Transcripts For CNNW Wolf 20140901

Matthew miller it the interviews came with restriction, which well talk about. But lets start with kenneth bae, he is in the upper right of your screen. North korea claims he was part of a christian plot to overthrow the government. Im serving 15 yearsentence right now. And ive been going back and forth from hospital to the labor camp the last year and a half. And right now im serving at the labor camp right now. Can you tell me about the conditions at the labor camp . Condition in labor camp is im working at hours a day, six days a week and working agricultural work to other hard labor that is required to do every day. Do you think youre being treated hue manly . Yes. And your message to your family . Well, im sure theyre very worried about my health at this time. And even though right now, like, last month and a half, my health has been or so, its been fairly so right now what i can say to my family and friends, to continue to pray for me and also ask them to continue on that for in getting me released here. Your message for the American Government . For the American Government right now, ive been asking the American Government to ask upon getting me released here and i do believe that special envoy need to come in order to resolve the situation that im in right now. So i do ask the u. S. Governments to send an envoy as soon as possible. And i think thats the only hope that i have right now in order for me to go home, be reunited with my family. Wheres the bottom line about your situation here and the message you want to put out to the world . So right now is that im here. Ive been here for almost two years now. I do believe ive been treated humanely as possible. Theyve been doing that for me. At the same time as i realize at this point ive been here. I think im the american thats been here the longest since the korean war. I do believe that sooner this gets resolved, it will be better for not only myself, for rest of the other americans may come here in the future as well. Will ripley interviewed kenneth bae and the two other americans. Hes joining me on the phone from pyongyang, north korea. I wonder, how surprised were you to be given this access . Very surprised, because we put in this request when we arrived five days ago and we were told then any interview with the americans were virtually impossible. Weve been essentially going on a governmentcontrolled tour of all of the mustsee sites around north korea. Thats what often happens with foreign journalists who come here. You see monuments. You see museums. Today, we were two hours north of the capital. Eating lunch, getting ready to go see a temple in the afternoon, after seeing a display of all the gifts presented to these three leaders in north korea, members of the kim family. In the middle of lunch, i was pulled away from the table and told were to get on a van right away and go back to pyongyang because we were going to speak with a government official. That alone was surprising to us as we drove our minders around the phone, pulled over, stepped away from the van, made more phone calls. We still didnt know really where we were. It was a different route than wed been taking this entire week weve been here. As we were standing by the front door, we were told theres another change of plans and weve been granted interviews with all three americans being held her right now under the conditions that we not exceed five minutes and we only talk about the charges theyre facing, the treatment theyre getting and the message for their families and the u. S. Government. All right, will, and you interviewed all three of these americans. I want to point out a part of your interview with Jeffrey Fowle. He was accused of leaving a bible in his hotel room. Id like to thank you guys for being here. I appreciate you taking the time to come and see me, getting my message out. Good to see you. First, can you tell us about the charges youve been facing as youve been told . Charges are violation of dprk law which stems from me trying to leave a bible up at the cm s cmenss club at beijing in the dprk. The violation of the as well. I admitted my guilt to the government and assigned a statement to that effect and ive also put in a request for forgiveness to the people and the government of the dprk. And Legal Process is ongoing right now, and its in the final stages of the preliminary investigation. 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. And so you guys convey my desperate situation, which, im 56, im from the dayton ohio, area. We know your family background. Ill ask you, how are you being treated here . Reasonably well. I dont have any complaints it the foods been good. I have a daily walk with the guides. Even medical care has been furbished a couple of times. And the quarters good. Hotel suitetype of room. So i dont have any complaint about the treatment. Its been very good so far. I hope and pray it continues. Whether im here two more days or two decades, whatever the case is. So the bottom line, your message about your situation . Im good for the time being but i need to let people know im getting desperate. Im getting desperate for help. This is i understand there are three americans in the detention in the dprk. Which is the most since the pueblo incident. You have no communication with the others . I know the name of the kenneth bae has been here the longest. This is an opportunity for maybe bill clinton to come back. He has released a couple of journalists a few years back. I appreciate any help that they could lend. Helping resolve their cases and bring us home. Will, it seems that jeffrey is reading off of notes there during the interview. How coached did you think he was . Were these his notes . Do you think this is what he was instructed to stick to . They were notes that he wrote. It appeared it be in english. I dont know what his handwritingseemed he wrote that. You may have noticed i was moving the sbrauinterview along types. We had a group in the room watching us and timing us and we had a very limited time. We were warned explicitly not to go over or veer off topic. We were told the consequences for that would be severe without getting into the detail. Thats all we were told. That was enough for us to stick within the guidelines. And we were also being recorded with video cameras. And we had multiple government officials watching us and photographing the interview as well. All right, will, interesting details and very important to put that in context. Up next, were going to be hearing from the third american held in north korea. Were going to hear his message to the white house. And before meeting with the three americans held, cnn gained a rare glimpse. Beyond the fancy monuments the government wants the world to see are images it likely would rather keep a secret. Hello three grams daily of betaglucan. A soluable fiber from whole grain oat foods like cheerios can help lower cholesterol. Thank you ugh. Heartburn. Did someone say burn . Try alka seltzer reliefchews. They work just as fast and are proven to taste better than tums smoothies assorted fruit. Mmm. Amazing. Yeah, i get that a lot. Alka seltzer heartburn reliefchews. Enjoy the relief. Eenie. Meenie. Miney. Go. More adventures await in the sevenpassenger lexus gx. See your lexus dealer. 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What is your message to your family . Im been requesting help for a long time. Theres been no movement from my governments. The American Government is known for having a strong policy of protecting its citizens. Yet for my case, there was still no movement. Ive written a letter to my president s with no reply. Joining me now to talk about this is Georgetown Professor wong. She is the former adviser to the assistant secretary of state for asian affairs. North korea, dr. Wong, does not communicate with the United States. This seem like a public message. Give us your take here. Yes, indeed. Cnn happened to be in north korea at the time. Given the world wide tension on the recently executed reporter by the isis, i think theres now global attention paid on americans that are detained in dangerous countries. Im certain the north korean regime is taking this opportunity to raise its profile to the American Government in this manner. And you certainly see these detainees emphasizing that their treatment is acceptable. We heard that repeatedly from them. Theres obviously i imagine north korea is looking for a white house response here. Should the white house respond and how . Well, i think the white house ought to be very careful, as it has been. There are reports the United States actually did send a relatively high delegation on a secret mission to north korea recently in the last week or so. We heard reports they flew on a military jet. Presumably, it was to further some progress on gaining the release of these detainees. Certainly north korea, what they want is another very, very highprofile visit. For example, from jimmy carter. Or, in the case of the previous two reporters, euna lee and miss ling, there were reports that al goeshgs the former Vice President , would go. Its very clear this is what kim jongun and the north korean regime want, another extremely highprofile visit from the United States. Do we have a sense of who was in the delegation . And do you read these interviews being allowed by north korean officials as some measure of success by that delegation . Well, im not so certain from our point of view if we can call it a success, only because if the North Koreans insist that we send a very high level, High Profile Former Government official such as carter, i actually dont view this as success. I view that as a dangerous precedent. Its rather unfortunate because this means every time a u. S. Citizen does something that is not considered not satisfactory by the north korean government, theyre going to use this as leverage. So the u. S. Administration was right to send a low profile, back channel manner. Unfortunately, it was revealed to the press and leaked so we now know some details. Its sort of, in a way, north korea saying to the u. S. We want you to jump, trying to provoke a response. I wonder, interviews with all three of these detained americans, whats the point of allowing interviews with all three . Is it to show theyre being treated well . Well, that is certainly an important message. Again, North Koreans try to take advantage of the Global Situation and, you know, a wo d worldwide western concern about treatment of these detainees. They want to show theyre very different from isis and other terrorist groups that act in barbaric ways. That these are, in fact, according to their laws, supposedly, which they have broken, that they are following their rule of law. The same time, theyre, again, trying to raise the profile. Theyre often looking for a reaction. Certainly, this is some sort of provocation. Well see how it plays out. Dr. Huang, thank you for your expertise. Thank you for having me. Next, iranianbacked fighters. Two countries fighting a common enemy. That would be isis of course. As the u. S. Faces mounting pressure to take stronger action against the terror group. Seen. One child fail to get to the air sickness bag in time. Another left his shoes on the plane. His shoes and a third simply doesnt want to be here. Until now. Until right booking now. Planet earths number one accomodation site booking. Com booking. Yeah i got this. [thinking] is it that time . The son picks up the check . [thinking] im still working. Hes retired. I hope hes saving. I hope he saved enough. Who matters most to you says the most about you. At massmutual were owned by our policyowners, and they matter most to us. Whether youre just starting your 401 k or you are ready for retirement, well help you get there. And im here to tell homeowners that are 62 and older about a great way to live a better retirement. Its called a reverse mortgage. [ male announcer ] call right now to receive your free dvd and booklet with no obligation. 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Central command released a statement detailing new air strikes against isis near the mosul dam, destroying an armed vehicle, a mortar position, three trucks there. All of this as iranianbacked fighters, aided by u. S. Strikes, helped Iraqi Forces Take down the town of amarali, breaking a twomonth siege before isis could make good to kill thousands of shiites. Meanwhile, both sides of the aisle are criticizing president obamas handling of the isis threat. John mccain calling on the president to put forward a, quote, clear strategy, a reference to the controversy that erupted last week when the president admitted there was no strategy for targeting isis inside syria. Democratic senator feinstein also came out against president obama, suggesting his approach to isis might be, quote, too cautious. Just days after raising the Terror Threat level in the uk to severe, Prime Minister cameron asked the house of commons for more powers to proekt tect the from the isis. Temporariy lily blocking the re of british citizens who fight in syria and iraq, stripping the passports of those citizens suspected of terrorism and the Prime Minister said the uk needs to take a new approach in the fight against extremism. This is bigger. We are proud to be an open, free and tolerant nation. But that tolerance must never be confused with the patience being an accentance of cultures living lives completely opposite to our standards. Adhering is not an option or a choice. It is a duty for all those who live in these islands. We will stand up for our values. We will in the end defeat this extremism. We will secure this way of life for generations to come. I commend this statement to the house. Tom rogan is a National Review contributor and columnist for the daily telegraph. Tom, you heard the Prime Ministers proposals here. How, i guess, stringent do you see these to be . Does this go far enough . I think this is very stringent. They reflect the concern on the part of the british that when these individuals return to the uk, mi5, the Domestic Intelligence service, wont actually have the resources to deal with it. The question about how stringent they are is interesting because there are questions inside the Coalition Government with the liberal democrats with the leftleaning party to reduce the ability of british nationals to come back are excessive and breach human rights. You say there wouldnt be enough resources when they come back. Obviously, that would be if fighters came back and they had to be monitored. The number of man hours would be incredible. I also wonder, these restrictions on passports, is it fool proof . Arent some of these people going from britain to fight in syria, they dont necessarily have a stam open their passport. You cant always tell theyve gone to the region to fight for isis . Exactly, and the British Government absolutely knows that, but their concern is theyre just trying to do anything they can to try and mitigate this threat. Because of course as you know, a lot of people are coming from the uk or france, will go through istanbul or fly through several ports and then simply fly into syria. Its an imperfect solution. They know that, theyre still pursuing that, and i think that flee reflects the deep vein of concern in the British Government. They have to do something, even if its not 100 . Exactly. Prime minister cameron said there are about 500 british citizens fighting in syria. France actually had a bigger problem, 700 or more, russia, more than 800. You look at the reach here of isis into the west. What strikes you about these numbers . Well, what i think it reflects is that across europe, there is a great problem in terms of social dissection, that there are significant elements of the muslim communities of other nations, french alger genes, whatever it might be, who feel they have no links to the country they would otherwise call home. And clearly when you see those vast numbers of people, theres a great concern about the terrorist threat. But also about the longer term. What does this say about our societies. And what can these governments do to try and bring people into a better, you know, binding with their communities, with their countries . You hear Prime Minister cameron really outlining that problem. This is a generational fight, hes saying. Is this problem that the uk has, that europe has, is it unique to that area . Is this a problem that the u. S. Has as well . Well, i think the u. S. Has, to some degree, has the problem. There have been issues especially mentioned with regards to the american sam molly community with the young men going to sam momali. It was always aware to me there is it is less of a Multicultural Community perhaps than it was presented to be on the outside. In the United States, one of the great things we can be happy about is we do have Community Cohesion to a degree that is very good. Ferguson gets mentioned a lot. In europe, there are real problems there that we dont see in the United States. Of course, with american passport holders in syria, iraq, with isis, and european passport holders who could travel to the United States, theres a clear threat as well that needs to be addressed. Yeah, it is. Were waiting to see exactly how the government is planning to do that here. Tom, thank you so much. Thank you. Amateur video out of libya raising eyebrows, concerns as well. Militia members caught on tape frolicking in a pool at the abandoned u. S. Embassy they were supposed to be guarding. What does it say about overall stability in the country . Plus, american kenneth bae says he spent the last 18 months in either hospitals or labor camps. Well be taking a closer look at baes story and how he ended up in north korea hands. Of our scientists. Ter, just theyll show you a special glue weve developed that bonds metal to plastic. And that makes the things youre trying to move. Lighter. The less weight. The less energy. And what you save can be used for speed. For efficiency. Or just for fun. This is the Human Element at work. Dow. Been all fun and games, here at the harrison household. But one dark, stormy evening. She needed a good meal and a good family. So we gave her purina cat chow complete. Its great because it has the four cornerstones of nutrition. Everything a cat needs for the first step to a healthy, happy life. Purina cat chow complete. Share your rescue story and join us in building better lives. One rescue at a time. I got this. [thinking] is it that time . The son picks up the check . [thinking] im still working. Hes retired. I hope hes saving. I hope he saved enough. Who matters most to you says the most about you. At massmutual were owned by our policyowners, and they matter most to us. Whether youre just starting your 401 k or you are ready for retirement, well help you get there. This is holly. Her long day of Outdoor Adventure starts with knee pain. And a choice. Take 6 tylenol in a day or just 2 aleve for all day relief. Onward welcome back. Im Brianna Keilar reporting from washington. Wolf blitzer is on assignment today. Were back with our coverage of will ripleys interview with american detainees in north korea. One of the men that he spoke with was Christian Missionary ken naeth bae. Charged and convicted of planning to overthrow the north korean government. Let me play a bit of that conversation. Well, American Governments right now, ive been asking the American Government to act upon getting me released here, and i do believe that special envoy need to come in order to resolve the situation that im in right now. So i do ask the u. S. Government to send an envoy as soon as possible. I think thats the only hope that i have right now in order for me to go home, be reunited with my family. Brian todd joining me now with more. Brian, kenneth bae has been detained for quite a while at this point. Tell us about that and also what he did, how he came to be charged with these crimes. Bae has been in custody for almost two years. Now, in april of last year, he was sentenced for, quote, hostile acts against the country. His sister said he was conducted tours but bae is also a Christian Missionary. Bae said he was working to spread christianity inside north korea. The north korea bes view any kind of religious activity from people from the inside as a threat to their National Security, bianna. Thats basically how he came to be charged with those particular offenses. This clip that we saw, brian, its pretty striking. He wasnt the only detainee who was asking for a u. S. Special envoy to be sent to korea. We remember the two female american journalists who bill clinton went to north korea to secure their release. Obviously, it sounds like north korea wants Something Like this again. I know youve spoken with the state department today. Did you get any reaction to these interviews . We did, brianna. The state department came out with a statement saying out of humanitarian concern for Jeffrey Fowle Matthew Miller and their families we request the dprk release them. Also what weve got from jen psaki is they request the North Koreans pardon kenneth bae and grant him special amnesty and Immediate Release so he may reunite with his family and seek medical care. So splitting his case apart from the other two a little bit and emphasizing the urgency of him getting home to seek medical care. We also got a statement from patrick van trel, a spokesman for the National Security council and the white house saying, quote, securing the release of u. S. Citizens is a top priority and we continue to do all we can to secure the earliest possible release. There you have the white house and the state department reacting to cnns interviews with the three men. Especially interesting coming from the state department, separating baes case out from the other two, saying he needs to get back and get medical treatment. Without a release or a pardon, how long how much time is bae looking at serving . He was sentenced to 15 years hard labor in a labor camp. That sentence was handed down last year brianna. If theres nothing done, you can presume hell there be for quite some time. The North Koreans do not want kenneth baes health to deteriorate and for him to, heaven forbid, die in their custody. They do not want that. Whether he actually serves 15 years remains to be seen. Were going to see what this particular message may mean for the long term, you know, duration of the stay of these men in custody. Analysts do say the North Koreans see them as leaverage t open up a dialogue with the United States. So well see if anything like that happens. You can see ins this point urs from less than a year ago, how much weight kevin has lost. Interesting to know. Brian todd, thank you so much. Before our will ripley sat down for an interview with the american detainees, he was on a rare tour. He was there with a handful of other journalists to cover an International Wrestling festival, actually, under the constant supervision of north korean handlers. It was a tour of the monuments. Reporter for the First Time Since arriving in north korea, our government bus strays from the regular route. Were not allowed to stop. We can only look out the window. Fields full of people tending crops by hand. Others working at construction sites. The few public buses packed. Most have to walk. Our bus takes us here. A brandnew equestrian center. This is another pet project of kim jongun. Were told anybody can come here and ride these horses if they can pay the equivalent of 10 u. S. Dollars an hour. Most North Koreans are lucky to earn that much in a week. I feel privileged to ride a horse, this girl says. And she is. We only see a handful of people here. Our next stop, the government wants us to see a park outside pyongyang. Full of scaled down versions of the capital citys monuments and architectural treasures built at great expense. And within site of the even more expensive originals. You can actually see the real monuments there off in the distance in pyongyang. The jutjai tower is built for putting your country first. Saying if this is the brain, citizens are the limbs. You can live without a limb but not without a brain. We choose it as our faith. You choose to be a part of the growth . Reporter but studying is not a choice, its compulsory for everyone it one place to do it the grand peoples study house. Supposedly 30 million volumes here. The few books we see are well worn. The rest, locked away. To get to then, you have to ask this woman. They come out a chute at the bottom. Another place to learn, the freshly renovated war museum. Above this display, a large graphic photo of a dead american pilot who crashed in north korea. Why show the photo of the dead pilot . Because it is going to show anybody who violate the sovereignty and intrudes on us, to conduct espionage. Reporter sending a message that north korea is a modern moral military force. Money not being spent by this cashstrapped country on the millions of citizens struggling just to get by. Will ripley, cnn, pyongyang, north korea. Still ahead, president obama criticized by a fellow democrat for being, quote, too cautious on Foreign Policy. Just what is the president s strategy for solving World Problems and for silencing his critics . Stay with us. Breathe through your nose. Suddenly youre a mouth breather. A mouth breather how do you sleep like that . You dry up, your cold feels even worse. Well, put on a breathe right strip and shut your mouth. Cold medicines open your nose over time, but add a breathe right strip, and pow it instantly opens your nose up to 38 more so you can breathe and do the one thing you want to do. Sleep. Add breathe right to your cold medicine. Shut your mouth and sleep right. Breathe right. Add breathe right to your cold medicine. Nowwith the virtualhe phfreedom of wifi. The car, chevrolet, the first and only car company to bring builtin 4g lte wifi to cars, trucks and crossovers. Hi mom. You made it its the new independence. Big day . Ah, the usual. Moved some new cars. Hauled a bunch of steel. Kept the supermarket shelves stocked. Made sure everyone got their latest gadgets. Whats up for the next shift . Ah, nothing much. Just keeping the lights on. laugh nice. Doing the big things that move an economy. See you tomorrow, mac. See you tomorrow, sam. Just another day at norfolk southern. To the crisis in ukraine now, where russian tanks attacked a Regional Airport in southeastern ukraine and new jersey senator menendez is in the capital, kiev, and he says the International Community must step in. This is no longer about rebels fighting with russian assistance. This is clearly an invasion of ukraine. It seems to me we have seen the International Order upended by russia, and we need to send a very clear message that you cannot invade a country, take territory by force, as a new international norm. Russia moving into ukraine and isis terrorists tightening their grip in syria and iraq. These are just two of the Foreign Policy problems facing obama which has critics lining up on both sides of the aisle. I was astrouounded when the president of the United States said the world has always been messy and its been accentuated by social media. That means a president of the United States is either in denial or overwhelmed. Ive learned one thing about this president , and that is, hes very cautious. Maybe in this instance, too cautious. The criticism is bipartisan. Our analyst gloria borger. Whats the impact of this, when you have Top Democrats and republicans taking aim at the president s Foreign Policy . I think it puts a little more pressure on the white house to come up with a strategy, particularly as it pertains to syria and isis. This is a president whos clearly presiding over a cabinet that is split on what to do. Hes also personally conflicted, as you can tell, about the question of the use of force. His own narrative that he would like to retire with as his legacy is kill bin laden, got out of two wars. Inching back to war again is not anything like what he had in mind. Now you have the polls showing that other half of the American Public believes that hes not tough enough when it comes to Foreign Policy. Its very difficult for him. On the one hand, the president doesnt want to get involved in another war. On the other hand, they want to see a president of the United States who can lead incredibly in the world. He has to tell the American Public exactly what hes going to do and why. Its interesting, i sort of have deja vu from a year ago, gloria. I was with president obama in russia. We were covering the g20. Trying to seek some international con ssensus on wh to do about syria and having used chemical weapons. Hes heading to europe tomorrow. Hell be talking to nato allies. What really can he accomplish . What are the chances that he comes back emptyhanded . How important is it that he doesnt . Well, hes got to lead. Youre right, about a year ago, remember, that red line, as you were covering that and i was covering that, and he walked right over to that red line and he decided he wasnt going to use air strikes in syria and the issue of chemical weapons. Now, a twopronged job. Ukraine is a big problem. You just showed the clip with senator menendez. The president has led on ukraine. He has called for tougher sanctions against russia. He will continue to do that. Its the European Community thats been a bit more reluctant on that. He will continue to push for more sanctions. On isis, you see, the british are getting a bit tougher. They havent committed to the use of air strikes i might add, by the way, and its up to the president to get the International Coalition together to discuss isis and to talk about what they can po tell chully do. Syria is not iraq. Its different terrain. There are limitations about air strikes. Hes getting conflicting advice in his own cabinet. He has to talk to other european leaders. If they dont do something together, its going to be much, much less effective. He needs a little help from his friends. Youre right. It might look a lot like, i dont know, a raucous labor day pool party. Hopefully youre not jumping off your roof today. This is actually the u. S. Embassy in tripoli, libya. Those men diving into the water, they are militia members assigned to guard the abandoned compound. Is this just an embarrassing video or sign a country in chaos . Your 16yearold daughter studied day and night for her drivers test. 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It may look like a wild frat house pool party, but its actually the abandoned u. S. Embassy in tripoli libya. It was evacuated last month amid heavy violence. And the u. S. Ambassador says the embassy is being guarded and dismissed rumors it had been han sacked. A libyan officials says they are militia members charged with protecting the embassy. Joining me to talk about this, Senior International correspondent, nic robertson. And nic, besides being embarrassing, what is the importance of this video . Reporter well, it raises questions about who precisely was left in control and what are the affiliations of this militia . The militia that now dominates security across tripoli is an islamist militia, the same that recently took control of tripolis international airport. So that does appear to put islamists militiamen in control at the u. S. Embassy. And although a government Spokesman Says theyre not attacking it, theyre not looting it, if you look at some of the pictures, there is a bedroom, we have seen what looks like an office or a work type space. A gym. Its not too badly damaged. But these people have free reign in this building. And some of those residential areas, according to people who spent time in that compound, are also using workplaces, as well. So it raises a lot of questions about, you know, who is in there now and precisely what are they doing . Were not getting video updates every day. We have just seen this one video so far. Why are libyan officials farming out the protection of the u. S. Embassy to militia members . Is there no other option . Reporter theres no other option. I mean, libya is militias. And the militia thats currently in control in tripoli came from the city of misrata. The mission in control of part of tripoli before came from the western side of the country, from zentan. And libya is being fought over by militias that have different tribal affiliations, different religious affiliations. The government in all of this, the sort of original government, if you will, is being marginalized, the country being divided. There is no national army. There is no National Police force that can control or have any influence over these militias. The strongest militias are in control. Thesis lambist militias in tripoli right now control some of the government buildings. There is no one there who can force them out. All right, nic robertson, thank you so much. And coming up, a mission to help kids with cancer feel better by keeping them connected with their friends. Dont miss this remarkable story. Veggies youre cool. Reworking the menu. Mayo, corn dogs. You are so out of here ahh. The complete balanced nutrition of great tasting ensure. 24 vitamins and minerals. 9 grams of protein. With 30 less sugars than before. Ensure, your 1 dr. Recommended brand now introduces ensure active. Muscle health. Clear protein drink and high protein. Targeted nutrition to feed your active life. Ensure. Take life in. I make a lot of purchases foand i get ass. Lot in return with ink plus from chase. Like 50,000 bonus points when i spent 5,000 in the first 3 months after i opened my account. And i earn 5 times the rewards on internet, phone services and at Office Supply stores. With ink plus i can choose how to redeem my points. Travel, gift cards, even cash back. And my rewards points wont expire. So you can make owning a business even more rewarding. Ink from chase. So you can. September is Childhood Cancer awareness month. And today we bring you the story of a father and son who made it their mission to treat a side effect that doesnt get a lot of attention. Thats social isolation. Heres randi kaye with todays american journey. Reporter in 2002, when matt forkis was just 9 years old, he was diagnosed with cancer, acute lymphatic leukemia. He was too ill to go to schooling. It was depressing. Reporter so matts father came up with an idea to combat his sons loneyness. He used web cameras. Remember, this was 2002. Long before skype. It flicked on and right when it flicked on, it was almost like an internal soul flicker. Reporter sharing his ups and downs with classmates made treatment easier. The hope, matt felt, was the inspiration for hope cam, the charity his dad started a year after matts diagnosis. It costs 1200 to connect each child and they pay for every. Hope cam connected 400 children with cancer to their classrooms in 26 states. Including ava bore. In 2011, when she was just 2 1 2, ava was diagnosed with leukemia. She needed chemotherapy and lots of rest. But hope cam helped her stay in touch with her friends at preschool. We listen and learn. We dance and sing. Hope cam is my favorite. I can see my classmates and my teachers. Reporter today, ava is in remission, and starting kindergarten in the fall. No one thinks about the Mental Health of the child. And thats really what hope cam does, is fills that empty void. Reporter randi kaye, cnn, vien vienna, virginia. Thats it for me, but i will be back at 5 00 eastern on the situation room. And we will be talking as we look more into these interviews with three americans detabd in north korea. Well be talking about the sister of one of them, kerry chung, sister of kenneth bae. Newsroomwith brooke bald kin starts now. Thank you so much. Great to be with you this monday afternoon. Im brooke baldwin. We begin with three americans held in north korea. They get five minutes to talk to the world and leave behind one overriding message. America, please help us come home. In mere moments, you will hear live from cnns will ripley on exactly how and why our correspondent got this unprecedented access in what is considered the most secretive nation in the world. But first, i want you to hear from the men themselves, from jeffrey fowl on the left, allegedly tried to leave a bible in his hotel room. Kenne kenneth