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Americans Held in North Korea Speak Out; Dems Seek Black Support; NFL's New Domestic Violence Tested with Ray McDonald

Aired September 1, 2014 - 09:30   ET

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


ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: All right, more now on this morning's breaking news. The three Americans being held in North Korea, Kenneth Bae, Matthew Miller and Jeffrey Fowle all spoke exclusively to CNN earlier from a secret hotel in Pyongyang. The men all pleaded for help from the U.S. government. North Korean officials limited the interview with them to five minutes. They were each kept separately in different rooms. CNN's Will Ripley joins me now by phone from Pyongyang, North Korea.

Will, tell us more.

WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (via telephone): Well, Carol, this was really a stunning turn of events here in Pyongyang. We've been on a five-day government controlled tour of North Korea, here to cover a completely separate event, and we were in the middle of one of those tours today when our minders pulled us aside and said there'd been an urgent change of plans. Before we knew it, we were on a van heading two hours south back to Pyongyang to a hotel in the middle of the city where we were told, just seconds before we walked in this building, that we would be speaking for the first time with three detained Americans, Kenneth Bae, Matthew Miller, and Jeffrey Fowle. Kenneth Bae has already been convicted of a crime. He was convicted of a Christian plot to overthrow the North Korean government. Jeffrey Fowle also convicted of a religion related offense, or I should say also accused of a religion related offense because he goes on trial in about a month. He's accused of leaving his Bible in a hotel while he was taking a government rail tour of this country.

We had five minutes to speak with each of these men. We had to follow specific criteria and I want to play for you now my interview with Mr. Fowle.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEFFREY FOWLE, AMERICAN HELD IN NORTH KOREA: I'd like to thank you guys for being here. I appreciate you guys taking your time to come and see me --

RIPLEY: Yes.

FOWLE: And get my message out to the world.

RIPLEY: Good to see you. First of all, can you tell us about the charges that you're facing as you've been told?

FOWLE: The charges are violation of DPRK laws, which stems from me trying to leave a Bible up at the Siemens (ph) Club in Changjin (ph) or on a rails trip of the DPRK. I have - as a covert (ph) act, it violates the tourist's purpose as well. And I admit my guilt to the government, and signed a statement to that effect and I also put in a request for forgiveness to the people and the government of the DPRK. And the legal process is, I'm going right now, and it's in the final stages of a preliminary investigation. The prosecutor's office and they say that the trial will be forthcoming soon. And so time is getting urgent. Within a month I should be facing trial and sentencing will be right after that. So I'm (INAUDIBLE) you guys to convey my desperate situation, which I'm 56, I'm from the Dayton, Ohio, area.

RIPLEY: And we know your background, sir.

FOWLE: OK.

RIPLEY: We know your family background. I will ask you, how are you being treated here?

FOWLE: Very -- reasonably well. I haven't any complaints. The food's been good. They have daily walk with the guides. Even medical care has been furnished a couple of times. And quarters good. We've got a hotel suite type of room. So I don't have any complaint about the treatment. It's been very good so far. I hope and pray that it continues whether I'm here two more days or two more decades, whatever the case is.

RIPLEY: And your message to your family?

FOWLE: Message is, I'll come home as soon as I can. My family is the biggest thing on my mind right now. I've got a wife and three (INAUDIBLE) aged school kids that depend on me for support. And that my mother-in-law is staying with us too. So there's six of us in our household. And I'm - while I'm gone, my wife's trying to operate the household by herself and it's a chore to do with two people, let alone one. She's dependent on my salary, almost a single salary household. My wife has got a small part time job as a hairstylist and she doesn't bring in that much money and she only works part time.

So money is going to be tight. And if my -- if this goes beyond the end of September, then I'm in grave danger of losing my job. That's when my vacation benefits run out. And I -- I'll be out of a job. (INAUDIBLE) will be out of income. My kids might be out on the street. Our house is paid for, but there's all kinds of expenses that go along with operating a mini farm, which is what we've got. Chores and stuff. The kids are helping as best they can. But jobs are piling up. I need to get back to doing what I do around the house there, getting back to work. Hopefully that job will be open when I get back soon.

Today's the first - in three more days, my oldest is going to be turning -- having a birthday. I missed my middle kid's birthday back in June. And the day I found out that I was in this deep trouble, I was - my daughter's birthday. So I missed a lot of birthdays since I've been here in detention since the 7th of May. So I appreciate what you guys are doing, getting the message out. I

also want to express my gratitude to the governments involved. The State Department's been really good in conveying messages back and forth. And I appreciate any help that the White House has done. I'm not sure -- information is precious to me in the last few months. I don't get very much information on things. But I appreciate the government's doing -- the Swedish embassy too. Even the Russian government, my (INAUDIBLE), my wife is half Russian. She's -- dual citizenship. She wrote to Vladimir Putin and he (INAUDIBLE) to Sergey Lavrov's office and he wrote back to my wife. So the Russian government's involved. They said they can't do anything right now, but they're going to keep an eye on the situation.

RIPLEY: So the bottom line, your message about your conditions here and your situation?

FOWLE: I'm good for the time being. But I need to let people know that I'm getting desperate. I'm getting desperate for help. This is -- I understand that there are three Americans in detention now here in the DPRK, which I think is the most since the pueblo incident.

RIPLEY: And you've had no communication with the others?

FOWLE: No. No. And I don't know the name of the third guy. I know Ken Bae's been here the longest. Kenneth Bae. I'm sure he's desperate to get back. And this is an opportunity for maybe Bill Clinton to come back and he - he's released a couple of journalists a few years back. Maybe George Bush, it's his turn as an elder statesman, to try his hand at that. I appreciate any help that they could lend to help resolve our cases and bring us home.

RIPLEY: Mr. Fowle, thank you very much.

FOWLE: Thank you very much.

RIPLEY: Thank you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Do we still have Will Ripley on the phone?

RIPLEY: I still am, Carol. Hello.

COSTELLO: OK, good. Good. I'm glad we still we have you, Will, because I know how difficult the connection is between the United States and North Korea. I just wondered, who else was in the room with you guys?

RIPLEY: Yes, you know, it seemed at times like I was trying to move the interview along quickly, it's because we had an entire group of North Korean government officials who were tape recording us, audio recording us, and they were timing us. From the moment of my first question, they started a timer and we were warned ahead of time that if we went over that five minute limit, or if the interview strayed beyond the topics of their charges, their -- the humanitarian conditions in which they're being held, and the message to their families and the government, if we went over or if we tried to ask about anything else, we were told the consequences would be severe. And so I wanted to - I wanted to stay on message and make sure that Jeffrey Fowle was able to say what he wanted to say, to get the message to his family.

You heard him talk about his children. And I could see in his eyes as I was sitting there with him how painful it is for him to be away from them. He was, as you heard him say, arrested on his daughter's birthday for leaving this Bible, which, you know, the government claims it was a covert act designed to somehow spread a message that may be harmful to the regime here, something they take extremely seriously. And Fowle, as has these other two Americans, they've learned that if you break the rules, in North Korea, the freedom that they are accustomed to in the United States could be gone for a very long time as their trial is scheduled to begin just weeks from now and sentencing would happen immediately afterwards.

Kenneth Bae's in the middle of serving 15 years hard labor. He's at a labor camp in a -- switching time between a labor camp and a hospital right now. He says his health is failing.

I do need to point out though, Carol, all of the detainees who we spoke to, the Americans, said that they were being treated humanely. The two men who have not yet been sentenced are in hotel rooms, as you heard Fowle mention. And so I think the North Korean government wanted to show the world the condition of these men and also wanted to send a message that they're making them available to us now because they would like to open up some kind of live communication with the United States. That's the impression that I get from talking to several government officials here is that they're ready to talk. They want to talk. What the motivation is, what the outcome or the benefits of them would be, that has yet to be seen.

COSTELLO: All right, Will Ripley reporting from North Korea this morning. Thank you so much.

And make sure you stay with us at the top of the hour. We'll play you the last of our exclusive interviews with the three detained Americans in North Korea. Next you'll hear from Matthew Miller, who is just 24 years old.

I'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Summer may be winding down, but election season is just getting started. Today marks the unofficial kickoff for the midterms, and with control of the Senate hanging in the balance, some Democrats are turning to a key demo -- African-Americans. Returning to the demo to stave off a furious challenge from the Republican rivals.

Larry Sabato is the director of the University of Virginia Center for Politics and Ron Christie is a former special assistant to George W. Bush. Welcome, gentlemen.

RON CHRISTIE, FORMER SPECIAL ASST. TO PRES. GEORGE W. BUSH: Good morning, Carol. LARRY SABATO, DIR. CETNER FOR POLITICS, UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA: Thank

you, Carol.

COSTELLO: Good morning. Larry, you wrote this long article for "Politico" talking about the chances of Republicans taking over the Senate. So tell us, what are the chances as we stand right now?

SABATO: Well, as we stand right now, they're better than 50/50. The most likely outcome is a gain for the Republicans of six or seven seats. They need six to take over. Democrats have 55 seats at present.

But I'll tell you, there is no wave, and in fact some of the Democrats, the Democratic incumbents who were thought to be most vulnerable in states like Alaska, Arkansas, Louisiana, North Carolina, are hanging tough.

Now, look, the big picture is Republicans are going to gain seats in both houses. They're going to gain a minimum of four seats in the Senate. They're probably going to add to their majority -- five seats, eight seats -- in the House of Representatives. But, of course, the midterm will be defined by what happens in the Senate.

COSTELLO: So, Ron, this is a smart move by the Congressional Black Caucus? They're trying to rally the black vote, especially in southern states where races are close. Will this be effective?

CHRISTIE: Well, I think it's always smart to get as many folks to want to go out to the polls and turn out to show up and participate. I think that's one of the greatest things about our country, is the franchise. I just think the way that they're doing it, Carol, is a little bit disingenuous.

If you look at the last election in 2012, blacks actually voted a higher participation rate than whites did. Blacks voted 66 percent as opposed to 64 for whites. And if you look at the number, blacks, African-Americans there, increased the vote by 1.7 million from the 2008 to the 2012 election. So trying to say that Ferguson or efforts to suppress the vote are keeping blacks back I think is wrong when blacks have actually have been voting at a much greater rate in the last several election cycles.

COSTELLO: Well, Larry, Ferguson very much plays into this equation. Congressman and civil rights icon John Lewis said this recently, quote, "Ferguson has made it crystal clear to the Afircan-American community and others that we've got to go to the polls. You participate and vote and you can have some control over what happens to your child and your country."

Do you think that appeal will resonate?

SABATO: Well, look, every party, each party in each election tries to capture lightning in a bottle. And what you're trying to do is to find the emotional hot buttons that will produce a decent turnout of your constituency groups. African-Americans vote 90 to 95 percent Democratic. If Democrats are

going to win in a low turnout midterm election, they've got to increase the likely proportion of African-American voters. So that's why they're using Ferguson; that's why they're citing these fringe efforts to impeach President Obama. Those are issues that move African-American voters in many parts of the country. And, frankly, in a low turnout election, that's the Democrats' best shot to keep the Republicans from taking over the Senate.

COSTELLO: So, Ron, will Republicans have to tweak their strategy at all?

CHRISTIE: I don't think we'll have to tweak our strategy. I think our strategy is being very inclusive, trying to talk about what we're for as opposed to what we're against, trying to have a contrasting theme, contrasting message about why Republicans, particularly in this key election, key demographic, will be important for us to really not only expand our majority in the House, but to take over the Senate.

And to touch on what my friend down in Charlottesville just said a moment ago, I think if you look at a state like North Carolina, where African-Americans voted 7.5 percent in a greater percentage than whites did, I think in a low turnout election, a seat like North Carolina, which is pivotal to Republicans, I think if the Democrats are successful in getting African-Americans to go to the polls, that really could make a difference in some of these really tight races.

COSTELLO: We'll see. Ron Christie, Larry Sabato, thanks so much, I appreciate it.

CHRISTIE: Thanks, Carol.

COSTELLO: I'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Just days after the NFL instituted tougher penalties for players accused of domestic violence, police arrested San Francisco 49ers defensive end Ray McDonald early Sunday on suspension of felony domestic violence against his pregnant fiancee. After posting bail, McDonald told CNN affiliate KTVU that the real story will come out soon.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RAY MCDONALD, ARRESTED ON DOMESTIC VIOLENCE CHARGES: The truth will come out. You know, I can't say too much now, not right now. But the truth will come out. Everybody knows what kind of person I am.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What kind of person are you?

MCDONALD: I'm just a -- a good-hearted person, I mean, you know.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: He's a good-hearted person, he said. Joining me now to talk more about this, Andy Scholes with CNN sports, and sports attorney Eugene Lee. Welcome to both of you.

Andy, I want to start with you. How exactly -- I mean, what are police saying about this? Do we know exactly what happened?

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS: Well, apparently, Carol, this was at McDonald's 30th birthday party, and they were called to the house early Sunday morning. They spoke with a few people and, after investigating it, McDonald was taken away on suspicion of domestic violence. And according -- reportedly, according to the police, his fiancee, who is ten weeks' pregnant, had bruises on her neck and arms.

Now, Carol, we know that the firestorm the NFL has been under after the whole Ray Rice situation. The new domestic violence policy states, you know, Roger Goodell, under the conduct policy, does not have to wait for this to play in the courts. He can act before this goes into the courts and plays out. And I would say McDonald is going to get suspended. And he's going to not only going to face the six games, which is for the first offense. There is a clause in there for mitigating circumstances, to where it could be an even harsher punishment than six games. And I think that's what we're going to see.

COSTELLO: So Eugene, what about the players union? Couldn't it get involved?

EUGENE LEE, PRESIDENT AND CEO, ETL ASSOCIATES, INC.: Well, there has to be adjudication of the matter in order for Commissioner Goodell to discipline a player under the new policy. Adjudication does not need to be a conviction; it could be a plea agreement with a prosecutor. It could be an indictment.

Now, in the case of Ray McDonald, it will be interesting to see what occurs at his arraignment on September 15 when he enters his formal plea. If he pleads guilty, I think you will see the NFL act very swiftly to enact punishment at that point in time.

COSTELLO: What if he doesn't?

LEE: If he does not plead guilty at that point in time, the NFL will have to delay its discipline.

Now, if charges are eventually dropped, it will be interesting to see what occurs. Is the arrest enough for the NFL to implement discipline under the new policy? If so, will the players association challenge the suspension for an apparent lack of due process, due to disciplining a player who's found not guilty under the U.S. judicial system.

COSTELLO: See, that's interesting. So, Andy, this is a big, big test for Roger Goodell and his new policy.

SCHOLES: It certainly is. But I would also say -- Donte Whitner, he was a player for the 49ers last year, and he told the "Sacramento Bee" that in a conversation he had with 49ers head coach, Jim Harbaugh, Coach Harbaugh told him you can go get in trouble, you can get arrested for a lot of things, as long as come back and talk to me about it, ask for forgiveness, I will forgive you -- unless you put your hands on women in a domestic violence case. If you do that, you are done in my book.

Those are words coming from Jim Harbaugh, who's the head coach of the 49ers. So I highly doubt you see Ray McDonald playing on the field this Sunday because he's on record as saying that.

COSTELLO: Well, I'm such a cynic; I am. Because if you need Ray McDonald to win the game, you need Ray McDonald to win the game. And if you're the coach of a NFL team, maybe you make your decision in part based on that no matter what you said in the past, Eugene.

LEE: That's true. But there are principles at stake, and this whole policy is a direct reaction to the backlash, the public outcry for Commissioner Goodell's handling of the Ray Rice situation, the meager slap on the hand punishment, the two-game suspension. You know, domestic violence activists, the general public, they've all been led to believe that the NFL does not take domestic violence seriously enough as an abhorrent crime in our society. So the NFL acted quickly to enact this new policy.

COSTELLO: OK, well, we'll see what happens. Thanks so much. Andy Scholes and Eugene Lee, thanks to both of you.

The next hour of CNN NEWSROOM after a break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)