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American Morning
Royal Engagement; "Slurpee Summit" Postponed; No Bobby Jindal in 2012; Some Allege Sarah Palin Supporters Keeping Bristol Palin on "Dancing with the Stars"; Jay-Z "Decoded"
Aired November 17, 2010 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning as we cross the 8:00 hour here on the East Coast. Thanks for joining us on AMERICAN MORNING on this Wednesday, the 17th of November.
I'm John Roberts.
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Kiran Chetry. Glad you're with us. A lot to talk about this morning. Let's get right to it.
The royal wedding now in the works. Prince William and Kate Middleton engaged to be married and discussing it publicly for the first time. William talks about starting a family, Kate about the late Princess Diana. A big interview and the story behind the engagement ring -- next.
ROBERTS: Can't they all just get along? Republican leaders in Congress put the so-called "Slurpee Summit" at the White House on ice for a little while, at least. Is it a slap in the president's face?
CHETRY: Also, could bit a Tea Party conspiracy to keep Bristol Palin dancing on TV? Carol Costello with a "Gut Check" this morning as politics and reality television collide.
ROBERTS: First, though, the whole world is waiting for royal wedding bells. Prince William and Kate Middleton are tying the knot, talking about it for the first time. William says his prowess in the kitchen and his sense of humor won the future princess over.
CHETRY: And as for the engagement ring, it's a stunning sapphire. You've probably seen it before -- surrounded by 14 diamonds. It is the very ring worn by William's late mother, Princess Diana.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KATE MIDDLETON, PRINCE WILLIAM'S FIANCEE: Well, obviously, it would be -- I would love to have met her. And she's obviously -- she's an inspirational woman to look up to. Obviously, on the -- to this day and, you know, going forward and things, you know, just -- you know, it's a wonderful family, the members who I've met have achieved a lot and, you know, very inspirational. So, yes, I do.
PRINCE WILLIAM OF WALES: There's no pressure though. There's no pressure because like Kate said, you know, it is about carving your own future. No one's going to try -- you know, no one's trying to fill my mother's shoes and she -- what she did is fantastic. It's about making your own future and your own destiny and Kate will do very good job of that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: So, no date has been set yet but there's already buzz about a possible spring wedding.
ROBERTS: And, of course, everybody is talking about that ring, where it came from and how it wound up on Kate Middleton's finger.
Our Atika Shubert live from Buckingham Palace this morning.
Atika, give us the history.
ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, of course, it is the engagement ring that Princess Diana chose for her engagement. And at that time it was bought, it was about 30,000 pounds. In today's terms, that had been bought for about $130,000. It, however, of course, is valued much, much more now simply because it has all of that history.
And Prince William said that he chose to propose with this ring specifically in memory of his mother, a way for her to sort of enjoy the fun of the day.
There's actually been a lot of debate and discussion here. In all of the top headlines -- and I just talked to a group of women about what they thought of this ring being used for the engagement. And they're a little split to be honest with you.
One woman said, you know, I know it's tradition, but does it bring back too much of the memory of Princess Diana? Another saying that she thought it was a warm and sentimental gesture and a beautiful ring at that. So, a lot of discussion about the ring itself.
Today, the couple will be meeting with royal advisers to talk about other details, trying to set a specific date for the wedding, whether it'd be a spring or a summer wedding. And, of course, the venue -- a lot of discussion about whether or not it would be Westminster Abbey where the queen herself was married and is rumored one of the favorite places for Prince William.
So, a lot of details are still to set out. In the next few days, we'll probably to see some confirmation of all this, John.
CHETRY: How is this wedding expected to be in terms of lavishness?
SHUBERT: Well, this is the big question. People want to see a celebration. They want to see something big.
But at the same time, Britain is in the age of austerity. A lot of budget cuts going around. So, it really can't be too over the top.
Prince Charles and Princess Diana's wedding was estimated to cost somewhere about 30 million pounds, that'd be about $50 million. So, that was quite expensive. Her wedding train alone cost about $30,000, not to mention the 27 wedding cakes that were available for guests.
So, really, there's a lot of discussion about whether it should be a much more pared down thing and whether they should respect the sort of economic times that are happening today.
ROBERTS: We'll see what happens. As you said, they're meeting with the royal advisers today and we'll see what advice they've got to give them.
Atika Shubert for us this morning, outside of Buckingham Palace.
And Prince William's bride-to-be, Kate Middleton, she's dubbed affectionately "Waity Katie," but she is waiting no more.
CHETRY: Affectionately for whom? I'm sure she didn't like it.
Alina Cho joins us now with more on the woman who captured the heart of a prince.
Hey, Alina.
ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's a long time to wait, but she stuck it out and it paid off.
CHETRY: They were young, right?
CHO: They were very young. I mean, listen, she is still only 28 years old. She'll be 29 when she's married.
But you're right. They did call her "Waity Katie." She waited eight years. Well, she's not waiting anymore.
Kate Middleton will soon be Princess Catherine. So, we wanted to know who is this woman in line to be queen? Who is Kate Middleton?
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHO (voice-over): In England, she is a media darling, a household name. But until now, the rest of the world has not seen much of her. All of that is changing -- now that Prince William has asked Kate Middleton to marry him.
MIDDLETON: It was a total shock when it came -- and I'm very excited.
CHO: A rare chance to hear her speak.
MIDDLETON: I actually think I went bright red when I met you and sort of scuttled off.
CHO: That's how she describes the first time she met Prince William. It was 2001, while both studied art history at St. Andrew's in Scotland. A year later, they were flat mates, and then a couple.
KATIE NICHOLL, ROYAL CORRESPONDENT, THE MAIL ON SUNDAY: She's thoroughly charming. She's good fun. She's very sporty. She's very, very down to effort. She comes from a family that is incredibly close and tight knit, and she is middle class.
CHO: The daughter of a former pilot and a flight attendant, parents who now own a party supply business, self-made millionaires. She's 28, the eldest of three, and grew up outside London.
NICHOLL: She's incredibly private, she's incredibly discrete and she's incredibly loyal. These are all reasons why Prince William has chosen to be with her.
CHO: Today, the London tabloids document her every outfit, women watch and copy what she wears. A lot like Princess Diana before her. The comparisons are inevitable.
MIDDLETON: I would love to have met her. And she's obviously -- she's an inspirational woman to look up to.
CHO: Middleton wears the same ring Diana wore as her engagement ring. Within a year, she, too, will join the most famous royal family in the world.
MIDDLETON: It's obviously nerve-wracking, because I don't know what I'm -- and sort of -- I don't know the ropes really. William is obviously used to it, but, no, I'm willing to learn quickly and work hard and I'm --
WILLIAM: She'll do really well.
MIDDLETON: Yes.
WILLIAM: We'll do really well.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHO: I'm sure she will and she will learn the ropes very quickly now that the announcement has been made about the engagement -- of course, the guessing game is beginning about the gown, the date of the wedding, the setting. You know, by all accounts, it will happen in spring or summer of next year, 2011 -- of course, a very important year in the royal family. It would have been the 50th birthday of Princess Diana and the 30th anniversary of Charles and Diana's wedding.
Of course, that was a last time a royal wedding got this much attention. It was called the wedding of the century back then and now, people calling this the wedding of the century.
ROBERTS: Probably the wedding of this century.
CHO: That's right.
ROBERTS: She's going to be a gorgeous bride, too.
CHO: Oh. I mean, I can only imagine. Yes.
ROBERTS: She hats really well, too.
CHO: She hats very, very well. I wish we do a little more of that here.
CHETRY: Yes, we can't all pull it off, Alina. Thank you.
Eight-forty Eastern, we'll be joined by Mark Saunders live from London. He's a reporter and author of several biographies on the royal family.
ROBERTS: All right. Here at home, outrage over airport security spilling into the courts this morning. A civil liberties group is suing Homeland Security chief, Janet Napolitano, and TSA administrator, John Pistole, on behalf of two pilots who refused to submit to body scans and pat downs. And a public interest group says it's suing the Homeland Security Agency to get their hands on medical records that the department used before approving the use of these airport scanners.
CHETRY: Haiti's cholera epidemic triggering riots in several cities and towns. Angry protesters are burning tires and cars and setting a police station on fire. They're accusing United Nations peacekeepers of bringing the disease into the city. Aid workers are urging demonstrators to stop the violence so they can deliver supplies to affected areas. Cholera has more than 1,000 people in Haiti.
ROBERTS: Well, the party's over for Four Loko and other caffeinated alcohol drinks. The Food and Drug Administration could move to ban the beverages as early as today. Doctors say they're dangerous because caffeine covers up some of the effects of the alcohol combined in it. Some pack the punch of three cups of coffee and almost a six-pack of beer in some cases.
CHETRY: Wow.
Well, Rob Marciano is in the extreme weather center this morning, nine minutes past the hour right now.
And we got some weather to talk about this morning, Rob.
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes. Pretty rough storm moving across the Northeast.
This is what it looks like, would look like last night across parts of Baltimore and D.C. area really got hammered with the heavy wind, enough to take some down power lines, some trees, some roof damage, as well. Even some folks were trapped at one point, some injuries. So, serious weather moving through the Baltimore-D.C. area and is now rolling across the Northeast and it will be coming through this area with a vengeance, as well.
Windy conditions will be the call today, even some heavy rain. But most of that has headed east now into eastern New England, Springfield, Mass, at western Boston, you're getting some heavy rain right now and that will continue in the next couple of hours.
And then the winds will hang around right through the rest of today, for a good chunk of real estate including almost all of New York state. Twenty-two-mile-a-hour winds right now in New York City, 18-mile-an-hour winds in D.C., and 24 in Boston. And those will crank up more as we go throughout the day, we could see gusts over 40 at times. That will, of course, cause some delays at Boston, and in the New York metro airports, D.C. and Philly also, albeit it to a lesser extent.
There's another storm in the midsection of the country causing some blizzards conditions in spots and rough weather across the Northwest as well. So, November's a time at times for nasty weather and we're certainly enduring our share of it.
John and Kiran, back up to you.
ROBERTS: All right. Rob, thanks so much.
CHETRY: Ten minutes past the hour right now. The so-called Slurpee Summit postponed because Republican leaders are too busy. Is it a sign of what things will be like in Washington for the next two years?
Ed Henry is live for us at the White House.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: President Obama called it the midterm shellacking and then he moved to quickly get to key Republicans like John Boehner as well as others to try to find some middle ground for the White House and maybe perhaps meet for a dinner.
ROBERTS: Yes. They dubbed it the so-called "Slurpee Summit." It was supposed to happen tomorrow, but Republican leaders now say, we can't make it; we've got other things that we have to do, important business that we have to attend to.
Is it a slap in the president's face and a sign of the political gridlock ahead?
CNN's Ed Henry is live for us at the White House.
So, we were all anticipating this. It seemed like a no- brainer. All sides are getting together. And if you want to work together, you got to talk to each other.
And suddenly, they pull the plug on the whole thing. What happened?
ED HENRY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: That's right. Good morning, John.
You know, it's interesting -- so much for getting things of on a bipartisan note. Everyone has been saying, look, the Slurpee Summit will be a good chance to maybe break some bread. They're going to have a meeting here at the White House on Thursday. But then the president wanted to have Republicans over for dinner in the Residence after, spend several hours together.
Bottom line is that Republicans say they had never agreed to do this on Thursday, that they've got a whole crush of events. They've got fresh men orientation for some of the incoming freshmen, and there are a lot of Republican freshmen, as we all know, because of that shellacking. They've got retirement dinners for senators and House members who are leaving.
And that they never agreed to this, that the president put it out there, that Robert Gibbs went to the podium and put out a date and that nothing had been agreed to and they're sort of being forced into this.
Now, the Democratic side of it is, wait a second. This is the president reaching out right after the election and even if there are dinners and photo-ops and other things going on, that Republicans should clear their schedule when the president says come on down, let's meet. There are some big issues to get together on.
I think the bottom line is that -- I've been talking to some Democrats close to this White House who wonder if the Republicans sort of testing the president here and maybe saying, look, we've got this other stuff going on, we might not have time for you. Make it seem like he's a little bit irrelevant right now, John.
CHETRY: Also, we have a new date set. That's supposed to be, what, November 30th.
HENRY: That's right.
CHETRY: So, what if anything will they actually accomplish at the meeting as they try to find things that the two sides can agree on?
HENRY: That's the big question. It's going to be, as you said, Tuesday after Thanksgiving. So, we got a little bit of time here. There's a lot of big issues still that have to be decided. They're trying to put together a defense bill, for example, and decide whether or not it's going to overturn the "don't ask, don't tell policy." That's a big issue that's going to be dealt with.
The big economic one, everyone's watching, is the fact that at the end of the year, the Bush tax cuts are going to expire. And so, this summit was supposed to be the forum to try to figure out, are they going to extend them just for the middle class, they're going to include the rich, as well. The bottom line is that it appears that the president is leaning toward some sort of a compromise that would include extending even the tax cuts for the rich at least for a short term, maybe one or two years -- John, Kiran.
ROBERTS: Ed Henry for us at the White House. We'll keep watching that one, Ed. Thanks.
HENRY: Thank you.
ROBERTS: Once upon a time, he was talked about as a possible White House contender, well, not anymore. Louisiana governor, Bobby Jindal, tells the Associated Press that he will not run for president in 2012. No ifs, ands, or buts, he says. The Republican said he plans to run for re-election in Louisiana where he says there's a lot more work to be done.
CHETRY: So, who's first out of who's left for the GOP in 2012? The answer is really no one. They did a Gallup Poll just out finding that no clear Republican front-runner exists in the White House -- for the White House. Mitt Romney with 19 percent. Sarah Palin and Mike Huckabee, just close behind with 16 percent. Newt Gingrich there with 13 percent, all, though, within the 4 percent margin of error. Meaning, it really is too close to call.
ROBERTS: Well, coming up next on AMERICAN MORNING, what everybody's talking about. William and Kate's engagement and the plans for the royal wedding. And when will William and Kate produce an heir to the throne? These are the questions we're asking this morning. We'll have some of those answers coming right up. Seventeen minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Twenty minutes after the hour. Here are some of the stories that got us talking in the newsroom this morning. First, a really odd couple. Teen mom, Bristol Palin and 'The Situation' from MTV's "Jersey Shore" teaming up again. The one-time co-stars on "Dancing with the Stars" taped a public service announcement on, of all things, safe sex.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BRISTOL PALIN, DAUGHTER OF SARAH PALIN: I hope you're as committed to safe sex as you are to those abs.
"THE SITUATION," ENTERTAINER: I know you're all about that abstinence thing and, you know, come on. Are you serious? Like, you're not going to hook up before you're married for real?
PALIN: For real.
"THE SITUATION": For real for real?
PALIN: For real, for real, for real, but I'm worried about you, and you practicing safe sex.
"THE SITUATION": I actually practice a whole lot. I mean, a whole lot.
PALIN: Talk about the safe part of that.
"THE SITUATION": We got the safe part down pat. Magnums. You know what? I might be able to spare one. I mean, you know, I'll give you one.
PALIN: It's fine. I avoid situations.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Fine acting.
ROBERTS: I've never seen the show, but apparently, there was something in the last episode that --
CHETRY: Well, it's just --
ROBERTS: Kind of ran counter to that full theme?
CHETRY: The hot tub incident, right, guys? I mean, I think that people should practice what they preach about that.
ROBERTS: You're microphone is not on. Did you turn it off?
CHETRY: Sorry.
ROBERTS: Let me pick this up.
CHETRY: Hold on. Let me see if I can get it. She's an arcade basketball machine, and this video has gone viral. Maybe my mic was off for a reason that I couldn't (INAUDIBLE).
Check out this young lady knocking down 128 consecutive shots in just one minute, and she did not miss one. And yes, indeed, it was 128 because our wonderful writer, Mark Freedman (ph), counted every single one to be sure.
ROBERTS: Unbelievable. What a steady hand.
We're talking about this yesterday. The Beatles now being included in the iTunes catalog. Well, in less than 24 hours, the Beatles already making their mark, three of their albums, Abbie Road, The White Album, and Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Heart Club Band are among the top 10 selling albums. At the same time, their single "Let It Be" is now on to the top 30 download.
CHETRY: They shouldn't have waited so long. Look at that.
ROBERTS: We heard analysts yesterday saying why would anybody buy them because -- no. Not saying you.
CHETRY: No. If you're a huge Beatles' fan, wouldn't you have already uploaded them to iTunes?
ROBERTS: I guess there are a lot of fans out there that didn't go to the record store.
CHETRY: I guess not.
ROBERTS: So, they're buying it on iTunes now. CHETRY: Well, now that she said yes, everyone's asking when we can expect the pitter patter of little royal feet. Say that one five times fast. Poor Kate. They can't even get married yet and they're already, when are you having kids? But anyway, Prince William and Kate Middleton speaking publicly about their royal engagement, and William asking for a little more time before embarking on fatherhood.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: People are bound to ask, you know, it's a bit of a question but, children, do you want lots of children? Is -- you know, see what comes? What's your --
PRINCE WILLIAM OF WALES: I think one step at a time. Get over the marriage thing first and then maybe look at the kids, but obviously, you know, we want a family. So, you know, we'll have to start thinking about that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: Potentially, a lot of pressure on him because there are many people who believe that with the queen staying on as long as she has that the monarchy will actually pass or the throne, the crown will pass over Charles to William. So, he may be under pressure to produce an heir.
CHETRY: Yes. I'm sure they're feeling the pressure cooker already, and they haven't even walked down the aisle. Good luck to them, though. They seem like a nice little couple.
ROBERTS: No pressure folks, though.
Coming up, the key to living in an eco-friendly home, it's not just how you build it, sometimes, it's where you build it as well. We'll explain coming right up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Twenty-six minutes after the hour now.
CHETRY: Going green not only starts at home and starts within your home, and at times, with your home.
ROBERTS: It does. You can live in an eco-friendly energy saver by building from scratch or renovating the home that you're in now. Jason Carroll continues our series this morning on going green. Good morning to you.
JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. It's easy either way, whichever way you decide to do it, easy. You'll see. Bigger is not always better. You know, the trend of buying those mc- mansions is over. It's all about more energy efficient homes, even homes that come packaged and ready to go.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SANDRA BEER, ECO-FRIENDLY HOMEOWNER: I love this house. I love this house.
CARROLL (voice-over): It's a house that Sandra Beer and her daughter, Carolyn, hope will become the home of the future. Eco- friendly from its bamboo floors.
BEER: It's a renewable resource, and it grows so quickly.
CARROLL: To its energy efficient windows.
BEER: Natural lighting was a major piece for me.
CARROLL: Even the water heater works only on demand.
BEER: Just heats up the amount of hot water I need and not any extra.
CARROLL: Sandra's two-bedroom home is fab as in prefabricated in a factory translating to less waste in construction with the parts made in a factory and assembled on site.
At any point, did you think to yourself, I've got a folded house here in the front?
BEER: Oh, I was so excited. I was so excited when it came.
CARROLL: Maura McCarthy is co-founder of Blu Homes, the company that built Beer's house.
MAURA MCCARTHY, CO-FOUNDER, BLU HOMES: We have a bamboo floor and you can literally feel the heat.
CARROLL: McCarthy says Beer's saving both the environment and money with features like those bamboo heated floors and dual flush toilet.
MCCARTHY: That means that you can, you know, choose the level of water you want to use based on whether you're going number one or number two.
CARROLL: I see.
But for most Americans, living green will be less about moving into a brand-new eco-friendly home and more about turning existing homes green. Fall Romano's house built in 1909 may lead the way.
PAUL ROMANO, HOMEOWNER: We're all going to do this. It's just a question of when we're going to do it.
CARROLL: It's being modernized and retro fitted under the watchful eyes of researchers.
ROMANO: Seal that all up around the entire house and then put on your residing.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You want to block the air and you want to block the water. CARROLL: Like this one from DuPont who are working with the Department of Energy.
STACEY BALDERSON, DUPONT BUILDING INNOVATIONS: It's a five-year program. The goal here is really to identify homes and get them to be cost neutral or net zero energy homes by 2030. And so, the way they want to do this is to make this easy and incremental.
CARROLL: Fixings like a newly insulated attic, a special furnace that eliminates chimney drafts and a programmable thermostat. The hope being what's learned from Paul's home could help turn more houses green across the country.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CARROLL: And the research team that you saw there at Paul Romano's house is one of 15 working with the Department of Energy across the country. The hope as you heard there is that the information that they learned will be passed on to builders. So again, by 2030, some 116 million homes can somehow be retro fitted.
CHETRY: It's smart. I mean, just some of those things seem so obvious. They had talked for a while about the cash for caulkers, remember, possibly getting a tax rebate for doing some of this.
CARROLL: Exactly. So, maybe that's one way that this will eventually happen, but as you, guys, were discussing during the package, an easy fix in a home like yours or possibly a home like yours, change up your toilet. Easy thing to do. And that we're talking little potty humor earlier there, but that dual flush toilet, easy fix. Anyone can do that in their home.
ROBERTS: What's exactly potty humor? We were just saying that those --
CARROLL: The way I was saying it was.
ROBERTS: Those have been a fixture, if you will, in Europe for a long time.
CARROLL: Quite sometime.
ROBERTS: Making their way over here.
CARROLL: Could be an easy fix here, as well.
ROBERTS: I loved that little exercise you're doing on the bamboo floor, too.
CHETRY: So, they're naturally heated or they heat the bamboo floors?
CARROLL: It's radiant heating from below.
CHETRY: That's cool. Pretty cool.
ROBERTS: Good stuff.
CHETRY: Thanks, Jason.
ROBERTS: Thanks, Jason.
CARROLL: You bet.
ROBERTS: Coming up to the half hour now. It's 8:30 on the East Coast and our top story this is Wednesday morning.
Germany on guard right now for a possible terror attack. A group of jihadists from Hamburg are believed to be at the center of a plot that's planned for later this month. Berlin says it has concrete evidence. No word on possible targets but security is being tightened at airports and train stations until further notice.
CHETRY: Damage reports are still coming in from the Baltimore area where powerful storms knocked out power to some 20,000 homes and businesses overnight. The wind ripped the roofs off of several buildings. Rescue crews are going door to door to check on people who might have been hurt or trapped. There's at least one unconfirmed report of a small tornado.
ROBERTS: TSA chief on the hot seat later on this morning. He's set to testify before a Senate committee on his agency's efforts to keep air travel safe. Today's Capitol Hill appearance was scheduled before this week's uproar over full body scans and pat downs.
Critics say the searches are too invasive. Some people worry about the radiation. The agency maintains they're both safe and necessary.
CHETRY: Brandy is out, Bristol Palin advancing to next week's finals on "Dancing with the Stars."
ROBERTS: Some people are saying, wow. The judges may not love the moves, the television audience keeps pushing Palin through, leaving some people to wonder if maybe we are witnessing a vast conservative conspiracy to keep her in. Really, that's what some people are saying.
Carol Costello this morning with a gut check on all of that. She's joining us live from Washington. So you've got to wonder, is there any walk of life, Carol, in which politics has not utterly, totally, and completely permeated it?
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I don't think so. Everything's political these days. If Bristol Palin's presence on "Dancing with the Stars" proved anything it is proved how partisan we have become as a nation.
I'm sure you heard this. Some people believe the only reason Bristol Palin remains on "Dancing with the Stars" is because of a Tea Party Republican conspiracy.
This was written on the liberal blog "Daily Kos," and I'm quoting here, "She," Bristol Palin, "is inferior, but Sarah Palin fans keep voting her in not because of her greater talent but as a tribute to her grifter mom. Evidently they're making a political point."
You know, if you go to a conservative blog site, there is a conservative blog site, conservatives for Palin and they do have a phone number and they're urging people to vote for Bristol Palin. On their blog site today it says liberal heads are exploding all over the place because Bristol Palin advanced.
So, is there a conspiracy? Is there not? We asked Bristol Palin and her dance partner.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I've had loads of people come up to me, especially in L.A., and say "I'm 100 percent Democrat but I vote for you guys every week because I have a normal life. I'm a normal family. I come home to the TV set and tune in and think to myself if I was on that show, that's how I would be. And I enjoy watching the journey and it's inspiring."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: So there you have it. You have to decide for yourself.
CHETRY: Also does it matter whether conservatives supporting Bristol? Does everything have to be politicized?
COSTELLO: Can't she have a fan base no matter where it comes from? Do we have to fight about it or talk about in it a partisan way? Can't Bristol Palin just dance?
Actually, the funny or sad thing is just how much we have politicized everything. I mean, if you take a look at this headline in the "Hollywood Reporter," "The reign of right-wing prime time." That's the headline.
In this new study a media research company came up with a list of shows Republicans like and those Democrats like. And I'll name a few. Republicans watched -- you guessed it -- "Dancing with the Stars," "Modern Family," "The Big Bang Theory."
Democrats apparently watch about damaged characters like "Mad Men," "30 Rock" and "Dexter." These are all shows with much lower ratings. Republicans it seems are more devoted to their favorites and watch in greater number. This supposed partisan divide in TV viewing habits has erupted over Bristol Palin.
Here's Kim Serafin who worked in politics with Rudi Giuliani and is now senior editor of "In Touch Weekly."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KIM SERAFIN, SENIOR EDITOR, "IN TOUCH WEEKLY": Funny but not entirely surprising because people do politicize everything. They politicize TV shows, movies, they politicize celebrities. Everything that people do these days is politicized and dealing with someone like Bristol Palin, the daughter of Sarah Palin, it's obviously going to be really amplified.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: And it has become really amplified. We put this on our blog early this morning and gotten quite a few responses. I would like to read what they think about this thing.
From Joshua, "The controversy surrounding Bristol Palin goes to show that Americans have turned politics into a pathetic popularity contest and merit no longer has anything to do with the elections or a televised dance-off. Having watched President Obama dance in India, I can say he might be the only dancer in America with less talent than Bristol Palin.
This one from Dawn, "I'm not a political party person in any way, shape, or form, but having a political party behind a dancer is no different than the sports fans behind an athlete or music fans behind a performer. When it gets down to the end, that's what it's about, fan base. It doesn't matter where the fans come from."
This from Mo. "Facebook abuzz last night calling for a boycott of ABC." So many different comments this morning.
ROBERTS: I guess it's not really a bona fide talent contest like, you know, something like figure skating. There are politics in figure skating, as well.
COSTELLO: Oh, yes. And a little gold statue. It's not like you win $1 million or anything.
CHETRY: Bragging rights forever if you win "Dancing with the Stars."
COSTELLO: That's right, exactly.
CHETRY: All right. Carol, thanks so much.
ROBERTS: Well, a prince finds the princess. Now England is getting ready for a royal wedding. We'll talk about what's next for Prince William and Kate Middleton coming right up. It's 36 minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Well, there's finally another royal wedding in the works. We have been talking all morning about the engagement and the excitement around the engagement of Prince William and long-time girlfriend Kate soon to be Katherine Middleton.
ROBERTS: The news broke a little more than 24 hours ago and already people are talking about the dress, the venue, the royal offspring, and even the chances that the couple will live happily ever after. Joining us from London is Mark Saunders, reporter and author of several biographies on the royal family. Let's tackle the last topic first, Mark, about the happily ever after part, because the House of Windsor in terms of high-profile royal weddings now zero for two. Do we expect that this couple will fare a little better?
MARK SAUNDERS, ROYAL BIOGRAPHER: Yes. I think -- I'm pretty confident that this is going to have a happy ending, this one. Remember, these two Kate and William, have been together some time. It's a pretty modern relationship. And it looks like it's going to be a very modern, royal marriage.
But looking at both of them yesterday, the first real glimpse we got of them during the interview, I wasn't particularly interested in what they were saying because it was scripted to some extent. But having spent time in this business, hiding up trees, I'm an expert of body language, and I felt you could see how well the body language worked, which bodes well for the future.
I think -- I don't want to use the term they look like a great team but I'll use that term. They do look like a great team. I think it is looking good for them.
CHETRY: You saw a comfort there and ease, you're right, with the body language. Also it just seemed like a support for one other as they were talking. And that was evident asked about Princess Diana and measuring up. Let's look at that exchange.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KATE MIDDLETON, ENGAGED TO PRINCE WILLIAM OF WALES: She's an inspirational woman to look up to. Obviously, on the -- to this day and, you know, going forward and things, you know, just, you know, a wonderful family. The members who have I have met achieved a lot. And, you know, very inspirational so, yes, I do.
PRINCE WILLIAM: No pressure there. No pressure because like Kate said, it is about carving your own future. No one's going to try to -- no one trying to fill my mother's shoes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: You almost saw him come to her rescue. How much pressure is on Kate to be a Diana?
SAUNDERS: I think tremendous pressure because the world is pretty much still in love with Diana and it's almost as if we're trying to find a replacement. I hope Kate doesn't in any way attempt to emulate her or try to live up to her. She doesn't need to do that. She's her own girl.
She's already very, very popular in this country. We keep using this word commoner but I wouldn't say she's a commoner. She's been introduced to America now and speaking to the -- particularly the American tourists yesterday, seemed to be she is a breath of fresh air within the royal family who is her own girl. And the press will obviously make comparisons. That will happen all the time. Even today I was reading reports of the dress sense boring compared to Diana. She had a blue dress on and to me looked absolutely lovely, though I'm not an expert on this. She's not going to be able to escape the comparisons.
ROBERTS: I thought she looked lovely, as well. I'm nothing of an expert, either, Mark.
But a question of children. They were asked about this yesterday and they said let's get through the marriage first and then talk about it. But will there be great pressure on them to produce an heir, because there's speculation with how long the queen maintained the crown it may pass over Charles and land directly on William's head.
SAUNDERS: First of all, the British will announce the pregnancy possibly two years before having her first child.
(LAUGHTER)
But in terms of -- no. There's no skipping of generation. I don't want to go into this too deeply, but the royal family, this is a blood line back to 1066, starting with William, Duke of Normandy. And they honestly believe they have a god-giving right to rule.
And if they break that blood line, they're basically going against god's will. Now, obviously, too many of us that seems a little bit silly, but that is the way they see things. There is no skipping of a generation. The queen is already handed down most of the work to Prince Charles. He's virtually the king consort now anyway.
And as Charles gets older, William and Kate will take over his role. So by the time Charles gets to the throne, remember, he will be a very old man. And the vast majority of the hard work, the big royal tours of Australia, New Zealand. The one we're looking forward to is America. I can't wait to see William and Katherine out there. We have to call her "Katherine" now apparently.
But there won't be any skipping, but they will be very prominent members, very senior members of the royal family. And in the next decade I'm sure they will have children, the old cliche of the heir and the spare. And it is necessary.
CHETRY: That is wonderful. And just one quick thing before you leave. Do you find it odd or fitting that he gave her his mother's ring?
SAUNDERS: I was flabbergasted. Like many people. I -- I actually was quite emotional because it was such a magnificent statement. And it allowed Diana to take center stage on -- on -- on a celebration that -- that William -- William was obviously very keen for his mother to be involved.
I -- you can't really ask a question what would Diana be doing today, how would she be involved. But I think she -- she was probably looking down with -- with tremendous pride.
ROBERTS: It's a pretty ring. No question about it. Mark Saunders, as always great to talk to you this morning. I'm sure we'll get together a lot --
CHETRY: Thanks.
ROBERTS: -- between now and the royal nuptials.
SAUNDERS: Thanks a lot.
ROBERTS: I appreciate it.
Forty-five minutes after the hour. We'll be right back.
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ROBERTS: It's 48 minutes after the hour. Let's get a quick check of this morning's weather headlines. Rob Marciano in the Weather Center for us this morning and -- and we've gotten rid of the rain here in New York at least?
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: You've gotten ridden of most of the rain. But the winds are going to hang around. Pretty potent storm system that's rolling across the Great Lakes right now and this is the same system that brought damaging winds last night to D.C. and Baltimore. It brought the soaking rains and some severe weather across parts of the south and it's bringing some rain, heavy at times right now to eastern parts of New England but this will be tapering off over the next couple of hours but in to replace it will be a fair amount of wind.
Already we've got sustained winds of 23 miles an hour in New York City; 22 up in Boston. And we'll see higher gusts throughout the day today as this storm continues to intensify and make its way slowly up across the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence River Valleys. It could -- it could see winds gusting at times to 50 miles an hour so that will be enough to take down some tree limbs and maybe knock out some power in spotty areas.
It will slow down the air travel. Boston, New York areas will probably see delays over an hour; Philly and D.C. to a lesser extent.
There is another storm in the central part of the country and yet another one rolling into the Pacific Northwest; Southeast, Southwest, it looks relatively quiet.
John and Kiran, back up to you.
CHETRY: Busy, busy.
ROBERTS: Yes and with all that wind coming, Rob, all those leaves that you raked up yesterday, you're going to have to rake up more today. Thanks so much.
MARCIANO: Get back out there. All right, guys. CHETRY: All right, thanks so much Rob.
Well, still ahead, he's a rapper, he's a record producer, entrepreneur. And he's a philanthropist, all-around nice guy. Pretty much everything Jay-Z touches turns to gold.
Well, now he's written about his life in a new book "Decoded" and he sits down with Poppy Harlow. We're going to check in with her to hear what he had to say.
Fifty minutes past the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: It's 52 minutes past the hour.
Jay-Z has written a new book, it's on sale now and don't be surprised of course if it's a best seller because everything the rapper does turns to gold.
ROBERTS: Certainly he has the Midas touch, no question. He sold more than 50 million albums, he's got 10 Grammy Awards and he has a master fortune with a net worth of nearly half-a-billion dollars now. The book is called "Decoded" and our Poppy Harlow sat down with Jay-Z to find out why he wrote it.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JAY-Z, AUTHOR, "DECODED": I wanted to make the case that rap is poetry, for one. And, you know, some of the decisions we made to give those decisions context. Why these songs are the way they are. Why there's this certain gangster rap. You know, why this is taking place in America. And it just felt like the perfect time to write it.
POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM: You've said President Obama had the courage to tell the press that he had your songs on his iPod. You've been a big supporter of his the entire way through. Has he followed through on the hope that he promised?
JAY-Z: I think he has -- he has -- he's on his way to delivering that but it's impossible for someone to take eight years of our last administration and turn it around in two years. It's very difficult to deliver on everything. You know? I think he's moving in the right direction, yes.
HARLOW: You insist that rap is poetry and you wrote Chuck D. famously called hip hop the CNN of the ghetto. Does hip hop and rap have a responsibility to report and not just entertain? To take it one step further?
JAY-Z: Yes, of course. You know, you can entertain, it's everything, it's rap is, you know, it's entertainment. It's informative, it's provocative. It's funny, it's silly. It's all of these things so absolutely.
HARLOW: What do you learn on the street because you talk about being 13 and selling crack? Did that teach you something of how to be a successful businessman or how we all are common?
(CROSSTALK)
JAY-Z: Yes, yes -- all the things -- all the things that you apply in business, you know, they say that he has great instincts, you know? But well on the streets having great instincts can be the difference between life and death. And not just losing a deal.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHETRY: It's also interesting, how he talks about rap and how he talks about his words being his most valued possession.
HARLOW: Yes, the story behind that, and I -- it's -- that his mother gave him a three-ring binder when he was a child and he said he used to always write his lyrics down all over the page. He didn't even have lined paper, they filled the page. And then, he'd hide that binder underneath his bed because he was afraid it would get stolen and he writes in his book my words were my most valuable possession.
I asked him in the interview, are they still today? And he said, absolutely, because that is what brought me out of where I was.
And we were talking about this earlier. He had a friend when he was young who he was with every single day who as a teenager got thrown in jail for 12 years and Jay-Z says not only could that be me, that would have been me, that or death if I didn't have music.
ROBERTS: It's -- it's fascinating how some of the skills that he developed on the streets can be applied to a completely different thing -- later.
HARLOW: Absolutely. And he doesn't condone selling drugs, life on the streets but he says, look, that was my reality. That is just the way that it was for me. I didn't have any other opportunities.
But he says what he learned on the street was instincts, following your gut, learning to trust people. Look them in the eye. Make a deal. That has made him a wildly successful businessman. That's -- that -- that was the only chance he had to learn was on the street.
CHETRY: And you also said he was a genuinely nice guy.
HARLOW: He -- I was blown away. You think a rap star. What's he's going to be like -- beyond nice, kind, articulate, thoughtful in his answers. He gave us about a 20-minute interview. The whole thing is at cnnmoney.com. But it's really nice when you go to interview someone and they surpass your expectations. That's exactly what he did.
ROBERTS: Great job Poppy. Looking forward to seeing the whole thing.
HARLOW: Thanks.
CHETRY: Thank Poppy.
Coming up, we're going to have our top stories. Right now, four minutes until the top of the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Well, that's pretty much going to wrap it up for us today. Thanks so much for joining us. Before we go, though, the contest of the day. A lot of people have been tweeting me to say, why are you wearing a T-shirt and jeans? Obviously, it doesn't translate on TV. I'm actually wearing a charcoal gray wool suit, jacket and pants and a sweater.
CHETRY: Well, you look very nice.
ROBERTS: No T-shirt and jeans this morning. Sorry.
CHETRY: "CNN NEWSROOM" with Kyra Phillips starts right now. Hey, Kyra.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR, "CNN NEWSROOM": Does someone have an issue the way I dress you? Is that what the problem is here?
ROBERTS: Yes. Exactly.
(CROSSTALK)
PHILLIPS: Because you know what? They better start tweeting me.
ROBERTS: Folks who are upset about what I was wearing -- take it up with her.
PHILLIPS: Yes. Care it to me. Thanks guys. All right.
CHETRY: @KyraPhillipsCNN to register all your complaints.
ROBERTS: There you go.
PHILLIPS: Thanks guys.
