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American Morning
Obama and Prop 8; Oil Really Disappearing?; Birds in Louisiana Flies After Oilspill; 7-Year Old's Lemonade Stand Closed; Facebook User Robbed By Facebook Friend; Pan Am Bomber Still Alive; Pentagon Demanding WikiLeaks Take Down Leaked Documents from Web Site; U.S. Unemployment Rate For July Stays At 9.5 Percent; Wear Red, Get the Girl
Aired August 06, 2010 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
RANDI KAYE, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning everyone. It is Friday, August 6th. I'm Randi Kaye, in for Kiran Chetry.
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning to you. I'm John Roberts. So good to have you with us on this Friday. Lots to talk about this morning. Lets get right to it.
New evidence this morning, the specialists treating the convicted Pan Am bomber before his release didn't think that he had just three months to live. "The Wall Street Journal" is reporting that only one doctor from Scotland's prison system made that determination which was used to grant al-Megrahi a compassionate release last August.
One year later, the Lockerbie bomber is still alive in Libya.
KAYE: In just about a half hour from now, we'll get the Labor Department's report on the jobs market in July. Analysts are expecting a slight uptick in the unemployment rate. We'll get instant reaction from CNNMoney.com's Editor-at-Large.
ROBERTS: And he's back after all but fizzling out earlier this week, tropical storm Colin now has winds near 45 miles an hour. But where is the storm headed? Some answers from the CNN weather team just ahead.
KAYE: And, of course, the amFIX blog is up and running. Join the live conversation right now. All have you do is go to cnn.com/amfix.
ROBERTS: Up first this morning, an explosive report in the controversial release of Pan Am bomber Abdelbaset al-Megrahi. "The Wall Street Journal" headline this morning calling that decision, quote, "flawed". Sources tell the paper there was no consensus among the specialists who were treating al-Megrahi's prostate cancer that he had just three months to live.
KAYE: Instead that determination came from one doctor running Scotland's prison health service. One doctor is apparently all it took to get al-Megrahi freed on humanitarian grounds last August.
For more, let's bring in Homeland Security Correspondent, Jeanne Meserve. Good morning, Jeanne.
JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Randi and John.
This is going to add more fuel to the already raging debate about this release. Megrahi was the only person who was convicted in the Lockerbie bombing incident. When he was released, there was grave displeasure expressed by the U.S. government and also by the families of the victims.
And recently members of Congress have wanted to investigate this because there are suspicions on their part that there may have been connections between the decision to release him and BP and its desire to hammer in an oil exploration deal with the government of Libya.
Now, BP, the government of Scotland and the British government have all denied that there's any connection here, but members of the Senate very much want to investigate that have asked for documentation. This revelation in "The Wall Street Journal is going to fuel their anger and more calls, in addition to the fact, as you mentioned, this individual who at the time of his release was expected to be dead in three months is still alive one year later.
Back to you.
ROBERTS: All right. And we're going to be talking with the fellow from "The Wall Street Journal" who wrote that article, by the way, a little bit later on this morning, talk more about the evidence that he has gathered, suggesting that this was -- as "The Wall Street Journal" said -- a flawed decision.
Jeanne, thanks so much.
KAYE: Also new this morning, a man who went to prison for a deadly car crash involving his speeding Toyota Camry is now free. Prosecutors in Minnesota dropped charges against the Koua Fong Lee after a judge ordered a new trial. Lee was convicted of vehicular homicide back in 2006 when his Camry sped out of control, killing three people.
ROBERTS: The case was the first to bring Toyota's sudden acceleration problems to light. As you can imagine, Lee was quite emotional after learning that he was going to go free.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's over. It's over.
KOUA FONG LEE, FREED TOYOTA DRIVER: Sometimes I dreamed, I'll wake up, still in little room. But now, my dream comes true.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: He also went on to ask the family members of the three people who were killed in the crash to please forgive him and believe his story.
KAYE: Now to politics. The fate of California's Proposition 8 may ultimately be decided in the Supreme Court. This week, after a judge overturned the state's ban on same-sex marriage, it seemed the White House was trying to play both sides.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVID AXELROD, WHITE HOUSE SENIOR ADVISOR: The president does oppose same-sex marriage but he supports equality for gay and lesbian couples and benefits and other issues.
CHUCK TODD, NBC NEWS: Does the president support states going the same way on same-sex marriage? Do you think it's appropriate for a state to ban it and appropriate for other states to decide it's OK?
AXELROD: Well, the -- he does believe that marriage is an issue for the states. And he did oppose Proposition 8.
TODD: OK.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: So, he opposed Proposition 8, thought that it was discriminatory. But at the same time opposes same-sex marriage.
Joining us now from Washington: Candy Crowley, chief political correspondent and host of CNN's "STATE OF THE UNION."
Candy, what are they trying to say at the White House?
CANDY CROWLEY, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Actually, they're trying to say as little as possible. I think this is -- this is not an issue that they really want to have at the forefront. The social issues have not been something that the Obama administration has wanted to have as prominent issues. And, clearly, they've had a lot of other things on their plate anyway with the economy and two wars going on.
So, this is a position the president took during the campaign. People said then, well, you're opposed to Proposition 8, which would make it unconstitutional to have same-sex marriage in California and yet, you oppose same-sex marriages. He's certainly dancing on the head of a pin. They explained it as saying they don't like constitutional changes that single out a certain group.
So, it's certainly is an iffy position. There are a lot of people who think that it's not a position that's sustainable over the long term. Certainly, for now, it has served the White House well as they tried not to make this something that is prominent on the president's agenda.
KAYE: And, Candy, let me ask you about this. Another one of President Obama's top economic advisers is now resigning, Christina Romer. This comes, of course, as the White House is struggling to show progress on the economy. So, how big a loss for this team?
CROWLEY: Well, it's -- you know, it's a loss. But, listen, Treasury Secretary Geithner and Larry Summers, director of the Council of Economic Advisers, both there, both very prominent in putting together economic policy. So, I think, obviously, if the economy were sailing along and things were great, it would not get as much attention as it's currently getting. But it's something that has been going on and apparently has been in the planning stages for a couple of months.
So, the White House was certainly aware of it. I think, obviously, there's lots of economists out there, as we know, who have -- you know, obviously, she can be replaced but it is a member of the original team that helped put together the stimulus plan -- something that now is being questioned, at least by conservatives, to whether it worked or not. But it is a loss, but it is not an insurmountable loss.
ROBERTS: Candy, about 25 minutes from now, we get the July jobs report. Expect that it might be a little bit better than the report we saw in June. However, the unemployment rate expected to perhaps tick up just a little bit.
You know, we're at that time of getting very close to it when people are going to make up their minds about who they're going to vote for in the November midterm election. So, when you look at the continued unemployment, so many people who are actually leaving the jobs search because they haven't been able to find a job. How's that going to formulate people's opinions of who they're going to vote for?
CROWLEY: Well, certainly, it works against Democrats. It works against the administration when you have an unemployment rate at 9.3 percent, 9.4 percent, over the 9.4 percent range, which the administration now says that it will stay there until 2012. It's a problem.
And, certainly, people, while they are still making up their minds who to vote for -- as we learn with the first Bush presidency, there was a recovery going on as we move into that election -- but People didn't believe it. And George Bush, the father, lost that election because people's minds seemed to be set on how they feel the economy is going in the summer.
So, you're right. We are in that sort of critical time where people are looking at the economy. There certainly are signs of recovery. There certainly are things that the president has been touting that are improvements, but it's just not being felt out there. One of the big reasons for that is that unemployment rate.
ROBERTS: Yes. It's the time when people sit down and say, "Well, am I better off? Well, if I'm not, then what I'm going to do about it?"
KAYE: Right.
CROWLEY: Exactly.
KAYE: All right. Candy, this Sunday, tell us what's coming up on "STATE OF THE UNION."
CROWLEY: The governor of Virginia and the Governor of Michigan, both to talk about economy in their states and in general, as well as immigration and some of these other hot-button issues you've all been talking about. Thad Allen is just trying to figure out where all that oil went.
KAYE: Yes. Still trying to figure that out.
ROBERTS: Looking forward to it.
KAYE: Thanks, Candy.
CROWLEY: Thanks.
KAYE: And be sure to catch Candy on "STATE OF THE UNION" this Sunday morning, that's 9:00 Eastern, right here on CNN.
ROBERTS: Jacqui Jeras in the extreme weather center for us this morning with a look at who gets relief from the heat and who doesn't today.
Good morning, Jacqui.
JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Hey, good morning, guys.
We've got a lot of heat relief. It's not going to last forever. But take what you can get, right?
It's gorgeous across the Upper Midwest, the Northeast, and Mid- Atlantic, even the Mid-South getting some heat relief.
And the rest that still have the advisories across much of the Deep South and Southern Plains -- well, look at these thunderstorms. They're going to help you out at least a little bit. They're bit on the strong side, around the Nashville area, and then also some spotty thunderstorms along I-20 and I-10. So, be aware of that as you get ready to head out the door this morning.
Now, where's the worst of the heat today? Really focus in places like Oklahoma City, down towards Dallas and to Houston, New Orleans, Greenville, Jackson, Mississippi, as well as Birmingham, and just south of Atlanta, stretching towards Charleston, feeling like 100 to 110 degrees. Again, though, excessive heat advisories -- it's going to be brutally.
Now, thunderstorms could be severe later on today. We'll be watching Georgia and Carolinas for that threat. And those of you who've seen the gorgeous weather into the Northeast, well, it's going to be a little windy. So, that can cause some airport delays. But enjoy your 80s rather than 90s.
Colin, hey, check it out. Colin is back with us, after losing its identity earlier this week. We've got a tropical storm once again, winds about 45 miles per hour.
We've got a lot of shear, wind shear, which prevents the storm from developing very strong. So, we think it will stay at tropical strength at best as it heads towards Bermuda on Saturday night and into Sunday morning. And hopefully, it looks like it's going to stay this way steering clear of the United States. That's what we like to hear.
KAYE: We sure do.
(CROSSTALK)
JERAS: -- storms out there.
ROBERTS: Anything else brewing out there?
JERAS: We have two other tropical waves that we're watching. One of which, which is east of Colin, could maybe develop into something that. But that doesn't look like it will be impacting anybody.
ROBERTS: Jacqui Jeras for us -- Jacqui, thanks. Travel forecast coming up in about a half an hour.
Where's all that oil? Ed Lavandera goes on a fact-check mission around the Gulf to see if it truly is -- as the government has suggested -- mostly gone.
Stay with us. It's eight minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MUSIC PLAYING)
ROBERTS: Welcome back to the Most News of the Morning.
All cleaned up and ready to go home. Baby pelicans rescued from the oil-stained Gulf of Mexico heading back to the bayou this morning. The birds all from 5 to 10 weeks old have been cared for in sea bird station in Miami for the past month. Officials say they're all in great shape, lined up, ready to return to their natural habitat.
KAYE: So nice to see that.
As the cement hardens inside BP's ruptured oil well, there are new warnings this morning that this ordeal is far from over.
ROBERTS: Earlier this week, the government told us that 75 percent of the oil is gone. So, we wanted to find out if that was true. Our Ed Lavandera jumped onboard a boat to go searching in all the back bays and along the beaches -- and he joins us live from New Orleans this morning.
What did you find, Ed?
ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, John and Randi, we spent about six hours on a boat yesterday covering about a 65-mile area south of -- south-southeast of Venice, Louisiana.
And, you know, you hear that government report earlier this week, 75 percent of the oil is gone. You do the math on that, estimated 5 million barrels out there. That still leaves more than 1 million barrels, definitely leaving a very rosy picture.
What we found is a little bit more tedious. It's going to be a lot of work. And in the words of the one expert that we travelled with from the National Wildlife Federation yesterday, really what they're seeing out there seems to be a mystery.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LAVANDERA: We are in an area known as Pasaloucha (ph), Louisiana. It's pretty much the southernmost point right out here at the Gulf of Mexico. This was an area that was hit incredibly hard by the oil spill.
Crews are in here in the marshland grass laying down these absorbent pads, flipping them over. It collects the sheen on top of the water. And people right here are telling us that in the last two months, they've really seen a dramatic change in the amount of oil.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When I first came here 60 days ago you couldn't see water. It was all oil. I say it's a lot less than what it was here. But if you see on the canes, it is still heavily saturated and wet. So, the job is not done yet.
LAVANDERA: You can really see the heavy sheen here.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There's a lot of cleanup work going on here and that's excellent. But the tide keeps coming and going each and every day.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: As long as the oil is coming in out from the Gulf, this job is going to be here because it's going to keep washing in. Our job is to try to keep what's in here, contain, clean it up, keep what's out there out of this area and slowly get the job done.
LAVANDERA: Again, this is difficult and tedious to clean up. And it will take a lot of time.
(voice-over): The journey also took us to an area called Breton Sound. In all, we inspected about 65 miles of Louisiana coastline.
MAURA WOOD, NATL. WILDLIFE FEDERATION: We are cruising along and passed through a line of algae and sort of ocean foam. But you can see little sheens. It's all wrapped up with the seaweed.
LAVANDERA (on camera): Some of it should stick. This is probably incredibly microscopic thin layer of sheen that we're -- that we're looking at. But the concern is that it mixes in here with the algae and this is the kind of area that sea life and small marine life kind of feeds on. So, that's the concern that many environmentalists have.
WOOD: You can see how much oil is in the water that I have pulled up because you can see what is adhering to the plastic bag. This is just a quick field test to distinguish between normal algae and oil.
LAVANDERA: This is the Breton Sound, just east of Venice. And Breton Island is right here. So, we're going to head that way now.
We are near Breton Island. This is where several months ago a colony of brown pelicans were found heavily covered in oil. The island is submerged right now. Along the island, you can just see a long road of brown pelicans. You see a lot of them flying. That's the good sign. If they are covered in oil, they can't fly.
(voice-over): A Coast Guard official told us along the way that at least one oil covered sea gull was rescued today. But with most of these birds looking healthy, it left us with a glimmer of hope.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LAVANDERA: You know, what was also interesting yesterday -- several times, we saw a couple of dolphins swimming around, a lot of little bait fish. That's also what's a concern to many environmentalists that they eat what's in this environment already and what will happen to this and they still contend that any kind of rosy pictures that are being painted now are way premature, that we have to wait several years to see what the long-term impacts of this are going to be.
ROBERTS: And I think that's a question that a lot of people don't know at this point. They know that maybe it might not be that much of an effect on the marine life. But we will see.
KAYE: But it is also not even just in the water. I mean, if you go to the beaches, the oil, you dig down, you can find oil underneath that top layer on the beaches. So, it really is still there.
ROBERTS: Ed, thanks very much. Great report this morning.
KAYE: We want to talk to you now about that lemonade stand. That is right. Officials are saying get out of here. They are targeting what they think is a renegade lemonade stand run by a 7- year-old who apparently -- look how cute she is. How could you kick her out? Apparently she didn't have the right paperwork. Yes, that is right. We will tell you all about it. Coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning. Watching your money now. Social security will reach a tipping point this year. The feds say for first time in 30 years the system will pay out more than it takes in both this year and next. The government report goes on to say unless something is done, the Social Security Trust Fund will be completely exhausted by 2037.
ROBERTS: But, remember there's no actual cash in the Trust Fund.
KAYE: I knew you were going to add that. I just knew.
ROBERTS: Got to remind people. Retail giant Target is apologizing, by the way, for donating money to a group backing a candidate who opposed same-sex marriage. Target contributed $150 thousands to the group, MN Forward, which supports Minnesota's Tom Emeron (ph), the state's Republican gubernatorial primary. Target CEO says they remain, "fully committed to fostering an environment that supports and respects the rights and beliefs of all individuals."
KAYE: And New York Senate Majority Leader caught on tape in a bizarre, really bizarre clash with protesters inside the State Capitol. Democrat Pedro Espada (ph) encountered screaming protesters before heading to the chamber floor. So, what did he do? Well, he screamed back and then he threw money at them. The protesters say they are fighting for tenants' rights. Well, Espada (ph) called them "hired goons".
ROBERTS: All right. Here's one of those stories that is going to leave you shaking your head this morning. County Health Inspectors in Portland, Oregon, shut down one entrepreneur's new business because she didn't have the necessary permit. The entrepreneur was a 7-year- old girl selling lemonade.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARIA FIFE, DAUGHTER'S LEMONADE STAND SHUT DOWN: We didn't have a vending license. And apparently it cost $120. I didn't know about that. $120 to sell 50-cent cups of lemonade. They are going to look into changing it so that little 7 and 8-year-old kids can have their lemonade stands and don't have to worry about being shut down by the government.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: As the little girl's mom said, County Officials are looking into fixing the problem. The County Chair also called the family to apologize.
KAYE: You would think they have more important things to worry about than a vending permit.
ROBERTS: Not only that, but you think that they would let that one slide. Did you have a lemonade stand?
KAYE: I did have a lemonade stand. I think I would have been crushed if authorities came to me and said you can't have that. Where's your vending permit, little girl?
ROBERTS: Well, let's just hope that those mean and nasty bureaucrats haven't snuffed out that young girl's entrepreneurial spirit.
KAYE: Yes. Get them on the phone and bring them on. ROBERTS: Twenty-one and a half minutes after the hour. We got the July jobs report coming up in just about nine minutes time. Sluggish hiring expected, though it might not be all bad news.
KAYE: And if you are one of those people that updates your Facebook status every time you leave the house, maybe going out for the night, well you might want to think twice. We are going to show you a Facebook robbery. That's right. Criminals apparently using social networking sites as a source of information to find out when you are and are not home.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Twenty-five minutes after the hour. Your top stories just a few minutes away now. But first an A.M. Original. A story that may make you think twice before you send out that next tweet or update your Facebook status.
KAYE: It certainly will. When you go on vacation or you head out with friends for the night and share that information online with your friends and family or maybe not really your friends, you could also be telling someone, come rob me.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KAYE (voice-over): You are watching a burglary in progress. What the bad guys don't know is that a security camera inside this Indiana home is recording their every move. Even when they get this close, the camera's blinking red light goes unnoticed. On the night of the break-in, Keri McMullen did what she had done hundreds of time before. She posted a Facebook status update from her cell phone. She and her fiance, Kurt Pendleton (ph), were going out for the night to see a band. Heading to the hill with Kurt to see Fire Department. She wrote it at 5:46 p.m. Within hours, Carrie's sense of security would be shattered.
KERI MCMULLEN, ROBBED BECAUSE OF FACEBOOK STATUS UPDATE: You never think it is going to happen to you. Then when it does, you know, anything can happen to you.
KAYE: At about 8:45 p.m., March 20th, about 45 minutes after Kurt locked the doors that night, these guys busted in.
KAYE (on camera): In a stroke of luck, Keri and Kurt had just set up security cameras in their home six days before the break- in. One outside and one right here in the living room. In fact, the very same camera recording me right now captured the bad guys on videotape, too.
KAYE (voice-over): When they returned home that night, what they saw on their security camera tape stunned them. They watched as the burglars tore their 50-inch plasma T.V. right off the wall.
KURT PENDLETON, FIANCE: You see them just manhandle it and just rip it right off the wall, with all the dry wall falling down.
KAYE (on camera): That night did you watch this together?
PENDLETON: Yes. Several times.
MCMULLEN: It's violating.
KAYE (voice-over): Keri and Kurt reported the break-in but did their own police work, too. They posted snapshots of the suspects from the video on Carrie's Facebook page. Within hours, another Facebook friend recognized one of the suspects.
PENDLETON: Someone contacted Keri and said I know who that is and so do you. He is one of your friends.
KAYE: That's right. One of the men on the tape, Keri says, is her Facebook friend, Sean South. Police have charged him and the other suspect with a felony, both are still on the run. Keri says she and South were childhood friends. She's known him since she was 7. You didn't recognize him, or did you?
MCMULLEN: I did not. I have not seen him in 15 to 20 years. Once I went into his page, and all of his pictures, I started looking, then -- I mean it is the same posture that -- that's definitely him.
KAYE: Floyd County Sheriff Daryl Mills says South faces criminal charges in at least 25 other cases in his county. Including burglary, battery, and stolen property. He says people need to be more cautious.
SHERIFF DARRELL MILLS, FLOYD COUNTY, INDIANA: You don't know who all is looking at your private information there because it is really not private if you are on Facebook. You are posting it for everyone.
KAYE: One internet security expert told me updating your status on any social networking site before you go out for the night or on vacation is as good as leaving a key behind for the burglars. In Keri and Kurt's case all the suspects had to do was call the bar she said she was going to and find out what time the band was coming on. Then police say they knew what time would be safe to break in.
MCMULLEN: I was kind of sad that someone I trusted enough to put on in my page, would take advantage of me like that.
KAYE: Before it was over, the burglars had stolen about $11,000 worth of goods. Keri would have defriended Sean South, she says. But after the burglary, he deleted his Facebook profile.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
KAYE: That's a big decision for a lot of those who use Facebook, defriending or not. It is a very tough decision. Like breaking up with the person.
ROBERTS: It's traumatic.
KAYE: It's very traumatic, which she obviously had a very easy decision there because he had already removed his profile. But it is amazing that apparently they tracked what time the band was coming on, what time this couple was leaving their house, when they might be home, how long the band might play.
ROBERTS: I don't fully understand the need among many people to tell the -- online world their life.
KAYE: And especially when you don't really know who -- she has something like 500 Facebook friends. So she can't know every single person just like you don't know every single person you have --
ROBERTS: No. But I don't post --
KAYE: Right. But especially if you don't know them you shouldn't be posting things.
ROBERTS: My Facebook page really is kind of useless because I never post anything on it because I have so many people who are on it who I don't know. It is kind of like welcome to the club.
KAYE: But there's nothing here.
ROBERTS: Yes, exactly. Obviously she knew this person who is alleged to have been involved in this crime since she was 7. But didn't really know the person. So --
KAYE: Yes. I guess he just friended her whether or not they were, allegedly or not thinking about this beforehand. Who knows? It is really something. But they are on the run. Hopefully they will catch them and figure out how this went down.
ROBERTS: Tell your family where you are going to go and a couple of your closest friends.
KAYE: Send an e-mail.
ROBERTS: Keep the circle small.
Checking our top stories across the half-hour. New evidence this morning that specialists treating the convicted Pan Am bomber before his release did not think that he just had three months to live. "The Wall Street Journal" is reporting that only one doctor from Scotland's prison system made that determination which was then used for the basis to grant al-Megrahi a compassionate release last August.
One year later, by the way, he's still alive and living in Libya.
KAYE: The Pentagon is ordering WikiLeaks to give back stolen property. It's demanding the website returned leaked documents on the war in Afghanistan and delete any copies. Earlier on "AMERICAN MORNING" we spoke to Tony Blankly, Newt Gingrich's former press secretary, who thinks WikiLeaks may be guilty of a crime punishable by death, he says.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TONY BLANKLEY, CONSERVATIVE COLUMNIST: During World War II we prosecuted and executed people for espionage. This is a serious crime committed against the government. American troops either have or are going to be killed. Our young men and women who volunteered to defend the country are going to be killed because of secrets that were released by this man.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange says his website has another 15,000 documents it wants to publish but he's redacting information that could put lives in danger.
ROBERTS: Grammy winner Wyclef Jean made it official last night on "LARRY KING LIVE." He will run for the presidency of Haiti.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WYCLEF JEAN, HAITIAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Well, after January 12th, I would say over 50 percent of the population is the youth population. And we suffered for over 200 years. Now that our country has toppled it is chance to rebuild from the bottom on up. and I don't say I'm trying to be president. I'm being drafted by the youth of Haiti.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: Wyclef moved to the United States from Haiti when he was nine-years-old. In the aftermath of the devastating earthquake there, John helped collect bodies from the streets and raise money for the relief effort.
Just in to CNN this morning, the Labor Department's new jobs report for the month of July. The unemployment rate holding steady at 9.5 percent. U.S. payroll drops 131,000 jobs. The private sector, though, did gain 71,000 jobs.
KAYE: Unemployment was 9.5 percent in June. Here to break down the numbers for us, CNN.money.com's Paul La Monica. So are these numbers better or worse than expected?
PAUL LA MONICA, EDITOR-AT-LARGE, CNNMONEY.COM: I think they're slightly disappointing. The number of private sector jobs added in the month of July is both lower than what the economists were forecasting and lower than June. Good news is at least businesses are hiring again, but the pace needs to be picked up if we want to have a sustainable recovery.
ROBERTS: It was thought the unemployment rate may pick up because more people were coming into the workforce. That does not seem to be the case. But still when you look at what we need to gain back some of those millions and millions of jobs that were lost, it is just not happen.
LA MONICA: It is not happening at all. And 9.5 percent is obviously better than, you know, the thought of it going up to 9.6 percent or 10 percent as some people fear. But you are exactly right. We need the unemployment rate to start edging down below nine percent into a more historical normal range and we are just not there yet at all.
It will be very difficult for the economy to pick up the steam that could appeared to have earlier this year until job growth is really strong again.
KAYE: In terms of recovery, you called this a barbecue recovery, low and slow. But could that be a good thing in the long run?
LA MONICA: It is not the worst thing to happen if the economic recovery does take place gradually. Everyone has to remember that the reason why we are in this mess in the first place is because there was this massive binge on credit by consumers and by the government, a lot of it being tied to the housing boom.
So one positive about the fact the recovery is taking place slowly is it seems it is because consumers aren't spending that much anymore. And that's because they are also saving more. So as long as consumers learned their lesson and putting away money and savings accounts, actually investing, that's a positive because it may mean even though we have a couple of quarters or maybe midyear or two sluggish growth, it makes it less likely we will have another big disaster we had in 2008 and 2009.
ROBERTS: But here's a real problem for people who are unemployed. While some companies may be increasing their hiring and some of those jobs are coming back, not all of the jobs are going to come back to the companies that shed jobs. So it is going to rely on new businesses being formed to bring many of those people back. And are we seeing those new businesses being formed these days?
LA MONICA: We are starting to see some new businesses being formed in health care, still an industry that is pretty dynamic and growing, technology as well. But manufacturing is obviously an area of the economy where, unfortunately, a lot of those jobs probably won't ever come back.
And you are exactly right. We need to see more businesses creating jobs as opposed to existing businesses and hiring back some of the workers that they let go during the recession. It is not really clear yet whether or not we will have the job growth and small business creation and magnitude we need to get us out of this problem.
KAYE: How about the quality of the jobs? Those that are getting jobs, are they still the same quality they were before? Are they earning as much?
LA MONICA: Not as much. That's the other big problem right now. Income growth is starting to pick up but it is not exactly robust. That's the other part of the equation. Even though people may have a job, if they are not making as much as they used to, they are not going to spend as much, and that makes it more difficult to get the economy growing.
Businesses, I think, even though a lot of them have a lot of cash, they are using the type of consumer spending as an excuse not to hire people. ROBERTS: It continues to be tough out there. Paul La Monica from CNNmoney.com, thanks for being with us this morning.
KAYE: Thank you.
ROBERTS: So we heard that report in the "Wall Street Journal" today that the decision to release Abdulbasset al Megrahi, the convicted Lockerbie bomber, was based on the opinion of one doctor and not a consensus opinion among those treating him for his cancer.
So what's going on? We are going to talk with the report their broke that story coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Coming up now on 40 mince after the hour. And 12 months ago we were told he's going home to die but he is still alive, a free man in Libya. And this morning, there is new information showing only one doctor cleared the release of convicted pan am bomber Abdulbasset al Megrahi. Specialists treating him in the Scottish prison did not agree he only had three months to live.
The story broke in this morning's "Wall Street Journal." Paul Sonne is the reporter behind it and he joins us from live from London this morning. Paul, great to see you this morning.
The Scottish justice minister, Kenny MacCaskill, in his long, involved explanation of why he was releasing al Megrahi said the decision was based on the prognosis he was going to die within three months. You have discovered through your reporting that that decision was not based on a consensus opinion.
PAUL SONNE, "WALL STREET JOURNAL": Yes. What we have done is looked very closely at that three-moth prognosis which is a guideline under Scottish law. To qualify for compassionate release, there has to be a reasonable estimate that the prisoner is going to die within about three months.
What we have done is looked closely at the medical report that recommended that three-month prognosis. It was made about Dr. Andrew Frazier who was the head of the Scottish prison health service.
And what we found is that we haven't found significant evidence to justify that three-month prognosis. As you know, the convicted Lockerbie bomber, Mr. Megrahi, is still alive. So there are definitely some serious questions raised.
One of them, as you mentioned, is that we haven't found any evidence that the doctors, the specialists who were actually treating Mr. Megrahi, the oncologists and neurologist, actually agreed to the three-month prognosis made by the Scottish prison service.
ROBERTS: In fact, Andrew Frazier in his report said that the conclusion was as a result of detailed consultation with Megrahi's doctors and other specialists. But you say that the doctors who treated Megrahi's cancer wouldn't even offer an opinion of how much time they thought he had left.
SONNE: Well, they did offer a rough opinion. We know, some of them -- we know that there are two oncologists and two neurologists cited from the NHS treating Mr. Megrahi and we know that -- we know that some of them weren't even contacted before the release of the convicted bomber by Andrew Frazier.
And then those who were contacted, we know that none of them, you know, said a specific three-month prognosis was reasonable. And then Dr. Frazier then went ahead and made that three-month prognosis on the basis of a clinical decline in the patient's condition for about a week at the end of July and August. That is sort of the big piece of evidence he uses in his medical report to show that the three-month prognosis was reasonable.
But one of the other key questions here is why Mr. Megrahi was released without undergoing chemotherapy. We know that in the week that -- about a week or so before he was released, he has a discussion with the Scottish justice minister, Kenny MacCaskill, where he says I would like to be sent home because I'm about to start chemotherapy.
And as you know, as many people know, chemotherapy is used as a life-extending measure, and prostate cancer experts say that if he were really three months from death, if that were really a reasonable estimate, then he wouldn't be undergoing chemotherapy. That's a serious contradiction.
ROBERTS: In fact, you cite a recent study that showed the median length of survival, survival from beginning chemotherapy, is 19.2 months. So he was just beginning. The odds would be in his favor to live p longer than three months.
SONNE: Exactly. I mean, obviously he could be on -- this is the median life expectancy. It is possible because his prostate cancer was fairly severe, but he could be on the lower end of the spectrum. But the idea he was three months away simply seems, you know -- it is questionable.
ROBERTS: Depending how he responds to chemotherapy, he also could be on the upper limit of that, too, right?.
SONNE: Right. And while prostate cancer experts have said that patients with actually very bad advanced prostate cancer who don't do very well in hormone treatment which was the first treatment he underwent, actually tend to do better in chemotherapy.
Also, patients who are younger tend to do better in chemotherapy as well. And Mr. Megrahi is now only 58, which is relatively young for someone to have prostate cancer.
ROBERTS: The Scottish government is still defending its decision. A Scottish spokesperson said, quote, "Dr. Frazier drew on expert advice from a number of cancer specialists coming to his clinical assessment that three-month prognosis was a reasonable estimate." We found out that that clinical estimate was deeply flawed and he missed by at least four if not by much more. And, Paul, for so many people, particularly those who lost loved ones in the Pam Am flight 103 bombing, this whole thing just smells.
SONNE: Yes. I mean, I think what our report has done is to sort of concentrate on this medical evidence and this medical prognosis, which is actually what set him free. He was released under this compassionate clause, not under sort of a prisoner transfer agreement, which was another element to this whole affair. But what we tried to do is concentrate on exactly what it is that this Scottish government used to -- as evidence to set him free.
And, you know, what we found is that necessary three-month prognosis, there are serious questions. You know, for example, in addition to the fact that he, you know, there was no consensus among his doctors and the fact that he was about to begin chemotherapy, when he was first diagnosed in September of 2008, he received a prognosis of 18 to 24 months.
Then ten months later, suddenly that prognosis was three months.
ROBERTS: Yes.
SONNE: And, you know, that's some fuzzy math.
ROBERTS: Well you did some great reporting here, Paul and certainly opened up a whole new avenue of inquiry. Thanks for being with us this morning -- great report.
SONNE: Thanks for having me.
ROBERTS: Can you imagine?
KAYE: No. It's really --
ROBERTS: The guys -- the guys who were treating him didn't say three months. But this guy is said to said no --
KAYE: One doctor.
ROBERTS: -- it looks like -- it looks like he's not going to last long.
KAYE: Just the one doctor.
Well, if you're looking for a -- a break from the heat, you might get it. But it may not last very long. Jacqui Jeras is coming up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Wake up, Washington, D.C. Good morning, everybody. Mostly cloudy there -- a beautiful shot of the Capitol about 77 degrees right now; coming up a little later in the day, oh, a nice cool 93, partly cloudy. ROBERTS: So wake up, Washington, D.C., was that just sort of a good morning?
KAYE: Yes.
ROBERTS: Or was that some sort of --
KAYE: Wake up, get to work. No.
ROBERTS: Yes.
KAYE: No, that was not a personal thing even if it sounded that way.
ROBERTS: A lot of people might say wake up.
KAYE: Move on, move on.
ROBERTS: Yes, yes.
Jacqui Jeras is in the Extreme Weather Center this morning. She was up bright and early; you can't put anything past her. What are we looking at today?
JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: You know, a little heat relief. D.C. is going to be a little better today as well as many areas in the mid Atlantic and the mid south. In fact, we're talking a good five to even as much as 15 degrees cooler. How do you like that?
The most dramatic I could find in Little Rock. Today 91, you are 105 yesterday. How about Memphis? 93, you were a 101 yesterday. It doesn't make you feel much better though, if you live in Oklahoma City, Dallas, along I-20, all the way over towards Charleston because it's still going to be brutal out there. It's feeling like 100 to 110.
So still dangerous levels and take it really easy this afternoon.
Now, a little bit of hope and that some thunderstorms are going to be popping up today. We are already getting them across parts of Nashville and in northern parts of Louisiana, and a little bit popping up here along the Gulf Coast. And that could drop your temperatures by a good five to ten degrees as well.
Now, we will be concerned later today that a few of the thunderstorms could become severe here in the southeast. Damaging winds will be the biggest concern and the northeast, is going to be very nice today; high pressure settling in.
It's the last of your weekend. But watch out for that heat to return as we head into next week. John and Randi, are you guys looking for something to do this weekend?
ROBERTS: Yes.
KAYE: Sure. JERAS: Stay inside, stay cool, how about bowling? Tomorrow is National Bowling Day. And they are going to try to set a record to have the most games bowled. More than 700,000 they are hoping for.
KAYE: I'll polish my bowling shoes.
JERAS: You're a bowler?
ROBERTS: You've got to -- you've got to make sure to wear the shirt and practice the -- you know, the --
KAYE: Oh the --
JERAS: The crossover move?
KAYE: I think we got it down.
ROBERTS: Yes, that one.
JERAS: Right, you have your own shoes, too, don't you, John? I know it.
ROBERTS: No, I don't.
KAYE: Hey Jacqui -- Jacqui you're going to want to pay attention this. Because we're talking about -- and I know some guys have to -- maybe you have it a little easier than others.
But if you want to turn on the ladies -- that's right, we're going to tell you which color -- there's actually a color for this -- triggers female desire.
ROBERTS: Really?
KAYE: Well, according to a new study. You don't need to pay attention but some guys might need some help. So we'll tell you what's going on and pay close attention right after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Welcome back, everyone to The Most News in the Morning.
Making change is never easy. But after the state of Mississippi was named the fattest state in the nation for the sixth year in a row, one woman found the determination to put her entire hometown on a diet.
Meet this week's CNN hero.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LINDA FONDREN, COMMUNITY CRUSADER: Mississippi has held the title of being the most obese state for six consecutive years. My sister passed away at the age of 54. Cancer took her life. But obesity restricted her from living it.
You have made a commitment for a healthy community. Let's walk.
I knew that I wanted to do something to help people like her who wished they could live a better life.
My name is Linda Fondren and I challenge my community to the 17,000-pound weight loss challenge.
Go girl, go. Good job.
For 17 weeks, I asked the 50,000 people in Vicksburg, to only lose a half a pound. They beat the challenge. So you made it. You made it.
I decided to make the challenge permanent because we did not reach enough people.
Yes.
We have a walking club and a nutrition program. On Saturday, the gym is open for free.
You have to give them the tools and opportunities to want to do better and they will jump at that chance to do better.
MAYOR PAUL WINFIELD, VICKSBURG, MISSISSIPPI: She takes no prisoners. She is committed to community involvement as we wrap our arms around the obesity issue.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It is to benefit my life. Besides I couldn't (INAUDIBLE) the couch.
FONDREN: There you go.
Obesity affects us all. The only way you can combat it is to stand together and help each other. We need to make a commitment to change.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: All right, guys. Pay close attention here.
It is Friday. If you are going out on the big Friday night, you want to get the girl? Well, you might want to try wearing red. That's right. A researcher from Rochester University says red is not only a sexy color to men but the ladies apparently find it quite attractive too because in the animal kingdom it represents power, passion and fertility. Who knew? Isn't that interesting?
ROBERTS: Yes.
KAYE: I know you were interested in this. Take a look at what we are talking about.
This guy here, there he is, he's kind of mopey. No color at all. No passion. Nobody is going to check him out. Sorry, dude. All right. But now look at the big winner. You don't know that guy, do you? Ok, good.
Look at the big winner. This girl in his arms, she is smiling. Check out his bright red blazer. He is confident, he's happy. He's feeling fertile apparently. I guess she is attracted to that. Look how happy she looks in the arms of the man in the red blazer. It works. It must work.
ROBERTS: Where did you get those pictures?
KAYE: I don't know. I really do hope you don't know that boring guy.
ROBERTS: No, I don't. You look lovely in red this morning by the way.
KAYE: Well, thank you. Apparently it works for both is sexes.
ROBERTS: There you go. Is it working?
KAYE: Oh, boy. I'm turning red. I'm pretty sure I'm turning red right now.
ROBERTS: I just have to ask you -- is she breathing?
Continue the conversation on today's stories, go to our blog at cnn.com/amfix. That will wrap it up for us.
KAYE: "CNN NEWSROOM" with Kyra Phillips starts right now.
