[Costello:] A North Korean man executed for treason or was he? Dennis Rodman now says Kim Jong-Un did not have his uncle killed. And that's not the only shocking statement Rodman is making in a new interview; Brian Todd is in Washington to tell us more. Good morning.
[Brian Todd, Cnn Correspondnet:] Good morning, Carol. You know when talking about Kim Jong-Un, Dennis Rodman said quote, "That little kid is changing North Korea for the better." In his interview with Du Jour Magazine, Rodman spoke of his personal fondness for the man who executed his own uncle and who's again threatening to destabilize an entire region.
[Todd:] Far from being contrite, Dennis Rodman still glowing about the trip he made to North Korea in January. And the basketball exhibition he staged for Kim Jong-Un's birthday. In an interview with Du Jour magazine, Rodman said he is still impressed with the show of worship Kim got when he entered the arena that night.
[Dennis Rodman, Former Nba Player:] I was just so amazed to see the people crying. I mean literally crying.
[Todd:] Some of the interview was videotaped but in the more substantive portion, Rodman wanted just the audio recorded. He told Du Jour Kim Jong-Un's uncle, Jang Sung-taek was still alive when he was there.
[Rodman:] That's his girlfriend, that's his uncle, that's his sister, that's his sister they're standing right behind me.
[Unidentified Female:] The uncle is alive?
[Rodman:] They're all right there, sitting right behind me.
[Todd:] The interviewers were skeptical asking again if the uncle was alive.
[Rodman:] He was standing right there.
[Todd:] This despite reports from North Korea's own government news agency the previous month that Kim had had his uncle executed for treason. Other Rodman revelations, he said he paid the other former NBA stars that accompanied him to North Korea $30,000 to $35,000 each out of his own pocket. He said he held Kim's baby and portrayed the uneven, volatile young dictator as something like a cruise director.
[Rodman:] He laughs, jokes and do all kind of
[Unidentified Female:] Did you ever sing?
[Rodman:] Did I sing? They played "Rocky" and "Dallas".
[Todd:] Rodman has admitted that he was drunk for part of the time and said he went to rehab after returning from North Korea but he remains the only American ever to have personal meetings with Kim Jong-Un. Rodman says Kim wants to change that.
[Rodman:] He really, really wants to talk to Obama. He says it I mean he can't stand it enough. These days you don't want to bother nobody. He don't want to kill Americans.
[Todd:] U.S. Officials are now concerned that Kim's regime is preparing to stage another underground nuclear test but Rodman told "Du Jour" Un only wants nuclear weapons to defend his country. Rodman was not only apologetic for the regime but in denial over North Korea's human rights record. When asked about the hundreds of thousands of people suffering in labor camps there, his response quote, "Which country does not have that?" Carol?
[Costello:] What? OK. We'll ignore that for a moment. He also slammed the U.S. Government. Why?
[Todd:] He had much kinder words for North Korea's government than he did for America's government. He says he asked the U.S. Government about six months ago for help in setting up his trip to Pyongyang. He says the government ignored him. We asked the State Department about that. A spokeswoman there Marie Harp said that to her knowledge, they had no contact with Dennis Rodman so. As far as they're concerned, he never reached out to them.
[Costello:] Interesting. Brian Todd, thanks for entertaining us this morning. We appreciate it. Still to come in the NEWSROOM, be careful what you write. A senate candidate is outraged when he catches a reporter scribbling blah, blah, blah during the Q&A; session. And the situation only escalated from here. How the Eastern Bunny got thrown in the mix when we come back.