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American Morning
Iran Releases U.S. Hikers; Obama to Meet with Abbas Today; Interview With Rep. Phil Roe; Will Fed Offer Short-Term Stimulus?; Poker Site Accused Of Ponzi Scheme; Oman Playing Pivotal Role in Securing Release of American Prisoners in Iran; Georgia Death Row Inmate Denied Clemency by Parole Board; Islamic Center Opens Near Ground Zero; U.S. Delivers Ultimatum to Pakistan
Aired September 21, 2011 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: Freedom.
I'm Christine Romans.
Breaking news this morning, two American hikers are out of an Iranian prison after being held prisoner for more than two years.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Obama and Abbas about to come face- to-face.
I'm Carol Costello.
The two leaders set to square off at the United Nations. The U.S. trying to head off a diplomatic disaster. But can the president convince the Palestinians to stop their quest for statehood?
ALI VELSHI, CNN ANCHOR: And they must have been some muffins.
I'm Ali Velshi.
A bombshell audit finds a Justice Department forked out 16 bucks for a muffin and wait until you find out what they paid for the coffee -- on this AMERICAN MORNING.
(MUSIC)
VELSHI: I'm hungry for a $16 muffin.
ROMANS: Good morning, everyone. It's Wednesday, September 21st. Welcome back to AMERICAN MORNING.
COSTELLO: Oh, yes, and we start off with good news. Up first, those two U.S. hikers held prisoner in Iran have now been released.
VELSHI: Let's go right to Mohammed Jamjoom. He's covering this Muscat, Oman. Oman has been pivotal in the release of these two hikers. Mohammed, what is the latest? What do we know?
MOHAMMED JAMJOOM, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Ali, we're told from a State Department, a U.S. State Department official saying that hikers Josh Fattal and Shane Bauer have been released from Tehran's Evin Prison.
We also have been speaking to our producer in Iran. He says that he saw Swiss officials and also Omani officials entering that prison a short while ago. Now, there's been a lot of speculation in the past week as to what role the Omanis might be playing in this released. They posted the bail when Sarah Shourd was released last year. That was $500,000 in bail. And her first stop when she left Iran was here, in Muscat, Oman, where we are right now.
Right now, we don't know if Josh Fattal and Shane Bauer will be coming here. But speculation is very high that when they are released, when they are finally allowed to leave Iran, that this will be their first step. There's a lot of speculation that their family members are here right now -- Ali.
COSTELLO: Mohammed, this is Carol Costello. I've been wondering about this bail. You said Oman posted the bail. But why would they do that?
JAMJOOM: Well, Carol, Oman is a very low-key country here in the Middle East and they're trying to raise their profile right now. But they're also a diplomatic rarity. Oman is a country that has good relations with both Iran, unlike most of the countries in this region, and also the U.S.
And they're seen as a go-to country, a country within the Gulf Cooperation Council, kind of a go-to country to try to mediate disputes that might happen between the U.S. and other western countries and Iran. They certainly play that mediation part last year. By doing so, they raised their profile.
They also have an economic incentive. They have a free trade agreement with the U.S. The more business they have with the U.S., the better it is for them. It raises their economic profile, as well.
The Omanis haven't been commenting, but Western diplomats were saying that Omani officials had gone to Tehran last week to try to secure their release. We don't yet know if the Omanis (AUDIO BREAK) did pay the bail to try to mediate the dispute -- Carol.
COSTELLO: We got just a bit. Thank you so much, Mohammed Jamjoom, reporting live from Oman.
ROMANS: We're also hearing right now reports of several cameramen detained outside Evin Prison in Iran.
Joining us now from outside the prison in Tehran is Shirzad Bozorgmehr.
What do you know now maybe about these new detentions?
SHIRZAD BOZORGMEHR, CNN CORRESPONDENT (via telephone): first of all, the cameramen were all released. And I just heard Mohammed Jamjoom saying that the State Department confirmed they are released. We haven't seen that yet. The Swiss ambassador is still here. The Omani officials, they're still here, and the lawyer is still inside. He's taking the documents, the bail documents, to hand to prison authorities to release them, but they haven't yet.
So, I think that's jumping the gun saying they have been released. We haven't seen that yet.
ROMANS: So, you haven't seen them leave the premise. We know there have been reports earlier of a Swiss vehicle entering I think that's what we're seeing "Reuters" pictures right now, the Swiss vehicle entering the prison compound.
But you haven't seen any of these diplomatic vehicles leaving yet with these two hikers?
BOZORGMEHR: No. No. Not yet. And apparently, as far as the prison authorities are concerned, they told us the two Americans will be handed over to the Swiss ambassador. So, Swiss ambassador sitting in their car and they haven't shown up yet.
VELSHI: OK. So, we do think -- you said the Swiss ambassador still in the car and we think that's the custody they're going into. Any -- when we talked earlier, you didn't have any idea where they might be going after that. Mohammed speculated based on what happened to Sarah Shourd that they might go to Muscat, Oman, but we don't have any information on that, right?
BOZORGMEHR: No, we don't either. I asked the Swiss ambassador, she refused to answer it. Whether they would go to her embassy, or to Oman embassy, and from where are they going to go? Are they going to go to Oman or directly to the U.S. or what? She said, I can't comment on it right now.
But the lawyer said after their release, he can divulge that information.
ROMANS: So, this release is happening. It is imminent. We have not seen them in the custody of the Swiss ambassador yet in the Swiss vehicle leaving the compound. But no reason to believe that this is not something that's happening right now that these two young men, 29 years old each, after a couple years now in prison will be leaving.
BOZORGMEHR: That's exactly right. There is no reason to believe that they will not be released. They will be released. But it is just a matter of time, could be any minute.
COSTELLO: Well, just to make sure where this come from that we got word that these American hikers were released. That's according to a U.S. official that comes from our CNN senior State Department official Elise Labott. So, as far as we know, those two hikers have been released.
VELSHI: It might be one of those things where they're outside the jail but not outside of the prison buildings. Maybe they're working out their logistics. But between Mohammed Jamjoom and Shirzad and Elise, and all of us, we'll get you the information as it becomes available.
Thanks, Shirzad.
ROMANS: And, of course, Iran's president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, is in New York right now for the United Nations General Assembly. In an interview with NBC, he made it sound like the prison Josh Fattal and Shane Bauer were staying in wasn't all that bad. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
. MAHMOUD AHMADINEJAD, PRESIDENT OF IRAN (through translator): These two people are having a very good condition here in prison. It's like staying in a hotel.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Well, one person disagrees with that. And she'd know. It's Sarah Shourd, the first hiker to be released, Shane Bauer's fiancee, who spent 410 days in solitary confinement there before she was freed.
We spoke to her almost one year ago to the day.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SARAH SHOURD, HELD FOR 410 DAYS IN IRAN: I know what Shane and Josh are enduring. I could see them in their cramped little cell, you know, with very little sunlight and they only get out one hour a day and they exercise side by side, a space like the size of a towel and they're wonderful, wonderful people and I want the world to meet them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Sarah insisted that all three of them did nothing wrong and said they are certainly not spies.
VELSHI: All right, presidents, prime ministers and kings all gather in New York this morning for the opening of the 66th annual U.N. General Assembly. President Obama is there. Right now, he's preparing to deliver the session's opening address -- just the very beginning of a very, very big day.
ROMANS: So, we brought out our own big guns. CNN senior U.N. correspondent Richard Roth live at the United Nations this morning.
Good morning, Richard.
RICHARD ROTH, CNN SENIOR U.N. CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think I'm rather disarming. I don't know about having a gun.
But here at the U.N., President Obama has not arrived. He's usually the last to arrive as everyone gathers in the general assembly hall. But he's expected here, looking shortly, hopefully, at some of the people who will be coming here.
We haven't had any of the big shots arrive yet. What the president will say is probably to lay out the fact that there's been a seismic change through the region in the Middle East certainly since the last general assembly. Few would have predicted the amount of riveting change and turmoil that exists in many other lands.
The White House is already expecting that Palestinian leader Abbas is not going to change his plan for submission of a bid on statehood for the Middle East when the president greets him today and also meets privately with the Israeli leader. They're looking at the next stage in the negotiation trying to persuade the Palestinians to not push for a formal vote in the Security Council in hopes of giving direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians a chance.
ROMANS: All right. Richard Roth -- thank you so much, Richard, at the U.N.
COSTELLO: New this morning, a dispute over how much to spend on disaster relief, threatening to trigger a government shutdown. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid warning it could actually happen at the end of the month. He is concerned about politics coming before people when it comes to helping the hurricane-ravaged East Coast and fire plagued Texas, despite reassurance from the Senate majority leader or Senate minority leader, rather, Mitch McConnell.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)
SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R-KY), MINORITY LEADER: There won't be a government shutdown. The Congress always responds appropriately to disasters. We're having a discussion about the appropriate way to do that and I'm confident it will be resolved.
SEN. HARRY REID (D-NV), MAJORITY LEADER: I heard the reports that Senator McConnell said there will be no shutdown. I'm not that sure. I'm not that sure because the Tea Party-driven House of Representatives have been so unreasonable in the past, I don't know why they should suddenly be reasonable.
(END VIDEO CLIPS)
COSTELLO: The Republican-controlled House votes today on a short term bill to fund government agencies through November. That bill contains a lot less money for FEMA and army corps of engineers for disaster response than a bill that passed the Democratic- controlled Senate last week.
VELSHI: How much you spend on coffee and an average lunch? Well, you might be surprised to see a Justice Department audit about how much it has been willing to spend.
Let's take a look a one conference at the Department of Justice held at the San Francisco Hilton -- $76 a person for lunch featuring slow-cooked Berkshire pork carnitas and a romaine salad. That's it.
Thirty-two dollars for a snack break Crackerjacks, popcorn and energy bars, to keep their energy up, and eight-ounce of coffee for the reasonable cost of $8.24.
The Justice Department spent over $20,000 for this one conference that 65 people attended. That's not all the fun that we've got right now.
Let's talk about this. There's plenty more. The Audit Department looked at 10 different conferences and found overspending on food and beverage was commonly on the menu.
Take a look at this. Cookies or brownies, $9.60. Muffins, $16.80. Beef wellington, not beef wellington as you think about it, little beef wellington hors d'oeuvres for $7.32. And a can of soda for $5.57.
But it does not end with just the cost of food and drinks. How do you plan an event without an event planner? The Department of Justice spent $600,000 on event planners for five conferences. And for a conference held in California -- well, there must not be any event planners in California because they hired somebody from Alaska from the job, wracking up $3,500 in travel expenses. On top of that, $29,365 in hotel travel and food costs for one face-to-face meeting.
Overall, the Department of Justice held 1,832 conferences between 2008 and 2009 at a total cost of $121 million. I hope the food was good.
COSTELLO: I know. That must have been some brownie. I hope there was something else in there.
ROMANS: Oh, Carol. That's insane.
COSTELLO: That was between 2008 and 2009. Have they solved the problem?
VELSHI: That's a good question. This is going to lead us to ask those questions. We're still trying to find out who supplied that food but I'd like to meet them. They're running a hell of a business.
But as Christine says, you would think the government as such a big buyer would use its buying power to say, why don't you cut us a discount and we'll give you a lot of business, as opposed to that kind of a premium. Good question.
ROMANS: Yes. The government just doesn't do that very well. I mean, we've talked about cutting out waste fraud and abuse for so long and every time you get those audits from the inspector's general, you just see all they could rung out and they just can't seem to do it.
All right. Still ahead, good thing Tennessee Congressman Phil Roe went to medical school. Congressman Roe was drinking a cup of coffee in a North Carolina airport when a man collapsed nearby. By the time Roe run over, the man was flat-lining. Up next, how Congressman Roe brought the man back to life when he joins us live, next.
Thirteen minutes after the hour.
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ROMANS: That's a good song for what we're about to do here.
VELSHI: It's not about policy, and it's not about Washington.
ROMANS: No, it's not. However, in Washington, it's cloudy right now, 55. Thunderstorms 77 later today, if you're wondering.
COSTELLO: OK. There is a doctor in the house, and he's also a U.S. lawmaker. Congressman Phil Roe of Tennessee being called a hero this morning after saving a man's life at the Charlotte Airport.
VELSHI: He didn't even ask the guy if he was a Republican first.
(LAUGHTER)
VELSHI: Who said there isn't bipartisanship in America? Congressman Roe joins us live from Washington. Congressman, good to see you, sir. You are a medical doctor. You are a member of the House of Representatives from Tennessee, and what happened? You were in Charlotte Airport with another representative or somebody you were with and tell us what happened.
REP. PHIL ROE, (R) TENNESSEE: well, We fly over from tri (ph) cities to the say on the red eye early in the morning and just had a cup of coffee and was standing there in the c terminal and talking to Mick Mulvaney from South Carolina, and someone yelled, is there a doctor available and I ran around the corner and there's a gentleman that's just laying out on the carpet and something, obviously, had catastrophic had happened to him.
And the first thing you think early morning if someone faint, are they diabetic, are they hypoglycemic, they had a stroke. I mean, that differential runs through, but it was obvious that he wasn't breathing or just minimal breathing, and we couldn't feel a carotid pulse. And there, we stopped (ph) thinking now the young physician there; although, we didn't have time to pass cards and asked each other who we were.
We realized that this man was in deep trouble and began closed chest massage on him. You know, folks had called 911. Everybody tried to help. I want to -- the folks that were there were doing what they could to help.
ROMANS: So, you worked on for, what, 45 minutes or so just doing hands-only CPR then?
ROE: We did. And when the -- and I want to also give kudos and a big shout out to the Charlotte EMT guys and fire and police department. I was a mayor of Johnson City before I came to Tennessee and before I came to Congress, and those men and women do such a great job and very professional.
They had the equipment that we needed, and when we hooked the external defibrillator on, it was obvious he was flat lined and hit the button, defibrillating one time and his rhythm came back, and he began to breathe, obviously, and it was really a great feeling to see that this man is going to live.
COSTELLO: So, those defibrillator things really work, huh?
ROMANS: I mean, 45 minutes, that's a long time, isn't it?
ROE: That was about four, five, six minutes something like that. It wasn't that long. It might not have even been that long. It always seems like an eternity until you get somebody's pulse back. You know, I want to tell everybody, it's not a hard technique to closed chest massage. It's not hard to learn, and secondly, these external defibrillators that you see in the grocery stores and various public buildings, they are worth every nickel.
Yesterday, it convinced me they're very easy to use, and they work like a charm. I mean, you put them on. They talk to you, and I've used the paddles in the hospital many times, but this is something that everybody should learn.
ROMANS: We'll have to keep that in mind in this new era of fiscal austerity in this country, Congressman, and what works and what we need in terms of public services. Let me ask you, you are -- am I right, you're an OB by training?
ROE: Yes, ma'am. I've delivered almost 5,000 babies in Tennessee. A lot of voters, I might add.
(LAUGHTER)
ROMANS: So, you're not so used to the ticker end of the business. You're more used to the beginning of life, but tell me, what does it feel like using your medical training? You know, you always hear in the movies, is there a doctor in the house? Is there a doctor on the plane?
VELSHI: Right.
ROMANS: But this is one of the rare chances you really get to do it.
ROE: Well, it's just what you do. After you've done it over 30 years like I have is just -- is just what you are and what you do and your training really kicks in and, again, I can't thank the people there, just the folks around. Everyone pitched in and tried to help this man, and I, certainly, hope, and I prayed for him last night, I hope he's doing well today and be home with his family.
COSTELLO: Thank you, congressman, so much. You brightened our morning, and we appreciate that.
ROMANS: Congressman Phil Roe.
VELSHI: Congressman Phil Roe. Great, great conversation. I'm glad to hear that.
ROMANS: Who delivers his constituents, and then, serves his constituents.
VELSHI: There you go.
ROMANS: Thank you so much.
COSTELLO: It is 20 minutes past the hour. Now is your chance to talk back on one of the big stories of the day. The question for you this morning, is it time to rethink the death penalty?
Troy Davis, a convicted cop killer, will die tonight despite this rally and despite insurgence of Davis' innocence from amnesty international to the hope to President Jimmy Carter. Whether you agree with them or not, it's up to you, but Davis' case aside, American juries seem increasingly reluctant to see any inmate put to death.
Since the 1990s, the number of executions in America has significantly declined from 98 executions in 1999 to just 46 last year. That decline seems at odds with the strong feelings many Americans have about the death penalty. Witness the Republican debate.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Your state has executed 234 death row inmates more than any other governor in modern times. Have you -- have you struggled to sleep at night with the idea that any one of those might have been innocent?
GOV. RICK PERRY, (R-TX) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: No, sir. I've never struggled with that at all. I think Americans understand justice.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: That's Texas, but 16 other states do not have the death penalty. As for why juries seem loathe to impose a death sentence, that's unclear. But maybe, it's because more than 130 people have been released from death row with evidence of their innocence since 1973. Many juries now prefer another option, life without the possibility of parole.
So, the talk back question this morning, is it time to rethink the death penalty? Facebook.com/americanmorning. Facebook.com/americanmorning. I'll read your comments later this hour.
VELSHI: All right. A check in the morning markets are coming up next.
Plus, cheating at poker, a popular online poker site is shut down for allegedly scamming players out of millions of dollars. Twenty-two minutes after the hour.
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VELSHI: Twenty-four minutes after the hour. Welcome back. It's time to "Mind Your Business" this morning.
Uncertainty about Greece and the fed zapping what was a triple digit rally on Wall Street yesterday. Those persisting fears this morning, right now, U.S. stock futures are trading lower ahead of the opening bell.
This afternoon, we will learn if the fed, after meeting for two days, will unveil a short-term stimulus to boost the economy. There's speculation that the fed will revive a program known as "Operation Twist." Its goal is to keep long-term interest rates down to fuel the recovery.
Democratic senator, Chuck Schumer, is urging the Federal Reserve to ignore a letter written to him by Republican leaders. In that letter, the GOP writes, quote, "We have serious concerns that further intervention by the Federal Reserve could exacerbate current problems or further harm the U.S. economy."
Federal prosecutors have charged the online gambling site, Full Tilt Poker, with operating a huge Ponzi scheme that cost investors more than $440 million. The site has been shut down.
And money, apparently, talks when it comes to getting into college. According to a survey by Inside Higher Ed, more than half of admission officers say they are looking for students who require no financial aid.
Coming up next, we're watching breaking news. Two American hikers jailed in Iran are now free. A live report coming up next.
Plus, the last-minute push to save death row inmate, Troy Davis. AMERICAN MORNING is back right after this break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANNOUNCER: This is CNN Breaking News.
ROMANS: And the breaking news we're following for you, freedom, finally. Two U.S. hikers held in prison in iran have been released this morning.
COSTELLO: That's right. They are free. Let's go right to Mohammed Jamjoom. He's covering this from Muscat, Oman. What's the latest for us?
JAMJOOM: Well, according to U.S. officials, we're told that the prisoners have been released. That Josh Fattal and Shane Bauer have been released, but according to producer we have in Tehran, they're saying that there's no indication they've actually left the prison yet, although, we've been speaking to the lawyer for the two hikers today throughout the day, and he said that he believes they will be released today.
That bail has been posted, that all the paperwork has been signed. We're told that officials, including the Swiss ambassador and Omani government officials are still inside Evin Prison waiting for the release. That they will pick up, that the Swiss officials will pick up the hikers once they are released. We don't yet know where they will go after that.
The reason we're here in Oman is last year when Sarah Shourd, the third hiker was released after bail had been posted her first step out of Tehran was to come to Oman, and that was because Omani officials had posted that $500,000 in bail that guaranteed her release. A lot of speculation has been mounting that once the hikers leave Iran that they will come here, as did Sarah Shourd last year, a lot of speculation that their families are here in Oman. But Omani government officials right now aren't commented or confirming those reports.
VELSHI: Mohammed, where do we think this bail money came from? Is it the Omani government itself, a conduit? And why is the Omani government involved in this?
JAMJOOM: Well, Ali, Oman is seen as a diplomatic rarity in the region because they have good relations with both Iran and the U.S. And Oman at a time when there is so much strife in this region, they're trying to raise their profile. They have been seen as a very low-key country on the world stage and especially in this region.
And they see from analysts at a time when there is so much strife in the Middle East, if there is something they can do to mediate a dispute between geopolitical powers like Iran and the U.S., it will raise their profile and make them look better on the world stage and decrease tension here in the region.
There is speculation that Omani government officials will post the bail when it comes to this case. A lawyer for the two hikers told us this past week that bail had been set at $500,000 for each of the prisoners, so $1 million in bail. Many diplomats do believe the Omanis will post that bail. It would be conventional wisdom that they would because they posted the bail last year for Sarah Shourd. Last year they were trying to raise their profile when they did so.
It's not just diplomatic reasons, but economic incentives, as well. They have a free trade agreement with the U.S. The more they can be seen as a dependable player, the better it looks for them and raises their profile more. Ali?
VELSHI: It seems to be working for them. Please, keep us up to date when you hear these prisoners have left the prison. Mohammed Jamjoom in Oman.
Almost a year ago, as Mohammed brought up, we spoke to Sarah Shourd who was captured with the other two hikers who were released this morning. She spent 410 days as a prisoner in Iran before she was released.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SARAH SHOURD, FORMERLY IMPRISONED AMERICAN HIKER: I've always been fascinated with the region, you know. The Middle East is a diverse body of cultures. And we knew we wanted to immerse ourselves in that part of the world to learn more about it and hopefully be more of a bridge between the people in that region and the people in our country.
So I taught in Damascus for a year. And there's not a lot of green mountains in Damascus. I don't know if I'll ever completely understand that, but all I can say is we did nothing wrong. We meant no harm to the Iranian people. We did not intend to cross the border. If was unmarked. Just on a trail behind a tourist site that was recommended to us by the hotel.
There were hundreds of families there. It's a very popular spot by a waterfall where families picnic. And, you know, I just think it's a huge misunderstanding that has a lot more to do with the problems between our countries than with us as individuals.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELSHI: We'll stay with this story, obviously, until we see that those hikers are out of the prison and on their way back home.
ROMANS: Meantime, in this country, waiting to die. A Georgia death row inmate is set to be executed tonight after his last-ditch effort for clemency was denied yesterday. Troy Davis convicted of shooting and killing an off-duty police officer more than 20 years ago.
COSTELLO: But will he be executed by the state under a huge cloud of doubt. Supporters around the world still insisting they got the wrong guy. David Mattingly has the latest from Atlanta. This is it, though, right, David?
DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Carol. And in these final hours, the supporters of Troy Davis are calling on everyone from the president to the courts to the state of Georgia to stop this execution.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CROWD: We won't let Troy Davis die.
MATTINGLY: Their last means of recourse seemingly exhausted, there may be little more for Troy Davis' legion of supporters to do but shout their frustrations and pray.
Meanwhile, the prosecutor who sent Davis to death row for the murder of Savannah police officer Mark MacPhail broke years of silence, calling the campaign to save Davis unfair and unjust.
SPENCER LAWTON, FORMER D.A.: We have felt we were ethically bound to maintain our silence and express our opinions and judgments on the facts in court, which is where we have. And every place where we have, we've won.
MATTINGLY: Now retired, former D.A. Spencer Lawton believes that those who testified 20 years ago and later changed their stories or recanted did so under pressure from Davis' supporters and failed to appear credible, he says, in the eyes of the court.
LAWTON: It has been a game of delay throughout. The more time they have to create doubt, not real doubt, but the appearance of doubt.
MATTINGLY: The Georgia board of pardons and parole again refused to stop Davis' execution, saying its decision was based on the totality of the information presented in this case. Davis supporters say race was a factor.
REV. RAPHAEL WARNOCK: This is Jim Crowe in a new era. There's just too much doubt for this execution to continue.
MATTINGLY (on camera): This is Davis' fourth appointment with execution. Another last-minute delay seems far less likely this time. Families of Davis and Officer MacPhail both prepare for the end.
MARTINA DAVIS-CORREIA: It's like reliving a nightmare over and over, but the thing about it is we have to stay strong in our faith.
JOAN MACPHAIL: We have lived this for 22 years. We know what the truth is. And for someone to ludicrously say that he is a victim -- we are victims. Look at us. We have put up with this stuff for 22 years, and it's time for justice today.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MATTINGLY: And that execution now scheduled for 7:00 tonight, Carol.
COSTELLO: Am I right about this, President Obama cannot intervene because this is a state matter? The governor of the state of Georgia cannot intervene because the laws on the books now preventing him from doing it. The United States Supreme Court has gotten involved, but unlikely it will be involved, again. So is there no other avenue for Troy Davis?
MATTINGLY: This doesn't mean the attorneys can't come up with some reason to appeal again to a court here in Georgia. It's possible they may try to do that when the courts open later today. But they were looking at their last best hope being with the Georgia pardons and parole board, and that board refused to stop this execution.
COSTELLO: So 7:00 p.m. tonight, 7:00 p.m. eastern time, Troy Davis expected to be executed. David Mattingly live in Atlanta, thank you.
ROMANS: The case has been reviewed many, many times by different courts, and every time the conviction was upheld some 28 times.
VELSHI: Often these things are reviewed because of a technicality, but in this case it caused a federal judge to look at it as an innocence issue.
COSTELLO: Because of these witnesses who changed their stories or recanted. Of course, you heard from David Mattingly's piece that death penalty opponents changed their minds. It wasn't really that they didn't see what they thought they did back then.
VELSHI: Divided survivors and families of the nearly 3,000 people who died on 9/11 plans to build an Islamic center and mosque near the world trade center site. Today it opens its doors with an exhibit. We're going to speak to the developer on how things have changed and whether he would do it differently if he could do it again. It is 38 minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VELSHI: The Islamic Community Center in lower Manhattan, what some have called the "ground zero mosque," opens its doors today to the public today for the first time for a photo exhibit. Plans to build it so close to the site of the 9/11 attacks called it a backlash. Some critics called it a slap in the face.
Joining us now is the developer of the product, Sharif El Gamal. Good to see you, Sharif.
SHARIF EL GAMAL, DEVELOPER, ISLAMIC COMMUNITY CENTER: Good morning. Thank you for having me.
VELSHI: You are, for people who don't know you. You weren't the face associated with this mosque. You are a Brooklyn born child of an Arab father --
GAMAL: And a Polish mother.
VELSHI: A Polish Catholic mother.
GAMAL: Yes.
VELSHI: And you weren't particularly religious in your upbringing.
GAMAL: No, I wasn't. I reconnected with my faith after 9/11. I couldn't believe how Muslims and Islam were being portrayed in the media and in the print after those horrific events. And I started praying in a mosque four blocks from the World Trade Center.
VELSHI: Because you --
GAMAL: I lived and worked in lower Manhattan. That's where I started praying. And due to unfortunate circumstances, that mosque got evicted in May of 2009 and over 3,000 Muslims were displaced at that point. And I was fortunate enough to secure a piece of real estate.
VELSHI: You were looking for something for a while, just a place for Muslims to go.
GAMAL: Right. I had been looking for the last eight years, since 2002, for a building that we could buy. And, you know, real estate in Manhattan is probably one of the most competitive marketplaces in the world. And I finally was able to secure 4551 Park Place in July of 2009, and I solved a major problem, crisis in lower Manhattan. Close to 3,000 Muslims had been displaced and were praying on the streets.
VELSHI: So, you, you're an upper west-sider. You were on the upper west side when you had little child who you wanted to be able to swim and you associated that with the JCC, the Jewish Community Center, which is the place if you're on the upper west side where your kid learns to swim. I wonder why we can't have something like this.
GAMAL: Exactly. Every time I walked into the JCC I would feel welcomed. And I was always asking myself, why don't Muslims have the community facility like this in New York to serve everyone, regardless of faith, regardless of religious belief. And that was the evolution of this project.
VELSHI: So, that was your model. Your model was a place that the Jewish community puts up in New York that everybody can go into, but it's associated with them because they've provided the space.
GAMAL: Right, right. And that's exactly what Park 51 is going to be. It's going to be based on Islamic values and heritage, but open to all people regardless of faith, lack of faith. It's here to serve New York.
VELSHI: And in fact this photo exhibit you're launching is not something specific to Muslims?
GAMAL: No. I mean I think the photo exhibit is really specific to New York. And a year ago I met Danny Goldfield and he shared with me what he had been working on, and he had been working on taking pictures of 170 different children from 170 different countries that all live in New York.
And when I saw this, I said that this needs to be our first program. This needs to be the first way that we open these doors up. And thank God, tonight is our opening. And starting tomorrow it's going to be open to the general public. And I -- we all can't think of a better way to introduce this project and to introduce, ultimately, who it's going to serve.
VELSHI: So let me ask you. When you were -- when you first did this, you went for your permitting, and you went for the public hearings and the first one went off swimmingly.
The second one, you were very surprised. You walked in sort of thinking there would be kind of 50 people there and there were hundreds --
(CROSSTALK)
GAMAL: Hundreds.
VELSHI: -- and they were protesting and they were mad.
GAMAL: Right.
VELSHI: You still have some protesters. GAMAL: We still -- we still do have protesters. It's -- it's unfortunate because people still don't understand who we are. What our values are? What we stand for and today we have an obligation to let people know who we are. Whether we like it or not --
(CROSSTALK)
VELSHI: Do you think they don't understand? Do you think the protesters who are left don't understand, or do you think that they are not going to welcome you regardless?
GAMAL: No, I don't think they understand what we're trying to do.
VELSHI: Right.
GAMAL: And I don't think they understand who we are. There have been criminals who have been committing acts of -- of -- of mass murder in the name of my faith and in the name of my practice. And we, as Muslims, have nothing to do with those people or with those acts and today we have a responsibility to reclaim our narrative and to get back our identities.
VELSHI: And are -- would you have done anything differently knowing how this all played out?
GAMAL: Well, I -- I would have spent a lot more time with the 9/11 families. The real families that lost loved ones and had many more sessions with them because, to be quite frank with you, I didn't -- we didn't know about them when we were -- when we were going about the planning process.
I would also spend a lot more time with the Muslim leaders nationally and -- and locally, speaking to them about the project. But we've made lots and lots of mistakes.
We've been learning from our mistakes, but Park51.org tonight is opening up the New York City Children Exhibit and we feel that this is going to be an excellent way for us to open up our doors and to really start serving New York City, which is what the objective of this project is.
VELSHI: All right, we will continue to watch it closely, Sharif, good to see you. Thank you very much for being with us.
GAMAL: Thank you for having me.
VELSHI: Sharif Al Gamal is the chairman and developer of Park 51 Project.
Morning headlines are up next, it is 47 minutes after the hour.
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COSTELLO: Its 48 minutes past the hour. Here are your morning headlines. Freedom CNN confirming Iran has released two U.S. hikers who have been prisoners there for over two years. We're waiting for them to physically walk out of that Iranian prison. Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal were detained along the Iran/Iraq border back in 2009 and were later convicted of spying.
Supporters vowing to continue to fight to stop Troy Davis's execution tonight in Georgia. He is scheduled to die by lethal injection for the 1989 shooting of an off-duty police officer.
Happening now, Presidents, Prime Ministers and Kings all gathering in New York this morning for the opening of the 66th annual United Nations General Assembly. President Obama scheduled to meet face-to-face today with the U.N. -- at the U.N. rather with the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. He'll try to convince Abbas to negotiate directly with Israel instead of formally filing for statehood at the United Nations on Friday.
We could be facing a government shutdown in ten days. This time the fight is over how much to spend on federal disaster funding and it could hold up the approval of short-term spending that's needed to keep the government running in October.
Talk about wasteful spending. An internal Justice Department audit has uncovered the agency provided people at a Washington gathering in 2009 with $16 muffins. That's $16 a piece, $8 cups of coffee and tea and it spent $32 per person for snacks like Cracker Jacks.
And the markets open in just about 45 minutes. Right now, the DOW, NASDAQ and S&P 500 all trading lower as investors wait word from the Federal Reserve about whether it will act to boost the economy.
Singer Tony Bennett apologizing for his comments in a radio interview that blamed the United States for the 9/11 terror attacks. The 85-year-old Bennett says there is no excuse for terrorism and the murder of nearly 3,000 innocent victims.
And Congressman Phil Roe of Tennessee being hailed a hero this morning after saving a man's life. Roe, a retired obstetrician, performs CPR and he used a defibrillator to resuscitate a man who flat-lined at the airport in Charlotte.
And that's the news you need to start your day. AMERICAN MORNING back after a break.
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ROMANS: A new sign of the strain in relations between the U.S. and Pakistan. The Obama administration reportedly sharpening its warning for Pakistan to cut ties with the Taliban group believed to be responsible for recent attacks on U.S. interest in Afghanistan.
COSTELLO: CNN's Barbara Starr following this story and she's live at the Pentagon for us -- at the Pentagon for us this morning. Good morning, Barbara. BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Hey, good morning, everybody.
Well, you know, you start hearing this phrase about the Haqqani Network. This is a war lord group in Pakistan of insurgents, terrorists that have been launching many high-profile attacks. They come across from Pakistan into Afghanistan. They are said to be responsible for attacks against U.S. troops, attacks against many high-profile targets in Kabul, in the capital of Afghanistan. This is a growing concern to the Obama administration because they are leading to a lot of security concerns.
And here at the Pentagon yesterday, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta really put it out on the line saying that the Pakistanis have to start cracking down on this Haqqani network. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LEON PANETTA, U.S. DEFENSE SECRETARY: Our biggest concern right now is to put as much pressure as possible on the Pakistanis to exercise control from their side of the border. We've -- we've -- we've continued to state that this cannot happen. We cannot have the Haqqanis coming across the border, attacking our forces, attacking Afghanistan -- Afghanistanis and then disappearing back into a safe haven.
That is not tolerable. And we have urged them to take steps.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STARR: Not tolerable. So you know, what is the U.S. going to do about it? Well, it is well known that the CIA for example already operates drone attacks on the Pakistani side of the border and look for them to step operations against the Haqqanis. Why is this front and center right now?
Yesterday, of course, the former President of Afghanistan Burhanuddin Rabbani, who currently heads the peace effort to reconcile with the Taliban, was assassinated in his home by suicide bombers right in one of the most secure areas of Kabul. They are looking at the possibility that the Haqqanis were involved in the Rabbani assassination.
And as we were showing pictures a minute ago, just last week the Haqqani said to be responsible for the attacks against the U.S. embassy and ISAF headquarters that led troops to have to be on the roof of the military headquarters with their rifles firing back.
So the Haqqanis now really considered almost public enemy number one in the war in Afghanistan.
VELSHI: And that was a remarkable fire fight that took place.
ROMANS: Yes.
VELSHI: It almost makes you wonder, we thought we hadn't seen that kind of thing, people engaging ISAF and -- and U.S. forces on the ground outside the embassy.
All right, Barbara. Thanks very much.
STARR: Sure.
COSTELLO: Up next our "Talk Back" question of the day. The question this morning, "Is it time to rethink the death penalty?" Hundreds of you responded this morning. We'll read some of your responses after this break.
Its five minutes to the top of the hour.
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COSTELLO: Good morning to you. We -- right now it's time for our "Talk Back" question. We asked you this question this morning. "Is it time to rethink the death penalty?"
This from Sue, "A civilized society does not kill its citizens. Those who claim to be Christians and are proponents of the death penalty need to read their Bible. Rethink the death penalty, no we need to repeal the death penalty and stop looking like savages to the world."
This from Roshand, "I feel the death penalty is warranted in some instances. The problem is the human factor and judgment. We make mistakes and even worse, people lie. If God is the judge and jury, then it would be infallible, but that is far from true."
This from Joshua, "Yes it is time. The death penalty should only be applied if there -- if there is incontrovertible and uncontroversial evidence of the guilt of the convicted. DNAs, video, unsolicited confessions, et cetera. Otherwise, there are too many chances for a wrong decision that once applied can never be reversed."
I must say, most of the people were against the death penalty on our Facebook page, at least. But when you look at polls, it's pretty much split down the middle in the country. 50/50. Those for the death penalty and those against it.
ROMANS: Also today you have that trial in Connecticut of the two men who, well, this is the second of the perpetrators, the accused perpetrators of the Petite family Carnage. It's cases like that the people looked to.
VELSHI: Right.
ROMANS: And we were talking about this earlier --
COSTELLO: Right.
ROMANS: -- it's harder to talk about the moral hurdles to the death penalty when you see cases like that. The Troy Davis case, though, is really something that a lot people have looked to as one of those cases that, should this be the death penalty? COSTELLO: Well, the other interesting thing -- when you look at the polls, it's split like two-thirds of Americans believe in the death penalty. This is according to a Gallup poll, but when you factor in life without parole, that goes to 50/50.
ROMANS: Right.
COSTELLO: So people are concerned.
VELSHI: -- in the top percent. All right.
Well, this conversation, particularly one about Troy Davis is going to continue in the "CNN NEWSROOM". We're going to hand it over right now to Kyra Phillips. Good morning, Kyra.
