President Obama Blasts Iranian Government
PILGRIM: President Obama, today, had more strong words for the Iranian government. Now the president is saying Tehran's crackdown on pro democracy protesters is outrageous. President Obama also dismissed the Iranian president's demand for an apology. Dan Lothian reports from the White House.</s>DAN LOTHIAN, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is what President Obama thinks of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's recent harsh rhetoric.</s>BARACK OBAMA (D-IL), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I don't take Mr. Ahmadinejad's statements seriously about apologies and I'm really not concerned about Mr. Ahmadinejad apologizing to me. I would suggest that Mr. Ahmadinejad think carefully about the obligations he owes to his own people.</s>LOTHIAN: Ahmadinejad had called for the apology after Mr. Obama delivered stronger criticism of the crackdown on demonstrators. But in a joint White House appearance with his German counterpart, Angela Merkel, the president continued to hold the Iranian government responsible for the violence.</s>OBAMA: The violence perpetrated against them is outrageous. Despite the government's efforts to keep the world from bearing witness to that violence, we see it and we condemn it.</s>LOTHIAN: On this issue, the U.S. and Germany speak with quote "one voice", but Merkel went a step further questioning the outcome of the disputed elections.</s>CHANCELLOR ANGELA MERKEL, GERMANY: The Iranian people has the right to have votes be counted and the election results substantiated.</s>LOTHIAN: Beyond the latest on rest (ph) in Iran, the U.S. and allies like Germany are deeply concerned about the dangerous consequences of Iran's nuclear program.</s>OBAMA: We are working to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapons capacity and unleashing a nuclear arms race in the Middle East.</s>LOTHIAN: Russia where President Obama visits next month could be a key player in helping to reign in Iran -- help too from Chancellor Merkel who is said to have clout in Moscow.</s>MERKEL: We need Russia, for example. We need it looking at the problems we have with Iran.</s>LOTHIAN: When asked if the U.S. could still have a meaningful dialogue with Iran on the nuclear issue, the president said that he would have to wait and see how all of this plays out in the days and weeks ahead -- Kitty.</s>PILGRIM: Thanks very much -- Dan Lothian. Thanks Dan. U.S. and South Korean defense officials today held top level talks in Seoul. Now those talks are focused on the increasing threats from North Korea. Yesterday, 100,000 North Koreans held an anti- American rally in Pyongyang. A top North Korean official threatened to deliver an annihilating blow against the United States. Meanwhile, a North Korean freighter believed to be carrying weapons is still being tracked by the U.S. Navy off the Chinese coast.</s>ANNOUNCER: This is CNN Breaking News.</s>PILGRIM: Breaking News from Capitol Hill tonight. There was a final showdown over the Democratic Party's efforts to push through sweeping climate and energy legislation. Now Republicans made a last ditch stand against the bill. House Minority Leader John Boehner accused the Democratic leadership of dirty tricks.</s>REP. JOHN BOEHNER (R-OH), MINORITY LEADER: I really hate to do this, but when you file a 300 page amendment at 3:09 a.m., the American people have a right to know what's in this bill. They have a right to know what we are voting on.</s>PILGRIM: A vote is taking place in the House of Representatives right now. Louise Schiavone has the report.</s>LOUISE SCHIAVONE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): As day dawned on the House energy and climate change debate, the bill's opponent said it had been quite a night at the Rules Committee.</s>REP. MIKE PENCE (R), INDIANA: Last night at 3:09 a.m., House Democrats filed a 309 page amendment.</s>REP. JOE BARTON (R), ENERGY AND COMMERCE CMTE.: They were literally hot off the Xerox machine when they were handed into the Rules Committee at approximate -- some time between 2:00 and 3:00 a.m. this morning.</s>SCHIAVONE: By day's end the sweeping bill filled with text measures arrived on the House floor for a vote at more than 1,200 pages. Not a great day for the Democratic process said this public watchdog group.</s>JAKE BREWER, SUNLIGHT FOUNDATION: This is the kind of bill that's going to affect our economy on a massive scale, our climate, our national security, and it's not the kind of thing to be taken lightly. The opacity of this process is -- to be perfectly honest it's infuriating.</s>SCHIAVONE: And so the Sunlight Foundation joined other unlikely allies of congressional Republicans like Greenpeace, the Congress of Racial Equality, Friends of The Earth, each with their own reasons in opposing the bill. Heavily advocated by the Obama administration and congressional Democratic leaders the bill would change the way Americans produce and consume energy.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Stop this addiction.</s>REP. ED MARKEY (D), ENERGY SUBCOMMITTEE CHMN.: This bill has the ambition of the moon landing. The moral imperative of the Civil Rights Act and the scope of the Clean Air Act all wrapped up in one.</s>SCHIAVONE: Under the bill, energy producing polluters like fuel refineries and coal fired plants would pay the price of their emissions through a system of allowances. Critics say that would make energy more expensive to producers and consumers alike.</s>REP. PHIL ROE (R), TENNESSEE: The only certainty of this bill is that Wall Street traders sophisticated enough to understand how these credits are traded will make millions.</s>REP. DAVE CAMP (R), WAYS AND MEANS CMTE.: The speaker's national energy tax is bad for our economy, bad for families who are already struggling to make ends meet, and it will do nothing to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions. It's all pain and no gain.</s>SCHIAVONE: House Democrats produced a roster of dozens of bill supporters including the AFLCIO, the Consumers Union and a number of energy companies.</s>SCHIAVONE: Kitty, this bill has just passed on a vote of 219 to 212. But, we should say that Democratic leaders move this bill through the House with the most fragile of support even though it's a safe bet that many, if not most in Congress didn't read the whole thing. And it's expected to face an even tougher test when it gets to the Senate -- Kitty.</s>PILGRIM: Louise, that's a squeaker and a certain calculated risk, wasn't it?</s>SCHIAVONE: It was certainly a calculated risk, but by late afternoon, Republicans were saying that they didn't believe that they had the votes to stop it. President Obama was on the phone. House Democratic leaders were really pressuring their members to turn up for this vote, even though people in Congress were inundated with telephone calls from their constituents pleading with them not to vote for this bill. There's even a provision in this bill that provides for unemployment benefits for people who are displaced because of what goes on in this bill, so they are expecting some significant unemployment to result from this bill, but they say there will be jobs in alternative energy. It's a very controversial measure and it's going to face an even tougher test when it gets to the Senate.</s>PILGRIM: And we know we will be following it and you will be following it very carefully. Thank you very much -- Louise Schiavone. Well, in the Senate, top lawmakers are also reporting significant progress towards a massive health care reform bill. They say their legislation will cost taxpayers less than $1 trillion and that compares with the previous estimate of at least $1.5 trillion. Well it seems those health care reforms will be funded in part by a tax on employer provided medical benefits. This is an idea that President Obama strongly opposed during the presidential campaign. Americans are deeply divided over President Obama's energy and health care reforms and those divisions come even sharper when Americans consider the potential cost of those reforms. Bill Schneider has the report.</s>WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST (voice-over): Do Americans want the federal government to guarantee health insurance for everybody? Sure, 64 percent. Will they pay higher taxes to get it? Well, OK in principle, 57 percent. How much will they be willing to pay?</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you are shopping for a car, even I have to admit that a Ferrari looks pretty good next to a Ford until you see the price tag.</s>SCHNEIDER: Suppose the price tag were $500 a year. That's different. Support drops to 43 percent. That's the problem Congress is wrestling with now.</s>REP. CHARLES RANGEL (D), NEW YORK: But after we look at the costs of the options that's there, then we will know what we can afford.</s>SCHNEIDER: President Obama's argument? It will cost more not to do anything.</s>OBAMA: In this debate, there's been some notion that if we just stand pat, we're OK and that's just not true.</s>SCHNEIDER: Do Americans support a cap-and-trade system whereby companies can buy and sell permits to emit greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming? Well, OK, 52 percent. What if there's a price tag?</s>BOEHNER: Let's just be honest and call it a carbon tax that will increase taxes on all Americans who drive a car, who have a job, who turn on a light switch pure and simple.</s>SCHNEIDER: That's different. If a cap-and-trade bill raises people's monthly electric bill by $25, support drops to 44 percent.</s>REP. ERIC CANTOR (R), MINORITY WHIP: I would say in response to all the efforts to undergo health care reform, to impose these cap- and-trade schemes, you know all these may be after</s>SCHNEIDER (on camera): The issue is the same for health care and energy reform. Not do we want it but can we afford it. A wit once said there are many things in life that are more important than money and they all cost money. Bill Schneider, CNN, Washington.</s>PILGRIM: We'll have much more on the vote in favor of the climate and energy bill. That's in our "Face Off" later tonight on the broadcast. Well up next, new calls for South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford to step down as he apologizes for his actions. And the wife of the powerful chairman of the House Judiciary Committee pleads guilty to accepting bribes. That story next.