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CNN Sunday Morning
Doctor Tells Police About Jackson's Final Moments; British Embassy Employees Arrested in Iran; Iraq Prepares To Lead Own Security Efforts
Aired June 28, 2009 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, Betty, it's time to go to work now.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: Hello. How are you?
(LAUGHTER)
NGUYEN: We've been working.
Good morning, everybody. From the CNN Center in Atlanta, this is CNN SUNDAY MORNING. Sunday, June 28. I'm Betty Nguyen.
HOLMES: And hello to you all. I am T.J. Holmes. It is 6 a.m. here in Atlanta, Georgia, where we sit; 5 a.m. in Chicago; 3 out in Los Angeles. Thank you for being here with us this morning.
We're keeping an eye on a lot of things this morning, including on Iran. Eight members of the British Embassy have been arrested, accused of taking a role in the recent riots. Also supporters of the opposition candidate could take to the streets once again today. We do have the very latest.
NGUYEN: Plus, want to show you this man being deployed to Iraq once again. And get this: He is 70 years old.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COL. HECTOR HENRY, U.S. ARMY: I think my wife and my grandchildren and my children, they said, 'You know, you've done probably enough.'
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: Well, he's headed to Iraq for the third time, and we're going to tell you why he's in such high demand.
But we do want to begin this morning with the latest in the death of Michael Jackson. We're told Jackson's cardiologist, who may have been the last person to see him alive, voluntarily talked with Los Angeles police detectives yesterday.
Now I want to give you a picture of Dr. Conrad Murray -- trying to get that up for you. But according to officials, he gave them some information that actually could help explain how Jackson suddenly died. CNN's Ted Rowlands has more on the investigation from Los Angeles.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): While no official criminal investigation has been launched, detectives continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding Michael Jackson's death.
Saturday afternoon, police met with Dr. Conrad Murray, the personal physician who can be heard in the background of the 911 call made while Jackson was dying
OPERATOR: Did anybody witness what happened?
CALLER: No, just the doctor, sir. The doctor's been the only one here.
OPERATOR: OK, so did the doctor see what happened?
CALLER: Doctor, did you see what happened?
ROWLANDS: Hours after Jackson was pronounced dead, the car Dr. Murray was driving was towed from Jackson's rented home.
CHARLIE BECK, DEPUTY CHIEF, LOS ANGELES POLICE: The car was impounded because we are still actively trying to assess what the nature of the - of Mr. Jackson's death is, and whether or not any prescription or other medications were involved. You know, that - the vehicle was secured, so we impounded it to - to - to see if there was any evidence of the nature of the death in that vehicle.
ROWLANDS: Murray is a cardiologist who has clinics in Texas and Nevada and is licensed in California. He was hired by Jackson as he prepared for an upcoming concert series. Murray was paid as part of the deal Jackson made with the concert promoter.
Since Jackson's death, speculation has swirled about Dr. Murray's role, if any, in providing prescription medication to Jackson. Murray's lawyers tell CNN the doctor is cooperating with police and has absolutely nothing to hide.
MATT ALFORD, FIRM REPRESENTS DR. MURRAY: He's found himself in - in - obviously in a very unusual position. An informer (ph) that he is, he's obviously - he wasn't just Mr. Jackson's doctor, he was a friend of his. You know, they had come to know each other and know each other well. And he's grieving for - for the death of Mr. Jackson, as are millions of people around the world.
But he was - he was close to him, and he's - he's - he's very sad about it. But he's - Ed (ph) said he's holding up well, and he's ready to continue to cooperate with the police so he can help them out any way he can.
ROWLANDS: An autopsy was inconclusive as to cause of death, The coroner says Jackson was on prescription medication when he died, but exactly what and how much was in his system is still unclear.
ANTHONY HERNANDEZ, DIR., L.A. CO. CORONER'S OFFICER: The toxicology's going to be a very important factor in this particular case so that we can get to the truth and find out what the actual cause of death is.
ROWLANDS: Ted Rowlands, CNN, Los Angeles.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: All right. So the doctor has met with police.
And while that was happening, meanwhile, over at the Jackson home where he was renting, there were moving vans that were spotted there. Also family members spotted there.
Our Dan Simon with that part of the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: So we are in the Holmby Hills section of Los Angeles, Michael Jackson's rented mansion tucked away behind us. You can see that the street is quiet right now. You can also see that it's been roped off by police.
But earlier, there was a lot of activity. We saw a moving company here. We saw several movers taking out boxes. We don't know what was in those boxes or where Michael Jackson's belongings were going. But clearly, the family made some arrangements to have some of Michael Jackson's belongings, if not all of his belongings, removed from the house behind me.
Meanwhile, you can also see this memorial that is outside near the house. You can see some flowers and some pictures of Michael Jackson.
We should also note that here at the mansion, we also saw some of Michael Jackson's siblings coming and going, including Rebbie Jackson, Randy Jackson, Tito and some others. A lot of tinted black SUVs.
So that's the story from here. Right now, this house has been returned to the Jackson family. The police not investigating any further as far as the house is concerned.
Dan Simon, CNN, Los Angeles.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: And of course, you can stay with us here at CNN for the very latest on the Jackson investigation. And be sure tonight to tune in, 8:00 Eastern, our Don Lemon taking an in-depth look at Michael Jackson's life and legacy from his childhood and his music to also his finances, also his influence.
A special "CNN PRESENTS" tonight, "Michael Jackson: Man in the Mirror," 8:00 Eastern. NGUYEN: Well, we do have some new developments this hour in Iran. Iran's Press TV says eight local staff members of the British Embassy in Tehran have been arrested.
Now, it's not known if any are British citizens. But Press TV says they were arrested for taking part in post-presidential election unrest. This man, opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi, is demanding the election results be nullified. He is also calling for an independent investigation into the election.
Protests broke out shortly after Iran declared incumbent President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad the winner. The government says opposition candidates have until the end of today to file anymore complaints.
Also have some disturbing information from Amnesty International. An Amnesty official tells CNN that members of the government's paramilitary arm, the Basij, have been taking injured protesters from hospital emergency rooms. The official says the Basiji are prohibiting medical workers from getting info from the injured. And then once the patient is treated, then they're taking them into custody.
Because of restrictions by the Iranian government, CNN cannot confirm the date that this video was shot.
HOLMES: Well, more now on the leading opposition leader's efforts to challenge this election.
Our Reza Sayah now.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
REZA SAYAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The Iranian government shutting the door on Mir Hossein Mousavi once again. The disgruntled presidential candidate had requested permission from the Iranian government to hold another rally in Tehran on Sunday, but the government denying that request, saying he didn't submit the request in time.
But Mousavi remaining defiant, rejecting the Guardian Council's probe into the election results, saying the investigation is not within its jurisdiction.
Let's talk about the streets of Tehran, where we had another day on Saturday where we didn't see widespread clashes, apparently as a result of the aggressive crackdown on protesters on the part of the government. But the government continues to apply the pressure on protesters, going after them now using the Internet.
Take a look at this Web page. This is a government Web site with what looks like several pictures of protesters. The government singling them out by circling their faces. The government asking anyone with any information on the protesters to contact authorities.
Also, Human Rights Watch reporting that Iran's paramilitary group, the Basij, raiding homes. You'll recall, ever since the elections, many Iranians have been chanting, "Allahu Akbar" - 'God is great' - from inside their homes every night about 10 p.m. Human Rights Watch saying members of the Basij are now raiding homes to stop the chants. The report says some people are actually getting beat up and their possessions and belongings are being trashed.
Reza Sayah, at the Iran desk, in Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Well, Iran's president is once again blaming the West and President Barack Obama for stirring post-election unrest. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad told a gathering of judiciary officials he was astonished over what he sees as interference from the American president.
The Iranian leader is warning there will be repercussions if the meddling continues.
Well, of course, a big week coming up for Supreme Court nominee, Justice (sic) Sonia Sotomayor, and for U.S. troops in Iraq.
NGUYEN: Yes, our Deputy Political Director Paul Steinhauser is in Washing ton with a preview of what's ahead.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PAUL STEINHAUSER, DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Betty, T.J., coming up this week, you're going to hear two topics, two issues, that you really haven't heard a lot about lately. And those are Iraq and Sonia Sotomayor.
Let's start with Sonia Sotomayor, because we are just two weeks and one day away from the start of her confirmation hearings in the U.S. Senate. And we haven't heard a lot about her lately. You know, she's been making her rounds up on Capitol Hill, visiting with senators. But her story's kind of fallen away from the spotlight.
I think that will end this upcoming week. You're going to hear Republicans, as they're off on break this week - Senate Republicans maybe start to criticize - some of them maybe start to criticize Sonia Sotomayor, trying to paint her as somebody outside the mainstream. And I think you'll see that increase as we get closer to the July 13 confirmation hearings.
The other story you're going to hear a lot about, probably later today on the Sunday talk shows, and then of course, on Tuesday, June 30, which is the deadline day - and that is the deadline day for U.S. troops in Iraq to move out of the cities and the urban areas and to move to bases outside the cities and urban areas.
Iraq, of course, is an issue we have not heard a lot about lately. It's been trumped by so many other issues, including Iran, in the last couple weeks. But the president did speak about Iraq on Friday at a news conference that he held with the German leader. And he said that while he's concerned about some of the uptick in violence, he said that overall, violence has been down this past year.
He says he's more concerned about political advancements in Iraq right now more than military advancements.
So Iraq and Sonia Sotomayor, two issues you're going to hear a lot about over the next week - Betty, T.J.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: Absolutely. And we'll be following it.
In the meantime though, we're going to take a closer look at the pullback in Iraq, and what potential problems it might create for cities there.
HOLMES: Also, trees down in Connecticut after a series of storms sweeped that state. Lots to clean up, as you can see this morning.
Reynolds Wolf keeping an eye on all things weather-related.
Good morning to you, sir.
REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: That's right. Good morning.
We're taking a look at a little bit of a cooldown in Texas. Only 100 degrees today, where yesterday they got up to 104 in parts of the cities. A little bit of a respite; not much though for places like Houston. Also in Memphis, still warm.
We're going to be talking about that heat wave, how long it's going to last. We're also going to have an update on your tropics. It's all coming up on CNN SUNDAY (sic).
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: It is the next step in the move to get out of Iraq. U.S. troops are due to be out of the country's cities by Tuesday, and it's all part of a security pact between Baghdad and Washington.
CNN's Michael Ware joins us now live from Baghdad.
So how many troops does this mean will actually be coming home because of the pullout?
MICHAEL WARE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Betty, the answer's very simple: none. You're still going to have 130,000 U.S. troops based here in the country, though their hands military will very much be tied by the Iraqi government.
They've got to pull out of all of the Iraqi cities and towns; they retreat to pre-approved bases. And they can no longer conduct operations on their own in the cities without the express invitation or permission of the Iraqis.
We're still going to see a few troops, advisers embedded with Iraqi units. There are still going to be some joint operations and partner patrols. But unfortunately, this doesn't mean any of the - the GIs are coming home any time soon. American still only has 18 months to get these 130,000 home under an international agreement the Bush administration signed in the dying days of its government. But in terms of today meaning that there's any homecomings about to happen, I'm afraid to disappoint - Betty.
NGUYEN: All right, Michael. Well, if these troops are pulling out of some of the major cities, is there a concern that the Iraqi security forces will not be able to handle the security demands?
WARE: There's no concern at all, Betty, because there's no question: No, they can't handle the security demands whatsoever. That's why 130,000 troops will stay here.
Essentially, it's an insurance policy. But a policy at the behest and at the whim of the Iraqi government. The U.S. forces are now very much in a supporting role.
What they're doing, however, is what's called stability operations, making sure the Iraqis don't get themselves killed in any great numbers, and assisting where the Iraqis need it. And that's in areas like air support, artillery. It's what in military terms they call "enabling."
So it's going to be the Iraqis fighting what is now the Iraqi fight. But the Americans will be here to give them a little bit of muscle if and when they need it - Betty.
NGUYEN: All right. Well, that being the case, how are Iraqis responding to this troop pullout? Are - are they a little nervous about it?
WARE: Well, it's mixed feelings, to be honest. And it - it's more one way than the other.
There - there's some here in Iraq who are very, very nervous. In fact, we spoke to one woman who said - who begged the American military and the commander here, General Ray Odierno, not to take your eyes off us. She - she said the concept fills her with horror.
But she's among the few. Most Iraqis are absolutely joyous that the U.S. occupation of their country is coming to an end, as far as they see it. I mean, they had - what? - six, almost seven years of foreign tanks in their streets, foreign troops rousting families in their homes in the middle of the night, dragging their men off to foreign-run prisons.
People are sick of it. Iraqis want to be Iraqi. Now that may come at a heavy price, but for now, the Iraqis are ready to pay it - Betty.
NGUYEN: All right. I just got to ask you about this, because from the shot, it looks like you're sending right next to the sun there. But that's actually - what? - a dust storm behind you? What's going on there?
WARE: Yes, it's - it - it - it would be nice if it was a blizzard, if that were snow. But yes, it's dusty. Everything I touch, leaves - leaves a film.
This is a very Iraqi situation. But it this way: If I had an airline ticket to be coming home today, I wouldn't be leaving. And this stuff - this stuff is so fine, it doesn't matter how well you close your windows, you still wake up covered in a thin film of dust. It's such a pleasure to be here.
NGUYEN: Well, hey, go take a shower. We'll talk to you shortly. Thank you.
(LAUGHTER)
NGUYEN: All right.
WARE: You're not the first person to tell me that.
(LAUGHTER)
WARE: Thanks.
(LAUGHTER)
NGUYEN: For different reasons, I imagine.
All right. Back to you later.
(LAUGHTER)
HOLMES: Yes. He gets that a lot, actually.
(LAUGHTER)
HOLMES: No.
NGUYEN: He's great though.
HOLMES: Next...
NGUYEN: But yes, they're dealing with a lot there. Like he said, it shut down part of the Baghdad airport. A lot of people having respiratory problems.
HOLMES: Yes, showing up at the hospitals there (ph).
NGUYEN: People are - are wearing those surgical masks and walking down the streets in Baghdad. So, dealing with it.
But it happens fairly often there.
HOLMES: And it's bad. And you can see, in that shot, you can tell, it looks like - like you said, it's the sun beaming behind him or something.
NGUYEN: Like he's standing right next to the sun. It's crazy- looking.
(LAUGHTER)
NGUYEN: All right.
Well, nearly a decade after most men have retired, a 70-year-old doctor in Concord, North Carolina - well, he is going back to war.
HOLMES: Yes, 70 years old, being deployed for the fifth time.
Well, Alex Reed of our affiliate News Channel 36 in Charlotte says not only is he going back for a fifth time, he's actually - he's ready to do this again.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
H. HENRY: It's taking me a long time to pack this back.
ALEX REED, NEWS CHANNEL 36 CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Col. Hector Henry never thought he'd have to pack his Army gear again.
H. HENRY: I think my wife and my grandchildren and my children, they said, 'You know, you've done probably enough.'
REED: As his own home movies show, this will be the third time he's gone to Iraq; the fifth time he's been deployed with the Army overseas.
H. HENRY: You can't do enough for your country. I don't think you can do enough for - for - for this country and for this state.
REED (on camera): You're 70 years old. Will - will you be the oldest guy over there?
H. HENRY: Probably.
REED (voice-over): And that's something his wife worries about.
MARGIE HENRY, HECTOR'S WIFE: Yes, I do.
REED: But she says Henry refuses to "act his age."
M. HENRY: Yes, he runs four to six miles a day, lifts weights for an hour and a half. And so he's an animal.
H. HENRY: I do have hair, but it's probably all gray now. And so I'm afraid to look at it. So that's why I keep my head shaved.
REED: It's that spunk and seven decades - uh, let's call it "experience" - that should serve him well as he follows patrols around the battle zone in Iraq.
H. HENRY: I'll be right out there with them, yes.
M. HENRY: Every single day just gets to be closer to where he's coming home, coming home.
H. HENRY: It won't be long. I'll be back. I'll be back soon. (END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: Hmm. Well, Dr. Henry will be acting as general practitioner for a battalion of soldiers from North Carolina.
HOLMES: Yes, this tour scheduled to end in November. And he says it will likely be his last, but who knows?
NGUYEN: You never know.
Well, you know what? This is someone who knows a little something this morning. That being Reynolds Wolf, and he knows a lot about the heat outside.
I talked to my mom yesterday in Texas. She couldn't stand it; said it was way too hot already. And - what? - summer began just last weekend?
WOLF: Yes, and you know, it was already in fall force. It was like nature flipped a switch, and then sure enough, that's what we're dealing with, the full brunt of it.
And today, Texas under the gun once again. Almost like back when you're a kid, and you're playing on the front lawn, you got that microscope, and you're getting the sun's rays, and you're just kind of focusing on a leaf or a sheet of paper, and it - it goes up in flames. That's basically how it's been in Texas.
You got high pressure that's just been setting up over the parts of the Gulf, including the Dallas area. And with that, temperatures have been soaring just up in the triple digits.
Today, we're expecting to go right up to 100 degrees. Memphis, a little bit cooler than yesterday, not into the triple digits, but still, 94 degrees. Just oppressive heat out there. And Houston, 99 degrees the expected high.
This is not the day to go out and cut grass. So for all you folks who were thinking about going out there, doing yard work, just kind of push it out for a little bit. You don't need to go ahead out there.
Kansas City, 85 degrees; 82 in Chicago; 83 in Washington.
Back out to the West Coast, 107 in Las Vegas. San Francisco, the high 80 degrees, but when you get a little bit of - away from the coast, back towards, say, San Jose, you could be into the triple digits there today. So very warm out on the West Coast also, and no sign of rain expected there out West.
However, could see some scattered showers, possibly some thunderstorms, into parts of the Appalachians and into the Tennessee Valley. Now as you have that moisture working its way up the slops of the Appalachians, when it gets to the higher elevations, it's going to have what we refer to as "orographic lifts," squeezing a lot of the moisture out of that - that frontal boundary and out of that moisture that you have in the atmosphere. It's going to be interacting with the daytime heating, and that could give you some severe storms, maybe even some flash flooding in poor-drainage areas.
Now, something else to talk about. We've been keeping a sharp eye on what's been happening in the tropics, especially into the western Caribbean. You got Cancun, Mexico, right here. You're seeing some deep convection develop. What we could be seeing over the next 12 to 24 hours is this system moving into the Gulf of Mexico.
Yesterday, it looked like it was about a medium risk of this storm becoming something bigger, becoming a depression, maybe a tropical storm, maybe even a hurricane. Right now, it's very slight at this point. It could be interacting with some upper-level winds as it moves into the Gulf, and that shear could rip this thing apart.
So still, it's something we're going to watch very carefully. It is, after all, that time of year.
Hey, it's also time to send it back to you guys at the news desk. Good times.
NGUYEN: All right. We learned a little something - orographic lift, right?
WOLF: Orographic lift is what we geeks call it.
(LAUGHTER)
NGUYEN: Very nice. OK. Thanks, Reynolds.
HOLMES: All right. Thanks, Renny.
WOLF: You bet, guys.
HOLMES: Well, of course, we continue to follow developments out of Iran this morning. A new protest supposed to take place amidst the controversial election. A key Iranian politician has been silent, however.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning. I'm Josh Levs.
You will not believe how much money some people are asking for some Michael Jackson memorabilia online. We have that, plus how much an actual, authentic autograph is actually worth.
We're going to show you. It's all right here.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MUSIC, JACKSONS, "DANCING MACHINE")
HOLMES: Well, of course, Michael Jackson's death has triggered huge music sales, including online. You know, iTunes and all that. The stuff has been blowing up.
But it's also created a selling frenzy. NGUYEN: Oh yes it has. And some people are trying to sell Michael Jackson memorabilia for massive amounts of money.
Our Josh Levs is keeping an eye on all of that for us.
I'm almost afraid to ask how much some of the stuff is going for.
(LAUGHTER)
LEVS: The most amazing part of all of this is that people rushed to sign up all these Web sites about Michael Jackson, remembering him. And the amounts of money are asking for are staggering. It's shocking.
You - you - let's just zoom in on the board. I want to start to show you some of these examples here. I've opened up a ton that are on eBay.
Look at this one. Touchedbymichaelsmusic.com, they're asking $10 million.
Let's go through some more here. Now this is another one: kingpopmj. That one you can get for only $5,000. We'll see if that one comes in.
Let's see. "The Los Angeles Times" newspaper - someone says - look, the actual paper that day was sold out. They're trying to charge $10,000 for their copy of the paper that they held on to over here.
Now some, a lot more realistic. This is just 20 bucks, you can get a "I Love Michael Jackson" T-shirt that goes way back.
But you can also jump way back up: Eternallymichaeljackson.com, $5 million.
Let's go to a couple graphics, because there's a couple factoids I want to show you all based on what we got. I got an e-mail from the folks at Godaddy, one of the places - just one - that registers domain names. Less than 24 hours after the news was confirmed that Michael Jackson had died, they alone sold more than - registered more than 3,700 Web sites about remembering Michael Jackson.
And there's one place where I could tell you how much something's actually worth, which is an autograph. Because we here spoke with a store in New York. And you can see it there. They're saying a Michael Jackson autograph is probably about $150 to - up to about $300 now. So it's doubled in worth. So that's something.
But still - I mean, look at the amounts of money some people are asking for. And you can see there, it really is staggering, Betty.
NGUYEN: Any chance that some of these folks might actually get what they're asking for?
LEVS: You know, I think some of the lower-priced ones will. I think people who are trying to sell shirts, or some people trying to sell old magazines; a few autographs here and there. But these Web sites for millions of dollars, that would be shocking if they get that kind of money. Because it's so easy to come up with a similar Web site that's just one letter off. It's very unusual for people to pay that amount of money just for a domain name.
If they buy a whole business that goes with a domain number, they might get it. But when you look at just the domain name itself, selling it for $10 million, $20 million, what these people are asking -- very, very unlikely.
NGUYEN: Yes, that's what it seems. OK, Josh Levs, thank you.
LEVS: You got it. Thanks.
NGUYEN: And tonight's BET Awards ceremony will now be a tribute to Michael Jackson. CNN is the only network live from the red carpet. Join Don Lemon tonight, 6 p.m. Eastern, 3 Pacific, only here on CNN.
Let's get you some other news right now. The Iranian government shutting down Mir Hossein Mousavi once again. But will that stop protesters from gathering in Iran? We have the latest on the developments there.
HOLMES: Plus, what's next for the South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford? Well, something may be coming for him this week. Will he be able to fend off the calls for him to step down?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: The Iranian government is once again shutting a door on an opposition candidate.
HOLMES: Mir-Hossein Mousavi has been denied approval to hold a rally today. The government says Mousavi did not submit his request in time.
The government, meanwhile, continues to look for protesters who have a web page with several photos of protesters and asking Iranians to contact authorities if they recognize anybody. Despite many accusations by Iran's president the West is behind demonstrations there, there are indications of troubles, however, within the leadership.
NGUYEN: Yes, so let's get more on this. CNN's Ivan Watson has stepped away from the Iran Desk to join us right here in the newsroom.
What's the latest that you're hearing on this?
IVAN WATSON, CNN INT'L. ANCHOR, IRAN DESK: What we really want to do is bring attention, Betty, to the fact we've heard an awful lot about the demonstrations and the crackdown.
NGUYEN: Yeah.
WATSON: But behind the scenes, there's a pretty intense power struggle going on. Let's take a look at this report to understand some of the dynamics of that.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WATSON (voice over): The last time the world saw Iran's assembled leadership was more than a week ago, at Friday prayers, when Iran's supreme leader endorsed the victory of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in the controversial June 12th presidential election.
But amid Iran's assembled power brokers one key Iranian politician was missing, this man, Hashemi Rafsanjani. He's a former president and the current head of Iran's assembly of experts. He's also said to control huge chunks of the Iranian economy.
HOOMAN MAJD, IRANIAN-AMERICAN AUTHOR: Ayatollah Rafsanjani is the second-most powerful man of Iran, up until now, certainly, has always been in opposition to Ahmadinejad.
WATSON: Iran experts say Rafsanjani is now fighting a behind- the-scenes power struggle against Ahmadinejad, who is backed by Iran's supreme leader, and by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, a military force with its own big economic interests.
BEHZAD YAGHMAIAN, IRANIRAN-AMERICAN AUTHOR/ECONOMIST: Iranian economy is controlled by different and competing mafias, and two of the major mafias that have extreme control in Iran are the mafia related to Rafsanjani, and the other related to the Revolutionary Guard. In this last election in Iran was a manifestation of the higher level of fighting between the two mafias.
WATSON: In televised debates leading up to the election, Ahmadinejad publicly accused Rafsanjani of corruption. Rafsanjani supported an opponent of Ahmadinejad, Mir Hossein Mousavi, he has accused the hard-liner of stealing elections. Last week police briefly arrested Rafsanjani's daughter and four of his relatives for attending an opposition rally.
MAJD: This is really the first time in the history of the Islamic Republic, where they're airing their dirty laundry in public, and they don't like it.
WATSON: Throughout the chaos of the last two weeks Rafsanjani has remained silent. While the regime continues it's crackdown on critics many are waiting to see the next move of the wily politician who has dominated Iranian politics for decades.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: We're also getting new video in today, Ivan, of the ayatollah, first time we've seen him in a while.
HOLMES: We'll have (ph) him in a minute. Why haven't we see him? We're looking at this for the first time. We just saw this, Ivan. We haven't.
WATSON: Yes. HOLMES: We were just talking about this, with you, at that sermon, we all remember, where he called for everybody to stop the protests essentially was the last time we saw him.
WATSON: Absolutely. That was maybe two weeks ago. And here we have him addressing this audience, calling for unity, T.J., according to the translation we're just getting in now. Calling for both sides in this election dispute not to provoke the emotion of young Iranians against each other; we have seen these pretty intense clashes in the streets day after day. And he seems to be acknowledging the fact that his side of this debate, the supporters of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, have also participated in the violence.
And that's an important acknowledgement. The fact that it's not just blaming opposition, who have been accused of being agents of Israel and being agents of the U.S. That his side also has some culpability in this. The problem is, is in the election, T.J.? He came out after the election and said, Ahmadinejad basically is my man, and it's important for him to try to get his -- his position above the fray back. I don't know if he can get his legitimacy back, that kind of unbiased position. It will be tough.
NGUYEN: Yes, he did call it a definitely victory when he was talking about Ahmadinejad.
I want to ask you one other thing, while we have you here. About those British diplomats that have been arrested. Give us the latest on that.
WATSON: Yes. This is pretty interesting, the tensions have been ratcheting up between Britain and Iran, hearing a lot of accusations coming from Iran over the course of the past week. And now we have word coming that the Iranian authorities appear to have arrested eight British embassy employees, on their way to work, eight arrested. This is according to Press TV, state Press TV. We've called the British embassy. They're saying give us some time before we can get back to them.
NGUYEN: But it has not been confirmed if they are, in fact, British citizens, right? They may be Iranians working for the British?
WATSON: We do have to work on that one. We have to work on that for you, Betty.
NGUYEN: There's a lot of questions surrounding that, still too.
WATSON: Yes.
NGUYEN: Either way, still, I mean, staff members of the British embassy have been arrested in Iran.
WATSON: Just one final little thing to add, it's very common to see in Tehran hard lined supporters of the regime gathering in front of the British embassy, chanting "Death to America, death to Britain," because there's no American embassy in Iran. So the British embassy is the next best one.
NGUYEN: Got ya. Ivan Watson, always manning the latest coming out of Iran from our Iran desk. We appreciate you joining us up here this morning. Thank you.
HOLMES: We'll see you soon. Thanks a lot.
Well, other two big stories we have. We're not going to be far away from the day, the big one, of course, the Michael Jackson mystery. It is a mystery right now.
NGUYEN: It truly is.
And the situation in Iran, as we have been talking about, we have those two stories covered and we'll break in with any information here on CNN.
HOLMES: Also what will be the fate of the Ponzi mastermind Bernie Madoff? A closer look at what he could be facing as he prepares to hear his sentencing tomorrow.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: The financial crisis left a deep impact on Americans and forcing families to rethink their finances.
HOLMES: CNN Senior Correspondent Allan Chernoff introduces us one couple and tells how they were hit and how they responded.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN SR. CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Not only were Kevin and Lucy Aikman heavily invested in the stock market last fall, but Kevin's employer, AIG, nearly collapsed. Kevin is in a stable end of the business, home insurance assessments, so the dual crisis, rocking his investments and employer, was especially jarring.
KEVIN AIKMAN, HIT HARD BY FINANCIAL CRISIS: First thought is fear. What about all of these years I've put in the hard work? All the money that I've invested, is there going to be anything left at the end of the day?
CHERNOFF: For Lucy, the financial crisis has been terrifying.
LUCY AIKMAN, HIT HARD BY FINANCIAL CRISIS: Terrible anxiety. I ended up having to go get help, because I couldn't sleep, so much anxiety.
CHERNOFF: Lucy lost her job as a trader on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange two years ago and hasn't worked since. Her grown daughter also lost her job, as did Lucy's sister, who worked at Bear Stearns when it collapsed.
L. AIKMAN: Everybody's fearful. And everybody's falling like soldiers around me. CHERNOFF (On camera): Just a few days before the stock market began collapsing last September, the Aikmans hired a contractor to chop down trees and excavate a pond by their home. Today, more than seven months later, it's still a hole in the ground. The project is on hold.
(Voice over): The hole in the ground was like a hole in their pockets. It had cost $10,000, so the Aikmans chopped their spending. They gave up their personal trainer and now exercise on their own. They postponed plans to build a screen porch. Don't go out to dinner as much and planted a vegetable garden.
L. AIKMAN: One of our biggest expenses is food. I mean, it sounds strange, but we eat a lot of fresh produce. And as you know, to eat healthfully, it costs money.
CHERNOFF: They've become conservative investors with the help of financial planners Doug Flynn and Rich Zito, who reduced their exposure to stocks.
DOUG FLYNN, ZITO CAPITAL MANAGEMENT: We've taken it all the way down to about 15 percent stocks.
L. AIKMAN: OK.
FLYNN: If you're losing sleep, then you probably don't have the right portfolio. We need to find the right portfolio for you.
CHERNOFF: To sleep better the Aikmans bought extra insurance and Kevin is shelving dreams of retiring in just 10 years when he'll be 55.
K. AIKMAN: The 401(k) just about fell in half. When that happened, I reassessed and said, maybe I am going to need to put a few more years in.
CHERNOFF: The Aikmans realize they can't control the economic environment that effects all of us. But by cutting spending, boosting insurance, and becoming more conservative with investments, the Aikmans feel there are controlling what they can to weather the financial storm while still being positioned to profit, as it begins to pass. Allan Chernoff, CNN, Hurling, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: All right. This has been a big talker this week, talking about Governor Sanford, South Carolina governor, who came back from Argentina just recently.
HOLMES: Yes, after he was found.
NGUYEN: Yes, he was finally found. He wasn't along the Appalachian Trail. He was in Argentina, Buenos Aires, to be exact, with his mistress. A lot of people are talking about the fact that his wife, when he came out and apologized for all that happened, was not standing right there by his side.
In fact, she said, you know what? I don't care about his career. I'm more interested in getting my family back together, meaning taking care of her children and just the fallout from all of this.
So, you've been talking about this morning we've got some of your responses so far. Let's read a few for you. Katie on my Facebook page says, "Smart, strong woman. I'm sick of people, specifically, women, making excuses for family and spouses."
And, quickly, on my Twitter site, let's see, this person right here says, "Unlike her husband, Jenny Sanford is a class act."
And I know you've got a lot of responses, too.
HOLMES: Yeah. A lot of people kind of surprised even that she's doing what she's doing, because we're so used to seeing this happen and women come out and stand by their man in the press conference.
So, some are saying, in her comment, which was "his career is not a concern of mine," Terry responds, "Sums it up fairly well, I'd say. Good for her. How many political wives have stood by after being personal humiliated?"
So, we'll see what happens. But they do. They have four young boys.
NGUYEN: Yes.
HOLMES: In the house. And she's concerned about those four boys. We will see what happens with him now. This could be a big week. A lot of people are going to be calling for him to resign. It is one thing to cheat on your wife, but it is another thing to show the kind of -or lack of judgment, some say, and just escaping from your duties and not telling a lieutenant governor, anybody in the state -
NGUYEN: For days.
HOLMES: you're going to Argentina.
NGUYEN: The staff was scratching their heads, going we don't know where he is. And they were told a bunch of different things.
But also, on top of that, Governor Sanford says he's going to have to pay back some of that money because one of the trips that he made down to Argentina was on taxpayer dime and during that trip he did meet with his mistress. So, there are a lot of things in the story.
We know that you want to weigh in on it. We have questions on our Facebook and Twitter sites. Go there and respond to it. Also, you can reach us at weekends@cnn.com and the CNN NEWSROOM blog. Lots of ways for you to have a comment made today and we'll try to read those on the air. HOLMES: What can we expect next in this still developing story? For that let's turn to CNN's Deputy Political Director Paul Steinhauser.
PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Betty, T.J., one of the big stories, this week ahead, whether Governor Sanford of South Carolina can survive in office.
There have already been a couple calls, in the past couple of days, by newspapers and a few state lawmakers, for the governor to resign after he admitted to an extramarital affair and he also admitted that he had misled his staff as to his location. But so far, there's not been a chorus yet, a ground swell in South Carolina, calling for the governor to step down. He's got abut a year and a half left in office and the big question is, will he be able to survive? He's term limited so he can't run for re-election.
The other big thing going on, of course, when you look at the Governor Sanford controversy, is the affect on the Republican Party because Governor Sanford's admittance that he had an extramarital affair came a week after another rising star, in the Republican Party, Senator Ensign of Nevada, also admitted that he had an extramarital affair.
Guys, I really see this as a distraction to the Republican Party right now. This party is trying to rebuild after big election defeats in '06 and '08. This doesn't help them with one of their core constituencies and that is Christian conservative voters. And it is also, kinda, is a big distraction to them. As the Republican Party is trying to concentrate its firepower right now on going after President Obama and the Democrats over healthcare, over clean energy reform, Sonia Sotomayor, over the deficit, over the stimulus, you name it. This is a distraction that kind of steals or tears the Republican Party away from their message. So, it's definitely not helping this party right now as it tries to rebuild.
Betty, T.J.
NGUYEN: All right. You know, some of the steamy e-mails Governor Sanford sent to his Argentinean mistress have been leaked all over the Internet. While some anchors have clearly been having a little fun reading them out loud --
HOLMES: Our Jeanne Moos takes a look at others who may regret not hitting that delete button.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): It's enough to make you afraid to e-mail.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How about them e-mails?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Bombshell e-mails.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Their love e-mails from Governor Sanford. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He wrote.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And then Maria, that Latin lover, responds -
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK.
MOOS: What we responded to was how members of the press opted to deliver the lovey-dovey lines. For instance, from a Blackberry.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: With Maria responding, "You are my love."
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How embarrassing.
MOOS: Or delivered dramatically, accompanied by romantic music.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That I love the curve of your hips --
MOOS: Other anchors couldn't bring themselves to read them allowed.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Now is the part where I just sit here for a second, while you read that. Look, I'm blushing now and I'm not even looking at it.
MOOS: The newspaper, "The State", obtained the e-mails and CNN hasn't independently confirmed their authenticity, but everybody's reciting them, from Larry King ...
LARRY KING, HOST, LARRY KING LIVE: My heart cries out for you.
MOOS: To Barbara Walters.
BARBARA WALTERS, CO-HOST, THE VIEW: "The erotic beauty of you holding yourself, of two magnificent parts of yourself" - oh, my dear!
MOOS: When we gave some the e-mails to a couple who had been married 43 years they added commentary.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: "My head is saying, how do we put the genie back in the bottle?" A little late now, pal.
MOOS: His wife read Maria's reply, e-mailed in imperfect but endearing English.
"I don't want to put the genius back in the bottle." He's expressing his deepest emotions, too bad they aren't to his wife.
MOOS: Favorite parts of the e-mails cascaded out.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: "My heart cries out for you."
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Your voice, your body.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The touch of your lips. Wow. This guy's poetic, isn't he?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (SINGING): Don't cry for me, right wing media.
MOOS (On camera): But things could be worse. Pity the poor reporters who had to read the e-mails from the Mark Foley scandal.
(voice over): Remember the steamy e-mails reporters recited from the former congressman to teenage congressional pages?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: "What you wearing?"
"T-shirt and shorts."
"Love to slip them off of you."
JON STEWART, THE DAILY SHOW: The worst phone sex operator, ever.
MOOS: There are certain lines from Governor Sanford's e-mails you hear over and over.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: "Magnificent, gentle kisses."
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: "Magnificent, gentle kisses," which I'll admit I was aroused by that kind of talk.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: "The curve of your hips."
WALTERS: "Or that I love your tan lines."
(LAUGHTER)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: "Or that I love your tan lines."
MOOS (on camera): Has he ever written you steamy e-mails like this?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, yeah, no. He doesn't do e-mail.
MOOS (voice over): I bet the governor wishes he didn't. Jeanne Moos, CNN.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: "Magnificent, gentle kisses," wow!
MOOS: New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: From, what? Gentle kisses to how he loved her tan lines, there is a lot of detail in those e-mails.
HOLMES: Some say it was pretty poetic. And it was well done, only if they had been directed to his wife.
NGUYEN: To his wife, like that lady said.
HOLMES: Some were impressed by them. We are going to have a dramatic reading now, from our Reynolds Wolf. NGUYEN: Cue the music?
HOLMES: Of some of those e-mails. Reynolds, sorry.
REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: I'll pass on that one. The big question is, how did these e-mails become -- how -- who got hold of them first?
HOLMES: They were sent, I believe, to "The State", the newspaper there, but they couldn't verify where they had come from.
WOLF: Interesting.
HOLMES: They got them long before the affair actually became public. And they just couldn't verify that if they were from him and to this woman, but then after the story came out, they put it together and said, oh yeah, we still got these e-mails on file.
NGUYEN: By the way.
WOLF: Wow. But we have no idea who got the e-mails and sent them to "The State"?
HOLMES: No. We don't know that, no.
WOLF: Not that it excuses the behavior. But still, kind of interesting.
HOLMES: Something to ponder
(WEATHER FORECAST)
NGUYEN: A reminder on our two big stories this weekend, we are staying on top of developments in the Michael Jackson case.
HOLMES: Also the situation in Iran, which has been developing really for the past two plus weeks. We have those two stories covered for you. And we'll break in with any new information that we get, right here on CNN.
NGUYEN: Yes, plus, this morning, Troy Davis, he remains on death row, waiting, wondering if the highest court in the land will step in and hear his case after decades of hearings, recanted testimony, and questions surrounding the murder of a Georgia police officer.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARTINA CORREIA, TROY DAVIS' SISTER: Almost 20 years I've been trying to get somebody to listen.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: That is Troy Davis' sister, there. She has been fighting to save her brother's life for past 18 years. We will be breaking down the case. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Let's talk about Chrysler now because back in the driver's seat two months after the automaker went belly up, it is reopening seven North American factories this week; 15,000 idle assembly line workers will head back to factories in Michigan, St., Louis, Toledo, Mexico and Canada. As that is taking place, though, GM actually is going to court on Tuesday. It's asking to split the company into two businesses, a move which will allow it to sell off most of its valuable assets.
HOLMES: Hundreds of people expected to pack a New York courtroom tomorrow for the sentencing of - that man, Bernie Madoff. He pleaded guilty back in March to swindling thousands of people out of their life savings in what has been called the biggest Ponzi scheme ever. Madoff could be sentenced to 150 years in prison. Friday a judge ordered the court to seize about $170 billion in assets from Madoff and his wife.
Once again, to let you know, we are never going to be too far away from two major stories today, one of them being the Michael Jackson case.
NGUYEN: Yes, and the other one, of course, the situation in Iran. We will break in with any new information here on CNN when it happens. But still ahead a story that you really have to hear.
HOLMES: A pastor asking his parishioners to bring not their Bibles, not even their wallets, but their guns to church.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: All right. So when parishioners at a Kentucky church arrive for services yesterday, well, some are actually packing some heat. Yes. Not like they were offending the Lord, bringing weapons into the place of worship. Actually, they had special permission to do so, requested to do so.
HOLMES: Yes. Not from the Lord himself, however -- actually, from the pastor of the New Bethel Church in Louisville. He asked the flock to bring their guns for a celebration of the Second Amendment to the Constitution, which, of course, protects the right to bear arms.
Well ...
NGUYEN: We have these monks bringing guns, what was that video?
HOLMES: There's a lot go on here, folks.
(LAUGHTER)
HOLMES: He says the gathering was meant to promote safe gun ownership. You're seeing video of a kind of a picnic that was outside of the church. So, a lot was going on there.
NGUYEN: Apparently.
HOLMES: But the guns were supposed to be unloaded, however.
NGUYEN: Yes.
HOLMES: And that's a good thing. But the pastor there is a well-known and big gun rights advocate and wanted to promote some gun safety, bring them on into the pew, folks.
NGUYEN: Yes. I'm being told this video, the picnic after the service ...
HOLMES: Yes.
NGUYEN: ... which makes more sense now.
All right. Well, from the CNN Center in Atlanta, this is CNN SUNDAY MORNING. It is Sunday, June 28th, folks. Good morning, everybody. Thanks for joining us. I'm Betty Nguyen.
HOLMES: And hello to you all. I'm T.J. Holmes. It's 7:00 a.m. here in Atlanta, Georgia; 6:00 a.m. in Beaumont, Texas; 4:00 a.m. in Portland. We are glad you could be here.
First here, we could be a step closer to finding out exactly what happened in Michael Jackson's final hours. His doctor has voluntary talked with L.A. police detectives. That happened yesterday. We will have more on this still developing story in just a moment.
NGUYEN: And tomorrow, all eyes on the U.S. Supreme Court. Will they order a new trial for death row inmate Troy Davis, or will they set another execution date? His sister is fighting to spare his life. And we're going to hear from her this hour.
HOLMES: And the Iranian government is cracking down further on post-election protests. There are reports that paramilitary member are seizing injured protesters from the hospitals. Also, this morning, reports that several British embassy staff members have been arrested.
Our Ivan Watson is following all things happening in Iran from our Iran desk here in the newsroom -- Ivan?
WATSON: A lot going on here, T.J. Britain's foreign office has confirmed to CNN that eight of its local staffers at the British embassy in Tehran have, in fact, been arrested. And Britain's foreign secretary, its top diplomat, has been forceful. He's called this unacceptable.
Let's take a listen to a statement he recently made to "Associated Press." Let's take a listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVID MILIBAND, BRITISH FOREIGN SECRETARY: The United Kingdom is deeply concerned at the arrests and in some cases continued detention of some of our hard-working, locally-engaged staff in Tehran. This is harassment and intimidation of a kind which is quite unacceptable. These are hard-working diplomatic staff. The idea that the British embassy is somehow behind the demonstrations and protests have that have been taking place in Tehran in recent weeks is truly without foundation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WATSON: Now, T.J., this is the latest example in the rapidly deteriorating relations between Britain and Iran since those very controversial June 12th elections which -- the results of which have been disputed by several opposition candidates. What we've seen over the course of the past just two weeks is one Greek British journalist arrested, two British diplomats expelled over the course of the past week, and a British Broadcasting Corporation correspondent from Tehran also expelled -- ratcheting up tensions here.
And the supreme leader for Iran, T.J., Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, he has even called Britain the worst of enemies. Now, where is this coming from? Well, apparently, Iran has been accusing Britain of helping support these demonstrations that we've seen in the streets of Iran, of Tehran and other cities -- T.J.?
HOLMES: All right. Ivan Watson, keeping an eye on things for us from our Iran desk -- Ivan, we appreciate you.
NGUYEN: Well, U.S. combat troops in Iraq are packing up and they're not coming home, though. They are moving out of Iraq cities.
Our Michael Ware joins us now from Baghdad.
Michael, this move is part of that security pact signed by Baghdad and Washington. So, how are Iraqis reacting to this move?
WARE: Well, it's very much mixed bag of emotions here, Betty. I mean, in the minority, there's a group of Iraqis who very fearful. In fact, one woman I spoke to said that the concept of handover fills her with horror. It's been the U.S. military that provided over, wants to keep some of the warring factions, essentially America's been underwriting the peace and there are some Iraqis who feel that that may now fall apart.
However, by and large, it is a mood of almost celebration that -- yes, the Americans are going. State TV actually has a font 24 hours a day right now marking the countdown to the U.S. retreat to their bases. And indeed, June 30, which is the landmark day, has been declared a national holiday for all Iraqis.
Something I have to tell you, it has aggrieved some within the U.S. mission here on the ground because they feel that to celebrate so openly this day belies the sacrifice of the 4,318 servicemen and women who laid done their lives and tens of thousands more who were wounded here in Iraq. So, it's truly going to be a day of mixed emotions on both sides of the fence, Iraqi and American, Betty.
NGUYEN: Yes, no doubt. Even to celebrate, too, in the midst of concerns and questions over whether the Iraqi security forces can even handle the load once the U.S. troops pull out. But they are not actually coming home, these U.S. troops. Where are they going? What will they be doing?
WARE: What they're doing is they're pulling back to bases outside of the city. Now, you can imagine, during the course of this war, the U.S. forces have had a proliferation of major bases called FOBs, forward operating bases, smaller bases, patrol bases, joint security stations -- I mean, anything from 10,000 personnel sized facilities down to something that just fits 30. Now, dozens and dozens of these have been closed.
So, the troops are withdrawing, pulling back into large bases outside the city limits that have been pre-approved between Baghdad and Washington. And, by and large, they won't be able to move outside of those bases, not unless they're directly attacked and exercising their right of self-defense or unless they go cap in hand and ask the Iraqi government for permission to leave.
However, over the next 18 months, the Bush administration that started this war, ended it by signing this agreement. They've dictated the timetable for the withdrawal. Over those 18 months, all these troops -- bit by bit -- will eventually be pulled out and there will be no U.S. combat troops left here on Iraqi soil. What happens after that is anyone's guess, Betty.
NGUYEN: Yes, that is true. But, I guess, in that case, they won't be facing what you're facing right now behind you, that's sandstorm. It's the craziest looking thing from here, because nothing but yellow in the background. What's going on there?
WARE: Well, this is Iraq. It's yet another sand storm, indeed. A bunch of oil companies that would come in here -- their representatives -- to sign oil deals for June 30 can't make it. That event has been postponed. This is just a regular part of business. And, obviously, it requires frequent showering which -- at your suggestion -- I did before I came on air.
So, thank you for that personal hygiene note, Betty.
NGUYEN: Well, you look great. I notice your hair did look a little wet. I figured you took my advice. And you may have to do quite a few of those today with that sandstorm there. So, get used to it.
All right. Michael, we appreciate it. We'll be chatting with you, shortly. Thanks.
All right. Here's a question for you this morning, and a lot of people asking it. What caused Michael Jackson's death? Well, it does remain a mystery now, but the Los Angeles Police Department says Jackson's personal doctor has given them some information that could help.
HOLMES: Yes, that doctor is really going to be important in the investigation. His name is Dr. Conrad Murray. We're going to show you his picture here. He was interviewed extensively yesterday by police detectives.
Police say he is helping out and he called them voluntarily. However, he has lawyered up. Here now, listen to his lawyer.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, KHOU)
MATT ALFORD, ATTORNEY FOR DR. CONRAD MURRAY: The LAPD homicide division has assured us that Dr. Murray is not a suspect of any kind in Mr. Jackson's death. He is just a witness that the police want to talk to get some facts out to help fill in some blanks that they have as to events leading up to Mr. Jackson's death.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Murray is the last person believed to have seen Michael Jackson alive. And while he was talking to police, this is what was happening at Jackson's home -- family members were seen coming in and going, also moving vans -- that you see here -- were spotted. Again, this was at Michael Jackson's rented home there in Los Angeles.
NGUYEN: You know, we had been getting a lot of response on the investigation into the death of Michael Jackson. And you can check out our blog at CNN.com/Newsroom for the latest on that.
You also can post some of your comments there as well, as reaching out to us on Twitter and Facebook, lots of questions out there. We want to hear your thoughts on them. Reach out to us and we'll be reading some of those responses on the air.
Plus, tonight, 8:00 Eastern, CNN's Don Lemon takes an in-depth look at Michael Jackson's life and legacy -- his childhood, his music, his finances, his influence. Don't miss the "CNN PRESENTS" special, "Michael Jackson: Man in the Mirror," tonight, 8:00 Eastern, only on CNN.
HOLMES: And his accused of killing a Georgia police officer. And after 18 years of court battle, both sides of this case agree on one thing, at least, now.
NGUYEN: Yes. And that is, if the Supreme Court denies Troy Davis' request for a new trial, he will likely face a speedy execution. We're going to take a closer look at this case -- still ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Well, the courts say Troy Davis is a cop killer. His family and a host of others say the state of Georgia has condemned an innocent man to die. And tomorrow, the U.S. Supreme Court could open a new chapter in this case and agree to take up the case, and that could lead the way for a new trial, or the court could close the book on the case, allowing for the execution to go forward. Here is how it all shakeout.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What do we want?
CROWD: Justice. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When do we want it?
CROWD: Now.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I am ...
CROWD: Troy Davis.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You are ...
CROWD: Troy Davis.
REP. JOHN LEWIS (D), GEORGIA: I've said it before, and I'm convinced now more than ever before, that he is an innocent man.
HOLMES (voice-over): But for 18 years, the courts have ruled otherwise, upholding Troy Davis' death penalty sentence. Now, there may be one step left for the convicted cop killer: the U.S. Supreme Court.
BEN JEALOUS, NAACP PRESIDENT: We have -- you know, we have dealt with a case in Georgia, Troy Davis -- of a man who appears to be stone-cold innocent that this country is still willing to put to death on procedural grounds.
HOLMES: Davis landed on Georgia's death row for shooting off- duty Savannah police officer Mark MacPhail. News crews and witnesses seemed abundant that night in August of 1989. This footage shows a fellow police officer doing CPR on MacPhail in the back of an ambulance.
And after the trial, seven of the prosecution's nine key witnesses changed their stories. Several claims police forced them to name Davis.
One of those witnesses is Monty Holmes.
MONTY HOLMES, WITNESS: They're trying to get me to say that he did it, but he didn't do it.
HOLMES: Over the years, support for Davis has grown. With the help of Amnesty International, Pope Benedict, Bishop Desmond Tutu, and former President Jimmy Carter have all called for a new trial. Even former FBI Director William Sessions joined forces with other retired judges, justices, and prosecutors to ask the Supreme Court to send the case back.
But there are those feel just as strongly that Davis is a cold- blooded killer. Savannah police major, Everett Ragan, headed the homicide investigation. He's not returned calls from CNN. But two years ago, he told us, he stood by the arrest.
MAJ. EVERETT RAGAN, SAVANNAH POLICE DEPT.: There's no doubt in my mind we arrested the right person.
(END VIDEOTAPE) NGUYEN: Well, Savannah police have never wavered. They've always said they have arrested the right man. But Davis' sister is just as adamant, saying her brother is innocent.
HOLMES: And we had a chance to talk to her. The sister's name is Martina Correia. Here's part of our interview with her this weekend.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARTINA CORREIA, TROY DAVIS' SISTER: Because I know he's innocent and because I have faith in the higher power than just people that are making these decisions. You know, Troy has faced execution three times. I don't think anybody's had to do that before. We had to say good-bye to my brother three times and there's a possible fourth.
But we keep fighting, because there's never been a case like this probably in U.S. history, where you've had seven out of nine eyewitnesses that have recanted their testimony. They didn't just recant, they recanted years ago. But nobody would listen. Nine new witnesses come forward.
So, the thing about it is that you have to have faith because, eventually, somebody will listen to this. And when you have people on both sides of the fence, they're saying, stop, you cannot execute someone with so much doubt, there's a problem in our system when we choose finality over fairness.
HOLMES: You've mentioned the three times you had to say good-bye to your brother -- that is unbelievable to try to think of. But even after saying good-bye, I'm sure you had to have thought each of those three times that this is it, it's kind of tough to keep faith in thinking something is going to come in last minute.
How can you put into words and take somebody into that experience of having so say bye, and three separate times, you thought you'd never see your brother again.
CORREIA: Well, you know, I didn't know in there thinking I didn't see my brother, because I thought that somebody was going to intervene. Because I know Troy is innocent. But my brother, he has this prayer of faith that if you tell the truth and you do the right thing, there will be intervention. And he believes that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: The officer who was killed back in 1989, that Troy Davis was convicted of killing -- you see him there -- Mark MacPhail. This response from his mother, I quote here, says, "All of the evidence and everything brought out then proved him guilty. But after 20 years of your yelling, 'I'm not guilty,' he is convinced he isn't guilty. I am convinced he is."
So, we should hear, expecting to hear from the Supreme Court tomorrow, whether or not they will hear the case that could lead the way for a new trial and maybe just a new life for Troy Davis.
NGUYEN: Yes. But if they don't, we talked to Avery Friedman -- a former attorney, actually, an attorney, in fact, legal analyst here for CNN -- he said that their next option would be with the district attorney here in Georgia. So, at least, there's, I guess, a couple things on the burner that can happen.
HOLMES: There's a new one there, Larry Chisholm, who was not in charge with Troy Davis, he has stayed out of it publicly and he was going to wait until the Supreme Court says something before he decides to speak. So, he could reopen the case essentially. Could he do that in time to stop the execution? So many questions.
NGUYEN: Yes.
HOLMES: But very few options. They're running out.
NGUYEN: That is true.
We're also keeping an eye on our two big stories this weekend: developments in the Michael Jackson mystery -- we're following that very closely.
HOLMES: Also, another story we have been following closely here: Iran. We have both of those two stories covered. We'll break in with any new information here on CNN.
Also this morning: a rough landing. Nobody likes to hear that if you're a passenger on a plane. A U.S. Air flight -- we'll tell you what happened to this one.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: All right. This is never a good thing. You're on a plane and then trying to land and then those tires blowout.
HOLMES: Yes.
NGUYEN: It happened to a U.S. Airways jet. It was Flight 1241, from Philadelphia. It landed safely at Tampa International Airport yesterday -- but, obviously, a cause of concern.
HOLMES: Yes, a bit bumpy here. We are told these are the nose wheel tires that blew out. Passengers noticed that it hit really hard and again, you don't want that. We've all had a few rough landings here and there.
The landing gear broke off completely -- we understand -- after these tires blew out. Passengers, of course, you can imagine, shaken up a bit. Nobody is injured. And, of course, as always, NTSB is looking into the cause of that.
All the major airlines seems to keep -- seem to keep adding extra fees to your travel costs now.
(CROSSTALK) HOLMES: Wow.
(LAUGHTER)
NGUYEN: I'm just reading.
(CROSSTALK)
NGUYEN: It seems like every day I get an e-mail about something else. Go ahead.
HOLMES: Well, CNN.com has a way for you to keep track of who's charging what.
NGUYEN: Yes. Our Josh Levs joins us with that and some other stories.
Josh, I mean, really, I get e-mails from these airlines ...
JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I know.
NGUYEN: ... all the time, saying that, hey, you want to carry a bag, it's going cost you money. Or you want this, it's going to cost you a little bit more, too.
LEVS: I have a feeling they don't really want people to keep really, super-close track of how much they're charging you extra for all these new things all the time, but we're thwarting them. Let's take a look at this, this is great. It's on CNN.com right now. It's has all the major airlines and all of the new fees that they're adding, and you can actually compare them.
I'm going to go to it quickly because on TV, it just looks like a whole mess of numbers, and I don't want you to stare at that for too long. But, you know what? This is a whole mess of numbers and this is great.
CNN.com/travel -- it's going to get you to this whole list all the major airlines, all the new fees they're adding. And you can compare them and see which ones work great for you.
All right. Two more things I want to show you on dotcom that are pretty hot today. First of all, I'm talking not long enough -- not long ago rather, about Madoff and what's going to be happening tomorrow, right?
Well, zoom in over here. I want you to see some of what they're breaking down at CNN Money. You can see his yacht that's been seized. You can see some of the other things that he's owned that can be -- that are being seized here: securities $47 million, one Wachovia Bank account, $13 million.
And a lot of people really interested in the headline up here, "Madoff reduced to nothing." You can imagine why that's getting so much traffic today. Finally, one of my favorite things on old CNN.com -- which we don't get to see too much -- the daily snapshots. Everyday, we're updating these with some of the best pictures from all over the world, and they tell a story.
This one is from northwestern Punjab state where they've been having a pretty serious heat wave over there. This one is picture from the White House, a little less exciting.
But let's go over to this one. This is interesting -- a child poses as children play football in South Africa.
And so, we're getting these snapshots from around the world. They're talking about what's been going on over there.
Let's get in two more before we go. This is a man putting up a billboard from the new Sacha Baron Cohen movie, "Bruno." And finally, we can end with this -- a bulldog falls off its board during the fourth Annual Loews Colorado Bay Resort Surf Dog Competition. Yes, there is a surf dog competition in California.
One more animal, because you know what? It's a weekend morning, can't hurt to get in to animals. A baby fennec shown at the Sunshine International Aquarium in Tokyo, Japan. Then, a lot of traffic today.
So, guys, you know what? We encourage people to spend some time of your Sunday morning go to CNN.com, fish around for all the good stuff. I'll post direct links to all this stuff on our blog and on my Facebook page, JoshLevsCNN. How's that?
NGUYEN: Nothing like a surfboarding dog.
LEVS: I love that.
NGUYEN: Isn't there also a bulldog that does well on a skateboard, too?
LEVS: Yes, you know, they have -- they also have the sledding ones in the winter and then they had a toboggan one last winter.
NGUYEN: Those bulldogs, they are some talented little thing. All right.
LEVS: They're all top grade.
NGUYEN: OK.
HOLMES: Why, Betty, why do people ...
NGUYEN: I find it interesting.
LEVS: I do, too.
(LAUGHTER)
(CROSSTALK) LEVS: We've had this conversation. T.J. doesn't get into this.
NGUYEN: Oh, and teaching their dogs to do this thing.
HOLMES: On putting animals on boards of some kind, surfboard, skateboard, why?
NGUYEN: Or the monkey that rides the dog in the rodeo, really.
HOLMES: You love that.
NGUYEN: What was his name, Whiplash? We've got to queue that video up again.
All right. We got more important things to talk about.
HOLMES: Yes, we do. Of course, we've been covering two major stories this weekend. Not going to be far from those at any points. But you can stay here for the latest developments on the Michael Jackson mystery -- one.
NGUYEN: Also, the situation in Iran, we have those two stories covered. And we'll break in with any new information on either of them. Also, any other news that's breaking right here on CN.
Also, coming up in our 8 o'clock hour, though -- since the sixth grade, he lived in a van with his mother addicted to drugs and his father abusive.
HOLMES: But, you know what? He's still not giving up on his dream to go to Harvard. We'll hear one man's incredible story coming up in our 8 o'clock hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Again, following two major stories, the Michael Jackson mystery; also, developments out of Iran -- following that very closely for you. And we'll break in with the latest information if it should happen.
HOLMES: Yes. Betty and I will be back at top of the hour, 8 o'clock, with more live news.
But right now, I'm going to hand it over to Dr. Sanjay Gupta and "HOUSE CALL."
