President Obama Rreviewing U.S. Policy on Hostage Negotiations
BALDWIN: The president is reviewing U.S. policy on hostage negotiations. We know that White House official say President Obama order the review over the summer but no doubt, the tensions on it has intensified after this recent beheading of Peter Kassig. There on the right side of your screen, Kassig is the third American held hostage to die at the hands of ISIS. However, there is one very specific piece of this policy that will not be on the table. So, on the table, I should say. So, let's go to Washington where chief Washington correspondent, host of "the LEAD" Jake Tapper. And why don't we just begin with that nonnegotiable there, Jake.</s>JAKE TAPPER, CNN CHIEF WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Well, what the Obama administration says is non-negotiable is whether or not the United States government will ever pay ransom for Americans hostages. This is different from some of our European allies. ISIS, for example, was holding some Spanish and I believe Italian prisoners -- I'm sorry, French prisoners earlier this Spring. And through an inter-media the Europeans paid ransom. But as the White House press secretary josh Earnest reiterated today, that will not change in this review.</s>JOSH EARNEST, WHITE HOUSE DEPUTY PRESS SECRETARY: The reason for that is simple. We don't want to put other American citizens at even greater risk around the globe. And that knowing that terrorist organizations can extract a ransom from United States if they can take a hostage, it only puts American citizens at greater risk.</s>TAPPER: Now, critics of the Bowe Bergdahl swap earlier this year, you may recall Brooke, say that there really isn't much of a difference when it comes to incentivizing the hostage taking of Americans. Either way, whether it is for a prisoner swap or for ransom, you are giving terrorist groups a reason to take Americans hostage. But in any case, the undersecretary of defense is conducting this review right now. And I think some of the things that are talking about reviewing is whether or not it should be one designated point person to deal with these families, and other ways that the administration can deal with these families, and some of whom, as you know, have criticized the Obama administration's handling of these cases.</s>BALDWIN: Just to follow up on that point, isn't that part of the issue? And I was talking to a former hostage last hour, sort of saying that is the frustration point. You know that the administration or whoever is doing the negotiating or communicating has that information. You know, and is not sharing it with these families who are hanging on every word to know if their loved one is OK. Do you think, having covered for, you know, this administration, do you think that may change? That, just communicating.</s>TAPPER: Yes, the communication. Well, there has been a lot of criticism, much of it behind the scenes. But there has been some strong criticism. You might remember after Mr. Foley was killed, was murdered by ISIS, his mother made some strong comments. And I think that, first of all, the person who has been in charge of this, Liza Monaco, the president's counterterrorism adviser is somebody that, to be quite honest just has a lot on her plate and maybe doesn't -- maybe isn't the person who should be dealing with the families. Maybe there should be somebody else we should be dealing with them. We're going to be talking to somebody else who was once a hostage, David Rohde, who I'm sure you know, he is a Reuters investigative reporter and he was held captive by the Taliban and Pakistan until he escaped seven months into his captivity. And there were negotiations going on with the Taliban trying to get money, trying to get prisoners in exchange for him and we'll talk to him and see what he thinks. He's been covering a lot of these families.</s>BALDWIN: We will look for that. Jake Tapper, thank you so much. We'll see you in 17 minutes from now at the top of the hour on "the LEAD." Meantime, days before the start of the Miss World pageant, a beauty queen disappears. Where did she go? What happened to her? Is she in danger? That's ahead.