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New Day

North Korea Frees American Prisoners; Interview with Jeffrey Fowle; Ferguson Braces for Grand Jury Decision; Navy SEAL Speaks About bin Laden Raid

Aired November 10, 2014 - 06:30   ET

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

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KENNETH BAE, FREED AMERICAN PRISONER: I just want to say thank you all for supporting me, lifting me up, not forgetting me. At the same time I was so not forgetting the people of North Korea.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: He was never forgotten and now, he is home.

What a weekend, to say the least for Kenneth Bae, who you just saw and Matthew Todd Miller, the two Americans released by North Korea after a secret trip by the director of national intelligence, James Clapper. So, that brings us to our next guest. He can lend some unique insight into what it's like to be held by that regime, and more importantly, what it's like to be home.

Say good morning to Jeffrey Fowle. He was detained in North Korea for months, and just released a few weeks before Bae and Miller, joining us now.

Mr. Fowle, it's great to see you. And I must apologized, I feel I've left you in the cold outside, like you haven't been through enough already.

How are you doing this morning?

JEFFREY FOWLE, AMERICAN DETAINED IN NORTH KOREA: Just fine him good to see you, Chris. Good morning.

CUOMO: How is the adjustment coming home? What's it been like?

FOWLE: It's been almost seamless. I got my job back. I got rehired by the city and reestablishing routines here at home. It's been pretty good.

The community -- we have been getting prayers and stuff from all over the world here, it's been very good.

CUOMO: You know, we loved watching you come off that plane and your kids running out there, getting to see your wife. You know, you seemed happy, obviously. But there also seemed to be a little bit of like this was almost a dream for you that you were living. What was that moment like? FOWLE: It was very good. It's been six months without, over six

months for me since I left without family, without the kids, and it was a very good being able to hug them, physically touch them for the first time, in a half a year. It's very good.

CUOMO: You say that you knew it would happen. You knew you would get home. But was there a little part of you that was in doubt because of where you were and the nature of the isolation.

FOWLE: Well, I was questioning how long I was going to be there him. Detainees, there is a history of them detained for a while and coming back. It was just a matter of how long. I was aware that Kenneth Bae was 15 years so my horizon could have been anywhere from a few weeks to decades, actually.

CUOMO: So, what was it like to hear about these two men coming home? You weren't with them. You weren't in any conduct with them. But you do share a very unusual bond.

FOWLE: Yes. I was elated to hear they were released on Saturday. It was very good.

When I was released on the 21st on the trip to the airport, I was hoping they would be on the plane with me. But when I got on the plane, I found out that I was the only American being released and I was pretty sad about that.

CUOMO: Bittersweet, I'm sure.

FOWLE: Yes.

CUOMO: What is it like to be home the first day, the first couple of weeks? What's the best part? What's the difficult part?

FOWLE: Well, I can't speak for them. In my case, I was only gone six months, so it was much more easy to slip back into a routine than someone like Kenneth Bae who's been gone two years in detention or prison, as well as -- he was several years in China before the U.S. So, he's got more readjustment than I do.

So I can't speak for them. But you can pick up routines fairly quickly. It's going to be good. It's better than being in incarceration for sure.

CUOMO: Well, that's for sure. That's understatement of the morning, Mr. Fowle. It's better than incarceration.

What is -- what have you learned about what helped? What is helping you with the adjustment and with getting back into routines?

FOWLE: Well, I haven't lost my faith of God. God is in control of everything. That's been the backbone of my strength and going through this ordeal.

Family has been a great help in this re-adjustment process. Just taking stock and one thing for separation does is it makes you appreciate things you do. When it's taken away forcibly, you'd appreciate them much deeper. That has been my case, and I assume that will be the case of Kenneth and Matthew.

CUOMO: Let me ask you before I let you get back inside because I know it's chilly this morning. When you think about how you were there and how long it was, and how hard it was, if you could do it over again, would you have left that bible?

FOWLE: I would say if I had to do it over again, knowing what I did now I would not have done it. Things did not unfold according to the way I thought they were going. God had a different plan, but I wouldn't recommend it for other people either.

Now, that's not to say I think it was a wrong thing to do. I don't make that decision until I'm standing for Christ in the afterlife. If he says it was a bad idea, I would conceded it was a bad idea. But I wouldn't recommend it for anybody else and I wouldn't do it again.

CUOMO: Well, it's a good judgment. If the big man says it was a bad idea, and you should go with his answer. That's the smartest way to go.

FOWLE: Absolutely.

CUOMO: Mr. Fowle, it is good to see you. Again, I apologize for having you outside. Poor TV etiquette. Next time I see you, we'll both be warm. Thank you for your insight. Hopefully, you'll get to meet with your two former detainees and colleagues. The best to you and your family, sir.

FOWLE: Yes, hopefully. Thank you, Chris.

CUOMO: Alisyn?

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: What good news this morning, Chris. That's great.

But there is damming new evidence against General Motors. How long did the auto giant keep a deadly secret from the public before finally announcing that recall?

And tension is building in Ferguson, Missouri, this morning as the grand jury prepares to announce whether the police officer who shot and killed Michael Brown will be indicted on murder charges.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MICHAELA PEREIRA, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, once again.

Here's a look at your headlines.

Breaking overnight, shocking evidence suggesting that GM knew about a deadly ignition switch problem long before it issued a recall. So, was the automaker hiding something?

I want to bring in our Rene Marsh with more on this troubling report -- Rene.

RENE MARSH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Michael, this morning, "The Wall Street Journal" is saying they've seen e-mails between a GM contract worker and ignition switch supplier Delphi. The emails reportedly revealed GM m placed an emergency mortgages order for a half a million ignition switches two months before it alerted federal safety regulators on the faulty switches on 2.5 million vehicles.

Now, one law maker is asking the question, why order the replacement parts to address the defects without alerting safety regulators. Now, GM did not disclose the replacement parts order and lawyers representing victims in the class action lawsuit will likely say the company didn't reveal the order to cover up the fact that they knew about the problem long before it issued that recall.

Now, if you remember, too much weight on the ignition key or even movement of it, it can essentially cause it to switch out of the run position. That would cut the bower to the airbags and the braking system. The problem is linked to at least 29 deaths.

We should note CNN reached out to both GM and the supplier for comment -- Michaela.

PEREIRA: All right. Stay with CNN. We'll follow this story. We'll continue.

Thanks so much, Rene.

Another news, Iraq state media reporting ISIS leader Abu Bakr al- Baghdadi was wounded when the U.S.-led airstrike targeted a convoy believed to be carrying ISIS leaders. U.S. central command, though, says it cannot confirm that al Baghdadi was there. In the meantime, President Obama says he is sending 1,500 additional U.S. troops to Iraq to help train Iraqi soldiers to battle ISIS.

Quite a situation here: Dolores O'Riordan, the lead singer for the Irish rock band the Cranberries has been arrested in Ireland after an incident onboard a flight from New York. The singer was apparently involved in some sort of plane rage incident. Details were thinned. But there are reports the member of the cabin crew was taken to the hospital with an injury to her leg.

Plane rage. A whole new term. We have seen too much of it.

CAMEROTA: We haven't seen the cranberries, lately.

CUOMO: Cranberries turned sour.

CAMEROT: Wow.

CUOMO: We'll wait to know more.

PEREIRA: Yes, we'll find out. Yes, sour -- rrr.

CUOMO: Let it go.

CAMEROTA: Thank you, Michaela.

Meanwhile, residents in Ferguson, Missouri, are on edge this morning as the community waits to hear the grand jury's decision on whether to indict Darren Wilson. That's of course the police officer who fatally shot Michael Brown, sparking months of protests and racial unrests. As the decision nears, officials and community members are making efforts to avert a return to the chaos that embroiled that area right after the shooting.

CNN's Sara Sidner is live for us in Ferguson with more.

What is the latest, Sara?

SARA SIDNER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Alisyn, today marks the 90th day of protests. And while the protesters say they have been policing themselves, they have been shunning violence. There is a great deal of worry in this town and that might change when the grand jury decision comes down. That could happen as early as this weekend.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SIDNER (voice-over): Ferguson is on edge. Some business owners are busy fortifying their shops.

CONSTANCE GARNETT, BUSINESS OWNER: It's hurtful. It is really, really hurtful.

SIDNER: Salon owner Constance Garnett says she can't afford to take a chance that unrest will crash head-on into the business she built here for the past 11 years.

GARNETT: If they should cool and loot our area, then it's going to cost us.

SIDNER: We asked one of the police's most confrontational protesters about those concerns.

BASAM MASRI, ST. LOUIS RESIDENT: There hasn't been any looting, no violence, whatnot. We have been completely peaceful.

SIDNER: Nevertheless, plenty of folks worry that may change if the grand jury announcement goes against what protesters want, the indictment of Officer Darren Wilson for the killing of unarmed teenager Michael Brown. At a gun shop near Ferguson, the manager says sales of firearms for personal protection are up 50 percent.

JOHN STEPHENSON, BUSINESS OWNER: Every time that door opposite, we are seeing new faces every day, dozens of new faces coming in.

SIDNER (on camera): Do you think that's because of what happened in Ferguson?

STEPHENSON: I think it is. I think people, in general, because it's spread beyond Ferguson now.

SIDNER (voice-over): The mayor of Ferguson says he's heard all about it, too.

MAYOR JAMES KNOWLES, FERGUSON, MISSOURI: The plus side of that is that, you know, everyone of them I spoke had went out and taken a training class, went out and tried to learn the law.

SIDNER: But not everyone is convinced there is going to be chaos. At the Ferguson burger bar and more, which opened just a day before Brown was killed, no boards, unlike most of his neighbors.

CHARLES DAVID, BUSINESS OWNER: I'm here. I'm opened. I'm not going anywhere.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SIDNER: And another ray of hope, when we actually caught up with the mayor, he was helping rebuild what is going to be a brand-new community center called the Center for Hope and Peace. A lot of the residents say they hope that's what happens even when the grand jury's decision comes down -- Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: As do all of us. Sara Sidner, thank you for that update.

CUOMO: That will be the big moment. The timing of how it happens, the circumstances around when it happens, and obviously the outcome. And we'll be there to cover it. That's for sure.

CAMEROTA: Yes, for sure.

CUOMO: All right. A little sports this morning, little football. Here's your headline. J-E-T-S, Jets. Jets, Jets, Jets. Notice the green, no surprise to me.

However, the other games are played and somewhat secondary relevance, a heck of a game by the Packers against the Bears last night. Aaron Rodgers had a good night.

Let get details courtesy of Andy Scholes in this morning's "Bleacher Report".

ANDY SCHOLES, BLEACHER REPORT: Hey, good morning, guys.

Yes, Packers and Bears, two teams heading in very different directions, what a disaster the Bears have become lately. You know, they have allowed more than 50 points in two straight games now.

As you said, Chris, Aaron Rodgers, he was spectacular last night. He threw an NFL record, six touchdowns in the first half. The Packers led 42-0 at the break. Rodgers spent the second half planning the State Farm commercials. Packers, listen to this score, they won 55- 14.

All right. What's the only thing that can stop red hot Steelers as they went to New York to face Chris Cuomo's Jets? Justin Bieber. The Biebs, he showed up at the Steelers' bible study Saturday night and proclaimed himself a Steelers fan. Well, you knew what was going to happen next. Pittsburgh went out and

laid an egg yesterday. Roethlisberger, who is the hottest quarterback on all the NFL, 12 TDs in the past two games, threw only one touchdown to go along with two interceptions.

And Jets would win 20-13. Check out this play in their victory formation. Mike Mitchell try to leaped over the line to cause a fumble. That started a minor scuffle between the two teams and as they came on the field to shake hands. Rex Ryan had two words for Mitchell -- I let you guess what those were. Rex try to be happy that his team actually won a game.

All right. In Seattle, during the Seahawks-Giant matchup, Seattle's mascot tamered the hawk, took a detour. He landed right on a fan's head. The most impressive thing about this whole thing is everyone in the crowd played it pretty cool during the whole situation, while a hawk was coming right at him. The fan even reached over, petted the hawk.

I don't know if a hawk is coming right at me, I'm sitting at a football game, I'm making a run for it, and screaming probably at the same time.

CUOMO: Let me tell you something. A hawk like that lands on a Jets fan, it winds up in the tail gate. I'll tell you right now.

That guy was cool under talon pressure.

CAMEROTA: Very. Right.

SCHOLES: He sure was.

CUOMO: Thanks, Andy.

PEREIRA: Nobody lost their minds, it was kind of weird. I think that is rare.

CAMEROTA: That's how cool they are.

All right, coming up, a story you must hear. There's another U.S. Navy SEAL who is going public about the raid on Osama bin Laden's compound. He claims he was the one that killed bin Laden. And that's not sitting well with the famously anonymous professionals. So, we are digging deeper on that controversy next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CAMEROTA: He's the former Navy SEAL who claims he killed Osama bin Laden. Robert O'Neill first told his story in an "Esquire" profile in 2013 which identified him only as the shooter. Now, he's using his name. O'Neill says that he encountered al Qaeda's leader face-to-face in the top floor bedroom of the compound and he fired two shots into bin Laden's forehead, killing him.

O'Neill's decision to break the code of silence is a controversial one. And his account of what happened is in dispute. Speaking out in an audio interview with freelance journalist Quade, we are hearing from O'Neill for the first in his own words.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROBERT O'NEILL, FORMER NAVY SEAL: To me, it doesn't matter anymore, if I am "The Shooter". And the team got him. It was a successful mission. Regardless of the negativity that comes with it, I don't give a (EXPLETIVE DELETED). We got him.

CAMEROTA (voice-over): O'Neill had been a SEAL for 15 years at the time of the raid. He says he believed his mission would be his last and he recalled how he and fellow SEAL Team Six members talk about the victims of the September 11th attacks while preparing to die.

O'NEILL: Even on the helicopter rite ride in, for the bin Laden raid, when we knew we were going to die, we didn't do it for us, we did it for the people that didn't want to die, because they chose to, you know?

The single mom who went to work on a Tuesday morning, and later, a few minutes later decided to jump instead of burning to death, and her last gesture of human dignity was straightening out her skirt, and then she jumped. You know, that's why we went for her. We talked about it. We knew we were going to die.

We were going to die when the house blows up, but knowing that (EXPLETIVE DELETED) face blew up, too.

CAMEROTA: O'Neill now works as a motivational speaker. He believes he is giving families of 9/11 victims closure by describing bin Laden's final moments.

O'NEILL: Any time someone says my mom died at Cantor-Fitzgerald or my mom what, what, whatever, one thing I tell them is, all right, Osama bin Laden like a (EXPLETIVE DELETED). That's all I'm telling you. Just so you know, he died afraid. And he knew that we were there to kill him.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CAMEROTA: Let's bring in retired Colonel James Reese. He's a CNN global affairs analyst, and a former Delta Force commander.

Colonel, great to see you this morning.

COL. JAMES REESE (RET), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Good morning, Alisyn. How are you?

CAMEROTA: I'm doing well.

What's your reaction to what you hear O'Neill saying?

REESE: Wow.

You know, last week, we talked about this several times. I've tried to bring some middle ground between the Pentagon, SOCOM, and the operators, the men and women at the basic level. And trying to bring everyone some idea of how this kind of goes along.

But very candidly after hearing those tapes on Anderson Cooper's show Friday night, I'm embarrassed as a special operator.

CAMEROTA: Why? Why does it embarrass you to hear him tell his story? Isn't it important, somewhere, Colonel, for Americans to know that Osama bin Laden died afraid, that he was scared? Isn't that satisfying on some level to hear O'Neill tell that story of Osama bin Laden's last seconds?

REESE: Sure. Absolutely. And that's great.

I mean, if that's how it went down, I was not in the room, so I defer to, you know, Mr. O'Neill or all the other SEALs that were involved in the operation.

However, you know, you're being taped by a reporter -- you know, here's the bottom line, to whom much is given, much is expected. And that's where some of the rub is going on right now. OK?

Yes, people deserve to belong. Our taxpayers paid lots of money, lots of money for men and women in delta and seal team six and they deserve to know what's going on. But there is a way to do that. When you present that to the public, the public expects, they look at us in a certain way. They expect a certain aspect of what a Delta Force or SEAL Team 6 tier I unit person should be. I think the way he spoke on those tapes Friday was bush league.

CAMEROTA: You were a Delta Force member. So, obviously, this is personal for you.

But as a journalist I am in favor of more information. And his argument resonates, which is that the victims and the victims families do derive some closure for lack of a better word, satisfaction, call it whatever you want -- about hearing that they got him and hearing how they got him.

And does that on some level supersede the code of silence? Why not tell our story? This is a proud moment for the United States. Why don't we own this story more?

REESE: Well, Alisyn, I agree with you and if you look at my career, I've always thought that some of the rules and regulations that come out of Pentagon and the SOCOM are a bit antiquated. I truly believe there is a way to do this. But I don't know that that itself the correct way.

And do I believe that, you know, President Obama met with all these members of the team and they talked to them, when they went to Fort Campbell? And he talked to the whole entire task force that accomplished this mission, you know, those guys were there who did it and, yes, I believe that people that were at 9/11 and their families that were lost, they deserve to hear that. But there's a way to do it and, you know, maybe when they're out there with talking with those people, you know, that direct interaction. But then when you're with a reporter and, you know, a lot of his comments he spoke about Friday night really had nothing to do with the raid. At the end of the day, who cares, Osama bin Laden was killed, Osama bin Laden led an organization that did great damage to the United States, but, you know, throughout our history, we have had service men and women who have accomplished incredible tasks around the world, but again at the end of the day you and the other tax people expect us to get ready and move to the next hit and keep our nation safe.

CAMEROTA: And your bravery is so impressive, everyone on SEAL team, every Navy SEAL and Delta Force, it is so impressive when we do hear about what you have been able accomplish. So, Colonel Reese, thanks so much for sharing your perspective on all this. We will be debating this topic later in the program as well. So, stick around for that.

Let's go over to Chris.

REESE: Thanks, Alisyn.

CUOMO: All right. This is one of the stories we are following, but there is a lot of news this morning. So, let's get to it.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Two Americans held prisoner in North Korea are back in the United States.

KENNETH BAE: I just want to say, thank you all for supporting me and standing by me.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The head of ISIS was injured in airstrikes over the weekend.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's a bad guy. If he's dead, that's great for everybody.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: This is a threat that we are committed not only to degrade but ultimately destroyed.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A jet crashing in the Bahamas, all nine people on board killed.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is utterly impossible to measure the magnitude Dr. Monroe's loss to the Bahamas and to the world. .

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CAMEROTA: Good morning, everyone. Welcome back to NEW DAY. I'm Alisyn Camerota, alongside Chris Cuomo.

President Obama is weighing in this morning on the release of those two Americans from North Korea who are now happily adjusting to the comforts of home. Kenneth Bae and Matthew Todd Miller were freed from their nightmare ordeal in North Korea. The president says there was no quid pro quo, in securing freedom for the pair, including Bae, who was held for two years.

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

OBAMA: It did not touch on some of the broader issues that have been the source of primary concern when it comes to North Korea. It's, in particular, its development of nuclear capacity.

BAE: I just want to say, thank you all for supporting me standing by me during this time, and it's been just amazing blessing to see so many people being involved getting me released the last two years and not to mention, now mentioning for the thousands of people that have been praying for me as well.

(END VIDEOCLIP)