the effort was led by brett mcgurk, special presidential envoy on fighting the islamic state group since 2015. i sat down with mcgurk earlier today, and began by asking him what it was like to be the first to see the released iranian- americans on the plane when they landed in geneva. >> it was just overwhelming. that's really the only word i can use. we've been working on this in secret for 14 months, an i've been in regular contact with families. it was an incredibly difficult process until the last moment that the plane took off from tehran and actually left iranian air space, you never really knew. the night before we had an episode in which jason rezaian's mother and his wife could not be located. we finally located mary rezaian, jason's mother, at about 4:00 a.m. geneva time, very early morning in tehran time. i spoke with her on the phone and told her to stay where she was. we worked with the swiss to pick her up. but until they were on the plane and actually left iranian air space, nothing was really certain. so in geneva when they landed, they were greeted by the swiss state sec

so, again, this first picture, the picture uploaded by the special envoy, brett mcgurk, and we'll beg as they make their way from landstuhl, germany, three of the four related to the prisoner swap again we're learning this hour not in germany. and that's their second stop after leaving iran. >>> coming up, one woman who has special insight into what these u.s. prisoners freed from iran are facing. a conversation with sarah shourd, one of the hikers who endured her own detainment in that country. [ cough ] no matter what nasty cold symptoms you get, alka seltzer plus liquid gels rush liquid fast relief to your tough cold symptoms. and they outsell mucinex liquid gels 2 to 1. alka seltzer plus liquid gels. ever since i had a pretty bad accident three years ago. the medical bills - the credit card debt all piled up. i knew i had to get serious my credit. so i signed up for experian. they have real, live credit experts i can talk to. they helped educate me on how debt affected my fico score. so i could finally start managing my credit. now my credit and i - are both healing nicely. get s

journalist)- "i'm truly fortunate to have this opportunity to thank secretary kerry and ambassador brett mcgurk for negotiating with the iranians for my release and for constantly advocating on my behalf within the u.s. government. no other country would do so much for an ordinary citizen. i know that." rezaian said while he was in prison -- his interrogators often told him that the washington post did not exist -- that no one knew he was being held captive -- and that the u-s government would not lift a finger to help him. coming up on wavy news ten at five- thirty - we're just days away from the first votes being so why is the gop frontrunner boycotting tonight's final debate? plus a little later -- is zika virus the next big threat to global health? why the world health organization is worried about the rapid with just four days to go until the iowa caucus - tonight the remaining g-o-p presidential candidates will gather in des moines for one last debate. but with donald trump's decision to boycott the fox news event - the question remains will tonight's debate be a turning point in the race

then, we will get a behind the scenes look at the iran prisoner swap from brett mcgurk, the lead americanr. and, the first in our series on understanding autism-- a history of how it was discovered, and why we may have higher rates today. >> i spoke to older parents who had been told by their psychiatrists to quietly remove the pictures of their children from the family album and never speak of them again. >> woodruff: all that and me

government for all of them actually from john kerry to brett mcgurk all the way down.rd for us to assess those efforts really. we weren't party to those discussions. and so we're just grateful that it was a positive outcome, eventually. woodruff: what do you know marty baron about jason rezaian's future? what are his plans professionally? >> that's for him to decide now, i'm not sure he has made any decisions along those lines. we didn't want to bombard him with a lot of questions after being released from prison after all this time. he is spending time with his wife, like any other couple trying the spend time with each other. i don't think he's prepared to make a lot of decisions at this stage. he will in due time but those will be his decision not ours. woodruff: i gather that the washington post does not have a reporter in iran, is that right, and either way what are the plans for the future? will you be having someone covering iran for post? >> well, obviously iran is a very important story, one that we want to cover in every way possible. but it's really prematur

rezaian, tehran reporter for "the washington post," he's shaking hands with the state department's brett mcgurk who lead negotiations for the release. rezaian was jailed a year and a half ago charged with spying. pastor saeed abedini was arrested in it 2012, alleged to have organized underground christian churches in iran. and amir hekmati, a former u.s. marine was picked up in 2011 and charged with espionage. >> how are you? >> reporter: cbs's adriana diaz caught up with hekmati's sister in detroit as she was boarding a plane to be reunited with her brother. >> i'm in a fog. this is like surreal, i'm still in disbelief and honestly, everything just happened so quickly that i don't think it will hit me until i'm hugging him. >> reporter: all three americans were released from tehran's infamous he vin prison,-- evin prison after 14 months of top secret diplomatic mar gainings that started on the sidelines of the new clear talks. today president obama waited until the americans were out of the iranian airspace before saluting them. >> today we're united in welcoming home sons and husbands and bro

this picture uploaded by special envoy brett mcgurk and this afternoon we learned three of the americans have arrived in germany. just this past hour, their second stop on their way back to the united states. you are looking at video right now of them landing earlier in geneva and today for the first time we heard from president obama on yesterday's developments that came on the same day of the iran nuclear deal. the world is a safer place and five u.s. citizens are now free as a result of firm leadership. >> these are a reminder of what we can achieve when we lead with strength and with wisdom, with courage and resolve and patience. >> our team today covering this story. thank you so much. keir simmons, ron allen as well as ali arizi and we'll start with keir simmons in landstuhl, germany where the news in the past hour, three of the americans related to the prisoner deal are there in landstuhl. what do we know right now, keir. >> reporter: that's right, richard. they were flown from switzerland to an airstrip about 15 minutes away from here and then drive tone the base behind me here.

on the newshour, judy woodruff sat down with brett mcgurk, the presidential envoy who helped cut the deal, who conceded that the trade off some have criticized, was essential. brett: to get them out, you can't get them out by saying, hey, get them out. and so we had to figure out a formula. i think if you really look at it, in terms of, on the iranian side, youre looking at nonviolent individuals, all -- some of them quite elderly, people who in some cases their sentences were about the run in less than a year anyway. gwen: but what turned the key in the lock was the nuclear deal, which appeared to provide much- needed leverage. explain the connection, michael. michael: officially the prisoner release talks were on separate tracks of nuclear negotiations. the nuclear talks began two years ago. the prisoner talks were months ago. they were happening in parallel. america never made any concessions on the nuclear side to get the prisoners out. but i think undeniably there was a larger context here which is america and iran are doing business somewhat grudgingly, not everybody's happy abo

brett mcgurk, the u.s. official who led the prisoner exchange with iran, tweeting "thrilled to see jason rezaian land safely." his editors traveled to germany to greet him. >> we have been waiting for this day for such a long period of time. >> reporter: saeed abedini, a christian pastor from boise, idaho, had been jailed for three years. >> i woke up my kids around 7:30 and told them that daddy's coming home and he's out of the prison and they were just so shocked but they were jumping up and down. >> reporter: sarah hekmati, the sister of former marine amir be reunited with her brother. >> we have been on pins and needles, dying to see him. we haven't seen him in 4 1/2 years. >> reporter: there's excitement too in the iranian capital. their president declaring the deal with the u.s. has opened new windows. but not everyone is celebrating. iran will gain billions of dollars' worth of assets. israel's prime minister warning iran still wants nuclear weapons. while american bob levinson disappeared in iran in

and here is the first glimpse of "the washington post" jason rezaian shaking hands with brett mcgurk of the state department who led the release negotiations. rezaian was charged a year ago with spying. pastor abedini was charged witit underground christian worship in iran. a former u.s. marine hekmati was arrested while visiting his grandmother. he was charged with espionage. as soon as the news broke, hekmati's sister was on her way to meet him. cbs's adriana diaz caught with up her in the chicago airport. >> this is a fog. i'm still in disbelief and honestly everything happened so quickly that i don't think it him. >> reporter: and she is all set to help him make up for lost time. a year in review magazine and i would say that he could get caught up and i would save it. >> reporter: on bore sarah and her husband were only hours away from a reunion they feared would never come. all three americans were released from tehran's infamous prison after 14 months of top secret bargaining that started on the sidelines of the nuclear talk. also free are mechanich and after fghali as the u.s

american diplomat, brett mcgurk negotiated their release over 14 months of secret talks.he said the deal nearly fell through several times. mcgurk credits the swiss ambassador , who acted as america's diplomatic representative in iran during the exchange. cbs 2 news continues to follow the latest developments in the flint, michigan water crisis. in his state of the state speech -- governor rick snyder took the blame. many people in the state say snyder's slow response to the city's contaminated water is a criminal offense.back in 20-14 -- flint's water became tainted with lead after an an emergency manager switched the city's water source from trying to save money.some people are calling for synder to resign -- but in an exclusive interview with our sister station in flint -- he said he's not going anywhere. think about it when most people face a problem or have a crisis, do you walk away from it or do you try to solve it? the spirit of michiganders is if you have something that didn't go right, you don't walk away you say how do you solve it? so that's what this is about, trying to do s

brett mcgurk. avril haines. ben rhodes -- our whole team worked tirelessly to bring our americans home, to get this work done. and i want to thank the swiss government, which represents our interests in iran, for their critical assistance. and meanwhile, iran has agreed to deepen our coordination as we work to locate robert levinson -- missing from iran for more than eight years. even as we rejoice in the safe return of others, we will never forget about bob. each and every day, but especially today, our hearts are with the levinson family, and we will not rest until their family is whole again. in a reciprocal humanitarian gesture, six iranianamericans and one iranian serving sentences or awaiting trial in the united states are being granted clemency. these individuals were not charged with terrorism or any violent offenses. they're civilians, and their release is a one-time gesture to iran given the unique opportunity offered by this moment and the larger circumstances at play. and it reflects our willingness

one of the five finally free is washington post reporter jason rezaian brett mcgurk, the u-s official who led the prisoner-exchange negotiation with iran, tweeting: thrilled to see jason florida governor rick scott toured tornado damage after storms ripped the state early sunday morning. two people were killed and dozens of homes were destroyed as an e-f-2 tornado swept through manatee county. the national weather service says winds reached up to 127 miles-per- hour and caused destruction along a nine- mile stretch. in sarasota county, another e-f-2 storm blasted through the area with winds reaching 132 miles-per-hour. county officials say about 45 properties suffered more than three-million dollars in damage. florida power and light says more than 200-thousand people lost power. a fire severely damaged a sioux city home saturday night. the fire broke out at a house on the 3300 block of morgan street just before 6 o'clock. authorities say they returned to the home sunday morning to put out hot spots. no word yet on what caused the fire. sioux city police say no one was home when the f

american diplomat, brett mcgurk negotiated their release over 14 months of secret talks.he said the deal nearly fell through several times. mcgurk credits the swiss ambassador , who acted representative in iran during the exchange. cbs 2 news continues to follow the latest developments in the flint, michigan water crisis. in his state of the state speech -- governor rick snyder took the blame. many people in the state say snyder's slow response to the city's contaminated water is a criminal offense.back in 20-14 -- flint's water became tainted with lead after an an emergency manager switched the city's water source f fm detrtrt to the flflt river -- trying to save money.some people are calling for synder to resign -- but in an exclusive interview with our sister station in flint -- he said he's not going anywhere. think about it when most people face a problem or have a crisis, do you walk away from it or do you try to solve itthe spirit of michiganders is if you have something that didn't go right, you don't walk away you say how do you solve it? so that's what this is about, trying to

brett mcgurk. avril haines. ben rhodes. our whole team worked tirelessly to bring our americans home, to get this work done. and i want to thank the swiss government, which represents our interests in iran, for their critical assistance. and meanwhile, iran has agreed to deepen our coordination as we work to locate robert levinson -- missing from iran for more than eight years. even as we rejoice in the safe return of others, we will never forget about bob. each and every day, but especially today, our hearts are with the levinson family, and we will not rest until their family is whole again. in a reciprocal humanitarian gesture, six iranianamericans and one iranian serving sentences or awaiting trial in the united states are being granted clemency. these individuals were not charged with terrorism or any violent offenses. they're civilians, and their release is a one-time gesture to iran, given the unique opportunity offered by this moment and the larger circumstances at play. and it reflects our willingness to engage wit

brett mcgurk, avril haynes. our team worked tirelessly to get them home.n has agreed to deepen our coordination as we worked to locate robert levinson, missing from iran for eight years. we'll never forget about bob. each and every day our hearts are with the family and we'll not rest until their families home again. the individuals were not charged with terrorism or any violent offenses. they are civilians and the release is a one time gesture to iran given the unique opportunity offered by there moment in larger circumstances at play. it reflects our willingness to engage to advance our mutual interest. nuclear deal implemented. american families reunited. the third piece of this work we got done was the united states and iran resolving a financial dispute that dated back three decades. we worked through a international tribunal to resolve claims with our countries. we're settling a long standing iranian government claim against the united states government. iran will be returned its own funds, including a appropriated interest. much less than the amount

there were a lot of issues involved and so the secretary, the president and i asked brett mcgurke tos secretary kerry made clear after the nuclear deal was reached in july, the process accelerated. i think it created an environment, an atmosphere, but there have been many twists and turns, many ups and downs. your reporter reported that at the last minute, there was the possibility that jason rezaian's wife and mother would not be let out when that was always part, to be part of the agreement. secretary kerry called, spoke, obviously he was with foreign minister zarif, said this could not stand. foreign minister zarif made a call and put people on it to get that resolved. so this was very, very tough all the way up to the last minute but the outcome is terrific. i will say one more thing which is really important. it's not over. it's not over. >> well, the family of robert levinson certainly hopes it's not over because he is still missing and unaccounted for, as you know, the former fbi man and private citizen who went missing in iran on an island in iranian territory. but i also wan

. >> when brett mcgurke, the negotiator in this back secret channel, when he handed a list to the iranians and there was a series of back and forth over which iranians were going to be released, was robert levinson on that list? >> mr. levinson has always been on the list of american citizens that we wanted to see returned home to their families and again, there hasn't been a conversation that we have had that didn't include trying to get more information about mr. levinson. now, the iranians have said repeatedly that they don't know. it doesn't mean we are not going to keep pressing for more information or keep pushing on that to get more information so that we can get the kind of clarity that we need. >> why did christine levinson find out about this from television news reports, about the release of the others? >> unfortunately, so many other people found out about it through press reports because the iranians leaked the information early, too early for us to have made the phone calls and notifications that we wanted to make. believe me, nobody is happy about the way that went down. tha

brett mcgurk. avril haines. ben rhodes -- our whole team worked tirelessly to bring our americans home, to get this work done. and i want to thank the swiss government, which represents our interests in iran, for their critical assistance. and meanwhile, iran has agreed to deepen our coordination as we work to locate robert levinson -- missing from iran for more than eight years. even as we rejoice in the safe return of others, we will never forget about bob. each and every day, but especially today, our hearts are with the levinson family, and we will not rest until their family is whole again. in a reciprocal humanitarian gesture, six iranianamericans and one iranian serving sentences or awaiting trial in the united states are being granted clemency. these individuals were not charged with terrorism or any violent offenses. they're civilians, and their release is a one-time gesture to iran given the unique opportunity offered by this moment and the larger circumstances at play. and it reflects our willingness

been support from the president, support from secretararkerry and then all of the hard work of brett mcgurk to bring them home and make this deal happen. you know, in theory, i understa what folks are saying, but in practice, these guys have been held there for whatever reason, for no reason, for this long time, and i'm very thankful that they are on their way home, all of them, and i'm hopeful that the iranians will help out and fulfill their commitment to help find mr. levinson as well. >> you mentioned the president. you spoke to the president. what did he tell you? >> i spoke to him briefly. shouldn't have happened and his administration had been focused on it and it was very important for them. i know this went to the highest levels of the government to get the deal done. it wouldn't have happened without the support of so many people throughout the government and, you know, i think family would just like to thank everybody for that. >> thanks, ali. >> ali rezaian, thank you. many people happy for you and your family today. thanks for joining us. >> thank you all. >>> ahead, we will ta

national security team, especially secretary kerry, susan rice, my national security adviser, brett mcgurkes, ben rhodes, our whole team worked tirelessly to bring our americans home, to get this work done. and i want to thank the swiss government which represents our interests in iran, for their critical assistance. meanwhile, iran has agreed to deepen our coordination as we work to locate robert levinson, missing in iran for more than eight years. even as we rejoice in the safe return of others, we will never forget about bob. each and every day, but especially today, our hearts are with the levinson family and we will not rest until their family is whole again. in a reciprocal humanitarian gesture, six iranians are being granted clemency. these individuals were not charged with terrorism or any violent offenses. they're civilians and their release is a one-time gesture to iran, given the unique opportunity offered by this moment and the larger circumstances at play, and it reflects our willingness to continue to engage with iran when it advances our interests and the security of the uni

brett mcgurk. avril haines. rhodes -- our whole team worked tirelessly to bring our americans home, to get this work done. and i want to thank the swiss government, which represents our interests in iran, for their critical assistance. and meanwhile, iran has agreed to deepen our coordination as we work to locate robert levinson -- missing from iran for more than eight years. even as we rejoice in the safe return of others, we will never forget about bob. each and every day, but especially today, our hearts are with the levinson family, and we will not rest until their family is whole again. in a reciprocal humanitarian gesture, six iranianamericans and one iranian serving sentences or awaiting trial in the united states are being granted clemency. these individuals were not charged with terrorism or any violent offenses. they're civilians, and their release is a one-time gesture to iran given the unique opportunity offered by this moment and the larger circumstances at play. and it reflects our willingness to e