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Iran Test Fires Missile; Arrest Ordered for Mother of Boy Resisting Chemo; No Progress for "Don't Ask Don't Tell" Policy; Startling New Accusations from a Military Attorney on Detainee Abuse; New Era for Credit Cards; Israeli Prime Minister Addresses Threat from Iran
Aired May 20, 2009 - 06:58 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to the Most News in the Morning. Thanks very much for being with us on this Wednesday, the 20th of May. I'm John Roberts.
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Kiran Chetry.
Here are the big stories we'll be following for you. Right now, it is two minutes before 7:00 here in New York.
Breaking news this morning. Iran claiming it successfully test- fired a medium-range rocket today. President Ahmadinejad saying that the missile, quote, "hit its target." Pentagon this morning confirming a medium-range missile was indeed fired. We're going to be live at the Pentagon this morning with Barbara Starr in just a moment.
Republican Senator James Inhofe wants to make sure Gitmo prisoners do not end up in the United States. Inhofe introducing an amendment that would essentially cut off funding that would allow their transfer to the U.S. And this could complicate the president's plans to close the notorious prison. It also raises new questions about what to do with the inmates there.
Health officials this morning now saying that a baby boy who died in a New York hospital did not have swine flu. The toddler was brought in with a high fever when he arrived Monday. He died about an hour later. Meanwhile, the number of confirmed H1N1 flu cases worldwide now surpassing 10,000. That's according to the World Health Organization. We're following the latest developments on that.
But first, breaking news. Washington waking up to the news that Iran has test fired a medium-range rocket that it claims did hit its target. This morning after -- it comes a morning after Israel's prime minister wrapped up meetings in the United States, which included talks about the Iranian threat. CNN's Barbara Starr joins us from the Pentagon this morning.
So, we're bound to get some reaction. What are you hearing?
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kiran, early this morning, a U.S. military official did confirm to CNN that Iran fired this missile, about a 1500 kilometer range, medium range ballistic missile, according to the United States. The concern always, of course, is that Iran is developing a class of missiles that could potentially in the future hit Israel, put Israel within range of Iranian missiles.
So the timing of this come in as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has just wrapped up talks in Washington with President Obama who wants a dialogue with Iran, obviously a very pointed timing. The overall concern here is Iran's long-term intentions with this missile program.
They are continuing to test fire. The U.S. has observed improved reliability, improved range by the Iranians. This missile today that we are looking at is a solid-fueled missile. That's very important. Because it means once they put it on the launch pad, it is ready to go.
No warning, no get ready time, no fueling up for days on end. The missile is on the launcher and it's ready to go. And that makes it a threat, a matter of great concern to the United States -- Kiran.
CHETRY: Very true. All right. Barbara Starr, thank you.
ROBERTS: Now to a developing story this morning, the ultimate ethical debate over who knows best about what to do with a dying child.
A 13-year-old boy is missing. His name is Daniel Hauser. Doctors say his cancer has spread, his days are numbered, and will likely die without chemotherapy. His mother is against the treatment, is believed to be on the run with her son at this moment.
Jason Carroll joins us now with more on the story.
Good morning, Jason.
JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you.
Bringing up all sorts of issues, medical ethics versus parental rights. Authorities across the country obviously on alert for Daniel Hauser and his mother, and they are ready to take her into custody.
Colleen Hauser and her son failed to show up for a scheduled court hearing yesterday. The boy's father telling the court the last time he saw his wife was Monday night when she told him she was leaving "for a time." Daniel was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma.
A court-ordered X-ray revealed his cancer is getting worse. His mother testified earlier she didn't think her son was in any medical danger and does not want him having chemotherapy. Instead, she wants to treat him with Native American remedies including herbal supplements and vitamins. And, she said in a recent interview, people should simply 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: Well, doctors say chemotherapy and radiation would give Daniel an 80 to 95 percent chance of survival. Without it, they say he could die. Daniel testified he believed the chemo would kill him. And he told the judge if anyone tried to force treatment, he'd fight it by punching and kicking.
But Daniel is a minor and according to our senior legal analyst, Jeffrey Toobin, really he has no say in the matter.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: 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: Well, a judge has ordered Daniel be placed in protective custody in order to get proper medical treatment. Hauser's father is cooperating with authorities and is now pleading with his family to come home.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANTHONY HAUSER, FATHER OF DANIEL HAUSER: I'd like to tell him that, you know, come back and be safe and be a family again. That's what I'd like to tell him.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CARROLL: Colleen Hauser could face charges of child neglect and child abuse. But if she were to return her son, her warrant could be removed. Obviously, what authorities want is obviously just to get Daniel back. They can worry about prosecution later if need be. What they're most concerned about obviously is treatment.
ROBERTS: All right. So we'll explore the legal aspects of that coming up. But right now, let's turn to the medical aspects of it and bring in our chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta.
Sanjay, why do you think the court is so determined that Daniel Hauser gets treated for his lymphoma?
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Really, a couple of reasons. One is that he has a cancer that is getting worse. This is a cancer that as Jason mentioned can be adequately treated, and he's not getting that treatment.
Also, it's sort of an intersection, if you will, between the medical and legal aspects of this. You know, there are some real survival rates for Hodgkin's lymphoma. For some cancers, we don't have these numbers. We don't know how well the treatment works for Hodgkin's. On average, about 86 percent. And in his age group, under the age of 20, even better, 95 percent. A small percentage do relapse and if they do, they still have, you know, about a coin's sort of flip chance of not having problems later on down the road.
So it is very good treatment available for him. And we also know the treatment they sort of explored, the one that Jason was talking about, did not have sort of an effectiveness for him. His tumor seemed to grow despite that treatment.
ROBERTS: About 95 percent, though, the remission rate. That's pretty good.
CHETRY: And did -- I'm sorry, did you also say that there's a 50 percent chance that it returns?
GUPTA: No, if it returns, then the sort of chance of cure or very good treatment is about 50 percent. But only a small percentage relapse. Ninety-five percent in his age group have very successful treatment if not cure with this type of cancer which is Hodgkin's lymphoma.
CHETRY: Right. And, you know, that's when these big questions come in because a lot of people, and most people would say yes, a parent has the right to determine, you know, what's best for their child, especially if their heart's in the right place. But when you see the cure rates, what do we know about the cure rates for his holistic treatments that his parents are saying they want to use.
GUPTA: Well, you know, one thing, I think it's important to keep in mind here because we talk a lot about this on AMERICAN MORNING is there's a difference between alternative therapies and complementary or integrated therapies.
What we're talking about here is an alternative therapy. So they're foregoing chemo which has the survival rates that we just talked about there for something that's really been untested. So it's unclear how well these things work because there's no trials. They don't control trial where they give it and not give it. But we do know in Daniel's case as a case of one, that when he was given this alternative therapy, his tumors grew. So it did not seem to work for him.
ROBERTS: Right. Sanjay Gupta for us this morning. Doc, thanks so much for that.
GUPTA: Thank you.
ROBERTS: You know, we've been hearing from many viewers who keep this issue close to their hearts. Some with children who have died of cancer.
We want to hear your thoughts on this. Go to CNN.com/AMFix to share your views with us this morning. Or you can call us and leave a telephone message at 877-MY-AMFIX. Candidate Obama said gay Americans should be able to serve openly in the military and he promised to end the military's controversial "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy. And while President Obama has tackled everything from the banking crisis to the bailout of big auto, he has yet to take on "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."
Carol Costello joins us now from Washington.
This one's been moved, Carol, decidedly to the back burner. Do we know why?
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We sure do, John. You know, the gay community gave its support to candidate Obama and it expects something in return like getting rid of a policy it says is discriminatory. Today, many in the gay community are asking why it's taking so long.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO (voice-over): It's a promise President Barack Obama keeps on making. "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" will go away.
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I'm going to do it by putting together a military panel made up of people like General Shalikashvili.
COSTELLO: The president said that as a candidate last year but so far there is no panel of any kind discussing the best way to allow gays to serve. And critics say Mr. Obama hasn't even issued an executive order prohibiting the military from firing gay soldiers like Lieutenant Daniel Choi until that panel is born.
LT. DANIEL CHOI, FORMER SERVICE MEMBER: I want to serve. I want to go to war. I want to fight and I want to serve my country. But because I'm gay and nobody wants to do anything about it right now, of course, that's supremely frustrating.
COSTELLO: Nobody is doing much about it right now because despite presidential support, there is still strong opposition to repealing the measure.
COL. ROBERT MAGINNIS, U.S. ARMY (RET.): You have forced them in situations where you say, look, you know, you're going to room with this person and that's an order. Then, in fact, you can begin to have the residuals, the morale issue, the whole issue about retention and recruitment come up.
COSTELLO: Hence, the Pentagon isn't even thinking about "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."
GEOFF MORRELL, PENTAGON PRESS SECRETARY: This building views "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" as the law of the land until Congress acts otherwise. We can't willy-nilly choose which laws we wish to abide by and those we don't.
COSTELLO: And despite a more liberal Congress, lawmakers aren't exactly chomping at the bit to pass Congresswoman Ellen Tauscher's measure repealing "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."
Congressional observers say the reason is simple.
JOSH ROGAN, "CONGRESSIONAL QUARTERLY": The bottom line is that Democrats in leadership don't want to put their members to the test by calling for a vote on this unless they're absolutely sure. And the bottom line is right now they're not absolutely sure.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: Not absolutely sure especially, you know, House members know, John, that an appeal will likely go down to defeat in the Senate. So why bother?
President Obama has had informal discussions with the top generals about "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" and he made it clear the law will eventually go away. But he did not request a formal study. So the Joint Chiefs, the Pentagon, they're following the law.
ROBERTS: Carol Costello for us from Washington this morning. Carol, thanks so much for that.
CHETRY: Also new this morning, a hard drive with personal information, sensitive data from the Clinton administration vanished from the National Archives. Congressional officials say it has a terabyte of information on it that's enough to fill millions of books. It also contains contact information as well as 100,000 Social Security numbers including one of Al Gore's daughters. A spokesman for President Clinton told "Politico" it's being investigated now as a criminal matter.
A military plane tearing through a village and crashing into a ball of flames. It happened in Indonesia. Military officials say at least 97 people died including two on the ground. Soldiers were seen pulling bodies from the wreckage. One hundred twelve people were believed to be onboard.
And there are startling new accusations from a military attorney who defended one Guantanamo inmate. Wait until you hear what harsh interrogation tactics she claims were used. She says waterboarding was just the tip of the iceberg.
It's 10 minutes past the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: What a beautiful shot this morning coming to us from St. Louis, Missouri where it is clear, 62 degrees. And a bit later, it's going to be sunny and 81. The sun is finally shining. It finally feels like the middle of May.
There you go, St. Louis. Good morning - John.
ROBERTS: Startling allegations this morning from a military attorney who represented an inmate at Guantanamo Bay. She says to get information, her client was tortured. And she calls waterboarding just the tip of the iceberg.
Our Jim Acosta live in Washington with details.
A very troubling story, Jim.
JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It really is, John.
And, you know, government documents show 28 CIA detainees were subjected to harsh interrogation techniques. But a military attorney for one detainee who was freed 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: Now the judge in Mohamed's case did not give a reason for dropping the charges, and 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 it will release dozens of other detainees, John.
ROBERTS: Obviously, a story we'll probably hear a lot more about. Jim Acosta for us this morning from Washington. Jim, thanks.
ACOSTA: You bet.
ROBERTS: Kiran.
CHETRY: Well, a claim that a swine flu vaccine could be available in weeks or months but will it really work? We're paging Dr. Gupta?
It's 16 minutes past the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Well, it is Fleet Week. It's New York City's 22nd Annual Fleet Week. It means hundreds of servicemen and women are coming from all over the world. Thirteen vessels, including five Canadian ships are going to parade up the Hudson River. Fleet Week events include a military aircraft flyover. This one well publicized. They're also giving free tours of the ships at the docks, military band performances. They expect 100,000 people to visit the warships throughout the weekend.
Today, at least, they're going to be getting some gorgeous weather. It's supposed to go up in the 80s today.
ROBERTS: It's the Iwo Jima. I was onboard that in 2005. It was the one that was stationed at New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina. They've got amphibious assault ships. Huge, huge, huge, huge inside.
CHETRY: Yes, it's gorgeous. And also not too far away is the USS Intrepid, the Air, Sea and Land Museum. And people can tour that as well.
ROBERTS: Just to the left of that, actually.
CHETRY: Gorgeous.
CHETRY: All right. Well, Christine Romans is joining us once again. She's talking about changes to credit card rules, who may benefit from this and who unintentionally may actually have it worse when it comes to their credit cards.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: That's right. And the Senate passed this credit card bill of rights yesterday. It goes on to the House.
Folks, these changes are coming and these are changes that are going to affect the cards in your pocket, the cards in your wallet. Look, they'll have to tell you before they're going to raise rates, the interest rates. They're going to tell you why they're raising the interest rates.
They're going to have to treat you a little more fairly on different treatments of balances. Sometimes you can carry a big balance, and different parts of that balance are getting charged different amounts.
They're going to prohibit some fees. They're going to make some restrictions for marketing to younger people. A lot of changes are coming here.
What are the risks of those changes? Well, according to people in the credit card industry and people who, frankly, are talking about potential losses for credit card companies over the next couple of years, it's going to be harder to get a card especially for college students.
Anybody under 21 -- I don't know about you guys, but I kind of skated through on some credit cards a couple of years when I went to college. Higher interest rates for everybody, risky borrowers frankly could be shut down, could have lower credit limits and also, frankly, could just not even get a card. And it could mean annual fees for good customers. It could mean in some cases of the minute you make a credit card purchase, the interest starts. So this is some of the pushback you're getting, some of the risks you're hearing about from the credit card industry.
But keep in mind, John, you made a very good point yesterday. For the very, very good customers, the people who pay all the time, the credit card companies are making money off you. They're making money off you because of the fees that the retailers pay.
ROBERTS: Exactly.
ROMANS: So I think for very, very good customers, you will still some of those mileage programs and perks and the like. But there is some concern that even, you know, for middle class borrowers who don't, you know, use their credit cards a lot, you could see those mileage programs and some of those perks go away.
ROBERTS: All right. Time now for "Romans' Numeral." Of course, we do this every day. Part of our program here this morning.
Christine gives us a number that's sort of driving the story about your money. What's today's Roman numeral?
ROMANS: The number is 28...
ROBERTS: "Romans' Numeral." Let's now get that straight.
ROMANS: I know. I know -- 28,412, and some really good guesses on Twitter from the AMFix page on Twitter, folks.
ROBERTS: It's too small to be the average share, per capita share of debt.
ROMANS: I'd give you a hint. It's dollar. And somebody did -- Emmy Mason (ph) figured this one out.
It is the overall interest on credit card debt if you pay the minimum and no new purchases on the average interest per -- if somebody carries a balance, the average interest according to Demos, a middle class think tank, is $9,827. If you make no new purchases, you only pay the minimum of two percent. If 18 percent interest, you're going to pay about 28 grand in just an interest on that $9,000 -- so think about that on your balance.
We're talking about, you know, what is being portrayed as the evil credit card companies. Money doesn't come for free and you pay for it.
ROBERTS: And you told us last hour too that it would take you 57 years to pay it off at that rate.
ROMANS: Yes, if you're only paying the two percent minimum. If you bump it up and pay about $200 a month -- consistently pay $200 a month on a $9,000 or $10,000 credit card debt, it will take eight or nine years, just eight or nine years. ROBERTS: Wow. Incredible.
CHETRY: Something to think about though before you have to have that new handbag.
ROMANS: I know. That's true.
ROBERTS: Thanks, Christine.
Israel's prime minister pressed to make peace with the Palestinians during his two days in Washington. The Obama administration certainly making it a high priority, but are we still miles apart on a solution? We'll speak with Israel's next ambassador to the United States coming up.
And the Grand Old Party looking for new ideas. The head of the RNC is saying it's time to stop tiptoeing around President Obama. And the Republicans finally found their way and their man.
It's 23 and a half minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Welcome back. And breaking news this morning.
The U.S. military confirming that Iran has test fired a medium- range rocket. The launch coming the day after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wrapped up meetings in Washington and addressed the threat from Iran.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, PRIME MINISTER OF ISRAEL: The challenges, the army of Iran, the potential army of Iran with nuclear weapons capabilities. That is a great danger to all of us, to Israel specifically, to the modern Arab regimes, to America.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: Joining us now is the Israeli's ambassador-designate to the United States, Michael Oren. He'll soon be the full ambassador. Just a couple more processes to go through here in the United States.
Michael, it's good to see you this morning.
MICHAEL OREN, ISRAELI AMBASSADOR-DESIGNATE TO THE U.S.: Good morning, John.
ROBERTS: So, you were right in there in the last two days, all of those meetings. You know the priority that this administration is putting on reaching the Middle East peace agreement. Is it finally going to happen?
OREN: Well, I think there's a tremendous commitment on both sides to moving forward. Prime Minister Netanyahu came to America saying he's committed to the peace process, eager to reenter peace talks with the Palestinians, indeed, eager to reenter peace talks with the entire Arab world.
We see this as a regional issue, not just a bilateral issue with the Palestinians. He stated expressly that Israel has no desire to rule over the Palestinians, that Israel wants to give the Palestinians all the sovereign powers that people can enjoy with the exception of those powers that might endanger Israel.
ROBERTS: Right.
OREN: The power, for example, to sign pacts with Iran.
ROBERTS: Right.
OREN: Or to use some of those missiles against our cities and our villages.
ROBERTS: But, you know, Mr. Ambassador, you're a historian. You know, you know the history of the region. You know it's one thing to say you really want to do it and it's another thing to do it. So you think we'll actually see the action this time around?
OREN: Oh, I think we'll see the action this time around. I think both sides are deeply committed.
We have a unique opportunity here, John, and the fact that for the first time in 61 years of Israel's existence, Israel has a deep commonality of interest with its Arab neighbors, the moderate Sunni states, who very much fear Iran -- fear Iran almost as much as we do. They fear the lost of the regimes. We feel our very survival and that creates an opportunity.
Good news in the paper today, the reappointment of Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, who is also committed to the peace process. I think that there is a constellation of circumstances here which auger well for the progress toward peace.
ROBERTS: Now, President Obama has made it a point that Israel needs to accept the two-state solution in order to move forward here. Also has urged Prime Minister Netanyahu to end construction of settlements. It's sort of ironic that just the day of the meeting a new settlement was started in the West Bank and Prime Minister Netanyahu, it's well known, has not yet embraced the two-state solution. What is it going to take for Israel to move on those two issues?
OREN: Let me just correct one point there, John. It was an old settlement that was -- that we're talking about in the Jordan Valley that had been established back in 1982. So it's not a new construction.
ROBERTS: Well, some new construction was there -- new construction.
OREN: There were questions about defining what the United States and Israel mean by the freeze in the settlements. I will say this. Israel will live up to its commitments. These would be the settlements Prime Minister Netanyahu did not build, new settlements during his new term. He has no intention of doing so now.
But Israel has lived up to its commitment also in the Gaza Strip where we actually went beyond our commitments and we uprooted 21 settlements there.
ROBERTS: Right.
OREN: I served in that operation and I'll tell you was the most traumatic we ever went through.
ROBERTS: And what about...
OREN: The question is what -- what -- let me just finish about the settlement. And that is that we also expect the Palestinians to live up to their commitments. We uprooted settlements and they were supposed to uproot terror. We uprooted the settlements and we got 7,000 terrorist rockets from Gaza.
As for the two-state solution, we see it as a semantic difference. We are looking at substance. We want to see an arrangement that provides for security for Israel, for recognition of Israel as the Jewish state as the Palestinians are asking for recognition of a Palestinian national state. We're looking for a situation where Jews and Arabs can live together in dignity and prosperity and peace.
ROBERTS: And I got to ask one more quick question about this, because this is a central issue too.
President Obama said he wants to give Iran until the end of the year to see if progress is being made on ending its nuclear program. I know that Israel sees a great deal more urgency in that. What do you think on what the president said on that front?
OREN: We are very heartened by what he had to say on that front. Israel's supports President Obama's efforts to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. He defined that threat as a threat not only to Israel...
ROBERTS: Right.
OREN: ... and the Middle East but the United States and the world.
ROBERTS: You're comfortable with the timetable? You're comfortable with the timetable?
OREN: We are comfortable. We are convinced that President Obama is committed to preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon and that he has reiterated his commitment to keep all options on the table.
ROBERTS: Mr. Ambassador, it's great to catch up with you again. this is the second of what I hope will be many conversations going forward.
OREN: Indeed. Have a good day.
ROBERTS: All right. Appreciate you coming in -- Kiran.
CHETRY: Thirty minutes past the hour. Time to check our top stories now.
Pakistan's largest city reportedly becoming a safe haven for the Taliban. According to the "Associated Press" police in Karachi are warning that militants are seeking shelter from U.S. missile strikes there in that city. This is hundreds of miles away from the Taliban strong hold in the northwest part of the country. It's also raising more red flags about the Taliban's growing influence in the nuclear nation.
Gay marriage supporters in Massachusetts urging President Obama to honor a campaign promise and to fight to repeal the Federal Defense Marriage Act. They also filed a lawsuit challenging a portion of that law that bars the federal government from recognizing same-sex marriage.
And the head of the Republican Party predicting a comeback. He is calling the president's first 100 days, a reign of terror and says it's time to take him on directly.
CNN's senior political correspondent Candy Crowley joins us now. We're talking about Michael Steele.
CANDY CROWLEY, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely. One thing we know about the Republican Party it's some pretty well- aired mistakes it has made over the past 10 years. Now Michael Steele, the head of the Republican Party said it's time to stop all the naval gazing.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CROWLEY (voice-over): As good as the first 120 days were for the democrats, they were that bad for republicans. They have struggled with existential questions like who are we? What do we stand for? And political questions like how do we go up against a president this popular?
MICHAEL STEELE, CHAIRMAN, REPUBLICAN NATIONAL PARTY: We're going to take the president head on. The honeymoon is over. The two-party system is making a comeback. And that comeback begins today.
CROWLEY: At a meeting of republican state leaders, party chairman Michael Steele set out a rallying cry trying to jar the grand old party out of its big old funk.
STEELE: The time for trying to fix or focus on the past has ended. The era of republican naval gazing, done.
CROWLEY: Invoking the name and imagery of Ronald Reagan, Steele said it's time to saddle up and stop tiptoeing around President Obama and he didn't. STEELE: You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging threat. You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong. You cannot help the wage earner by pulling down the wage payer. You cannot further the brotherhood of man by encouraging class hatred. You cannot establish security by borrowing money. You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich.
CROWLEY: Democrats noted Steele's speech offered a lot in the way of criticism and nothing in the way of new policy and ideas, though that is not usually the role of a party chairman.
Steele did urge republicans to criticize with class and focus on issues, advice which many in the GOP thinks runs counter to a resolution party activists will vote on today. It urges democrats to rename themselves the "Democrat Socialist Party." Steele said that's not an appropriate way to express views. Others just call it stupid.
JIM GREER, CHAIRMAN, FLORIDA REPUBLICAN PARTY: Resolutions that talked about encouraging the democrats to call themselves some other name. We're talking about things that have no substance to them in the American voters' mind is ridiculous.
STEELE: Thank you.
CROWLEY: Hoping to avoid confrontation, the resolution's committee is watering down the wording. If there's one thing republicans don't need right now, it's something else to argue about.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CROWLEY: Now, the last time we checked, Kiran what we found out is that the language of this particular resolution will be something condemning the democrats' march towards socialism, which is slightly better than calling them the "Democrat Socialist Party."
CHETRY: Yes, I'd say so. It seems like he sort of found his footing. The big question remains, who is going to lead the Republican Party into the future?
CROWLEY: Now, that's why you see all of these jockeying out there. We don't really know.
But part of the problem is, any time a party is out of power, they do lack a leader. There's all of this scrambling going on. We saw the other weekend that Mitt Romney, Jeb Bush coming together and saying, let's go out, talk to the people, let's find out, you know, where they are on the issues. You got people up on Capitol Hill wanting to kind of move the party. Then you have the grassroots. That's essentially who these people are now, meeting the state leaders. Some of them want to have the party sort of cleave to its central social issues. Others say let's spread it out. So I haven't figured that part out yet.
CHETRY: All right. That's the million dollar question.
CROWLEY: Absolutely. CHETRY: Thanks, Candy. Good to see you.
ROBERTS: Wonderful to see you this morning. Thanks.
Lawmakers defending the president's plan for Gitmo detainees before they cut him a check. We'll talk to the senator who wants to make sure that they never step foot on U.S. soil.
It's 35 minutes past the hour.
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CHETRY: Well, welcome back to the Most News in the Morning.
President Obama's own party undercutting his plans to try to close the detainee camp at Guantanamo Bay. Senate democrats say that they're pulling the $80 million from a war spending bill which he requested to close Gitmo. They say they need to know more about what the president plans to do with the detainees first. And that is a big question.
There's one republican lawmaker who says he is going to do everything possible to make sure that Gitmo detainees do not end up here on U.S. soil. Joining us live from Capitol Hill is republican Senator James Inhofe.
Thank you, Senator, for being with us this morning.
SEN. JAMES INHOFE (R), OKLAHOMA: Nice to be with you, Kiran.
CHETRY: Why are you so strongly opposed to allowing detainees from Guantanamo into the U.S. either for detention or perhaps for trial?
INHOFE: Well, the problem is - they had suggested at one time, this came out of the White house, they had some 17 places in the United States where they would put these detainees. Now the problem with that is, that becomes magnets to terrorism. And I don't think - in fact, 27 of our states have passed resolutions to their state legislatures not to allow them to come in to their particular states. So you know, there's a good reason for that.
The other problem that I have is that if somehow they come in to our country and we can't use tribunals. We don't have the facilities for that. They go in the court system, they could very well be turned loose because the rules of evidence are different with tribunals or with I should say with the detainees than they are normal criminals. So that's a serious problem.
I go one step further though, Kiran. Because I don't even want - I don't want to close Gitmo. It's a great resource. Every team that's gone there including Eric Holder has gone back with glowing reports. How well people are treated. One doctor for every two detainees. There's just no place where they could be treated as well as Gitmo. A great resource. CHETRY: OK. So I understand that you're saying that we should keep Guantanamo Bay open. This is something that the president has said. And it has become as really huge lightning rod for criticism around the world for us.
Perhaps things are going well there in terms of the day-to-day care for these prisoners, but isn't it turning into a problem for us in terms of how we're viewed by the world holding them without trials in Cuba?
INHOFE: Well, there's some other choices. And those people who are critical of that should realize the only other choices are they can turn either turn them loose, because their countries won't take them back. These people will be back as terrorists trying to kill people in Afghanistan and that type of thing. Or they can shoot it.
You know, the - the most humane thing to do is to keep that facility open where we can conduct those tribunals. We have a special courthouse there that complies with the rules of evidence that will - that we're actually preparing to do. So I don't think there's not just an alternative.
CHETRY: All right. So let's get back to figuring out what will happen.
We have these super maximum security prisons here in the U.S. if indeed this does go forward. They safely house mass murderers, rapists, pedophiles. We also have detention facilities on military bases that are operated by highly trained military personnel. You don't think that those facilities could keep some of these detainees secure at the same time protecting the surrounding communities?
INHOFE: No, I don't, Kiran. I tell you why.
I went down to one of the facilities that they talk about was Fort Sill, in my state of Oklahoma. I went down there. And a Sergeant Major Carter was in charge of the facility. She had had two tours of Gitmo. She said, Senator, what is wrong with these people? We can't handle them down here. We're not set up to handle terrorist detainees. We don't have the facilities for it. Nowhere does.
Now, here's an expert who says the only place that she knows of anywhere in the world would be Gitmo. And again there's just no logical reason to close it.
CHETRY: I asked you about - there has been, though, here in the United States a number of people who have been convicted on terrorism- related charges in U.S. courts. They've gone to the U.S. courts. They've been held in U.S. prisons. Why can't that be replicated with the Guantanamo Bay detainees?
INHOFE: Because those individuals were actually criminals. They actually committed crimes and were not involved in the type of - in the type of terrorist activity as we've been experiencing in Iraq and Afghanistan. And when they - once they come in, you have to do something with them. I think it would be a very bad precedent for us to even start or even consider trying these people under our laws when the rules of evidence are different and there's no place in the United States that we could do it.
And this just isn't my opinion, this is the opinion of everyone who's gone over there to look at it. And I would say also the media that goes over that's critical of Guantanamo all come back shaking their heads saying, what's wrong with that place?
Hey, by the way, I have to say this, Kiran, it's one of the few good deals we have. We only pay $4,000 a year. You don't find a deal like that. We've been doing that since 1903. It served us well.
CHETRY: All right. At least for now, Senate democrats seemed to be on your side. They pulled this $80 million from the war saving bill. They said they want to know more about the president's plan first and then will likely free up the money and we'll see where it goes from there.
We understand that your colleague, Senator Inoue's bill amendments are going to be introduced today.
INHOFE: Yes, the Inoue-Inhofe amendment will be voted on today.
CHETRY: All right. Senator Inhofe, great to talk to you this morning. Thanks for being with us.
INHOFE: Thank you, Kiran.
ROBERTS: The race to develop a swine-flu vaccine. A Boston- based developer says they already have it. So could we now avoid a severe winter outbreak? We're "Paging Dr. Gupta" this morning.
And whatever happened to the dangerous attack dogs that were taken from football star Michael Vick's house? From vicious dog fighters to household pets? See how dramatically they have changed.
It's 44 after the hour.
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CHETRY: The "Associated Press" is reporting that former football star Michael Vick just walked out of federal prison today. He served 17 months for dog fighting. He will serve his final two months in home confinement.
So we know where Vick is, but where are the attack dogs that were rescued from his home? Randi Kaye found them.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Don't let those sharp teeth fool them.
KATHLEEN, JHUMPA'S OWNER: Are you making a very scary face? KAYE: That's Jhumpa, one of 51 pit bulls rescued from football great Michael Vick's dog fighting ring back in 2007. Two died of disease, two others were put down - one for medical reason, another too dangerous - but the rest are thriving. They had to be socialized and house broken, even taught how to walk upstairs. But today, half of them are either in permanent homes or foster homes, the rest are in an animal sanctuary in Utah; none are in shelters.
And look at Jhumpa, she was adopted by Kathleen, who didn't want us to use her last name, and now lives in New York. She has company too - two other pit bulls, a black lab, a terrier, and five cats.
KATHLEEN: One of the things that brought her out of her shell so much was - was the other animals. And her learning from them and watching them and watching them trust me and learning that, you know, living in a home is actually a really good thing.
KAYE: Jhumpa lives the life of luxury. When she's not on the couch, she sleeps in her pink bed. She walks or runs about five miles a day and snacks on doggy bon-bons. Her favorite though is cheese.
Jhumpa's owner says she's great with children and loves to be around people and other animals.
(on camera): Like the other pit bulls who were adopted by families, Jhumpa was closely evaluated to make sure it was safe for her to be around people, especially young kids. All she needed was time, Kathleen says, to understand the world is a better place than she'd known before.
KATHLEEN: The real truth of the matter is that she taught me far more than I will ever teach her about repair and trust and growth and how, you know, how we can aspire to things that are bigger and better than we'd ever, ever imagine. So very, very fortunate to have her in my life.
KAYE (voice-over): And just like Jhumpa, Kathleen says the man who abused her deserves a second chance too.
KATHLEEN: I think that, in spite of everything he's done to these dogs, I think he deserves a second chance. And I think he needs a chance to show the world that he too can repair. I hope that he's - I hope he has the tools to do that.
KAYE: Michael Vick is already trying to make good. After his release, he'll be working with the Humane Society to help kids who have been involved in dog fighting and to prevent more from getting involved in it. No doubt, Jhumpa will be happy about that.
Randi Kaye, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERTS: A great story but you got to wonder, I mean, can you ever really know? CHETRY: And just thank God their lives are - markedly improved from what they were before. You got to be a sick individual to do that to animals. But man, you're right, are they ever really 100 percent rehabilitated after what they went through?
ROBERTS: I guess we'll find out over time.
A claim that the swine flu vaccine is ready and could be available within weeks. We're "Paging Dr. Gupta." He's got the latest on that.
Also, many Americans may soon be lost without the GPS device they use to get around. Oh, my God. Thousands of minivans wandering aimlessly through the streets of America -- the horror! A new warning system that this system could crash soon.
CHETRY: Have you been spying on me?
ROBERTS: It's 50 minutes after the hour.
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ROBERTS: It is really a race against time with the deadly outbreak of swine flu. Many doctors say that we're not going to see the worst until the leaves start turning again. Now a Boston-based vaccine developer says it will have a vaccine ready within weeks.
We're paging our Dr. Gupta this morning, CNN's chief medical correspondent. He is in Atlanta, and I guess they're looking at a synthetic vaccine.
What does it mean to create a synthetic vaccine?
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, this is pretty fascinating stuff.
First of all, when you look at traditional vaccine manufacturing, it could take a while. It can take months, as you say. It is sort of based on this idea of using millions and millions of eggs. That's how you have to make the vaccine, and these aren't the eggs that you buy in the supermarket, John, these are fertilized hen's eggs. They use lots of them. They grow the vaccine in the white part of the egg. They let it grow for some time, and then they extract it and then they deactivate it or attenuate it. So it's not a very powerful virus, but a virus strong enough to make an immune reaction.
What the synthetic vaccine is that is potentially being produced by a company called Replikins and their founder is this guy named Samuel Bogoch. He is an 81-year-old biochemist who's been in this world for some time. We followed him along a little bit when talking about avian flu as well, but basically, the nut of it is this he says that he has analyzed the genetic structure of H1N1. There are specific areas that are most responsible for its ability to enter into cells and then to replicate once it gets inside cells, and he believes that he has developed a set of peptides that if given can block those two things. So it blocks its ability to enter in the cells and then replicate, and then sort of acting as a synthetic vaccine. This has not been tested. The safety testing has not been done. He is saying right now he needs to find a pharmaceutical partner to get the safety testing done and then to possibly mass produce it. But if it works, he says you could mass produce literally tons of it within weeks, John.
ROBERTS: Wow. That would be interesting to see if that actually bore fruit. You know, there are a lot of people, Sanjay, who think that the swine flu virus is going to go not dormant, but you know, there will be a lull in it over the course of the summer, in the hot summer months...
GUPTA: Right.
ROBERTS: And then the leaves start to turn again and the weather turns cold, it's going to come back out with a vengeance, but this fellow Bogoch, he disagrees with that theory. Why?
GUPTA: Well, what you're describing is sort of the way a lot of these viruses behave typically. What Bogoch believes, after looking at the genetic structure of it, that if you look at the infectivity of it, it's ability to infect and transmit, he sees something in the genetic structure that leads him to believe that it's going to continue to remain very infectious. So it's more infectious than a lot of things that they've seen in the past. Now that's the bad news.
The good news is, still, looking specifically at this ability to replicate, which really determines how lethal something is, how much of a virus replicates within the cells. He says that appears to be low, so high transmissibility, low low overall lethality. So good news and bad news there. But that's sort of what he's basing it on.
ROBERTS: So, basically, let me just interpret what you're saying - he's suggesting that it's not going to - there won't be a lull that it will stay with us through the summer?
GUPTA: He thinks that it will not go away completely.
ROBERTS: Right.
GUPTA: He thinks it's still going to be there. It's probably going to diminish no matter what...
ROBERTS: Got you.
GUPTA: Just because people are outside and you don't transmit as well. But he doesn't think it's going to go away like the flu often does.
ROBERTS: All right. Sanjay, thanks so much for that. Good to catch up with you.
GUPTA: Thanks, John.
ROBERTS: Kiran.
CHETRY: All right. So here's what we're working on for you right now.
If you're like me, you've come to depend on your GPS to get just about anywhere, except the local McDonald's. I can still find that, thanks to the golden arches. Well, what if the system most of us can't live without, and even more so, the military can't live without, suddenly crashed?
It's 55 minutes after the hour.
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