oft: this is another scene kim jong-un and family members. why was he selected to replace his father is the korean leader? the best report we have on that is really from a japanese individual who served as kim jong-il's sushi chef. that at that point , the first son was out of the picture. he had been caught publicly and during japan on an illegal visa. or without authorization. as a result of that, he was removed from consideration. he was the first son, the one that people might have normally thought would be the inheritor of power. between the second and third sons, the rumor is that kim jong-un has greater leadership qualities. he was much more aggressive in terms of his personality. may be better suited to be the leader then the second son. we arere talking --host: talking with scott snyder. our focus is the situation in north korea and also u.s. korean relations. this is a photograph just to get our audience a sense of how quickly this transpired, this is from december 8 as kim's uncle was taken away from a workers party meeting area and

kim il zonk, kim jong-il, and kim jong-un. the execution seems to be meant that treason was committed by such a trusted figure. kim jong-un is trying to cement his power and authority. he has blamed all his faults and failures to date on chun with his verdict. he probably made it public to justify himself and his leadership. the end of the verdict says, we know of no one other than kim jong-un. it's meant to emphasize that he is the one and only top leader of the system and that numbers two and three do not exist. december 17th is the second anniversary of the death of former leader kim jong-il. thousands of people will gather for a memorial service. jeng was removed so he would not be present for that event. the senior officials there will represent a clear distinction between those close to jeng sun thek and those who are not. more purges are likely to follow. jeng's people will probably be banished from their posts or executed. turmoil is probably inevitable for the time being. ties with china, especially in the economic fie

with their neighbor, north korea, and their client, and push them to be more responsible. >> does kim jong-un seem very different from his father who you knew? >> yes, he is very different. there was something productive -- predictable about kim jong- il. he would detain someone and raise the stakes. then he would move toward some kind of dialogue. the dialogue with the west, with south korea, with the u.s., western countries -- it did not always work, but at least he was ready to make a deal in exchange for him ramping down his nuclear ambitions. he would get something in return like food, humanitarian aid, and fuel. this young man has been in power two years, and there is no indication he wants a dialogue with south korea or the united states. in fact, he wants to increase tensions. there is a difference. i think the younger kim jong-un is a better politician. he connects better with his people. he gives better speeches. but he seems insecure. that insecurity is being shown by some of the internal squabbles and differences and possible coupes taking place against him. >> governor richardson

it does not look like kim jong- un is subject to me in relation by china. manipulation by china. that kim jongrned on his out-of-control just like secretary kerry is concerned that he is out of control -- that kim jong-un is out of control just like secretary he isis concerned that out-of-control. how much can the u.s. and china work together to try to a dress this issue? -- address this issue? leery of thea headstrong kim jong-un? they really wanted and tonomically minded leader take the helm and follow in china's footsteps. has abdicated -- has advocated a line of trying to hold onto nuclear capabilities. host: from florida, and daniel is next on the -- from florida, el is next on the democrats ' line. screen thered your -- she said keep your comments brief. child, the korean incursion into south korea, the chinese- led incursion into south korea i becamefirst time aware of military matters and global things. -- and god love dennis rodman -- he is the best ambassador america can have anywhere. here is the problem. what about when richardson, when ,e was governor of new mexico ha

i'm not sure if it contributes to kim jong-un's power base or not, so in the short term, i think kim jong-un's power base might be more stable, but may be more unstable in the long run because there's check and balance power struggle disappeared, so kim jong-un may be in a dilemma in handling the other political power base. >>> protest leaders in thailand have called off their demonstrations for the time being. the angry conflict with the government has eased ahead of the king's birthday. >> the passing of events in thailand on wednesday may be unique to the kingdom in southeast asia. protesters are continuing their call for prime minister yingluck shinawatra to back down, but have given way to scenes of demonstrators cleaning the streets. the situation has become calm as people around the country get ready to pay their respects to the king. until monday, security forces and protesters had met in violent confrontations. demonstrators threw stones and security forces fired tear gas and rubber bullets, but on wednesday, the city looks like a different face. demonstrators are cleaning th

it could mean that kim jong un is gathering power. this could be the final gasp of the kim jong il, a figure dismissed from his post. >> forces have taken control of an up to on the lebanese border. the syrian army controls the south-west of the alnab, between homs and damascus. fighting goes on and rebels control eastern parts of the town. civilians have been trying to escape the violence. andrew simmons sent us this report from there. >> this is the only way out for syrian refugees escaping the battle. the slow down in the trail of those crossing the boarder is because of the increase in fighting. these women are the latest arrivals. in shock they tell of getting out of a town under siege. assad forces and hezbollah and other shia fighters are gaining ground. >> translation: we could hear the the gun battles, me and my daughter took the position to get out. a man drove us to the border. we'll wait here until my sons and husband make it, i hope. >> her daughter is sick with a fever. >> translation: i don't have any medicine. we have n

vast work, kim jong-un listen to the eulogies for his father. at his own eyes downcast, above him a giant beamedt of kim jong-il out for the assembly. he was flanked on either side by the country's ceremonial president and his army chief. many of the elder statesmen who oversaw the transition of power two years ago have disappeared. the most notable and unmentioned uncle,, kim jong-un's abruptly executed last week. this was a ceremony as much about the current leader as the old one. the head of north korea's armed forces about to uphold and defend kim jong-un and no one else. in the freezing streets outside the centers of power, north koreans have been remembering her former leader with the usual displays of grief. commemorations like these are a time for north koreans to reaffirm their loyalty to the current leader, as well as remember the old ones. who knows how much of either emotion as well -- israel, but some north koreans have covertly told context insole that feelings towards kim jong-un have taken a negative turn in the past few days. it

kim jong-il. ceremony comes days after the execution of kim jong- un's uncle. >> a sea of north koreans marched at dawn to leave flowers by kim jong-il's statue. all eyes were on the country's leader, kim jong-un, as he led a ceremony. two years ago he was thrust to power as the country's leader, following his father's death. the ceremony comes days after the death of his uncle. he played the role of mentor for outnephew, when he stepped as a young and inexperienced leader. the execution was played out publicly. the government released pictures. the state run media piled scandal on him, painting him as a corrupt, womanizing drug user who had been landing a military coup. noticeably absent was his wife. she seems to still be in favor -- given her role in an important state committee following the purge. the execution brought international shock, it seemed to show that kim jong-un was not in complete control. kim jong-un past the weekend with a flurry of public appearances around the country. in a bid to show the world he is in the driving seat. >> to south sudan, where at least 66 troops have died

when it comes to kim jong-un, what should we make of his ousting his uncle if it's true? an internal political power struggle of kim jong-un separating from his father? i want to bring in christopher hill, former ambassador, he was the lead u.s. delegate during the six-party talks with north korea from 2005 to 2009. mr. ambassador, thanks so much. as we said, cnn has not verified this. how trustworthy is information coming from south korea when it comes to this sort of thing? >> well, it varies, but i think with respect to this, i give it a greater probability of being true than some of the other stuff that comes out. i mean, he has not been seen now for a couple of months, maybe more when it comes to actually standing next to kim jong-un. he's a bit of an erasable fellow and has had his problems in the fast, so this wouldn't be the first time. >> why do you think that kim jong-un would remove his uncle, and unfortunately as with so much about north korea, we have to theorize and speculate because it's -- we don't know much about what's going on there. but as somebody who

kim jong we has lost power in terms of her position in the political structure in north korea, but in terms of relations by bloodlines, she is the only living relative of kim jong-un, and she will remain in place as a symbolic figure. she will probably be given some type of honorary post and remain behind the scenes in support of the administration of kim jong-un. but other than that, we expect that she has essentially lost all of her real political power. the third and fourth generation of descendents of the revered group who rebelled against japan during the war, otherwise referred to as the crown prince party, are likely to be supporting the kim jong-un administration. >> reporter: north korean leaders have vowed to launch more of what they claim to be satellite-carrying rockets. their counterparts in south korea will monitor developments closely with japan and the u.s. anna jung, nhk world, seoul. >>> tokyo wants to invite as many investors to its stock market as possible. ron madison has more on this. ron? >> you may remember about two years ago the trading day got longer when they extended the morning session a half hour to 11:30, so now it looks like offici

sclz >>> in north korea kim jong un has his uncle executed. why he said his uncle betrayed him and the country. >> a teenager gets probation after killing four people whilst driving drunk. it's the controversial defense, that he was too rich, that has some outraged. >> using the power of the music to battle dementia. [ ♪ music ] >> hello, this is al jazeera america. i'm stephanie sy, in new york. a stunning development out of north korea. the country's official news agency says the uncle of leader kim jong un has been executed, this days after he was abruptly removed from his military post for allegedly trying to overthrow the government. he was once the nation's second-most powerful figure. >> the public humiliation of a powerful man. these images were taken last week when jon sung tek, uncle of north korean kim jong un was removed from a meeting. he is now dead, named a trader and executed. >> the north media reports a list of allegations. the statement reads that the accused is a traitor for the nations for all ages. acts in a bid to overth

he was working with the founder of north korea, kim il, and kim jong-un's father. een around for a long time. he was put in the power position after kim jill died and the young leader took over to help him consolidate and lead him. he was considered to be the power of the thrown. so it could be consolidating power by kim jong-un. >> thanks very much. >>> more happening tonight, susan hendricks has the 360 bulletin. >>> a pennsylvania prosecutor says charges are likely in connection with the death of new york city college freshman who allegedly died during a fraternity ritual. the incident involving brute college students happened at a house. >>> two days before the one-year anniversary of the deadly school shooting in newtown, connecticut, the national cathedral in washington hosted a service for victims of gun violence. many that spoke called for more gun control. >>> in the skies over south africa, a rainbow after tens of thousands of mourners lined up for a second day to pay respects to nelson mandela. certainly a sight to see. >>> a note of support from the 43rd

the exhibition game to celebrate kim jong un's birthday. rodman defended the dictator, and called kim jong un a friend for life. this friend that executed his uncle. he continues to contain dennis bay. can rodman bridge the gap? >> i come over to see my friend. people give me a hard time by me saying he's my friend. i'm proud to say he's my friend. he has not done anything to put a dampener or say anything about my country or this and that. if i can meet that person to open doors for america and people around the world, this is going to be that one thing. we have 12 american guys going back and saying nice, cool things about this country. i have done my job. >> you mentioned that he'll train a group of north koreans, what does he have in mind? >> he has trained them to play in an exhibition against 12 former n.b.a. players yet to be named. he is trying to get carl malone and scotty tipin. whether it's a publicity stunt. he'll try to make money. is he trying to play a role in international relations. >> kim jong un doesn't listen, it appears,

north korea says it has executed the uncle of rule you are kim jong un. a military tribunal found jon sung tek guilty of treason and tried to overthrow the government. he was expelled this week. evidence of chemical warfare in syria. chemical weapon use was found in five out of seven attacks investigated. four involved sarin gas and a large-scale assault. the house passed a 2-year budget deal to avoid a government shutdown. the agreement set spending levels and rolls back spending

but kim jong-un did not have the chance to learn and prepare for the leadership. is why kim jong-un heavily relies on intelligence office to control and spy on his people so to suppress dissent. >> warner: jang was the ideal target, the defector said, for kim to eliminate a potential rival and offer a scapegoat for two years of little economic progress. >> ( translated ): the ruling elites became very disappointed at the new leader, and the dissent began to set in. jang song thaek perfectly fit for the bill as the scapegoat. everything can be blamed on him and spare kim from criticism for not delivering the powerful nation he promised. >> warner: victor cha found the whole episode unnerving. >> instability in north korea would be probably one of america and the region's worst nightmares, because we don't have any sense of how things progress or happen inside the regime, because they do have a stash of nuclear weapons and fissile material. i think it would be a big concern if there were some sort of instability inside the country. >> warner: kim jong-un has continu

remember, he's very close to kim jong-un. a short time ago you had the third most powerful man in the country deposed. that proximity to the leadership speaks to instability and that's not good for that country. >> i assume the chinese would be taking steps as well along the border. they have a long border with north korea. they are watching this situation as intensively as the united states and south korea are. >> no question. that's something when i was in china, you would see. you would see china react to situations on the ground in north korea by increasing forces, increasing monitoring along the border. they would have to be doing the same thing and they have to be doing something of what folks in washington are doing right now, throwing their hands up in the air and wondering exactly what's going on there. there are some who are interpreting this as kim jong-un consolidating his power but there is some question as to whether he's behind it. could be another faction within that leadership. the leadership so opaque in nor

nobody else has been able to see kenneth, to see kim jong-un. i was there a year ago with eric schmitt of google. he wouldn't see us but he has a relationship with rodman. we shouldn't expect any nuclear negotiations between rodman and kim jong-un, any bilateral negotiations, but possibly he might do a favor to his friend by turning over kenneth bay and that would make the visit worthwhile. >> do you think that the administration or officials, whether we know it or not, might have had a bit of a word with him and given him a bit of an idea of what might be helpful? and even if they did or did not, it's embarrassing to have the worm, our de facto diplomat on the spot, do you think? >> well, i don't know whether the administration has talked to rodman. ilde surprised if they offered a briefing so that he knows what he's up against. the danger is that rodman might be used for public relations purposes on behalf of the new, young lead who are seems to be challenged internally. he's in charge but he's obviously got some domestic problems with some of

kim jong-il. joining us now is our own brian todd. he's been looking into this. he's gting ready, kim jong-una all-star who's on his way back for a second visit to north korea. what's going on here? >> yeah, more of the bizarre world of north korea. kim jong-un has just executed his uncle. he's purged other top officials. he's not meeting with any foreign dignitaries, not even his friends, the chinese. yet, here comes the worm, dennis rodman coming to north korea. probably getting there on thursday. what we're told is this is sponsored by an irish online betting company called patty power. they're the sole sponsor of this trip. this is all about basketball. he's going to go there to set up a basketball exhibition that rodman hopes will bring former nba players to north korea to have a basketball exhibition match with some north korean basketball players, possibly next month during kim jong-un's birthday celebration. but we're told that politics will not come up on this visit. that's what we know right now. this is a visit to his old friend kim jong-un. his at least his second, possibly his th

but we do know that jang song thaek's wife who is kim jong-un's aunt has had a very strained relationship with jang song thaek and is the one who finally turned on him, making it acceptable within the regime for kim jong-un to execute jang song thaek. this is getting very, very complicated. essentially what we have is a family feud that has international implications. >> as you said, shakespearean with nukes. >> a wealthy teenager kills four people while drunk driving and he gets no jail time because he apparently did not know right from wrong. it is called affluenza. the woman who popularized the term joins us. plus, this sign language interpreter is being called a fake. he will tell his side of the story to cnn. does it add up? [ male announcer ] this is karen and jeremiah. they don't know it yet, but they're gonna fall in love, get married, have a couple of kids, [ children laughing ] move to the country, and live a long, happy life together where they almost never fight about money. [ dog barks ] because right after they get married, they'll find some financial folks who will talk to

analysts say the sister of kim jong-un's father, the former leader of north korea, may have been spared because of how close she was to kim jong-il. she's also the wife of the uncle, kim jong-un executed last week for possible support of her nephew's decision to oust but not execute her husband may have also helped her case. >>> some stories you might have missed. after ten days of mourning, mandela is laid to rest in south africa. the former south african president is remembered as a man who emerged after 27 year ifs prison to forge a new democratic nation by forgiveness and reconciliation. he died at 95. the funeral drew 4,500 guests including oprah winfrey and entrepreneur richard branson. >>> this just in, terminal "a" in san jose has been evacuated after a water main break. a crew from kntv reporting water is coming down through the roof, and the lighting and that it looks like it's raining inside the terminal. >>> and it's beginning to look a lot like christmas in washington. the first family attending the 32nd annual christmas in washington concert sunday. it's a benefit for the

what does this say about the intrigue going on in kim jong-un's own family? namic is fascinating really for its opaque quality. you don't know much about their family dynamic. what we can say was that is kim jong-un was said to be very close to his uncle jang song thaek. he was considered an important mentor to kim when kim was transitioning into power after the death of his father in 2011. jang song thaek was till recently the second most powerful person. north korea. he was married to kim's fathers sister. her name is kim k yong he, a four-star general in north korea. she was considered a driving force before the young kim's ascent to power. wolf, a lot of upheaval, a lot of intrigue and really behind the scenes the family dynamic could be thrown all off kilter with this. it's not clear what the young kim is going to do with members of his family surviving right now. >> a lot of nervousness on the peninsula right now, a lot of uncertainty. brian will have more on this in "the situation room" later today. one u.s. official sum the up the execution this way "i

tales of instability, of a power struggle and an alleged coup which is why according to analysts, kim jong-unxecuted his uncle in the way that he did. certainly this was a man who was second in command, a mentor to the 30-year-old. you have to remember kim jong-un is the youngest head of state but it just goes to prove that no one is untouchable, not even family members. >> what's fascinating about this obviously, kim was very public about the execution of his uncle, with all the photographs, the announcement, the specific accusations, the perp walk. i know there are a lot of fears that the saber rattling will come ahead of a show of force. what's the feeling in south korea? >> reporter: yeah, absolutely. you mention that the public display of this execution, this is really quite unprecedented except if you go back to his grandfather, the founder of north korea, who did this in the late '50s and '60s and made those executions quite public. this is about kim jong-un taking control of the situation, really i guess controlling the information and certainly the images that get out to the internat

leader kim jong-un's previously powerful uncle was executed. guards led him out of a courtroom in shackles, following a military trial where he was found guilty of plotting a military coup. and called him a traitor for the ages. we get more from hee cho in south degree. >> reporter: this morning, people in north korea are reading headlines from state-run media that says kim jong-un's uncle deserved to be executed. the purge endorsed by his own wife and nephew. and kim's older brother personally directed a raid to arrest two of his closest aides. the public humiliation this man faced before death was brutal. even for north korean standards. the state media labeled him a despicable human scum, force than a dog. he was seen as the second-most powerful man in this country. and a mentor who helped kim take the throne after kim jong-il's death two years ago. but the new ruler made a choice, a bold one, which shows the nature of his personality, analysts say. and this is just the beginning of a power struggle between the old and the younger generation

treachery by failing to clap enthusiastically for a supreme leader arranged nephew dear leader kim jong un had also show no mercy no remorse no pity when he had his ex-girlfriend and her girl band mates machine gun down after they sang some music which annoyed him i know what you're thinking thinking you're. like an american high school student snarky bad music loving chubby. who doesn't hesitate to machine gun down his friends family or passer bys just because why the frick not but those chubby little mass murdering high school students in the america look a lot like these so-called adults who also run the economy isn't this true isn't this true stacey well yes i like the reason that kim jong un gave for executing his uncle is that he calls the uncontrollable catastrophe of the economy and you see that in our own western economies. it's not the leaders of the countries that are to blame it's all the other the people are they have austerity inflicted upon them they're sent to gulags of of work camps that tesco for free for example but the other thing that is very similar here that we see o

he has called kim jong-un his friend and this comes a week or so after kim jong-un executed his uncle. >>> there could be big changes coming tour medicine cabinet. the fda is proposing for the first time the companies that make antibacterial soaps say they have to prove they are more effective than plain old soap and water. the agency is saying there is some evidence that using them could actually call health risks. >> there are more and more studies showing the soaps were not more effective than regular soap and water, and so it was one of those things that we kind of dub our stupid uses of a chemical. if it's not doing any good, then why are we putting this potentially harmful chemical in our homes. >> some 2,000 products contain the antibacterial agent but it would not cover hand sanitizers or hand wipes. >>> a study looked at three studies and researchers say no evidence that vitamins help you long term. some people who took the supplements actually increased their risk of getting sick. the researchers say that vitamin sales are all based on anecdotal evidence and you're better of

kim jong-il. thousands of military and government officials were at the memorial, and is being held days after kim jong un ordered the execution of his uncle for trying to overthrow him. south korea is warning of more aggressive posturing from the north. >> they may try to strengthen the leadership of the reign of terror. military provocation is a conventional way. the competition for showing loyalty could lead to the possibility of provocatioprovoc. >> harry fawcett has more from the south korean capital seoul. >> no shortage of enthusiasm from the military, and the party figures assembled to commemorate the second anniversary. hardly surprising when you consider one of the offenses was accused of in the lead-up to the execution was he didn't applaud enough when kim jong un was appointed to a position of power. the young leader himself was stern faced, grim throughout the proceedings, and people here have been watching them closely to see what they can discern of the leadership situation in north korea. the government is concerned by all this. the president talking about the possibility of reckless provo

reporter: this morning, people in north korea are reading headlines from state-run media that say kim jong-un's uncle deserved to be executed. it was a family affair. the purge endorsed by his own wife and nephew, kim jong-un. and kim's older brother personally directed a raid to arrest two of his closest aides. the public humiliation this man faced before death was brutal. even for north korean standards. the state media labeled him a despicable human scum, worse than a dog. jang was an advocate of economic reform. he was seen as the second-most powerful man in this country and a mentor who helped kim take the throne after kim jong-il's death two years ago. but the new ruler made a choice, a bold one, which shows the nature of his personality, analysts say. and this is just the beginning of a power struggle between the old and the younger generation. joohee cho, abc news, seoul, south korea. >> it's not known how jang was executed. but the country usually uses a firing squad. and this is not the first time an execution in north korea has made headlines this year. kim jong-un's ex-girlfriend wa

kim jong-il. his son kim jong-un is taking on are leadership, execution of his powerful urchpowerful uncle. harry forcette reports. >>> dispachg for the first time a north korean flight into space. unprecedented public shaij and d execution of the are president's uncle. >> if you look at the is clearly expressed. is glk suddenly kim jong-un has projected showmanship, promoting any part of leisure facilities. in a country where almost no one skis. when kim jong-il was late to rest two years ago, that his son would have the experience to lead men decades older than himself. kim jong-un got rid of nearly half of the leergts, including five of the seven men who accompanied him alongside his father'father'sfather'father's . >> many we have to see. >> the south korean government has expressed its deep concern, saying instability could lead to provocations. this year's heightened tensions still fresh in the memory. he has committed his country to twin goals, improving the economy and the nuclear opportunities. february's nuclear test was pearnlg successful. there is evidence of economic growth, bu

. >>> north korean media are urging people to unify behind leader kim jong-un on the two-year anniversary of his assumption of the top military post. kim was appointed supreme commander of the military on december 30, 2011. he succeeded his father, kim jong-il, who died that month. state-run television repeatedly aired a documentary on monday showing kim jong-un visiting military troops stationed across the country. an editorial praised him for his genius talent in military fields. it referred to the recent purge of kim's uncle, jang song thaek and noted anyone who challenges the party must be severely punished. kim is tightening his grip on power. he was considered the second most powerful person in the country. >>> japanese government officials are on alert after authorities in pyongyang made repeated hints about military provocati provocations. the japanese are in contact with counterparts in the u.s. and other countries. they fear the north koreans can raise tensions around upcoming arrests. january 8th is kim jong-un's birthday. activists in seoul staged rallies against north korea.

intelligence report that concludes jangson thaek was executed because he disobeyed his nephew leader kim jong-un. >> translator: we believe that kim had ordered jang to address conflicts of interest and abuse of power by his aides. jang refused, leading north korean officials to conclude that he had disobeyed the order. >> north korean authorities also accuse jang of plotting to overthrew the state. the report by south korea's national intelligence service says that was exaggerated to justify the execution. it adds the korean workers party now faces tighter restrictions, and it notes that the head of the state security department and chief of censorship is becoming more powerful among kim jong-un's close aides. jang's wife has not been seen in public for some time, but the report is she's only withholding public engagements. the report concludes that jang's immediate entourage has not been effected by the purge and it says kim jong-un continues to have a firm grip on power. intelligence officials believe north korea may carry out another nuclear test. >>> more than 20,000 people in tokyo helped

kim jong-il died in 2011. the unkell was powerful figure in regime. if kim jong-uned his uncle that could be a signal of a significant power grab north korea. the country has refused to release two americans behind bars this dictator is acting completely differently than his predecessor, jonathan hunt has details. the indications are troubling. >> reporter: they are. what they show is that kim jong-un, kim the younger, is certainly more confident in his own power than he was when he first took over from his father, kim jong-il. to fire a very powerful uncle and execute two of his advisers makes a pretty strong statement. remember the uncle has been a important figure for a longtime you saw him walking behind kim jong-un at the funeral of kim the elder. some experts, lug gordon chang, say this is more about north noh korea's generals reasserting their power. they didn't like uncle jung and are apparently taking revenge on him. >> they have blamedded him and gotten at him and apparently had would aides executed. so this is story of still turmoil in the regime. the thi

the late kim jong-il was cited by the media 161 times at most in 2010. radio press says during the past year kim jong-un was in the director of the people's army general political army. che made 148 appearances, compared to 56 times for kim's uncle, jang song thaek, who was purged and executed this month. >>> ron madison is here with more, ron? >> as you know, there's a lot of hesitation and caution about using nuclear power after the 3/11 disaster, and now tepco is saddled with the huge responsibility of getting it all cleaned up, not to mention the compensati compensation. the operator of the fukushima daiichi power plant has submitted a ten-year business plan to the government, together with japan's state-backed fund for nuclear accident compensation. the plan does include restarting nuclear reactors. tokyo electric power company plans to begin restarting reactors along the sea of japan coast next july. tepco estimates this will help cut fuel cost and lead to a pre-tax profit of $1 to $2 billion a year. the company plans to decommission the fukushima daiichi plant and deal with its contaminated water

but it shows that the new young leader, kim jong-un, is firmly in control.ng his power. he's purging the old guard and anybody that he thinks is going to be a challenge to him. >> you know, what's really strange, and i'm curious to get your thoughts, governor, on this, is that dennis rodman, the nba star, the retired nba star, he's heading back to north korea to see his supposed good friend kim jong-un at the end of this month. how does that fit into all of this weird stuff that's coming out of there? >> well, it shows -- i don't know if it's the immaturity of the new leader. it shows that he and rodman have struck up a friendship. the problem is that rodman doesn't use that friendship to help with kenneth bay, at least get him out. maybe he will do that. but it shows that kim jong-un is still not ready to meet anybody that has some substance, foreign policy background. he hasn't done that with the chinese. he hasn't done it with south koreans. again, it shows that he is probably right now spending his time consolidating his power, and he's replaced various

they were responding to rallies in seoul where protesters torched photos of kim jong-un. meanwhile, south korean president park gunn hay urged commanders to be on heightened alert. some officials are concerned the north will take provocative actions. they say leaders in pyongyang will try to rally support following the kpe constitution of jang song thaek. >>> military officials carried out the attack as retaliation for an israeli civilian. a sniper from gaza shot dead an israeli men doing maintenance work on the fence at the border. hours later, planes fired at planes. military tanks also shelled a range of sites. hospital officials in gaza say the 3-year-old girl was near one of the targets. israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu said the country could not ignore the shooting of one of its civilians. this latest flare-up of violence threatens to derail the process. >>> officials at japan's science ministry have given engineers the go ahead to develop the country's next generation rocket for launching commercial satellites. the project will begin in the fiscal year tha

he ought to be released immediately. >> then lastly, where do you see the future of kim jong-un and his in the region? where do you see him going? >> you know, this is a big transition. when kim jong-il died, the father died, and son took over, that was obviously a big transition. but everyone looked at jang sung-taek as the guy who would keep this all together so now he's gone. in some respects, this is the big transition. we're not sure where this is heading. one thing that's clear to me that kim jong-un is not a reformer. this is not someone who really has a kind of different view of how north korea should act. so i think we're into kind of some uncharted waters at this point. >> dennis rodman said to be heading there in another few weeks, bizarrely enough, one of the best chances for diplomacy that we have. >> dennis rodman. well, i was never a big fan of his basketball and i'm not going to get on the diplomatic band wagon with dennis rodman. >> all right. fair enough. chris hill, thank you so much for your time. enjoy your flight back to colorado. >>> still ahead in the buried lead

dennis rodman once again visiting his best pal, kim jong-un. how big of a headache is it for the u.s. government when celebrities go rogue to rogue states? good afternoon. welcome to "the lead." i'm jake tapper. we'll have that story breaking out of london in just a moment but we are going to begin with the national lead. one of them was a first time offender who received three life terms in 1993, when he was 22. another got a life sentence in 1997 for hiding her boyfriend's stash in her house. in all they are eight federal inmates convicted of crack cocaine offense. each of them has been in prison at least 15 years. six were sentenced to life. soon, all of them will be free. today, president obama announced he's commuting their sentences, something he's rarely done compared to presidents in the last several decades. quote, three years ago i signed the bipartisan fair sentencing act which dramatically narrowed the disparity between penalties for crack and powder cocaine offenses. today, i am commuting the prison terms of eight men and women who

it does not look like kim jong- un is subject to me in relation by china. manipulation by china. jongrned on his out-of-control just like secretary kerry is concerned that he is out of control -- that kim jong-un is out of control just like secretary he isis concerned that out-of-control. how much can the u.s. and china work together to try to a dress this issue? -- address this issue? leery of thea headstrong kim jong-un? they really wanted and tonomically minded leader take the helm and follow in china's footsteps. has abdicated -- has advocated a line of trying to hold onto nuclear capabilities. host: from florida, and daniel is next on the -- from florida, el is next on the democrats ' line. screen thered your -- she said keep your comments brief. child, the korean incursion into south korea, the chinese- led incursion into south korea i becamefirst time aware of military matters and global things. -- and god love dennis rodman -- he is the best ambassador america can have anywhere. here is the problem. what about when richardson, when ,e was governor of new mexico handed ove

. >>> plus will dennis rodman ask kim jong-un about assassinating his own uncle? >>> the million dollar picasso for 140 bucks. and penguins on parade just for the holidays. good morning, i'm mara schiavocampo. we begin with a major security scare. a black friday security brooep breach at nearly every single one of target's 1800 u.s. stores potentially involving at least 1 million credit and debit cards, all according to the closely watched industry blog. secret service has confirmed that the agency is investigating but target has not yet commented. investigators believe the data was stolen through software installed on machines used to swipe credit cards. american express says it's put fraud controls in place, visa and mastercard have declined to comment. the breach could have extended up until just this past sunday. >>> the star of one of hottest shows around is under fire for anti-gay remarks. bill robertson has been suspended indefinitely from the show after making comments in january's gq magazine. the 67-year-old called homosexuality a sin and compared it to

the decision was made at a meeting attended by kim jong-un. the north korean leader was reported as saying chung was corrupted by capitalism and indulged in a depraved lifestyle. added chung had undermined the party's authority over judiciary, prosecution, and public security organizations said he had done serious harm to the party's policies and its measures to defend people. the newspaper pointed to chung's initiative to promote foreign investment in the country. it said he had thrown the country's fiscal management system into turmoil and put the precious resources at low prices. the party said purging chung and its synthesizers has dealt a blow. north korea's announcement drew surprise from around the world. we asked an expert on politics in the north about development in the secretive country. >> translator: the north korean leadership confirmed the dismissal after making careful procedural arrangements in a very formal manner. it is safe to say that chung has been completely removed from the center of power. in other words, he has been d

in 90 seconds. >> late today north korea's government said it had executed an uncle of dictator kim jong ununcle was considered the second most powerful man in the north and kim's mentor. according to official north korean state media, those charges against him ranged from drunk abuse and womanizing to corruption to most seriously he was creating political faction that challenged the leadership of kim jong un. >> i'm the last person in the world who wants to see someone talk to me across the country. >> a bit of clarification from the head of the fcc today when it comes to cell phones on airplanes. the final call whether to let passengers chat midflight will be left up to the airlines. >> you will make the technical rules that reflect the wave the new technology works. >> we remember those who have lost their lives in gunfire. >> as the nation marks the anniversary of the newtown, connecticut school shooting, families of some of the 26 who were killed attended a vigil today at the national cathedral in washington. prayers were offered for all of the victims of gun violence in this country.

late today, the north korean state news agency reported that the uncle of leader kim jong-un has been executed. the former general, who was ousted last week, has been a very powerful figure inside the regime. according to the news agency, he was purged for corruption and executed after a special military trial. a short time ago i spoke to bbc's lucy williamson in seoul and asked her how close chang song-thaek was to the seat of power. >> very close. very influential. he was not only the uncle of kim jong-un, he held various senior positions, military positions and party positions. he was the guy who was given the responsibility of overseeing the transition to power from the father to the son. a very key role at the heart of north korean politics. which makes what has happened the last few days so striking. those pictures you might have seen on our coverage of him being pulled from the party meeting i armed guards, literally holding him up under his arms and dragging him out, it is the kind of thing you just don't see in north korea. the fact the country is publicizing his fall from gr

of north korea during a meeting on the occasion of the second anniversary of the death of kim jong il kim jong un was at the center of attention at the event that took place in pyongyang. he was standing on the stage under huge red flag with a picture of a smiling father kim jong il. i ranking military officials were in his left hand and officials in civilian clothes are on the right. however experts pointed out they can compete with the honor of the north korean leader as well as we salute you. the wife of kim jong un did not attend the ceremony. as president i was bitten by the traditional annual press conference representatives of almost seventy media outlets. having given access for the event such a number of journalists shows interest in the way the president is trying to solve local problems in the country. the range of questions vary from the issues of life in the winner in the house is located east into foreign policy. speaking about the strategic partnership combines said that kyrgyzstan maintained friendly relations with many countries according to the kyrgyz leader of the most importan

and part of that, are these reports that kim jong-un's uncle, that he has been purged from his positionier i spoke with the former stand secretary of state and we talked about this. >> it is cheer at the beginning of the kim jong-un rule, it opened up the question whether he was in charge. one thing we know that this boy king is that he wants to show he is in charge. >> possibly could explain the rest of the aggressive actions out of north korea, right? >> that's what officials think. they think most of the developments are about kim jong-un trying to be in charge. the big concern, the two americans, merle newman and kenneth bae, being held with kim's assent, with his agreement. what will it take to get him to agree to send the americans back home? that's the big question on the table. >> barbara starr, thank you so much. >>> is bob dylan a hater? he's been charged in france with inciting hatred. it is all over the comments he made in rolling stone a year ago. he said if you have a slave master in your blood, blacks can sense that. that stuff lingers to this day just like jews can sense

. >> in the two years since kim jong-un became supreme leader, his uncle was considered by many as north korea's second most powerful figure. his arrest was dramatic. he was charged with trying to overthrow the state, financial mismanagement, womanizing, and alcohol abuse. any speculation that family ties could bring him clemency was immediately dispelled when a tribunal condemned him to death and ordered his immediate execution. south korea expressed deep concern friday over the developments, saying it would prepare for what it called all possibilities. >> generally, we have seen in the past efforts to crack down on internal insecurities lead to a external provocations. we are paying close attention to that possibility this time is ralph -- this time as well. >> at the demilitarized zone, tourists from the south can peer crossing to the north. meanwhile, the eyes of the north are on pyongyang to see what kim jong-un might still do to further cement his position. >> we talked to our correspondent and ask for more reaction and south korea. >> your average south korean just shrugged their

and an execution in the -- why did north korea's kim jong-un have his own uncull killed and what does it mean for the rest of the world? and how well do you know your world? you'll be surprised at what you don't know. but first here's my take, in the midst of the extraordinary spectacle of nelson mandela's funeral, in a stadium with some 9 0,000 mourners including more than 90 heads of government. a small gesture got the world's attention. on his way he shook hands with the return to the right. the focus of that hand shake ricochetted around the world. understandably, because the man obama shook hands with was raul castro, president of cuba. remember the united states does not have diplomatic relations with cuba and has a -- many wondered whether this hand shake was the beginning of a great shift in policy. i hope so. let's begin by asking whether the existing policy is working. in 1960, the united states enacted an embar goe against cuba. it's purpose was simple and explicit, regime change. did it work? well, until he retired from the presidency in 2008, fidel castro was the longest