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Donald Sterling Visits Church; Bowe Bergdahl Released; Apple's New Tech

Aired June 02, 2014 - 15:00   ET

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

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BOB BERGDAHL, FATHER OF SERGEANT BERGDAHL: God bless you. We love you. We have been in quiet in public, but we haven't been quiet behind the scenes. Continue to be patient and kind to those around you. (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE) You are not forgotten. You are not forgotten.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: And how well those words ring true today.

Let's turn to Nick Valencia, who is live in Hailey, Idaho.

And, Nick, for years, we have seen all those yellow ribbons. And in time, they will be able to take them down and see the man himself.

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, these ribbons might stay up for the long haul, I have been told by some of these residents here.

When we first got here yesterday, Brooke, every single tree along Main Street had one of those yellow ribbons to show solidarity for this cause. The Bergdahl family has had unwavered support from this community. You see signs in local businesses reading "Bowe is free at last."

Where we're standing in front of has been sort of the unofficial headquarters of that movement really to keep this story out here. This is Zaney's coffee shop. Sue Martin, you see the owner chatting just right there in the background. That was Bowe's boss for two years on and off.

And, yesterday, I spoke to her and really asked her about Bowe Bergdahl and the kind of man that he was before he deployed to Afghanistan. Take a listen to what she had to say about his character.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SUE MARTIN, FRIEND OF BOWE BERGDAHL: I experienced Bowe as a very deep thinker. He is also extremely intelligent. And I think those are two tools that will come in very, very well-played in this process.

We always joke about raising our kids on a long leash here. And I think that creates a self-reliance that -- that will come in to play as well for Bowe.

I'm not concerned. I think it will take time. But we grow strong kids here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VALENCIA: It really is an understatement to say that this community is overjoyed with the news of Bowe Bergdahl's release. They did a lot over the last handful of years, four years and 11 months, to be exact, Brooke, to keep this story out there, going so far as to plant trees for every year that he is in captivity.

We went to that park yesterday. And there is a sign for Psalm 12:5. And that's a passage in the Bible. When Bowe left to be deployed, he gave a Bible to his father. And when his father opened up that Bible, it was bookmarked at Psalm 12:5.

And it read in part that I will shepherd you to safety, and that really has kind of been a theme for the last nearly five years in Hailey, Idaho -- Brooke.

BALDWIN: So, here we are five years later. You talk about all the yellow ribbons, this sense of celebration, yet there is also the critical tone coming out in recent days as well that, you know, Bergdahl is also seen as a deserter.

VALENCIA: Yes.

BALDWIN: How are those who know him, who love him are they responding to that?

VALENCIA: Those comments are not lost on this community, Brooke. They hear the criticism and they have read the reports of people in Bergdahl's platoon calling him a deserter and saying he cost lives.

When I spoke to a resident here earlier, she said she wanted me to emphasize to those watching at home that this is not a black-and-white issue and no one is black and white. This is a very gray issue. She also wanted me to tell our viewers that -- just to be reminded how young Bowe was when he deployed and how young he was when this whole incident unfolded, just 23 years old.

She said that's an age where young men really don't really take responsibility for the consequences their actions might materialize into. But, by and large here in this community, in Hailey, Idaho, this community doesn't really pay attention to that criticism.

They are really focused on the fact that Bowe Bergdahl is finally free from Taliban captivity. And they hope that he will come back here and begin to rehabilitate his life -- Brooke.

BALDWIN: Nick Valencia, thank you so much from Hailey, Idaho.

So, as Nick mentioned, it's a lot of gray here, Bowe Bergdahl certainly getting a hero's welcoming home, but soldiers scorn him online. Some of his platoon members say Bergdahl deserted them back in June of 2009, when he disappeared from his post in Afghanistan.

Others say the search for Bergdahl led to the deaths of these soldiers, who they emphasize should be the ones labeled hero.

And then there's this. E-mails reported by "Rolling Stone" in 2012 reveal that Bergdahl told people he no longer supported the U.S. effort in Afghanistan. Let me just quote one message to his parents.

Bergdahl wrote this -- quote -- "The future is too good to waste on lies, and life is way too short to care for the damnation of others, as well as to spend it helping fools with their ideas that are wrong. I have seen their ideas and I am ashamed to even be American. The horror of the self-righteous arrogance that they thrive in, it is all revolting."

Let's turn to the anchor of "THE LEAD" and our chief Washington correspondent, Jake Tapper.

And, Jake, I have seen your reporting on this as well. You have been speaking with soldiers who knew, who served with Bergdahl. What's the story they are telling you?

JAKE TAPPER, CNN CHIEF WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Well, many of them are very upset at what they believe is a hero's welcome of Bowe Bergdahl.

And there seem to be two main reasons for that. One is they believed that he deserted the observation post where he was, that he willingly on his own left the observation post, that in the nights before it, he asked questions along the lines of, what would happen if I brought my night-vision goggles -- if my night-vision goggles disappeared? What would happen if my gun disappeared? And he was told that that would be trouble, that be would be a problem.

And so, when he left, all he took with him was water and a compass and a knife and the like. The Army has not formally classified him as deserting, by the way, but everyone I spoke with who served with him, from the battalion level to the squad level, said that they believe he left on his own.

Then, as you noted, Brooke, there was this very intense search, a rescue operation for Bergdahl. The Army basically tried to cordon off the entire province of Paktia province. And other battalions were brought in, other regiments, rather.

And during that time, the ensuing 90 days, six men died, many, if not all of them, during attempts to find Bowe Bergdahl. So, there is a lot of resentment towards him for leaving and a lot of resentment towards him because of the men lost while looking for him.

That said, a lot of people are happy that he is safe, obviously, as well.

BALDWIN: The resentment that you're hearing, my question is, how is it that these soldiers who served in his platoon even speaking to you, because did they not commit? They signed a document saying that they would not speak publicly on this, correct?

TAPPER: Yes. There was this very extraordinary -- according to -- I have spoken to anywhere from 12 to 15 people who served with Bergdahl.

And after he disappeared and after the rescue operation, soldiers were asked to sign an NDA, a nondisclosure agreement, which is rather unusual given that circumstance. So, yes, they did do that. Some of them are talking to me on the record. Others are talking on background or off the record. Some of them were still in uniform, and so they don't want their names associated with this at all.

But it's very peculiar that they were asked to sign that NDA.

BALDWIN: Jake Tapper, I know you will be talking to a former Army sergeant who knew Bergdahl after serving in Afghanistan with him, spent some time -- we--

TAPPER: Yes.

BALDWIN: -- talked about the search -- looking for him.

So, we will watch for that interview on "THE LEAD" at the top of the hour. Thank you, sir, Jake Tapper, for me in Washington.

TAPPER: Thanks, Brooke.

BALDWIN: So, how does Bowe Bergdahl try to -- we talk about this reintegration process. How does he return to a normal life after nearly five years in captivity with the Taliban?

Coming up next, I will talk to a man who spent five-plus years in POW camps during the Vietnam War. He has gone through this process coming home. And we will explain the biggest challenges he faced when he did so.

Plus, Donald Sterling, the Clippers owner, caught on tape making racist statements, makes an appearance at a predominantly black church over the weekend. What was he doing there? How did folks there respond to his presence? That is coming up.

You're watching CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: After five years of captivity in Afghanistan, do not expect Bowe Bergdahl to rejoin his family any time soon.

In fact, the road home to Hailey, Idaho, could be long and very difficult. Expert steps say several steps are crucial for Bergdahl to successfully reenter society. First of all, he needs proper medical care to document the effects of captivity. He will also need psychological support as he comes to terms with what he has been through.

At the same time, government and military officials need to debrief him for any useful intelligence. And, finally, Bergdahl will need the support, of course, of his family, his loved ones as he goes home.

Air Force Colonel Lee Ellis spent more than five years in prisoner of war camps during the Vietnam War, and he joins me now in studio. And he is also the author of "Leading With Honor."

Colonel, an honor to meet you.

COL. LEE ELLIS (RET.), U.S. AIR FORCE: Thank you.

BALDWIN: Just -- so you were 24 when you were taken down, enemy fire. You were in multiple, different camps for five-plus years.

ELLIS: Right. Right.

BALDWIN: However many years later we are here in 2014, what are your most vivid memories of that time?

ELLIS: I think there's -- first of all, there's a fear once you're captured. Until was captured, I was a cool customer doing my training and everything trying to evade.

But once captured, there was fear. And then there was a settling in of, OK, I'm going to be here a while. I have got to fall back on my training and my commitments and live day to day. And, really, we just lived day to day.

The most important thing for us, which Bergdahl didn't have, was other people around us. And even those who were in isolated cells, we had contact. We would risk our lives to reach someone in solitary confinement and say, hey, man, we're with you, what's your name, and when did you get shot down, and we're glad you're with us, and we're going to take care of you, that kind of thing.

BALDWIN: Were you tortured?

ELLIS: Yes; 95 percent of the POWs in Vietnam were tortured at one time or another.

Now, I was a junior ranking guy, so I faced that less often than the senior people and the senior leaders. They always went to the leaders and tried to break them, thinking that would enable us or we -- then we would fall in line and break also easily. Of course, it didn't work that way.

BALDWIN: How -- at the worst moments, how bad did it get?

ELLIS: Well, how bad did it get?

We were always hungry and hot in the summer and cold in the winter, sometimes isolated and lonely, thinking about families. I was not married at the time. So, that was a big relief for me, not to have wife and kids to worry about.

But I think for me the worst day in my life there was the day I -- first time I was tortured, and I was laying on this filthy floor in leg irons and handcuffs. And I had finally given in to do something. They wanted me to fill out a three-page biography.

And, of course, name, rank, service number, date of birth, those are the four we gave them automatically. But the only other thing I gave them that was true was my father's first and last name. The rest of it was all false. But I still felt so weak. I felt like I had not been strong enough to deny them what they wanted, which was just me to submit.

I had had to submit. And I felt so weak. I felt like I was the worst person who had ever worn that uniform. Of course, later, I find out that everybody went through that. Everybody eventually gave them something. They wouldn't let you die. And they could make you do something.

And you just had to -- because of saving face, you had to give them something sooner or later. And -- but we didn't give them what they wanted, which was our cooperation. They only wanted us to make statements against the war and all that sort of stuff, and we fought it every day.

BALDWIN: You made it home?

ELLIS: Yes, yes.

BALDWIN: What was that first night in your own bed like?

ELLIS: Well, first of all, we flew to Clark Air Base and spent two days there in a hospital, and not much sleep. We were like kids on a sugar high.

We were excited, and not much sleep there. Did make a phone call home to mom and dad. Then we flew back to the United States. And John McCain and I were shot down and captured 11 days apart. He went in October 27. I was November the 7th. So we came back on the same airplane. We flew into Montgomery. Then he -- his -- the airplane took him on to Jacksonville.

And then my parents were there to meet me, so, my parents and my brother and his family, and that was a really exciting experience. They stayed for about three days. They went home, and I had to stay two weeks for debrief and physicals.

BALDWIN: It was exciting. But yet I have read, as you said, as a POW over all that time, you shut down.

ELLIS: Yes.

BALDWIN: You shut down emotionally, spiritually, mentally, except you're angry. Right?

ELLIS: Right. Yes. Yes.

BALDWIN: But how did -- how did -- here you have family members and loved ones coming at you.

ELLIS: Yes. BALDWIN: Did you even know how to respond?

ELLIS: That was difficult.

And we did shut down. I did emotionally. And my emotions were like that table. I couldn't get excited about being released. I wasn't -- and I couldn't get depressed about being there. At that point, I had learned to manage my emotions and just shut them down, except for anger.

And I think the last couple of years, when it was more live and let live, we started to get our anger and get rid of the bitterness, because we wanted to come home healthy. And we didn't shut down spiritually, though. We did shut down emotionally. But, intellectually, it was probably the most stimulating time of my life.

BALDWIN: How long did it take you to finally be normal again, Colonel?

ELLIS: I'm not normal now.

(LAUGHTER)

BALDWIN: You're not normal now, truly?

ELLIS: Well, yes, we are.

I don't know. That's hard to say. I know that we didn't think we had any problems. In fact, when we came out -- one of the things I was thinking about Bowe coming home -- we thought the society had gone to hell in a handbasket.

There were no drugs in schools in Commerce, Georgia, when I left to go overseas, and I come home and there are drugs in the middle school. So, there was a lot of things that had gone downhill. A lot of good things had happened.

But we felt like that we knew what we were doing because we had been managing ourselves pretty tightly for a long time, very disciplined by that experience. And so people were whining about -- they didn't have enough color TVs or they didn't have a C.B. radio for their pickup truck.

BALDWIN: Get over it, you're saying.

ELLIS: And we came home with an attitude of gratitude.

BALDWIN: Of course.

ELLIS: oh, I -- even still, when I get in my bed at night, and it's a cold night out--

BALDWIN: Still, so many decades later.

ELLIS: -- 41 years later since I came home, I am so thankful to have a warm bed at night, and in the summertime to have a cool air- conditioned house, and to have a good meal and a refrigerator with food.

It's -- we live in a wonderful country.

BALDWIN: Do you ever have flashbacks to this day? Or is that done?

ELLIS: I don't think I have flashbacks.

Occasionally, something will hit me emotionally. Movies can go under your emotional radar and hit you. And so I have actually been able to get in touch with my emotions through movies more than anything else, books and movies, because they kind of slip up on you, and all of the sudden -- I remember when I saw "Gladiator" the second time.

BALDWIN: Oh, that got me.

ELLIS: And this time, I was really watching it. And when they -- and when they did -- she said, honor this man, he was a Roman soldier, I lost it.

BALDWIN: Oh.

ELLIS: I just thought of all my buddies who didn't come home that we left -- we lost there. And I really was able to grieve their loss then.

BALDWIN: Colonel Lee Ellis, "Leading With Honor," thank you so much. It is my honor to meet you. Thank you for coming in.

ELLIS: Thank you, Brooke. Enjoyed being with you today.

BALDWIN: Thank you.

Coming up next: Remember that scavenger hunt we told you about in San Francisco? A Twitter feed gave people clues to find the envelopes stuffed with cash? Well, now someone is posting clues in another major city. Might this be your town? We will talk about this ahead.

Plus, do you recognize this face right in the middle of your screen? Donald Sterling making a public experience -- appearance at a predominantly black church -- some people there doing a double-take. Their reaction to this visitor is next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: V. Stiviano, the woman who recorded racist comments made by L.A. Clippers owner Donald Sterling, reportedly was attacked in New York City.

Her attorney tells CNN two men punched her in the face as she was leaving this hotel just yesterday. They then allegedly yelled racial slurs at her. V. Stiviano's attorney says the assault left her face red and swollen. She did not immediately file a police report, but is expected to today.

And Donald Sterling spent his Sunday morning worshiping inside attending a South Los Angeles church, the congregation there predominantly African-American. And Sterling was personally invited by the pastor.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (OFF-MIKE)

(APPLAUSE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (OFF-MIKE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We love all of God's children, regardless of your race, creed, or color. And I want my friend to know we are praying for you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Sterling stood with the Praises of Zion Missionary Baptist Church. The pastor, Pastor J. Benjamin Hardwick, met Sterling two weeks ago. Sterling said he came to support what he calls this wonderful group, but some of the parishioners found it pretty tough to get behind this visit 100 percent.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I did have mixed emotions on it, because of what the news said, but, again, as I say in the way I was raised is, once you're a child a God, you have to learn to forgive everybody.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I thought it was very interesting that he did come down. And, hopefully, he is very sorry for what he said. I didn't particularly like what he said. But I know we all sometimes speak before we think.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: You know the story. Sterling is suing the NBA for more than $1 billion. The leagued announced a settlement with Shelly Sterling and the Sterling family trust to sell the Clippers to former Microsoft executive Steve Ballmer.

And now to this mystery millionaire who has been dumping loads of cold hard cash on the people of California, has now apparently ignited a revolution and a bunch of copycats. There are now other hidden cash hunts reportedly sprouting up at other cities around the country, including Dallas and Chicago.

So, let's go to CNN's Ted Rowlands. He's live in Chicago for us right now.

And, so, Ted, just so I'm clear, this -- the cash that is cropping up in Chicago, is this -- this is not the same guy as San Francisco?

TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: No, different guy.

BALDWIN: OK.

ROWLANDS: And people remember, this happened, started about two weeks ago.

A guy given a Twitter feed, #hiddencash. He's out of the San Francisco Bay area. He has given a few thousand away, given clues, and then people go and they find envelopes. Well, people are copying him. And they are doing it all over the place, L.A., New Orleans, Chicago now, New York.

Today, a woman found $60 in a park here in Chicago. She went on to the hidden cash Chicago Twitter feed, got the clue, and found the cash. Here is what she said when she found her cash.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TINA GADDY, FOUND HIDDEN CASH: The envelope says: "Please take this gift and pay it forward. We can make a difference. Pay it forward, and retweet" with hiddencashChi on it. And there was also the pinwheel. And there was $60 inside.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROWLANDS: Now, this woman says she is going to pay it forward by paying for people's coffee tomorrow, everybody in front of her and in back of her. If you are lucky enough to be in line with this woman, you are going to get a free cup of coffee in Chicago.

The bottom line here, Brooke, is I think a lot of people are having fun with this looking for the cash, but there are also some wealthy people with money in their pockets that are also having fun conducting these scavenger hunts across the world. There's one in the U.K., hiddencash/U.K.

So, wherever you live, go on to Twitter, see if there is some hidden cash to be found. And if you have some time, you might come up lucky.

BALDWIN: We talk a lot about a lot of copycat folks. And it's not always a positive thing, so I guess in this case, people will take the cash, won't they, Ted Rowlands, and the free coffee that comes along with it in some cases.

ROWLANDS: Yes.

BALDWIN: Ted for us in Chicago, thank you.

Coming up next: A U.S. soldier is free in exchange for five prisoners from Guantanamo Bay. But some Republicans are outraged. They say President Obama broke the law in making this deal to free Bowe Bergdahl. We will debate that coming up next.

Also ahead, Apple holds a major conference to reveal details of new technology, and one of the biggies, one of the big announcements could impact a whole lot of what you do inside your home. We will have a live report from San Francisco coming up on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)