we're going to have kenneth bae's sister, terri chung. she's going to join us in the 8:00 hour to talk more about the affect of dennis rodman may have on her brother's situation and wants you all to know about what her brother did and did not do. >>> it's being called the largest disability fraud scam ever. more than a hundred retired new york pris and firefighters accused of pocketing hundreds of millions of dollars. many of them blaming 9/11. >>> welcome back to "new day." let's give you a look at the stories that are making news. blizzard like conditions in up state new york. that's on top of another day of extreme cold in the northeast and midwest. windchill still below zero in many spots. check this out, a burglary convict turned himself back in so he could get away from the windchill of 20 below. >>> and look at this video, a water main break. it erupted in georgia. thousands of gallons of water still shooting into the air at this hour we're told. it burst early this morning covering everything around it in ice. we'll keep you updat

kenneth bae. >> would you take the opportunity to help kenneth bae? >> what i know about politics, kenneth b bae, if you understood what he did, do you understand what kenneth bae did? >> what did he do? >> no, no, no, you tell me. why is he held captive? >> they have not released any charges. >> my gosh. i am saying, i don't give a [ blank ], a rat's ass what you think of the look at these guy. look at 'em. >> everyone ganged up on rodman. >> the latest now on rodman's bizarre bask diplomacy. >> he went on cnn to defend heading to north korea. >> join us from new york is media corporate for the hollywood reporter. how does cuomo handle rodman's ranting and raving? >> as best as he could but when you ask dennis rodman a geopolitical question you cannot expect to get an intelligent coherent answer. and the media should know this. i thought cuomo handled it fine because he country pressing him and i love that rodman later apologized saying, i was drunk. >> drunk and stressed out or maybe not used wo

kenneth bae was sentenced to 15 years of hard labour. the u.s. government says kenneth bae is incident and north korea never showed evidence against him. in a television interview dennis rodman suggested kenneth bae may be guilty of a crime, then cursed at the reporter interviewing him. kenneth bae's sister said the family is appalled by dennis rodman's comments. >> this is not a game, you know, dennis rodman can play the back of a game, media game all he wants with his own life. this is about a man's life that is on the line. i hope that he realises that. this is serious stakes. he has a family back home, a father of three children. we've been waiting for him for 14 months. i hope he remembers that. >> one u.s. congressman says dennis rodman entertaining kim with his favourite sport is like taking adobviously hitler out for lump. >> australia airline qantas had its credit rating downgraded by moody's. given junk status. it says it's facing competition and high costs. >> an international body claims the river in argentina is one of 10 most pollut

but what about kenneth bae? what about that this game has been presented as a different to the ruler there for his birthday. dennis rodman didn't like those questions. we have more. here it is right now. >> people always put down the things i do. and it's weird. you say wow. you got michael jordan, you got lebron and stuff like this. they can do all that the cool things of the world, but me, they say why north korea? why? i love my friend. i love my friend. this is my friend. >> but you have to understand the criticism comes because you are not in taiwan. you are in north korea that is ruled by a man that just killed his uncle, who is holding an american, kenneth bay hostage, he is known as one of the bad actors on the gloen globe at this time. not someone to get a birthday present of nba talent. do you understand that? >> we do understand one thing. you have to live under a rock not to know the press that was coming or the press that has been out there prior to our coming to north korea. i think that in our min

of kenneth bae. we're back with more after this. n and taste awesome. these are good. told ya! i'm feeling better already. [ male announcer ] new alka seltzer fruits chews. enjoy the relief! to roll out a perfectly flaky crust that's made from scratch. or mix vegetables with all white meat chicken and homemade gravy. but marie callender's does. just sit down and savor. marie callender's. it's time to savor. >>> we asked and you answered, the question being robert gates' new book. did his strikingly candid memoir cross the line? debbie shares this on facebook. he is a republican, after all. he ought to be ashamed, so what if his heart is not with the war in afghanistan. it's unwinnable. that's going to wrap things up for me. joanne mead is filling in for alex wagner. >> the defense goes on offense. robert gates leaves few stones unturned in his criticism of congress. the civilian-led military and the white house. we will discuss gates' new book with david corn, kathleen parker, and benjamin wall as we

we are joined by kenneth bae's sister, terri chung. you have accepted his apology. >> yes, we are absolutely appalled about his comments about my brother, for him to say he doesn't want to help that's fine, but everybody makes mistakes and he is human, so we're going to give him the benefit of the doubt and say okay, we accept. sincere? >> again, i think we're going to give him the benefit of the doubt and hope it is. >> rodman has been to north korea four times since your brother was imprisoned. and back in may he sent out a tweet saying . . . so were you shocked to hear then that he refused this week to speak on your brother's behalf? >>, you know, i mean -- it seems like he has slowly been changing his mind over the -- over the several months after that infamous tweet. so we weren't so much surprised by his refusal to help, which is disappointing, of course, we had hoped he would, but more -- we were just outraged by just his hurtful comments. if he doesn't want to help, that's fine. but please do no harm. this is a very dangerous s

she is kenneth bae's sister. terry, you heard the incoherent rant of dennis rodman's comments about your brother. what did you think seeing that? >> we were shocked and just outraged. we couldn't believe our ears. he was in a position to do some good and to help advocate for kenneth. he refused to do so. but then instead he has chosen to hurl these outrageous accusations against kenneth. he clearly doesn't know anything about kenneth, about his case. and so we were appalled by that. >> he obviously, first of all he seemed to imply that kenneth had done something wrong. and then when actually challenged to say what he believes your brother had done, he deflected and changed the topic. because clearly he has no idea himself. i get the sense he hasn't done any research at all about north korea, certainly about your brother's case, about all the more than 100,000 people estimated to be held in concentration camps in north korea. it seems like this guy doesn't really know anything about the country that he claims to b

we continue to ask north korea for their pardon for kenneth bae and will continue to work for it. anything beyond that -- we have to wait and see. with north korea is when they publicly articulate the desire for dialogue and yet, trying to sit down and have a conversation, meaningful conversation, or can at times be quite elusive. that does not deter us from robustly, to seek, the release of kenneth bae and we hope the indications given by the north korea central television carrying the interview of kenneth bae over the weekend as an indication that north korea is considering moving forward with the progress by which kenneth bae can be pardoned and returned. >> i think we can take one more. you talked about the shared understanding with china about north korea. understandingared with china? [inaudible] that's my question. when i spoke about shared understanding, i was talking primarily about the policy goals of establishing a de-nuclearized peninsula that is marked by stability and hopefully one day prosperity for the people of north korea when they choose the right path. de-s the

what does it mean for kenneth bae? we want to welcome viewers in the united states and around the world. i'm wolf blitzer. you're in "the situation room." it's wednesday in north korea and dennis rodman is about to give a birthday present to his, quote, friend kim jong-un. he and other nba veterans will play against the basketball team as a good gesture. but a c thrks n interview is raising more concerns about the visit and the relationship lead he had his own uncle executed. chris cuomo conducted the interview. >> this rodman trip, the game he will play in the coming hours and his interview is creating huge buzz in washington. there is real tension over this especially in the sense that rodman has access no one else has and officials have no control over him and worried about what he will do next. dennis rodman is deeply emotional when talking about kim jong-un. >> i love my friend. this is my friend. >> reporter: and explosive when asked if he will press the hosts on detained american kenneth bae. >> does anyone unde

he was already held for 14 months, criticized by rodman this week in a cable tv rant. >> kenneth bae, did one thing -- if you understand what kenneth bae did. >> reporter: that only increased the worry for bae's family back home. >> this is not a game, dennis rodman can play a basketball game and media game all he wants with his own life, but this is a man's life. and that is on the line here. >> reporter: the family says bae, once healthy, is now ill. and the state department says it doesn't severe -- have a sports diplomacy program with north korea and dennis rodman doesn't represent the united states. >> he may have given the north koreans cover for keeping kenneth bae longer, by implying he were guilty, which he was not. andrea mitchell, nbc news, washington. >>> and after word that four americans were killed in the helicopter crash in england, there was another fatal crash today in this country, happening off norfolk, virginia, when a chopper went down in a training exercise, among the crew of five service members, one dead, one missing, three were rescued. >>> we have a report t

await the fate of kenneth bae. we can tell you an american previously held in dubai is flying home at this hour after being held almost a year in the united arab emirates. shezanne cassim, his family is being relieved. cas si m is expected to arrive in minneapolis later today. >>> new developments in a navy helicopter crash off of virginia's southern coast. ing a second sailor has now died. two others were rescued. they are said to be in stable condition. the search meanwhile is on. a plan particular search in that ice cold water for a fifth sailor who was onboard that helicopter. president obama meeting with congressional leaders today to talk about reforming the nsa. according to sources, the president is ring limiting the spy agency's access to phone records of u.s. citizens and is expected to tighten restrictions on spying on foreign leaders. one of those foreign leaders was targeted, german chancellor america i will. he has been invite bid the president to visit the white house whenever she can clear her sched

>> what i said the one thing about politics, kenneth bae did -- look, if you understand what kenneth bae did. >> yes. >> do you understand what he did? >> what did he do? you tell me. >> in this country. >> you tell me what did he do. >> no, no, don't. you tell me! you tell me, why is he held captive? >> they haven't released any charges. >> no, no, no i don't give a [ bleep ] i don't give a rat's -- what's sea saying. look at this guy, look at him. >> this caused a media eruption as everyone ganged up on rodman. >> we get the latest on dennis rodman's bizarre basketball. >> he wept on cnn to defend heading to north korea. >> joining us from new york is marissa guthrie for "the hollywood reporter." how did chris cuomo handle rodman's ranting and raving? >> as best as he could i think. when you ask dennis rodman a geopolitical question, you really can't expect to get an erudite, intelligent, coheerpt answer. >> no kidding. >> and the media should know this. >> i thought cuomo handled it fine. he kept pressing him without getting down into the trenches so to speak and i love that rodma

they did an interview with him on kenneth bae. rodman said i'm a ballplayer and in the tradition of ballplayers and singers. >> your point is taken there. i want to play more of his interview of why he thinks this was a good idea. listen. >> now [ bleep ] rat's ass what the hellu think. i'm saying to you, look at these guys here. look at them. >> dennis, don't use that as an excuse for the behavior that you're putting on yourself. >> does this make it harder for diplomats in any way seeing this circus environment, seeing the anger from dennis rodman to get north korea to scale back their nuclear program? >> i would not confuse the role of dennis rodman, basketball, the globetrotters and the soviet union, but entertainment does have an interesting way of illuminating. why are we discussing north korea today? because of dennis rodman. >> thank you, reverend jackson. >>> still to come, why did a police union post a video of a toddler cursing on tv. >>> and 49 people died in 2006 when a plane took off from the wrong runway and it cras

. >> do you understand what kenneth bae did? >> what did he do? >> no, no, you tell me, why is he held captive? >> they haven't released any charges. they haven't released any reasons. >> rodman didn't enlarge on what he believes may have been any crimes that they may have occurred but the family itself is very concerned. they're worried that what he has said may actually jeopardize the chances of helping kenneth bae. >> we were shocked and just outraged. we couldn't believe our ears. you know, he was in a position to do some good. and to help advocate for kenneth. he refused to do so, but then, instead, he has chosen to hurl these outrageous accusations against kenneth. he clearly doesn't know anything about kenneth. about his case. and so we were appalled by that. >> rodman has been widely condemned. the state department said it's still taupe sending special enjoy robert king to poyongyang to try to lobby for keith then bea's release. the state department, as far as that is concerned is still ready to try and help his release.

kenneth bae's family obviously. you report on this all the time. the threats posed by north korea to united states and other countries are worth giving the situation attention to it stays on people's minds. secondly, charles smith. i'm a knicks fan, a smith fan. the other men, baker, robinson, hodges, other great players that went there on cultural exchange. that's a legitimate thing to do. i get it. but the game was gifted to the ruler as a birthday present. that makes it almost a celebration of a man that should not be celebrated. >> they're playing the game on his birthday, right? >> as a gift. >> obviously dennis rodman is sensitive about the bae issue or he wouldn't have blown up at you. >> there are plenty of reasons to blow up at me. one of the few things that doesn't make rodman unusual is wanting to get upset at me in an interview. we have to look past bluster and remember who's really upset and angry -- >> kenneth bae's family. >> exactly. you have to keep it in the fore front. that's why we did the interview. i felt charles smith and the

you've got kenneth bae there. you've got a regime that is known to starve its own people, human rights violations widely reported. how do they know they're safe? i can see why there would be pressure from families. >> best not to do drunken interviews when someone's life is on the line, either. >>> changes could be soon coming to how the nsa conducts surveillance programs. president obama said to be closer to making his decision about how to go forward, meeting wednesday with key members of his intelligence team. and today with congressional leaders to discuss reforms. last month, a group of outside experts appointed by the white house said the nsa programs should be reformed or stopped and that more oversight was necessary. >>> the white house is firing back at what former defense secretary robert gates is saying in his new book. his scathing criticism is directed both at the president and vice president. gates saying the president lost faith in his own afghan war strategy, and he calls the vice president wrong o

listen. >> kenneth bae did one thing if you understand. if you understand what kenneth bae did, you understand what he did? >> what did he do? you tell me. you tell me what did he do? >> you tell me. you tell me. why is he held captive? >> they haven't released any charges. they haven't released anything. >> i -- >> listen -- >> let me -- >> there's a lot more, for lack of a better word, craziness. i want to say what kenneth bae told cnn. they're appalled by rodman's behavior. and by all accounts, he's been held illegally by north korea. you've been on diplomatic missions. do you think rodman is being used by this brutal dictator? >> rodman said i'm a basketball player. we would not leave him as a basketball player. cuomo did a serious diplomatic interview with him about his position about kenneth bae, which i thought was off base, because rodman says i'm just a ball player. in the tradition of ballplayers and singers. >> your point is taken there. i want to play more of his interview of why he thinks this visit to north korea with a team

now kenneth bae is

kenneth bae's sister will join us about her fight to free her brother. >>> u.s. veterans despondent over the -- the al qaeda stronghold in fallujah and ramadi are holding firm. we're going to ask an iraq war veteran serving in congress if he feels his service is running -- when you have diabetes like i do, getting the right nutrition isn't always easy. first, i want a way to help minimize my blood sugar spikes. then, a way to support heart health. ♪ and let's not forget immune support. ♪ but now i have new glucerna advance with three benefits in one. including carbsteady ultra to help minimize blood sugar spikes. it's the best from glucerna. [ male announcer ] new glucerna advance. from the brand doctors recommend most. advancing nutrition for diabetes. who gets the allstate safe driving bonus check. rock beats scissors! [ chuckles ] wife beats rock. and with two checks a year, everyone wins. [ female announcer ] switch today and get two safe driving bonus checks a year for driving safely. only from allstate. call 866-906-8500 now. [ dennis ] zach really love

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is not in any kind of position to pass judgment on kenneth bae. he's uninformed. and it's just outrageous. >> reporter: as a missionary, kenneth bae brought tour groups to north korea. he was arrested for alleged crimes against the state. but there are no details beyond that. when we traveled there, kim jong-un's forces kept us tightly controlled. >> what did he tell you? >> don't go here. >> reporter: stay within five feet of each other? so, strangely, dennis rodman is the closest american to the dictator. kenneth bae's sister also told me today that she once thought that rodman would actually help her brother. she called his agent today. but she's not gotten any word back from them at all. >> an anguished family. thank you, bob woodruff. >>> and next here tonight, an abc news investigation. inside fukushima. three years after that earthquake and the tsunami that caused the meltdown. tonight, we want to show you how bad the radiation is. and ask if they are doing everything they can to keep it from coming toward the united states. abc's cecilia v

about kenneth bae. what he was he doing in north korea? what was this trip about? >> the family says he was running a tour group in north korea, something he had done many times before, that he was there legally. now he is a prisoner. serving about 15 years of hard labor. kenneth bae has been in prison in north korea for well over a year. been there since around november of 2012. he is accused of hostile acts against the regime. the family says that's not the case. he had no intention to try to overthrow the north korean government. and he is married. he's a father of three, and the big thing is the family says his health is now deteriorating. wolf, they worry that with no movement, there's no way he's going to last 15 years hard labor. >> let's hope he gets out and gets out soon. thanks very much. chris lawrence reporting. >>> the basketball game with the north korean national team was a so oh called birthday gift from dennis rodman to the leader, king jong union, who rodman has called his, quote, best

governor, did rodman's rant there hurt kenneth bae's chance for release? >> i'm worried because what basically rodman said he might be guilty. he didn't quite say it, and that's very far from the truth. but does give the north koreas some kind of cover. he's a missionary who strayed. he's sick. he needs to come home. rodman apologized to the family. the family accepted the apology. but i think rodman has caused some damage. at the very beginning when he first went to north korea about a year ago, the new leader kim jong-un saw dennis rodman and he wouldn't see me. so i was a little dumbfounded by that. but i thought basketball diplomacy was maybe be a channel, but obviously since dennis went there and he went after kenneth bae, he went to play basketball the day of kim jong-un's birthday, he sang happy birthday so he's dissolved any good will towards basketball diplomacy being a channel. it became a side show. and on the whole, it's not a good episode. it's not a healthy episode. potentially an opening of a relationship between the united states and north

i want to first apologize to kenneth bae's family at this point. i should know better than to make political statements. the bae family said that they accept rodman's apology. they want to ask him, have they heard the chances of kenneth bae's release? joining us is mr. ambassador, simply put, do you think what rodman says hurts the state department's efforts to get ken bae released? >> it's hard to say. usually when you work on these releases you work as quiet as possible and at the end of the fray you may have a public statement of some kind. so this is not the usual place to get the relief. >> although, playing devil's advocate here, here you have dennis rodman talking about, seemingly to suggest to bae deserved to be in prison. that would give kim jong-un some cover for what the u.s. government believes is completely unjustifiable imprisonment. >> that's right. that was an extraordinary statement and i'm glad he apologized for it. i mean, that was really over the top. you know, one has to keep in mind that what really is going on here is the nor

bae, if you are going to say what kenneth bae did, do you understand what he did. >> what did he do? you tell me. >> to this country. >> what do you think is behind this, terry? >> it's hard to know. i'm not sure who he has been talking to. where he's getting his information, but, you know, i don't think dennis rodman has any authority to pass judgment on kenneth bae that's for sure. >> there are some questions about whether dennis rodman should have this platform to say these things and make accusations that are not based in fact. what do you think? >> i certainly don't think so. if he doesn't know what he is talking about, then i think he should not comment and that's my opinion. >> do you think he could really help kenneth bae? >> you know, we knew it was a long shot, but we certainly hoped that he could at least try, only because he is the only american that has met with the leader. so when you have some possibility of influence in a situation like this, you would think as a fellow american, you could try to help. there is a father of three who has been in prison for more than a

he was going to go get kenneth bae, but he was then told to get back some months ago. so i think they want something in return, some way to express a message that possibly they're ready to talk. not necessarily in our terms. what we want the north koreans to do is renew talks but talk about reducing or terminating their nuclear weapons program, and they have not been ready to do anything. >> as you know -- >> this new young leader -- yeah. >> finish your thought. >> go ahead. this new young leader, what is so uncertain, wolf, is this new young leader, we don't know where he is am can be from and what he wants to do. we don't know about his power base. seems he is being challenged dramatically within his own circles. maybe now he grabbed hold of the situation and realized that this rodman intervention was a disaster for him pr-wise and every other way. maybe now he wants to get to more normal channels and initiate a possible dialogue with kenneth bay as a bargaining chip. >> that's my assessment as well. you and i were about three years ago, but my own sense is they wer

kenneth bae, the american, is one example of a named case. but in general, the human rights problem is a statistic. we read and hear about it, but it's not person filed. and one of the things this commission can do is raise awareness and get people to understand, these are real human beings that are suffering. >> absolutely. and professor, i covered former president bush, he said there were few people that he hated, that he actually hated. but he said that kim jong-il, kim jong-un's father, was one of them. because he let his own people starve while he was living a very rich life. what do you suppose the son is trying to do here? is he trying to brandish a reputation, get that kind of infamy? >> well, you know, the -- perhaps the most disappointing thing about the son's rule in the year that we have seen is this guy is supposed to be educated outside of north korea. he's supposed to be educated in switzerland. but we haven't seen one solid piece of evidence of economic reform to -- for the country. in the meantime, he's hosting basketball gam

kenneth bae has been in prison in north korea 15 months. his sister says he's the longest american detained in u.s. history. she's pleading to bring him home now. the family is heartbroken after watching his first appearance in months. >> it's very difficult for the family to watch him having to plead for help from the u.s. government. >> the american missionary held in north korea for more than a year read a statement before cameras in the hospital. bae pleegd with the u.s. government, press, his family to stop worsening his situation by quote, making vile rumors about north korea. >> that was probably the most frightening moment in that press conference which is why we're imploring our leaders. now is the time to bring this man home. >> they went to say he committed a quote, serious crime against the country's government adding he didn't experience any human rights aabuse. bae says he wants to be pardoned by the north koreans and returned to his family asking the press, u.s. government and his family to make a quote, more active effort an

the one thing about politics, kenneth bae [ inaudible ] if you understand it. if you understand what kenneth bae did. do you understand what he did? >> what did he do? you tell me. >> to this country. >> what did he do? >> no no no you tell me -- you tell me why is he held captive in this country? >> they haven't released any charges, they haven't released any reasons. >> senator mccain, the problem with all this is he sounds shockingly naive at best. at worst he's become a kind of propaganda tool for the north korean regime, hasn't he? >> absolutely. for him to say do you know what he did, obviously they had fed mr. rodman some line about the person which is just -- the whole thing is, as i say, in one respect it's kind of a sideshow with a guy that's not too bright that's looking for something to do. and that kind of part of it can even amuse us. but when we're talking about an american that's being held prisoner in god knows what conditions and he is basically defending him, that's pretty bad behavior. >> it certainly is. let's move on to another big story t

the missionary is kenneth bae. today on camera he apologized for the, quote, antinorth korean acts he now says he committed. he also says the north north kos are treating him well in can't different. he called it a news conference that he requested. of course many experts on the north korean regime says the government may have staged the whole thing. last year northighest court convicted richard bae of committing antigovernment acts against the north korean government. the sentence, 15 years of hard labor. they say he was a missionary trying to build an undercover operation to convert citizensing a tour business as a front. the reuters new agency reports the united states offered to send a special envoy to north korea to free kenneth bae. other americans formerly in north korea have later admitted that the communist government actually stripped them and -- of all their rights and scripted them with their on-camera statements. so it's impossible for us to confirm whether kenneth bae was speaking his mind today. >> t

. >> kenneth bae was brought before journalists in a a gray cap. he spoke briefly with journalists, during that time he made this statement: i believe my problem can be solved by close cooperation between my government and the government of this country. that appeared to be north korea reaching out to washington and south korea for ongoing or renewed talks with the country. kenneth bae was jailed in november 2012 for what was stated as crimes against the state, sentenced for 15 years hard labor. he has visited hospital at that time. he recently became a center of headlines after dennis rodman's trip to north korea. he took in an nba basketball team to play a game for kim john jong-un's birthday. >> president obama says he's troubled by ham harsh antidrug s have harmed, jonathan betz is here with that. jonathan. >> well richelle marijuana is the most popular illegal drug in the united states. 17 million americans use it. it is a number growing for many years. for most it is their only drug. one out of every three high schoolers have smoked pot. that

kenneth bae's family is doing its part to bring bae home. they issued a statement asking for mercy and apologizing to north korea's leader on his behalf. >> a lot of people wondering what are the mechanics behind this, why did the government allow him to do that? and others are optimistic, because when others have confessed, it's not been long before they're released. >> there's a lot of propaganda at play here. of course, the important thing is to get this guy home. >> absolutely. >>> all right, let's talk about the stock market, u.s. stock futures higher after a trend we're seeing in the markets all around the world. stocks around the globe are generally higher. dow futures up 56 points. that's ahead of a big earnings week. today alone we'll hear from ibm, johnson 'johnson and verizon. stocks in london, frankfurt and paris higher. asian stocks higher. stocks in asia gained as china's central bank pumped money into the money markets to ease a credit crunch there. >>> we've heard a lot about income inequality lately. a report from oxfam says

that caused problems when he said maybe kenneth bae was at fault for his crimes. he was castigated by bae's family for that statement. >> now increased support for our government the to secure kenneth's release. we have faith in our government to protect the well-being of americans both at home and broad. we hope that the security council and secretary of state kerry can secure his return home. >>> dolphins, japan kills roughly 20,000 dolphins porpoises and small whales every year. u.s. ambassador to japan caroline kennedy has tweether unhappiness about the event. u.s. government post office dry hunt fisheries. >>> she is the nation's first female leader, katherine samba panza takes the helm while her country is in deep conflict. barnaby phillips reports. >> outside the national assembly everyone was listening. everyone wanted to know who was the new president. someone they can respect someone's authority does not only come from the barrel of a gun. inside they were voting. the process was slow, painstaking. as if the members wanted to show that in this broken cou

. >> kenneth bae's family accepted an apology from dennis rodman. he insinuated in an interview that kenneth bae was at fault for his imprisonment in north korea. where dennis rodman is visiting. kenneth bae is serving 45 years hard labour for anti-state crimes. those are the headlines. "america tonight" is up next on al jazeera. you can get the latest news on aljazeera.com. on america tonight, reconsidering a return to fukushima. in the final part of our exclusive look at the aftermath of the nuclear power disaster we ponder that nation's energy future. ism imagines of an iraqi city under power. and why falujjah is luking to descend into a new cycle of violence. it is not just this spectacle, to rap revelation. >> the outsider acts that cob signs of a slow thaw with north korea. good etching and thank you for joining us. for many of us there are certain fears, real, imagined, about nuclear power tie the most memorable vision of that long controversy energy resource, there's three-mile island through nobodile and now fukushima. this week in our seri

but after this last debacle of dennis rodman hinting that kenneth bae was possibly guilty. singing happy birthday to kim jong-un. playing on kim jong-un's birthday, being a mouth piece the propaganda effort of dennis has in my view, undermined his ability to use basketball diplomacy to try to better relations. i hope he has left town. i hope he's left north korea. but i was disappointed because i am an advocate for out of the box diplomacy, and he's the only guy who can get in to see kim jong-un, i tried and failed, so they have a relationship. but he could at least pushed to get kenneth bae, the american detainee out, and he didn't seem to do that. >> you tried last year. you were there in january. do you think there was any kind of opening that there is any reason for optimism that kenneth bae will be released? >> unfortunately, i'm concerned the north koreans want to use him as a bargaining chip, buts been over a year, 14 months. this man is not guilty. he's sick. he's got a family. because we know so little about kim jong-un and his negotiating tactics in the past, i co

kenneth bae -- if you understand what kenneth bae did. do you understand what he did? >> you tell me. what did he do? >> no, no, you tell me! you tell me! why is he held captive? >> they haven't released any charges. >> why? >> they haven't released any -- >> i would love to speak on this. >> go ahead. >> you know. you've got ten guys here, ten guys here that left their families, left their families to help this country in a sports venture. ten guys, all these guys here. do anyone understand that? >> we do. and we appreciate that. and we wish them well with cultural exchange. >> no, i'm just saying! i don't give a [ bleep ] -- i don't give a rat's ass what the hell you think. i'm saying to you, look at these guys. look at them! >> don't put it on them. don't use them as an excuse for the behavior that you're putting on yourself. >> they came here! >> you just basically were saying that kenneth bae did something wrong. we don't know what the charges are. don't use these guys as a shield for you. >> listen, listen. >> ain't no shield. let me do this. really? really? i wa

let's talk about someone else who needs some assistance, kenneth bae. being held by the government of north korea with no reports. reportedly kim jong-un reportedly ordered the execution of his uncle as well. were you aware of the case of kenneth bae -- the execution of kim jong-un's uncle before you decided to go and help your friend and play basketball in north korea? >> oh, absolutely. i think, you know, the reports were widespread throughout the u.s. definitely knew some of the things that transpired in the media involving north korea. but we were not going there for that. we've been to some other places around the world that were controversial as well -- not as controversial as this, no doubt -- but we didn't go there for that. we went there to do what we normally do, and that's to be cross-cultural ambassadors and use the game of basketball as a bridge for exchange and we did that. we knew going in that, one, it was going to be historic -- >> here's what i don't understand. because one portion of your explanation is sports diplomacy. the other por

bae to chris cuomo leaving bae's family shocked and disappointed. >> if you understand what kenneth bae did. >> yes. >> do you understand what he did. >> you tell me what did he do? >> no no, no, you tell me, you tell me, why is he held captive. >> reporter: but now rodman is back pedaling saying i want to first apologize to kenneth bae's family. i want to apologize to my teammates and management team. i also want to apologize to chris cuomo. i embarrassed a lot of people. i'm sorry. at this point i should know better than to make political statements. i'm truly sorry. >> reporter: kenneth bae's family released their own statement. we accept rodman's apology. being drunk and stressed is not an excuse for what he said, but we acknowledge he's human and we all make mistakes. the state department says they're working very hard for kenneth bae's release through china, sweden and their own envoy. >> let's hope he's released soon. >>> the chris christie scandal taking on a life of its own. here's cnn's jeanne moos. >> reporter: will bridgegate take its toll on governor chris christie? he

kenneth bae. he was put before the cameras and reporters in this highly orchestrated event today in pyongyang. kenneth bae said he's a criminal and that north korea doesn't abuse rights. he also asked washington to cooperate with his captors, to get him out of prison. but let's face it, here. given north korea's history of forced confessions, bae likely was saying all of this, because this is what the north korean officials wanted to hear. now more from our paula hancocks. >> reporter: escorted and out of the room by military officials, kenneth bae said that he wanted to be freed as soon as possible so that he could go home. the u.s. missionary has been held in north korea since november 2012, and speaking to reporters in pyongyang on monday, he called on the u.s. government once again to try its best to secure his release. he once again issued an apology to north korea, and said that he had broken north korean laws. >> translator: i would like to plea with the u.s. government, press and my family

thing. -- if you understand what kenneth bae did, do you understand what he did? >> what did he do? you tell me. what did he do? >> no, no, no. you tell me. no, no, i don't give i don't give a rats ass what the hell you think. i'm saying look at these guys. look at them. >> don't use them as an excuse for the behavior that you ever putting on yourself. don't use these guys as a shield for you, dennis. >> listen, listen. listen. they don't shield. i gotly -- let me do. this really? really? i'm going to tell you you one thing. people around the world, around the world, i'm going to do one thing, you guys behind the mike right now. >> there is no doubt that rodman is a buffoon and being used by brutal dictator that kills people at will. there isn't much that the u.s. c do about it except not traveling to north korea which it has. no american including rodman should go to that terrible country. on the other front even more serious there is now chaos in iraq. while the obama administration is drawing down u.s. troops in iraq, vice president biden said this. >> i am ver

he could have pushed to get kenneth bae out. and he didn't seem to do that. >> you tried last year, you were there in january. do you think there's an opening, that there's a reason for optimism that kenneth bae will be released? >> unfortunately, i'm concerned that the north koreans want to use them as a bargaining chip. it's been over a year. 14 months. this man is not guilty, he's sick, has a family. because we know little about kim jong un and his negotiating tactics, i could deal with the old regime. i knew where they were coming from and we were able to get some releases out. with the young man he seems preoccupied with his own power base and brutally executed his uncle, replacing generals and feels they are not loyal to him. he's being challenged. the worry is there may be an implosion because it seems that the young man is not secure. we know so little about them. this is what is dangerous because north korea has nuclear weapons, missiles, a treaty with south korea. any incident can get us involve. the united states in a

they never mentioned kenneth bae to him. charles smith met kim jong-un and shook his hand and said that people love the great leader. they love kim jong-un there and got a ten-minute standing ovation. if you don't applaud for ten minutes you could be disappeared. >> remember what happened in saddam hussein's iraq. if the team lost at football they were killed. >> it's not out of the ordinary. >> i don't for this cultural exchange. >> it does work. ping-pong diplomacy. it does -- it can work. >> but if all you are meeting is the functionary of -- >> right -- >> a goodwill ambassador sent by the country. >> but with a -- the system of concentration camps that is different than china. >> you and i know all this. >> the fact that they didn't do any research before going to me is -- >> you and i know all this. but i will say always worth going to these places to try to see what is going on and report a little bit. but i'm disappointed with what has come out from this team. >> we know how bad it is, but the silver lining of their