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Report: American Freed in Iraq; U.S. Soldier Accused of Afghan Massacre; Mississippi Pardons: New Details; Syrians Being Killed Inside Their Homes; New Ipad Released; James Cameron, a New Explorer

Aired March 17, 2012 - 19:00   ET

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

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. I'm Don Lemon. Thank you so much for joining us.

Breaking news from Iraq where a United Nations official is telling CNN that an American said to be held captive for months has been turned over to the U.S. embassy in Baghdad. We're told the man was first handed over to the U.N. by the movement led by the radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.

Two political leaders in al-Sadr's movement say the man's name is Randy Michael. They claimed he was held for nine months and that he was, quote, "captured" by battle.

U.S. officials have not confirmed that information. A Pentagon official however says to the best of their knowledge, no active duty U.S. military personnel missing -- have been missing in Iraq.

And we'll continue to update this story as soon as we get new information as it becomes available here on CNN.

The Army soldier accused of killing 16 civilians in Afghanistan is in solitary confinement at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. The detention of Staff Sergeant Robert Bales has simply stunned people in and around Washington state's Joint Base Lewis-McChord. They are having a hard time understanding how the man they know could be accused of this atrocity.

CNN's Dan Simon joins us now outside that base.

Don, what are you learning more now about Robert Bales?

DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Don, this is a soldier who served four tours of duty, three in Iraq, one in Afghanistan. So, there is a lot of speculation that all that time in a war zone may have contributed to him being somehow emotionally unstable.

His attorney tells CNN that two years ago, Robert Bales suffered a traumatic brain injury when his vehicle went over a roadside bomb. His attorney also says that the day before the alleged rampage that Bales saw a fellow soldier get seriously injured.

Meanwhile, the neighbors who live in that community where Robert Bales shared a home with his wife and two children, they tell us they saw no evidence that he was capable of carrying out such rampage. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CASSIE HOLLAND, BALES' NEIGHBOR: I was completely blown away. I was devastated, heart broken. I mean -- I'm completely shocked.

I would describe him. He was super fun to hang around with, kind of the life of the party kind of guy. Super loving, friendly to everybody he met. Great with his kids. I just -- I don't -- I don't see how this has happened.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SIMON: Of course, everything in Robert Bales' background is going to be analyzed and dissected. There's an incident back in 2002 where he was accused of assaulting an ex-girlfriend.

According to "The Wall Street Journal," that charge was dismissed because he underwent anger management counseling. Right now, Don, everyone is trying to look at all aspect of his background to see what was there. At this point, we are not seeing a lot.

Back to you.

LEMON: People have seen the pictures. They want to see him in some video, at least. When do you think the first time we'll see him in court?

SIMON: Well, we know that he has to face a magistrate within seven days of getting to Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. He was there yesterday, got there last night. So, we're probably looking about six days from now before we see formal charges. Of course, we are wondering whether or not his wife and family will be with him in court. Those questions are still unanswered.

LEMON: Six days, in just under a week, then -- maybe something. Thank you, Dan Simon.

Susan Candiotti is in Ohio, the soldier's home state, and she is speaking to people who knew him to friends of Robert Bales, and she'll join us here on CNN very shortly.

In the meantime, Afghans aren't likely to get the kind of justice they want for the massacre's victims.

(VIDEO CLIP PLAYS)

LEMON: Today, their anger boiled over in Jalalabad. Hundreds marched through the city demanding that Bales he returned to Afghanistan for trial. In Kabul, Afghan President Hamid Karzai met today for a second time with the victims' families. They also want to see Bales tried in Afghanistan.

President Karzai has openly questioned a U.S. military surveillance video of Bales' remote base. He says Afghanistan is at the, quote, "end of its rope with the U.S." Moving on now to politics and it is a busy St. Patrick's Day for the Republican presidential hopefuls. Mitt Romney is holding a rally this hour in Collinsville, Illinois. You're looking at live pictures right now courtesy of our affiliate KSDK. It's a town hall, and it's going on now.

Romney's rival, Rick Santorum, on the trail, too, today. Rick Santorum has seven events scheduled today across Missouri and Illinois. And earlier today, well, he didn't hold back in his criticism of Romney's record as Massachusetts governor.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RICK SANTORUM (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: In the case of Governor Romney, he gives away that issue. He put forward bill that was the model for Obamacare, and then advocated that at the federal level, and then denied that he did it. Not only was his policies bad, you can't trust him to tell the truth about what he advocates.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Mitt Romney wrapped a quick swing through Puerto Rico this morning before heading to that Illinois town hall that you just saw earlier. Romney says he is optimistic about a win in tomorrow's Puerto Rico primary. We'll keep you updated on that as well.

New revelations about the pardons issued to inmates by Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour in his last days in office. CNN covers details on how the governor's security chief and even his wife personally aided some of the most hardened criminals even before they were released from prison. The story in two minutes.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Those controversial pardons granted by Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour as he left office are stirring new criticism. CNN has learned that the governor's wife and his security chief granted special favors to two inmates, favors that one legislative branch as appalling, saying they were treated, quote, "like kings".

Here's CNN's Ed Lavandera.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Just days before these two Mississippi killers were pardoned by Haley Barbour, CNN has learned David Gatlin and Charles Hooker were issued brand new driver's licenses, even though they were still technically incarcerated working as trustees at the governor's mansion -- which begs the question: how do two inmates get licenses while they're still in custody of the prison system?

(on camera): Well, Haley Barbour's chief security officer tells CNN he personally drove both men from the governor's mansion here over to the driver's license office himself. (voice-over): Barbour's security chief suggests the licenses would help them find jobs. But why else would they need a driver's license? To drive their newly-purchased cars, of course.

CNN has obtained these investigator's reports from the Mississippi attorney general's office, which detail how Gatlin and Hooker also had cars ready for them the day they were pardoned. According to the report, Haley Barbour's wife called a salesman at this car dealership. It says, "Marsha Barbour contacted him regarding the purchase of vehicles for Hooker and Gatlin."

The salesman allegedly told investigators that the inmates had been brought to the dealership on January 6th, 2012, in a black Ford Crown Victoria to complete paperwork for the sale.

January 6th is the very day that their pardons were signed, but two days before the men were officially released. The salesman also stated that he delivered both vehicles to the governor's mansion.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: Ed Lavandera reporting there.

State Representative David Baria calls the governor's pardons in his words way out of bounds. But the state Department of Public Service says to its knowledge no policies were broken and the Mississippi Supreme Court has ruled they are legal.

One of the most influential voices in American politics under pressure like never before. Up next: Rush Limbaugh tries to weather the storm he created. Some advertisers have jumped ship. And his radio show, is it in serious trouble? We'll talk about it.

But, first, let's talk education for a minute. What qualities should we look for when choosing teachers for our children? And why do some teachers handle troubled kids better than others?

CNN's education contributor Steve Perry is taking questions in today's edition of "Perry's Principles".

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What's being done to teach the teachers intangibles in the classroom?

STEVE PERRY, CNN EDUCATION CONTRIBUTOR: What you mean is that the teachers have a respect for the children? That's a real question that I have. When I'm looking to hire a teacher, what I want to find is a teacher who actually love kids, not just likes, because it's not always easy to like a kid, because kids are kids and they do things, right? They get on your nerves.

But loving them is something entirely different. That's you can do regardless of whether or not they are doing what they need to do. We need to hire more people who love children. When you find people who love kids, then they have a greater tolerance for what kids do and don't do really well. And then you'll get people who better understand children.

I like to hire coaches, because I think coaches have the best understanding of kids. They find multiple ways to get kids to learn.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: All right. Radio talk now, Rush Limbaugh loves to stir up trouble and boy, did he ever find it with these comments?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RUSH LIMBAUGH, TALK RADIO HOST: What does it say about the college co-ed Susan Fluke who goes before a congressional committee and essentially says that she must be paid to have sex? What does that make her?

It makes her a slut, right? It makes her a prostitute. She wants to be paid to have sex.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: All right. Well, it took a while, but he did apologize. Still, that didn't stop the outrage from women, from the left, and even from some in his own political allies. And it certainly didn't prevent an even bigger problem for Limbaugh -- advertisers bolting from his show.

Reports with a number anywhere from a handful to nearly a hundred. He says he is not worried. But this week, the network syndicates Rush's show told advertisers they are suspending national advertising for two weeks.

So, what does that mean? And what's the truth about one of, if not the leading voice of conservatism?

Goldie Taylor from the GoldieTaylorProject.com is here.

So, Goldie, what is the truth? Is Rush's show in jeopardy?

GOLDIE TAYLOR, POLITICAL ANALYST/CULTURAL CRITIC: He's in trouble. You know, Don, you know that I own an advertising agency here in Atlanta. And in that agency, we buy media on behalf of national and global brands. And for a brand as controversial -- and let me get this straight -- Rush Limbaugh isn't just a radio personality, he's a brand, he's a business.

So for my brand to invest in his business under this dark cloud, yes, isn't going to happen. I would be, you know, breaking my fiduciary duty. It would be not strategic on my part to recommend doing this for my client. I understand that many of my colleagues in advertising just aren't doing it.

LEMON: Well -- and the reason I wanted to do this segment is not because -- one side or the other that Rush should be taken off the air. None of that, because that's a whole freedom of speech thing. And then we'll talk about that.

TAYLOR: Sure.

LEMON: But I wanted to know what the truth is, because as we said, Rush is one of the leading voices of conservatism. And if one of the leading voices on the left is in jeopardy, again, as in Bill Maher, I want to know what's the truth? He says it's not.

So, he says he's not in trouble. He doesn't believe. So, then what's the difference between just saying, hey, listen, I'm done or suspending -- or saying we're suspending advertising?

TAYLOR: Well, the truth is he's lost 140-plus advertisers who are either suspending or completely terminating their relationship with him. Let's look at CNN -- could an organization as big as CNN afford to lose 140 advertisers? No. And certainly Rush can't afford it.

And so, when he says he's not in trouble, he simply isn't telling the truth. He never apologized. He never gave the advertisers a road back.

LEMON: So, then, why just not say we're terminating rather than saying suspending advertising?

TAYLOR: Because public relations-wise, that allows me to do a couple of things. One, it allows me to keep my base of buyers. So, if I've got conservatives who are buying my soap, I want them to continue buying my soap tomorrow. So, I say suspend so I can back away.

But as in the case with Imus, if I get far enough away from it, if he does apologize, if his brand does improve, I reserve the right to go back and invest two or three years later.

LEMON: OK. All right. Goldie, Rush's power and influence, is that over?

I want you to stand by, because we're going to talk more about that after the break, including media hype about hate speech on the left. Is that fair and balanced reporting?

We're back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Back now with Goldie Taylor from the GoldieTaylorProject.com.

Goldie, Rush's power and influence?

TAYLOR: Just like with Glenn Beck. His platform is likely to change. Glenn lost his show on FOX News. He's now got his own GBTV. I think we'll see something like that with Rush. Without those advertisers, you can't sustain a nationally syndicated deal.

LEMON: Do you think -- he's taken -- he's gone to Twitter this week for the first time? Why is that? TAYLOR: That's the result of the crisis managers getting involved. That's when public relations people come and say you've got to get into your audience and get them to support you and show these advertisers what they're getting. And so, he's now on Twitter.

LEMON: OK. So, now to the left, Goldie. There's hate speech there and Ed Schultz has used similar names, Bill Maher has called women names on his program that I can't repeat on TV. He says he's not on the left. He says he's not a registered Democrat.

He's given money to help reelect President Obama and even the president's own advisers hedge when it comes to Maher.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID AXELROD, OBAMA CAMPAIGN SENIOR STRATEGIST: Understand these words that Maher has used in his standup act are a little bit different -- not excusable in any way -- but different than a guy with 23 million radio listeners using his broadcast platform to malign a young woman for speaking her mind in the most inappropriate, grotesque ways.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Goldie?

TAYLOR: I don't care. Now, Bill Maher is not a Democrat. He doesn't speak for the left.

But I don't care whose mouth and under what context the word slut comes out of, I'm offended. And so, that place, I think it takes a bit of integrity to, you know, indict your friends for the same crimes that you would charge your enemies with. And so, on this regard, I think I'm going to differ a little bit with some of my closet colleagues when they say that Bill Maher is really not comparable. I think that kind of speech lobbied against women in any context is just unconscionable.

LEMON: Is there -- and I think -- I don't want to put words in your mouth. Is it more insidious when it comes from one person, when it comes from someone -- and I don't mean just Maher exclusively, when you can say, it's humor, it's what-have-you, because a lot of people can do that, comedians.

TAYLOR: Well, I think, you know, there is some comedic license that we can take out here in popular media, but I think there comes a point when it simply goes too far when you malign and demean people of a different religion or different sexual orientation, different gender, you know, different race. I mean, I think there's a point where the line just simply goes too far. I think, Rush Limbaugh, he's reached that line.

LEMON: And when you think of similar situations -- remember the situation that happened to Don Imus.

TAYLOR: Sure. LEMON: Don Imus is back on the air now.

Liberals -- correct me if I'm wrong -- do they circle the wagon as much as Republicans? And I think the same thing for African- Americans? African-Americans are very forgiving because it was a comment to a group of African-Americans basketball team.

TAYLOR: I think it's very different. I think in Imus' case, I think you reference Ed Schultz earlier, they gave heartfelt out in the public extended apologies and they were -- they seemed truly, sincerely sorry for what they've said. And you haven't seen the behavior continue. You didn't se that kind of apology come from Rush Limbaugh. So, you really can't compare those.

But in terms of circling the wagons, African-Americans specifically have -- in this psychographic, we tend to want to forgive -- you saw what happened with Chris Brown, you saw what happened with O.J. Simpson, when we knew that they were guilty of certain acts, we still wanted to give them that grace, that opportunity to redeem themselves.

LEMON: Is this a slippery slope when it comes to this advertising thing and freedom of speech? Is that a slippery slope?

TAYLOR: This isn't free speech. This is business.

LEMON: That's right.

TAYLOR: If he wants to go out on the corner street with a placard and say, you know, S Fluke is a prostitute, he's free, really to do that. But there are consequences. This is business. This is a radio show.

I think it is ironic that, you know, social capital, people have voted with their feet. This is what capitalism is about.

LEMON: All right. Thank you, Goldie.

TAYLOR: Thank you.

LEMON: Appreciate it. It's great conversation. Great conversation.

Goldie, we're going to talk about this story of a teenager shot and killed while walking down the street. Goldie Taylor is going to join us to talk -- we're going to talk abut the Trayvon Martin story that's happening in Florida.

You are hearing it on social media and I am as well.

TAYLOR: Absolutely.

LEMON: Thank you, Goldie.

She'll join us tomorrow with that questions and answers. Appreciate it.

A network for kids is taking on a problem that is hoping grown ups will solve. Bullying. Twenty-five percent to 30 percent of kids say they have been bullied and some share their stories in a program by the Cartoon Network.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED KID: Ugly.

UNIDENTIFIED KID: Fake.

UNIDENTIFIED KID: Loser.

UNIDENTIFIED KID: Stupid.

UNIDENTIFIED KID: Jerk.

UNIDENTIFIED KID: Fat.

UNIDENTIFIED KID: No one likes you.

UNIDENTIFIED KID: They call ears.

UNIDENTIFIED KID: Fish lips.

UNIDENTIFIED KID: They would say that my accent sounded weird.

UNIDENTIFIED KID: You're fat and stupid.

UNIDENTIFIED KID: You have no life.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: "Stop Bullying: Speak Up" aims for kids and parents to do just that.

One of its stars talk about the misery he experienced for years in grade schools.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AARON CHEESE, BULLIED STUDENT: My name is Cheese. So I would get variations of that -- cheese burger. I got glasses and braces at an early age. So they called me four eyes, train tracks, the usual things like that.

I wouldn't really cry or try to hold the tears back. But then as I got older and I realized that I was being sort of an outcast, then I started to try to make more friends and try to fit in a little more.

STUART SNYDER, PRESIDENT/COO, CARTOON NETWORK: A hundred sixty thousand kids don't go to school because of bullying. So, this is a serious, serious topic. And our whole goal is to get kids and parents and educators to be talking about this important topic. So, then, maybe we can make an impact.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: The Cartoon Network documentary on bullying, "Stop Bullying: Speak Up," airs tomorrow evening, at 5:30 Eastern and Pacific, on the Cartoon Network, of course.

It may be the most disturbing video yet out of Syria, scenes that appear to show killings and atrocities committed by Syrian security forces. It may be difficult to watch but it's something you definitely need to see.

And the growing threat of an Israeli attack on Iran. How would it play out, and how are Iranians already suffering even before the first bomb might fall. We are getting some perspective that you won't see anywhere else.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Coming up on half past the hour now, I want to get you caught up on your headlines.

The Army has identified the soldier suspected of a mass killing in Afghanistan as Staff Sergeant Robert Bales. We learned that Bales played football and graduated from a high school near Cincinnati. Records show, he faced a criminal assault charge in 2002. He has been described as a loving husband and father.

Bales is now in solitary confinement in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Afghans are demanding he face justice in Afghanistan.

And a breaking news tonight out of Iraq, the United Nations official is telling CNN that an American said to have been held captive for months have been turned over to the U.S. embassy in Baghdad. We were told the man was handed over to the U.N. by the movement led by the radical Shi'ite cleric Muqtada al-SaDr.

Shi'itec political leaders in al-SaDr's movement say, the man's name is Randy Michael. They claim he was held for nine months and that he was quote, "captured in battles." But a Pentagon official says to the best of their knowledge, no active duty U.S. military personnel have been missing in Iraq.

Some Indiana students are finding out just how lucky they are today. This is an EF-4 tornado slamming into their school. It happened about two weeks ago in Henryville, Indiana.

I want you to watch how the tornado pulverizes the gym. It also destroyed the front hallway. The miracle on this? No one was hurt. About 80 students and staff were there when it hit.

Syrian activists now say they found victims of a recent attack by thugs in one neighborhood in the city of Homs. They say 32 children and two women were found tortured and brutalized. They were sent to clinic retreatment. Half of the children have been returned to relatives since most of their parents were allegedly killed in the massacre.

CNN cannot confirm the authentic of this video.

Of course, that is far from the only tragedy reported in Homs. Over the past month we have seen several videos that appear to show killings and atrocities committed by Syrian security forces in opposition neighborhoods. New footage obtained by CNN is among the most disturbing yet. And we should warn you, Arwa Damon's report includes scenes that are very hard to watch.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ARWA DAMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The men crouch as they move across rooftops. Crawling through holes they smashed through the walls. It's taken nearly a week to get this far. To reach a house on the sectarian fault line that runs through Homs.

"We're rescuing the bodies of the martyrs" the voice on the video narrates. They've heard a Sunni family has been killed. What they find shocking beyond description. The first body that of a woman. In the room next to it, bodies crowded into a back corner, as if they were trying to hide. The dead child's face, a mask of fear, blood splatters the wall.

"Let the world see" the voice ex-claims "look at this massacre in one house." He curses the Shia, the Alawats and Bashar Al Assad. The video shot in the neighborhood of Sabib early in February.

"Look, people, look" (INAUDIBLE) said, overcome with emotion as he curses the regime and the world.

The camera shows more bodies slaughtered in the bathroom. Suddenly on another floor a tiny -- the child cries out, clearly terrified. He comes into view, having to crawl over a body lying in the doorway. He must have been hiding for days.

"Don't be afraid. You're safe now. Don't make a sound" one of the men tells the boy. It's not known who killed his family or why, but the men who found the bodies are sure this was a sectarian massacre carried out by thugs allied to the regime.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: CNN's Arwa Damon reporting with CNN crews as they move around inside Syria. There is a behind the scenes look at the excitement, the dangers and the heart break seen through the eyes of journalists. A CNN presents special 72 hours under fire airs tonight at 8:00 p.m. eastern right here on CNN.

Iran's nuclear research program has raised concerns worldwide. President Obama says the U.S. will not allow Iran to develop nuclear weapons. Israel says its very existence is at stake. And while Iran insists it's only interested in peaceful uses of nuclear power. Israel has developed plans to take military action.

Among the options, approach Iran's nuclear sites with fighter bombers from the south through Saudi Arabia. Israeli and Saudi Arabia, of course, have a difficult relationship. Israeli planes could fly over Turkey. Official in Israeli alley though relations have eroded in recent years.

And finally, Israeli planes could fly straight over Jordan and Iraq. But once those planes arrived in Iranian air space, they would face multiple challenges.

CNN's Richard Green has more on what sites in Iran could be targeted.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RICHARD GREEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: There is the Bushehr nuclear reactor. This is a declared civilian nuclear reactor that is above ground. That means because it is already up and operational, if you vomit, you are going to scatter nuclear radiation across the area. People think that is not likely. But there are four sites that the Israelis need to bomb.

One is called Arak. It is above ground, possibly a fairly soft target. Asfahan (ph) also above ground, possibly easy to hit. Although remember when I say easy, you have the Iranian air force defending it plus, anti-air craft missiles like S200 and the hawk.

Natanz is going to be a tougher target to hit. This is a nuclear site which is buried under about ten feet of concrete and another 30 feet of earth. So, what you need to use is a 5,000 pound bunker busting bomb to destroy this. The Israelis have those bombs but is it a difficult task.

And if you thought that was difficult, Fordo. This is a newly announced site only discovered about 18 months ago. It was a surprise that the Iranians had this site. This is built right into the side of a mountain.

So, even if you do manage to drop your bunker busting bombs on it, you run the risk that all you do is collapse something along the tunnel leading into it and you are effectively building a shield over it.

So, there is no doubt that Israel has the best air force in the region but when you consider all the challenges, it's certainly not going to be easy decision to just go ahead and try to bomb Iran's nuclear sites.

LEMON: CNN's Richard Green, that's how an attack on Iran by Israel could play out.

Up next the voices of Iranians. How do they feel about the growing threat of an attack. A closer look, right after this very quickly.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Before the break we told you how Israel might attack Iran and what sites might be on the list of targets. All of this talk is having an impact on the lives of Iranians.

And joining me is Moni Basu from the CNN wire. Moni is a journalist. Thank you so much. I think it's very important to hear exclusive from a middle class Iranians, every day Iranians as we say about this issue.

There were couple of CNN writers who spoke to Iranians and Iranian- Americans. And you are one of them. This is a perspective that we don't get to hear often, the voices of the middle class as opposed to the government, right. The mood of Iranians, are they worried about war or worrying about being able to survive?

MONI BASU, THEE CNN WIRE: Well, I think the situation right now is that the Iranians have been living under heightened anxiety as the Obama administration, President Obama himself, said these were the toughest sanctions that have been imposed on Iran targeting the banks and that has put the Iranian economy in a tail spin and that for the ordinary people that has meant rising food prices. And so, they have been living with that for a long time and on top of that now comes this heightened anxiety and talk of war and possibly Israel striking as you saw on Richard's report, striking these nuclear plants all across Iran.

LEMON: So, there is -- they are concerned about getting along every day as the economy -- eating, paying their bills, or what have you providing for their families. But I wonder if they live in fear of the government or of what the -- what someone else might do like what Israel might do.

BASU: I think it is all those things. You know, Imagine us living under -- we just went through a recession in our own country. Imagine if we then lived under those stressful economic conditions with also this real fear in our hearts of our own government and the repression by the Iranian government in the last two years. And then on top of that, fears of war coming to our country.

LEMON: Yes. The U.S. and Iranian governments are at odds. Do Iranians really like Americans?

BASU: I think what we heard in all these interviews is that we did with people, is that we want Americans -- Iranians told us that we want Americans to understand our country. It's a country with a rich history and rich culture and that many of them felt that Americans had a misperception of what Iranians were really like.

One woman told me I think most Americans think we are all terrorists and that we want to, you know, kill people and that we are like the Taliban in Afghanistan and we're not that way at all. And there was this real feeling that I got from talking to people that if only there was more people to people connections, if Americans understood Iranians more, then maybe there wouldn't be such bellicose talk about Iran.

LEMON: Fear because of the unknown. If you don't know someone right, they want to read this a quote from a former teacher that you spoke to. Says "Iranians honestly think they look at us like terrorists, as you said, like the ones that are portrayed in the movies. They think that we wear burkas and we don't allow women to drive" and you said, as you said, they all think that we are all terrorists. How core about that?

BASU: I think some of that comes from the fact that there is so little news coming out of Iran. As you said earlier, I mean, we hear all the rhetoric from the United States, from the Iranian government, from Israel. But it's not very often that we get to see, you know, pictures of ordinary life in Iran or talk to people on the streets. And so, I think there is that disconnect.

LEMON: The Persian new year's began on Tuesday.

BASU: That's right, Nowruz.

LEMON: Is it going to be tempered this year, you think?

BASU: That's what people told us. Normally it's a biggest celebration of the year. It's a big deal. Families get together. People have feasts. And one woman who lives in Isbahan (ph) just south of Natanz, the base that Richard was talking about, the underground nuclear reactor. She told me that when she went to the market last week, she couldn't justify even buying tomatoes. The prices were so high and that definitely this year Nowruz would take on a different tone.

LEMON: Moni. Interesting. Interesting. Will you come back and talk to us more?

BASU: Of course.

LEMON: Thank you.

BASU: Thank you for having me.

LEMON: Yes. I really enjoyed this conversation. And let's inform, you know, Americans more about Iranians. We have the power and the platform.

BASU: Thank you.

LEMON: Appreciate it, Moni Basu.

You know, when most of us think of slavery we think of horrors in the past. You say, the distant past. But in one country it is very real and happening today.

CNN went to Mauritania to speak with slaves and slaves' owners, and government officials who say, with the straight face, it doesn't exist anymore.

Here's a clip from our special's "Slavery last Stronghold" when our CNN crew brought together a former slave with the man that used to own him.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We reunited (INAUDIBLE) with his former owner (INAUDIBLE) who he hadn't seen in years.

(SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through text): Choosing Yebawwa, well, it was it as if I were picking out a toy. It was nothing new. Traditionally, when the boy is circumcised, he generally picks out a slave. For me it was just a thing that amused me. And who came to mind because there were all these funny stories that he talked in his sleep, that he was a bit chubby, a bit clumsy, he was supposed to be watching. And was always getting punished for this.

You remember taking care of animals, coming late in the night? Locusts, people yelling and screaming? And where did this go, where did that go?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My new life is of course better. When I was young, I only took care of my family's animals. But, I sometimes lost some, any they would yell at me. And when I left there was no one to yell at me. And if I lose some, I have to blame myself and look for it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There is no more punishment.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

LEMON: That slave owner is working to end slavery in Mauritania. His story and many credible others in a CNN.com special. It debuts online tomorrow morning and then the broadcast premier of slavery's last stronghold is tomorrow night at 7:00 Eastern.

You can check it out online, cnn.com/Mauritania and then again at 7:00 eastern right here on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: So we have talked about James Cameron and his new mission to do more than just make Oscar-winning movies. He has got his eye on a much more historic achievement and he is risking his life for it. Cameron is preparing for the world's deepest ocean dive and he is riding in a one-man vehicle.

CNN's Jason Carroll takes a look inside.

JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well Don, James Cameron is living an explorer's dream. But this is not just about exploration, it is also about science and possibly discovering new forms of life that exist on our planet's final frontier.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CARROLL (voice-over): In this story, James Cameron is not the only character taking the voyage to the Mariana transient deepest point, challenger deep.

JAMES CAMERON, FILM DIRECTOR: Do you want to see how we do it?

CARROLL: Yes.

CAMERON: Let's do it.

CARROLL: This, in Cameron's eyes is the other. His submersible, deep sea challenger. It took a team of scientist and the national geographic society, more than seven years to make a sub able to withstand pressure at the transient's depth, 16,000 pounds per square inch.

So, it does stay vertical.

CAMERON: Flies like a sea horse. You know how it stays upright, you have a little fin on the back.

CARROLL: We want to tell you more about D.T. challenger as its dock and resting and being worked on here. It weighs 12 tons. And even though it's on its side, it's actually 24 feet high. It powered by these specially created lithium batteries. And its body is made up of a synthetic foam that was developed by Cameron and his team of scientists. And that color that you there, Cameron calls that Kawasaki green.

CAMERON: I'm pretty used in climbing around this thing.

CARROLL: It is one sitter, designed to have camera encased in a protective pod.

CARROLL: How tall are you?

CAMERON: 6'2". And it would be easier, it built for me.

CARROLL: It is a tight fit.

CAMERON: I'm pretty much like this for ten hours.

CARROLL: You're not worried about cramps or anything?

CAMERON: Not yet.

CARROLL: Cameron expects time will pass as he captures 3D images and hopefully sea life from the transient's floor as he is already done on previous test tiles.

CAMERON: And I can actually slurp up little critters or I can suck on to an animal, pick him up and drop him into a bio box.

CARROLL: If something goes wrong, there is avail safe system, a series of weights released with flip of a switch. It brings little comfort to Cameron's mother who worries.

CAMERON: I love my family and my kids that there are nothing I love more but is also have to do this. I also have to go look. It's like Jimmy Stewart said in "how the west was won," sometimes you have to go see the critter.

CARROLL: The challengers' frontier awaits.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CARROLL: Don, there's a lot of talk about the risks that are involved here. But I can tell you, that Cameron is an accomplished deep see explorer. He's been on - let me count here -- at least 70 submersible dives, 50 of those to deep sea depths. So, once again, he's well aware of the risks that are involved here but it is a man who is dedicated to science and driven by the need to explore -- Don.

LEMON: Jason Carroll, thank you.

By the way, Jason was the only news reporter invited on the ship for James Cameron's test dives. See more in a Special Report called "extreme dive 7 miles underwater" tonight at 10:30 eastern here on CNN. It really is fascinating stuff.

And if you're a techie or an Apple aficionado, it's the latest must- have item, the new ipad. Millions literally camped out just to get their hands on the thing. What makes it so special? We'll ask an expert, someone who knows, coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Boy, here we go again. Tech geeks and Apple junkie line up to get their hands on it. We're talking about Apple's new ipad is now on sale. But, what's all the puss about? What is it all about. I want you to listen to what Apple's co-founder had to say about why he's itching for the new ipad.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEVE WOZNIAK, APPLE CO-FOUNDER: I actually have a reason to purchase a new ipad. And oddly enough to say, I didn't get the high memory ipad in the past. I can't put on a whole bunch of movies like I wanted. So I've got a good reason to upgrade now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: All right. So Steve Wozniak, just one of the millions of people across the world who camped out ahead of the official launch. Did he really have to camp out? I don't know.

Christina Warren, entertainment editor of mashable.com, and as she joins me now live. Christina, Apple has such a huge cultural following. Why everything time something like this happens do people line up and its are all hyped up about it?

CHRISTINA WARREN, ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR, MASHABLE.COM: It's something about the cult of Apple which admittedly and with full disclosure I'm a member of. There's been I think a thing about the experience, it's kind of like if you line up for concert tickets or, you know, in search of other events. There's something kind of fun about, you know, being out someplace at 10:30 at night to wait for a store to open at midnight or out at 3:00 in the morning waiting for a place to open up. I don't know.

LEMON: I asked you during the break, I was like is it any different than the ipad original that I have? And you said --

WARREN: Yes.

LEMON: "Oh, My God, yes!" WARREN: I know, I was pretty abusive. No, the screen is unbelievable. And it's easy to say it's just got a better screen. But the screen -- I've got actually got mine here. It's pretty amazing. It's got this thing called the retina display. And the resolution, you can't distinguish the pixels. So, it's like looking at a glassy magazine.

LEMON: All right. I get it. I know and I don't want to be too commercially for Apple. But I mean, there are many other companies who do tablets. Some of them do it very well. and I'm wondering, is it the way that they shape the message? Is it sort of a cultural phenomenon because to have someone like the co-founder standing in line. Does that help fuel the following?

WARREN: Sure. It does but I think it's all about execution. I mean, for me, the reason that I have an ipad and I've reviewed a lot of other tablets. In Mashable, we get tables all the time. We review them every week. But the reason I use the ipad and the reason I love the ipad, the apps are simply better, the overall experience is more seamless. And they key pace with the processing speeds and now with the screens and the other specs with anybody else.

So, you know, if you're comparing tablets in this price range, it's the best one available right now by far. The screen is gorgeous and the apps. I mean, that's really the big screen. That's the reason people continue to buy the product and lineup is that, the overall experiences just makes computing a lot more fun.

LEMON: Oh, my gosh, I need it now!

Christina Warren is one of those people. Christina from Mashable.com

WARREN: I am.

LEMON: Thank you. We really appreciate it. Thanks for being such a good sport, too.

WARREN: Thank you.

LEMON: All right.

President Barack Obama, well, he took time to enjoy the St. Paddy's day. He raised a pint of Guinness this afternoon at a popular bar in Washington. He wore a moss-colored jacket to avoid getting pinched. That is a St. Paddy's tradition for not wearing green.

The president does claim some Irish roots. And you may recall that he visited his great, great, great grandfather's hometown in Ireland just last year.

And before the president grabbed that beer today, you know, he got in on a little fun with the family, the first family. They dyed the fountain in front of the White House green. So that's how it looked right there.

Pretty green? Sort of reminds you of those green slushiest at the 7- 11. Remember those?

This tradition started in 2009 at the request of the first lady. Perhaps she's a little home sick for the Chicago St. Patrick's day tradition, which is the Chicago river. This is how Chicago celebrates St. Patrick's day. Well, folks die the river in Chicago green.

Look at that! I remember when I lived there I was saying what is going on? Is it algae? What? It's kind of cool look, right? Beautiful. This always draw as crowd, by the way. It's very popular. The tradition started more than 50 years ago. And if you're wondering what they use to do this, it's supposedly a dye first used by plumbers to detect leaks. Look at that. Pretty cool. Looks fluorescent, right? Would you want to jump in the middle of that? A green river? Not so sure. Looks invite, though. Kind of.

I'm Don Lemon at the CNN Headquarters, Atlanta. I'll see you back here at 10:00 p.m. Eastern. CNN presents "72 HOURS, UNDER FIRE" begins right now.