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American Man in North Korean Custody; First Hearing in Classified Documents Case; American Crosses North Korean Border; Russia Unleashes Barrage of Missiles; American Hold in North Korea. Aired 8:30-9a ET

Aired July 18, 2023 - 08:30   ET

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

[08:30:00]

SUE MI TERRY, FORMER CIA NORTH KOREA ANALYST: (INAUDIBLE) was very famous. So, you know, people want to go there. But if - you have to plan this in advance. You have to put your name - give your name, you have to give your Social Security, you have to go in group, you have to, you know, month in advance have to submit, check out, get approved, then you go and you -- it starts with some sort of film to show the history of, you know, the Korean War, to just that whole area, just history of the DMZ. And then you see a bridge. You see - you know, you go in some other buildings and then you go to that particular area where you look into the North. So, people do this. But this is, again, something that you can't just wake up and say, I'm just going to go check out the DMZ. You have to plan this in advance and get approved and put in your - you (INAUDIBLE) photocopy, you know, your name, your Social Security, your birthdate, and all of that.

ABBY PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Yes. Yes. I mean it's clearly something that they want to know who is there because this is an incredibly sensitive part of the world.

And, Colonel Leighton, look, we were just playing those video reels of former President Trump in the DMZ with Kim Jong-un in his administration. I was not far away in South Korea when that was happening. A lot of this antagonism from North Korea is designed to get moments like this. The Biden administration has not engaged in that same way. So, is Kim Jong-un trying the same basic tactic here, trying to get attention to potentially get more engagement?

COL. CEDRIC LEIGHTON (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: I think that might be the case, Abby, and I think it's, you know, it's very interesting, as Sue Mi was describing the way you go about getting tourist. We should also note that it's part of the orientation for many people who are stationed in South Korea in the U.S. - in the U.S. forces Korea. They get these tours like that. So, there are military people that go on these tours. There are civilians that go on these tours. And it becomes a way to get a look at, you know, a place that you won't see otherwise.

But, you know, as far as North Korea's attempt to engage with the United States, they have a very difficult time trying to, in essence, break the code of how to talk to us. And they find that doing things like this, they find that, in essence, the - I'll called it the spoiled child syndrome, you know, where you act out and try to get your parents' attention. It's kind of similar psychologically to that. They are trying to tell us, hey, we want to talk about something. There is, you know, perhaps an economic reasons for them to do so. Perhaps other diplomatic reasons where they would like to engage with us. So, this is definitely a possibility that the Biden administration should be exploring because it is very important, you know, to see if the North Koreans want to take that path as opposed to the more (INAUDIBLE) path that they've been on recently.

PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN ANCHOR: Hey, Will, you have spent more time inside North Korea than certainly many -- if any reporters that I am aware of to some degree. You know, putting together kind of what's - Sue Mi was laying out in terms of this -- this couldn't be an accident. Something -- it just -- it doesn't work like that. You're not just walking six feet, to some degree. Your sense of North Korean leadership, how they operate, what are the chances that they would want to deliberately try and almost grab a U.S. person and bring them over? It seems like an enormous escalation tactically from their purposes.

WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It would not happen. There is not -- there is not a single soldier on the North Korean side that would be given an order to grab an American and bring them back to the North. The North Koreans are -- are, you know, not stupid. And they don't want to - they don't want to inflame a situation. I mean they'll inflame the situation by launching ICBMs that they say they are - you know, they have to protect their sovereignty, but they're not going to go grabbing Americans citizens.

It's kind of, in many ways, a nuisance for the North Koreans because now, in a country with very scarce and limited resources, they will provide food, they will provide health care. And when this American is eventually released, he or somebody will get a very large bill, maybe the U.S. government, a very large bill listing the items that North Korea will charge exorbitant prices most likely for because they need cash. I mean so anytime that they have an opportunity to, you know, to get foreign currency, and they'll jack up the prices.

I remember one time we got a $5,000 soda bill before we spoke out loud to the little, you know, the little radio that you know is listening to your room, and then the soda bill miraculously reduce down to a reasonable price.

You know, the North Koreans, they're operators. They know how to survive. They know how to get what they need. And so now that there is an American in North Korean custody, it does potentially presents an opportunity for the Biden administration that may not have existed before, and that is -- and I've talked to diplomats about this, if the Biden administration wants to engage seriously with North Korea, President Biden needs to write a letter to Kim Jong-un.

[08:35:05]

It needs to be a leader-to-leader letter. That's what they - that's what they got use to with former President Trump. And that's what they want from President Biden. Now, whether the president is willing to do that, I have no idea whatsoever. But that's what I was told. And this is months ago. But not after this incident, but when we were just talking in general about how to revive diplomacy that is so stalled in North Korea. And what was said to me is that it has to be leader-to- leader communication. They want letter from President Biden. Maybe this would be the opportunity for President Biden to write that letter and maybe could open up some sliver of communication. Any communication at all would be a good thing.

PHILLIP: And Sue Mi, if this is intentionally, as you believe that it is, how does that change what the Biden administration does going forward? Does it change how they engages with the North Koreans about returning this individual?

TERRY: So, first, I do believe it's intentional. North Koreans did not do this. They're -- you know, when I went there in January, North Koreans are not even there. Like since Covid they've really scaled back. So, I believe this was completely on this person's intentional decision to leave.

I think for the Biden administration, it is true, because there's -- right now there's a lot going on, right? We heard they just started a nuclear (INAUDIBLE) group conversations, Americans with South Koreans. We are sending in this nuclear submarine to South Korea. You know, as part of strengthening extended deterrence.

But there's been complete impasse between Washington and Seoul. So this opens an opportunity. We do know that it's not North Koreans who took this person. So, you know, President Biden will reach out to get this American back.

But there is a small opening that there was not, you know, there wasn't one before, right. It's been years of no communication with North Korea. And North Koreans who are not interested in returning to any kind of talks, any kind of dialogue to talk about denuclearization. But now we have another issue that we can talk about. So I do think there's a little bit of opening, at least to begin the dialogue between Washington and Pyongyang.

MATTINGLY: All right, Sue Mi Terry, Will Ripley, Cedric Leighton, thank you, guys, very much. This is a fast-moving story. Breaking news, again, an American man is believed to be in North Korean custody after crossing the border during a tour at the DMZ. That's according to the United Nations command. We will continue to bring you updates as our reporters get more information. The Biden administration, kind of across the agencies, is working through collecting information and what they're going to say at some point in the future.

Meanwhile, the first hearing in former President Donald Trump's classified documents case set for today. CNN has learned the judge in Florida told prosecutors that -- and the defense to come ready to talk about the trial's timeline. Prosecutors say they want it to start in mid-December. The former president's lawyers asking to delay even setting a date at all.

CNN's senior legal affairs correspondent Paula Reid is in Fort Pierce, Florida, where that hearing will happen in just a few hours.

Paula, what are we expecting today?

PAULA REID, CNN SENIOR LEGAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Well, we are not expecting former President Trump to be in attendance. And it's unclear if his codefendant, Walt Nauta, will be here today. But all eyes are going to be on Judge Ailene Cannon. This is her first hearing with lawyers from both sides of this case. She is a Trump appointee. And every decision that she makes going forward could have an impact on the outcome of this case.

Now, today's hearing is supposed to be mostly procedural, about how classified information will be handled. But she told the parties to come ready to discuss a possible trial date. That's significant because that has been a real sticking point between the two sides. The special counsel says it could be ready to take this case to trial in December, but defense attorneys have said it's too early to even put a date on the calendar and they're going to try to delay this until after the 2024 election. So, any indication that she gives us today of which way she could be leaning in terms of that defense strategy will be incredibly significant.

PHILLIP: And, Paula, lawyers for Jack Teixeira, he's that National Guardsman who was accused of posting this trove of classified documents online, he actually brought up former President Trump in a court filing. What did he say about that?

REID: So, it's not surprising, Abby, that his lawyers are trying this argument. They're saying, look, our client has been charged with mishandling and being reckless with sensitive national security secrets. So is the former president. Why is our client in jail and the former president is not? And, of course, there are some key differences here, right?

First of all, the courts have determined him, this young man, to be a flight risk, whereas they have made a different determination with former President Trump, arguably one of the most famous people in the world. There's also exactly what happened to these classified materials where he allegedly posted them on social media. Former President Trump is charged in a different way with mishandling these. So, there are some differences.

And it appears to be an argument that is more about sort of getting attention and headlines than something that actually has merit and is going to get their client back on the streets as he awaits trial.

[08:40:10]

PHILLIP: Yes, you almost can't blame them for trying there.

Paula Reid, thank you very much.

REID: Yes. Yes.

PHILLIP: And we are continuing to cover that breaking news out of North Korea. An American man now in custody after crossing the border into that country. We will have more on that after the breaking news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIP: Back to our breaking news now.

An American man is believed to be in North Korean custody after crossing the border during a tour at the Demilitarized Zone. The United Nations' command says that he crossed over without authorization in the joint security area.

MATTINGLY: Now, that's where the so-called Truce Village is. The U.N. command says it is working with North Korea's army to resolve the situation.

Kylie Atwood is following the developing story from the State Department.

And, Kylie, former CIA North Korea analyst Sue Mi Terry just told us a couple minutes ago that this is likely an intentional act by this individual. Still, there's going to have to be discussions to some degree. Do we know how those would actually start? What the process is right now?

KYLIE ATWOOD, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: We don't know how those would start because we don't know what the hotlines between the U.S. and North Korea really are right now. We know that there are ways for the Biden administration to communication with North Korea. They have said that they have reached out in the past. But we don't believe that there are really active lines of communication. So, we don't know exactly, you know, how the North -- how the Biden administration would reach out at this time.

As we were discussing earlier, however, you know, the U.S. and South Korea are incredibly close allies. So, rest assured that the U.S. in in constant contact right now with the South Korean government, who, of course, is on the southern side of this border, to try and figure out what the South Korean government can do.

[08:45:02]

And as Sue Mi Terry was saying, you know, this is likely, in her perspective, an intentional act on behalf of this American. That doesn't mean that it won't be used as leverage by the North Koreans. If they, you know, have an American who has crossed over this border, you know, potentially aggressively, and without authorization, they have someone in their hands that they can use as leverage against the United States. And we will just have to watch and see how they're going to try and use the situation.

As you guys have been discussing, this is an incredibly fortified border between the North and South Korea. When you visit this area, it's not like those visitors are looking North Koreans in the eyes. There are North Korean soldiers who are far, far away. You can use binoculars to try and see where they are. But the fact that this American, according to the U.N. command, which is in charge of maintaining the stability, maintaining, you know, the area, according to them, if they crossed over without any authorization, that appears to be what has prompted this situation right now.

PHILLIP: And we'll continue to monitor all of these developments. We're still early on in this story as we figure out who exactly this American is who crossed over into North Korea and what the White House and the State Department both are saying about it.

Kylie Atwood, thank you for that reporting.

And new overnight, Russia retaliates. Ukraine says that it shot down a barrage of cruise missiles and drones that Russian forces unleashed on their southern port city of Odessa. Our CNN team that was there on the ground witnessed Ukrainian air defenses firing up into the sky and a loud explosion that rocked the city. The air assault comes 24 hours after Russia accused Ukraine of attacking its bridge to Crimea with naval drones.

Alex Marquardt is live in Odessa, Ukraine, and he joins us now.

So, Alex, you are there where these strikes happened. Our crews saw it occur on the ground. What happened there?

ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Yes, we were up most of the night witnessing this major attack, Abby. This was a response by Russia, they said today, to that attack on the Kerch Bridge, which, of course, connects illegally annexed Crimea to the Russian peninsula. It was a significant drone and missile attack against southern Ukraine, including against the city of Odessa. It was around 2:00 a.m. in the morning when it started, just shy of 24 hours after that attack against the bridge. A local military official announcing that the city was under assault, that the air defenses were in combat. We very much saw that for ourselves. Air raid sirens going off. Hundreds of red tracer rounds being fired into the sky from those air defenses.

We heard the air defenses firing up into the sky and then what appeared to be a drone or something else that was on fire streaking across the sky behind me. We saw that several times. And then we heard that there were cruise missiles, called calibers, these are Russian cruise missiles fired from the Black Sea. We heard that they were incoming. And moments later heard several enormous blasts.

I want our viewers to take a listen to one of those. Take a listen.

(VIDEO CLIP)

MARQUARDT: So, that was the last in a series of at least four major explosions. Not too clear how far away it was. But you can hear that car -- that car alarm going off.

Now, this did result in some damage, as you might imagine, to the Port of Odessa, as well as some other civilian buildings. Luckily, no one was killed. One person was hurt.

Russia said that this was not - that they - that they - Russia pulled out of the grain deal as well yesterday. There was - there were two major stories on the same day. But they say that that had nothing to do with the attack on the bridge. And there was global condemnation for Russia pulling out of that grain deal.

And earlier today we spoke with the administrator of USAID, Samantha Power, who told us that Vladimir Putin is playing Russian - is playing roulette, rather, with the hungriest people in the world, and called it deeply disturbing.

Here's a little bit more of what she had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SAMANTHA POWER, ADMINISTRATOR, USAID: The whole world needs to raise its voice, particularly the global south, countries in the global south, to say that it's unacceptable to hold hostage the hungriest people in the world because of some power play and aggression carried out by Moscow.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MARQUARDT: So, Power told us that she is hoping that global pressure will bring Russia back into this deal.

Meanwhile, she announced that the U.S. would be giving another $250 million in aid to support Ukraine's agriculture sector.

Now, the attack that we saw last night, Abby, that was, as I mentioned, according to Russia's ministry of defense, in response to the attack on the bridge, but Russia still saying that they are still considering other ways to respond to that.

Abby.

MATTINGLY: All right, Alex Marquardt, live for us in Odessa, where those strikes occurred last night.

[08:50:03]

Thank you.

PHILLIP: And new details are emerging on the man who's suspected of being behind the Gilgo Beach murders. What investigates found in a walled-off vault in his basement, and how his family first reacted to the arrest. That's next.

MATTINGLY: And we're continuing to cover the breaking news out of North Korea. A American man now in custody after crossing the border into the country. Stay with us. We'll have more after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIP: New information just in. A U.S. official tells CNN the American man who is in custody in North Korea is believed to be a U.S. soldier. He was arrested after crossing the border during a tour at the DMZ. That's according to the United Nations' command, which says that it is working with the North Korean army to resolve this situation. Joining us now on this new information is CNN chief law enforcement

and intelligence analyst John Miller, a former NYPD deputy commissioner, and Cedric Leighton is also back with us.

John, hold on for a second. I just do want to go to Cedric Leighton on this news that this individual, we have just learned, is believed to be a U.S. soldier.

[08:55:00]

What's your reaction to that?

LEIGHTON: Well, Abby, you know, obviously, this sounds like a really incredible incident. And if this person crossed the border deliberately and did so without authorization, that becomes a problem. There have been six defectors, U.S. defectors, to North Korea since the end of the Korean War. Most of them in the 1960s. The most recent one was in 1982. So, these kinds of things do happen. I'm not saying the person is a defector, but that's the kind of thing that, obviously, is going to be going through the minds of our administration officials here in Washington. And, of course, folks on the ground in Korea as well.

MATTINGLY: And, John Miller, as we all kind of search for answers right now, behind the scenes, what are U.S. intelligence officials, folks over at DOD, doing to try and figure out what's exactly happening here?

JOHN MILLER, CNN CHIEF LAW ENFORCEMENT AND INTELLIGENCE ANALYST: So, Phil, a lot of wheels are turning and grinding very quickly. You've got, you know, an emergency meeting going on, one would imagine, at the National Security Council at the White House level tasking out these jobs to get information.

So, what happens now in the kind of one, two, three version of these steps. First things first is figure out what happened. Did he wander across? Did he run across? Does this appear to be an intentional act? Here you have a member, or former member, of the U.S. military, a private second class, who has crossed over that border. You begin with the videotape. There is a 2.5 mile buffer there. There are sentries on one side and sentries on the other side. Each one mirrors the other. They are watching constantly with binoculars. But there is a lot of video coverage. So, they'll go to the videotape. They'll see what happened, how it occurred.

At the same time, the FBI will be going to the home of this former -- I mean this military person who crossed over. They'll be looking to talk to family. They'll be looking to talk to friends. Was there any discussion of this beforehand? Is he emotionally disturbed or stable? All of those wheels are turning at once because you have to figure out, was this an accident. Highly unlikely given the structure of that border and its security, or was this an intentional act and, if so, why.

And just to wrap this up, you're also going to have to look at, what was his job in the military? Does he have access to sensitive information? What is the threat assessment there?

PHILLIP: Yes, I mean, such an important point. This really opens up almost a pandora's box of possibilities here.

Now, Colonel Leighton, as you pointed out, it has been decades since 1982, the last time something like this, if this person is a U.S. soldier, would have happened. How have things changed in terms of U.S./North Korea relations in that time? How have things in North Korea changed? That's quite a long time.

LEIGHTON: Yes, there's been some huge changes. In many ways it's kind of circular. You know, at one point you have very bad relations and then things thaw and then you have very bad relations again.

We've had, you know, in the interim years, we had some fairly good contact with the North Koreans, whether it be regular meetings between the U.S. and North Korean military officers and these kinds of things would have been handled very differently. But now the situation is kind of back to where it was in the '80s where there is, in essence, a freeze in these regulations. And that is going to complicate the ability to get this person back. And it's going to make it, I think, a bit more difficult to, you know, to find out in some ways what happened.

But John's exactly right, we're going to see, you know, what this person is doing in the military, was doing in the military, what their specialty was, what kind of access they had. And that could, of course, you know, lead to perhaps at least some more theories as to what happened here.

MATTINGLY: And, John, we've only got about 30 seconds left, but how quickly -- it seems to me, given the amount of surveillance in that area, give the amount of kind of U.S. focus and ally focus in that area, it would be fairly easy to quickly determine what happened here. Am I overstating things?

MILLER: No, Phil, I think you've got that right. That is one of the most watched stretches of land on the planet earth. And if what occurred is obvious in how it occurred, they're going to know that pretty quickly.

MATTINGLY: All right, John Miller, invaluable perspective, as always. Colonel Cedric Leighton, likewise, my friend. Thank you, guys, very much.

And we are going to continue to cover the breaking news of the North Korea, out of the Korean peninsula. An American man believed to be a U.S. solider is now in North Korean custody after crossing the border into the country. Stay with CNN. Our reporters across the world are working this story to find out more information. We'll bring it to you as soon as they have it.

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