While CBS This Morning and ABC's Good Morning America both covered the latest problems with the Iran nuclear negotiations on Thursday, NBC's Today skipped the story altogether in favor of touting how President Obama "plays tourist" in Jamaica.
This Morning devoted a full two-minute report to the Iran deal, with co-host Norah O'Donnell explaining major obstacles to any agreement: "Iran's supreme leader this morning stopped short of giving his support to the framework deal. In remarks on his official website, the Ayatollah Khamenei said he will wait until the terms are finalized. Separately, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said this morning his country will only sign the deal if sanctions are lifted on the same day."
A clip then played of her grilling Secretary of State John Kerry over the diplomatic effort: "You know the concerns that by lifting sanctions, it means a stronger, more capable Iran and that, in turn, means a stronger, more capable Hezbollah, Assad, and Houthi rebels in Yemen."
After the clip, fellow co-host Charlie Rose added: "I know you talked to him about the concerns that some of our friends in the Middle East have about this deal." O'Donnell noted: "...many of these Gulf states have real concerns that Iran will get billions of dollars in new oil aid and that they will strengthen these groups that they support, that are doing these proxy wars."
GMA only provided a twenty-four-second news brief on the topic, with fill-in news anchor Dan Harris informing viewers:
That nuclear agreement with Iran may have hit a fresh roadblock. Overnight Iran's president insisting he will not sign any deal unless economic sanctions imposed on his country are lifted immediately. Meaning on the first day the deal goes into effect. So far the U.S. has promised to lift those sanctions only gradually.
The headline on screen read: "Nuclear Deal in Jeopardy? Iran Wants Sanctions Lifted Immediately."
Despite ignoring hurdles for the President's Iran negotiations, Today found plenty of time to cover Obama making a stop in Jamaica on his way to Panama for the Summit of the Americas. Co-host Savannah Guthrie led the morning show: "And One Love, President Obama touches down in Jamaica and plays tourist, making a surprise must-do stop." Singer Bob Marley's One Love played in the background.
Later, news anchor Natalie Morales and the other hosts spent over a minute of air time discussing the visit: "President Obama is in Jamaica this morning, as we showed you a little earlier. The first U.S. president to visit the country there in three decades. The President wasted no time after arriving Wednesday night, making an unexpected visit to the Bob Marley museum in Kingston."
Morales added: "The President telling the tour guide, 'I still have all the albums.' So an excuse for us this morning to play some music and to ask favorite Bob Marley songs."
This Morning and GMA covered the President's Jamaica visit as well, but only offered seventeen-second and sixteen-second news briefs respectively.
On Wednesday's Today, during an interview with newly-declared presidential candidate Rand Paul, Guthrie urged the Republican senator to ignore stumbling blocks in the Iran negotiations while lobbying him to support the deal.
Here is a full transcript of the April 9 Iran report on This Morning:
7:11 AM ET
CHARLIE ROSE: The Obama administration is making an all-out effort this morning to sell the Iran nuclear deal to Congress. President Obama spoke with Tennessee Senator Bob Corker yesterday. The Republican is sponsoring a bill that would require congressional approval of the agreement.
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Defending the Deal; Obama Working to Sell Iran Agreement to Congress]
NORAH O'DONNELL: And Iran's supreme leader this morning stopped short of giving his support to the framework deal. In remarks on his official website, the Ayatollah Khamenei said he will wait until the terms are finalized. Separately, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said this morning his country will only sign the deal if sanctions are lifted on the same day. Rouhani is also calling for the end of Saudi Arabian air strikes in Yemen.
Yesterday I asked Secretary of State John Kerry about the concerns over the nuclear deal. [To Kerry] You know the concerns that by lifting sanctions, it means a stronger, more capable Iran and that, in turn, means a stronger, more capable Hezbollah, Assad, and Houthi rebels in Yemen.
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Kerry Defends Iran Deal; Sec'y of State Tries to Rally World Support]
JOHN KERRY: Well, first of all, the sanctions were put in place to bring them to negotiations. That was the entire purpose. So now that they've negotiated and they have an agreement, people can't complain and say, "Oh, my gosh, if they comply with all the things they said they're going to do, that we wanted them to do, we're now going to now not lift them." It doesn't work. There's no equation there. It just simply doesn't work. Secondly, they've been doing what they're doing with the sanctions in place. And they do it on the cheap. And the fact is that an Iran with a nuclear weapon doing those things is far more dangerous than an Iran without one.
ROSE: I know you talked to him about the concerns that some of our friends in the Middle East have about this deal.
O'DONNELL: Yeah. I mean, you know many of these Gulf states have real concerns that Iran will get billions of dollars in new oil aid and that they will strengthen these groups that they support, that are doing these proxy wars.
The big deal is, you know, the President's going to have this unprecedented summit next month at Camp David with leaders from all of the Gulf states. And they've got to do a sales job, not just the President with Congress, but with many of these Arab allies.
ROSE: Nice job.
JEFF GLOR: More later.
