The Gaggle: Dennis Rodman diplomacy

>> you see hear the one about the former nba all star who became best buds with the leader of one of the world's most dangerous nations? it's no joke.

>> he's a good guy to me. he's my friend. i don't condone what he does, but as far as a person to person, he's my friend. but as far as what he does --

>> someone who hypothetically is a murderer who is your friend is still a murderer.

>> well, you know, seriously, i think that's what -- that's what -- what i did, what i did was history.

>> that is undeniable. we don't have time to talk about that outset. but then was this just a bizarre side show or was it dangerous?

>> i mean, you know, the americans who kind of stuck with stalin, were referred to as youthful idiots. and there are very few people dumb enough to pal around with the north korean regime. but, like, he's the only idiot to do so.

>> watching this whole thing unfold over the past week, i mean, it was -- you know, at first, it's like, oh, this is strange. this is weird. and then by the end of the week, you're like, what is going on? and then he comes back with a message from the president. kim young unwants you to call him.

>> i am going to choose to believe that somewhere in that delegation and somewhere in that craziness an actual important message might have passed.

>> you don't believe that.

>> we've seen stranger things . when they open up the archives and you find out how much was going on in the last days of the soviet union , i chose to believe that because otherwise it is --

>> look at this. it wasn't just the pictures and the embrace and apparently in addition to watching the exhibition game between the north korean team and the harlem globe trotters , he goes back to the palace and they party it up and there's dinner. then he spends a fair amount of time in the subsequent few days talking about how great of a guy he is.

>> if you'd not been following this story you would watch and you'd say, why is dennis rodman in north korea , a. why is dennis rodman at a basketball game with kim jong un. b, why is dennis rodman talking to george stephanopoulos ? it was a really bizarre week-long story.

>> to say the least. this is when we do the shameless plug. article, wh earl, what are you plugging today? and gillnobleavenue kind ofs.com. it's 40 years of great interviews. definitely worth a look.

>> one is to check out the new york daily news's editorial today. and two, on the --

>> can you plug two things?

>> yes, that happens. that's allowed. and two, on today's the cycle, we have the great tom brokaw on to breakdown the sequester fallout. boom.

>> okay. that's -- i like the second.

>> my reporter, rosy gray, is working on the best named media scandal, the peola scandal and in which a number of conservative bloggers were taking money from the malaysian government to plant stories favorable to it including everything from the huffington post and the washington times .

>> i like that. we should have done a better job of naming the sequester.

>> i called it the great ax of 2013 .

>> that's not much better. that's it for this edition of "daily rundown." coming up, next