Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Iranian Protests Resume; McNair Murder-Suicide Confirmed; Jackson Family Members Try Intervention; Sen. Ensign Allegedly Pays Mistress $25,000 Severance

Aired July 09, 2009 - 15:00   ET

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

RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: And hello, again, everybody. I'm Rick Sanchez with this, the next generation of news. This is a conversation. It is not a speech. And, as Ali Velshi would tell you, it's your turn to get involved.

All right, this is going to sound all too familiar as I get this show started, right? But stay with me here. It's new, it's today, and it's important.

Iran is boiling over with anger once again. People in Tehran are filling the streets once again. And we have been carefully monitoring all of these pictures that have been coming in throughout the day. Note that fire in the background there, because we got word of that about noontime here.

You know what you are looking at? This -- these are the faces of courage, because these people were told, if you protest, you are going to be arrested. And we have seen reports of people that have not only been beaten, but also killed and many that have been tortured in jail.

Yet, with all that in the backdrop, as far as we can tell, 2,000 to 3,000, maybe more, Iranians have taken to the streets today, in some cases shoulder to shoulder. And they have been chanting, death to the dictator.

This is a crazy in a totalitarian, dictatorial country like this. We understand there have been tear gas. Riot police have been swinging batons. They have been trying to break up the crowds, crowds that again were told specifically, don't gather, don't protest.

The city has been nearly protest-free now for two weeks. But that's no more, because 10 years ago today, 25,000 people took to the streets in what began as a bloody student uprising. Well, that's what's being commemorated today. But, of course, it is more important now, because it comes on the heels of this bogus election, as most would refer to it there in Iran.

First, I want you to look at what we have been looking at here on the satellites all day long, the very latest pictures. This is about 30, 40 seconds. Just take a look at it. I will come back on the other side. As you can see, a lot of these pictures were taken from venues where police and security guards could not tell they were being taken, because obviously -- and I think Octavia Nasr would back me up on this, who follows Middle East affairs for us -- police have made it pretty clear -- security forces there have made it pretty clear that anybody seen taking video or even protesting will be arrested.

And yet that's what makes this story so important on this day.

OCTAVIA NASR, CNN SENIOR EDITOR FOR ARAB AFFAIRS: It makes it so important and really so challenging in many, many ways.

We are looking at these images. We are not getting much news out of Iran. As you know, there is a crackdown on the media.

SANCHEZ: Right.

NASR: We can't be there to report the story. And we are depending on these pictures.

So, you're looking at them going, first of all, these people did not have any permit to demonstrate.

SANCHEZ: Right.

NASR: And they demonstrated anyway. And then the police, the brutality that you are seeing is just unbelievable. It really shows Iran in chaos right now.

SANCHEZ: We should probably mention as well you said that we can't get pictures. Why we can't get pictures is because some 30 journalists, Western journalists, have been apprehended there who have tried to cover this. So, you simply can't keep a crew there to bring the story to you.

NASR: No, you can't.

SANCHEZ: So, we are using social media.

NASR: So, we are using social media.

As a matter of fact -- those who are keeping crews there, we monitor some stations that have crews there. They are basically reporting happy news. They're reporting good news as far as the government is concerned. You are not seeing those images anywhere but on social media these days.

SANCHEZ: Speaking of social media, let's share now with our viewers what we do have. Let's start, if we can, Claude (ph). Go to the video where you see the fire in the background. I think we saw that one just a little while ago.

Let's use that picture now to show folks what things look like there. And you will see. There it is. Now, I got a tweet from Tehran early this morning from someone telling me -- and I was going to Tehran -- what's the one tweet platform that we have been using since we have been on this? I think it was Tehran news or Tehran election.

NASR: Yes, Iran elections.

SANCHEZ: And I was monitoring that one. And they said, there is a fire. And we didn't want to go with it until we actually saw the pictures. Well, lo and behold, here is the picture. Where is this?

NASR: This is -- this is at Tehran.

SANCHEZ: Yes.

NASR: This is (INAUDIBLE) square, basically.

This is basically where the demonstrations are taking place. And when you look at the pictures and you listen to the screams in the background, you have to think, this is unbelievable. Again, these people have no permit to demonstrate, let alone set fire in the middle of the street. The way they were...

(CROSSTALK)

SANCHEZ: That's brazen.

NASR: And think about it, Rick. We have been reporting the story for a few weeks now.

What the Iranian government is doing, they have taken video like this, they have taken pictures like the pictures we are looking at, they are posting them on the local government station.

(CROSSTALK)

SANCHEZ: Let me just stop you for a minute, because take a look at this picture right here. This is someone who took the picture while sneaking a shot out of a bus that they were traveling on.

Look at the corners. Every single street corner in Tehran is filled with these thugs, I mean, these security forces, who are making sure that no one takes to the street and does what we as Americans would consider a right, if not a privilege, the right to protest our government.

NASR: Right. So, with all those controls, people manage to demonstrate. They manage to create havoc for these security forces.

And that's what makes the story so much more important, so much more that everyone needs to -- look at these pictures. Look at all the -- see, you have security. You have uniformed security. You have non- uniformed security. And all the pictures we are getting are taken from rooftops. They're taken from balconies.

(CROSSTALK)

SANCHEZ: Look at the one guy right there being arrested. You see him right there being taken away, right there in the middle just below that white car?

NASR: Exactly. Arrests were made, beatings in the streets.

And, of course, the Basij don't know that they are being filmed. So, the reaction to what you're looking at is going to be immense, Rick. Remember, in '99, when students had their first uprising in Iran, I don't if you remember, there is one picture of a man basically holding the shirt, a bloody shirt of his friend.

I mean, that man, because his picture made it to Western media, he became the symbol of that uprising. He was jailed. He was tortured. He was beaten. And, then, when he was released for medical reasons, he escaped. He is here now in the U.S.

This is what these people face. This is not a joke. This is not something simple. But, then, again, when we talk to people in Iran, people who are either involved...

(CROSSTALK)

SANCHEZ: And there come the forces down the street. You see them? That's where they start coming in. They heard that there was a small gathering that turned into perhaps a protest, possibly something unplanned. And now they run in to try and put it down as fast as they can, so they don't have on their hands what happened last time.

NASR: Exactly. But they did.

And what's happening today is that you have social media. So, people, when they take a picture like this, they can upload it on the Internet. We see it. The whole world sees it. We discuss it. We talk about it. And this story is not going to go away, like it did in '99.

People inside Iran know that we are monitoring. They know that the world is watching them. And they are basically counting on it. So, every time we talk to them via Twitter or Facebook, or any way that -- Gtalk or any way that we have to communicate with them, that's what they're telling us.

They are saying the genie is out of the bottle and there is no way the genie is going back in.

SANCHEZ: Well, and, you know, I think it 's important to say that, as journalists here at CNN, I think it is our responsible for these people to share their story with the rest of the world.

(CROSSTALK)

NASR: How can you ignore that? How can you ignore these images that ordinary citizens are taking because professional media can't be in Iran to report the story?

SANCHEZ: And, in many ways, what they are doing now is perhaps even more brazen and more significant than what we reported several weeks ago after the election.

NASR: Absolutely. What you reported earlier when you said death to the dictator, death -- I mean, they are talking about the president of Iran. They are talking about the spiritual leader of Iran.

For them to call -- they were not shouting death to the dictator back then, right after the election.

SANCHEZ: You mean -- you mean going out and saying death -- essentially, they are saying death to Khamenei.

NASR: Exactly.

SANCHEZ: And Khamenei is what? Make people understand. It would be like, what, saying it about the pope? What would be comparative?

NASR: Ayatollah Khamenei is the spiritual leader of Iran. This is the Islamic Republic of Iran. This is where religion rules the country.

So, he is really the head of the state. He is the head of the army. He runs the country.

SANCHEZ: Right.

NASR: He rules the country. He is the one who, a week after the election, went on Friday prayer and said, do not demonstrate. He gave a clear order. People should not demonstrate, or else.

SANCHEZ: Yes.

NASR: And look at this weeks after his threat.

So, basically, what they are doing, they are challenging the authority of President Ahmadinejad. They are challenging the authority of Ayatollah Khamenei. And they're saying -- again, when I say the genie is out of the bottle, that's what Iranians are using today.

They're saying, the genie is out of the bottle. There is no point of return. They're not going to return. They want to keep moving forward.

SANCHEZ: Yes. And what's unique about you is -- I try to do it as well from my own little vantage point back there in my offices where I tweet with a lot of folks who are there, but I know that you are very close to this. You talk to people all day long.

So, you are not just sharing with us what you are hearing. You are actually sharing with us conversations that you have had with sources there in Tehran. And I just wanted to let you know how much I appreciate that and how much really our viewers should probably appreciate that as well.

SANCHEZ: Listen, we are going to stay on top of this story. We will probably get you back as we go throughout the hour. We are going to get Reza Sayah, who just returned from there, who is also back there in the international area somewhere. We're going to get him on the set in a little while, too, to take us through some of his stories about what is going on, not just with this, but with the coverage as well.

Thank you so much.

NASR: Thank you.

SANCHEZ: All right. Here is what else we're going to be doing on this story.

There is a reason, as aforementioned, that we can't get our own pics out of Iran. And we mentioned that just a little while ago. Think of Western journalists who are being arrested, who are being accused of spying, who are even being tortured, we learn, in some cases, if not in one specific case that we're going to be telling you about. We have got that story nailed down. We are going to be picking that up with Reza as well.

Also, there is a 911 recording of the night that Steve McNair died and dash-cam video of his mistress' DUI arrest the week before as well. I figured you may want to see this, both of them, and you will.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: By the way, at CNN.com/ricksanchez, I have put some of the pictures and some of the scenes we have been getting out of Iran. So, if you want to look at some of those for yourself, you can go to my blog and see them.

One other thing, I mentioned just a little while ago, I think you will recall, in my conversation that I was having just moments ago with Octavia that much of the information was learned when it started spreading early this morning from Twitter. Let me show you what I'm talking about when I say that.

Let's go to the Twitter board, if we can, Robert. Or who's back there? Johnny.

Take a look at this, all right? Right at the very top, you see this one here, right? Clashes in front of Tehran University. This is coming in on Twitter and Vanak Square, many of these from people who are there in Tehran. People are joining the demonstrations from Imam Hossein Square toward Enghelab Square, which, by the way, we learned later on, as we confirmed these on CNN, that is where of the information came forward.

This is one that really got our attention when we first heard it. Police used tear gas against people trying to push them back at Vanak Square.

So, here you see of the information, revolutionary, really revolutionizing that the way that we gather news in many ways, because we get it. We verify it. And we find a way to then bring it to you. Police using tear gas against people there. And, by the way, look at this here. We are being told there's protests all over the United States in 18 different cities today from many Persian Americans who are also going to be letting their opinions be known as well.

So, look, we are all over the story. We expect even more pictures. In fact, I was just told a little while ago that we might be getting more video from Tehran in just a little bit. We ask you to stay with us throughout the hour and with CNN's coverage throughout the evening as well.

And as the new pictures and new information comes in, and we verify it, we will be sharing it with you. In fact, here is -- here is one of those latest pictures.

This is the one that really got my attention, because it's just -- you notice everybody who is taking pictures over there from their -- using their telephones is doing it in a place or from a venue where they are kind of hidden, where police can't see them, because, obviously, police wouldn't want to be photographed.

And that's the one that was taken from a bus. And you see the officers and the security forces on every corner. Amazing story.

All right, now, take a look the this dash-cam video. This is Steve McNair's mistress during a DUI arrest. McNair was given a break here. And one can't help but think, can one, that if he had been busted on that night, ironically enough, it may have actually saved his life.

Also, we have the 911 tape from the guy who actually called police to describe the gruesome scene that he was seeing with Steve McNair's body and his mistress as well.

Stay with us, both of those coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: All right. I told you I would be checking all the tweets that are coming out of Iran and Tehran. We have got some of them coming in right now.

Let me just share some of those with you real quick as we move on with our newscast. Take it from the top, if you will, Robert and Johnny.

The first one, SimplyDishing, says, "Once again, these are Iranians in Iran talking. We showed the regime that the Persian lion has awakened and it has no fear of the coward Basij."

Number two, Iran1979: "The only way that we can win in this new revolution is by attacking back. It needs to get bloody."

Wow.

And then this one, this is kind of interesting. "Iran government having people filming protests anyway. We need to get images out to the world."

That goes along with what we were talking about moments ago about how important it is for us to cover this story. If people are brave enough to risk their own lives, I think the least we can do is consider what they're doing in a country that has so much to do with the United States and its own foreign policy. Just some thoughts.

There's new video, by the way, and some new sound in that unbelievable story that you saw right here breaking yesterday toward the end of our newscast, as we learned it is an incredible murder-suicide of NFL quarterback Steve McNair and his mistress.

This is the dash-cam video that shows McNair's 20-year-old mistress, Sahel Kazemi, who went on to shoot and kill him two days later, according to police. In this video, you see her the night before -- or the night that she is being pulled over and arrested for that DUI.

We are now also hearing -- get this -- that she bought the gun used in the killings right after she was bailed out of jail. And she used that gun to shoot him twice in the head and twice in the chest while he was napping on the couch.

OK, something else I want to show you now, here now is the 911 tape released today from the man who called police to report this gruesome scene.

Listen, if you would, to how disoriented, how -- well, shocked he seems to sound.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I hate that I have to be the one to make this call. It's so -- so messed up.

DISPATCHER: OK. All right, Rob. I have got some help coming to you. Now, tell me what happened.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I have no idea, sir.

DISPATCHER: OK, but I mean how did you...

CALLED: I -- I received a phone call that -- that there was some injured parties inside this apartment.

DISPATCHER: OK.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And...

DISPATCHER: OK. Is it male or female?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Two. There's two people.

DISPATCHER: Two people?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

DISPATCHER: And they both appear to be deceased?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think so, sir.

DISPATCHER: OK. Male, female, both?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. I don't know how -- I don't know how long they have been there.

DISPATCHER: OK. OK. Hold on. You said they are male and female or both? What? What are their genders?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a male and a female.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: Another public memorial is going to be held for McNair Saturday, preceding his funeral in his home state of Mississippi.

McNair was 36 years old. Oh, then there is this. I just became aware of this just before coming on the air, as a matter of fact, when Vince Lennon (ph), one of my producers told me this information. It's incredible. Listen to this.

McNair had just taped a public service announcement that was going to be airing in Tennessee. The subject? Suicide prevention. The Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities now says it is not going to air the commercial, saying it would be in inappropriate, that it wouldn't serve.

Some would wonder if, actually, it might have even more of an effect to actually air it now. What do you think?

We will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: And welcome back. I'm Rick Sanchez.

By the way, we told you that we're going to be monitoring all the pictures and all the information that has been coming out of Iran. I think we have got some more pictures that we can share with you now, if you have got some of those.

There, you state here's some more video. Yes. This is different than all the video you have seen thus far on this show today. And I think -- let's do this. Let's listen to it. And I will come back on the other side. I think the words act of defiance best describe what you are looking at there.

And it is important to point out what it is that they are chanting. And we are going to be sharing some of those translations with you coming up in just a little bit, because it speaks volumes as to who these people are and what they are trying to achieve and where this situation is moving in Iran.

In the meantime, there's another part of the world where I promised you I would keep on top of. And we're going to do that right now.

It's as if you were to invite to your place a criminal who raped your family and wanted you to accept conditions for that violation -- who your family, tough words, right? Well, those are the words of the deposed Honduran president, Jose Manuel Zelaya.

He saying this as he prepares to meet with the man who replaced him, interim President Roberto Micheletti. Now, here is a look at what happened when this coup took place that removed Zelaya from power, reporters explaining what they are seeing. They can't believe what is going on in front of them, one of them describing that somebody had just been shot, possibly killed, the other one describing an ambulance that is taking some of the people away who had been in these situations in this coup that had taken place in Honduras.

Here is what this has progressed into now. Zelaya, the guy who was kicked out during this coup, the guy who was the president, right, he is saying he is not negotiating to get his job back. Rather, he says he wants Micheletti's excuses and requirements for his departure in the next 24 hours.

This is what this man is saying prior to sitting down with the man who replaced him, as called for by Oscar Arias, who, as you know, is the president of Costa Rica, and President Obama, and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

This guy has got a real soft touch, doesn't he? Not. It's obviously not the most diplomatic of comments for him to be making before going to a conference that may determine whether he is going to be put back in power. There he is right there. That's Zelaya -- and not one that you would think would think is going to help him get his job back.

Nor will this likely make President Obama, nor Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who has supported this guy, look good. We are going to see what happens. We're going to -- I told you I was going to continue to follow this story. It is important as well. And we will have it for you as it progresses.

All right, meanwhile, diplomacy at a premium in Iran, where they have a bumper crop of detained journalists, which is, interestingly enough, the reason that we are not able to show you our own pictures today coming out of Tehran and other cities where they are having protests. We will share that story with you in just a little bit.

And our own reporter, our own correspondent who has recently just come back from Tehran is going to share with us why this is happening. Here he is. Reza Sayah is going to join us in just a little bit to pick this up for us.

Stay with us. We will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: Man, we are getting so much reaction to the story we are following for you today like this. Take a look at this on the Twitter board if we can as we look at some of those pictures. I don't know how you want to do this. You can either transpose it or just go to the Twitter board.

Can you do that, Robert? Shoot it, baby. Come on. You can do it. I know you can. There it is.

Look at this one here. "I continue to hope the new revolutions in Iran continue to know the world supports them and never give up." That's great. I mean -- that's a people here telling a people there we are behind you. And so many like these that I have been looking at this whole time.

Speaking of Iran, Iran's capital, Tehran, melting down again, thousands of people hitting the streets today marching, "Calling death to the dictator," standing up to some of the riot police. The only pictures we've seen from Tehran are the ones like -- well, these that we've been showing you. The ones we are looking at there just a moment ago.

This is one of the first ones we got in earlier in the day, by the way. Since then, we got six or seven more shot with cell phone cameras sent out by the Internet, by people hell-bent on letting the world see what's actually going on in their country.

International journalism, almost zero. Why? Those reporters who are working do so in the shadow of their government. And the other ones who were working have been arrested or simply kicked out of the country. In fact, CNN has just spoken moments ago to a Greek British reporter who was just released after three weeks being locked up in Tehran.

Let's bring Reza Sayah into this now. He's all over the Iran desk as you might imagine. He is -- he is the man who was covering this story for us for the longest time. You heard from him when he was in Tehran during the original...

(CROSSTALK)

SANCHEZ: And he was there, too?

REZA SAYAH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: He was there, too. He's a freelance journalist, a young man covering the elections and its aftermath. I haven't spoken to him. But it's very likely he covered some of the protests and the demonstrations that followed that the government declared illegal. They're told, all international journalist, if you go to these demonstrations, if you cover them, if you broadcast images, you are breaking the law.

It's very likely that he, along with many others journalists, went to this demonstration.

SANCHEZ: You want to do this with me? Let us bring him in. This is Trita Parsi now, president of the National Iranian -- president of the National Iranian American federation.

TRITA PARSI, PRESIDENT, NATIONAL IRANIAN AMERICAN COUNCIL: Council.

SANCHEZ: Council, pardon me. And he is good enough to join us. Do this with me.

How important is it for Americans to see -- and we'll start with this. How important is it and why is it important for Americans to see this story's coverage on the air? Not so much in fact Americans but the entire world -- your words.

PARSI: I think it's tremendously important because people on the ground in Iran have said that if the world forgets and brings too much attention just to Michael Jackson and to other stories, then it will be much easier for the hard-line elements in Iran to continue and even increase the brutality of the crackdown. But if the eyes of the world are there, through Facebook, through SMS, text messaging, through YouTube, it will be more difficult for the government, for the hard- line elements of the government in Iran to continue this. And the fact that the demonstrations have continued, not with the same frequency as before, but nevertheless continued, is an indication that this is not dying down. This issue is not over with.

SANCHEZ: Reza, go ahead.

SAYAH: Well, I think, Trita, the opposition seems determined and the government seems determined as well. It seems to me over the past couple of weeks, they become really adept at new media, blocking Internet activity. Talk about that a little bit.

PARSI: Without a doubt. Blocking the media, making sure that, you know, you inhibit the other side's ability to communicate with each other.

And on that point, I think it's important to remember one very important thing. We've seen how the government has tried to make sure that people cannot access the Internet. They have used extensive filters. They have reduced the bandwidth, just to make sure that these images don't come out. We have to remind ourselves that at the same time, partly due to U.S. sanctions, their help has been maze easier. Microsoft MSN Chat decided to shut down its users in Iran only weeks before the elections...

(CROSSTALK)

SANCHEZ: So, you are saying -- well, listen, I come from a country where some people would argue the sanctions sometime don't work as well. You are saying we should open everything up so that they can use these forms. And let me back that question up with...

PARSI: Well, at a minimum, communication and information should not be sanctioned because that is only helping the hard-line elements in the government.

SANCHEZ: What -- where is this going? As Americans, we look at this and we wonder and tend to like a quick solution, whether this is going to mean like, OK, it looks like the regime is going to be taken down within the next couple of months, maybe the next couple of weeks if not the next year. Is that what this means?

PARSI: I think -- I think you said something very important. As Americans, we expect things to happen fast. In Iran, people don't expect things to happen fast. Things will take time.

And I think, the people I spoken to, in their minds, this is going to be a long struggle. It's not going to be a couple weeks, it's not even going to a couple months. It's going to be longer than that.

SANCHEZ: Well, one final question before I let you go. Keep it as short as you can because my producers are already yelling at me. But, should the president of the United States or the U.S. government get in there and somehow force this or should they back off and let the Iranian people do what they are doing?

PARSI: I think the position the president has taken has been the correct one. There is very little the United States can do to actually help in any particular action. The U.S. can however do a lot of damage if it does the wrong things. I think it's absolutely right to not take sides but do condemn these brutal human rights violations as strongly as possible

SANCHEZ: Unbelievable stuff. Thanks, Trita. Thanks so much for joining us, sir.

PARSI: Thank you.

SANCHEZ: We certainly appreciate it.

And, Reza, my thanks to you as well.

SAYAH: Anytime.

SANCHEZ: We keep watching this thing. What is it -- it's getting dark there right now, right? So...

SAYAH: It is -- it is getting dark. That's why we are seeing some videos. The demonstrations have ended. And as always, when they end, people come back.

Some courageous people, by the way. They are risking a lot going out there with cameras. That's why we're seeing a lot of new video coming in.

SANCHEZ: And we expect that we might get more. And as we do, we'll be sharing it.

Reza, my thanks to you as usual.

SAYAH: Anytime.

SANCHEZ: All right. The very latest on not just Iran but also some of the feedback that's been coming in.

Moments ago, I told you that McNair, Steve McNair was asked just before he died -- interestingly enough -- of a murder suicide, to tape a message to people about suicide prevention. We're told that they are not going to air that.

I suggested -- maybe it would be more "impactful" if they did, and I asked you what you thought. You wouldn't believe the response we've gotten on this. It was just a question. We'll have it for you when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: You know, usually, we get people going one way or another on a lot of issues, because, you know, hey, that's what it's all about. But it's interesting, when I ask that question that maybe Steve McNair's message should be aired about suicide prevention, just about every single one of you seems to be agreeing that it should.

Take a look at this. Look at what we've been reading on Twitter as a matter of fact. Go to it. From the top with Jack, "Yes, they should definitely play Steve McNair's PSA on suicide. Can you imagine anything more powerful of a message than that?"

The next one, Ed, says, "I think it would be beneficial after the latest events for them to show the PSA! Maybe it will hit home and make people think."

The next one, "If McNair's family says it's OK with the PSA, they should use it." The next one, "It would have more of an effect now rather than earlier. It's sad that a death has to bring such a powerful message home." Another one, "Air the tape. McNair already donated his time. Give it to the media and let them decide whether it would do any good."

"If McNair stood for suicide prevention, then they should be able to present the advertisement." Another one, "The PSA would be better to show how the world breaths when they died and to see that suicide and homicide is not the answer. Air the PSA."

Another one after that, "A PSA would do someone else some good. Again, the showing of the suicide tapes should be left up to McNair's family." Unbelievable.

And one fine one, "You guys are fantastic keeping the focus on the Iranian struggle for true freedom. Thank you." Thank you, Maria, in New York City.

All right. I want to show you some video now. This is the home that Michael Jackson rented in Las Vegas a few years ago. Insiders say it was barren and creepy inside. His sister, Janet, was shocked when she visited.

Also, an investigation into the possibility that the Jackson family -- brothers, sisters, mom -- were planning an intervention to stop Michael from abusing prescription drugs and others. New information on the way.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: All right. As promise, we've got some exclusive new details on an intervention the Jackson family tried to have with Michael Jackson that they were prepared to essentially confront him. What did they plan to do? Who was involved? And why didn't it work?

Drew Griffin from CNN's Special Investigation Unit has been working on this story for you.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DREW GRIFFIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It was 2007. That was two years after Michael Jackson's trial for child molestation in California. A jury acquitting him but he was scarred.

He all but disappeared, first going to Bahrain for a kind of self- imposed exile, and then briefly to Ireland. We're told he was happier but his career was going nowhere. This was a period when he rarely saw his family.

Sources tell us Michael Jackson became fixated with music superstar Celine Dion and that permanent show she was starring in in Las Vegas. Jackson thought that kind of show might be his path back to show business. So he moved to Vegas.

In early 2007, he was believed to be living in this large, rented home. Two sources close to the family say Janet Jackson who'd seen little of her brother in recent years visited him there and was shocked. We're told the house was nearly barren of furniture and creepy looking, according to one source. But it was the site of an extremely thin, disheveled Michael Jackson that brightened Janet.

And that brings us up to the NBA All-star Game weekend in February in Las Vegas. Janet Jackson there with two of her brothers. She asked those brothers to go back with her to Michael Jackson's house, trying to convince Michael to get help.

Reportedly, Michael ordered his new security guards not to let them in. We've also learned that Michael Jackson at that time was refusing to take calls from his own mother, Katherine Jackson, who had been repeatedly pleading with her son to get help.

Now, all through this time, the family had been concerned. And according to both our sources, Michael Jackson would simply refuse to see anybody who tried to stop him from using drugs. One source is saying that if you tried to deal with him, he would shut you out. You just wouldn't hear from him for long periods of time.

Another source was telling us that the family was concern for a long time but it was Janet now who tried to force the issue two years ago.

We must tell you that back in 2007, "People" magazine did report about an alleged Jackson family intervention. The Jackson family denied it, releasing this statement which said, in part, "We categorically deny ever planning, participating in, or having knowledge of any kind of intervention, whatsoever." Now, that statement was signed by members of the Jackson family but not signed by Janet Jackson.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANCHEZ: Here's -- this is interesting. If Michael Jackson actually died from prescription drug abuse, he is not alone, not even close to being alone. According to one report that we read this morning, back in my staff room, as many people die of this same thing, prescription drug abuse, as people who die on our nation's highways every year. Think about that.

So, this is a very important story on the heels of his death. So, how do you reach out to that friend or that family member who may be going through something like this, some issue with drug abuse? How do you intervene?

Due to time constraints today with the developments in Iran, we are going to hold that conversation until tomorrow? But we are going to have it. It's promised. Guaranteed. Join us for that.

This is a difficult subject matter, by the way, not for the faint of heart to actually watch family confronting one of their loved ones and saying, "You got a problem, buster." I mean, it's crazy but potentially life-saving. And that's why, tomorrow, we are going to delve into this seriously.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: I've been telling you that we're monitoring the situation in Iran. And there's new pictures now. Remember we mentioned that there's some chants that delivered in some of these protests? Listen to this one.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(CROWD CHANTING)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: All right. That's the one I wanted you to hear right there.

I don't speak Farsi. But I can tell you, because we've checked with Octavia and we've checked with Reza and some of the folks who have been monitoring this throughout the day that they're actually chanting in there, "Death to the dictator, death to the dictator," referring to Ayatollah Khamenei. That is a remarkable revelation coming out of the story, given the consequences or what would be done to someone who would do something like this, outwardly, in public, on the streets of Tehran.

So, we're going to be all over that as well. The latest piece of video that we're sharing with you there out of Iran.

Meanwhile, this -- an alleged $25,000 severance. That's what a man says Senator John Ensign paid his wife to leave her job. That woman on the right. Right there. She was also Ensign's mistress. What a mess.

Her job was with Ensign's campaign committee. There's more. Will this result in an investigation? Will this result in his possibly having to step down? That's what many pundits and others, insiders are wondering. So are we when we come back.

(COMMECIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: Another lawmaker, another affair, another embarrassing comment or letter that Americans have to stomach somehow. The lawmaker in this case is Republican Senator John Ensign of Nevada who allegedly sent this letter -- that we're going to share with you in just a little bit -- to his mistress which was released by her husband. Did you follow all of that?

It reads, "I used you for my own pleasure. Plain and simple, it was wrong. It was sin." "The Las Vegas Sun" adds that mistress Cynthia Hampton, while working for Ensign, saw her salary double during her affair and that she allegedly got a severance of $25,000. If that alleged severance is true, that could be a possible felony violation of campaign finance laws.

Glenn Thrush is senior correspondent for "Politico."

Good afternoon, Glenn.

GLENN THRUSH, SR. CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT, POLITICO: Good afternoon.

SANCHEZ: What's the significance of the alleged $25,000 severance to Cindy Hampton, not to mention the fact that he may have doubled her pay while they were having an affair?

THRUSH: Well, the Center for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, a watchdog group that has already filed a bunch of ethic complaints against Ensign, claims -- and I'm not an expert on the law -- but that $25,000 threshold is a threshold of criminality. And they requested that the Department of Justice get involved and do an investigation.

The executive director of that organization doesn't think it's too likely. The Justice Department hates, hates, hates to get involved in these political cases. But it just makes you start to realize the severity of what Ensign is accused of and its possible implications on his future.

SANCHEZ: Can you explain to us what kind of law that is? Because a lot of people would probably be wondering, "Look, if he wants to pay her from the money that he makes or from his own money or from money that he's got in his own collection, I guess that would be fine." Does it matter where the money comes from is I think what I'm getting to here?

THRUSH: Oh, that's the big deal here. You can't use your campaign finance account as a slush fund to use however you choose. You are allowed to make $5,000 payments out of your own pocket, but anything above that is called a contribution in kind -- not the get too technical. But if you exceed that and sort of knowingly violate those rules, that then becomes a felony.

So, you cannot use your campaign account as a piggy bank. And we've seen a lot of other politicians get in trouble for that. I should note that just before we went on the air, "Politico" and I think some other outlets, got a letter from Ensign's lawyer saying that Ensign, in fact, paid $96,000 out of his own personal account, not campaign money, to Cynthia, Doug Hampton and their two kids as some sort of a restitution.

So, you know, this story just keeps getting deeper and deeper and deeper and it's more and more trouble for Ensign.

SANCHEZ: Isn't there something about her or -- I'm sorry -- about the senator possibly or his office getting a job for her son or son-in-law or somebody in the family as well? Something that would look, at least at the very at least -- not even involving criminality -- like a little bit of nepotism in this case, wouldn't it?

THRUSH: Well, there's a political consulting firm with links to some officials in the National Republican Senatorial Committee, which until last year Ensign was running. That's the committee to get Republican senators elected.

SANCHEZ: Right.

THRUSH: A consulting firm that Doug Hampton was given a contract with. And one of the Hampton kids was also given a contract with.

So, there's a whole -- there's a whole web of sort of entanglements. The issue here, and why this is such a serious matter now in the Capitol is this also ensnared Senator Tom Coburn, a really close friend of John Ensign and his roommate at this Christian fellowship house on C Street here in Washington.

SANCHEZ: How? How is that?

THRUSH: Well, Doug Hampton claims that Tom Coburn essentially acted as a go-between to sort of arrange a restitution deal that Hampton claims would have involved paying off this huge mortgage that the Hamptons had incurred. They had a...

SANCHEZ: You mean like hush fund, like a -- don't say anything about this and we'll take care of you?

THRUSH: Our source made it very clear, a source with knowledge of this meeting that apparently took place at the fellowship house between Doug Hampton and Coburn and Ensign described it as restitution, not hush money, to sort of pay for the senator's sins.

SANCHEZ: Wow.

THRUSH: But however you slice it, there was some real discussion of heavy money changing hands.

SANCHEZ: You know, that's amazing. Hey, listen, we're going to stay on top of this. Thanks so much for joining us and brings us the very latest on it.

THRUSH: Take care.

SANCHEZ: Wolf Blitzer in Washington now.