Return to Transcripts main page
The Lead with Jake Tapper
Turkish Protests Turn Deadly; Prices Going Up In The Magic Kingdom; Nobody Is Safe On TV's Biggest Hits; Actor Denies Blaming Cancer On Oral Sex; All On The Line For Lebron; Hibbert Sorry For Gay Slur
Aired June 03, 2013 - 16:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: Coming up, just a few weeks ago he was standing side by side with President Obama at the White House. Now protesters want him out of office. Unprecedented violence erupts in Turkey. What are the consequences for the U.S.?
Plus, Michael Douglas claims his throat cancer was caused by a sexually transmitted disease. Then today, he backed off. But could he be right?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
TAPPER: Welcome back to THE LEAD. I'm Jake Tapper.
The World Lead. Thousands hurt as our critical ally Turkey erupts in protests and crackdowns. Comparisons are being drawn to the Arab Spring. But if that movement taught us anything, it's be careful what you wish for.
The Money Lead. Planning on taking the family to Disney World for summer vacation? You might want to apply for a loan now. Prices are going up at the Magic Kingdom. Get ready to spend some real Scrooge McDuck level money
And the Pop Lead. It was just unreal: HBO's "Game of Thrones" pulled one of the biggest twists in TV history last night. We'll hear from top series creators in the business on how they decide who gets the ax -- or the crossbow -- on your favorite shows.
Welcome back to THE LEAD. I'm Jake Tapper. In our World Lead, the protests in Turkey have turned deadly. One demonstrator was killed after a car drove into the crowd, and over 3,000 have been injured across the country in just the last two days.
CNN's senior international correspondent Ivan Watson went to Gesef (ph) Park ground zero for the protests.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It's a pretty festive scene here in central Istanbul. We are in Gesef (ph) Park. Until about a week ago, very few people really knew what this place was, even if you were a Turkish citizen. But it has become the center of a national debate and a movement that's really been challenging the government of this country unprecedented for the last ten years.
It's because last Monday, 40 or 50 demonstrators held a sit-in. They didn't want the government to bulldoze this place to make way for a shopping mall. And the government cracked down. It sent in riot police with tear gas and water cannons and pepper spray again and again, and that has triggered these protests that have erupted in a number of different cities and towns across Turkey. A significant challenge to the Turkish prime minister, who has repeatedly denounced the demonstrators, calling them members of extremist organizations and marginal groups.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TAPPER: Ivan Watson in Istanbul, thank you so much.
Protests that quickly spread across a nation. Accusations of a government that doesn't listen to its people. Police who are accused of using excessive force. Sound familiar?
To help you understand what's going on in Turkey and how it's different from the Arab Spring and why you should care, we're joined in our "Explain This To Me" segment by Richard Haass, the president of the Council on Foreign Relations and the author of "Foreign Policy Begins At Home: The Case For Putting America's House In Order."
Richard, thanks for joining me. Explain to me, why should Americans sitting at home care about what happens in Turkey? How could this unrest impact us?
RICHARD HAASS, PRESIDENT, COUNCIL ON FOREIGN RELATIONS: Turkey actually is a pivotal country, Jake. It's about 80 million people, it's got a fairly large economy, some say about the 17th largest in the world. It's a NATO ally, so we have all sorts of obligations. It borders on Syria. So for better or for worse, it can both affect and being affected by the crisis there.
Perhaps as much as anything, though, Turkey has become something of an example or a model for the sort of political events you alluded to in the Arab world over the last couple of years. So how goes Turkey could have a big impact on the entire Middle East.
TAPPER: I want to play something the Turkish prime minister Erdogan said about the causes of these protests, if we have that sound ready.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
