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U.S. Combat Troops Complete Pullback from Iraqi Cities; Michael Jackson Investigation; Child Survives Ocean Plane Crash; Car Bombing in Kirkuk Kills 20; Iraq Oil, Gas Fields Privatizing; GM Seeks Bankruptcy Exit; Facebook Holdouts;

Aired June 30, 2009 - 10:59   ET

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

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning, everyone. It is Tuesday, June 30th, and here are the faces of the stories driving the headlines today in the CNN NEWSROOM.

General Ray Odierno: The American commander pulls his troops out of the cities and leaves the Iraqis in charge.

Michael Jackson: Police reportedly question more doctors and seize what they call medical evidence from the pop icon's home.

And social network holdouts: People who refuse to be your Facebook friend or burp out tweets on Twitter. Yes, I'm one of them. What of it?

Good morning, everyone. I'm Tony Harris, and you are in the CNN NEWSROOM.

We begin this morning in Iraq, where it is a day of celebration. U.S. combat troops have completed their pullback from Iraq's cities, the first step on the road to full withdrawal in 2011. For the first time in six years, Iraqis are in charge of security.

Last hour, the U.S. commander in Iraq declined to say how many U.S. troops would stay in Iraq cities as advisers.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEN. RAY ODIERNO, COMMANDER, MULTINATIONAL FORCE, IRAQ: The U.S. is committed to full, transparent and continued implementation of the security agreement in a spirit of partnership with the sovereign nation of Iraq. The Iraqi people should be very proud of the dedication, progress and sacrifice of the Iraqi security forces and the government of Iraq. Their accomplishments in preparing for this day are commendable.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: CNN's Michael Ware joins me now from Baghdad.

And Michael, what does this day dubbed Sovereignty Day mean for Iraqis?

MICHAEL WARE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Tony, it's hard to describe. It means jubilation. It means celebration. It means relief. Now, no matter how well-intended was the U.S. presence here, no matter what the reasons were to come in to oust the regime of Saddam Hussein, to the Iraqis, who had to live this all these years, it's been a foreign occupation. For them, this is the end of a foreign occupation -- foreign tanks on the end of their streets, foreign troops rousting families from their beds at night, foreign troops dragging their men folk away at nighttime, putting them in foreign-run prisons.

This is Iraq for Iraqis, I keep hearing. That's what this is about.

Now, there's still a war going on here. Indeed, we have just received reports now of another car bombing. This time in the northern city of Kirkuk.

Local police say that a parked car detonated. We haven't got any more details, we don't know if there is any dead, we don't know about the wounded. There's already been a double roadside bomb explosion here in the capital, Baghdad.

So, the Iraqis are celebrating, but they know the risks. They've been living them -- Tony.

HARRIS: Hey, Michael, if an American asked you what has really been accomplished in Iraq, keeping in mind no Iraqi weapons of mass destruction were ever found, no ties between Saddam Hussein and the people responsible for 911 were found and established, how would you answer that question?

WARE: Well, that's a tough one. That's a tough one.

Look, under no circumstances should someone take away from the honor of the sacrifice of the 4,324 American servicemen and service personnel who have laid down their lives here on Iraqi soil. And indeed, while the Iraqis are celebrating, I think today is a day America should pause as a nation and have a moment of silence to consider that sacrifice that was given, because it's a really odd bag about what's being achieved.

OK, you removed the regime of Saddam Hussein, but he wasn't posing a threat to the United States or really to the region. No, there was no WMD. Al Qaeda and Saddam never liked each other. Even if they chatted occasionally, even America chats to its enemies.

There is a democracy of sorts here. It's not the shining beacon that the planners of this war intended it to be for the region. In fact, surrounding countries are going, what? You want us to have that? So, it hasn't done that.

You've increased Iranian power and influence within the region. This government here in Iraq is much more closely aligned to Tehran than it is to Washington.

It's not a question that's easy for me to answer -- Tony.

HARRIS: CNN's Michael Ware for us in Baghdad.

Thanks for taking a shot at it, Michael. We appreciate it.

We are getting your iReports from Iraq today. This photograph from Lamar Cravens, a contractor working in Baghdad. It shows Iraqi soldiers marching on the parade ground Saddam Hussein built to celebrate victory in the Iran/Iraq War.

If you are in Iraq, we would love to see your pictures of today's events. Send us your iReports. The Web address is ireport.com.

Celebrations aside, it is going to be a big test for Iraqi troops. Tom Ricks, a military correspondent for "The Washington Post," wonders if they understand the mission.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TOM RICKS, MILITARY CORRESPONDENT, "THE WASHINGTON POST": Training is important, equipping is important. But the real key thing for Iraqi security forces isn't whether they're better trained or better equipped than the militias and the insurgents, the question is whether they're better motivated.

The militias and insurgents knew what they were fighting for. The question has always been do Iraqi security forces know what they're fighting for? And that's really the big question out there. The problem is that Iraq has not had the political breakthrough that the surge was supposed to lead to, and so all the questions that faced Iraq for years, have led to violence in the past, are still hanging out there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: A new CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll suggests nearly three-quarters of all Americans support the troop pullback plan, even though most think it will lead to an increase of violence in that country.

So, what do you think? Do you support the plan to withdraw most U.S. combat troops from Iraqi urban areas?

Log on to CNN.com/newsroom and click on "Tony," my face. Leave your comments, and we'll be reading some of them pretty soon. Maybe this hour, more likely next hour.

Private oil companies began bidding on oil and gas fields in Iraq today, three decades after Saddam Hussein put the industry under state control. How did it go? Well, a little bumpy.

A live report coming up in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LARRY KING, HOST, "LARRY KING LIVE": Dr. Wecht, why a second autopsy? DR. CYRIL WECHT, FORENSIC PATHOLOGIST: A second autopsy is done for several reasons, Larry. One, the family wants to have somebody they can talk to immediately, spend time with them, explain things, and tell them what's going on, what to expect, and so on. Because the medical examiner is constrained at this point. He is part of an ongoing criminal investigation, and he's just not free to talk about these things.

Also, you want to make sure that everything that has been done covers the full spectrum, that nothing has been missed. And then you want to have somebody, possibly for an ongoing consultant, to play a role as you proceed in other matters, whether they be civil or criminal.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Well, as Michael Jackson's family awaits the results of a second autopsy, the coroner's office went back inside the home Jackson was renting and left with two large bags said to be fill with medications.

Our Ted Rowlands is following the investigation in Encino, California.

And Ted, you want those pills, A, to know what Jackson was taking, and B, to learn the names of the doctors prescribing the medicines. Correct?

TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely. They're going to be looking at three things, Tony.

They're going to look at the toxicology results, what was in Michael Jackson's body in terms of -- if anything, in terms of medication. Then they're going to look at who prescribed that medication, when and why. And then where is it?

And so, yesterday, they went into the home in Holmby Hills, not this home here in Encino, where the family is, but the one that Jackson was renting and where he stopped breathing. And they took out two large bags, what they're calling medical evidence, potential evidence in what they're still classifying as a death investigation, not a criminal investigation.

They're also -- the "L.A. Times" reported today that they're also expanding their search in terms of interviewing doctors. You know, Conrad Murray, the one that was with Jackson when he died, was obviously interviewed over the weekend. Now they're starting to look at other doctors.

Another thing to look at is the pharmaceutical records, all of the prescriptions over the years and months leading up to Jackson's death. If, indeed, they do come into play, after the toxicology is in, those folks, too, will be interviewed. Why did you prescribe these and when? This is the same thing that happened, and LAPD was leading this investigation, with Anna Nicole Smith. So, a similar type of investigation could -- and that's a big "could" -- still ensue if needed after the coroner finishes his -- or their final report.

HARRIS: Yes. Well, and that at least gives us kind of a sense of the investigation track.

Appreciate it, Ted.

Ted Rowlands for us in Encino, California.

Ted, thank you.

You know, a lot of people are going to be starting something at the Apollo Theater in Harlem in just a few hours. We will check in with Stephanie Elam in about 30 minutes.

And tonight, don't miss "ANDERSON COOPER 360." Anderson will be live from Los Angeles gathering all the latest information on the Michael Jackson death investigation. That is "AC 360" at 10:00 Eastern, right here on CNN.

And what's in your wallet? Are you saving more than last year? Are you better off this year?

Our CNN Money Team weighs in next in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: For the second time this month, an Airbus jetliner carrying a large number of French passengers has crashed into the ocean. This time a plane from Yemen went down in the Indian Ocean. It was approaching Comoros, an island nation sandwiched between Africa and Madagascar.

Unlike the Air France disaster, there is, miraculously, unbelievably, a survivor. We're talking about a child.

CNN's David McKenzie is monitoring this developing story from Nairobi, Kenya.

And David, I've read the account a couple of times now and I still can't believe it. A child actually survived this crash?

DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's what it seems like, Tony. This flight which crashed earlier this morning, at around 1:00 a.m., it seemed inconceivable given the fact that it crashed directly into the sea, we think, off the island of the Comoros. And what we're hearing from officials is that one passenger, so far, certainly, and only one confirmed at this stage, was somehow miraculously pulled from the ocean, picked up by either fishermen or rescue official, most likely, and taken to a local hospital.

We don't really know any more information at this point about this passenger, but, certainly, they're saying it's a young child that somehow survived this crash when a plane was coming into the Grand Comoros Island and then banked away violently, they say, because of the wind. That's the explanation given now, and then crashed into the sea.

So, one survivor, we're hearing at this point. Certainly the French are sending in military to try and find other survivors, but it's already many hours since this crash initially happened. But this story is certainly unfolding -- Tony.

HARRIS: Well, David, you mentioned the wind. Do we know anything more about the conditions at the time of the crash?

MCKENZIE: What officials are telling us both from the Comoros Island, the government officials, and from the airliner, the Yemeni airline which crashed off the Comoros, they're saying that there were strong -- you know, 60 kilometer, around 45 mile-an-hour winds that were going across the runway. I've landed there in the Grand Comoros. It's a runway that is right next to the Indian Ocean.

There's certainly -- if there are any ill weather effects, it will be directly felt on that runway. But certainly planes should withstand winds of that nature. Probably, people believe, that there might have been a gust.

But again, it's very early at this stage to figure out what went wrong. They'll be trying to pick up the voice and data recorders from that plane to figure out what exactly happened. But as you said, a month after this other tragic accident off the coast of Brazil, it is a worrying sign -- Tony.

HARRIS: Yes, absolutely.

David McKenzie for us in Nairobi, Kenya.

David, appreciate it. Thank you.

So, so, so. Welcome to our halftime report. No, not a sports update.

Today is the end of the second quarter of 2009. Kind of a good time, don't you think, to sum up the state of the financial crisis?

Let's bring in the A team: Christine Romans in New York; here in Atlanta, chief business correspondent Ali Velshi.

A team for real.

Christine, let me start with you.

How did we do in the first half of the year? Give me some analysis here on stocks -- so we're talking about markets -- job losses, consumer confidence.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Got it. Got it.

OK. Well, how did we do? It was the most harrowing six months in the economy in my lifetime. It started badly. HARRIS: In your lifetime?

ROMANS: In my lifetime.

HARRIS: OK.

ROMANS: It started badly and it ended, believe it or not, with actual gains for the year so far for the S&P and the Nasdaq. The Dow still down a couple percent. The S&P is up 2.7 percent. And the Nasdaq is up 16.9 percent.

Why? Big spring stock market rally we told you about just in the second quarter. The Dow is up 921 points in just one quarter. Big snap back there. Job losses are slowing, and consumer confidence seems to be stabilizing.

And we got a number this morning that showed a bit of a pull back because of higher gas prices, because of concerns about jobs, but confidence stabilizing a bit. And here's why. People are saving more, they're spending less, they're tightening their belts, they're taking a look at tackling their debt, and they're taking a look through the dust and realizing, wait a second, I'm making decisions now based on decision-making and information, not on panic anymore. And that's where we are.

ALI VELSHI, CNN SENIOR BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: And there's a future. I mean, here's one difference.

Look at this picture of the three of us here. At the end of the second quarter, two of us weren't smiling.

HARRIS: Right.

VELSHI: I mean, things are a little different. Look, we're saving more money than we've saved before. Our savings rate is up close to seven percent. It was near zero a couple of years ago. So we're better equipped if things go wrong again.

Home prices, they might be leveling out. They're still going down, but home sales ticked up a little bit for a while because of those low interest rates. Interest rates are going up a little bit, but the bottom line is we might be coming to the end of that. And remember, that's a national average. When you look at places like California, we're actually seeing some improvement.

But ultimately, Tony, it's about the jobs. We're getting a jobs report again on Friday. We are going to tick up in that unemployment number.

Christine said job losses are slowing, and they absolutely are...

ROMANS: But -- big "but," right.

VELSHI: ... but the truth is, there's still a lot of people losing jobs, as opposed to gaining jobs. And for the economy to do well, you actually have to be adding jobs. So, there's work to be done. But for you watching out there, that means look at the trends. Look at whether it's worth spending an extra year in school or going back to college or doing something like that.

If you've got money, homes are a good price at low interest. This is a time for you to take stock of where you are and think about the future -- Tony.

(CROSSTALK)

ROMANS: If you've got money. If you've got money, right? It's been a harrowing year.

VELSHI: If you've got money. Yes.

HARRIS: Hey, do you think we'll see some positive growth, positive GDP? I'm thinking third and fourth quarter of this year.

ROMANS: Wow. I don't know. I'm still thinking that job situation, even if you do see growth in the economy, Tony, you're still going to see the unemployment rates tick up. And whether or not we say there's a GDP reading that's positive, you still -- I mean, the way you're going to feel, you are still going to feel like it's a recession because of these things -- rising unemployment, still uncertainty in the housing market. Even if you have home prices stabilizing, as Ali was suggesting, a lot of people think they will begin to stabilize, you're still going to have a couple million more foreclosures.

HARRIS: Because are we at 10 percent overall unemployment when the June number...

VELSHI: It's close, 9.4.

HARRIS: Yes.

VELSHI: We might get to 10, Christine, by the week's end.

ROMANS: You think it could -- if it doesn't, it will be soon, because we're at 9.4 already.

VELSHI: It will be. Most prognosticators are forecasting it will happen.

Here's the thing, Tony. For the average person, three things make you feel better -- the price of your house going up, the price of your investments -- you know, the stock market going up -- or your salary going up.

HARRIS: You're right.

VELSHI: If all three are happening, things are fantastic. If two are happening, things are good. If at least one is happening, you're OK. For a lot of people, none of those three are happening. So, the GDP, which is how we measure the economy, probably takes a back seat to whether or not those things are happening.

ROMANS: I agree.

HARRIS: Nice.

ROMANS: I agree.

VELSHI: If you feel that they are happening, you know what? Then I don't even know what the GDP is. You know? So that's the situation.

HARRIS: That's good. That's good.

Ali, appreciate it.

Christine, appreciate it.

Thank you both. Thank you both.

You know, there are so many credit cards out there -- boy, could we survive without credit cards? I wonder. Which one is best for you?

Personal finance editor Gerri Willis talks about prepaid and secured credit cards. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Sure, credit cards are convenient, but for far too many people they are a temptation that leads to financial trouble. Are there alternatives to traditional bank cards?

CNN's personal finance editor, Gerri Willis, says, yes, sure there are.

Gerri, good to see you. Help us out here. Give us a little guidance. What are they?

GERRI WILLIS, CNN PERSONAL FINANCE EDITOR: Yes. Well, let's start with, you know, what's going on with credit cards right now.

Fees are going up. Your credit card may be more expensive than it used to be. Bank of America recently raised its balance fee to four percent for some customers. Chase is going to do the same.

Recently, two Harvard doctoral students studied the difference between the fees charged by banks on credit cards and fees charged by credit unions on credit cards. What they found, credit union cards are a better deal, charging lower fees and penalties.

Now, you may be wondering, how do I sign up? Well, you have to join a credit union. To find a credit union near you, go to creditunion.coop or call 800-358-5710. HARRIS: Hey, Gerri, what about these prepaid cards?

WILLIS: Well, look, if you're out there, you're having trouble qualifying for a regular old-fashioned credit card, you might want to think of one of these prepaid cards. Basically, you deposit money on to this card and use it until the money runs out.

There are no bills, no interest charges. But there are some downsides.

These prepaid cards aren't covered by federal statutes, federal law, that is, that protect credit card holders from fraud or limit their losses when the cards are lost or stolen, although some companies may opt to offer protection. And there are a lot of fees associated with prepaid cards -- activation fees, transaction fees, fees when you reload your card with money.

Now, these cards could be a good option for young kids. Let's say you have got some kid going into college this year, you want to give them a credit card. This is a good option. You know why? You completely control how much they spend.

HARRIS: I like that.

What can you tell us about the secured credit cards, Gerri?

WILLIS: Now, this is really a card for somebody out there who is trying to establish credit. They work just like regular credit cards, except that they're secured by a deposit, held by the bank who gave it to you. And generally you have to have $500 to $1,000 to get one of these cards.

And your credit limit generally depends on the amount you deposit. You'll have to make interest payments if you don't pay in full, but if you want to improve your credit score, this is what you do. You get a secured credit card.

And, of course, if you have any questions, send them to me at gerri@cnn.com. We love to hear from you, and we answer those questions right here every Friday.

HARRIS: You are awesome. All right, Gerri. Good advice, as always. Thank you.

WILLIS: My pleasure.

HARRIS: So, you, the taxpayer, now own part of AIG, and the insurance giant is selecting the new board of directors today. Read all about it at CNNMoney.com.

The U.S. has spent billions rebuilding Iraq. Now Iraq is allowing foreign oil companies to bid on the world's third largest oil reserves.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) HARRIS: We are getting more information on the deadly car bombing in Kirkuk, Iraq, Michael Ware mentioned at the top of the hour. Let's get back to Michael now in Baghdad.

Michael, what are you learning? OK, it's our information. All right, CNN has confirmed at least 20 people have died in the blast. It happened near a market in the northern city of Kirkuk. About 50 more people are believed injured. Information from CNN's Michael Ware.

The Iraqi government is calling this National Sovereignty Day. Celebrations in Baghdad as U.S. troops officially pull out of Iraqi cities and towns. Urban areas are now under total Iraqi control. For the first time since Saddam Hussein nationalized the industries, Iraq today opened up bidding on oil and gas fields to private companies.

CNN's Jim Boulden live from London. And Jim, how did it go today? I understand it was a little bumpy.

JIM BOULDEN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Tony, you know, they say that oil is a blessing and a curse, and of course, Iraq has known that for a long time. They're trying to get these western oil companies like ExxonMobil and ConocoPhillips, BP, Shell to take up some of these oil fields that are falling apart. They really need to increase oil output there.

And the bidding began yesterday. Should have began yesterday. It took a day delay. And so far, it hasn't gone really well. The companies aren't offering anywhere near the minimum standards that Iraq wants. So, they seem to have had a bit of a breakup, and they're going back and renegotiating and talking. But right now, it's not the sort of win-win that we all thought was going to happen the first day.

HARRIS: OK. And this will continue for a few days, a window of time here?

BOULDEN: Yes. It was supposed to go for two days. And they thought that these oil fields -- it's about one-third of the proven oil reserves are in these fields the companies are bidding for, and the idea was to get this going, get it started, get some of these fields back online in a few years. And then there would be a later round next year or at the end of this year.

And then one day these unproven fields where all this vast amount of oil might be, then one day they would be bidding for that, and that would really get Iraq back on the map as one of the world's largest producers and exporters of oil. But they're nowhere near that yet.

HARRIS: Nowhere near it. All right, Jim Boulden for us in London. Jim, appreciate it. Thank you.

You know, a new CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll suggests nearly three-quarters of all Americans support the plan, even though most think that the troop pullback will lead to violence in that country. What do you think? Do you support the plan to withdraw most U.s. combat troops from Iraqi urban areas. Do this for us, if you would. Just log on to cnn.com/newsroom and click on my face there. You can leave us your comments. We will be reading some of them soon.

The nation's largest automaker is hoping for a quick exit from bankruptcy protection, and that has executives from General Motors in a Manhattan courtroom this morning. Susan Lisovicz at the New York Stock Exchange with more. Good to see you, Susan.

SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good to see you, Tony. Yes, the Manhattan court system's been busy over the last two days with some, certainly some big names that have been in lower Manhattan. One of them, GM. Fritz Henderson here today heading to bankruptcy court to seek approval to transfer the company's best assets to a new GM.

The plan, which, of course, has been brokered by the Obama administration's auto task force, would rejuvenate GM under government ownership. The company would continue operations with its best performing assets, including Chevrolet, Cadillac, Buick and GMAC brands, and would also gain access to billions of dollars in funding from the U.S. treasury.

As for the assets of the old GM, they'd remain behind in bankruptcy court to be liquidated. GM says the sale would avoid a systemic failure for the nation's auto industries. There, of course, may be some speed bumps.

HARRIS: Yes.

LISOVICZ: Some bondholders have objected to the deal. They're concerned over the fate of GM's dealers, many of whom are going to go by the wayside, Tony.

HARRIS: Hey, Susan, you know, if this deal goes through, this sale, I don't want to appear to be cheerleading here for the administration, but it would be a pretty significant win for the Obama administration, wouldn't it?

LISOVICZ: Well, you're not cheerleading at all, Tony. I mean, the fact is, I mean, the government has been a big player in this process, and it would be a big win for the administration, coming on the heels of the brokered sale of Chrysler last month to Italy's Fiat. Some expect today's potential sale to go through even more smoothly than Chrysler's, even though -- while GM is a bigger and more complex situation -- Tony.

HARRIS: Is my calendar correct here? Aren't we pretty close to getting the latest release on the automakers' car and truck sales?

LISOVICZ: Your calendar is correct. We're expecting to get car sales. We will get car sales tomorrow, and we're even hoping to see some signs of strengthening. A Ford analyst says that banks took fewer jobless claims, annualized sales in June, so that automaker could hit $10 million for the first time this year. Ford, of course, is the only American automaker that did not ask for a government bailout. The bulls, by the way, Tony, could use a little bit of a bailout today. We started higher, but we got the consumer confidence number half an hour into the session. That came in weaker than expected, and things turned south very quickly. The Dow right now off 126 points or 1.5 percent. Nasdaq's down about 1 percent on the final day of the second quarter. I know you talked it over with Christine and Ali, but it's been a very good second quarter. The three major averages all up at least 12 percent last three months.

HARRIS: Green shoots. Give me more green shoots.

LISOVICZ: Better than green shoots, at least for the averages. We can only hope the second half would be the same.

HARRIS: Be nice. Susan, appreciate it. thank you.

LISOVICZ: You're welcome.

HARRIS: You know, it is being called the train of the future. The nation's first hydrogen-powered locomotive was unveiled yesterday in Kansas. The hydrogen fuel cell engine was developed jointly by the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway and the Army. This is just a prototype, and there are still more tests to be done, but officials say it could -- could -- significantly reduce pollution and our dependence on fossil fuel.

It has more slot machines and card tables than any other riverboat casino in the country. The new Hollywood Casino on the Ohio River near Lawrenceburg, Indiana, officially opened yesterday. To give you an idea of just how big this is, the boat has two decks, each wider than an aircraft carrier and longer than football field. The cost to build it, $336 million.

Social networking. Log on and chat or meet face-to-face to talk. Which do you prefer?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: I want to know what you're thinking. I want to know what you're feeling. This whole segment here is just to annoy me.

OK, to my Facebook fans and blog followers, I'm so glad you jumped onboard. I love hearing from you. That was the lede that was written for me to read to get to the Christine Romans piece that you're about to see.

But here's the thing: I don't know how to log on to the Facebook page that was set up by me by our show team. The idea that people I don't know want to friend me is illogical. Twitter feels stalkerish to me.

Now, the blogging, the blogging has some real potential if, and only if, I can say what I want and not get fired. Short of that -- eh. Christine's story is titled "Facebook Holdouts." Well, count me in!

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROMANS (voice-over): Mark McSherry does not want to be your friend. On the computer, that is. This college professor doesn't tweet, and he doesn't do Facebook.

MARK MCSHERRY, ADJUNCT PROFESSOR: Absolutely not. Absolutely not. If I ever do, find me and, you know, tell me off.

Reporter: He's worried his students are sharing too much personal information.

MCSHERRY: I'm just an old-timer warning people that your behavior in the past really can come back to haunt you. A picture can tell so much: you know, what you're wearing, what you're not wearing, a tattoo.

ROMANS: Before we go any further, an online primer. Twitter burps out your thoughts in 140-character or less messages to people who follow you. Facebook and MySpace and others are ways to share pictures and messages with friends.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I do not use them, no. It's not of my generation.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I heard more than one story on Facebook of people's sites being commandeered by somebody else.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'll plan on doing it, but it's just like, when do I have time?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, I'm on Facebook. But I'm not on Twitter. I don't like Twitter.

ROMANS: Harper's senior editor Bill Wasik wrote a book about viral culture.

BILL WASIK, SENIOR EDITOR, "HARPER'S" MAGAZINE: For some of them, it's a feeling of information overload, and for another group of people, it's more of just a feeling of wanting to hold yourself above the kind of conversation.

ZAC EFRON, ACTOR: Hi, how you doing?

ROMANS: Zac Efron and Jennifer Aniston don't do Facebook. You won't find Kanye West on Twitter after he said someone tweeted under his name.

But Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore, they've made Twitter more famous and vice versa. And it's how Lance Armstrong announced his baby's birth.

WASIK: Facebook and Twitter are both sites for oversharers. You know, I mean, even if you're thinking that you -- you know, the fact that you're eating a delicious sandwich is interesting to you, it takes a lot of chutzpah to feel like that it's going to be interesting to other people. ROMANS: Still, the phenomenon is undeniable. An estimated 13.9 billion minutes spent on Facebook alone in April, and we're not talking kids. The fastest-growing group, 35 and older.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: Who has that kind of time?

Christine Romans -- sorry, Christine joining us from New York. Hi, Christine.

ROMANS: Good morning. Good afternoon, good morning. It's almost noon.

HARRIS: I've got to breathe. This is, you know, I'm getting far too worked up over this.

ROMANS: You're one of them. Don't friend Tony Harris. But listen, I'm going to tell you why I did this story, Tony, because over the past six months, I've met all these people in -- when I'm interviewing them or appearing with them, you know, on a round table or something, who said, oh, you know, I don't have a Facebook account. Or, I have a Facebook account and I don't Twitter. Or, I started all of it, and then I stopped because I realized I didn't want to do it.

And Bill Wasik, who wrote that book in the piece, he says these people aren't technophobes. Many of them are not people who just want to live off the grid. He says think of them this way: They're like the kind of people who want an unpublished phone number. They're holding themselves above this whole conversation. They're going to see how it works out. They've got e-mail. They've got a telephone. They talk to you face to face. They're just not quite ready to hook up with their old high school boyfriends.

HARRIS: Or girlfriends for that matter. Amen. File more.

ROMANS: I did it just for you, Tony. Just for you.

HARRIS: Send those folks my way, Christine.

Christine Romans in New York for us. I'm going to put this -- I'm going to tweet about this later. Not!

Still to come in the NEWSROOM, a huge tribute gets under way in a few hours for Michael Jackson at the place that launched his career.

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HARRIS: A quick update now on the investigation into Michael Jackson's death. The family is awaiting the results of a second autopsy. Jackson's mother, Katherine, has been granted temporary guardianship of his three children.

However, it is still not clear who will control Jackson's estate, and the Los Angeles County coroner's office is still probing his death. Two large bags of medication have been removed from Jackson's rented mansion. With the investigation focusing on drugs, Michael Jackson's physician, Dr. Conrad Murray suddenly found himself in need of an attorney. The attorney spoke with our Anderson Cooper last night on "AC 360."

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ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST, "ANDERSON COOPER 360": To your knowledge, did Dr. Murray at any time ask Michael Jackson if he was using prescription pain killers?

ED CHERNOFF, DR. CONRAD MURRAY'S ATTORNEY: I'm sure that during the analysis of what to do to keep him healthy during his rehearsals, those questions were asked. And Michael Jackson never revealed any of that pain killer, Demerol or OxyContin or anything of that nature. That's important because Dr. Murray needed to know that. If he was going to prescribe at any time, he needed to know what medications shouldn't be prescribed together, so I'm sure he asked that question.

COOPER: Would Dr. Murray categorize -- characterize Michael Jackson as being a healthy person?

CHERNOFF: He's thin. Michael Jackson's thin, and he has -- certainly has troubles with stress and anxiety, but, all in all, yes, he was healthy. He was able to do the things he needed to do, preparing for his tour in Europe. And it was Dr. Murray's opinion that he was capable of doing that tour, of doing the necessary work that it would require, which would have been very rigorous.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: At the Apollo Theater in New York today, fans remember Michael Jackson. They will be allowed in 600 at a time this afternoon to lay flowers on the stage.

Live now to CNN's Stephanie Elam at the Apollo. And Stephanie, not just any stage, but the stage where the Jackson Five as a group was launched.

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: So true, Tony. The history, actually, behind the Apollo Theater alone makes it iconic in and of...

HARRIS: Did we lose her? Oh, we lost Stephanie. We'll try to get her back as soon as we can from New York and Harlem out in front of the famed historic Harlem Apollo Theater.

Be sure to tune in tonight for a special edition of "ANDERSON COOPER 360." We will get the latest information on the investigation. Once again, that's Anderson Cooper, "AC 360," tonight at 10:00 p.m. Eastern time.

And here is what we have lined up for you next hour -- the U.S. troops pullback. We will have the latest on the exit from Iraq's cities and towns. Michael Ware is live from Baghdad. And Barbara Starr is at the Pentagon. We are also watching developments at the United Nations this hour, where the president of Honduras, the man who was thrown out of his country in his pajamas, is pleading his case. Our Jill Dougherty has reaction from U.S. officials.

Plus, those over-the-counter cold and pain medications and the risk of overdose. The FDA is expected to vote sometime today on whether some drugs containing acetaminophen should be pulled from store shelves. We will talk to senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We want human rights in Iran.

CROWD: We want human rights in Iran.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We want democracy in Iran.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Since the disputed election, people have been protesting in different parts of the world, some calling for freedom and regime change. Others just want peace. The pictures you're looking at now are of a protest in Los Angeles taken by one of our iReporters.

Today, Iranian officials validated the re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad after reviewing about 10 percent of the votes. Iran's Guardian Council says it found no tangible irregularities.

CNN's Reza Sayah has been closely watching developments. And Reza, again, firewalls everywhere blocking us from doing our own reporting from Iran, but we are still getting information from inside the country. What are you following?

REZA SAYAH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, first of all, Tony, I don't think anyone was shocked with the news that came out of Iran today. When the supreme leader came out a couple days after the elections and endorsed the results, it was very unlikely that even this partial recount was going to make a difference. But the partial recount went ahead anyway on Monday.

And that made news today, the results did. Remember, opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi had rejected the recount, but the Guardian Council, the top legislative body, did recount 10 percent of the vote. And they said there was no fraud, no irregularities. And they also added that in some parts of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad actually gained some votes. In Tehran today, those supporting the establishment were obviously happy. Those who don't were not. Here's a little taste of the reaction.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): We saw yesterday that the election has been declared valid after recounting 10 percent of ballot boxes randomly. All of the candidates who ran in the election must now comply with the arbitration of the Guardian Council.

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SAYAH: That was obviously a supporter of the establishment. The Guardian Council says they'll reveal the actual results of the partial recount in the next few days. But a spokesperson came out today and said the difference between the partial recount and the original count was so small, so negligible, it's not even worth mentioning, Tony.

So, very little legal recourse remains for opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi. All his supporters waiting to see where he goes from here.

HARRIS: Yes. Yes. Good point. When's the last time we saw him publicly, Reza?

SAYAH: It was a couple of Thursdays ago. A couple of days ago, he came out, and purportedly, through a cell phone gave a message, but it was so loud at the gathering, nobody could really hear what he was saying.

But, again, very little recourse appears to remain for Mir Hossein Mousavi. Many say his only hope is to form some sort of coalition with some influential senior clerics behind the scene to go up against the establishment. But there's no indication that that's happening.

And all these hundreds of thousands of people who've come out over the past couple of weeks -- just spoke with one of them -- they're waiting to see where he goes from here. They're either going to be demoralized, these people, or they may be energized to come out sometime in the future. But right now, they're waiting to see what Mousavi does.

HARRIS: Or what's next. All right, Reza Sayah for us from our Iran desk. Reza, appreciate it. Thank you.

Mayhem in a Michigan courtroom. A murder suspect smiles as he walks in, and a grieving family can no longer hold back its rage. We get the latest now from reporter Laurie Bedavido (ph) of CNN affiliate WJRT.

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LAURIE BEDAVIDO (ph), WJRT-TV CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It was one punch, prompted, authorities say, by a smiley defendant, Juanel Daro (ph). He's accused of killing 22-year-old Alex Pace, Jr. (ph) in December. Pace was shot several times. Daro (ph) just arrested earlier this month. As he's being escorted by a deputy into court Friday morning...

SHERIFF ROBERT PICKELL, GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN: He looks into the audience, puts a big smile on his face. The victim's dad, Alex Warren Pace (ph), hauls off and punches him in the face. BEDAVIDO: And you can see what happens next. The crowd erupts. A defense attorney takes cover under the table while assistant prosecutor Gladys Kristofferson (ph) starts moving people away. Judge Tracy Collier-Nix not happy. In the end, Pace (ph) and another family member are under arrest, and at least one person was Tasered.

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HARRIS: Boy. The sheriff's department is investigating the incident, but one change is already in place. The number of courtroom deputies has been increased.