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President to Extend Health Care Benefits to Same-Sex Partners of Federal Employees; Iran Restricts Media in Post-Election Coverage
Aired June 17, 2009 - 09:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: You are in the CNN NEWSROOM.
President Obama getting ready to change federal law and maybe appease a key Democratic bloc. Here's what we know at this point. The president will sign an order extending health care and other benefits to same-sex partners of federal employees. The signing will take place at the White House at 5:45 Eastern this afternoon.
A lot of people in the gay community have criticized Mr. Obama for his administration's stance on the defense of marriage act and the Don't Ask Don't Tell policy.
So let's get more now on that story from our Suzanne Malveaux. She's standing by at the White House for us this morning.
Hi there, Suzanne. Tell us a little bit more about this plan to extend these same-sex benefits now.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Heidi, it's far from certain whether or not some gay activists are going to be satisfied with what the president is announcing. I spoke with several and they say, really, the devil's in the details.
But he is going to say he's going to extend some benefits, some benefits for same-sex partners of federal employees. It could be pensions, at least some health care but not full health care. So people are going to be paying very close attention to this.
And as you have mentioned, Heidi, what is happening here is that this really is coming at a very critical time for this president. A lot of frustration, a lot of anger from gay activists who had expected more from this president at this time. They point to the fact that it was last week the Justice Department filed a friendly motion in support of the Defense of Marriage Act which is against same-sex marriage.
Obviously, an important issue to the gay community, as well as the Don't Ask Don't Tell policy has yet to be repealed. This is something that candidate Obama talked about. It was a promise. Have not yet seen that. And so later today we expect that there's going to be some real scrutiny over the president's announcement.
COLLINS: OK. Yes, understood. Another big announcement from the White House today, though, too. President Obama is going to announce a plan for financial reforms. We've been talking a lot about this.
Give us a little bit of perspective here, Suzanne. MALVEAUX: Sure. I had a chance to talk to Christina Roemer, one of his top economic advisors this morning. And she pretty much laid out what the priorities are. First and foremost, she said what's most important is that the role of the Fed is going to take on more greater oversight, financial oversight of these institutions, of banks, as well as insurance companies.
The second thing is that they're going to ask Congress for more power for this administration to dismantle some of these companies that are in financial trouble so that this doesn't explode like the last time, like we see now. It doesn't happen again.
And third, they're going to create a whole new agency here to protect consumers when it comes to credit card fraud, mortgage abuse, this type of thing. You can imagine, Heidi, this is really just the beginning of the process here. Members of Congress are going to be holding hearings, taking a very close look at all of this to see what's necessary, what's not necessary, what's going to work.
White House officials I spoke to this morning say they believe that the biggest thing, the most important thing, is the fact that the Federal Reserve, its role is expanding. Heidi?
COLLINS: All right. Wow. An awful lot going on the agenda today in Washington, as usual. Suzanne Malveaux at the White House for us this morning. Thank you, Suzanne.
COLLINS: Back to the original story we were talking about this morning. A look at recent presidential decisions now that have angered some people in the gay community. Last Friday's Justice Department motion supporting the defense of marriage act which opposes same-sex marriage.
The president not moving to repeal the military's Don't Ask Don't Tell policy on sexual orientation and Mr. Obama's choice of Rick Warren to deliver the invocation at his swearing-in. In an interview Warren compared homosexuality to bestiality and incest.
A reminder we will have live coverage of President Obama's signing the order for same-sex benefits. That will happen at 5:45 Eastern today, so watch it right here on CNN.
Now to the other story we're following this morning. We are fighting with our lives and the world is just watching. That's what one student at Tehran University says is happening in Iran since Friday's election.
CNN iReporter Amir talks about special Revolutionary Guards, quote, "beating and killing us." iReporter Bardia took these images with his cell phone but says the government is shutting down services. It's also threatening legal action against various Web sites.
Now with the crackdown we're seeing more protests in other countries. These scenes from here in the U.S. This is actually Miami that you're looking at. Supporters of defeated presidential candidate Mir Hossein Moussavi are refusing to back down, though. They're planning another protest rally for today even though there is a ban on unauthorized gatherings and a ban, as you know, on international media coverage.
CNN's Reza Sayah was telling us about that yesterday, breaking the story right here. He's in Tehran once again today.
So Reza, what are you able to even tell us right now as we're on the air?
REZA SAYAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's been challenging for us with this ban on us and other members of foreign media to cover these rallies, but we have as many eyes and ears as possible looking around the city.
And we understand about 20 minutes ago there was yet another rally in a major city square here in Tehran, the fifth day in a row where the supporters of Mir Hossein Moussavi, the disgruntled candidate, have had rallies.
But another very interesting development late this afternoon. This has been a political drama with lots of twists and turns. The latest twist and turn took place on a soccer field in Seoul, South Korea. Soccer is huge here in Iran and a couple of hours ago the Iranian national team taking on South Korea in Seoul.
Some of the members of the team were wearing green wristbands, green, of course, the symbol of Moussavi's campaign. No official word whether this was an organized show of solidarity on the part of the team, but certainly this could give the supporters of Moussavi a big boost in this rally today. Heidi?
COLLINS: All right, certainly a lot going on there. And the story continues. Our Reza Sayah coming to us from Tehran this morning. Reza, thanks so much for keeping us updated on that.
Social networking sites are having a big impact on this election and the aftermath of the election, too. And this morning, those sites are weighing in.
Our Josh Levs has been following it and joins us now. Yes, a lot of people really using this to express themselves, Josh.
JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's having a massive impact on the election, first of all, and also what's happened ever since there, Heidi. And now today Twitter speaking out about what the U.S. State Department asked it to do.
Also YouTube is talking about the effects of apparently being blocked in Iran. Plus, YouTube now talking about whether it's censoring its videos from Iran.
All that, plus your chance to join our online discussions coming up.
COLLINS: All right. Very good. It's been very interesting to watch all that, Josh.
LEVS: Yes.
COLLINS: Thanks. We'll talk with you shortly.
LEVS: You got it.
COLLINS: Meanwhile, a new threat from North Korea. Pyongyang vows military retaliation, quote, "a thousand fold" if provoked by the U.S. and its allies. This is happening after President Obama declared the communist country a grave threat.
Also there are fears two American journalists being held in North Korea are being used as political pawns.
CNN's John Vause reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN VAUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In the midst of rocket and missile launches and underground nuclear tests and threats of all- out war, North Korea has made it clear that two American journalists held in Pyongyang are very much in the mix of this escalating crisis.
Earlier this month, Laura Ling and Euna Lee were sentenced to 12 years hard labor and now, according to the North's official state media they're guilty of much more than just illegally crossing a border. They both allegedly confessed to crimes that were, quote, "prompted by the political motive to isolate and stifle the socialist system of the DBRK by faking up moving images aimed at falsifying its human rights performance and hurling slanders and calumnies."
This was the first news their families in the U.S. heard in more than a week.
LISA LING, LAURA LING'S SISTER: In a way we appreciated that they released these charges. According to the charges, they confessed and so we know they're sorry. We're very sorry and we hope that the North Korean government now will show compassion.
VAUSE: But compassion isn't often associated with Kim Jong-Il and according to U.S. intelligence, the North Korean leader may be preparing another nuclear test in defiance of tough new U.N. sanctions.
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: There's been a pattern in the past where North Korea behaves in a belligerent fashion, and if it waits long enough it's been rewarded.
VAUSE: Nick Bonner is a documentary film maker who travels regularly to the country known as the hermit kingdom. He says the recent nuclear test is seen by most North Koreans as much more than a bargaining ploy.
NICK BONNER, DIRECTOR, KORYO TOURS: They believe they are being threatened and they see and have been told and that enforced by the papers that to have a bomb is -- you know, is protective. And that's a protective measure and that's how they feel they haven't been attacked.
VAUSE: And next part of what some analysts describe as an orchestrated campaign by Pyongyang to create an external threat to bolster support for Kim Jong-Il as he transfers power to his younger son.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: And John Vause joining us now live out of Beijing this morning. So, John, apparently there's this Japanese newspaper that is reporting there are some signs that show North Korea is actually getting two different sites ready from where they could launch a long- range missile. Lot of people wanting to know more about this obviously.
VAUSE: Yes, not a lot of details coming from those reports. They're actually being carried in the Japanese and also the South Korean press saying that two long-ring missiles sites are being prepared, one in the northeast of the country, one in the northwest, and also according to media reports in South Korea, a train has been spotted which has the capability of transporting a long-range intercontinental ballistic missile.
The same train which was used back in April when they test fired that rocket which everyone says was a missile. South Korean officials in Seoul today would not confirm any of that, only saying that they are keeping a close eye on both those sites.
The North Koreans have warned that they will respond to those tough new U.N. sanctions. They've warned they'll weaponize plutonium, they'll enrich uranium, they'll carry out more nuclear tests and more rocket tests. And in recent weeks Pyongyang has actually had a pretty good track record of making good on those threats.
As for those more bellicose threats like the attempt at a thousand- fold retaliation, well, they're actually carried in state-run media, in the editorials, they're basically for domestic consumption to try and whip up support. The North Koreans also, I think, that it intimidates their perceived enemies. Heidi?
COLLINS: Understood. All right, John Vause coming to us from Beijing this morning. John, thank you.
An NFL star behind bars. He's admitted he killed someone with his car while driving drunk. But a plea deal won't cost him any playing time.
JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: And I'm CNN meteorologist Jacqui Jeras. Severe storms from the Midwest to southeast. A tornado warning right now in North Carolina.
We'll have the latest on severe storms coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) COLLINS: Another delay for NASA and the space shuttle. They had to call off this morning's scheduled launch because of another hydrogen leak. A similar leak forced NASA to cancel Saturday's planned liftoff.
Because of the angle of the sun, NASA will now have to wait until July 11th to try again. The shuttle Endeavour is supposed to be carrying food, a new astronaut and the last part of the space laboratory up to the International Space Station.
A snowstorm in New Jersey in the middle of June? Yes, that's snow people are shoveling off their lawns. It's actually hail. It's a form of snow, though, isn't that? I don't know. A powerful thunderstorm dumped more than three inches of the stuff across parts of the state. At one point it looked like they were in the middle of a blizzard actually. The storm also knocked down trees and flooded a highway.
Jacqui Jeras joining us now today to talk a little bit more, not only about this but also more severe storms. Feels like we've been talking about it forever. So, seriously, hail?
JERAS: It's not a snow.
COLLINS: It's a form of snow? Is it not?
JERAS: No.
COLLINS: Ice?
JERAS: Totally different the way it develops. I can tell you more after the break.
(CROSSTALK)
COLLINS: Yes, you're a trained meteorologist. And I don't know.
JERAS: Well, it gets stuck in the updraft of the thunderstorm, so it goes way up high into the atmosphere where the temperatures are really cold.
COLLINS: Freeze it.
JERAS: They freeze on contact. Then it starts to drop. But then that draft brings it back up. So that's why it gets layers like a little onion, you know?
COLLINS: OK. Yes.
JERAS: Yes. So it's developed that way.
COLLINS: Thank you so much.
JERAS: Does that help you out a little bit?
COLLINS: Yes, it does. JERAS: All right. Well, we'll see more of that hail...
COLLINS: OK.
JERAS: By the way today, across really the Midwest to the Ohio valley and also across parts of the southeast.
(WEATHER REPORT)
JERAS: Temperatures really cool. We're talking 10, 15 degrees below average. Not feeling like summer, though. But it arrives on Sunday, by the way.
COLLINS: Really?
JERAS: Yes. A few days away.
COLLINS: So I won't have to worry about hail.
JERAS: Make your celebration plans right now.
COLLINS: OK. Very good. Thank you, Jacqui. We'll check back later on.
JERAS: OK.
COLLINS: Pro football player Daunte Stallworth is spending his first full day behind bars today. He was sentenced to 30 days for killing a pedestrian while driving drunk. Stallworth faced 15 years in prison for the DUI manslaughter charge before reaching a plea deal.
The Cleveland Browns wide receiver also agreed on a confidential financial settlement with the family of the 59-year-old victim. He will be out in time for Browns' training camp in late July. But the NFL may still suspend him for a few games. We'll keep our eye on that story for you.
Meanwhile, it was a 10-year-old's first plane flight by herself. Miriam Caymans was traveling from Boston to Cleveland on Continental Express to visit her grandparents but she wound up on another flight arriving in Newark instead.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NORMAN BRESKY, GIRL'S GRANDFATHER: They unload the plane and I know that unaccompanied minors are always the last off because the stewardess takes them off. So the plane emptied out, she didn't get off.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So you're standing at the gate?
BRESKY: Oh, yes. Been there for about an hour just to make sure I didn't miss her.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Miriam's family calls the incident a Continental disgrace. Miriam made it to Cleveland on the next flight out.
Another unaccompanied girl also wound up at the wrong airport in a second Continental Express flight over the weekend. A Continental spokeswoman says in both instances, two flights with different destinations were being loaded at the same time at the same gate.
Updating a story we told you about yesterday. Remember? A burglary suspect who hid in a storm drain under an interstate finally came out after 12 hours. The standoff brought traffic to a standstill and temporarily shut down the 405 freeway. LA Police say tear gas, a Gerry-rigged plunger, a police dog and even the best-trained rescuers could not coax the suspect out.
But authorities say a TV reporter did. See? We're good for something. A man was -- this man was arrested on suspicion of burglary.
Problems with a popular cold remedy to tell you about. The FDA now warning consumer to stay away, saying it could cause permanent damage.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANNOUNCER: Live breaking news, unfolding developments, see for yourself in the CNN NEWSROOM.
COLLINS: Sifting through the wreckage. Investigators say they've recovered more than 400 pieces of Air France flight 447. But they're still not sure why the plane went down and they are not expecting to recover everything.
The flight from Brazil to Paris crashed in the Atlantic on June 1st, as you remember. 228 people were on-board. All of them are believed to be dead.
It is one of the biggest selling over-the-counter cold remedies on the market but the FDA says it has gotten hundreds of complaints now about some Zicam products. So they're telling consumers to stop using them.
Joining me now, CNN's chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta.
All right, Sanjay. What's this warning about? Because I got to say, a kind of a popular remedy right here in the NEWSROOM, too
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: It is.
COLLINS: Yes.
GUPTA: And it's an interesting interplay between the FDA and the makers of this over-the-counter homeopathic cold remedy. As you know, it's...
COLLINS: Homeopathic.
GUPTA: That's right.
COLLINS: Being one of the main issues here. GUPTA: And over the counter. You don't need a prescription for this particular remedy. It's one of those interesting things, you take it at the beginning of a cold. It's supposed to shorten the duration and the severity of the cold. But they're saying exactly, to your point, is that there's some reports of something known as anosmia, word of the day.
COLLINS: I know exactly what that is.
GUPTA: Do you?
COLLINS: No.
GUPTA: Loss of smell.
COLLINS: Oh.
GUPTA: Loss of smell. So people are saying...
COLLINS: Why don't they just say loss of smell? You guys always try to sound so smart.
GUPTA: Word of the day. Yes, that's right. But they say that there's been, as you say, lots of reports of people having not only temporary loss of smell but long-term, even permanent loss of smell if they take certain formations of the products. Not all of them.
The one -- actually there's an intranasal type and there's also an oral type. That's the intranasal type that they're talking about specifically. You can see the list there. This is something that you pay attention to. Zicam Cold Remedy Nasal Gel, also the nasal swabs, and the cold remedy swabs kids size as well, which incidentally has been taken off the market already.
COLLINS: Oh really?
GUPTA: But some people might still have it at home.
By the way, we looked into how effective zinc is. This may be the culprit here in terms of actually warding off cold symptoms. And the research in that is decidedly inconclusive.
COLLINS: Yes.
GUPTA: There's no proof that it works for sure, bottom line. So who knows...
COLLINS: So here we are in the NEWSROOM with all this information available to us...
GUPTA: I know...
COLLINS: ... using stuff, it doesn't work.
GUPTA: You never ask me anything. You should come to me.
COLLINS: Come on. We call you all the time on things that -- you know, aren't really about brain surgery.
GUPTA: Sure. Right. Right.
COLLINS: However, you got to wonder how big of a problem this is. I mean are there numbers on how many people have been affected?
GUPTA: Yes. And it's one of those things that now that people are talking about it you might get more case reports but only about 130 over 10 years since 1999. So not huge numbers here.
And again it's the concern about zinc specifically...
COLLINS: Right.
GUPTA: ... possibly irritating one of the nerves that controls smell.
We talked to the makers of this particular product, and they released a statement specifically about this issue, saying look, there's no known causal link between the use of Zicam Cold Remedy, nasal gel and impairment of smell. No well controlled scientific studies have demonstrated that potential cause and effect relationship.
So, you know, again, this is interesting because the FDA typically allows drugs to come to market after they're proven to be safe and effective. When it comes to over-the-counter stuff, they can potentially be pulled but only after they're proven to be dangerous. So it's a different standard.
COLLINS: Yes.
GUPTA: For over the counters.
COLLINS: Yes. We've talked about that many times before.
GUPTA: Right.
COLLINS: Real quickly, could these things eventually go back on the market?
GUPTA: They could, they could eventually.
COLLINS: Yes.
GUPTA: There's sort of a negotiation period over the next few weeks to figure how this is going to end up.
COLLINS: And back in the NEWSROOM?
GUPTA: That's -- and back in the NEWSROOM. That's right.
COLLINS: Dr. Sanjay Gupta, thanks so much.
GUPTA: All right. Good to help you.
COLLINS: All right. Would you work for a month for free? If it could mean saving your job? For workers at one major airline, it's not a hypothetical question.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Imagine working for a month knowing you won't get paid for it. That's essentially what British Airways is asking their employees to do. To save money, the financially strapped company is offering up to four weeks unpaid leave. It's hoping some employees will take it but still come in to work to protect their jobs.
One union spokesman calls the idea pretty unrealistic. But we do want to know what you think about this story. You guys have been great about e-mailing and blogging us. So we want to go ahead and show you one more time how to do that because we want to hear from you on this one.
All you need to do is go to CNN.com/newsroom, and then click on my name, right there. And you can see where we will have the subheading here, would you work for free? So tell us what you think on that.
And we'll be back in a moment right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: It is a big day on Wall Street. President is set to announce a proposal for huge financial regulatory changes. And we have a live opening bell right there. We have a reading on consumer prices as well and more job cuts to tell you about.
Susan Lisovicz is at the New York Stock Exchange now with that opening bell.
Hi, Susan.
SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Heidi.
Well, basically, the last two days of sell offs have undone two weeks of gains. And we're seeing a little bit of weakness at the open. And, meantime, a lot of excitement. Wall Street waiting for the president's announcement, which is set to include the creation of new consumer protection agency and expanded authority over some finance companies that do not now fall under regulatory control. Gerri will have more on that consumer watchdog aspect in just a moment.
Meanwhile, consumer prices ticked up just 0.1 percent last month as food prices fell for the fourth straight month. That offset the big rise in gas prices. Over the past year, prices have dropped by the largest amount in nearly 60 years.
But there's some nervousness in the marketplace today, because FedEx reported a fourth quarter loss of nearly $900 million. That shipping company considered a good barometer of the overall economic health. But losses more than tripled what it was the same time a year ago, thanks to a big one-time charge. Fed also expects earnings next quarter to be well below estimates.
Lockheed Martin slashing jobs at its Upstate New York plant. 750 of them. The Pentagon recently canceled the contract with Lockheed to make a new fleet of Marine One helicopters, where the president and contractors valued at $13 billion.
Heidi -- here's an interesting question. British Airways is asking thousands of its staff to work for free.
COLLINS: I know! Yes. We're talking about that today.
(CROSSTALK)
LISOVICZ: Yes, up to four weeks unpaid leave with the option to work during that time unpaid. Now just think about it. You get all that free airfare and you could go anywhere and hang out for a month, or you could just report to work and not get paid. I think we know how some of us would respond.
COLLINS: Yes. But this is because they are losing a massive amount of money. What is it like $656 million or something?
LISOVICZ: A record annual loss, and the company says there are no signs of imminent recovery in the airline industry.
Finally, I want to mention this story because yesterday we talked about Swedish automakers. And now we're going to talk about the Swedish retailer H & M, bringing in a big name.
COLLINS: You met a girl after my own Swedish heart.
LISOVICZ: Certainly, and you knew. You're one of the few who know Koenigsegg. It makes 12 cars a year. And you knew it.
OK. But here we're going to talk about Jimmy Choo. I know. I know that you know that name.
COLLINS: I do.
LISOVICZ: Heidi Collins, you know it on a firsthand basis. Jimmy Choo will launch a new collection in H & M.
COLLINS: How cool.
LISOVICZ: Shoes, bags, clothing and it will be -- yes, lower price points.
COLLINS: Much more affordable, yes.
LISOVICZ: Yes, we like that.
COLLINS: We do.
LISOVICZ: Kind of like what I'm seeing considering what we have seen on the big board the last few days. We have just tiny green chutes of growth for the Dow and the NASDAQ. COLLINS: You and your green chutes. All right. Well, Suzanne --
LISOVICZ: I'm done with that expression. I'm moving on.
COLLINS: OK.
LISOVICZ: All right. We're going to check back later on and see how the Dow shapes up. Sure do appreciate it, Suzanne.
See you later on.
Back to this story now. Remember the chaos, uncertainty and even panic of last fall's financial meltdown? Well, to prevent a repeat, President Obama is proposing a sweeping package of new financial regulations just before 1:00 this afternoon. So what exactly are these reforms and what does it all mean to you?
CNN personal finance editor Gerri Willis is here now live from New York to break this down for us just a bit.
Gerri, what do we expect the president to propose exactly. And do we even have an idea?
GERRI WILLIS, CNN PERSONAL FINANCE EDITOR: Right. Well, we do, thankfully. You know, we're waiting for this plan which will be out in just a few hours. And, basically, here's what we're looking at.
First of all, there's going to be some consolidation of regulators. The office of thrift supervision will be closed, for example. And this was an agency that was heavily criticized during the downturn because of their work with AIG. That's the American Insurance Group that had so many problems. Finally, we spent $182 billion of taxpayer money to bail them out.
IndyMac, Washington Mutual, these were all under the OTS' supervision and all troubled. This particular agency embattled. But we knew duties for the Treasury and the Federal Reserve. The Treasury secretary will chair a committee of folks who will monitor what they call systemic risk. That's risk to the system. And the government will formally take the power to unwind companies that are being too big to fail.
Susan mentioned the Consumer Financial Protection Agency. This is sort of an agency that will test and look at the safety of consumer products like we do toasters right now. So we will be empowered not only to look at the safety of these products, but also to decide whether somebody needs to be punished for having products out there that aren't safe or that are sold in a poor way. So lots going on. It's a huge massive overhaul. It's going to take months of debate in Congress before we find out what happens with that.
Heidi, more than a dozen hearings are scheduled right now to look over this plan. So we'll be talking about this for a while.
COLLINS: Yes, and there will probably be a lot of tweaking and changing over these original proposals, I imagine, too. Gerri, you think this overhaul will make a real difference for people out there?
WILLIS: Well, not right away. I think it's going to take a while to get traction. And if this consumer financial protection agency actually does become law, that ultimately would have the biggest impact on consumers, because that's really going to be looking at your mortgages, your credit cards, annuities, insurance products telling you whether these are safe or not and if they are being sold the right way. This is what's really going to hold bankers' and lenders' feet to the fire on these products. Make sure you're getting what you need, what's suitable for you.
Heidi?
COLLINS: All right. Gerri Willis, our personal finance editor. Sure do appreciate that.
Thank you, Gerri.
WILLIS: All right.
COLLINS: To Iran's disputed elections now. And perspective from a man who knows a thing or two about winning them -- President Obama. Here's how he describe the situation.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It's important to understand that although there is amazing ferment taking place in Iran, that the difference between Ahmadinejad and Moussavi in terms of their actual policies may not be as great as has been advertised.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: All international media outlets are now banned from covering protests in Iran. So we are relying on iReporters and social networking sites. In fact, we're getting so much information from them we have decided to set up an Iran desk.
Isha Sesay is there for us this morning.
So, Isha, good morning to you. What are people sending in this morning. We really have seen a lot of activity.
ISHA SESAY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely, Heidi. Fascinating images coming to us here at the Iran desk despite those Iranian authorities best efforts to clamp down on that dissent following the election. People are still managing to get out these images which give us an insight into what's happening there on the ground in Iran.
Here at the Iran desk, we are combing through all this stuff that is feeding in to us by the various networking sites, various Web sites. And we want to show our viewers some compelling video now.
We want to stress to our viewers right off the top that CNN has not been able to independently verify this, but we feel it's important that we show you these images to really get a sense of what is happening.
This first piece of video that we have, it's showing that whoever is shooting it is moving really quickly. You see what appears to be an injured individual being carried past. He turns around. You continue to see just the chaos. That seems to be blood on the ground. You see a bloodied hand. Really a startling image there that shows how these protests have at times turned deadly.
Let's move on to the second piece of video that we also have for you. Again, we believe it was shot over the last couple of days. This time from inside a metro station. Just listen.
(VIDEO CLIP)
SESAY: You can clearly hear the chanting. That's a platform full of protestors inside a metro station from inside Tehran. We're getting these images to people who basically want the world to see what is really happening there.
And, Heidi, these are really, really compelling, startling images. We are combing through everything. There is a flurry of information that's coming to us here at the Iran desk. We're keeping on top of it for you.
COLLINS: All right. Isha Sesay, we sure do appreciate that. We will check back with you later on. We really want to keep people updated on what is coming out of Iran at this point.
Taking aim at the Internet. The Iranian government blaming social networking sites for inciting riots. We're watching that part of the story, too. Our Josh Levs has it in just a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Iran's Revolutionary Guards, an elite body answering to the supreme leader says Iranian Web sites and bloggers must remove any materials that create tension or face legal action.
Meanwhile, U.S. officials say the State Department asked Twitter to postpone a scheduled maintenance in order to keep information flowing from inside Iran.
Our Josh Levs is following these developments for us.
This is pretty wild, Josh.
JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's wild. I mean, what we saw leading up to the election, was this prominent role of the social media, right? But what we're seeing now in the wake of it, kind of what Isha was talking about before the break there, is this role that they continue to play and how important it is.
It's actually part of our top story. Let's zoom in for a second. CNN.com, we're talking here the media grip tightening. And that led us to this discussion of what an important outlet social networking is. Social networking providing crucial info from Iran.
In fact, take a look at this quote from our story. Senior officials of the State Department asked Twitter to refrain from going down for periodic scheduled maintenance at this crucial time to ensure the site continues to operate.
Well, after that happen, we got a statement from Twitter. I want to show you this. It's interesting. Let's go to this graphic.
They basically came out and they said, yes, we're having quite an impact here. They say, "It's humbling to think that our two-year-old company could be playing such a globally meaningful role that state officials find their way toward highlighting our significance."
They go on to say in the next screen here, "However, it's important to note the State Department does not have access to our decision making. Nevertheless, we can both agree that the open exchange of information is a positive force in the world."
So you've got Twitter there, Heidi, coming right out and saying, look, it's not that we're somehow tied to the government.
COLLINS: Right.
LEVS: Everyone should know that. But, understanding that what was a small company not long ago is suddenly having a huge effect here on this election. And similar front on YouTube, you know.
I mean, we're also seeing YouTube play a big role here in what's happening there.
COLLINS: Yes.
LEVS: Let's zoom in for a second. I want you to see this.
YouTube has posted a link to a collection of videos, all sorts of angles. And we are seeing some earlier from Isha.
COLLINS: Yes.
LEVS: And they're continuing to talk about what a shocking deal it is for them. Let me show you a quick quote from them that came out today. They say, "Even though YouTube appears to be blocked in Iran, the site is experiencing a small fraction of the traffic levels that it normally receives from Iran." They're saying it just has about 10 percent of what it usually does in that country, Heidi.
They say, "We continue to see videos being uploaded to the site." In essence, they say, YouTube has become a citizen-fueled news bureau of video reports filed straight from the streets of Tehran unfiltered."
And speaking to that, let's go to a video. One of the latest from Iran. Again, we cannot verify its authenticity.
COLLINS: Yes. Right.
LEVS: But let's take a look for a second here.
(VIDEO CLIP)
LEVS: And, Heidi, what we've got here is a clip that's similar to some of the other clips we've seen of apparently what seem to be these protestors in the wake of the election who are facing these police.
Again, we can't -- no, we're not there, because there's huge grip here. But this is a good example of what some people are talking about right now, which is, how powerful is the video that YouTube is willing to post?
I want to end on this graphic right here. There's one more quote that I want everyone to see here. They say that, in general, they don't allow graphics of gratuitous violence. They say they make exceptions for videos with educational, documentary or scientific value. They're saying that the limitations being placed on the mainstream media here reporting from within Iran makes it even more important that citizens be able to use YouTube to capture their experiences for the world to see. And they say they are doing their best.
So this is something people are watching out for, Heidi. Are they censoring certain material? How powerful is the material that they are willing to post. This is part of what's tricky about being in their position right now when they have community guidelines.
COLLINS: Yes. Because, though, when you see that on TV, you have to remember there's no way to verify. And in the same breath, it could be as genuine as it appears. So certainly a tough call journalistically.
LEVS: Exactly. You got it.
COLLINS: All right. Josh Levs, thanks so much for watching that.
LEVS: Thanks, Heidi.
COLLINS: Jacqui Jeras standing by now in the severe weather center to talk more about large, damaging hail, as what it said atop you just minutes ago.
JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: It does. It says it right here, too. Yes.
COLLINS: Yes.
JERAS: Almost.
COLLINS: I can read. I don't know what hail is, but I can read.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COLLINS: All right. Very good. We'll check in later on, Jacqui.
Thank you. Being caught with marijuana in California could land you in jail, unless you have a doctor's recommendation. But do patients really need it or do they just want to get high?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: In California, you don't necessarily need a drug dealer to get some pot. A doctor might do just fine. But are medical marijuana patients really sick or do they just want to get high?
Dan Simon takes a look at the screening process.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DR. ALLAN FRANKEL, GREENBRIDGE MEDICAL: So it's pain, anxiety, insomnia.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And depression.
DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Dr. Allen Frankel is a so- called pot doc. On a typical day, he says he'll see 13 patients at his Marina del Rey office and recommend they use marijuana to help them with their various aches and pains.
FRANKEL: I'm not trying to get patients stoned. I'm trying to get patients to feel normal.
SIMON: Instead of a prescription, to obtain medical marijuana, a patient needs a doctor's formal recommendation, a letter. It's how you get inside one of the state's hundreds of dispensaries.
You need to be at least 18. Minors can get it if their guardian approves.
Dr. Frankel started his practice three years ago after nearly 25 years working as a regular internist.
FRANKEL: I think it's the greatest medication I've ever worked with. I really do.
SIMON: For those who want it, getting access to medical marijuana in California is relatively easy. After a 45-minute appointment which includes a thorough briefing on the types of marijuana, Dr. Frankel gives him the recommendation.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm legal. I can legally do this now in the state of California.
SIMON: Finding a pot doc in L.A. is like trying to find a plastic surgeon in Beverly Hills. They're everywhere. In the classifieds and on the Web.
Dr. Frankel charges his new patients $200. By law, the recommendation can only be good for up to a year. Patients then have to go back to the doctor to get a renewal.
It's a system that is also being fueled by the explosive growth of dispensaries.
(on camera): There are more than 600 in Los Angeles alone. To put that number in perspective, there are more dispensaries here than Starbucks, 7-Elevens and even McDonald's.
(voice-over): That's not what architects of the medical marijuana law, like Reverend Scott Imler, envisioned when California voters passed it in 1996. He says the dispensaries today are little more than dope dealers with store fronts.
REV. SCOTT IMLER, CO-AUTHOR OF PROP. 215: That just wasn't the intention of Prop. 215. It was to get people off the black market, not to institutionalize the black market.
SIMON (on camera): Even Dr. Frankel estimates that about half of those buying medical marijuana are doing so just to get stoned. He says those users harm the industry and make it difficult for marijuana to be viewed as legitimate medication.
At the same time, though, he says there is little doctors can do to combat misuse.
FRANKEL: It's true. Will people lie? Yes. They'll lie to get anything. I am not that concerned about that because what they're getting is just cannabis.
SIMON: Getting cannabis. At its worst, California has created a system with plain-old drug abusers hiding under the cover of state laws. At its best, medication to help people to manage their pain.
Dan Simon, CNN, Los Angeles.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: So, can the U.S. afford to make marijuana legal? All this weekend "ANDERSON COOPER 360" looking at both sides of the debate. Catch more of "America's High: The Case for and Against Pot," tonight 10:00 Eastern.
So lots of comments this morning about British Airways. This is the airline that's actually asking its employees to work for free for up to something like four weeks. Would you do that? We've been asking people on the blog all about it. This is all to protect your job, apparently. They are saying, yes, come on in, we're not going to pay you, but if you want to keep your job, it might be a good idea for you.
So let's go ahead and get to some of your comments on this, because we've been getting a lot of them this morning.
Larry says, "Is management working for free? What is their annual compensation, bonuses included? People who make multi-million dollar salaries, of course, have the assets to take a month without pay. Not the same for people who punch clocks or otherwise live from paycheck to paycheck." OK. The, also, another one here from Cody says, "I would do it, if it saves your job to not be paid for one month out of the year. It would be worth it. Jobs are so hard to go by that one month is way better than nothing at all."
Once again, getting a lot of comments on this idea coming to us from British Airways this morning. Let us know what you think. Go to cnn.com/newsroom and then just click on my name.
Also this morning, an awful lot going on by way of other news today. CNN crews, of course, it plays to bring it to you.
Let's begin with Suzanne Malveaux this morning at the White House.
Hi, Suzanne.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Heidi. Well, coming up, President Obama is going to be unveiling new measures to regulate the financial industry, financial institutions, as well as protect consumers including creating a brand-new agency. I'm going to have all of that at the top of the hour.
POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM: And I'm Poppy Harlow in New York. Following up on what Suzanne just said, how convoluted is our current regulatory system for financial institutions? And then why we're in this predicament? And will the proposed reforms really change anything? Heidi, we're going to look at that at the top of the hour.
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: I'm Elizabeth Cohen here in Atlanta. Swine flu, it has not gone away. More deaths in New York City and around the country. I'll have that at the top of the hour.
COLLINS: All right, everybody. Thanks so much for that.
Also, is it only the presidency or something more at stake in Iran? We'll get the view from an Iranian-born expert on the region.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: So you may have noticed that you are now paying more to text, All four of the major wireless companies raised their prices by the same amount. The move caught the attention of Congress, too.
CNN's Elaine Quijano has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Americans sent a mind-boggling trillion plus text messages last year alone, according to one lawmaker. Kristina Edmundson was one of them.
KRISTINA EDMUNDSON, TEXT MESSAGE USER: It's a simple, "I'll be there in five minutes," "I'm running 10 minutes late," "I'll see you in two hours." Those can really ding you after a while.
QUIJANO: Edmundson, who, ironically, works for the advocacy group, Consumers Union, got dinged a couple of months ago. Her bill jumped by almost $60 for so-called pay per use text messages not covered under her monthly plan.
EDMUNDSON: I thought this is outrageous. Sixty dollars is a lot of extra money for one month of mistakes.
QUIJANO: She tried shopping around, but didn't need or want a $20 unlimited texting plan.
EDMUNDSON: There's really no other option for me as a consumer and that's frustrating.
QUIJANO: Consumer choice is what Democratic Senator Herb Kohl wants. He says all four of the nation's major wireless carriers -- Sprint, T. Mobile, Verizon and AT&T -- each raised their pay per use text messaging rates by the same amount -- from 10 cents per text message in 2006 to 20 cents per message by 2008.
SEN. HERB KOHL (D), WISCONSIN: Why did you each go up by the same amount?
Why didn't you go up less than your competitor?
QUIJANO: At a hearing of the senator's Anti-Trust Subcommittee, top lawyers for Verizon and AT&T emphatically denied price fixing on text messages. But they did acknowledge the higher pay per use charges are designed to funnel customers into bundled deals.
WAYNE WATTS, AT&T MANAGEMENT SERVICES, INC.: I believe our customers have voted with their pocketbooks and said that's where they get their most value.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
COLLINS: Attorneys for the wireless company say the majority of their companies have texting plans and many people pay as little as a penny per message.
Here's some of the other stories that we're following this morning. Now, the old lady on the left of your screen is due in court today, but that's not actually an old lady, that's a Brooklyn man who was allegedly impersonating his dead mother. The "New York Daily News" reports police say the man collected $115,000 in social security and rent subsidies over the past six years. There he is on the left without makeup. That's his alleged accomplice on the right.
Interesting.
Veteran senator John Ensign says he has no plans to resign. Yesterday, the Nevada Republican admitted he carried out an affair with a female staffer over much of last year. He called it the worst thing he has ever done in his life. Ensign is chairman of the GOP's policy committee and was thought to possibly have presidential aspirations in 2012.
Iran's government now targeting Web sites and international journalists. They say the foreign media and the Internet are helping incite post election riots in the country. The government crackdown hasn't stopped thousands of opposition supporters, though, from taking to the streets.
