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2/18/2014 THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JIM KNIGHT, KNIGHT REPORT ANCHOR: Welcome to the Knight Report for February 18th, 2014. Tonight, we'll be talking about the big vote today on Capitol Hill. Did the majority leader get the numbers from her own party to end a filibuster? Or has she lost control of not just the moderates, but her own party. But first, we have Dr. Jonathon Prothero. He cured cancer but he's still controversial. Some say he stole their research and the vaccine he's planning on giving away for free should be theirs to sell, right after this commercial break.
[Pfizer Pharma]
[McDonalds]
[Knight Report Promo]
[Viagra]
KNIGHT: And we're back. Welcome to the Knight Report. Our first guest tonight is Dr. Jonathon Prothero. He single-handedly cured cancer and, in a stunning move, plans to offer the vaccine at low or no cost to every man, woman, and child who wants the inoculation. He's been called a modern day Jonas Salk, but in other circles, he's known as a thief. Before we bring the doctor on, we have two Knight Report regulars to discuss the debate. On one hand, we have Dr. Jacob Michelson, he runs the left-leaning "Center for Science in the Public Interest" and next to him, we have Rick Chambers of the Center for Democratic Policy, headquartered in Washington, D.C. Thank you for being here, gentlemen…
DR. MICHELSON: Thanks.
RICK CHAMBERS: Thank you, Jim.
KNIGHT: I want to start with you tonight, Rick, because I'm a little confused about this. Your organization has been one of the loudest voices in calling for the prosecution of the man who cured cancer.
CHAMBERS: Well, simply put, we're on the side of the property owners who all live in a society of laws. Dr. Prothero stole intellectual property that didn't belong to him. And, although his goal was admirable, he built the vaccine on research paid for by Pfizer.
KNIGHT: So, you think he should be held liable for billions Pfizer is presumably going to lose by not being able to sell this formula?
CHAMBERS: Trillions…
KNIGHT: Trillions?
CHAMBERS: We're talking about the cure to cancer. People around the world would be willing to pay top dollar for what Prothero wants to give away for nothing. Quite frankly, it's criminal.
KNIGHT: Let me bring you into this conversation, Dr. Michelson. What do you think about that? Sure, he cured cancer, but he broke the law and hurt a lot of influential people doing it.
DR. JACOB MICHELSON: What's missing from this debate is the Dr. Prothero didn't actually steal anything. Pfizer filed a patent on a gene that is involved in cancer growth. It wasn't like he broke into the laboratory and stole three fourths of the formula and just finished it up and released it before Pfizer could. He funded his own research and found that the cure involved a certain gene set that Pfizer patented for use. This is a loophole in patent law we're been working hard to lobby congress to eliminate.
KNIGHT: So, he's like a modern day Robin Hood…?
MICHELSON: But as I've said before, he hasn't stolen anything.
CHAMBERS: That's a pretty backwards view of the situation, Jake. No matter how benevolent his goals were and how hard you and your liberal friends lobby congress to change the laws of ownership, the fact of the matter is that Pfizer owns the patent on the exclusive right to exploit anything that affects that specific piece of genetic material. Prothero stole the use of that patent, costing a major American corporation trillions of dollars. This is a grave crime of the highest order.
KNIGHT: Switching gears, Dr. Michelson, I'd like to ask you when this vaccine will hit the streets. When can I get mine? (laughs)
MICHELSON: Well, it's the position of our Center that the sooner the better. Unfortunately, Pfizer has filed injunctions in court against the manufacturers contracted to mass-produce the vaccine by Dr. Prothero. Though Dr. Prothero has been making small batches and has been taking them on the road with him to decry Pfizer's actions, which are deplorable at best.
CHAMBERS: Depolorable? Jake, let me ask you a question. If an intruder were on your property in the middle of the night threatening your loved ones, belongings, and livelihood, would you do anything you could to protect it?
MICHELSON: Of course I would, but that hypothetical situation simply isn't applicable here.
CHAMBERS: Sure it is. Property is property.
MICHELSON: That's ridiculous…
KNIGHT: Gentlemen, we're going to have to leave that right there for a moment. When we come back, we'll be talking to Dr. Jonathon Prothero about his miraculous cure for cancer, his status as a would-be Jonas Salk, and the very real idea that he's a thief who built his cure on the backs of others. That's next on The Knight Report.
[Burger King]
[Volkswagon]
[Walmart]
[Pfizer]
KNIGHT: Welcome back to the Knight Report. Right now, we're going to be talking with Dr. Jonathon Prothero, the modern day Jonas Salk, the man who cured cancer and wants to give away the cure for nothing. He's also being called a monster, a liar, and a thief by the pharmaceutical industry. Dr. Prothero is joining us from our studios in Dallas, Texas. Welcome, Doctor…
DR. JONATHON PROTHERO: Thank you, sir. I'm happy to be here speaking with you.
KNIGHT: So, let's get to the meat and potatoes here, doctor. You've done a remarkable thing, but people are calling you names, saying that you're a thief, that you've stolen a piece of your cure. They say it's great you're giving away a piece of the pie, but you're giving away a pie that isn't yours. What to do you have to say…how do you respond to that?
PROTHERO: It's absurd.
(silence)
KNIGHT: Ummm… Do you have anything to add to that?
PROTHERO: What's to add?
KNIGHT: Well, I think people are making some pretty heavy duty accusations about you and they deserve your take on it.
PROTHERO: My take? My take is that curing cancer transcends property rights. I don't rightly care what they've patented.
KNIGHT: You think curing disease transcends property rights?
PROTHERO: That's what I said. Would you like to talk about the actual cure?
KNIGHT: We can move onto the actual method you discovered after we get to the bottom of the issue that's at the heart of this debate.
PROTHERO: What debate? You've made this into a debate, not me. I cured cancer and all you can talk about is whether or not you think I did it properly. Is there an improper way to cure one of the most deadly and pervasive diseases in our world? That's not rhetorical, the answer is no. As far as I'm concerned, if you don't want to talk about the issue, you can all go to hell.
KNIGHT: You don't need to… Please… Dr. Prothero, please sit back down. Oh God…
(Gunshots, screaming)
KNIGHT: I think… Do we have anyone there? Bob? Bob? What's going on down there? Yeah. Yeah? Ladies and gentlemen, it is my sad duty to inform you that Dr. Jonathon Prothero has been shot outside of our studio in Dallas.
Be sure to stay tuned into the Knight Report for breaking updates about who is behind this heinous crime.
END OF TRANSCRIPT
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