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American Morning

Michael Jackson's Final Moments, What the Singer's Doctor is Saying; Jackson Family Attorney Speaks Out About Michael Jackson's Kids and Assets; What Killed Billy Mays?; U.S. Troops to Pull Out of Iraqi Cities; Iran's Opposition Push for Reform Stalled?; Nickel and Dimed to Death; Feds Probe Other Airbus Malfunctions; Climate Bill Face-Off; Military Coup in Honduras

Aired June 29, 2009 - 06:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: A very good Monday morning to you. It's the 29th of June. Thanks for joining us on the Most News in the Morning. I'm John Roberts.

KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Kiran Chetry. Glad you're with us. We have a lot of stories coming up in the next 15 minutes, and we're going to be breaking them down for you including the latest developments right now in the question surrounding Michael Jackson's death. They continue to grow this morning. The doctor at the center of the investigation describes the singer's final moments, also denies any wrongdoing.

And for the first time, CNN speaks exclusively to the Jackson family attorney about Jackson's three children as well as his possessions. And one programming note. We are going to be speaking with Michael Jackson's doctor's attorney coming up a little bit later in the program.

TV pitchman Billy Mays found dead in his home. Something hit him on the head during a rough landing on Saturday. We're looking into reports suggesting that that may have had something to do with his sudden death. We're also talking with one of the passengers on board that same flight to get you a bit of, you know, first-person perspective on what happened on that plane during that rough landing.

CHETRY: Inside Iran right now, they're reportedly counting some of the votes in that country's disputed election. For the first time in days, thousands of Iranians flood the streets. They did so, but also so did the police. This morning, allegations of brutal beatings to push back those protesters.

ROBERTS: We begin this morning with the investigation into Michael Jackson's death. We are learning new details on the very last moments of his life from the last man to see him alive.

A lawyer for Jackson's personal physician says Dr. Conrad Murray found the singer not breathing but with a slight pulse. He tried to resuscitate him.

Last night, Janet Jackson broke her silence about her brother's death. She spoke out at the BET Awards show.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JANET JACKSON, MICHAEL JACKSON'S SISTER: My entire family wanted to be here tonight, but it was just too painful. So they elected me to speak with all of you. And I'm going to keep it very short, but I'd just like to say that to you, Michael is an icon. To us, Michael is family. And he will forever live in all of our hearts.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTS: And special investigation unit correspondent Drew Griffin joins us now live from the CNN headquarters in Atlanta.

Drew, you've been looking into claims that the doctor is making here. What's the latest on that front?

DREW GRIFFIN, CNN SPECIAL INVESTIGATIVE UNIT CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Busy weekend, John. Unfortunately, not a lot of answers. But the LAPD has now had a three-hour interview with that doctor, the doctor who again was paid by concert promoters to attend to Michael Jackson.

His name is Dr. Conrad Murray. He spent those three hours with detectives this weekend outlining exactly what happened inside that bedroom, what kind of treatment he was giving the pop star. And while he is not talking publicly, his attorneys are, mostly to shoot down tabloid reports that the doctor was somehow responsible for this death.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GRIFFIN (voice-over): Dr. Conrad Murray found Michael Jackson in bed and not breathing Thursday in this Los Angeles mansion shortly before this 911 call.

DR. CONRAD MURRAY, MICHAEL JACKSON'S DOCTOR: We have a gentleman here that needs help, and he's not breathing.

GRIFFIN: Murray immediately began performing CPR and now through his attorney, we're learning, Michael Jackson was still warm, still had a pulse when he was found. But Jackson never responded.

Rumors immediately began circulating the death was drug related, possibly a lethal dose of Demerol or an overdose of Oxycontin. Last night Jackson's father, Joe Jackson, appearing for the first time in public since his son died, told CNN's Don Lemon on the red carpet of the BET Entertainment Awards that the family is still looking for answers.

JOE JACKSON, MICHAEL JACKSON'S FATHER: I have a lot of concerns.

DON LEMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: What are your concerns about that?

JACKSON: I can't get into that, but I don't like what happened.

GRIFFIN: Attorney Ed Chernoff, hired by the doctor, is now going on record denying any drugs prescribed by Dr. Conrad Murray contributed to Michael Jackson's death and not saying what, if any, drugs were being prescribed. Chernoff tells the AP Dr. Murray has never prescribed nor administered Demerol to Michael Jackson. Not ever. Not that day. Not Oxycontin, for that matter.

Both the Los Angeles Police Department and the Los Angeles County coroner's office continue to say no foul play is suspected. That this is a death investigation, it is not criminal. Dr. Murray is not a suspect and though free to go, his attorneys tell us that he will remain in Los Angeles to aid in the investigation.

That investigation now focuses on toxicology tests on the tissue, blood, and urine samples. The coroner's office says Michael Jackson was using prescription drugs but have not identified those drugs or to what extent, if any, they contributed to the singer's death. The answer is still weeks away.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Toxicology is going to be a very important factor in this particular case so that we can get to the truth and find out what the actual cause of death is.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GRIFFIN: And, John, while the medical examiner is saying six to eight weeks possibly for the toxicology test, the family of Michael Jackson may not be waiting that long. CNN has confirmed with the family that a second autopsy was performed. Those test results could be returned within a week -- John.

ROBERTS: Looking forward to the results of those. Drew Griffin for us this morning. Drew, thanks so much.

Right now, Michael Jackson's three children are with Jackson's parents in Encino, California. It is still not clear who Jackson designated to be his children's guardian.

Last night, there was a tribute to Jackson at the BET Awards show. CNN's Don Lemon was there and spoke exclusively to Jackson's family attorney about Jackson's children and his belongings.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DON LEMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Was there a will?

LONDELL MCMILLAN, JACKSON FAMILY ATTORNEY: Well, there have been reports of one, and we're tying to assess that now. None has been presented to the family at this time.

LEMON: And not through his attorney, through you, a will has not (ph), sir?

MCMILLAN: I've not seen a will at this time.

LEMON: If there is no will, who gets his assets?

MCMILLAN: Well, if there is no will, then under the state of California, it goes to the next of kin. That's an adult to administer and oversee for the best interest of the children, and that would be Mr. and Mrs. Jackson. And Katherine Jackson is the duly appointed person.

LEMON: So it would not be, you know, Debbie Rowe or anyone?

MCMILLAN: No.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROBERTS: The Jackson family says that they're still working on funeral arrangements -- Kiran.

CHETRY: Well, you didn't have to look at the TV to know when one of his commercials came on, because TV pitchman Billy Mays was best known for his booming voice. Well, he was found dead in his Florida home yesterday and the cause is still unknown. But Mays said that he was hit on the head when an airplane that he was on made a rough landing Saturday. An autopsy is planned for later today. John Zarrella tracking the story from Tampa this morning and joins us now with more.

Very unusual circumstances, and even more unusual is that he spoke right after he got off that plane and said, "Yes, I got hit. Good thing I have a hard head."

JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's right, Kiran. In fact, he didn't seem to be exhibiting at first any signs that there were any problems. But later Saturday evening, he told both his wife and a friend that he wasn't feeling all that good.

Now, we're standing outside the Hillsborough County medical examiner's office where an autopsy is going to be performed later today in hopes of finding out what killed Billy Mays. Now, you may not know his name, but his face is certainly familiar.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ZARRELLA (voice-over): At 50 years old, Billy Mays' career was at its height. He was the king of the pitchman. You know the face and the booming voice from commercials for products like Orange Glow and OxyClean.

BILLY MAYS, DECEASED TV PITCHMAN: That's the power of OxyClean.

ZARRELLA: Mays was on a US Airways flight from Philadelphia that blew a nose gear tire during a hard landing in Tampa Saturday. Afterwards, a Tampa television station talked with him briefly.

MAYS: All of a sudden as we hit, you know, it was just I mean the hardest hit. All the top -- you know, the things from the ceiling start dropping. And it hit me on the head but I've got a hard head.

ZARRELLA: Airport officials say there were no reports of serious passenger injuries from the landing or falling bags. But according to Tampa police and a friend, radio personality Todd Schnitt, Mays was feeling out of sorts when he went to bed.

TODD SCHNITT, HOST, "THE MJ MORNING SHOW": I called him just to give him a hard time. "Hey, Billy, how was the flight?" And he spoke to me for about six and a half, seven minutes. Said he was groggy, said he wasn't, you know, feeling that great. He wanted to get some sleep.

ZARRELLA: Mays' wife, Deborah, found him unresponsive Sunday morning.

LAURA MCELROY, SPOKESWOMAN, TAMPA POLICE DEPT.: His wife woke up this morning, discovered that he wasn't breathing and immediately called 911.

ZARRELLA: He was pronounced dead by paramedics a short time later. Mays had become a pop culture celebrity, appearing on "The Tonight Show."

CONAN O'BRIEN, HOST, "THE TONIGHT SHOW": I hear your voice when I try to go to sleep at night.

ZARRELLA: He also co-hosted a Discovery Channel series appropriately titled "Pitchmen."

MAYS: Wow. What an entrance.

ZARRELLA: People with big dreams would bring them products and Mays and his co-host would decide whether the items were worthy of a pitch from the best pitchman in the business.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ZARRELLA: Now while the preliminary results from the autopsy should be completed by this afternoon, it is not clear at this time, Kiran, whether the medical examiner will release those findings today -- Kiran.

CHETRY: Just a sad situation. Such a random situation as well. All right. John Zarrella for us this morning, thanks.

ROBERTS: Also new this morning, Iranian TV reported the Guardian Council is now conducting a partial recount of the disputed presidential election. A verdict expected for later on today. Iran has also released five British embassy workers. Several others remain in custody, accused of stirring up post election unrest.

There were massive demonstrations in Tehran over the weekend. Witnesses say police used batons and tear gas to break up the crowds.

Right now, confusion in Honduras. Citizens are being ordered to stay indoors, hours after the country's president was overthrown in a military coup, seized in his pajamas and flown to Costa Rica. He was ousted for pressing ahead with a confidential referendum to rewrite the constitution. President Obama says he is deeply concerned about the situation.

In about four hours from now, convicted con man Bernie Madoff will be sentenced by a federal judge here in New York City. Prosecutors are calling for a 150-year sentence. Madoff's attorney is pushing for just 12 years. The judge is also letting Madoff wear his own clothes to court instead of a prison uniform.

It's coming up now on 10 minutes after the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROBERTS: Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning at twelve and a half minutes after the hour. Here is what's making news this morning. It's the countdown is on for what could be a historic week in Iraq.

Tomorrow, all U.S. combat troops are scheduled to withdraw from Iraq's main cities. They'll be handing over security to Iraqi forces. And despite a recent surge in violence, General Ray Odierno tells CNN that Iraq's security forces are ready to take control.

Police in Mexico busted in a corruption case. Prosecutors say 93 officers and investigators are now under house arrest. They're suspected of helping one of the country's most violent drug gangs. Police corruption is nothing new in Mexico, but this is one of the biggest raids in years.

And South Carolina's governor, Mark Sanford, says he's not going anywhere. After days of speculation, Sanford tells The Associated Press he considered resigning but will remain in office. Sanford's political career has been in limbo since he confessed to an extramarital affair with a woman from Argentina.

CHETRY: Well, Christine Romans joins us now. She's "Minding Our Business." She is back from her tending buffalo in Iowa.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: That's right.

CHETRY: And we missed you.

ROMANS: I missed you guys too, sort of. It was a nice vacation.

CHETRY: And you guys can keep your corn there, right? Because gas prices...

ROMANS: That's right. And the corn looks good in Iowa. I will tell you that my firsthand reporting on the trip -- I wonder if I can expense my trip now, right?

Now, the corn looks good in Iowa. And, you know, I took a nice long drive. Gas prices are down. And, in fact, gas prices are down eight days in a row. Ding, ding ding, ding, ding. You guys were all complaining much of the late spring about how much it has been going up.

Today about $2.64 a gallon. A week ago, it was $2.69. And a month ago, it was about 20 cents below here.

So in the very near term here, you've seen gas prices rise and now they're coming back down. And the reason why, two things. A weak dollar is keeping a floor under oil prices and gasoline prices. But there's a demand problem. In this country, you have rising unemployment. You have commuter traffic. People aren't driving to work as much. Businesses aren't using as much gas, so you have demand down and that's sort of keeping a lid on prices here right now.

So demand is weak. Unemployment is still a problem for the demand side of the equation. But for you, that means it's costing a little bit less right now to put gas in your tank every week.

And remember, last year at this time, it was $4 a gallon. So this is much better than it was last year. If you live in Hawaii, you're seeing the highest prices. But in Missouri, you're seeing about $2.42 a gallon. You know, Wichita, Kansas, $2.40 a gallon. San Francisco, it's high, in the price of California, too. So it's different everywhere it's going. But for eight days or so, moving lower gas prices.

ROBERTS: Now we know you had a lovely time in Iowa last week.

ROMANS: I did.

ROBERTS: And we were very glad for that, but we certainly missed "Romans' Numeral." So have you got one for us now?

ROMANS: I do. And the number today is 42. And this is $42, this "Romans' Numeral." As you know, this is the number that we try to put together. We crunch the numbers to try and find a way to advance sort of the business and your money story. $42.

CHETRY: And it has to do with gas prices?

ROMANS: No.

ROBERTS: How much less it's costing you every month to fill up your tank.

ROMANS: This is a little bit -- this is why we're feeling a little bit better. We're feeling better because of lower gas prices. We're also feeling better because the typical worker is saving more. And this is how much money the typical worker is now saving every week. $42.

CHETRY: You're saying personal savings?

ROBERTS: Putting it away in a bank account.

ROMANS: Putting it away. And, you know, for a long, long time we were spending more money than we had. We were using credit cards and taking money out of our houses. Now the upshot of this financial crisis is people are spending less, they're saving more, and it's making them feel a little better about things. And maybe that's that kernel that you need to start growing -- to start growing some kind of a recovery down the road.

But $42 a week is what the typical worker is starting to save now. And folks, we haven't seen that in 15 years. We haven't seen you saving money like that, so that's helping people feel a little bit better.

CHETRY: Not bad. All right. Christine, "Minding Your Business." We'll see you in the next hour.

ROMANS: Thanks.

ROBERTS: Yes. As we said, coming up tomorrow is the deadline for U.S. forces to pull out of the major cities in Iraq. Our Michael Ware is going to join us coming up to talk more about that. We'll be right back. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHETRY: Nineteen minutes past the hour now. Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning.

We're just 24 hours away from a major benchmark in a more than six-year-old Iraq war. Tomorrow is the deadline for U.S. troops to pull out of Iraq's major cities and to turn security operations over to Iraqi forces.

CNN's Michael Ware is live for us in Baghdad with more on this benchmark. And what does it really mean going forward for the U.S. military mission in Iraq, Michael?

MICHAEL WARE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kiran, first and foremost, let's -- I mean, let's try and get our heads around what exactly this means. This is formally the end of the U.S.- led war in Iraq. America will no longer be in charge.

I mean, this is a war that the Bush administration started. As President Obama calls it, the war of choice. Well, in the dying days of the Bush administration, they signed this international agreement with Baghdad that dictated a timetable for the ending of this war. And June 30, tomorrow, is the first grand step.

Now what happens is that by the time, by tomorrow, and it's been under way for six months, of course, all U.S. troops will have pulled out of Iraq's cities and bases, cities and towns, and they retreat to pre-designated bases.

There'll still be a few Americans out there, advisers embedded with Iraqi units. There'll be some partner patrols, and I'm sure we're going to see some joint operations from time to time.

Bottom line, America is no longer in charge as of tomorrow morning and that the Iraqis are in control and America can only operate within the urban centers at the invitation or with the permission of the Iraqi government. In some ways, this is very much an end of the American phase of the war, Kiran.

CHETRY: Same thing, this is happening at a time where we've been seeing increased violence, the suicide bombings, one of the deadliest taking place within the last week. How do the civilians feel about this? I mean, you have said so many times that they just want to be safe. They want to be able to feel like they can walk around their neighborhoods and be safe, their kids can go to school but they can earn a living. So what are we dealing with in terms of where that leaves the country?

WARE: You know, you'd think and answer a question like that would have a simple answer. But as always, this is Iraq, it's very complicated.

This has been a long running bombing campaign. Al Qaeda in Iraq and its allies trying to bring Iraq back to sectarian civil war.

Yes, they yearn for security. Yet, they're the minority that wants the Americans to stay in the street. The vast majority of Iraqis are in a celebratory mood.

State TV, Iraqi state TV currently sponsored with a countdown to the handover. Tomorrow is a national holiday. These people are celebrating that finally foreign troops will be out of their straits, whether those troops were well intended or not.

Foreign tanks will be gone, that the Iraqis will finally be in charge. I suspect there may be a high price for that sovereignty, but the Iraqis are clearly ready to pay for it, Kiran.

CHETRY: And tomorrow we get our first look at how things are going. Michael Ware for us this morning from Baghdad. Thanks so much.

ROBERTS: Of course, it was a famous campaign pledge during the Obama campaign that he would not raise taxes on the middle class. But is the White House beginning to change its tune on that? We're "Just Sayin'." Carol Costello is coming up next with a look.

It's 23 minutes after the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROBERTS: Iranian television reporting a partial recount of the presidential vote is under way. A random 10 percent of the votes. Iran also says it released five British diplomats from custody.

Thousands of protesters marched in the capital under the vigilant eye of police and security forces yesterday. So what's next in this tense political standoff?

Joining me now from Washington with his take is Afshin Molavi. He is the author of "The Soul of Iran."

Afshin, so there were demonstrations over the weekend but they don't seem to have the same intensity that they had in the previous couple of weeks. The "Los Angeles Times" has a headline this morning. It says, "In Iran, the protests have quieted but the protesters are simmering." There's a suggestion here that whether or not these protests go anywhere today that things have forever changed in Iran. What do you think?

AFSHIN MOLAVI, FELLOW, NEW AMERICA FOUNDATION: I think that's right, John. I think the extraordinary violence that was perpetrated by security forces against the protesters have certainly made people think twice about going out onto the streets. And I think the "Los Angeles Times" is right to say that there is a great deal of simmering.

There's also an enormous amount of melancholy, depression, frustration that has really set in. I mean, people have actually seen, you know, old ladies being beaten up. They've seen their friends being bloodied. And so there is this extraordinary moment in Iranian political history, in many ways, where they had this chance, they had this moment where they thought change was in their grasp and was beaten back violently.

ROBERTS: So was there a large part of the population there now that will never accept the legitimacy of the regime?

MOLAVI: I think there is. And I think that to an extent the legitimacy of the regime has really been hurt. You know, particularly the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was often seen as someone who tried to be above the fray as an arbiter of dispute. But he's clearly gone on the side of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in this case.

There's also an important point to remember, John. It's not just the Iranian population that is simmering,. There are some very powerful political players within the system in Iran who are either simmering or who are in many ways simmering in jail right now. Some 200 reformists have been thrown in jail.

ROBERTS: So even after the brutal crackdown on the protesters and as you said, women, old women being beaten, the brutality of the besieged paramilitary forces as well as the Iranian Revolutionary Guard. The White House says it's still open to talks with Iran. Let's listen to what Susan Rice said yesterday on "Face the Nation."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SUSAN RICE, AMBASSADOR TO THE U.N.: Legitimacy obviously is in the eyes of the people, but that's not the critical issue in terms of our dealings with Iran. We are concerned for our own national interest to ensure that Iran doesn't pursue its nuclear program.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTS: Afshin, do you think that after everything that's happened, is it still prudent for the United States to pursue talks with Iran?

MOLAVI: You know, my own view is that this is now not the time to talk of engagement with Iran. And I think the Obama administration is careful about not necessarily talking about it unless they're asked. If you noticed, they don't come up with that kind of formulation unless they're asked.

The strategic count list for talking to Iran about its nuclear issue, about some regional security issues remain the same. But I think this is probably the worst possible outcome for the Obama administration and its engagement policy because with the kind of blood in the streets that you're seeing, with the Nobel Peace Laureate Shirin Ebadi (ph) calling for the political isolation of Iran, it certainly raises the cost for the Obama administration domestically and internationally for an engagement process with Iran.

ROBERTS: And do you think that Iran is even interested in talks? You know, Ahmadinejad raised a belligerence level in the last couple of days, saying Iran will have a harsher, more decisive reply, will make the West regret its "meddlesome stance." Doesn't sound like he wants talks, even though Khamenei is the guy who eventually you have to talk to.

MOLAVI: This is an important point, John, you know. And even before these elections, Iran had been foot dragging on President Obama's overture. And so, I think the position will only be hardened now.

And, you know, there is an important point to remember here that even within the security services, John, the Revolution Guard, even the Basij militia, were starting to see splits in those security services as well. So a direct U.S. engagement and overture to Iran actually may in some ways be counter-productive right now, because to some extent when Obama says we need to see how this will play out, we also need to see how some of the splits are going to play out.

ROBERTS: All right. Afshin Molavi, it's good to talk to you this morning. Thanks for joining us.

MOLAVI: Thank you.

CHETRY: Right now, we're coming up on 30 minutes past the hour.

Michael Jackson's father is speaking exclusively to CNN. Joe Jackson saying that he has a lot of concerns about the very last moments of his son's death. In the meantime, Jackson's personal doctor has spoken to Los Angeles police telling him that Jackson had a slight pulse when he found him unconscious in his bed. He was questioned extensively by investigators over the weekend, according to the law firm that is representing that doctor.

ROBERTS: A new study out this morning has some shocking findings. Fifteen percent of teenagers polled think that they are going to die young, and that the study found it's pushing more teens to try risky behaviors like drugs or even attempt suicide. The results said that many teens simply feel hopeless.

CHETRY: And it's becoming an almost daily event, North Korea taunting the U.S. with nuclear threats. The communist regime today calling it a brutal fact that the U.S. is attempting to launch a preemptive strike on North Korea. And in response, Pyongyang says it's bolstering its nuclear arsenal. This tough talk comes after Defense Secretary Robert Gates deployed interceptors and radar equipment in and around Hawaii.

Well, keeping taxes down on the middle-class was a huge campaign promise from President Obama. And at least when it comes to income tax, it's so far, so good.

ROBERTS: But just saying, there are a lot of other ways for the government to get to your money. Our Carol Costello live this morning in our Washington bureau.

Where there's a will, there's a way, Carol.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right. They can be very creative, John and Kiran. We've heard the promises. The middle class will not see a tax increase. You can bank on it. Problem is, Republicans and even some Democrats are charging average Americans will see huge tax increases. Some say they already have. Just saying, there's more than one way to tax a taxpayer.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO (voice-over): Gerry Bringmann puts in a long day as a construction superintendent and he's worried about the economy.

GERRY BRINGMANN, CONSTRUCTION SUPERINTENDENT: Absolutely brutal. Everyone's tightening their belts and nothing happening. It's the worst I've seen it in my whole career.

COSTELLO: So, it's a given he really doesn't want to pay more taxes. That's why President Obama's campaign promise sounded so appealing.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: No family making less than $250,000 a year will see any form of tax increase.

COSTELLO: And the president has followed through. He wants to give guys like Bringmann a break by making the Bush tax cuts permanent for them, and by giving middle-class Americans millions in tax credits. It sounds good, but just saying, why do middle-class Americans feel so overtaxed?

RYAN ELLIS, AMERICANS FOR TAX REFORM: President Obama, I think, and this isn't an unfair criticism, is trying to have it both ways.

COSTELLO: Because he says there's more than one way to tax a taxpayer. Keep in mind, Ellis' organization opposes all tax increases. But as he points out, just one month into the president's term, Mr. Obama signed a bill nearly tripling the tax on cigarettes. And the White House hasn't exactly rejected the idea of taxing employee health plans to pay for health care reform.

BRINGMANN: Yes, it's nickel and dime. It's the stuff you don't see that gets you. And that's how they do it. They make it so you don't notice it.

COSTELLO: State governments are playing that game, too. The New York Transit Authority is raising fares to make up for huge deficit. Hence, Bringmann is paying more for his ride to work.

ELLIS: Well, on the state and local level, there's been a large push for tax increases because, of course, states have to balance their budgets whereas the federal government does not.

COSTELLO: So at least 23 states have raised taxes and fees this year, some in creative ways.

Wisconsin, for example, is proposing a 75 cent-monthly fee for any device that can make 911 calls. In Maine, there's an additional 5 percent tax on most candy. Kentucky has doubled the state cigarette tax and now taxes alcohol. And Massachusetts? It's proposed a 25 percent increase in its sales tax.

No wonder the middle class feels overtaxed and is more cynical than ever.

BRINGMANN: It's just the nature of the beast. They're going to try and find ways to sneak things past you. Again, it's just part of the nickel and diming you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: And these new taxes and fees, no one outside of government thinks they will be temporary.

We want to know what you think this morning. Are you feeling overtaxed? And do you think the worst is yet to come? Write to us on our blog, cnn.com/amfix, cnn.com/amfix.

Are you feeling overtaxed? Are you angry about it?

That was the line.

ROBERTS: Looking forward to what people have to say to this.

Good morning, Carol. Thanks so much for that.

CHETRY: My grandma used to say, they get you coming and going.

ROBERTS: They always do.

Thirty-five minutes after the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROBERTS: He can't look, but we're going to look. We're going to take a quick look at the AM Rundown of the stories coming your way in the next 15 minutes.

Extreme weather back on tap for parts of the Northeast today. We're going to check in with Rob Marciano to see if it could affect your travel plans. Yes, we're back in the soup again tonight.

A major climate change bill right now facing a steep uphill battle in the Senate. And the debate has one lawmaker using some, shall we say, very descriptive language to sum up the bill. You want to see this one.

And the exiled president of Honduras says he is still in charge despite a military coup that exiled him from the country.

CHETRY: Well, it fell out of the sky without any warning. But this morning, there is some new information on the crash of Air France Flight 447. It was the crash that killed all 228 people on board. Brazil called off the search now for more bodies and debris over the weekend.

And also now, a federal agency is saying that two other Airbus A330s had air speed malfunctions in midair in the past two months. And the plane that crashed was also an Airbus A330. So, is there a connection?

Our homeland security correspondent Jeanne Meserve takes a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Investigators do not yet know why Air France Flight 447 went down in the middle of the Atlantic. But automated messages sent before the crash indicate there may have been problems with external speed sensors. Now, the National Transportation Safety Board has turned up two other incidents with the same type of aircraft which may provide additional clues.

On May 21st, just days before the Air France crash, an Airbus A330 operated by Brazil's TAM Airlines was flying from Miami to Sao Paulo when an abrupt drop in outside air temperature was followed by the loss of airspeed and altitude information. The flight crew used back-up instruments. The data was restored. The flight landed safely.

A second possibly similar incident took place June 23 on a Northwest flight between Hong Kong and Tokyo. Again, the aircraft landed safely.

PETER GOELZ, FORMER NTSB OFFICIAL: We have no idea yet whether these two incidents are in any way related to the Air France accident. But investigators are going to leave no stone unturned. And they're going to search out any incident that occurs.

The pitot tube should be located on either side of the nose usually right in this area.

MESERVE: Goelz says the possible culprit in all these incidents -- a malfunction of either the pitot tubes, small exterior speed sensors, or the computer software on the aircraft.

The Airbus A330 is so widely used, one takes up every minute somewhere in the world. Air France Flight 447 was the first to crash in the 16 years the aircraft has been in service. And experts say at this point, there is no reason to believe it is unsafe to fly.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHETRY: So, a lot of questions surrounding what exactly happened and whether this... ROBERTS: Yes. And no signs of those black boxes, either, which can really tell the tale on what happened.

CHETRY: And the time is running out for them. They only give off a signal for about 30 days.

ROBERTS: But then they might last a little bit longer than that. But, yes, if they ever find it by now. It's probably very, very slim chances that they ever will.

CHETRY: All right. Well, 41 minutes now past the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHETRY: Forty-four minutes past the hour.

We fast forward through the stories that will be making news later today.

This afternoon at 2:15 Eastern, President Obama welcomes the president of Columbia to the White House. Administration officials say that the two leaders will discuss issues of security and development.

Also, it's the last day of the current session for the Supreme Court. At 10:00 a.m. Eastern, the justices will hand down a decision in a discrimination case surrounding a group of firefighters from New Haven, Connecticut. The Court could overturn the previous ruling, which incidentally was made by President Obama's Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor.

Also this morning, it is back to business for Chrysler. Today, seven of its 11 plants will resume building cars and trucks. The automaker had to shut down production after entering bankruptcy court back on April 30.

So, seven of the 11, which means jobs in the community for people who were out of work because those plants were shut down, so, see, some of the others are open.

ROBERTS: So how was the weather over the weekend? I wasn't here.

CHETRY: Beautiful. It was gorgeous.

ROBERTS: It was nice?

CHETRY: We finally got two days of pretty -- maybe a cup of showers on Saturday, but two days of overall mostly sunshine.

ROBERTS: I was up in Colorado over the weekend.

CHETRY: We missed you.

ROBERTS: I was up in Colorado where they have 300 days of sunshine every year. And we had actually some tornadoes come through on Friday. But other than that, the weather was beautiful.

But the weather for much of the northeast today is going to be a little bit problematic. Our Rob Marciano checking the extreme weather. He's in Atlanta this morning.

What have we got on tap, Rob?

(WEATHER REPORT)

ROBERTS: Yes, they've had a lot of rain there this year. And if you go around the places that are normally sort of, you know, either dry or browning up, Rob, they're very, very green. But now I guess the worry is when it does dry out later on this year, there could be a real fire danger there.

ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: We hope that doesn't happen. In the meantime, enjoy the nice weather in New York, guys.

ROBERTS: Appreciate it. Thanks, Rob, so much.

CHETRY: Thanks, Rob.

ROBERTS: Love Colorado. Colorado is just an amazing place.

CHETRY: Gorgeous.

ROBERTS: Yes. Every time I get a chance to go and visit, I do.

CHETRY: You are lucky that your kids decided to go to school there.

ROBERTS: One of them.

CHETRY: Got to start planning now.

Forty-seven minutes past the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHETRY: Pretty picture this morning of our nation's capital where the sun is shining this morning. How about it. Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning. It's a live look at D.C. we're it's 67 right now, going up to 86. And it is going to be mostly sunny there today.

ROBERTS: Picture postcard perfect.

CHETRY: Yes, it is beautiful.

Well, this morning, a face-off over climate and energy legislation is heating up. The House passed a bill Friday with just a few votes to spare, and virtually no Republican support. If it passes the Senate, it will dramatically change the way our whole energy structure is based in this country.

CNN's Jim Acosta is live in Washington with more on this. And critics of the bill are not holding back at all, right? Twelve hundred pages. They're saying people didn't read it. And there were even, what, more than two dozen Democrats who voted against it as well.

JIM ACOSTA, CNN GENERAL ASSIGNMENT CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Kiran. They are not holding back. You could say the capital has generated some of its own greenhouse gases over the last few days in the super heated debate on the energy bill. It just barely passed the House, as you said, after the defections of dozens of Democrats. And the House minority leader had at least one choice word to describe the bill, a word we can't use here.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

REP. JOHN BOEHNER (R), HOUSE MINORITY LEADER: How about in page 42?

ACOSTA (voice-over): Members of the House don't have the power of the filibuster, but don't tell that to House minority leader John Boehner.

BOEHNER: Are you kidding me?

ACOSTA: Who spent an hour, far longer than the time granted to members on the floor.

BOEHNER: Oh, here we are on page 96.

ACOSTA: Reading and reading huge chunks of the Democratic-backed energy and climate change bill.

BOEHNER: And page 97.

ACOSTA: Boehner later said he wasn't trying to stall the measure. He told "The Hill" newspaper people deserve to know what's in this pile of (BLEEP).

BOEHNER: This is the biggest job killing bill that's ever been on the floor of the House of Representatives, right here -- this bill.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The bill is passed.

ACOSTA: In the end, the bill squeaked past the House by just seven votes.

REP. NANCY PELOSI (D), SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: Just remember four words about it -- jobs, jobs, jobs, jobs.

ACOSTA: For a nation that hasn't radically changed the way it uses energy since that school house rock classic on electricity, it's an ambitious plan.

The bill aims to cut greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide in the U.S. by 83 percent in 40 years, by switching Americans over to more green power. But critics predict the measures limits on power plants and other polluters will be expensive driving up energy costs for families and factories.

SEN. CHARLES GRASSLEY (R), IOWA: And you're going to find signs on manufacturing doors if this bill passes that say, "Moved, gone to China."

ACOSTA: Democrats point to a congressional budget office study that found the energy bill would cost the average American household $175 a year.

DAVID AXELROD, SENIOR ADVISER TO PRESIDENT-ELECT OBAMA: I think this is a phony issue. And the real issue is what is the Republican strategy for creating jobs this. This bill actually, they call it a job killer. It will create millions of green jobs.

ACOSTA: Still more than 40 House Democrats voted against the bill.

SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R), SOUTH CAROLINA: The news is that red state Democrats are bailing out on the president's agenda faster than Republicans.

ACOSTA: Which is why the president is already spending some of his energy on the Senate.

OBAMA: My call to every senator as well as every American is this. We cannot be afraid of the future.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ACOSTA: And this bill could have the most trouble on the Senate, where the threat of the filibuster is alive and well. But the White House says it is still confident this energy bill will have plenty of fuel to make it to the final vote sometime this fall.

Kiran?

CHETRY: At the end of the day, I mean, people want to know who is telling the truth. Half of them are saying it's going to kill jobs. It's the biggest job killing bill out there.

ACOSTA: Yes.

CHETRY: And then you have the House Speaker saying it means jobs, jobs, jobs, jobs.

ACOSTA: Exactly.

CHETRY: So what is it?

ACOSTA: Well, you know, we'll have to find out if it even passes. And there are some big doubts that this could pass. The Senate is filled with Senate Democrats from coal-producing states. And a lot of those senators are very nervous about this bill.

So it is possible that this bill will not pass the Senate when it comes down to a vote this fall. That is partly the reason why the White House says it wants to do health care before energy, if you can imagine that. Health care being a very difficult piece of legislation to pass, they want to do that one first.

CHETRY: Jim Acosta for us this morning.

ACOSTA: Jobs, jobs, jobs.

CHETRY: Thanks, Jim.

ACOSTA: You got it.

ROBERTS: You know, memorial service playing for Michael Jackson later on this week. There's got to be some funeral arrangements made as well. We're learning more about the last moments of his life from his doctor, Dr. Conrad Murray.

We're going to be talking with an attorney who is representing the doctor coming up next hour here on the Most News in the Morning, and hope to get some answer to some questions that a lot of people have.

CHETRY: Absolutely. All right.

Well, we're going to take a quick break. We'll be back in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROBERTS: Confusion this morning in Honduras after the sitting president is ousted in a coup while in his pajamas and exiled to the neighboring country of Costa Rica.

The president Manuel Zelaya is not going without a fight. This morning, he's insisting that he is still the president. But the man sworn in after the military ousted Zelaya says he is taking office legally.

And in just a few hours, the United Nations General Assembly is going to discuss the political crisis.

President Obama is keeping a very close eye on what's going on in Honduras.

CNN's Dan Lothian is at the White House this morning.

So how is this being read, Dan, and how is it sitting with the White House? Because this was a left-leaning president, dully elected, mind you, who didn't really carry favor with everyone in that country or in the region.

DAN LOTHIAN, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: That's right. But certainly he was elected. And that's why the White House, from the president saying he is deeply concerned by this coup in Honduras. The White House saying that the president and top aides have been briefed on the situation there. The president released a statement saying in part, quote, "I call on all political and social actors in Honduras to respect democratic norms, the rule of law."

The president going on to say that any existing tension and disputes must be resolved peacefully through dialogue free from any outside interference. Now we heard a little stronger language from a senior State Department official who called the coup, quote, "unacceptable and a terrible move."

Now the U.S. has about 550 U.S. troops on the ground there at a military base. Senior administration officials saying that they are contained and that they will not be impacted by the coup there. They are mainly for counter narcotics operations.

And one additional note, later today the president, John, will be meeting at the White House here in The Oval office with President Uribe of Columbia. We expect that this issue, this regional issue will come up among other topics of security and development challenges.

John?

ROBERTS: We'll keep watching that one closely. Dan Lothian for us at the White House this morning.

Dan, thanks so much.