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American Morning
Iran's Election Sparks Controversy; White House Keeping an Eye on Iran's Election; Memo to Mid-East Troops; New Market Rules on the Way; Airline Safety Summit
Aired June 15, 2009 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning to you all on this Monday, June 15. I'm T.J. Holmes, sitting in today for John Roberts.
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: Good to have you with us this morning.
HOLMES: Good to be here with you always.
CHETRY: And I'm Kiran Chetry.
We have a lot going on this morning. A look at the stories now, we'll be breaking down for you in the next 15 minutes. We start with Iran, the state-run media in that country reporting that the Guardian Council will now begin an investigation into the allegations of election fraud. This move coming after violent demonstrations in parts of Tehran. Those demonstrations taking place for a third straight day now. We're going to be live in Tehran in just moments.
Also this morning, the White House is closely watching and openly criticizing the unfairness of Iran's contested election. Here's what Vice President Joe Biden said on "NBC's Meet the Press" about President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's claim that he won fair and square.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BIDEN: I have doubts, but we really would hold comment until we have a, you know, thorough review of the whole process.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: We are live at the White House. We are live at the White House with what the reaction means for U.S. relations with Tehran at this critical time.
And CNN has learned that a memo has been sent to our military commanders in the Middle East to be careful if they encounter Iranian forces.
Barbara Starr is working this classified warning from the Pentagon and has more for us in just a moment.
We do begin with breaking news. Iran moving quickly to tamp down the violent demonstrations that erupted after the landslide reelection of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. This morning, word that that country's Guardian Council is saying it will look into allegations of election fraud. That news comes after a weekend of violent protests. Our chief international correspondent Christiane Amanpour is on the ground in Tehran. She joins us on the phone with the very latest this morning. Christiane?
CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (on the phone): Kiran, the latest is in the last half an hour, there's been another rally, which is starting. And they are thousands of the Mousavi supporters who are today so far as we can see marching peacefully and silently, and they are not making any chants or doing any of the kind of noisy demonstrations they did over the last few days.
Also the police and things are standing by. And they're not actually intervening. What we do know is that the leader, Ayatollah Khomeini, according to state television has said that if Mr. Mousavi has any complaints, then he should take those complaints to the legal channels. And that would be the Guardian Council.
And in the last, in the last half hour or several hours, the Guardian Council has announced that it would do that and results would come out in ten days. This is not an order to investigate. It's merely Ayatollah Khomeini saying that if Mr. Mousavi had any questions, then he should take it through the legal channels.
Back to you.
All right, Christiane Amanpour for us this morning, following the latest developments in Tehran. Thanks.
T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Well, social networking Web sites like Facebook and Twitter helping to get the word out about the protest in Iran. Here is one message on Twitter that reads, "My friend's saying more than 100 students arrested. I can't confirm this, but the numbers are high." It says, "Just attacked us for no reason. I lost count of how much tear gas they've launched at us. We have now some students with urgent need of medical attention. I'm calling out to all people who can come here. Don't leave us."
Now the Iranian government has responded by shutting down many of the social Web sites like Facebook, also YouTube.
Well, the White House keeping an eye on the fast-moving developments in Iran, being watched very closely.
Our Elaine Quijano is keeping an eye on things for us as well.
Elaine, good morning to you.
How long, I guess, can the White House, can the president keep up, kind of a wait and see approach to what's happening in Iran?
QUIJANO: Well, that's a good question. A lot of people are asking that. Good morning, T.J.
White House officials are being cautious in their comments on Iran. They obviously don't want to be seen as interfering with the process. But they're also not leaving any doubt they are skeptical about the results.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice over): As Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad celebrated what he called his re-election, Vice President Joe Biden made clear the Obama administration has doubts.
JOE BIDEN, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We don't have all the details. It sure looks like the way they're suppressing speech, the way they're suppressing crowds, the way in which people are being treated, that there's some real doubt about that.
QUIJANO: Despite reports of voting irregularities, Vice President Biden did not signal the administration would back away from efforts to engage the Iranian government, but he insisted the U.S. position on Iran's nuclear program will not change.
BIDEN: Our interests are the same before the election as after the election, and that is we want them to cease and desist from seeking a nuclear weapon and having one in its possession, and secondly, to stop supporting terror.
QUIJANO: Analysts say if Ahmadinejad remains in power, the U.S. will have no choice but to deal with him.
KARIM SADJADPOUR, CARNEGIE ENDOWMENT FOR INTERNATIONAL PEACE: It's going to be very difficult for the Obama administration to say that, no, we want to speak to different interlocutors in Tehran given the influence which Iran has on major issues of critical importance to U.S. foreign policy from nuclear proliferation to Iraq and to Afghanistan.
QUIJANO: But the dispute over Ahmadinejad's re-election also ratchets up the pressure on the Obama White House to get tougher with Iran.
REP. MIKE PENCE (R), INDIANA: We need to take a half step back from this administration's olive branch and apology approach to enemies and countries that have been hostile to the United States of America.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
QUIJANO: And in a statement, Senator Joe Lieberman said, "The Iranian regime had made a mockery of democracy." And he called on President Obama and lawmakers to express solidarity with the Iranian people.
T.J.?
HOLMES: All right. Elaine Quijano for us this morning. Thank you so much.
CHETRY: And there's a CNN exclusive for you now.
American commanders in the Middle East were sent a highly classified message as the Iranian election was unfolding. Our Barbara Starr has exclusive details on this. So, the Pentagon, just wanting to make sure, it seem that there's this potential out there for a tense situation in the region and just to look out for it. What was -- what were the details of that memo?
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's right, Kiran. The bottom line is U.S. commanders are extremely concerned that they not, if you will, get suckered into some inadvertent encounter with Iranian military forces. So this classified message went out during this election time frame, reminding U.S. commanders in the Persian Gulf as we are told to exercise prudence, discipline and restraint if they encounter Iranian forces.
What are we really talking about here?
Well, when you look at the map, you'll recall that the U.S. Navy Fifth Fleet is headquartered in Bahrain, in the Persian Gulf, and U.S. Navy warships regularly encounter Iranian naval forces in those waters. There is particular concern about Iranian forces manned by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps. They have their own naval fleet, if you will. There have been encounters with them in the past. The U.S. military view is that those troops don't really exercise appropriate discipline, if you will, appropriate command and control communications.
So the concern is some inadvertent encounter could suddenly spin out of control. The U.S. reminding commanders don't get suckered in.
Kiran?
CHETRY: And a lot of other military worry, as well, on their plate.
STARR: Well, that's right. I mean, even though the U.S. military certainly not taking any position in this current tense situation, sources will remind you that there are a lot of concerns. Not just Iran's nuclear program, which, of course, perhaps is the number one concern. But Iran has a very active ballistic missile program. They've engaged in a number of missile launches that concerns the U.S. They support terrorist groups by all accounts, Hamas, Hezbollah, and others.
And there is a good deal of ongoing concern about Iranian meddling in the ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. That last one is something that U.S. commanders and the Pentagon want to make sure doesn't escalate given the current situation.
Kiran?
CHETRY: Absolutely. All right. Barbara Starr for us at the Pentagon this morning. Thanks.
HOLMES: Well, some other stories new this morning. There's a new general in charge of U.S. and Naval forces in Afghanistan. The former handover command to Lieutenant General Stanley McChrystal from General David McKiernan took place just a few hours ago in the Afghan capital.
General McChrystal has a long history in special operations. He's expected to bring a more unconventional approach to an unconventional war that's turned increasingly violent.
And you remember Susan Boyle? The worldwide singing sensation? Well, she has pulled out of "Britain's Got Talent Live Tour" and that was the show. "Britain's Got Talent Live Tour" expected after that. She's pulled out.
Spokesman telling the British media that the singer was advised that she needs rest. She was actually hospitalized a few weeks ago, you may remember, for exhaustion after she finished second in that TV competition. The 48-year-old was scheduled to sing at a matinee and evening show yesterday in Manchester, but skipped out on that at the last minute.
All right. Let's turn on to L.A. now. This actually happened in Orlando last night. But the "Lakers" celebrating the team's 15th NBA championship. They rolled over "Orlando" in five games. With last night's game 99-86. The "Lakers" led by a guy you may know, Kobe.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KOBE BRYANT, NBA FINALS MVP: I was just locked in. I was completely locked in. I think it's a matter of understanding the moment, it's also understanding your team, and the lead that they have to follow. And, you know, that's what I tried to do. You know, I was grumpy for a while, and now, I'm just ecstatic. You know, I'm like a kid in the candy store, you know.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: If you didn't understand some of that, he essentially said, "I'm good."
The "Lakers" victory led, (INAUDIBLE) a pretty wild night --
CHETRY: Thank you for translating.
HOLMES: No problem. That's what he meant to say.
This is last night in L.A. I don't know why we have to see this after the championship. Rowdy fans throwing bottles, rockets, setting bonfires. Police had to make about two dozen arrests.
It's just a shame.
CHETRY: They won, guys. They won.
HOLMES: Yes. You would think they lost.
(CROSSTALK)
CHETRY: You should be happy.
HOLMES: You would think they lost.
CHETRY: You have 15 championships under your belt. No need to set anything on fire. HOLMES: Wow, Kiran.
CHETRY: Hey, look, if anything but Phil Jackson, they would be able to --
HOLMES: Yes, his tenth as coach of the NBA finals record as well. So they got a pretty good thing going on out there.
CHETRY: All right. Nine minutes after the hour. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: It's 11 minutes past the hour right now. New this morning, a high-tech U.S. Navy listening device is now in the Atlantic ready to help locate the Air France Flight 447 voice and data recorders. The U.S. military says the device will start up as soon as searchers make sure that it will not interfere with the French nuclear submarine search for the boxes. That's also going on in the same area.
These data recorders are crucial to determine what caused the plane to crash with 228 people on board. And, again, time is running out. About 15 more days they're expected to continue to give out that beep until that stops.
Well, on July 4th, visitors will be able to go inside of Lady Liberty's crown for the first time since it closed after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Tickets for the first three days have already been sold out. They sold out within hours of going on sale this weekend. Only 30 people can go inside the crown for an hour -- per hour, rather, because of safety concerns.
Well, hundreds of little girl scouts got a huge surprise. They were visiting Dolly Parton's "Dollywood." And a big hug from Dolly and the new "Coat of Many Colors" patch. It's designed to teach girls to respect different backgrounds.
HOLMES: Well, defeat of Iranian presidential candidate Hossein Mousavi is urging followers to keep protesting despite the government's crackdown on demonstrators. They claim Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's reelection was rigged. And now Iran's supreme leader has ordered that those allegations be investigated.
We're going to take a closer look now at the disputed election and to possible impact on the U.S. with Robin Wright -- a Woodrow Wilson scholar and author of "Dreams and Shadows: The Future of the Middle East." She is in Washington for us this morning.
Good morning to you.
We may not see some official numbers; we may not see the books; we may not seem the government there in Iran released all the numbers, but is it so unthinkable that maybe the majority of people who did go to the polls on Friday did, in fact, prefer Ahmadinejad?
ROBIN WRIGHT, WOODROW WILSON SCHOLAR: It's going to be hard for us to tell. And I'm not sure that we'll ever know the exact answer. But I think the decision by the supreme leader to get out, and urge the Council of Guardians to look into these discrepancies or the possibility of discrepancies is a clear signal that the regime is worried about the unrest on the streets, and wants to make sure that this issue is addressed.
Now, whether we'll ever get to the truth is still a question. The head of the Guardian Council has come out before the election and endorsed Ahmadinejad. So he has his own bias.
HOLMES: So, is it possible there -- it's hard to get into -- I had told -- the supreme leader head there necessarily, but is it possible that this is just for show? To try to calm down some of the uproar there right now?
WRIGHT: That's certainly a possibility. This is the most significant unrest since the 1979 revolution. And many of the protest chants are actually echoed from the 1979 revolution. And this, I'm sure, is making the regime very nervous.
HOLMES: And we saw the Vice President Joe Biden come out and say there are doubts. So the U.S. government, the administration has some doubts about what was going on there, and whether or not, this was a legitimate election.
Is that all the U.S. can say right now? And, also, is that enough given what is still going on there?
WRIGHT: The Obama administration probably needs to let this play out inside Iran before it takes a final stand. But it clearly is an awkward moment. It calculated that Ahmadinejad might indeed win the election. But it didn't calculate that the election might be so disputed and that might lead to such protest. And it will be much more difficult for the administration to reach out and try to deal with this regime if the election is widely seen inside Iran as well as in the outside world as potentially not legitimate.
HOLMES: Now, and the administration couldn't come off before the election. You can't dabble in election in another country, but behind the scenes, probably maybe wanted to deal with somebody besides Ahmadinejad.
But even if there was someone else there, how much of a difference would that make? Maybe that person wouldn't be so hard line? I mean, Mousavi we're talking about here, I guess. But maybe he wouldn't be so hard line. Maybe he wouldn't make such inflammatory statements. But, at the same time, the president over in Iran is not the one actually pulling all the strings.
WRIGHT: Well, this president is a particularly strong individual, and he has brought many of his own people into the government in important positions. But it is true that the regime will probably take the same position whoever is president when it comes to the most pivotal issue of Iran's nuclear program, that there was probably little room for compromise. The difference might be in the tone, the atmospherics, the professional level of the diplomats involved and the kind of engagement that might have been more congenial. But it's clear that the challenges just the same, whoever sits down at the table with the United States.
HOLMES: And last thing here, we had a guest on earlier that suggested that Barack Obama in some way kind of laid the ground work for what we're seeing in Iran right now. Not necessarily reminding or telling the people there in Iran the kind of government they should have. But he kind of made clear for them in some of the policies, his reform, even his campaign, just showing them that, hey, the U.S. is not the problem. Your own government is the problem.
Do you agree with that?
WRIGHT: I think the Obama factor was sadly in the background of the Iranian election, whether it was the campaigning by one of the opposition candidates' wives, the themes of change, and yes, we can. But did U.S. policy have any impact? No. The fact is this is a drama that's played out inside Iran and reflects the dynamics and the quest for change particularly among the young.
HOLMES: All right. Robin Wright for us from Washington, D.C.
Good to see you this morning. Thank you so much.
WRIGHT: Thank you.
HOLMES: All right. Meanwhile, we're coming up on 17 minutes past the hour on this AMERICAN MORNING.
We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning. We're at 19 minutes past the hour right now. Stephanie Elam is "Minding Your Business" this morning. And we're talking about down the road, perhaps some new rules coming from the government about how Wall Street works.
STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Exactly. Some changes may be afoot. They may take a while to get to you, but there are some changes that are on the way. In fact, in today's "Washington Post" as an op-ed piece, courtesy of Timothy Geithner, Treasury secretary, and also, Larry Summers, who happens to be the director of the National Economic Council.
And, basically, they're laying out the framework for what they would like to see happen with the financial markets as far as regulation is concerned. They want to modernize how things are regulated and how the supervision of all the financial markets is taken care of at this point.
Right now saying that the current regulation is outdated. There's gaps in it. There's weaknesses in it as well. And there's also jurisdictional overlap. So they want to address that. And here's a few of the things that they say that they would like to do.
They would like to ensure the stability of the system as a whole to make sure that there's no big problems. So large companies, they could see more scrutiny by the fed. They'd also established a council of regulators and increased those capital and liquidity requirements, pretty much like those stress test that we saw earlier.
Also, they want to work in union to regulate futures and securities. They also are looking at consumers and saying they need more protections. And that was part of the problem that we saw with this recession in the way it started back in November when things really got rough is that the consumer was not protected nor were investors. So they want to change that as well.
The fourth big thing here is that they want to have more power to undo a company if it needs to be done. So you saw the whole issue about should we let a company go bankrupt, or should we just step in and bail it out? They don't want to have to make that decision again.
And the fifth big thing here on the list -- making sure that globally financial recovery will be addressed through all of the countries in the world instead of it just being a one-country issue. So, some big changes there.
Of course, you know, if you want to know more about this, you know, it's about to happen here in this building.
Do you guys know?
You didn't know?
Yes, you do. I know you do.
The Economy 2009 Summit is happening right here in this building. It's about to get started in about 15 minutes or so here. And T. Boone Pickens will be there. Christine Todd Whitman will be there. And, also, Timothy Geithner will be speaking as well. It's happening right here.
If you want to watch it, well, since I'm off TV, I'll run up stairs, and I'll come back. Do some TV-ing and go back. But that's going to happen here in the building.
(CROSSTALK)
But you know who will also be there? Because this is AMERICAN MORNING, Ali Velshi will be up there. Christine Romans will be up there. That's why I'm sitting here right now. But you can watch it live on cnn.com and can catch up on everything, unlike me because I'll be running back to talk to you to tell you what I'm hearing.
CHETRY: Well, we'll keep you posted. You have to run up for it.
ELAM: Exactly. CHETRY: I don't know why I saw Susan Lisovicz wandering around the hall as well.
ELAM: She's going to wander, but then she's going to wander down to the stock exchange. So, lots of wandering among the biz team today.
CHETRY: Good. You guys get some answers for us all, please.
ELAM: There you go.
CHETRY: Stephanie, thanks.
ELAM: Sure.
HOLMES: Thank you, Stephanie.
It is 22 minutes past the hour. We're right back on this AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: All right. Good morning, New York. Hopefully, the weather in New York will hold off just long enough to let a few planes get out of here, maybe head back to Atlanta or something. Expecting some rain, though. 60 degrees. Well, later, a few thunderstorms possibly at 67 degrees.
Speaking of planes and airlines and pilot unions, well, just about every air traveler organization have been summoned to Washington today by the FAA. They'll be gathering for a summit to improve airline safety. But this tragedy outside Buffalo in February, you'll remember, killed 50 people and underscored the need for a safety summit, as it's being billed. It's been revealed the captain and co- pilot were inexperienced, underpaid and possibly exhausted.
Well, some ground-breaking reporting from our Allan Chernoff who is here with us now. It's also raised questions about air safety and how we train pilots in this country.
Allan, this sounds like a big deal to get all of these folks together. They must think something's up.
ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Big deal because we all travel those planes and safety is number one. There's no doubt about it. But clearly, the regulators believe there is a problem out there.
In fact, the FAA has told all its inspectors to immediately examine the training programs at the regional airlines. They also do want to say that this is a call to action today, to the regional airlines, to the major airlines, to make sure that they are focusing on safety.
All of this coming after the hearings into that Buffalo crash that happened last February where 50 people were killed. Some stunning revelations out of NTSB hearings. The pilot there had never received hands-on training with the stall warning system in his aircraft. When it went off, he did the wrong thing. And the co-pilot had said in the cockpit that she was afraid to actually fly through icy conditions.
Clearly, major problems over there. So the FAA has claimed that there's one standard for air safety, main lines, regionals, but the inspector general of the Department of Transportation said last week, he doesn't believe that's the case. We'll be talking about this with the head of the FAA later today.
HOLMES: OK. And the Florida regional Gulfstream International. This company, in particular, you have taken a look into?
CHERNOFF: Yes, we've talked about allegations of major maintenance problems there, scheduling problems that had pilots working past FAA limits, and the FAA itself has proposed a $1.3 million fine against that airline. So you would think that Gulfstream International will be at today's summit.
Guess what? The company tells us that they were not invited to today's summit.
I think we have a problem here, T.J.
HOLMES: Oh, my goodness, you've got to be kidding me. That's some scary stuff, when you hear about what's going on in that cockpit when that Buffalo flight went down. That is some scary stuff.
CHERNOFF: Absolutely. We get on a plane. We like to believe that the pilot, the co-pilot, they know exactly what to do. That was not the case in Buffalo.
HOLMES: And even the lack of confidence. The pilot saying she was scared of ice. You do not want to hear anybody in the cockpit saying something like that.
All right. Allan Chernoff, appreciate you looking into it and we're going to hear more from you down the road on this. Thank you so much.
CHETRY: Twenty-eight minutes past the hour.
Dangerous new warnings from North Korea expected to dominate a meeting between President Obama and South Korea's President Lee Myung-bak tomorrow. Over the weekend, the North promised to step up its nuclear program after the United Nations imposed new sanctions.
Well, for the first time, Israel's prime minister is endorsing the idea of a Palestinian state, but with two conditions. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying that the Palestinians must first recognize Israel as the Jewish state and they must disarm.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER (through translator): If we receive a guarantee as to this demilitarized unit and if we have the appropriate guarantees, then we would be prepared to reach an agreement with regard to a demilitarized Palestinian state side by side with the Jewish state.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: The White House called Netanyahu's comments an important step forward, but a Palestinian spokesman says the conditions close the door on further negotiations.
A German-owned cargo ship has been seized by pirates off the Gulf coast of Oman. The hijacking was reported over the weekend. It's the first time, though, that pirates have hijacked a ship so close to the Strait of Hormuz. That's where cargo ships carry about 17 million barrels of oil a day.
Gas prices went up more than half cent while you were sleeping. The nationwide average now for a gallon of unleaded is about $2.67 a gallon according to AAA. Gas has now gone up 48 days in a row, increasing by more than 30 percent over that period. The seven-week period, by the way.
Well, President Obama heads to Chicago today, but he will not be greeted by a hometown crowd. Instead, he'll be trying to sell his plan for a government-sponsored health insurance plan, a public one, to the American Medical Association. Skeptical doctors, who don't like what they see in his health care reforms, are going to be in the audience.
Our next guest has a very unique perspective on the issue. Congressman Ron Paul is a member of the House of Representatives, but also a doctor, and he joins us this morning from Clute, Texas.
Thanks for being with us this morning, Congressman Paul
REP. RON PAUL (R), TEXAS: Thank you. Nice to be with you.
CHETRY: So the American Medical Association does have some serious concerns about a government-sponsored public health care program. You share some of those same concerns. In a nutshell, what's troubling you the most.
PAUL: Well, I don't like socialized medicine. We've had corporate medicine now for about 30 years, which is managed medicine by the government, and it's been a total disaster. And it didn't do much more than push the cost up, and it didn't work.
So now, we only have one other choice it seems and that is going toward total government medicine. I would like to see that medicine be delivered in the marketplace like other goods and services. There's no reason we can't do this. Everybody complains about one thing. The cost of medicine is too high and it is. But they never talk about exactly why. There's an inflation factor involved too.
I mean, we create inflation, but it goes into certain areas of the economy more so than others. The more the government is involved in an industry or a service, the higher the prices go. So in education, cost goes up way beyond the cost of living and the cost of medicine goes way up. So you can't solve the problem of medical care by - without - well, by ignoring this. Now, Obama says, what we're going to do is we're going to tremendously increase the services and we're going to cut all of the payments to the doctors and the hospitals. I mean, where is he coming from? This can't possibly work.
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: There are some physicians groups who do support this. One is the physicians for a national health program. They argue that a single payer government-run approach is the only real solution to control costs, remove unnecessary overhead in the current system. Do they have a point?
PAUL: No, I don't think so. There's no proof that single pay or socialized medicine has ever been beneficial. I mean, that's why in Canada we find many people leave and come here because we do have more freedom here than they have in Canada and you don't have to wait in lines. We just have the problem of cost. That is the problem.
The other thing that we have all messed up is the concept of insurance. We're talking is assumed is that insurance is prepaid services. Insurances are supposed to measure risk. But now when you talk about health insurance, that means pay for everything. But we need some market factors, we need control by the patient. We need an incentive not to waste our services. We need some tax incentives, and we need to control back in the hands of the patient.
I started medicine when there was no Medicare and no Medicaid. And let me tell you, I don't remember one time where I saw people out in the streets begging for medical care. Now we do. With managed care and now with socialized medicine coming. Believe me, quality will go down, costs will go up, there will be shortages, there will be lines, and nobody's going to be happy.
CHETRY: All right. Well, there are a couple of other questions here, one of them is whether is it doctors role? The interesting editorial in the "New York Times" says it's not just, you know, government bureaucracy. It's not just the insurance companies and attorneys that all contribute to the higher medical cost. They go on to write "there's a disturbing evidence that many, talking about doctors here, do a lot more than is medically useful and often reap financial benefits from over treating their patients. Many are influenced by fee for service financial incentives and some are unabashed profiteers."
You're a physician, do you agree that doctors deserve some of the blame for driving up the cost of health care?
PAUL: I do, and it's very aggravating. And part of the reason is because the money is out there. Instead of getting better quality and more people served, you have higher cost and people do take advantage of this. But another reason why as physicians frequently order way too many tests is because of the litigation, the fear of lawsuits.
I did OB-GYN, and believe me, I never sued, but I never forgot the idea, if I don't do this C-section right now, what's the attorney going to say tomorrow? So you end up doing a lot more C-sections. If you come to the emergency room, you get a $10,000 bill because it's a third party payment. Third party payment per se, is really the biggest problem that we have. And the direction we're going in now is going to make it absolutely much worse.
CHETRY: All right. Well, certainly a lot of debate on this issue as the president takes it up today as he speaks before the American Medical Association. Congressman Ron Paul also a physician. Thanks so much for joining us this morning.
PAUL: Thank you.
T.J. HOLMES, CNN, ANCHOR: Well, new this morning, Vice President Joe Biden loves his job. In fact, he says it's everything he hoped it would be and then some. Biden appeared on NBC's "Meet the Press" yesterday. He says the president promised him he'd play a key role in the big decisions and he's kept that promise.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN, U.S. VICE PRESIDENT: There's not a single decision that he hasn't asked me my view. Whether I am the absolute last person, I can't guarantee you that. But I know that I am one of the last people that gets an opportunity to make a case to him. And when he has a tough decision and if he's abroad and I'm here or vice versa, he picks up the phone and he calls.
I think he values my opinion. He doesn't have to accept my opinion, but he's kept his end of the bargain. This has been a much better job than I anticipated. Look, the biggest deal is I used to sit there and react to Supreme Court nominees. I actually got to be in a position to help choose who the nominee would be. It's a difference. It's reactive versus being proactive. And I like the proactive part.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You've never been - you've never worked this close to a president before, you sure you don't want to be one?
BIDEN: No, no. Look, we have the order of this operation correct. We got the order correct. He's the president. I'm the vice president.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: However, Biden didn't rule out running again for president. One day something he'll probably have to wait until 2016 to do when he is going to turn 74 years old.
Well, the audacity of George, not a whole lot known about George Obama, but that could change soon now the president's half brother is reportedly inked a book deal. The "Associate Press" says Simon & Schuster will publish that book in January of next year.
Here's what we do know. George Obama is 27 years old. He lives in Kenya. He shares the same father as President Obama, but the two never met as children.
Well, would you buy a product from a same sex couple if you saw that same sex couple trying to get you to buy that product in a commercial? Well, you might already be doing it.
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CHETRY: 39 minutes past the hour. We have some new information coming into us from Tehran. As you know, day three after the elections there, a lot of questions as to whether or not that voting was fair and that the results are indeed accurate. And we're just learning the news that, in fact, the opposition leader who was at some point favored to win the election but was defeated.
Mir Hossein Mousavi appeared at an opposition rally. This took place in Tehran. As we understand, he is still there right now. You're looking at video right now of other rallies that were taking place. But again in Tehran, a rally going on right now. And Mir Hossein Mousavi, he was the pro-reform candidate that many young people in Iran supported, ultimately losing that election according to the vote count. And he's appearing at a rally.
Our Christiane Amanpour is working this story. She's been able to get us first hand information and is able to witness a lot of what's been going on in Tehran. And she's going to be joining us shortly on the phone with more details. We don't know yet whether or not he spoke. We understand that this rally largely peaceful, but again, it is in protest of the results of that election in Iran. So stay tuned, as soon as we get new information, we'll bring it to you. T.J.
HOLMES: We're not going to be too far from that story.
Meanwhile, we'll tell you about this. We're not used to - we're now at least seeing gay characters in prime time. But what about in commercials? Why don't more same sex couples sell you things? Well, they might be and you might not even know it's happening. Kara Finnstrom tells us what advertisers may be up to now.
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KARA FINNSTROM, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A lesbian kiss on ABC family.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK. Time to move everything my family could ruin.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Like our romantic vacation for two.
FINNSTROM: A gay relationship on "Brothers and Sisters." "American Idol's" runner-up coming out. Gay characters and story lines have become common on TV. But when a Progressive Insurance commercial featured two guys who could be a couple.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I need to start saving on car insurance.
FINNSTROM: The buzz started.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I've had to cut back.
FINNSTROM: People ask are they gay or are they straight? Because it seems the one place on TV we still don't expect to see a homosexual couple is the commercial break. According to Progressive -
LARY BLOMMENKRANZ, CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER, PROGRESSIVE INSURANCE: They were just supposed to be friends like Joey and Chandler really.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Whew, is this porn?
BLOMMENKRANZ: Now in hindsight, we've gotten a couple of comments and e-mails and so on and buzz about are they gay? Are they not gay? Originally the intent was not to make them gay. But some people read it that way, that's fine with us.
FINNSTROM: The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation keeps an eye on commercial content. And while it's aware of the company's stated intentions, the group says it's noticing more ads open to interpretation.
RASHAD ROBINSON, SR. DIRECTOR OF MEDIA PROGRAMS, GLAAD: A lot of companies are trying to include more images that inclusive. So they're showing two guys going into a store to buy something or they are showing two women going together to book a trip.
FINNSTROM: Advertising experts say that kind of advertising can appeal to a broad spectrum of people without offending those turned off by ads featuring overtly gay couples.
JON FRIEDMAN, MEDIA COLUMNIST, MARKETWATCH.COM: A lot of America still has problems with the idea of homosexual men and women being treated as "average people." So for a business, it's definitely a risk.
BLOMMENKRANZ: We're not trying to do something other than you see, which is, you know, sell auto insurance. And people just read a lot more into it than certainly we ever intended in some cases.
FINNSTROM: Kara Finnstrom for CNN, Los Angeles.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHETRY: All right. This information is just in to CNN right now. Our Christiane Amanpour has been on the ground in Tehran following the latest developments that have been going on post election. There have been a lot of protests rallies taking place, and we just got word that the pro-reformer opposition leader Mousavi actually is attending one of these rallies. Many of his supporters hoping that he would attend.
This is - this would be the first time he's been in public since the results of the election. Christiane, give us some more information right now on what is going on.
CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (on the phone): Well, let's be careful. Basically what I have seen is thousands and thousands of people converging on what's called Revolution Square and then continuing a march, a peaceful march towards what they told us would be Freedom Square, to repeat a march they did just before the election on Wednesday. It was peaceful, people were just walking, there was no chanting. Anytime anybody tried a chant, others told them to be quiet. And this is because there's been a ban on political demonstrations by the interior ministry today.
Within the last hour or so, we saw two four-wheel drive cars go at fairly high speeds past where we were and join the march. Off those cars were hanging security officials and there was a camera in the second car. And people on the streets shouted Mousavi, Mousavi. And we assumed that was him going towards it. And then we were told by other people in the rally, who are coming back from it that these cars are amongst the marchers and they're moving towards Freedom Square where he's apparently meant to address them. And we were told by his campaign organizers that he's going to call on his supporters not to have any violence, not to come out in protest. That's what we've been told.
We don't know, we're going to wait and see what he actually does say. In the meantime, Mousavi has been allowed by the authorities to resume his claim through the Guardian Council. The Ayatollah Khomeini, the supreme leader said that if Mr. Mousavi had any complaints or wanted an investigation, he would have to do that through the Guardian Council, which is the religious (inaudible) and the Guardian Council has subsequently come out saying that they will investigate and the results should be known within 10 days. But the background, of course, is that the supreme leader has already stamped his seal of approval. The president of the - President Ahmadinejad has declared that he's been reelected with the majority of the votes. And now we'll see what happens if this investigation gets underway. Kiran.
CHETRY: Well, so Christiane, in reality, is there any chance then? I mean, I understand that he is able to take the concerns to the Council, but is there any chance that perhaps the results would then be reversed or that there would be some sort of recount?
AMANPOUR: It's really hard to tell at this point. The things are developing. All we know is that obviously there have been these process, Mr. Mousavi has protected the results, that is circulating on his website said that he was going to be pursuing a complaint and asking the Guardian Council to annul the election. And then today, the Ayatollah Khomeini, the supreme leader just a statement that was (inaudible) by state television saying that if Mr. Mousavi felt that he had anything to complain, then he was free to take those complaints to the Guardian Council and the Guardian Council as it must, if there's a complaint, would investigate it.
And subsequently, as I say, the Guardian Council said it would and the results would be out within 10 days. What those results will be? What the investigation is, it's hard to tell.
CHETRY: Christiane Amanpour for us on the ground in Tehran. Thank you. It's 47 minutes past the hour.
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(MUSIC PLAYING) HOLMES: Well, it's getting harder to pay for prescription drugs. New medications are getting more expensive, and we're all paying more out of pocket. Probably noticed that lately. Well, personal finance editor Gerri Willis has some tips on how to cut the cost. Good morning, and a lot of people want to know when it comes to prescriptions, when it comes to any of that, how do you save money especially in these tough times?
GERRI WILLIS, CNN PERSONAL FINANCE EDITOR: Well, let me tell you about some free stuff out there first for unemployed people. And this is new, there's help our there. Pfizer will provide 70 of its most widely prescribed prescription drugs for free to folks who have lost their jobs and health insurance. You have to have lost your job since January 1st of this year and have taken the drug for at least three months. To sign up, here's the phone number, 866-706-2400.
And of course, we talked about warehouses like Costco, Sam's Club, BJ's. They also have competitive prices on medicines, and if you want to compare prices, see what the good price is, check out the following websites, there's needymeds.com, destinationrx.com. You've really got to be careful here though because there are problems on the web. You'll get in trouble with counterfeit drugs or tainted drugs. So look for what they call the V.I.P.P.S. seal and it stands for Verified Internet Pharmacy Practice Site. I know, it's a mouthful, but you really need to see that label, that seal to make sure you're getting what you want.
HOLMES: VIPP -
WILLIS: VIPPS, exactly. And seriously it's a problem, you can get some bad drugs out there. And you don't want that to happen.
HOLMES: That's what you need to be looking for. What else should you be looking for? You name a few things there but other ways, people looking for any help and certainly discounts.
WILLIS: Yes. Drug discount cards. They are available from state governments, non-profit associations, and businesses. You can save 15 percent to 50 percent on certain meds. And these things cost about $30 to $60 a year. But they may be worth it if you're taking a lot of medicines. We mentioned Pfizer before, but also Merck. They both have programs for discounted medicines if you have financial issues. Keep in mind, there are these income requirements, and don't be shy, and ask your doctor for medical samples. The last time I was here, I think we talked about the fact that I've done that before. They'll give you samples of drugs for free. So that's a good thing to know if you're having a hard time.
CHETRY: And Wal-Mart and some of the other like large, large shopping chains, they do also very inexpensive prescriptions for some like $5 prescriptions.
WILLIS: Yes, they have huge discounts and they also -- some of them have in-store clinics that provide just very baseline care for people out there who really need and can't afford it. And in a pinch, that's what you want to do, especially if you have kids, right? CHETRY: That's right. I've go to my minute clinic at CVS even though I do have a doctor. Because sometimes you just got to -
WILLIS: You just need help now, right?
CHETRY: Exactly.
All right. Gerri, thanks.
WILLIS: My pleasure.
HOLMES: It's eight minutes from the top of the hour.
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CHETRY: You know "My Sunshine?" When I knew it started with an l and it was three letters.
HOLMES: All right. Well, good morning. And Kiran says good morning to you all, as well. Isolated thunderstorms possible today in the capital city, maybe 76 degrees, so maybe not so bad. Rob Marciano in Atlanta keeping an eye on things for us. And we threw up that extreme weather graphics. So that means something's going on somewhere.
ROB MARCIANO, CNN, METEOROLOGIST: That's right. And we'll show you the exact -- the red down across the center part of the country is where the - well, severe could be extreme at times. There'll definitely be some extreme heat if you're not used to down across parts of Texas, well into the 90s. Some places will touch 100, but severe thunderstorms where we saw storms yesterday about 11 reports of them. I want to show you a quick picture of a funnel cloud. This is of interest because it came to be visible right over the downtown area or Denver.
So our affiliate KUSA was able to punch this up. They actually put the Rockies game on hold during the sixth inning because of a tornado warning. Did not touch the ground, but certainly put a scare into everybody. Showers and storms that are rolling across the midsection at the moment. And a couple of showers, some fog and drizzle, again, across parts of the northeast. It's been a rather cool and at times wet spring for you.
Boston, New York and Philly will probably see some delays later on today. Detroit and Cincinnati in San Francisco, some low clouds, Atlanta, Orlando, as well. Denver right now, you're actually on ground stop. Delays increasing at Atlanta and Philadelphia, and looking for a high of 98. It's toasty in Dallas. Meanwhile 67 degrees in New York City. You will heat up eventually. T.J.?
HOLMES: All right.
MARCIANO: Kiran, back up to you.
CHETRY: I saw Rob pull his ear piece out, does that mean he can't hear anything we're saying about him right now?
HOLMES: I don't think he can.
CHETRY: Oh, that opens up a realm of possibility, I better not.
HOLMES: Well, take this opportunity, you might not get it again.
CHETRY: Good job, Rob.
HOLMES: 56 minutes past the hour.
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CHETRY: Welcome back, here's a look at some of the top videos on cnn.com. From your first Game boy to your iPhone. Tetris, you remember, right? Lived through generations of video game platforms. Sold some 70 million copies. CNN speaks to the men who created some of the most popular and addictive. I can attest to the addictive nature. Sometimes if you play it too much, you see Tetris, you see ways you can fit Tetris-like blocks in everything you do. You know what I'm talking?
HOLMES: I do not. But that's not nothing new there really.
CHETRY: Are we going overboard with twitter? Come on, tell us the truth. There's some new questions being raised about journalists pushing tweets and other social media on TV. Some people say it's getting quite annoying. Some people and the guy I'm sitting right next to although we want to know what you think of it. So please, go to twitter.com/amfix or Kiran Chetry CNN. I like twitter.
HOLMES: Enjoy yourself. It's a little too much for me. But hey, I'm knocking Rick Sanchez and those who have taken it and run with it. So do your thing.
We're continuing the conversation on today's stories again at the blog cnn.com/amfix. Thank you for joining us. Thank you for allowing me to be here, Miss Chetry.
CHETRY: Great having you visit. Come by anytime. He's headed back to Atlanta but we'll be back here tomorrow. Right now, here is CNN NEWSROOM with Heidi Collins.
