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American Morning
President To Meet With Israeli Prime Minister Today; Strauss- Kahn to Be Freed on Bail; Huntsman Campaigns in New Hampshire; A Dangerous Disconnect?
Aired May 20, 2011 - 06:59 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): $1 million bail, house arrest, armed security guards, these are the conditions that Dominique Strauss-Kahn had to agree to to get a judge to say fine, you can leave Rikers, for now, and that could happen at any moment on this AMERICAN MORNING.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ALI VELSHI, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. Welcome to AMERICAN MORNING. It's seven o'clock in the east on Friday, May 20th.
CHETRY (on-camera): Good to see you.
VELSHI: One day left.
CHETRY: One day left. That's right.
VELSHI: Before the end of the world.
CHETRY: Well, I think that's not going to happen.
VELSHI: Yes.
CHETRY: But at any moment, actually, we could be seeing a new lease on life and I guess you could say for the former IMF boss, Dominique Strauss-Kahn. He could be walking out of Riker's Island prison if this, indeed, happens today, which it's supposed to. A judge did agree to free him on bail, the same day the jury did indict him on those charges related to the alleged sex assault.
To be released Strauss-Kahn will have to post bail of a million dollars and $5 million insurance bond, and he'll also be forced to wear an electronic monitoring bracelet and be guarded around the clock.
VELSHI: Strauss-Kahn's been under a suicide watch at Riker's Island after being arrested nearly a week ago for alleged sexual assault of a maid at his Manhattan hotel. Susan Candiotti is here. A bunch of bail conditions, any chance they're not going to be met or are you expecting him to walk out of jail this morning? SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I do expect him to be walking out of jail at some point. But the judge has to sign off on everything. The judge has to be assured that those cameras are in place, armed guards ready to go to work. We know the wife was trying to locate an apartment and said that she did. But the judge has to be satisfied that all those conditions have been met.
CHETRY: The other thing, too, moving forward, this judge was apparently convinced that this -- there would be enough conditions in place for him to stay put. His initial request for bail was denied.
CANDIOTTI: That's right. But this time, after listening to the arguments, the judge appeared to be satisfied that he has no criminal record, he is a powerful man who understands how important this case is, how serious the charges are, and as the defense attorney said, your honor, my client will not somehow magically teleport himself to France. He knows that he has to stay here and fight these charges.
VELSHI: Now so this was a setback for the prosecutors who didn't want bail, but they did get some victories in court yesterday.
CANDIOTTI: They did. And it came at an interesting time as you saw the whole thing come together, because you saw a very serious man, Dominique Strauss-Kahn, sitting there, although he did flash a smile to his wife as he walked into the courtroom, and, in fact, he even blew her a kiss.
But the state made clear to the court the evidence is coming together, DNA has been collected, they've said they got forensic evidence they're picking up from the hotel suite. And they talked about the victim's testimony, the alleged victim's testimony, as being very compelling.
CHETRY: Very interesting. We'll see what happens later today. Also is he allowed to leave the apartment at all with the electronic monitoring bracelet or he has to stay inside at all times?
CANDIOTTI: They did discuss that in court. He might be able to leave -- he has to leave whenever he has to go to court and he said I might want to leave for religious reasons. He's Jewish and might want to attend some services. So that -- the judge had all of that in mind. The next step for him is June 6th when he is officially arraigned on the indictments.
VELSHI: All right, Susan, thanks very much. We'll probably have some developments in between there when the DNA results come out and when other things are announced. You'll stay on it for us.
CANDIOTTI: Thanks.
VELSHI: Now to the complicated search for common ground in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, President Obama urging both sides to accept a framework on borders that existed before the six-day war in 1967.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Our argument is, let's get started on a conversation about territory and about security. That doesn't resolve all the issues. You still end up having the problem of Jerusalem and the problem of refugees, but if we make progress on what two states would look like and a reality sets in among the parties, this is how it's going to end up, then it becomes easier for both sides to make difficult concessions to resolve those two other issues.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu flatly rejected president Obama's idea, saying that it would leave Israel's borders, quote, "indefensible." He's going to be able to tell that to the president's face today when the two meet later this morning.
Ed Henry at the White House with a preview of that. It seems this is a tough negotiating position for the president given that Benjamin Netanyahu has so publicly panned this idea.
ED HENRY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely. You heard president Obama there in the BBC interview saying look, I'm just trying to get the parties to the table. The idea being he thinks since the Palestinians like the idea of going back to the 67 borders, that will get them to the table.
The Israel position is, look, the Palestinian authority has now entered into this reconciliation deal with Hamas, the terror group, how in the world could Israel be expected to go to the negotiating table right now. That's why you heard such a strong statement from Prime Minister Netanyahu saying among other things, quote, "those commitments relate to Israel, not having to withdraw to the 1967 lines which were both indefensible and which could leave major Israeli population centers beyond those lines."
Now, this is not a major shift in U.S. policy, per se, but really the first time that an American president has gone this far in a formal address. That's why it is putting the White House a bit on the defensive this morning and we spoke to Aaron David Miller, a former U.S. peace negotiator, who said the timing of this is awful, since Prime Minister Netanyahu is arriving just in the next couple of hours.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AARON DAVID MILLER, FORMER MIDDLE EAST NEGOTIATOR: I don't know whether the president took notice of the sense of timing, but he's opened up a significant issue with the Israelis and fighting with the Israelis, frankly, without purpose, and without any sense of advancing the Arab Israeli peace process or achieving a breakthrough, doesn't make much sense.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HENRY: Now, the White House feels a lot of people are missing that in the speech, the president also deliberately did not get into Jerusalem in splitting up the capital which is very divisive, especially for the Israelis, so that was a bone to them, and he didn't get into the Palestinian refugee issue.
And also, this was really just about maybe one percent, two percent of a broader speech about the Middle East but everyone jumping on this in part because the prime minister is showing up here in the next couple hours. I was reading "National Journal" magazine and their take, this meeting will be a little bit awkward.
VELSHI: You've been through the last round last year where there were some negotiations that failed. There is an existing it tough relationship between president Obama and Prime Minister Netanyahu you have to think the president calculated this to maybe kick-start some negotiation this afternoon with Netanyahu.
HENRY: No doubt. I mean look, they're going to be meeting behind closed doors in the oval office, then make statements to the press, and then they have a working lunch behind closed doors, completely closed off to the media. You would think that would give them a chance to air some of these differences and try to make some progress.
You're absolutely right in previous meetings it has not gone well between these two leaders. You're starting at a point where they have not really been on the same page. Some might think this will make it worse. On the other hand, maybe if these differences are aired now, they start moving into some actual real talks, maybe they can actually turn it around.
VELSHI: All right, Ed, we'll follow it closely all day today. We'll be covering it. Thanks.
CHETRY: Good to see you.
The Taliban claiming responsibility for a car bomb near a U.S. consulate in Pakistan this morning. One person was killed, 11 others hurt, including two U.S. workers. The bomb was packed with more than 100 pounds of explosives. A Taliban spokesman tells CNN the attack is revenge for the death of Osama bin Laden. The two American workers suffered only minor injuries.
VELSHI: NATO launching an attack on Moammar Gadhafi's warships. An air strike hit eight ships this morning, saying the government's forces were stopping humanitarian aid from coming through Tripoli's sea port. Libyan officials say they blame the United States for the attacks.
CHETRY: Space shuttle Endeavour may be damaged. NASA workers are now taking a look at the underside of the shuttle. Here's a picture that was taken before Endeavour docked with the international space station. Mission managers say there are three potentially damaged areas. Commander Kelly says he is aware but not worried. And we've seen before when there have been damage to either the heat shield or some tiles or something they're able to do repairs in space?
VELSHI: Sometimes the little piece of damage can affect the shuttle and sometimes they sustain fairly major stuff. Arnold Schwarzenegger's movie comeback is on hold. Lawyers for the former governor of California say he wants to focus on personal matters after he it was learned he fathered a child out of wedlock with his former housekeeper. Plans for a "Governator" comic book and TV series have been scrapped as well.
Meanwhile Maria Shriver is out in public. This photo of her daughter Christina and son Christopher was taken Wednesday at lunch at a Brentwood, California, restaurant.
CHETRY: A man in Utah moves into a house and finds $40,000 in the attic. But he doesn't keep the cash. Instead, he tracks down the old owners.
VELSHI: Look at that, in bags.
CHETRY: Oh, my gosh.
VELSHI: Kind of crumbly and rolled up.
CHETRY: He said it was a lesson in honesty for his kids.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOSHUA FERRIN, FOUND $40,000 IN ATTIC: It is a great opportunity for me to take my children and say to them, we are going to do something awesome.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: So nice. The cash was stuffed into eight boxes filled with 50s and 100s. Don't look at me like that, Ali. It is nice. Stashed by the home's previous owner. The owner died last year, but the money will be split among his surviving six kids.
VELSHI: Setting aside the legality of all of this, this is our question of the day for you. Tell the truth. What would you really do if you found a bag of money in your house? Send us an e-mail, tweet or tell us on Facebook. We're going to read some of your responses later this hour. We're getting some fantastic ones as we speak. Not everybody is as nice as the guy who gave the money back, I'll tell you that.
CHETRY: And some people are paranoid about it.
VELSHI: Whatever you tweet to us --
CHETRY: Some are paranoid, if you left $40,000 in the attic, I'm calling the cops, what's going on at this house.
VELSHI: I don't want a bunch of guys who show up asking for $40,000. Movie plot.
Dominique Strauss-Kahn is granted bail. He's about to get out of jail. We're live at rikers island waiting for that. CHETRY: Also, the FBI now wants the Unabomber, Ted Kaczynski's DNA, in connection with the Tylenol laced - the cyanide Tylenol laced case of the 1980s. it's Ten minutes past the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VELSHI: All right, the feds are eyeing the convicted Unabomber in another decade's old murder case. The FBI wants Ted Kaczynski's DNA in connection with the 1982 Tylenol killing. Cyanide laced capsules killed seven people. Officials say Kaczynski refused to turn over a sample. He's serving life in prison for killing three people during a string of bombings.
CHETRY: Meantime we're still waiting for former IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn to be released from Riker's Island. A judge did grant him bail yesterday. Once he agreed to post $1 million cash bond on top of that, $5 million insurance bond, and also submit to house arrest as well as electronic monitoring.
VELSHI: Our legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin joins us this morning. Jeff, let's just answer this. Is this unusual that he would get bail on these terms or is this entirely usual that somebody charged with a sex crime who can put up the bond can be freed?
JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: This was a really close call. I mean I think -- first of all, nothing is usual about this case. You rarely have a white collar-style defendant accused in a violent crime of this kind. That's just a fact. You don't see many cases like that.
But, there are competing considerations in this case. You had a judge earlier in the week essentially turn down the same deal, later in the week a judge agreed to it. I think the decision is very much defensible. Look he's not going anywhere. He's going to be under 24- hour guard, wearing an ankle bracelet.
VELSHI: They're taking away his passport, IMF travel credentials.
TOOBIN: If you believe that bail as it's supposed to be is really just a device to protect the community and to assure someone's appearance at trial he's not going to hurt anybody and he's not going to flee. So I think what the judge did was defensible but other judges could have seen it another way.
CHETRY: The question that some were asking, though, is did he get preferential treatment in a way. I mean, would just an average Joe charged with the counts of sexual assault that he's accused of be allowed out on bail?
TOOBIN: Well, let me give you a lawyer's answer to that. I mean, I think the answer is yes, someone else would have been given this deal, but only if he could pay for it, because Dominique Strauss- Kahn is footing the bill for the electronic monitoring.
CHETRY: Some are saying today -- would a judge set the bail that high for an average Joe?
TOOBIN: Yes, they would.
CHETRY: So, you really wouldn't be able to afford this unless you were a person of some means.
TOOBIN: Apparently, this deal is going to cost Strauss-Kahn $200,000 per month to pay for all this. So, obviously, that limits the universe of people who could afford it to a very tiny slice.
VELSHI: But, a regular person who didn't earn and have miss means and didn't live no another country, would they be called upon to be paying for their own security and cameras and things?
TOOBIN: They would. They would. And most people couldn't do it.
VELSHI: Right.
TOOBIN: So, they wouldn't get the -- that sort of deal. They'd be in Rikers Island.
CHETRY: Let's talk about the other particulars of the case. Apparently, the defense is pushing the argument that he was not in a rush, that if a guy had committed this, you know, heinous sex crime, he would be trying to get the heck out. But they're making much of the fact he was planning a lunch with his daughter, that he was already scheduled to be on his flight, does that -- I mean, does that help bolster a defense, if, indeed, a defense is this is a consensual encounter?
TOOBIN: Well, it's a point in the defense's favor. You know, the fact that he didn't sort of panic and run right to the airport and schedule a new flight, the fact that this plane was a week -- scheduled a week earlier, this flight. I mean, it's not the greatest argument in the world but it is a point in the defense favor. I mean, you know, in the context of a lot of evidence in the case, I don't know how significant it would be, but you can understand why the defense is pushing it.
VELSHI: Is there any issue with the fair trial in terms of publicity he's getting on this?
TOOBIN: You know, if this trial were in France, maybe there would be that sort of issue. My sense is, and having covered a lot of these high-profile trials, we in the news media always think the public is paying more attention than it is.
VELSHI: Right.
TOOBIN: If you were to ask 10 people on the street who is Dominique Strauss-Kahn, I bet you wouldn't get more than two or three -- they would say he's that French -- I mean, he is not a celebrity in this country.
VELSHI: Right.
TOOBIN: I don't think it will be any problem getting a fair jury in this case, even in Manhattan.
VELSHI: All right. Jeff, good to see you. Thank you.
TOOBIN: Good to see you.
CHETRY: Good to see you this morning.
TOOBIN: All right.
CHETRY: All right. Well, we want to read a couple responses to our question of the day. We talked about the guy that found 40 grand in cash just sitting in his attic and did the right thing, wanted to send a message to his kids.
VELSHI: We're objective as journalists. So, you just said the he did the right thing. Now, you've tainted the whole viewer poll.
CHETRY: He said he wanted to do the right thing to show his kids.
VELSHI: Clearly, a lot of our respondents don't think he did the right thing.
CHETRY: That's right. "A bag of 40 grand in my attic," writes Makinelace --
VELSHI: Maxinelace.
CHETRY: Oh, where's my mind this morning? I'm sorry, Max.
VELSHI: Maxine.
CHETRY: I'm sorry, Maxine.
"That would scream suspicious to me. Wouldn't lay a finger on it. I'd call the cops immediately."
VELSHI: I'm with you. Maxine is worried that a bunch of guys that are coming to the door, seen 20 bucks in a couple bags.
(CROSSTALK)
TOOBIN: Aren't you wearing lace today?
VELSHI: Tim says on Facebook, he says, "Duh, I'm so poor, this doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out. But, I wouldn't spend it all at once."
CHETRY: There. That's the justification. Spread it around a little bit.
VELSHI: All right.
CHETRY: All right. Well, we're going to have more of your answers this morning. Thanks for writing in.
Jon Huntsman meanwhile testing the presidential waters. There are people that want him to run so badly, they don't know what to do with themselves. But is he too moderate for the GOP?
VELSHI: Depends which GOP you're talking about.
We're taking a break. We'll be back. It's 19 minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VELSHI: It is 22 minutes after the hour. We're minding your business right now.
Wall Street will try to make it three in a row today. The Dow gained 45 points at the close Thursday, finishing ahead for a second straight day. The NASDAQ and S&P 500 were also in positive territory.
You'll soon be paying more for breads and cereals, that's because corn and wheat prices have soared. Extremely dry conditions in the South and in Europe have damaged wheat crops, while supplies of corn are threatened by flooding and heavy rain in the Midwest.
A hopeful sign the housing crisis might be easing, the Mortgage Bankers Association reporting mortgage delinquency rates are falling, past due loans and foreclosures are all dropping significantly in the first three months of this year.
Apple now wants in on music streaming. Apple signed a licensing deal with EMI Music and is in talks with two other labels. Now, this comes after Amazon and Google announced their own music streaming services.
Another sign of the digital media domination. Amazon announcing that its customers are now buying more e-books for the Kindle than all print books, hard cover and paperback combined.
It's a good news for those of you who used to read play "Playboy" for the articles. You know who you are. The magazine's entire catalogue, 57 years worth, will now be available online. The Web-based subscription service called iPlayboy.com will cost $8 a month or 60 bucks a year if you want to buy in bulk.
AMERICAN MORNING will be right back after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Twenty-seven minutes past the hour.
Texas Governor Rick Perry has signed a new law that requires doctors to conduct a sonogram before being able to perform an abortion. And this is a bill that sparked angry debate. It requires doctors to provide expectant mothers a chance to see an image of their unborn baby and hear the heart beat and will also be forced to explain to women what they're seeing in the sonogram, including organs and limbs. The measure provides an exception in the case of rape or incest, or when the fetus has fatal deformities.
VELSHI: Donald Trump is backing out of a Republican fundraiser in Iowa. Organizers are now canceling the entire event. Trump was supposed to headline the Iowa GOP's big Lincoln Day dinner in June. Tickets were selling for $150 apiece.
Since announcing his decision not to run for president, Trump's backed out of a lot of public engagements. He also bailed on a Tea Party event in South Carolina.
CHETRY: Jon Huntsman has not officially declared he's a candidate, but the former Utah governor and ambassador to China is acting like one many say.
VELSHI: He campaigned yesterday in New Hampshire, testing the waters, to see if his moderate brand of politics can actually sell in the Republican Party.
Jim Acosta live in Keene, New Hampshire, this morning.
Jim, he's running low in the polls. He's not really appealing to the evangelical Republicans but a lot of regular, plain vanilla conservative -- fiscal conservative Republicans like him.
JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right. And he's doing a little bit more than just testing the waters, and he's finding those waters are just fine up here in New Hampshire so far.
You know, Huntsman is entering potentially this race at an interesting time. A lot of Republicans are pretty concerned about the current slate of candidates out there right now, but Huntsman understands he's got some issues of his own, namely he was just President Obama's ambassador to China. That might be a tough pill to swallow for a lot of conservatives out there.
And we caught up with Huntsman just briefly before this event, his first event in New Hampshire, yesterday evening in Hanover, and he told us he's ready to take on those issues head on.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ACOSTA: You think you would be able to overcome some concerns Republicans have about your record?
JON HUNTSMAN, FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR TO CHINA: Listen, everyone who's been elected to political office has a history. Some will like it, some won't. And it's important that you and the voters take a look at those records, analyze them, lay them out, and then let the voters decide.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ACOSTA: Now, as for that ambassadorship, Huntsman was already sort of laying out his defense in his remarks yesterday evening, saying that he was serving his country and his president. Not necessarily President Obama. So, testing out a defense there.
And he also played the diplomat a little bit last night, criticizing the president a little bit, on his Middle East speech yesterday, but not throwing out a lot of red meat.
Yesterday, you heard Mitt Romney said President Obama threw Israel under the bus. Huntsman did not go that far yesterdays, although he did offer some mild criticism of the president on that speech.
He also laid out his economic vision, talking about his experience in China, saying that experience from 10,000 miles away gave him the impression that the United States is dispirited and depressed. He would like to see the United States have the kind of confidence that China has in the years ahead. He thinks the election will be just about that, guys.
CHETRY: All right. Jim Acosta for us in New Hampshire -- thanks so much.
VELSHI: I'm not understanding why somebody would think being appointed ambassador to something would somehow be a negative.
He was the ambassador to China, the most important economy in the entire world. This is no endorsement of Jon Huntsman, but that's a bit of a strange criticism.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VELSHI (voice-over): All right, crossing the half hour. Your top stories right now, former IMF Chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn has been granted bail and could be released from Riker's Island jail at any moment.
He's facing seven sexual assault charges. When does he get out? Well, he's agreed to remain under house arrest and be monitored around the clock by armed guards that he's paying for himself.
CHETRY (voice-over): A tense meetings expected at the White House this morning between President Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. It comes a day after the president called for Israel to return to its 1967 borders as part of a peace plan. Netanyahu has called that idea indefensible for Israel.
VELSHI: Arnold Schwarzenegger has temporarily terminated his movie career to focus on some personal matters that have turned up. All of his pending film projects are now grounded. Plans for a "Governator" comic book and TV series based on his life have been scrapped.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Devastating flooding in Mississippi now turning deadly. A 69-year-old man in Vicksburg drowned yesterday and he is the first known victim of the historic flooding taking place.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) CHETRY (voice-over): Meantime, entire neighborhoods are submerged in water. Two thousand people forced to flee their homes and experts say it's going to be weeks before they can return, if they have something to return to. That's another big question. Even Mississippi's governor has been affected. His lake house near Yazoo City is under water.
VELSHI (voice-over): Some homeowners in low-lying areas are taking it upon themselves to build their own levees. One homeowner tells us his home is surrounded by 12 foot high levees. Check this out, he's staying there and he's been using a boat to get to and from the highway.
CHETRY: Lightning strike outside of an emergency room in Mississippi. A security camera outside of the ER caught it. Here's a look. There you see it. You can see smoke after it hits a tree outside of the hospital. Just an interesting moment caught on tape there, but nobody was hurt.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELSHI: Just so much weather we've been covering in the last several weeks. Today marks the - well, the annual hurricane forecast.
CHETRY: That comes out.
VELSHI: It is not going to be a quiet year. Karen Maginnis is in Atlanta with the details. Karen --
KAREN MAGINNIS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Ali, and looks like Kiran, we are expecting an especially aggressive season at least as far as the Colorado State, as well as the National Hurricane Centers' forecast.
Now you look at a 60-year average and we usually see about two major hurricanes in a season, but both the Colorado State and NOAA are saying maybe around 4 or 5. In 2010, you may remember we had five major hurricanes meaning category three or above.
You're wondering, well, it seemed like a fairly quiet year, but, in fact, most of these major hurricanes affected the Caribbean Basin or right around Mexico or into Central America.
But we did see quite an active forecast, both for Colorado State and for NOAA and Ali and Kiran, if you look at these hurricane names, you won't see either of yours on this list. Back to you.
CHETRY: Pretty much guaranteed.
VELSHI: I would not rather have a hurricane named after me or a gas station. Those are my two rules. Karen, good to see you. Thank you.
CHETRY: El Cheapo right across the street.
VELSHI: From Obama gas, yes.
CHETRY: All right, well, a violent and bizarre faceoff with police in South Carolina. All of it caught on tape.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHETRY (voice-over): This has happened with Summerville Police had to confront Arthur Thomas last Friday, Thompson rather. He began throwing punches before getting tased. That still didn't stop him. He took off in the police cruiser.
VELSHI (voice-over): You're looking at the camera from the police --
CHETRY: From the police - yes, of the stolen police cruiser.
VELSHI: A 100 miles an hour. Look what happens. Believe it or not, everybody involved escaped with minor injuries.
CHETRY: Yes, but that's just the beginning of his troubles, safe to say.
VELSHI: Yes, he's been tased, stole a police car and then crashed it and with punching the police.
CHETRY: You can't make this stuff up, a man from Wales trying to get on board a train. We keep saying a pony. It looks like a darn horse to me. Is it a pony or is it a horse?
VELSHI: It looks like a pony. Look at its height. It's shorter.
CHETRY: Maybe he's just crouching down to fit inside.
VELSHI: Get the kid's price.
CHETRY: Yes.
VELSHI: So this guy in Wales buys two tickets, goes up and buys two tickets. The conductor politely turned him and the horse away, but as you can see they got pretty close getting on the train.
They didn't have better luck when they were stopped -- popped up at a hospital a few hours later. Animal welfare officers are looking to question the man and perhaps his horse.
CHETRY: Horse/pony. He wanted the pony rate.
VELSHI: I don't know if they've got them yet. I can't imagine it's going to be that hard.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHETRY: We'll keep you posted though.
How did they forget this? A man in Utah moves into a house. He finds 40 grand. It was hidden in the attic by previous owners, but he doesn't keep the cash. He does the --
VELSHI: Stop it, don't say it.
CHETRY: Right thing. He tracks down the rightful owners. Our question of the day, what would you really do if you found a bag of money?
All right, Likes2comment at Twitter, "Who leaves that kind of money behind. They won't miss it. They much have a lot more! He owns it now. Keep it and keep my mouth shut."
VELSHI: And SeniorXSneaky on Twitter writes, "I hate to say it, but I keep half and donate the rest. You know, spread the wealth."
I had one that sounded almost exactly the same, keep half, and give the half back and look like a hero. So you keep saying he did the right thing.
I haven't seen a tweet or comment yet from any of our viewers who think he did the right thing.
CHETRY: All right, we'll see. I know you're out there.
VELSHI: Good on you man, for giving the money back. Keep your comments coming, send us an e-mail, a tweet or tell us on Facebook. We're going to read some more of your thoughts a little later in the show.
All right, Baytown, Texas, I spent time there. It is where the largest refinery on the continent is, but it's actually got a lot of work available for people and all you need is a two-year degree for it. I'm going to tell you about more of that in detail when we come back.
CHETRY: Very interesting stuff and also, you know, the jury has been out on this. Is it dangerous to talk on your cell phone, long- term exposure?
VELSHI: She won't hold it up to her ear.
CHETRY: There are a lot of people that feel that way. I also wonder about the people that drive around with the Bluetooth all day long in their ears.
But anyway, Dr. Sanjay Gupta tested it out on a mock brain with some scientists who believe that yes, indeed, the radiation you're getting from your cell phone can be harmful.
VELSHI: Wow.
CHETRY: He joins us at the bottom of the hour. It is the bottom of the hour. He joins us soon.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VELSHI: All this week CNN has been taking an in-depth look at America's job hunt. It remains a struggle for so many people. This morning, we're spotlighting a Texas town with a surplus of jobs. Baytown is the name and manufacturing is the game.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There you go.
VELSHI (voice-over): Imagine being a college student in today's job market and being almost certain of employment once you graduate. That's the reality for these students earning associate degrees at Lee College in Baytown, Texas.
GAIL DISSPAYNE, INSTRUCTOR, LEE COLLEGE: Other people in other parts of the United States have no idea the job market and availability here.
VELSHI: Baytown is a petro chemical hub with 19 manufacturing facilities run by big names like ExxonMobil, Chevron, Phillips, and Bayer.
ROD HERRICK, VP AND GENERAL SITE MANAGER, BAYER: It's very competitive with our local oil gas and petro chemical companies. We're going after the same talent pool.
VELSHI: Bayer, the aspirin company also manufactures high tech plastics. They're vying for processed technology operators. Over the next five years, 3,800 of them will be needed in the Gulf Coast region. Not engineers with a four-year degree, but skilled workers with two-year associate degrees in science-based technology.
HERRICK: Back in 2000, we had typically about 2,000 applicants for every 20 to 30 vacancies. By contrast, today, we have about 250 applicants for those same 20 to 30 vacancies.
VELSHI: It's a similar story at manufacturing plants across the country in part, due to experienced baby boomers retiring and in part, due to the rapid advancement of technology. Schools just aren't turning out enough students with the math and science skills that are needed.
DR. MICHAEL MURPHY, PRESIDENT, LEE COLLEGE: We will struggle as an economy if we don't find a way to fill these positions.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Drop one degree.
VELSHI: The petro chemical companies in Baytown are trying to close that gap, partnering with Lee College, offering gifts of equipment, scholarships and paid internships.
TYLER SLOVACEK, STUDENT: Going on these internships and proving what we've learned, it just sets us up for bigger things in life.
NATHAN GEORGE, STUDENT: Very stable jobs, very steady, you get in a job and can work it until you retire.
VELSHI: Laura McCafferty was offered a full-time job after interning. She used to run a day care business. Now at the age of 40, she's happy she made the switch. LAURA MCCAFFERTY: My brother graduated a year ago as a computer engineer with a four-year degree and I graduated last year with a two- year degree. And I'm going to make the same amount of money he makes this year.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHETRY: That's interesting. So, you know, because we talk about all the money that you owe when you get out of college after a four- year college degree. And she's saying in two years she's going to make the same amount of money coming out of school.
VELSHI: It does speak to this issue we've been talking about science and technology and again not for everybody.
CHETRY: It's not an easy ride.
VELSHI: But there are jobs. We have to be clear there are jobs in that industry. If you go for an all-out engineering degree, there are very high-paying jobs. But, look at these, a two-year degree and there are jobs.
CHETRY: Right, so -- about how much are we talking here?
VELSHI: Well, a full engineering degree will get you out of college in the $80,000 to $90,000 range, right now, which is double what you get normally. These are less than that, but there's a lot of employment.
CHETRY: Amazing, good stuff.
Well, what is driving the manufacturing sector these days? A lot of people want it to know. I mean, are we looking at turning over a new leave or some of this temporary?
VELSHI: We've been growing jobs in manufacturing sector. Let's talk to the CEO of Siemens USA, Eric Spiegel. He's the president and CEO.
He joins us now from Washington. Eric, you got jobs available. You got 3,000 jobs available at Siemens USA. What kind of jobs are they?
ERIC SPIEGEL, PRESIDENT& CEO, SIEMENS USA: That's right. We have over 3,200 jobs open right now and more than half of those are in science, technology, engineering type jobs that you were just mentioning.
The other half are white collar areas like customer service, sales, marketing support, et cetera. In addition to those 3,200 jobs, we have hundreds of blue collar jobs available out of the new plants that we're opening and expanding around the country.
So we have quite a mix, but it's getting more difficult to fill those jobs. CHETRY: That's interesting. I mean, that's what people want to hear when looking at 9 percent unemployment around the country. You say you some have contracts to build lightrail or street cars that are going to be going up in Houston and Atlanta. Are these temporary gigs or for people -- could these be the start of long-term careers for folks?
SPIEGEL: I think they can definitely be the start of long term careers in places like Sacramento where we're expanding our lightrail facility. In Charlotte where we're building a new gas turban plant, we're actually re-training -- spending lots of money re-training people.
For example, in Charlotte, textile workers who are going to be working in a gas turbine plant. We do the same thing in Fort Madison, Iowa, retraining workers to be to work in the wind blade industry. So we see these as long-term careers. We're making investments for the long term. These are 30, 40-year investment assets not short term investments.
VELSHI: Eric, why are you doing this? I'm asking you this because are these part of the deals that you've got with these lightrail or is it something about when you -- are you getting tax breaks that say you've got to retrain workers? Because why -- being facetious, but make these street cars somewhere else and ship them to America?
SPIEGEL: Well, we see the U.S. as a really competitive place for manufacturing now. In fact, for many of our plants, we can manufacture here at a competitive cost with any place in the world.
We like investing in the U.S. because we have skilled labor here. It's got great universities in science for doing R&D. We like to tie our R&D to manufacturing and it's got a well-developed infrastructure.
So, all of those things make this an attractive market.
CHETRY: So, then, some -- as we talk and there's been so much concern about jobs going overseas, manufacturing jobs going overseas, you know, the common wisdom that, yes, it's cheaper to do it in China and India, so, why do it here?
If -- you make the case that there is a very good reason to manufacture here in the United States, why aren't more companies doing it?
SPIEGEL: Well, you know, I think it makes sense for a lot of industries, especially where there's a lot of technology involved and a lot of the things we're building are in the clean energy space like gas turbines and wind turbines and even the transportation sector like light rail. So, I think, for those things that have a high technology content, it makes alt of sense.
And those are the areas we're investing. We've invested over half a billion dollars just in the last couple years and created about 3,000 jobs in those areas.
So, there are a lot of areas that make sense and we did a lot of that during the recession --
CHETRY: Right.
SPIEGEL: -- which is why we're doing well coming out of the recession.
CHETRY: Speaking of the recession, though, a lot of people have said that companies have money, they're hoarding it, they're sitting on it, why not spend it? I mean, what is holding the business environment back that we're still at 9 percent unemployment?
SPIEGEL: Well, I think the 9 percent unemployment is more of a mismatch. You know, right now, as we said before, we have 3,200 positions opened. We've actually hired about 35 new recruiters just in the last couple months.
VELSHI: Let me -- I think you're so dead on in that, Eric. Let me just continue on that line then. We just ran a piece where we showed these people in Baytown, Texas, getting two-year degrees, coming out with jobs and then, we've got -- we know that engineers come out of school with almost double what the average college graduate comes out.
So, when you say mismatch -- you're saying we have 15 million people unemployed in the United States. We have about 3 million jobs unfilled right now. Those people are not equipped for those jobs. So, that's why you're retraining people?
SPIEGEL: That's why we're retraining people and that's why we're putting more recruiters in place to go and search for the people had that have those skills. I think that's one of the things this country needs to do more of, invest in training programs. I think it's one of the reasons that Germany has done so well over the years. They have a very formal apprentice program.
We have about 10,000 people coming out of high school in our apprentice programs. In Germany about 2,500 new people every year who were training with these technical skills. That exists to some extent in the U.S. but nearly to the extent it does in Germany.
CHETRY: Wow. That seems very vital and hopefully more people will pick up on those lessons when you talk about that, the apprenticeship, the notion that there is something to be learned and then you can move into that track and succeed in the future.
Very interesting to talk to you, Eric Spiegel, president and CEO of Siemens USA -- thanks for joining us this morning.
SPIEGEL: Thank you.
VELSHI: What a great discussion on that.
Find out where the jobs are, by the way, and how to get them, how to keep them, we've got a lot of features on this on the brand new CNNmoney.com. Lots of stories on America's job hunt right now.
We'll be right back. It's 48 minutes after the hour.
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CHETRY: Fifty minutes past the hour.
Here's look at your headlines.
Former IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn could be walking out of Rikers Island jail at any moment this morning. He'll be under house arrest. He has to wear an electronic monitor and he'll be watched around the clock by armed guards once he's released.
In just a few hours, President Obama sits down with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House. The meeting comes just a day after the president proposed that Israel roll back its border to pre-1967 line. Netanyahu says that for Israel, the idea is indefensible.
Two U.S. workers wounded in a deadly bombing in Pakistan. The Taliban spokesman tells CNN the attack is an act of revenge over the death of Osama bin Laden.
And Arnold Schwarzenegger putting his movie career on hold to focus on personal matters. His film projects grounded for now. And plans for him to have the governator comic book and TV series based on his life has now been scrapped.
Space shuttle Endeavour may have some damaged. NASA workers are now taking a close look at the underside of the shuttle. Mission managers identified three tiles they say could have some damage. Officials they are aware but not worried.
And time to say goodbye. Katie Couric signs off for the last time on the "CBS Evening News." She'll be replaced by "60 Minutes" reporter Scott Pelley. Couric is the first woman to solo anchor a network evening news show.
And you caught on the day's headlines. AMERICAN MORNING will be back after a quick break.
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VELSHI: I don't like stories like this because it's going to end up in a lecture at the end of the day, because my wife always tells me there's ample evidence out there that cell phones are not good to hold up to your head.
CHETRY: How often is this attached to your side of your head?
VELSHI: Always. I don't know how I would do about it. Is it really safe?
CHETRY: Yes. You'd have to just get one of the, you know, the earpieces that you plug in.
Anyway, we're talking about it this morning because there are concerns, medical doctors have said, no, that you know, there are some concerns. The FCC is continuing to maintain, yes, they are safe.
CNN's chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, actually did his own investigation on this and joins us live from Atlanta.
Hi, Sanjay.
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.
CHETRY: So, the headlines are often confusing on this. I mean, many of us think, you know, common wisdom would make it seem that you can't hold this thing up to your ear that gives, you know --
(CROSSTALK)
VELSHI: And, Sanjay, you know my wife. Don't give her more ammunition than you need.
GUPTA: Look, I'm here about the facts, you know? And we have been looking into this for more than a year now. And like you guys, I am personally concerned about it because I use a cell phone all the time and continue to use a cell phone. But I do use a wired ear piece like Kiran said.
But let me just tell you a couple things. First of all, the big headline over the last couple of months when it came out of the study called the inner phone study. Big 13 country study, looking at this very question of cell phones and their potential health effects. And the headline was -- look, there doesn't seem to be any kind of association.
What we found quickly, though, at this investigation was looking at the appendix of this, which you can only find online, the appendix of this study. We found that, in fact, people who used cell phones for 10 years or more actually had a doubling -- almost doubling of the rate of a type of a brain tumor called a glioma. It was not part of the initial study, but a part of this appendix.
And it's kind of the point a little bit here that a lot of doctors, a lot of health care people are starting to make, is that, you know, you don't see tumors develop right away. It takes some time. And this country, only in the last 15 years have cell phones become really, really popular.
So, we may not have enough evidence yet. And the question is, what's going to happen over the next five, 10, 15 years. And, you know, this was largely considered sort of a fringe issue, even a few years ago. Dr. Keith Black, who's a brain tumor surgeon, the head of neurosurgery at Cedars-Sinai, he believes there's a concern.
The head of oncology of the cancer center at University of Pittsburgh sent a memo out to his employees saying, look, I'm concerned, limit your cell phone use, use ear pieces because I'm concerned about cancer.
San Francisco wants to put warning labels on their cell phones.
In Europe, they basically have said, we need more testing. But we believe this is potentially as big a health epidemic as asbestos, tobacco and leaded gasoline.
So, there are, you know, louder and more prominent voices than ever before on this.
VELSHI: The FCC, which, by the way, also tells you can't use phones on airplanes even though there's absolutely no evidence that that does any damage, is saying that these are entirely safe.
So, phones are dangerous on airplanes but they are entirely safe next to your head. Should we be listening to the FCC on this?
GUPTA: Well, you know, I mean -- this is what I found, Ali, and I think this is very interesting, is that, you know, part of this issue is still that -- it may not just have been long enough to know the impact of cell phones on the brain, specifically with regard to cancer. It takes 20, 25, 30 years for these cancers to develop. Cell phones haven't been around that long.
Here's what I found even more interesting. The way they actually do some of the safety testing -- I went to one of these safety labs. They let us come in there. It was a rare occasion for people to do that and actually see some of these testing take place.
You are looking at a skull there and they basically create a model brain, which is just water, salt and sugar. It's decidedly a low-tech sort of thing. But they put my phone up next to the skull and they measured the amount of radiation that's being given off.
In my case, the phone actually seemed to check out OK. But look -- I mean, this is just a low tech thing. And what about people who have thinner skulls and more importantly what about children? Children are using phones more than ever before.
And there hasn't been a single study that we could find that is a peer-reviewed study that actually shows, you know, any relationship or has been studied between children and cell phones. Those studies simply have not been done. They are going to be using cell phones their entire lives. They'll use it far more than we ever did.
It's remarkable to me that people have not looked at this issue.
CHETRY: You know what? I know you walk around with your wired earpiece. It's a smart thing to do. You know, you talk about this stuff because we don't know yet. So, you know, the old adage: better safe than sorry. All right.
VELSHI: I'm going to get one of those, Sanjay. Thank you, my friend.
GUPTA: Yes, and I think it's an easy thing to do, right?
CHETRY: Right.
VELSHI: Yes.
GUPTA: Talk about mitigating your risk. You're not asking people to change their world upside down. Using an ear piece is a fairly easy thing to do.
CHETRY: That's right. You know what? If you have iPhone head phones, you can actually just use them for your iPad.
GUTPA: Got them right here.
CHETRY: There you go.
VELSHI: Good to see you, Sanjay.
GUPTA: See you, guys.
VELSHI: My wife likes Sanjay. So, she is going to say, Sanjay said so.
CHETRY: Right. Sanjay is always right.
VELSHI: I'm going to have to buy one to today.
All right. You can see the full investigation on cell phones and radiation this Saturday at 2:30 Eastern, "SANJAY GUPTA, M.D."
We're coming right back. Fifty-seven minutes after the hour.
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