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American Morning
Nine People Dead in D.C. Train Crash; Obama Under Fire for Iran Stance; South Carolina Governor Takes a Hike; Iran's Guardian Council Claims No Election Fraud; Deposed Shah's Son Sounds Off on Iran Crisis
Aired June 23, 2009 - 07:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: We're just crossing the top of the hour now. It's coming up to 7:00 Eastern on this Tuesday, it is the 23rd of June. I'm John Roberts. Thanks for being with us.
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Kiran Chetry. Here's what's on the agenda. These are the big stories that we're breaking down for you in the next 15 minutes.
Nine people now dead after that horrific rush hour train collision in Washington. The impact leaving one train literally on top of the other. Witnesses say one car folded like an accordion, and this morning, the search for answers as to how this could happen continues.
ROBERTS: Mostly silence coming from the White House this morning on the uprising in Iran. President Obama getting more and more heat for what he's not saying from his critics. Senior political correspondent Candy Crowley on the course that the president is plotting and the uproar that it's causing. That's coming up.
CHETRY: And a governor missing for days. No one knew where South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford was, not even his wife. Jason Carroll on the chief executive who decided to take a hike.
ROBERTS: But we begin this morning with the deadly subway crash in our nation's capital. One train slammed into another throwing one subway car on top of another. The death toll now stands at nine now. According to our affiliates, dozens more were hurt in that crash.
It happened just as rush hour was starting in northern D.C. near Takoma Park, Maryland. It's the deadliest crash in D.C. metro history and now everyone wants to know how it happened.
Our Jeanne Meserve is live at the crash site with the very latest. Jeanne, have we learned anything more from last night?
JEANNE MESERVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We haven't yet, but we're expecting to get a briefing in about an hour's time. If you look behind me, you can see one of the trains down there on the track, but you can't see the really mangled portion here. An official with metro that runs these trains says that recovery operations are still ongoing as is the investigation into exactly what caused this horrific accident.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MESERVE (voice-over): There was such devastation at the crash scene, local hospitals were told to brace for mass casualties. One train was stopped on the tracks when a second train rammed it from behind.
BRAD SANDER, TRAIN CRASH SURVIVOR: Listening to my iPod and we hit. It was literally like that. There was no brace. There was no yell. There was no nothing. We just hit.
MESERVE: The second train was moving so fast its first car flew up on top of the first train, splitting open and throwing some passengers onto the ground, eyewitnesses said. The car underneath was compressed and crushed.
The driver of the second train was among those killed. Passenger Jody Wickett, a nurse, described peeling back seats and metal debris in an effort to help people.
JODY WICKETT, TRAIN CRASH SURVIVOR: There were a lot of injured limbs, a lot of people pinned between seats. The seats themselves had the front of the car had been split open and the seats themselves and all the people were at the end of the car that I was in helping, and they were just layered on top of each other. So there were people I couldn't get to.
MESERVE: Victims said it took rescue crews 15 to 20 minutes to get to the scene. More than 200 firefighters used ladders, saws, and every tool at their disposal to reach, extract, and treat victims. Many passengers were able to walk away. Others were not.
MAYOR ADRIAN FENTY, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA: Already, though, at six confirmed deaths, the largest fatality number on our Metro Transit System in a four decade history.
MESERVE: The National Transportation Safety Board immediately began looking for a cause.
DEBORAH HERSMAN, NTSB BOARD MEMBER: Investigators are going to be looking at issues associated with the train operations, the track, the signals, human performance, survivability, emergency response.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MESERVE: Survivability -- what she's talking about are those cars and how strong they were. There were some previous metro accidents the NTSB had made recommendations to metro on hardening their cars. They will be looking to see whether those recommendations were implemented and whether in this case they would have made any difference.
And, by the way, John, metro has identified the driver of the second train as Jeanice (ph) McMillan of Springfield, Virginia. She's been working for metro since 2007. She is among the dead. Back to you.
ROBERTS: And in on the topic of the dead, have all of the bodies been removed from the train yet?
MESERVE: Well, as I mentioned at the outset, metro officials just said to me that they are still conducting recovery operations. She wasn't anymore specific than that. But we know it's an extraordinarily difficult crime scene. You've seen the pictures or accident scene. You saw those pictures of how those -- those two cars were simply ripped apart. It's going to take some effort to make sure that they have everyone out of there.
ROBERTS: All right. Jeanne Meserve for us this morning. Jeanne, thanks so much for that report.
CHETRY: Well, this morning, Iran's Guardian Council is claiming that it found no major fraud in the June 12 presidential election. Within hours of that announcement, Tehran also said that President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will be sworn in for another term within seven weeks.
Now CNN has been following the latest developments on the ground. This morning as Iran continues to squeeze out the media, Iran's state- run media now says that a "Washington Times" reporter has been arrested.
Moments ago, I spoke to White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs about the uprising in Iran and the criticism that's being leveled at the president for not taking a stronger stand. Here's what Robert Gibbs said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERT GIBBS, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: It's not for us to get involve in this. This is a debate in Iran by Iranians about their next leadership. Many in Iran and many in the regime would like to remove any of the protesters and the reformers and put the United States government in their place. That's a battle that they've had and won for many years inside of Iran.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Still, though, as a major debate going on about whether the president should come down harder on Iran, CNN's senior political correspondent Candy Crowley reports that the challenge to stay quiet when the whole world is listening.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CANDY CROWLEY, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In exile since his father was overthrown 30 years ago, Reza Shah Pahlavi long hoped for this moment of uprising against the Islamic regime and what he calls a moment of truth for the rest of the world.
REZA PAHLAVI, FMR. IRANIAN CROWN PRINCE: The question is, what will world governments do this time? Are we going to have Tiananmen Square revisited or is it going to be this time different?
CROWLEY: What is there to do? The Obama administration struggles to respond to an evolving unclear situation. It complicates the search for diplomatic sweet spots between competing concerns and limited options. The president can't overpromise, raising hopes the U.S. will somehow come to the aid of the protesters, because that won't happen. Nor can he be seen as not supporting a democratic movement.
MICHAEL O'HANLON, SENIOR FELLOW, BROOKINGS INSTITUTION: We don't want to discourage Iranian democrats and Iranian populous and reformers from trying to do their thing to take back their country from the extremists who have been running it now for 30 years.
CROWLEY: After days of increasing tension, grainy cell phone images of Tehran's streets and criticism he hasn't been supportive enough of protesters or hard enough on the Iranian government, the president pumped up his rhetoric. He called on the Iranian government to stop all violent and unjust actions against its own people. More forceful than he's been, but not enough for critics, some of whom privately suggest the president is caught up in his promise of an era of diplomacy in the face of an old era of totalitarian thugs.
At the left-leaning Brookings Institution, Michael O'Hanlon worries the president is chipping away at the basic principles he outlined in his speech to the Muslim world.
O'HANLON: He doesn't seem as sincere or is committed to democracy in real life now that we have a crisis as he did rhetorically. And I think that hurts him and the United States.
CROWLEY: Supporters say the president has been pitch perfect, supportive without giving authorities an opening to suggest the U.S. is behind the protest.
SEN. DIANNE FEINSTEIN (D), CALIFORNIA: It is very crucial as I see that we not have our fingerprints on this.
CROWLEY (on camera): The president holds a news conference Tuesday. His words will be parse for new meaning. But in the end, any number of experts suggest in the short term, any way, even the right words might not matter all that much.
Candy Crowley, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHETRY: Candy, thanks. And again, the president is sure to face these questions on his position on Iran when he holds his Rose Garden news conference. It's at 12:30 Eastern this afternoon. And you can see it right here on CNN, also on CNN.com/live.
Also, in just a couple of minutes, we're going to be having a CNN exclusive. We're going to be speaking with the former crown prince of Iran, the son of the late shah. We'll be asking him what he thinks of the Obama administration and its handling of the crisis in his homeland.
ROBERTS: Well, have you ever felt the need to just kind of get away from it all, maybe from your job and your family? Life is just a little too stressful, you want to escape from civilization that could help relax you.
Well, that's kind of what South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford in the last few days. It turns out the governor needed a break from his family and day job. So he turned his cell phone off and went for a hike along the Appalachian Trail. But he's the governor. Shouldn't he tell people where he is? Shouldn't he be able to be gotten in touch with?
Jason Carroll joins us with more on this very strange tale of the governor and the trail. Good morning.
JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, very strange. And, you know, it's still unclear who exactly contacted who here. But part of the mystery at least has been solved this morning.
The governor is said to be clearing his head, as you heard John say, somewhere along the Appalachian Trail that stretches from Georgia to Maine. His staff would not say where on the trail the governor was hiking, nor would his spokesman say whether or not he was alone.
The governor had not been seen or heard from since last Thursday. Neither his office nor his security detail could reach him. The state's lieutenant governor says Sanford put the state at risk.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LT. GOVERNOR ANDRE BAUER, SOUTH CAROLINA: What if we have a prison outbreak tomorrow? What if we have a natural disaster happen in our state? What do we do? How do we follow the chain of command?
I think there's real concerns here when we can't find our executive officer of the state and nobody knows where he's at, and there are conflicting stories coming out of his office. It concerns all of us.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CARROLL: Well, Sanford's own wife didn't know his exact location. She told "The Associated Press" the governor needed to get away from their children to write something and that they were not worried. As for why it took so long to publicly declare where the governor had been, his communications director says he was waiting to find out exactly where on the trail the government was staying -- where the governor was saying, "It isn't unusual for the governor to be out of pocket for several days after the legislative session. We knew he would be difficult to reach, and that he would be checking in infrequently."
The two-term governor is chairman of the Republican Governors Association and became nationally known after publicly opposing federal stimulus money and taking his fight to the state Supreme Court, a battle he eventually lost. Sanford was seen as a potential 2012 Republican presidential candidate and recently appeared right here on AMERICAN MORNING. with Kiran. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: By the way, are you considering a 2012 run for president?
GOV. MARK SANFORD (R), SOUTH CAROLINA: No, I'm considering, you know, can I make it through this next week. And given today, can I make it through the day in terms of getting all the paperwork signed in what the Supreme Court has now compelled with regard to us accepting this money.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CARROLL: Well, some consider the governor's disappearance odd for someone seen as a likely presidential candidate. Critics say the behavior of the governor is erratic and whenever he's out of pocket, he should transfer power and let the lieutenant governor take over.
We should also point out that CNN has been on the phone with the lieutenant governor's office this morning. In fact, just a few minutes ago before I came up here, the lieutenant governor says that at this point they are still been unable to connect to the governor, even now.
ROBERTS: Disappearing doesn't really rule you out for federal office. I mean, Vice President Cheney spent a lot of time in a cave, but people knew where the cave was and they knew how to get in touch with him in the cave.
CARROLL: Exactly. And that's different, right? You know what the lieutenant governor is saying. He's saying, look, what happens if there is an emergency.
ROBERTS: Yes.
CARROLL: We need to get you on the phone. We need to check with you on something and you're MIA.
ROBERTS: Well, Sanford is also supporting his opponent in the upcoming gubernatorial race.
CARROLL: Yes, that's right. Politics issue.
ROBERTS: It might have something to do with that. Jason, thanks so much.
CARROLL: All right.
ROBERTS: How to save for retirement. You have one idea, your spouse has got another. What should couples do when they can't agree on how to plan ahead? Our Stephanie Elam has got some answers for you.
It's 12 minutes now after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) ROBERTS: Welcome back to the "Most News in the Morning." In a CNN exclusive now, we are watching new developments out of Iran this morning. Election officials there are now saying there is no way that they will throw out the election results. And the country's state-run media says President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will be sworn into office between the 26th of July and August 19th.
CNN is on the ground there collecting information, but we also want to give you as much perspective as possible on this story. And joining me now with his stake is Reza Pahlavi. His father was the shah of Iran. He was deposed in the Iranian revolution of 1979.
Mr. Pahlavi, it's good to talk with you this morning. This ruling by the Guardian Council that the election results are going to stand, that there were irregularities, not enough to swing the results of the election, there will no new election. What do you expect the reaction on the ground is going to be?
REZA PAHLAVI, FMR. CROWN PRINCE OF IRAN: Good morning, John. As we have all monitored the evolution of the situation, the supreme leader who has always been the final decider has drawn pretty much the line in the sand last Friday. And as such, I think the campaign that we have seen is now moving towards the direction of defiance and is going to be a resistance that will be -- will have to be sustained if indeed if there's any hope for democracy in my homeland one day.
ROBERTS: Now there's real debate as well over how much support the United States should give the protesters the reform movement there in Iran. The White House is worried that coming out too strong in support could actually do more harm than good. What do you think?
PAHLAVI: Well, John, this is beyond a camp or another. This is not a question of election results anymore. This has become a defiance against a regime that has denied every right to its citizenry.
When the chants on the streets in Iran and other major cities in Iran and across the country is turning to death to Khamenei, I don't think that it could get as clear as that back home.
The regime is now under question. The legitimacy is lost. The legitimacy now stands with the people. But there's also a matter of ethics and moral responsibility if I may say so. It's something that the regime is trying to create confusion between what could be considered as interference as opposed to standing for human rights and justice.
ROBERTS: So what is -- what should the White House be saying right now?
PAHLAVI: I think my compatriots expect especially from the president of the United States. I mean, after all America has been perceived by many around the world has the flag bearer of freedom. And for each light to be the faintest in terms of advocating liberty would be a bit odd. My compatriots understand the sensitivity and the shrewdness of the president and the administration here in terms of not, in fact, giving an excuse to the regime. And we applaud that and we appreciate that.
However, as I said earlier, it is important for people to feel that nobody shies away when it comes a matter of defending people's sovereign right to self-determination and free speech. And I don't think on that account this regime has anything to say about that, not only vis-a-vis the U.S. president but any other person who after all going to present themselves but their respective nations. And I have never seen in the past 30 years as an Iranian so much solidarity from the average man and woman on the streets of so many countries around the world for our cause.
ROBERTS: You know, one of the big question too is how much solidarity there is in Iran and will there be a fracture in the security forces. You appeared yesterday at the National Press Club. You made a rather interesting claim about security forces in Iran. I just like to replay that now if I could.
PAHLAVI: Sure.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PAHLAVI: We are already seeing signs of solidarity. We have already have stories upon stories of members of the security forces who after their shifts go back home, dress in civilian clothes, and rejoin the people on the street, while five hours ago they were there with their clubs. This is happening under our eyes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: So, Mr. Pahlavi, you're saying that the security forces are out there cracking heads at one moment, then they're going back home, they're getting changed and they're joining the demonstrators. It's a rather extraordinary claim. Where is the proof of that?
PAHLAVI: Well, John, these are the reports that I have been receiving, not just last week alone, but this has been going on for quite a while. Understand one thing, it's not that complicated to understand.
Most of the more senior members of the Revolutionary Guard, and I'm not talking about that section which is committed to the regime and benefit from it. But I'm not saying everybody is against the regime. Of course not. But a great number of these Revolutionary Guards, they were my age at the time of the revolution, OK?
They went to the war front. They fought a war against invading enemies in the case of the Iran-Iraq war. They gave their lives to protect our homeland and our people. They believe in the message of the revolution as everybody was dreaming for betterment of the situation.
But when it comes to a point where you treat your own people like this, there are many -- there are many among the security forces that this is not what we wanted. This is not what it was all about.
We cannot stand for this anymore. So you can't imagine that it becomes a choice between turning the guns on people who could be your own relatives as opposed to following. It's a matter of time before security forces of any regime that is totalitarian or oppressive have a moment of conscious which has already occurred.
ROBERTS: And we, of course, will continue to watch that as closely as we can, given the restrictions on the coverage there in Iran.
I'm sorry we're out of time. Reza Pahlavi, it's good to talk to you this morning. Thanks for joining us.
PAHLAVI: My pleasure. Thank you, John.
ROBERTS: It's coming up now on 20 minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Twenty-three minutes after the hour. Stephanie Elam here this morning "Minding Your Business."
Of course, the goal in life is to work as hard as possible so that you can retire in a fashion so that the money doesn't run out before the years do. But apparently when it comes to spouses, there's some disagreement on how all of that should work.
STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: It's the one thing that no one ever wants to talk about. It's that one thing and everyone thinks it's the other thing. No, it's about money. Couples do not talk about --
CHETRY: What do we not talk about?
ELAM: Oh, you're married. Love and marriage.
CHETRY: I just -- you're a newlywed, so I just wanted to know if you figured it out?
ELAM: So ergo, it's not a problem for me. But let's take a look at what is an issue here for a lot of people.
Don't do my marriage. And if he's watching, I'm going to get lots of e-mails right now.
Anyway, a lot of people here are finding out that --
ROBERTS: I'm stuck in the middle here, folks.
ELAM: I'm moving on -- when it comes to retirement, they just don't talk about what they need to plan. And take a look at some of the big things that are at issue here.
Eighty percent of couples disagree completely on the retirement planning. Sixty percent disagree on their retirement age, when they're actually going to, you know, move to Montana or Florida depending on which one is better, and a lot of times couples disagree on that.
Only 38 percent discuss how they're going to actually invest their retirement savings. And get this -- 15 percent, only 15 percent say that either partner could take over the family finances if something, God forbid, were to happen to their partner. That's a very small number and that's really scary.
For a lot of people, if they -- with the surprise moves their spouse are just left out there because they don't know what to do. Also, 49 percent of couples expect to have a comfortable retirement life. Only 49 percent.
ROBERTS: Only 49 percent.
ELAM: So that just shows you that people really need to start talking about this and having these discussions and start preparing for the future.
CHETRY: I thought those numbers changed after this big downturn that we've seen?
ELAM: Well, that's the issue (ph).
CHETRY: You know, a lot of people that were investing really saw a big chunk of change come out of their nest egg? But is there anything people can do, Stephanie? We can make, you know, discuss this and agree?
ELAM: Yes. It's called ground (ph) and talk to each other and figure out how you're seeing it. When do you plan on retiring? Where do you plan on going? How much money do you think you're going to need to just live comfortably without taking into account health care and all those things? But make sure you're on the same plane and everyone should know how to access all of the accounts in the family, for your 401(k), for your retirement savings, for your savings account, everyone. Well, maybe mom and dad should know how to get into those accounts. That's really important.
Talk, talk, talk.
CHETRY: From the mouths of newlyweds. Stephanie Elam for us "Minding Your Business." Thanks.
ELAM: Sure.
CHETRY: Twenty-five minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Well, you're hot and you're hot really today in Atlanta actually. You're going up to 92 a bit later today. Right now, cloudy, 76 degrees. And it's coming up on 28 minutes past the hour.
New this morning, gas prices have actually gone down -- that's right, gone down for a second day in a row. Before that, we had seen it just going up and up and up day after day. But AAA is now reporting that the average price for a gallon of regular unleaded is $2.68. It's down 7/10 of a cent from yesterday.
Later today, the Energy Department is expected to announce billions in federal loans to three automakers to help them develop more fuel efficient cars. Those would be going to Ford, Nissan and Tesla Motors. It's expected to get that cash. Ford has asked for $5 billion by 2011. The money would be used to help retool plants and improve efficiency in vehicles by 25 percent over the 2005 models.
And the president is not the only Obama who has the occasional issue with teleprompters. First Lady Michelle Obama was speaking at the National Conference of Volunteering and Service. It was in San Francisco last night. But she did have some trouble getting her speech started. Check it out.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHELLE OBAMA, FIRST LADY OF THE UNITED STATES: I am honored to be here. And I really would be happy to use these teleprompters if they were higher. But they're very low so I'm going to read from my notes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Well, there you go. They eventually got it right.
The first lady went on to unveil the administration's new serve.gov Web site where Americans can find places in their communities that need volunteers. She took that all in stride. I mean, you're standing up there giving a big speech and, you know, you want everything to go smoothly.
ROBERTS: She's become a pro very quickly.
CHETRY: Yes.
ROBERTS: No question about that.
Jon Bon Jovi helping a lot of people go home again through his volunteer work. He's also an ambassador for the Entertainment Industry Foundation. That's Hollywood leading charity. And yesterday he made a special appearance to an audience of more than 4,500 service leaders who were kicking off a multi-year campaign to make service and volunteerism a national priority. The first lady was a part of that yesterday.
I had a chance to speak with Jon Bon Jovi about his volunteer work.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JON BON JOVI, SINGER: Throughout my life I've been involved in volunteerism and charity work. But to be involved as I am at the level that I am in philanthropy is come in to focus in the last five years. And the beginning of our foundation, the Philadelphia Soul Charitable Foundation which builds affordable housing not only in Philadelphia but many places, you know, as wide as Los Angeles to New Jersey.
ROBERTS: Hearing is hip.
Have enough young people have gotten the message in the last four years?
BON JOVI: Well, I think that to some degree they have, John. Volunteerism is up right now. The national average of volunteerism is on the rise. And I could say that it's because of the economy, people have more time on their hands, or I could also say it's because we all realize we're all in this together.
ROBERTS: We're going to have more with Jon Bon Jovi coming up in our next hour of AMERICAN MORNING and for more on my interview with him, if you want to look at it now. Check out our AMERICAN MORNING blog. Where to find it, CNN.com/amfix.
CHETRY: 30 minutes past the hour now.
Tragedy on the metro. Nine people are now feared dead after a D.C. subway train crash. Officials are saying that one subway train just slammed into another. It was stopped on the tracks. It was actually waiting for the go ahead. The NTSB and the DC Metro are expected to update us on the search and the investigation coming up at the top of the hour. We will bring that to you live.
ROBERTS: A hurricane warning for Mexico this morning. Tropical storm Andres is picking up steam right now. Forecasters are expected to become the first hurricane of the Pacific season. That will be later on today. It is targeting southwestern Mexico already packing winds of 70 miles an hour.
CHETRY: And Hillary Clinton canceling a trip to Greece and Italy this week. She has to nurse her broken elbow. She's still recovering from surgery that she had to have on Friday after she fell last week. The secretary of state was supposed to meet with foreign ministers from eight nations to talk about Iran as well as Middle East peace and the war in Afghanistan.
And there's some new developments in Iran this morning. The country's guardian council announcing that it found no major fraud in the June 12 presidential election. Essentially saying tough to the tens of thousands already enraged. Election protesters and the country's state-run media is also saying that President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will be sworn in to office. That's going to be taking place sometime between July 26 and August 19. And that headline fresh in President Obama's mind as he prepares for his fifth news conference since taking office, expecting to certainly field some questions on the situation that's going on right now in Iran.
Meantime, we're joined now by Jamie Rubin. He was the assistant secretary of state during the Clinton presidency. He's now an adjunct professor as well at Columbia University. And Jamie joins us from London this morning. Thanks for being here. Good to see you.
JAMIE RUBIN, FMR. ASST. SECRETARY OF STATE: Nice to see you.
CHETRY: You know there have been some sharp words from republicans on Capitol Hill regarding the reaction from this White House to the events in Iran. And a lot of people are talking about the question and the difficulty. And so I'll ask it to you. How do you balance the need to stay out of another country's internal affairs while remaining true to what America stands for - the freedoms of a fair and free elections, freedoms in general, being allowed to protest. And letting Iranians know that Americans support that?
RUBIN: Well, I do think that you want to balance the principles that America believes in and has led on for so many years. Not just democracy, but freedom of assembly, freedom of speech, and the right of these protesters as their leaders pointed out, even in their own constitution in Iran, they're allowed to protest.
So I think you want to show that. And President Obama has done that. His position has evolved a little bit over the week or more of the crisis. But meanwhile, there's a national security imperative and that is to figure out how over the long term to deal with the possibility of an Iran armed with nuclear weapons, to make sure that its nuclear program that's now civilian stays civilian.
And that's a big national security challenge. So both of those have to be kept in mind and that's why it's such a tricky balance to walk.
CHETRY: And it's interesting because other countries are coming out. On Monday, the Czech Republic currently holding the rotating position of the European Union, called the violence on the streets of Iran, "revolting." All the member countries in the EU have been summoned. Iranian diplomats to their foreign ministries and apparently they're strongly encouraging an end to the violence on the streets of Iran. But they are coming out with some stronger words against it. Does that diplomacy have any effect inside of Iran?
RUBIN: Well, I don't think this crisis will be decided by anything outside of Iran. There are two crises going on in Iran. One is in the leadership. And that's behind the scenes. We don't really see that. We have almost no information about it. And the other crisis is on the streets and we see evidence of it from time to time. But even there, the details, the facts are very hard to come by.
This is going to be determined by the Iranians and I think President Obama's approach so far has been let me do no harm. Let me not take actions or statements that can be used against the protesters, that can be used to somehow smear them with an American brush which in Iran would be very dangerous. But this crisis isn't over. It's not going to be determined this week or next week. The next real moment, I think, in the crisis is what you referred to earlier as the inauguration of Ahmadinejad, if that happens, that will be another moment. But, meanwhile, behind the scenes, there's going to be a really serious determined battle going on between different members of the revolutionary regime. CHETRY: And, Jamie, I get what you're saying about the do no harm -- let's not bring ourselves in to this so that it looks like, you know, Americans are trying to pull the strings either way. But there has been a real outcry from what we've been hearing from people out there protesting saying, please, world, be with us. Understand that we're fighting for our basic rights. We feel our votes were stolen from us. Maybe it doesn't have to do with Ahmadinejad or Mousavi as candidates, but just the fact that they feel that this entire process was not fair. What about the people of Iran who seemed to be so hungry for change. What should our message be to them?
RUBIN: Well, our message should be to them that we stand for these universal principles. You know, one of the standards of government when you're dealing with an opposition is to try not to be an odd analogy but holier than the pope. And the opposition there has not. And I think it's very clear. There are exceptions you have a protester who made an exception to this. But by in large, the vast majority of the leaders of that opposition do not want the United States to do more than express support for the universal principles to make clear that the actions on the street are being watched, that they're not going to be forgotten.
And I think some of the criticism of President Obama by republicans and others, some liberal democrats as well, has misunderstood the distinction between Iran and other countries. And we have to be really careful not to make false and fast and convenient analogies to the former Soviet Union, to the Cold War, or to Philippines or other places. Iran is a unique and special country where the United States has had a unique and sometimes unfortunate role there. And so we have to be very careful, something we didn't do in Iraq which is not to make analogies of what's going on in Eastern Europe and try to apply them to the Middle East which is a very different part of the world with very different history and very different reaction to American involvement.
CHETRY: Jamie Rubin, former assistant secretary of state. Thanks so much for being with us this morning. We appreciate it.
RUBIN: Thank you.
CHETRY: And 37 minutes past the hour. We're continuing to monitor the latest developments coming out of Iran. Word that "Washington Times" journalist has been arrested in Iran. We're going to talk more about what's going on there in the crackdown on the foreign media as well. We'll be right back.
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ROBERTS: Of course, the old saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words. And sometimes one image has the power to capture history, become a time capsule, of sorts, and tell the story of an entire generation or the struggle of millions of people.
It's happening before our eyes in Iran. By now, you may have seen the very graphic and breathtaking video of a young Iranian woman named Neda who apparently died after being shot by a sniper. It's now a rallying cry for the opposition in Iran. Bit by bit, we're learning more about her. But the question remains, can Neda really help bring change to an entire nation.
Carol Costello is live in our Washington bureau this morning. You know, we've seen these iconic pictures in uprisings and struggles before. The men in front of the tanks in Tienanmen Square, the death of Martin Luther King shot from the balcony, that young Vietnamese girl running from the Napalm attack. And people are wondering, is this going to be the same sort of image?
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, John, the chances of that are better this morning as we get to know who Neda actually was. The more the world knows her, the more powerful her story. We talked with Neda's fiance. He told us Neda was not political, she was on her way to a protest with her music teacher. They had car trouble. Both got out of the car and while they were standing on the street, a single shot rang out killing Neda. Her death caught on a cell phone camera and sent around the world.
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COSTELLO (voice-over): It seems the whole world now knows Neda and aches for her. And why not? It watched her die. On Facebook, a page dedicated to her memory, amid pictures of a woman who may be Neda in life. They were messages too, filled with outrage, like this one -- that was murder. And this, shame on the man who killed you.
AZAR NAFISI, AUTHOR "READING LOLITA IN TEHRAN": It is unbearable.
COSTELLO: Azar Nafisi who wrote "Reading Lolita in Tehran" says the way Neda died means there's no turning back for Iran.
NAFISI: Neda silent is now the voice of all of those other Iranian women and men who over the last 30 years have been fighting for their freedom.
COSTELLO: It's difficult to say right now, though, if this image of Neda will change everything. We know that pictures sometimes do. Many believe this shot taken at Penn State of a student gunned down after a Vietnam war protest helped end the war. Yet this video of a lone student standing up to Chinese tanks did not end communism in China.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This image, this video because it's so graphic, so powerful, and it really illustrates in a way that words can't and even still pictures can't, the pain and suffering and the willingness to sacrifice and put her life on the line.
COSTELLO: Because some say Neda defined who is protesting. According to her fiance, she was a philosophy and music student, 26 years old, standing near her music teacher and modestly dressed. She did not act aggressively, in fact, her fiance told us she did not vote. But friends told the "L.A. Times" she was upset at the election process. Neda's death has further galvanized women in Iran, one young woman calling in to CNN from Iran shared this with us.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This old woman said to the forces -- didn't you kill Neda. We are all Neda's today. We don't let that happen again.
COSTELLO: Fleeting image or tipping point?
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COSTELLO: That's the question this morning. Another sign though that Neda's death is rocking Iran, we have unconfirmed reports that 10,000 showed up at Hafte Square because they heard there was a memorial service for Neda. Police sent them away. Neda's fiance told us that the military did tell Neda's family they could not have a memorial service. So she was buried in the cemetery, the only people attending, her parents, her brother, and her sister.
ROBERTS: The regime definitely does not want her to be a martyr for the cause.
COSTELLO: No, but they definitely know she's become a symbol of the protesters and they want to keep them under wraps as much as they can.
ROBERTS: A great look at her life for her life this morning. Carol Costello, thanks so much. And you can read more about Neda's story and share your thoughts on Carol's report. Just go to our show blog the address is cnn.com/amfix.
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CHETRY: Here's a shot of the White House this morning. Right now, mostly cloudy. But actually from looking at the picture, we've got a little bit of sun there. And a little bit later, 83 and sunny. It should be a beautiful day in the nation's capital.
48 minutes past the hour right now. We're going to fast forward to the stories that will be making news later today. Defense officials from the U.S. are in China today. They are holding talks that seek support from Beijing to add pressure on North Korea. China has expressed concern over North Korea's recent nuclear test and escalating tensions in the region.
Also ahead today, at 11:00 Eastern, the Richard Nixon presidential library is going to be releasing more than 150 hours of taped recordings from the Nixon White House. Some of those conversations include the conclusion of the peace settlement between the U.S. and Vietnam. Also the Roe versus Wade decision and the first Watergate trial.
At 9:30 a.m. Eastern, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano will address the nation's Sheriff's Association at a conference that takes place in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. The AP reporting that Secretary Napolitano plans to kill a program that was started by the Bush administration that uses U.S. spy satellites for domestic security and law enforcement.
Also a NASA orbiter entering the moon's orbit. The lunar reconnaissance orbiter has reached the moon at around 6:30 Eastern time. It happened this morning. And NASA is now expected to start streaming live video. So amazing that they can do that in this day and age - from the lunar orbit. This is going to be taking place in just about an hour. It's mission is to collect data that will then be use in a future moon landing. And right now, Jacqui Jeras is keeping an eye on things right down here on earth for us. But isn't it amazing, I mean, within two hours of a launch, we're able to see these pictures coming from outer space. I still marvel at that.
JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: It marvels me every time. Absolutely. Cool stuff. We've got hot stuff, unfortunately, in the weather department today. The heat is the big story. It's smoking hot today across the nation's midsection. Check it out. The heat index feeling like 105 to 115 degrees. Really from Texas all the way in to the upper Midwest, including you in Minnesota. Yes, that's right. Minnesota is going to be feeling heat indices well beyond 100 degrees today.
And check out this video. You say what does road work have to do with the heat? Well, temperatures are so hot that the road actually buckled in southern parts of Minnesota. So MDOT suggested to use a lot of caution in the next couple of days as temperatures remain very warm. Speaking of Minnesota and parts of the upper Midwest, severe storms expected to develop. In this area today, including you in Minneapolis steady now towards Omaha, Nebraska, we do have some strong storms at this hour, moving across the state of Florida. And a severe thunderstorm watch has just been issued here including you in Orlando, Tampa, extending down to the Miami area.
This is bringing in a little bit of heat relief, thankfully, after record highs yesterday of 98 degrees in Miami. Kiran?
CHETRY: All right. Not that bad for this time of year, right? It is Florida after all.
JERAS: Add the humidity, though, let me tell you.
CHETRY: Yes, you're right. Ponytail weather. Jacqui Jeras for us, thanks.
ROBERTS: Well, the world's number two tennis player is dressing things up at this year's Wimbledon. Check out Roger Federer's new warm up suit. Solid white, trimmed in gold. New Nike duds. It cost him quite a stir on center court. Also won his opening match, Federer is the top seed at Wimbledon this year after world number one's Spain's Rafael Nadal bowed out because of a knee injury. You know, it looks too like Federer's got his game back after being a little rocky last year. So it could be a real challenge.
CHETRY: We'll see, he is fun to watch. He looks snazzy up there in white.
ROBERTS: So this morning's weird story is what's happened to South Carolina's governor. Mark Sanford kind of gone missing for the last few days.
CHETRY: That's right. Not even his wife knew where he had gone. And there were a lot of inquiries put to his office from the press. And so we finally got an answer. But people are still scratching their heads this morning. We're going to talking to somebody who knows the state well and is going to talk to us about what he thinks is going on. 52 minutes after the hour.
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ROBERTS: This town is the Big Apple. And it looks like the cruddy weather's going to continue. And we apologize for yesterday. We said it was going to rain, it didn't. What a surprise. 67 degrees right now and partly cloudy later on today, partly cloudy and a high of 76. But there is a chance of rain later on in the afternoon about 4:00 or 5:00. Just in time for rush hour. Welcome back to the most news in the morning.
A lot of finger pointing going on over the firing of the man that President Bush appointed to investigate fraud in the public service program, AmeriCorps. And Jessica Yellin tells us this morning, a lot of people don't like the timing or the circumstances.
JESSICA YELLIN, CNN NATIONAL POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Kiran, John, a White House decision to fire an inspector general is raising hackles on Capitol Hill. The White House initially failed to comply with a new rule that requires they give 30 days notice before letting any inspector general go.
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YELLIN (voice-over): A handful of senators, most republicans, want to know whether the White House fired this man, Inspector General Gerald Walpin for political reasons.
GERALD WALPIN, FMR. INSPECTOR GENERAL: I was fired for doing what I was supposed to do, and that should not be something that is allowed.
YELLIN: Walpin was the fraud watchdog for the agency that oversees the government's public service program, AmeriCorps. Walpin is suspicious of the timing of his dismissal coming after he issued two reports. One, critical of Obama's supporter Kevin Johnson, now mayor of Sacramento and the other reporting fraud at an AmeriCorps program at City University in New York. It's a point he raised with a White House attorney.
WALPIN: It's funny it occurs after my office has issued two substantial reports critical of what the agency was doing, and he quickly said, oh, that's coincidental. YELLIN: Now several senators are demanding more answers about whether the firing was politically motivated.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We want a transparency. That's what this president has promised during the campaign.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's been more than normal public concern about this termination.
YELLIN: The administration insists there's nothing nefarious about the fighting. In a letter to two senators, a White House official explains a bipartisan oversight board had questioned Walpin's capacity to serve. That a republican appointed U.S. attorney filed a complaint about Mr. Walpin's conduct and that Walpin was confused and disoriented at a meeting in May. The 77-year-old Walpin says it's all false.
WALPIN: That is one of the most nasty things to do to a senior citizen who is trying to give something back in service to our country.
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YELLIN: The White House has since sent a letter to senators explaining the dismissal in more detail. That satisfied the one democratic senator who is demanding answers, Claire McCaskill but three republicans and Senator Joe Lieberman are still asking the White House for more information. Kiran, John?
CHETRY: All right. Jessica Yellin for us, thanks so much. We're awaiting a press conference that's going to be taking place any minute now in Washington, D.C.. There you see a live picture. We're going to hear from D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty and other authorities and the latest details from that horrific metro train accident that claimed the lives of about nine people and injured several others.
They've conducted an investigation, they're trying to figure out exactly what caused it and so hopefully we'll get some more details on that. NTSB will be, as well as D.C. fire emergency and medical services. And our CNN's Jeanne Meserve is also live listening to that. So she'll bring us the latest information. This is scheduled for just a couple of minutes from now and we'll take you there as soon as we have it.
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