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American Morning
A Message from Gadhafi?; Obama at U.N. General Assembly; "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" is History; Palestinians Seeking Statehood; Interview with John Negroponte; Military Now Accepting Openly Homosexual Applicants; New Book About Palin Family Hits Bookstores; Controversial New Book Depicts Infighting in Obama White House; "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" is Done; Brazil's President Fights Cancer; Clemency Denied for Troy Davis
Aired September 20, 2011 - 07:59 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ALINA CHO, CNN ANCHOR: A humanitarian crisis unfolding this hour in Libya. I'm Alina Cho. Troops loyal to Moammar Gadhafi reportedly shooting unarmed citizens and also starving them. The new Libyan leaders are making those claims as they get ready to meet with President Obama this morning at the U.N.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Out of the closet and into the service.
Hello. I'm Carol Costello.
The Pentagon policy of "don't ask, don't tell" is now history, allowing gay men and women to serve openly in the military -- on this AMERICAN MORNING.
(MUSIC)
CHO: And good morning. It's Tuesday, September 20th. Ali Velshi, Christine Romans are off this morning.
Good morning, Carol Costello.
COSTELLO: Good morning, Alina Cho.
And good morning to all of you.
First up, breaking news: the National Transitional Council forces in Libya seizing control of the airport in Sabha. That's one of the strongholds of the exiled dictator, Moammar Gadhafi. These pictures exclusive to CNN. You hear the beeping horns there in celebration.
We're also getting reports that National Transition Committee troops have captured other parts of the southern Libyan city as they prepare for another offensive in Sirte, which is Gadhafi's hometown.
CHO: Also developing right now, Syrian television is airing an audiotape message this morning reportedly made by Moammar Gadhafi.
COSTELLO: The exiled Libyan dictator vowing opposition forces can never overthrow his regime.
Phil Black live in Tripoli this morning.
Probably not exactly true.
PHIL BLACK, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hard to say.
Carol, Alina, good morning.
This recording claims that show or claims to be Moammar Gadhafi talking politics. And if you think that sounds a little dry, well, you're right. It's basically a speech in which the man claiming to be Gadhafi argues that the political system under Gadhafi was the only legitimate political system for the Libyan people and what is being put into place right now is not. Beyond that, there's not a little information.
We can't verify its authenticity and crucially, there's no information which gives any hint to when it was recorded or perhaps, even more crucially, just where it was recorded, where Gadhafi could be now -- Carol, Alina.
CHO: Phil, you know, no surprise that the accusations are flying between those loyal to Gadhafi and the rebels. The latest is that the head of Libya's new transitional council reports that forces loyal to Gadhafi are massacring and starving innocent citizens in the city of Bani Walid.
Is there any truth to that from where you are? From what you can see?
BLACK: Well, it is difficult to look at their claim specifically because we're not allowed into that city at the moment. So, they're making very specific claims at the moment about human rights abuses.
They claim as many as 12 people were executed. These are 12 people that supposedly support the revolution, executed by pro-Gadhafi forces. But they also talk about how rough conditions are there for the civilians right now.
We've been down to the checkpoint closest to that city, as close as we can get. We have spoken to people who have been able to leave and, yes, they have been saying for some time there is no food, there is no water. The basics are in very short supply. Lots more people would like to leave, but they don't have the fuel for their vehicles to get out of town.
So, there's every reason to believe that, yes, absolutely, that is true. But the key question is, what do the transitional council and revolutionary fighters are going to do about it? They have been trying to take this city by military force now for some time now, and all efforts, all tactics to do so have effectively, failed, really. It seems that for the moment, the pro-Gadhafi forces within the city continue to be able to repel them.
COSTELLO: Phil Black reporting live from southern Libya this morning. So, with that report, I mean -- just kind of odd that President Obama and the new Libyan leadership preparing for face-to- face talks today at the United Nations. The president arrived in New York yesterday for the U.N. General Assembly. And this morning, the future of Libya is on the line.
CHO: For more on this, CNN senior U.N. correspondent Richard Roth is joining us.
So, what exactly does the White House hope to achieve by meeting with the transitional council this morning?
RICHARD ROTH, CNN SENIOR U.N. CORRESPONDENT: To better put a framework in place for moving forward for the next Libya. I mean, this is really the end game we're seeing playing out, barring any stunning reversals there.
And it is kind of odd. We're having another general assembly session. I don't recall one where one of the member countries have had such conflict right at the same time and the deposed leader is sending out audiotapes and fighting is going on.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's strange, isn't it?
ROTH: There's always something different or interesting, usually, maybe a coup or something. This is -- and also having the Security Council just a few months ago pass a resolution, which really led to a U.N. member county leader Gadhafi's downfall. So, the U.S. and others are going to gather today.
Obama meeting with Mustapha Jalil, the chairman of the National Transitional Council to say, what's your plan? How are you going to make it a more inclusive government, including remnants of the opposition so that we don't have an Iraq-type situation, even though everyone is saying Libya is not Iraq. Libya is not East Timor.
(CROSSTALK)
CHO: So divisive.
COSTELLO: I'm sorry. People were worried about extremists becoming part of the government, too.
ROTH: That's right. Who do you take? I mean, we saw what happened in Iraq with the dismantling of the Baath Party and some would have said some more people should have been kept on. There is a system in place.
Libya's coming back quickly. Originally, there was a big water problem in Tripoli and things like that, but the U.N. will be on the ground. Expertise used to revitalizing countries.
It isn't always as easy as it sounds. And, of course, we saw Phil Black and the images on the battlefield. That's quite differently from the suits and ties look at the U.N. today. But this is key dialogues that's going ton.
CHO: I want to talk about another big story that's going on. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is calling for Palestinian statehood. What's the latest on that front?
ROTH: That is still on the table. And the Palestinians are going to get as much mileage and leverage out of this as they can and they're frustrated and they would like to have their own state, not as easy as that sounds. They need Security Council approval first.
The U.S. says now is not the time to do this. They plan to veto. Israel says this is a destructive tactic. The Palestinians beg to differ.
We're not going to find out anything on the timetable of all this until Friday.
Look, they could submit it to the Security Council. It could sit there for weeks or months.
COSTELLO: With no bone at all, right?
ROTH: Right. It's unclear. But there's a momentum going to at least revitalize doing something, but I bet we're going to sit here years from now, maybe on a different couch, talking about the same admission.
(CROSSTALK)
ROTH: Yes. I'll be wearing the same clothes.
CHO: OK.
COSTELLO: Richard Roth, thanks so much.
Coming up in about 10 minutes, we'll be joined by John Negroponte, the former U.S. ambassador to Iraq. We'll ask him whether the Palestinian's bid for statehood would go through and if it does what it means for Israel, the Middle East and also the United States.
CHO: Across the country, gay rights groups plan to stage celebrations today, marking the end of the policy that banned gays and lesbians from serving openly in the military.
COSTELLO: "Don't ask, don't tell" now history after 18 years on the books.
CNN's Chris Lawrence live at the Pentagon with details on the new guidelines.
Take it away, Chris.
CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Carol, Alina, you know, the military has been taking applications from openly gay applicants for the past several weeks. As of today, they'll be able to start processing those applications.
But for some of the 13,000 people who were kicked out under "don't ask, don't tell," they may find it a bit harder to get back in.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LAWRENCE (voice-over): Hundreds of American troops who got kicked out of the military for being gay or lesbian are about to get hit, again, with a reality check.
JEREMY JOHNSON, APPLYING TO GET BACK INTO NAVY: If I was trying to go back in active duty right now versus reserves, the Navy wouldn't take me in the job I was doing before.
LAWRENCE: Jeremy Johnson was discharged in 2007.
(on camera): You basically wrote a letter to your commanding officer outing yourself.
JOHNSON: I did. And it wasn't something that I wanted to do. It was something that deep down I felt I was forced to do in order to kind of maintain my sanity.
LAWRENCE (voice-over): Mike Almy had finished a tour in Iraq and had been recommended for promotion to lieutenant colonel. Then he was outed by another officer and kicked out of the Air Force.
MICHAEL ALMY, APPLYING TO GET BACK INTO AIR FORCE: Obviously, I had a five-year gap at this point in my career. So, nothing is going to fully repair the damage that was done to my career, but I'm hoping that I could just at least get back in there, where I left off, resume my career.
LAWRENCE: Both are applying to get back in, but the repeal of "don't ask, don't tell" is no guarantee.
JOHNSON: I'll be honest. I talked to people who wanted to go back in and they started making the phone calls to recruiters and found out that their set of circumstances just wouldn't allow it. And there's let down. I mean, you could hear it in their voice.
LAWRENCE: Some are too old now. Their specialties are no longer need or their jobs are fully staffed. The military is getting smaller and more people are staying in.
And the Pentagon says, service members who separated under "don't ask, don't tell" will be evaluated according to the same criteria applicable to all others seeking reentry. In other words, there's no waiver.
JOHNSON: I think it would be awesome if that could happen, but I know the hard truth is that it's not practical.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LAWRENCE: Yes, that's because the year Jeremy got out of the service, the military was taking in about 15,000 people who had prior service. They were allowed to get back in.
Last year, that number had dropped to less than 5,000. And with the current budget crunch, the only way you could give waivers to say 1,000 people discharged under "don't ask, don't tell" is to take another 1,000 people out of the current military.
COSTELLO: Yes, Chris, I'm always amazed that -- I talked to so many gay men and women who were kicked out of the service because somebody outed them. Yet, they want to rejoin. They want to serve their country.
And this is kind of sad that they still won't be able to.
LAWRENCE: Well, Carol, you know, there's a tremendous sense of loyalty among military members. A lot of people asked that question. It's a great one.
You know, if someone feels they haven't been given a fair shake, why would they want to get back into the same company, so to speak? And you talk to a lot of people and they say because they don't think of it as a company, it was a calling for them and it's very important.
And on a practical side, a lot of people were on a real career trajectory, planning on retiring, going the full 20 years, getting the pension. You get kicked out after 12, 14 years, you don't qualify for that.
COSTELLO: It's just like, it's just so sad to me. So, what happens from here on out? It's just, I guess, normal every day. If you want to join the service, you go in and sign up and don't worry about it.
LAWRENCE: There's not going to be any big hoopla. I mean, you talk to people, it's more going to be a matter of maybe someone putting a picture on their desk, not coming out in some big public press conference saying anything. But it does present some real problems for the military going forward because gay marriage is not recognized under the federal government, which means the military can't recognize it.
And you may have situations down the road where say, you know, a partner, you know, is not allowed to join a spousal support group when his partner goes off to war or a, you know, same-sex couple that are already married in one state, the military moves in to another state where their marriage is no longer recognized. So, there's some thorny problems that not only the military but the federal government is going to have to iron out in the months and years to come.
COSTELLO: Wow. Well, hopefully they'll work those things out as we go along. But it's a big first step.
Chris Lawrence, live at the Pentagon -- thanks.
CHO: You know about this HBO documentary that looked very deeply into "don't ask, don't tell." It debuted at midnight when it was repealed and will play again, I believe, at 8:00 tonight. But what struck me about that documentary is that there was one woman who served who said, you know, "I love my country, I will fight to protect it, even if it won't do the same for me." And I'll never forget that, and I thought that was really interesting.
But it is so sad and it is one of those caveats, when you say it's been repealed. It's like, well, yes, but 14,000 people who -- some of them want to get back in, can't. And so, it's frustrating.
COSTELLO: Well, and you join the military for love of country.
CHO: Right.
COSTELLO: Most people don't join the military because they want a paycheck.
CHO: Exactly.
COSTELLO: You know, love of country means a lot to people and it's just sad that they can't easily get back into the service once they've been kicked out by the country they love. But that won't happen any more.
CHO: Well, we're going to talk to two people who were featured in that documentary later this hour at 8:40 Eastern. We'll talk with former Congressman Patrick Murphy, who led the fight to repeal "don't ask, don't tell." He actually wrote the legislation.
And Air Force fighter pilot Victor Fehrenbach who faced discharge under "don't ask, don't tell."
COSTELLO: Coming up next, the clock is ticking toward a high stakes faceoff at the United Nations. We'll talk to the former ambassador to Iraq, John Negroponte about the Palestinians' looming formal application for statehood.
CHO: And what will this winter be like? We're not even in fall yet. Colder than normal? Super snowy or not so bad? Rob has got an early look at the forecast for December, coming up.
It's 13 minutes after the hour. We're back after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: That was a good song.
CHO: That is a good song.
COSTELLO: I don't think these satellites are going to be so gentle.
CHO: Not at 300 pounds. Twenty-year-old satellite, get this, is expected to crash into the Earth's atmosphere this Friday. It's now falling from space, and NASA officials say once it hits, it will break into pieces. Now, officials say there is little risk to public safety or property, but if you find one of the satellite pieces, don't touch it. Call police. COSTELLO: Yes, I bet people are going to do that. I hope they do that but, Rob, if you see a piece of this weird thing on the ground, I don't know. I'd want to examine it.
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: you wound want to get close, wouldn't you? I mean, curiosity would take over at that point.
CHO: You know what that did, it killed the cat.
MARCIANO: Exactly. Maybe just probably with the stick. You know, no one has ever been hurt or killed by a falling debris from the satellite, and NASA is saying it's very unlikely that happens again. But if that happens ever, including this coming Thursday, Friday, or Saturday when that satellite is expected to fall out of orbit and somewhere across the earth. Thankfully, most of the Earth is covered with water. So, hopefully, that will fall in the ocean.
All right. Let's talk about this winner. La Nina, we thought it was going away, and now, it's come back and that means that we could have a replay, an encore presentation of what happened last winter, which was whether an average rain and snows across parts of the west, the northwest, and parts of the Western Great Lakes, a drier than average here. That's not good news for the drought-stricken areas of Texas.
And as far as the colder temperatures are concerned, we will probably see more in the way of arctic invasion, especially on the eastern half of the country. So, cooler than average temperature is what expected across this area. So, you couple cooler than average with weather than average and that makes for more snow than average, and that's the forecast from the Climate Prediction Center or best chances for seeing a fairly harsh winter, Western Great Lakes potentially the east coast.
All right. Showers across the east coast today. Light rain from this front. This is a stronger front, more like what you're seeing out for fall. And in between those two fronts, we have a fair amount of fog. And Chicago is under a ground stop because of that and, of course, still hurricane season watching this disturbance out there in the Atlantic Ocean, Carol. So far, it is developing, but also, very far away. Not to worry just yet.
COSTELLO: OK. I won't. I'll take your word for it. You're always right about these things. Rob Marciano, many thanks to you.
MARCIANO: Thanks, guys. Back to you.
COSTELLO: Most of the time. Eighteen minutes past the hour.
While diplomats and world leaders tackle some tough global issues at the U.N. General Assembly today, the big story of the week will be unfolding on Friday when the Palestinians formally request membership in the United Nations and recognition as a state. Here to talk about that developing story and its potential impact in Israel, in the Middle East, and in the United States is John Negroponte, the former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations as well as Iraq. Welcome. JOHN NEGROPONTE, FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR TO IRAQ: Thank you.
COSTELLO: So, if you had your big crystal ball in front of you, what do you suppose will happen on Friday?
NEGROPONTE: Well, Mr. Abbas will make his speech, and he will propose that the membership of Palestine be put to vote in the Security Council, and then, I think we'll have to take it from there. Not certain what will happen after that.
COSTELLO: Now, I have heard there are still fierce negotiations going on with the United States trying to convince Mr. Abbas not to do this.
NEGROPONTE: Well, Exactly. Three days can be a long time in the history of a negotiation. It's only Tuesday. He's got until Friday to make his speech. Everybody is here in town. So, there certainly is the opportunity for a lot of behind the scenes diplomacy.
COSTELLO: Explain to Americans what the consequences might be if the Security Council votes to allow the Palestinian territory to become a state.
NEGROPONTE: OK. If that gets submitted to the Security Council and it actually comes to a vote, and don't forget, it can be submitted to the council, and then quite a bit of time can pass with debate and backroom discussions and everything else.
But let's assume at some point if it gets put to a vote, I'm quite confident the United States would veto that, because we believe that this is an issue that needs to be resolved through negotiation and not by Security Council decision. So, that's what will happen. It will get vetoed.
COSTELLO: And that will put the United States in a bad spot, even though, it appears that it's standing up for Israel, in this instance.
NEGROPONTE: Well, it will raise the political temperature, if you will. And I think it may exacerbate a bit Israel's sense of isolation, but I don't think it's going to change the situation on the ground, and I don't think it's really going to will improve things. I think it is better to pursue a negotiated path. So, I sincerely hope that that's where this ends up.
COSTELLO: Well, a lot of people think that this is just going to inflame things, and there've been many op-eds written about this, I just want to -- actually, let's start with Governor Rick Perry, because he's running for president on the Republican side, and he wrote an op-ed, and it actually appeared in the "Jerusalem Post" last week and this is what he said.
"Unfortunate errors by the Obama ministration have encouraged the Palestinians to take steps backward away from peace. It was an even greater mistake for President Obama to distance himself from Israel and seek engagement with the hostile regimes in Syria and Iran. Palestinian leaders have perceived this as a weakening of relations between Israel and the United States. They're trying to exploit it." Is Mr. Perry right?
NEGROPONTE: Well, I think that's a bit of a caricature of the president's policies. I think we remain a very strong friend Of Israel. I'm confident that we will support them in the Security Council. And, I think it's widely accepted within the administration that our strongest ally in the Middle East is the country of Israel.
COSTELLO: So, when you hear politicians saying the Obama administration has thrown Israel under the bus, what should we take from that?
NEGROPONTE: I think it's a little bit of -- that's politics. I don't think it's really true, and I'm confident that our support for Israel will continue to be unwavering, and I think it is in the interest of peace in the region that we do support them, because I think it's a confident Israel, not an insecure Israel that is going to make -- take the kind of steps that are necessary to achieve peace.
COSTELLO: Some people who write op-eds place the blame squarely on Israel. I'm going to read you something that Thomas Friedman wrote in "New York Times." He wrote it this weekend.
He says, "The crumbling of key pillars of Israel's security, the peace with Egypt, the stability of Syria, and the friendship of Turkey and Jordan coupled with the most diplomatically inept and strategically incompetent government on Israel's history have put Israel in a very dangerous situation. This has also left the United States government fed up with Israel's leadership but a hostage to its ineptitude."
And of course, it goes to blame Netanyahu for this saying Netanyahu was rigid and also wants to win reelection in Israel, and that's part of why this is happening.
NEGROPONTE: Remember, Nixon in China. Nixon was the great adversary in China. No one ever thought he could possibly make peace and make overtures to China and he did. I think Mr. Netanyahu may be in the same kind of position. I certainly don't think you can blame Mr. Netanyahu for the Arab spring. Those are events well beyond Israel's control.
And if you think about it, you got to be a little bit sympathetic to their position. They're surrounded by all this instability and turmoil, and they've got to defend the existence of their state. I fully understand that.
COSTELLO: And you will be listening to events closely this week, I assume.
NEGROPONTE: Absolutely.
COSTELLO: Well, I hope you'll come back. Thank you for joining us.
NEGROPONTE: Thank you. Appreciate it.
COSTELLO: Thank you so much. Alina.
CHO: Carol, thanks. A check of the morning markets is next.
Plus, what's the number one most valuable company in America? We'll tell you. It's 24 minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHO: Welcome back. It's 27 minutes after the hour. "Minding Your Business" this morning.
Right now, stock futures for the Dow, NASDAQ, and S&P 500 are up.
Investigators are getting a boost. Investors, rather, getting a boost this morning from strong gains in European markets overnight.
The Federal Reserve is searching for ways to jump start the U.S. economy in a two-day meeting that starts today. Speculation is growing the fed will revive a program known as operation twist. Its goal is to keep long-term interest rates down and fuel economic growth.
The U.S. is reportedly looking into whether there was any insider trading done ahead of the S&P's downgrade of America's credit rating last month. According to the "Wall Street Journal," subpoenas have been sent to several hedge funds which may have bet (ph) that the stock market tumbled.
And even without Steve Jobs, Apple is unseating oil giant, Exxon, as the world's most valuable company worth a whopping $362 billion. This after shares of the tech giant closed at an all-time high, 412 bucks.
Still ahead, explosive charges that the Obama White House was a hostile work environment for top female advisors.
AMERICAN MORNING is back after a break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHO: Breaking news we're watching for you here at CNN. Fire crews are on the scene of a towering fire in Watonga, Oklahoma. You're looking at live picture there's. The fire was started after a drilling rig exploded late yesterday. We're watching this story very, very closely. Folks living within one-mile radius of the fire have been evacuated. Authorities say they will let the fire burn itself out.
COSTELLO: Not much else you can do with those kinds of fire.
The national transitional council forces in Libya seizing control of the airport in Sabha, one of the last stronghold of exiled dictator Moammar Gadhafi. CNN is the only team there. These pictures are exclusive to us. We're also getting reports that NTC troops have captured other parts of the Syrian Libya city as they prepare for another offensive in Sirte, which is Gadhafi's hometwon.
CHO: Syrian television is playing an audiotape message reportedly made by exiled Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi. In it Gadhafi reportedly says the will of the Libyan people will prevail and his regime cannot be overthrown.
COSTELLO: President Obama scheduled to meet with the chairman of the Libya's Transitional National Council at the United Nations today. And this afternoon he'll come face-to-face with President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan. Tonight the president will speak at the Democratic National Committee.
CHO: And sex, drugs and bulimia all there, and salacious details in a new book on Sarah Palin called "The Rogue." The author Joe McGinnis moved next door to the Palin's in Alaska to write the book. And earlier on AMERICAN MORNING he was with us. McGinniss told us that many of his sources were anonymous for good reason.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE MCGINNISS, AUTHOR, "THE ROGUE": The Palins scare people. The Palins intimidate. They threaten. People in Wasilla are very scared of the Palins, and this goes back to her time as mayor. They fear retribution. There are people who wouldn't meet me socially because if Sarah found out, anything could happen.
Sarah Palin has lived an outrageous life, and all I did was talk to people about it and they documented it for me. And when I was comfortable with the veracity of what I heard, I put it into the book. There was a lot of things I wasn't comfortable with, I didn't put it in the book.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHO: As you might imagine, he has his critics who said he has done a hatchet job on Palin. "The Rogue," by the way, hits bookstores today.
COSTELLO: Talking about books, an explosive new book out today by Ron Suskind has the White House up in arms. That's because the book portrays the inner circles of the early Obama administration as a "boys club."
CHO: Christina Romer, former chair of the Council of Economic Advisers, is quoted as saying, she felt like a piece of meat after being shut out of a meeting. And former communications director Anita Dunn said the Obama White House, quote, "fit all the legal requirements for a genuinely hostile workplace to women."
COSTELLO: Dunn and Romer say now they were misquoted. CNN's Brian Todd has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: For a bestselling author, serious brush-back from the White House over a new book which depicts infighting and indecision in the Obama administration's early day. In this book "Confidence Men," Ron Suskind writes the president's top advisers had doubts whether he could handle the economic crisis.
Larry Summers, former director of the president's National Economic Council, is quoted as saying in 2009 "We're home alone. There's no adult in charge. Clinton would never have made these mistakes." We couldn't reach Summers for comment, but in an email to the "Washington Post" he said "The hearsay attributed to me is a combination of fiction, distortion, and words taken out of context."
TIMOTHY GEITHNER, TREASURY SECRETARY: I lived the reality. And the reports out of this book bear no resemblance to the reality we lived together.
TODD: Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner responding to a passage in Suskind's book saying President Obama decided early on to restructure several troubled banks, but discovered nearly a month later his directive had been ignored by the treasury.
GEITHNER: Absolutely not. And I would never do that. I've spent my life in public service.
TODD: CNN chief political analyst Gloria Borger says in books like this, former officials often try to bolster their own legacies or settle scores.
(on camera): Would it lead, do you think, to some kind of finger-pointing behind the scenes and people looking over their own shoulders? I've got to watch what I'm saying to everybody.
GLORIA BORGER, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL ANALYST: I mean, this is Washington. People are trying to figure out who was the source for that? Who was the source for that story? I bet that came from him or from him.
TODD (voice-over): A defiant White House press secretary launched a separate offensive against Suskind.
JAY CARNEY, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: One passage seems to be lifted almost entirely from Wikipedia in the book.
TODD (on camera): When CNN followed up with the White House after that briefing, officials indicated that Jay Carney was referring to a passage in Suskind's book about the federal mortgage firm Fannie Mae as first reported by the online publication "Politico."
(voice-over) Quote, "In 1968 it officially became a publicly held corporation to remove its debt and related activities from the federal balance sheet." The Wikipedia passage says "In 1968 it converted to a publicly held corporation to remove its activity and debt from the federal budget."
We contacted Ron Suskind's publisher HarperCollins for response to the White House claim about Wikipedia and the other criticisms. A spokeswoman there said Suskind spent more than 700 hours with more than 200 individuals in writing the book. The spokeswoman calls it exhaustibly research and sourced, and said HarperCollins is proud to be publishing it.
Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: The author of that book, Ron Suskind, will be on Wolf Blitzer's show tomorrow, "THE SITUATION ROOM." That's Wednesday at 5:00 p.m. eastern right here on CNN.
CHO: Can't wait to see that.
Meanwhile, coming up, "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" is done. Openly gay people can now serve in the U.S. military. Up next, the former congressman who led the fight to repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." He wrote the legislation. And a fighter pilot who faced the threat of discharge from the air force for being gay. We'll have their reaction to this landmark day, next. It's 37 minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Good morning, Washington. It's cloudy and 65 degrees expecting a few showers later, 76, but not too shabby.
CHO: Not too shabby at all for September, pre-fall.
Welcome back. It's official, "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" is history but not before thousands of military men and women were discharged for being gay. The highest ranking service member to be kicked out, Colonel Margaret Camenmier. And she's featured in a new HBO documentary. Watch
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's humiliating to have to sit in front of these elder statesmen, their pontification about me and about my sexual orientation.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have to give up some of our constitutional rights. We have to give up degree of privacy. If you feel that intensity and that patriotic that you want to serve, then give up a little something.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We have, sir.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: The documentary, "The Strange History of Don't Ask, Don't Tell," premieres tonight at 8:00 eastern on HBO. It features our next two guests, former Congressman Patrick Murphy, who led the fight for the repeal, and Lieutenant Colonel Victor Fehrenbach, a decorated fighter pilot who fought his discharge from the Air Force. Thank you, both, for being with us, and on such a happy day, too.
LT. COL. VICTOR FEHRENBACH, U.S. AIR FORCE: It's great day.
COSTELLO: I just showed you guys this from the undersecretary of defense and it officially repeals "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." as I hand this to you, because you have fought it, how does that feel? How does it feel when you're looking at it?
FORMER REP. PATRICK MURPHY, FIRST IRAQ WAR VETERAN TO BE ELECTED TO CONGRESS: It's pretty awesome. Yes, to know that patriotic Americans can now serve our country and they don't have to lie about who they are as a person is a pretty special day in American history.
COSTELLO: Let's talk to heroes like you, decorated hero like you. When you look at that, what do you think? What goes through your mind?
FEHRENBACH: This means more than my retirement paperwork, I think. That to me, I had my ceremony a couple weeks ago, was sort of an end to my personal battle. But today, as Patrick mentioned, this means the fight's over for everyone. There are 65,000 others out there today that can put on their uniform and drive on to their base and go into work and they no longer have to hide or lie. They can serve with dignity and honor.
COSTELLO: Did you ever think this day would come?
FEHRENBACH: No, absolutely not. When I first took on this battle and decided to fight publicly, I thought I would do what I can to make a dent and any impact I can and I never dreamed this day would come.
COSTELLO: Patrick I want to ask you. You were the first Iraqi war veteran to be elected to Congress. You actually wrote the legislation. I think it's important to point out that you're straight and you are married. What was it about your experience that said to you, I've got to be an advocate for this?
MURPHY: You know, I was a cadet at a small catholic college, Kings College, and I joined the army back in 1993. And, you know, Alina, I saw so many great leaders get thrown out of the military just because they were gay. When you serve in Baghdad like I did, you could care a less who people are writing home to. You just cared that they jump out of that plane and handle their M4 assault rifle. You know, to know that there is 13,000 folks kicked out of the military just because it was gay and cost the American taxpayer $1.3 billion, and the far right wing was so against this. But we stood up for change. You know, to serve in the Congress and be able to be a team that got this and made it become a reality.
COSTELLO: You talk about the 13,000 people that were kicked out, or more, including 54 Arab linguists prior to 2003. What kind of damage do you think was done as a result of this?
MURPHY: Well -- well, let me tell you how it affected us. I'm with an Infantry Combat Brigade. I used to lead convoys two or three vehicles up and down which is called ambush alleys in Central Baghdad, we didn't have interpreters, we didn't have translators embedded with us.
We had to hire local Iraqis, which they were great, but they weren't part of the team. They didn't know how to handle a weapon et cetera. And that's what I saw on the ground in 2003 and 2004 where it's 138 degrees in Baghdad.
But let's look at Colonel Fehrenbach right here. Here is our guy, graduated from the University of Notre Dame, ROTC with the Air Force, a fighter pilot, a great hero. Does great, he was protecting the skies when I'm in Baghdad in '03. And then they put him on desk duty because they found out, oh, this guy is gay and has someone back at home.
It's crazy. It is crazy. And you know, I was only in Congress for four years and it was a blessing to serve my country and the military.
COSTELLO: And you say you've lost your seat, in part, because you fought to repeal "don't ask, don't tell."
MURPHY: Well, that's what a lot of folks say. And I don't know if that's the case. But I will tell you, you know, for me, it wasn't about re-election. Listen, I cared about re-election. I worked my tail off for it. But I have a daughter, Maggie Murphy, she's 4 years old and she's going to be in college 15 years from now and I want her to be proud of what her daddy fought for when he have an opportunity to serve his country in Congress.
CHO: Victor, I want to ask you a question. One thing that struck me in watching the documentary was someone said, if you think about it, "don't ask" is really a myth because you get asked all the time about your life. In particularly, I was thinking when you're in sort of a tour of duty situation and you want to bond with your fellow troops, isn't that what you want to know? Are you married? Do you have kids?
FEHRENBACH: Absolutely.
CHO: Who do you write home to?
FEHRENBACH: Right.
CHO: Who do you get care packages from? And so how did you deal with that?
FEHRENBACH: It was difficult, I mean, and it's a burden on the 65,000 out there that currently serving better, also say -- now we can say that it's over, but, yes, you're right. It is a myth because you're constantly asked to lie every day. Little things like what did you do this weekend? Who did I see you at the mall with? You have to constantly make up stories, you have to constantly think of lies.
And you know integrity is the basis. I mean, it's -- it's one of the core values of every military service. And to have to do that, to the brothers and sisters that you fight with to constantly lie to them. It is a burden that we should never ask brave Americans who just want to serve their country to do.
COSTELLO: And explain this to me because there are many gay Americans who were kicked out of the service because of this policy, "don't ask, don't tell."
MURPHY: Yes.
COSTELLO: And a lot of them want to get back into the service. Some people might say, oh, they did me wrong. I don't want to go back to that. But -- but these military men and women do. Why?
FEHRENBACH: That's hard to explain just because I think there's a sense of duty that I felt as a child even. And I know part of it came from both my parents served in the Air Force. But when you want to serve your country, I mean, there's no way to explain it. You either have it in you or you don't. And -- and I know that there are thousands that -- that want to go back in and serve and I hope they can.
As I understand, it will be a case-by-case basis. But I hope that anyone who wants to serve their country today can do that whether they're gay or straight.
MURPHY: And I think that it's important to note what he said. I mean we serve because we love our country. You know to crawl through the mud at Ft. Knox, Kentucky back in 1994 when my buddies with the "Jersey Shore", I wish I could have been to the "Jersey Shore".
But we did that for our country and you know, we went through that training. But I will say that this is an incredible step today and -- and there are a lot of Americans that should be proud, but it's only one step. I mean, we don't have true equality in our country. I know in Pennsylvania 70 percent of Americans could be fired at the workplace just because they're gay. You know, we launched a Web site, OneRulebook.com.
But we're continuing to fight for equality. You know, when I taught at West Point, I had a great -- 10 years ago, if you think I look young now, I was 27 when I taught at West Point --
CHO: Like a kid.
MURPHY: -- so I know, so -- but when I was there they should think I was a cadet and I'm like, no I'm a captain, I'm a professor but when I was there, I taught constitutional law. That's the oath, they support and defend our Constitution against all enemies. But in that Constitution, we had equal protection clause.
Now listen, I know there's a lot of Republican presidential candidates they only get rid of some clause of the Constitution, maybe it's the equal protection clause. I don't know. But the fact is this, is that makes our country great, there were all weak. But it doesn't matter what -- what sex you are, what -- what race you are, what religion you are or what sexual orientation you are. We're all Americans and that's what makes our country great.
And now, you could serve our country in uniform no matter what your sexual orientation are and that's an important step but to fight for true equality in our country isn't over.
COSTELLO: Well, thank you both for joining us this morning. We sure appreciate it and congratulations. That's awesome.
FEHRENBACH: Thanks.
MURPHY: Thank you.
COSTELLO: Former Representative Patrick Murphy and Lt. Colonel Victor Fehrenbach thank you so much.
CHO: 49 minutes after the hour. We're back after this.
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COSTELLO: We did not expect this decision to come so quickly. But it's breaking news this morning.
The Georgia Parole Board -- the Georgia Parole Board has denied clemency to death row inmate Troy Davis. Now, Davis had been scheduled to die by lethal injection tomorrow. He was convicted of the 1989 murder of police officer, Mark McPhail. His supporters testified in front of the parole board yesterday saying that seven of the nine people who testified against this man either recanted or changed their stories.
Of course, the victim's family, Officer Mark McPhail, they have no doubt that Troy Davis is guilty, but because the Georgia Patrol Board has denied him clemency, that means he will likely die by lethal injection, maybe as soon as tomorrow.
David Mattingly is hurrying to the set. We'll ask him if there's a chance that this case might go to the Supreme Court. I don't know the answer to that, but David Mattingly does. When we get David Mattingly in place, of course we'll go live to him.
CHO: Meanwhile, in today's "Human Factor", a world leader who is beating the odds. Dilma Rousseff is the first female President of Brazil. She's also the first woman to give the opening address at the United Nations General Assembly meeting.
COSTELLO: And she's cancer survivor, as well. Chief CNN medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta joins us live from the United Nations.
This woman is an amazing person. What do you know about her?
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, the number of obstacles she had to overcome really remarkable. Dilma Rousseff, is how you say the name and you should remember that name, as you said, Brazil's first -- first female president.
This woman, who was a revolutionary back in the '70s part of the left-wing guerilla movement in Brazil at that time. She was captured, she was tortured, she was told never to be part of government again. But then, she -- she sort of rebounded as you know from that and became a governor of one of the states over there. Eventually Chief of Staff to the President and now the President. She also, in the middle of last few years, developed non-Hodgkins lymphoma and got treated. She -- she had the famous speech where she actually lifted her wig to say, look, I got treated. I am now in remission from this disease.
So she's quite -- quite a figure in Brazil and -- and you know, a "Human Factor" in terms of all the obstacles she's overcome.
Sanjay, what is she expected to say when she addresses the United Nations today?
Well, you know, one of the big topics here is with regard to health. You know, I will say Brazil in many ways has been a country of best practices that other countries are looking to, certainly in terms of their economy, as you like to know but also in terms of their health.
Let me give you a couple examples. Talking about prevention, not just early screening, but prevention of disease is something that she is focused on. $2.8 billion program to try and prevent many types of cancers, including breast cancer, including cervical cancer. This is something she is very focused on. She's also looking at building hospitals and health centers around the country that, again, focus on this idea of prevention. It's something that we talk about a lot in the United States, but this is a woman who is really taking it to heart in Brazil, spending that money and making the case that spending this money now even in the billions of dollars could save lots of money for Brazilian citizens later on in terms of keeping their citizens more productive and certainly cutting down on health care costs.
COSTELLO: Dr. Sanjay Gupta live from the United Nations here in New York city. Thanks, Sanjay.
It's 55 minutes past the hour.
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COSTELLO: All right. More on our breaking news. The Georgia Parole Board denying clemency to death row inmate Troy Davis. That means he loses his case. Let's head to Atlanta and talk to David Mattingly. Fill us in, David.
DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, we just got this press release from Amnesty International. They're saying it is unconscionable that the Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles has denied relief to Troy Davis, allowing a man to be sent to death under an enormous cloud of doubt about his guilt is an outrageous affront to justice. That from Amnesty International which has been heading up the efforts to keep him alive.
This has been 20 years in the making. Troy Davis has already had three previous dates with execution here in the state of Georgia for the murder of a Savannah police officer. This, his fourth, and apparently final time. He will face lethal injection tomorrow evening.
His case has attracted the attention of large organizations in the United States. There have been numerous people, influential people including former President Jimmy Carter and former head of the FBI also, supporting his cause. There've been hundreds of thousands of people across the world signing petitions in favor of clemency for Davis.
But that, apparently, did not work with the Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles. They have denied him clemency and he has, at this point, appeared to have exhausted all legal means of relief here. So, it appears that he will be keeping his fourth and possibly final appointment with lethal injection on Georgia's death row.
COSTELLO: Ok, David Mattingly, many thanks to you. We'll get much more on this story as we throw it to Atlanta and Kyra Phillips. Good morning, Kyra.
