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Iran's President Speaks; Closing Arguments in Jackson Trial; Rookie Nearly Scores Shutout; Yankees Fans' Bobblehead Craze

Aired September 25, 2013 - 09:30   ET

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

DR. DREW PINSKY, HOST, HLN'S "DR. DREW ON CALL": My medical team. I am probably cancer free and probably look forward to a normal life expectancy without cancer, because it's very common for men. It's highly treatable. And then, if a man lives long enough, the odds are he's going to get this cancer. The treatments are different at different ages and at different grades of tumor. It is something that you should be working with your doctor on and don't freak out if you get this diagnosis.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: That's easy for you to say but a lot of people would freak out. But listen to Dr. Drew. He credits his wife for pushing him to get a physical, which led to the cancer discovery. He says he came forward with the news in the hopes of helping other men. So get to the doctor.

Still to come in the NEWSROOM, the icy relationship between Iran and the United States, is it thawing?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PRESIDENT HASSAN ROUHANI, IRAN: I bring peace and friendship from Iranians to Americans.

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COSTELLO: Iran's new president speaks out about possible nuclear negotiations in a rare interview with CNN. Christiane Amanpour, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: President Obama and the president of Iran did not meet at the United Nations. They didn't even shake hands. U.S. officials say the encounter was called off because it was considered too complicated for Iran. But from the podium, both leaders called for a new era of cooperation. CNN's chief international correspondent Christiane Amanpour sat down with the Iranian president. Let's listen.

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CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Why didn't you?

PRESIDENT HASSAN ROUHANI, IRAN (through translator): There were some talks about it, in fact, to perhaps arrange for a meeting between President Obama and myself so that, given the opportunity, we can talk with each other. And preparation for the work was done a bit as well. The United States declared its interest in having such a meeting and in principle Iran could have, under certain circumstances, allowed it to happen. But I believe we didn't have sufficient time to really coordinate the meeting.

But speaking of the ice breaking that you mentioned, it's already beginning to break because the environment is changing and that has come about as a result of the will of the people of Iran to create a new era of relations between the people of Iran and the rest of the world.

AMANPOUR: Are you authorized to start talking, negotiating with the United States? Are you authorized by the supreme leader back in Iran?

ROUHANI: I think that the president of Iran has the authority, whenever the national interest of the country is involved and when it's necessary and expedient and required, to speak and talk with others in order to promote the rights of its nations. For circumstances to be laid properly, the supreme leader of Iran has said that should negotiations be necessary for the national interest of the country, he is, in fact, not opposed to it. He has specifically mentioned it in a recent talk that he is not optimistic regarding the issue of talks with the United States, but when it comes to specific issues, government officials may speak with their American counterparts.

Now, if an opportunity was created today, had arisen today, and the prep work for that had been done, most probably the talks would have taken place primarily focused on the nuclear issue or the developments on the Middle East. Therefore, the supreme leader, I can tell you, has given permission for my government to freely negotiate on these issues.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Christiane Amanpour joins us now.

Good morning, Christiane.

AMANPOUR: Good morning, Carol.

COSTELLO: So it seems like there's a thawing in the relationship. It seems like Iran is reaching out, but words are just that, words. What is he offering that's concrete?

AMANPOUR: Well, he and the U.S. have now said that their foreign ministers, the secretary of state and the Iranian foreign minister can lead the negotiations on these vital issues. That's a big change. Before he came to New York, there was 80 political dissidents who were released, there was all sorts of gestured and tweets and statements that really did break the ice. And, of course, people are asking, what is the substance behind this style?

In my interview, he talks about specific areas around the nuclear issue that may or may not be, well, he said they may be on the table for negotiation. He is the only Iranian president who's actually been a chief nuclear negotiator, so he's obviously not going to tell me all of this on television, but he did indicate that there were areas around that program that could be on the table. Also said that Iran would have to keep its rights towards being able to keep its rights to enrichment, but he did say there was room for negotiation in a peaceful manner.

Also, he spoke very clearly about the Holocaust, about what his predecessor had used to do, which was deny it, call it a myth, take this U.N. podium and spout the most awful, awful hate speech and anti- Semitic speech. He walked that back very, very strongly. You can see that he condemned the Nazi crimes against the Jews, as he said. And also he said that it is not Iran's policy to threaten or attack Israel. I asked him that because of what his predecessor used to say about wiping Israel off the face of the map. And I also asked him that because of what President Obama said yesterday, that we cannot tolerate anyone who threatens our ally Israel with destruction.

So, on many, many issues he was very forthcoming, including internal issues like censorship in Iran, human rights and other such things. We'll have the whole interview on my program later and I will put the whole interview online because it's obviously a very vital moment and a vital relationship to try to manage.

COSTELLO: Oh, it's fascinating, too. Christiane Amanpour, thank you so much for joining me this morning. I appreciate it.

AMANPOUR: Thank you, Carol.

COSTELLO: Still to come in the NEWSROOM, closing arguments will resume today in the Michael Jackson wrongful death trial. The Jackson family attorney says the concert promoter was motivated by one thing, that would be money. We'll take you live to Los Angeles, next.

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COSTELLO: Closing arguments will resume today in the Michael Jackson wrongful death trial. Yes, it's still going on. An attorney for the Jackson family claims concert promoter AEG Live should also be held responsible and claims the company hired Dr. Conrad Murray, who is serving two years in prison. CNN's Casey Wian, live in Los Angeles with more.

Good morning.

CASEY WIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.

Well, for the first time, the attorney for the Jackson family revealed just how much they're seeking from AEG Live in compensation for Michael Jackson's death. It could be as much as $2 billion. But before they get to that figure, jurors must decide who actually hired Dr. Conrad Murray, the doctor who gave Jackson that fatal overdose of Propofol.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) MICHAEL JACKSON, SINGER: This is it.

WIAN (voice-over): Michael Jackson was so intoxicated and disoriented before the press conference announcing his comeback tour, that a concert promotion executive had to slap him and put him in the shower just to get him to the podium. Jackson family attorney Brian Panish told that story during his closing argument in a wrongful death lawsuit against concert promoters AEG Live, to should the promoter should have known better than to hire Dr. Conrad Murray to care for Jackson and keep him performing at all costs.

BRIAN PANISH, JACKSON FAMILY ATTORNEY: And Michael Jackson had a well- known problem. He had abused prescription medications during times of pain, anxiety, and stress. But AEG sought, when they brought Dr. Murray in to assume the responsibility for taking that risk, that they chose to run the risk to make a huge profit. And they lost. And they are responsible.

WIAN: Spectators in the court teared up when Panish played a video highlighting Michael Jackson's career. Part of an effort to show the king of pop could have earned more than $1 billion had he lived. Damages, he said, should go to Jackson's survivors. First, jurors must decide if Murray was an employee of AEG, despite the fact that neither Jackson nor AEG signed his contract. Panish displayed an e-mail exchange between AEG executives.

PANISH: "We want to remind him that it's AEG, not MJ, that's paying his salary."

WIAN: That e-mail may be the strongest evidence in favor of Jackson's mother, Katherine, and his three children. The family matriarch had dramatic testy exchanges with AEG attorneys during the trial. Two of Jackson's children, Paris and Prince, testified by videotape. Paris survived a suicide attempt during the course of the nearly five-month trial.

During AEG's closing arguments, attorneys also plan to bring up Jackson's long history of drug abuse, but they'll use it to argue he was responsible for his own death.

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WIAN: Now, how responsible Michael Jackson was for his own death could play into the jury's ultimate damage award if, in fact, they find in favor of the Jackson family. The attorney for the Jackson family concealed as much yesterday in closing arguments that AEG is going to argue that this 50-year-old man was largely responsible for his own death, Carol.

COSTELLO: Casey Wian reporting live from Los Angeles. Thank you.

Here's what's all new in the next hour of NEWSROOM.

Two middle school kids suspended for firing toy guns in their yard.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) CALLER: And I don't know if it was a toy, I don't know if they were playing, I don't know anything, but as it turned out, it did not look like they were playing.

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COSTELLO: It went down feet away from the bus stop. The kids say they were just having fun.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We were in our yard and this had nothing to do with school.

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COSTELLO: Has zero tolerance gone too far?

Plus New York has a message for drivers, no excuses for taking your hands off the wheel. Now they've got special spots for you to stop and text.

And distracted driving leaves the Detroit Lions down a player -- a starting player's season now in jeopardy after he tried to save a falling pizza. Are the Lions cursed? That's all now in the next hour of NEWSROOM.

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COSTELLO: Checking our "Top Stories" at 50 minutes past the hour.

200 Colorado dams will undergo emergency inspection just weeks after heavy rains and massive flooding soaked the state. The inspections will take place over the next ten days. There have been nine small dam failures across Colorado but state officials say there have been no injuries or deaths from those failures.

In money news "USA Today" is reporting that Twitter has chosen the New York Stock Exchange over NASDAQ for its Initial Public Offering. The offering could raise nearly $1.5 billion for the social media site. Twitter is hoping to avoid the problems Facebook ran into when its IPO was listed on the NASDAQ.

And they're back. Lloyd Christmas and Harry Dunne better known as Jim Carey and Jeff Daniels -- oh look at that picture -- just days after winning a best actor Emmy, Daniels posted that very picture on Twitter.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ok, ok. Ah.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Time out.

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COSTELLO: Yes, so we have to take you back 20 years -- can you believe it -- since "Dumb and Dumber" hit theaters?

Filming has already started though for "Dumb and Dumber 2".

Oh, man. Still to come in the NEWSROOM, Yankees' fans they wait in line for hours. Not for post-season tickets, mind you, but for a Mariano Rivera Bobblehead.

Up next -- the nightmare at Yankee Stadium.

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COSTELLO: For the third time this season, a pitcher of a lost a no- hitter with two outs in the ninth inning. It happened this time to the St. Louis Cardinals rookie. I felt so bad for him, Andy.

ANDY SCHOLES, BLEACHER REPORT: Yes Carol, this is why they say it isn't over until it is over. You know this was Michael Wacha's ninth start of his career and he was about this close to a no-hitter but unfortunately luck was not on his side last night.

Ryan Zimmerman he was the only thing standing in between Wacha and the history book. He hits this ball right over Wacha charging Pete Kozma barehanded but his throw pulled Matt Adams' (inaudible) off the bag. Zimmerman called safe. The crowd at the Busch Stadium was stunned but they did give Wacha a huge ovation as he came off the field.

COSTELLO: We'll give him a round of applause too.

SCHOLES: Yes. Great outing by him.

All right. Chaos broke out at Yankees stadium last night as fans are forced to wait for hours outside the gate to get their hands on a Mariano River Bobblehead.

COSTELLO: Seriously?

SCHOLES: Yes this is ridiculous. The first 18,000 to the gates were supposed to receive the bounty figurine. But there was one problem the bobbleheads weren't even there.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is the most unorganized day of Yankees Stadium I have ever seen.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mob scene. You know, it was a lot, a lot of people here.

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SCHOLES: So the trucks delivering the bobbleheads were delayed and didn't arrive until the third inning. And fans who are given a voucher when they finally got through the gate they had to go get in another long line in order to finally secure their Rivera souvenir.

COSTELLO: Will they be worth money in the future or something? SCHOLES: Well they are going for about $100 on eBay right now in case.

COSTELLO: Ok. Well then ok. Ok I stand corrected. I would have stood in line myself.

SCHOLES: All right Penn State football program receives some good news this week the NCAA announced that it's going to gradually restore the scholarships that were taken away as a result of the Jerry Sandusky scandal. The NCAA said Penn State has shown a strong commitment to fulfilling the recommendations made in the pre-report by 2016.

The Nittany Lions will have all of their scholarship restored. And they could even have their four year ball ban reduced in the near future.

All right turning right now on BleacherReport.com the Xavier men's basketball team made a dream come true for one of their youngest fans. 12-year-old Trey Couch was diagnosed a couple of years ago with a chronic illness that affects his coordination and balance. He's always wanted to play division one basketball and the Musketeers they made that happened this week signing him to a letter of intent along with his parents. Trey got to spend the entire day with the team. And Carol he's now the youngest prospect ever to sign with Xavier.

COSTELLO: You go, Trey.

SCHOLES: So definitely good to see this happens especially for a kid like that.

COSTELLO: Oh it's a nice story. That just brightened my whole day and made me forget about what is happening on Capitol Hill. Thank you, Andy.

The next hour of CNN NEWSROOM after a break.

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COSTELLO: Happening now in the NEWSROOM -- he's still going.

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SEN. TED CRUZ (R), TEXAS: When Americans tried it, they discovered they did not like green eggs and ham and they did not like Obamacare either. They did not like Obamacare in a box with a fox, in the house or with a mouse.

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