is the first to be allowed out.

CUOMO: All right, Will, thank you for that. So Bobby, help me understand this because there's something about it that's inherently nonsensical. Yes, Fowle was there five months, hadn't been tried yet.

Basically just left a bible in a place and that was seen as offensive because even though you have state-sanctioned religion, churches, this was seen as outside of that, but why him?

GHOSH: The Koreans --

CUOMO: We're very happy that he's been released, by the way, but it just seems unusual to do one and not him and Bae or all three, why do it this way?

GHOSH: That is quite unusual. I mean, unless this is part one of a three part or two part program where the other two will be released shortly especially since they are now making this out as the Kim Jong- Un reason. If Kim Jong-Un is willing to exercise personal power then all three could quite easily be released.

In North Korea, any kind of missionary activity is seen not as an insult, but as almost a threat to the state. The state controls -- this is a state that tries to control the way its people think.

So any attempt to go outside of a very small group of state sanctioned churches is potentially a challenge to the authority of that state and they take that very seriously.

In the case of Kenneth Bae, he's already been in jail two years. He's been sentenced to 15 years --

CUOMO: Hard labor.

GHOSH: Hard labor. That shows you how seriously they take that.

CUOMO: You know, I don't know about the translation here. But it's interesting that they use the word in deference to an agreement, this is a country that's been openly hostile and contemptuous of the United States. And to use the words "in deference" "out of respect of" that's an interesting word.

But if there were a deal, don't you think the U.S. would have come out and said that we've made an agreement because this has to be a black eye, you know, the way you describe the DPRK.

What makes them so different than all these other bad guys by U.S. definition that we do business with all the time that the U.S. is cutting deals with?

GHOSH: Well, maybe they don't want to do business with us. Not just with us, with anyone. The South Koreans, the Japanese, except with China, they don't want to do business with anybody and even with China, there's a certain arm's length.

They depend very heavily on China, but they like being this isolated country. That's their whole point. The leadership doesn't want their people exposed to too many outside influences.

CUOMO: So you don't think it's about the U.S. You think it's about them.

GHOSH: They are under several pressures. They are worried that the United Nations might take them to the International Criminal Court because of human rights abuses and that may be part of their thinking.

They've not been in communication with the U.S. for a while and this may be an attempt to open the door to a conversation. One thing is clear -- they're not doing this out of the kindness of their heart or out of sympathy for Mr. Fowle and his condition at all.

If they're doing this, in their minds, there's a quid pro quo, they're expecting something in return. Something that's already been promised to them or they're just expecting it.

CUOMO: All right, we'll have to see what happens next with it. Any way you look at it, it's a good development. It's good that someone is getting out of there who doesn't belong there by the perspective of the western world, anyway.

GHOSH: And any part of the world, honestly and it's a very, very strange place so to expect, to be able to make sort of rational sense out of their actions, sometimes not so easy.

CUOMO: Well, it's good to have you to try it, nonetheless. Bobby Ghosh, thank you very much. Mich, over to you for the news.

PEREIRA: All right, Chris, thanks so much. Here's a look at your headlines, three American teenaged girls apparently bound for Syria to join extremists, possibly ISIS, are back home in the Denver area now.

Investigators say they are combing through these teenagers' online communications to try and piece together why they ran away. The teens said to be two sisters of Somali descent and a friend whose family is Sudanese were stopped in Germany after their parents called the FBI.

In the meantime, a newly released video shows this, a 17-year-old Australian teenager alongside ISIS fighters in Syria, threatening to behead western leaders.

The Pentagon is now investigating a video released by ISIS that appears to show the militants handling weapons intended for Syrian Kurdish fighters. The Pentagon says it air-dropped 27 bundles of weapons to Kurdish forces fighting ISIS and that the vast majority ended up in the right hands.

Also the "Washington Post" has reported that the U.S. and Iraq are planning an offensive over the next few months, using Iraqi ground forces to reclaim towns and cities occupied by ISIS.

New grand jury leaks in the Michael Brown shooting revealed the results of the teenager's autopsy. The "St. Louis Post Dispatched" published the report. It shows that Brown's gunshot wounds including one in the hand at close range. That could support Officer Darren Wilson's account of a struggle at his patrol car before the unarmed teen was fatally shot.

Game one of baseball's fall classic goes to the Giants beat the Royals 7-1. Scoring through run in the first inning and letting their eighth Madison Rongardner do the rest. First loss for the Royals this post season after a record eight straight wins in a row. Game two tonight Kansas City, what are you be doing, watching the game? Yes.

CAMEROTA: Thanks so much, Michaela. He was called the heart and soul of the "Washington Post" that's just one of the many glowing tributes for Ben Bradlee, the former "Post" editor who died Tuesday at the age of 93.

Bradlee was at the helm during the paper's Watergate coverage and was immortalized in the film "All the President's Men." He leaves behind a legacy of groundbreaking investigative journalism.

Brian Todd has more on the life and legend of Ben Bradlee.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): His first battle with the Nixon administration was over publishing the Pentagon papers in 1971. Leaked documents that showed how poorly the Vietnam War was handled.

BEN BRADLEE: The "Post" was looking for a seat at the big table. We weren't at the big table yet and we very much wanted to go there.

TODD: As editor of the "Washington Post," Benjamin Bradlee fought Nixon's objections all the way to the Supreme Court, winning the right to publish, along with the "New York Times." A year later, the stakes were even higher as he headed the newspaper's coverage of the Watergate scandal.

CARL BERNSTEIN, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: And the stakes were enormous, every day the White House, the leader of the free world, his spokesman would get up and attack the "Washington Post," attack Ben Bradlee by name, attack Woodward and myself, and he backed us up.

TODD: "Post" reporters, Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward led the way in unraveling the story, which brought down Richard Nixon.

BRADLEE: We knew Nixon lied, when he returned to the country early on and said I can't tell about Watergate because it involves national security.

TODD: Ben Bradlee, Woodward and Bernstein had help from a secret source code-named "Deep Throat." Bradlee was immortalized in the movie "All The President's Men" where he was played by Jason Robartz.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nothing is riding on this except the first amendment of the constitution, freedom of the press and maybe the future of the country.

TODD: As a boy, Bradlee survived polio, went to Harvard then served on a destroyer in World War II through more than a dozen battles. As a young reporter he became friends with John F. Kennedy, who moved in on the same block when he first got elected to Congress. But Bradlee always maintained a healthy skepticism of Washington power players, which only grew stronger over time.

BRADLEE: I think there's been an enormous increase in -- in not telling the truth, lying.

TODD: A dapper presence in the newsroom. Former colleagues described him as demanding but inspiring. He received the Medal of Freedom from President Obama at the age of 91.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: He transformed that newspaper into one of the finest in the world.

TODD: Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CAMEROTA: What a story, I mean, it takes such intestinal fortitude to stick to your guns when it involves the president of the United States and the first amendment and everything he just outlined in the movie.

PEREIRA: Knowing and not knowing the repercussions, right. In that decision you make that decision to go there knowing that this could be pivotal, indeed it was, but having like you said that, that desire to just do it, stick by your guns.

CAMEROTA: Right, without knowing what's going to happen.

CUOMO: At a time when it wasn't done. You know, it's not today where a scandal is sport. This was the biggest institution in the world. There was great respect for institutions. They believe, you know, the believed the institution more than it would the media. So it cannot be exaggerated, what a big target this have gone.

CAMEROTA: Well, we're looking for it in the next hour because we will be talking about that Bradlee's legacy with "Washington Post" legends, Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, stick around for that conversation.

CUOMO: All right, we also have some new developments for you in the battle to prevent an Ebola outbreak here in the U.S. Not a travel ban, but new restrictions placed on passengers flying into America from three West African nations.

And the new Ebola czar takes office today. He doesn't want to be called a czar, by the way.

Plus, no fan, but plenty of heat, Charlie Crist and Rick Scott tearing into each other in their second Florida debate to be governor, why some observers claim the voters definitely lost.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CAMEROTA: We have good news to share this morning. It's another victory over Ebola. NBC freelance cameraman, Ashoka Mukpo, has been cleared for discharge from a Nebraska hospital today after doctors declared him virus-free. All of this as Homeland Security tightens travel restrictions on all incoming passengers from West Africa. They are now required to land in one of the five U.S. airports where enhanced Ebola screenings are already in place.

Meanwhile, the nation's new Ebola Czar, Ron Klain, begins his new job just a few hours from now. We've got complete coverage of the Ebola situation, beginning with Ed Lavandera, live from Dallas where officials from Texas Presbyterian Hospital are apologizing now for their handling of the Ebola crisis.

Ed, give us the latest.

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Alisyn. Well, we sat down with one of the top executives at Texas Health Presbyterian yesterday to talk about the way the hospital handled the case of Thomas Eric Duncan and everything after that.

And that executive says that, looking back, that they misdiagnosed Thomas Eric Duncan and that they essentially became complacent, despite weeks and weeks and months of warnings from -- about Ebola from the CDC, that the hospital let its guard down.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LAVANDERA (voice-over): This morning, the freelance cameraman who contracted Ebola in Liberia is now free of the virus, according to health officials. Ashoka Mukpo tweeted, "I fought and won with lots of help. Amazing feeling."

The 33-year-old is also offering hope for nurses Nina Pham and Amber Vinson. "Look forward to the day you two get news like this, too," he writes.

Both contracted Ebola while caring for the now-deceased Liberian man, Thomas Eric Duncan, at the Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital. During the highest-risk period for treating Duncan, the nurses wore protective gowns that exposed their necks.

DR. DANIEL VARGA, CHIEF CLINCIAL OFFICER, TEXAS: We were very comfortable as we've reviewed Amber's use and Nina's use that they knew what they were doing.

LAVANDERA: I spoke with the chief clinical officer of the hospital who says he didn't know of any nurses raising concerns about having exposed skin.

(on camera): Did anyone raise a red flag and say, "Even though we're following CDC guidelines here, we're not covered the way we should be?"

VARGA: I think in retrospect, we've asked that question. We were in full compliance with CDC contact and droplet precautions going forward, from the minute we had the diagnosis of Ebola.

LAVANDERA (voice-over): Since then, the CDC has updated its guidelines, fully covered protective gear from head to toe.

UM: Now Barbara's going to turn around so I can inspect her.

LAVANDERA: But prior to prevention, it's detection. Varga admits Texas Health was ill-prepared and fell short in diagnosing the Ebola patient.

VARGA: We had all the elements of information that were critical to understand a potential diagnosis of Ebola but then communicating the information between caregivers was not as front of mind as it should've been.

LAVANDERA: Meanwhile, the Department of Homeland Security is wrapping up its efforts. Starting today, all passengers arriving to the U.S. from Ebola-stricken countries must land at one of only five airports with enhanced Ebola screening.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LAVANDERA (on camera): And Alisyn, a lot of health officials here in Dallas looking forward to the date around November 7, of a little more than two weeks from now, that that would be kind of the end of that window where anyone who had come in contact with Amber Vinson and Nina Pham, the last possible contacts, that incubation period would be over for them. They're calling that the magic date.

CAMEROTA: Yes, they will be able to exhale on that. Ed Lavandera, thanks so much.

CUOMO: All right, in terms of what we do about Ebola, the new Ebola response coordinator, also known as a czar, reports for duty today. A former chief-of-staff to two vice presidents, Ron Klain, charged with coordinating the Obama administration's response to the outbreak.

Let's bring in White House correspondent Michelle Kosinski. Michelle, sounds like I was bringing down criminal charges on him and certainly that is the level of scrutiny this man will have on him moving forward.

MICHELLE KOSINSKI, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: You're right, Chris. And you know this was a position that, for a while at least, the White House was very reluctant to create, saying it would merely add another layer of bureaucracy. So they've almost seen to give in to some political pressure on this, because now they say Ron Klain will lead an effective, aggressive, synchronized approach to Ebola and stopping it not only here in the U.S., but trying to stop it at its source in Africa.

So today we will see him meet with the president, top members of the coordination team, senior White House staff, and others. And the White House says his job will primarily be behind the scenes. So he may not in fact be the kind of face of the response that some were expecting.

And now, at the same time today, we see these travel restrictions going into effect with everybody now coming into this country shuttled through five airports that have had stepped-up screening. The question with all of these changes of course -- why now? Why in this kind of step-by-step approach instead of doing all of this from the very beginning? Chris.

CUOMO: And now we're hearing that Texas Presbyterian saying it won't see Ebola patients anymore. I thought all hospitals were supposed to be able to at least diagnose, so what does that mean? A lot for Mr. Klain to figure out going forward.

Michelle Kosinski, thank you very much for the support.

So no flap over fans at this latest debate.

CAMEROTA: Good.

CUOMO: But it was very good that Jake Tapper was cool in his seat trying to moderate between these two last night. Charlie Crist and Rick Scott got nasty, got personal. And as I said, Jake was moderating the debate. Did a heck of a job. He's going to join us live with the final scorecard.

CAMEROTA: Plus, wait until you hear this story -- paralyzed from the waist down after a knife attack four years ago, now he's walking again. How doctors miraculously got this patient back on his feet.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CUOMO: Ah, the jingle, it is CNN money time. Alison Kosik here with the markets. Momentary machinations. What do we know?

ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Oh yes. As far as last week goes, that plunge just a distant memory. Stocks are on the rebound, though futures aren't doing much movement yet today.

Yesterday stocks had a huge day, the Dow climbed 215 points, or about 1.3 percent, and that means the Dow is once again up for the year. So far, a great week so far in a very rocky month.

We're watching shares of Yahoo! on the move, moving higher, up about 3 percent before the opening bell. The web giant's profits soared in the third quarter. That's mostly thanks to the more than $6 billion raked in from selling part of its stake in that little-known company called Alibaba. That company had the biggest IPO in Wall Street history last month.

And poor McDonald's, it's revamping its menu. The chain said it will simplify its menu and make it more customizable in an effort to curb sinking profits and sluggish sales. The chain has fallen out of favor with younger customers; you know, they're looking for healthier meals.

CAMEROTA: That's good. That's a good trend.

KOSIK: Yes, but not good for McDonald's.

CAMEROTA: But they all adapt.

KOSIK: We'll see. That's the trick.

CAMEROTA: Alisyn, thanks so much. OK, let's get over to Michaela. PEREIRA: We've got a look at headlines. Good morning once again,

everyone.

Jeffrey Fowle, the American released by North Korea is set to arrive in the U.S. any moment. They'll land at Wright-Patterson Air Force base in Ohio. We'll bring that arrival to you live.

Fowle was held by Pyongyang for five months because he left a Bible at a club earlier this week (sic). This morning, we've learned that Fowle was given special dispensation by leader Kim Jong-Un and his case has been dismissed. Now, it's unclear what this means for the release of two other Americans that are still being held there, Matthew Miller and Kenneth Bae. We'll be watching that obviously.