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Iranian Authorities Crush a Protest; Other Gatherings Are Canceled

Aired June 25, 2009 - 10:00   ET

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

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Turning now to Iran, let's bring you up to the minute on the very latest headlines. Opposition leaders have canceled today's planned rally. The ceremony was set to mourn the victims of the government's violent crackdown on protesters. The cancellation came just hours after security forces crushed a demonstration in Tehran Square. Witnesses say those forces outnumbered the protesters and used overwhelming force, sometimes beating women and old men with plugs. The official death toll from the clashes now stands at 17. CNN has received unconfirmed reports of as many as 150 deaths.

We are keeping a very close eye on Iran here on CNN. Ivan Watson is watching all of these and talking to our contacts there in order to get you the very latest on this government crackdown. So Ivan, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad had this strong reaction to some comments from President Obama. Are we hearing any more on that now?

IVAN WATSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely. He slammed western governments and, in particular, in particular, Barack Obama, for their criticism of this bloody crackdown. Let's take a look at a statement that recently came across Iranian state television. It says "we don't expect much from the British government and other European governments whose records and background are known for known for everybody and have no dignity. But I wonder why Mr. Obama has come with the slogan of change has fallen into this trap and has taken the same route that Bush, too and experienced its consequences." Heidi?

COLLINS: What's the Iranian government saying about all its internal turmoil and are they even admitting to any of it?

WATSON: Well, Iran's ambassador to Mexico was asked about that in an interview yesterday in an interview with CNN Espanol -

COLLINS: Yes.

WATSON: And he said that the demonstrators were terrorists. Let's take a listen to what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MOHAMMAD HASSAN GHADIRI, IRANIAN AMBASSADOR TO MEXICO (through translator): The world didn't see them setting the buses on fire. The world didn't see them throwing rocks. The world didn't see them setting banks on fire. Why didn't the world didn't see millions of people who supported Ahmadinejad. They didn't cover that. (END VIDEO CLIP)

WATSON: And Iranian state TV has been showing funerals for at least one of the eight basij pro-government militiamen who they say were killed over the course of these clashes over the past week and a half, Heidi.

COLLINS: Well, what are we hearing from the opposition now, anything?

WATSON: Very difficult. They're not speaking to any of us directly. We have to get information from their website. We have gotten from one of these websites word that a demonstration to remember killed protesters that has been postponed. We're also getting reports that up to 70 university professors were arrested, some of them may have been released since, for holding a meeting with one of the opposition candidates Mir Hossein Mousavi and finally getting some reports of some effort to organize a demonstration by using green and black balloons, sending them up through a member of that young woman who was killed on Saturday, Neda Agha Sultan.

COLLINS: All right. Ivan, I know you're working the story for us really hard. So we'll come back to you, should you guys find any more information over there at the Iran desk. Ivan Watson, thanks so much.

As you know, the ripples from Iran go far and wide. So, what exactly happens now. Joining us to discuss that an expert on the region and the inner section of religion and politics, Nicholas Schmidle is the author of "To Live or To Perish Forever, Two Tumultuous Years in Pakistan." He is also a fellow of the American Strategy Program at New America Foundation. Nicholas is joining us now from Washington. Nicholas, thanks for being here. What do you think about these comments that Mahmoud Ahmadinejad had to say to President Obama and other western governments for that matter?

NICHOLAS SCHMIDLE, AUTHOR "TO LIVE OR TO PERISH FOREVER": Yes, Heidi, well thanks for having me on. And I think, you know, I think that Ahmadinejad is trying to -- they're still trying to play a little bit defensively. Everyone is leaving open a little bit of room still for the negotiation and engagement that President Obama came to power promising. So, I think that that's why the White House was so reluctant until the very last minute to call off the sort of hot dog diplomacy that was to take place on the fourth of July, as well.

COLLINS: Well, yes, the latest move from them, we should clarify, is that they're not going to be sending any new invitations to diplomats from Iran to come and celebrate the fourth of July, America's independence day, of course, in Washington, D.C. but the invitations had already went out are still out.

SCHMIDLE: Well, I think actually, from what I saw this morning they have been disinvited more or less. I mean, I think Robert Gibbs, yesterday, the White House spokesman says that the fourth of July was a chance to celebrate freedom of speech, freedom of action, freedom of the press and we see now that is not playing out in Iran. They will be not be welcome guest at the fourth of July party. COLLINS: Yes, I think we're going to continue to look into that. Our White House correspondent reporting today that they haven't rescinded the ones that have already gone out, those invites. So obviously, about a week left or so before the fourth of July. We'll be watching and it's an interesting discussion. You have also said that all of this actually comes down to this power struggle, this internal power struggle between the supreme leader and Rafsanjani, who we've been talking about here on this show. Obviously, held the presidency years ago and is really an integral part because he controls those two powerful groups. Talk to us more about that.

SCHMIDLE: Right. So Rafsanjani is the head of the 86-member council called the Assembly of Experts.

COLLINS: Right.

SCHMIDLE: That is in charge of nominating and supporting the supreme leader. Well, apparently Rafsanjani is working behind the scenes right now to try and see if he can assemble a political block against Khamenei and against Ahmadinejad. So, he is the key player right now and I think that, you know, as the street protests have tapered off, what's going on behind the scenes now is the most important to try and get some idea which is very difficult from where we are.

COLLINS: Yes. And what about Mir Hossein Mousavi. I mean, is it fair to say then because it's such a weird spider web, if you will, that Rafsanjani is automatically supporting him, who we actually haven't seen in about a week.

SCHMIDLE: Right. Mousavi has disappeared and that's for several reasons. I mean, Mousavi has gone under house arrest for these past several days. The government, I think, has been a little bit reluctant to broadcast that they have him on house arrest for fear of sparking some popular reaction to that.

COLLINS: Yes.

SCHMIDLE: But he's been surrounded. I mean, he can't do anything, he can't say anything, and he knows at this point that he has crossed so many red lines that the genie can't be put back in the bottle. And now Mousavi is kind of waiting to see how the regime will deal with him. Rafsanjani supported him as an anti-Ahmadinejad candidate. I don't know how much he would have supported him had he been given an option of other opposition candidates though.

COLLINS: Yes. And that's the interesting part certainly

Well, Nicholas Schmidle, we sure do appreciate your time here this morning.

SCHMIDLE: Thanks for having me on.

COLLINS: We'll be talking more about this as it continues.

To Iraq now, a wave of deadly strikes. As U.S. troops prepare to pull out of the cities. In the past 24 hours, Iraq's interior ministry reports seven attacks in Baghdad alone. At least six people are dead, nearly 40 others wounded. Most were roadside bombs. One, a car bomb detonated in a bus station. U.S. combat troops are to be out of Iraq's urban areas by Tuesday.

And also President Obama on the offensive pushing health care reform. Now last night he held a primetime town hall at the White House. It is the latest in a string of events designed to sway public opinion in favor of his proposal for a government-run insurance option.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PRES. BARACK OBAMA, UNITED STATES: So, unfortunately, whatever it is that we're doing right now isn't working then. What we see is great examples of outstanding care, businesses that are working with their employees on prevention but it's not spreading through the system and, unfortunately, government, whether you like it or not, is already going to be involved. We pay for Medicare, we pay for Medicaid. There are a whole host of rules both at the state and federal level governing how health care is administered. And so the key is for us to try to figure out how do we take that involvement, not to completely replace what we have, but to build on what works and stop doing what doesn't work. And I think that we can do that through a serious health care reform initiative.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: The president also left the door open to a new tax on health care benefits, something he campaigned against.

Well, lawmakers on the hill are also tackling health care reform right now. A House subcommittee is holding a hearing. Lawmakers are going over draft legislation. The proposal for a government-run option is likely on the agenda. That price tag could exceed $1 trillion over ten years. Lawmakers are trying to figure out how to pay for it.

Back over to Reynolds Wolf right now because he's trying to help us all stay cool because, boy, this heat wave is kind of blanketed the country almost.

REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: I know, it's hard to believe, Heidi. We're not even into our first full week of summer and, yet, here we are. We got scorching conditions out here. Later on today the scorching conditions are going to be just brutal in places like Phoenix. They call Phoenix the valley of the sun, living up to its billing today. Mostly sunny skies 106. 86 in Denver, 91 in Minneapolis, 86 in Chicago and 77 in Boston.

Now, there is a chance we could see rough stuff today, especially in parts of the Great Lakes and then back out to the big sky country, but that is not causing any delays. And we do have a lot of delays out there but they're not really weather related, most of them just ground stops in places like Philadelphia, Newark, back to Atlanta, even Baltimore. When you get over towards Oakland, you got a 30-minute wait there. And SFO, San Francisco, got a 30-minute wait. You got Teeterboard, same story so you got to be patient. Right now, here's a shot we have in Houston, it is a muggy day there. High humidity, very hazy. Yesterday, it got up to 104. Today, we're looking at highs going up into the 90s in the downtown area, but some of the surrounding spots, the surrounding neighborhoods could usually get into the triple digits. So you are up to speed, Heidi. And you heard that reoccurring theme, H-O-T. Hot, hot, hot all over the U.S..

COLLINS: You know I'm such a wimp with the heat. 80 degrees and I'm out, I mean, in, locked in. All right. We'll check back later, Reynolds.

WOLF: You bet you.

COLLINS: Actually, don't go anywhere, because look at this, I don't -- have you seen these pictures taken from space?

WOLF: I think so. Yes, let's hear them.

COLLINS: This is the volcano. You tell me, what are we looking at here? That looks really cool as long as nobody was hurt down below. Where is it again?

WOLF: This is actually right off the coast of the former Soviet Union. You can see just this incredible eruption and this is actually taken, as you mentioned, from the International Space Station and just an amazing thing to see. You have the eruption almost like an explosion and the clouds just kind of move out of the way at the stratosphere and not the clouds go from the eruption.

Take a look at this very quickly, you're going to notice the shot that we have of Google earth as we come back to the weather computer. We have what we refer to as the pacific ring of fire. So, right along parts of the Pacific coast, parts of North America and then back over to parts of say Asia coast, you're going to have a lot of eruptions, a lot of volcanic activity and that's evidence of what you saw in those images, an amazing and kind of frightening thing to see. And also goes in that theme, you know, lava, explosions, eruptions, hot, really (inaudible).

COLLINS: Definitely, the Pacific ring of fire. Johnny Cash, he wrote a song about it.

WOLF: There you go.

COLLINS: Right. Thanks so much, Reynolds. Appreciate it.

A painful admission, South Carolina's governor comes clean about his unexplained absence. He was in Argentina with another woman. A personal bomb shell, but politically, it may not be that bad.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Quickly, we want to be bringing you some pictures that we have of the first lady and also President Obama because they are at an event. She's actually speaking right of what we've been telling you about here. They're stuffing backpacks today because as part of their United We Serve campaign. They are trying to get out books and healthy snacks and Frisbees and all this good stuff for children of servicemen and women.

Actually about, I don't know, like 15,000 backpacks that they are trying to get together for five different national non-profit organizations. So, we will watch that and as soon as the president comes to the microphone, we will bring it to you live.

Meanwhile, the mood in Tehran today described as defiant but nervous. The scene, a lot calmer than in recent days, when Iran's security forces cracked down on protesters. Today's ceremony honoring the victims of those demonstrations has been postponed for at least a week. President Obama has said he is appalled by the violence. Today, Iran's president told him to stop interfering.

Governor Mark Sanford said he had an affair at his news conference yesterday, explaining his absence from South Carolina and his recent trip to Argentina. Sanford has said he needed to get away to clear his head after a tough legislative session. He ended up in Argentina with a woman named Maria, who he now says he's been seeing for about a year.

Right now, let's go back to President Obama and the even we've been telling you about. Backpack stuffing for United We Serve, for kids of servicemen and women. Let's listen.

PRES. BARACK OBAMA, UNITED STATES: ... my wife, Michelle Obama, who spent much of her adult life focused on service and she understands that nothing's more powerful than when you enlist the skill and talent and passion of the American people on behalf of helping others. And she's been doing that all her life and she's doing just a great job as first lady in making that happen. I want to thank all the men and women here at Ft. Mcnair and all those who serve our country under our proud flag. We're grateful to each and every one of you.

Now those Americans in uniform, it's clear the nature of their service. I think sometimes what's forgotten is when one person in the family serves in our armed forces and that means the entire family is serving. And it's very gratifying to see all of you committed to helping to put together some backpacks and care packages for military families all across the country.

This is an issue that Michelle has taken extraordinary interest in during the course of our campaign, she would meet with military families and discover that despite all the things that government may want to do, there's still a lot of holes and a lot of gaps that need to be filled in terms of giving the support to our military families that's necessary. And that's where you come in.

So, we're very proud of them, but we're very proud of you. And we always want to remember that, you know, serving our country is not just something that we should expect our members of our armed forces to do. That's something that we should expect all of us as citizens to do. On Monday, we launched united we serve. Our summer service initiative. It is going to run all the way through our national day of service on September 11th. We want to ask every American to take some time out this summer to do something for others.

You know, parents, take your kids, they're going to have fun and they're going to be in sports camps, they're going to be watching TV and playing video games. Once a week take them down whether it's to a soup kitchen or to volunteer on a community project. Teach them what it means to be a real citizen. You'll find that, actually, the kids love it and it's going to make a lasting impression on them.

And if all of us are doing that this summer, then we're going to make this country stronger. We're working hard and members of Congress are working really hard right now to make our government work for people, but government can only do so much. Ultimately, the strength of America doesn't come from Capitol Hill and doesn't come from the White House, it comes from grassroots and that's what all of you are about.

So, I appreciate you. I hope you guys have some great fun today. I notice the air conditioning is on in here, which, you know, sometimes with some of these service projects you got to change shirts at the end of the day. So, enjoy yourselves and I hope I get a chance to say thank you personally and shake some hands before the day is done.

All right, thank you very much, everybody.

COLLINS: All right, President Barack Obama and the first lady there, as you can see. Getting all those backpacks ready for servicemen and women. One other thing do we need to hear, guys?

OBAMA: Since we got a lot of press here, sometimes people want to be involved in service but don't know how to get involved in service. And so what I want to do is just remind people if you go to serve.gov, serve.gov, that will give you an entire tool kit for how you can sign up for service in your communities. So, there's no excuses. And you can find the service project that's right for you.

If you care about animals, you can find a shelter that helps with stray animals. If you care about tutoring kids or you've got an education background. You'll be able to find something that allows you to use your particular skills. Get on serve.gov and that's how you're going to be able to identify the service project that's right for you and your family. All right? Thank you, everybody. Have fun.

COLLINS: OK, there you go. So, serve.gov, if you'd like to get involved in United We Serve, which is president's initiative to reach out and do some of your own helping to other communities all across the country. That's a summer initiative and as you heard him say on September 11th, when everything will come in. And so, there, stuff the backpacks today. About 15,000 of them for children of servicemen and women. There you have that.

Back now to the story we have been talking about all morning long. South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford saying yesterday he had an affair with an Argentinian woman. We have seen plenty of high-profile politicians caught in compromises situations, republicans and democrats but that hasn't necessarily meant their political careers are over. So what kind of future does Governor Sanford have? Leroy Chapman is government and politics editor for "The State" newspaper. They're actually the first to catch up to the governor on his return trip from Argentina. Leroy is joining us now from Columbia, South Carolina, this morning. Thanks for being with us.

Hey, I know you covered politics in "The State" for about 11 years or so and you know the inner workings. What do you think? Is the governor going to stay governor?

LEROY CHAPMAN, GOVERNMENT & POLITICS EDITOR, "THE STATE": Well, I think that's going to be a question certainly for him because he could choose to resign, but it's also a question for republicans because they would be the ones who could put pressure on him to do so. Clearly they're going to be concerned a little bit about their brand and what's happening here in the country is South Carolina certainly has resisted it because we are republican, but I think there could be openings for democrats with this scandal and with the republican brand being a little bit damaged by it.

COLLINS: Anybody in particular you're thinking of?

CHAPMAN: Well, on the democratic side, it's not really clear cut, but, still, on the republican side, however, there are a lot of candidates, many of them are very well funded and having him step aside, there may be pressure within the party to have him do that because there are some strong candidates on that side to almost step in for him now. He's only got 18 months left in his term.

COLLINS: Yes, right, we should point that out. This is his second term. He's got a year and a half left or so. What about the lieutenant governor? I mean, is that something that is potentially realistic and what is their relationship like? It's not a good one, is it?

CHAPMAN: Well, the lieutenant governor and the governor in the state are elected separately.

COLLINS: Sure.

CHAPMAN: We have non-constitutional officers and the lieutenant governor was elected to two state-wide terms just like Governor Mark Sanford. But they speak to two different constituencies. Governor Sanford a libertarian, small government, sort of constituency he has and I think the traditional republican is more in keeping with what, with who supports (inaudible) in the state.

COLLINS: OK. So specifically, we did not want to talk to you, Leroy, about the affair portion. But We wanted to talk to you about the politics. So keeping that in mind, I wanted to read a little brief excerpt from your newspaper's editorial section this morning. And we'll it on the screen too. "There are those in our state who understandably question whether he will be able to continue as our state's chief executive and believe he should resign as governor as well. We are not ready to join them at this point. And as you already mentioned, many of South Carolina's politicians sort of feel the same way or at least they're not publicly calling for his resignation. Could that change? particularly if we find out that state money was used for some of these trips to Argentina and, therefore, or if later we find that out, did he actually meet with her on those actual trips?

CHAPMAN: That's a big, big question. It's going to be an issue of whether or not there was tax money used. Certainly there was already a question about whether or not he advocated his responsibilities when he left, of course, was not in touch. Also, obviously, did not tell the truth about where he'd been. Those things, if you take them in combination, you know, it's not clear whether or not our legislature would take some of those things and investigate them and try to mount an impeachment case. That's been mentioned, but I'm not, we're certainly not very close to that at all. I think the question now whether or not he will remain governor will be one that involves politics and whether or not him staying is going to hurt the republican party.

COLLINS: I appreciate your professionalism. But I got to ask you, any idea why he said the Appalachian trail?

CHAPMAN: No idea. We've - it was, it was, he talked about his fondness of the Appalachian trail, so maybe that's it. His own personal history with that beautiful area that stretches, that spans our country.

COLLINS: All the way to Buenos Aires. All right. Leroy Chapman, we sure do appreciate your time this morning, government and politics editor for "The State" there in South Carolina. Thanks, again.

And quickly, we, of course, have been asking you what you think about this whole situation in South Carolina. And we've been asking you to go to our blog. We have been getting quite a few responses and want to read a couple of them to you now. Specifically on the question, should he stay or should he go? This one, from ADM saying our governor left our state without a leader during trying time for the citizens of the state. If I walked away from my restaurant during a middle of a rush without temporarily appointing a new leader, I would be terminated.

And then another one here coming in from Jean, this actually says, I'm sorry, from Joe. He should stay. He came clean in a way that should allow this episode of poor judgment past. He is a good governor and it doesn't appear this impacted his job. Contrast to President Clinton who repeatedly lied which did affect his judgment to the point where he should have taken out Bin Laden resulting in 9/11 to happen.

So, just a couple of responses in there. We will continue to follow this story very, very closely here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Meanwhile, an important ruling today from the Supreme Court, just in to the CNN NEWSROOM involving the strip search case of a 13-year-old girl. Our Kate Bolduan is in Washington this morning with more on this story. OK, Kate, remind us of the story first, if you would and then tell us what the Supreme Court is saying. KATE BOLDUAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Right, absolutely. So right off the bat, this is a partial victory for this former middle school student. At issue here, Heidi, was whether privacy trumped safety. The case has to do with a 13-year-old, a then 13-year-old Arizona girl. She was pulled from class and strip searched by school officials suspecting she was dealing or handing out ibuprofen pain reliever. The girl now 19 said she was traumatized by the experience and the school however had a zero tolerance policy and argued it was an issue of safety and security for the school campus.

Attorneys for the school argued they need flexibility to act swiftly when it comes to security needs on campus and didn't want the court to tie their hands. The girl and her attorney argue that simply just went too far in this situation and it seems that the court at least partially agreed. Heidi, it was a partial victory for her as the court ruled that the search of the then 13-year-old, now 19-year-old girl named Savannah Redding that it was a legal search and seizure. It was an unreasonable search but they also found that she could not sue the individual administrators that conducted this search and that was what she was hoping for. She wanted to continue with a lawsuit and the court said that she cannot sue these individual administrator. So it seems it's a bit of a partial victory here should she go ahead with that.

COLLINS: Yes, so, always when we get rulings from the Supreme Court, we wonder what sort of precedence could be set. Anything here?

BOLDUAN: Well, what it looks like is on the larger issue of just how far is too far or what kind of discretions did school officials have in securing or ensuring safety on school campus. It looks like the court really didn't fully have an opinion in that arena, only that at least in this case they just went too far.

COLLINS: All right. Kate Bolduan updating us on the Supreme Court decision here in this case. Sure do appreciate it, Kate.

BOLDUAN: Of course.

COLLINS: Thanks.

We want to take a quick break here and we're back in a moment in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Supporters of an energy bill aimed at slowing the effects of global warming admit they don't have the votes right now to pass it. House Democratic leaders are lobbying conservative members of their party and moderate Republicans ahead of tomorrow's scheduled vote.

The bill sets a timetable for emissions reductions, provides renewable energy funds, and would allow industries to buy and sell pollution credits. But opponents are concerned about the overall price tag. You're going to hear a little bit more about this because President Obama will make some comments on that energy legislation. It's going to happen at 1:45 today at the Rose Garden. We, of course, will carry those comments for you live.

Back now to Iran and some iReports on those protests. They keep on coming in to CNN from our viewers. This one is a rally in downtown Dallas. Hundreds of people turned out in support of the people of the people of Iran. We're told there was even a funeral for Neda, the young woman whose videotaped death has become the face of these protests.

More on Iran when we come back in just a moment right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Making headlines now this morning. Opposition leaders in Iran called off their planned rally for victims of post-election protests. This after yesterday's bloody crackdown on demonstrators in Tehran.

Also, South Carolina's governor tries to repair his image and his political future. Yesterday, he admitted to a year-long affair with a woman from Argentina. Today, his wife announced she and her husband separated two weeks ago.

At the United Nations, where a three-day financial summit is under way, developing countries call for more money and an overhaul of the global financial system.

We have some new measures of the economy this morning and the news is, once again, mixed. New jobless claims took an unexpected jump last week. The increase of 15,000 new filers came as analysts actually expected a decline of about 27,000. The number of people continuing to receive unemployment insurance also rose a bit more than analysts expected. The new number, 6.74 million.

On a more positive note, a slightly improved reading on a basic measure of the nation's economy. The gross domestic product shrank 5.5 percent in the first quarter, that is better than was expected.

The chairman of the Federal Reserve facing a firestorm of questioning on Capitol Hill right now. Lawmakers are looking into whether Ben Bernanke and government officials strongarmed Bank of America into shotgun wedding bells with Merrill lynch. Susan Lisovicz on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange with more details on that now. What is the deal, Susan?

SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Heidi, you have to remember when that deal went down. It was one of the most perilous times for the U.S. economy. It was the same weekend when the government allowed Lehman Brothers was allowed to fail. One of the biggest corporate bankruptcies ever. Lending stopped, U.S. economy on the brink. I remind you of that because the question is, did the U.S. government push, encourage, strongarm Bank of America to hide all the problems behind Merrill Lynch and really force into that deal?

You recall, after that deal was announced, then Merrill Lynch, a stunning $5 billion quarterly loss. Since then, the CEO of Bank of America, Ken Lewis, has said that Ben Bernanke and the former treasury secretary, Hank Paulson, threatened his job when he had second thoughts about it.

This morning, we had Ben Bernanke's turn. Right now he's testifying on Capitol Hill before a House oversight committee in prepared testimony that chief (ph) denied those accusations and said the Fed acted with, quote, "the highest integrity." Heidi?

COLLINS: All right, well, as you look at Ben Bernanke there. Comes at a pretty precarious time for him. His term is about to expire.

LISOVICZ: That's right. A four-year term and expires at the end of this year and a job appointed by the president and then confirmed by the Senate. Yesterday one of the president's top supporters, top economic advisors, Warren Buffett, said he gives Bernanke his full support and says that he's performed very well.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WARREN BUFFETT, CEO, BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY: We were at that very brink of just going into the abyss with our financial systems. And the key people, including, especially Bernanke, did things very promptly, very decisively, very big, and if they hadn't done it, you and I might be meeting at McDonald's instead of here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LISOVICZ: Of course, Heidi, we did not meet at a McDonald's, but a fancy midtown steakhouse that is known for business people with big expense accounts. You can hear the full interview, my full interview with Warren Buffett, that did not include, you know, a rib-eye steak or chopped salad or creamed spinach.

COLLINS: What did you end up?

LISOVICZ: Well, I ended up with an interview from Warren Buffett, which is better than all of the above. You can see it all on our Web site, CNNmoney.com. The oracle talks about jobs, financial regulations, and Heidi Collins' portfolio.

COLLINS: Oh, wow. Frightening. I'm sure that interview has more meat than the steak, anyway. Susan Lisovicz, thank you. We look forward to it.

LISOVICZ: You're welcome.

COLLINS: Back to this story. The deadly subway crash in Washington. Could newer rail cars have saved lives? We'll look at an issue of safety and money.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: The latest on the post-election turmoil in Iran. A ceremony today to remember protest victims has them postponed. This comes one day after security forces crushed a planned demonstration with quite a show of force. CNN has received several accounts of the Iranian government rounding up opposition activists and international journalists from their homes. Seventy university professors were arrested after a meeting with opposition leader Mousavi. This according to Mousavi's Web site.

In Iraq now, a wave of deadly strikes as U.S. troops prepare to pull out of the cities. Iraq's interior ministries report seven attacks in Baghdad alone. At least eight people are dead. Nearly 40 others wounded. Most of them were roadside bombs. One a car bomb detonated in a bus station. Those attacks followed a marketplace blast in Baghdad yesterday that killed 72 people and wounded 135 others. U.S. combat troops are set to be out of Iraq's urban areas by Tuesday.

Searchers recover two more bodies from the waters off of Brazil. They've been identified as the captain and flight attendant from Air France Flight 447. The plane crashed en route to Paris May 31 with 228 people aboard. Roughly 50 bodies and wreckage have been recovered. But, still, so far, no flight data recorders.

Federal investigators hope to interview the surviving train operator of the D.C. Metro crash today. Nine people were killed on Tuesday when one subway train slammed into another on the same line. Investigators are looking at whether automated controls may have led to the crash.

Another concern of the federal investigators, whether the age of the rail cars contributed to the death toll. CNN's Jeanne Meserve shows us the issue of aging subway cars has been the focus of a previous crash and a previous warning.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Americans ride mass transit 35 million times every weekday, and the systems they ride are getting older. A recent study says one-third of the largest systems operate in marginal or poor conditions with aging assets like rail cars.

VIRGINIA MILLER, AMERICAN PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION ASSOCIATION: Public transportation needs, capital needs came to approximately $60 billion a year. When you look at federal, state and local funding for our capital needs, it only comes to $14 billion.

MESERVE: In this week's D.C. Metro crash, all the fatalities were in the first car of the striking train, built in the 1970s. In the 2004 crash, the same model car crumpled like an accordion, and the Washington Metropolitan Transportation Authority was warned.

DEBORAH HERSMAN, NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION SAFETY BOARD: We recommended to WMATA to retrofit those cars or phase them out of the fleet. They have not been able to do that.

MESERVE: Metro has 296 older cars in its fleet. It would cost the financially-strapped transit agency about $900 million to replace them, and it would take three to five years. But there's another issue. JIM GRAHAM, METRO CHAIRMAN: The fact of the matter is that there are no standards in place for crashworthiness of transit cars. And this is a great omission.

MESERVE: The NTSB can only make safety recommendations, and even the Federal Transit Administration does not have legal authority to set rules or standards for transit system rail car crashworthiness. An industry group, the American Transportation Association, has established standards, but they are voluntary and only for new cars.

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COLLINS: Jeanne Meserve joining us now from our Washington bureau. Boy, this whole idea of crashworthiness. Is there any way to know what difference stronger cars may have made in this crash?

MESERVE: Well, there really isn't because investigators at this point haven't established just how fast that striking train was going. The current standards that are voluntary, that only apply to the new cars are for speeds up to 30 miles per hour. In the section of track where the crash took place, the speed limit was 59 miles per hour. So, experts tell me it is possible -- we don't know yet -- but it is possible that that striking train was going so fast that even the most crashworthy constructed car might not have been able to protect the people inside.

COLLINS: Wow. That is just tragic all around. Jeanne Meserve, thank you.

MESERVE: You bet.

It's been three decades since a nuclear reactor has been built in the United States, but now nuclear power could be headed for a comeback.

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COLLINS: We are continuing to cover the unrest in Iran following the disputed presidential vote. You are looking now at iReport video sent in to us of wounded protesters from last week. Well, today, a Tehran resident tells CNN the mood of the city is defiant but nervous. The ceremony to remember the protesters who have been killed, scheduled for today, has been pushed back until tomorrow.

As the House prepares to vote on climate change legislation tomorrow, debate is heating up over what role nuclear power should play in America's energy mix. A new U.S. reactor hasn't been built in 30 years, but the long pause could soon be over. Alison Costic has our "Energy Fix" now from New York. What is this about, Allison? We've been hearing a lot about nuclear power lately.

ALLISON COSTIC, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The climate change bill, Heidi, could end up being a huge boom to the nuclear industry as a whole. The latest version reportedly makes new reactors eligible for loans from a green energy development bank, and that's just the latest sign. Nuclear power could be headed for a comeback. Last week, Duke Energy announced plans for a nuclear plant in southwest Ohio. It wants to build the reactor at a former uranium enrichment site reactor site with help from French nuclear giant Areva. France gets nearly 80 percent of its electricity from nuclear power versus 20 percent here in the U.S. Areva's CEO said it's time to step that up.

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ANNE LAUVERGEON, CEO, AREVA: Nuclear is part of the solution, not the solution, but part of the solution. But I think that you have no solution without nuclear.

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COSTIC: Now, the nuclear regulatory commission still has to approve the Ohio planS, but the project could create 4,000 jobs during construction and 700 permanent ones at plant. Heidi.

COLLINS: Yeah, you know, for that, a couple Navy aircraft carriers that are 100 percent nuclear powered, but still a lot of questions around this whole idea. Not sure how comfortable people are with it because they may not understand it all that well. What about the safety?

COSTIC: Yes, you're right. A lot of questions about safety, but utilities insist today's designs are safer and say living near one isn't cause for concern.

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JIM ROGERS, CEO, DUKE ENERGY: What we find here in the Carolinas is people who live near our nuclear plants accept it. It's almost a correlation -- the further you live from the nuclear plant, the more uncertain you are with respect to nuclear.

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COSTIC: And even though nuclear power has no carbon emissions, Green Peace still calls it an unacceptable risk to the environment and humanity. New plans are also expensive, costing $6 billion to $8 billion and that's hard to afford without taxpayer money. As the for the climate bill, that's being voted on tomorrow. We'll hear more on that subject from President Obama in just about three hours. Heidi.

COLLINS: All right. Very good. Allison Costic this morning with our "Energy Fix." Thank you, Allison.

COSTIC: Sure.

COLLINS: Marijuana use almost doubling over the last decade in North America. We'll tell you what doctors are saying now about the brain damage linked to pot.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) COLLINS: A quick update now on developments out of Iran. You are looking at amateur video shot recently -- not today -- from Tehran. A Tehran resident tells CNN the mood today is defiant but nervous. He says security forces are still present, but the city is calmer after days of election protests.

The U.S. attorney general wants to change federal law on drugs. Eric Holder is pushing for a review of sentencing standards on crack and powdered cocaine offensives. The Obama administration wants to eliminate the disparity between mandatory minimum sentences for crack crimes compared to powder cocaine crimes.

And now to the dangers of marijuana. A new U.N. report says pot used in the U.S. is on the rise. And the drug is more potent than ever before. CNN's Louise Schiavone reports.

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LOUISE SCHIAVONE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: About two-thirds of all the marijuana seized worldwide is seized in Mexico and the United States. Narcotics officers on the front line say it's a seriously underestimated problem.

RONALD BROOKS, PRESIDENT, NATIONAL NARCOTICS OFFICERS ASSOCIATION: Drug abuse in America is a biochem attack, our own homegrown terrorism. It's keeping kids from achieving their potential. It breaks up families, it fuels crime. It is the, it is truly the mother's milk of gangs because it's where they get their funding.

SCHIAVONE: Last year, says Brooks, millions of marijuana plants were eradicated on public land, much of it cultivated by heavily armed Mexican drug cartels. A report from the United Nations office on drugs and crime finds while opium and cocaine production are declining globally, marijuana seizures in North America are rising. More than 3.5 million kilograms was seized in North America in 2007, according to the U.N. study. Roughly 2.2 million in Mexico and about 1.5 million in the United States.

And while there's an ongoing debate about the therapeutic use of marijuana for the seriously ill, doctors advise that marijuana can damage the brain.

DENISE GREENE, PSYCHIATRIST: Long-term side effects of chronic marijuana use psychologically are depression and anxiety. So, anyone who certainly has underlying psychiatric illnesses should not be using marijuana on top of that.

SCHIAVONE: The U.N. report says marijuana is more harmful than commonly believed. Narcotics officer Brooks says today's marijuana is deliberately cultivated to pack a punch that is ten times stronger than it was in the '70s.

(on camera): Doctors tell us that marijuana can trigger an earlier onset of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder in teenagers with a predisposition for them. For the general population, marijuana could be associated with psychosis, impaired memory, and there are studies examining the correlation between consistent marijuana use and Alzheimer's later in life.

Louise Schiavone for CNN, Washington.

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COLLINS: The health care debate. Lawmakers on Capitol Hill working to drive down costs while President Obama continues his push to build up public support for his plan. I'm Heidi Collins. Health care in the next hour of the CNN NEWSROOM with Tony Harris.