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Obama Not Meeting Iran's President Rouhani; Jackson Wrongful Death Trial; Hillary Clinton Speaks on Panel; Charlie Sheen Has Jury Duty; Ray Charles Gets Postal Stamp; Burger King Intros Lo-Fat Fries; VW Bus Ends Production; Barack Scared of Michelle; Chicago Police Arrest Four in Park Shooting
Aired September 24, 2013 - 15:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: Bottom of the hour, I'm Brooke Baldwin. You're watching CNN.
Big, big story coming out of the United Nations today. The U.S. and Iran will hold their highest-level contact since the Iranian Revolution of 1979. That is to happen on Thursday, when Secretary of State John Kerry is scheduled to be in a meeting with the Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.
President Obama said today that diplomacy must be tested in the effort to keep Iran from developing nuclear weapons. At this very hour, we are awaiting the new Iranian president's speech to the U.N. General Assembly. He is a key component of this push for better relations.
CNN's Barbara Starr has a look at him.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: All eyes are on Hassan Rouhani, Iran's new president, still largely a man of mystery as the U.S. trying to figure out whether he is really willing to give up what the U.S. believes is a nuclear weapons program, as he told NBC in an interview.
HASSAN ROUHANI, IRANIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): We have time and again said that under no circumstances would we seek any weapons of mass destruction, including nuclear weapons.
STARR: Leading President Obama to a historic step, ordering Secretary of State John Kerry to pursue a nuclear deal with Tehran.
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I don't believe this difficult history can be overcome overnight. The suspicions run too deep. But I do believe that if we can resolve the issue of Iran's nuclear program, that can serve as a major step down a long road towards a different relationship.
STARR: But will Rouhani deliver or is it all a charm offensive?
Rouhani has called for the end of what he says is the age of blood feuds in a "Washington Post" op-ed. He even has a Twitter account, posting pictures of himself arriving in New York for the United Nations meeting and wishing Jews this month a blessed Rosh Hashanah.
These days, Rouhani is viewed as a fairly moderate cleric, but experts say, look at his background. He lived in exile in Paris with Ayatollah Khomeini, the force behind Iran's revolution. He's viewed as completely loyal to Iran's current supreme leader. There is caution about moving too fast.
KARIM SADJAPOUR, CARNEGIE ENDOWMENT: I think a normalization of relations between the United States and Iran is unrealistic after 35 years. That's going to take much more time.
STARR: And for both Obama and Rouhani, it may take time for the same reason. Each has the challenge of politics.
SADJAPOUR: President Obama has to be very sensitive to concerns about Israel's national security and, in Tehran, president Rouhani can't appear to conciliatory towards the United States and he certainly can't appear to be friendly toward Israel.
STARR: So why is Rouhani stepping back from Iran's nuclear program? It's widely believed he's doing it to try and get crippling economic sanctions lifted from Iran. That's part of the reason he was elected by the people.
But there are significant concerns that still lie ahead, Iran's support for international terrorism, Iran's support for Bashar al- Assad inside Syria and Iran's attitude towards Israel.
Barbara Starr, CNN, the Pentagon.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: Now, we have been watching very closely all day long as to whether or not President Obama might run into Hassan Rouhani, whether accidentally or not, and we now know it's not going to happen.
At last report, they both were still on the grounds of the U.N. headquarters there in New York, but two senior U.S. officials are now telling us that such an encounter had proven just simply too complicated politically for Rouhani.
CNN's Nick Paton Walsh is at the United Nations for us today. And, so, Nick, Rouhani is about to address the U.N. general assembly there. I'm guessing, from years past with his predecessor, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, this speech will be quite different.
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely. Judging by his Twitter feed, completely different indeed.
What you're referring to was, I think, an afternoon in which many began to see the window for such a meeting between Rouhani and Obama shrinking when the president's schedule clear, leaving this area shortly.
And, of course, many thought he was unlikely to make that informal meeting before Rouhani's speech, just in case the Iranian president came out with any messages which may potentially embarrass the White House.
But we're also looking now to exactly see what message we get from Tehran about this high-level meeting to happen, the White House having been clear they made suggestion they'd be open to such an informal exchange, no negotiations, no bilateral meeting.
But it didn't seem like the Iranians were able to get their own house in order. There was that quote being, it was too complicated, but many seeing perhaps this as a way of getting diplomacy started again and there is the potential maybe for such a meeting to happen down the line if Iran puts forward the concrete steps that the White House is so keen to see from them.
Brooke?
BALDWIN: Meeting or no meeting, though, you have President Obama speaking there today, saying that diplomacy with Iran must be tested.
Does that, Nick -- does that begin with Thursday with the secretary of state, John Kerry, and his Iranian counterpart, once they meet?
WALSH: Well, certainly. That's a substantial bit of progress from the diplomatic course here. It's not necessarily a one-on-one. It's part of a broader meeting with the P5-plus-one.
That's Russia, China, France, the U.K. and the U.S., with Germany thrown in there as well, but that's about the Iranian nuclear program, a huge step forward to be meeting at that high level.
Plus, Obama saying he had tasked Kerry with getting that diplomatic track back on path, but I think the real echoing message we hear throughout this sudden flurry of diplomacy around Iran is the west, the P-5 plus one, wanting to see how serious Iran necessarily is here because there's been a lot of rhetoric here, but they've seen this dance before.
Every sort of six, seven years there's an uptick in Iran's desire perhaps to get friendlier with the west and then the hardliners get back in the fray and disrupt that. So people, I think, want to see concrete steps, and you heard that from Barack Obama earlier today.
Brooke?
BALDWIN: Nick, thank you.
Coming up, did a concert promoter contribute to the death of Michael Jackson? For months, jurors have heard both sides.
And now as closing arguments begin, we are getting our first inside look at the court. You will hear that live.
Plus, in Los Angeles -- oops. Take a look at who showed up for jury duty today. You'll hear what Charlie Sheen had to say for himself.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: For five months, it's been a courtroom full of drama and sometimes uncomfortable testimony. Finally today closing arguments are underway in the highly publicized wrongful death lawsuit filed by Michael Jackson's heirs against concert promoter AEG Live.
The attorney who represents the Michael Jackson family here, they're going first. They're reiterating the argument that Dr. Conrad Murray made decisions based upon money.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BRIAN PANISH, JACKSON FAMILY ATTORNEY: But we do know when Dexter Berman was asked how the conflict could be avoided, he said AEG could have not hired the doctor.
They could have Michael hire his own physician without AEG being involved. It's real simple. They could say, you know, Michael, we're supposed to hire these people, but this is not our deal.
We're not doctors. We're not a review board for physicians.
We don't know when we write in the contract that they have to do certain standards. We don't know when they are or not.
That's not what we do, man. We promote and produce concerts, so if you want this doctor so badly, here's the money, you go do it.
But instead, without Michael asking, they drafted the contract, and they never showed it to him or any of his representatives.
Why do you think they would do that? They wanted control.
Now, even their own Dr. Green said that he in his many years of practice has never seen anything like this three-way relationship between a physician, patient, and third party -- never.
He went on to agree Dr. Murray had a significant financial interest at risk here, no question.
And we all know in our life, as I've said, that people do things for money that they normally shouldn't do or that somebody that doesn't have a financial problem wouldn't do.
We know that. It's common sense. And as a juror, you don't leave your common sense behind.
You all, as I said, have 500-plus years of real-life experiences. You've all seen things. You know how people are. You need to bring that with you to the deliberations.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Legal analyst Darren Kavinoky joins me. So this thing has been going on for five months. We just heard one side of it. They have a lot to sift through, right? DARREN KAVINOKY, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: So this really comes down to a three-step process that these jurors now have to deal with.
First, it's an issue of liability. Is AEG liable? First of all, did they hire Dr. Conrad Murray? Then, were they negligent in that hiring?
This gets to be a thorny issue because it involves privacy rights. Assuming AEG is liable, then we get to the issue of damage calculations.
This could go into the billions --
BALDWIN: Billions with a "B."
KAVINOKY: -- of dollars when we're talking about the money that he would have made from his concert tours --
BALDWIN: That's how they calculate this.
KAVINOKY: That's part of it. That's the big part.
But ongoingly through his life. And then there's the other damages relating to his family being deprived of his love and affection and the ongoing relationship. But wait, there's more.
Even if they find that there is liability and they calculate those damages, then they have to go on and determine whether or not Michael Jackson had any role in hastening his own demise.
Because if his negligence, if Michael's own negligence contributed in some way, those damages can be reduced. If they find, for example, that Michael was 20 percent responsible, they would take the number that they arrived at and reduce it by 20 percent.
Obviously, even if it gets reduced substantially, because many people feel that Michael Jackson was ultimately at least partially responsible, we're still talking about an enormous check that AEG would have to write.
BALDWIN: Closing arguments today. We'll see how long the jurors sit with this. We'll stay tuned. Darren, thank you.
KAVINOKY: Thank you.
BALDWIN: And coming up, moments ago CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta just sat down with former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
Hear what she revealed. Sanjay joins me live.
Plus, Burger King, introducing lower calorie French fries, find out what the chain is cooking up what it calls a healthier option.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: All right. Here we have Dr. Gupta. He's standing by, CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta, in New York where he just led a panel that featured Hillary Rodham Clinton.
Sanjay, give me the news.
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I'll tell you, some things are a bit intimidating, Brooke.
On this panel, where the former secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, Queen Rania of Jordan, and also Melinda Gates, so three very high- powered women.
Muhammad Yunus was also on this panel as well. He's a Nobel laureate for his work with women. And so that was a lot of what the conversation was about, but it was wide ranging, Brooke.
We talked about all sorts of different things, including something that former Secretary Clinton has spoken a lot about in years past, health care and all that's going on with it now.
Take a listen to a little bit of that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HILLARY CLINTON, FORMER U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: This president is not going to agree to defund health care. We're on the path to beginning the implementation.
If they want to shut the government down, that's on their head and their responsibility.
And if they go even further, which is deeply distressing, and for the first time, lead our country into default on our obligations, that is not just partisan politics, that is going at the heart of our credibility around the world, not just our economic leadership, but our political and strategic leadership.
So I hope that our friends on the other side of the aisle, and it's a minority, but it's a noisy minority, understands this is not right to do, and this is bad politics for them to do.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Pretty forceful, Brooke, as you can hear there. And again, this is something that she's been talking about for some 20 years now, health care overall.
She went on to say that October 1st, no matter what happens, likely those health care marketplaces are going to open up. People are going to be able to start registering for those.
But, you know, in the interim over these next couple weeks, you've got the threat looming, not a likely one, but threat looming of a government shutdown and even the threat over the debt ceiling.
So, like I said, it was a wide-ranging conversation, Brooke.
BALDWIN: And some incredible big names, as you mentioned off the top on that panel.
But I must say, they're fortunate to be in your company, Dr. Gupta. Sanjay Gupta, thank you so much for joining us from New York. We appreciate it.
Coming up next, the president's open mike comment about who scares him.
Plus, French fries, anyone? New fast food French fries that will go perfect for your -- with your diet soda, I should say.
The day's top pop culture, "CNN Pop," next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: Talk about a surreal moment today in Hollywood because this is where CNN cameras caught actor Charlie Sheen heading to court, not because he's in trouble, but to put in a little civic service.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What brings you here, Charlie?
CHARLIE SHEEN, ACTOR: Jury duty.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Awesome.
SHEEN: Yeah. What are you guys covering?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Jackson.
SHEEN: Oh, right on. What's happening there?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Closing arguments.
SHEEN: Oh, really?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Big day.
SHEEN: Excellent. Right on. What do you think's going to happen?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't know.
SHEEN: Yeah.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Up to the jury.
SHEEN: I got to get down there, guys.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Just a little candid moment caught on camera. We're going to take a wild guess and assume Charlie Sheen made it to court on time.
He has almost one year of wedded bliss to Jessica Biel under his belt. Now Justin Timberlake can add a new movie and another new album to his list of accomplishments.
The triple-threat star is on the move, ready to put out his follow-up to "The 2020 Experience" later this month. In fact, you can stream it for free on iTunes right now.
And tonight he's performing a free concert on the famed Hollywood Boulevard.
So what motivates Justin Timberlake to keep all the wheels turning? CNN entertainment correspondent Nischelle Turner sat down, one-on-one, with J.T. and she scored some personal scoop.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NISCHELLE TURNER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: This drive, this determination, where does that come from?
JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE, ENTERTAINER: I don't know. I guess I got it from my mama.
No, I don't know. I don't know. I just think -- I don't know.
I've just always been that way, always been kind of -- I don't know. I grew up an only child and I've always kind of like -- you know, when you grow up that way, it's like you get all the perks, but you also get all the responsibility, like there's no one else to blame the vase getting broken on.
TURNER: I feel like maybe that's where creativity comes from because I had to do a lot of stuff on my own.
TIMBERLAKE: Sure. I had imaginary friends. I was weird.
TURNER: I did, too.
TIMBERLAKE: I could tell. You look like you had imaginary friends.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Nischelle, we are learning new things every day.
Timberlake also credits his Southern roots with giving him the push to be the best.
The legendary Ray Charles gets big ups, Burger King lets customers diet their way and say so long to the Love Bus, and who scared Lady O, all in today's "CNN Pop."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: The legendary Ray Charles gets the stamp of approval from the U.S. postal service. Charles joins the list of icons honored with a limited edition postage stamp.
Multiple stars who collaborated with the giant hit the stage in Los Angeles to celebrate his memory at the Grammy Museum. Have you heard the skinny Burger King is serving up? Today the restaurant added lo-fat fries to the menu.
B.K. claims its new fries have 40 percent less fat and 30 percent fewer calories than Mickey D's, but the fries will cost you an extra quarter on average.
But don't fret, fast foodies. You can still get the King's classic fries.
Say goodbye to the classic roadster. The iconic VW bus is rolling off the production line. Brazil is the only place still making the wildly popular '60s era icon, but new regulations requiring airbags have brought the van to the end of the road.
Ten million buses and six decades after its debut, the last one drives off into the sunset later this year.
The leader of the free world admitting a deep-seated fear, while casually chatting with the U.N. official at the general assembly, President Obama boasted why he's finally kicked his cigarette jones and here's why.
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: That's because I'm scared of my wife.
BALDWIN: And that's your "CNN Pop."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: To Kenya now, where the president says that deadly shopping mall standoff in Nairobi is finally over. Sixty-one civilians died in that attack, according to the president, along with six security officers.
Earlier, reporters had heard sporadic gunfire. We saw as you see here, some of these government troops, guns drawn making their way to the top floor of the mall.
The president says three floors of the four-story complex are partially collapsed and that some of the bodies are underneath the rubble.
What he did not reveal, however, was any new information about the hostages, or the identities of the gunmen.
The government of Kenya has said that all hostages have been freed, but the Red Cross has reported that 65 people are unaccounted for.
And in Chicago, four arrests made in that mass shooting at the Chicago park, but here's the thing, the suspects' target, as we're now learning, no one in particular, the police superintendent revealing that today.
Thirteen people were shot, including a three-year-old boy last Thursday at Cornell Square Park. All will survive. Today, Chicago police say four men are responsible, using an assault- style rifle. These two men, police say, were the shooters. The other two allegedly supplied a weapon and played lookout.
And police say the motive was retaliation after the suspect Bryon Champ was shot earlier this month.
I'm Brooke Baldwin. I'll see you back -
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SUPERINTENDENT GARRY MCCARTHY, CHICAGO POLICE: It's gang related. They are members of rival gangs and, when Mr. Champ was shot, he believed that the rival gang controlled the territory of Cornell Park and that's where they went to shoot up the park.
They didn't say I'm going to go get this guy. They said they're going to go shoot into the park.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Superintendent McCarthy also called for tougher sentences for crimes involving guns and for Congress and the state of Illinois to pass stricter gun control laws.
And we have been watching for the last -- I think he's been talking for a little over an hour. And I'm sure Jake Tapper will talk about this, Senator Ted Cruz talking on the Senate floor.
Keep in mind, the Senate taking up the vote tomorrow specifically on keeping the government funded.
That's it for me. See you back here tomorrow.
In the meantime, to Washington, we go. "THE LEAD" with Jake Tapper starts right now.
