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American Morning
Republican Candidates Make a Stand; Protection for Obama; V.A. Bonuses
Aired May 04, 2007 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR (voice over): Where they stand. Revelations from the Republicans' first debate.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think they're all serious men. I think there's only three serious candidates on the stage.
ROBERTS: Did they leave a mark on the minds of the voters?
TOMMY THOMPSON (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I made a mistake and I apologized.
ROBERTS: And superhero summer. "Spider-Man" swings into action on this AMERICAN MORNING.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERTS: Looking forward to that.
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: "Spider-Man" coming right at you this early in the morning.
ROBERTS: Opened at midnight last night.
CHETRY: You didn't stay up.
ROBERTS: No, no. I stayed up for the debate, but...
CHETRY: You had to make a call, the debates, or Spidey. And you picked your job.
ROBERTS: I did. Absolutely. It's always going to come first. And you know why? Food is expensive.
CHETRY: Well, it is Friday. It's May 4th. Thanks so much for being with us.
I'm Kiran Chetry.
ROBERTS: And I'm John Roberts.
Stories on our radar this morning.
CHETRY: Well, some outrage over the Veterans Administration because of the big shots there getting these nice bonuses. An average of $33,000 worth of bonuses, while they're in a budget shortfall and you have injured vets waiting for hours to go see doctors and waiting on their own benefits. So we're going to talk more about that.
ROBERTS: Yes. We're going to be talking with the director of Veterans of Foreign Wars, who apparently has -- well, I don't want to say his knickers in a twist, but, oh, I just said it. But definitely upset about this whole thing.
Also, turning garbage into gold. Rob Marciano shows us the business saving big money on energy bills. The business of saving big money on energy bills. It's all thanks to trash decomposing at a landfill miles away.
CHETRY: He says as long as you hold your breath when you're there, it's OK.
ROBERTS: It's not too bad, exactly, yes.
Already this morning we're hearing a mea culpa from one of the candidates. The Republican candidates debated in Los Angeles last night.
Tommy Thompson called in to us and apologized for one of his answers on stage last night. He was asked, "Would it be OK for a private employer to fire a gay employee because they found homosexuality immoral?" This morning, after saying yes, basically, last night, this morning Thompson took it back.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
THOMPSON: I made a mistake. I misinterpreted the question. I thought that I answered it yes when I should have answered it no.
I didn't hear it. I didn't hear the question properly, and I apologized. That's not my position. There should be no discrimination in the workplace.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: Firing a worker based on sexual orientation is illegal in 15 states, and in the federal workforce, as well.
Senior Political Correspondent Candy Crowley joins us live from Los Angeles with more on this post-debate analysis.
How did that comment go over last night, Candy? What were people saying about it when the debate was over?
CANDY CROWLEY, CNN SR. POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: You know, it's interesting. It did come up.
I mean, even at the time, John Harris, who was the questioner at the time, sort of seemed taken aback by the first part and went back and asked him again. He said, "So, you're saying it would be all right?" And that's when Thompson said yes, and it was surprising coming from him because, as you know, he has some moderate positions. So, had we heard it from someone more conservative probably up there, it wouldn't have made as big a splash as it seemed to because it came from Tommy Thompson.
ROBERTS: And what about Rudolph Giuliani. He was asked a question last night -- they were all asked a question, in fact, as to whether or not they would be OK with the repeal of Roe versus Wade.
Here's what he said in response to that question.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RUDY GIULIANI (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It would be OK.
CHRIS MATTHEWS, HOST: OK to repeal?
GIULIANI: It would be OK to repeal. It would be OK, also, if a strict constructionist judge viewed it as precedent. And I think a judge has to make that decision.
MATTHEWS: Would it be OK if they didn't repeal it?
GIULIANI: I think that -- I think the court has to make that decision, and then the country can deal with it. We're a federalist system of government, and states can make their own decisions.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: Candy, was that a fumble?
CROWLEY: Well, no. I mean, I think he intentionally said what he said, it would be OK, because he's an outlier on this issue, as you know.
He is pro-abortion rights, but he was following a bunch of people that said, oh, the day that Roe v. Wade is repealed would be the greatest day ever. So he had this whole lineup of people that came before him. And so when he got there -- and you know he's been struggling with this issue and talking about strict constructionism.
So, when he got there, I think he was just sort of modifying, you know, and saying, well, it would be OK. But he had to come back later because he was questioned later, and he said, well, "I am pro-abortion rights, even though I'm personally anti-abortion."
ROBERTS: Yes. I mean, he's got that really nuanced position where he says he abhors abortion, but he wouldn't stand in any woman's way if they wanted to get one.
Now, what about John McCain? The big elephant in the room last night was President George Bush. There wasn't a lot of talk among the other candidate about him, but Senator John McCain certainly had something to say about him. And, in fact, after embracing him very warmly in the early part of the presidency, seems to be running away as fast as he can.
Take a listen to what McCain said last night. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN MCCAIN (R-AZ), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The war was terribly mismanaged. The more was terribly mismanaged, and we now have to fix a lot of the mistakes that have been made. Books have been written, but we have a new strategy and a new general, and these young men and women are committed to winning.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: So, at the same time saying that he is opposed -- or was opposed, at least -- to the president's plans for Iraq, but now asking for more time to make this whole thing work.
CROWLEY: Well, you know, again, he's another guy that is walking a very fine line here, because he has embraced the war, because he has been such a close ally of the president on the issue of the war. But you've got a populace, obviously, that is very anti-war at this point. So he's trying to make the distinction between the war itself and the conduct of the war.
What was interesting to me was that McCain on other issues was also critical of Bush. In particular, the spending issue. So, he was of all of them up there the most critical of the president.
ROBERTS: Yes. And it's like McCain is covered in glue in this Iraq issue. It sticks to him like nobody else.
CROWLEY: Absolutely.
ROBERTS: Candy Crowley in Los Angeles.
Thanks very much. Appreciate it.
CROWLEY: Sure.
CHETRY: Well, Senator Barack Obama is now being protected by the Secret Service.
CNN's Jim Acosta is with us now.
And leaving Hillary Clinton out of it because she is a former first lady...
JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Sure.
CHETRY: ... this is the earliest that a candidate has gotten the Secret service protection.
What's going on?
ACOSTA: Well, it's no surprise. He is the first top-tier African-American presidential candidate. And it's important to note there's no specific threat that prompted this move.
The Secret Service says Department of Homeland Security secretary Michael Chertoff made the request after consulting with the congressional advisory committee that handles these security issues. That committee and Homeland Security aren't discussing why exactly they wanted protection for Obama, but Illinois Senator Dick Durbin confirmed that he made the request to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, saying Obama was drawing larger crowds than expected at this stage of the campaign, and there were concerns about what was being said about Obama and hate mail to his campaign and on certain Web sites.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. DICK DURBIN (D-IL), MAJORITY WHIP: Unfortunately, some of the information that we found was racially motivated. And it is a sad reality in this day in age that Mr. Obama's African-American heritage is a cause for very violent and hated reactions from some people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ACOSTA: And, as you mentioned, Kiran, Hillary Clinton already has Secret Service protection being a former first lady. And Joe Lieberman had extra protection during his 2004 run.
But just to draw the contrast, John Kerry and John Edwards did not have their Secret Service detail until February of '04. That's nine months before where we stand right now.
CHETRY: And, of course, while it's needed for protection, and, of course, to prevent against any, you know, possible attack...
ACOSTA: Sure.
CHETRY: ... or effort to hurt the candidate, it also really does reduce the access that reporters covering the candidate have.
ACOSTA: Well, and the candidates don't like this, because they want to pres the flesh, as it were. But Obama is drawing these massive, as you pointed out earlier in the broadcast, rock star crowds. And they have to do something.
I mean, this is a legitimate issue. And while the campaign really doesn't want to talk about this, Michelle Obama was saying yesterday to "The New York Times" she is concerned about the security issue and, you know, this is about taking the campaign to the next level.
So, this was expected. It was going to happen. And now we're talking about it.
CHETRY: Right. It just happened a little earlier than they thought originally.
ACOSTA: I would say, yes.
CHETRY: Jim Acosta, thanks so much.
ROBERTS: In Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt, neighbor nations are getting together for an important conference on Iraq. The goal is to get Iraq's neighbors to try to help stabilize the region. And Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice spoke about that moments ago.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CONDOLEEZZA RICE, SECRETARY OF STATE: ... wants to have all of Iraq's neighbors in the same room with the international community to face up to their responsibilities and obligations to cease activities that are increasing instability in Iraq.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: Earlier on AMERICAN MORNING, I spoke with the new U.S. ambassador to Iraq, Ryan Crocker, who had sort of an impromptu get- together with his Iranian counterpart just a little bit before that interview. He said that he hopes that progress during the conference will be carried out on the ground.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RYAN CROCKER, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO IRAQ: The key question now, though, is coming out of this conference with a good communique that commits all of the neighbors to doing everything they can to prevent terrorists, weapons, explosives and munitions from moving into Iraqi territory across their borders. With that undertaking there, the question now is, will they actually make a difference the ground? And that's what we'll be watching to see.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: Crocker downplayed the importance of the meetings that the United States delegation had with the delegations from Iran. In fact, he refused to even call it a meeting. Also the meetings that they had which were official meetings yesterday with Condoleezza Rice and the Syrian foreign minister.
CHETRY: Well, after all we've heard about Walter Reed, vets being tangled up in bureaucratic red tape, now we're hearing about the Veterans Administration paying thousands of dollars in bonuses to senior V.A. officials.
The total payout, $3.8 million. V.A. budget officials got bonuses up to $33,000 each, and they're the ones who created the budget that ended up coming in $1 billion short.
A top bonus also went to the deputy undersecretary for benefits, while the average vet waited five months for their benefits. The chairman of the House Oversight Committee is planning to investigate.
Also coming up, we're going to be talking with a veteran who is demanding answers. How could the V.A. be rewarding employees when they seem to be dealing with a lot of problems right now at the office?
Plus, the queen comes to America, and we get a lesson in royal etiquette. That's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
The most news in the morning here on CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Well, more now on those unbelievable bonuses at the Veterans Administration that we've been talking about this morning.
Joining us from Washington is Joe Davis from the Veterans of Foreign Wars.
Joe, we've got $3.8 million in bonuses given out to executives at an agency that cut $1 billion from its budget.
What is your initial response to all this?
JOE DAVIS, VETERANS OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS: Well, first of all, John, I just want to say that the V.A., 235,000 employees there, absolutely do miracles every single day of the week for America's veterans. But, you know, you have an agency right now that is beset by problem after problem after problem for the last two years of their own making, and this here is just a little more icing on the cake.
ROBERTS: So what do you think about this? An average of $17,000 in bonuses. The tops were above -- I think there were 10 that were above $30,000. The head of the Benefits Administration received a bonus of $33,000, at the same when veterans are waiting an average of five months for their benefits.
DAVIS: You're exactly right.
ROBERTS: Is something not adding up for you here?
DAVIS: There should be a deep concern, you know, across -- across America. You know, nobody joins the federal government to become rich, but, then, again, the federal government should not award bonuses to people who fail to do their jobs.
As you're saying, we're looking at a V.A. claims backlog. The backlog exceeds almost 840,000 claims that are in this backlog. You have a budget that was planned using pre-war data even though it was implemented. I mean, these are problems after problems.
ROBERTS: So, Congressman Harry Mitchell and Senator Daniel Akaka say that they want to have congressional hearings into this. What do you think should happen?
DAVIS: I think that's a good idea. The V.A. owes some answers here.
You know, corporate America, if you fail to meet your milestones and your goals, you're not going it be awarded for it. You know, federal service should be the same way.
ROBERTS: Right. On top of, you know, all the problems at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center, now all of this, what kind of year is it shaping up to be for the Veteran Administration?
DAVIS: Well, it's going to be a busy year. I mean, you know the nation is still on wars on two different parts. We've got a healthy budget that has been programmed already, $87 billion if we can get it through Congress, and appropriate it in time for the federal government to start its fiscal year on October 1st. That's always the challenge, because the V.A. has not had a budget, on-time budget in over six years.
ROBERTS: Right. And what kind of signal is this sending, Joe, to all of those men and women who are in Iraq, in Afghanistan right now?
DAVIS: The hard part here is that the federal government cares. America cares about its service members. But America also has to understand that it has an inherent duty to take care of their wounded when they come back, to take care of their families in their death. And it has to be on time, it has to happen, because if not, anything else is just smoke. And American soldiers can see through smoke.
ROBERTS: All right, Joe. I expect that you will be there for the hearings if they indeed happen?
DAVIS: Absolutely.
ROBERTS: All right. Appreciate it.
Joe Davis, he's the national spokesman for Veterans of Foreign Wars from our Washington bureau for us today.
CHETRY: A lot of good points.
A quarter past the hour now. We're going to check in with Chad Myers for a lock at the weather as we head into the weekend.
(WEATHER REPORT)
CHETRY: Well, Queen Elizabeth gets the royal treatment here in the United States, but just what is the royal treatment?
Up next, the right and wrong way to meet, greet and dress for the queen
Stay with us on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Doesn't that get you in the mood?
ROBERTS: It does.
CHETRY: For what? A visit.
ROBERTS: For a visit, a royal visit.
Nineteen minutes, coming up to 20 minutes after the hour.
So, the queen decides to drop by. What's the etiquette for meeting the queen? And, of course, watching a horse race with her, as she will tomorrow.
CHETRY: Yes. We asked that, because she's going to be at the Kentucky Derby. She's going to be attending it.
And Louis Waterman will be her official host. He joins us now.
Hi there. Thanks for being with us.
You're the Churchill Downs' official host to the queen. How does one apply for that job?
LOUIS WATERMAN, CHURCHILL DOWNS OFFICIAL HOST TO QUEEN: Good morning. Welcome to derby.
CHETRY: Thank you. How do you get that job?
WATERMAN: Well, one gets picked. One gets picked. They came to me and asked me to do it.
CHETRY: All right. So what is in the job description, Lewis? What do you have to do?
WATERMAN: I am to make sure the queen is very comfortable, has everything she needs as she and the president of Latvia visit Churchill Downs for Derby Day.
ROBERTS: You know, it really sounds to me as though he's losing his voice from yelling at people about the etiquette that they need to observe when the queen is here.
How did you get a primer on what you need to do, dos and don'ts for the queen?
WATERMAN: I read Paul Burrell's book. Paul had been a butler for the queen. And so I went and found the book and then got on what most of us do. We got on the Internet and went through what was fact and what was fiction.
CHETRY: All right. So you paged through, you did some of the studying. So what are some of the tips that people need to keep in mind if they are going to meet up with the queen?
WATERMAN: The number one tip is really be yourself. There really are no set rules other than basic courtesy. The only -- there are a few, but not very many.
One, as we're not obligated because we're not her subjects, to bow, although a bow of a neck is an appropriate response, and a small curtsy by women would of course be appropriate and respectful. One would address her as "Your Majesty" or "Madame". And then you want to look her in the eye and let her carry the conversation.
She's very good at that having been a public figure for many years. And she's very good on carrying the conversation and talking about things.
Some of the things you don't want to do, you don't want to leave your hat on while you're talking to the queen. When she comes in the room, you certainly want to stand up to show her the respect she deserves. And you don't want to try to mimic her accent. Use your own accent.
ROBERTS: What about -- of course. It's not good to imitate the queen.
What about touching, in terms of hand shaking, or that terrible faux pas as we saw back in 1991 when she visited Washington, D.C., and it was only a small one, but she was visiting this woman's house and the woman hugged her.
WATERMAN: No, that's a no-no. You don't ever touch the parsonage of the queen.
If she extends her hand, you certainly may shake it. It will generally at all times be a gloved hand. But you may -- you may shake her hand. After that, you do not touch the queen under any circumstances.
There are five people that are on a list on a Web site you can find of five Americans that have touched the queen. That's a big no- no. You don't want to be number six.
CHETRY: Wow. That is funny. You're forever shamed on the World Wide Web.
Let's get back to the hats quickly.
WATERMAN: Exactly.
CHETRY: I thought there was some time limit, right? 6:30 and after you can't wear the hat, but before 6:00 p.m., you can.
WATERMAN: No, that's not -- I've not seen anything around that.
CHETRY: All right. I don't want to throw you off.
WATERMAN: It's...
ROBERTS: Don't give him something else to think about.
Hey, any idea what color hat she's going to be wearing tomorrow? You know, there is a sports betting Internet site that's got odds.
Leading in the odds, a blue hat, 5-2, and a white and silver hat at 5-2. Purple is going off at 3-1 odds.
What are you betting? WATERMAN: I would have to go with the red or blue, just because it's the colors of the flag, the British flag, and I would expect her to do that. But I suspect it will be a very derby-esque hat, although not as large as some of the hats you might see today or tomorrow.
CHETRY: And you also have another job, that thanks to Mother Nature, you've got to try to keep her dry. Expecting an inch of rain all day there.
WATERMAN: That will be no problem. I am sure the weather will cooperate.
ROBERTS: If she places a bet, will she have to go to the being window, or will somebody do it for her?
WATERMAN: She is certainly welcome to go to the betting window, but I suspect we have people available to take care of that if she would like to. That would be strictly up to Her Majesty.
CHETRY: Well, it looks like you're doing a good job as the official host. You've certainly done a lot of preparation for it.
So, Louis Waterman, Churchill Downs' official greeter to the queen of England, enjoy the race today -- or tomorrow.
WATERMAN: Thanks very much. You all have a great derby.
ROBERTS: All right. You, too.
I'll be at a party tomorrow afternoon to watch the derby.
CHETRY: You are. You going to wear a hat?
ROBERTS: We have a -- we have a secret source of the Maker's Mark mint julep.
CHETRY: That's pretty cool.
ROBERTS: It's great stuff.
If you would like to ask us a question about the queen or etiquette or anything else, e-mail us. Send us your questions to "Ask AMERICAN MORNING," AM@CNN.com.
We'll get you those answers.
CHETRY: Also coming up, some advice for graduates about how to make their way in the world carrying that pile of debt that a lot of them are saddled with when they get out of school.
That's coming up on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: College grads, they're leaving campus with their hard- earned diploma and, in some cases, a mountain of debt. An average of $19,000.
CNN's personal finance editor, Gerri Willis, is here.
So, the graduates, they're done with their school, they're thrilled about it, and they're trying to get into the workforce, and they have this mountain of debt they have to start paying back.
GERRI WILLIS, CNN PERSONAL FINANCE EDITOR: I'm telling you, it really -- it's a crisis for these people, because it really influences the rest of their life. If you have $19,000 worth of debt, you're delaying things like starting a family, getting married, buying a house, because you can't afford it yet, right? But there is some loan forgiveness, some grace periods, actually, that you need to know about.
First off, the first bill is not going to hit your doorstep if you had a Staffford loan for six months. The Perkins loans, nine months.
And Kiran, if you have a private loan from a private bank, it varies. It can come at any time. But there's a little grace period there if you're a student who's just graduated and you're thinking, holy cow, when does that bill hit my doorstep?
CHETRY: Right. Especially because you're still looking for a job.
So what if you don't have a job? What are the options for paying these off?
WILLIS: Well, there are lots of options, and it's important to choose it and think a lot about it ahead of time because it will make a big difference in the amount of interest you pay.
First off, there's the standard fixed payment. It's a 10-year repayment plan. And this is really the best option, because this is how you're going to pay the least amount of interest on that debt.
If you can afford it, it's the thing to do. There's an extended 30-year repayment plan which obviously takes forever. You pay a ton of interest. And then there's graduated interest only, where you pay interest only in the first couple of years of the loan because you probably aren't making a lot of money.
CHETRY: That will get you in trouble, too, because you still have that big principal left.
WILLIS: I'm not a big fan of those loans, I have to say. But some kids are in a situation where, holy cow, they're just not prepared to make those payments. They can't find a job.
And then there's income sensitive. You can pick that choice, and that will vary your loan payment by how much money you're making.
So, there's lots of things you can do if you're in a situation where you think, I'm not sure I can make those payments. CHETRY: I got you. So, the interesting thing, as you said, there is six-month delay for the Stafford, and then a nine-month delay for the Perkins.
WILLIS: The Perkins.
CHETRY: Maybe you can think ahead and try to put some of that money aside so you can get a head start.
WILLIS: That's right. That's a great thing to do.
You know, another thing that a lot of graduates are thinking about is consolidating those loans.
CHETRY: Right.
WILLIS: You know, that was a no-brainer when rates were so very low, but right now you really want to think hard about it, because you could lose some of the perks of these loans. You can lose loan forgiveness. That's something very important to think about. And, I've got to say, if you are worried about having enough money to pay this off, there are lots of options for the federal loans out there. They don't want you to fall totally behind. You're not going to have to default. They will come up with payment plans. You can delay paying if you're having economic hardship or you can't find a job. You can put it off for a while. So, this isn't like having a mortgage. You're not going to get thrown out of your house, there are ways to make up the difference.
CHETRY: There's also plan "c," call your parents and beg for money.
WILLIS: Mom and dad. They probably don't want to hear it. You know, I think for moms and dads out there they're thinking, too, how do I handle this debt? They want to help. It's probably not the time to come in and pay 100 percent. You know you have to retire, too, right. You have to pay your own way.
CHETRY: That's right, welcome to the real world, kids.
WILLIS: It's a cold, introduction to the real world, right?
CHETRY: It is. Gerri, thanks so much. It's always good to see you and by the way, you can catch Gerri on "OPEN HOUSE" it's on Saturday 9:30 a.m. eastern time, right here on CNN. Talking a little bit about spring cleaning, as well, so, all right, we're going to get geared up for it. Thanks Gerri.
WILLIS: Thank you.
ROBERTS: Our good friends Betty and T.J. are getting ready for "CNN NEWSROOM", the weekend edition. Good morning guys, what do you have coming up.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: Hey there. T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, kind sir. This weekend we're going to be talking about, you know, somebody had dreams of becoming a teacher, well those dreams went away because of a picture on myspace.
NGUYEN: Yes, a college graduate denied an education degree because of this. We're going to show you that picture. Well, you'll see it in a minute. But now the woman has filed a federal lawsuit against the school.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She was asking my sisters very weird questions like where are your mom and dad. Do they know where you are? Didn't they know that you're going on the slide, can you point your mom and dad out to me.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: Suspicious questions and one alert 11-year-old. The boy helped catch a suspected child predator while vacationing at Disney. You are going to hear his amazing story.
HOLMES: And you all were just talking about this, the 133rd Kentucky Derby, all the hundreds of fans are going to be there to continue to pay tribute to Barbaro. A year later, the horse's legacy still lives on.
NGUYEN: "CNN SATURDAY & SUNDAY MORNING," that begins tomorrow at 7:00 eastern. John, we know you'll be watching.
ROBERTS: All right, thank you, Betty. Thank you, T.J. Apparently the field for this year's Kentucky Derby certainly not as strong as it was in the past, at least that's what people are saying.
NGUYEN: True. Drinks may be, though.
ROBERTS: That's the important part, right?
NGUYEN: All right, John.
ROBERTS: All right we'll see you tomorrow.
Coming up next, the hidden treasure in the landfill. How it's making some people rich and helping the environment, ahead.
And Spidey swings, and Danny Ocean adds one more to make 13. Your first look at the summer movie season, ahead on this AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Ten men for president. Republican candidates square off in their first big debate. The issues, the answers and the reason one of the candidates called into the show today saying he's sorry on this AMERICAN MORNING. And welcome back, again. It is Friday, May 4th. I'm Kiran Chetry.
ROBERTS: And I'm John Roberts. Good morning to you.
CHETRY: Nice to see you and we're talking a lot today about last night's big debate. We all stayed up to watch it.
ROBERTS: All the rage today.
CHETRY: It sure is. And there are a lot of different things going on in that debate yesterday. We're also hearing from one candidate. He apologized to us for what he said last night at the Republican's first debate. So how did all of them do? Joining us right now is Scott Rasmussen, he's an independent pollster and the president of Rasmussen Reports. Good morning, thanks for being with us.
SCOTT RASMUSSEN, INDEPENDENT POLLSTER: Good morning Kiran.
CHETRY: Well you know what we're talking about and everyone was this morning. Tommy Thompson, he was asked the question if an independent business could fire someone because they are gay, let's listen in to what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TOMMY THOMPSON, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think that is left up to the individual business. I really, sincerely believe that that is a issue that business people have got to make their own determination as to whether or not they should be.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Ok, so, that was very strange what he said last night.
RASMUSSEN: You know, it was a tough moment for him, but there weren't any good moments for him, either. He looked a little bit tired and grumpy to begin with. He is not going anywhere in this race. I think overall last night was a spring training game for all the political junkies to get excited about it, to evaluate the talent. It has no impact on the regular season and I think Thompson is just showing a little bit of why he's in the second tier.
CHETRY: Well let's see, because he called into the show today and he actually back pedaled from that comment. So let's listen.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
THOMPSON: I made a mistake. I misinterpreted the question. I thought that I answered it yes when I should have answered it no. I didn't hear it. I didn't hear the question properly and I apologize. It's not my position. There should be no discrimination in the workplace.
(END OF AUDIO CLIP) CHETRY: Does that help?
RASMUSSEN: The minute you're explaining in politics you're losing. I mean that's -- it's not about the position, it's just, he's already on the defensive. People do not support discrimination in the workplace. People, conservatives do not support discrimination in this world, but just being caught in that whole discussion is bad for Thompson.
CHETRY: Now you are an independent pollster. So you get to see, really, on paper how these things change. Does a debate like this change the horse race, as it were?
RASMUSSEN: This debate will not change the horse race. It's way too early in the season. Most of the people watching were already involved in the campaign. There were moments, for example, Rudy Giuliani, he's always awkward talking about the abortion issue. But nobody watching last night was surprised about that. And just to give a little perspective, if you go back in the 2004 presidential campaign, the first debate. George Bush had a tough night, it didn't change his numbers and that was with a much bigger audience and with a much more intense situation with only two candidates on the field.
CHETRY: Now, it's interesting that you said that you think Tommy Thompson isn't going anywhere, he's a second tier candidate, yes, but when asked about Iraq, he had a very interesting take on sharing the oil wealth among, not only the different sects in Iraq, but also among the individual people.
RASMUSSEN: You know, there are a lot of good ideas that people have who are second tier candidates. Bill Gates is a very smart guy but our polls only show that 16 percent of Americans think he should even be considered for president. It's not about having the right answer, it's not about having a clever policy on Iraq. It's about connecting with people and showing a vision and Thompson couldn't do that. I think last night Romney did well, in terms of looking like a president. McCain showed some energy but looked a little forced. Giuliani connected his administration with the legacy of Reagan but struggled on abortion. It's those bigger things that are going to connect to the voters.
CHETRY: You're right. And 19 times they invoked the name of Ronald Reagan at the presidential library.
RASMUSSEN: You will not hear any talk from these candidates about any Republican presidents other that than Ronald Reagan. That is the gold standard in the party. He is revered in the party, he is admired by independents and even most Democrats have a good feeling about Ronald Reagan. We'll hear on the campaign trail Republicans talking about Reagan and Democrats talking about the current Republican president.
CHETRY: All right, Scott Rasmussen, great to have you. Thanks.
ROBERTS: Thanks for coming in, Scott, appreciate it. The Pentagon is coming out with an urgent medical warning this morning affecting more than a third of U.S. troops. CNN's Barbara Starr is live at the Pentagon for us. Barbara, what do you have?
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: John, about an hour and a half from now the Pentagon will release a new report on the mental health of the troops in combat. CNN has had an advance look at some of the details. This report says that one-third of the troops who have been in high levels of combat, one-third are now reporting anxiety, depression and acute stress. For the first time they surveyed morals and ethics on the battlefield and let's just pause and take a look at some of those findings. Less than half of the soldiers and marines said they would report a team member for unethical behavior on the battlefield. Over a third reported that they felt torture should be allowed in order to save the life of a fellow soldier or marine. Forty-seven percent of the soldiers, 38 percent of the marines agreed that non-combatants should be treated with dignity and respect. So that's less than half saying that non-combatant civilians should be treated with dignity and respect. And 10 percent of the troops, in fact, reported mistreating non-combatant civilians or damaging their property when it was not necessary. So, a lot of potentially, John, very disturbing findings about ethics on the battlefield and before you ask, yes, top commanders have already ordered more training on this issue of ethics on the battlefield for the troops. John?
ROBERTS: Yeah, the particularly troubling is this idea that they say that torture should be allowed to save the life of a fellow soldier or a marine. This is the real debate here of how far do you go in extracting information or saving a life and to a person, all of the administration officials we've talked to said, look, the United States just does not torture full stop. But it looks like some people would be prepared to.
STARR: It does, indeed. And I think that we all understand probably that there is government policy at the level of the capitol and for the young troops on the battlefield, very tough business every day in Iraq. Very hard for them to determine much of the time who is the enemy, who may be a civilian. There are very strict standards on this. Of course, torture is simply not allowed, but the reality is in this confidential survey, in fact, some soldiers, some marines said they would do it if it meant saving the life of a fellow buddy. John?
ROBERTS: Barbara, thanks for that bulletin, I know that you're going to continue to drill down into this. We'll look forward to your reporting throughout the day.
Still to come this morning, turning garbage into gold. How trash in this landfill is saving one businessman big bucks on his energy bills.
Plus, Spider-man swings into theaters today. Jack Sparro going to be swinging across the mast at the end of the month. Does Hollywood have any flicks that could outdo "Spider-man" this summer? You're watching AMERICAN MORNING, the most news in the morning is on CNN. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Forty-six minutes now after the hour. Is there a pot of gold at the end of the trash route? Can decomposing garbage be turned into cold, hard cash? CNN's Rob Marciano is in Lagrange, Georgia, that's just southwest of Atlanta where they are doing just that. How are they doing it, Rob?
ROB MARCIANO: Well, it's, it's pretty simple when you look at it on paper, John. But the good news about this, is that just about everybody is winning. Today the U.N. panel of scientists put out their third report on climate change and the issues with this report is, what do policymakers, what should they do in order to mitigate greenhouse gases. But here in Lagrange they're taking care of one problem, that's the methane that's emitted by landfalls like this. Wasn't a huge sacrifice. As a matter of fact, everybody is making money.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MARCIANO (voice-over): Mounds of garbage decomposing. Landfills produce huge amounts of methane. It's the second most abundant greenhouse gas and a whopping 20 times more potent than CO2. But here at this capped landfill, methane gas is taking on the sweeter smell of success.
(on camera): I look around and all I see are pipes being drilled into the ground. Tell me what process is happening underneath the dirt here?
DAVE GUSTASHAW, INTERFACE INC.: You have an arrow of digestion that's occurring in the ground that the microbes are basically eating the garbage in very simple terms. And as a result of that, in the absence of oxygen it's generating methane.
MARCIANO: Methane Gustashaw uses to run his carpet factory and methane, the local utility, is happy to sell.
GUSTASHAW: We pull the landfill gas in, clean it up, condition it, compress it and pipe it about nine miles to the customers.
MARCIANO: So here we are nine miles away and the methane is being pumped into your factory.
GUSTASHAW: That's right, this line has two energy sources. It has both electricity and natural gas or a gas requirement for process heat to help us run the process. This is what's called a direct gas use of landfill gas.
MARCIANO: Which is not only good for the environment, it's good for the bottom line. You're saving 30 percent by using the methane from the landfill gas?
GUSTASHAW: Correct.
MARCIANO: And with the town owning the utility, the added revenue helps the community. So everybody wins.
GUSTASHAW: If a small business in a small rural town in Georgia can do this, I know others can do this, as well.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MARCIANO: And they are doing that. About 400 of these landfills across the country are actually tapping into their methane gas. This is a cap to field right here. This well actually goes down into the ground and releases some of that methane, takes the pressure off and actually the landfill itself will settle. So it actually saves some space, also. In an active landfill they actually lay the pipes horizontally which allows you to take in even more methane. The average American dumps about four pounds of trash a day. About half of that goes into landfills like this and emits all this methane. If we can tap that methane and burn it as a clean energy source, John that will save us from emitting a bunch of greenhouse gases, just one of many solutions that we can take with us in the future to try to curve global warming. Back to you.
ROBERTS: Anything that can help. Rob Marciano down there in Lagrange, Georgia, Rob thanks very much.
CHETRY: And "CNN NEWSROOM" is just minutes away, Heidi Collins is at the CNN center with a look at what's ahead. Good morning Heidi.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Hey there Kiran. That's right, we have these stories coming up on the "NEWSROOM" rundown. The queen in America. Elizabeth II marking 400 years since colonists founded Jamestown, Virginia. We'll have live coverage all morning long right here in the "NEWSROOM."
Also, Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama guarded now by the secret service. Campaign staffers say he's gotten what's described as hate mail.
And this, what a tumble. A Florida woman knocked off a bridge. A Hummer clips her car after she gets a flat. She's wet, but otherwise, not a scratch that we could see. Unbelievable.
Tony Harris joins me in the "NEWSROOM" top of the hour right here on CNN. Kiran?
CHETRY: That was quite a dramatic rescue too. A helicopter had to come down and a police officer jumped from there. But, wow.
COLLINS: Very, very lucky woman, indeed.
CHETRY: She did, she got lucky. Thanks, Heidi. We look forward to watching it a couple minutes from now.
Also, it's a pretty a startling images, David Hasselhoff, he's caught on tape, he's falling over drunk. He's hitting a hamburger off the floor. His daughter behind the camera and his response to this video, coming up. Also, the amazing "Spider-man" swings into theaters today. They're all saying he's going to break a record, is he? And what about the other movies that are hot on the heels of spidey. We have a preview next on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Girl trouble --
ROBERTS: Never happened to me.
CHETRY: A secret identity. Bad guys chasing you. Hey, it's not easy being a super hero, even "Spider-man's" best friend of course is a potential nemesis.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SPIDEY: Harry.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You knew this was coming Pete.
SPIDEY: Listen to me, I didn't kill your father. He was trying to kill me, he killed himself.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Shut up!
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: I don't believe you. Will this all add up to a win at the box office for "Spider-man 3"? All of this drama. "Entertainment Weekly's" Tim Stack is here to give us the scoop on Spidey and all the other movies that we should be watching for this summer. Tim, it's great to have you here. This movie has had record openings overseas, Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, been doing well in Europe, as well. Advanced ticket sales outpaced "Spider-man 2" is it going to live up to all the hype here?
TIM STACK, ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, I mean it's a really fun popcorn movie. It's probably not my favorite of the three, it's a little unfocused, the script, but it's huge and all the money is up there on screen. I mean there are three bad guys in it, there's huge battles, it will definitely be huge.
CHETRY: Didn't they say it was a little darker than the others?
STACK: It is, I mean there is a darker element. Peter sort of finds his dark side with this alter ego venom and there are darker elements, but it's still really fun and kind of goofy. And Sam Rami has a really good sense of humor, the director.
ROBERTS: The great thing about "Spider-man," though is there has always been that darker side to it. Unlike Superman, although some of the Batman movies did get into a little bit of a darker side. "Spider-man 3" will that be it for the franchise?
STACK: You know I think, no, I doubt it. I really doubt it. ROBERTS: Making too much money.
STACK: I mean when there's this much money, I don't think any studio would turn away from that. So I can't imagine this will be the final "Spider-man".
CHETRY: Speaking of the threes you have the "Shrek 3," "Pirates of the Caribbean 3", "Oceans 13." What's going on this summer?
STACK: I don't know, things happen in threes. It's the hat trick of blockbusters, I don't know. But it's just, I think it's just these formulas that studios love that they're proven formulas. They'll make money. All these movies are pretty much fairy like slam dunks, like easy money, you know audiences respond to them.
CHETRY: Well everyone is going to go see Shrek.
ROBERTS: Have you seen "Pirates 3" yet?
STACK: I have not. I don't think they've started screening that yet.
ROBERTS: Number two was kind of disappointing. It was sort of like the "Empire Strikes Back.", it was just a real set up to three.
STACK: Yeah, I kind of like the "Empire Strikes Back."
ROBERTS: So did I, it was just the set up, yeah.
STACK: But no, I agree. You know this one, I think though, it's closing out kind of the trilogy, the planned trilogy I think. You know, Johnny Depp is always good. I think this one is going to make huge amounts of money.
CHETRY: How about "Die Hard 4." Bruce Willis, slightly older version, dusted off saving the world.
STACK: In his walker, he's --
ROBERTS: You can rename that one "Tales from the Crypt" I think.
CHETRY: No, he's not that bad.
STACK: You know I think I heard the trailer has been getting a lot of attention. You know, we haven't seen John McClain in years. This one looks really fun. He has like a little side kick who is kind of like a techno geek. You know I think people love his character and he will not die, apparently. He's plugging away.
ROBERTS: And I guess we have a couple of other ones that have real people in them too, Georgia Rule, 28 Weeks Later. Are they going to live up to their abilities do you think?
STACK: I think you know "28 Weeks Later" and "Georgia Rule" they're next weekend, the weekend after Spidey opens, so they have a weekend in between "Spidey" and "Shrek 3." They're get counter programming, I don't think they're going to be huge and I don't think the studios think they will be. But you know, horror and then a female-driven film I think, they could open well. I don't know if they'll be blockbusters.
CHETRY: And your prediction, is "Spider-man" going to break all the records for an opening?
STACK: I think it will. I think it will break. It will be huge. I think people love this guy.
ROBERTS: Well it's going to be fun movie summer.
STACK: It will, it will be a great summer.
ROBERTS: Tim Stack, "Entertainment Weekly" correspondent. Thanks for being with us.
Here's a quick look now at what "CNN's NEWSROOM" is working on for the top of the hour.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: See these stories in the CNN "NEWSROOM" Royal visit, Queen Elizabeth in Virginia for the 400th anniversary of Jamestown. Live coverage throughout the day.
MCCAIN: We must win in Iraq.
HARRIS: Sizing up the first Republican debate.
Secret service protection for Barack Obama. His presidential campaign received what's described as hate mail.
Ohio parents under arrest, accused of keeping their son in an animal cage. "NEWSROOM", top of the hour, on CNN.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Before we leave you this morning, we want to show you some quick hits today and some people never learn. Paris Hilton, once again, going to court and she could get locked up for 45 days.
ROBERTS: She has been pulled over twice on a suspended license. If Paris gets jail time she can choose to go somewhere other than the county lock-up, but she would have to pay for it.
CHETRY: She can choose?
ROBERTS: She has what's called a steep learning curve here, what do you think?
CHETRY: Well another celebrity dad with a red face this morning.
ROBERTS: Yeah, it was Alec Baldwin last week, right?
CHETRY: Yeah, now it's David Hasselhoff. Check this out, the "Bay Watch" star and admitted recovering alcoholic is videotaped by his own 16-year-old daughter after a rough night, let's put it that way.
ROBERTS: It was show on "Extra" last night across the country. Check it out.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Tell me you're going to stop.
HASSELHOFF: I'm going to stop.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Promise?
HASSELHOFF: Yep.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes?
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: Now, again, that was shot three months ago, Hasselhoff says that he asked his daughter the next time he got falling down drunk to record it on videotape so that he could see just how bad it looked. I guess it's been an inspiration to him. He says he's doing much better now.
CHETRY: Yeah, so he says he's better and also he didn't want that tape to be public. Shocker.
ROBERTS: Somebody got a hold of it though and put it out there. That's all from here on this AMERICAN MORNING, we'll see you back here bright and early again on Monday morning.
CHETRY: Meantime, "CNN NEWSROOM" with Tony Harris and Heidi Collins begins right now.
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