kenneth bae and matthew miller. we're still waiting for comments from bae or miller or james clapper or perhaps all three. and hopefully those will be starting soon. >> once again we're live at joint base lewis-mcchord near tacoma, washington. they had been detained, they were convicted separately of separate charges, and held there doing hard labor and behind the scenes a lot of negotiations taking place and finally, it happened. we got the word they're going to be coming home and here they are, home at last. we're just looking at them getting off of the plane. and emotional reunions with loved ones. and they're very happy, clearly to be home. kenneth bae suffering from serious health problems but he got off the plane he looked very good. let's see. so we're still waiting to see whether or not kenneth bae or matthew miller or james clapper are going to give comments. they have a lot of press there gathered hoping to hear comments from them, also to possibly hear more details on how this detainee release was negotia

we have not seen matthew todd miller come out of the plane. this is a huge moment for the other american who was held there, kenneth bae as he can walking away with family members. unexpected turn here as far as the release of these two americans who were released from north korea, arriving home in washington. we know that kenneth bae was a missionary there. he was suffering from health reasons. he needs to come back home. he suffered from diabetes, heart problems as well, deteriorating vision. back and leg problems. not sure if we are going to hear from them. as you can imagine everything they have been through, they may be taking all of this in and trying to digest what they have been through and being united with family and friends here at home before they get a chance to share their ordeal. and to give thanks to the many people that have helped them as far as their return home. we have not seen the other american, matthew todd miller come out. he is a california native. we understand he is from bakersfield, california and serving a six-yea

matthew miller for six months. our correspondent out of seoul, south korea is paula hancocks, and she has covered these two men's ordeal. she's covered the north korea-south korea issue for some time. she joins us now live. >> reporter: with kenneth bae the first lady she hugged, i spoke to her a year ago and she was allowed to go into north korea. only member of his family that was allowed to go to pyongyang to visit him. that was a very emotional moment as she realized just how ill he looked. we saw his sister terry chung there. she's been very vocal in trying to lobby for his release. he has diabetes. he has heart problems. it was a matter of urgency according to the family he came home. and now you see he has come home. he was sentenced to hard labor. six years hard labor. he's serving a couple months of that. >> i was reading something about why one perspective was to solidify his power so he could get a senior official with the obama administration to come to north korea. bear in mind it said he'd made an apo

it says, welcome home, kenneth bae and matthew miller. we're grateful for the tireless efforts of earn who helped them return to their families. you talked to patty murray a little while ago. she is thrilled about the release, including lawmakers, charlie rangel. releasing a statement urging the north korean government to release if two americans. he tweeted a short time ago, as well, calling for the release, saying i'm pleased that north korea did the right thing in releasing kenneth bae. the state department also weighed in a short time after that news became official. let's get to that tweet, guys. the state department says, welcomes the release of u.s. citizens, kenneth bae and matthew todd miller, from the dprk. that's the tweet from the state department. so many played a role in this. and the washington lawmakers that are taking to twitter on their social media pages, to congratulate the efforts to get these two americans back home. we understand they're on their way back home. we heard from representative, so happy for kenneth bae

matthew todd miller and ken bae. bae's family spoke out about his readjustment to life back home in seattle. ana cabrera has more. >> reporter: john and christine. what a weekend for the families of ken bae and matthew todd miller. both men arriving late saturday night embraced by their loved ones as they stopped off the plane at mcchord field in washington. ken bae has been held captive for over two years. for matthew todd miller, it has been seven months. mystery around why they were released now. the families expressing gratitude. we talked to ken bae's sister and what those first 24 hours back on american soil is like. listen to what she shared. >> we had a late night eating pizza. you know, he is a story teller to begin with. that's what he does. he holds court. he regales people with funny stories. that's who he is as a person to begin with. you can tell he was so hungry for that. >> reporter: terri chung says she is seeing the old glimpses of her brother. she said it will take time to get readjusted to life in

matthew todd miller and kenneth bae are in the air right now. they were released unexpectedly today. and while analysts try to figure out why and why now, they're two families are really looking forward to their homecoming. our ana cabrera is in tacoma, washington, where they will be landing. thank you for rushing up there. i am wondering what you know about when they may land on u.s. soil. >> reporter: poppy, it's great to be able to cover a happy story for once. we just arrived at the air force base, where these two men are supposed to be touching down sometime in the next few hours. sometime this evening. we have been asked not to show the air field. but i can tell you, we're just on the edge here. and, of course, the families are extremely excited for this moment. something that they have been waiting for for months, even years in the case of kenneth bae. i can tell you when the plane touches down on board, we're expecting both men, kenneth bae and matthew miller, along with james clapper, director of national intelligence and additional del

>> matthew todd miller. i can't really say. kennett bae was really the kind of card thermive they were hoy holding. and north korea wanted to get as much out of this as they can. three weeks ago they said come get him out. and the americans followed the directions. and we'll be talking to sources and getting more details. but this has been in the works for a little bit. the united states is very mum about what happened with jeffrey foul. why? because they said look we have two others and want to preserve the ability to get them out. so there have obviously been some quite conversations going on and the north koreans really wanted to get a lot of bang for that you are buck. and releasing all three didn't do that for them. >> we want to welcome our viewers not just in the united states but around the world right now. kennett bae and matthew todd miller t two americans who have been held in north korea are being released on their way home we once. gordon, your thoughts on why now do you think this is happening. >> reporter: i thin

matthew miller, on the other hand, has been very private throughout this whole ordeal. even when i spoke with him in north korea a couple months ago, i asked him if he had a message for his family, he didn't want to talk about what he said to his family. even when i asked him about his motive for entering the country, he wouldn't discuss that either. you certainly see the contrast between the two americans. but now both are back home with their families. >> why do you think that we did not hear from matthew miller last evening as he was getting off plane? >> unlike kenneth bay who was a missionary, matthew miller's alleged motive was different. he was accused of tearing up the tourist visa and seek ago sigh lum. north korea thought he had was trying to infiltrate that country and revealing that he's abusing thousands of prisoners in the political camps. perhaps the nature of the charges or just the fact that his family is also very private. they put a sign on the their door saying they didn't want to talk to the media. they were not interested in putting their story out

matthew miller was held for eight months sense april. both men had been sentenced and convicted of crimes against the government, "hostile acts against the government of north korea." they both had been sentenced to hard labor. bae had already been serving that sentence. talked about working in a field for eight hours a day, six days a week. >> they got a call at 2:00 a.m. yesterday morning, and when kenneth bae ask his sister spoke to the media last night, they were so elated. we want to play a little bit of that sound for you. >> thank you all for supporting me and standing by me during this time, and it's been just amazing blessing to see so many people being involved getting me released for the last two years. not to mention -- not only mentioning for the thousands of people that have been praying for me as well. i just want to say thank you all for supporting me and lifting me up and not forgetting me. >> we're hearing from people all around the world who are expressing their gratitude and they're giving thanks today as well for the

of course kenneth bae and matthew miller was so serve a six year sentence. he just begun their sentence when they mysteriously were released. everybody is grateful that they are now home. i want you to listen to what kenneth bae had to say last night. >> thank you all for supporting me and standing by me during this time. and it's been just amazing blessing to see so many people being involved, getting me released from the last two years not to mention, only mentioning for thousands of people that have been praying for me as well. i want to say thank you all for supporting me and lifting me up and not forgetting me. it's been amazing two years. i learned a lot. i grew a lot. lost a lot of weight. good weight. i stand strong because of you. >> reporter: it was just so great to hear his strong words, his spirit and he even cracked a little joke there about losing weight in a good way. we heard from ken neneth bae's sister as really the family spokesperson on behalf of her brother, work sewing hard and tirelessly to secure his release. here what she had to say.

kenneth bayh and matthew todd miller are on their way home as we speak. and just a short time ago, kennethbae's family released a statement. she was speaking on behalf of the family. she said, the day we have been waiting for has finally arrived. and many others are reacting in similar ways, especially on social media. cnn's nick valencia is here with that. >> so many people weighing in. government agencies, elected officials, all talking about the release of these two americans, kenneth bae and matthew miller. many elected officials from the state of washington and california are weighing in, that's where kenneth bae and matthew miller call home. senator patty murray tweeting, i'm thrilled kenneth bae is finally back home. his amazing family never lost faith. representative adam smith, also there in washington, saying great news that kenneth bae is free and headed home. thanks to the state department and the bae family for their tremendous work to get kenneth home. adam schiff, he tweets, good news, americans kenneth bae and matthew todd miller are final

kenneth bae and matthew miller are now on their way home. miller was serving six-years for charge of espionage. >> there is going to be a lot of speculation while north korean authorities decided now was the time to realize kenneth bay and matthew miller, who u.s. citizens who had been held by the government for at least two years in mr. bae's case and seven months in mr. miller's case. the two men had been in the country one allegedly for proslytizing and the other pore being a tourist and trying to defect. they had been held in a situation why the u.s. authorities had almost no opportunity to actually check on their welfare. that was left to sweden, which has diplomatic relations with north korea. the big question now is not only why did the two men decide to realizgovernment decided to release the two men now, but how was it that james clapper was the one able to escort the two men to the united states. that government has usually wanted a high profile american or peace activist to escort the citizens. now there are questions if there cou

let's talk matthew todd miller. let's talk about kenneth bae. where do they go next? we know they're going to go home. but will they go to medical facilities? do you know if there is going to be some sort of debriefing by our government to find out what, if anything, the men learned while they were jailed? >> yeah. i'm sure there will be some debriefing. but there is not very much that we're going to learn. kenneth bae is going to get medical treatment because all the conditions that he had -- matthew todd miller is pretty young, pretty good health. he'll be fine. so i think at the end of the day, they'll talk to these guys. but there is very little they can tell us. they were imprisoned in a north korean camp. there is not much that we can learn about that. >> excellent point. matthew todd miller, time in captivity, 213 days, or six months, 30 days, concluded today. and kenneth bae, 736 days in captivity, or two years, six days, including today. too long. gordon, i thank you for your time and expertise and we'll see you again sometime soon. good to talk to you. >> th

bae andabout kenneth matthew miller. they arrived in washington state overnight. more on their ordeal and who got korea.t of north >> miller and bae touching down on u.s. soil saturday night. for supportingl me, lifting me up and not forgetting me. very grateful and a great job on what was obviously a challenging mission. >> the mission, to bring home kenneth bae and matthew miller after being held in north korea. bae, for two years. you know, he had gone back and forth between a labor camp and hostile multiple times. >> they release of fowle, accused of leaving a bible in a nightclub. apologize to the people of the united states for causing a headache. a seattle,m washington, suburb, was detained a tour while leading group to a north korea economic zone. he was sentenced to 15 years for alleged anti-government activities. miller, from bakersfield, california, was serving a six-year jail term on charges of after he allegedly at thehis tourist visa airport in april and demanded asylum. 9-year-oldhome, a d.c. boy is making a remarkable recovery a month after someone

matthew todd miller had been detained since april. they were freed after u.s. director of national intelligence james clapper flew to pyongyang the capital at the north's invitation. clapper carried with him a letter from u.s. president barack obama for north korean leader kim jong un. kenneth bae expressed his gratitude at a news conference shortly after he landed in the u.s. >> i just want to say thank you all for supporting me and standing by me during this time. and it's been just amazing to see so many people involved getting me released for the last two years, and not to mention the thousands of people that have been praying for me as well. so i just want to say thank you all for supporting me, lifting me up and not forgetting me. at the same time not forgetting the people of north korea. and thank you for supporting my family as well during this this difficult time for my family. standing strong during this time. >> we also heard from bae's sister, who said their family's hopes and prayers for this moment have finally come true. >> we are thankful for th

matthew todd miller seven months detained, kenneth bae two years detained. they were released today and are right now flying back to the united states and now that these two men are out that leaves no more americans detained in north korea. our elise labbit is following it closely from washington and she has the details about the diplomacy and an important thing that james clapper brought along with him, right, elise? >> that's right, poppy. the u.s. and north korea have been talking several months about the release of american detainees a couple weeks ago they released jeffrey fowl and a plane was summoned to bring him home and now the north koreans asked for a cabinet-level official to come bring kenneth bae and matthew todd miller home. the president chose the director of national intelligence james clapper and senior administration officials tell me that mr. clapper did bring a letter from president obama to north korean leader kim jong un to let him know he was president obama's personal envoy, certainly a message from president obama to the north korea

kenneth bae and matthew miller are now on their way home. miller was serving a six-year term on charges of espionage. and bae 15 years for religious activity. >> north koreans decided now was the time to release kenneth bae and matthew miller the two men had been in the country one for prosyletizing: and they had almost no possibility. the big question now is not only why did north korea decide to release the two men now, but how it was that the director of nashville against james clapper, was the u.s. official who was able to escort the two men from north korea back to the united states? the dni, as known here, has not been involved in this shorts of detention issues involving north korea because that government has usually wanted to have high profile american, a former president or peace activist involved in the release of u.s. citizens. many questions about this situation and there are now questions about whether this could be the break through that could surgeon the six-party talks to the international security end. >> witnesses say isil

you were kept separate from kenneth bae and matthew miller. i understand you're realizing you may have been in close proximity to one another not that long ago. can you tell us about that? >> right. i had no contact with them at all there. information in general was hard to come by like an information vacuum for the most part. just yesterday i realized that during interviews on september 1st i think it was that three of us may have been in the same building together. i had no indication at the time. >> were they ever mentioned to you? i'm sorry -- >> go ahead. >> were they ever mentioned to you by any of north koreans or did you ask about them? >> i did. i had known of kenneth's story before i came there. he had been sentenced a 15 years before i left. while i was on a trip, the tour portion of my trip, i heard them talking about another gentleman being detained. they didn't know his name. they knew he lifted his visa. i didn't realize he had been sent to prison so quickly. he was already in prison while i was there. >> i'm sure the three of y

matthew todd miller had been in prison. they are on a plane bound for the u.s. james clapper, director of national intelligence, is with them. rosalind jordan has more. >> reporter: the days of life in a prison camp are over for kenneth bae and matthew miller. they were released on tuesday and boarded a plane for the u.s. >> it's a wonderful day for them and their families. we are happy for their safe return. doing a great job on what was obviously a challenging mission. >> director clapper is james clapper, the u.s.'s director of national intelligence. in a statement, the u.s. state department called clapper to release: it's not clear why clapper was brought in to negotiate. the north koreans prefer to negotiate with either former president or high profile diplomat on the fate of u.s. citizens. >> there's some speculation that by releasing the men, kim jong un may be trying to soften his country's image. north korea faces sanctions because it refuses to stop the nuclear weapons programme, the the u.n. security council could refer kim to the international crimin

. >> turning to the dramatic arrivals late last night, americans matthew miller andkenn american soil. bae and miller were the last americans detained in north korea. >> miller and bae touching down on u.s. soil saturday night. >> thank you for supporting me and lifting me up and not forgetting me. >> we're very grateful and i appreciate director clapper doing a great job what was obviously a challenging mission. >> reporter: that mission to bring home kennett bay and matthew miller after being held in north korea, bae for two years and miller for 7 months. >> bae's sister said i'm thrilled to imagine hugging my brother soon he'll not have to spend another day at a labor camp he can recover from this imprisonment and look forward to his wife, kids and the rest of the his life. this is a thanks giving we'll never forget. they follow fowl who was accused of leaving a bible in a nightclub. >> i apologize to the people of the united states for causing a headache. >> reporter: bae was detained in 2012 while leading a tour group to a north korea economic zone. he was sensed to 15 years hard

and matthew miller was picked up and sentenceed to six years hard labor. ba e and miller appeared in video messages bloweding for washington's help. foul was released in october and president oba s

in months of activity, kenneth bae, and matthew miller are heading home. loreta lynch vies to become the first african american female. the world is on the brink of a new cold war - stern warning of go gosh gore ba chov. >> riot after gang members confess to the murder of 43 students >>> kenneth bae and matthew todd miller are expected to arrive back in the u.s. tonight. kenneth bae was sentenced to seven years and forced to serve if a labour camp. mill rer was sentenced to -- miller was sentenced to 7 months. allen schauffler is standing by. what is the latest? >> we expect the men to arrive in the united states within the hour. they'll touch down at joint base louis mccard, an army and air force base outside of tacoma. they'll be accompanied by james clapper. he is the one who went to north korea and brought these two men back. again, kenneth bae has been in captivity for two years, accused of spreading christian material in north korea, and accused of trying to hatch a plot to bring down the north korean government. matt miller was held for seven months

. >> and we do want to mention that matthew miller did not speak at that news conference. that's why we didn't hear from him. the president weighing in saying he is grateful for the safe return and praised clapper for what he called the challenging mission. dan. >> to put it lightly. all right. tom, thank you. for more let's bring in abc's chief anchor, george stephanopoulos, who will be hosting "this week" later this morning. >> hey, dan. >> good morning. we have to imagine that kim jong-un sanctioned the release of these two people. do you imagine that he is trying to create closer ties with america? >> very, very possible and, remember, the president delivered a letter to kim jong-un, a personal letter from the president. that is, as you said, extraordinary to have the president's top spymaster go and deliver a letter from the president to the leader of north korea. now, the white house officials say this is only about the prisoner release. there's no other opening on no other issue right now, but does indicate that kim jong-un looking to either improve relations with t

matthew todd miller was in prison this year. we have paula hancocks with information, be we start with ana cabrera. give us the latest. >> reporter: good morning to you. it has been a long time coming for the families. two years for the family of ken bae and seven months for family of matthew todd miller to hug and hold and catch up on what is happening in their lives. matthew todd miller's family choosing to keep quiet. for ken bae, we had a chance to talk to his family and friends. he is from the greater seattle area. we talked to his sister who shared with us the first 24 hours about reconnecting. they have a huge sense of relief to have him home. he spent his first meal eating pizza with the family and she shared stories and laughs. she said despite what he went through in north korea, he still holds the people of north korea very close to his heart. listen to what she told me. >> what are his plans moving forward? >> i don't think anybody knows. i don't think he knows yet. at this point it is just to catch up with family an

. >> reporter: kenneth bae and matthew miller are back in town. james clapper, another usual official flew out to north korea to negotiate their release. he flew them back to a base in washington state. their return began hours before president obama began a trip to asia. officials say there was nothing given to north korea in exchange for the men's release. bae is a missionary from washington state. he was sentenced to 15 years of hard labor two years ago for what north korea said was crimes against the state. miller has been in custody since april. he was charged with spying, both said in an interview in september that they were being treated humanely. >> but i have been in good health, and, no sickness or hurts. >> reporter: miller and bae's release comes less than three weeks after north korea released jeffrey fowl. he was arrested after leaving a bible in a tourist club. >> matthew miller's family made it clear they are not talking o the press. the neighbors are not talks either. one of them sprayed a news crew's vehicle with a water hose. >>

kenneth bae and matthew miller. the miller's family have chosen to make this a private family matter and does not want to speak to the media. he did speak to a u.s. official about what's next. he basically said it's up to them because they're truly free. >> he seems like he is in remarkably good spirits after what he went through. anna cabrera, live for us in seattle. thanks so much. >>> right now president obama on his way to asia for an eight-day journey there. he left washington earlier today and heads to china first for the apex summit, and theb he goes to myanmar before heading to the g20 summit in ahs rail wra. they'll stop off in hawaii before making his way back to the white house, which is where we find our aaron mcpike. erin, seems like a lot on his plate for this trip. >> pamela, he does have a lot on his plate. he may get the hands to talk to russian president vladimir putinen. the two don't have any sort of bilateral meetings scheduled at this point. advisors have said that they may get together and tal

the late night flight, a homecoming many thought they would never see. 25-year-old matthew miller and 26-year-old kenneth bae back on american soil and back in the arms ever fami-- of family. >> i want to say thank you all for supporting me and standing by me during this time. >> reporter: their release secured by america's top spy, james clapper, the director of national intelligence, who went to pyongyang caring a letter by president obama, a mission approved last week. >> i don't think this is a case of charm offensive by north korea, i think it is an attempt to resolve an issue they didn't want around. >> reporter: the mission so top secret only a few members of congress were briefed before the trip. clapper did not meet with kim jong-un, only north korean security officials. miller, 25, who did not speak with the media, was charged with unrulely behavior and spent seven months locked up after he ripped up his visa and sought asylum. >> they were preaching against the secretive government. >> he still has a tremendous heart for the people of north korea. he only has the best inten

the trip comes hours after kim ordered officials to release kenneth bae and matthew miller from prison who were serving multi-year sentences of hard labor for offenses the north koreans claim were crimes against the state. >> it may be, but in his own awkward unsophisticated way kim jong un is trying to reassure the chinese that he's not such a bad guy after all. >> reporter: the u.s. called for the release for humanitarian reasons. national security director jail clapper traveled to pyongyang to obtain the men's release. bae arrived at a u.s. military base saturday night. >> thank you for all your support and prayers and your love. that is really encouraging me and others. >> reporter: bae's family said the first order of business was order out. >> he said i don't want korean food. that's all i've been eating the last two years. he said i want a burger or pizza. there was a papa john's open around the corner. that was the first meal he had. >> reporter: state department officials say the americans' release does not constitute an opening in relations with north korea. >> kenneth bae an

matthew miller was arrested about seven months ago in april, also just very recently sentenced to hard labor. both men convicted of hostile acts against the north korean government. so a lot of questions still, but most important here, poppy, they get to come home, and everybody is excited for their return. >> yeah. absolutely. it is great news and we're waiting to see if we do hear from the miller family. we earlier received that statement from kenneth bae's family. ana cabrera, live for us. thank you. >>> bae and miller are not the only being held hostage overseas. at least 12 are sitting in jail in countries that are hostile to america. among them, robert levinson who disappeared in iran seven years ago. his captors sent pictures to his family. 72-year-old warn weinstein, he was working as a government contractor in pakistan during the summer of 2011 when he was grabbed from his home. he has been held hostage by al qaeda. and allen gross, u.s. government contractor in jail in cuba. several u.s. officials, including former president, jimmy carter, have personally pleaded for his rele

what's next for kenneth bae and matthew miller? no longer in uniform,. but still serving... on the job and in our communities... whose dedication and commitment to excellence continues... in every mission, whatever it may be... affecting our lives every day... for your continued service, we salute you. this message of appreciation to our nations' veterans is brought to you by paralyzed veterans of america and unitedhealth group. >>> hello. i'm eric shawn. welcome to "america's news headquarters." >> i'm arthel neville. north korea released two american prisoners. both accused of conspiring against that brutal regime. >>> and a potential tragedy was averted in utah. wait until you hear about this. a father dramatically saving the day after a man allegedly tried to kidnap his 5-year-old daughter frommen side their home. >>> plus frigid weather on the way for a huge chunk of the country. get out the winter coats. so it ain't snow. some of you will need a shovel too. >>> but first, our top story at this hour. the u.s. led coalition aga

tonight kenneth bae and matthew miller are about 48 hours into re-uniting with tear families. they were freed after the director clapper. bae and mill rer the last known to be held in korea. clapper's visit came after they were contacted two weeks ago. he delivered a letter adretsed to kim jong-un. they credit china for securing the release. in beijing, president obama talked about the successful mission. >> obviously, i'm incredibly thankful to jim clapper for the efforts that he made and i couldn't be happier for the families as we enter into the holidays to know their loved ones were back. >> president obama said the release of bae and miller does not mean a thaw between the two nations. sol analysts believe a recent u.n. report documenting the human rights abuses may have prompted the release of the americans, his report triggered a concern that kim jong-un could face indictment by the criminal court. what do we know about how and 82 the releases occurred? >> the how, this is a difficult and delicate time that they reached out. the last few weeks, they asked for a cabinet

matthew todd miller had been detained since april. he spent a lot less time in north korea. he was also at that press conference. he didn't make a statement, however, and was reunited with his family. >>> well, back to today's events in berlin. the german chancellor angela merkel is live at the berlin wall. very emotional part of berlin. this is where so many east berliners lost their lives, killed by border guards in many cases trying to cross from east to west. events are underway on this very special day. pretty soon we're expecting the lighting of candles at the national memorial for the victims of the berlin wall. angela merkel making her way to that location where she will be honoring those who lost their lives all these years ago over the decades that the wall stood from 1961 to 1989. chancellor merkel will also officially open the country's new permanent exhibition in the documentation center of the berlin wall memorial. all that and more to mark, of course, the quarter century since the wall came tumbling down. according to t

. >> and we do want to mention matthew miller did not speak at that news conference. that's why we didn't hear from him. the president weighing in saying he is grateful for the safe praised clapper for what he called the challenging mission, dan. for more on this, let's bring in the chief anchor george stephanopoulos who will be hosting this week later this morning. we have to imagine kim and deliver a letter from the president to the leader of north now, the white house officials say this is only about the prisoner release. there's no other opse some of the pressure from the united nations which has been coming down hard on these prison camps in north korea. >> we, of course, don't know we saw little of that there was a memorable exchange. i believe he went out and got a blazer with dollar bills on it. do you think when he claims he played a role it's a legitimate claim. >> to his credit he did say we're not going back unless you release the prisoners. willing to deliver the letter to a county he had isolated in the past. it will be fascinating to see if leads to any

kenneth bae in prison for two years and matthew miller held in north korea for seven months are flying back to the united states with u.s. director of national intelligence james clapper, who made the trip to pyongyang earlier this week to secure their release. clapper is the highest ranking american official to travel to the reclusive nation in 14 years. while today's news is cause for celebration for both men's families, the exact nature of the talks that led to their remains cloaked in secrecy. we have two reports beginning with nbc's chris jansing at the white house. chris, good evening. >> reporter: good evening, lester. the official u.s. government statement said simply, they're on their way home. an understated description for the highly secretive, high-stakes mission. adding to the intrigue the man who helped win bae and miller's release is america's top spy, james clapper. he's on the plane with them right now, on the last leg of their journey to freedom. the long nightmare for kenneth bae and matthew todd miller ended dramatically, like something out of a spy novel, the centr

matthew miller and kenneth bae landed at a washington military base. they were released saturday of a secret mission carried out by james clapper. >> last night a grateful bae thanked everybody. >> i want to thank president obama and the state department who worked to get me released as well. i would like to thank the north korean government that allowed me to come home and be united with our family. >> bae was arrested in 2012 while leading a tour group to a north korea economic zone. >> overnight tonight, president obama boarded a flight to beijing tomorrow. yesterday president obama announced his attorney general nominee. we take a look. >> the attorney general is the people's lawyer. >> reporter: president obama on saturday nominated u.s. attorney loretta lynch to fill that post and replace eric holder as the next attorney general in the united states. >> in a county that is built on the rule of law there are few offices more important than the attorney general. >> reporter: it is one of his top cabinet positions. lynch is the u.s. attorney attor t

matthew todd miller then took his turn stepping onto american soil. afterward they thanked president obama and others who orchestrated his release. >> it's been an amazing two years. i learned a lot. i grew a lot. i lost a lot of weight in a good way, but i'm very strong because of you. >> reporter: north korea accused 25-year-old miller of spying after he allegedly tore up his visa and demanded asylum seven months ago. the regime charged bae, a missionary with anti-government plans. he served hard labor. james clapper brought the two men home. during his secret mission he didn't meet kim jong-un who mysteriously disappeared from the public this summer but he brought a letter from president obama for the regime's young leader. he certified he was obama's personal envoy sent to negotiate their release. an obama administration official said north korea floated the possibility of a release several weeks ago and requested a senior u.s. statesmen. in his first term president obama sent former president clinton to secure the release of two journalists, but

miller were released. bae had been detained for two years. miller, since april. >> reporter: miller and bae, touching down on u.s. soil saturday night. >> thank you all for supporting me and lifting me up. and not for getting me. >> i appreciate -- they didÑi a great job on what was obviously a challenging mission. >> reporter: that mission, to bring home kenneth bae and matthew miller after being held in north korea. bae, for two years, miller, seven months. on saturday, bae's sister expressed her gratitude saying i am thrilled to imagine hugging my brother soon. he will not have to spend another day at a labor camp. he can now recover from this imprisonment and look forward to his wife, kid and the rest of his life. our celebration this year will be one we'll never forget. they followed the release of jeffrey fowle, who was accused of leaving a bible in a club. fowle spoke back in august. >> i apologize to the people in government and the united states for causing a headache. >> reporter: bae, from a se

kenneth bae and matthew miller are back in the united states today. president obama a gids for the men's action, but the whitehouse said that's not what was in the letter >>> we're finally here. 3o brother is home. all of our hopes and prayers for this moment have finally come true. >> i want to thank president b on and all the people in the state department working tirelessly hard to get me released. >> kenneth bae had been in north korea since 2012 and had been sentenced to 15 years. miller was sentenced to 6 years. miller's family doesn't want to talk about their son's arrival just yet to the media. >>> back in the bay area, the san jose firefighters investigating a fire on how much damage to a house. >>> a big crash on the bay bridge around 8:30 last night. they're investigating what caused the tre to end up in the wrong lane. mike is live at the bay great lakes good morning, that wrong way driver was arrested on suspicion of dui. the driver was heading westbound in the eastbound lane. the chp and emergency rues responded and shut down all lanes.

ken bae and matthew todd miller were set free. bae's family spoke to the media after the life back in seattle. ana cabrera has more. >> reporter: john and christine, what a weekend for the families of bae and miller who have been reunited after months, even years apart. both men arriving late saturday night embraced by their loved ones as they step off the plane at mcchord field. bae has been held captive for over two years. for miller, it has been seven months. mystery surrounding the details of why they were released now. both families expressing gratitude. we talked to ken bae's sister about the first 24 hours back on american soil have been like. listen to what she shared. >> we had a late night eating pizza. you know, he is a story teller to begin with. that's what he does. he holds court and regales people with funny stories. you could tell he was hungry for that. >> reporter: she said she is seeing glimpses of her brother. she said it will be time for him to readjust with life back in the u.s. i also want to mention we reac

matthew miller arrived last saturday night and his care traveler reports this could mean more for america's relationship with that country. >> president obama says the u.s. side window of opportunity. indication that there was a possibility of of prisoners. they flew back on a military plane. >> grew a lot, lost a lot of weight. been sentenced to 15 years of hard labor, accused of preaching against the north korean regime. their release was secured by james clapper. a senior administration official says it was short and to the point, identifying clapper as the president's envoy, who was there to bring to americans home. he had a request when he got home. , he said i want a burger or pizza. if thetiations -- asked negotiations gave any insight to kim jong-un, the president said no. karen travers, abc 7 news. the nurse under ebola quarantine says she will not stay in maine. says she and her boyfriend plan to leave maine tomorrow since she will no longer require daily monitoring. she was placed in that mandatory quarantine in new jersey. after protesting isolation she was allowed to return to

matthew miller is in bakersfield, california. cnn's ana cabrera traces the sudden events that took the men from north korean prisons to their homes in less than three days. >> reporter: after months and years of detention, two americans held prisoner in north korea are back in the united states. first off the plane, kenneth bay, who had been held two years, sentenced to 15 years of hard labor for hostile acts against the government. claiming he was part of a christian plot to overthrow the regime. >> i just want to say, thank you all for supporting me and standing by me during this time. and it's been just amaze iing blessing to see so many people being involved, getting me released the last two years. and not to mention, now mentioning the thousands of people who have been praying for me as well. >> reporter: then mad matthew miller stepped off. miller had been detained since april, sentenced to six years of hard labor. he had been accused of tearing up his tourist visa and seeking asylum upon entry to north korea. mill der not

denth bae and matthew todd miller were freed after the u.s. director of national intelligence flew to pyongyang for talks. bae had been sentenced for 15 years for anti-government activities, miller six years for espionage. >> reporter: back home on american soil, kenneth bae step off a plane at a military base in washington state. followed by matthew todd miller. the two men were immediately reunited with their families. miller was jailed earlier this year for disturbing the peace. bae a christian missionary had been convicted nearly two years ago for trying to convert north koreans. >> thank you for all of your support and prayer. and your love. that is really been encouraging for me. and for others who are in the same shoes. thank you. god bless you. >> reporter: the men's release by the north koreans was welcomed by president obama. >> it's a wonderful day for them and their families. and obviously they are very grateful. for their safe return. and i appreciate the great job on what was obviously a challenging mission. >> reporter: director

ae and matthew todd miller were freed after someone from the intelligence exact is a flu for contact. miller was serbing a six-year jail term for espionage, victoria reports. >> reporter: back home on american soil. kenneth da even steps off a plate at a military base in washington state to be reunited with his family, he's joined soon after on the tar back by matthew todd miller. the two men had been held in prison camped in north korea miller was jailed for six years in april on espionage charges, buy a christian activist had been jailed two years ago. he had been trying to convert north koreans he had been serving a 15 year term. >> thank you for all of your support and prayer and love. it's been encouraging for me and others in the same shoes. thank you. god bless you. >> reporter: news of the men's release have been welcomed earlier by president obama. >> reporter: director clapper is james clapper, the u.s.' director of national intelligence. he was the highest ranking american to visits pyongyang in more than a decade. it's not clear why clapper was brought in to negotiation or

government said that kenneth bae and matthew miller are now returning to the united states. we talk to rosalind jordan, who is live for us in washington, d.c. what are they saying about their release? >> what both the state department and office of the director of national intelligence are say something that this release of two u.s. citizens came in large part because of discussions which the director of national intelligence james clapper was holding with north korean officials. we have not seen this sort of intervention from this federal agency before. the two men, kenneth bae an, and we don't know if they're going to undergo any debriefing from u.s. intelligence officials. it's highly likely that the two men will be questioned about their experiences while held by the north koreaens. there had been speculation that perhaps a high level person from the u.s. government might have been involved or might be asked to try to go and secure the release of these two men. we had seen recently some very staged interviews conducted by mr. miller and another man recently released by t

kenneth bae and matthew miller are making their way back to the united states. here's the story. reporter: a sigh of relief for two american families. >> very grateful. safe return and i appreciate -- doing a great job on what was obviously a challenging mission. >> that mission, to bring home kenneth bae and matthew miller after being held in north korea. bae for two years, miller, seven months. on saturday, ba aes sister said, i am thrilled to imagine hugging my brother soon. he'll not have to spend another day at labor camp and can now recover from this imprisonment and look forward to his wife, kids, and the rest of his life. our thanksgiving celebration this year will be one we will never forget. they follow the release of jeffrey fowle, who was accused of leaving a bible in a nightclub. he spoke in august. >> i apologize to the people and government of the united states for causing a headache. >> bae, from a seattle, washington, suburb, was detained in 2012 while leading a tour group to a north korea economic zone. he was sentenced to 15 years hard labor for alleged antigov