mr. rodman had crossed the line. but wait. what if mr. is tattoos, nose rings, permanent sunglasses and general jive is actually sharing details of his junket into the bad korea with some dark corner of our own government. it wouldn't be the first time our spy handlers would engage in outlandish or unsavory free lancer. during the second world war, a legendary mobster is said to have spied for the u.s., collecting intelligence about german saboteurs of the dock workers he controlled. mo burke, a catcher for the chicago white sox who spoke special languages worked on special projects of the oss and cia. he put his command of japanese to use during an all star team visit to tokyo in 1934 by filming the city's harbor and munitions works from atop the tallest building. the point is that the most unlikely people make the best spies. they may not be in the white shoe tradition of an e. howard hunt or ian fleming, but it's a breed that has always interested great spy masters and those who write about them. the elegant john lecaray a former spy fo

mr. rodman, round trip to north korea? >> one way. >> one way? >> whoo!old friend. >> this is great. >> i didn't see this one either. it brilliant. or maybe this doritos commercial. ♪ ♪ [ screaming ] >> the screaming goats. >> to tell us more about this awesome show, "the funniest commercials of the year," tv host and comedian john hinson via skype. this is going to be a funny show. i know you can't reveal the champions. what are some of the funne efun? >> i would love to tell you but there's so much money riding on this in las vegas, i don't want to tip it one way or another. >> how do you go through them? >> it is a testament that they really transcend what you think of that advertising becomes entertainment in and of themselves. >> did you all sit in a room and whatever commercials made you laugh the most made the list? >> it's a combination of subjective take and voodoo and some other tribal spells i'm not at liberty to discuss. >> awesome. to watch the "funniest commercials of the year" tune in to trutv on sunday, january 5th at 9:00 p.m. >> this are

mr. rodman's north korea trip and would not participate or support the venture with the support and approval of the u.s. state department." from basketball diplomacy to hockey wisdom. fighting in the nhl is soon to be a thing of the -- a thing of the past. coming up next right here on "lunch money." students are taking advantage of the snow in china. the ice and snow festival holds the snow sculpture festival in one million people are expected to visit.♪ >> something you don't see every day, steve cohen talking about insider trading. we are bringing it to you as a trial for halloween -- a trial for a former sec employs getting underway. the document tree includes never before broadcast video -- documentary includes never before broadcast video. >> that is not the way it is explained to me. it is very vague. it is an interpretation of the law. >> you can watch the episode on pbs.org. >> what is really important about what he said is the word "interpretation." the reason executives don't nail these details is because there are no details to nail. i have done that. you do that at all three leve

mr. rodman's north korea trip and would not participate or support the venture with the support and approvalthe u.s. state department." from basketball diplomacy to hockey wisdom. fighting in the nhl is soon to be a thing of the -- a thing of the past. coming up next right here on "lunch money." students are taking advantage of the snow in china. the ice and snow festival holds sculpture festival in one million people are expected to visit. ♪ >> something you don't see every day, steve cohen talking about insider trading. as ae bringing it to you trial for halloween -- a trial for a former sec employs getting underway. the document tree includes never before broadcast video -- documentary includes never before broadcast video. >> that is not the way it is explained to me. it is very vague. it is an interpretation of the law. episode onwatch the pbs.org. important really about what he said is the word "interpretation." the reason executives don't nail these details is because there are no details to nail. i have done that. you do that at all three levels and regulations. trading is an incredi

. >> mr rodman likes to think he's emulating a ping-pong diplomacy in the 21st century as the chinese and americans did in the early '70s. dennis rodman is not a diplomat. kim jong un used him for propaganda purposes. i don't think that much good is coming out of this. frankly speaking, nobody is communicating inside. this is basically a show for kim jong un's propaganda procedure. >> this is the author of, "melt down", the inside story of the north korean nuclear crisis, and a senior fellow. he's been to north korea 16 times and joins us from kuala lumpur. welcome to the program. you were in north korea in july. has it changed under kim jong un, and how stable is it with him at the helm? >> what was striking when i visited last summer was the sense that pyongyang had become something of a boom town. there were more cars in the street, new buildings, and a lot more restaurants. there were clearly north koreans with money. part of the north korean elite seems to be doing better under kim jong un, though it's hard to tell where the money is coming from. the big question is in the wake o

mr. rodman made but i'm not going to dignify that outburst with a response. i'm simply going to say that we remain greatly concerned about kenneth bae's health and continue to urge the authorities to grant his amnesty and immediate release on humanitarian grounds. >> you know, mr. carney can say that and it sounds good but the fact remains that you can't get the doctor in afghanistan out. you can't get mr. bae out o. i mean, it seems like they are impotent. the u.s. government is impotent. >> we don't have complete power all over the world. i would say, this bill. you know, when you look at northeast asia, you put your finger on a real problem. and i think the administration was right two years ago to try to pivot and somehow get a broader focus around the world and simply the middle east. it's been very difficult for them to do. if you look at china pushing its neighbor japan. pushing the philippines. claiming the so-called 9-line in the china sea. that makes its of its neighbors nervous. japan is more -- south korea is there dealing with uncertainty and gre

mr. rodman is not there representing the united states. should remember that when they look at his comments and hear his comments. >> rodman has been under fire since he announced plans to celebrate kim jong-un's birthday with a basketball game. some say he crossed the line with an accusation against kenneth bae, an american sentenced to 15 years in a north crean labor camp. rod man replied to chris cuomo that kenneth deserved his face. >> do you understand what he did? >> you tell me, what did he do. >> no, no, no. you tell me. why is he held captive? >> they haven't released any charges. they haven't released any reasons. >> listen. listen. >> it's outrageous. it's ridiculous. it's shameful. those are three good words and those will describe accusing mr. bae of a crime. >> bae's sister told cnn's anderson cooper rod man's words are hurting his cause. >> and then continue to do more harm than good. >> as for the other former players traveling with rodman -- >> they were blinded by the payday. >> nba commissioner questioned the motives of

mr. rodman made, but i'm not going to dignify that outburst with a response, i'm simply going to s remainerned about kenneth bae's health and continue to urge authorities to grant his amnesty and immediate release on humanitarian grounds. >> so, governor, how does that outburst, as being described by jay carney there, combat what diplomatic channels are trying to be brokered here with trying to get kenneth home? i mean, does it really complicate the issues, or is this just dennis rodman seeking attention for what is not a diplomatic mission. it's a way to stay relevant. >> well, it's very complex. the answer, thomas, is that we don't know, because if you'd asked me this -- because i've been to north korea several times, about what his father might be thinking, i might have the answer. but since we know very little about what this new young leader is up to, i can't answer that. i can say this. there is maybe a potential silver lining. the north koreans have obviously seen how badly their guy, dennis rodman, has been criticized. one way that they can maybe put a good spin on his trip at the

mr. rodman some line about the person which is just -- the whole thing is, as i say, in one respect it's kind of a sideshow with a guy that's not too bright that's looking for something to do. and that kind of part of it can even amuse us. but when we're talking about an american that's being held prisoner in god knows what conditions and he is basically defending him, that's pretty bad behavior. >> it certainly is. let's move on to another big story that's emerging today in washington. still on foreign affairs, this is robert gates, former defense secretary's new book. some pretty damning revelations in this. not least of which he reveals the president had serious doubts about the entire enterprise in afghanistan. he writes that by the year 2010 he had concluded the president doesn't believe it his own strategy and doesn't consider the war to be his. for him it's all about getting out. he goes on to write, i never doubted obama support for the troops, only his support for the mission. what do you make of this? >> it's the assessment i've had frankly since the presidential campaign. i th

mr. rodman's melt down on camera, no.y uncalled for so we didn't expect assistance there this time. >> you mentioned the melt down. it was a melt down while he was over there. i want to remind our viewers of what he said. take a listen. >> do you understand what kenneth bae did? >> yeah. >> did doo you understand what he did? >> you tell me. what did he do? >> you tell me. why is he held captive? >> they haven't released charges. >> why? no, no. i don't give a rat's ass what the hell you think. i'm saying to you, look at these guys. look at him. >> he has since apologized claiming he was drunk and said he is sorry about what is going on in north korea. are you concerned his actions may be detrimental to your brother's situation? >> definitely. we don't know what the lasting damage will be on kenneth's case. i don't think dennis rodman realized the precariousness of this american whose life is on the line in north korea and has been for the past 14 months. >> you know, one of the players on the trip told cnn's new day that

mr. rodman's trip and would not participate or support such a venture without the approval of the u.s. department. although sports in many instances can be helpful in bridging cultural divides, this is not one of them. the man behind the mike, chris cuomo, joining me live now. i'm speechless. it takes a lot. >> it is a little embarrassing to watch. clearly, the intention is not to get into a joust with dennis rodman. i don't have that much interest. i don't think he deserves the relevance, with all due respect. i did feel for the man he was mentioning. a lot of them do a lot of good things and they have good intentions here. charles smith spoke up during the interview. i'm a knick fan and a fan of his work. for all the good that cultural exchange can do, this game has been spun as a birthday present to the ruler. it is being played on his birthday. that changes the dynamic of what a cultural exchange is. it changes the dynamic of what it says about the ruler. there, you get into some issues. the reason i think it the theater of it, there is no reason to qualify it. you can't exaggerate

mr. rodman did was thought through very carefully, and it was just ended up being an opportunity for thegovernment to have a propaganda coup. >> would there have been a better way in which dennis rodman could have embarked on this, and while it may not have been sanctioned by the u.s. state department, perhaps he would have had the blessings from many more, if, perhaps, there was a clear objective or perhaps some real consulting on how to craft this trip? >> yeah. i think he just went in to it with blinders on, so to speak. not understanding the political implications and then, you know, the outburst that he made was very unfortunate. it just -- started to compound all of the bad things that were happening as a result of the trip. i'm really -- i feel that the other players did the right thing in understanding and realizing that they were being used, and getting out of there. >> and how, in your view, can sports be used as a uniter? even when there may be some political differences that may stand in the way? how can sports still kind of bridge that gap, in your view? >> well, you know, d

mr. rodman is not there representing the united states. people should remember that when they look at his comments and hear his comments. >> reporter: rodman has been under fire hins see announced plans to celebrate kim jong-un's birthday. >> some say he crossed the line with an accusation against kenneth bae, an american sentenced to 15 years in a north korean labor camp. rodman implied to chris cuomo that bae deserved his fate. >> do you understand what kenneth bae did? >> you tell me. what did he do? >> you tell me. you tell me. why is he held captive? >> they haven't released any charges. >> why? >> it's outrageous. it is ridiculous. it is shameful. those are three good words. they describe accusing mr. bae of a crime. >> just outrage. >> bae's sister told anderson cooper rodman's words are hurting his cause. >> it is heartbreaking that somebody in a position to thep the fellow american refused to do so and continues to do more harm than good. >> as for the other former players traveling with rodman. >> they were blinded by the pay day.

mr. rodman for a time. >> i did, i did. >> how to even begin? watching this this morning, do you think he's okay? >> well, it seemed to me based on the fact that he's holding a cigar and sounded like he just left a party, that maybe he was just partaking in some of the social activity in north korea. you know, he went over to have a good time. more importantly, what i found to be funny was did you see the look of discomfort of everybody else on the panel? t none of the other guys figured they signed up for that. it was a little humorous, but unfortunate. on a serious note, listen, sports has always been a vestible. i think it was nixon when he was having discussions with china. that was one of the first opportunities for those nations to cultural connect. this is well before you and i were born. and so i think in a lot of ways, that's what this could be about. if we're waiting for dennis rodman to be our ambassador to the rest of the world, come on now. >> let me get to the maybe maybe maybe a door opening one day. let's run through the roster o

mr. speaker. dennis rodmanof nba fame has announced that he and 10 or so basketball players are going to north korea. he is going to visit his friend, the notorious which are and dictator, kim jong un of north korea. bringing american basketball to north korea, a state with nuclear weapons, which starves its own people and imprisons , bringing american basketball there and sitting down with a dictator like mr. kim would be the equivalent of taking adolf hitler to lunch. terrible thing. a terrible idea. it makes us gloss over the terrible suffering of the north korean people and just ignore it or it they say we're going to play basketball and make the sky look legitimate. host: again, you heard from mr. engel and we have heard from mr. mccain. the state department weighed in on this. now it is your turn. do you think it is a good idea or a bad idea? the numbers to call our on your screen. host: you can also reach us on twitter and facebook or send us an e-mail. the bergen county record from new jersey is followi

unless dennis rodman can bring mr. e united states, i will have changed my opinion about this. dennis rodman was talking about him as if he had committed some kind of a crime which we know is not the case. it's outrageous that an american citizen has the sanitizing of the regime of mr. kim. i am not aware of conversations that we had and i don't think they were had. frankly i think this is just a ridiculous thing. when dennis rodman calls the dictator his friend and sings happy birthday to him on his 31st birthday. dennis rodman should be aa shamed of himself. >> thanks very much for joining us. >> thank you. >> we will take a quick break. more news after this. new level and considered resigning over it at one point. >> let's say a couple of things. as we noted yesterday, the president greatly appreciates secretary gates's service. to the president's administration and to the country. secretary gates was part of a team that helped bring about an end to the iraq war. it helped decide upon and implement an improved policy

mr. speaker. dennis rodman of nba fame has announced that he and 10 or so other basketball players are going to north korea. he said to visit his friend, the notorious butcher and dictator, kim jong un of north carolina. mr. israel: bringing american basketball to north korea, a rogue state which has nuclear -- mr. engel: bringing american basketball to north korea, a rogue state which has nuclear weapons, starves their own people, throws them in jail, bringing american basketball there and sitting down with a dictator like mr. kim would be the equivalent of taking adolf hitler to lunch. this is really a terrible thing, terrible idea and it makes us gloss over the terrible suffering of the north korean people and just ignore it and say, well, we're going to play basketball and we're going to make this guy look legitimate. in a rambling discussion today n one of the networks, he said that he didn't even care that an american who was imprisoned, mr. kenneth bay in north carolina, and at the very least -- in north

rodman. also joining us -- mr. smith thank you for joining us on the phone. ll when you agreed to go to north korea, did you know in dennis rodman's mind this was a birthday present for the man he calls his good friend? >> i did not know it was a birthday present. that was stated afterwards. but i think i said afterwards if i did know that, i don't think that would have changed whether i would have gone or not. >> you know the criticism. did you feel at any time what you were doing and dennis rodman was doing were inappropriate. standing there and hearing dennis rodman singing "happy birthday" to kim jong-un. having been there do you feel it's not so bad. >> i felt that. that was something that dennis did unilaterally. we did not know that was going to happen and he just did that. and you know, we spoke afterwards. i thought that was a little over the top and that might have been a little inappropriate and that would not have had any bearing whether the game to the success of the game or not. i think if he would not have done it it would not have mae a differe

rodman's apology. they want to ask him, have they heard the chances of kenneth bae's release? joining us is mr. ambassador, simply put, do you think what rodman says hurts the state department's efforts to get ken bae released? >> it's hard to say. usually when you work on these releases you work as quiet as possible and at the end of the fray you may have a public statement of some kind. so this is not the usual place to get the relief. >> although, playing devil's advocate here, here you have dennis rodman talking about, seemingly to suggest to bae deserved to be in prison. that would give kim jong-un some cover for what the u.s. government believes is completely unjustifiable imprisonment. >> that's right. that was an extraordinary statement and i'm glad he apologized for it. i mean, that was really over the top. you know, one has to keep in mind that what really is going on here is the north koreans are using him and others as an internal propaganda show. they don't really care too much what we think. it's more to do with their internal issues. so i think that comment by rodman was very usef

mr. decatur's tool lost his cool. dennis rodman lost his cool when asked if he would stick up for a fellow american. the basketball player who played in pyongyang. >> do you understand what ken bae did. >> you tell me. >> no, no, no, you tell me. you tell me. why is he held captive? >> they haven't released any charges. >> then dennis went menace. >> no, i don't give a [ bleep ]. i don't give a rat's ass what the hell you think. i'm standing here. look at this guy. look at him. ain't no show. let me do this, really? really? i'm going to tell you one thing. people are running the world. i'm going to do one thing. you're the guy behind the mic right now. we are the guys here doing one thing. we're going to go back to america and take the abuse. do you have to take the abuse that we going to snake do you, sir, let me know, you don't take abuse, we going to give it. >> well, it's a little unclear what the hell he was saying. not all of us speak rodman. thank goodness we got ahold of a translated version. >> let me do this. really, real

mrs. obama will spend some time with friends before returning to d.c. >>> coming up, dennis rodman at it againto north korea for a game. he says he's not a politician. he says he's just going to play basketball for his friend, the dictator, kim jong-un. what's going on here? is this really a good idea? and can anyone stop dennis rodman? we're live, next. [ male announcer ] the new new york is open. open to innovation. open to ambition. open to bold ideas. that's why new york has a new plan -- dozens of tax free zones all across the state. move here, expand here, or start a new business here and pay no taxes for ten years... we're new york. if there's something that creates more jobs, and grows more businesses... we're open to it. start a tax-free business at startup-ny.com. >>> welcome back to "early start," everyone. dennis rodman. you were hoping to hear this, right? he's at it again, returning to north korea today with a few ex-nba players for an exhibition game in honor of the man he calls his friend, kim jong-un. this is for kim's birthday. quite a present. rodman's goal, he says, is to s

mr. obama comparing his decision making to that of abraham lincoln. >> that is dennis rodman serenading north korean leader kim jong-un today. rodman called the game historic and said kim is his best friend. the trip has run the ire of kenneth bay, upset rodman has not used this opportunity to try to get bay released. rodman defended the incarceration during a television interview. >> today is the three-year anniversary of the deadly mass shooting in tucson, arizona that wounded former congress woman gabrielle giffords. dozens marked the area where the injured were treated. gifford was one of 13 injured when jared lee laufner opened nier a public event she hosted. gifford marked the day by sky-diving landing safe tli afternoon between phoenix and tucson. giffords blew kisses and waved to a crowd. just before the jump she tweeted this photo of herself with her husband mark kelly the caption reads thanks for the good luck call, vice president joe biden. join me next time? she tweeted it's been step by step since i was shot three years ago. i have overcome a lot, progress has come from working h

mr. drizzle is back this morning because we have a lot of fog and clouds but where is the rain? so we'll see if that continues. map map. >> danville, burlingame. . >>> welcome back, dennis rodman is under fire for comment he made. he is in north korea with several players to play an exhibition game as a president for kim jong il but during an interview, he lashed out when asked about kenneth bay who left while doing a tour in north korea. >> do you understand what he did? >> what did he do, you tell me what he did? >> no, you tell me, why he helped captors -- >> they have not released any charges. >> we were shocked and just outraged, we could not believe our ears. he was in a position to do some good and help advocate for kenneth and he refused to do so. >> kenneth bay was in north korea and convicted of hostile acts and he was sentenced to 15 years of hard labor. >>> robert gates criticizes president barack obama in his new book. he said he doesn't believe in his own strategy but gates does praise his decision to launch the raid against osama bin laden and calls it one of the most courageous moves in history. >>> the department of health and human services said the ads will

mr. kim would be the equivalent of taking agolf hitler to lunch. >> so how is dennis rodman doing on socialway down, depending on which filter you use and the most damning filters. the ethical filter, he's almost 3:1 negative. i got curious and asked who are the people supporting him? and why do they like him? number one, he has a limited fan base. number two, people think sports is a great unifier. the one filter we didn't apply that i would have liked to, is the idiot filter, because i think he would have done well. >> is there a filter -- >> i'm going to create one. >> there are people who may not understand the implications of what's going on in north korea. not surprising that he's down. let's talk about, shall we, the polar vortex. we certainly had a time of it. millions of americans endured subzero temperatures. our nbc affiliate in atlanta and cleveland, had to sit in an ice desk. the poor anchors were outside. what has social media been saying? >> well, clearly people are not happy with the polar vortex. again, this is something that's tracking about 3:1 negative, and who are the p

rodman brought other gifts to kim as well. >> i was told that there was irish jamesson whiskey, there was european crystal, there was an english mulberry handbag for mrsun and there was a fur coat for her, italian suit for him, and then some other female clothing. >> reporter: in total worth more than $10,000. according to the daily beast the treasury department is coordinating with the state department to see whether rodman violated u.n. and u.s. sanctions in north korea by giving him those gifts. >> i love my friend. this is my friend. >> reporter: a treasury department spokesperson says that agency can't comment on possible investigations. cnn has checked into the matter at the state department but found no indication they're looking into it. the sanctions were imposed because of north korea's nuclear buildup. under american law, what can't you give to a north korean leader? >> you're not supposed to bring jewelry, liquor, sports cars, yachts, fur coats, expensive watches. >> reporter: if rodman's being investigated and if he's found to have broken the law by giving kim those goods -- >> he could be in significant trouble. the law provides for both

rodman is appealing. i don't know what his problem was this morning to be honest. i don't know why he got so angry about it and took the step to make the allegation against mr. bae. i can't speak to his allegations. i doubt he can. i think it is all worth it because even the theater of this -- there are two big points. one, the issues matter. kenneth bae's family obviously. you report on this all the time. the threats posed by north korea to united states and other countries are worth giving the situation attention to it stays on people's minds. secondly, charles smith. i'm a knicks fan, a smith fan. the other men, baker, robinson, hodges, other great players that went there on cultural exchange. that's a legitimate thing to do. i get it. but the game was gifted to the ruler as a birthday present. that makes it almost a celebration of a man that should not be celebrated. >> they're playing the game on his birthday, right? >> as a gift. >> obviously dennis rodman is sensitive about the bae issue or he wouldn't have blown up at you. >> there are plenty of reasons to blow up at me. one of the few things that doesn't make rodman unusual is wanting to get upset at me