championship. he may truly be the most interesting man in the world. anthony bourdain will pop in on the lead before he goes to his new show "parts unknown" that debuts on cnn this sunday night. i now leave you with wolf blitzer. thanks very much. happening now, blood and chaos on a texas college campus. at least 14 people hurt in a mass stabbing. four are flown to a hospital by helicopter. a fugitive couple and their two young sons found by cnn in cuba will trace their steps from an abduction in florida to an international man hunt. relatives of the newtown, connecticut massacre, the victims are here in washington to push for gun control. they flew with president obama aboard airforce one. i'll speak with the sister of a slain teacher and i'll also speak this hour with the white house press secretary, jay carney. i'm wolf blitzer. you're in the situation room.

we begin right now with the latest u.s. intelligence. north korea has likely completed all launch preparations. a u.s. official says the obama administration thinks north korea may test fire mobile ballistic missiles at any time without issuing the standard warning to aviation and shipping in the region. all this follows a chilling new warning from north korea today. this time aimed at all foreigners they say in south korea. they're being urged by the north koreans to take shelter or to evacuate to avoid what the north koreans call all out merciless war. japan has boosted its defenses, deploying patriot air defense missile batteries in and around tokyo. and the top u.s. military commander in the pacific says north korea's actions pose a clear and direct threat to america's national security.

he adds that if it comes to a fight, the united states is, quote, ready. we'll have a situation room special report on the north korean crisis right at the top of the hour, coming up 6:00 p.m. eastern only here on cnn. there is breaking news coming in from cuba right now. authorities say they will in fact return to the united states a fugitive american couple and their two young sons who have been holed up aboard a sail boat at a cuban marina. the pair allegedly snatched the boys last week from a grandmother's home in florida. the grandmother had custody of the two children. cnn was the first to spot the fugitives in havana at a marina in the capital and is joining us to tell us the very latest. tell us what's going on,

patrick. >> reporter: very dramatic developments. cnn just learned from the foreign ministry that the cuban government plans to return this couple and their young children to u.s. authorities. they say they communicated this to the american interception here in havana that they don't plan to allow this couple, these fugitives to seek asylum and stay here in cuba. they recognize this couple has possession of their children illegally. they've accepted the u.s.'s request that they return them and they said they plan on doing that very soon, wolf. it is the end -- appears to be the end of a long saga of this couple trying to flee from the u.s. arriving here in cuba making the dangerous journey hoping perhaps they could stay as other fugitives have done in the past. the cuban foreign ministry just telling cnn this couple will be sent back to the united states. >> normally in a situation like this, and i know this is not a normal situation but pretty

extraordinary, when you say fairly soon do we have any idea when they might put them on some sort of plane and fly them back to the united states, these parents and the two children? >> you know, it's unclear. that would be the way the cubans have done this in the past. you know, over the last few years there has been criminals, american criminals, and those people, the cuban government has recognized are dangerous. they don't want them here and put them on some of the charter flights back to the united states. we're just learning about this and we don't know the mechanism. it is safe to say they will be putting these people on a boat back to the u.s. this is remarkable. all day we've been hearing from both sides the cubans and u.s. will sit down and work this out together and even american diplomats have congratulated, said that the cuban government has really cooperated very well with u.s. diplomats' requests. usually not what happens here. it's a country where the cold war is still going on.

quite strong with a lot of animosity and mistrust but apparently today cubans and americans were able to sit down and work out an agreement to return this couple and their children back to the united states where of course american authorities await them. >> a pretty significant potential signal from the cuban government to the u.s., to the obama administration that they will in fact cooperate and return these individuals to the united states. patrick has been doing an excellent job on this story for us all day. but let's take a closer look right now at how the dramatic flight, the international man hunt got started. cnn's john zor arrella is joini us from tampa. what have you learned? it is extraordinary, as you and i have covered u.s./cuba relations for a long time, the fact that the cuban government is now getting ready to return these americans to the united states. that's significant. >> yeah, no question about that, wolf. clearly, in recent times there have been a little bit of a softening in the relations

between the united states and cuba. there have been dealings, you know, in the recent times, where people wanted in this country, have been returned from cuba, so even though the extradition treaty hasn't been completely enforced in many, many decades, there has been some action between the two governments on particular cases like this one. now, you know, the desperate actions of joshua hakins actually began nearly a year ago in louisiana. moved here to tampa, and now it's ending up in havana. authorities in tampa had a tip. joshua hakin and his wife sharon and their boys were in cuba. they were right. cnn's patrick ottman found them on their sail boat the salty at the hemingway marina outside havana. >> driving around and didn't see any unusual presence of security. it seemed like just a beautiful day. lots of boats including from the united states and then we get to the last slip and sure enough i see the name there, salty.

i see the paw prints on the side. >> he saw one of the boys playing on the deck. he spoke only briefly with hakin and his wife before cuban authorities escorted him from the dock. in tampa police had known they were dealing with a man who could pull this off. >> we've said all along, you know, making irrational decisions doesn't always make you unintelligent. we know he is a very intelligent individual. he is an engineer. >> last wednesday the family pickup truck was found in maderea beach not far from st. petersburg. surveillance video showed hakin and his wife sharon at a dock preparing a sail boat. that same day authorities say hakin kidnapped his children, chase and cole, from the maternal grandparents' home. patricia howser called 911. >> 911, what is your emergency? >> i can't think. my, my son-in-law just kidnapped my two grandchildren. they've been in my state

custody. >> reporter: it is not clear how hakin and his wife knew where they were. just last week back in louisiana they lost their parental rights. the saga began last year. police in slidell responding to a disturbance at a hotel say they found weapons and drugs in the hakins' room. the children were there with them. police say the hakins were talking strangely about a, quote, journey to the armageddon. the children were taken and put in foster care out of concern for their safety. according to louisiana authorities, hakin showed up at the foster home with a gun demanding his kids. he ran off when 911 was called. at some point the boys were sent to their grandparents. now what will cuba do? the state department says it is in touch with cuban officials. >> we are aware of the case and the u.s. intersection is in contact with local authorities. >> an extradition treaty between the u.s. and cuba has not been enforced in years but in recent

times the two countries have successfully negotiated the return of wanted individuals. the fbi still lists 70 individuals who are wanted living there. now we know how the cubans are treating the case with the ha n hakins and we don't believe he had any ties to cuba but clearly must have thought there was a chance they would not send him back to the united states. it was, clearly, a miscalculation. >> we'll see when the cubans do return these individuals to the united states. they say they will do it. that's the breaking news and would be a significant gesture on the part of the cuban government in havana right now. thanks very much. there is other news we're following including pandemonium on a texas college campus today when at least 14 people were wounded in a mass stabbing

incident. four were rushed to a hospital by helicopter. it happened at lone star college campus in the houston area. a suspect is in custody. cnn's ed lavendara is in the area and is joining us on the phone with the latest information. what's going on, ed? >> reporter: hi wolf. we're on our way to the campus at lone star college in the town of cyprus, texas which is a northwestern suburb in the houston area. authorities tell us that they have a 21-year-old suspect in custody. he is a student at the campus. and what students described this afternoon is an incredibly frightening and scary situation described by many students and witnesses on the campus. authorities say in this attack that they recall it coming just after 11:00 in the morning, central time, the call was a male on the loose stabbing people. we've learned that since then 14 people had been wounded. one of the witnesses described seeing a hole in the cheek of

one female victim and that four of the victims were air lifted to hospitals. we've been told by authorities that four of those victims are in critical condition so we'll continue to monitor that situation throughout the updates. as of now the authorities say that the campus was on lockdown and the students and faculty have begun the process of leaving if they haven't left the campus completely already. the school was closed the rest of the day but officials at the university say everything will be reopened as scheduled tomorrow. wolf? >> thanks very much. we're learning more about the details of the bloody incident and how it ended. joining us now on the phone is steven meda who says he helped take down the attacker. thanks very much for coming in. tell us what happened. where were you and what did you do? what did you see? >> hello. at first i was walking out of the cafe area. walking back from the book

store. i looked to my left and i seen some people running to the cafe. i just thought it was another lone star tour around the school. they do it in big groups. instead, it was -- and they were running and i heard this girl say my friend has been stabbed. it caught my attention. and i was like -- i looked at my friend and said what did she say? then we talked and i asked her, what happened? she goes my friend's been stabbed. she runs away. another girl comes out and has a stab in her cheek. >> what does he look like? she goes he's upstairs with red hair. i go inside and there is another person with a hole, another girl with a hole in her throat. and there's blood on the stairway. i run upstairs and i look. there are people in the hallway and i run down and another kid has a stab wound in the back of his head. i asked, where is he at? what does he look like?

they couldn't tell me anything. a man ran to me and pointed out the window downstairs that there he is. so i took off downstairs running. and the security guards were running after him but the kid was probably about a hundred yards ahead of us. pea paesd up -- me and three other kids passed up the security guards and -- because they weren't keeping up and they started, seemed like they were walking but we passed them up and the kid looked behind us and saw we were coming and went into a building. we thought we lost them but we found them going out the south doors and into the parking lot. we chased them down and tackled them and held them down. >> the three of you tackled them and you got -- i know you took a picture of what was going on as well. there he is right there. that's the instagram you took. that's the red haired individual that allegedly committed these stabbings? >> yes. that is who they pointed him out to. we went and chased and caught

him and before the cops got there we were just like -- i was like, why? why would you do this? why would you cut these girls? and it was extremely frustrating. >> what did he say to you? >> he didn't say anything. when we tackled him, brought him down, his hearing aid fell out and he was deaf so he couldn't understand what i was saying. >> did you notice what kind of weapon, was this a knife? what did he have? >> he had nothing in his hands. he gave up as soon as he was on his back and another kid was beating him up. we moved another kid off him so he was free but i rolled him over on his belly and put his hands on his back and the cops came. >> you tied up his hands with what? >> i didn't tie him up. i just held them. he knew he was caught. >> we see his hands behind his back. he is lying down. his hands were tied up by something it looks like. >> no. that's whenever the -- as soon as the cops got there they took

him, that's the cop's leg right there. so they took his hands and put them there. >> we got other video we just got in. this is from our affiliate khou. there you see he is under arrest. you see the law enforcement escorting him as he is walking. i take it, do you know if he is a student at the university there? >> she thinks he's been like bullied or something like that because of his hearing aid maybe. >> did you say he was hearing impaired? was he deaf? did you have any indication, could he hear? >> he was holding his hearing aid in his hands because they were expensive.

he could talk to us. >> he didn't give you any indication what may have allegedly motivated him to engage in a mass stabbing like this? >> not at all. he was facing -- his face was straight. he didn't show any kind of like remorse or crying that he was going to jail or -- >> we see on the side of his head a significant hearing aid there. you just saw the pictures of him. so you don't really know anything about this individual, do you, steven? >> i didn't know anything about anybody that was in the conflict. i just knew that girls were being stabbed in the face and that's when i couldn't like run the other way like everyone else was. i went upstairs. >> this individual has been arrested as we can see here and, steven did an excellent job with his friends and colleagues to apprehend him and help law enforcement stop what was going on. thanks very much. how are you doing? you okay? >> i'm fine.

just fine. kind of get an adrenalin rush. >> take it easy. thanks again for what you did. we appreciate it very much. steven meda helped tackle the suspect at this campus lone star college near lieutenanthouston,. we'll update you when we get more information. there are other important stories we're following today including relatives of the newtown, connecticut massacre. the victitimvictims' families a washington today pushing for gun control. some flew on airforce one with president obama. you see a picture of the president there with the sister of one of the slain teachers. we'll speak with her coming up. and secret recordings reveal senator mitch mcconnell's re-election team discussing ways of confronting a potential rival for the u.s. senate ashley judd. now they called in the fbi to investigate. see life in the best light.

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astrazeneca may be able to help. here in washington it's about as personal as the push for tougher gun control can get. the families of some of the 26 people killed in the newtown school shooting massacre, hitting capitol hill today to lobby members of congress. this after an emotional trip from connecticut last night with president obama aboard airforce one. this is an emotional photo. take a look right now. it captured president obama with his arm around jillian soto getting off airforce one last night. jillian's sister victoria was one of the teachers killed in the newtown school shooting. jillian is joining us here in the situation room. first of all, our deepest, deepest condolences to you and your family. i know how much you must miss your sister right now. she was what, only 27 years old. she was a teacher at that school. >> thank you. >> let's talk about this trip.

what was it like, the president of the united states? we saw him put his arm around you and he invited you to come to washington aboard airforce one. how did that happen? >> we were at a meeting in hartford with a rally at hartford university with president obama and he -- there were several families coming down to washington and he offered us to come on airforce one with him to fly back to washington. it was a great experience. it was one that most people will never be able to experience and i was so honored that i was able to experience it. >> did you know he was going to be inviting you to go on airforce one to washington? >> some of the families did know they were going to -- they found like the day before. i found out about three hours before the plane was taking off thai was flying on airforce one to washington. >> here you were in washington. you get here. what have you been doing? >> i've been speaking to a lot of media and talking to everybody about why i'm down

here and what i'm fighting for and how i want change and talking about how i support everything that obama is doing. >> so what are the major arguments that you're making, you're meeting with legislators up on capitol hill? >> some families are meeting with the legislators on capitol hill and i'm doing a lot more of the press part but there are families that are meeting with the senators and talking with them and doing some stuff with them. and then there's some that are speaking with media and telling what we're here for and what we're asking for. >> you met with the vice president, too, right? >> yes, i did. >> so what was that like? >> it was very nice. we had breakfast this morning with him and then we were able to see his house and see everything around it and just get a nice tour and sit down and talk to him and he talked to us with deepest condolences and was telling us how sorry he is for us and what we're going through. >> so what is the main message you want to convey to influential people in washington? >> that something needs to get done. nobody else needs to go through

what we're going through, what my family is going through, that this assault rifle ban needs to happen. we don't need them any longer. we don't need to have these assault rifles accessible to everybody. they need to be banned. there are several that aren't even included in the ban and you can still have them if you want them. the ones that we're asking for need to just get banned. and another thing i feel very strongly about is the background checks. i think every person should have a background check and before this ever happened i never knew that there's people you can own a gun and sell it to your neighbor and not even have to go through a background check. i never knew that. i thought everyone had to. you know, that's something that has to happen. i feel like it's common sense that everybody should. you don't know what anyone's past is like. you don't know what they've done. you know what you know from what you see when you see them outside and you know you talk to them. you don't know if they have a criminal past. they should have to. everyone should have to. >> tell us a little bit something you want to share

about your sister. >> that she is an amazing person. she was the biggest role model i've ever had. she is my older sister and she taught me everything i know from how to dress, how to do your hair, your makeup. she is my best friend. she was the person who taught me everything that i've learned since i was 1 year old and we grew up together. we've lived in the same house our whole entire life. she still lived at home with us and she was just a ball of energy and she was a rebel. she chewed gum in school when she shouldn't have and she was that teacher who would rather get on the floor and teach her kids than stand in front of a chalk board and write stuff. she was the cool teacher. >> how are you coping and how is your family coping? >> we're dealing with it i want to say. you know, it's not getting easier. i feel like it is getting harder even four months later. it is still surreal for us. you know, hard to believe that almost four months ago someone walked into my sister's classroom and murdered her and

five of her students. and more kids in another classroom and the principal. it's hard to even wrap your arms around that this even happened. but we're dealing with it. just taking it day by day and, you know, going to washington and demanding something happen, speaking to everybody that we can, writing letters to senators and calling senators and telling them our story and demanding they do something about what happened. >> well, our deepest condolences to you, jillian, and your entire family. thanks so much for coming in and sharing some thoughts with us on this important day. >> thank you. >> jillian soto, her sister victoria soto was gunned down in newtown, connecticut. coming up here, a cnn exclusive with former congresswoman gabrielle giffords and her husband mark kelly. after everything they've been through, they still have a surprising love for guns. we'll show you what's going on. our own dana bash spent some time with them up in arizona. former president bill clinton finally joins the

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it may be spring but here in washington it feels like summer. in colorado today it feels like winter. mary snow is monitoring this little bit of crazy weather going on. some of the other top stories in the situation room as well. what's going on, mary? it's pretty warm in new york city today. isn't it? >> it is. a couple days ago it was in the 30s. right now it is 82 degrees. meantime, in denver it's being pounded with heavy snow and

forcing hundreds of flights to be canceled. if that's not bizarre enough parts of texas and oklahoma are facing the threat of severe thunderstorms with the possibility of tornadoes. dramatic video from china's cc-tv showing a man climbing a building on fire to rescue a girl rescued inside. he apparently first yelled to see if anyone needed help and when he heard her voice climbed back down the building to get some ropes. the girl was fastened to the rope and with the assistance of firefighters and police was lowered to the ground safely. former president bill clinton has finally joined the twiti-sphere thanks to comedy central's steven colbert. >> sir, i took the liberty of opening awe twitter account. now, president clinton was taken. william jefferson clinton was taken. but prezbillyjeff was available.

would you like to break into the 21st century right now and send your first tweet? i'll type it. >> you'll type it? >> i'll type it. 140 characters or less. >> just spent amazing time with colbert. >> sound good? >> question, is he sane? >> is he sane? >> he is cool. >> can i put an exclamation mark at the end of that, sir? >> he was allowed to put the exclamation point. the account has more than 68,000

followers. @prezbillyjeff also happens to be following steven colbert. >> one tweet so far from the former president of the united states. i assume he'll start tweeting a little bit more. a lot of followers anxiously awaiting those tweets. thanks very much. coming up here in "the situation room" a surprising love for guns despite surviving a horrific gun massacre. gabby giffords and her husband sit down with our own dana bash for an emotional interview. has the president given up on trying to get a ban on assault rifles? i'll ask the white house press secretary jay carney coming up as well. to meeting patient needs... ♪ wireless is limitless. ♪ from finding the best way... ♪ to finding the best catch... ♪

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a u.s. official tells cnn the obama administration believes north korea may, repeat, may test fire mobile ballistic missiles literally at any time now. we'll have a special edition at the top of the hour on this

crisis with north korea coming up at 6:00 p.m. eastern. meanwhile the senate majority leader harry reid says he'll force a vote this week on whether to open debate on tougher gun laws. that puts the pressure on a lot of republicans who have threatened a filibuster. at this point democrats may be eager to cut a deal. and the president's press secretary jay kariner is joining us from the white house right now. jay, it looks like you guys and others who support growing gun control are not getting very far as far as banning assault type weapons. have you basically given up on that part of gun control? >> absolutely not, wolf. every element of the legislative package the president put forward and that he supports in congress is something that he wants to see voted on and passed by congress. all of this is tough. every element is tough. any of these proef igs whether a ban on military assault weapons or limiting the size of ammunition clips or instituting

a universal babground system are all difficult. if they weren't they would have been done before. he remains optimistic that there can be a bipartisan effort to take these necessary, common sense measures to reduce gun violence. what he insists on and what you heard him say last night in connecticut in front of the families of many newtown victims is that senators do not block filibuster or use other procedural measures to prevent a vote, an up or down vote on these common sense ideas. that would be a shame. it would be shameful. >> but as far as the assault type weapons, limiting the number of bullets in these magazines, you don't even have a lot of all of the democrats in the senate onboard. you wouldn't presumably be able to break a filibuster when it comes to those sensitive issues. >> well, look. if republicans want to filibuster legislation that is supported by a majority of the american people in every instance and supported90% of th

in the instance of universal background checks, they will have a lot of explaining to do. they will have to explain why they with the 10% know better than the 90%. and that they won't even allow a vote in the particular case of universal background checks. that would be unconscionable in the president's view. when it comes to military style assault weapons the fact is the public supports the reinstatement of that ban. it is a common sense solution. nothing the president supports or is before the congress now would in any way lead to the taking of a single firearm from a single law abiding u.s. citizen. the president supports our second amendment rights. what he insists on is that senators who oppose elements of this or if they oppose all of it, they should make that clear from the floor of the senate. vote no and explain why they're voting no. do not hide behind procedural measures to deprive the american people of the right to see how they would vote and deprive the memory of the victims of newtown

or tucson or oak creek or virginia tech the dignity of having that vote take place. >> well, they're saying they're not denying a vote. there would be a vote. it would just be a vote that would require 60 ayes in order to break a filibuster. that would be a vote. >> a vote to debate. they don't want to debate on the floor because they don't want to explain why they are opposed to something 90% of the american people support. wolf, on this issue i thought you were going to ask me about because there actually has been some positive developments today when it comes to a filibuster. we've seen a number of republican senators come out most recently senator isakson who have said they oppose those more conservative i guess or, you know, senators, republicans who have said they might filibuster this and that is welcomed news. we hope that more and more republican senators will join in the simple proposition that these proposals deserve a vote. the american people deserve to know what each senator believes

about these issues and how he or she stands. >> what do you think of the latest compromise being floated as far as background checks are concerned that it would include the current loophole as far as gun shows are concerned but private transactions would not require a background check? >> well, i don't want to get in between or into a situation now that is currently being negotiated. we support efforts to reach a compromise that would allow for a change in our law, to make the background check system more effective, to close those loopholes. i think it's important to note because some of the discussion has been around this that the president himself has made clear that in his proposals to universalize our background check system he has carved out an exemption for family member to family member transactions or a loan of a weapon or firearm from one hunter to another. i wouldn't focus too specifically on those issues. again, i don't want to

characterize or offer judgment about something that is being negotiated between senators right now. we simply hope that progress is made and that eventually we get a vote and bipartisan support for something 90% of the american people support. it is a simple proposition, wolf. shouldn't we take action to make the background check system that everyone says is necessary and they support stronger so that people who should not have weapons by law cannot obtain them by utilizing these loopholes in the system? we should close those loopholes. >> i also spoke with jay carney about north korea extensively. we'll have that part of the interview coming up in our special report right at the top of the hour. up next though, here in "the situation room" do democrats have the votes to take gun control to the u.s. senate floor? also coming up, secret tapes reveal a senator's team discussing ways of running against ashley judd. e was a pill to help protect your eye health as you age... would you take it? well, there is.

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let's dig a little deeper right now. the critical issue of gun control. joining us our chief congressional correspondent dana bash and chief political analyst gloria borger. what is the latest on this filibuster as far as the background checks are concerned? >> welsh the vel the very lates are going to see a vote just to begin debate. the filibuster was aimed to stop that from happening and coming from capitol hill it seems as though they have the 60 votes to begin debate. i'm told this is going to be a long debate maybe three plus weeks of lots of different amendments so there is a little more time to get the compromise done they want on background checks. >> these republicans and there were about 14 of them right now

in the senate, if they go ahead with the filibuster on an issue as popular, 90% of the american public want background checks expanded, will they pay a political price? >> the republican brand, itself, could pay a political price, wolf. because as you know during the last election people thought republicans were inflexible. some voters particularly women thought republicans were more extreme. so this kind of plays into that when you have nine out of ten voters supporting some kind of gun control. but in the short term, if you look at the republicans up for re-election in the senate, almost all of them come from states that mitt romney won most of those pro gun states so in the short term, of the mid-term elections coming up, this isn't really going to hurt them as much as you might think. >> you sat down for an extraordinary meeting over the weekend with former congresswoman gabrielle giffords and her husband mark kelly. i know you want to share some thoughts on what life is like for them right now. >> well, obviously it's difficult but she is making

remarkable progress. when it comes to this issue of guns, they of course are now out there very much pushing to get some of these new restrictions and part of the reason why they think that they are good messengers for this is because they still very much are involved and engaged in the gun culture. target practice is still a form of entertainment at giffords' mother's house deep in the arizona desert. >> watch thchlt he is aiming for my pot. whoa. >> reporter: husband mark kelly using planting pots and water bottles as targets while giffords watches from the patio with her mother cheering him on. >> what? excellent. >> excellent. >> kelly isn't shooting with just any kind of gun. >> this is the same kind of gun gabby was shot with, a glock, 9 millimeter glock, but in that case it had a magazine that held 33 rounds. this when it's full holds 17. he shot 33 rounds. every round hit somebody we

think. >> how long have you had this gun? >> well, i gave this to gabby as a gift. >> reporter: when? >> a number of years ago. she is a gun owner. she's from the west. >> reporter: still, we asked the question a lot of incredulous people seeing this scene would ask. really? this guy sort of still has, gets his kicks or recreation for him is shooting a gun after his wife was shot through the head? >> well, gabby used to like shooting a gun, too, occasionally. >> yes, yes. >> really an amazing piece. i know it airs later to know. ac 360, 8:00 p.m. eastern. this is a fierce political war going on right now on this issue. forget the assault type weapons, the magazines. we're talking about expanding background checks and there is no guarantee this is a done deal. >> no there isn't a guarantee at all, wolf. when you talk to some people about expanding background checks it seems like common sense. to others they say, okay. this is going to lead to a list that i'm going to be on some kind of a list and eventually

you're going to end up confiscating my guns even if i had my guns legally. so it becomes a real constitutional issue for these people. it depends where you live. if you're in a rural you may think more that way. if you're in an urban area, maybe not. >> looking forward to your report later tonight, gloria. thanks to you as always. up next, was the senate minority leader, mitch mcconnell's campaign, bugged? the conversations about ashley judd are revealed. is a missile launch in north korea really imminent? the crisis with north korea. you've known? e on we gave people a sticker and had them show us. we learned a lot of us have known someone who's lived well into their 90s. and that's a great thing. but even though we're living longer, one thing that hasn't changed: the official retirement age. ♪ the question is how do you make sure you have the money you need

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senator mitch mcconnell's reelection campaign obtained a recording of political aides. jim acosta is coming into the situation room. you've been looking into this story. what's going on? >> wolf, the fbi has confirmed to cnn it's looking into the allegations from the mcconnell campaign. when asked about the possible bugging of his campaign headquarters today, mcconnell, the top republican in the senate, called it salient. even though he's not up for reelection for more than a year, mitch mcconnell has been gearing up for a muddy horse race. an audiotape, mcconnell can be heard in what sound like a typical strategy session. discussing his potential opponents with his campaign advisers back in february.

later on, one strategist runs through the campaign's opposition research on actress ashley judd who at the time was considering a run for mcconnell's seat. she has since announced she's out of the race. convinced they were bugged, mcconnell campaign staffers contacted the fbi which is now looking into the matter. a campaign manager told cnn the meeting was in a private closed locked conference room, among a half dozen long-time mcconnell aides, like a family meeting. the campaign insists this was no leak, more like a watergate style break-in. mcconnell blamed a liberal group which has already smeared the senator's wife.

>> was it appropriate for members of your staff to talk about judd's bouts of depression? >> as you know last month, my wife's ethnicity was attacked by a left-wing group in kentucky, apparently they also bugged my headquarters. >> outraged that mcconnell staff would far get judd's past struggles, a spokesperson for the actress said, this is another example of the politics of personal destruction that embody mitch mcconnell and are pervasive in washington, d.c. >> i can never anticipate what is going to push me over the edge. >> the mcconnell campaign once had its sights set on judd as a potential challenger, even though the senator said back in february, he wasn't sizing up his opponents. >> i'm not going to start handicapping who might be an opponent. >> mother jones magazine said it

was not involved in the recording of the meeting and that the audio came from an anonymous source, a source close to the mcconnell campaign said there's nothing wrong with discussing judd's personal history, and mcconnell has not been heard responding to that reporting of judd's mental health. >> thanks very much, jim acosta. my special report on north korea is coming up next. amid the breaking news we're following, u.s. officials say a missile launched by the north koreans may be imminent. it's lots of things. all waking up. ♪ becoming part of the global phenomenon we call the internet of everything. ♪ trees will talk to networks will talk to scientists about climate change. cars will talk to road sensors will talk to stoplights about traffic efficiency.

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[ male announcer ] engine light on? come to meineke now for a free code scan read and you'll say...my money. my choice. my meineke. we want to welcome our viewers in the united states and around the world. i'm wolf blitzer, and this is "the situation room" special report. the north korean crisis. happening now, while u.s. allies are running drills, new word that a missile launch by north korea could happen literally at any moment without warning. plus, kim jong-un's family secrets, how he rose to power over his brothers, and his insecurities right now. and a clear and direct threat to america. very strong words coming from the top u.s. military commander of all u.s. forces in the

pacific. his troops are preparing for the his troops are preparing for the worst. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com a u.s. official tells us that a launch of north korea's ballistic missiles may be imminent. and it might happen without the usual warning to planes and ships in the region. that's a very, very dangerous scenario. defensive missiles are now poised in japan. in south korea, and on guam, where there are 6,000 u.s. troops. the united states says it will track any missiles launched by kim jong-un and quickly decide whether to shoot them down. our correspondents are covering this crisis from around the globe, as only cnn can. and christiane amanpour and fareed zakaria are following every new development and joining us this hour. but first, let's go to our pentagon correspondent chris lawrence for the very latest. >> wolf, a u.s. official now says that north korea could test fire a mobile ballistic missile

at any time. now, what happens after that depend on where that test takes place. the u.s. has pn poring over the latest satellite images of north korea and the intelligence assessment is, they likely completed all preparations to launch. an administration official says the missiles have probably received their liquid fuel, even though the u.s. has no way to confirm that information on the ground, the military is sending a clear message to kim jong-un, it's not when you launch the musudan missiles, but where. if a test missile flies out over the water, the u.s. pacific commander does not want it shot down. >> i would not recommend that. if we have any pre-determined, we should have a sense of where it's going to be aimed. >> if it's aimed over land near

japanese territory, interceptor missiles could be used to destroy it. >> i would recommend action if it's aimed ought our allies. >> reporter: this launch could be different from previous tests when the u.s. had significant indications on what was about to happen before liftoff. >> to understand the direction of a launch, where it was at. >> reporter: u.s. radars will calculate their trajectory of north korea's road mobile missile. but admits the u.s. won't know as much as soon. >> we're probably looking at being able to see it being if a general location, and ten to sense a launch. >> reporter: will north korea launch or stand down? locklear says it's hard to read kim jong-un. >> his father and grandfather, as far as i could see, always figured into their provocation cycle an off-ramp of how to get out of it. it's not clear to me how he has

thought how to get out of it. >> u.s. officials say this time they're working under the assumption that kim jong-un will not issue a mariner's warning. that's sort of a warning to ships and planes in the area, don't be in this area during this specific time, because that's where the missile could land. it's also a warning to the world a heads-up, so to speak, that the missile launch is imminent. u.s. officials operating under the assumption that north korea may not do that this time. but bottom line, a missile that flies over the water, goes into the water, is just a test. >> they're worried, obviously, about the worst case scenario. chris lawrence at the pentagon. watching all of it unfold. it's wednesday on the korean pbz, the day kim jong-un has hinted he might begin to take specific action. and threats of war have gotten more urgent by the hour. cnn is in seoul for us right

now. what's the latest there? >> caller: well, the countdown clock is on, because it's in the morning time, wolf, that south korea has seen these types of missile launches. in a rare move, what we heard from pyongyang and what is a little more concerning is a threat pointed directly at international visitors. another threat from pyongyang, but this time it wasn't aimed just at south koreans. north korean state tv warning foreign institutions, companies and tourists that for their own safety, take shelter and evacuate seoul and the rest of south korea. warning the korean peninsula may be headed toward thermonuclear war. >> i'm not concerned, not enough to not make the trip. >> reporter: vicky is in seoul for business. she's not rattled, even though kim jong-un's threats did get her to register with the sufficient embassy.

>> that particular threat doesn't heighten the sense of danger, i feel, any more than just everything that's been occurring for the past couple of weeks. >> reporter: it has been a long couple of weeks, coming to a head now. south korea's capital bracing itself to see if the unpredictable leader in the north would carry out the threat of a missile launch. it's hard not to be worried, she says, but i doubt they'll attack. south koreans are numb to the onslaught of threats, but also well practiced in drills. where people in seoul practice citywide emergency evacuations. seoul is the city of 11 million people. one hour from the dmz. what all of these people know is if there's some sort of attack, they know to head underground. shelter, or the subways, which double as underground bunkers. seoul is a maze of underground concrete halls.

but most of the residents don't believe they'll ever have to use them. why a south african native isn't worried. >> it's like it's normal to them. like crying wolf. >> reporter: hoping the talk stays just that, talk. south korean presidential office dismissing the latest threat against foreigners, saying that this is just more psychological warfare from the north. but certainly, people are paying attention as is the stock market. it continues to drop as does the korean currency. >> lots of concerns in korea, south korea to be sure, kyung lah in south korea for us, thank you. we're joined by the chairman of the senate armed services committee, sno carl levin. senator, thank you for coming in. >> great to be with you, wolf. >> i know your apparently had extensive hearings today with the commander from the region. the administration, we're told,

is a launch by the north koreans of missiles is imnest. what are you hearing? >> it could be imminent. we have to assume there will be a test launch. the way they've tested previous missiles before. that's a totally different story, if there's an attack on a target. for instance. a couple years back, in 2010, north korea attacked the south korean ship, killed 46 south korean sailors. they've attacked with artillery, a south korean island. so whether this is a test of a missile, which is providing it's not targeted at south korea or the u.s. or any of our allies, providing it is aimed at the water just as a missile test, that's a very different deal than if it's targeted at us or our allies. >> what if it is the worst-case scenario, they target u.s. allies in south korea or japan for that matter? is the u.s. ready to take military action against north korea?

>> we are. the -- our pacific commander today said that we are ready, with a variety of responses, and the south koreans, should there be an attack on south korea or us. but it's also clear, he said, that we can shoot down a missile that is aimed at us. those two points were made very clearly this morning, by admiral locklear, both that we can shoot down a missile if it is targeted at south korea or at us. but also, that we have -- that we will act. and we are ready to act in some proportionate way to an attack by north korea. >> because as you well know, senator, in 2010, the two incidents you mentioned when north korea attacked positions in south korea, including killing 46 south korean sailors aboard that warship, there was no retaliation either from south korea or the united states. what i hear you saying, this time there will be. >> this is what the admiral

says, and i believe it's true. that is, that north koreans this time can expect that there will be a response. now, he didn't lay out what the options are, nor should he in public. but he did say very precisely, that this time it would be likely and expected there would be a response. frankly, i think it's obvious that the north koreans would face some kind of a response in the words of admiral locklear, and this time would not get off without that kind of response. it would be presumably proportionate in some way to what the attack is. we're not going to up the ante and have events spiral out of control, if we can help it. but north korea's not going to get off scott-free if they attack an ally. >> 50,000 troops in japan, 6,000 on the island of guam. and it raises questions, have they gone into a heightened

state of alert? >> well, we've -- i assume they have. i don't know that for a fact, but i assume that they have. but we've also taken some other actions. there's been some airplanes that have flown there, flying over south korea, both b-2s, as well as there's f-22s, as well. there are b-52 -- there's a b-52 flight that has gone there. we have ships which have gone there, additional radars in place. so the united states has responded in kind of a firm way. we haven't used a hot rhetoric that the north koreans have. the heated rhetoric, which hopefully is bluster. and we, on the other hand, can't assume that it's only bluster. we have to be ready for whatever comes. and we are. >> senator levin, thanks very much for joining us. >> thank you. >> carl levin, chairman of the armed services committee. still ahead, i'll speak with the white house press secretary, jay carney, talking about the

obama administration's secret communications with north korea. what's going on? we'll share with you what we know. plus, kim jong-un's rise to power. his pampered youth and mysterious family. and our own christiane amanpour and fareed zakaria, they're standing by with their takes on the latest threats from north korea and the u.s. response, our special "situation room" report continues right after this. departure. hertz gold plus rewards also offers ereturn-- our fastest way to return your car. just note your mileage and zap ! you're outta there ! we'll e-mail your receipt in a flash, too. it's just another way you'll be traveling at the speed of hertz. hwelcome back.. nice to see you again! hey! i almost didn't recognize you without the suit. well, this is my weekend suit. weekend getaways just got better. well, enjoy your round! alright, thanks! save a ton on our best available rate when you book early and feel the hamptonality. [ dog ] you know, i just don't think i should have to wait for it! who do you think i am, quicken loans?

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north korea now poised to test fire mobile ballistic missiles literally at any time without warning, that according to top u.s. officials.

but the man with his finger on the launch trigger is largely a mystery. cnn's brian todd is here this "the situation room" investigating kim jong-un, his family for us, what else are you learning? >> we've learned ta kim jong-un may not have been the original choy to succeed his father. he's got two older brothers, one who apparently squandered his chance. the other seen as too weak. we're now left with an unproefen, unknown young man whose country has already tested nuclear devices. how did we end up with such a young dictator menacing the world? the twisted tale of a third son born to kim john il's mistress. sent to boarding school in switzerland, developed an affinity for james bond and the nba, hebs the recent dennis rodman visit. he spent virtually no time in the army when he was moved up to a general's rank in 2010.

the eldest believed to be about 41 -- >> he made the mistake of taking his playboy lifestyle abroad. he was arrested by the japanese police in 2001 trying to go to tokyo disney world. the japanese police spent hours and hours with him. which means the cia and other intelligence services learned a lot about him. >> he's a gamblering, speaks to journalists too much for the family's liking. >> they can't kill him. but they can't let him run the country. he's not a reliable vehicle for the stalinist propaganda. >> then there's the mysterious middle brother. local media showed this photo, claiming it was him at an eric clapton concert ten years. >> they found somebody who was reportedly afeminity, timid. >> the young woman reported recently to be kim jong-un's

wife, apparently a former singer. could she have any influence over him? >> is it possible she'll say, what about the north korean people? what about the starving people? maybe. that's certainly not the environment she grou up in. >> that helps experts figure out what kim jong-un's thinking now. >> what is he thinking now? >> the aim is to rattle us and frighten us, and also the chinese and south koreans. and distract us from implementing security council sanctions and other pressure on the north. >> green, who dealt with north korea on the national security council, says kim may also be trying to compensate for the fact that he's so young, 29 or 30. analysts say he's got to show strength with the military. >> he's trying to look as a young man of 30 in a society where age is respected as tough. so that's his way of looking to the generals like he is in control. >> but he may lose control if he cannot prou a male heir. his wife will be counted on for that to solidify a dynasty that

some analysts say is on shaky ground. there were reports last year and early this year that she had been pregnant, may have given birth to a daughter, but nothing solid beyond that. >> we also know that kim jong-un has another relative that has significant power, influence in north korea. >> his uncle, heard to kim's late father's sister. he was a key player behind the scenes during the transition, while kim jong-un learned the ropes. analysts believe the uncle may still be running the government in large part, dealing with policy and things like that, while kim jong-un makes all the public appearances and deals with the maneuver. it's a lot of tea leaf reading, but you get some insights. >> u.s. intelligence obviously trying to learn as much as they can. let's get more with the chief responsibility correspondent christiane amanpour and fareed zakaria, the host of fareed zakaria gps. christiane, they believe now a

test launch of north korean missiles could be imminent, and that north korea would not give the standard warning to shipping in the region, to aviation in the region. they're taking this very, very seriously. what do you make of this? >> well, obviously it has to be taken very, very seriously. i think, look, i've got the latest issue of the economists, which basically says korean roulette. and you see kim jong-un's finger on the red button. that sums up the ngs ati of the world right now. at a point where there are unprecedented threats. we simply have not heard these kind of threats from the north korean leadership for, you know, more than 20 years or so. so they are very concerned. i was fascinated by senator levin and indeed the admiral in charge of the pacific command, admiral locklear, who testified today, that they would not necessarily recommend shooting down a north korean missile unless it was aimed in anger and targeted either at the u.s.

homeland or at allies like japan or south korea. that they wouldn't recommend shooting that down, because they are terribly afraid of miscalculation, and generating a wider conflict. they're worried also, because obviously the pressure is on south korea and the new president precisely because of what you were discussing, because they did not respond the last time their ship was destroyed, 46 sailors were killed. they didn't respond when the island was attacked. and so now they're concerned that the south koreans will have to respond if there is ap an attack that threatens them or their people. our producers in the region have been calling around and the latest information, you heard some of it from kyung lah, that none of the foreign embassies in seoul nor the u.s. embassy is telling their citizens to leave south korea despite the threats from -- the warnings from north korea. the same in pyongyang.

embassies are not yet telling their people to leave. >> we'll see what happens over the next few days. these are critically important symbolic days leading up to april 15th. the birthday, if you will, of the founder of the north korean regime. what do you make, fareed, of senator mccain and some others who say, you know what, if they launch a missile, shoot it down. intercept it. destroy it. even if it's heading into the middle of the water. obviously if it's heading toward a populated area in tokyo or guam or south korea, that goes without saying. but just knock it out to make a point. >> i think it's a very good example of the difference between what a john mccain foreign policy would be and what president obama's has been. president obama throughout this has been trying to show some restraint. not to play into the kind of the yank your chain that the north koreans are trying to do. the north koreans are desperately trying to get attention, to get some kind of negotiations going, to get concessions. so they've been threatening, clearly like a child who keeps

screaming and has not been paid attention to. they're screaming more and more loudly. yesterday they shut down the joint industrial park with the south koreans, which was actually in many ways a bigger issue. they're doing more and more things to get noticed. senator mccain's strategy would play into their hands. what they want is for the west to react to this, then they can respond to what they would see as an act of provocation. the trick here is to maintain some restraint. not to play into that dialogue, while at the same time reassuring the south koreans and the japanese, deterring the north koreans, i think it would be precisely the wrong thing. it would be a kind of silly tit for tat that would escalate in an entirely unpredictable manner, precisely what the admiral spoke about today. i think it would be a kind of hot-headed response, when what we need right now are calm, and steady nerves. >> both of you, please stand by for a moment. we're going to continue this analysis on our special "situation room" report.

north korea only needs five minutes to hit japan and the island nation is ready with patriot missiles deployed. we're going to go to tokyo for a live report coming up. president obama's spokesman delivers a direct message to north korea. right here in "the situation room." [ male announcer ] red lobster is hitting the streets to tell real people about our new 15 under $15 menu! oh my goodness... oh my gosh, this looks amazing... [ male announcer ] 15 entrees under $15! it's our new maine stays! seafood, chicken, and more! ooh! the tilapia with roasted vegetables. i'm actually looking at the wood grilled chicken with portobello wine sauce.

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jong-un's next move. it could happen at any time. the big question right now, if north korea launches a missile soon, what -- where would it go? we're mapping out the possibilities and the threat of war. axis of evil, is iran's volatile leader helping north korea develop nuclear weapons or vice versa? i'm wolf blitzer, and this is "the situation room" special report north korean crisis. the world is watching north korea's every move right now, as we've been reporting a u.s. official tells cnn the regime could go ahead with a provocative missile test literally at any time, and without any warning. japan is dangerously close to north korea, and is on alert right now. let's go to tokyo, cnn's diana standing by with the very latest. what is the very latest, diana? >> reporter: well, wolf, japan's

prime minister said he will do whatever it takes to protect the japanese people. that's why he's moved patriot anti-missile batteries right into the very center of the japanese capital. in the dead of night, japanese self-defense forces placed patriot anti-missile batteries in the heart of tokyo, in the concerns of a possible north korean missile test. those with homes overlooking the ministry of defense, waking to clacking machines of war in amongst the cherry trees. it's not the first time japan has deployed these missile batteries three times since 2009. every time north korea has announced it will launch a satellite. destroyers were sent into the sea of japan, too. it's reported the ships have deployed again. the government wouldn't confirm the maneuvers, reluctant in the words of the spokesman to disclose its cards to north korea. but analysts say japan is not a

target as such. >> north koreans are not trying to attack japan, but to impress, or scare the americans. >> reporter: tokyo is just 800 miles from pyongyang. north korea has accused japan of blindly towing sufficient policy while attempting to striking u.s. territory. >> north korea missile. >> reporter: he says he feels the u.s. took their eye off the ball with north korea. focusing too much instead on the middle east, and on iran's nuclear intentions. >> miscalculation, featuring united states, north korea, the conflict. >> reporter: the patriot anti-missile batteries as much a symbol of reassurance of people like him, as a message of

readiness for north korea's defiant young leader. wolf, if there is a musudan missile that north korea is planning to test, it would be the first tirm they have tested one of those. the concern for japan is if it malfunctions, which has happened in the past in north korean missile tests, there's a chance ta debris could fall down onto japanese soil. that is, of course, what the japanese self-defense forces have to be prepared for. >> obviously nervousness in tokyo right now. diana magna reporting. let's look at possible scenarios, where north korea might fire a missile and what kind of response that would trigger from the united states and its allies. tom foreman is over at the magic wall with the retired u.s. army general james "spider" marks. what are you guys seeing? >> we've been gaming this out all afternoon. here's north korea up here, south korea. the two capitals. let's say north korea in fact

launch a missile, and it went out over the pacific and over japan. what happens? >> well, tom, instantaneously what's going to occur, is the telemetry of that missile will be tracked, what the arc of the flight looks like and what the intended target would be. instantaneously, we would pick this up. by sea, by ground, by air and by space. it ipt great target system. the japanese even have a cruiser part of this integrated radar system. >> if it was not headed to a target, but went to the sea, a test of the missile, would there be any response? >> there would be no kinetic response at all. we would not fire back. if we knew it was going to land harmlessly, we would collect intelligence and scramble ships to go find the debris to continue to collect intelligence. >> let's look at another scenario. let's say north korea instead with a missile or perhaps

artillery started shelling some sort of target in south korea and specifically let me say a south korean military target. no u.s. troops involved, not a civilian target. what happens then? >> very important to differentiate between striking a u.s. facility in south korea or south korean facility in south korea. very, very important. and to minimize civilian casualties. what i think would happen immediately is the response is, north korea fires, the united nations command, the combined forces command of the united states and south korea would return very precise fire against that location of launch. not to escalate, but to maintain the dmz and the armistice. if they fire, we would fire back. >> simple equation on that. let's look at the one scenario that possibly gets much more out of hand, among the things that seem like they might vaguely be possible. what if north korea in fact did something, in this disputed territory, of who owns what, let's say they attacked a facility like this in a strong

way, and tried to land their and essentially seize the property. what happens then? >> not unlike what we just discussed. if the north koreans were to try to occupy, the united nations would reclaim that. there would be a fight to get that island back. we have seen this specifically before. what might occur, we have to think about this. the 2018 winter olympics are in the town of pyonchung. >> you've been there. >> i've been there, physically walked the terrain. it's absolutely beautiful. this is where the olympics are. if north korea was to take aggressive action, that would cause an incredible international implications, and possibly reconsideration. is this where the winter olympics are really going to be held? six years there now. after the leadership here has had additional time to try to weaponize their nuclear capabilities. >> any indication even if they did this, that this would spark

a larger war or would it still try to -- >> tom, the objective of the armistice and the cease-fire is to maintain the armistice. the presence if south korea is not to expand and reclaim, reunify the peninsula. it is to hold what we have. >> wolf, some of the ways it could play out if it continues growing in pressure the way it is. >> good explanation. thank you. up next, a message from president obama to north korea. the white house press secretary jay carney delivers that message from here in "the situation room." plus, the growing fear of nuclear cooperation between iran and north korea. stay with us.

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said it's ready to respond to whatever happens on the korean peninsula. i asked the white house press secretary, jay carney, if the president has met with his top national security advisers. >> the situation in north korea and the developments that we've seen in the last days and weeks are the subject of the president's regular national security briefings, one of the subjects to be sure. it's something we've been watching very closely. and that the president is concerned about. and that is why, wolf, as you know, we've taken a series of precautionary measures in response to what we have been seeing out of pyongyang. it is also important to remember, wolf, this is part of a pattern of behavior that predates this current episode, that is reminiscent of some of the actions taken by the regime in pyongyang in the past, under previous administrations. and it never serves any purpose for the ultimate goal of the

north koreans which is to improve their economic lot, and for the regime which should be -- their goal should be to rejoin the community of nations by proving that they are willing to abide by their international obligations. >> there's a report out there, josh rogan, on a blog, suggesting that a top u.s. official, a state department official met with the top representative of the north korean government in new york in march. is that true? >> well, wolf, we have always been clear that we have a channel of communications with the north koreans. and we utilize that channel. but the issue here is not whether or not we're having communications with north koreans, it's the north korean decision thus far to flout its international obligations, to engage in provocative rhetoric, and behavior that only heightens tension and threatens to destabilize the region. that's why we've taken the precautionary measures we've taken. it's why we are consulting regularly with our allies in seoul and tokyo.

it's why we've been working with the russians and chinese to encourage them to use the influence they have on the north koreans to persuade the north koreans to ratchet down the ret oh ret and cease the destabilizing actions. so it is an all fronts effort here, and we're taking all the necessary precautions we have to. >> i asked the question about that so-called new york channel, the u.s./north korea u.s. channel. senator dianne feinstein said she hopes the president and vice president and top officials would engage with the north korean government. was that channel used in march? >> i can confirm broadly we have a channel of communications, wolf. we've been clear about that. but the issue here is, north korean behavior and rhetoric. there is a path open to north korea that would lead it to lessen the isolation that it currently endures, that would lead to greater economic

prosperity, or opportunity for the north korean people. but that path lies through fulfilling its obligations under a series of united nations security council resolutions. remember, it was just last month that the security council unanimously, including the russians and chinese, endorsed a resolution sanctioning north korea for some of its actions in this regard. and there really is a concerted international effort under way to help persuade north korea to take the right path. >> has the president spoken on the phone with the leaders of south korea, japan, china, or russia, for that matter? >> well, the president has been engaged in general with communications with our partners and allies. but i don't have a specific conversation to read out on this issue. we have certainly been engaged with our chinese and russian counterparts as well as closely with our allies in seoul and tokyo on this issue. i don't have specific

presidential communications to read out, but you can be very focused he's making sure we're taking all the necessary measures and working very closely with the japanese and south koreans as well as others to try to bring about a change of behavior by the north koreans. >> if they're watching you in north korea right now, and i know personally that they do get cnn international in north korea, what message would the president have to share with the leaders of north korea right now? >> that it is in the interests of north korea, in the interest of the people of that country that there be stability on the korean peninsula. and it is in the interest of the people of north korea that the regime fulfill its international obligations, and cease pursuing the nuclear weapons, and cease violations of its obligations regarding missile development and testing. if it shoozs that path, north korea will have an opportunity to rejoin the community of nations, and to increase

economic development and opportunity in its country. but the obligations are what they are, and the united states is not alone, the united states is a part of a broad international consensus with regard to what north korea must do in order to get right with the world. >> jay carney, delivering a message to north korea from the president of the united states. we're going to get reaction to ta message from the white house to north korea. christiane amanpour and fareed christiane amanpour and fareed zakaria are both standing by. finding you the perfect place. hotels.com. ...amelia... neil and buzz: for teaching us that you can't create the future... by clinging to the past. and with that: you're history. instead of looking behind... delta is looking beyond. 80 thousand of us investing billions...

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we're back with christiane amanpour and fareed zakaria.

fareed, what did you think of jay carney's message to pyongyang? >> i think what was notable is he mentioned there had been a past pattern like this, they've done this kind of thing before. what they really need to understand is there is a path open for them. so he was tough and stern, but kept pointing out there was a path out of this crisis, that there were benefits at the end of it. that is exactly the kind of message you want to convey, which is, we're going to be tough on this, we're not going to jump every time you yank our chain, but there is a path out. and we do want to see some path out. he also pointed out correctly that this is not a u.s. versus north korea thing. which, by the way, is exactly how the north koreans portray this. if you watch and read what you can about north korea's portrayal of this on its state media, it's entirely north korea against the big superpower. carney tried to place it in the context of other countries including russia and china that are agreeing that north korea has crossed the line and needs

to start obeying international law. >> christiane, you've been to north korea twice, you've been speaking with your sources. what are they telling you about how the united states is dealing with the current crisis with china right now which clearly has a lot of influence with north korea? >> well, this is the central part of u.s. diplomacy right now. and you know that secretary kerry is on his way. he will this week go to beijing, tokyo and seoul and he'll be talking about what's going on. but particularly with the chinese, trying to see if they can narrow the gap and figure out, persuade the chinese that they have a mutual interest in stopping this behavior by kim jong-un. also, i'm told, and it's probably publicly known, that the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff is heing over there in the next couple of weeks and so will the cia. the idea is to, quote, have a deep dive into beijing and have everyone try to convince the top leadership in beijing that they hold the key, and that it's in their interests as well as

everybody else's interest to get this brought back from the brink. you know, again, while they know, and jay carney said just a couple of minutes ago, that this is the way for north korea to step back. the problem the problem is does kim jong-un really understand this off ramp as admiral locklear pointed out? they know that the provocations and this cycle of provocation has gone on for decades now but that this young leader they don't know whether he knows how to get off on the off ramp. i think that's a big issue. and of course, there is this new york channel, the state department while it won't confirm details of what was said does admit that that is still open, that channel. and that i know from personal experience this is a communications channel. they don't negotiate, the north korean representative is not authorized to negotiate and takes messages back to pyongyang

and can take ages to get any message back. >> they have the -- u.s. has diplomatic representation through a third country in pyongyang. what do you make of the new york channel, fareed? u.s. officials meeting with north korean officials assigned to the united nations in new york. apparently nothing came of the last meeting in march. >> it's totally meaningless, wolf. in a regime like north korea, the decisions are made at the very top. you have to be negotiating with those people. look. there are other countries that have representation in north korea. and the crucial issue is, again, china. the real negotiation that has to take place is between beijing and pyongyang. the key person in that is kim jong-un's uncle and that dialogue is one we are unfortunately not privy to so i think that the secretary of state going to china, the chairman of the joint chiefs going to china helps a lot but

fundamentally the chinese need to understand that there is now great danger of instability on the korean peninsula and, yes, north korea collapsing would be a big problem for china. it would be a big problem for the region. but even if they don't -- even if north korea doesn't collapse, there's a danger of instability anyway and north korea has become the driver of that instability. so simply propping up this terrible regime is not going to work. the chinese still have not come to that conclusion. at the end of the day, the chinese believe stability means propping up this regime. what we have to convince them and this is the task for yon kerry and for general dempsey is to convince the chinese that stability means in some way resolving this completely weird irks irrational, unpredictable regime, reining it in. otherwise it's not just the north koreans to do something, the south koreans might react.

we need to get china on board. >> fareed, christian, we'll see you back here tomorrow. this important note to viewers around the world. watch christian's report on cnn international, nightly foreign affairs report and it airs weekdays 3:00 and 5:00 p.m. eastern time here in the united states. tune in to fareed zakaria gps sundays. a nuclear nightmare scenario. why the u.s. believes north korea and iran may be working on weapons. using telemedical and mobile technologies, verizon innovators are connecting trauma surgeons to patients in the field. helping them get the attention they need, before they even reach the hospital. because the world's biggest challenges deserve even bigger solutions. powerful answers.

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iran. jill dougherty has new information. we'll share it with you tomorrow. this connection between north korea, cooperating with iran, on nuclear weapons, what's going on, stay with us tomorrow. jill dougherty's report coming up. and an unnerving message of north korea warning all visitors to flee south korea. what's going on? david mckenzie is joining us from beijing. david, china has enormous influence we are told in north korea. are they engaging in some quiet diplomacy right now? >> well, wolf, they're engaging in quiet diplomacy, certainly, but not out in the open. even though north korea threatened foreigners in south korea, there are many foreigners including chinese there and the chinese foreign ministry said they want peace, they don't want

tensions, they want dialogue. no open criticism of north korea so certainly not ratcheting up in public any kind of pressure on north korea. that's many lawmakers in washington frustrated because, obviously they say china could be a huge amount of leverage on the north korean regime. wolf? >> what about the u.s./china level of cooperation with north korea is concerned? we know john kerry is heading toward beijing. what's the latest as far as cooperation or confrontation, as far as north korea's concerned? >> many analysts here in china have a very different take to what may be some analysts in the u.s. are saying, wolf. while the u.s. is saying china needs to push north korea, people here say this is nothing to do with north korea but all about the chinese/american relationship. they're not threatening beijing with any kind of rhetoric or threats of any kind of weapon

attacks. so china believes that north korea is useful to them, it provides a buffer against u.s. and south korean forces and with this much touted pith to asia of the obama regime, they're nervous about anything to end the status quo. another friend of china or cooperation agreement with china is obviously the u.s. the huge trading partner. so if the u.s. believes this is important and they can apply enough pressure on china behind the scenes, that pressure from the u.s. towards china could get it to push north korea to end this rhetoric. but really china doesn't see much threat of north korea right now. if they do, they see a long-term threat and nothing in the immediate future. wolf? >> we'll stay in close touch with you. we asked online if north korea launches a test missile how should the u.s. respond? here's responses. bob on facebook says, we need to

show force and show them that we are not playing around