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Iranian President Speaks at Columbia University; Nevada Police Look For Suspect in Alleged Videotaped Rape

Aired September 24, 2007 - 15:00   ET

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

PRES. MAHMOUD AHMADINEJAD, IRAN: You all know Saddam, the dictator, was supported by the government of the United States and some European countries in attacking Iran. And he carried out an eight-year war, a criminal war. Over 200,000 Iranians lost their lives. Over 600,000 Iranians were hurt as a result of the war.
He used chemical weapons. Thousands of Iranians were victims of chemical weapons that he used against us.

Today, Mr. Noble Vinn (ph), who is a reporter, an official reporter, international reporter, who was covering U.N. reports in the U.N. for many years, he is one of the victims of the chemical weapons used by Iraq against us.

And since then, we have been under different propaganda, sort of embargoes, economic sanctions, political sanctions. Why? Because we got rid of a dictator? Because we wanted the freedom and democracy that we got for ourselves? That, we can't understand.

We think that if the U.S. government recognizes the rights of the Iranian people, respects all nations and extends a hand of friendship with all Iranians, they, too, will see that Iranians will be one of its best friends.

Would you allow me to thank the audience a moment?

Well, there are many things that I would have liked to cover, but I don't want to take your time any further. I was asked: Would I allow the faculty at Columbia and students here to come to Iran? From this platform, I invite Columbia faculty members and students to come and visit Iran, to speak with our university students. You're officially invited.

(APPLAUSE)

University faculty and students that the university decides, or the student associations choose and select are welcome to come. You're welcome to visit any university that you choose inside Iran. we will provide you with the list of the universities. There are over 400 universities in our country. And you can choose whichever you want to go and visit. we will give you the platform. we will respect you 100 percent. We will have our students sit there and listen to you, speak with you, hear what you have to say.

Right now in our universities on a daily basis there are hundreds of meetings like this. They hear, they talk, they ask questions. They welcome it.

In the end I would like to thank Columbia University. I had heard that many politicians in the United States are trained in Columbia University. And there are many people here who believe in the freedom of speech, in clear, frank conversations.

I do like to extend my gratitude to the managers here in the United States -- at Columbia University, I apologize -- the people who so well organized this meeting today.

I would like to extend my deepest gratitude to the faculty members and the students here. I ask Almighty God to assist all of us to move hand in hand to establish peace and future filled with friendship and justice and brotherhood.

Best of luck to all of you.

(APPLAUSE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm sorry that President Ahmadinejad's schedule makes it necessary for him to leave before he's been able to answer many of the questions that we have, or even answer some of the ones that we posed to him.

(LAUGHTER)

(APPLAUSE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But I think we can all be pleased that his appearance here demonstrates Columbia's deep commitment to free expression and debate. I want to thank you all for coming to participate.

(APPLAUSE)

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Well, it's officially been wrapped up. Now the president of Iran, in a very controversial subject matter today, throughout the day, speaking at Columbia University there in New York.

As you can imagine, there were a number of protests going on outside of that auditorium. Inside the auditorium, it was prepped by the president of the university, asking that everybody -- or the dean, rather, of public affairs asking that everybody be respectful. He noted where the exit doors were. If you were uncomfortable listening to the speech, you were asked to leave.

And, after that, the president of the university stepping up to the mike and really giving a pretty powerful introduction, an opinionated introduction, to the president of Iran, laying out, without hesitation, how he felt about the Iranian president, calling his actions petty and cruel, calling him a dictator, laying out that he hopes the president will answer various questions with regard to why he supports terrorist organizations, why he has come forward and asked for the destruction of Israel, why he denies that the facts of the Holocaust even exist. He even said, he hoped that the president of Iran would have the intellectual courage to answer a number of these questions. No doubt, there will be a lot of back-and-forth to whether some feel that was a good idea to introduce the president that way or not. Of course, we will be discussing that.

Bottom line, the president of Iran really not answering any of those direct questions. He worked his way around them, rather than hitting them on and answering them yes or no or getting into any deep answers.

Probably one of the most interesting things that he said caught my attention, Don, I mean, we both sort of gasped, that he said homosexuality is a phenomenon and doesn't even exist in Iran. That got a lot of attention from the crowd there. That was actually something new that I actually had never heard him say publicly.

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: And I also haven't heard him say this. And I think it may be a bit of contradiction if we check the research. He is saying that he's not saying that the Holocaust didn't exist, just saying that needs to be researched more.

PHILLIPS: Researched more.

LEMON: So, and in speeches that we have looked at, from what he said, it seems like that he was leaning the other way with that.

But homosexuality doesn't exist. Women are respected.

PHILLIPS: Right.

LEMON: So...

PHILLIPS: He said they are of course future of...

LEMON: They're the future.

PHILLIPS: They're the mothers of the children.

LEMON: Yes.

PHILLIPS: So, anyway, it will be interesting. We will be talking about it and debating it throughout the rest of the afternoon.

LEMON: Yes.

And you remember as we started this newscast, before all of this, we had this suspect who was a prisoner who was on the loose because he had -- he and another prisoner had escaped and then they killed the guard in the prison. Word in to CNN now that that suspect has been caught. A 50-year-old man, his last name is Martin, and he has been caught there.

But, again, Jerry Martin -- sorry -- 37-year-old man, missing inmate. What happened is, two inmates working in a prison field overpowered the guard this morning, ran over her in a stolen pickup truck.

This is the man on the ground that you're looking at right here, with all the tattoos and the handcuffs behind his back. He led police on a search and authorities and investigators there on a search near Huntsville, Texas, for a couple of hours. But, again, he working on a work detail and another prisoner, Johnny -- John Ray Falk, who is 40 years old, they overpowered a guard, a female guard, stole a truck, ran over the guard, and killed her.

Her name has not yet been released. The first one, Ray, John Ray Falk, was taken into custody within the hour. And then several hours later, they were able to get Jerry Martin. So, again, Jerry Martin is also there because he is on charges of attempted murder. And just so you know, this is where keep the death row inmates in this facility that these two men escaped from.

So, there you go. That suspect has been caught. More charges on top of that, but if he's already serving a sentence, it's life. There you go. So, sad for the officer there involved, but they have caught the suspect in this.

PHILLIPS: Another top story we have been following all afternoon, that is the speech that you just saw here live on CNN.

The president of Iran, the very controversial leader of that country, speaking at Columbia University in New York.

Want to get straight to New York City now.

CNN senior correspondent Allan Chernoff is right there in the middle of those angry crowds where they were protesting, and now they're talking back. What are they telling you, Allan?

ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, the protesters out here could not hear what was going on inside the auditorium. But the protests continued throughout the entire speech.

In fact, the Iranian president has just left. His motorcade of about 15 cars has just pulled out. But I can tell you I believe that many of the protesters out here would have been quite pleased to have heard what actually did transpire inside of the auditorium.

As you said, the president of Columbia University, Lee Bollinger, really gave it to the Iranian president, criticizing him, list after list of all his false claims, and, at the end saying, "I doubt you have the intellectual courage to answer these questions."

Indeed, that turned out to be the case. Ahmadinejad really did shrink from the challenge. And he even failed to make many of his prior claims on the Holocaust. He even appeared to acknowledge the fact of the Holocaust, just saying, well, more research needs to be done, probably referring to the research of the Holocaust deniers.

But, on Israel, he refused to call for the destruction of Israel, as he has done in the past, merely making a call for the rights of the Palestinian people. On terrorism, he said, well, Iran is a victim of terrorism when he was asked, why do you support terrorism?

And, as you mentioned, Kyra, the comment that delivered the biggest laughs of the afternoon, he said, well, when he was asked about human rights for gays and for women, he answered, well, in Iran, we don't have homosexuals, as in your country. And the audience, as you said, erupted in laughter.

Really, the Iranian president I don't think fared very well. And Lee Bollinger did exactly what he promised he would do. He said that he would be introducing the Iranian president with a very sharp challenge, and he was true to his words -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Allan Chernoff, great wrap. Appreciate it, live from New York City.

LEMON: A bizarre and sick mystery to tell you about in Nevada. A man says he found a videotape in the desert and on that tape a man sexually assaulting a young girl. Police have no names, few clues, just the disturbing video and its grainy images to work with.

CNN's Ted Rowlands joins us now from our Los Angeles bureau with this very disturbing and quite unorthodox story, Ted.

TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it's really disgusting.

And I talked to one of the investigators involved in this, and he said, to use your imagination, what is on this videotape that turned up in Pahrump, Nevada, the worst you can imagine, it's that bad, or even worse.

And, for that reason, authorities want to find out the identity of not only the little girl on the tape -- this is her -- we have blurred her face in an abundance of caution a bit. They actually released this. And they are asking the media to show the entire face and everything in this for this little girl.

It's estimated she's about 5 to 6 years old. And she is on this videotape with a man, an unidentified man, and police there want to desperately find this little girl and find the man who is in this tape. They don't know how long ago the videotape was produced. They say that, looking at the things in the room, the television, etcetera, it isn't too long ago, because the technology is fairly recent.

So, it's not as if the videotape is 20 -- you know, 15, 20 years old. They were given the tape about two weeks ago by a man who claims he found it in the desert in Pahrump. They looked at the tape, were immediately terrified.

This man -- his name is Darren Tuck -- he is a 26-year-old guy from that area -- they ended up arresting him, because at first he said that he just found it last week. It turns out he had had it for about five months and had shown it to other people. They are looking at him as a possible source of information at this point. They say, well, he's clearly not the man in the tape. And we want to find out who that man is. But, boy, you talk to these detectives and you can just get the sense of how horrified they are about this little girl and her plight, and they're asking anybody who has seen this man or recognizes this little girl to get in contact with the Pahrump -- the police there in Pahrump in Nye County, the Nye County Sheriff's Department, as soon as possible if you recognize this girl or that man in the videotape.

They just -- basically, they took some still images from that videotape and they want people to look at them, look at them, and if you think you know this guy, please contact the folks in Nye County, Nevada, because of the horrible situation that this little girl is apparently in.

LEMON: Horrifying for investigators and even more horrifying for the little girl in there.

Ted Rowlands, joining us from our Los Angeles bureau, thank you.

PHILLIPS: Straight ahead, candidate Clinton gets the kind of endorsement you would expect, plus, one you would not. But is a new foe lurking among the Republicans? A full plate of political news coming up in the NEWSROOM.

LEMON: And a second surgery for little Youssif this morning. CNN's Arwa Damon was there as he was wheeled in, and will be here with an update for us just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: It's 3:17 Eastern time. Here's a number of stories that we're working on in the CNN NEWSROOM.

The hunt is over near Huntsville, Texas. A pair of inmates were working outside the prison walls when they disarmed a female guard, stole a truck, and ran her over as they made their getaway. That guard died from her injuries. Both escapees now in custody. Searchers arrested the second man just a short time ago.

And who is this guy? And where is he? Nevada authorities got their hands on a videotape they say shows him sexually assaulting a young girl. They don't know the identities of the suspect or the victim. Another man says he found the tape in the desert.

Authorities around Chicago have more to work with in their search for a missing woman now. Detectives are looking into threatening phone calls that she got from a man that she had dated. Police say the last contact anyone had with 28-year-old Nailah Franklin was Tuesday, when someone sent a text message from her phone.

LEMON: Today's political cup runneth over. The president picks a winner in the '08 race. A former rival chooses Hillary Clinton. And Newt Gingrich plays another round of will he or won't he?

But first the great Florida primary flap. Brianna Keilar breaks it all down for us.

But, first, what's the noise coming out of Florida, Brianna?

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Don, noise over a standoff, if you will. Democratic presidential campaigns could start making U-turns at the Florida border. And that's because the Florida Democratic Party is insisting on a January 29 primary election, even though the Democratic National Committee has said doing so will get the state's 210 delegations booted from the nominating convention in Denver.

Most of the Democratic presidential candidates have said they will not stump for votes in states that do not follow the DNC's nominating calendar -- Don.

LEMON: All right, then what about Hillary Clinton? We're hearing about her getting a little help from her friends today?

KEILAR: She is. A red-state Democrat in this case throwing his support behind Hillary Clinton. That's Indiana Senator Evan Bayh. He served as governor of his state before being elected to Congress. And today he endorsed Clinton at a press conference, saying this:

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. EVAN BAYH (D), INDIANA: I believe at the next president of the United States must be experienced and seasoned, must be smart and must be tough. And I believe that Hillary Clinton is all of these things and more.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: You may recall Bayh seriously considered his own run for the '08 White House.

And speaking of Hillary Clinton, President Bush is. He has forecasted that she's going to be the Democratic nominee, a departure from the White House's longtime insistence that he would not comment on the upcoming presidential race.

In his new book, "The Evangelical President," "Washington Examiner" reporter Bill Sammon quotes President Bush as predicting Hillary Clinton beats Barack Obama in the Democratic primaries, but ultimately loses the White House to her Republican opponent.

White House Press Secretary Dana Perino says she does not deny the report -- Don.

LEMON: I think he said something like he was -- Obama was intellectually lazy or something like that coming from the book?

(CROSSTALK)

KEILAR: Yes.

LEMON: Yes?

KEILAR: There was some other interesting comments. I'm not exactly sure if that came directly from him or from another source in the book.

LEMON: Yes.

KEILAR: But that did come from that book.

LEMON: Yes. Yes. OK.

Let's talk about the Republicans now. What's shaking on the Republican side? Tell us what's new with Newt.

KEILAR: Well, as you know, former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich has long been considered a possible candidate for president.

And he revealed yesterday that he's going to start raising cash for a White House. That's beginning next week. Now, if he can raise $30 million in three weeks -- three weeks, I said -- he says he will throw his hat into the ring. But keep in mind that is a number just short of the impressive haul that Barack Obama collected over the course of three months.

So, Don, you can imagine, to do that in three weeks is really a lofty goal, to say the least.

LEMON: Yes. And we shall see, though. We have three weeks to figure it out.

Brianna Keilar in Washington -- thank you for that, Brianna.

KEILAR: You're welcome.

LEMON: And you can check the latest political news online and check out the cyber-makeover at the same time. Go to CNN.com/politics, a brand-new look for your go-to source on politics.

PHILLIPS: Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's Columbia University visit is causing divisions everywhere, including among veterans.

We're going to talk with two of them who happen to also be students at Columbia straight ahead from the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: All right.

This afternoon, we have been listening to the live speech of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad at Columbia University in New York.

And joining us now, professor of Iranian studies at Columbia, Hamid Dabashi.

We want to get some reaction to the speech. Did you get to listen to it? HAMID DABASHI, PROFESSOR OF IRANIAN STUDIES, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY: Yes, I did, parts of it, on CNN.

LEMON: You did? OK. So thank you for joining us today.

What do you think about Lee Bollinger's comment in the begins? Harsh, but that's what he promised.

DABASHI: Very harsh.

You see, the problem with situations like this is that Ahmadinejad is both a person. And how ridiculous he might be, he's also the head of a state. And when he sits there, he represents some 75 million people. And, as a result, he's due the respect that those 75 million people deserve.

And Lee Bollinger wouldn't dare to speak to any other head of a state in that language. And, as a result, that's an inappropriate tone of address.

Having said that, the atrocities that Ahmadinejad has committed, I happened to hear three comments of his, one more ridiculous and atrocious than the other. I heard this comment about...

(CROSSTALK)

LEMON: Can't you understand, though, the position that Lee Bollinger is being put in? On one hand, he wants free speech. On the other hand, he is speaking with someone who many people find despicable. Not every head of country would be considered with the level, I guess, of disgust that some people consider Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. So, he may not be treated that way.

But can't you certainly understand Lee Bollinger's position in doing this? Because he doesn't want to give the man a free ride just by coming to the university.

DABASHI: I absolutely understand his predicament.

But he put himself in that predicament. In fact, as you know, on our campus, there are many oppositions to invitation of this man to our university. And Lee Bollinger was personally and chiefly responsible for inviting him. And inviting him and then turning around and alienating and insulting an entire nation whose representative this man happens to be is simply inappropriate.

LEMON: OK.

DABASHI: Again, but having said that...

(CROSSTALK)

LEMON: Go ahead.

DABASHI: Please.

LEMON: Go ahead.

DABASHI: But, having said that, this is not to justify one more ridiculous than the other positions of Ahmadinejad.

I happened to hear him on three issues, on Holocaust, on gay rights, and on the status of women in Iraq.

(CROSSTALK)

LEMON: Let's talk about the Holocaust, where he says he doesn't necessarily -- he's not saying that the Holocaust didn't happen now. That's what he said today. But he just thinks that it should be researched from different perspectives.

DABASHI: The problem is that he's not in a moral, political, intellectual or a scholarly position to accept or deny anything.

The fact that the Holocaust is a historical fact and a human tragedy of such global proportion is not a matter of a political game between Ahmadinejad and Lee Bollinger.

All he has to simply acknowledge the human atrocities that were committed against European Jewry, and no amount of solidarity with the Palestinian cause justifies denial of this human tragedy. In fact, the only way that you can justify with the Palestinian cause is to first and foremost acknowledge what happened to six million Jews in Europe during World War II, and then you take it from there.

(CROSSTALK)

LEMON: All right. Let's talk about women. "Women are the best creatures in Iran. They represent beauty. Women are respected more than men."

DABASHI: Again, all of these are expressions of Iranian culture. We have to talk about law.

We are talking about a state-sponsored, legalized apartheid against women. Women are not offered equal opportunity. Women have -- lack equal rights in the eye of the law. Women do not have enough custody rights. Women rights activists are being systematically harassed and put in jail.

We are not talking about the culture or attitude of a people towards the status of the women. We're talking about the legal status of women in Iran. And the legal status of Iran women in Iran, we are talking about a gender apartheid. This is the fact or the Iranian society.

(CROSSTALK)

LEMON: OK. Professor Dabashi, in really just a couple seconds here, because we have to -- we have got to move on, but I want to know what you're going to -- since you're a professor of Iranian studies, how are you going to handle this with your class? DABASHI: Well, as I said this morning in your international section, I'm totally opposed to this forum. I'm opposed to giving forum to these people. If these people are invited to come to Columbia, they have be sat down and talked to, not to listen to their nonsense.

They have too many forums already. And giving yet another forum to them is simply counterproductive. My university campus has been turned into a war zone. It resembles anything but a university.

LEMON: OK.

DABASHI: And, in fact, in my own classes, I have to undo whatever has been done today in order to continue our education.

LEMON: Hamid Dabashi, a professor of Iranian studies at Columbia University, thank you for joining us today.

DABASHI: Thanks for having me.

PHILLIPS: Well, they pulled an all-nighter, but no deal by the deadline. Negotiators for General Motors and the United Auto Workers fail to settle an impasse, sending workers to the picket lines. We will tell you how it happened.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Oh, a big story today, workers at General Motors' plants throughout the country are now on strike.

Susan Lisovicz at the New York Stock Exchange with the very latest on that -- Susan.

SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Don.

Well, the UAW has ordered 73,000 G.M. workers to walk off their jobs 10 days after the union's contract with the automakers expired -- the first nationwide strike during a contract negotiation in more than 30 years. The union and G.M. have been talking virtually nonstop for the last 20 days.

General Motors, the first of the three U.S. automakers to negotiate with the union. The strike affects union workers at 59 plants in the U.S. This, after the union had been allowing an hour by hour extension so that contract talks could continue.

The union says talks started to stall on Friday and that it had no choice but to act.

RON GETTELFINGER, UAW PRESIDENT: This is the serious as anything that any of us do. There's not one person on this stage, not one member of our international executive board, not one member of our staff, that wanted to see these negotiations end in a strike.

Who wins in a strike?

But, again, you can be pushed off a cliff. And that's what we feel like happened here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LISOVICZ: And, Don, that that expression, falling off a cliff -- pushed off a cliff, is really apt, because a long strike would be devastating to both sides, no question about it. The UAW giving up -- shedding tens of thousands of jobs. The big three automakers losing tens of billions of dollars in the last few years. But the good news is both parties are expected to go back to the negotiating table this afternoon.

LEMON: Yes, it can affect a lot and end up affecting the economy.

So how will G.M. -- how is this going to affect them?

And what about investors, as well?

How are they reacting?

LISOVICZ: Well, you know, it's interesting, before the opening bell, there was so much promise. A lot of folks thought that really something could happen today -- that is, a settlement. And G.M. was one of the big movers. It was up 5 percent before the open. Right now G.M.'s shares are flat. Industry watchers say G.M. could weather a relatively short strike without much harm. Most G.M. dealers won't start to see shortages of vehicles for two to three weeks, even though the strike will halt production of more than 12,000 vehicles a day.

And even though G.M. has been on the mend this year, remember that it lost more than $12 billion over the previous two years. G.M.'s shares, as I mentioned, flat right now. Ford, which is not a part of this strike, obviously involved with the talks -- I mean it would affect, it would affect Ford and Chrysler -- is up 3 percent. Shares of the parent company, of American Airlines, plunging 15 percent after the world's biggest airline said third quarter revenue would fall short of estimates.

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

LEMON: Don't you worry, we're going to be back for that closing bell.

Thank you, Susan.

LISOVICZ: You're welcome.

PHILLIPS: Well, he got an invitation to speak at Columbia University, but the courtesy stopped right there.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad getting a real taste of free speech on his visit to the Ivy League school.

We're going to hear from him. But first, Columbia's president gave him a brutally honest introduction.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) LEE BOLLINGER, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT: Mr. President, you exhibit all the signs of a petty and cruel dictator. And so I ask you -- and so I ask you, why have women, members of the Baha'i faith, homosexuals and so many of our academic colleagues, become targets of persecution in your country?

PRES. MAHMOUD AHMADINEJAD, IRAN (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): I think that the text read by the dear gentleman here, more than addressing me, was an insult to information and the knowledge of your audience here -- present here. In a university environment we must allow people to speak their mind, to every -- to allow everyone to talk so that the truth is eventually revealed by all.

Most certainly, he took more than all the time I was allocated to speak. And that's fine with me. We'll just leave that to add up with the claims of respect for freedom and the freedom of speech that is given to us in this country.

In many parts of his speech, there were many insults and claims that were incorrect, regretfully. Of course, I think that he was affected by the press, the media and the political sort of mainstream line that you read here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Well, Nate Terani and John Shea are both Columbia University students and veterans, by the way, in the military.

But when it comes to the Iranian leader's visit, the similarities end. They joined us -- or, actually, we didn't have a chance to talk to them earlier, because that speech went a little longer than expected, but we have them with us right now.

Nate, I want to start with you. Your family is Iranian, obviously. But you are here living in the United States. You are part of the U.S. Navy. You're a student at Columbia.

What did you think -- you wanted -- you thought that it was a good idea he come speak.

What's your reaction to the speech?

NATE TERANI, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY STUDENT: Well, the speech itself, really, is more of the same rhetoric than we have heard from him before. My concern was the students who didn't want to allow him to speak at all. You know, we have to have an open discourse with these kinds of people. If we're going to avert future conflict, the only way to do that is by having this kind of discourse.

PHILLIPS: But there wasn't...

TERANI: The speech itself could have been a red herring.

PHILLIPS: There wasn't any discourse, though, Nate, right?

I mean he said the same rhetoric. He never -- he didn't really answer anybody's questions.

So why give him the forum to come and spout off more rhetoric?

TERANI: Well, here's -- you know, here's the problem. The problem is that the more and more we engage these guys -- just like we engaged the communists, just like Reagan, you know, called the Russians the Evil Empire and then went to the Kremlin and visited them -- the more and more involved we get involved, the more and more engaged we get, once they come over here and we start talking to them, we can't turn our backs. And once we start talking to them, we start chipping down the ice. We start getting at the core of the matter.

He may be throwing out red herrings now, but eventually maybe we'll get to the heart of the matter. And not only that, it would have been a huge propaganda tool if we would have disallowed him to not appear at Columbia. He would have gone back to Iran and said, look, the United States calls themselves a free nation. They call themselves freedom of speech and the first amendment, and they don't allow me to speak there when I want to.

PHILLIPS: John Shea.

TERANI: We can't allow that to happen.

PHILLIPS: What do you think, John Shea?

You didn't think that he should have come and given that speech.

What did you think of the speech and tell me why you didn't want him there?

JOHN SHEA, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY STUDENT: Well, like you said, Kyra, I agree that we didn't hear anything new from him. We heard the same lies, rants and denials that we have all already heard. So I wasn't particularly surprised by his speech and I don't think that anyone really benefited from it.

My reason for objecting to him -- I have a few reasons. One is that this is a man who actively -- actively sponsors terror in the region, is sponsoring the killing of U.S. soldiers in Iraq and also terrorizes his own people.

I do not -- I disagree -- I disagree with Nate. I do not see this as a free speech issue. Any time the university regularly vets and often rejects potential speakers for campus. Any time they -- they are going to invite someone or host someone on here, they first evaluate his or her credentials and assess whether That person has anything pertinent to say for the edification of the university and its students. And I don't see how that -- you know, how Mr. Ahmadinejad passed that test.

And certainly, I think what we saw today is -- I don't think we saw any sort of honest discourse from Mr. Ahmadinejad.

PHILLIPS: So Nate, Nate Terani, what did we learn today?

What did you learn today?

What did the students at Columbia University learn today, anything?

TERANI: Well, I think the truth of the matter is, that, again, like I said, it was the same discourse. But if we remember our history, we remember that in the communist era, Nikita Khrushchev was saying the same things -- the same rhetoric. He brought the world to war twice. But in the end, it was back channel communication by the Kennedy administration that averted the missile exchange.

So we have to keep these -- we can't turn our back on these men, no matter what they say. We have to keep them talking even if what they're saying really has no full meaning or it's a red herring or it doesn't make any sense.

PHILLIPS: John Shea, do you...

TERANI: I mean or we disagree completely.

PHILLIPS: John Shea, do you agree with that?

I mean you're in the Army. You're in intelligence. You know, that weapons have been traced in Iraq -- they've been traced back to Iran.

Do you believe in what Nate is saying?

SHEA: Well, I agree that there can be some room for engagement. But that's the responsibility of -- that's the responsibility of professional diplomats and governments and government leaders. It's not the responsibility of the president of Columbia University.

PHILLIPS: John Shea, Nate Terani, appreciate both of you coming to the cameras. I know it's been a little crazy there.

Thanks, gentlemen.

TERANI: Thank you, Kyra.

SHEA: Thanks, Kyra.

LEMON: A second surgery for little Youssif this morning.

CNN's Arwa Damon was there as he was wheeled in and will be here with an update for you just ahead. Don't go anywhere.

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LEMON: His features and his life altered in an instant. Now slowly, but surely, Youssif's face is changing again. The little Iraqi boy has undergone a second surgery to treat his awful burns.

CNN's Arwa Damon was there.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE) ARWA DAMON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Youssif's second surgery was successful. Doctors are very pleased with the way things went in the operating room today.

Here's what they did. If you remember, on Thursday amongst the many procedures that took place, they also removed that thick scar tissue that ran from the from the top of his nose all the way down to the corners of his mouth, replacing it on Thursday with temporary cadaver skin that basically acted as a biological Band-Aid.

Today, they did a full thickness skin graft, removing that from his belly and then replacing the cadaver skin with his own skin. This is a very delicate and intricate process. Four surgeons were working on Youssif. The lead surgeon, Dr. Peter Grossman, literally fitting the skin perfectly to the scar and tailoring it as he went along and then delicately suturing it into place.

Little Youssif today much braver than he was on Thursday, going so far as to tell his mother the night before the surgery that she should be brave, that she shouldn't be afraid, that this was one more operation.

The young boy will be able to have a bit of a breather as they expand the tissue expanders that they placed into his right cheek and underneath his chin for the next few months. They will be injected with saline solution.

But these are very difficult times for young Youssif and his family, despite the fact that they're overjoyed that their son is getting the treatment that he needs, that will hopefully, eventually, give him something of a normal life. Youssif's father today, as his son was waking up from today's surgery, had to turn away from Youssif's bed and try to compose himself because, Rahim (ph), he says that just the fact that his son even has to go through this is so painful. And that pain is evident on his face.

Arwa Damon, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

LEMON: And thousands of people including you, the viewers, have responded to Youssif's story through CNN's Impact Your World initiative. Your donations helped make his treatment possible. If you're looking for a way to make a difference for Youssif, you still can. Just log onto CNN.com/impact and click on Iraq burn victim. Learn how you can become part of the solution, impacting your world, just a click away at CNN.com/impact.

PHILLIPS: Well, the search barely got started before it ended. Lost Boy Scouts show up a day late with a pretty good excuse.

We'll have details straight ahead in THE NEWSROOM.

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LEMON: A possible break in the Delaware State University shooting case. Dover police have an 18-year-old suspect in custody. Loyer Braden from East Orange, New Jersey is charged with several crimes, including attempted murder. He's being held on $60,000 bond. Two students were wounded Friday. One was shot in the ankle, the other in a stomach. The shooting closed down the campus Friday. Students are back in class today. School officials plan to speak with the media in just a few moments. You're looking at a live picture where that press conference is going to happen.

PHILLIPS: As any Scout will tell you, the motto is to be prepared. And some Boy Scouts from Raleigh, North Carolina have certainly lived up to that. They walked out of the woods this morning after getting a little off course at the end of their weekend camping trip. While search teams scoured the area overnight, the eight boys and the three adult leaders stayed put and set up camp.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RODNEY JONES, ASSISTANT SCOUTMASTER, TROOP 217: They woke up about 7:30, had the troupe start backing up. And he realized that he saw a power line, knew that, you know, there was -- there was homes or something nearby. He followed the power line and apparently there's a cabin up there and some horse stables and all. At about that time, the meter reader happened to come up. So we had word a little while ago that everybody was fine.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Well, the Scouts are understandably a bit tired, but in good spirits after their big adventure.

LEMON: Police intensify their search for a missing Chicago woman. Among the leads, threatening phone calls Nailah Franklin received from a man she once dated. Her car was found in Hammond, Indiana on Friday and police say the last contact anybody had with the Eli Lilly rep was Tuesday, when a text message was sent to her phone. While family members aren't sure if Franklin sent the message, they believe she's still alive.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LEHIA FRANKLIN ACOX, SISTER: My gut is that my sister is alive. She's in distress and needs to us locate her so that we can help her come home. That's my gut feeling, right, because I know that Nailah is a very vibrant person, a very strong personality. She loves her job, she loves her friends and her family. She loves the condo she just decorated. There's no way, no way at all, my sister would just disappear without a trace and not talking to anyone.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Anyone with information about Franklin is urged to call Chicago police.

Here's the hotline number. Write it down, 312-746-9259.

PHILLIPS: Federal agents have swung into action again -- or against, rather, underground steroid networks. More than 120 arrests in 27 states, illegal drugs and client lists seized. It's the biggest strike ever against the makers, takers and peddlers of performance enhancing drug. Nine foreign governments provided information, and that includes China, the world's biggest supplier of the raw materials to manufacture steroids.

The operation lasted some 18 months and climaxed late last week with raids across the country. Federal prosecutors are expected to provide details as the day goes on.

LEMON: What do you say we check in with CNN's Wolf Blitzer?

PHILLIPS: It sounds good. He's standing by in "THE SIT ROOM."

He's out of New York today.

What are you doing in New York -- Wolf Blitzer.

LEMON: New York?

WOLF BLITZER, HOST, "THE SITUATION ROOM": The news in New York is tonight at the Emmys -- for news documentaries, guys. And our election night coverage last November has been nominated for an Emmy. So we're here. We'll go there after the show tonight.

Also, coming up, though, right here in "THE SITUATION ROOM," Donald Trump. He fires off in a verbal tirade. He says America's reputation is in tatters and President Bush should go into a corner and hide, if his party has any chance of holding the White House.

You may also be surprised to hear what else Trump says about Democrats, other issues. The interview -- one-on-one interview with Donald Trump. That's coming up right here in "THE SITUATION ROOM."

Also, Columbia University's president welcoming the Iranian president, then blasting him. Lee Bollinger unleashing a long list of claims against Iran, then called Mahmoud Ahmadinejad -- he called him "a petty and cruel dictator."

A surprised Ahmadinejad then unleashed his own harsh words.

And the "New York Times" says oops. The paper admits mistakes in running that MoveOn.org ad questioning the integrity of the top U.S. military commander in Iraq.

All that, guys, a lot more coming up right here in "THE SITUATION ROOM" -- back to you.

LEMON: A lot of interesting stuff, Wolf.

We'll be watching.

Thanks.

PHILLIPS: Well, the closing bell and a wrap of the action on Wall Street is straight ahead. Stay with us.

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PHILLIPS: The closing bell about to ring on Wall Street.

LEMON: Susan Lisovicz is standing by with a final look at the trading day.

We didn't get to see you much because of the speech, but it's been a busy day, especially with the auto workers.

LISOVICZ: That's right.

I mean we've been talking about dialogue between the Iranian president and Columbia University. Well, we hope that there's going to be dialogue between the UAW and General Motors. There is a national strike.

Now a lot of people hoping and thinking that there would be a settlement at 11:00 a.m. Eastern time. It did not come. And now we have 73,000 -- an estimated 73,000 G.M. workers on strike at 59 G.M. plants across the country.

The good news is the UAW president said talks should resume later today. We're certainly hoping. Both sides have already given up a lot of ground. G.M.'s having its lunch eaten by Toyota and other Japanese automakers in the face of, you know, SUVs and $3 a gallon gas.

Another story I want to mention quickly is AMR. Its shares are down 14 percent -- the biggest one day loss in about four years or more. This is the parent company of American Airlines, saying that its costs are climbing, its revenue is down. Certainly falling short of what analysts had expected and it's getting punished accordingly.

We're also seeing a sell-off -- you know, G.M.'s shares were up and now they're going to close down about half a percent.

And the market is selling off, as well.

But coming off a great week.

See you guys tomorrow, Kyra and Don.

LEMON: All right, thank you very much, Susan.

PHILLIPS: Let's take you now to New York and "THE SITUATION ROOM" and our Wolf Blitzer.

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