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Iran Clamps Down; President Obama Speaks Out on Iran; Missing South Carolina Governor to Return Home; On the Battlefield in Afghanistan; Ed McMahon Dead at 86
Aired June 23, 2009 - 15:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALI VELSHI, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): South Carolina is without its governor, sort of.
LT. GOV. ANDRE BAUER (D), SOUTH CAROLINA: What if we have a prison outbreak tomorrow? What if we have a natural disaster happen to our state? What do we do?
VELSHI: Where the heck did Mark Sanford disappear to, and when is he getting back to work? We have the scoop.
Your national conversation for this Tuesday, June 23, starts right now.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VELSHI: I am Ali Velshi, in for Rick Sanchez this week.
The Iran government's clamp on dissent hit hard today. Protesters lowered their presence amid a call to hit the streets on Thursday to commemorate those who have been laid waste by security forces.
Here is a look at some footage we have just received here at CNN. It's from Tehran. It is shot on Sunday. And I point out the cell phones arrayed to document the bleeding protester. That's how word is getting out.
CNN and other media outlet's remain under severe media restrictions. As you may have already heard, a council of Iranian clerics has now upheld Iran's presidential election, widely viewed as a fraud within parts of Iran and around the rest of the world.
Now, I want you to listen to President Barack Obama speaking a short while ago at the White House. These are the strongest terms he has aimed so far at the Iranian government.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The United States and the international community have been appalled and outraged by the threats, the beatings and imprisonments of the last few days.
I strongly condemn these unjust actions, and I join with the American people in mourning each and every innocent life that is lost.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELSHI: All right, joining me now from Washington, CNN senior political correspondent Candy Crowley.
Candy, it is stronger terms. Is it enough? Does it signify a change in tone from the administration?
CANDY CROWLEY, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: He was pretty tough over the weekend in a written statement.
But, certainly, he has ratcheted up this rhetoric. And I think it has less to do with his critics here in the U.S. -- and there have been some of them, particularly John McCain, whose has felt that he should move out more strongly, in particular about the elections.
And that is one thing that the president has stayed away from, from condemning the elections as fraudulent. It is something that has been said by other world leaders but not by the president, who says he is worried that it will look like he is Americanizing the protester and then of course giving Iran -- the Iran government a chance to crack down.
So, is it enough? I don't know. But I do know, it seems to me that what has kind of moved the rhetoric is what we are seeing in those grainy cell phone images, particularly the death of Neda, the young woman.
VELSHI: Now, there is some question, as you say, as to whether those images, those sorts of images which keep coming to us are part of the influence or whether it is criticism from others.
Listen to what one reporter asked the president today at his press conference.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
QUESTION: Some Republicans on Capitol Hill, John McCain and Lindsey Graham, for example, have said that up to this point your response on Iran has been timid and weak.
Today it sounded a lot stronger. It sounded like the kind of speech John McCain has been urging you to give, saying that those who stand up for justice are always on the right side of history, referring to an iron fist in Iran, deplore, appalled, outraged.
Were you influenced at all by John McCain and Lindsey Graham accusing you of being timid and weak?
OBAMA: What do you think?
(LAUGHTER)
OBAMA: Look, the -- you know, I think John McCain has genuine passion about many of these international issues. And, you know, I think that all of us share a belief that we want justice to prevail.
But only I'm the president of the United States. And I have got responsibilities in making certain that we are continually advancing our national security interests and that we are not used as a tool to be exploited by other countries.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELSHI: Candy, a lot of issues there. Is the president concerned about being exploited by other countries? Is he concerned about wading too far into the Iranian situation, and somehow having a negative influence on the Iranian people, or is he responding to criticism from Capitol Hill?
What do you think?
CROWLEY: I think it is much more the former.
And here is why. The president made it fairly clear that he has other objectives in mind. Look, if you are a senator, you can say what you want. And that is not necessarily harmful to a president. It wouldn't be the first time that I have seen a tough issue come up overseas, where a president took one tone because he has some goals in mind that he has to keep his eye on, and someone in the Senate or many in the Senate took a tougher tone, because it does sort of put the president in a position saying, you know what, I'm really being pushed from the left or the right to be tougher on this.
So, it is a nice message to come out of the U.S. that's given by a senator. On the other hand, what are his two goals here with Iran? It is to stop the development of a nuclear weapon and to stop the export of terror.
You are going to have to deal, probably, it looks at this point with Ahmadinejad. So, you don't want to go out on that limb and say, listen, the protesters are right; the election was a fraud.
So, he is going as far as he can on a human rights level -- you cannot be shooting protesters in the street -- but not whether the election was fraudulent.
VELSHI: And he did make that point, Candy, that -- that those are his policy points on Iran, and that the Iranian people are going to have to work through who their leadership is. And it's in the U.S. interests to try and make sure that they can work through that well.
Candy, thanks very much for joining us.
Want just to show you something that has come in to -- we have got a few Facebook and Twitter pages running now. We have got Rick's and we have mine. This one has come into mine on Face -- on Twitter.
And it says, "It hurts to see Iran is suffering, but no one can get involved until we know what is happening 100 percent to avoid mistakes."
Those are some of the comments that are coming in. Send your tweets to Rick or to me.
I want to introduce Hamid Dabashi. He's a professor of Iranian studies at Columbia University.
Hamid, thank you for joining us.
We have received late word now that Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has extended by five days the deadline to complain about voting irregularities in Iran. Does this mean anything at all?
HAMID DABASHI, IRANIAN STUDIES PROFESSOR, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY: Not really, because he, in fact, prejudiced the decision of the Guardian Council in last Friday's sermon by unequivocally supporting the position of Ahmadinejad.
But the position of President Obama today, which was absolutely pitch-perfect -- he has calibrated his response as this crisis is unfolding. In no uncertain terms. He has supported the demonstrators, and yet he has stayed advisedly away from being turned into a football in Iranian politics. It is so pitch-perfect, is so absolutely necessary, quite to the contrary of the U.S. Congress that has just passed a resolution, 506, that -- in support of this demonstration.
That is the kiss of death.
VELSHI: Why is that? Because -- because it plays into the hands of those saying that the Americans are orchestrating this?
DABASHI: Precisely. Precisely.
Even the judicious and well-balanced and well-crafted position of President Obama, tomorrow morning, will be abused by the supporters of Ahmadinejad.
But, in terms of the support of the -- this peaceful process that is for civil rights in Iran, the impact of President Obama's speech is going to be absolutely marvelous.
VELSHI: Well, I think what the world is wondering is, where does this go from here? Is this the turning point, like the coming down of the Berlin Wall, or does this get repressed and put back into the bottle, and -- and Iran carries on as it has? Is there really any damage to the regime out of what we have seen so far?
DABASHI: Absolutely, Ali.
I think between the two scenarios you indicated, the falling down of the Berlin Wall or being put back in the bottle, is the middle ground. Namely, what we are looking at today in Iran is a civil rights movement. These people don't want to topple the regime.
Their constitutional rights -- article 27 of the constitution of the Islamic Republic entitles them to peaceful demonstration. The reason that you are having these violent images is because the ministry of interior denies them permission to have peaceful demonstrations. This is a civil rights movement. We have to open the frame and see the unfolding of one of the most magnificent phases in Iranian history.
VELSHI: And if you were to look forward a few weeks or a few months, what do you think happens? Is Ahmadinejad still in power in Iran? Has anything changed? Do people feel like they have got more of a voice, and are there any significant reforms?
DABASHI: It is hard to tell.
What I can say with absolute certainty, that this phenomenon is not going to go away. There are already splits within the upper echelon of the Islamic Republic between -- even among its unelected institutions, there are shifts that are happening.
There are any number of people, such as Hashemi Rafsanjani, the former president, who are trying to find a middle ground. They are thinking of establishing, for example, an oppositional front. So, the -- the president is very, very wise, because it is not just he might actually deal with Ahmadinejad. He also might have to deal with Mousavi. We have to keep that in mind.
VELSHI: All right. So, it is a much more complicated situation than sometimes it appears to us, but you think something positive may come out of it.
Hamid, thank you for joining us.
DABASHI: Thanks for having me.
(CROSSTALK)
VELSHI: My pleasure.
Hamid Dabashi is a professor of Iranian studies at Columbia University.
This is a story we're getting so much information on that it's important to try and create some context. But, please, continue to get that information to us. Anything you know about what is going on in Iran is welcome to us.
DABASHI: Any time.
VELSHI: All right, cameras rolling right in the midst -- cameras rolling right in the midst of a firefight in Afghanistan. It's a look at war that you rarely see.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, my God. I can't believe they killed my family.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
(END AUDIO CLIP) VELSHI: And that is a horrifying 911 call from a woman whose husband and daughter have just been killed in front of her. We're going to have much more. It really is a very disturbing story.
VELSHI: And you have seen the picture from yesterday's deadly Metro crash in Washington, D.C. Now we are starting to hear more from authorities about exactly what happened and how it happened. That's coming up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VELSHI: All right, this is just in to CNN, the most recent view of a horrible scene today. This is where a Washington Metro commuter train smashed into another one during yesterday's rush hour.
We have also got an update on the casualty figures -- nine, nine people now confirmed dead. Still no word on why one train did not stop and crashed into the rear of another train that was moving in the same direction. NTSB investigators are on the scene and they are working hard to find answers.
Well, in just a minute, you will be frozen, just like we were, by a 911 call from a woman who had just seen her husband and child killed. I am going to play that tape for you when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VELSHI: All right, last week, Rick Sanchez told you a terrifying story about a home invasion that took place in May in Arizona, very close to the Mexico border. A young girl and her father were killed in cold blood, allegedly by fringe elements of the Minuteman movement, which opposes illegal immigration.
Now the sheriff's department has released a chilling 911 tape. It's a frantic call for help from the lone survivor of the attack, who had just seen her daughter and her husband shot. Now, the home invasion was still under way while she was calling. And, at one point, you can actually hear gunfire on the tape.
Listen to part of this call.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
911 OPERATOR: Nine-one-one. Where is your emergency?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Ma'am, somebody just came in and shot my daughter and my husband.
911 OPERATOR: They shot them?
What's your address?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (INAUDIBLE)
911 OPERATOR: And what's your -- and they shot your husband and your daughter? Are they -- are they conscious? UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Please, ma'am. Please, she is bleeding out of her mouth. Please...
911 OPERATOR: How old is your daughter?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She is 10.
911 OPERATOR: Ten.
And where were they shot?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: In the head. In the head. Should I pick her up, so she's not bleeding?
911 OPERATOR: No, no. I want you to leave her where she is. OK? What I'm going to do -- are they still there, the people who are there -- that shot them?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They are coming back in. They are coming back in.
911 OPERATOR: Do you know who they are?
(GUNSHOTS)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Get out of here. Get the (EXPLETIVE DELETED) out of here.
(GUNSHOTS)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Enough! (EXPLETIVE DELETED)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hello?
911 OPERATOR: Are you still there? Are you OK?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Ma'am, I don't know. I'm scared. I'm scared.
911 OPERATOR: OK. Can you -- how many people were there?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't know, ma'am. They...
911 OPERATOR: OK.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was asleep. And I can't even move. I have been shot myself.
(CROSSTALK)
911 OPERATOR: OK. Where were you shot?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think I'm shot in the leg. I'm not sure, ma'am. Please hurry.
911 OPERATOR: OK. Are you armed?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
(CROSSTALK)
911 OPERATOR: They are coming, lights and sirens. OK? They are coming.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Ma'am, please hurry.
911 OPERATOR: And you -- did you see any of them?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, I didn't. I just got up, ma'am, because they told us that -- they told us that somebody was -- had escaped jail or something, and they wanted to come in and look at my house. And they just shot my husband. And they shot my daughter and they shot me.
911 OPERATOR: OK.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, my God, ma'am. I can't believe this is happening.
911 OPERATOR: OK. Yes.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
VELSHI: What an incredible call.
It went on for another 16 minutes until help finally arrived. Three suspects are in custody and charged with the murder. They allegedly thought the husband was a drug trafficker. And police say the motive was to rob and kill him.
The suspects includes Shawna Ford. She's the leader of a Minuteman fringe group. The larger Minuteman group disavows her. Responding to reporters' questions as police put her into the car, Ford allegedly denied any involvement in the killings.
Now, the Pima County, Arizona, Public Defender's Office, which represents Ford and the other suspect, did not return CNN's calls for a comment.
U.S. forces -- U.S. forces went looking for the Taliban in Afghanistan and found them. We will take you inside a firefight for a view that most of us don't ever get.
And what would you do if someone went missing for five days? Would you worry? Well, what if that someone were the governor of your state? Well, that's the question facing folks in South Carolina, after their governor pulled a disappearing act.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VELSHI: All right, let's take a quick look at what's coming in on Rick's MySpace and his Facebook and both of our Twitters.
Here is one from MySpace going to Rick. "President Obama did exactly the right thing by condemning the violence and staying mute on the election."
We got something that came in to my Twitter as well. And let's move over to that. And it says: "The way the president is handling the Iran situation is perfect. Republicans need to back off and let the people of Iran settle it themselves."
That's not entirely what the president said. He didn't say that it is entirely something the world shouldn't be involved in. But he did say that the issue you of Iran's administration and their government is an issue for the Iranians to settle. But he would like the Iranians to know there's sort of an internationally accepted standard for how to deal with things.
Talking about accepted standards, is Governor Mark Sanford cut from presidential timber? He has made a national name for himself. But listen to this one. Sanford goes AWOL, without explanation. And now people are talking about a history of erratic behavior. His own lieutenant governor wants to know what is going on. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BAUER: What if we have a prison outbreak? What if we have a natural disaster happen in our state? What do we do? How do we follow a chain of command? I think there are some real concerns here where we can't find our executive officer of the state, and nobody knows where he is at. And there are conflicting stories coming out of his office. It concerns all of us.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELSHI: That's the lieutenant governor talking about the governor. I want to know from Mike Brooks about public officials who slip their security minders. How do they do it? Why do they do it?
Mike of course is our law enforcement analyst.
Political blogger Adam Fogle will tell us more about Governor Sanford specifically and these stories of erratic behavior.
In fact, let's start with you, Adam. We are going to -- actually, you know what? Everybody, hold on a second. We are going to take a break. And we're going to come back and we're going to tell you what Sanford has done and what you need to know about it.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VELSHI: OK. What's going on with Mark Sanford? As of today, the Republican governor of South Carolina has reportedly checked in with his staff for the first time since last Thursday. Official word is he has been hiking on the Appalachian Trail.
Let me read you part of a statement. This is from Sanford's spokesman -- quote -- "It would be fair to say the governor was somewhat taken aback by all of the interest this trip has gotten. Given the circumstances and the attention this has garnered, the governor communicated to us that he plans on returning to the office tomorrow" -- end quote.
So, the governor leaves town, doesn't tell anyone where he is going, remains out of touch for five days. State law enforcement officials became so concerned, that they traced Sanford's cell phone to try to figure out just where he might be. And now he is taken aback that anyone is worried, including, by the way, apparently, his family. His wife didn't know where he was.
Joining me now is Adam Fogle. He covers South Carolina politics at his Web site, PalmettoScoop.com. Here in Atlanta to cover the law enforcement angle is CNN security enforcement analyst Mike Brooks.
Adam, let's start with you. Tell us what is going on here. This seems a little wacky. But, as you have indicated, he has done this before.
ADAM FOGLE, EDITOR, PALMETTOSCOOP.COM: Yes. Well, thanks for having me on, first.
But, yes, I guess the -- the best way to describe things right now is just unorganized chaos. No one really seems to know exactly what's going on with the governor. His office is offering up conflicting statements. It appears to the casual observer that they don't even know what's going on.
And, if they do know what is going on, then -- then there is something that just doesn't add up. And, so...
(CROSSTALK)
VELSHI: When you do the math, what -- what does or doesn't add up for you?
FOGLE: Well, I mean, there's conflicting statements left and right. His wife says that -- that she doesn't know where he is. Then she does know where he is.
She says he is off riding, and then we found off he is hiking. I don't know exactly where you are going to do a whole lot of riding on the Appalachian Trail.
(LAUGHTER)
FOGLE: You know, he takes a state vehicle and goes to Atlanta. But the Appalachian Trail is 150 miles from Atlanta. It just...
VELSHI: Well, let's check in...
FOGLE: Everything that seems to come out seems to conflict over and over again, and it does not add up.
VELSHI: Let's check in with Mike Brooks. Mike, the -- this -- the state law enforcement decides to track his cell phone. And that's where get Atlanta information.
MIKE BROOKS, CNN SECURITY ANALYST: A possible Atlanta connection.
VELSHI: Yes.
Why are we -- why should we care about this? What's the danger of the governor saying, "You know, I have had a tough legislative session; need a little time to clear my head"?
BROOKS: Well, you know, his governor's details is with the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, SLED, very -- very well-known, very well-respected law enforcement agency.
And -- but, by now, there is no law that says that SLED has to -- has to protect the governor, because, many times -- I am told by a source of mine that, many times, he will just say, "I'm done for the night; that's OK," or -- like, in this particular one, "I will be back in a while," and takes off with a suburban.
VELSHI: Right.
BROOKS: That's the last they saw of him.
So, after the governor's staff told SLED he is OK, they said, fine, OK. If you say he is OK, he is OK. And that's -- and they stopped -- they stopped looking for him.
But the whole thing has to do -- it's not about the person. It is about the position. And, you know, the lieutenant governor has a very, very good point, because, in South Carolina, by law, if the governorship -- if the power is handed down from the governor to the lieutenant governor, it has to be by the governor.
VELSHI: And, so, the governor didn't leave a note to say: "I'm leaving. The lieutenant governor is in charge for a few days. Don't look for"?
(CROSSTALK)
BROOKS: No. Right. No.
It is about continuity of government.
VELSHI: Right.
BROOKS: And that is the main thing. It is not about the person. It's about the position and his position with the state.
VELSHI: So, if the government wants to do stuff like this, then maybe South Carolina needs to change its laws a bit and figure out how to deal with that.
BROOKS: You know what? I guarantee that SLED would feel a lot more comfortable if they did have a law saying, OK, look, we have 24- hour -- 24-hour protection, puts together some standards, some policies, some guidelines.
(CROSSTALK)
VELSHI: Yes.
BROOKS: I know they would love that.
VELSHI: Adam, what's the -- what's the history of this? Has the governor gone hiking or disappeared for a few days before?
FOGLE: Well, he -- he seems to have a bit of a pattern of erratic behavior.
I know that he has done some crazy stuff before. He has -- he has done pushups in executive meetings. He has -- he has gone missing on Election Day before. He brought pigs into the state house. And during one of his state of the state addresses, he actually went on ad nauseam about a fishing trip that he took with a state senator in -- you know, this was mid -- in another thought.
So he has this pattern of somewhat erratic behavior. This, I would say, though, raises the bar on all of that.
VELSHI: And how much of this is politics in South Carolina, how much of it is the governor doing unusual things?
FOGLE: I mean, to some extent, people might want to try and use it as a political play. But I think there's a very real concern here that -- just two months ago, for example, we had a fire that burned down almost all of Myrtle Beach. Over half of Myrtle Beach was destroyed in that fire, and it took Sanford having to issue a state of emergency to take care of that problem. If that had happened over the weekend, with he would be in serious trouble. So there is a very serious problem if no one is in charge.
VELSHI: That's a point you brought up.
BROOKS: Absolutely. Continuity of government. It's very, very important. The lieutenant governor mentioned that right in the opening of this.
VELSHI: Right. He said, "What would happen if we had a crisis?"
BROOKS: Yes, exactly. I mean, you get serious storms and everything else. And plus, this guy is not known to be a big hiker. A runner, but he's not known to be a big hiker. So this whole thing kind of stinks to me.
VELSHI: It's unusual.
Well, we're staying on it. Mike is staying on it.
Adam, thank you very much.
We will bring you any updates on the governor's mystery in South Carolina.
But for now, he's supposed to be back at work tomorrow and he has been in touch with his office.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Don't know the boundary yet of where civilians live and work and where the Taliban are. So we are checking that out today.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELSHI: It's a war a long way away in a place that few of us know much about. We're going to try to bridge that gap for you by taking you inside a firefight with U.S. troops in Afghanistan.
And Chris Brown says he did it. The singer pleads guilty to beating his former girlfriend, pop star Rihanna. That's coming up next
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VELSHI: R&B singer Rihanna did not testify against her ex- boyfriend Chris Brown yesterday. She didn't have to. He pleaded guilt to assaulting her.
Here's Chris Brown arriving at the Los Angeles County Courthouse. He agreed to a plea deal. He gets five years probation, has to serve either 180 days in jail or perform more than 1,000 hours of public service. He also has to attend a year of domestic violence counseling. Brown was arrested in February after an argument with Rihanna.
Coming up next, on the battlefield in Afghanistan.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VELSHI: All right. I'm in for Rick all week, so you can continue to send things to Rick's MySpace, Rick's Facebook, and Rick's Twitter. You can also send things to my Facebook account or to my Twitter at AliVelshi.
Let's go to Rick's MySpace for some comments.
The first one is about the governor of South Carolina. "Good thing the governor isn't president. The governor loses a battle with his state legislature and then runs away to hide. Imagine if he was in charge and had to deal with Iran and North Korea. He'd go missing longer than Amelia Earhart."
On Rick's Twitter account, talking about Chris Brown -- we just talked about his plea agreement. "Chris Brown is a disgrace and should have been given some jail time. He is also a coward."
Lots and lots of opinions about Chris Brown and what's going on. I'm going to do something a little different here. We have the opportunity to show you a U.S. Marine unit in southern Afghanistan. They are under fire from the Taliban and they are fighting back. Machine guns, mortars, air strikes, it's the closest inside view of a combat firefight that we have seen in a long, long time.
So watch and just listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Here we don't know the boundary yet of where civilians live and work and where the Taliban are. So we are checking that out today. I think we found it. We got engaged pretty heavily today when we came up here.
(GUNFIRE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Close those doors!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Close those doors!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Angle them (ph) back north.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I fired the first shot. There was one behind the wall.
Stay in about 200 meters. I bet you that's exactly where the RPG came from. Remember we were taking those shots, wherever they were shooting at us from? I swear that's where it was.
See the window right there? It came from the top of their roof.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELSHI: OK. Let me give you some details about that fascinating battle that you just saw caught on tape.
It happened on Saturday. That was the U.S. 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade.
The place was Helmand Province, not far from Kandahar. It's a place considered the center of the Taliban insurgency and of the poppy trade.
Now, that firefight went on for most of the day on Saturday. No U.S. casualties were reported, thankfully.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VELSHI: All right. I want to just tell you, our David Mattingly has visited the home, the Sullivan's Island, South Carolina, home of the first lady of South Carolina, Jenny Sanford. And he just got this quote from her -- this plot continues to thicken.
She has said to David Mattingly, "I am being a mom today. I have not heard from my husband. I am taking care of my children." We reported to you just a little while ago that Governor Sanford's office says he has been in touch with them and that he is returning to work tomorrow. But quite surprisingly, he has not heard -- his wife has not heard from him.
Mike Brooks continues to be on this story. David Mattingly continues to be on this story.
We do understand that the governor is safe and was taking a few days off and is returning to South Carolina. We don't know why or why he chose not to tell anybody about it. We'll stay on that story and bring you updates as we get them.
President Obama's news conference today covered a lot of topics besides Iran, including the bill he signed yesterday giving the Food & Drug Administration the power to regulate tobacco products for the firs time. Now, one reporter apparently hit a sensitive area when she asked the president about his smoking.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
QUESTION: With the new law that you signed yesterday regulating the tobacco industry, I'd like to ask you a few questions. How many cigarettes a day...
BARACK H. OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: A few questions?
QUESTION: Well, one question, sir. How cigarettes a day do you now smoke? Do you smoke alone or in the presence of other people? And do you believe the new law would help you to quit? If so, why?
OBAMA: Well, first of all, the new law that was put in place is not about me. It's about the next generation of kids coming up.
So I think it's fair, Margaret, to just say that you just think it's neat to ask me about my smoking, as opposed to it being relevant to my new law. But that's fine. I understand. It's an interesting human interest story.
Look, I've said before that as a former smoker, I constantly struggle with it. Have I fallen off the wagon sometimes? Yes. Am I a daily smoker, a constant smoker? No.
I don't do it in front of my kids. I don't do it in front of my family. And, you know, I would say that I am 95 percent cured, but there are times where I mess up.
I mean, I've said this before. I get this question about once every month or so. And I don't know what to tell you, other than the fact that, like folks who go to AA, once you've gone down this path, then it's something you continually struggle with, which is precisely why the legislation we signed was so important, because what we don't want is kids going down that path in the first place.
(END VIDEO CLIP) VELSHI: Now, among the other things, the bill that the president signed yesterday bans flavored cigarettes and cigarette ads that are aimed at young people.
Well, different generations know him for different things. Famous sidekick on "The Tonight Show," host of "Star Search," sweepstakes pitchman, Ed McMahon filled a lot of different roles over the years.
Larry King knew him through most of them. Larry joins us next to talk about his dear friend who died early this morning.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VELSHI: All right. Forget all those blooper shows, forget the beer commercials, forget "Star Search." In the universe of American television, Ed McMahon is in one place, and that is stage right of Johnny Carson for 30 years.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ED MCMAHON, TV PERSONALITY: Here's Johnny!
BROOKE ANDERSON, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For 30 years, Ed McMahon was a fixture in American households as Johnny Carson's "Tonight Show" sidekick. In that role, he played announcer and Carson setup man.
MCMAHON: I hold in my hand the last envelope.
ANDERSON: He was a loyal source of laughs and always knew his place.
MCMAHON: You had to know how to do that, how to be the second banana. To be in when you needed to be, out when you weren't needed.
ANDERSON: McMahon got his start in radio, and in the early 1950s hosted a number of TV shows in Philadelphia. His long association with Carson begin in the late '50s, culminating with their final "Tonight Show" together in 1992.
JOHNNY CARSON, "THE TONIGHT SHOW": I want to thank the gentleman who shared this stage with me for 30 years, Mr. Ed McMahon.
ANDERSON: Even before Carson retired, McMahon had branched out with his own ventures. Among them, hosting "Star Search." He co- hosted TV's "Bloopers and Practical Jokes" with Dick Clark.
MCMAHON: We've got a lot of things planned tonight.
ANDERSON: While always genial on air, McMahon's personal life was not as charmed. He went through two divorces, and in 2002 he sued after toxic mold was found in his house. In 2007, he broke his neck in a fall, leading to more lawsuits.
With all the money he had earned over a lucrative career, it came as stunning news in 2008 that a lender had started foreclosure proceedings on his house.
MCMAHON: If you spend more money than you make, you know what happens. And it can happen. You know, a couple of divorces thrown in, a few things like that, and, you know, you know, things happen.
ANDERSON: Notoriety from his mortgage problems did lead to some commercial opportunities, including a 2009 Super Bowl ad.
MCMAHON: Now's the time to send your unwanted gold for cash.
ANDERSON: McMahon will forever be remembered for his work in late night, which earned him a place in television history, alongside Johnny Carson.
CARSON: Who did you take to the high school prom?
MCMAHON: Madeleine Mason (ph).
CARSON: You remember?
MCMAHON: Got to her before you did.
(LAUGHTER)
MCMAHON: All of a sudden, you did 30 years, and you kind of look back and you see this monument he created. And I helped put in some of those stones with him. It's wonderful.
ANDERSON: Brooke Anderson, CNN, Los Angeles.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VELSHI: What an icon.
And right now, a friend of Ed McMahon's and fellow talk show icon, CNN's Larry King.
Larry, good to have you with us.
You knew Ed. Tell me what your thoughts are.
LARRY KING, HOST, "LARRY KING LIVE": I knew him very well. He appeared on our show 16 times in the almost 25 years I've been doing this on CNN.
He was always a welcomed guest. He was a wonderful storyteller, and of course the tide (ph) of Johnny Carson. He put out -- after Johnny passed away, he put on various DVDs featuring Carson. He wrote books about it. And he'll forever be associated with Carson. So you couldn't say the name "Ed McMahon" without then attaching the name "Johnny Carson."
A wonderful straight man. Then he had his own "Star Search" show, and that worked very well.
The near tragedies near the end were very sad when he entered the lawsuits, and, of course, as you just mentioned, the injury. But he was hale and hearty.
And another thing, he was a terrific salesman. He sold a lot of Budweiser beer over the years. He was a very good product -- I bet he was great -- I never heard him on radio, but I bet he was terrific. And the ideal straight man for Carson.
When Carson would to Carnac and he would give a like, "Tomato paste in the oven," when McMahon would then repeat it, it was funnier than when Carson first said it. He would say "Tomato paste in the oven," and then Carson (sic) would say, "Tomato paste in the oven!" And then Carson would always give him that look like, what are you doing?
It was magical television.
VELSHI: Larry, let's actually play that for our viewers. Let's play that.
KING: OK.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MCMAHON: All I was given the first time we did Carnac -- and that's an old skit. That goes...
KING: It's a Vaudeville skit.
MCMAHON: Yes, it's a Vaudeville skit. You answer, and then the question and you get a big laugh.
Anyway, so he took it and made it more -- you know, had the music and the costume and all the regalia. So I didn't feel just -- I would say "Here's Johnny Carson." So I put all together the famous mystic, the seer, soothsayer, former dress designer to Janet Reno, Carnac. You know.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELSHI: Larry, you know, you had Ed McMahon on your show talking about this mortgage problem that he had. He was in foreclosure. And you did say the last year has been particularly tough on Ed.
I mean, he was otherwise healthy. How much of this you think was his health and the fact that he's had -- combined with the fact that he's really had a tough time in the last few years?
KING: Ali, we'll never know, I guess. But he made it to 896. A lot of people would take that. And he had a lot of drinking in his life, too, and he didn't deny that. I would say it probably led to it, but it couldn't have been the cause, although he had a lot of things down in his life.
I'll tell you one quick thrill he gave me. I was speaking once at a dinner in Orange County, and he introduced me, and he got to say, "Here's Larry!" And that was one of the thrills of my life.
VELSHI: Yes. And it's a thrill that not a lot of people get.
KING: I know.
VELSHI: I mean, he's identified with TV, and so many people knew who he was.
Larry, you wrote a lovely blog that you were talking about your times with Ed and your knowledge of him, and I'd love people to go to your blog and take a look at that.
Also, Larry, it just reminds me about the number of people that you have interviewed in your life and the number of great stories. So I want people to do something that I have done, and that is pick up a copy of your book, "My Remarkable Journey."
But Larry, there's also other stuff in the news right now. You're going to be speaking to John McCain tonight. John McCain's talked a lot in the last few days, particularly about Iran and how the president might be handling things.
Tell us a bit about that.
KING: Well, I'm looking forward to that because it's certainly differing from a lot of opinions we've gotten lately.
Joe Klein last night from "TIME" magazine was very critical of John McCain. I imagine we'll play that clip when he said he thought McCain was totally wrong in criticizing President Obama over Obama's handling of Iran.
I've always found McCain -- of course, one of our more frequent guests -- delightful to talk to in that he responds to your question, he doesn't duck it, and he's straight on. So I'm really interested in his perspective on what can President Obama do with this obvious dilemma?
In all my years of interviewing, it's always easy to knock something -- this is from both sides, Republican or Democrat -- when, what is your other answer? How much do we meddle in another country? You know, it's tough, but I'm sure looking forward to him.
VELSHI: And in this particular case, how much do you meddle in another country if you think your meddling might have a negative effect?
KING: Correct.
VELSHI: There are a lot of people who say that this just plays into the hands of the Iranian administration to say the U.S. is behind all of these protests.
KING: Right. What's the reverberation from what you do? Yes.
VELSHI: Yes.
Do you have Joan Rivers on your show tonight? KING: Is she on? She might be on talking about...
(CROSSTALK)
VELSHI: I think she might be on. You know, we've been getting all sorts of information today from people who have known Ed McMahon, all sorts of comments from people. I just want to play you what Joan Rivers had to say.
KING: Sure.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOAN RIVERS, COMEDIAN: I remember him with great affection, and I remember him with -- very solid. Whenever I hosted the show, which I did for many years, he was always there, and always when you needed him. He was a rock, a real rock. And I think he invented the form of the second banana.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELSHI: He invented the form of the second banana.
KING: He might have.
VELSHI: How do you get that famous being somebody's second banana? What a testament to Ed McMahon that he's forever associated with Johnny Carson, and yet the affection he gets for that role.
KING: You're not kidding.
Now, Hugh Downs, who was that to Jack Paar, was able to separate from that by hosting "Concentration," and of course getting on to a great news career with so many areas and avenues open to him at ABC. Downs separated himself. McMahon never could separate that attachment at the hip to Carson.
But interesting to how Ed handled Joan Rivers after that, because when Rivers took her own show on Fox, Johnny Carson never spoke to her again and never forgave her. And I wonder if Ed -- I don't think we've ever discussed it, maybe we did. He must have on one of our interviews -- dangled in the middle there?
VELSHI: It's an interesting place to dangle. But when you interviewed him, this was a guy with remarkable presence on his own. He sort of made other people look very good.
KING: He sure did. And that's the role of the second banana.
VELSHI: That's a great role.
Larry, a pleasure to talk to you. Thanks, as always.
KING: Same here.
VELSHI: And we looked forward so seeing your show tonight, reading the book, checking out your blog, listening to your conversation with John McCain.
KING: Always good talking to, Ali.
VELSHI: Thank you, Larry.
That's Larry King, our own king.
Let's take a look at what some of you are saying about some of the topics we've covered today. Let's go over to Rick's MySpace and have a look.
And this is, of course, about Governor Sanford of South Carolina, who has not returned to his job, but apparently he's contacted his office and says he's back tomorrow.
Randi: "I heard the GOP was thinking about running him in 2012 for president. I think that plan has changed."
Let's take a look at this one. We also talked about Chris Brown pleading guilty. "Chris Brown just gets me upset. Because he is a celebrity, that's why he got off easily. Other men would have been put in jail and get long sentences. Celebrities never have to pay the right time. Just the right price."
Interesting comments about Chris Brown.
We are also getting tweets. This is on Rick's Twitter from Colley (ph) 1962. "Why is everyone worried about Governor Sanford now? They didn't want his leadership about government stimulus when it was at stake."
Those are some of your comments. Thank you for sending them to me. I'm in for Rick all week, so you can continue to send those to me.
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VELSHI: Let's take it over to Washington now and "THE SITUATION ROOM" with Wolf Blitzer.
