Davis Executed for Officer's Murder; Ahmadinejad to Address U.N.; Interview with Hanan Ashrawi, PLO Executive Member; R.E.M. Calls It Quits; UBS Rogue Trader In Court; Got Latitude?
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Using his last words to say it wasn't me. I'm Carol Costello. The state of Georgia executes Troy Davis for the murder of an off-duty police officer. Critics are saying any doubt was too much to take a life.</s>CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: Police in New York preparing for a massive protest outside the U.N. I'm Christine Romans. As Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad prepares to address that general assembly -- on this AMERICAN MORNING.</s>COSTELLO: And good morning to you. It is Thursday, just one more day until Friday. It's September 22nd. Ali has the day off.</s>ROMANS: I know. But up first, a big selloff to get through. World markets, stocks are falling sharply overnight. Right now, U.S. stock futures are trading lower ahead of the opening bell, indicating maybe 200 points lower for the Dow, if this holds. We got an hour and a half to go. Financials taking the biggest beating. The Fed said the U.S. economy is facing, quote, "significant downside risks." This is what it said when it announced together stimulus measure to boost the economy late yesterday. In Asia, Hong Kong's Hang Seng fell nearly 5 percent. Markets in London, in France, Germany, all falling by more than 4 percent. Gold and oil are also down big this morning.</s>COSTELLO: On other big story this morning. The state of Georgia executing death row inmate Troy Davis under a cloud of doubt. Davis was convicted of shooting and killing off-duty Savannah Police Officer Mark MacPhail, a father of two.</s>ROMANS: Witnesses who watched him get his lethal injection say he lifted up his head while he was strapped to the gurney to tell the victim's family, he didn't do it and he didn't have a gun. Martin Savidge has more for us from Atlanta this morning. So, to the very end, proclaiming his innocence, Martin.</s>MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to both of you. This was a case that went on for two decades and captured the attention of world leaders, celebrities and at least a million people who supported Troy Davis and also focused attention on the issue of the death penalty in the way that we have not seen in this country in a long time. What stood out, though, in the minds of some, but not all, in this case, was a growing question of doubt, as to whether Troy Davis really was the man who fired the shots that killed off-duty Police Officer Mark MacPhail in Savannah, Georgia, in 1989. Since his conviction 20 year ago, those who wanted clemency for Davis say seven of his nine original accusers have recanted their testimony over the years. The prosecutors say, look, this case was properly tried and went through all of the extraordinary number of legal reviews it should have and even more and it had gone before the U.S. Supreme Court three times. And it was back there again last night, raising the hopes of his supporters that Davis's death might be prevented. Davis had been scheduled to be executed at 7:00 Eastern, but that time came and went as the high court was considering the case. That drama dragged on for four hours, but the high court eventually denied the appeal, the last-ditch effort to stop him, his sentence that is, from being carried out. Davis was pronounced dead at 11:08 by lethal injection. And witnesses say that he maintains his innocence right up to the moment he died. Afterwards, Anneliese MacPhail, the slain police officer's mother, said that she had been speaking to her dead son while she waited.</s>ANNELIESE MACPHAIL, MOTHER OF MURDERED POLICEMAN: I have been talking to him all evening. I tell you that. I said, please, honey, let it be over soon. And I talked to my husband, too, because I know they're both sitting up there together. I said, please, let it be over soon. Please, let us have some peace. And I can hear them say, mom, don't worry about it. Everything will be fine.</s>SAVIDGE: Meanwhile, one of Davis' attorneys who watched him die at the state prison in Jackson afterwards referred to the death penalty as bigoted because most of the people on death row are black.</s>THOMAS RUFFIN, TROY DAVIS' DEFENSE ATTORNEY: I witnessed something that was horrible, a tragedy. This night, the state of Georgia legally lynched a brave, a good and, indeed, an innocent man.</s>SAVIDGE: Outside the Supreme Court, a number of Davis supporters had gathered after his execution. The crowd shouted no justice, no peace. Meanwhile, outside the prison in Jackson where he was executed, more than 100 officers, many in riot gears, stood guard over a largely quiet gathering which featured candles, occasional prayers and songs. It was a night of many, many emotions -- Carol.</s>COSTELLO: Martin Savidge, reporting live from Atlanta, thanks. It's the first stop on their long road home. Americans Josh Fattal and Shane Bauer arriving in Oman for a joyous reunion with their families after being freed from an Iranian prison. The hikers spent more than two years behind bars in Iran, accused of trespassing and spying. The government of Oman posted $1 million bail on their behalf.</s>JOSH FATTAL, HIKER FREED FROM IRANIAN PRISON: We're so happy we are free and so relieved we are free.</s>SHANE BAUER, HIKER FREED FRFOM IRANIAN PRISON: Two years in prison is too long. And we sincerely hope for the freedom of other political prisoners and other unjustly imprisoned people in America and Iran.</s>COSTELLO: The moment was extra special for Shane Bauer. He got to celebrate freedom with his fiancee, Sarah Shourd. She was the third hiker captured, along with Bauer and Fattal, back in 2009. Shourd was released last year because of health issues. Still no word when all of them will return to the United States.</s>ROMANS: All right. Two things are predictable at the United Nations today. Four hours from now, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will address the U.N. General Assembly and thousands of Iranian Americans will be outside protesting. What's not predictable is what he exactly plans to say. CNN's senior U.N. correspondent Richard Roth is with us this morning. What can we expect?</s>RICHARD ROTH, CNN SENIOR U.N. CORRESPONDENT: Don't ask me. I mean, he is very unpredictable, though, I will tell you that over the last few years at the U.N., there's a lot of soaring rhetoric and a lot of dialogues and mentions of God and religion, and it's really hard to breakthrough. But he has made a lot of remarks over the years that have offended others and people have walked out in the United Nations chamber last year, several countries, when he makes a 9/11 hoax link, when he denounces the homosexuality else where, in New York appearances. So, he is probably going to maybe mention the freedom of two American hikers, perhaps, but he will also defend Iran and say likely that the Security Council is oppressing his country, four rounds of sanctions because of the nuclear program, nothing proven yet and nothing revealed by Iran.</s>COSTELLO: OK. I'm supposed to ask you this question. So, what is Ahmadinejad doing at night?</s>ROTH: Well, last night, he met with U.S. college students from various universities around New York, and it was a free flowing exchange. We had someone from CNN there, no cameras allowed, and they discussed this nuclear situation and his political situation, whether he would run in two years, again. And some questions that he may not receive back home that often. So, these college students, of course, were happy to be in the presence of someone like that. I don't know how familiar they are with the other issues. He also, as you have talked on your program, earlier gave an interview with "New York Times" the killing of the woman in the street there, that killing was a staged scene and she was killed later. He's still in a different kind of world from what many believe is reality.</s>ROMANS: There's a photo that is getting a little bit of buzz this morning. A not PhotoShopped picture of the president.</s>ROTH: The president of the United States.</s>ROMANS: Yes. That's right. Two very different presidents.</s>ROTH: Yes, the U.N. General Assembly. There's always the class picture taken and in one photo the U.S. president, Mr. Obama, was waving to someone and he blocks the president of Mongolia. And --</s>ROMANS: An international incident did not ensue.</s>ROTH: The photographers are taking so many stills, so you're going to get this. I'm sure in your life you had an embarrassing photo. I don't think it was an example of the U.S. world domination there, which many people accused happens at the U.N. But I'm sure diplomatic niceties were exchanged.</s>COSTELLO: He was waving to someone, President Obama, right?</s>ROTH: Mongolia -- yes, he was waving I think at an onlooker or someone. Mongolia had a very colorful outfit when the president -- that president spoke to the general assembly, which also makes a cute picture for your home photo gallery.</s>ROMANS: Oh, lovely. OK. I'll check your scrapbook, your 2011 general assembly scrapbook later on.</s>ROTH: I'm still using an old still camera that I have to go develop at a photo mat. I don't have any still pictures from the last 20 years.</s>COSTELLO: You got to catch up, Richard. Richard Roth, thank you. The Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas addresses the United Nations tomorrow, that's when he is expected to formally request statehood for his people. President Obama vowing to veto that request, insisting the only path to Palestinian statehood is through direct talks with Israel.</s>BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I am convinced that there is no short cut to the end of a conflict that has endured for decades. Peace is hard work. Peace will not come through statements and resolutions at the United Nations. If it were that easy, it would have been accomplished by now. Ultimately, it's the Israelis and the Palestinians who must live side by side.</s>COSTELLO: Joining us now to talk more about the statehood issue and the statehood show down, I should say, is Hanan Ashrawi, an executive committee member with the Palestinian Liberation Organization. Welcome.</s>HANAN ASHRAWI, EXEC. CMTE. MEMBER, PALESTINIAN LIBERATION ORG.: Thank you, Carol. Good morning to you.</s>COSTELLO: Good morning. I guess the plan is now, for Mahmoud Abbas, is to submit this application for statehood, but not push it for a vote, because there isn't enough support within the Security Council. Is that going to satisfy the Palestinian people? Is it going to accomplish anything?</s>ASHRAWI: Not really. What we're doing is submitting our application for full membership to the Security Council. Not statehood. We have the right to self-determination. We declared the state in 1988. Our relations are upgraded with many countries and with the U.N. We have over 127 countries that recognize us as a state. What we're asking for is admission into the U.N. as a full member. Now, we do not want any delays or procrastinations in the deliberations on our membership. We know the U.S. has been working overtime and has spent so much energy and effort trying to pressure different countries and persuade them not to vote in our favor. I wish they had spent that much energy in peace making. But, anyway, we still hope that we will have a majority. We are working ourselves, because there are many countries that understand the need to -- for justice to be seen and for the U.N. to respect its chartered and regulation, particularly the right to self- determination. And, of course, for this --</s>COSTELLO: During this -- I'm sorry, I'd just like to interrupt --</s>ASHRAWI: -- year long occupation to come to an end. Yes, sorry.</s>COSTELLO: And the president has said in the past, he is for Palestinian statehood. So, his remarks yesterday were a disappointment to Mahmoud Abbas. In fact, we have a picture of Mahmoud Abbas during President Obama's remarks. He was holding his head in his hands. What do you think was going through his mind?</s>ASHRAWI: Well, I did talk to him after. We were on the same delegation and we were consulting regularly. It seems to me that it's one thing to pay lip service to statehood and another to give Israel time and space to act unilaterally and illegally, to steal the land, to build settlements to annex Jerusalem, to build the wall, to place us under siege, to erect hundreds of checkpoints and say, OK, you can have a state. Where is the state? We have been negotiating for 20 years and Israel has almost swallowed up 40 percent of our state. So, how can it be viable? That's why I think President Abbas is feeling that we need the Palestinian narrative and we need the whole picture. It's not a question of just electioneering and it's not just the question of saying what it does or is above the law or has a sense of entitlement and exceptionalism. The Palestinians feel that they've been excluded from legal and human consideration, and understand that we are included, even in the speech on suffering. Even on the speech on the two states.</s>COSTELLO: If I may interrupt, let me ask you this question. The French president suggested yesterday. The French president suggested this move to nonmember observe status as the first step to statehood and then, there would be new negotiations with a one-year deadline for some kind of resolution. So why not consider the French president's suggestion?</s>ASHRAWI: We found it extremely interesting, yes. We did meet with President Sarkozy and we said we would view it positively and give it positive consideration. But this is something that the Palestinian leadership has to consider, discuss and resolve upon. The thing is that already all the perimeters, even the agenda, everything is in place. All we need is for Israel to comply with cessation of settlement activities, accept the '67 boundaries, and the terms of reference, and the binding timeline, and then you can negotiate quickly because we don't need to reinvent the wheel. We were very close to an agreement. And I think the French are coming up with all sorts of creative ideas, including timeline and concrete steps which will we consider, as I said. But hopefully, the international committee and the U.S. in particular can bring Israel to compliance. We cannot change the rules of the game every time there is a new Israeli government, particularly this extremist government that just wants to annex more land and keep up the semblance of talks without substance and without a relationship to reality. Twenty years of talks have brought us to the edge of the abyss. We are really on the edge of losing the two-state solution. So, we need talks that have substance and can change the dynamic and can produce results very quickly before it's too late. It's our bid for peace. It's our bid not just to change the dynamic, but to rescue the chances of peace from this unbridled unilateral illegal act.</s>COSTELLO: Thank you so much for joining us this morning. We appreciate it. We had the Israeli defense deputy minister on this morning. He said that Israel is open to negotiations with the Palestinians, but there are no plans to actually sit down, you know, at a table and look across the aisle at each other and actually talk.</s>ROMANS: And there we go. There we are.</s>COSTELLO: Yes.</s>ROMANS: All right. Still ahead: tropical storm Ophelia strengthening in the Atlantic. Plus, parts of the East Coast already saturated by Irene and Lee. Well, these areas in store for some seriously heavy rain, again. Rob is going to track it all for us.</s>COSTELLO: And who are the top 10 CNN heroes of 2011? Anderson Cooper reveals them when we come back. It's 14 minutes past the hour.