MY NEXT GUEST IS THE HOST OF THE WILDLY POPULAR "SERIAL" PODCAST.
PLEASE WELCOME SARAH KOENIG!
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) >> Stephen: NICE TO SEE YOU
AGAIN.
>> THANK YOU!
>> Stephen: CONGRATULATIONS ON ANOTHER SEASON OF "SERIAL."
FOR THE PEOPLE WHO DON'T UPON, "SERIAL" THE FIRST MAJOR
BREAKOUT PODCAST, THE FIRST PODCAST TO, DOWNLOADED A MILLION
TIMES, RIGHT.
WHAT IS IT LIKE TO BE BIG TIME IN PODCASTING?
IS IT ALL JUST GOLDEN MICROPHONES AND DIAMOND-STUDIED
WATER BOTTLES AND IRA GLASS!
GET MY COFFEE.
WHAT IS IT?
>> MY FAVORITE THING IS MY NEIGHBOR IN PENNSYLVANIA CALLS
ME "BIG TIME" NOW.
"HEY, BIG TIME!" >> Stephen: YOU ARE BIG TIME.
THE FIRST SEASON OF "SERIAL" THE ONE THAT BLEW UP WAS A HIGH
SCHOOL MURDER MYSTERY.
THE QUESTION WAS, WAS ADNAN GUILTY?
DID HE DO IT?
THIS YEAR, YOU'VE GOT A TOTALLY DIFFERENT APPROACH TO THE STORY.
IT'S ABOUT BOWE BERGDAHL, WHO WE KNOW DESERTED, SO WHAT'S THE
QUESTION THIS YEAR?
>> WE KNOW HE WALKED OFF HIS POST.
>> Stephen: OKAY.
>> SO THIS IS THE QUESTION, DID HE DESERT?
WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?
>> Stephen: OKAY.
WHAT DOES HE SAY?
IF YOU WALK OFF YOUR POST WITHOUT PERMISSION, HOW IS THAT
NOT DESERTING?
>> HE'S SAYING THAT HE WAS TRYING TO GO BACK TO HIS FORWARD
OPERATING BASE, ABOUT 20 MILES AWAY, TO CALL ATTENTION TO WHAT
HE SAW AS LEADERSHIP PROBLEMS IN HIS UNIT, THAT HE WAS IN FACT
TRYING TO HELP HIS PLATOON MATE S.
>> Stephen: SO HE WAS GOING AROUND THE CHAIP OF COMMAND TO
GET ATTENTION FOR WHAT HE THOUGHT-- HE ALSO SAID HE ALSO
WANTED TO PROVE THAT HE WAS LIKE A REAL-LIFE JASON BOURNE.
>> I WOULD WAGER THAT A LARGE PROPORTION OF PEOPLE WHO JOIN
THE MILITARY WOULD ALSO LIKE-- I WOULD LIKE TO BE JASON BOURNE.
WHO WOULD NOT LIKE TO BE JASON BOURNE.
>> Stephen: PRETTY ROUGH LIFE.
>> BUT HE'S JACE JAISON BOURNE.
I GET THAT.
BOWE BERGDAHL IS-- HE'S AN INCREDIBLY RESILIENT PERSON.
I MEAN, I WOULDN'T-- LIKE, WHATEVER.
>> Stephen: LET'S GO OVER HIS CASE AGAIN FOR THE PEOPLE WHO
NEED TO BE CAUGHT UP.
HOW LONG WAS HE HELD CAPTIVE BY THE TALIBANS?
>> ALMOST FIVE YEARS.
>> Stephen: AND WE GOT HIM BACK, TALIBAN PRISONERS IN IN
AMERICAN HANDS WERE TRADED BACK FOR HIM.
HOW MANY PRISONERS WERE TRADED?
>> FIVE.
>> Stephen: FIVE.
AND THERE'S A HUGE UPROAR OVER THAT.
PEOPLE THOUGHT HE WAS A DESERTER.
WE SHOULDN'T BE TRADING BACK FOR HIM.
YOU HAVE SPOKEN TO HIM DIRECTLY ABOUT THE TRADE?
OR ABOUT ANY OF THIS?
>> NO.
>> Stephen: WHO ARE YOU TALKING TO?
>> SO I AM-- SO THE TAPE THAT I HAVE OF BOWE BERGDAHL IS COMING
THROUGH MARK BOWL, A SCREENWRITER AND PRODUCER, AND
HE HAD BEEN WANTING TO MAKE A MOVIE SO HE HAD ALL THESE TAPES
FOR HIS RESEARCH.
SO I HAVE THAT MATERIAL.
I'VE TALKED TO MARK EXTENSIVELY ABOUT BOWE, AND I HAVE DONE THE
REPORTING AROUND HIM, TONS OF SOLDIERS, FRIENDS AND FAMILY,
PEOPLE IN THE STATE DEPARTMENT, WHITE HOUSE-- YOU KNOW, JUST
SORT OF, LIKE, ALL OVER THE PLACE, TO TRY TO FIGURE IT OUT.
>> Stephen: DID YOU-- HAVE YOU SPOKEN TO THE TALIBAN?
( LAUGHTER ).
>> YEAH, I DID, YEAH.
>> Stephen: YOU SPOKE TO THE TALIBAN?
>> YEAH.
>> Stephen: DID YOU CALL 1-800-TALIBAN?
HOW DOES ONE GET IN TOUCH WITH THE TALIBAN?
>> WELL...
SO, YOU KNOW, YOU TALK TO SOMEONE WHO ACTUALLY HAS
CONNECTIONS WITH THE TALIBAN.
>> Stephen: WHO WOULD THAT BE, SARAH.
LET ME WRITE THIS DOWN SO I CAN CALL THE AUTHORITIES HERE.
WHO DO YOU KNOW WHO HAS CONNECTIONS WITH THE TALIBAN?
>> SO WE HAVE BEEN WORKING WITH THIS WONDERFUL REPORTER, SO HE'S
BASED IN ISLAMABAD, AND HE KNOWS ALL THESE GUYS.
HE GREW UP WITH A LOT OF THEM.
>> Stephen: SO YOU PICK UP THE PHONE AND CALL AND THE TALIBAN
PICKS UP?
>> WHAT YOU HAVE DO, ACTUALLY, IS BECAUSE THEY'RE ALL WORRIED
ABOUT BEING LISTENED TO, SEAM HAD TO GET HIM BASICALLY A
BURPER PHONE TO DO IT.
SO THAT WE COULD SAFELY -- >> WHAT WAS IT LIKE?
FIRST OF ALL, DO, THEY LISTEN TO THE PODCAST?
>> I MEAN, SAMMY TOLD ME, YEAH, THAT THEY HAVE LISTENED TO IT,
YEAH.
( APPLAUSE ).
>> Stephen: AND-- AND-- DO THEY LIKE IT?
( LAUGHTER ) >> I MEAN,.
>> Stephen: DO THEY LIKE IT?
>> YEAH.
( LAUGHTER ) >> Stephen: THAT'S AEATE
BLURB-- "THE TALIBAN LIKES IT."
YOU'RE GOING TO TWO A WEEK NOW, RIGHT?
AREN'T YOU GOING TO TWO A WEEK NOW?
>> WELL, THERE ARE TWO MEANINGS TO BIWEEKLY AND IT CAN BE EVERY
OTHER WEEK OR TWIS A WEEK.
WE'RE DOING THE EVERY OTHER WEEK.
>> Stephen: ALL IT SAYS ON THIS CARD IS "BIWEEKLY."
>> MY WHOLE OFFICE -- >> AND THE WORD "BIWEEKLY"
SWINGS BOTH WAYS.
WELL, THE NEXT EPISODE OF "SERIAL "COMES OUT TOMORROW,
RIGHT?
>> TOMORROW.
>> Stephen: WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO IT.
>> ME, TOO!
( LAUGHTER ).
>> Stephen: AND YOU KNOW WHO ELSE IS?
THE TALIBAN.
( LAUGHTER ) SARAH KOENIG, EVERYBODY.
WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK.
THANK YOU SO MUCH.