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The Lead with Jake Tapper

Prisoners Released from North Korea; Horrific Attack on School in Nigeria; Freezing Temps Across The Country; A New "Heartbreaker" For Zeppelin Fans

Aired November 10, 2014 - 16:30   ET

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

JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: Welcome back to "THE LEAD." I'm Jake Tapper. More world news. Emotional reunions for two Americans kept prisoner by the North Koreans until this weekend. But still unclear just how were these two freed? And why? Right now, Kenneth Bae and Matthew Todd Miller are getting adjusted to life back in the U.S. after in Bae's case years in North Korea including time at a labor camp. Both men returned to their families over the weekend. Today in Beijing, President Obama said the U.S. jumped on the opportunity to bring these men home.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: I couldn't be happier for the families as we enter into the holidays to know that their loved ones are back. It's a good news story.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: The president also said the release did not involve high- level talks. But we do know the U.S. sent National Intelligence Director General James Clapper to Pyongyang. And Clapper brought along a letter from President Obama addressed to dear leader himself, Kim Jong-un. CNN chief national security correspondent Jim Sciutto joins me now. Jim, this mission almost didn't get off the ground.

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. We learned today that this lofty and elaborate diplomatic mission ran into a very - one of the problem that we are all familiar with: the flight delay. Twice James Clapper's jet forced to stop. Not once, but twice on the way to Pyongyang. Once in Honolulu, the second time in Guam with mechanical problems. The Americans Bae and Miller might have been home free by Friday otherwise. Regardless, still a remarkable moment in the long troubled U.S./North Korea relationship.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SCIUTO: The mission to bring Americans Kenneth Bae and Matthew Miller home was the result of elaborate behind-the-scenes planning and ultimately a risk. North Korea approached the U.S. two weeks ago asking for a high-level U.S. Envoy.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: We had an indication that there was the possibility of the release of these two hostages, these prisoners. And we pursued it.

SCIUTTO: The U.S. responded with James Clapper, the nation's top spy, but not a diplomat who might signal the opening of a broader negotiation. He carried a letter addressed to the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, stating he was traveling as the president's envoy solely to bring the two Americans home. Clapper, who did not meet with Kim himself, did not know he'd succeed in his mission until he, Bae and Miller were on their way back.

KENNETH BAE, RELEASED BY NORTH KOREA: It's been an amazing two years. I learned a lot. I grew a lot. Lost a lot of weight in a good way. But I'm standing strong because of you.

SCIUTTO: So why now? For one, North Korea is under enormous international pressure following a damning U.N. report on human rights violations in its prison system. An effort is now underway through the International Criminal Court to charge senior North Korean officials including Kim himself with crimes. More immediately, the world's leaders including President Obama are now gathered in China. North Korea's neighbor and sole ally. With a growing consensus that North Korea and its nuclear program must be dealt with firmly.

OBAMA: It's going to take a broader understanding on the part of the North Koreans that all the countries in the region consider this to be their number one security priority, making sure that we do not have a nuclearized Korean peninsula.

SCIUTTO: North Korea's leader is under pressure at home as well, following a month-long disappearance explained only after the fact as a result of an operation on his foot.

JOSEPH DETRANI, FORMER SPECIAL ENVOY TO NORTH KOREA: North Korea's always looking for something. And they used that something for their domestic audience to show that Kim Jong-un and North Korea itself is such an important player.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SCIUTTO: Now, receiving America's top spy would certainly give North Korean leaders face, that is, respectability. But for the U.S. dispatching the man who oversees the 16 intelligence agencies, many of which keep a very close eye on North Korea, also sends a message. Now, if North Korea was expecting a reward for the release of these Americans as world leaders gather in Beijing, that's unlikely. One Western diplomat telling me that this is likely to be a tough week for Pyongyang in Beijing.

TAPPER: Jim, what are we expecting, if anything, to come out of the president's trip to China?

SCIUTTO: It's not going to be a lot. A lot of these things, they have very run of the mill deliverables. There are some visa extensions here. Making -so if you get a visa to China, it can be a little longer, saying, for Chinese coming here. That has importance but it's not a grand scheme. You might have some progress on trade agreements, which is something that actually as you know, that Obama might be able to get through a Republican-led progress. But on this big pictures issues ...

TAPPER: Like North Koreans nuclear programs --

SCIUTTO: Nuclear or disputes between China and Japan over disputed islands, you are not going to see grand agreement while they are in Beijing this week.

TAPPER: Jim Sciutto, thank you so much.

As with so much having to do with North Korea, we're now left with more questions than answers. Here to help us, our former U.S. ambassador to South Korea, Chris Hill. He recently documented his work as a diplomat in his memoir called "Outpost: Life on the Front Lines of American Diplomacy." We're also joined by Jamie Metzl who served with President Clinton's National Security Council. And it is the author of the book, "Genesis Coach." Gentleman, thank you for joining me. Ambassador Hill, let me start with you. As someone who has conducted negotiations with North Korea, do you find it credible that the U.S. government made no concessions and offered nothing in exchange for these prisoners?

CHRISTOPHER HILL, FMR. U.S. AMB. TO SOUTH KOREA: Oh, I think the concession was in sending a senior official and I think they very artfully chose General Clapper who's not known as someone who would come back from a trip like that and start suggesting that we ought to do more with the North Koreans. He's a pretty tacit guy. And I think he just kind of delivered the mail. And got the - got the Americans in return. So, I think from the Obama administration's point of view it was the right move and from North Korea's point of view, they get some face in the process. I think what's important to understand is Kim Jong-un has differed from his father in never showing the slightest interest in denuclearization.

TAPPER: Jamie, you heard the ambassador refer to face. North Korea gets face by having General Clapper setting foot there. How does it play domestically? Is that really that big a deal?

JAMIE METZL, FORMER MEMBER OF NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL: Well, I think it is because the North Korea's leaders need to at least put forward to their people some evidence that they are respected in the world. That's why they are so worried about this potential referral to the International Criminal Court. And one other critical issue is relations between North Korea and China have deteriorated significantly, especially since last December when Kim Jong-uncle Jang Song Thaek was executed. He was the primary point of contact between North Korea and China. So as North Korea's relations with China deteriorate, they're also looking for other alternatives and a better relationship with everybody else is increasingly in their interest.

TAPPER: Ambassador Hill, Kenneth Bae while in North Korean custody, told CNN just a few weeks ago that he was being treated humanely but he said that his health was failing. How much could that failing health have played a role in this release now, in other words, the risk of Bae dying in their custody, not being worth it?

HILL: Well, obviously, that would have been a risk. I don't know the particulars of his health. But that would have been an enormous risk for the North Koreans. I think the timing is clearly that they want to kind of take the edge off the summit meeting between President Obama and Xi Jinping to try to give those in China some ammunition to say, look, the North Koreans are doing something, can't you Americans talk to them? But the problem is the North Koreans have essentially refuted everything they previously agreed to and have shown no inclination to come back to talks for the purpose of even discussing their nuclear program. So there's a big problem there and I think the Obama administration has been right to be very standoffish on this.

TAPPER: Jamie, you just mentioned North Korea facing possible crimes against humanity charges. Does this release help North Korea avoid those charges in any way?

METZL: It won't really. But they have had a charm offensive over the last couple of months with at least a preliminary effort to try to head off that referral. And ultimately the referral won't happen because it would have to get through the Security Council and China and Russia, of course, would have veto there. But the symbolism of a referral to the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity and in the report that came out from the U.N. Special rapporteur. There are all kinds of references to Nazism and mass execution and starvation. It's really a bill deal and North Korea has to be at least somewhat concerned about global legitimacy. As long as they have a lifeline to China, they need to worry less. But as that connection, that umbilical cord connecting North Korea to China weakens, they need to look for alternatives. And right now, they're pretty isolated, as Chris Hill knows.

TAPPER: And Ambassador Hill, of course, the world pays attention to North Korea not just because of the crimes against humanity but perhaps much more so because of its nuclear weapons program and the fact that everybody's afraid that they're going to launch a nuke and hit South Korea or someone else. President Obama said the U.S. is ready for nuclear talks and until that happens, there will be a core problem between the two countries. He said that today. What needs to happen for these conversations to start or do you think we're just going to see gesture after gesture like the detainee release this weekend?

HILL: Oh, I think if the North Koreans are serious about this, they could signal that if talks begin, there would be a quick understanding that they have accepted their previous commitment. So I think the ball is in the North Korean court. If they really want to get going on this, they know our telephone number. They would know how to do that. I think, again, I think the problem is Kim Jong-un has been much more interested in the task of marrying up a nuclear device to a missile or to an artillery shell. So I think the he very much supported this nuclear program. His father was never from the disarmament camp. But clearly he was more interested in a process that might have led to disarmament. So it's no accident that we've really made no progress on this in recent years and the North Koreans have been busy trying to marry up a nuclear device and a missile.

TAPPER: Chilling. Ambassador Chris Hill, Jamie Metzl, thank you both so much. In other world news today, a horrific attack on a school in Nigeria.

A bomb exploding outside the principal's office as children gathered for morning announcements. The suicide bomber was disguised as a student before setting off the blast. Right now, no group is claiming responsibility. But police believe Boko Haram, the Islamic terrorist group, is behind the attack. Boko Haram which translates to "Western education is forbidden" has made students their targets before. The terrorist group has attacked schools and dormitories and they were, of course, responsible for kidnapping hundreds of schoolgirls from their homes in the middle of the night this past April.

Coming up, it's only the second week of November. But in parts of the U.S., it feels more like January. Snow piling up, temperatures dropping quickly and much more of the country is about to get hit.

Plus, he fooled the crowd and the announcers but he did not fool the other team. Coming up, the unbelievably dumb move one college football player made after he thought he had scored a touchdown.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: Welcome back to THE LEAD. I'm Jake Tapper. In our "National Lead," the polar plunge is back. Much of the United States could experience a cold front this week with heavy snow and temperatures 40 to 50 degrees below normal. Minneapolis is bracing for up to a foot of snow today into tomorrow.

Melissa Colorado of our affiliate, KARE, is in Golden Valley, Minnesota, just outside the twin cities.

MELISSA COLORADO, KARE REPORTER: I'm Melissa Colorado. Right here in the twin cities, we are getting pummeled by the season's first snowstorm. As you can see right behind me, inches of snow are starting to pile on. And road conditions are likely going to worsen.

That's really the focus for a lot of state officials today is going to be the evening commute. That's because we are expecting those temperatures to dip even lower and we're already seeing that snow accumulate. So we're likely going to be seeing some icy road conditions.

Now we know that the Minnesota Department of Transportation has all of their snowplows out in full force making sure those road conditions are going to be safe for drivers later tonight.

Now some figures from the Minnesota State Patrol, since 5:00 a.m. today, statewide, troopers have responded to 180 crashes, 15 of those crashes involving injuries, no serious or fatal injuries.

And those numbers are likely going to climb up as the day goes on and we're expecting a more dicey road conditions as the day continues. That's the very latest here in Minneapolis. Back to you, Jake.

TAPPER: Melissa Colorado in Golden Valley, Minnesota, thank you so much.

So just where and when can we expect the mercury to dip? CNN meteorologist, Chad Myers joins us live now from the CNN Severe Weather Center. Chad, we just saw the snow in Minnesota, but the rest of the country can expect some frigid temperatures in the coming days as well?

CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: It's that same polar plunge, Jake, yes, 16 inches, almost a foot and a half of snow just to the northwest of where that reporter was. Now Minneapolis isn't going to pick up a foot of snow. They are going to pick up some, but this is the first cold plunge. It's only significant not because this is a big deal in January.

This is a big deal because it's now. There may still be some trees with leaves on them. They may still be some pets without winter coats. You may not even have your winter coat yet. This is the issue. It's the cold plunge right now, still a foot and a half of snow to go in some spots.

But it was 63 degrees this morning in Denver. Now the wind chill is 4. So that if you went out thinking, what a great day and you're coming home now, your wind chill is 4 degrees above zero. So when does it get to you or your city?

If you're in Chicago, it's coming. If you're in New York City, you have another day, maybe day and a half because it's still going to be in the 60s on Wednesday. But then all of a sudden, this cold air goes all the way down to the south, all the way to Dallas.

Dallas is going to be almost 80, 77 today. The morning low will be 30 by Thursday morning. That's a drop of 50 degrees and that's way below normal. But look at Rapid City -- New York, you'll get 48. D.C. will get 55. But think about Rapid City where the high will be 12, the morning low temperature, way below zero.

And the morning low temperatures colder than that with the wind chill because right now, Jake, even in Denver, the winds are blowing 30. It's 71 degrees in Kansas City. But right now, it's only 37 in Omaha and that front is on its way -- Jake.

TAPPER: Chad, this weather, quickly, if you would, it's not just annoying, it's dangerous.

MYERS: It is dangerous because people aren't ready for it just yet. This is what we're going to see. This is the precursor to what winter may look like. But it's dangerous if you are outside, if your pets are outside.

We know cattlemen are out there in the north part of the country, trying to make sure that their herds are safe. This is the coldest air we've seen so far this early in the season, of any season I can remember for a long time. TAPPER: All right, bundle up, Chad Myers, thank you so much.

Wolf Blitzer is now here with a preview of "THE SITUATION ROOM." Wolf, you're discussing the American detainees released over the weekend, the ones from North Korea?

WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST, "THE SITUATION ROOM": Yes. And I've invited Tony Namkun to join me. You probably don't know who is, but he is really well plugged in, in North Korea. He's been there more than 40 times. He was just there a few weeks ago.

When I went to North Korea with Bill Richardson, the former U.S. ambassador to the U.N. four years ago, Tony Namkun was there, played a significant role.

I'm going to pick his brain on what's going on right now in that mysterious place called North Korea. He knows a lot that's going on over there.

TAPPER: As somebody who has traveled to North Korea, were you expecting a happy ending to this story?

BLITZER: I have heard a few weeks ago that the North Koreans wanted to do something to improve their image. I didn't expect that all three of these Americans would be released as quickly as they were.

TAPPER: I thought one of them released a couple of weeks ago. Wolf Blitzer, we'll be watching "THE SITUATION ROOM" in 8 minutes. Thank you so much.

When we come back, money apparently does not talk. That is, it doesn't talk if you're Robert Plant. The unbelievable sum of money he reportedly turned down for a Led Zeppelin reunion, coming up.

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TAPPER: Welcome back to THE LEAD. I'm Jake Tapper. Time now for the "Money Lead," $800 million worth of money, this is news that has Led Zeppelin fans dazed and confused. A report in the British newspaper, "The Daily Mirror," claims that Zeppelin front man, Robert Plant literally ripped up a contract for the band to reunite, a contract worth a whopping $800 million.

(VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: That is a heartbreaker, no doubt. Not just for Zeppelin fans, but for Virgin Atlantic mogul, Richard Branson, who reportedly is the one who made the offer, the group has not been together officially since 1980. Other band members were said to be on board with the reunion.

Branson had even offered to fly the group around in one of his fancy jets. But sources say Plant played them like a fool in the rain. The rock star's publicist has denied the claims calling the report, rubbish! Still, it's a reminder of just how tough it can be to get an iconic band back together. Some of you might remember when "Saturday Night Live" creator, Lorne Michael tried to get The Beatles to come together. He made the group an offer they couldn't refuse in an appearance on "Saturday Night Live" back in 1976.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LORNE MICHAELS: Hi. I'm Lorne Michaels, the producer of "Saturday Night." Right now, we're being seen by approximately 22 million viewers. But please allow me, if I may, to address myself to four very special people, John, Paul, George and Ringo, The Beatles. I'm inviting you to come on our show.

Well, if it's money you want, there's no problem here. The National Broadcasting Company has authorized me to offer you a certified check for $3,000.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: Lorne went on to say that if they wanted to give Ringo a little less it was up to them. With a little help from his friends, Michaels made the offer a running gag on the show although it never led to a Beatles reunion. Paul McCartney revealed years later at one point they sort of considered it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL MCCARTNEY, THE BEATLES: I was at John's place and "Saturday Night Live" was on. And he said -- John said to me, have you seen this? I said, no. I was living in England. He was living in America. He said, they're offering us money. He said, Lorne came on last week. And he said, we should go down and show up, just you and me. Take half the money.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What stopped you from doing it?

MCCARTNEY: I don't know. It would have been work. We were having a night off.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: Of course, sometimes reunion rejection is for the best, just ask anyone who's seen the latest incarnation of Menudo or Guns 'N Roses featuring Axel Rose and a bunch of guys that no one has ever heard of.

That's it for THE LEAD. I am Jake Tapper. I now turn you over to Wolf Blitzer. He is in THE SITUATION ROOM.