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Bergdahl in Stable Condition; GM Monthly Sales Best in Six Years; Seattle Passes $15 Per Hour Minimum Wage; Interview with Seattle Mayor

Aired June 03, 2014 - 09:30   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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

Growing controversy this morning over reports of how Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl was captured by the Taliban back in 2009. 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 was able to defend himself. Some soldiers who served with Bergdahl say he did willingly leave base. They say he's a deserter.

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MATTHEW VIERKANT, PLATOON MEMBER WITH BOWE BERGDAHL: Well, the facts on the ground were, he left his weapon and his equipment, took minimal supplies and walked off to either join the Taliban or do something else. Only he can answer that question.

NATHAN BETHEA, SERVED IN SAME BATTALION AS SGT. BOWE BERGDAHL: Looking at the evidence that I've seen and that, you know, has been presented over the years and really in the immediate first couple of days, there's no reason why, after being relieved from his guard shift, he would have left the perimeter of that outpost, particularly having, you know, left behind his weapon, his body armor, his helmet, all of his gear, but having intentionally taken his compass, his digital camera and his diary. The evidence seemed to mount that based on the guys who knew him personally, you know, and seen him on a day-to-day basis, there wasn't any other explanation, that he must have intentionally left the guys in his unit behind and wandered off. And, I mean, deserter is a really strong word because it doesn't get thrown around very often. But, I mean, in the absence of orders, one leaving with the intention of not coming back, that is desertion.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: That is desertion. Despite harsh words from fellow soldiers, though, President Obama says the U.S. military stands by a commitment to leave no man behind.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: 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.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Right now, officials say Bergdahl is in stable condition but it is unclear when exactly he'll return to the United States. Let's bring in CNN senior international correspondent Matthew Chance.

Good morning, Matthew.

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Carol, good morning.

That's right, we're here at the regional medical facility in northern Germany at Landstuhl where Bowe Bergdahl is currently being treated for certain medical issues. Nobody's talking about those issues you just raised earlier in that report about whether or not he deserted. The focus very much now on his medical needs.

Now, because of patient confidentiality, they're not going into detail about what those medical needs are, but they are saying there are certain conditions that required hospitalization. Remember, he was in captivity for nearly five years and so the doctors and the medical experts that have been examining him saying that there were certain dietary and nutritional needs that had to be tackled, and that's what we're in the process of now, looking at those physical needs.

There's also the psychological expertise that's being brought to bear at the moment. He's in a phase of his reintegration here at this regional medical facility that will try and, you know, kind of prevent it from being too much of a shock for when he finally gets his homecoming and finally is reintegrated properly into society. So there will be psychological assessments, as well as the medical assessments as well. So that's the situation now.

And what we're not getting from any of the experts, any of the medical teams inside this Landstuhl medical facility is any idea about how long this is going to take. They're saying it will be a slow, deliberate process to make sure that the patient is not overwhelmed by his integration. Whether that will be a couple of days or a week from now, it's not clear, Carol.

COSTELLO: Something I don't understand. Why isn't Bergdahl's family in Germany?

CHANCE: That's not clear to us either, and we've just been in contact with the sort of press officers in this Landstuhl facility to talk about what contact that Bergdahl has had with his family since he emerged from captivity, in that controversial prisoner swap, and it seems that as far as we're aware, there hasn't been contact between Bergdahl -- Sergeant Bergdahl and his family so far. Now, whether that's because he's not deemed to be psychologically prepared for that, whether that would be too overwhelming for him in the eyes of the medical specialists, or whether he's still being debriefed to see if there's any actionable intelligence or to see what circumstances there were in his capture. Because, remember, there have been preliminary investigations conducted by the U.S. military into the circumstances of his capture by these Afghan militants, affiliates of the Taliban, but there's no conclusion been reached because they haven't, up until now, been able to speak to Bergdahl himself. This is that first opportunity for investigators to get a grip and get a handle on what really happened nearly five years ago.

COSTELLO: Matthew Chance reporting live from Germany this morning.

So let's talk more about this, shall we? Joining us now, former war correspondent Mike Boettcher.

Good morning, Mike.

MIKE BOETTCHER, DOCUMENTARY FILM CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.

COSTELLO: Nice to see you again. I'm glad you're with us.

You were kidnapped back in 1985 by armed gunman while you were on assignment in El Salvador. And before we get into that compelling story, I'd like to ask you what you make of Bowe Bergdahl.

BOETTCHER: Well, I was in the region, in Kazakhstan (ph), Patika (ph) province, during that period, when they were looking for him, and every soldier who was out there, every mission we were on at that point, everyone was keeping an eye out for Bowe Bergdahl, although everyone was pretty sure he was across the border in north Waziristan being held by the Haqqani network. But everyone I encountered at that point said the soldiers said the word on the street, and it was not confirmed at that point, was that he had walked off the base. But there was really no, you know, griping by the soldiers about going out there and trying to find him during that period, during '09, '10 and 2011.

COSTELLO: Are you surprised that so many soldiers are coming out and condemning Bergdahl?

BOETTCHER: No, I'm not. I mean that was there in the undercurrent as soldiers, and I'd been getting e-mails from soldiers that I covered throughout that period who were in that area. You know, it was one of those things where the main objective of the soldiers on the ground there was to somehow get him back, no matter what the circumstances were. And -- but now that he's free, it does not surprise me that this -- this sort of attitude is emerging.

COSTELLO: Does that make sense to you that someone would grow disenfranchised with the war, which supposedly Bergdahl did, that he would just wander off in the middle of the night, not taking his gun or his - his body armor with him? Does it make sense to you?

BOETTCHER: No, it's very - no, it doesn't. I mean it's very strange. You know, those bases out there were very, very isolated. They were literally at the edge of the empire. And, for example, one combat outpost I was based at called Spira (ph), which at the time was the most attacked base in Afghanistan as we're filming our documentary "The Hornet's Nest," it was attacked constantly. And you feel like you are out there very much alone. And in that area, as we say in Oklahoma here, you know, you could throw a dead cat and hit the Taliban. They were everywhere there because that was the center of the Taliban smuggling lines that came from Pakistan into Afghanistan and would work their way up towards the Kabul area.

But, you know, it was a - it was a lonely, isolated existence out there. You were on your compound. You were constantly attacked. And just across the border in Pakistan were a bunch of Taliban and al Qaeda who literally had pretty much free movement across the border there.

COSTELLO: OK. Well, let's talk about being held in captivity, because I know that you were in the course of your job held in captivity. It's difficult, I think, for people to understand why Bowe Bergdahl isn't with his family right now. Why didn't military officials invite the family to Germany?

BOETTCHER: Because this is something, at least the initial stages, you have to work out on your own. You know, believe me, I don't want to compare what I went through with what he did for five years. But it is a lonely existence. You were on your own, in captivity, using all the means at your disposal, which aren't much, to try to stay alive, making friends with your captors. And you are not in control of your life during that period of time. Someone else is. You lose control. It takes a while to build your way back to trusting the people around you. And certainly it did for me. It actually took me years and years and years.

COSTELLO: Oh, even with your own family?

BOETTCHER: Well, you grow more distant. I mean, you know, my family was there and my family's been with me as I've been through other traumatic things over the years, but I think initially -- you know, the Army has a plan for everything. I mean literally everything. And this has been well set out in protocol. And I think that they want to, you know, make sure that he has his head on as straight as it can be at this period in his life before he deals with the emotions of seeing his family. You have to deal with one emotion at a time and move forward. And it's a progression. And the Army has a well set out plan in dealing with this.

COSTELLO: OK. And last question for you. Because of all of this controversy surrounding --swirling around Bergdahl, because of these allegations of desertion, how difficult will it be for him to re- assimilate?

BOETTCHER: It's going to be really tough. It really will be. You know, it's that thing -- and he's not even aware, probably, that initially, you know, he was treated as a hero, coming out, and now he's being attacked from some quarters as walking off the base. It's going to be difficult for him. And especially after five years. Held that long and having trouble speaking your own mother tongue. This is going to be a long process.

You know, I covered, in the early days of CNN, I covered the Robert Garwood trial, the U.S. Marine who emerged from the jungles of Vietnam after we had left. And certainly Robert Garwood had a very, very difficult time. And I'm not equating Robert Garwood with Bowe Bergdahl, but I'm just saying, when you're gone for that long, and you're away from your network, and you used your wits to try to survive, try to make friends with those who held you captive, because you totally lost control, it is a tough re-entry.

COSTELLO: Mike Boettcher, thanks for sharing your insight this morning. I appreciate it.

BOETTCHER: You're welcome.

COSTELLO: We'll be right back.

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COSTELLO: This just in to CNN. And it kind of makes no sense at all.

But despite of all its recall issues GM's monthly sales are the best they've been in nearly six years. Christine Romans is live in New York to explain it all. Good morning.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Good morning. The recall headlines, not having effect on the traffic and the purchasing in those dealerships, Carol. These numbers show strong demand for GM cars in the month of May, Carol. What I can tell you is sales increased 12.6 percent. There were some 17 vehicle lines that saw double digit sales increases. It was the best month since August 2008 and the best May -- best May in seven years.

How does that compare with the other automakers? Because we're hearing from them as well. Chrysler sales were up 17 percent in May. So that's showing you that the American consumer is confident enough to purchase a car and is reaching into their pocket and starting to spend money. Ford sales up three percent. So a less dramatic increase for Ford.

Carol, this GM number, really interesting as well, because there was a big Memorial Day recall of three very popular crossover SUV-type cars. The Buick Enclave, the GMC Acadia, the Chevy Traverse. Somebody who went into that important weekend wanting to buy something, there were stop sale orders on some of those very popular models. So even with that it was strong performance in the month for General Motors -- Carol.

COSTELLO: It's interesting, because Reuters is reporting it found at least 74 people have died in GM cars, in accidents quite similar to those connected with those faulty ignition switches. What do you know about that? ROMANS: We've talked to General Motors about that reporting and they are sticking by, General Motors are sticking by its 13 -- 13 fatal accidents, because of the ignition switch recall and says that it is -- it is continuing to monitor all the claims as they're made aware in the recall population, but Reuters looked at something called the fatality analysis reporting system are farce and said that when you look within there and you look at all of those front-end crashes, where the -- where you didn't have the deployment of an air bag, they sees more like 74 fatalities. There has been dispute about this number I mean and this has been something that's been very, very painful for families who've lost somebody in a GM accident. Because NTSA the National Transportation Safety Administration have said they expect there will be a higher number than 13.

Carol, we're going to get an internal report from GM next month that we're expecting to have much more clarity on exactly what the extent of the recall problem in those crashes -- Carol.

COSTELLO: All right Christine Romans reporting live.

COSTELLO: I'm back in a minute.

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COSTELLO: It is a huge win for those fighting for a higher minimum wage. Today the city of Seattle will double it raising minimum wages to $15 bucks an hour for a full-time worker that's $31,000 a year. Seattle's new minimum wage is the highest in the nation and while it's a big win for workers, critics say it's a risky move for business owners.

Seattle Mayor Ed Murray joins us now. Good morning, Mr. Mayor.

MAYOR ED MURRAY, SEATTLE: Good morning. Thanks for having me on.

COSTELLO: Thanks for being here. I appreciate it. You've gone where no city has gone before. Why?

MURRAY: You know, income inequality is a growing crisis in this country. It's decimating the middle class. It threatens the American concept of opportunity and somewhere somehow we need to start acting and Seattle, like many cities, we see income inequality grow and grow and the need to act and need to set an example to show leadership is something that Seattle is known for.

COSTELLO: Yes and we're looking at the list of the other cities and other states that have raised the minimum wage. Nobody has gone to $15 bucks an hour. And I guess a good reason for that would be economists haven't tested this. They don't know exactly how it will affect the economy. Does that bother you?

MURRAY: There are two things. We went to $15 but we're going to $15 smart. We're phasing it in over seven years. We're very sensitive to the fact that Seattle has some of the most innovative small and large businesses. It gives us a chance. It gives them chance to adjust their business model. But I think we've been able to do something that helps business and helps employees.

And I think the studies show again and again where you have a higher minimum wage, you actually see a fairly vibrant economy.

COSTELLO: Some might argue that Seattle's economy is much better than in other cities across the nation. And that at some point because of the particular business in Seattle, there will be a bust and you'll be sorry for doing this.

MURRAY: Well you know, I don't believe that is going to be the case. Again, I think that we have done this in a way that is smart. I think we've done it in a way that phases it in so business can adjust. I think what is hurting the economy, what is hurting Seattle, what's hurting cities and states around this nation is the issue of income inequality. You know when you have a large middle class that can go out and buy TVs can buy the next house, a car, those are things that stimulate an economy. And when you have a small number of people at the very top who buy a yacht, that's not how you stimulate an economy.

So we're putting money into people's pockets, money that will go right back into the economy.

COSTELLO: Well there are other people who say, including business owners in Seattle, who say this will really hurt them. They're going to have to lay off workers because of this.

MURRAY: Well, again, we have to look at studies around the nation where the minimum wage has been higher than Seattle and indication is that is not what happens. The other thing though that we have to realize is even at $15 an hour and most people who are making lower wages the lowest wages don't work a 40-hour week. Even $15 an hour in a city as expensive as Seattle, it is very, very hard for that worker to actually live in this city.

Again, that is a huge problem for small businesses and large businesses.

COSTELLO: Seattle Mayor Ed Murray, thanks so much for joining me. I appreciate it.

MURRAY: Thank you I appreciate it.

COSTELLO: The next hour of CNN NEWSROOM after a break.

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COSTELLO: Happening now in the NEWSROOM, a POW and a President.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

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.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: The law. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST, "AC360": And did President Obama break the law?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: This morning brand new information. A new time line 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.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: GM acted differently, some of this tragedy might have been averted.

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COSTELLO: Plus, coming clean on concussions. Hall of Famer Dan Marino now joining 14 other players in suing the NFL. Did the NFL mislead players about the risks?

And maximum wage.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Nine in favor. None opposed.

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COSTELLO: Seattle, Washington, making history $15 bucks an hour for workers.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So that leaves me with about $300 to $400 a month for food and everything else.

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COSTELLO: But not everyone is onboard.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It seems to be arbitrary and discriminatory.

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COSTELLO: Let's talk, live, in the CNN NEWSROOM.