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Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Officially Declared President; President Obama Pushing For Health Care Reform
Aired June 13, 2009 - 12:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: All right, today, our eye is also on Iran and the passion response to election results announced by the government. We've been seeing protest in the streets and hearing claims of blatant violations. The government has officially declared President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad the winner. His stated margin of victory over his chief rival, nearly two to one.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SADEQ MAHSOULI, IRANIAN INTERIOR MINISTER (through translator): Out of 46,200,000 people who were eligible, we witnessed an 85 percent turnout. Out of this number, Mr. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad got 24,527,516 votes, which means 62 percent of the total votes. He ranks first.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: CNN's Chief international correspondent, Christiane Amanpour, was with demonstrators in the streets of Tehran.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, this rally and protests that we saw, and we were in the middle of, did continue for several hours. It seems to have been dispersed. There were huge numbers of riot police who were deployed. When we saw them, the street protesters and the riot police were really engaged in running battles with each other on one of the street corners.
There were stones thrown, there were garbage cans set on fire and the people shouting "death to dictatorship," they were shouting "Moussavi get my vote back to me." These are the Moussavi supporters, many of them young men and women who we saw out on the streets come out to confront their anger and their frustration and also the riot police who had been deployed on the street.
Now, then we also saw them move on to another square and move down in what developed into a march, practically filling the whole boulevard, the main avenue that connects north and south Tehran and more and more people started to join and there were also throngs of people who came out on to the sidewalks, who were leaning out of their windows on their roofs and balconies and just standing in side streets watching as this river of protesters marched down toward the south of Tehran.
They were shouting again, "Moussavi, get our vote back for me," they were shouting at some points, "God is great," because they didn't want to look like that they were, you know, anti-revolutionary. They were also shouting, "down with the dictatorship."
So, this is going on for hours and hours. And as that happened, the official results from the interior ministry came out giving, as you just reported, President Ahmadinejad, in fact, a two to one victory, just about, over his main rival, Mir-Hossein Moussavi.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: And in less than 30 minutes, we expect to hear directly from Iran's president. You can hear what Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has to say about the election right here in the CNN NEWSROOM. Again, that's less than 30 minutes away, 12:30 Eastern Time. Tune in for that. And tomorrow on GPS, Fareed Zakaria on the fight for the future of Iran, what exactly is at stake. GPS, Sunday 1:00 Eastern, right here on CNN.
Also today, North Korea is vowing to ramp up its nuclear program. Pyongyang says it's enriching uranium and will weaponize all its plutonium. The warning comes one day after the United Nations approved new sanctions against the communist country. North Korea has said it would react strongly if punished for recent nuclear and missile tests. Remember North Korea has no proven effective way to deliver nuclear weapons right now, even if it does develop them.
A suicide car bomber hit a convoy of trucks hauling fuel to a NATO base in Afghanistan. Officials there report eight Afghans dead and nearly two dozen hurt. The attack happened Friday in Afghanistan Helmand province. The NATO base, there, is home to mostly U.S. and British troops. An Afghan official says six tankers burned after the attack. A NATO spokesman says this is the first attack on supply trucks in several months.
Emptying the Guantanamo Bay prison in Cuba. The Obama administration has shipped 10 detainees out of GITMO this week. Three were sent home to Saudi Arabia. They'll go into something like a terrorist rehab center. Bermuda took four detainees and our Don Lemon talked with two of them. These men are Chinese Muslims, the Pentagon does not consider them enemy combatants, but the Chinese insist that they are terrorists and they want them back.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DON LEMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: When people say that you're a terrorist, how do you respond to that?
KHALIL ABDUL NASSER, UYGHUR SEPARATIST: I am not terrorist. I had not been terrorist. I will never be terrorist. I am very peaceful person.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Officials in the united kingdom are upset about the detainees in Bermuda and claim Washington never told them the detainees were coming. Bermuda is a British territory. And you can see more of Don's interview tonight, 10:00 Eastern, right here on CNN. All right, overhauling America's health care is again on the mind of President Barack Obama. For the second consecutive Saturday, it's the topic of his weekly address. Well, today the president identified ways to save some $313 billion.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: These savings will come from commonsense changes. For example, if more Americans are insured, we can cut payments that help hospitals treat patients without health insurance. If the drug makers pay their fair share, we can cut government spending on prescription drugs. And if doctors have incentives to provide the best care instead of more care, we can help Americans avoid the unnecessary hospital stays, treatments and tests that drive up costs.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: CNN White House correspondent, Elaine Quijano, is live from Washington with some of the analysis, here.
So, good morning to you, Elaine. The president has been pushing his plan all week long. Is there a way to say exactly what's in it?
ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: You know, it's hard to say because that was one thing that we didn't get from the radio address or from the weekly Web address, a lot of specifics. We did hear the president, as you just mentioned, talk about $313 billion in savings.
He wants to do that by cutting back on inefficiencies, as he would say, on Medicare and Medicaid, but the president really, as you noted, has been trying to take his sales pitch on the road. We saw that this past week when he was in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
It was there he tried to make the case for urgency, that health care reform is something, he said, that cannot wait. He wants to see legislation on his desk this year. And the president really believes that there are steps that hospitals and health care providers can take that basically will mean cutting down on inefficiencies and therefore saving the government money.
There's a problem, though. There's a difference between what the administration says it can save, when it comes to health care, and how much health care reform is actually going to cost, a difference of about $50 billion, Fredricka. So, that is the pressure here under the Obama administration as it tries to move forward on this issue, how is it going to pay for this health care reform.
WHITFIELD: And Elaine, there are a lot of questions coming from not only fellow Democrats but Republicans have come out quite strong saying they have a better idea, but what are some of those ideas and how is this politics helping to reshape or form what we might all see?
QUIJANO: Yeah, well, you know, I can tell you that the strongest reaction, first of all, that we've been seeing to this immediate talk about cutting back on Medicare and Medicaid is coming actually from the private sector, from the American Hospital Association, for instance, its president released a call to action, basically, saying look, we've had our members really try to push back on this because in their view, the argument is that payment cuts to hospitals don't really amount to reform. So, that gives you a taste of the kind of arguments that we're likely going to be seeing.
You know, another major player in all of this, Fredricka, is the pharmaceutical industry. We heard President Obama in the radio address, the weekly address, talking about drug makers here. What is going to be called upon, what are they going to be called upon to do? We just don't know at this point, but certainly you can bet this is going to be a heated debate as this gets closer and closer, here. The Obama administration understands it's going to have a pretty tough fight ahead.
WHITFIELD: All right, Elaine Quijano at the White House, thanks so much. Appreciate it.
President Obama wants all Americans to have health insurance and wants the government to offer a plan for those who don't have coverage through their employer. So, what do you think? Prescription, health care reform, it's a special hour of the CNN NEWSROOM today at 4:00 Eastern Time.
Send us your comments and questions right now on our blog at CNN.com/newsworm -- NEWSROOM. I always say that, don't I? And then click on "Fredricka" and then I'm also on FaceBook, you can find me there, or you can also correspondent by sending your e-mails at weekends@CNN.com.
So, already we're hearing from you. This is some of what many of you are saying. Tom Harper sent this message on my blog saying, "Of course, I believe that the government should provide a safety net for health care. My opinion, health care is a human right and that there should be a single payer, national care system."
And Warren says, "The government should not get in health care. This is not a socialist country, no matter what Obama wants to do in his stimulus plan."
And Mary Kay says, "With the new health care system what's going to stop companies from dropping the coverage they offer to employees if they think they can save money and then their employees will be covered under the public system?"
All right, we're hearing a lot of different sentiments coming from you. We're also going to have a Democratic, as well as a Republican congressperson with us and we also have the budget director for the White House who will be with us in the 4:00 Eastern hour. We hope you will be part of the conversation, as well.
All right, let's talk about NASA. Today's planned shuttle launch, it's been delayed, not because of weather this time. NASA noticed a hydrogen leak when it started fueling up the shuttle "Endeavour." A similar problem delayed "Discovery's" launch for several days, back in March. NASA will meet tomorrow to decide what to do next. Wednesday is the earliest the shuttle could be ready for another try, but another rocket launch is already scheduled for that day.
All right, great chance that your garden will get some rain. That's always good, but you don't want too much. Some spots sadly are dealing with a little too much. Reynolds Wolf in the Weather Center.
REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Especially Memphis.
(WEATHER REPORT)
WHITFIELD: Sizzling at 90 here in Atlanta. It's already summer. We just went straight from spring to summer, but that's always the way it goes.
WOLF: Not even July yet.
WHITFIELD: Brutal.
WOLF: Get ready for August.
WHITFIELD: That's right. All right, thanks so much, Reynolds.
WOLF: You bet.
WHITFIELD: Appreciate it.
All right, back now to our top story of Iran and CNN's chief international correspondent, Christiane Amanpour, has been reporting from there.
Christiane, you have been in the thick of it all, all day long. People have been very vocal about their unhappiness with the outcome of this election and they were very vocal leading into the elections. So, how might everyone end up being happy or what's the next step?
AMANPOUR: Well, it's going to be interesting to see what, in fact, develops because unprecedented street demonstrations have been held this afternoon, here, and yes, we were right in the thick of it. They seemed to be spontaneous.
There was no call from any political leader for people to come out on the street and these are the supporters of Mir-Hossein Moussavi, the lead rival to President Ahmadinejad who say they are angry that they, quote, their "vote has been stolen." They were chanting "death to dictatorship," they were chanting "Moussavi get my vote back for me," and they were really marching and moving down the main artery that connects north and south Tehran.
At one point, lots of riot police were deployed. We saw at least two dozen big busses and there were quite hundreds of riot police on the streets, some in motorcycles in full gear and others with (INAUDIBLE) battles with the protesters pitching stones and at some point, lit garbage cans on fire. We also saw that some people were beaten. We've hear reports of some severe beatings of some of the protesters further downtown.
President Ahmadinejad has been given a surprising and crushing landslide victory over Mir-Hossein Moussavi, is due to address the Iranian nation on television in about 15 minutes from now. He is, as I say, was given that final decision by the election officials and right after that, the official stamp of approval really was set down when the supreme religious leader, Ayatollah Khomeini came out with a message to the people congratulating them and calling their epic Friday election, delivering their new president 24 million votes.
Of course, Moussavi himself, has written a message, calling the results "shocking," vowing "not to surrender," to stage craft and saying the people have been cheated out of their vote. So, this is where it stands. We wait to see how Ahmadinejad will address what really is a divided nation, right now.
WHITFIELD: Yeah, and what's interesting, Khomeini already rubber stamped it, there is no recourse for the public who says we feel like our vote was stolen. But, can we back up what led up to this? Because just a couple days ago, there was almost certainty, based on many people that you spoke with in the streets, that there was a revolution occurring here, that there were certainly going to be new leadership. What transpired within a couple of days to stun all of those supporters of the opposition?
AMANPOUR: Well, revolution is way too strong a word and certainly nobody in the opposition was talking about them. Here, people are literally par paranoi paranoid, the officials are paranoid about, "a velvet revolution" and the Iranian revolutionary guard came out with a statement accusing the reform camp of trying to lead that and vowing to crush it.
But, what did happen over the last week or so was that this huge grassroots wave of momentum started developing for Mir-Hossein Moussavi and it stemmed from those televised debates in which people had seen these unprecedented exchanges between the challengers and President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. And it started to bring out huge rallies and huge -- huge rallies in support of Mir-Hossein Moussavi.
And then, at the polling places yesterday there was an unprecedented turnout with people at the polls, at the crack of dawn before they opened and way after the doors were closed. And many analysts have said that the overwhelming turnout would favor the challenger because Ahmadinejad has a certain base which are in the rule and the province areas, the less affluent and the more traditional religious people.
So, it was assumed if there was a huge turnout it would go for Moussavi. And this is the source of the anger, people simply don't believe what they've been told are the election results.
WHITFIELD: OK, Christiane Amanpour...
AMANPOUR: At least, Moussavi supporters don't believe.
WHITFIELD: Gotcha. Christiane Amanpour, thanks so much. Next time we talk to you, I want to ask you a bit more how the U.S. might be taking a role in watching the outcome of this election very closely and what's at stake, particularly for the U.S. with whether it's Ahmadinejad or whether it's Moussavi who would end up being president. Thanks so much, Christian Amanpour.
All right, meantime, another big domestic issue in the U.S., taking health care to the people who need it. We talked to a couple of movers and shakers who are making uninsured Americans their personal mission.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right, thousands camping out overnight hoping to see a doctor? Well, it may sound like a scene from a third world country, but it's happening right here in the United States. Stan Brock is the man behind the relief organization known as Remote Area Medical, or RAM. And Dr. Ross Isaacs is one of the volunteers providing medical care for the needy and uninsured.
Thanks so much to both of you for joining us. Stan, I know that we had a little audio difficulty, hopefully you can hear me OK. I'll pose the first question to you. I mean, clearly this came out of a great need, but you had to be agas that so many people in the U.S. were unable to reach medical care and you created a way for medical care to reach them?
STAN BROCK, FOUNDER, REMOTE AREA MEDICAL: I'm probably going to have to defer to my volunteer colleague, Dr. Ross Isaacs, on this question because unfortunately I can't hear what the question is.
WHITFIELD: Oh, OK. Well let's try to work that out with Stan's audio. So, Dr. Isaacs, you're a volunteer with this group to bring medical care to people particularly in remote areas here in the U.S. a lot of folks think this is a parallel we see overseas somewhere. How is it could be happening here in the U.S. and how great a need are you filling?
DR. ROSS ISAACS, REMOTE AREA MEDICAL: Well, first of all, this is a major issue in terms of physicians, nurses, volunteers. This is really what we do, so the concept of people in need, whether they're in Appalachia or whether it was after Katrina or no matter where it is, this is really what we're about and what we should be doing.
We realized there was a lot of people that were not getting the care that they needed, so we decided to bring it to them. It's really Stan Brock that started this organization and I've been lucky enough to be part of this for several years to help contribute to this.
WHITFIELD: And there are a couple things at play here, while we still try to work out the audio for Stan, a couple things at play here. You go to an area and there are a host of people who need some medical assistance and in many cases, there's already a problem. But you discover that these are preventative problems, so their medical needs are exacerbated because they have no access to any kind of preventative health care. ISAACS: Correct. I mean most of these people, first of all, most, if not all of them, work or have worked, they're on hard times, either can't afford the health insurance. I'll give you an example, you know, we see people that are diabetics that go months without insulin. To lack something like insulin in the most powerful country on earth in the 21st century is abominable.
And you know, what we do is try to hook them up into systems, to get, for example, diabetes or people with hypertension on their meds. Without them they're going to be developing strokes, heart attacks, at epidemic rates. So, we fill a very important need and I agree this need needs to be filled constantly and rapidly.
WHITFIELD: And while you were talking we were looking at video that's been provided by RAM, Remote Area Medical, about how you're able to get to people, whether it be by a vehicle or whether it's by boat or maybe even by aircraft. So, these are places that are very difficult to get to. And some of the images look like some of it may be overseas, as well, some interspersed with areas here in the U.S.
When you hear about an effort by this administration to promote health care reform, and you hear that 47 million people are uninsured, you've seen it firsthand, how grave is the condition for America to have so many people who are in great need for access to health care for just very minor things?
ISAACS: Well, first of all, you know, when you throw numbers out it's sometimes hard to understand what that is -- 47 or roughly 50 million without access to health care, that roughly equals the population of Canada, Australia combined. Can you imagine both of those countries, that population with no health care when there is plenty of health care available.
So, when you talk about numbers, they are large numbers, but these individuals, again, they make up the bread and butter of what this society is. I mean, these are farmers, they work in mines, they work in factories. We see executives that have been on hard times, people from religious professions, all professions, teachers, so this is sort of the salt of the earth people that are lacking health care. It's sort of what a base of this country is about.
WHITFIELD: And it's certainly not an easy solution, because you're talking about remote areas and If there were resources available to construct more medical facilities, recruit doctors and medical assistance to this areas then we wouldn't have this conversation about what you are doing to help fill the gap. So, it certainly sounds like this is a great fix that you all provide, but it's a temporary one. You can only go and do so much.
ISAACS: Right, and part of the problem is, you know, at the end of the day we all have to get back to our regular jobs and that's tragic when you cut the lines off. But, you know, my suggestion would be to make people away that beyond all the politics of this, that health really is an essential need. In the 21st century, I would ask people how can you have any of the liberties we enjoy in the Constitution currently, how can you have liberty without health. And when you look at it from that perspective, whether somebody in Appalachia, Washington, D.C., here in Richmond where Stan is in Tennessee or where you are in Atlanta, when you ask that question, that's where the center should be and frame everything else around that. And that harkens back to Jefferson's days when he linked health and liberty together.
WHITFIELD: Dr. Ross Isaacs, thanks so much. I think we worked our audio just a little but to get a quick question in to Stan Brock.
So Stan, give me an idea, as we wrap this up, how much longer can you and your organization help fill the gap to help provide this kind of need to millions of people who have been doing without for so long?
BROCK: Well, I'm sorry, but the audio is so poor that I can't really understand the question, but the observation that I would like to make, having seen hundreds and hundreds of thousands of patients in this country, is that the greatest impediment we have, as a volunteer organization to providing health care for needy Americans, whether they're unemployed or uninsured or underinsured, is the fact that in this country, the United States, doctors, dentists, nurses are not allowed to cross state lines to provide free care in another state.
And this is preventing thousands of willing volunteers that call us all the time that want to volunteer their services, and are not allowed to do so because they can't cross state lines except here in Tennessee where we changed the law in 1995.
WHITFIELD: Stan Brock, founder of -- and volunteer director of operations for Remote Area Medical, Dr. Ross Isaacs, thanks to both of you gentlemen for being with us today, helping us all get a clear understanding of the need that still exists in this country.
And again at 4:00 Eastern time today, we're focusing on health care reform, the efforts, the proposals, we're going to have congressmen who are here as well to answer your questions and concerns about whether, indeed, this country is in need of health care reform. Thanks so much, gentlemen.
ISAACS: Thank you.
WHITFIELD: Hate and crime showed the accused Holocaust Museum shooter face more than murder charges. Our legal guys are here and they're going to be back with us right after this break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right, this week a tragic shooting taking place at the Holocaust Museum in Washington. And now an 88-year-old man is charged in first-degree murder. We turn to our legal guys to talk about whether this will lead to some hate crime charges, perhaps.
Avery Friedman a civil rights attorney and law professor. And Richard Herman a New York criminal defense attorney and law professor.
Good to see you both. All right, let's begin with this case. We've got a lot of things on tap. We'll try to get through this one as quickly as possible. First-degree murder charges that is understandable to a lot of eyewitness accounts, but might there be a hate crime soon to follow -- Richard.
RICHARD HERMAN, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Fred, you know, first-degree murder, it's going to go to a grand jury. This is just based on a six-page complaint which I have signed off by an FBI agent. It's going to go to a grand jury to make the ultimate determination whether hate crime should be brought here.
But it doesn't get much worse than a federal case of first-degree murder and possession of a firearm in a federal facility with the intent to cause a crime. I mean, we're talking life in prison on both of these. The guy is 88-years-old, he's going to die in prison and he's definitely going down on this one.
AVERY FRIEDMAN, CIVIL RIGHTS ATTORNEY: I -- I'm not sure of that. It strikes me that under the code here, because we're dealing with the murder of a federal official on federal property, I think it falls within some of those definitions, which might result in death penalty.
HERMAN: Yes.
FRIEDMAN: So, that's going to be the grand jury deciding that, Fredricka. But this is as serious as I think you'll find. This is it.
WHITFIELD: OK, let's talk about another case now, this involving a man who was once at Guantanamo, GITMO, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, detainee, but he was transferred to New York City.
FRIEDMAN: Right.
WHITFIELD: His name right here, Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani. But what's interesting here people are thinking about the Afghanistan War, how many people were rounded up and sent to GITMO. But no, this is a case where he is being connected to the U.S. Embassy bombing ...
FRIEDMAN: Yes.
WHITFIELD: ...in Tanzania as well as in Kenya. This is very unique, however, right, Avery? And this is soon to get under way.
FRIEDMAN: It is.
WHITFIELD: What kind of charges is he facing and what kind of destiny might he be facing?
FRIEDMAN: Well, it is a very unusual case. We're dealing with conspiracy to commit murder, conspiracy to commit terrorism. He is the last, by the way, of the five people involved and actually, the difficulty here is the Justice Department has treated all the GITMO detainees as if they're -- Mohammad.
The difficulty is that he is one that was caught, sent over to GITMO in 2006. I think it's a classic terrorism case and I think the case belongs exactly where it is right now in the federal court in New York.
WHITFIELD: Interesting. And so, Richard, you know, your comment on that, at the same time, all this while upwards of 10 detainees from GITMO have now by approval from the U.S., been taken from GITMO and transferred to other locations, Bermuda being one of them, Saudi Arabia being another. But those transfers are being handled differently. There is not a trial involved with them like there was or is going to be with Ghailani.
HERMAN: No, I guess the governments felt they don't have a case against them. So, they still want to continue to hold them, they're just not going to hold them in GITMO anymore. But this case in the Southern District -- look, Fred, there have been several others, other co-defendants have been convicted already ...
FRIEDMAN: Right.
HERMAN: ...in the Southern District and this guy was driving in a car with oxygen and TNT. Now, what did he think that was going to be used for? I mean, he's going down. Let's predict like I predicted a Supreme Court nominee, he's going to be convicted guilty.
FRIEDMAN: All right, geez.
WHITFIELD: OK, well, then his fate, perhaps, is sealed, but these other 10 detainees who have made their way to Great Britain -- or I'm sorry, to bermuda ...
FRIEDMAN: To Bermuda, right.
WHITFIELD: ...Great Britain a little upset about that because it is a British territory, and now Saudi Arabia. But Avery, Saudi Arabia is handling these detainees a little differently. There will be sort of like a rehab facility that they'll be going to right.
FRIEDMAN: What the -- what is that?
WHITFIELD: What is that? What is that?
FRIEDMAN: Right. I mean, it's sort of like, you know, they got alcoholism problems. Hey, look, I think people -- I think people are making it up along the way. You know what, I tell you what we don't know, whether Bermuda -- what Bermuda's going to do with these Chinese Muslims, what these other detainees are -- how they're going to be handled in Saudi Arabia. Nobody really knows. There may very well be trials, but the fact is, everybody is making it up along the way.
HERMAN: Fred, Bermuda and Bahamas, they're going to be able to eventually apply for passports, can you believe that?
WHITFIELD: Yes.
HERMAN: This is unbelievable.
FRIEDMAN: Wow.
HERMAN: We'll see, we'll see.
WHITFIELD: Hey, they're getting some serious freedom. OK, well, you know, our Don Lemon had a conversation with a couple of those detainees who are now in Bermuda and he's going to reveal more about what they had to say. They say they were not terrorists and they never have been and they were there when they shouldn't have been.
FRIEDMAN: Well, they never say they're terrorists. I mean, you know.
WHITFIELD: Well, you're going to hear what else they have to say because they talk to our Don Lemon.
HERMAN: Not something to brag about.
FRIEDMAN: Right.
WHITFIELD: All right, 5:00 Eastern time for that. And then, I'm going to talk to you guys again, because Madonna, talk about -- how does she do this? Malawi at first said she is unsuitable to adopt yet another, but she somehow either strongarmed them or I don't know.
FRIEDMAN: Yes.
WHITFIELD: Something happened, but she's getting her way. We're going to talk about that case, too, coming up later.
All right. Guys, appreciate it.
FRIEDMAN: Sure.
WHITFIELD: All right, well, the world is also watching the election results out of Iran. We'll get another take on the election dispute there.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right, half past the hour. Here's what's happening right now. A hydrogen gas leak forces NASA to postpone today's scheduled launch of the space shuttle "Endeavour." NASA hopes to have the leak patched and the shuttle ready to go in the next few days.
And protests on the streets of Tehran following the announced re- election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. His main challenger on the left of the screen is protesting the official results, citing, quote, "blatant violation."
CNN's Josh Levs has been monitoring reaction online and people have had some very strong opinions about this because there was a lot of surprise leading up to Friday and then now, yet another surprise.
JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's true. A lot of people very surprised about what they're hearing, a lot of people raising very serious questions as we've been hearing about whether these election results can be trusted.
But what I want to do is show you all a few things. Let's zoom in on the board here. I want to start off helping everyone kind of get caught up on some of the basics. First of all, we have some photos that will trace you through the election process and other steps that have been taking place in Iran in recent days. That's all CNN.com.
Now, you probably know Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, you've heard so much about him for years. We give basic bios here, the conservative Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, 52, former mayor of Tehran, elected president in a landslide in June 2005.
You might not know that much about the main challenger here whom we're hearing a lot about today, Mir Hossein Mousavi. So, I wanted to show you this quickly, again, CNN.com. We explain he's a painter and architect who withdrew from the political front for two decades, has emerged with a platter of promises, he's pushing for more freedom of speech. That's one of his big platform points.
Now, let's talk about some of that reaction. We were just hearing last hour from representative of the largest Iranian American grass roots organization that there is, the National Iranian American Council who does not trust these election results. I told you at the time I would also going to bring you some sound from someone who is in support of these election results and think they might be absolutely legitimate.
There's someone who does a lot of tweeting, a Twitterer who is Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's supporter. Her name is Shahza (ph), she goes by Shahrzadmo. And we have a little bit of sound from her because yesterday, our Rick Sanchez managed to speak with her over some -- this what is she's saying now, by the way. "Now in my street, they're celebrating Nejad."
Let's take a look now at yesterday before those results came in. Our Rick Sanchez managed to speak with her over something called G Talk. This is what she told us.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: Who are you voting for?
SHARHZAD, IRANIAN WRITER: I voted for Ahmadinejad.
SANCHEZ: Why are you voting for Ahmadinejad?
SHARHZAD: Because I thought he did well. I didn't think he did something wrong and I think he's an honest person and again, the huge remorse and huge advertisements in Iran, I really believe in him.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEVS: So Fred, there's just one example of a person who is supporting him. We're obviously hearing lots of things on all sides. I know we got to be quick.
Let's show everyone the graphic, because I want everyone to know you can weigh in. We're going to be sharing your views throughout the afternoon. You got our NEWSROOM blog right there, CNN.com/newsroom. You'll see it up there. There's my Facebook and Twitter pages, in both cases, it's just /joshlevsCNN.
And Fred, we'll be back. We're going to share some of these reactions of our viewers online so we can get all those viewpoints out, too.
WHITFIELD: Perfect. Like to hear it.
LEVS: Yes.
WHITFIELD: Thanks so much, Josh.
LEVS: Thanks, Fred.
WHITFIELD: All right, well, everyone knows it's risky to take the stand in your own defense, especially in a murder case. So, how's an American on trial in Italy doing? Our legal guys are ready to discuss this one.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: OK, remember I mentioned we had lots of interesting, enticing legal cases to delve into.
HERMAN: Enticing.
WHITFIELD: Yes, enticing is a good one. Avery Friedman and Richard Herman are back with us to continue our discussion. All right, let's talk about the David Goldman, last weekend we talked about the defeat that he felt. This is the American New Jersey man who went to Brazil to hopefully pick up his child. That didn't happen.
Well, now apparently a Brazilian court did weigh in this week and said they're handing this case to the lower federal court. Richard, is this advantageous for David Goldman?
HERMAN: It's a start in the right direction on this four-year case. I mean, this progressive party is so unethical and so corrupt to stop the wheels of justice going on there in Brazil. It's just incredible that this father, this biological father, does not have his son back. So now, they're going to take up the issue of the original decision to award him custody of his child.
FRIEDMAN: Right, right.
HERMAN: It's unbelievable, Fred. I don't know why we're not going crazy on this case. We should really be going nuts.
FRIEDMAN: Well, wait a minute. Wait a minute. Wait a minute. You know, I suggested last week that we take heart and I think the Supreme Court ...
WHITFIELD: Oh, hold that thought, Avery and Richard real quick because we've got State Department -- Secretary of State Hillary Clinton talking right now about what's taking place in Iran.
Let's listen in.
(JOINED IN PROGRESS)
HILLARY CLINTON, SECRETARY OF STATE: ...election in Iran. We obviously hope that the outcome reflects the genuine will and desire of the Iranian people.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: For Canada, on behalf of Canada, Canada's deeply, deeply concerned by reports of voting irregularities in the Iranian election. We're troubled by reports of intimidation, of opposition candidates offices by security forces. We've tasked our Embassy officials to -- in Tehran to closely monitor the situation and Canada is calling on Iranian authorities to conduct fair and transparent counting of all ballots.
(SPEAKING IN FRENCH)
WHITFIELD: OK, well, right there you heard in concert, Secretary of State, that's the United States, Hillary Clinton, in concert with Canada, saying that they are watching what transpired in Iran very closely. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad being declared the winner by a landslide victory, even though leading up to this election, it looked as though the opposition Mir Hossein Mousavi just might be able to unseat President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
And Canada and the U.S. also saying in concert there that they're troubled about the intimidation that may have occurred to bring about this change of the vote there in Iran. Much more on that as we continue to follow it. And again, we are expecting to hear from Ahmadinejad from Tehran momentarily and when that happens, we'll be able to bring that to you live.
Now, let's get back to our legal cases here. Avery, you were about to talk about the David Goldman case ...
FRIEDMAN: Yes.
WHITFIELD: ...and where we go from here, where he goes from here.
FRIEDMAN: Well, you know what, again, I see the 10-0 Supreme Court decision in Brazil as a victory for David Goldman. What's going to happen now is the Hague Convention, which deals with international child abduction, will be remanded back to this federal appeals court again. This little one, Sean, is coming home.
WHITFIELD: Oh OK. Well, let's talk about another American, this one abroad ...
FRIEDMAN: Boy. WHITFIELD: ...in Italy. It's a murder trial. She takes the stand, they called her angel face. And she is being accused of murdering another student and there is a very sordid detail about sex, about drugs, et cetera. She takes the stand and what does she say? Anything incriminating, Richard?
HERMAN: No, nothing incriminating. In fact, she's done an incredible job so far. Today was the first day she received cross- examination by the Italian prosecution team and I mean, they were asking her about a -- like a disorderly conduct conviction violation back home years ago and they asked her when for the first time did she have sex with her Italian boyfriend.
I mean, nothing to tie her in to this case, nothing whatsoever. So far, she's held up well. She said she was abused during those 14 hours she was interrogated and that's why she gave some inconsistent statements afterwards.
FRIEDMAN: Well ...
HERMAN: She's holding up.
FRIEDMAN: OK, honestly, honestly, yes, she's come across very credibly, but the truth is -- remember Susan Smith who killed her children and blamed it on a black guy? Well, it may not ...
WHITFIELD: Oh, is there a parallel to that case and this one?
FRIEDMAN: Amanda -- Amanda Knox ...
HERMAN: What?
FRIEDMAN: ...did the same thing. She blamed the murder on a guy named Patrick Lumumba from the Congo and the police locked him up, they realized there was no evidence. Look, she has inconsistencies, but the fact is I agree with Richard. She has come across very well on the stand and you know what, the Italians are transfixed on this case as the Americans were in the O.J. trial.
HERMAN: Hey Avery, the guy from the Congo did a fast track trial in October, got convicted, he's doing 30 years right now.
FRIEDMAN: Well ...
WHITFIELD: Oh, boy. Let's move in even further overseas, still involving an American or is she a Brit these days, not sure. Madonna.
FRIEDMAN: Right.
HERMAN: Right.
WHITFIELD: You know, she manages to convince Malawi that yes, I should go ahead and be able to adopt a second child. At first, the courts there said no, she was an unsuitable parent, at least they thought she demonstrated such, but then there was a turn around. What happened, Avery? FRIEDMAN: Money.
WHITFIELD: Is that the bottom line?
FRIEDMAN: I mean, look, it's real simple.
WHITFIELD: Money she can afford to provide ...
FRIEDMAN: Yes, she can afford ...
WHITFIELD: ...a great life financially for this child.
FRIEDMAN: Right. You know, the man -- Mercy's natural father, you think about this because we talked about David Goldman and the rights of natural parents over adoptive parents or other parents are trying to get custody or adopt children. This is really very sad for the natural father but ultimately, the Supreme Court said that Madonna is clearly able to care for this child. It's in the best interest of the child, they conclude, essentially to say good-bye to the natural father. She's coming to America.
WHITFIELD: Wow. All right, Richard. You got a quickie little thought about it? Because we got to go.
HERMAN: What's that like (ph). Another accessory for Madonna. I mean, I don't understand, Fred. The biological father is the father of this child.
FRIEDMAN: Right.
HERMAN: Now, I know the child was in an orphanage and I don't know what attempts the biological father made to get that child. But I don't know what Madonna is doing in Malawi. I mean if she can make a life better for someone, that's great.
FRIEDMAN: Yes, that's the argument, right.
HERMAN: But -- yes. But the other argument was she wanted to have a brother or a sister for the one she already has. So, I mean, I don't know. I don't know. I'm very mixed on this.
WHITFIELD: Yes, it's a tough one. All right.
FRIEDMAN: Very troubling.
WHITFIELD: Avery and Richard, thanks so much. I think that's a first that I find Richard at a loss for words. Shocking. Anyway.
FRIEDMAN: Absolutely.
WHITFIELD: OK.
HERMAN: It's your beauty today, Fred. Your beauty just mesmerized me. Can't talk.
FRIEDMAN: Yes, in white. WHITFIELD: You guys, all right. Thanks so much, guys.
FRIEDMAN: Take care.
HERMAN: Take care.
WHITFIELD: All right, plenty of travel deals to be had out there right now. The trick is knowing exactly how to get them. Richelle Carey explores ways to save "On the Go."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RICHELLE CAREY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Travel sites aren't the only places to find vacation deals. There are many ways to get away at a price that's right.
STEPHANIE OSWALD, TRAVELGIRLINC.COM: Talk to a travel agent and tell them what your ideal situation would be. Let them know what your budget is so that they can look for special plans for you.
CAREY: Choose a reputable agency that'll disclose their service charges or take matters into your own hands.
OSWALD: When you're interested in a destination, go to the tourism Web site or the tourism board that makes sure that travelers out there know that the best deals are available when they're available, how much they cost.
CAREY: And being open with your travel schedule can also save you big bucks.
OSWALD: If you have flexibility, you will be successful in finding what you want and also at the price that you want. It's only when you're really cornered into a specific slot that you become a victim of the high prices.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: It's been a rough ride for Six Flags. The amusement park company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection today. Six Flags is carrying more than $2 billion in debt and failed to negotiate a payment plan with creditors. The move is not expected to affect operations at the 20 Six Flags theme parks in the U.S., Mexico and Canada.
All right, we're watching the latest developments from Iran right here in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: A quick look at what's happening right now. Street protests after President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is declared the winner in Iran's election. His main challenger is protesting the official results saying Iran, quote, "belongs to the people, not the cheaters." And more bellatose (ph) threats from North Korea following additional U.N. sanctions slapped on the secretive state. Today, North Korea announced it will step up its nuclear weapons program.
And from Canada, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had this to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CLINTON: That we intend to do all we can to prevent continued proliferation by the North Koreans. I will add, however, that the North Koreans continuing provocative actions are deeply regrettable. They have now been denounced by everyone. They have become further isolated. And it is not in the interests of the people of North Korea for that kind of isolation to continue.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: All right, big domestic issue that we're focusing on in the 4:00 Eastern hour: health care, health care reform. President Obama wants all Americans to have health insurance. We want to know what you think. Prescriptions, health care reform, send us your comments and your questions now on our blog at CNN.com/newsroom. On Facebook at Fredricka Whitfield at CNN or you can e-mail us at weekends@CNN.com.
We want to hear from you. We're going to pose these questions to Republican and Democratic Congress people that will be with us and the White House budget director will also be joining us.
I'm Fredricka Whitfield. "YOUR MONEY" starts right now.
