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American Morning
The Tea Party and the GOP; Questions After The Blast; QVC Goes High-End; Tea Party Triumphant; Health Care for 9/11 Victims; Reggie Bush Forfeits Heisman; Jailed in Iran; Meridia's Health Risk
Aired September 15, 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: Good morning. I'm Candy Crowley. And welcome to AMERICAN MORNING. It is Wednesday, September 15th.
JIM ACOSTA, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Jim Acosta. John and Kiran are off this morning. But we're still talking about politics. Lots the talk about this morning. That race in Delaware, one of the primaries that are over, but the results are in, and the Tea Party has successfully taken on the GOP machine in several races. We got the best political team on television standing by to break down the winners and losers.
CROWLEY: American hiker Sarah Shourd enjoying her first taste of freedom after more than a year behind bars in Iran. Her fiancee and another friend are still jailed on espionage charges. Shourd says her mission now is working for their release.
ACOSTA: The inferno San Bruno literally bringing a hidden danger to the surface. We will talk about whether the pipelines under our homes and communities are too old to be trusted.
CROWLEY: And amFIX blog is up and running. Join the live conversation right now. Just go to CNN.com/amFIX. We will be reading some of your comments throughout the morning.
ACOSTA: But, first, a big night for the Tea Party in the last big primary of the 2010 midterm campaign. And the closely-watching Republican Senate race in Delaware, Christine O'Donnell, the candidate backed by the Tea Party and Sarah Palin, toppled the state's heavyweight, Representative Mike Castle. It's a victory, O'Donnell says, for supporters who challenged the GOP mainstream.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHRISTINE O'DONNELL (R), DELAWARE SENATE CANDIDATE: You guys are the visionaries and leaders who made this possible, because you rallied every day Americans outside of the political establishment, brought them involved and created a grassroots network that made all of us this possible.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CROWLEY: The Tea Party influence is also being felt further north in New Hampshire's Republican Senate primary where the contest between Tea Party favorite Ovide Lamontagne and former state attorney general, Kelly Ayotte, is still too close to call.
ACOSTA: In the nation's capital, Mayor Adrian Fenty lost his reelection bid to city council chairman, Vincent Gray. It was a grossly-watched Democratic primary and a potential blow to school chiefs across the country fighting for dramatic education reform. That's because Fenty's chancellor of schools ushered in a wave of changes that became a model of reform and also model of controversy in Washington.
CROWLEY: And in New York's Republican gubernatorial primary, another Tea Party choice. Businessman Carl Paladino knocked out former Congressman Rick Lazio. Paladino now faces popular Democratic Attorney General Andrew Cuomo.
ACOSTA: But of all the primary races, it's the victory in Delaware that's creating the biggest buzz this morning.
CROWLEY: Christine O'Donnell shunned basically by the Republican Party mainstream winning the party's Senate primary without them, thanks in large part to the support of Sarah Palin. Without Republican money to fund her campaign, a victory in November seems unlikely. But O'Donnell says she's up for it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
O'DONNELL: There are a lot of people who are rallying behind me who are frustrated that the Republican Party has lost its way. What you see in this race and then especially the attitude after our win is that, you know, the so-called leaders have been proven wrong. They got behind a candidate who didn't even support our party principles, supported the liberals nearly 70 percent of the time some years. And they chose to get behind him because they were taking the easy way out and now, they underestimated the power of "We the People" and the strength and the determination that we have to take back our country. And, you know, their credibility's been shot.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ACOSTA: Jessica Yellin is live in Dover, Delaware for us this morning.
Good morning, Jessica.
I guess Christine O'Donnell, as you know from listening to her last night, talking to her last night and then listening to her this morning -- I mean, she is not backing down. She is not shrinking at all from what she views as sort of a hostile attack from the Republican Party. And she's -- she's going to stick to her guns no matter what.
JESSICA YELLIN, CNN NATIONAL POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely, Jim. She's, in fact, invigorated by it. It was the crux of her message in this campaign that establishment, old line, inside politicians are trying to cut deals and cut the people out, and that she represents regular folk who need to change the way and break down the backroom deals and break down the doors.
So, almost these attacks on her further her theme in this campaign. It really was a stunning political upset. We say that often, but this truly was. Not only were the leaders of the party gunning for her and actively campaigning against her, but she had significantly less money. She was very far behind in the polls. And, you know, now, she's got a much tougher challenge ahead of her because, as we've reported, the national political -- the National Republican Party are saying they're not going to finance her campaign the way they might another Republican campaign in other states.
So, where will she get the money? This is an overwhelmingly Democratic state. As you can imagine, Democrats are sort of dancing a jig this morning, but you sort of wonder if their overconfidence could be a little dangerous. They think that they have this one locked up.
And the Tea Party Express says they will be here through this until November, raising money to help get the candidate elected, Jim.
CROWLEY: Jessica, sort of the big picture. Obviously, Republican -- no party committee, Republican or Democrat, is going to pour a lot of money into a state where they think the candidate's going to lose. On the other hand, and looks like -- you know, if you were a betting person -- that you would bet that O'Donnell would lose in Delaware.
On the other hand, now, do they risk looking like spoilsports? Do they look as though they're kind of the fuddy-duddies saying our person didn't work, we're not giving her any money, and doesn't that just fuel the people who want her in there?
YELLIN: Absolutely. I mean, you've got to assume that there will be some big powwow meeting at some point, these folks will sit down and say, hey, do we have to put a little bit of money into that race in Delaware? Bottom line is: you know, by most analysis, if you just count the math and do -- do the math and count numbers, Republicans probably cannot get a majority in the Senate, it will be really tough if they don't win this state.
So, a, for public relations reasons, maybe they'll need to support her some way publicly, and, (b), just because strategically, they like to try for a win, maybe they'll have to.
There's also the whole gender issue here. She brought it up with you this morning in your interview with me last night. She is alleging that the boys are out to get the women out of politics. Sarah Palin's hinted at that, too.
So, for a whole host of reasons, the national Republicans might consider changing their tone in the coming days, but -- hey, anything is possible this political season. Maybe not.
ACOSTA: Hey, well, and who needs Michael Steele? She might feel if she can perhaps get Sarah Palin to come and campaign for her between now and November, you know, she recorded a robocall for Christine O'Donnell. Who's to say that that's out of the question?
YELLIN: Yes. Right. And let me add, my producer Kevin Bohn confirmed with the campaign that Sarah Palin did call the campaign to congratulate here, Christine O'Donnell. She wasn't able to connect with Christine O'Donnell but, obviously, Palin is deeply invested in this one and fully on board.
ACOSTA: You betcha. That's right. All right. Jessica --
YELLIN: You betcha.
ACOSTA: Yes, exactly. I think she almost had the wink down last night, too, if I wasn't mistaken. Jessica Yellin --
YELLIN: I didn't see the wink. Did she wink? I was looking for it.
ACOSTA: I don't know. I thought I saw it. Maybe not. At least she had the line down. But Jessica Yellin joining us live from Dover, Delaware this morning -- thanks, Jessica. Appreciate it.
Also new this morning, DNC Chairman Tim Kaine is gearing up to make what he's calling a major announcement for the party. The speech is scheduled for this afternoon. And a source with knowledge of the event tells CNN the announcement will excite Democrats -- as they're putting it -- across the country. And they better hope it does.
CROWLEY: I was going to say, we'll see about that.
ACOSTA: Yes. Right.
CROWLEY: You don't make a major announcement and say that, you know, nobody is really going to care.
ACOSTA: Sources tell us it will be exciting.
CROWLEY: Yes, that's right.
That major announcement will happen at the same time RNC Chairman Michael Steele kicks off a bus tour and he says he's going to visit 117 cities. The event is called Fire Pelosi, and it's part of the Republican Party's effort to retake the House.
ACOSTA: A royal screw-up is how Mayor Bloomberg described primary day in New York City. The Big Apple rolled down its new electronic voting machines yesterday but many of them reportedly were broken or missing or workers were not properly trained to handle all the glitches. This sounds familiar.
Some polling places even opened up four hours late. Thousands of voters may have been denied the chance to cast ballots and those machines by the way cost the city -- drum roll please -- $160 million. Your tax dollars at work there.
And whether you're at home or on the road, you can get the latest political news 24 hours a day on our political ticker. Just go to CNN.com/ticker -- Candy.
CROWLEY: American hiker Sarah Shourd may soon be returning home, but for now, she's saving her freedom after 14 months in Iranian prison. Following an emotional reunion with her family in Oman, Shourd made it clear her priority now is working for the release of the two jailed Americans she had to leave behind.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SARAH SHOURD, HIKER RELEASED BY IRAN: Today is the work that my day begins. And all of my efforts starting today are going to go into helping procure the same freedom for my fiance Shane Bauer and for my friend, Josh Fattal, because I can't enjoy my freedom without them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CROWLEY: Later this hour, we will talk with the mothers of those two hikers, Cindy Hickey and Laura Fattal. They'll join us at 8:40 Eastern Time.
ACOSTA: Coming up next on the Most News in the Morning: An aging gas line may be to blame for that devastating inferno in San Bruno, California. How dangerous is the nation's pipeline system? We will ask that -- coming up next.
It's nine minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ACOSTA: Welcome back.
Newly-released radio transmissions are giving us a glimpse of the confusion and frustration as first responders approached the inferno last week in San Bruno, California.
Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Call for fourth alarm for this. Looks, it appears that we have a plane down in a neighborhood, multiple structures on fire and we have a fireball still coming out.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Stop that engine, we have no water in this hydrant, we need them to lay into us.
INCIDENT COMMANDER: Copy that. Engine 38, go ahead.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We think we got a broken water main down here, so they need to lay in from the corner of San Bruno Avenue.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ACOSTA: It wasn't a plane, of course. The gas line pipe explosion was so powerful it broke a water main, destroyed close to 40 homes and killed at least four people. The terrifying fire now has many people wondering, is there a pipeline near me or beneath me? And how worried do I need to be about it.
Stephen Flynn joins us. He's a fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations specializing in critical infrastructure and protection, and author of the book, "Edge of Disaster: Rebuilding a Resilient Nation."
And, Mr. Flynn, thank you for joining us this morning. We appreciate it.
STEPHEN FLYNN, AUTHOR, "EDGE OF DISASTER: REBUILDING A RESILIENT NATION": Jim, actually, I'm the president now of the Center for National Policy. So --
ACOSTA: Oh, thank you for clearing that up. All right. Well, very good.
Well, let me ask you this, Stephen, because I think when folks are watching those pictures, they're probably wondering: do I need to be worried about this? And I guess the simple question is: Should they?
FLYNN: Well, the answer is: they should be a bit anxious but not overwrought, all right? The fact is we have about 2 million miles of transmission and distribution pipe around our country. That's enough to wrap around the world about 100 times.
ACOSTA: Wow.
FLYNN: But 60 percent of that infrastructure is over 40 years old. And it's aging and not entirely gracefully. You know, just like a car when it's new, you don't have to maintain it so much. But as it gets older, you have to keep a close eye on it. You got to tinker with it from time to time if you want to keep it working.
The reality is, we also have -- where some of this pipe was put down, communities have grown in and around it. And so --
ACOSTA: And, Stephen, I feel like -- I feel like we've seen this movie before when it comes to this nation's infrastructure and here we have yet another example of it. This particular pipeline was put down in 1956. It was over 50 years old, which is right around the life expectancy for these steel pipes.
Are we seeing a similar situation like that all over the country? Do we have a network of pipelines that are that old?
FLYNN: Yes. I mean, the big issue is, we're a lot like grand kids that inherited our -- a mansion from our grandparents and we decide we're not going to do the upkeep. You know, people drive by and think it's a nice house, but the plumbing is on the heck, the wiring's not very good. In this case, the piping is bad.
You got to invest in infrastructure. And that's something we've not been willing to do as decided for a while.
So, yes, there are some issues. You know, the way in which most of this pipe infrastructure is managed is at a local or state level by public utilities who even when they need more money to upgrade the system, have a very difficult time often getting the rates -- upgrades you know, basically charging more for the service.
ACOSTA: Yes, Steve --
FLYNN: It's invisible infrastructure in most cases.
ACOSTA: Yes and it strikes me as odd or, you know, sort of -- you know, I guess what I don't understand is, you know, who's keeping an eye on all of this? You say the utilities supposed to be keeping an eye on this and said that they're supposed to be paying for it but the rates going up all the time for the public utilities. You would think they would have the money for it. Are individual states, communities keeping an eye on this to make sure that these pipe lines are safe?
FLYNN: Yes the oversight is a real challenge and again as stuff ages, you need to maintain it and you need inspect it more frequently and that is not happening all the time. At the federal level, it's a very limited overnight role. There's only about 100 inspectors that work in the Department of Transportation by the agency with oversight for this.
Again, that's enough to basically cover each one pipe to circumnavigate the world a piece. That's not going to work. But we're relying on heavily is the utilities themselves that do these inspections and there have been concerns. There have been backlogs of deferred maintenance. The training of inspectors is not where it should be. The oversight at the state level is often relies again at a fairly small number of people looking at. This is a broad challenge as a society. It was our grandparents and great grandparents, in many cases, who invested in the infrastructure we are relying on today and we are not maintaining it as well as it used to be maintained.
ACOSTA: And the word infrastructure has come up in the political debate these last couple of years. The president in his stimulus called for big investments in the nation's infrastructure. And I'm just curious are we putting enough money into this? I'm just thinking about all these unemployed people out there and how many of them could be put back to work putting, you know, putting in new gas pipelines all over this country. Is there a way to put two and two together here without it becoming this huge political football?
FLYNN: Oh absolutely. At the end of the day, the infrastructure is an investment. It's what our fore bearers invested in to make us the most prosperous completive society in the world. And that was their treasure, that was sweat and ingenuity that made it so. We can do it again. And we must do it again. The president essentially asked for a very small down payment on that. I mean, $50 billion sounds like a good chunk of change but the American society of civil engineers looking at the infrastructure across the board has said the tab is somewhere closer to a little over $2 trillion.
ACOSTA: Right.
FLYNN: And that was without having the oil gas lines in the mix.
ACOSTA: And what Democrats are proposing isn't even nearly what's need to repair all the infrastructure all over the country and you have cases like this popping all the time. Like the bridge in Minnesota. We have these sorts of eruptions that occur in New York City's underground infrastructure pipelines and so forth blowing up. And I guess, when's it going to take? We keep having these disaster after disaster. And that doesn't necessarily get the job done.
FLYNN: Yes I mean one issue that I actually came to this at is as a security expert I started the look at the infrastructure from the perspective of if somebody wanted to target is it vulnerable to that. And came away going, please forget the bad guys, it is just falling apart in itself. What we need though is white D.I's and a President Eisenhower approach. Investing in our infrastructure is good for our national security. It is good for the environment and it is good for our economy. And we can stop as a nation putting band aids on the problem that we know as a society we must make an investment. You know I just came in -- I was from Singapore just yesterday --
ACOSTA: Right.
FLYNN: And that's a place making a huge investment as with much of Asia in infrastructure and that going to allow them to compete. If we want to compete in the world, we have to attend to the foundations that is are critical to our modern way of life and obviously the safety and wellbeing of our citizens.
ACOSTA: Well Steven Flynn, we have heard that message time and again, that we are getting our tails kicked in Asia when it comes to infrastructure but yet we just can't seem to get things moving on this side of the equation. But thanks so much for joining us this morning. Steven Flynn, the author of "Edge Of Disaster: Rebuilding a Resilient Nation." And thanks for that perspective on that terrible explosion out in California. Got everybody's attention and thanks for helping us bring some interesting analysis to it. Thanks a lot this morning.
FLYNN: Thanks, Jim.
ACOSTA: Good talking to you. Candy?
CANDY CROWLEY, CNN ANCHOR: I know he says we are not suppose to be scared but that was scary.
Next on the Most News in the Morning, they are trapped thousands of feet underground but one of the miners in Chile has reason to celebrate this morning. AMERICAN MORNING continues after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CROWLEY: Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning. Tony Hayward's not done testifying yet. Later today the outgoing CEO of BP will face question from British law-makers studying the fallout from the oil spill in the Gulf. They're considering whether new regulations are needed in Britain to limit deepwater drilling there. ACOSTA: Pope Benedict XVI is set to arrive in Britain tomorrow for a four day stay. It is the first day visit via pope to Britain. But according to recent poll most Brits according to a poll don't care about that, 63 percent said they were neither in favor nor against it. Critics have slammed the Vatican for the cost of the trip to the British taxpayers said to be around 12 million pounds.
CROWLEY: And the wife of a trapped miner in Chile has given birth to a little baby girl. Elizabeth Saglobia (ph) was going to name her Carolina but the husband requested that she name it to Esporanza Spanish for hope. After a cave in trapped him and 32 others underground 41 days ago.
ACOSTA: Coming up next on the Most News in the Morning, big-name designers fighting to get on QVC? Yes, QVC. Why they're all scrambling to get on the Home Shopping Network, Alina Cho with the "A.M. Original" coming up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ACOSTA: Welcome Back to the Most fashion in the Morning. Time for "Minding Your Business," and this morning we are taking you to a place where the selling never stops. We are not talking about right here.
CROWLEY: We are talking about jewelry to makeup to clothes. QVC, yes, QVC, is a place where even the high-end designers know the perfect pitch means big bucks. Our Alina Cho joins us now. Alina --
ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: There is a reason we're doing this. It is New York fashion week.
ACOSTA: Is it?
CROWLEY: I know you are well aware of, you know.
CHO: But there's fashion off the runways as we like to say, right, guys. You know in QVC, you know, it's not the QVC of 20 years ago, guys. You know when you think of QVC maybe you think about arts and crafts, maybe you think about old ladies at night buying quilts. Not anymore. It's become a destination for designers. It's not your grandmother's QVC anymore.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHO (voice-over): It was a little shaky in the early days.
everybody want this ladder. I live in an apartment with faulted feelings.
CHO: That was then.
HARRY SLATKIN, QVC DESIGNER: But they're not in Kansas anymore as they would have said in "Wizard of Oz." They've arrived, last- minute gift. CHO: This is now. Founded in 1986, QVC, the 24-hour TV network for at-home shoppers is now a $8 billion business. But here's the real news. Among the big-name designer set, QVC is suddenly cool.
ISAAC MIZRAHI, QVC DESIGNER: It's mesmerizing but on top of that now it really looks great.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is a --
CHO: QVC is so selective it's reported thousands apply for just a few spots. Like Isaac Mizrahi, Diane Yvonne Firstenberg, and Vivian Tan. Denis Basso, career to the stars is on Madison Avenue and on QVC selling faux fur amounting to tens of millions in sales and it is not just designers.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You just have to feel how stretchy this is.
CHO: Even the Kardashian sisters are getting into the game. But in order to stay, you have to sell.
(on camera): Pressure's on. When you're on, it is like sell, sell, sell.
KIM KARDASHIAN, QVC DESIGNER: Yes, you have to sell. We try to give as much information as we know about the products and why we love them, why we created it. The fit and the cut and helps to see it on us.
CHO (voice-over: It is all part of the game.
FERN MALLIS, STYLE EXPERT: They psych into the consumers in a way that nobody does. They know, they know. They know how to move goods. It's a fascinating thing to watch.
CHO: Show hosts caress handbags and what about candles? How do you sell products you can't smell?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Caramel, nutmeg.
CHO: There are two tricks to selling.
SLATKIN: They'll tell me when I'm saying something to go back and say it because the customer reacts to.
CHO: Then there's the interaction of designer that is customers don't get in a store. Like a product? Don't like it? Call in.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Are you getting the "today special value"?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, yes.
CHO (on camera): They get to talk to you on the phone.
MIZRAHI: That's my favorite part. That is my favorite part.
CHO (voice-over): And that connection breeds loyalty, 95 percent of QVC's revenue comes from repeat customers.
MIKE GEORGE, PRESIDENT AND CEO, QVC: And our numbers tell us that if you make two or three purchase on QVC you will be a customer for life.
CHO: New designer Coralie Charriol's family is in the luxury jewelry business but she wanted to go affordable selling handbags on QVC. Her task on this night? Sell 800 in 15 minutes.
CORALIE CHARRIOL PAUL, QVC DESIGNER: Fewer than 200 bags remaining. The plum is completely sold out. And you hear this color is not available anymore. You're like, yes! Somebody likes what I'm doing.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHO: Coralie by the way sold out of three colors. Not bad for a debut, right, guys? You know 800 bags in 15 minutes, it sounds crazy but it is real. It is all about units per minute at QVC. How much can you sell, how fast? That's why it is not just about having a great product, it's the personality behind the product that has to be great too guys.
And you know, it sounds simple, QVC's CEO tells me that combination is hard to find. When you do find it, it can be magic or mesmerizing as Isaac Mizrahi says on TV, you know. But, you know, I mean, haven't you ever gotten caught late at night sort flipping the channels. I mean, like --
CROWLEY: OK, not once. Can I just say -- I'll do it. Now, I'm going to look.
CHO: OK. Hey, it's worth it. You know, they had a pop-up store during fashion week just a couple of days ago. We were there. And I have to tell you, the merchandise looks really good.
ACOSTA: Yes.
CHO: And, you know, like I said, it's not your grandmother's QVC anymore.
ACOSTA: And they're saying high-end retail is what's selling these days. That's what's doing gangbusters, so it's no surprise that they have do something like this.
CHO: Absolutely right. And designers really have to have several layers of distribution in order to survive, you know. We are in a tough economy.
CROWLEY: Learned this week all kinds of places to shop. Thank you.
ACOSTA: Yes. Valuable information.
CHO: I'm sure you'll really thank me later.
CROWLEY: That's right. It is 31 minutes past the hour. Time for this morning's top stories.
A triumphant night for the upstart tea party, Christine O'Donnell with Sarah Palin's backing. Staged a stunning upset in Delaware GOP Senate primary. And another tea party candidate, businessman, Carl Paladino also prevailed backing out former Congressman Rick Lazio in the Republican primary for New York Governor.
ACOSTA: First responders and survivors of the 9/11 terrorist attacks head to Washington today. They'll be asking Congress to pass a bill that will give them free health care. A measure failed in the House back in July where two New York Democrats plan to raise the issue again for another vote.
CROWLEY: And running back. Reggie Bush is returning the Heisman trophy he won in 2005. The NAA says the New Orleans Saints received illegal benefits during 2004 and 2005 when he played college ball for USC. Bush says winning the Heisman is one of the greatest honors of his life and a dream come true. He tweets, "now that this is behind me, I look forward to the future and winning more awards and championships here in New Orleans."
ACOSTA: And in one of the most conservative states in the country, one candidate is really putting conventional beliefs to the test this election season, and she's up against one of the most outspoken critics of gays and lesbians in the country. Carol Costello is live in Washington with the story. Good morning, Carol.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Jim. In Oklahoma City, it's become one of those races to watch. It pits a conservative Republican known for her anti-gay comments against a Democrat who happens to be Oklahoma's first trance gendered candidate. Both sides insist they want to talk issues, but that's proving to be impossible.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRITTANY NOVOTNY, (D) OKLA. STATE HOUSE CANDIDATE: I salute the flag of the state of Oklahoma.
COSTELLO (voice-over): Brittany Novotny is running for a seat in the Oklahoma state legislature. Her candidacy is a long shot. Not only is she a Democrat running in a conservative red state, but she's Oklahoma's first transgender candidate.
So, when you go up to someone, I mean, what kind of reaction do you get from people?
NOVOTNY: Well, it varies, you know. Some people have heard of me already, and they're very excited to meet me.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Good luck to you.
COSTELLO: Are you surprised that you've gotten so much a national attention? Because you've been everywhere, right? You were at "The New York Times." You're on "Huffington Post." NOVOTNY: You know, it's something I certainly went into this with my eyes open, and I knew that the potential for that kind of coverage might be there. I'm surprised how quickly it happened.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How are you doing today?
COSTELLO: Novotny's opponent is Republican incumbent Sally Kern who made national news herself in 2008.
SALLY KERN, (R) OKLA. STATE HOUSE CANDIDATE: Studies show that no society that has totally embraced homosexuality has lasted more than a few decades. I honestly think it's the biggest threat our nation has even more so than terrorism.
COSTELLO: Kern's remarks went viral.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There's some misinformation going on here, and I think I need to call her. I think --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you regret saying it?
KERN: No. I don't regret saying it because it's what I believe. I was giving a talk to Republican activists, sharing with them how there are a group of homosexual millionaires who are wanting to change the political climate of the nation, and they were doing it secretly.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Who are these homosexual millionaires that are trying to change the climate of the country?
KERN: You want me to name some names?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I do.
KERN: OK. Tim Gill.
TIM GILL, PHILANTHROPIST: I think Sally Kern has a great career in something ahead of her. It's just not what she's doing now.
COSTELLO: That's Colorado multimillionaire, Tim Gill, a gay philanthropist who's dolled out thousands of dollars to gay candidates in Oklahoma since 2006. Kern suspects he is behind Novotny's candidacy. Novotny denies that, and campaign finance record shows she's received no money from Gill. 72 percent of her donors are from Oklahoma. The others are from out of state.
And sources close to the Gill action fund say they've not contributed any money to the Novotny campaign. Actually, Ben Patrick Johnson is Novotny's largest out of state supporter, a Los Angeles actor. He's donated $1,000 and recently held a fund-raiser for Novotny.
BEN PATRICK JOHNSON, VOICE-OVER ACTOR/NOVOTNY SUPPORTER: It's really Sally's own words that motivate me. If there were some kind of aggregate gay mafia millionaires, I'd probably be a part of it, but there is no such.
PASTOR PAUL BLAIR, FAIRVIEW BAPTIST CHURCH: Father God, we look to you for our protection.
COSTELLO: At Oklahoma City's Fairview Baptist Church --
BLAIR: Who is (INAUDIBLE) the name of Jesus.
COSTELLO: One of Sally Kern's strongest supporters is Pastor Paul Blair. He says Johnson and the rest of Novotny's out of state donors should stay out of Oklahoma politics. He says they have a plan.
If it is a plan, what have they proved?
BLAIR: Proved of source what?
COSTELLO: As far as anything?
BLAIR: That even if you're in a conservative state, you're not safe. If you take a strong stand on these moral issues, we can knock you out. If we can knock Sally Kern out of Oklahoma, then we can knock you out.
COSTELLO: As for the candidates themselves, both say they prefer to focus on economic issues. At this point, good luck with that.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO (on-camera): That's for sure. So far, Brittany Novotny has $32,294 to Sally Kern's $30,849. And in case you're wondering, as of August 9th, Kern received only two out-of-state donations totaling $125. Voters will decide what's important as they say in November. Election Day is November 2nd in Oklahoma.
ACOSTA: Another fun race to watch. Carol Costello in Washington for us this morning. Thanks, Carol. Appreciate it.
COSTELLO: Sure.
Coming up, American hiker, Sarah Shourd, has been freed from an Iranian prison, but her two hiking companions are still behind bars. What is their future hold? The mothers of Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal join us. It is 36 minutes after the hour.
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ACOSTA: Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning. After more than 400 days in Iranian custody, American hiker, Sarah Shourd, is free, reunited with her family in Oman. She was one of three hikers jailed in Iran and charged with spying. Shourd says she won't rest until the other two are released.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SARAH SHOURD, HIKER RELEASED BY IRAN: Today is the work that my day begins, and all of my efforts starting today, are going to go into helping procure the same freedom for my fiancee, Shane Bauer, and for my friend, Josh Fattal, because I can't enjoy my freedom without them. (END VIDEO CLIP)
CROWLEY: And joining us now, Cindy Hickey, the mother of Shane Bauer and Laura Fattal, mother of Josh Fattal. Welcome and you know, we were just talking, just -- this is a tough moment emotionally. They've all been tough moments, but this is great that she's out and yet you still don't have your boys.
CINDY HICKEY, SHANE BAUER'S MOTHER: Absolutely. You know, I'm very happy Sarah's out. She's my daughter-in-law to be. I love her very much, but I want Shane home. I want Shane and Josh home connected with their families, and the biggest thing for me at that moment was what was it like for Shane and Sarah to separate along with josh because they're very close right now.
ACOSTA: And what are your hopes right now? I mean, what do you know about their condition, and how soon they might be able to come home?
LAURA FATTAL, SON, JOSH FATTAL: OK. Well, we don't have any new information, but Cindy and I have not talked to nor heard from Josh or Shane for four months on Tuesday. From the time we left Tehran May 21st until today, we have not had a letter or a phone call from Josh or Shane. And of course, we're more than eager to. But what we really want, of course, is their release. It is almost 14 months of detention. We're so happy that Sarah's home with Nora, but it's our turn. It's our turn to have our kids back with us.
CROWLEY: You know, I know that probably you all are in touch, at least, periodically with state department officials. Iran has a way of doing things in their signals. What do you take from Sarah's release? Do you think this makes it more hopeful that your boys will be released without a trial? Do you think it makes it more likely that Iran may hold a trial? What have you been told?
HICKEY: You know, we're always hopeful. What have we been told, we really haven't been told anything. And I really try hard not to speculate or look into that. Our task is to do what we do as moms to get these three home, and you know, we could speculate all we want and that's not going to change what's happening.
ACOSTA: And the Iranians have said that they plan to try your sons on espionage charges. And I guess, what would you say to the Iranians, to the world, about what your sons were doing when they were detained?
FATTAL: Iran knows they have three innocent hikers. One of whom they've let free. And we're hoping very, very much they will let the other two free, Josh and Shane. And that's what we're urging them to do, and of course, President Ahmadinejad, I know, we're welcoming him to the United States, and we would, of course, like him again, as we asked him last year, to bring, this time, just two hikers, Josh and Shane.
CROWLEY: And you hold out hope, obviously, that he might -- he could, it is within his power to put those two young men on the plane and bring them to the United States to their home. Have you been given any indication that that will happen? Has there been any hopeful sign that you see?
HICKEY: We haven't been given an indication, but we really don't get indications when things happen. So, we just hold out hope and continue to do what we need to do.
ACOSTA: Are your sons basically hostages? Is that -- I mean, how do you look at their situation?
HICKEY: You know, we look at in it a very humanitarian way. You know, we know what happened. We know that our sons, you know, and daughters are certainly not spies, you know? We focus on what it should be. A humanitarian issue. They should be released.
CROWLEY: Do you know anything about whether Sarah got to see them before she left? Do you know anything more recent about their condition, their state of mind since you saw them four months ago?
HICKEY: It does sound like Sarah did get to say goodbye to Shane and Josh which kept me awake at night thinking I hope she gets to say goodbye and they don't just wonder where she went. As far as their condition, we're not sure. I'm very anxious to talk to Sarah so she can give us the details.
FATTAL: But you know, four months -- 14 months almost of detention, the mental and psychological stress of detention in -- though, Shane and Josh are together, they're isolated from the whole world in a very big way. And that stress and that prolonged and protracted detention, it doesn't do well by anyone, and so we need them out. It's not like a long distance race. We're here to end it.
We want it over, and we just am hoping as Cindy has said that the humanitarian compassionate nature of the Islamic Republic of Iran will work in our favor as it has for Sarah.
CROWLEY: You know, I know as a mother myself that when your children are in a situation, you know it's dangerous, that all of your stresses about their stress. How has this affected you?
HIKCEY: This has taken a huge toll not only on me but the rest of my family members physically and emotionally. I mean, I -- I am strong as Shane is so I just take care of myself because I -- I have to be strong.
Quitting is not an option but it's taken a huge toll on all of us as I'm sure it has on Shane and we just want to end it soon so we can all get back to mental and physical health and continue on.
We have -- we have a wedding too. Sarah and Shane have a wedding to plan. So we need them free, both of them to do that.
CROWLEY: That -- that will be a day. I know.
FATTAL: Yes so. Josh is the best man so he's got to be there.
HICKEY: Yes, he does.
FATTAL: Yes.
CROWLEY: Cindy Hickey and Laura Fattal, best of luck. We look forward to having you back when your boys are free.
HICKEY: Thank you.
ACOSTA: And we'll all be hoping for the best.
HICKEY: Thank you very much.
ACOSTA: All the best to you. Thanks a lot.
CROWLEY: Thank you.
ACOSTA: It is 45 minutes after the hour.
We'll be right back.
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ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Welcome back to your Hurricane Headquarters. I'm Rob Marciano. We have three storms in the Atlantic basin right now, two of which are Category 4 hurricanes. Julia way out here, this is the eastern most Category 4 storm on a record.
Igor continues to churn with winds that were almost a Category 5 status last night and here is tropical storm Karl. And we're going to get to that in a second.
As far as the track of Igor is concerned it continues to tracks towards Bermuda. It shouldn't hit the U.S. but it's going to certainly churn up some wave action across the East Coast.
Here is what's going on with Tropical Storm Karl. This thing is very close to being a hurricane -- an eye trying to form now. It's just about to make landfall right around Chatamal (ph), Mexico, that is well south of Cancun but the entire Yucatan Peninsula is going to get heavy rain and there's likely some flooding and then the track of this thing brings it to probably hurricane status once it gets into the Gulf of Mexico.
But the ridge to the north should keep it south of Texas and make landfall across northern parts of Mexico sometime over the weekend, potentially as a Category 1 or higher hurricane.
The other deal here happening a little across the Lower 48 today, a threat for severe weather across the mid-section of the country not only today but then heading into the Great Lakes and mid-Atlantic tomorrow.
Meanwhile, the northeast looks lovely for this Wednesday. You're up to date weather-wise. AMERICAN MORNING is coming right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) CROWLEY: Welcome back to "The Most News in the Morning" and it is time for your "A.M. House Call," stories about your health.
A weight loss drug that once showed a lot of promise may now be headed for the trash. There are big concerns about Meridia's safety. And evidence that backs up those fears.
Our senior medical correspondent, Elizabeth Cohen joins us now from Atlanta with the details. Elizabeth, what is the concern about this drug?
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Candy, the concerns about this drug are that they might possibly be linked to heart attacks and strokes. There was an Italian study that came out recently that has some people a bit worried.
Let's take a look at it. They compared people who are on Meridia, with people who are on a placebo to see what their risk was for having a heart attack or stroke. With Meridia the risk was 11 percent, with the placebo, it was 10 percent.
And even though it's a small difference, it was still a difference. Now, the FDA is holding hearings to see if Meridia ought to be pulled off the market or have stronger warnings on the labels or anything like that.
Abbott Labs, which makes Meridia, they say, "Hey, in the Italian study the patients were having heart problems to begin with so they say that these study results aren't valid because those patients shouldn't be take -- shouldn't have been taking Meridia to begin with -- Candy.
CROWLEY: So, Elizabeth, 10 percent and 11 percent when you're comparing the placebo and the drug and it also occurs to me that don't you have to also weigh the risk of being overweight which is sort of the same risk, right? Strokes and heart attacks.
COHEN: Right exactly, that's true. And you do have to put that into the equation.
Here's the issue. Some doctors say, look, it's a small increased risk but when you look at it you're not getting that much of a weight loss difference when you're on Meridia.
So let's take a look at those numbers because I think those are important. What they found and this is the company's own studies is that if you look at someone who weighs about 207 pounds, they lost nine pounds extra when they went on Meridia and so there are some concerns are those nine pounds really worth it when there seems to be an increased risk of heart attack or stroke at least according to the Italian study.
CROWLEY: so, I guess the bottom line here is if someone's taking Meridia, do they need to stop taking it?
COHEN: They shouldn't just stop it suddenly. This isn't an immediate risk that people need to worry about. If I take one pill will it do something terrible to me? You should really talk to your doctor and talk about the risk for heart attack and stroke.
Talk about your own personal family history and decide what the right thing is for you. There's no reason to panic. There's time to have a discussion with your doctor.
CROWLEY: Elizabeth Cohen, thank you so much.
COHEN: Thanks.
CROWLEY: It is 8:55. At least here it is. It's 55 minutes after the hour wherever you are.
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ACOSTA: And welcome back. It's 58 minutes after the hour. Here's what's happening.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Israeli and Palestinian leaders are getting down to business tackling core issues of the Middle East conflict. Clinton's in Jerusalem where Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas are holding another round of face to face negotiations.
CROWLEY: The couple infamous for crashing a White House state dinner last year may be dealing with something far more serious. According to a new book Michaele Salahi has suffered from multiple sclerosis for nearly 17 years. The book title "Cirque du Salahi: Be careful who you trust" is due out today.
ACOSTA: And you'll soon be able to add pictures and video to your tweets. The new features are part of a major overhaul designed to make Twitter more user friendly. The company is partnering with more than a dozen media providers including Yahoo!'s Flickr and Google's YouTube to let YouTube's embed pictures and playable videos directly on twitter.com and apparently, candy, dogs can tweet now, as well -- referencing a story earlier in this program.
CROWLEY: Yes, apparently.
ACOSTA: Doggy tweets.
CROWLEY: It is a great country.
ACOSTA: Yes, that's right.
CROWLEY: Continue the conversation on today's stories, go to our blog at CNN.com/amfix.
ACOSTA: And coming up in just a few moments, we have "CNN NEWSROOM" with Kyra Phillips. And I just want to say, it's been lovely being with you these last three days.
CROWLEY: It's been very nice. Kiran is going to come back and get the place back together again. ACOSTA: I think they are.
CROWLEY: We did see John yesterday, and I must say after his -- he had to stay in an airport because, what? New York airport was in a shut down or a slow down, and he's looking a little worse for the wear.
ACOSTA: I think so. But I think they're feeling like the coup is ending. Remember, you started off Monday saying the coup has begun. I think the coup is ending.
CROWLEY: The coup is now over.
ACOSTA: That's right.
CROWLEY: We've lost.
ACOSTA: End of coup; we've lost again.
All right, Kyra.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR, "CNN NEWSROOM": Now wait, you guys have staked your flags. We've all been watching the story. And Jim Acosta, how about that Candy Crowley with that fabulous hair?
ACOSTA: I know.
CROWLEY: Enough, enough with the hair.
ACOSTA: I can't control myself, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: I know. I've been e-mailing your son, Jonathan, as well. We're all big fans. That Candy Crowley -- wooh. Well, you behave yourself.
CROWLEY: They can't be here --
PHILLIPS: Have a great day, you guys.
(CROSSTALK)
ACOSTA: All right.
CROWLEY: Bye. Have a good one.
ACOSTA: Take care.
