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Obama: Cut Carbon Emissions By 30 Percent By 2030; Freed American Soldier Recovers In Germany After Being Released To U.S. Special Forces; Five Years Later: "Bowe Is Free At Last!"; Critics: Bergdahl Deal Puts Americans At Risk; Apple Set To Release New Software, Apps At Annual Conference

Aired June 02, 2014 - 10:00   ET

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

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BETH WHITNEY, ANDREW TAHMOORESSI AUNT: He made the 911 call right at the checkpoint. He declared that he didn't intend to be there. It was just a mistake. He wanted to go back to the United States.

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COSTELLO: A Mexican judicial source says the Marine's next court hearing will be on June 4th.

Two children in Colorado are recovering after a bouncy house they were playing in tumbles them actually floated up some 300 feet in high winds. A little girl was treated and released at the scene while a little boy who got trapped inside was rushed to the hospital. His injuries though are not believed to be serious.

This is just the most recent incident involving the popular inflatable toys. Two children were hurt last month when a bounce house in New York went airborne. The next hour of CNN NEWSROOM starts now.

Good morning. I'm Carol Costello. Thank you so much for joining me. In just about 30 minutes, President Obama will be taking his strongest action yet against climate change. He'll bypass Congress and have the EPA announce a proposal to cut carbon emissions by 30 percent by 2030. Other headlines being announced by the EPA, states would have a variety of options to meet those goals like developing wind and solar energy.

Supporters say this is a major step in cutting the biggest source of greenhouse gases. Opponents say the plan will cost billions of dollars and cost the country hundreds of thousands of jobs. CNN's Erin McPike is in Washington with more for us. Good morning.

ERIN MCPIKE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Carol, good morning. Well, President Obama is basically going it alone on this. As you may remember, before the 2010 midterm elections, Democrats couldn't pass a cap and trade bill and ever since environmentalists have complained that he hasn't done enough, but this is a sweeping change that will force coal fired power plants to cut their emissions by an average of 30 percent over the next 15 years.

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MCPIKE (voice-over): President Obama is going around Congress to enforce a steep 30 percent cut in carbon emissions, so-called greenhouse gases from coal-fired power plants. He's using his executive authority, proposing new EPA regulations to take his strongest action yet against climate change.

BARACK OBAMA, U.S. PRESIDENT: As president and as a parent, I refuse to condemn our children to a planet that's beyond fixing.

MCPIKE: Linking the move to health problems like asthma, he taped his weekly address at the Children's National Medical Center.

OBAMA: Often these illnesses are aggravated by air pollution. Pollution from the same sources that release carbon and contribute to climate change. And for the sake of all of our kids, we've got to do more to reduce it.

MCPIKE: The new rules reportedly would give states and local governments wide latitude in how to reduce carbon pollution allowing them to encourage solar and wind power instead of forcing power plants to close. In this midterm election year, it's a strategy designed to go head to head with Republicans who are making hey of the harm these regulations will do to the coal industry.

MIKE ENZI, REPUBLICAN SENATOR, WYOMING: The administration has set out to kill coal and its 800,000 jobs. If it succeeds in death by regulation, we'll all be paying a lot more money for electricity if we can get it.

MCPIKE: The U.S. Chamber of Commerce estimates it will cost the economy $50 billion a year. Advocates say those claims are exaggerated.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is something we can't put off, and the president deserves huge credit for making this his legacy.

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MCPIKE: But with the midterms just five months away, this is a risk. Democratic Senate candidates are running hard in coal country and states like Kentucky, North Carolina and Louisiana, and this move could hurt them as they try to keep Republicans from gaining control of the Senate -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Erin McPike reporting live from Washington. I want to bring in our senior Washington correspondent now, Joe Johns. So why doesn't the president make this announcement himself?

JOE JOHNS, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: The official position of the administration is that the president has been very vocal on this issue of the new EPA rules and the White House is simply not trying to distance itself between the president and EPA. On the other hand, this has already been seen as an attack on the coal industry as Erin mentioned and it's likely to create real political difficulties for Democrats in coal producing states during the midterm election year.

Now, you can make the case that if Mr. Obama were to have appeared at that announcement initially it would have put him front and center and just added to the controversy, but it's very hard to make that case. The White House does see this as a legacy issue for Mr. Obama. But if there is any way to mitigate the fallout for Democrats and soften the blow, if you will, the White House is going to think of ways to do that down the road -- Carol.

COSTELLO: I was going to ask you, why is this decision being made now?

JOHNS: Well, the bottom line is the president knew he had to go out and do something on this. He's talked about it repeatedly so why not take it front and center. The president clearly going through the front door on this issue and taking Republicans head-on especially those Republicans from coal producing states.

COSTELLO: Joe Johns reporting live. Thanks so much.

COSTELLO: We're also following another big story this morning. After nearly five years in Taliban captivity, U.S. soldier Bowe Bergdahl is free. He is now recovering in Germany. Right now, Bergdahl who is scheduled for promotion later this month is being treated at an army medical center.

Officials are trying to work out whether Bergdahl will be reunited with his family in Germany or once he returns to U.S. soil. The army sergeant was handed over to U.S. Special Forces in Eastern Afghanistan on Saturday without a single shot fired armed members of the Taliban gave Bergdahl over to U.S. commandos in exchange for these five terror suspects being held at Guantanamo Bay. Bergdahl's mother sent a heart wrenching message to her son.

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JANI BERGDAHL, MOTHER OF SGT. BOWE BERGDAHL: Five years is a seemingly endless long time, but you've made it. I imagine you are more patient and compassionate than ever. You are free. Freedom is yours. I will see you soon, my beloved son. I love you, Bowe.

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COSTELLO: Let's bring in CNN senior international correspondent, Nic Robertson, he joins us live from Landstuhl, Germany where Bergdahl is receiving treatment. Good morning, Nic.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, good morning, Carol. Well, Sergeant Bergdahl is receiving treatment here. We're just now seeing the five Taliban people who were exchanged for his freedom in Qatar. They include a former deputy defense chief, a former head of the interior ministry, a former deputy intelligence chief and a former provincial governor. So these are significant players on the side of the Taliban. They were fighting the civil war pre-9/11. They were not senior al Qaeda figures, but there's going to be a lot of information that Bowe Bergdahl has here about the Taliban. The military would like to get from him. His reintegration and effort to help him recover physically and mentally and find out if he has actionable timely intelligence that could be used against the Taliban.

Today in Afghanistan, a service member has been killed in enemy action there. The fight in Afghanistan is not over. Information that Sergeant Bergdahl has may be useful to military. That's going to be part of the process that he's going through here right now -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Nic Robertson reporting live from Germany this morning.

It has been five agonizing years of waiting in Bergdahl's hometown where family and friends anxiously awaiting Bergdahl's return. Yellow ribbons and balloons have long decorated the streets there. This morning those decorations are a reminder that Bergdahl was out of sight, but he was never out of mind.

CNN's Nick Valencia is live in Haley, Idaho this morning with more. Good morning, Nick.

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol. This is a long time coming for Haley, Idaho. For nearly five years, this community here waited for this moment. Bowe Bergdahl, their hometown hero, finally released from Taliban captivity.

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VALENCIA (voice-over): On and off for two years before being deployed to Afghanistan, U.S. Army Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl worked here at Sandy's coffee shop in his hometown of Haley, Idaho. Tributes to the soldier are all around.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Address drawings. There's just a little bit of everything. There are poems in here. It's just a really lovely keepsake for Bowe.

VALENCIA: Sue Martin was Bergdahl's boss her, but she's always seen herself more as his friend.

SUE MARTIN, BERGDAHL FAMILY FRIEND: He has a tender personality. He is a strong person and very personable. He got along great with all the employees and all of the customers had nothing but good to say about Bowe. They enjoyed him while he was working here.

VALENCIA: This town says they're a community of heart and for the last four years and 11 months, the small town of nearly 8,000 has been the cornerstone of support for the Bergdahls ensuring that he would never be forgotten.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There's one tree for every year that Bowe was held captive.

VALENCIA: Few have been as committed to that cause as Stephanie O'Neil.

STEFANIE O'NEILL, CO-ORGANIZER, BOWE IS HOME: We're waiting for Bowe. We're anxious to get him home and get him here with us. We know it will be a long process. We're hoping that day comes sooner rather than later.

VALENCIA: Yellow ribbons and balloons line the main street. Symbols of solidarity for a hometown hero final set free.

(on camera): What are you going to say to Bowe when you see him? What do you think that will be like for you?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I thought about that. I think it's probably going to be quite silent and very, very dear embrace.

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VALENCIA: The community had already planned June 28th event for Bergdahl around what would have been the five-year anniversary of his disappearance. They're going to keep that date, but it's really going to turn more into a celebration, Carol. They don't expect Bowe to be here, but everyone will be of course thinking about him and his recovery hoping that he comes home soon -- Carol.

COSTELLO: There have been allegations that Bergdahl was a deserter. What are the people of Haley, Idaho saying about that?

VALENCIA: You know, that's a really interesting question. When I asked people here, they say they are aware of the criticism. They are aware that some in his platoon call him a deserter and they criticize his actions. One resident I spoke to just a little while ago said we don't know what officially what happened and we certainly haven't heard Bowe Bergdahl's side of things and until we do, they said they are going to focus on the fact that he's been released finally -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Nick Valencia reporting live from Idaho this morning. Still to come in the NEWSROOM, the release of Bowe Bergdahl sparking controversy for another reason. The White House accused of breaking the law by releasing those Taliban prisoners, but not telling Congress ahead of time. We'll talk about that next.

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COSTELLO: Securing the release of an American POW are negotiating with terrorists, those are the opposing arguments in the political firestorm following the release of Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl over the weekend. Critics say the White House violated the law and set a dangerous precedent. Some have even called Bergdahl a deserter saying the U.S. shouldn't have risked other troops for him. White House Press Secretary Jay Carney talked about that on CNN's NEW DAY.

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JAY CARNEY, CNN WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Here's what matters. He was a prisoner in an armed conflict, a member of the military and in that situation the United States does not leave its men and women behind and for five years we have been engaged in an effort to try to secure his release and we were very fortunate to do that this weekend. And his process of repatriation has begun and reintegration into society. I'm sure it will not be an easy one. But we're overjoyed on behalf of his parents and friends and family that he's returning home.

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COSTELLO: Defense Secretary Hagel insists the United States did not negotiate with terrorists for Bergdahl's release. Here to talk about that, Republican Congressman James Lankford of Oklahoma. Good morning, sir.

REPRESENTATIVE JAMES LANKFORD (R), OKLAHOMA: Good morning to you.

COSTELLO: Good morning. Do you think the Obama administration broke the law?

LANKFORD: Yes. It's fairly clear they broke the law. They even stepped out and said it was so urgent that we ignored the law. This was Obama administration looking at the law that says anyone who is released from Guantanamo within 30 days has to have notification to Congress. It's bipartisan negotiations not just notifying Republicans and Democrats and the Armed Services and Intelligence Committee just to be able to discuss that back and forth.

It's entirely reasonable for Congress to be involved and the American representatives to be involved in something this large. The individuals that were released were the top opium dealers and defense personnel and intelligence personnel and people convicted for war crimes and these are serious individuals.

And to say they'll release them over the course of a weekend without any kind of consultation from anyone outside of the Obama administration is pretty serious. It's a violation of law and it's also just not prudent.

COSTELLO: The defense secretary said that the administration did consult with the Justice Department. He also said that he couldn't tell Congress or the administration couldn't tell Congress because it might have spoiled negotiations because the secret would be out.

LANKFORD: That's interesting. You have the Obama administration notifying the Obama administration, that is the Justice Department, and then discussing it. When the law says they have to come to Congress. The Obama administration actually kept Congress informed of the Osama Bin Laden raid ahead of time, which couldn't have been more secretive than that. They follow the law on that situation, but they wouldn't follow the law on this one. That's odd to me.

COSTELLO: Well, do you think that -- there's not a lot of trust between Congress and the administration at this moment, right? Do you think that had any part in the Obama administration's decision?

LANKFORD: Well, I would hope not. That would include the Democrat- controlled Senate. The Obama administration didn't notify anyone in this process. It wasn't just a matter of we don't like Congress and so we're just going to go around them. They don't like the law so they'll go around the law. This was a bipartisan law that was passed dealing with larger national defense authorization.

In that national defense authorization, it made it clear about the transfer of prisoners from Guantanamo how that could be handled and what were the limitations on that. They chose to ignore the law. That's a bigger issue. We're all overjoyed that Sergeant Bergdahl is coming home.

It's the process of how it was done and risk it puts to other Americans whether that be private contractors, other soldiers, other folks in the military whether it be missionaries around the world, suddenly they have become a target to say if you capture a missionary somewhere in the world or some American somewhere in the world, then we can start swapping them for Taliban leaders. That's a very dangerous precedent for Americans worldwide and that's why this needs serious consideration.

COSTELLO: Should any action be taken against the president or the administration?

LANKFORD: Hearings should be held immediately in the House and in the Senate. That's entirely reasonable to talk through the process on this. Who was notified? How was the decision made? How should this be handled in the future and be able to hold to account any individuals that intentionally violated the law. That needs to be addressed.

We're a nation of laws. You can't say I'm the president of the United States, I don't have to follow the law. That's not true. All of us are under the law whether it's executive branch, members of Congress, every American. That's what makes us America. We follow the law.

COSTELLO: Congressman James Lankford of Oklahoma, thanks so much for being with me. I appreciate it.

LANKFORD: You bet. Thank you.

COSTELLO: Still to come in the NEWSROOM, you hard core Apple fans, just a few hours, we'll find out what the company has in store for you in 2014. Laurie Segall is tracking the story from New York. Good morning.

LAURIE SEGALL, CNN MONEY CORRESPONDENT: Always so much excitement when it comes to Apple announcements. A little hint here. We could hear about new iMacs and smart home technology. I've got more on that after the break.

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COSTELLO: It's that time of year again. After all of the speculation and what ifs, Apple will lay out its plans for 2014 during the keynote address at its Worldwide Developers Conference in just a few hours. What can we expect? Laurie Segall is watching it all. Good morning. SEGALL: Good morning. You got to love the rumors leading up to this big event. Let me get right to it. These are rumors on what we can expect in the next couple hours. First of all, iOS 8, so an update to Apple's current operating system. That is expected to come out. Also new iMacs, a lot of folks excited about that. rumored to be coming out, also OS X redesign so Mac's operating system is reportedly getting a major design overhaul.

And here's one that's really interesting, Smart Home software making it easy for you to connect home to your iPhone. And also you see on there, Healthbook app. Carol, this one is really interesting. It's essentially helping users monitor their heart rate, sleep, and breathing.

So we hear so much about the third party tracking apps that allow you to get to know your body better. That could be something that could potentially work with the iWatch we've been hearing about. I'm sad to say I don't think we'll hear about the new iPhones that iTV that everyone is talking about or iWatch.

I know. I know. I think the most interesting thing here could be some of the smart home technology if they come out with this and health tracking apps. I'm waiting for iTV.

COSTELLO: I am too. Why aren't they doing that now?

SEGALL: I think a lot has to go into that. This conference used to be back when Steve Jobs did a lot of these conferences, it used to be he would come out and say one more thing. And then he would give us this magical new piece of technology like iPad that we never heard of. Times have changed a lot. It's a very different -- it's different now.

You look and it's a very interesting time for Apple as well. You look at the Beets deal. Maybe Dr. Dre will play today. Apple is in the business that they compete with Google. The race is getting tighter and tighter. It's a very interesting and pivotal time. That being said, we're spoiled. As users, we want that one more thing. For them to come up with something that blows our mind -- Carol.

COSTELLO: OK. I guess we'll wait until next year although the new stuff sounds cool. Laurie Segall, thank you so much.

Still to come in the NEWSROOM, President Obama vows to clean up the environment with an historic push to cut carbon emissions. Could it hurt the economy and maybe the Democratic Party in the midterms? We'll talk about that after a break.

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COSTELLO: Good morning. I'm Carol Costello. Thank you so much for joining me. The Obama administration will unveil its latest efforts to fight climate change today. New EPA regulations that would require a 30 percent cut in carbon emissions by 2030. CNN is monitoring this event. We'll bring you updates as we get them. This is a move that some Republicans and members of the business community will cost the economy thousands of jobs and some $50 billion a year. They aren't the only ones criticizing this new EPA plan. A high profile Democratic Senate candidate, Kentucky's Alison Lundergan Grimes, is not keeping quiet about her dislike of the president's plans.