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Girl Shot By Taliban Arrives in U.K.; Obama & Romney Debate In New York; E.U. Slaps New Sanctions on Syria; The Rise of K-Pop; J. Crew Expands To Hong Kong; Crackdown on Drugs in Rio De Janeiro; Ship Captain on Trial; 50 Anniversary of the Cuban Missile Crisis;

Aired October 15, 2012 - 12:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: And, Ashleigh, thanks for that.

Welcome to NEWSROOM INTERNATIONAL. I'm Michael Holmes, filling in for Suzanne Malveaux, who is on assignment in South Africa. You'll hear about that later.

We are, as always, going to take you around the world in 60 minutes. And here's what's going on.

More explosions rock Syria amid new accusations from the international community. This time the Syrian air force said to be dropping deadly cluster bombs in the populated areas. Human Rights Watch has released video of the Russian-made bombs. The group says those bombs, well, they're particularly dangerous, vicious really, because they explode in the air just above the ground and release dozens of smaller bombs, or bomblets, that can kill or maim long after impact. Russia says no evidence that that report is accurate.

After more than 40 years of fighting, the Filipino government has signed a landmark peace deal with Muslim rebel leaders. This is a big deal in that part of the world. The deal promises to set up an autonomous region in the south giving Muslims there greater political powers and more control over natural resources. The Philippines, of course, are a predominantly Catholic country. The two sides are going to return to the negotiating table next month to hash out details, including decommissioning the rebels' 11,000 member army. That conflict has cost 100,000 lives.

Well, there is a huge vote on the horizon in Scotland. The British prime minister, David Cameron, and Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond, agreed today to hold a referendum on Scottish independence. It will happen a couple of years out, 2014. The question will be simple, do Scots want to stay in the union with England, the U.K., a union that has been in place for more than 300 years? Recent polls show that between 30 and 40 percent of Scots favor independence. Fewer in the younger generations, though.

Now, that 14-year-old Pakistani girl who was shot in the head last week by the Taliban just arrived in Britain in the last hour or so. In fact, we've got this video just in to us here. Malala Yousafzai was flown from a military hospital in Rawalpindi, in Pakistan, and taken to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, England, for more treatment. Her parents are with her. They were with her on that eight- hour flight. Meanwhile, support for the teenager is intensifying at home and around the world.

A rally there in Karachi drew tens of thousands of Pakistanis outraged that Malala was targeted by the Taliban because she dared speak out in favor of girls going to school. Reza Sayah's been following this story from day one and joins us now from Islamabad.

You know, Reza, I know you've been right on top of this story. How is she doing? You spoke to an army officer who told you exactly what the injury was like. Do we know if there's going to be permanent damage, or is it too soon?

REZA SAYAH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, no one's used the term brain damage as of yet. Doctors say she's still in critical condition. And for the next several days, they're going to do a full and thorough assessment at the hospital in Birmingham, in England. And I think what they're going to be looking at is where the bullets penetrated.

We spoke to one neurosurgeon. He said without knowing the trajectory of the bullet, she's already passed two important hurdles. One is doctors have removed the bullet, and, two, she's passed the first 48 hours. That critical stretch after surgery. So there's a lot of recovery. She's probably going to have neurological damage. She's got a long road ahead. Obviously a lot of people, not just here in Pakistan, all over the world, hoping she's going to make it.

HOLMES: Yes, as you've been reporting too, and we saw there in that video a moment ago, Pakistanis clearly outraged over the attack. I'm wondering if you have had a sense there that the government might, I don't know, take advantage of the public anger, the sentiment, to move on the Taliban?

SAYAH: Well, you're hearing that talk a lot, that this could be a potential turning point in the government's fight against extremism. Frankly, during my stay here, I have never seen this kind of widespread, intense outrage aimed at the Taliban. But at the same time, many are concerned that this outrage is potential turning point could fade away. The key is, what is the government going to do? What kind of practical steps is it going to take to fight militants here.

And, remember, it's more than just increasing and improving counter insurgency, counterterrorism. They have to do other things. They have to build schools. They have to give electricity 24 hours a day to people here. Something that people don't have. The basic rights of human beings here that have yet to get it from this government. Can this government do it? Many critics say no. But certainly they see this as an opportunity.

HOLMES: Indeed. Reza, as always, thanks for your reporting on this. Reza Sayah there in Islamabad.

Well, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton focusing on women's issues today on a trip to Lima, Peru. She's scheduled there to meet with the Peruvian president. That will happen tonight. And tomorrow she'll attend an international conference about empowering women. The event is part of Peru's first social inclusion week. Well, 22 days out from the election, and travel overseas could become an issue again in tomorrow's presidential debate between President Obama and Mitt Romney. The assault on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya, the one that left four Americans dead, including the U.S. ambassador, provided much fodder for political attacks recently, especially during the Sunday talk shows.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM, (R) SOUTH CAROLINA: There was no way, with anybody looking at all, that you could believe five days after the attack it was based on a riot that never occurred. There was no riot at all. So to say that, you're either very incompetent or you're misleading.

ROBERT GIBBS, OBAMA CAMPAIGN SENIOR ADVISER: We don't need wing-tipped cowboys. OK. We don't need shoot from the hip diplomacy. And when Mitt Romney first responded to what was going on in Libya, his own party called him out for insensitivity.

CANDY CROWLEY, CNN HOST, "STATE OF THE UNION": He was responding to Egypt. But let me just (INAUDIBLE) because we don't have any time --

GIBBS: No, no, no. No, no, no. No, no, no, let me be clear, he was very -- he's responding to Libya. And he has done nothing but politicize this issue when what we need to do is find out what happened and do that as Americans, not as Democrats and Republicans.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: And CNN political director Mark Preston joining us now from the debate site at Hofstra University.

Mark, this, of course, is the town hall format. Different to the previous debate. And how much do you think it will be about foreign policy? It's going to be coming from people in the audience. Do you think they're going to go with foreign policy or domestic issues, or mix it up?

MARK PRESTON, CNN POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Well, I'd be surprised if we don't hear one or two questions on foreign policy, but it's very much a wild card, Michael. Unlike the two previous debates, the vice presidential debate last week, the presidential debate two weeks ago, questions are coming from the audience and they're going to be uncommitted voters that live here in the New York area that were picked by the Gallop organization for the commissioner and presidential debates.

But again, I would be very surprised if foreign policy doesn't come up in some way, given what has happened in Benghazi and, quite frankly, the fallout in, what did the administration know, what did President Obama know, what did Joe Biden know about that attack and also the calls for extra security by some of those folks, including, we understand, the ambassador, we think, had asked for that as well. So I expect that will be on the table. But the number one issue, though, Michael, will be the economy here at this debate tomorrow night. HOLMES: Yes, you know, both men, no public appearances today. That's not surprising. They're doing a lot of practicing again. Every -- you know, we get back to the previous debate and everyone's saying now that President Obama must be a little bit more aggressive. I don't know if that's the right word. There's always the worry that he could go overboard.

You know it was funny that Vice President Biden, everyone said that that's what he needed to do against Paul Ryan in the VP debate and then was criticized for doing just that. It's a difficult balancing beam, isn't it?

PRESTON: It is. It will be a fine -- a tight rope for the president to walk tomorrow. A town hall style debate. Can you go on the offensive? You're not standing behind podiums basically going toe to toe with your opponent. You're actually answering the questions posed to you by folks in the audience. So President Obama will be have to be careful. But, you're right, he has to go out, he has to sell his policies better. He has to take it directly to Mitt Romney. It will be interesting to see how he does that.

Now, tomorrow night during this 90-minute debate, the candidates will be able to walk around on stage. So we expect the candidates will actually go up to the questioners and answer their questions. Maybe try to get into their space a little bit to make a connection with them. It would be very interesting, although highly unlikely, if the candidates actually walked up to one another, Michael, and really brought the fight to them directly to their doorstep.

HOLMES: Toe to toe, nose to nose, that would be fun.

Mark, good to see you, my friend. And we'll check in with you later. Mark Preston there, our political editor.

And don't forget, of course, watch the debate -- where else would you watch it -- right here on CNN. The town hall presidential debate tomorrow night. And that's going to be moderated by CNN's Candy Crowley. So we'll look forward to that. Why not be here then? Our special live coverage kicks off about 7:00 Eastern Time.

And we have a lot more ahead on NEWSROOM INTERNATIONAL. Everybody in America wanted it after the first lady wore it. Now J. Crew is hoping Chinese consumers will try it on for size.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: "If it weren't for the music," she says, "I'd be a drug addict or a prostitute or out robbing because that's the reality here."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: And a program in Brazil offering kids a chance to escape the slums, even if just for a few hours.

And, who is responsible for the Costa Concordia shipwreck? The captain accused of abandoning his ship. He was in court today. We'll tell you what happened.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Welcome back, everyone.

A mind-blowing 100,000 plus Syrians are now seeking refuge in neighboring Turkey. The country becoming ever more intertwined with the Syrian crisis as that civil war escalates. Turkey has set up more than a dozen refugee camps along its border with Syria. And over the weekend, at least 12 Syrian soldiers crossed the border, surrendering to Turkish border guards. A Turkish official says, unlike thousands of other soldiers who have defected from Syria, the 12 new arrivals did not appear to be deserting from the military. They're actually trying to escape a battle with rebels. The soldiers have been kept separate from other refugees, of course.

Now I want to bring in my colleague, Hala Gorani, now to talk more about this situation in Syria.

You know, Hala, 19 months now of unrelenting violence and the European Union announcing some new sanctions on Syria. What are they and how likely are they to work any better than the sanctions that are already there?

HALA GORANI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Two good questions, Michael. What are they ?" They are expanding existing sanctions against the Syrian regime. Twenty-eight people have had their assets frozen. Many of those 28 people close to the regime that the E.U. says are involved in the crackdown have had their assets frozen in the European Union. But they are also banning -- and this is interesting because it's led to an interesting conversation on my Twitter feed -- all Syrian airline's flights to E.U. airports. The Syrian airline, Syrian Arab Airlines, is operated by the government in Syria, of course.

And the big question, Michael, as always, as you know with all these sanctions is, if you ban Syrian airlines flights to E.U. airports, who are you hurting? Are you just slapping the regime on the wrist and doing something in the end that is completely symbolic, or are you hurting ordinary Syrians who might want to be able to leave the country and fly to European Union airports. And, you know, that is the question that's out there essentially. What do these sanctions achieve in the end? Are they hurting ordinary Syrians, especially when it comes to the national airline of Syria, Michael.

HOLMES: Yes, good point. You know, the man with probably the toughest job around at the moment, the U.N. Arab League envoy to Syria, Lakhdar Brahimi, in the region. Any glimmers?

GORANI: Well, I think you could call them glimmers. I don't think you could call them anything more than that at this point. A source at the U.N., who's familiar with the conversations that have happened, has told me, listen, there is no final plan here. It's not like Lakhdar Brahimi has a bullet point, Power Point presentation with how to solve this crisis. That he's the kind of person who goes around, talks to everyone who might be able to contribute to a solution, takes his time. It's not somebody who rushes into anything. And he's met with the president of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the foreign minister of Iran, as well. He is proposing a truce, Michael, between the government and rebel forces to coincide with one of the holiest holidays in the Muslim calendar, Eid Ul Adha. That's October 25th.

Now, whether or not that's likely to happen, it seems like a long shot, but this is what he is discussing in Iran.

He's also visited Iraq. So, he's really in the midst of these consultations with those countries that could have some sort of influence, especially Iran, over the regime.

HOLMES: Yeah, I wanted you to bring us up-to-date on something else that's very disturbing. I've covered these things in other conflicts, too, these cluster bombs, explode above the ground, throw out bomb- lettes and are very nasty munitions because what doesn't explode immediately can get picked up months down the track.

Tell us about these reports.

GORANI: Yeah, and you're right about that, of course, and, having seen those on the battlefield, as well, these are munitions that are small little bombs that emerge from a larger bomb.

They're illegal in many parts of the world, certainly, and the human rights group, Human Rights Watch, is saying that the regime has been using them. There've been -- look, you can see a kid there manipulating one of the bomb-lettes.

I mean, you know, it's actually quite frightening and I hope that at least some of the information that you should not touch these gets to people on the ground.

But Human Rights Watch is saying that the first reports use of cluster bombs emerged in July, but that now it appears as though it's a much more widespread use by the regime of these very lethal, very deadly weapons that, in the end, hurt civilians very much because of the fact that these bomb-lettes don't explode right away in many cases. And you have them there manipulated by civilians. There they are in other amateur video, Michael.

HOLMES: Yeah, I know. Just watching though kids play with it, as you know, I mean, so many kids, Afghanistan, elsewhere, have had these problems.

Hala, great to see you. Thanks for the insights, as always. Hala Gorani there in D.C.

Well, it's not something you would normally hear from the slums of Brazil. Well, rather than a helping hand, kids are getting a helping violin. We'll explain. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Welcome back, everyone. Troops and tanks move into the slums of Rio de Janeiro, a major crackdown on drug dealers there now. We'll show you a couple of small shanty towns there that are some of the most dangerous places in the city.

One of the slums actually is known as "Crack Central" for all the drug dealing that goes on there and gangs-activity.

Police say that five suspected dealers were actually killed during a raid on another slum.

The city, of course, trying to clean up these impoverished neighborhoods before the World Cup in 2014, and the Olympics just two years later.

But kicking the drug dealers out is only part of the solution. What the people who live there need more than anything else is a way out of the grinding poverty that put them there in the first place and a new classical music program offering the children of these slums a rare opportunity to do something better with their lives.

Shasta Darlington with this story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SHASTA DARLINGTON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Relatively speaking, it's a cheap violin, made in China and worth about $150, an absolute fortune for young Yanka Leite, a15-year-old aspiring musician who couldn't afford breakfast.

The guy who recycles the bottles didn't pick them up yesterday and pay us, she says, so we didn't have money to buy bread.

Yanka shares her house with eight relatives in a sprawling shantytown on the outskirts of Sao Paolo, ironically called "Paraisopolis" or "Paradise City."

She rarely sees her father who's in and out of jail, or her mother, a live-in maid who she says is working hard so her children can get out of the slums.

Here in Paraisopolis conditions have improved enormously for a lot of people, but others are still living in these wooden shacks right over open sewage, and when it rains they actually get flooded out of their homes.

Music is the exit that Yanka has found. She already played guitar and had taught herself keyboard when she discovered a new project in town, teaching kids classical music.

Each student is given a violin and the classes are free, a program dreamed up by Joao Carlos Martins, an acclaimed classical pianist whose career was cut short by injuries.

Seven years ago, he went to one of Brazil's notorious "favelas," or slums, in search of raw talent and found it. Now, he wants to take classical music to underprivileged children across the country. His goal is to create 1,000 string orchestras.

JOAO CARLOS MARTINS, CONDUCTOR: As soon as these children start to study music, we are fighting against crime.

DARLINGTON: An alternative to drug gangs, he says the music inspires passion and provides a real job opportunity whether it's music teachers, wedding performers, or international musicians.

The difficulties sometimes take him aback.

MARTINS: When one child took his violin to his house, the father sold the violin.

DARLINGTON: We went to Paraisopolis a couple of times over the course of three months to see how the classes were impacting the children.

Yanka broke down in tears when she told us about her experience. If it weren't for the music, she says, I would be a drug addict or a prostitute or out robbing because that's the reality here.

She says she spends eight hours a day practicing different instruments. Her future is anything but certain. At least, she now has a modest dream, to become a music teacher.

Shasta Darlington, CNN, Sao Paolo.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: What a great story.

Fifty years ago, the Cuban leader Fidel Castro asked for a favor from a farm family.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OMAR LOPEZ, CUBAN FARMER (via translator): : He told my father that they need the farm for a strategic reasons for what he said was a military problem.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: Yeah, that military problem was the United States and this was the beginning of the Cuban Missile Crisis. That's coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: The captain of the wrecked cruise liner, Costa Concordia, comes face-to-face with survivors and victims' families in court today.

You remember the story. The ship struck rocks off the Italian coast. This was back in January and then capsized, tipped on its side, killing at least 32 people.

Now, the captain is accused of abandoning ship. Could be charged with manslaughter at the end of these hearings.

CNN's Ben Wedeman is in Rome, joins us now, live. Good to see you, Ben. Tell us what happened in these hearings.

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, the captain of that ship, 52-year-old Francesco Schettino went into court and, in fact, he encountered some of the relatives of the victims and some of the survivors. Apparently, there were no fireworks. There was a lot of security in the court.

Now, today was not, of course, a trial of the captain. Rather, it was a hearing where they reviewed all the evidence that has been accumulated since this disaster in January. This included a 260-page report by a panel of experts and we expect, in the coming days, they'll also review the contents of the so-called "black box" from the ship, which contains a lot of the information about its movements and the actions of the crew.

Now, the captain, of course, is not only on the defensive, he's on the offensive against his company or, rather, his former company. He is accusing them of wrongfully dismissing him. He says that, in fact, more people would have died if it weren't for his actions on that fateful night.

HOLMES: And, Ben, I've got to ask you, as we look at pictures there of the Costa Concordia still on her side near the port, what's going on? How long's it going to take? It's obviously a big operation.

WEDEMAN: It's a massive, very expensive operation. That ship itself cost half a billion dollars to build and it's going to cost many million more dollars to refloat it and take it away to another port where it will be dismantled.

Now, we are told that given the difficult conditions, certainly at this time of year and in the months ahead, that it will not be removed from off the island of Giglio until sometime in the early summer, June at the earliest.

Michael?

HOLMES: All right, Ben, good to see you. Ben Wedeman, there in Rome.

Well, it was 50 years ago today, believe it or not, that the world was on the brink of World War III, the Cuban Missile Crisis, pitting Kennedy against Khrushchev.

The Soviets set up nuclear missiles in Cuba with warheads pointed at the U.S. The crisis last 13 days and ended when the Soviets agreed to remove the missiles and the U.S. promised to never invade Cuba.

Patrick Oppmann introduces us now to a farmer whose land was once a Russian missile base. Check it out.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You don't get much more off the beaten track than Omar Lopez's farm in the Cuban countryside.

And a half century ago, the farm's remoteness brought a Cuban military commandante to Lopez's doorstep.

LOPEZ (via translator): He told my father that they need the farm for strategic reasons for what he said was a military problem.

OPPMANN: For packing up immediately, the Lopez family received a new, bigger farm.

Their old land became one of the secret sites that housed Soviet nuclear missiles.

Omar takes us out to see what's left of the Soviet camp by mule.

LOPEZ (via translator): There were a lot of them. I can't remember if it was five or six barracks of soldiers.

OPPMAN: Now, nature has retain the once-sprawling missile base.

So, here in the middle of the jungle are some of the last visible remnants of the huge Soviet base that was once here and we don't know what this building was, but it looks like it was one of the huge hangars that they actually stored the missiles in.

And here, some of the farmers in the area have repurposed these enormous concrete supports and they've actually used them to create a pen to keep their pigs in.

From here we continue on foot and find a missile launch pad with the fated plaque marking how close the world came to nuclear war.

It was over this area, 50 years ago, that U.S. spy planes caught the first glimpse of Soviet nuclear missiles. The photos they took within just a few days would catapult much of the world into a panic.

Omar said a news blackout said he had no idea that the missiles like the ones on their old farm nearly caused the U.S. to invade Cuba.

LOPEZ (via translator): We were lucky there wasn't war. After the atomic bombs and the sickness that would have come, there would not have been a single human left and there would not have been many of you left either.

OPPMANN: To avoid war, the Soviets removed their missiles and troops, so Omar's father went to the same Cuban commandante with a request.

LOPEZ (via translator): The commandante said, if I gave you a bigger farm, why do you want to go to a smaller one?

My dad responded, you gave me a bigger farm, but that's not my farm. My farm is the little one and that's what I want to go back to.

OPPMANN: The Lopezes returned to raise pigs and chickens on their old land, which is once again a peaceful place.

Patrick Oppmann, CNN, near San Cristobal, Cuba.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: Amazing, isn't it, 50 years ago.

We've just gotten information, by the way, confirming that that 14- year-old Pakistani girl who was shot in the head by the Taliban has actually arrived at a British hospital.

We told you earlier that she'd arrived in Britain. She's now at the hospital.

This is Malala Yousufzai, by the way. You know she was flown from a military hospital in Rawalpindi to Birmingham, England. The Queen Elizabeth Hospital is the one treating her.

The executive medical director there says the child is expected to be there for weeks, if not months.

People around the world, of course, outraged that she was targeted by the Taliban for speaking out in favor of girls going to school.

And that hospital has actually treated a lot of British servicemen coming back wounded from Afghanistan, so they are very familiar with the sorts of injuries she has. So, she's in the right place.

We're going to take a short break. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: The attack on the American consulate in Benghazi, Libya, has raised questions about the security of U.S. embassies and other outposts, especially, of course, in unfriendly or perhaps unstable areas.

Former U.S. Ambassador Christopher Hill joins us now from Denver and thanks for doing so, Ambassador, despite the traffic.

I know you're on the faculty, of course, at the University of Denver. You spent a lot of years on foreign soil for the State Department. There's about an a lot of finger-pointing.

I wanted to get your take on this. The bottom line on security needs for staff at diplomatic missions, especially unsafe territories, what's your feeling on that?

CHRISTOPHER HILL, FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR: Well, first of all, I want to make clear, I don't think this belongs in the presidential campaign.

You're quite right. This is a matter of security for diplomats abroad and, often, have you these situation that is are kind of fluid and then you have to kind of, you know, balance the risks and gains of getting in there early.

So, I think what needs to be done is I think some questions need to be answered, specifically about what kind of security did they have there, what were the available options, et cetera.

But I think they clearly erred on the side of getting people into Benghazi early on the assumption that, by getting people in there, engaging the area -- this is not risk-free activity. This is very real stuff and, so, by engaging early, I think they hoped to try to help bring things under control.

So, these are tough issues and it's always a question of managing the risk involved.

HOLMES: Yeah and it's always a bit disturbing when dollar signs come into that, making that judgment. I mean, I covered the uprising in Libya and was with a lot of those rebels that we see on the streets there and it's just such a place where things can go wrong so quickly.

When you see arguments being put that it was budget cuts here and budget cuts there, one imagines that, you know, when it comes to securing ambassadors and the like, it shouldn't be that kind of issue.

HILL: Yeah, I think the issue on the budget cuts is a more global question of whether the State Department, writ large, has the funds to manage a lot of these posts.

So, I doubt it was a question of a budget cut with respect to Libya. I think it was an issue in Libya of kind of assessing the risk.

I mean, the fact that you have a lot of militia groups loose on the scene in Benghazi that have evidently not been brought into any kind of national police force or national armed forces should be a sort of cautionary tale because, you know, you never know who is really running these things, what's the source of finance, what they're really after.

So, clearly it was a situation that required considerable security and I think the accountability review board under Ambassador Pickering, who knows a thing or two about overseas embassies, will get to the bottom of what were the options and did they do everything they could do?

HOLMES: As do you know a lot about embassies, too. When you were the ambassador to Macedonia, remember, your embassy came under attack. This was during the Kosovo war.

I'm wondering what sort of protection you had then, just anecdotally. What was it like for you guys?

HOLMES: Well, frankly, in retrospect, we didn't have enough. We had a fence system that a large crowd of people -- they were able to take down our fence, just by pushing and pulling on it and down it came.

We had host country police around the embassy, but frankly, they didn't prove too tough. They kind of left after a few minutes and, before you knew it, we had a few embassy guards, but the crowd burned the guard posts, so they had to flee and I ended up in the basement with 42 other employees. What I was very worried about, because I could see it through some of our, you know, observation posts, was that they burned all our outbuildings and burned all our cars and, of course, what I was worried about with my 42 employees in the basement, was whether they were actually going to throw one of these Molotov cocktails inside the embassy and set it on fire, a lot of flammable material in a modern office.

So, we were on the phone, constantly, and we had a quick-reaction force that was really ready to come in to scope me on very fast notice.

My impression in Benghazi was they didn't have a Plan B like that or not a Plan B that was really workable and, so, I think a lot of questions do need to be addressed in this investigation.

HOLMES: Yeah and the wisdom of being there on September 11th, too, anniversary would be a whole other discussion, too.

Really good to talk to you, Ambassador. Thanks so much.

HILL: Thank you.

HOLMES: Well, you've heard of "Gangnam-Style," but that is just the tip of the iceberg. This has been 20 years in the making.

We're going to take a look at the rise of K-Pop.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Well, of course, in some ways it was the new Macarena. You know what I'm talking about. "Gangnam Style." That's right. The Korean pop star PSY busting out those dance moves. The video now has -- wait for it -- more than 400 million views on YouTube. It is the most liked video ever. Probably the most popular example of a growing trend in music, K-pop or Korean pop.

Music was just one of the things fans were talking about KCON in Los Angeles over the weekend, the first ever convention centered on Korean music, fashion and food. And the man who came up with this event is with me now, Ted Kim, the president and CEO of Mnet -- that's an English language Asian pop culture channel.

Ted, thanks for being with us. You organized this conference before PSY became that international hit. Tell us about why you had the conference. Why the significance, perhaps, of having it in L.A. A big Korean community there, of course.

TED KIM, PRESIDENT AND CEO, MNET: Well, for us, it was really about responding to the fans. The fans really told us this is something we want. Like-minded people getting together, really celebrating the idea of lifestyle, culture, and just getting together and having a great time. So our thought was, we really wanted to create a great fan experience more than anything else.

HOLMES: Well, your timing couldn't be more perfect, could it, with the release of the video that went so viral. How big a role, you know, are YouTube and Facebook and I guess other social media outlets playing in the rising interest in South Korean culture?

KIM: Well, social is huge, obviously. The fact that anybody can tap into this any time really drives a lot of what we do. And, you know, it really allows people to curate their own content, so to speak. Everyone can go out there and find what they're into. And we've been very, very fortunate, obviously that K-Pop has become more and more popular. And, you know, people are just finding it and finding it on their own and they're discovering music, they're discovering language, fashion outside of what they typically see. And, you know, that's all driven by social.

HOLMES: Is it getting -- is it getting traction outside of, you know, Korean communities? I mean is it getting picked up by others?

KIM: Yes. Tremendously so. And, you know, it was very, very fun. I spoke at a panel at South By Southwest, and right after the panel we had people coming up to us, young teenage girls from the Midwest who are not Asian at all that came up to us with their parents and told us, you know, my kids are crazy. They want to learn how to speak Korean. They're staying up at all hours of the night watching livestreams on the Internet. You know, they really reached out and somehow found the fashion forwardness, the lifestyle really bring people together.

HOLMES: And certainly fun stuff. Not for everyone, but fun stuff. You know, CNN, and particularly this show, it has to be said, was one of the first to sort of get PSY out there to a U.S. audience in terms of acknowledging the viral nature of the video. And he's not your typical Korean pop star, or is he? I mean, you know, to some he's quite the figure, literally.

KIM: Right. You know, what he is, he's authentic. He's original. He's completely, you know, as a middle-age Korean guy myself, I'm very proud to see somebody like PSY step forward and be the face of Korean pop and K-pop. But, you're right, I mean, he's not what people typically think of when they think of K-pop. But, you know what, the music, again, the music, the message, and the fact that he's fearless as a performer, I think that's universal.

HOLMES: Yes. Yes. I introduced my kids to the video, and they love it now. So, good stuff. Glad you got to have the conference and it seems to be catching on. Ted Kim, thanks so much.

KIM: Thank you, Michael.

HOLMES: All right. Well, it is known for its cashmere cardigans, perhaps those capri pants here in the United States, but now J. Crew bringing its brand to China. Now that's a market.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Welcome back, everyone.

The designer J. Crew, of course uniquely American, known for some preppie collegiate style, well, now, for the first time, as Ramy Inocencio reports, its clothes can be found in Hong Kong.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RAMY INOCENCIO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): J. Crew, a clothing label you might not know unless you're American, or the first lady of the United States. In 2009, Michelle Obama appeared on the cover of "Vogue" dressed in J. Crew. Her own choice. A coo from the White House to the house of prep after a decade in the fashion doldrums.

Now, J. Crew has planted its flag in Asia, in Hong Kong, 30 years after its New York founding. But following huge debuts of Abercrombie & Fitch and The Gap, are Asian consumers ready to dress up in more Americana? Critics have dressed down the company over the past decade after it strayed from the preppie styles that once made it popular. And after just five years as a publicly listed company, it went back into private hands in 2011.

MICKEY DREXLER, PRESIDENT AND CEO, J. CREW: A blue oxford shirt is a perennial forever and ever. Ours is washed a bit more.

INOCENCIO: Mickey Drexler is J. Crew's makeover man. He's been president and CEO since 2003 and says it's time for Asia.

INOCENCIO (on camera): What's so special now? What's so special in Hong Kong?

DREXLER: It's right because we've had really healthy, important growth in America. We're looking at the market long term. And clearly Asia is a critical part of long term growth.

INOCENCIO (voice-over): Drexler also says he feels at home in Hong Kong, just as he does in New York City. But here in Asia --

INOCENCIO (on camera): Their tastes are arguably different from those in the United States, as well as the cuts that are made for J. Crew clothes. How are you going to cater those tastes, those styles, for Asia? Or are you?

DREXLER: I have this kind of narrow viewpoint about the world. If you have good design and good product, it appeals to most people in the world. Look at our friends at Apple. They don't design for different markets, and they're a great design company. We go in somewhat ignorantly about the tastes in the market. In terms of the specs and all that, one thing, our skirts are a little too long, our pants are a little too long, and we need more double zeros.

INOCENCIO: China's consumers here in Hong Kong and in the mainland love to show off their bling. J. Crew is not so much bling. How do you bridge that?

DREXLER: We are not in the bling business. It's not who we are, and we don't want to be. And I think there's enough business for style and design. If you want to wear someone's label or logo, it's fantastic. I think it's a great business. It's not us.

INOCENCIO: I have read that Michelle Obama was one of the best things that happened to J. Crew ever. What do you think about Michelle Obama sporting your line?

DREXLER: Well, the first lady is just another terrific customer. It told the rest of the world the woman of a certain age wears J. Crew. And that, to me, was the -- really the tipping point. I think J. Crew was battling a 10-year-old image, so to speak. That it was a college kid's company. And we've certainly grown out of that. But I think what she did is said, officially, you wear J. Crew clothes at any age.

INOCENCIO: Looking ahead, you've been with J. Crew for the past nine, 10 years. How much longer do you see yourself here?

DREXLER: As long as our shareholders and our customers will have me, I'm here.

INOCENCIO (voice-over): Ramy Inocencio, CNN, Hong Kong.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: Well, I mentioned earlier that Suzanne is on assignment. We'll be checking in on what she's doing. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: All right, the reason you're stuck with me today instead of the lovely Suzanne Malveaux is Ms. Malveaux is traveling. She's in South Africa. Back next week, though. She's going to have some pretty amazing pieces on the country, but she's a bit of a twitterer and she's been tweeting about some of her experiences already. I'll tell you a couple of them.

She writes, "Visited Soweto today where a woman who was a student protestor in 1976 was shot four times."