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NSA Leaker Snowden: Mission Accomplished; Pope's First Christmas on the Job; Washington Says Goodbye to 2013
Aired December 24, 2013 - 10:30 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.
Let's check our top stories. Right now, two American astronauts outside the International Space Station performing emergency repairs to a cooling system. Just the second Christmas Eve space walk in NASA's history.
The future of U.S. troops in Afghanistan appears in question this morning. The White House getting impatient with that government's delay in approving a deal to keep our forces there beyond next year. Washington says if Afghanistan can't decide soon, can't get its act together, it will have to prepare plans that would withdraw all U.S. troops by the end of next year.
He's a man without a country, but Edward Snowden seems to have no regrets about his bombshell revelations on the National Security Agency and its secret surveillance of Americans and allies alike. The former NSA contractor fled the United States and espionage charges back in May and now lives under asylum in Russia, yet he's claiming victory this morning.
In an extensive interview with "The Washington Post", Snowden says, quote, "For me, in terms of personal satisfaction, the mission's already accomplished. I already won."
Just last hour I spoke with Barton Gellman, the reporter who conducted more than 14 hours of interviews with Snowden, among the quotes I asked him about, Snowden describing himself as an indoor cat who rarely ventures outside.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BARTON GELLMAN, THE WASHINGTON POST: Well, he doesn't talk a whole lot about his life or any personal questions. I have the strong sense that he is not in this sort of confinement that some people imagined.
Even in Hawaii, he spent a lot of time indoors. He is a guy that spends a lot of time on the screen. He doesn't have a lot of needs. He sort of eats ramen and chips and is deeply interested in promoting his cause now, which means communicating on the web.
COSTELLO: Interesting. You know, the former NSA and CIA director, Michael Hayden, said Snowden will waste away in Moscow and turn into an alcoholic like every other defector.
You asked Snowden about that. What did he say?
GELLMAN: Well, as a matter of fact, he doesn't drink, never has at all.
And defector, there's no evidence for it. There is -- there is literally zero evidence that he has shifted his loyalty to another country or is cooperating with the government of Russia.
He said that if he has defected at all, it was from his government to its people. He wanted to bring information to public attention that would allow Americans to decide whether they're comfortable with what their government is doing.
COSTELLO: So, OK. We'll go back to the matter at hand now since we turned the corner. And I appreciate that.
So, he said mission accomplished. What does he mean by that? He says he has already won.
GELLMAN: You know, it wasn't actually gloating. I was asking him, you had a purpose. You brought forth documents into the public record. You knew what you wanted to accomplish with that. Have you done it?
What he means by "mission accomplished" is he wanted the public to know what was being done in its name and what was being done to it in terms of surveillance. And he wanted it to be possible that decisions be made outside the secret bubble that they had been made since 9/11.
To that extent, because he's had a lot, a great deal of public attention because many of his concerns have been validated by, for example, a federal judge, by the president's own study commission. He believes he has launched the public debate that he wanted.
COSTELLO: Interesting. Interestingly enough, too, he told you he never wanted to hurt the NSA, but actually is trying to help it and in your actually, you quote him as saying, "I am still working for the NSA right now. They are the only ones who don't realize it."
Not many Americans --
GELLMAN: I imagine -- yes, I was going to say that I imagine that they don't appreciate that quote. But he is -- what he is affirming is that he is loyal to his own government and even to its own ability to defend the country, provided it stays within limits set by the public.
COSTELLO: Interesting. So, does he ever believe he will ever leave Russia, or is it -- is he comfortable with the fact that he may stay in that country forever?
GELLMAN: He's not answering a lot of speculative questions. But it's important to understand that he did not choose Russia. He was literally changing airplanes there. He's in Russia because the United States revoked his passport in the transit lounge. And he was therefore unable to fly out.
COSTELLO: Well, there was word, what, a couple of weeks ago that he wanted to go to Brazil. Did you ask him about actively trying to leave Russia?
GELLMAN: He has -- he has sought asylum and continues to seek asylum from a substantial number of countries. He had said from the beginning, even six months ago when he was in clandestine contact with me and two other journalists that if he has his choice, he'd be in Iceland. But when you're under pursuit by the United States on felony charges, it's hard to figure out how to get there from here.
COSTELLO: So, what's next? What might we expect next from Edward Snowden?
GELLMAN: I think he has felt strongly for a long time that he doesn't want to be the story, that his participation in the story tends to distract because he becomes the object of attack and he wants the conversation to be about the public policy questions.
Nevertheless, I think he does very much want to see his cause advanced and I would expect that you'll be hearing from him from time to time as he sees opportunities to participate in the conversation.
COSTELLO: Barton Gellman, thanks for sharing the information.
If you want to read the article, and it's fascinating, WashingtonPost.com. Thanks so much for being with me this morning.
GELLMAN: Thank you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: Still to come in THE NEWSROOM, Pope Francis making his first Christmas on the job and what Americans really think about the pope, rather. We'll tell you next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: The cutest ever.
Here's something you don't see every day, two popes at the same time. Pope Francis who is celebrating his first Christmas in his new role made a holiday visit to his predecessor, Pope Benedict.
And, by the way, Americans are wild about Pope Francis. A brand new CNN poll shows more than 70 percent approve of the pope and among American Catholics, Pope Francis' approval rating is almost 90 percent.
CNN's Erin McLaughlin is in Rome, and it's kind of easy to see why this pope is so popular.
ERIN MCLAUGHLIN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It is, Carol.
There's a real sense of excitement here in Rome. Thousands of pilgrims and tourists are in town to celebrate. Final preparations are under way for the Christmas Eve mass and all eyes are on Pope Francis.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MCLAUGHLIN (voice-over): The tree is trimmed. The nativity scene is set to be unveiled and everyone seems excited for the pope's very first Christmas.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We want to share this special moment with a person who is beloved person and we appreciate all he's doing.
MCLAUGHLIN: Nine months into his papacy, much has been made of the pope's reforms. More scrutiny at the Vatican bank, changes to the church's bureaucratic structure, and a commission to deal with the abuse of minors. And that's to name a few.
GERALD O'CONNELL, VATICAN ANALYST: He tends to be a surprise, because he does things that are normal but are very abnormal in terms of the papacy. He brought three homeless men into the place where he's living to have breakfast with him on his birthday.
MCLAUGHLIN: The festivities began on Saturday with his Christmas message to the curia. Pope Francis urged the church's governing body to avoid gossip and to focus on service. Then he practiced what preached, spending three hours at a local hospital, bringing Christmas cheer to sick children.
For the first time ever on Monday, two living popes exchanged Christmas greetings. Francis met with Benedict for 45 minutes.
St. Peter's Basilica is the place to be on Christmas Eve. Pope Francis will celebrate the traditional mass. This year, there were a record number of requests to attend.
And then on Christmas Day, tens of thousands of pilgrims will flood St. Peter's Square to hear his message to the world.
O'CONNELL: People are listening to him because he's speaking in a language that's not Vaticanese. He's speaking the language of ordinary people.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MCLAUGHLIN: Pope Francis has already taken care of his Christmas gifts, 2,000 immigrants at a local shelter received special packages complete with Christmas cards signed by the pope, and included an international pre-paid calling card so they could phone home. His Christmas message maybe today, but his Christmas message already seems clear, that this holiday is about helping others -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Awesome. Erin McLaughlin, Erin McLaughlin, reporting live for us. And, by the way, CNN will carry the pope's Christmas mass message that will air at 6:00 p.m. Eastern right here on CNN.
Still to come the year 2013 may be the one that Washington will be glad to leave behind. We'll break down the biggest political stories of the year.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: McDonald's tells employees, get this: don't eat fast food. That's the advice posted on an employee Web site. I'm not kidding. It promotes raw vegetables and says things like, pass on the pickles, less salt.
The McDonald's site has been in the headlines before.
Alison Kosik --
(LAUGHTER)
ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: I know it's a head scratcher. It's a bit of a head scratcher.
So, this is all emanating from its internal Web site called McResources. It basically provides resources to its own employees. Yes, it kinds of shows me they are mcclueless because telling McDonald's employees stay away from fast food, the very thing that they are selling. In fact they say fast food is typically high in calorie, fat, saturated fat, sugar and salt and puts people at risk for becoming overweight.
Now, I agree, saying its own food is the unhealthy choice versus the healthy choice out there. We can understand that because fast food isn't the healthiest.
It's a little odd they are telling their own employees this, especially when you think of business 101, you don't really want to push people away from the very staples that you sell.
Now, McDonald's is defending the posting, putting a statement saying that portions of this website continue to be taken entirely out of context. This Web site, McDonald's goes on to say, it provides useful information from third parties. McDonald's agrees with this advice.
One thing to keep in mind it's not McDonald's running this site. That it's an outside company that seems to be running it. The company is also noting it has added healthier menu options in recent years, including oatmeal, egg whites and real fruit smoothies -- Carol.
COSTELLO: So, McDonald's hired an outside company to write to its employees and the --
KOSIK: Yes. I just -- it doesn't seem like the right hand is talking to the left. I mean, this isn't the first time this internal Web site has come under fire. It's one stunning problem after another. This Web site had a financial planning guide, allotting only $20 for health insurance and no money for food, kind of making the company seem out of touch with its employees especially with McDonald's advice on how to get out of holiday debt, telling its employee if you want to get out of holiday debt, get a second job.
Here's a cherry on top. It even put out one installment in this Web site, put out an etiquette guide to employees on what to tip pool boys and masseuse, and if you got an au pair, how to tip them. But these are people who are on minimum wage, $9 employees at best.
So, it kind of -- it's a real head scratcher as to if they are really thinking about who their audience is in reading this.
COSTELLO: Maybe they should hire their own PR person and have their own employees -- no that would make too much sense.
Alison Kosik --
KOSIK: Maybe, maybe they are listening.
COSTELLO: I don't know.
All right. Take a dysfunctional Congress, the line derailed presidential agenda and never ending battle over Obamacare and what do you have? A year in politics of course.
CNN chief political analyst Candy Crowley has a recap.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CANDY CROWLEY, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPODENT (voice-over): It was the year of living angrily.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sit down and shut up!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Stand up for your country or do you want to take it down!
REP. NANCY PELOSI (D), CALIFORNIA: This place is a mess.
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: I resoundingly reject that allegation.
CROWLEY: White hot rhetoric, icy cold relationships.
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I, Barack Hussein Obama --
CROWLEY: That said, 2013 started as inaugural years often do --
OBAMA: So help me God.
CROWLEY: -- nicely enough.
OBAMA: My fellow Americans we are made for this moment and we ill seize it.
CROWLEY: And he was popular president with an ambitious agenda, revamping the tax code, reforming schools, better job training, a new energy policy, improved voting process, immigration reform and gun control. None of it has happened.
Turns out January was the kindest month. The president ends the year with an approval rating that has gone south and focused on saving the health care reform he won in the first term.
OBAMA: There was a time when I was a young invincible. After five years in this office, people don't call me that any more.
CROWLEY: Another year like this and they will call him lame duck.
Paul, Cruz and Rubio, sons of the Tea Party, newbies in the block, 2016 rising.
This son of Cuban immigrants catapulted to star status, pushing his reluctant party for immigration reform.
SEN. MARCO RUBIO (R), FLORIDA: And I simply wasn't going to leave to it Democrats alone to figure out how to fix it.
CROWLEY: Libertarian at heart, Republican by party, Rand Paul blocked a presidential nominee to get clarity on the use of drones.
SEN. RAND PAUL (R), KENTUCKY: I'll speak can I can no longer speak.
CROWLEY: A politician from the Lone Star State.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Keep up the good fight.
SEN. TED CRUZ (R), TEXAS: Thank you very much.
CROWLEY: Ted Cruz staged an overnight filibuster to make the case against filibuster, filling time with a bedtime story for his kids.
CRUZ: I do I not like green eggs and ham I do not like them Sam I am.
GOV. CHRIS CHRISTIE (R), NEW JERSEY: Welcome to New Jersey.
CROWLEY: In a moment all his own, another of the 2016's rising, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie wins a landslide re-election and sounds like he's opening a presidential campaign.
CHRISTIE: I know that if we can do this in Trenton, New Jersey, maybe the folks in Washington, D.C. should tune in their TVs right now, see how it's done.
CROWLEY: Also in a league all her own, the former first lady, former senator, former secretary of state, left Washington for something else, but not without a few choice words.
CLINTON: The fact is, we have four dead Americans. Was it because of a protest or was it because of guys out for a walk one night who decided they'd go kill some Americans? What difference at this point does it make?
It is --
CROWLEY: Hillary Clinton's Benghazi moment. If she runs for president, expect Republicans to make it a TV-ad moment.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I now declare you spouses for life. CROWLEY: Number five brought to you by the U.S. Supreme Court. Less a 2013 moment than a page in history for gay rights.
Under the cover of boring, Senate Democrats blew up the status quo with the first major rules change in more than three decades, banning filibusters for all presidential nominees except the Supreme Court, and sending Republicans into orbit.
SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R), MINORITY LEADER: And let's not forget about the raw power, the raw power at play here.
CROWLEY: The change will essentially give any president with a Senate majority the power to reshape the lean of federal courts. This 2013 moment, another one for the ages.
Coming in at number three --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Further proceedings on this motion will be postponed.
CROWLEY: -- the moments that didn't happen, work left undone, mega problems unaddressed. Gridlock, it's not just about traffic anymore.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Senate stands adjourned.
CROWLEY: The first government shutdown in 17 years, and people -- read that "voters" -- largely blamed Republicans, producing the Democratic talking point of the 2014 election, Republicans as obstructionists.
PELOSI: If we don't have our own way, we are going to shut government down. You and that attitude are a luxury this country cannot afford.
CROWLEY: By year's end, Republicans had a counterpoint, the president's Affordable Care Act.
ObamaCare got off to a troubled start with the Web site from hell.
OBAMA: If you like your health care plan --
CROWLEY: And his broken "you can keep your insurance" promise.
REP. JOHN BOEHNER (R-OH), MAJORITY LEADER: When we get to January 1st, it will be clear that more Americans will have lost their health insurance than will sign up under the new ObamaCare policies.
CROWLEY (on camera): As it happens, the final moments of 2013 are the tee-up for the politics of 2014, shutdown versus meltdown. Let the midterm elections begin.
Oh, and happy New Year.
Candy Crowley, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE) COSTELLO: Whoo-hoo! You can vote on what you think 2013 top sports top stories. Go to CNN.com/yir. Voting open until this Friday. We'll have the results December 30th, 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time.
This just in to CNN: Hamas security sources say Israeli air strike killed a 4-year-old girl in al Qassam brigade's camp in Gaza. Three other people living in that same house were wounded. The airstrike follow as shooting earlier today of an Israeli citizen. That incident success blamed on a sniper in Gaza. More information in the hours to come on CNN. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: In the last regular season game at Candlestick the 49ers went out in style with a wild win over the poor, pathetic, Atlanta Falcons.
Hi, Joe Carter.
JOE CARTER, CNN SPORTS: The Falcons can't catch break. This was good evening.
But, you know, next year, the 49ers are going to move to a really nice stadium, that's actually $1.2 billion stadium in Santa Clara. It's going to be called Levi Stadium. They say it's going to outdo Jerry's World in Dallas in that Fort Worth area.
This long last night to Candlestick Park. Thanks for all the memories and there have been plenty. The Beatles played their final concert there at candles. Of course, the 49ers have played there since 1971.
And while the Falcons as bad as they have been all season they almost spoiled the party last night with two minutes left in the game. Atlanta goes for the kick and gets by Navarro Bowman. Atlanta scoops it up and now in position to tie or win the game, but Matt Ryan's pass is picked off by who else? Navarro Bowman, the same guy that missed the onside, totally redeems himself by scoring the 89 yard interception for touchdown.
The 49ers would win and also clinches them a spot in the playoffs. We'll see how they are seeded because they'll have to wait some others play. We'll see how that plays out this weekend, of course.
Bad news for some of your Detroit Lion fans. Season be ticket holders. They opened their mail this week and what do they find? Playoff tickets.
The problem is, the Lions are not going to playoffs, they lost to the Giants this last Sunday they were eliminated from the playoffs, but to be fair, the Lions did say they mailed those tickets out like most NFL teams do last week before they were eliminated when they were still in contention.
So, to be fair it's been a long time. Detroit Lions hosted a playoff game since 1993.
COSTELLO: They were out one game. It was ugly. I think they lost by a billion points. Go on.
CARTER: Is that official?
COSTELLO: Yes.
CARTER: Hey, trending this morning on bleacherreport.com, one of the most bizarre plays you'll ever see in hockey. Watch the puck. It's deflected in the air and lands in the pants you heard me right, in the pants of Phoenix Coyote's goalie Mike Smith.
Mike Smith has no idea the puck is in his pants. He backs up and cross the top of the goal line. So, that means a goal for the other team. The Buffalo Sabers. It's overtime so it's a game winning goal.
#buttgoal trending all over Twitter. I've never seen a game end with a butt goal. Puck in the pants. I can't --
COSTELLO: I can't either. Joe Carter, thanks so much.
Thanks for joining me today.
"LEGAL VIEW" is next but first, I want to leave with you this special Christmas reunion between two members of our nation's armed forces and the children they have been away from for six months.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(SINGING)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You miss your kids like crazy. You never understand until they are gone, and it's hard.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DEB FEYERICK, CNN ANCHOR: It's Christmas eve and these two American astronauts dodged last minute shopping, instead risking their lives on the second emergency space walk in just days. We'll talk live with an astronaut who knows firsthand about the dangers they are facing.
