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Kim Jong-un's Uncle Executed; Obama's Image Control; Beyonce's Secret Album; Beyonce-Jay Z Duet in New Online Album; Animal Care in Question at National Zoo

Aired December 13, 2013 - 09:30   ET

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

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. I'm Carol Costello. Thanks so much for joining me.

North Korea called him despicable human scum, a traitor for all the ages, and worse than a dog. In a very public execution, North Korean Leader Kim Jong-un sentenced his own uncle to death. He's even had him erased from a documentary. You can see him in one picture with his uncle. In another, the uncle's gone. One big question this morning, if Kim can do this to his own family, what else is he capable of? Here's CNN's Paula Hancocks.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The message could not be more clear, show disloyalty to North Korean Leader Kim Jong-un and this, too, could be your fate. The very public humiliation and then execution of his uncle by marriage, Jang Song Taek, is unprecedented in North Korea. It is not a country that is used to airing its dirty laundry in public. Jang, who was considered the second most powerful figure in the nation, was found guilty of trying to build a power base to overthrow the regime, squandering public money, womanizing, drug abuse and gambling, to name just a few of the crimes mentioned by state run media.

He was also branded a traitor and, quote, "despicable human scum." Experts believe it was a power struggle that Jang lost, although it's not clear if the struggle was with the leader himself or the military who did not approve of his attempts to introduce reform.

One South Korean lawmaker, who sits on the intelligence committee, says this shows Kim Jong-un to be weaker than previously thought, as he felt the need to punish Jang so publicly and brutally. South Korea's president, Park Geun-hye, has called the Kim regime a reign of terror and the U.S. State Department says that this is just another example of the extreme brutality of the North Korean regime.

Paula Hancocks, CNN, Seoul.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: Transparency, it was supposed to be an Obama trademark. In fact, the president pledged to hold himself to a new standard of openness, except when it comes to taking pictures of him. Of the president. Example, this picture on Air Force One was taken not by the press but by White House photographers and then released to the public. And this is not unusual. "The New York Times" put it this way, quote, "here's how it's done these days. An event involving the president discharging his official duties is arbitrarily labeled private with media access prohibited. A little while later an official photo is released on the White House Flickr page or via Twitter to millions of followers. Private? Hardly." The White House press corps is up in arms, including our own Brianna Keilar.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Anyone here can tell you that there's less access than under the Bush administration. And it was President Obama who talked about transparency being a hallmark of his administration.

JAY CARNEY, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Sure.

KEILAR: So isn't it sort of the problem is that he has set up a standard himself that he's not meeting?

CARNEY: What I can tell you, Brianna, is, every White House, every president has had meetings that the press didn't cover. Every White House has released photographs of -- if they had children, of presidents and first ladies with their children that obviously the press didn't cover. But I understand that also the press corps has always sought and sometimes demanded more access. And I want to work with and we want to work with the photographers and others to see how we can be more responsive.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: And journalists everywhere are going, yeah, right. Let's talk more about this CNN political commentator and columnist for "The Blaze" Will Cain, and CNN political analyst and executive editor of "The Daily Beast," John Avlon.

Will, first question. I'm painfully aware that lots of people think we're just whiny journalists, but why should we care about this?

WILL CAIN, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, because it's image control. I mean actually agree with the premise of your question. I don't have a lot of outrage at the outset for this issue. I mean the outrage well only runs so deep in the whole messing up the health care economy has kind of commandeered most of my outrage.

However, I outsource my judgment to such right wing luminaries like you just quoted, "The New York Times" who calls this "Orwellian," or the AP who compares it to a Soviet Union like propaganda. That's the point. You're controlling the image.

And, look, I want to say this. This is not the only thing that has exposed the Obama administration's hypocrisy on the transparency promise. We have record number of leak prosecutions. We have going after Fox's James Rosen, we have the AP scandal, we now have a long track record of the Obama administration being very, very serious about controlling their message and their image and anyone that intrudes upon that, boy, that draws their attention.

COSTELLO: Yes. Well, controlling the mess is one thing. Maybe controlling your image is another, right, John. And who -- what politician wouldn't want to control his image?

JOHN AVLON, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: No. I mean this has -- this has been true throughout the modern presidency. You know, certainly JFK and Ronald Reagan were masters at controlling their image and what they presented to the country and the world. But I think the point Will makes is this is right and is this, hypocrisy is the unforgivable sin in politics. And when this president campaigned on being the most transparent administration ever, and then falls short of that, for whatever reason, it draws people's ire, it draws people's frustration.

Look, talk about orwellian or Stalin or Soviet is just stupid. It's a ridiculous comparison. You know we're - we just did a segment on North Korea where people were Photoshopped out and were executed. We're not heading down that slippery slope, folks.

CAIN: Well, thank God.

AVLON: But the frustration is that the White House photographer used to release his photos to the White House - to the newspapers, which would then decide what to print. Now they're going out directly to the public via social media. That change is what is driving this frustration.

COSTELLO: Well, somehow the Obama administration says the Internet has something to do with this because anybody can go out and take a picture and put it on the Internet and say anything they want.

AVLON: Yes.

COSTELLO: So might that be part of the problem the administration is having with just anyone taking pictures of the president and his family? Will?

CAIN: No. I think what it reveals it this, that the politicians no longer need the media in the same way they did.

First of all, I have to respond to John saying, we haven't yet reached the point of Kim Jong-un Photoshopping out his arrested uncle. Well, you know, that's a fairly low bar. I'm glad we haven't reached that point.

What we're talking about right now is the president not allowing free press to come in and take their pictures, rather disseminating his own. And what I'd say to your question, Carol, is, get used to it. I mean I -- we can condemn the Obama administration, and we should, but I would suggest, get used to it because as we've seen in the presidential campaigns, they just don't need - honestly, they don't need CNN, "The New York Times," the AP. Now they have their own access to the public. They have FaceBook. They have Twitter. They have the White House website. They can put out whatever message they need and reach their audiences directly. This is going to be a trend. This is going to be a problematic trend. AVLON: Hold on.

COSTELLO: I agree -- I actually agree with Will, John, because it is a slippery slope. I don't want my president, any U.S. president, like, strictly controlling his image. I like transparency. Isn't that what we're all about in this country as far as the press is concerned?

AVLON: That's absolutely what we should be about, and it's always intention to get there, and no president has just opened the doors to the White House in the modern era for the press to wander through. So, I mean, we just need to get that right balance.

But, I mean, I think - here's the larger point. First of all, you do need to sense of perspective with these things. When people like -- names like Stalin get thrown out, that has real meaning. The larger point is, the impact of the way the media is changing because of the Internet, because of the dissemination of photographs. There is a larger trend here with politicians, especially folks running for governor and even president, pulling back, not going to newspaper editorial boards. That's concerning.

If this White House - the fact that this White House actually has done more one on one interviews, that seems to be what this president likes to do rather than large group scrum (ph) interviews. But that larger trend of people do trying to hermetically (ph) seal themselves, especially when they're running for office and in office, that's troubling. I don't think this is exhibit a. I think this is a bit of inside baseball. But we should be talking about it because it is about ultimately access and a free press, and that's the guarantee of our democracy.

COSTELLO: All right, John Avlon, Will Cain, thanks, as always, for the interesting discussion.

CAIN: Thanks.

AVLON: Thanks, Carol.

COSTELLO: You're welcome.

How's this for holiday surprise. A secret Beyonce album released this morning. That's right, no promotions, no ads, no nothing, until it hit the web last night. More details for you next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Celebrity feuds are not anything new, but how about this, a feud between a police chief and rap superstar Kanye West. In an interview on - in an interview Saturday night on online.com, West said, quote, "being a rapper performer is like being a police officer. You're literally going out there to do your job every day knowing something could happen to you." Brimfield, Ohio, Police Chief David Oliver had a few words for Kanye.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) CHIEF DAVID OLIVER, BRIMFIELD, OHIO POLICE: That's just as misguided as you can get, in my opinion. This I felt was worthy of at least a response from somebody in the field.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Yes, maybe like Kanye should try being a police officer one day to see what it's really like. Chief Oliver says he respects Kanye's right to his opinion, but he's got a right to his as well.

Christmas came early for Beyonce fans. Just after midnight, the 17- time Grammy Award winner released a secret album. She broke the news on Instagram with this video tease and one word "surprise." Here's a taste of track number one. It's called "Pretty Hurts."

(VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: CNN entertainment correspondent Nischelle Turner is with me now.

It's an unusual way to release an album, but I bet it will work for Beyonce.

NISCHELLE TURNER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: Surprise. You know, exactly. You know, people are calling this one of the best kept secrets in music history, Carol, it's getting that serious. It's a self-titled album named "Beyonce." She's calling this, though, a visual album, which means every song on the album comes with a music video. And when you download it, you also get three additional videos. So that's 14 songs, 17 videos.

Now, for now, you can only get this on iTunes, and you can only buy it as a whole album. You can't just download singles from the album legally yet. Now, she's been teasing this for almost a year, if you've been paying attention to Beyonce. She's been giving out little bitty hints, little snippets of songs an tour or in commercials. Remember that -- I'm a grown woman? That's one of the songs on the album. But I don't know if I can really explain to you just how surprised everyone is this morning about this, Carol.

COSTELLO: Oh, is this a sign of things to come?

TURNER: You know, that's a good question. I don't think we've seen anything like this from an artist the scale of Beyonce to this point. You know, Radiohead did something like this years ago, where they released an album with no promotion and they gave it away for free. Remember, they told their fans just pay us what you think this is worth. And then they came back and released it, you know, the complete way. But I don't think anyone has ever done something like this as well.

But remember her husband, Jay-z, earlier this year, did something new with music as well. He dropped (ph) his last album for free exclusively on Samsung to Samsung users. A little -- that was the Magna Carta holy grail. Didn't have a lot of lead time there either. I will tell you, though, the music industry, Carol, is changing. And I've heard so many artists say they can't do things the traditional way anymore. You can't just drop a CD. You can't do that anymore because people aren't buying music that way. So they have to find more creative ways to still get their music out there. And, you know, she says she's doing it with no promotion, but there's a lot of promotion. We're talking about it now. This is all the promotion she needs.

COSTELLO: She's Beyonce.

TURNER: Exactly.

COSTELLO: An unknown group would not have as much success, right?

TURNER: No. It just wouldn't happen. It definitely wouldn't happen like that. I mean Beyonce has the name recognition, she's got the credibility, she's got other studio albums that are bona fide hits and I don't think anyone has ever really heard her sing a bad note.

And remember the year she's had, performing halftime at the Super Bowl, singing at the inauguration although there was controversy around that, you know her and Jay-Z were named "Forbes" most profitable celebrities, they made $95 million last year and she's on the Mrs. Carter world tour right now. This has been a banner year for her.

COSTELLO: To be Beyonce. Nischelle Turner --

TURNER: She makes you tired. I need a break.

COSTELLO: I know it makes me feel really envious actually.

TURNER: Exactly.

COSTELLO: Nischelle Turner thanks so much.

TURNER: All right.

COSTELLO: We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Checking our "Top Stories" at 50 minutes past the hour.

Having a mid-air cell phone chat is now one stepper closer to reality. The FCC voted yesterday to consider lifting its ban on in-flight cell phone use saying new technology has made it safe for air travel. But the Department of Transportation is pushing back saying in-flight conversations could be unfair to consumers.

In the meantime, lawmakers have introduced three -- count them -- three bills banning cell phone use in the skies.

It was a very happy reunion for South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley. Her husband is back home from -- he's back home from Afghanistan. Haley wiped way tears of joy as she embraced Captain Michael Haley. He returned to the United States along with some 40 fellow members of the South Carolina Army National Guard.

Prince Harry's trekking team has reached the South Pole -- that's according to organizers with Walking with the Wounded. The charity event is pitting injured service man and women on the 125-mile track across Antarctica. It took Prince Harry's team more than three weeks to reach his destination. Other participants came from the United States, Canada and Australia.

The National Zoo in Washington is under fire this morning. Several animals have died there recently. And there's now an internal report that suggests other animals could be at risk. CNN's Chris Lawrence is live outside the National Zoo with more on this story. Good morning.

CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Hi Carol. Yes this has gotten so bad now that the congressional committee that oversees the zoo's activities is now going to take a look at whether budget cuts have compromised its ability to take care of these animals. And remember, this isn't just any zoo, it's your zoo. This is part of the Smithsonian which means it's mostly funded by taxpayers.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LAWRENCE (voice over): A blistering internal investigation is revealing big problems at the National Zoo.

PAMELA BAKER-MASSON, SPOKESWOMAN, NATIONAL ZOO: We never compromise safety and well-being of animals.

LAWRENCE: And yet, animals are dying. On Wednesday it was an endangered horse which rammed into a fence inside its barn. Both a gazelle and antelope-like animal broke their necks the same way. And a hog died from possible malnutrition.

CATHY LISS, PRESIDENT, ANIMAL WELFARE INSTITUTE: You don't hear this happening at zoos across the country, it certainly shouldn't be happening here at our National Zoo.

LAWRENCE: Last month a zebra severely injured an animal keeper. Earlier this year Rusty the red panda got out and a vulture escaped it enclosure -- both were recaptured. But an internal investigation found animal care, overall organization, accountability, follow up, and communication are severely lacking.

Zoo officials say the budget is partly to blame. It does not charge admission. And Congress has cut $2 million over the past few years.

BAKER-MASSON: This is where we look at ourselves very carefully and we have to review what resources are available.

LAWRENCE: Some animal welfare advocates don't buy it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We can tell how beloved the panda really is.

LAWRENCE: Pointing out there have been no problems with the zoo's star attractions. The panda cubs get naming ceremonies. The newest tigers, around the clock attention. LISS: The lesser known species, less charismatic species aren't getting the attention that they clearly need.

LAWRENCE: And they're giving the National Zoo attention it clearly doesn't want.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LAWRENCE: Some critics say that the zoo simply has too many animals. But some zoo officials are now pushing back on that bit saying they've already implemented a lot of the recommendations that those investigators made and they point out that not only were they reaccredited just a few months ago. They also passed an inspection by the Department of Agriculture -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Chris Lawrence reporting live from the National Zoo this morning.

Still to come in the NEWSROOM, Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson drafted to play baseball? Will he leave football and play baseball? We'll talk about that ahead in "Bleacher Report".

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: The San Diego Chargers winning in Denver last night and shocked Peyton Manning and the Broncos -- ouch. Andy Scholes was here to tell us more.

ANDY SCHOLES, BLEACHER REPORT: You know what Carol, Peyton Manning and the Broncos didn't look like Super Bowl favorites last night. The Chargers they were able to shut down their high scoring offense and they did it by keeping Peyton Manning on the sidelines.

(CROSSTALK)

COSTELLO: On the sidelines yes.

SCHOLES: You know the Chargers went on a bunch of long drives last night. At the end of one of those drives, it ended up being the play of the night. Keenan Allen makes the catch. He's going to jump over one defender then barreled through another for the touchdown. Great score there.

Now Broncos actually had a chance to take the lead in this game, in the fourth quarter but Manning (inaudible) throws the interception. Chargers get the win, 27-20 handing Denver their first home loss of the season.

The NFL was buzzing yesterday because Seattle Seahawks' Russell Wilson was selected by the Texas Rangers in a supplemental draft. Prior to playing professional football, Wilson actually played minor league baseball for two seasons. Wilson says he's going to go Bo Jackson and play both sports. But he was flattered that the Rangers would try to pick him up.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) RUSSELL WILSON, NFL PLAYER: I love baseball. But, you know, football is where my first love is. It's a blessing to be able to have the experience of playing in professional baseball before and then also obviously playing in the National Football League.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHOLES: Trending on BleacherReport.com today the Inside the NBA crew laced up the track shoes and squared off against one another in a 100- yeard dash and Carol this went as you probably expect. Charles Barkley and Shaq had no chance. It ended up being Kenny Smith versus Chris Weber. Kenny Smith looked like he was going to win but he celebrates a little too early and at the last second Weber dashes across the finish line. Kenny Smith cried foul and saying he actually won. He was so mad Carol that he walks off. He didn't even participate in the medal ceremony at the end.

COSTELLO: oh, come on.

SCHOLES: Weber though very happy he actually cried.

COSTELLO: He actually cried. I love that.

Thank you Andy.

COSTELLO: The next hour of CNN NEWSROOM starts now.

Good morning. I'm Carol Costello. Thanks so much for being with me.

We begin with a shocking new report about an American who has been missing in Iran for nearly seven years. The Associated Press and the "Washington Post" say Bob Levinson actually worked for the CIA. For years the State Department and Levinson's own family denied he worked for the government when he disappeared.

CNN's Susan Candiotti joins us now. Tell us more Susan.

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi Carol.