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American Morning
Iran Test Fires Missile; Search Ongoing for Missing Cancer Teen and Mom; Swine Flu Shuts Down More Schools; New Allegations of Detainee Abuse Against Detainees in U.S. Custody; Senate Passes Bill on Credit Card Fees Overhaul; Edge of Discovery: Robo Man; Obama's Iran Timetable; GPS Could be MIA; John Lennon Exhibit; Iran Test Fires Missile
Aired May 20, 2009 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: And good Wednesday morning to you. Thanks very much for being with us on the Most News in the Morning. It is the 20th of May, I'm John Roberts.
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Kiran Chetry. Glad you're with us. There's a lot of stories going on this morning we're going to be breaking down for you, including breaking news coming out of Iran.
CNN is now confirming that the military or the country test fired a missile early this morning. Iran's news agency is quoting President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as saying that the missiles hit their target. We are following the story from overseas and from the Pentagon, and we'll have the very latest.
Also, a nationwide search for a Minnesota teen is a matter of life and death this morning. Thirteen-year-old Daniel Hauser has Hodgkin's lymphoma, he disappeared along with his mother. Colleen Hauser has refused chemotherapy treatment for her son and she could end up behind bars as a result. We're digging deeper on this developing story.
More schools around the country closing because of swine flu fears. Dozens of schools at a Boston high school -- students at a Boston high school and two other private schools in Massachusetts developing flu-like symptoms. Globally, health officials have confirmed more than 10,000 cases, but they say that the 16-month-old baby in New York who died of a high fever Monday did not have the H1N1 virus.
ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.
ROBERTS: And we return to our breaking news.
This morning, Iran successfully test fired a medium-range missile it says can fly some 1,200 miles. U.S. officials put the range at just over 900.
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad also doing some saber-rattling through Iran state media saying the solid fueled rockets are multi- staged and that the test missile hit its test target.
Our Zain Verjee is working her sources this morning. She joins us live from London this morning.
Zain, you can't help but notice the timing in all of this following talks between Israeli officials and American officials with Iran sort of in the center, the bull's eye of concern here.
ZAIN VERJEE, CNN STATE DEPARTMENT CORRESPONDENT: Right. The timing is definitely really significant. But let's just first focus on the actual test firing of this long-range missile, One thousand two hundred miles is the range according to Iranian officials. But the U.S. military, as you say, putting it at 930 miles.
President Ahmadinejad calling it the successful launch that landed on target. It's called the Sajjil-2 and it was fired from an area called Semnan. The seaside (ph) was extremely advanced technology.
John, the key worry here in all of this for the west is that it's going to raise questions about Iran's military ambitions and the fact that this kind of range, if it's true, 1,200 miles, could hit Israel as well as U.S. interests in the region -- John.
ROBERTS: So, as we said, Zain, this sort of takes place in the contexts of talks between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the new prime minister of Israel, and the new president, Obama. They're talking about Iran. He wants to give -- President Obama wants to give Iran until the end of this year to see if progress is being made on ending their nuclear program. Israel says the threat is much more urgent than that.
Which side does this give more urgency to here?
VERJEE: Well, I mean, what it does is upped the ante. And one critical aspect here beyond the deliberation and the deadlines of the U.S.-Iran policy and Benjamin Netanyahu being there adding pressure on the U.S., wanting them to get tougher with Iran is the local politics in all of this, John, because election day in Iran is coming up soon. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is running for president again. And today, in fact, is the day officially where all the candidates have been unveiled.
So the timing is really significant but it really doesn't lessen the worry that the United States and many European countries have of Iran's military ambitions -- John.
ROBERTS: Zain Verjee for us this morning with the breaking news from London. Zain, thanks very much.
CHETRY: And now to our other big story this morning -- the desperate search for a sick Minnesota teenager who may not have long to live. Thirteen-year-old Daniel Hauser has cancer. Authorities say they believe the teen is now on the run with his mother. The family has been refusing chemotherapy for him.
Doctors say that Daniel has an 80 to 95 percent chance of surviving. This is the typical survival rate, about 90 percent if he receives chemo and radiation for his Hodgkin's lymphoma. But Daniel's family claims the treatments go against their religious beliefs and they're using alternative natural therapies instead.
CNN's Jason Carroll is following this developing story for us this morning. It's a heartbreaking story on many levels. I mean, parents' rights but also at the same time if you know there's a good chance he could survive with treatment, it's a tough call.
JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Very tough call. It brings up all sorts of issues dealing with ethics. You know at last check also, in terms of dealing with the authorities, authorities have no leads at this point in terms of where these people may be.
As we speak, authorities across the country are on alert for Daniel Hauser and his mother and they're ready to take her into custody. A Minnesota judge has now issued an arrest warrant for Colleen Hauser. The court moving quickly after she skipped a recent child welfare hearing where a doctor testified x-rays show Daniel's cancer appears to be worsening.
The teen has Hodgkin's lymphoma. The doctors say chemotherapy and radiation treatment would give Daniel an 80 to 95 percent chance of survival. Without it, they say he could die. But Daniel's mother only wants to use Native American treatments including herbal supplements and vitamins, and in a recent interview said people should respect that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COLLEEN HAUSER, MOTHER OF DANIEL HAUSER: We're a simple, honest family. We're not out to harm anybody. We never -- this is just our way of life and why people want to infringe on it, I don't know.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CARROLL: Daniel also told the judge he'll fight any attempt to be treated with modern medicine but he's a minor and according to our senior legal analyst, Jeffrey Toobin, really has no say in the matter.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: He is not qualified to make this decision for himself. This is what it means to be a minor is other people make your decisions for you and you are not allowed to make this decision. If need be, they have to take the kid away and strap him down and put -- and apply chemotherapy that way. It's horrible to think of but, I mean, it's life or death.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CARROLL: Daniel's father says meantime, he has no idea where his wife and son are. He's said to be cooperating with authorities and is now pleading with his family to come home.
Of course, this is not the first case of parents disagreeing with doctors and judges on how to treat their sick child. Four years ago, a Texas court put a 12-year-old girl into foster care after her parents refused to treat her Hodgkin's disease with conventional medicine. The parents appealed and the court eventually sided with them. But in the case of Daniel Hauser, authorities say he needs modern medical treatment and once they find him, they say he will, in fact, get it.
Again, Hauser's father says that he is cooperating with authorities. He also says if his wife happens to call, he will call authorities and let them know where she may be. But at this point, very little leads.
CHETRY: Do you know what the outcome of the other case was?
CARROLL: Outcome is she ended up going back with her parents.
CHETRY: All right. Thanks, Jason.
Well, we want to know what you think about the case and cases like this. Should parents or the courts have the final say when it comes to differences over treating sick kids? Does the survival rate matter?
Head to our Web site, CNN.com/amFIX. Send us a note or call our show hotline 877-MY-AMFIX.
ROBERTS: We turn now to growing fears this morning over the swine flu.
Nearly 5,500 cases now confirmed across the country and more than 10,000 cases across the world. Schools closing their doors this morning including three in and around Boston. School officials across the country say absentee rates have shot up.
This morning, officials in Missouri are trying to determine if a man there died from the H1N1 swine flu virus.
Mary Snow joins us now with more on that toddler in New York who died Monday with the high fever. Initially suspected that the child may have had some flu-like symptoms? Do we know exactly what it was that caused the death?
MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We still don't know the exact cause of death but preliminary tests show that the baby kid did not have the H1N1 virus, swine flu. The CDC is going to do further analyses. We'll have those results later this week.
Now the baby died Monday night after developing a fever and the boy's father says he does not know what happened.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): He was fine. He was running. He was happy, everything.
SNOW (voice-over): At the same hospital where the baby died, the pediatric emergency room has been inundated. And parents like Noureen Fatime are gripped with fear. NOUREEN FATIME, CONCERNED PARENT: I'm here just to examine my kids because they're having the fever and I am just worried about them because of the swine flu.
SNOW: The hospital says it's seen mostly mild flu cases, but that hasn't quelled anxiousness. With more than 17 schools closed already and an assistant principal whose death was linked to swine flu, some parents say they want more schools to be closed.
Mayor Bloomberg continues to be questioned about it.
MAYOR MICHAEL BLOOMBERG, NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: When I asked Tom Frieden (ph) if you wanted to stop the spread of flu, he would say close the schools for a month, keep kids from going to the playground or from working with -- or from eating with their siblings and sleeping with their siblings and even then, there's no evidence that it would stop it.
SNOW: As another school shut down, the city is also monitoring inmates at the Rikers Island correctional facility where there's been four confirmed cases of swine flu. Prisoners are also being checked for the flu before being sent to court. This heightened concern comes weeks after initial outbreak at a Queens school where flu cases have since subsided.
So why the recent low in reported cases? Some influenza specialists say it's unclear.
DR. GARY KALKUT, MONTEFIORE MEDICAL CENTER: I'm not sure I can fully explain it. The incubation period for flu is relatively short. It's one to four days. So if someone was exposed to flu on day zero, you would expect that they would have symptoms by day three or four as an outlier, maybe slightly longer than that.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SNOW: Now as the swine flu comes back into focus, some city hospitals say they're seeing a spike not only in children going to emergency rooms but adults. Some are well but worried, others with flu-like symptoms.
Health officials say, John, that these cases are largely mild and they're consistent with seasonal flu.
ROBERTS: And as we know, 36,000 people die every year from the regular flu so...
SNOW: Right. And about 2,000 in New York City.
ROBERTS: All right. Mary, thanks very much.
SNOW: Sure.
ROBERTS: Kiran.
CHETRY: Well, it's time now to check some of the other stories this morning.
The White House is considering launching a commission to protect you, the consumer, and your wallet by regulating things like credit cards and mortgages. Officials in the White House say that the Obama administration has been discussing the idea with financial executives. It's all part of a plan to crack down on abuses exposed by the current financial crisis.
Also, a hard drive with personal information and sensitive data from the Clinton administration vanished from the National Archives. Congressional officials say it has a terabyte of information on it enough to fill millions of books. It contains contact information, 100,000 Social Security numbers, including one of Al Gore's daughters. A spokesman for President Clinton told "Politico" it's now being investigated as a criminal matter.
New allegations this morning of shocking brutality against detainees in U.S. custody. Claims coming from one military attorney. We're breaking down the details live from Washington just ahead.
It's 10 and a half minutes past the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning.
Well, another one of the child stars from "Slumdog Millionaire" has had her home torn down by authorities in Mumbai, India. The father of 9-year-old Rubina Ali was reportedly beaten by police who were supervising the demolition in the Mumbai slum. Last week, bulldozers leveled the home of the film's other impoverished child star.
Well, a follow-up to a story we brought you a few weeks ago. The Environmental Protection Agency says tests have confirmed drywall made in China contains high levels of chemicals typically found in acrylic paint. Federal and state officials say that the house building staple may be causing corrosion in metals and electrical appliances and homes, and that it may be linked to respiratory and sinus problems.
The first complaints went public back in March and came mostly from the gulf region where humidity levels are much higher. The defective drywall was used by builders during the construction boom five years ago.
Plus, a group of gay marriage supporters in Massachusetts putting pressure on the White House asking the president to honor a campaign promise to try to overturn the Federal Defense of Marriage Act. The Boston-based organization filing a lawsuit challenging part of the act which keeps the federal government from recognizing same-sex marriage - John.
ROBERTS: One military attorney is speaking out this morning accusing the military and the government of beating, drugging and abusing some detainees under former President Bush. The allegations are disturbing and go much further than anything documented in memos released so far.
Our Jim Acosta live in Washington for us this morning tracking the story.
Good morning, Jim.
JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, John.
You know, government documents show 28 CIA detainees were subjected to harsh interrogation techniques. But a military attorney for one detainee who was free from Guantanamo told us in her first on- camera interview in the U.S., she believes there may be more.
And we should warn our viewers some of what you're about to hear is graphic.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ACOSTA: What you're saying is that waterboarding is only the beginning?
LT. COL. YVONNE BRADLEY, MILITARY ATTORNEY FOR FREED DETAINEE: Absolutely. It's the tip of the iceberg.
ACOSTA (voice-over): Air Force Reserve Lieutenant Colonel Yvonne Bradley says she came to that conclusion as a lifelong Republican who never had questioned the war on terror, when she was appointed the military attorney for Guantanamo detainee Binyam Mohamed.
(on camera): You thought this was a terrorist I'm dealing with?
BRADLEY: I absolutely did. I mean, my government was saying this was the worst of the worst.
ACOSTA (voice-over): A British resident originally from Ethiopia, Mohamed was detained by U.S. authorities in Pakistan right after the 9/11 attacks. Bradley says Mohamed may have attended an al Qaeda training camp in Afghanistan.
(on camera): So he may have been to a camp?
BRADLEY: He may have been to a camp.
ACOSTA (voice-over): After Mohamed's arrest, Bradley says he was flown to Morocco where he was drugged, beaten, and worse.
BRADLEY: In Morocco, he also reported that they started this monthly treatment where they would come in with a scalpel or a razor- type of instrument and slash his genitals just with small cuts.
ACOSTA: Bradley says Mohamed was eventually shipped back to Afghanistan where he wrote out this confession, admitting to training at an al Qaeda camp and discussing plans for a dirty bomb. When asked if he had been abused, he wrote, no.
(on camera): You think he confessed to all of these things after he was tortured.
BRADLEY: There's no reliable evidence that Mr. Mohamed was going to do anything to the United States.
ACOSTA (voice-over): Late last year, a military commission's judge dropped the charges against Mohamed . On this third day in office, President Obama ordered Mohamed released from Guantanamo, a move blasted by one group representing military families.
BRIAN WISE, MILITARY FAMILIES UNITED: When we release these detainees, when we release these terrorists, we put America and we put America's allies in more danger.
ACOSTA: Mohamed told the BBC he is trying to move on.
BINYAM MOHAMED, GUANTANAMO DETAINEE: It's been seven years of literal darkness that I have been through with that. Coming back to life is taking me some time.
ACOSTA: Yvonne Bradley believes there are other former and current detainees on the same journey.
(on camera): Do you feel comfortable saying that in a U.S. military uniform?
BRADLEY: I do, because I raised my hand to protect the Constitution of the United States. This has nothing to do with national security. It has to do with national embarrassment.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ACOSTA: The judge in Mohamed's case did not give a reason for dropping the charges. The Pentagon is not commenting on the matter. The Justice Department did refer us to its statement on Mohamed's release that it's consistent with the national security and foreign policy interest of the United States and the interest of justice.
A special task force is now reviewing whether to release other detainees, dozens of other detainees, John. And we should mention, you can watch the full interview with Yvonne Bradley on our AMFix Web site, CNN.com/AMFix -- John.
ROBERTS: Is there any proof of these claims, Jim, or it's just what he's saying?
ACOSTA: There is no proof of any of these claims. And what Yvonne Bradley says is that she's been lied to by government officials throughout this entire ordeal and that the only consistent story she's gotten through all of this is from her client. And she says, that's enough for her.
Now, obviously, you know, this is a leap of faith for this attorney. But we have to mention she is not the only military attorney who is talking about this.
There are other military attorneys for other detainees who say that their clients have also been abused and many of these military attorneys described the military commissions process down at Guantanamo as a farce. And so this is not just coming from one military attorney, John.
ROBERTS: It will be interesting to see what the reception is for her allegations. Jim Acosta for us. Jim, thanks so much - Kiran.
ACOSTA: You bet.
CHETRY: John, thanks.
Well, Christine Romans is here "Minding Your Business" this morning. We are talking about some of these changes that the Obama administration is talking about in reforming credit cards.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: That's right.
It's a whole new world now for credit cards. This is going to change for the cards you carry in your pocket, for the balance you carry in your credit cards. If you don't carry a balance, it could be a whole new world for you about what it's like to use a credit card. There could be some unintended consequences there.
And our "Romans' Numeral" every day we give you a number driving the news, driving your money -- 57 has to do with years and our love affair with credit. Go to Twitter at AMFix.
CHETRY: Sounds good. All right, Christine. Thanks.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: You can see pretty clearly there. No question about that. Welcome...
CHETRY: I can see now that the pants are gone.
ROBERTS: Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning.
The reaction pouring in from one of our most popular stories yesterday. Privacy advocates making a push to pull the plug on screening machines being tested at 19 airports. Critics say the scanners subject passengers to a virtual strip search. But the majority of you calling our hotline say get over it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HAROLD, GEORGIA (via telephone): These people who are worried about a computer scan at the airport are delusional. Are you really worried about a guard seeing the outline of your body or a terrorist bringing a weapon aboard the plane? Come on, get real.
FRANK, ILLINOIS (via telephone): I think the scanning is OK. I think it's better than the alternative. And I think these people need to get a real life. Do you think everything is always negative? Let's look at this as a positive way to stop airplane terrorism.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: Keep those calls coming. The telephone number is 1- 877-MY-AMFIX. You know, I saw Wolf Blitzer and Jack Cafferty talking about this yesterday in "THE SITUATION ROOM." Wolf said that he'd gone through one of those scanners. Cafferty says, did anybody laugh?
(LAUGHTER)
CHETRY: Well, I was thinking then if you're a frequent traveler like you are, you're strip naked and run through the terminals and then you didn't have to wait in that line, right?
ROBERTS: I tried that once, but the outcome wasn't good.
CHETRY: You ended up getting delayed even more. Handcuffs first.
Christine Romans with us now "Minding Your Business." Good morning.
ROMANS: Good morning.
Speaking of handcuffs, handcuffing the credit card industry, if you will. A big new, you know, bill of rights for credit card consumers passed the Senate yesterday, goes to the House. The president said he wants to sign this thing by Memorial Day so it's moving and it's moving fast, folks.
The Fed, the Federal Reserve, is already putting new restrictions on nine credit cards. So here's what you can expect for those cards in your pocket.
No more fluctuating interest rates. Extra fees will have to be very easily explained. No more fine print. Forty-five days notice before raising rates. Sixty days late on a payment before they can raise your rate hike, and they have to tell you why. And prohibits some fees, as I said, and restrictions now for people, according to the Senate version, for people under 21.
You know, a lot of folks are addicted to cheap and easy credit way before they're even old enough to vote. So they're going to try to figure out - or drink for that matter. So they're going to try to figure out how to limit that a little bit.
Here's the unintended consequence that I want to talk about, because you've been hearing a lot of noise from the banks and the credit card issuer saying, look, you know, if this is the way it's going to be, fine, we will comply. But it's going to mean people with good credit are probably going to have to subsidize people with bad credit. It's going to mean people with good credit could see -- and who pay off of their bills every month could see the return of the annual fee.
I've even been hearing people talk about starting interest on a purchase the minute that you make that purchase.
ROBERTS: There are some cards that do that.
ROMANS: Yes. And so...
ROBERTS: I was surprised when I got my first Home Depot statement?
ROMANS: Oh, does it really? Does that one do it?
ROBERTS: So it did at least then. So I took my scissors and just...
ROMANS: Yes. Good call. Some people are really addicted to these cards and can't live without them and are living paycheck to paycheck. And this is the little gravy to get them over the edge.
Other people who pay them off all the time, they could notice some differences too. So it will be a whole new world for the credit cards.
It's going to be easier to understand. This is my favorite big long -- we got a -- it's all this fine print. There won't be any more fine print.
And on your bill, it's going to be able to say if you take the minimum payment and you pay, you know, every month on time, this is how long it will take you to pay it off.
CHETRY: All right. So is this definitely happening. Are these proposals right now?
ROMANS: Well, it's moving fast. It's going to happen. I mean, the House has to pass it. Sounds like they will and the president wants to sign it. So this stuff -- this is just the Senate version, but we'll have to work some differences. But it looks like it's happening.
ROBERTS: Christine, "Romans' Numeral" this morning.
ROMANS: We have the "Romans' Numeral." Of course, the number driving the day, trying to make you think a little bit about your money is 57, 57.
ROBERTS: We're talking about credit cards here?
ROMANS: This is credit cards. This is years. You know...
ROBERTS: Because it could be the number of times I've cut up my credit cards.
ROMANS: Yes, exactly.
CHETRY: I guess it's -- if you make a charge when you're 18, this is how old you are once you pay it off?
ROMANS: That's a very good guess, Kiran. Because this is -- OK, the average balance for people who are carrying a balance is about $9,800, $9,827. This is according to Demos (ph). It's a think tank. So if you have a balance, the average balance is $9,827. If you paid 18 percent interest, you paid the two percent minimum payment every month and made no new purchases, it would take you 57 years to pay off that balance.
ROBERTS: It really puts it in perspective.
ROMANS: I did this number a bunch of times. No new purchases, just the two percent minimum, 18 percent interest rate, $9,800 balance, 57 years.
So, folks, what this tells you is that there's no such thing as cheap, easy credit. You're paying for it. You're paying a lot for it. It takes a very long time.
A big reminder here, we're talking about, you know, hiding these fees and stuff. We got to keep in mind why we're addicted to this stuff in the first place and ...
ROBERTS: It's a fascinating number. Thanks, Christine.
ROMANS: Fifty-seven years.
ROBERTS: Well, we're following breaking news this morning. Iran test firing a missile early this morning. This as President Obama says he wants to engage in diplomatic talks with Tehran. We'll talk with a former national security official who says the Obama approach is all wrong.
Plus, your own robotic best friend. It may sound like the stuff of science fiction, but the future is closer than you think. It's a story that's going to have you seeing double.
It's 27 minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning.
Movies like "Blade Runner" and the "Terminator" portray robots that look like humans as a thing of the future. Well, CNN's Kyung Lah found that the age of androids may be closer than you think. It's today's "Edge of Discovery."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KYUNG LAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): You are not seeing double. Well, sort of. This is a geminoid, an android version of this inventor, Hiroshi Ishiguro, a professor of robotics at Osaka University.
(on camera): Winks like you.
HIROSHI ISHIGURO, GEMINOID INVENTOR: And the hair is also mine. This is a twin. LAH (voice-over): But not quite. An operator using multiple cameras and improvised detectors for lip movement runs the geminoid from another room. Dr. Ishiguro steps behind the curtain and we continue our talk from here.
ISHIGURO: I can have another person or another person I can be in control with this robot from anywhere. They're usually...
LAH: The ability to be in two places at once, say roboting into the office while you work from home. After a few minutes, I even forget that the geminoid is separate from Dr. Ishiguro.
(on camera): Does that feel like I was touching you?
ISHIGURO: You know I can feel something.
LAH: Professor, are you studying humans or androids?
ISHIGURO: Both. By developing androids, I'm studying human.
LAH (voice-over): Dr. Ishiguro has been developing robots like this for years, but they didn't look human. He believes this machine that looks so much like a man can be used to study human behavior.
ISHIGURO: If we depress the all human function with the technology, then we can simulate the human.
LAH: Trying to understand the human soul by building from the outside in.
Kyung Lah, CNN, Kyoto, Japan.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHETRY: That is creepy but fascinating. Wow.
All right. One minute past the bottom of the hour, A/K/A 31 minutes past the hour. We're tracking breaking news this morning.
Iran successfully test-firing a new advanced missile. The Pentagon confirming this test and saying that the missile has a range of more than 900 miles. Iran says that the missile can fly more than 1,200 miles. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad telling Iran's state media that the test missile hit its target. We're tracking reaction overseas and from the Pentagon this morning.
Also another breaking story. The Coast Guard searching the waters off San Diego after a Navy helicopter carrying five people crashed. It happened 13 miles south of the city. There's no word right now if anyone survived this crash. The Navy reported the accident around midnight local time.
Michael Vick is getting ready to go home. The disgraced former NFL star could be released from federal prison today after serving 17 months of his sentence on dog fighting charges. Vick is scheduled to serve out the final two months under home confinement in Hampton, Virginia. He's expected to work with the Humane Society on anti-dog fighting campaign after his release. Michael Vick's agent says the return to pro football is, quote, "on the back burner" - John.
ROBERTS: Well, we're following the breaking news out of Iran this morning about a test fire of a missile that could potentially reach Israel and maybe even southern Europe.
Iran's nuclear threat, a major concern for Israel. President Obama this week told Israel's prime minister he wants to give Iran until the end of the year to see if diplomatic progress could be made toward ending their nuclear program.
Our next guest says President Obama is going about it all wrong. John Hannah served as Dick Cheney's national security adviser. He's a senior fellow now at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, and he joins us now from Washington.
John, it's good to see you this morning. This idea of giving Iran until the end of the year to see if progress can be made toward ending its nuclear program, do you think we're actually going to see progress in that time?
JOHN HANNAH, FORMER NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER TO VICE PRESIDENT DICK CHENEY: John, I just think there's very little evidence historically that simply through negotiations, through offering positive diplomatic incentives and through essentially taking a military threat off the table, that you can convince hostile anti- American states to give up their nuclear weapons program. So I'm very skeptical.
ROBERTS: You had an editorial in "The Washington Post" yesterday in which you said, quote, "While using intense diplomatic engagement with Tehran to make clear that the historic opportunity that exists for reconciliation, the United States should simultaneously be working to confront the regime with a crippling combination of diplomatic pressure, economic sanctions and military coercion."
The Bush administration used much of those -- many of those tools in the last few years against Iran and didn't seem to have much positive effect. So, I mean, why not try a different approach?
HANNAH: To be fair to the Bush administration, John, I think President Bush did more than any of his predecessors to put in place a diplomatic, economic and military framework that would provide sufficient leverage to pressure Iran to give up its weapons program.
But it's certainly true that we were unsuccessful in actually mobilizing the international community sufficiently to put enough pressure on Iran to get it to stop. Now President Obama, I think the problem was not enough pressure on Iran, not taking pressure off of Iran, which I think is what the Obama approach is for the moment, at least through the end of the year, to work simply through diplomatic negotiations and to take pressures essentially off the table.
ROBERTS: And, John, remember, it serves me correctly, it wasn't until about the final 18 months of the administration that they started to pursue that diplomatic track. It had been mostly sticks up to that point, had it not?
HANNAH: Well, the administration had worked very closely with our European allies to put them in the lead on negotiating with Iran. But it was very clear to Europe that the United States stood behind those negotiations. And in 2005, in fact, Secretary Rice decided to go forward with the P5 plus 1 process, the United States together with its European allies, Russia and China, to try and negotiate a settlement with Iran including a very attractive package of economic and political incentives.
ROBERTS: You also wrote in your "Washington Post" editorial that the Obama administration's approach toward Iran is the triumph of hope, or represents at least, the triumph of hope over experience.
But the people point back to the fall of 2001 when the United States was actively cooperating very quietly, though, with Iran in the war in Afghanistan. Looked like some inroads might be made there and then apparently the Bush administration threw it all away.
What did we learn from that experience?
HANNAH: Well, I think we're talking about apples and oranges, John. There may be discreet areas in the world where the United States and Iran have common interests where they can work together.
But when it comes to nuclear weapons programs, I think that history suggests that in the absence of either regime change, military attacks or the kinds of overwhelming pressures that I talked about in my article, it's going to be very hard to get a state like Iran. And it's very hostile to the United States, anti-American and views nuclear weapons as essential to its security and the survival of that regime to get them to stop.
ROBERTS: And, of course, a big point in all of this is that Israel is extraordinarily concerned about whether or not Iran is going to acquire nuclear weapons. Some American officials have said it might not be until 2014, 2015, that they get the technology.
Israel thinks it could be as soon as the end of next year. Benjamin Netanyahu is a hardliner. Do you expect that if he doesn't get what he wants from the Obama administration on progress on Iran, that he could take matters into his own hands?
HANNAH: I think it's certainly possible, John. If you listen to the way the prime minister has talked, it's easy to believe that he's convinced himself that history has brought him to this particular moment in time for a very specific reason. That's to stop this existential threat of an Iranian bomb and to prevent a second holocaust in Israel.
ROBERTS: John Hannah, it's good to talk to you this morning. Thanks for joining us. Appreciate it.
HANNAH: Thank you, John.
ROBERTS: Kiran. CHETRY: All right. Well, it's in your car. It tells you where to go. The military uses it to keep the country safe. But a problem hundreds of miles above earth could keep your GPS screen go blank. We're going to find out why and what we can do about it, just ahead.
It's 37 minutes past the hour.
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CHETRY: Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning.
The Global Positioning System or GPS has really changed the way we all live. It's in our car. It tells us where to go, gives us directions, it's on our phones. It leaves our virtual footprints everywhere we go.
And the military, of course, also relies on GPS. It's become critical to our national defense. But now there's a new report saying that the Air Force needs new satellites before parts of this system could shut down.
Joining me now for more, senior editor for "Wired" magazine, Nicholas Thompson.
Thanks so much for being with us this morning, Nick.
NICHOLAS THOMPSON, SENIOR EDITOR, WIRED MAGAZINE: Sure.
CHETRY: So this report to Congress reads in part, it's uncertain whether the Air Force will be able to acquire new satellites in time to maintain current GPS service without interruption. So does this mean people like me and you that use the GPS in the car could see the system fail?
THOMPSON: Yes. It's possible, but it's unlikely. Even the report -- just the first one out there -- it's, you know, consider a lot of people think the report is a little overly cautious. Even the report says that in the worst situation, there's still an 80 percent chance, it will be totally fine. What's happening right now is you need about -- there lots of satellites up there, 31 satellites up there.
CHETRY: And the U.S. government has launched them all?
THOMPSON: The U.S. government has launched them all. So there's a system of U.S. satellites, 31 of them. We need 24 of them to be working at any point, to be certain that things will be fine.
So will seven of them go out in the next couple of years before we can launch new ones? Maybe.
We just don't know how long this things are going to last. My guess is that we're going to be fine, but this is an interesting and an important report.
CHETRY: The other interesting thing is they say that the life span next year is when some of them will have expected to pass their life span. So will the government really allow that to happen? Or why wouldn't they just launch others?
THOMPSON: Well, very good question. And they've just fallen behind, because the government is bureaucratic. The Air Force is bureaucratic. And lots of people oversee this or oversee that. So they've try to and they've fallen behind. So the problem is we wanted to launch them but we didn't. So they're going to be launch in the next couple of years. So in 2014, no problems at all. But for now, there's a slight concern, because everybody is falling behind schedule.
CHETRY: And so what happen? I mean, we just keep launching these satellites. They're in orbit. Are there ways to bring them back down and do repair work? And how do, you know, other country satellites sort of factor in? Is there a potential problem down the road for having too many up there?
THOMPSON: Well, there could be a potential problem having too many up there. But right now the problem is too few of them up there. It's very hard to repair them. It's easier to launch new ones. One thing you can do, though, is if the system fails, there are alternatives.
There's a ground-based system that you can use for GPS called LORAN. And this is partly in the news because Obama has considered cutting funding for that. So people are talking about this, partly because they're saying if this fails, we want to make sure we have LORAN as a backup. And then, for your car and for other systems, you can actually get your location information from cell phone towers and there are people developing technologies that you could actually get it from Wi-Fi routers.
So, for your rental car making sure that you can get to Modesto on time, you're going to be OK. For the U.S. army in Afghanistan, which is really where this is most concerning, there is a slight chance of a problem.
CHETRY: I've had to get to Modesto one time. Just, you know, when I lived in Sacramento. So not easy.
Another quick question about this situation, I mean, for us, it's a convenience. But for the military, I mean, this is vital. We rely on satellite GPS and the satellite systems for our national security. And so, when you talk about it being a priority with the Air Force, have they been trying to sort of wave the flag here and say we need to make sure that people are understanding that this is vital?
THOMPSON: The Air Force hasn't been leading this the way -- I mean, this current surge of excitement is all based on the GAO, the Government Accounting Office. And they are the ones who did this report and said this is a real problem. And they actually blame the Air Force.
Right now, the Air Force will probably say, yes, we need more money, we need more satellites. Please fund us. We'll get back on schedule. We'll do a better job with it. But you are absolutely right that this is most important for the military.
The whole military is based on GPS. It's all coded into our devices. So if this fails, and if some soldier at some point in Afghanistan can't reach the required number of satellites to figure out where he's supposed to go, yes, that's a disaster.
CHETRY: All right. But you say it's a disaster that likely will not happen. So that's the good news.
THOMPSON: I think that's right.
CHETRY: Nicholas Thompson with "Wired" magazine. Always great to see you. Thanks.
THOMPSON: Good to see you. Thank you.
CHETRY: John.
ROBERTS: Memories of a rock legend on display in New York City. John Lennon's widow, Yoko Ono, gives our Lola Ogunnaike an exclusive tour of the new Lennon exhibit.
It's 44 and a half minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Coming up on 48 minutes after the hour.
Let's fast forward through the stories that will be making news later on today here on CNN. At 9:30 a.m., Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner appears before a Senate committee this morning to discuss oversight of the Troubled Asset Relief Program. You can watch that live on CNN or CNN.com, where all day long we're "Minding Your Business."
President Obama will meet with his 16-member economic recovery advisory board this morning at 10:00. That board is led by Paul Volcker and Austan Goolsbee. President Obama officially established the board to, quote, "solicit ideas from beyond the eco-chamber of Washington."
And Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is on The Hill today. At 9:30 this morning, she's going to appear before the Senate Appropriations Committee. Yesterday, she announced plans to send over $100 million in humanitarian aid to Pakistan. Today, she'll make the case for additional funding. And that's what we're following this morning, stories that will be making news as we go throughout the day - Kiran.
CHETRY: Well, in case you didn't know, it's Fleet Week this week here in New York City. It's something that a lot of people look forward to for a variety of different reasons. But we have some live pictures right now. A live look at one of the ships.
This is the parade of ships, actually, as they're sailing into the city. And there's one of them right there. Hundreds of servicemen and women are here. It's the 22nd annual celebration.
I think the first shot we showed, that was the Intrepid, right? That was the Intrepid sailing.
ROBERTS: This one? No, it's a marine...
CHETRY: No, the first one that we showed.
ROBERTS: This is a Marine Amphibious carrier.
CHETRY: It's beautiful and large.
ROBERTS: The Intrepid's got lots of different airplanes on its deck.
CHETRY: There we go.
ROBERTS: And a Concord next to it. So, very nice. Lovely.
CHETRY: Gorgeous. And it's going to be a really nice week for the people to come out there and visit. It's really a neat sight.
ROBERTS: Yes. It's going to be up to 80 degrees tomorrow. It would be great. And you'll see all sorts of sailors walking around town in their dress whites.
CHETRY: That's right.
ROBERTS: That would be great.
Hey, a new rock exhibit. It's a rare treat for fans of the late John Lennon. It includes an eye-opening reminder of the night that he was killed. We'll have that for you.
And President Obama has said he would help end the military's controversial don't ask, don't tell policies. So why hasn't anything been done about it yet? And why addressing it now maybe an uphill battle.
It's coming up on 50 minutes after the hour.
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CHETRY: Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning.
John Lennon fans getting a look at some rare and never-before- seen artifacts from the former Beatles' New York years. They're part of a new exhibit at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Annex in New York City. Lennon's widow, Yoko Ono, gave our Lola Ogunnaike an exclusive tour.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LOLA OGUNNAIKE, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: He purchased this at an Army surplus store in New York, but it was one of his favorite pieces. YOKO ONO, JOHN LENNON'S WIDOW: Yes. And he wore this when he first met my parents in Tokyo.
OGUNNAIKE: He wore that to your parents?
ONO: Yes. The guy has attitude, you know.
OGUNNAIKE: How did New York change him as a musician?
ONO: He would tell me that he hasn't changed at all. He was like a New Yorker from the time that he had lived here.
OGUNNAIKE: These videos -- they just take you right back to that moment.
ONO: Oh, I know.
OGUNNAIKE: You know, there are a number of people who come in here and they just sit down and they're riveted. They can't take their eyes off the screen.
ONO: He had many talents. He -- you know, he was a video maker, he was an artist and he was a musician, and also he was a peacemaker, of course.
OGUNNAIKE: This is obviously one of the most important pieces of this exhibit. Why did you decide to showcase this photo and the bag that his belongings were brought to you in?
ONO: This came back from the coroner's office. They gave me this bag. And the brown paper bag just shattered my life. And I just feel like it's an experience that this guy, who was like the king of the world, you know, just turn into a brown paper bag.
OGUNNAIKE: He had this amazing life, traveled the world, touched people across the planet, and it all came down to a brown paper bag.
ONO: Yes, I know, I know.
(VIDEO CLIP)
OGUNNAIKE: So he would wake up in the middle of the night and just start playing. How did you deal with that when you were sleeping?
ONO: Well, I'm an artist too. I don't mind it. I mean, I would say, oh, maybe that chord or maybe you can -- oh, whatever.
OGUNNAIKE: Like -- oh, honey, C minor, I think that's better.
This is his most popular song.
ONO: I know.
OGUNNAIKE: But I thought it was so interesting that you had a lot to do with this song. ONO: I was there.
OGUNNAIKE: Well, look what he's done.
ONO: (INAUDIBLE)
OGUNNAIKE: But he said Yoko actually helped a lot with the lyrics, but I wasn't man enough to let her have credit.
ONO: Well, you know, it's his song, OK.
OGUNNAIKE: But it's your song, too.
ONO: Yes, yes.
OGUNNAIKE: OK.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHETRY: You know, one of interesting things is all these years she's still so involved and passionate about keeping his memory alive.
OGUNNAIKE: She is. There was one moment when she turned to a video of him and she said, oh, hi, John, look at John smiling. And it was so adorable. She was -- I mean, their love still lives after all of these decades and the passion for him still lives. People were crying. People were singing along with the videos.
CHETRY: Oh, yes.
OGUNNAIKE: People were so passionate about this man. And there was a board where you could write a message and a number of people write in imagine peace, gun control -- you know...
(CROSSTALK)
CHETRY: In Strawberry Fields in Central Park and you can imagine, and people come every day, drop off flowers, take pictures. I mean, it's a legacy that, you know, still lives on.
OGUNNAIKE: After all of these decades.
ROBERTS: Pretty incredible. Great piece, Lola. Thanks.
OGUNNAIKE: Thank you.
ROBERTS: Don't ask, don't tell. President Obama has said he would help end the military's controversial policy. So why has it been put on the back burner? And why dealing with it now might be a real quandary for him.
Fifty-six minutes after the hour.
