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Obama Defense Prisoner Exchange; Bergdahl, Hero or Deserter?; Twelve-Year-Old Girls Charged in Murder Plot; Dan Marino Sues NFL over Concussions
Aired June 03, 2014 - 09:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Thanks a lot. Have a great day.
NEWSROOM starts now.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: Happening now, in the NEWSROOM, a POW and a president.
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: You make sure that you try to get your folks back. And that's the right thing to do.
COSTELLO: The law.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR, AC 360: Did President Obama break the law?
REP. HOWARD "BUCK" MCKEON (R), CHAIRMAN, ARMED SERVICES COMMITTEE: Yes.
COSTELLO: This morning, brand new information. A new timeline and new questions about what should happen to Bowe Bergdahl.
Also, fatal flaw. The death toll from those faulty GM ignition switches may be five times higher than previously thought.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Had GM acted differently, some of this tragedy might have been averted.
COSTELLO: Plus, coming clean on concussions. Hall of Famer Dan Marino now joining 14 other players and suing the NFL. Did the NFL mislead players about the risks?
And maximum wage.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Nine in favor of minimum wage.
COSTELLO: Seattle, Washington, making history. $15 an hour for workers.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That leaves me with about $300 to $400 a month for food and everything else.
COSTELLO: But not everyone is on board.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Seems to be arbitrary and discriminatory.
COSTELLO: Let's talk. Live in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: Good morning. I'm Carol Costello. Thanks so much for joining me.
President Obama firing back at critics that say the United States should never have made a deal to free Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl in exchange for those five Taliban leaders. This morning the president who is in Poland for a summit with Eastern European allies hammered home his stance that the military does not leave its people behind.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: Regardless of the circumstances, whatever those circumstances may turn out to be, we still get an American soldier back if he's held in captivity. Period. Full stop. We don't condition that. And that's what every mom and dad who sees a son or daughter sent over into war theater should expect from not just their commander in chief, but the United States of America.
The release of the Taliban who were being held in Guantanamo was conditioned on the Qataris keeping eyes on them and creating a structure in which we can monitor their activities. We will be keeping eyes on them.
Is there the possibility of some of them trying to return to activities that are detrimental to us? Absolutely. That's been true of all the prisoners that were released from Guantanamo. There is a certain recidivism rate that takes place.
I wouldn't be doing it if I thought that it was contrary to American national security and we have confidence that we will be in a position to go after them if, in fact, they are engaging activities that threaten our defenses.
But this is what happens at the end of wars. That was true for George Washington. That was true for Abraham Lincoln. That was true for FDR. That's been true every combat situation, that at some point you make sure that you try to get your folks back, and that's the right thing to do.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: The president's statements come as allegations of desertion swirl around Bergdahl. CNN has learned the Army actually looked at the possibility that Bergdahl voluntarily left his base in Afghanistan. But the Army report held off on making any final conclusions until Bergdahl is able to defend himself.
Our senior White House correspondent Jim Acosta is traveling with the president.
JIM ACOSTA, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Carol, this morning here in Warsaw President Obama defended his decision to secure the release of U.S. POW Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl in exchange for those five Taliban fighters who were freed from the U.S. detention center at Guantanamo. The president saying notwithstanding the circumstances that led to Bowe Bergdahl's initial capture, that the U.S. does not leave any soldier behind in a foreign country.
The president went on to say that there's also a legal case for circumventing Congress and making this decision to free Bowe Bergdahl without that notification to key members up on Capitol Hill. The president saying that there was a limited window of opportunity to free Bergdahl from his Taliban captors.
Administration officials, meanwhile, are also trying to bolster the president's case saying that notification to Congress could have compromised Bowe Bergdahl's safety.
In the meantime, all of these questions about the president's decision with respect to Bowe Bergdahl are overshadowing this foreign trip which was really intended to bolster the U.S. security partnership with NATO allies here in Eastern Europe. The president is here in Poland to reassure those Eastern European allies that are nervous about Russian aggression in Ukraine.
The president saying during that news conference here in Poland that there is a possibility for repaired relations with Russia. The president saying at one point that if Russian President Vladimir Putin can urge those separatists in eastern Ukraine to stand down and continue to pull forces away from the Ukrainian border, that better relations with the U.S. are possible down the road.
The president even remarked at one point during this news conference that he may have the chance to have an exchange with President Putin later on this week as both men will be in France for the 70th anniversary of the D-Day invasion at Normandy -- Carol.
COSTELLO: All right. Jim Acosta reporting.
Joining me now to dig deeper, Barbara Starr, CNN's Pentagon correspondent, and Larry Sabato, the director of the University of Virginia Center for Politics.
Welcome to you both.
Larry?
LARRY SABATO, UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA CENTER FOR POLITICS: Good morning.
COSTELLO: Where are you there?
SABATO: Right here.
COSTELLO: I hear you, but I don't see you. So we'll just move on.
Larry, actually, listen to this. President Obama says you can't leave any American behind, that it's just not done. But some of this fiercest critics, among them Arizona Senator John McCain, are questioning what they say was a high cost to secure Bergdahl's freedom. Let's listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: Thirty percent of those who have already been released from Guantanamo have re-entered the fight and these -- this is the top. These are the people that have blood of thousands on their hands, at least in one case, and so you have to understand what was done in exchange for the release of Sergeant Bergdahl.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: So, Larry, will the president's argument soothe concerns of McCain's and others, do you think?
SABATO: In this present age, Carol, it will soothe some Democratic concerns. Hello?
COSTELLO: Larry, can you hear me? I'm so sorry.
SABATO: Hello?
COSTELLO: We're having a little bit of technical difficulties. Let's switch over to Barbara.
Barbara, because I know you've done a lot of reporting on the timeline, you know, of Bowe Bergdahl. So let's just talk about that while we get the shot from the University of Virginia settled.
Evidence is mounting, Barbara, that Bergdahl willingly left base. Soldiers from his unit are furious saying he came off guard duty, and then left base leaving his gun behind. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOSH KORDER, SERVED IN SAME BATTALION AS SGT. BOWE BERGDAHL: He's at best a deserter and at worst a traitor. As soon as he is able and as soon as he is fit I do believe that he needs to be questioned and basically tried, if necessary. Any of us would have died for him while he was with us and then for him to just leave us like that, it was a very big betrayal.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Keep in mind, when Bergdahl left them in Afghanistan he left his gun behind. He took no supplies with him. Are we rushing to judgment here, Barbara?
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the top military officer in this country put out a statement earlier today saying innocent until proven guilty. And basically suggesting that everybody take a deep breath. Here's how it's going to work. When Bergdahl is able to talk, the Army will talk to him. They will get his side of the story. Under the military justice system, there will be the very specific commander's discretion. The commander of his unit will get leeway in deciding how to proceed.
Look, they could do nothing. They could simply dismiss him from military service. They could give him administrative punishment. A letter of reprimand if they found enough evidence in talking to him, in reopening any investigation, if that's what they decide to do, if they found enough evidence, could they bring charges against him? Yes, perhaps they could.
The point here is, none of that is decided yet. What the Pentagon is adamant about is, they want to follow procedure. They want to hear from Bowe Bergdahl himself. What happened that night? Where did he wind up? How did he get there? Why did he get there? We have a lot of people talking, but the man who can speak and defend himself hasn't yet spoken -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Absolutely.
And, Larry, as Barbara said, the Joint Chiefs chairman, General Martin Dempsey, he actually put out a statement on his Facebook page and he said, "Like any American Bergdahl is innocent until proven guilty. Our Army's leaders will not look away from his conduct if it occurred." That's a quote from General Dempsey.
The question is, Bergdahl spent five years in captivity. There's a lot of vitriol out there. Does the Army have to invoke some kind of punishment now?
SABATO: Well, it depends on what the facts are. You know, I'm a political person, Carol, and the way I look at this is, is it a controversy that will increase the temperature of this ongoing political campaign in the midterms? I think absolutely, because just about everybody has questions about part of it.
There are four or five controversies connected to Bergdahl's release. And so the odds are, it's going to raise the temperature of the stew as it's being stirred. What's really hurting the administration right now is that servicemen from Bergdahl's unit are speaking out and claiming that he's a deserter. If that isn't true, well, we'll have to eat a lot of our words. But if they're right, I think this stays a controversy probably through to Election Day.
COSTELLO: Is there anything, Larry, that the president can say to calm things down?
SABATO: Well, they could release more information about how they're going to keep track of the five terrorists, five very senior terrorists, who were released and are supposedly under supervision for at least a year. If people felt better that they would be clearly supervised and would not be returning to the fight, maybe that would help. But it's also true they probably can't give those guarantees.
COSTELLO: Barbara Starr, Larry Sabato, thanks for your insight this morning.
Still to come in the NEWSROOM, a scary Internet game you're going to want to know about. Take a look. It's called "Slender Man." And what police say it inspired. It inspired two preteens to allegedly commit murder.
Rosa Flores is on the story this morning.
Good morning, Rosa.
ROSA FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Carol, good morning. Well, these preteens were very open with investigators telling them, now this is according to police, that these preteens planned the stabbing of their friend for months, all to impress a fictitious character on the Internet. How their plot unfolded, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Checking some top stories for you at 15 minutes past.
The man who prompted a nationwide manhunt after explosives were discovered in his San Francisco apartment is behind bars this morning. The suspect's name is Ryan Chamberlain. He was caught overnight near the Golden Gate Bridge after being on the run for days.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MORGAN MANOS, WITNESS TO ARREST: I was rolling with my out phone, the cops said, back away. The guy who was getting arrested was, looked at me and said, "Help." I figured there's a manhunt, surely this guy is getting out of the city. I didn't imagine him running down to the beach.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Right now, Chamberlain is being questioned by police.
Reports say Donald Sterling is the target of a lawsuit by a woman claims she worked for him, but was fired after refusing to have sex with him. Maiko Maya King says she was in a romantic relationship with Sterling from 2005 to 2011, and that Sterling repeatedly made racist and sexist remarks in her presence. The lawsuit also claims that Sterling agreed last year to pay her $10,000 a month to be his personal assistant, but only if she would have sex with him.
A judge in a Florida courtroom challenged a public defender to a fight, and then apparently delivered.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ATTORNEY: This is an emergency created by the --
JUDGE: If I had a rock I would throw it at you right now. Stop pissing me off. Just sit down. I'll take care of it. I don't need your help, sit down.
ATTORNEY: I'm the public defender and I have a right to be here.
JUDGE: I said, sit down.
If you want to fight, let's go out back and I'll just.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let's go (EXPLETIVE DELETED)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: All right, then. The attorney says he went into the hallway and the judge grabbed him by the collar and started hitting him. Deputies had to break up the fight. The attorney was reassigned. No one was arrested, and so far no charges have been filed.
An incredibly disturbing story out of suburban Wisconsin. Two 12- year-olds girls accused luring a friend to a park and stabbing her.
They may have been inspired by an online horror story.
CNN's Rosa Flores is following the story for us this morning.
Good morning.
ROSA FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.
You know, nothing about this case makes sense. Imagine this. So, allegedly these preteens became obsessed with a fictitious character on the Internet, that's associated with horror stories. Next thing you know, according to police, they're plotting and planning to stab their friend to impress this fictitious character.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FLORES (voice-over): The details play out like the plot of a horror film.
CHIEF RUSSELL JACK, WAUKESHA, WISCONSIN POLICE: In the morning, the suspects went to the park and lured the victim into the woods near Big Ben Road, south of Rivera Drive, to play a game.
FLORES: Two 12-year-old girls accused of inviting their friend to play hide-and-seek after a sleepover, but police say they had much darker intentions.
JACK: Once there, one suspect held the victim down while the other suspect stabbed her 19 times, in the arms, legs, and torso.
FLORES: Suspects Morgan Geyser and Anissa Weier, middle school students who appeared in court Monday, allegedly spent months planning the attack on their friend. The suspects' fascination with "Slender Man," a fictional Internet character that often appears in horror story and videos, led to the attempted murder plot, according to police. The Web site known aS Creepypastawiki, that posts horror stories, portrays Slender Man as its leader.
In order to gain respect and climb up to his realm, a user must commit murder. One of the young suspects told authorities.
Severely wounded, the victim managed to crawl out of the wounds where she was found by a bicyclist. According to court documents, she was 1 millimeter away from certain death.
JACK: Many of the stab wounds struck major organs but incredibly and thankfully the victim survived this brutal assault.
FLORES: The suspects are facing attempted first-degree murder charges and will be treated as adults.
THOMAS J. PIEPER, WAUKESHA COUNTY COURT COMMISSIONER: I recognize the young age, but it's still unbelievable.
FLORES: The parents of the young suspects, in shock about the brutal attack.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Morgan's parents are very sad about what has happened. They're horrified, and our condolences to everyone.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FLORES: Now, the girls were arrested hours after the incident. Bail is set at $500,000. Now, CNN has been trying to talk to their attorneys, and we have not been successful yet, and we should add, Carol, that the victim this morning is in stable condition.
COSTELLO: Amazing. Thank goodness. Rosa Flores reporting live.
Still to come in the NEWSROOM: a possible game-changer surrounding NFL concussions. Hall of Famer Dan Marino now joining more than a dozen other players suing the league. Andy Scholes is on the story.
ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS: Hi, Carol.
Dan Marino definitely adds star player to the former players' concussion lawsuit. It could be a game-changer. We'll have more after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Hall of Fame quarterback Dan Marino says he suffers from symptoms of brain injury. Marino is now joining 14 other former NFL players in the latest concussion lawsuit against the league.
Andy Scholes is here to tell us more.
SCHOLES: Well, Carol, yes. This basically this boils down to the former players, they're not happy with the previous settlement and the fact it's still held up in the court system and want the NFL to compensate them for what they say are lifelong injuries. And now, they have one of the greatest players ever to play the game helping to lead the fight.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) SCHOLES (voice-over): Hall of fame quarterback, Dan Marino is now suing the NFL. Former Miami Dolphin joining 14 other players in lawsuit taking on the league claiming the NFL knew about the long-term dangers of concussions and purposely misled players about the risk.
The complaint didn't specify Marino's injuries or his condition, but did say he suffers symptoms of brain injury caused by the repetitive, traumatic, sub-concussive and/or concussive head impacts sustained during NFL games and/or practices.
Marino is not the first to file suit. More than 4,500 other players are currently suing the NFL as part of a class action, but the hall of famer is one of the most prominent names.
About two weeks ago another lawsuit was filed claiming players were given pain killers and narcotics by team doctors and trainers, some not medically licensed, to keep them playing even while hurt. The players in the suit say those drugs did long-term damage to their health.
JEREMY NEWBERRY, FORMER NFL PLAYER: Nobody ever in my entire life ever spoke about the issues I'm going to have with my kidneys because I played the game of tackle football.
SCHOLES: In a separate case, a judge rejected a proposed $765 million settlement for in fact saying she didn't believe there was enough money to cover up to 20,000 retired players.
All of this just as the issue has gone all of the way to the top. President Obama last week calling together a concussion summit and proposing $30 million in funding for concussion-related research.
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Concussions are not just a football issue. They don't just affect grown men who choose to accept some risk to play a game that they love and that they excel at.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SCHOLES: You know, Carol, the ball is now definitely in the NFL's court and they don't want a guy like Dan Marino in a PR campaign against the league about concussions.
But, you know, when we think about Dan Marino, he's not one of the quarterbacks we think of.
COSTELLO: No.
SCHOLES: We think Steve Young, we think Troy Aikman. The guys have to leave the game because of concussions.
An interesting story about Dan Marino. In 1992, supposedly, he left a game in the fourth quarter with a concussion. Didn't know where he was, went back in the game and threw a game-winning pass.
So, he has been there before. It's going to be interesting to see the next step considering the settlement that's already been rejected and where we go with the NFL. They definitely don't want to keep this going into another season.
COSTELLO: Got that. Andy Scholes, many thanks.
Still to come in the NEWSROOM, captured by the Taliban. How will U.S. soldier Bowe Bergdahl transition back into everyday life? Up next, we'll ask the former war correspondent who knows first hand what it's like to be kidnapped.
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