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New Day

Jeffrey Fowle Back on American Soil; Travel Restrictions on West African Passengers; American Teens Accused of Trying to Join ISIS

Aired October 22, 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: Good morning. Welcome back to NEW DAY. It's Wednesday, October 22nd, now 8:00 in the East.

Chris Cuomo here with Alisyn Camerota.

And we have breaking news for you this morning: American Jeffrey Fowle, held since May in North Korea, there he is back in the United States at last. An emotional reunion with his family right when he landed Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio, just about an hour ago.

As you can see -- no shortage of hugs and tears. Remember, those kids didn't know when their dad was coming home.

We do know U.S. military leaders who helped with the reunion described the scene as just so, so emotional.

Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COLONEL JOHN DEVILIER, INSTALLATION COMMANDER AT WRIGHT-PATTERSON AFB: We had a great reunion for an American citizen coming home. I got teary-eyed, the reaction from his children was priceless. They hadn't seen their dad in sometime, and expectation would be that they would get teary-eyed and they did, and I did, too.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CUOMO: They didn't know. They didn't know.

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: They said they were preparing that it could be years that he was detained. Fowle's release by Pyongyang was a surprising move after they held him for five months for leaving a Bible in a club.

And we're hearing this morning that the move got the green light from North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, but it is unclear whether this development could lead to more progress on the release of two Americans Kenneth Bae and Matthew Miller who are still being detained by the North.

We will speak with Kenneth Bae's sister, and another former detainee in a moment.

But, first, we want to go to CNN's Ripley. He recently had a rare interview with all three detainees.

Will, what's the latest?

WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the latest is, is that the fate of Kenneth b Bae and Matthew Miller remains uncertain right now because unlike Jeffrey Fowle whose case was dismissed before he ever went to trial. Kenneth Bae and Matthew Miller had already been sentenced for their crimes against North Korea.

Kenneth Bae right now serving 15 years hard labor. He works six days a week at a labor camp, eight-hour days. His health has been deteriorating, all of this because he was accused of a missionary of a Christian plot trying to overthrow the North Korean regime.

And then you have Matthew Miller who was convicted of hostile acts against North Korea. They say he entered the country and tore up his tourist visa, seeking asylum, but they think his real motive was to try to expose widespread alleged human rights abuses that were laid out in a United Nations report earlier this year.

The fate of those two men still uncertain this morning and the North Korean government not releasing anything about them when they released a statement to CNN, saying that Kim Jong-un has arc loud a special exception that was the reason that Jeffrey Fowle is now back home with his family in Ohio this morning.

CUOMO: Imagine the emotional roller coaster for him, Will. He speaks to you. He has no idea when he's going to be go home, has to anticipate it could be years if he goes to trial and losses, and now there he is, and for those young kids, 13, 11 and 9 years old and his wife. Amazing reunion here. So unexpected.

Let's get some perspective on. Two women who know this story better than most of us. Terri Chung, the sister of Kenneth Bae, and one of the two remaining American prisoners in North Korea. What will this mean for him?

And also, Euna Lee, a journalist who was held captive herself in North Korea for 140 days. She was released in 2009 and she's the author of a new book, "The World is Bigger Now: An American Journalist Released from Captivity in North Korea."

Euna, let me start with you. What does it mean when you look and see Jeffrey Fowle, you remember what it was like to be back, the uncertainty of whether it would happen. How big a moment is this had for him and what will it be like in the days ahead?

EUNA LEE, FORMER PRISIONER OF NORTH KOREA: Oh, I'm sure he's very elated to be back home and be with his family, especially with his young children. Five months can be a big gap for his young children, and I'm just hoping that he'll have enough time to get rest, and, you know, he can move on and get back to his normal life. CUOMO: Terri, when you see this situation, we've talked so many times

about this. Is mixed emotions for you as you see Mr. Fowle coming home?

TERRI CHUNG, SISTER OF KENNETH BAE: Yes, it is. When I see the footage of their reunion, I get teary-eyed, too, and I'm happy for them. But that's the reunion that we've been dreaming of and fighting for, for the past Two years. So, it's a little bittersweet for us, as well.

CUOMO: What is the latest information that you have on the fate of your brother?

CHUNG: I've heard that there have been ongoing efforts being made behind the scenes by the U.S. State Department, but I think there hasn't been very much progress.

CUOMO: Very much progress. So that even though Mr. Fowle is now home, it doesn't mean that your brother is next or any time soon?

CHUNG: Not that we heard, and I don't know of anything concrete. It could be that there's something going that they're not ready to share yet. But, yes, at this point I'm hoping that this is a positive sign that there might be an opening in the future for further talks about Kenneth Bae's release, as well.

CUOMO: Euna, from being held captive, what understanding did you have of any from the North Korean side that they were even contemplating your release? Did they give any type of indication? Is there any chance that they would be discussing that with the people they're holding?

LEE: No. There was no discussion at all. What frustrated me at the time was, I had no idea what tomorrow was for me, and there were many -- and above that, being -- solitary confinement was very, very difficult. There were many days passed without me speaking a word and I just stared at the walls.

And toward the end of my time in DPRK, my goal became bringing my spirit up, and I am just very concerned about Kenneth Bae and Matt Miller and their condition. You know, we've seen their interview in the footage and it tells everything. They looked very fragile.

CUOMO: They both say with good reason, obviously, that they're being fairly treated and it's as good as they could expect. But what is the reality for them? What is the hardest part of the kind of captivity they're in?

LEE: Well, as I said, I believe that they are being treated fairly, but as I said, being isolated from human being any makes it harsh. And as I said, I -- there were many days, many days. I was just by myself and didn't get to speak a word.

CUOMO: So hard, and I know it is hard for you, Terri, to hear this, but I know you live it every day, about where your brother is, and what's going on with him, because you can't reach him. When was the last time you had any indication of his well-being?

CHUNG: The last of them -- the last news from Kenneth was that footage on September 1st of the interview with Will Ripley.

CUOMO: That's all you've had. He hasn't been allowed any more communication.

Let me ask you something, the State Department says they're doing what they can to help him get out of North Korea. But we learned something about Jeffrey Fowle, that he's a civil servant. He was working for his local government. He was taken off the payroll because they didn't know when he would be coming back home and that his family had really struggled with hard times as a result of that.

Is that surprising to you, Terri, that while the government says it's doing everything it can abroad, that they don't make sure that someone who's a civil servant keeps their job?

CHUNG: I don't know really anything about that, so I can't really comment on that. But I do know that it is a daily struggle for families whose loved ones are detained abroad because they are cut off -- not only cut off from the rest of the world, but cut off from economic support and the ability to provide for their families, for sure.

CUOMO: Has the government offered any help to your family in that regard?

CHUNG: No. Not outside of the ongoing weekly conversations and efforts they're making for advocacy.

CUOMO: So what is the appeal that you want to make today as there is this glimmer of hope that North Korea is at least open to once again releasing people as happened with the journalist Ling and Euna Lee.

What's your message?

CHUNG: Please take the opportunity, take the opening and let's not miss another opportunity to do everything possible to get Kenneth Bae home. It has been two years and he's not doing well health-wise. He's back in the labor camp and it is time to bring him home. Please take the chance and make it a priority on bring him home, please.

CUOMO: And, Euna, what do you say? I look forward to seeing it as it, you know, as it plays out here, but a lot of people when they hear about people who get stuck in North Korea, they say, oh, you should never go there. It's such a dangerous place. You should know that these are the risks.

What do you want people to know about the reality of being caught captive in a country like that and what the hopes are for being released?

LEE: I will say that, you know, no one puts -- tries to put themselves in danger. When I worked, no one -- we don't intend to be in danger, but you never know. You never know where you are at when you are in a foreign country, you never know what you're going to face especially countries like North Korea.

CUOMO: Euna Lee, thank you very much for sharing your experience, and your book again, "The World is Bigger Now" for people to read and understand the experience.

And, Terri Chung, you know we will stay along the path of this journey that your family is on and you will let us know how to help going forward.

CHUNG: Thank you.

CUOMO: All right. Mick, over to you.

MICHAELA PEREIRA, CNN ANCHOR: All right, Chris. Thank you so much for that.

Ten minutes past the hour and here's a look at your headlines.

The Pentagon is now investigating a video that's been released by ISIS that appears to show the militants handling weapons that were intended for Syrian Kurdish fighters. The Pentagon says it airdropped 27 bundles for Kurdish forces that ISIS was fighting and the vast majority ended up the in the right hands.

"The Washington Post" meanwhile is reporting that the U.S. and Iraq are planning an offensive using Iraqi ground forces to reclaim towns and cities occupied by ISIS.

The alleged White House fence jumper Omar Gonzalez has had his arraignment delayed. A judge wants the homeless Iraqi war veteran to undergo an evaluation for 30 days before deciding he is fit to stand trial.

Last month as you'll recall, Gonzalez raced into the White House lawn and into the executive mansion. He was carrying a knife. The judge told the court Gonzalez served his country well and, quote, "still deserves our respect."

Michael Sam cut again. The NFL's first openly gay player has been released by the Dallas Cowboys practice squad. He didn't make it on to the field for a regular season game.

Sam thanked the Cowboys for the opportunity and he told his Twitter followers that he will continue to fight for an opportunity to play. Before signing with Dallas, he was released by the St. Louis Rams earlier this year.

Got to show a bizarre ordeal. It does end well, don't worry, for a group of people stuck in an elevator in China. The door open and all they see is this brick wall. No one could hear their calls for help, so one of the guys, either a decorator or a maintenance worker or something had a hammer and he worked on crack a hole in the wall big enough for another fella, I guess they elected him the slenderest man, to slither out and get help just in the nick of time. Reports say the elevator started moving as slid out. The whole thing captured on closed-circuit TV. And officials like, if they just held on we would have gotten to them.

CAMEROTA: For how long?

PEREIRA: That was risk, you know? But you just never know.

CAMEROTA: Carefully crafted by their attorneys.

CUOMO: The elevator was starting to move.

PEREIRA: It was just --

CUOMO: Like the right way or like the wrong way?

PERIERA: Either way, it's going to end poorly if your torso --

CUOMO: As he was getting out. I got you.

PEREIRA: Yes.

CAMEROTA: Scary.

I hope the Hollywood producer is watching this and immediately making the movie, elevator 2014.

PERIERA: Throw in a snake, too, just for fun.

CUOMO: Snakes on an elevator. That's a hit, with the buffalo potato chips.

PEREIRA: We're on a roll. This is a good week.

CAMEROTA: We are on the roll.

Meanwhile, Homeland Security announcing new flight restrictions for people traveling to the U.S. from West Africa, as the new Ebola czar starts today. We will speak with an infectious disease expert about all these new developments.

CUOMO: And three Denver teens stopped reportedly on their way to Syria to join ISIS. Why would they do this and does it mean anything about the vulnerability of the U.S. to homegrown terror plots? We'll take you through it.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CUOMO: Welcome back.

Another victory over Ebola. NBC freelance photographer Ashoka Mukpo has been declared Ebola-free and will be checking out of a Nebraska hospital today. This as all air passengers traveling from West Africa to the United States will now be required to land at only one of five U.S. airports set up for enhanced Ebola screenings.

These new restrictions are coming on the same day that Ron Klain, the man on your screen, begins his new job as Ebola response coordinator. Let's bring in White House correspondent Michelle Kosinski.

This is a big job with a lot of eyes on it, Michelle.

MICHELLE KOSINSKI, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, plenty of pressure. And, you know, in this country, we haven't quite been able on confirm a surgeon general, but we do now have Ebola czar.

And, you know, the White House for a long time resisted creating this position, saying it would only add another layer of bureaucracy and that that wasn't necessary. Well, now, possibly bending to all of that political pressure, they say that Ron Klain will lead an effective, aggressive, synchronized response to Ebola across all of the levels of government involved, not only in preventing it here in this country and trying to stop it at its source in Africa.

So, today, we will see Klain meet with the president and other top members of the team, some White House staff, and the White House says that most of his job will be behind the scenes. So, we might not see the kind of face of the response that some expected.

There's also an expectation out there that if things go wrong, he's the one that will have to take the heat for it.

And you mentioned this comes on the same day as these new travel restrictions. Well, the questions surrounding all of these changes is, why now? Why do this step by step and why wasn't this done, of course, from the very beginning, Chris.

CUOMO: Strong questions, Michelle Kosinski.

Let's get some answers, right now, Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: OK. Chris, let's do that.

Joining us is Dr. Brett Giroir. He's director of the Texas Task Force on Infectious Disease and Preparedness and Response.

Dr. Giroir, thanks for being here this morning.

DR. BRETT GIROIR, DIR., TEXAS TASK FORCE ON INFECTIOUS DIEASES PREP. & RESPONSE: Good morning.

CAMEROTA: Can you give us a status report on the 70-plus health care workers who are currently being monitored in Texas? Are any of them exhibiting any symptoms?

GIROIR: Well, fortunately, this morning again, we have no additional people who are exhibiting symptoms or any signs of Ebola. They remain on monitoring and on watch, and as the days goes by, fewer and fewer people will be on that watch and we expect to be completely over that by November 6th.

Again, we're not out of the woods yet. There's still an opportunity for patients to develop symptom, but so far so good right now.

CAMEROTA: Yes. And we do see that date as the light at the end of the tunnel.

Dr. Giroir, as you may know, the top doctor at Texas Presbyterian sat down with CNN's Ed Lavandera and talked about what he believes is the biggest mistake that Texas Presbyterian Hospital made. So, let's listen to that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLI)

DR. DANIEL VARGA, CHIEF CLINICAL OFFICER, TEXAS: Where we fell short was in really going through simulation and training and drilling around what might happen if someone with appropriate symptomatology, appropriate history, showed up in the E.D. and raised a suspicion of Ebola.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMEROTA: OK. So, simulation, training, drilling. Are all of those now happening at Texas hospitals?

GIROIR: Well, yes. They're happening throughout Texas as they're happening throughout the country because as you know, the first patient changes everything. But I think we need to look back also and make sure that we're providing the hospitals the necessary resources to do that. Hospital preparedness funds as I testified to Congress have been drastically cut. These are vitally important so hospitals can train within themselves, but also within the communities to handle an outbreak like Ebola that we just had.

CAMEROTA: So, do you feel as though the federal officials have adequately prepared you?

GIROIR: I think preparedness comes at the all levels. We certainly rely on federal officials like CDC in a strong advisory role. They are the international experts. They have a storied history. So, they have to advise us and provide the right recommendation, but preparedness really is on the local level at the hospital, within the county, within the state, because that's really where the action is and where the command and control is like the incident that we just had.

CAMEROTA: Yes. And I guess what I'm asking you is, do you feel as though you have enough money now that funds have been cut?

GIROIR: Well, hospitals have -- hospital regions have been very outspoken over the last couple of years about wanting more preparedness funds to prepare for assets like this for events like this. So, I think we're going to have to relook at that. Again, when I testified to Congress a couple of weeks ago, that was a major point that hospital preparedness needs to be improved. It's not all about making a new vaccine or a new drug against Ebola or a new leadership. Some of it is just preparedness right on the ground. I think that would yield tremendous benefits to the system.

CAMEROTA: As you know, Ron Klain, the new Ebola czar, begins his job today. What's the first thing you want to see him do? GIROIR: I want him to assert his authority and take charge. I think

it's the critical for someone to wake up every morning and go to bed every night preferably with only four or five hours of sleep, thinking about Ebola and trying to integrate the disparate agencies, local and state and regional authorities who are attacking this problem.

So, I want him to assert his authority. I want him to assert control and be the person in charge. That's really what we need.

We talked about having a special assistant to the president for a long time who would have this role right now for Ebola. I think that has been appointed and we shouldn't have a disease czar. We should have one person at the White House level who's always in control of these circumstances.

CAMEROTA: OK. It's a tall order. We will see if he's up to the task beginning today.

Dr. Brett Giroir, thanks so much for making time for us this morning.

GIROIR: You're quite welcome. Thank you.

CAMEROTA: Let's go over to Chris.

CUOMO: All right. Another situation to tell you about: three Denver teens caught accused of trying to join ISIS in Syria. Why would they do this? And what does it mean to the vulnerability of homegrown terrorists?

Also, Monica Lewinsky back in the news, opening up about falling in love with her boss. Now, reaction pouring in, some of it, surprise, brutal. Why did she speak out now? She's already told her story before. How do you move on in this type of world of political intrigue?

Let's get some opinions here. Gloria Allred, the attorney, will weigh in.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PEREIRA: Good to have you back with us on NEW DAY.

There is growing concern over the global reach of extremism. Three American girls caught, intercepted essentially in Germany, reportedly bound for Syria, wanting to join ISIS. They're back home now in the Denver area.

In Canada, a terror suspect was killed after running down two soldiers, killing one with his car.

And newly released video shows an Australian teen alongside ISIS fighters in Syria.

Justice correspondent Pamela Brown has more on terror concerns around the globe.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAMELA BROWN, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Three high school girls from Denver are the latest American teenagers drawn in by the radical world of Islamic extremism.

Only 15 and 16 years old, two of them sisters of Somali descents, allegedly aspiring to join the fight in Syria. According to law enforcement sources, the teens boarded a flight in Denver over the weekend and made it to Frankfurt, Germany, where police arrested them before they could continue on to Turkey and then Syria.

CNN has learned they allegedly self-radicalized online.

AKI PERITZ, FORMER CIA OFFICER: They're oftentimes searching for an identity because the jihad is are pushing is a specific narrative, which is, your people are being oppressed in this place called Syria, your government is doing nothing. We're the only ones that will help you out, why don't you join the fight?

BROWN: The only reason the teens were caught, one of their parents called police and the FBI quickly flagged their passports.

Across the border in Canada, new concerns tonight after a 25-year-old man ran over two soldiers with his car, killing one and injuring another. Police shot and killed him. Canadian authorities say the man may have been radicalized and had been on their radar.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is a terrible act of violence against our country, against our military and against our value.

BROWN: And this 17-year-old Australian teenager raising alarm bells after he recently showed up in video alongside is fighters in Syria, threatening to behead Western leaders including President Obama.

Pamela Brown, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PEREIRA: Let's bring in former jihadist, Mubin Shaikh. He was an undercover counterterrorism operative for Canada's intelligence service. And he joins me this morning from Toronto.

Mubin, really a pleasure to talk to you, and it's interesting to me to talk to you because not only were you undercover, but you were actually going along a path as a young Muslim youth in Canada that was leading to extremism.