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American Morning

Tracking a Serial Killer; Obama Says Bush Tax Cuts Must Go; Food Fight In Chicago; House Votes On Budget Deal; Battle over Bush Tax Cuts; Signing Jackie Robinson

Aired April 14, 2011 - 07:59   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Kiran Chetry. Another air traffic controller asleep at the switch and the FAA is now taking immediate action to prevent controllers working the overnight shift from flying solo.

ALI VELSHI, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Ali Velshi. President Obama saying he wants to save the country $4 trillion over a dozen years, but it may cost you tax hikes on the table. Both sides weigh in this hour.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Christine Romans. Home run king Barry Bonds convicted of obstructing justice. He was also facing three perjury charges. We will tell you why jurors say they couldn't reach a verdict on those counts, right now on this AMERICAN MORNING.

CHETRY: Good morning to you, thanks so much for being with us. It is April 14th, this Thursday. Welcome to AMERICAN MORNING.

VELSHI: A lot of budget stuff to talk about. This is a big decision that's going to affect all of you, so we'll have more on that this hour.

ROMANS: And also a story of the FAA. It's hard to believe it happened even once, but we're seeing it all over again, air traffic controllers falling asleep while on duty. The latest incident happened at the Reno Tahoe International Airport.

Officials say the controller was sleeping when a medical aide flight carrying a sick patient was trying to land there. Here's some of the pilot's conversation with the FAA in California.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

PILOT: Yes. We're here.

TRACON: We -- you weren't able to get through the tower?

PILOT: No.

TRACON: OK. We're going to call them on the phone line.

PILOT: All right. We'll circle, more.

TRACON: OK.

PILOT: We have a pretty sick patient. We may just have to land whether we have clearance or not.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

ROMANS: The plane had to circle for about 16 minutes.

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood says they are taking steps to ensure the flying public isn't at risk. He said they will not sleep -- those are his words -- until they find a way to make sure that all passengers are safe and that no one is sleeping in the tower. There already have been six incidents reported this year involving an air traffic controller sleeping on the job.

VELSHI: Well, it's not what we were told, but the Pentagon is now acknowledging that U.S. warplanes are still bombing Libya. A military spokesman tells CNN that the U.S. has flown 97 sorties since handing the project over to NATO, most for support, refueling and signal jamming. But on at least three occasions, U.S. jets have fired on targets.

CHETRY: And the search for a Long Island serial killer goes high- tech. FBI planes and helicopters are going to start flying today over the suburban New York beaches where at least eight separate sets of human remains have been found. They'll be shooting high-resolution aerial photos in an attempt to find the bones. Other reason why is it's a very, very difficult area to navigate by foot. Even the dogs are having trouble.

Allan Chernoff is joining us live from Long Island's Jones Beach this morning.

Hi, Allan.

ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN SENIOR CORESPONDENT: Good morning, Kiran.

Four of those remains have been identified as the remains of women who had been working as prostitutes. Another call girl by the name of Shannan Gilbert went missing not far from here, nearly a year ago, on May 1st. She has not been found. None of the remains have been identified as hers.

What happened a year ago is that at 5:00 in the morning, she banged on a house, the homeowner came to the door, called police immediately and she disappeared. Yesterday, we spoke with him and he said that it was months before detectives actually questioned him in detail about the events.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Missing person detective came here, like in August and was asking about her and I said, "Where have you been?" He said, well, the kind of thing of New Jersey police department didn't take them and --

CHERNOFF: They didn't come. She was missing May 1st.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

CHERNOFF: But the police did not come to visit you until August?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's correct.

CHERNOFF: Nothing?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nothing.

CHERNOFF: May, June, July, finally in August?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right.

CHERNOFF: Four months?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right. And that was missing persons.

CHERNOFF: And you called the police immediately?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, well, they came in here. But, as far as investigating it, no.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHERNOFF: The police say they have spoken with Mr. Colletti (ph) several times since May 1st and also he did provide a written statement back in June.

Shannan Gilbert had been a resident of Jersey City, New Jersey, and the police in Jersey City say they won't comment about the investigation.

CHETRY: But the thing that is stunning that you were trying to probe him on that -- I mean, is the fact they were looking for one missing girl. It's almost accidental that they stumbled upon all of these other remains and now, they have at least perhaps eight murders on their hands at this point.

CHERNOFF: Kiran, indeed, it was accidental the very first time that some remains were found around here. A K-9 officer was working with his dog on a training exercise, they came across some remains and that triggered the investigation along this stretch of beach for these remains. Prior to December, last year, they weren't searching here for bodies.

CHERNOFF: All right, Allan Chernoff for us at Jones Beach this morning. Thanks so much.

ROMANS: OK. Baseball's all-time home run king has been convicted of one count of obstructing justice. But after four days of deliberations, a San Francisco jury could not reach a verdict on three perjury charges against Barry Bonds and the judge declared a mistrial on those counts. A juror said Bonds was evasive when he testified before a federal grand jury about his alleged steroid use, but they didn't see proof that he lied. A sentencing date on the obstruction conviction will be set next month.

VELSHI: The NBA fining Kobe Bryant $100,000 for using a gay slur during a game. He was caught on camera yelling it at a ref after he was called for a technical foul. You can see, he's pretty annoyed there. Bryant released a statement saying he said it out of frustration and didn't mean to offend anyone.

CHETRY: Also, it's not usually something we goof on the vice president about. Sometimes it's what he said. Now, it's because of what he didn't say or at least why he was way too quiet. Vice President Biden caught -- it appeared at least, nodding off when the president was giving his speech outlining his plan to deal with the deficit. There you see him.

The lady behind him looks like --

VELSHI: Yes, she's totally gone. Yes.

CHETRY: Headrest.

VELSHI: He's still doing the subway nod. You know, he's sort of putting his head up every now and a while.

CHETRY: But Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner is paying rapt attention.

VELSHI: Yes.

CHETRY: OK. Well, to make it worse, the president announced that Vice President Biden had a new job during that speech, that he would be deputized, as they call it to be meeting with lawmakers and trying to work on a deal between both parties for a bipartisan plan.

ROMANS: I thought maybe he was working on his BlackBerry. But then there was a also a shot of his hands and his hands were moving.

VELSHI: Right. As I'm often doing that, I'm you know, I'm sitting there while something is going on.

ROMANS: Ali looks like he is sleeping but he's not, he's actually firing off an e-mail.

CHETRY: I thought you were catching up on your z's the whole time.

VELSHI: I think he was concentrating. President gave him a big job, he needs rest up.

ROMANS: All right. President Obama laying out his plan for deficit reduction, calling for $4 trillion in cuts or in tax increases, saying the Bush tax cuts have to go to get there. Reaction from a key Republican and incoming head of the Democratic National Committee, that's coming up.

CHETRY: Do you guys ever eat, as they call it, street meat? I love it.

VELSHI: Always, constantly. Yes.

CHETRY: I love those carts. But, you know, we're cutting up the lamb and everything.

VELSHI: There's three of them on this block.

CHETRY: Yes. Yes. Exactly.

Well, they're not in Chicago, though. It's interesting, you can't find these fancy food trucks in one city and our Stephanie Elam explains about a Windy City food fight.

Six minutes after the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VELSHI: Four trillion dollars in cuts -- President Obama laying out his most ambitious plan yet to slash the massive federal deficit, including changes to something once considered untouchable -- at least by Democrats -- Medicare, and erasing those Bush tax cuts for the highest tax brackets.

As you could imagine, all of that has the Republican Party fired this up morning.

Congressman Hal Rogers is a Republican from Kentucky. He's also the chairman of the House Appropriations Committee. He's on Capitol Hill this morning.

Congressman Rogers, thank you for being with us.

REP. HAL ROGERS (R-KY), APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN: Good to be with you, Ali.

VELSHI: All right. There are a lot of similarities here. First of all, I think it's fair to say that the president has moved a great deal from where he was last year and where he even was in February with his budget proposal, possibly based on some pressure from the Republican Party. What's your initial sense of where the president is with this right now?

ROGERS: Well, I was disappointed, frankly, in his speech yesterday. He failed to bring any specifics to the table. And that's where the problem is. We've got to get the specifics to try to control this out-of-control spending.

I mean, our deficit now is at $1.4 trillion a year. We are borrowing 42 cents of every dollar we spend.

And we've got to get down to basics, like we are today with this bill on the floor, to add spending for the balance of this fiscal year. We're going to cut $40 billion off of this year's spending, which is an all-time record, never before in history have we cut --

VELSHI: But would you say that because, I mean -- I think, again, it's fair to say, you've moved the president more in your direction, notwithstanding specifics, which we're going to have to get t in the next couple of months anyway -- are you generally pleased with the direction in wit president is going? Assuming that you can come to some agreement on those specifics.

ROGERS: Well, I'm certainly glad to see him come up to the table. He's not been at the table yet. So, he's at least come to the table. I want to see him sit down and work out details with us about how we can control this spending spree that we've been on the last couple of years. At least he's at the table.

VELSHI: All right. So, he wants $3 in cuts for $1 in increased taxes. We've heard Republicans and often those from the Tea Party saying this is not a revenue problem. It's only a spending problem.

This is an interesting compromise from the president, $3 in cuts, $1 in increased revenue, including taxing those high earners that the Republicans were entirely against -- against taxing what we call the Bush tax credit.

ROGERS: Well, we want to see the details. I want to see what he especially has in mind on tax increases. The problem in Washington is not that we're taxed too little. We spend too much. We spend too much, we borrow too much, and we tax too much, frankly, for this economy.

VELSHI: There is some sense though that there can be some -- a fairer approach to the tax system. And one of the things the president spoke of -- and again, I completely agree with you -- we want to see the details on this. But the idea that we eliminate a number of itemized deductions and in their place, possibly by eliminating some of them, end up with a lower tax rate for most people, for 98 percent of Americans.

ROGERS: Well, we'll see what he especially has in mind on those deductions he's talking about. If he's talking about repealing the interest deductions that people pay on their home mortgage, you know, that's pretty binding. So, yes, we'll look at the deductions. But the problem is not taxation. The problem is spending.

VELSHI: You seem to be fitting that into every answer. So, I know that sounds important to you. It does seem to me that when I look at the surface of the Paul Ryan's plan and the president's plan, the biggest differences seem to be in the entitlement spending, particularly on the Medicare side. Is that where you se the stumbling block?

ROGERS: Medicare, Medicaid, obviously the big ones. Look, we appropriate only a third of the federal spending. Two-thirds of the budget is on automatic pilot. It's Social Security and Medicare, Medicaid, veterans' pensions, food stamps, so the called entitlements -- two-thirds of the budget. They are on automatic pilot. They are not subject to annual appropriations by the Congress.

And that's where the big spending has taken place and that's where Paul Ryan is focusing his attention, is how can we responsibly reform Medicare, Medicaid to try to save some of the expenditures that are being made that that are driving up this debt?

VELSHI: We have a CNN/Opinion Research poll which asks whether the Paul Ryan proposal, the Republican proposals, cut spending -- to cut spending apply fairly to all groups. About a third say yes. About 68 percent, two thirds, a little more than two-thirds, say no.

Who do you think the Republican proposals are not fair to?

ROGERS: Well, you know, we have just begun to explore what the Paul Ryan proposal is. It will be on the floor today and tomorrow, so, we'll learn more about it. I don't think the public has really had a chance to soak in the Paul Ryan budget proposal just yet.

VELSHI: All right. And we will be taking a close look at that had here at CNN as well. Thank you. I think you're right, Congressman, that the public does need to spend some very close attention looking at this budget. It's very -- it's taxing for the average individual to be involved in this much discussion about federal spending, but it's important.

Congressman Hal Rogers, thanks very much for being with us.

ROGERS: Thank you, Ali.

VELSHI: All right. We're going to take a quick break. We'll be right back in a couple of minutes. It is 14 minutes after the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHETRY: Seventeen-and-a-half minutes past the hour.

VELSHI: Trying to intimidate you into not starting this story.

CHETRY: Go ahead.

VELSHI: Because by rights, it should be my story, right?

CHETRY: Go for it.

VELSHI: We are all good eaters on this show, right?

ROMANS: Yes. Actually, I can't believe I met my match in both of you.

VELSHI: Yes. You, guys, kind of seem to metabolically manage it better than I do. Street meat has come a long way from a hot dog cart, which I enjoy a great deal. You probably seen these gourmet food trucks around New York, they're all over the place and cities across the country, except Chicago. Stephanie Elam, "Minding Your Business.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What's up, man, how you doing?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hi.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What will it be, my man?

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: There's a food fight on the streets of the windy city.

PHILIP FOSS, MEATYBALLS MOBILE: We do nachos, let's say, you know, kind of a take on, you know, modern street fare.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are the MeatyBalls Mobile.

ELAM: Gourmet food trucks are welcomed by lots of cities. In Chicago, they have to meet some strict guidelines or risk getting ticketed. The city says it's a matter of health and sanitation.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There you go.

ELAM: Food trucks must be at least 200 feet away from a restaurant and nothing can be prepared on the truck.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We can't actually assemble or even cut a sandwich in half on the truck. It's completely illegal.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Coming up.

ELAM: This doesn't deter customers who follow these food trucks on Twitter and Facebook.

FREDRICK LEE, MEATYBALLS MOBILE CUSTOMER: The price, the smell, I mean, definitely the smell is a big factor, just kind of draws you in.

ELAM (on-camera): So, before (INAUDIBLE) the folks trying to Gastrowagon even left their restaurant, and before they could even find a parking space, folks were lined up here. They know that they have to get here early because if they don't, then their favorite sandwich could be sold out.

ELAM (voice-over): Maroney (ph) even wrote a proposed ordinance, introduced to the city in July, it has since stalled.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The new ordinance would allow us to assemble, prep, cook, finish on a truck out on the streets.

ELAM: The proposal would shorten the required distance from a restaurant. That's not sitting well with some.

DAN ROSENTHAL, PRESIDENT, SOPRAFFINA MARKETCAFFES: There's no doubt in my mind, food trucks are a fad and not a trend.

ELAM: Dan Rosenthal owns seven restaurants in Chicago.

ROSENTHAL: For a truck to be able to come into that location without paying a similar rent is like starting a 50-yard dash with them starting on the 40-yard line.

ELAM: But the food trucks have hope. Mayor-elect Rahm Emanuel said in a statement he would, quote, "support a city ordinance to expand licensing for these trucks while ensuring that local small businesses aren't negatively affected."

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do 16 and 4.

ELAM: Even if the ordinance does pass, the food trucks folks plan to keep at it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm going to keep fighting the good fight.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you very much. Enjoy.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ELAM (voice-over): Nothing like MeatyBalls on the streets of Chicago, but it's true. You know, they have a guessing game. Every day, these guys are getting up in the middle of the night, it's early, they're making their sandwiches or their wares, whatever they may be, because in that case, it's MeatyBalls. They are doing this, and then, they have to guesstimate how many they're going to sell based on the weather in Chicago, what's going on, whether or not people are coming down there.

And if they sell out, that's an opportunity that they miss to potentially sell more because they couldn't make more on the truck. And if they have extras at the end of the day, then they're just throwing out money. So, that is obviously a problem for them and that's why they're pushing so hard to make this change. And really, when you go to other cities, guys, you know --

CHETRY: Right. How does New York do it?

ELAM: New York, they're all over the place. I went to work out of the CNN Bureau in L.A., you walk out of the corner, they're right there. Every city, D.C., you see them all over the place, but the gourmet food trucks having this fight in Chicago, and it's very different than a lot of other cities.

ROMANS: Rules don't change very easily in Chicago.

VELSHI: Right.

ROMANS: And you have aldermen with very important restaurant owner connection and interests. You know, you can see how --

ELAM: That's very true. Actually, that's part of it, but now that the shift, and we've got a new mayor coming in, there's some hope that some people think is going to take a long time. But it's interesting to me because, you know, Dan Rosenthal thinks it's just a fad. I think there's a lot of people who believe that is not.

CHETRY: We have a new thing in New York City also is the -- they're like on the sly grilled cheese, because they can't -- they're not allowed to cook out of a building, so the guy just comes up and hands you his grilled cheese sandwich and runs away. I mean, it's like, you know, it's contraband grilled cheese.

(LAUGHTER)

ELAM: Well, that's what some of these truck owners feel like. They feel like they're driving around the corner and they're like, hey, come over here.

VELSHI: A drug deal, yes.

ELAM: Meaty balls. Come on. And then, they run out and like, you know, get off the street before someone comes and arrests them.

ROMANS: MeatyBalls at Daley Plaza for ten minutes.

ELAM: Yes, exactly. That's really how it works because the lines are massive.

VELSHI: With social meat (ph), you can do that.

(CROSSTALK)

ELAM: All over the place.

ROMANS: All right. Great story. Stephanie Elam, thank you.

CHETRY: Thanks, Stephanie.

Coming up next on AMERICAN MORNING, you've heard the phrase, "Hell hath no fury." Well, there's a new book suggesting that there really is no hell. The author, Pastor Rob Bell, who's been called a false prophet by some and a rock star by others. We're going to talk to him after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VELSHI: Well, it's a provocative question, right there on the cover of "Time" magazines new issue. What if there is no hell? A central theme in a book that challenges some traditional views of the afterlife.

CHETRY: That's right. And Rob Bell is the author of "Love Wins: A Book About Heaven, Hell, and the Fate of Every Person Whoever Lived." He's also the pastor of a Mars Hill Bible Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and he joins us now from Grand Rapids. Thanks for being with us this morning.

ROB BELL, PASTOR OF MARS HILL BIBLE CHURCH: It's great to be with you.

CHETRY: First of all, let's just talk about your central argument. You say that a loving God is not going to send people to a place of eternal suffering after his death, but this is obviously quite controversial, especially among fundamental Christians. Explain your argument. BELL: Well, first and foremost, I believe for many people in our culture, the Christian story has lost the plot. That when you say that we're Christian, people have all sorts of associations that have nothing to do with what Jesus came to do. I believe God loves everybody everywhere, and Jesus came to show us that love, invite us into that love so that we can extend it to others.

Now, can we resist this? Yes. And in the book, I talk about heaven and hell and how I believe in both, because I believe God is love, and love never hijacks the ability of the human heart to decide.

ROMANS: So, you do believe in heaven and hell, you believe in both?

BELL: Sure. And here's why. Because I'm a pastor, I see extraordinary pain and brokenness and hurt from the choices that people make to choose hell right now. So, I begin with the choices that we make and the very real consequences of the choices right now here, in this life.

ROMANS: You talk about losing the central plot of Christianity, but isn't the central plot very simple and has endured for millennia and that is that a Christian accepts Jesus Christ as a savior and that is what brings someone to heaven? Are you disputing that that is the central plot and still is?

BELL: No. Yes, first and foremost, Jesus offers this immediate, urgent invitation to trust Him. That God is doing a new thing in the world through Jesus. I believe he's the way to God, and we're invited to Trust him. Now, at the center of historic orthodox Christian faith has also always been leaving room for the mysterious love and grace of God and how that works.

ROMANS: Right.

BELL: And from CS Lewis to Billy Graham has been this understanding, we invite people to trust Jesus. We say yes to this invitation, and then, we're not the judge.

CHETRY: So, let me ask you about this, this is something that comes up a lot that people struggle with. I know that they struggled with it in my family because my father is Hindu, and he was born in Nepal, and he's probably one of the most loving people you'll ever meet.

BELL: Yes.

CHETRY: And my mother, who's very, very Christian, struggles with the fact that is he going to go to -- not go to heaven because he didn't know -- he didn't know Jesus in Nepal? That people don't -- are not Christian most of the time in Nepal?

BELL: And this is actually one of the main reasons I wrote the book, as I think this is a huge stumbling block for lots of people is their committed faith in Jesus, for many people, was told to say yes to Jesus means you have to condemn billions of people to hell, but what kind can of God would send people to eternal torment for not believing in a Jesus they never heard of?

And actually, the first Christians, they spoke of a mystery, a grace, a love, present in the very fabric of creation, that people can respond to without even knowing that it's God or that it's loving grace of Christ that's being revealed to them. So, I leave lots of room.

ROMANS: I tell you that, you know, traditional theologians, when they see works like this or they see other kinds of reinterpretation, if you will, of traditional Christian doctrine and dogma, they say that it's Christianity light. They say that it's mega-church self- help books, it's not Christianity. How do you respond to that, that it's more -- that traditional Christians, people who really stick to dogma, they just don't buy it?

BELL: Well, first and foremost, is it easy to love your neighbor? Is it easy when there's that co-worker that you just want to wring their neck to be kind and patient? When Jesus was asked the greatest commandment, love God and love others. Loving others is very, very hard. I think we can all attest to that. So, no, it's not light.

And then, second, we talk -- and in the book, I talk very straightforward about heaven and hell and about the very real realities of our choices right now, from grieve, rape, abuse, genocide. We have enough hell around us right now, and Jesus calls us to do something about that, to stand with those who are suffering, to be a voice for healing in the world.

So, no, it's not light. It is the historic stream, and it is a vibrant, pulsing, authentic faith, and I'm a pastor, it captivates me.

ROMANS: Rob Bell, thanks so much. You can see the whole discussion, the whole premise on "Time" magazine right now. Rob Bell, thank you.

CHETRY: Thanks.

Well, we have to look at our top stories now. The House is scheduled to vote today, the last-minute budget deal they have agreed on, but this is the formality stuff that will stop a government shutdown. The debate begins this morning and then the final vote on the nearly $40 billion budget is expected late this afternoon. The deal must also pass the Senate and then be signed by President Obama before it expires tomorrow.

Police are stepping up their search for a suspected serial killer using planes and helicopters take high-resolution photos of the areas in Long Island where remains of at least eight people have been found. Earlier this week two sets of remains including a human skull were discovered nearby, but there's still no word on whether they are linked to the eight other sets of remains found in the area.

And if you wanted to know more about Donald Trump's plan for 2012, a source close to Trump says to tune in to the season finale of "Celebrity Apprentice" on May 15th. That's when he will reveal the date for when he will announce his plans on whether to run for president. We had talked about that before. Arnold Schwarzenegger announced his plans on Leno and John McCain on Letterman. So it's being done on TV before.

VELSHI: I think doing it on your own show a bit of a ratings --

ROMANS: Ali has no announcements to make at this time.

A couple of college students at Yale university trying to single handedly swing the 2012 presidential election by using the internet and Facebook become to spread the word on campuses across America about a potential canned yacht in Indiana named Mitch Daniels who hasn't even decided to run. Jim Acosta is live in Washington. A little students grassroots effort on his behalf.

JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right. It worked for Howard Dean in 2004, worked for Barack Obama in 2008, and now this discussion about the mounting national debt it has younger voters already thinking about the presidential race in 2012. And no surprise, as you mentioned, Christine, they are taking to social media, Twitter and Facebook, where some college students have fallen for a little-known governor from Indiana.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ACOSTA: It might be a stretch to call him the big man on campus but Indiana governor Mitch Daniels is getting some presidential buzz at colleges across the country, thanks to Yale university students Max Eden and Michael Knowles, founders of the students for Daniels Web site and Facebook page.

ACOSTA (on camera): How quickly did that take off?

MAX EDEN, STUDENTS FOR DANIELS: We went from 20 to 1,000 people in a couple of weeks. Yes.

MICHAEL KNOWLES, STUDENTS FOR DANIELS: The really are incredible thing has been YouTube.

ACOSTA (voice-over): As in their YouTube video about their search for a Daniels for president campaign slogan, starring a certain eccentric ex-candidate for governor of New York.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Debt is dangerous.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Now, wait a minute. The deficit is too damn high.

ACOSTA: The results, nearly 60 colleges now have students for Daniels chapters, all dedicated to his message on the national debt.

GOV. MITCH DANIELS, (R) ILLINOIS: It is the new red menace, this time consisting of ink.

ACOSTA: Max is a former Obama volunteer who says he has traded in the president's campaign message of hope for solvency. EDEN: It is not hope, it is not change. It's solvency, like basic mast math.

ACOSTA: Then there's election math. When President Obama carried roughly two-thirds of youth vote in 2008, Frank Costa and Danielle Tomson were on board. Frank still is.

FRANK COSTA, OBAMA SUPPORTER: I do absolutely still support Obama.

ACOSTA: Danielle, not so much.

ACOSTA (on camera): Were you an Obama supporter in '08?

DANIELLE TOMSON, FORMER OBAMA SUPPORTER: I'm a registered Democrat, still am, for that matter. So yes, I guess --

ACOSTA: He has lost you a little bit?

TOMSON: I think he has lost a lot of us.

ACOSTA (voice-over): As for the move tonight draft Daniels, there's one problem, he may not run.

DANIELS: I have been more affected or moved, I guess you would say, by their activities than any of the others. Given my thoughts about the condition of the country, this appeal from younger people made more of an impression on me than anything else.

ACOSTA: Meanwhile, these campus candidate crushes are spreading. One just popped up for Mitt Romney.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Can we afford to graduate into this economy? No we can't.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ACOSTA: Back to Mitch Daniels. He has a mixed fiscal record. He was George W. Bush's budget director when the deficit was going up, but later on as governor Daniels put Indiana's fiscal house in order. The governor says he will have an answer on running for president after the end of the month.

And the clock is ticking and he says, you know it will be shortly after the end of this month, Christine, where he is going to make an announcement. And he told us in an interview yesterday, he feels some sense of responsibility to these college students. It doesn't sound like he is leaning one way or the other, but it sounds like he is getting serious.

ROMANS: Maybe try to help him get a job.

ACOSTA: That's right. He doesn't have a reality show to announce it on, but he is working on it.

ROMANS: All right, thanks so much, Jim Acosta. ACOSTA: OK. You bet.

VELSHI: Coming up ahead on "American Morning", the lines are being clearly drawn in Washington, in case they weren't, about the budget. President Obama laid out his plan to save this country $4 trillion. He is in for quite a fight, though, over his goal, specifically to erase the Bush tax cuts. Is he going to bend on that? We will hear from the incoming head of the Democratic National Committee.

CHETRY: Also, six decades after Jackie Robinson broke baseball's color barrier, ware learning more about the back story that actually led to that historic signing. Ed Henry will have that for us, coming up joining us live. It's 35 minutes past the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(WEATHER BREAK)

VELSHI: Coming up next on "American Morning," a check of this morning's top stories, include the story about Kobe Bryant and the slur that got him into a whole a lot of trouble.

ROMANS: And a loss of money over that, too.

VELSHI: Yes.

ROMANS: Also ahead, the history in the making, Brooklyn dodger GM Branch Rickey, right?

VELSHI: Yes.

ROMANS: He signed Jackie Robinson 66 years ago. Jackie Robinson, 66 years ago, isn't that amazing? We're just now learning about what led Ricky to break baseball's color barrier.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHETRY: It's 43 minutes past the hour right now. President Obama's plan to slash $4 tomorrow from the deficit has reignited the debate over the Bush era tax cuts, what we cut, and how much we are going to continue to spend.

We heard from Congressman Hal Rogers, a Republican, in the last hour. Now on the other side is Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, the incoming chair of the Democratic National Committee. She joins us at DNC headquarters this morning. Congratulations and good to see you.

REP. DEBBIE WASSERMAN SCHULTZ (D-FL), CHAIRWOMAN-ELECT, DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL COMMITTEE: Thank you, you too, Kiran, thanks.

CHETRY: I was reading this interesting op-ed in today's "Washington Post" by Matt Miller who made the point that there really is not necessarily link what it takes to win an election and what it takes to address the country's major challenges. And we hear a lot of rhetoric right now. Was the speech yesterday by the president as much about the deficit as it was about kicking off the reelection campaign?

WASSERMAN-SCHULTZ: I think the president looks at deficit reduction getting a handle on our economy the same way I do. We're both parents of young children and we know that it is so important we address this significantly, comprehensively, and in a very detailed way.

And so he proposed a very responsible plan yesterday that provides for shared sacrifice and balance in terms of tax breaks, make sure we deny tax breaks to the wealthiest individuals and make sure that we are not balancing deficit reduction exclusively on the backs of seniors, the frail elderly, and people who are struggling.

And it's absolutely critical that we make sure that we strike that balance --

(CROSS TALK)

CHETRY: But this is a -- and this is a --

SCHULTZ: -- that we ensure that we get a handle on health care costs as well.

CHETRY: It is a bit of a revision, because the President did earlier lay out his plan as well and of course, the bipartisan debt commission in December came up with some recommendations. How much of this was the President being pushed along and Democrats being pushed along by some of the larger plans by, let's say, Congressman Paul Ryan and other Republican?

WASSERMAN-SCHULTZ: Well this is a -- this is the President engaging in bold leadership. I mean what he talked -- what he talked about when he introduced his budget this year, and I serve on the budget committee, and really appreciated that this was a down payment on the long-term needs that we had. And so, this is a follow-on to that -- to that down payment, where he first dealt with a shorter term period of time and now in his proposal yesterday deals with the deficit reduction and getting a handle on our fiscal house over the next 12 years.

And he -- I mean, for example, I mean, just look at the dramatic contrast that we have between the Ryan Republican proposal and the President's proposal. The Ryan proposal literally says to 33 seniors that they each have to pay $6,400 more in health care costs to give $200,000 in tax breaks to the wealthiest Americans. Most Americans would find that irresponsible.

(CROSS TALK)

CHETRY: Well, Paul Ryan -- Paul Ryan came out right after that arguing that point. And I do want to ask you about this because you actually called Congressman Paul Ryan's budget a quote, "death trap for seniors." So are you suggesting that in some ways the proposal put forth by the GOP actually puts senior citizens' lives at risk?

WASSERMAN-SCHULTZ: That's exactly what I'm suggesting because it stands to reason that when 60 percent of seniors, Kiran, are -- are -- are in nursing homes or on Medicaid and you dramatically cut the amount of funding that we are providing to states for Medicaid, then you are going to have some seniors not survive because they won't be able to either get access to a nursing home or they'll get kicked out of a nursing home. And they'll have to make it on their own and that is not what America is about.

America is about -- the President talked about yesterday -- coming together, shared sacrifice, pulling together so we can really address our long-term fiscal challenges and doing it in a balanced way.

CHETRY: You know, both this budget as well as Paul Ryan's budget, I mean, all of the budgets really still mean that the debt is going to continue to grow. Our national debt still goes and soars in the trillions.

You know, some economists are saying that neither the President nor the GOP really wants to tell Americans what has to happen, that yes, you're going to lose benefits, that benefits are not going to be the same and everybody's taxes in the end may rise.

I mean, are politicians not being completely honest with the American people about just how hard all of this is going to be?

WASSERMAN-SCHULTZ: Well, I think President Obama was brutally honest with the American people yesterday. I mean, in fact, even included a debt fail safe trigger so that in 2014, if we aren't reducing the amount of our debt as a proportion of GDP that we would have automatic spending reductions as well as revenue increases and that -- that makes sure that every somebody is accountable, not just the people who want spending reductions, not just the people who want -- want that balance in tax reform but everyone would have to engage in that shared sacrifice and it would be automatic.

So, we're holding our feet to the fire.

(CROSS TALK)

CHETRY: Well, and we are -- I understand. And it looks like this is shaping up to be another big debate where neither side is necessarily going to be giving ground. I mean, Republicans say that tax increases are off the table.

I mean, is there going to be room for a compromise? I know that Vice President Biden's trying to get some sort of bipartisan agreement hammered out by June. Is this a political reality?

WASSERMAN-SCHULTZ: Well, you see there is the difference between Democrats' approach to our -- our major fiscal problems and Republicans. Republicans start out saying there's something off the table. President Obama starts off saying everything's on the table and we need to come together. And he called in his speech for the legislative leadership to bring members on both sides aisle together around the negotiating table. We were able to make that happen and get that done under -- under his direction last Friday when everyone was reporting that we were hours from a government shutdown. And I'm confident, and I think our leadership is confident that -- that we can do this again, but everything has to be on the table. We have to approach this with shared -- shared sacrifice and we can't balance our fiscal -- our fiscal health on the backs of those that can least afford it exclusively.

CHETRY: All right, well, I need to ask you about Congressman Gabrielle Giffords. I know that you guys are very close.

WASSERMAN-SCHULTZ: Oh, sure. Yes.

CHETRY: People have really been hoping, there was talk that perhaps she would make it actually to Mark Kelly's launch when he -- when he is taking off in late April. Do you know how she is doing?

WASSERMAN-SCHULTZ: She is doing really well. I actually talked to Mark on Friday when I had to tell -- I was supposed to go see her on Friday but we had to make sure we could keep the government open, so I wasn't able to make that trip. But she is making -- continues to make remarkable progress, is -- has a little bit more mobility now, you know, a lot more responsive, interactively and initiating speech. And she is going to attend the launch on April 29th, which we are all so excited about.

And I'm going to have a chance to see her when -- while Mark's up in space and go keep her company and spend a little time with her. She is doing great.

(CROSS TALK)

CHETRY: Well, that's wonderful. Everyone continues to root for her, of course. Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, great to talk to you as always; thanks so much.

WASSERMAN-SCHULTZ: You, too. Thanks so much, Kiran.

CHETRY: We're going to take a quick break. It's 50 minutes past the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VELSHI: Ok. His -- his first game changed the face of baseball 64 years ago. Brooklyn Dodgers general manager Branch Rickey stepped up to the plate and broke baseball's color barrier, not himself but by signing Jackie Robinson.

ROMANS: That's right. And there are new details just emerging about what preceded that moment, not just in baseball history but American history.

Ed Henry has this amazing story this morning.

ED HENRY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: This is interesting. I've been working on this for a long time, and it's a great story to do because you know, we wake up this morning, you hear about Barry Bonds' conviction on obstruction. And a lot of people will say, look, the steroids, is just the worst scandal in baseball history.

But actually, the biggest thing in the game was when they didn't let African-Americans play. That all changed, tomorrow is the anniversary of 1947, when Jackie Robinson played his first game. But we've never known how much of a role faith in God played it that historic decision, until now.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HENRY (voice-over): Branch Rickey's decision to hire Jackie Robinson as the first African-American baseball player opened doors that changed sports and politics forever. And the details are etched in the memory of Ken Burns who did the definitive 18 1/2-hour PBS documentary on baseball.

KEN BURNS, DOCUMENTARY FILMMAKER: One of the finest moments in all of American history, not just sports history, but American history, when on April 15th, 1947, a black man, wearing the number 42, trotted out to first base at Ebbets Field.

HENRY: But we've learned the detail about this historic decision that, until now, was not known by Jackie Robinson's widow, Branch Rickey's grandson or even Ken Burns.

(on camera): You have never heard this story?

BURNS: I haven't.

HENRY: This is new?

BURNS: This is totally new to me.

HENRY (voice-over): It turns out just before signing the contract, Rickey secretly slipped into this Brooklyn church. The executive huddled with the pastor, Dr. Wendell Fifield, whose daughter-in-law is speaking with us about it for the first time.

DONNA SHOR, DAUGHTER-IN-LAW OF REV. FIFIELD: He started pacing and he wore a groove into the carpet, he went around and around the room for 45 minutes.

HENRY: Branch Rickey III, now a Minor League baseball executive in Texas says his grandfather was deeply religious and determined to end discrimination but also fretted about taking on the institution of baseball.

BRANCH RICKEY III, PRESIDENT, PACIFIC COAST LEAGUE: Jackie became something that was not acceptable. I think my grandfather's reputation could have very quickly gone down the drain.

HENRY: That weighed on the Brooklyn Dodgers' executive as he paced this room for nearly an hour, finally shrieking, "I got it," and slumping down in a chair.

SHOR: Branch Rickey wiped tears from his eyes and said, "Wendell, this was a decision so complex, so far-reaching, fraught with so many pitfalls and -- but still filled with so much good, if it was right. I had to work it out in this room and with you and I had to ask God about it."

HENRY: To protect Rickey's privacy, the pastor told only his wife who wrote a five-page essay that we recently found in an archive. The pastor's wife said she wrote the essay which appeared in the church bulletin with little notice after Rickey's death in 1965 so that Robinson would know how much Rickey struggled with it. But Robinson died young in 1972 and his widow, Rachel, told us the story never made it to her family until now and she praised Rickey's courage.

RACHEL ROBINSON, WIDOW OF JACKIE ROBINSON: He needed all the strength he could summon up, you know, to be able to take the step.

HENRY: Burns is now planning to use this story in a film about Robinson's life, slated to come out in 2015.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HENRY: Well it is interesting because this had such a powerful impact on so many people. I had a chance to privately tell President Obama I was going to be interviewing Rachel Robinson. He said, you know, I want you to tell her something. That I think, the President said, I there is a direct line from what Jackie Robinson did to me being elected the first African-American president.

When I sat down with Mrs. Robinson in the offices here in Manhattan of the Jackie Robinson Foundation, she just beamed. She said I love hearing that progress America made in another period of history is having an impact right now.

And that's what Jackie Robinson --

VELSHI: It's never minimized. Jackie Robinson's impact and bringing him into baseball is really never minimized. There are a lot of athletes today, a lot of politicians who say some of the best things that they ever read have been histories of Jackie Robinson.

CHETRY: That's right.

HENRY: Absolutely. And you know, Branch Rickey his grandson told me that a journalist right before he made this momentous decision, told him, you know, all heck is going to break loose. Branch Rickey said, "You know what? Actually I think tomorrow, all heaven will rejoice."

There is a sort of faith in God that both Rickey had and Mrs. Robinson told me that Jackie Robinson was a very religious person, too, because he had people yelling slurs at him.

VELSHI: Sure. HENRY: I mean this was -- it's hard to imagine today how difficult a decision it was, not just for Branch Rickey but both of them did this together, a white man and black man.

(CROSSTALK)

VELSHI: Baseball is a lot to put up with.

ROMANS: Faith and fortitude for both of them.

HENRY: Absolutely.

CHETRY: We have the story up on our Web site, as well because it's just amazing.

Good job. Thanks so much.

VELSHI: Nice to see you Ed.

HENRY: Good to see you guys.

ROMANS: We're going to take a quick break. It is now 58 minutes past the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VELSHI: I can't believe it's over. Is it done?

ROMANS: Just for now. You can come back in 24 hours and we'll be here.

CHETRY: That's right. We'll do it all over again tomorrow at 6:00. "CNN NEWSROOM" with Carol Costello starts right now.

ROMANS: Hey, Carol.