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American Morning
Tackling the Tax Issue; Obama Education Reform Tested; Deadline Shopping; Primary Race In Delaware Heats Up; American Hiker Held Captive in Iran For Over a Year To Be Released; Football and Brain Trauma
Aired September 14, 2010 - 07:59 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CANDY CROWLEY, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to AMERICAN MORNING for this Tuesday, September 14th. I'm Candy Crowley.
JIM ACOSTA, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Jim Acosta. John and Kiran are off this morning. We got a lot to talk about this morning.
It's primary day. It may feel like Groundhog Day, but it's primary day. And it's the last of the major primary days before the midterm elections. Polls in seven states opening this morning and all eyes are on Delaware where a little known Tea Party candidate is looking to pull off a stunning upset against a nine-term congressman.
CROWLEY: Congress is back in session. They're battling over the Bush tax cuts and whether to let them expire. It is getting ugly. Republicans are splintering and Democrats are threatening to defect their party position. This is all with your paycheck on the line. A live report from the nation's capital in a moment.
ACOSTA: More video emerges of last week's deadly gas explosion and fire in California. PG&E says it will set aside $100 million to help rebuild the San Bruno neighborhood that was destroyed and the NTSB is still investigating.
CROWLEY: And the amFIX blog is up and running. Join the live conversation right now. Just go to CNN.com/amFIX. We'll be reading some of your comments throughout the morning.
ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.
ACOSTA: And breaking news just in to CNN. Iran state-run television reporting American hiker is Sarah Shourd has been released. Shourd has been jailed in Iran for more than a year. And yesterday, a lawyer for the 32-year-old said she would be set free once her half million dollar bond was paid.
CROWLEY: Shourd is leaving behind fiance, Shane Bauer, and her friend, Josh Fattal. The three have been jailed since July 31st of last year when allegedly they strayed across the Iraqi border into Iran during a hike.
ACOSTA: And we're going to continue to follow the story all morning long and we'll bring you the latest developments as they come in. But the good news, we're hearing that Sarah Shourd has been released. We're also trying to reach out to the families of these hikers to get some kind of comment from them and, of course, all of that were developing all morning long.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
ACOSTA: And that animation and music can only mean one thing, coffee or tea, America? We're about to find out. Polls are opening this morning in seven states and Washington, D.C., and the primary race with the biggest buzz is in Delaware where Tea Party favorite Christine O'Donnell has a real chance to upset nine-term congressman, Mike Castle, in the Republican race for Senate.
CROWLEY: Another race with national implications is unfolding in Washington, D.C., where we could be witnessing a referendum on education reform. Mayor Adrian Fenty is fighting for his job on this primary day after firing hundreds of teachers and stepping on more than a few toes.
And in New York, 80-year-old congressman Charlie Rangel is battling for his job, too. He is facing five Democratic challengers, as well as an ethics scandal that threatens to sink a 20-term career.
ACOSTA: And are there issues at stake in these primaries? You bet there are. Members of Congress facing reelection in just a few weeks are back at work, returning from summer recess yesterday.
If Congress does nothing and the Bush tax cuts are allowed to expire at the end of this year, there's going to be serious pain.
Get this: "The Associated Press" reporting -- look at these numbers -- Americans earning between $20,000 and $30,000 a year would see a $756 increase in their income tax.
For those earning between $50,000 and $75,000, prepare for a hike of over $1,100.
And if you're earning between $100,000 and $200,000 a year, your paycheck will take a hit of -- get this, look at that number -- $3,600. A lot on the line.
CROWLEY: People are always asking why elections are so relevant.
ACOSTA: They do matter.
CROWLEY: Now we know.
Brianna Keilar is live in Washington.
Brianna -- back watching Capitol Hill for us. It certainly doesn't take long for the battle to begin over the Bush tax cuts.
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: No. I mean, it comes down -- when you look at those figures, the kind of money that people would be paying if this were to expire in this recession, you see why this is such a huge political issue. So, this is the big battle. This is the issue that's going to be playing out here in the next few weeks before Congress leaves again in early October, ahead of the election.
And if this is the big battle -- well, the battle lines have started to get a little muddy because, of course, President Obama, most Democrats have said that they want tax cuts for people making $250,000 or less to continue and then for folks making more than that to expire.
Republicans, generally speaking, have said across-the-board is what they want for these tax cuts. They want everyone to continue and not see their tax bill increase because they say small businesses fall into that section of folks who are $250,000 or more. But, of course, John Boehner, the top Republican in the House, saying this weekend that if he had to choose between nothing or just getting these tax cuts extended for folks making $250,000 or less, he would go with that.
And now, what you see are other Republicans not really joining ranks with him there. Mitch McConnell, the top Republican in the Senate, and even his own -- even Boehner's own deputy, Eric Cantor, as well as the conference chairman, Mike Pence, saying, look, we're fighting for across-the-board tax cuts. And Boehner aides that I spoke with this morning again just reiterating that this is his goal, this is Boehner's goal to continue with the tax cuts across-the-board despite what he said this weekend -- Candy and Jim.
ACOSTA: Brianna, I mean, the House minority leader did make those comments over the weekend, saying that he would accept a deal that would involve just keeping those tax cuts for people making less than $250,000. And then the president came out and said, well, I'm still in this wrestling match with John Boehner and Mitch McConnell.
How did -- how did the minority leader's office take that?
KEILAR: Well, again, you know, they're saying that they're fighting for tax cuts across-the-board. That they don't, you know, that they don't -- you know, actually, Jim, can you repeat what you said? I think I missed what you said.
ACOSTA: Oh, I'm sorry. I'm just saying that over the weekend, the minority leader said that he would accept tax cuts for just folks making less than $250,000 a year and then the president came out yesterday and said, I'm in this wrestling match with John Boehner. And so, I just thought it was kind of interesting to get the minority leader's office response to that. And from what I understand that they have sort of responded saying, what's the wrestling match all about?
KEILAR: Yes. What they're saying is what he said is if he were really painted into a corner, he would go along with it. But again, he then reiterated that he's looking for tax cuts across-the- board.
And the whole point of this when you talk to Boehner aides was to undercut an argument that the White House has had. The White House Democrats have said Republicans are holding tax cuts for the middle class hostage to -- for tax cuts for the wealthy and this is something that, obviously, Republicans were fearful was beginning to resonate with people. And so, that according to Boehner's office, is why he took that tack.
But they're continuing to push on this, Jim, and say, no, the goal here remains across-the-board tax cuts. But other Republican sources are saying, true, but perhaps Boehner tipped his hand a little too soon on this.
ACOSTA: All right. And it's no doubt that you would have had trouble hearing my question because something huge crashed in the middle of the studio here when I asking my questions. It sometimes happens on live TV.
KEILAR: Everyone OK up there?
ACOSTA: Everybody is fine. I saw you flinch and I thought, boy, if she flinched, that means it must have been pretty darn loud.
Brianna Keilar in Washington, where things aren't falling and we're grateful for that -- Brianna, thanks so much. Good to see you.
KEILAR: Have a good morning.
ACOSTA: And CNN political producer Shannon Travis says the Delaware race has already seen words like "frustration" and "cannibalism" used in this campaign. It's getting rough down there in Delaware. A live report is coming up at 8:32 Eastern.
CROWLEY: In less than 10 minutes, we'll talk to Steve Perry, CNN education contributor, about why today's primary in Washington, D.C. could affect school reform nationwide.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
ACOSTA: And more on that breaking news out of Iran. Iran state-run television reporting that American hiker Sarah Shourd has been released. Shourd had been jailed in Iran for more than a year now.
CROWLEY: CNN has a producer on the ground tracking all the latest developments in Tehran. What did you learn?
SHIRZAD BOZORGMEHR, CNN PRODUCER (via telephone): Hello?
CROWLEY: Hi. Shirzad, it's Candy Crowley. What -- what can you tell us?
BOZORGMEHR: Candy Crowley, we just heard that she has been released from prison, but we haven't seen her yet and she's supposed to be -- they're supposed to bring her to the Hilton Hotel and hopefully get the reporters take a look at her and maybe even talk to her. We're standing outside the hotel waiting for her to arrive. So, of course, we'll -- police cars around here monitoring as well, just to clear the way. So, all we have to do is to wait and see.
And I heard that the Swiss ambassador and Sarah Shourd's lawyer were both at the prison. That they all apparently left, but they have not been here yet.
CROWLEY: And what can you -- what is your take on why they're releasing her? I know the Iranian government said, well, because she is sick and as soon as she can post bail, we'll let her go. But is there an overarching political reason to let her go after this time?
BOZORGMEHR: I'm sorry. I didn't hear the last of the question. Could you repeat it again?
CROWLEY: Sure. Is there -- we know that Sarah has been sick, but is there a political reason that Iran decided to let her go at this time?
BOZORGMEHR: This could have to do with the -- what is known here as a struggle between the state and the administration, the government. The state being the elderly clergy, the elderly statesmen and the statesmen and the supreme leader and his people against the administration of Ahmadinejad. Not that they're struggling of a fight but there's rivalry between them.
People here were saying that Ahmadinejad wants to release this prisoner prior to his arrival in New York pretty soon for a meeting of the United Nations and the state did not like this idea and also (INAUDIBLE) saying that if she is guilty, then why is she leaving? If she's not, why was she kept in prison so far?
So, there is something going on here that we can't, you know, say what yet -- Candy.
CROWLEY: Thank you so much. That is CNN producer Shirzad Bozorgmehr. We thank you very much for taking this time.
And, of course, CNN continuing to follow.
Very, very happy day for the Shourd family. Less so for the other two men, young men, who are left behind and remain imprisoned. Iran says, of course, they were spying while they were hiking along the Iraq-Iran border.
ACOSTA: And if anything else develops in the next hour or so, we'll bring it to you live right here on CNN. Meantime, we are also trying to reach out to the families of those hikers to see if we can get some kind of comment from them, because, obviously, at least the Shourd family must be very happy to hear that Sarah Shourd is apparently coming home.
And let's make a quick turn over to Rob Marciano and our extreme weather center.
Rob, I know you've been keeping your eye on the tropics and Hurricane Igor. Do these hurricanes ever just dissipate and go away? I mean, when they're that huge -- I mean, somebody is going to take some kind of thumping somewhere, I guess, right?
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Well, yes. I mean, it depends, I guess if you -- right now, if you live underneath the water, if you're a fish, you're getting a bit of a thumping and there's going to be some waves that roll across parts of the northern Caribbean islands. Bermuda is going to be under the effects of this thing I think before the weekend is on.
And even the U.S. will see some big-time surf over the weekend. So, head to the shore and bring your board. You'll do fine.
Category four storm, 135-mile-an-hour winds. Let's talk about the track of this thing. There it is. We're starting to see a northward progression. That's good news.
It will miss the Caribbean. Bermuda, it may miss you. We're not sure yet.
But we're pretty sure it's going to miss the U.S. It will remain a category four storm for the next few cycles and then eventually weaken.
We've got Julia out there as well, and another disturbance in the Caribbean. All this tracking and we'll talk more about it in about 30 minutes -- guys.
ACOSTA: All right. Thank you, Rob. Appreciate it.
CROWLEY: Still to come on the Most News in the Morning: we are going to take a closer look at the mayor's race in Washington and what the outcome could mean for education reform nationwide. CNN education contributor Steve Perry joins us next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ACOSTA: Welcome Back to the Most News in the Morning. President Obama's education reform about to undergo a critical test today right in his own backyard.
CROWLEY: Washington, D.C. mayor Adrian Fenty is in a bitter primary fight against Vincent Gray. At the heart of the battle, radical changes to the struggling D.C. schools that were made by Fenty's chancellor, Michelle Rhee, a woman the president praised while running for president.
Joining me now from Hartford, Connecticut, Steve Perry, CNN's education contributor. You know, I know Steve that this is framed certainly as a race that is about whether you can do education reform and certainly they've tried very hard in the district but isn't this, as well, about how you go about education reform because there's been a lot of criticism about Rhee and her not kind of gathering alliances around her to do things that are tough to do.
STEVE PERRY, CNN EDUCATION CONTRIBUTOR: There's no more room for negotiation. Chancellor Rhee understands that children are literally dying without education. We don't take time to negotiate with people who have created the problem. At some point or another, the individuals and groups who lead the charge against the children, because that's what they're doing. When they are fighting for their own special interests, they're fighting against the needs of the children. They cannot be sat down and negotiated with. Those individuals have had the opportunity to run the school system for a generation. They failed miserably. Washington, D.C. public schools are among the worst in the country.
ACOSTA: And Steve, I guess just to push back a little bit on what you just said, I mean, I grew up outside Washington, D.C. and that political machine there, it's as old as political machines come and I just wonder if you might concede, just a little bit of the point that perhaps Adrian Fenty and Michelle Rhee pushed a little too hard, a little too fast down there given the fact that you have to deal with the City Council, that is very entrenched in that old political establishment in old Washington, D.C.
PERRY: You don't walk quietly out of a burning building, and that's what they're doing.
ACOSTA: So you defend the way Adrian Fenty and Michelle Rhee went about doing this. You think that ripping the --
PERRY: I do. I do.
ACOSTA: Ripping the Band-Aid off and going in with a surgery was the only way to do it.
PERRY: If you see what I see on a daily basis and you see what they see on a daily basis, you see that the band aid is covering a bullet wound and that is not sufficient. You see that the individuals who are in the political establishment don't send their own kids to these schools. So it is easy for them to have an esoteric political conversation and talk about patience. It is easy for them to have that conversation but they're not on the ground floor. They are not the ones whose lives are in danger because the children are not performing. This is not simply the children doing poorly on math, science, and reading. It is simply that they cannot function in a society in which literacy and a capacity to communicate is essential.
CROWLEY: OK, Steve. I guess the fact remains that largely because of this, the mayor may be out of a job and his chancellor, as well. And so, the reformers leave. So how worried are you at this point? Because I know you're quite supportive of Chancellor Rhee and the mayor. How worried are you this will set back reform if they should lose?
PERRY: I don't believe that it set backs reform. I think what it does is sets back the reform in Washington, D.C. the problem is that, you know, may god have mercy on the children of D.C. because they're the ones who is going to lose because finally for the first time in a generation there's been some growth, some performance change. However, the reformers are going to reform. And sometimes losing a job isn't a bad thing. Sometimes it provides an opportunity to have even more freedom and I'm sure that Michelle Rhee and Mr. Fenty will have an opportunity to do quite a number of things throughout the country.
ACOSTA: And Steve, we mentioned at the beginning of this segment that all of this is happening in President Obama's backyard. We know that the mayor is fairly close to the president. Are you surprised that the president hasn't come out and campaigned for Adrian Fenty? Would that have done some good for the mayor Fenty?
PERRY: I am disappointed that the president has not come out in favor of Mayor Fenty as well as, Michelle Rhee. She was someone he used as a point of credibility for his own plans and so now it seems that the House is on fire he doesn't seem to be there to speak loudly or to throw even a bucket of water on the fire.
ACOSTA: Does that undercut his own reform message, do you think?
PERRY: Maybe he's playing it close to the vest in the hopes that he will in fact come back another way but the man's got to be about his word and he stood up for -- he used Michelle Rhee as a way to win the election and now that he is in office, it is incumbent upon him to stay the course. She's somebody he used as the reform magnet and now where is he when they need his help?
CROWLEY: Steve, one last question with less than a minute to go. And that is, do you not think in the end this might be a cautionary tale, not so much about the reforms that Rhee was pushing but about how to go about it? Is there not some sort of cautionary tale there?
PERRY: In the end, the status quo defenders are going to always fight to keep things the way they are. Because of the circumstances under which we have operating in our public schools, there really is no more time. We have already tried the slow and easy sit down and you give some and I give some approach. That has made America one of the lowest performing school systems internationally. We have tried that. We have tried to have these conversations. Everyone has tried the polite let's see what the adults need in order to make them more comfortable so that children can potentially have access to a world class education. It hasn't worked. We are right now where we are because we have negotiated our way into a corner. Now we have to come out fighting.
CROWLEY: CNN education contributor Steve Perry, thank you so much.
ACOSTA: Thank you, Steve.
PERRY: Thank you, Candy and Jim.
ACOSTA: And a reminder, we'll have live coverage of President Obama's back to school message from Philadelphia later today. You can watch that right here on CNN starting at one o'clock eastern.
ANNOUNCER: This is CNN Breaking News.
ACOSTA: And if you're just tuning in, we are continuing to follow breaking news. Iran state-run television reporting Sarah Shourd has been released. Shourd has been jailed in Iran for more than a year now and this is obviously good news to her family.
CROWLEY: CNN has a producer on the ground in Teheran and he tells us Iran is bringing the 32-year-old to a hotel where CHOs might be able to talk to her. Yesterday, a lawyer for Shourd said she would be set free once a $500,000 bond was paid. Shourd is leaving behind her fiance Shane Bauer and friend Josh Fattal. The three were arrested along the Iran-Iraq border and they have been accused of spying. We of course are going to continue to follow this story. Surely a good news-bad news story if ever we knew one and we will bring you the latest developments as they come in. We are also trying to reach out to the families of the hikers to get some comment from them.
ACOSTA: And of course, this development no guarantee that anything positive happens to the two remaining hikers who are still stuck there in Iran. So we are going to be watching all of that throughout the morning.
Coming up next on the Most News in the Morning, expensive designer labels for huge discounts and even better, you don't have to battle the crowds. We'll tell you the secret, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ACOSTA: Welcome Back to the Most News in the Morning. Are you one of those shopper that thrives on scoring big ticket items on bargain basement prices?
CROWLEY: We are going to tell you how to snap up the deeply discounted deals online. There's just a little catch. Our Alina Cho has this "A.M. Original."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We've got ten minutes to purchase.
ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's 12:00 and in offices across America these shoppers are going nuts.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You don't even think about budget. You just put it in your cart and you just deal with it.
CHO: The online score Gilt Groupe just opened, and the clock is ticking.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Am I done?
CHO: In just seconds, yes, seconds, designer dresses, shoes, and handbags get snapped up by buyers looking for a look deal at bargain basement prices. It's the web version of the ultimate sample sale.
PHILLIP BLOCH, CELEBRITY STYLIST: You get caught up in the fever of the moment and people love it. It's like gambling or horse races. Am I going to get it? I want it. The power of competition.
CHO (on camera): It's called deadline shopping. The idea is simple. Entice customers with high-end designer labels at a great price. Then give them a set amount of time to buy with a limited supply. At Gilt Groupe, membership is free but in order to get in you have to be invited by a member.
CINDI LEIVE, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, GLAMOUR MAGAZINE: People want a deal but they also don't want the exact same deal that everybody else is getting so the brilliance of these sites is it makes you feel like you and a tiny handful of other people stumbled on to this great, fabulous find and that's wonderful.
SUSAN LYNE, CEO, GILT GROUPE: It's like the biggest store in the world.
CHO (voice-over): This is where the magic starts, at New York's Brooklyn navy yard of all places in this hot, dusty, 200,000 square-foot facility. What some fashion addicts call the holy grail, Gilt Groupe's warehouse.
(on camera): How do you get people to buy clothing that they can't touch, they can't feel, and can't try on?
LYNE: Right, you know, I think it is a couple of things. One is that it's appointment shopping. You know? We have turned shopping into an event.
CHO (voice-over): That's for sure.
AMELIA MCDONNELL-PARRY, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, THEFRISKY.COM : I feel that shopping on Gilt has actually turned me into like an even better multi-tasker than I was before.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is two of my major interests, which are being lazy and shopping.
CHO: Think it's a fad, think again. Gilt Groupe was founded less than three years ago. Today, it has nearly 3 million members on track to do up to a half billion dollars of sales this year. Gilt was founded by two fashionistas, classmates at Harvard business school.
(on camera): It is that you don't know how many are left, you only have a limited amount of time?
ALEXIS MAYBANK, CO-FOUNDER, GILT GROUPE: And the prices are unbelievable. They're there for a day but not the following day. So you know that unlike a store, if you go in and there's not anything left, you think, oh, not a great experience but on Gilt Groupe you know you have to get there early. If you get there too late there's nothing left.
CHO: And because it's online shopping, each and every item sold is photographed at the Gilt warehouse with a full team of stylists working around the clock and that's key but there is one issue. Buyer's remorse.
MCDONNELL: I think it's cute. I think it's fun. It is different than anything I have. CHO (on camera): And you definitely need it?
MCDONNELL: Yes. Just like I need to drink four diet Cokes a day like that. That's how much I need it.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHO: Listen. Who couldn't use a striped dress in their closet? Gilt Groupe is far and away the most popular and the most buzz. There are other deadline shopping sites for sure. In fact, you may have heard of Ideally, Outlook, Rolala, to name a few. Maybe you haven't.
But anyway, there are many around, guys. And the reason why the model works really for everyone is because a lot of designers haves to manufacture their clothes overseas. Right, you can't make just ten. You have to make a 1,000, maybe 10,000. The department stores simply are not going to buy all of them.
ACOSTA: Right.
CHO: And for Gilt, they buy in bulk at a discount and that's why they are able to pass on that discount on to the consumer. So it really, really does work.
CROWLEY: I have a theory, really sexist theory.
CHO: All right.
CROWLEY: You know how men like to get on and play the baseball video games?
CHO: Same thing. You're right.
CROWLEY: I just think this is a game.
CHO: It is a game.
CROWLEY: It is a girl game and get on and go oh wow.
CHO: OK but listen. You know you talked about those 3 million members on gilt. There's Gilt men, there's Gilt children, there is Gilt jet setter if a trip. There's Gilt city for city services. I'm sorry, say you want to buy a massage or a manicure/pedicure or something like that. All of that's available online. It was interesting. They say the way men like to shop and works for men, men go on Gilt apparently and these other sites. Is that they'll go and they'll see a suit that they like and buy it in blue, gray --
ACOSTA: Oh.
CHO: Chocolate brown. See?
ACOSTA: Did you come up with idea to combine video games with shopping for men.
CHO: I think it is a video game for women. I like the term Gilt man.
ACOSTA: Because I might do more shopping if that's the case. Alina, thanks so much.
(LAUGHTER)
CROWLEY: Appreciate it.
It is 30 minutes past the hour, and that means it's time for this morning's top stories. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton hoping to write a new chapter in an old Mideast drama. This morning she is in Egypt for a new round of talks with Israeli and Palestinian leaders. The negotiations part of a process aimed at closing a peace deal within the next year.
ACOSTA: And were also confirming breaking news. The lawyer for American hiker Sarah Shourd said Shourd is being released, although he does not know her travel plans at this point.
The 32-year-old has been held for more than a year now and is said to be battling health problems. Shourd is leaving behind fiancee Shane Bauer and her friend Josh Fattal. The three arrested as we know hiking along the Iran-Iraq border and accused of spying, but very good news out of Iran for Sarah Shourd and her family and CNN has now confirmed that information, so we'll be following this.
CROWLEY: All day long.
A $100 million fund is being set up by Pacific Gas and Electric to help rebuild the suburb flattened last week. The fund includes up to $50,000 for each family's living expenses. The city of San Bruno says four people were killed in the blast and another four are still missing.
ACOSTA: But up first this half hour, it is a political power house this Tuesday and CNN is the place to watch it all go down. As we have been saying this morning, seven states head to the polls. "AMERICAN MORNING" is tracking some of these key races all over the country, Delaware first among them.
CROWLEY: Delaware, New York, Wisconsin, New Hampshire, D.C. Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and Maryland. But the hottest really is Delaware where it's shaping up to be a knockout match between tea party-backed candidate Christine O'Donnell and moderate Republican candidate Mike Castle. This is all for a chance to snatch up Joe Biden's old seat.
The race was supposed to be smooth sailing for Castle, but the long-time congressman and two-term governor's support of President Obama's priorities turned the tea party pretty bitter. They're trying to take him out with support and money behind candidate Christine O'Donnell. Listen to what he told our Brian Todd.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Was Lisa Murkowski's loss in Alaska a wake-up call for you?
MIKE CASTLE, (R) DELAWARE SENATE CANDIDATE: Well, it was an added wake-up call. I mean, we had watched the elections around the country and saw what was going on. Actually, we received a call from Lisa after the election saying, Mike, you need to be prepared. They'll come at you hard.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CROWLEY: We want to go live to Dover, Delaware, right now, and in the heart of today's action is our Shannon Travis. Shannon, give us kind of the view from the ground.
SHANNON TRAVIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The view from the ground is the same thing that happened in Alaska may actually happen here. Candy, I was in Alaska covering that race with Murkowski versus Miller, and the tea party using the playbook, the same tactic from the playbook in Alaska here.
They basically poured in money, time and resources to basically defeat what they considered to be a liberal RINO, Republican in name only in Congressman Mike Castle to push Christine O'Donnell whom they deem more conservative, more constitutional conservative over the finish line. You may know that obviously Sarah Palin endorsed her.
And it's getting ugly. They're using words, we're hearing words like "prostitution," "cannibalism," and "death threats." In terms of the cannibalism, O'Donnell's campaign alleges that the Republican state party trying to eat their own to push her out of the way.
In terms of the word "prostitution," the tea party express alleges that the Republican party chairman in Delaware is in bed with Mike Castle because he supports him. And in terms of debt threats, that same state party chairman Tom Ross according to our Brian Todd received a death threat for being -- for backing Mike Castle.
But Christine O'Donnell is not without problems. She's had some personal finance problems that have come to light. Her campaign, the Delaware state Republican party alleges that they've had some legal coordination with the tea party express.
And a lot of people feel if she wins this nomination tonight that she will be the weaker candidate possibly handing this seat over to Democrats. So it's a very dramatic race. She's voted today, other voters voting today. So we'll see what this result will be later on.
CROWLEY: Shannon, in the end, the words now sort of mean less than the turnout, so it generally depends on which candidate identified who their voters are and who has the organization to find those voters and get them to the polls. Do you have any sense at all as to who's got that ground game going for them?
TRAVIS: It's no clear advantage that we're seeing so far. We can tell you a few things. A, Mike Castle has name recognition, a nine-term congressman here in Delaware. He was voted in for governor twice. So people know Mike Castle. They know his name, and they've obviously approved of him in several elections.
Christine O'Donnell, on the other hand, has never won a statewide elective office. She's run for office a few times before and not really sure if she has the same kind of name recognition.
But we're talking about a close Republican primary with only about 183,000 Republican voters that could potentially vote in this. So in terms of who has the advantage on the ground game, we are not really sure, but we know who has more of a name recognition and that's Mike Castle.
CROWLEY: Shannon Travis, thank you so much. I guess O'Donnell also has some of the passion on her side, too. You have a great one down there. Have fun covering it down there tonight. Thanks so much.
Football and concussions -- scientists taking a closer look at brain trauma and how quickly it can take hold. To every parent who has a son, sometimes a daughter playing football, don't miss our next guest, Dr. Robert Stern of Boston University's School of Medicine joins us in a moment.
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ACOSTA: And we want to bring you new details on a developing story that has just happened in the last half hour or so. Sarah Shourd, that hiker who's been detained about a year in Iran, has apparently been freed. CNN has confirmed that she is in the process of being released by Iranian authorities.
And we want to bring in our Reza Sayah. He is live in Islamabad right now. Reza, apparently you talked on the phone with Sarah Shourd's attorney and confirmed this. Reza is there live in Islamabad for us. How is Sarah Shourd doing? Do we know from talking to her attorney?
REZA SAYAH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, the attorney says that she has been released. And that's all the information we have right now. They're processing her release at this point. But it is finally happened after a very long wait, after more than 13 months in jail, all of it in solitary confinement without ever being charged, with only one opportunity to see her lawyer which came a few days ago. She has finally been released.
We spoke to the attorney. It's not clear if she has paid that $500,000 in bail money. That was the condition of her release. You'll recall, outlined by the senior prosecutor in Tehran on Sunday. The senior prosecutor saying she would be released if she was able to post that $500,000 in bail money.
There were some reports that the family was looking to lower that bail money, so it's not clear if that entire amount was paid for a lower amount. But as far as Sarah Shourd's family is concerned, she is released and she is on her way out of the prison.
It is not clear what her travel plans are, if she plans to leave Iran tonight. But you can be sure that happens as soon as possible. Trips outside of Iran to the U.S., usually a stopover in Dubai or Abu Dhabi, and then on to a destination in the U.S. But this within the past half hour, Jim, once again, Sarah Shourd, one of the three U.S. hikers jailed in Iran has been released.
CROWLEY: Reza, it's Candy. In the past when we have seen similar situation where is an American is released from Iran, have we seen press conferences? We were talking to one of our producers on the ground in Tehran who said the possibility of talking to her available and headed to a hotel somewhere in Tehran, doesn't seem like that's a place they can talk freely.
SAYAH: Reporter: Well, it's going to be interesting how much publicity is going to surround this release. You'll recall just a few days ago when initially Iranian officials came out and announced she would be released because President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad had intervened.
They were planning on surrounding the release with a lot of publicity. They had literally smsed and text messaged reporters in Tehran calling them to a hotel where the release would happen. That plan scrapped when Iranian's powerful judiciary came in and said --
ACOSTA: Well, looks like -- yes. We lost Reza there on the satellite.
CROWLEY: But he seemed to be referring to what we heard from the producer, which is there was a split about what to do --
ACOSTA: Right.
CROWLEY: -- about her. And so it sounds like even dealing with the exit of Sarah Shourd has produced some political bickering inside the government of Iran.
ACOSTA: And I would imagine they would want to determine how to massage this release for the maximum political benefit for the Iranians. But it is going to be interesting to watch how she exits that country, because it may be as you indicated Candy in her own best interest not to say very much at whatever public setting to put her in to get her to the airport.
CROWLEY: Or even afterwards because she leaves two friends behind.
ACOSTA: Exactly, that's true, very good point.
Moving on to the world of sports and football and concussions, it's a serious issue and scientists taking a closer look at brain trauma and how quickly it can take hold. Every parent who has a son playing football, you don't want to miss the next guest. Dr. Robert Stern of Boston's School of Medicine joins us in just a moment.
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ACOSTA: Welcome back to The Most News in the Morning. A degenerative brain disease thought to affect older former football players who have a history of concussions has been found in Owen Thomas, a 21-year-old University of Pennsylvania lineman who reported no concussions and then suddenly committed suicide this spring leaving experts to wonder how quickly chronic traumatic encephalopathy or CTE can get a footing in the brain.
And joining me now live from Boston -- Dr. Robert Stern, co- director of the Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy at Boston University School of Medicine; and Dr. Stern, I can't believe I got through encephalopathy twice -- three times there without botching it.
Thanks so much for joining us. This is a very serious subject and this -- this case of Owen Thomas from the University of Pennsylvania has really just struck a lot of people who follow football, college football really hard. And I'm just curious, I mean, just to get this out of the way. Do we -- do we even know definitively whether CTE can be linked to his suicide? I guess we don't.
DR. ROBERT STERN, CO-DIRECTOR, CENTER FOR THE STUDY OF TRAUMATIC ENCEPHALOPATHY, BU SCHOOL OF MEDICINE: Yes, no. We don't know at all. We can't make a direct cause effect relationship. We know that CTE can bring on things like depression and erratic behavior and problems with impulse control. And there have been several cases of suicide in the past amongst people who were found to have CTE but in any individual case we can't say for sure that there's a link.
ACOSTA: But this case does raise questions that this is perhaps another example of -- of the danger of traumatic head injuries in professional football and pro sports in general. I guess that's how you're looking at it at this point.
STERN: Yes. We are looking at it for two very big reasons. One is that it shows us that this disease CTE, which is a progressive brain disease that eventually would lead to dementia, can start at a very young age.
You don't need to have played pro football for years to start developing this disease. Owen was 21 years old and we saw definitive disease, mild but very definitive.
Now the other thing is that it shows us that you don't need to have had known or reported concussions to develop this brain disease. It really shows us that those multiple, repetitive sub-concussive blows to the head that are experienced by so many athletes in many different sports can bring on the beginnings of this disease.
ACOSTA: And it sort of reminds me of the way the body can break down and degenerate over time in the way that pitchers have to undergo, Tommy Johns' surgery. Over time you may not do break your arm, you may not do permanent damage to your arm en route to a Tommy Johns surgery but eventually you may need that surgery.
Is that a good analogy at all that perhaps this can go undetected over time and then result in -- in sort of a traumatic case that needs to be dealt with?
STERN: Yes. It definitely can go undetected. We don't know how long it goes, how long it develops before we can start seeing symptoms. But you know, what you bring up is a great analogy of pitchers who then undergo a Tommy Johns surgery.
What do we do with those youth little league pitchers who are out there throughout the spring and the summer? We count every single pitch to make sure that they're not over pitching so we prevent them from developing problems in their shoulder, problems in their elbow. Even though it's just a small number of kids who are eventually are going to develop those problems.
But do we question the number of hits to the brain that a youth football player gets? And the answer tragically is no.
ACOSTA: And it's extremely difficult to do in football. And I can just hear a lot of parents out there scratching their heads and wondering, ok, what do I do about my kid? Not only sons but some daughters who play football, little league football out there because you're not going to go to two-hand touch football leagues all over the country.
So what do we do?
STERN: Yes. Well, I can't give you any very specific policy or guideline changes that we can recommend based on the science but all I can tell you is that we need to do something urgently to make the game safer. And what that means is reducing the overall exposure to these repetitive blows to the head.
Whether that means doing something to the way the game is practiced so we reduce the number of hits to the head, to rule changes during the game, to using different kinds of helmets. There are so many things that need to be done but the first very important thing is education.
We need to make sure that parents, the kids themselves, the trainers and the coaches really understand that repeating blows to the head over time can have dramatic problems later in life.
ACOSTA: And we know from talking to you and other members of your center that this issue has been a big one for the National Football League and now the NFL has started to make some changes in that regard to try to limit the damage, limit the repeated damage to a lot of these professional athletes out there. And I think it's probably a good idea for kids out there and their parents who are in these little leagues to take a look at what the NFL is doing and look at cases like Owen's case to -- to perhaps take a -- a bit of caution in terms of how much damage is done down the road.
But unfortunately, we've run out of time for this -- for this segment, Dr. Stern. Of course, we can talk all day about this. But I appreciate your time very much.
Dr. Stern joining us live from Boston this morning. Thanks so much to you sir. Thank you, doctor.
STERN: Thanks very much, Jim.
ACOSTA: Our chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta in on assignment right now working on a series, a special series on concussions. It's a very important topic. And he'll bring you his reports in October.
For now, it is 51 minutes after the hour.
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CROWLEY: Welcome back to The Most News in the Morning. It is 54 minutes past the hour. We want a quick check of this morning's weather headlines.
Rob Marciano is in Atlanta -- Rob.
MARCIANO: Good morning, Candy and good morning Jim again.
Briefly on Hurricane Julia, that's right it's a hurricane now; it was a tropical storm yesterday. It developed into a hurricane over night; Category One with winds of 75 miles an hour way out in the Atlantic and we do think this is going to remain that way.
Category 4 storm of much greater concern -- Hurricane Igor with winds of now 135 miles an hour and you notice the last couple of frames of this satellite imagery does jump a little bit to the right to the north. And we kind of have been waiting for that and we've been anticipating a -- a northward turn of this thing and well, that's what the forecast is and we certainly hope this verifies.
If it does, it takes the U.S. completely out of the picture as far as a landfall is concerned and it may very well spare Bermuda if we get this thing turning a little bit more to the right.
Major storm status right on through, to about -- I don't know, 30 or so degrees north and then will begin to weaken. The U.S. will be affected with this but certainly some larger swells.
Speaking of the U.S., severe storms across the midsection of the country today, so be aware of that. We're already seeing some of those develop.
87 degrees will be the high temperature in Kansas City. It will be 93 degrees in Dallas and 78 degrees, a little bit breezy and comfortably cool across the Big Apple.
That's a quick check on weather. AMERICAN MORNING is coming right back.
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ACOSTA: A quick programming note before we leave you this morning. The president goes back to school today. He'll be at a Philadelphia school delivering his second annual address to kids and teachers across the country. The speech is expected to focus on students who take responsibility by showing up on time, doing their homework and, of course, staying out of trouble and who can argue with that?
We'll have live coverage of the president's back to school message from Philadelphia today. You can watch it right here on CNN starting at 1:00 Eastern.
CROWLEY: Continue the conversation on today's stories, go to our blog at CNN.com/amfix.
That's going to do it for us here this Tuesday. We made it through another day --
ACOSTA: Yes, we did.
Crowley: -- still standing.
ACOSTA: Absolutely
CROWLEY: The coup continues. Want to do it again tomorrow?
ACOSTA: We'll do it again tomorrow. And I don't want to leave this program without thanking you, Candy, for coming with us today.
CROWLEY: Well, I feel properly thanked now, unlike yesterday -- just saying.
ACOSTA: Oh, we won't go back to that. Come on.
And of course, tomorrow morning is going to be a great place to start your day because we're going to have live coverage. Great wrap of all these primaries out there, especially --
CROWLEY: This is a great elections tonight. Be here tomorrow.
ACOSTA: There's a hot little one down in Delaware we'll be keeping our eyes on. So stick around for that.
And stick around for Kyra Phillips. She's coming up next in the "CNN NEWSROOM" which starts right now. Good morning, Kyra.
