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American Morning
Gadhafi Compound Targeted; Rangel Sells Condo; Former Porn Star: "Weiner Told Me To Lie"; Illegal Hiring Crackdown; Fran Drescher is Happily Divorced
Aired June 16, 2011 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: President Obama sued -- sued -- over the war in Libya by a group of congressmen.
I'm Christine Romans.
The White House answers with a report justifying the president's position.
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Kiran Chetry.
Al Qaeda choosing a successor to Osama bin Laden. Not much a surprise here. This man was the terror organization's long-time second in command. But this morning, more about what we know about Ayman al-Zawahiri.
ALI VELSHI, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Ali Velshi.
A confession in the 1994 shooting of rapper Tupac Shakur. An inmate says he was involved and he was paid to do it. Details ahead -- on this AMERICAN MORNING.
(MUSIC)
ROMANS: Good morning. It is Thursday, June 16th.
Welcome to AMERICAN MORNING.
CHETRY: We have some new information this morning out of Libya. A new assault early in the morning on Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi and we have it on tape. Take a look.
(VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Series of explosions rocking Tripoli this morning. Plumes of black smoke rising from the area of Gadhafi's presidential compound in Libya's capital.
CNN's David McKenzie is live with the latest details.
Do we know any of the targets hit or what the damage is, David?
DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: What we do know is that these were around six strikes quite (INAUDIBLE) location. Two (AUDIO BREAK) very large strikes close to the windows. In fact, just before 5:00 a.m. local, we know that they were jets from NATO striking, laser-guided bombs to Moammar Gadhafi's compound.
Now, that compound is about a mile away from here, has been struck a number of times. They say they were striking a storage facility. The certainly, that's often the term they use. What the real target was or if it was the target, we just don't know.
ROMANS: David, let's talk about Gadhafi. What diplomatic moves are in the works to try to resolve this crisis?
MCKENZIE: Well, obviously, day in and day out, these NATO airstrikes, Christine, and right now, we have Mikhail Margelov, an envoy of the Russian government, who is in Tripoli as I speak. He is touring that bomb site, in fact, that I just mentioned with the deputy foreign minister of Libya.
The Russians are trying to bring in some kind of a dramatic move that wouldn't guarantee Gadhafi stepping down between -- from power before there are any talks to resolve this crisis. The rebels out in the east have said absolutely not. They can't negotiate if Moammar Gadhafi, 41 years of ruling Libya, in power.
But this side says, you know, they are open to talks potentially but that can't be a precondition -- him stepping down cannot be a condition. So, certainly, a sticking point there on the diplomatic front and the Russian envoy is trying to find the harder part through that in a way to end the daily strikes that up three months have yet to unseat the long time dictator of Libya.
ROMANS: All right. David McKenzie -- thank you so much, David.
CHETRY: Meantime here at home, a bipartisan group of congressmen taking the president to court over the Libyan military mission, asking a federal judge in a lawsuit to rule the mission illegal and to stop it. The White House responded with a report laying out the legal basis for the president's action and it says, in part, the president is of the view that the current U.S. military operations in Libya are consistent with the War Powers Resolution and do not, under that law, require further congressional authorization because U.S. military operations are distinct from the kind of hostilities contemplated by the resolution's 60-day termination provision.
House Speaker John Boehner isn't buying it. He says, quote, "The creative arguments made by the White House raise a number of questions that must be further explored."
VELSHI: There's a new man in charge of al Qaeda this morning. It's a terror organization's longtime number two, second in command, Ayman al-Zawahiri.
Here's what we know about him: He's 59. He's turning 60 next week. He's son of an upper middle class Egyptian family. His father was a professor at Cairo University's Medical School.
And Zawahiri is reportedly a qualified surgeon himself. He joined forces with bin Laden after meeting him in 1986, and he became his personal physician and close adviser.
It's not clear what process was used to select him as bin Laden's successor but the announcement was posted on an al Qaeda Web site.
ROMANS: A CIA spokesman tells CNN that they are looking into reports the agency's public Web site has been hacked. A group of WikiLeaks supporters claim they took down the CIA.gov site. But this morning, the agency's site appears to be operating normally.
But it's certainly is the latest on the long line of government hack attacks.
CHETRY: That's right, and also in private industry as well.
ROMANS: Yes.
CHETRY: If you own a Citigroup credit card, it turns out hackers gained access to more accounts than originally released. The company announced 360,000 cards were affected during last month's security breach. They also say hackers got access to customer's contact information. But Citigroup is saying that they were not able to access the customers' Social Security numbers or their security codes.
VELSHI: Now, I'm with Christine on this one. They can find out in two seconds whether I'm overdrawn.
ROMANS: Yes.
VELSHI: But they couldn't find that -- they said it was 210,000 people. Now, it's --
ROMANS: They can track a transaction in a millisecond. All of these big companies can.
Yet, they can't secure your data.
And, you know, I mean, hackers are sophisticated. But our data should be the most important thing that they have.
VELSHI: They held this information back for two weeks. They didn't tell people. I just want them to be honest. I'm not blaming them for being hacked. I mean, I'm not happy about it, but I'm not blaming for that.
I'm saying you should have told us and told us the truth in the first place.
ROMANS: What I'm concerned about a is major, major international push to hack all kinds of different things and these companies and governments are worried about it, really worried about it because they can't control it.
CHETRY: And they seem to be one step behind the hackers.
ROMANS: They sure do.
VELSHI: That's right.
All right. A powerful indicator of the challenges that are still facing the global economy. Take a look at the streets of Athens, Greece. You saw those riots break out during our show yesterday, huge riots. There were 27,000 demonstrators -- maybe more than that.
Well, they continue this morning. We are told they are not as violent. The crowds are furious over drastic cutbacks to social programs as Greece struggles to get out from underneath its crippling debt.
As, you know, Greece got an international bailout. Now, it's trying to get a second bailout, but it's not getting that bailout until it changes the way things are done in Greece. And the fear now is that a default on Greece's loans could drag other European economies under and, of course, could set the stage for a global credit freeze again.
ROMANS: And these fears, plus weak manufacturing data, pushed stocks sharply lower yesterday. In fact, the markets right on track for, gosh, a seventh straight week of declines. This morning, the Dow and NASDAW and S&P 500 futures are again all lower.
Coming up, in about 20 minutes, with the markets on edge, what should you do you're your money? We're going to talk to one of the country's most successful and shall we say outspoken investors. You're going to want to hear this one.
CHETRY: Hopefully, we'll learn a few things.
ROMANS: Yes.
CHETRY: Well, the -- also new this morning, police in New York plan to talk to a prison inmate who admits participating in the 1994 robbing and killing of rapper Tupac Shakur. The inmate is quoted on a hip-hop saying that he was paid by a music mogul to do it. He's identified as Dexter Isaac and he's currently serving a life sentence for unrelated murder and robbery. You may remember. This was a robbery and shooting that happened two years before the fatal shooting of rapper Tupac Shakur.
VELSHI: Stanley Cup going back to Boston for the first time in nearly four decades. The Bruins won the cup last night with four- nothing shutout of the Canucks.
Here it comes. Here it comes! He scores!
Canucks in the seventh and deciding game lose the Stanley Cup.
ROMANS: I think you hear a little bit of your Canadian accent on this story.
VELSHI: Yes, a little bit.
ROMANS: Just a little bit, just a little bit.
VELSHI: Your first word you need to learn in Canadian English.
ROMANS: Here we say, it's a boy, here, it's a girl! There, they say, he scores!
The defeat didn't go over well in Vancouver. Thousands are rioting in the streets after this game. Fires were set. They overturned some cars. Police used tear gas to control the crowd. There were reports of dozens of injuries, including four people being stabbed.
VELSHI: And I'm getting a lot of tweets from people saying these weren't fans, they were other people doing this. You never know who is involved in these things.
CHETRY: Well, they do -- you can tell there's a lot of cell phone video being taken and digital pictures. So, obviously, people will get arrested.
ROMANS: It's not the anonymity of the crowd today that there was maybe a generation ago. So, I'm sure they're going to be very busy looking over all of that video to try to figure out who to charge.
VELSHI: Yes.
CHETRY: Still ahead, a porn star and stripper says that Congressman Anthony Weiner told her to lie about their online communications. She held a press conference with a new attorney. We're going to have more on her big reveal.
VELSHI: And Congressman Barney Frank has some interesting fashion advice for 2012 presidential hopeful Mitt Romney. I can't wait to hear what he is telling Mitt Romney about fashion. We'll tell you on the other side.
ROMANS: And Fran Drescher is happily divorced and sharing it with the world. Her new show, "Happily Divorced," based one her real- life struggles after finding that her husband of 18 years is gay.
Fran is here live a little later this morning.
It's nine minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: A shot of New York City this morning, Central park. Beautiful out there right now, 68 and sunny.
VELSHI: You know what? I don't care what's happening later weather-wise.
ROMANS: Why?
VELSHI: I'm going away.
CHETRY: You are gone for a long time.
VELSHI: I've already put it into place.
ROMANS: Tell me.
VELSHI: I'm conducting a field research of the effect of the European economic slowdown on tourism in Europe.
CHETRY: So he can write off all of his expenses.
Eighty-four and cloudy.
VELSHI: Oh, that's nice. While there's like IRA people.
CHETRY: IRA?
VELSHI: IRS people listening to this thing.
ROMANS: You are on vacation!
VELSHI: So, now, I don't get to write off on my trip. So, in other words, I'm going on vacation.
CHETRY: He is conducting research. If you're stuck in New York, high of 82.
By the way, the same sex marriage bill is one step closer to passing this morning in the state of New York. The state assembly approved a marriage quality act by a 80-to-63 margin last night. The measure now must go before the state Senate where it faces a closer vote.
VELSHI: One more vote.
CHETRY: Yes, there's a --
VELSH: Maybe one more person to vote.
CHETRY: Exactly. If it becomes law, New York would be the sixth state to legalize same-sex marriage.
VELSHI: Mitt Romney continues to lead the pack of presidential hopefuls, according to a NBC/"Wall Street Journal" poll. Romney is favored by 30 percent of registered Republicans.
ROMANS: This is before our debate. This is before our debate. So, that's interesting.
VELSHI: Followed by Sarah Palin at 14 percent. The poll was taken, as you said, before CNN's Monday night debate.
And remember, in Monday night's debate, Sarah Palin wasn't in it and Michele Bachmann was and was regarded as having performed very well.
Only 45 percent of the respondents said that they were happy with the current crop of candidates.
ROMANS: Massachusetts Congressman Barney Frank also not happy with the current crop of candidates. He is a Democrat, of course. And he has fashion advice for Mitt Romney.
In an interview with CNN's Wolf Blitzer, Frank seemed to be concerned about the casual look Romney has been sporting lately.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. BARNEY FRANK (D), MASSACHUSETTS: I have a little sympathy for him. Apparently, he spends so much of his money that he could no longer afford ties. Poor Mitt has not been seen in a tie in several months.
So, I am going to take up a collection to buy some ties for Mr. Romney. And he's got all these ties to his first policy, but I would like to see if we can get him a tie to put around his neck because he's going around without any tie. He kind of looks a little bit underdressed.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: That was the nicest thing he said about him. Nicest thing he said about him.
CHETRY: I do like that -- you know, I like that look on a guy, though. You know, you have the nice crisp shirt on and you have --
VELSHI: He carries it well. He's a well-built guy. But it is true, he's not -- for a guy who is very tied to both the business and political world, the very button up world, he has not been seen with a tie or a jacket really for long.
CHETRY: If I were Mitt, though, I'd take him up on it. I like to see what tie Barney Frank would pick for him. That would be pretty funny.
ROMANS: If I were Mitt Romney, I would not take his side because he also said the only consistent political policy he has is his own personal ambition.
VELSHI: Wow.
CHETRY: Well, take a look at former U.S. senator and one-time presidential candidate posing for a police mug shot. This is John Edwards, smiling for the camera, even though, he could face prison time for allegedly violating campaign finance laws. Edwards was indicted on federal charges earlier this month for allegedly using a million dollars in illegal campaign money to help cover up an extramarital affair.
VELSHI: Some people not so happy about that shot. Doesn't bother me. A smiling -- I mean, I would smile for my mug shot.
ROMANS: I mean, if you're -- you know what, if you're a little --
CHETRY: When the IRA comes calling?
VELSHI: I'm not going to have a mug shot. Why do I say stuff like that?
New York congressman, Charlie Rangel, has sold his controversial vacation property in the Dominican Republican. That, of course, you will remember was the subject of an ethics charge against him. The information was revealed in a financial disclosure report.
Now, Rangel was censured by the House last year for, among other things, failing to pay taxes on that rental income from the resort property over 17 years. So, he was required to repay those taxes and forced to relinquish his chairmanship of the very powerful Ways and Means Committee.
ROMANS: We could still learn if another embattled New York congressman, Anthony Weiner plans to resign. House Democratic leaders, they might gave him a push on that direction during a meeting today. He stands to lose his seat on the House Energy and Commerce Committee.
CHETRY: Meantime, the former porn star, Ginger Lee, is talking publicly, for the first time about her online exchanges with Congressman Weiner. At a news conference yesterday, she said that Weiner asked her to lie about their communications.
VELSHI: Not long after her news conference, Ginger Lee was headlining at an Atlanta strip club, the Pink Pony. You can see it there. The marquee there says something about Weiner gate. So, somebody was capitalizing on this publicity. CNN's Mary Snow had the rare privilege of attending that news conference to tell us a little more about what was going on.
MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You just saw a picture of her last night on that poster. She was dressed a little differently yesterday at this news conference, but Ginger Lee claims when Anthony Weiner first came under scrutiny, she turned to him for advice, and she claims that he told her to lie.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SNOW (voice-over): She's a former porn star whose path collided with Congressman Anthony Weiner online. Ginger Lee and famed attorney, Gloria Allred held a press conference to speak about Lee's online communication with Weiner. She claims he coached her about dealing with the press after questions first surfaced about a lewd picture he sent someone else. GINGER LEE, FEATURE DANCER: He asked me to lie about our communication. I put out a three sentence communication that he told me to say. My statement to the press said, quote, "I haven't met Representative Weiner. I follow him on Twitter because I support him and what he stands for. I have been hounded by his political opponents, but that has not changed my view of him and what he fights for."
SNOW: While she says they never met, Lee claims she followed him on Twitter and after writing something positive about him on her blog, he started following her on Twitter. It eventually led to e-mails.
GLORIA ALLRED, ATTORNEY: Although discussions at first were about politics, sometimes, he would try to take it to another level, mentioning his, quote, "package."
SNOW: Allred says Lee didn't respond to alleged sexual advances, but in a blog post in March, she wrote that she wanted to have sex with him. By June 1st, Weiner was asked about her.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Do you have any idea who this woman is?
REP. ANTHONY WEINER, (D) NEW YORK: Another --
BLITZER: Direct messages?
WEINER: I think what this is about is a fairly proforma thing that goes out that I send out to people as I follow them. Thank you for following me and please check in at anthonyweiner.com.
SNOW: In fact, Allred said the two exchanged about a hundred messages. And on June 2nd, one day after that interview, Lee claims Weiner called her, and on his advice, she says, she stayed in her house and avoided cameras hoping the scandal would die down. As to why she is speaking now, Allred says it was time to break her silence and that someone had threatened to release a statement from her that she didn't authorize, and Lee added one final message.
LEE: I think that Anthony Weiner should resign because he lied to the public and to the press for more than a week. It might have never turned into this if he'd told the truth, but he kept lying.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SNOW (on-camera): We did reach out to Anthony Weiner's office about Lee's allegations but got no response. Bottom line is just one more thing keeping the story in the headlines adding to the pressure building on Capitol Hill for Anthony Weiner to resign.
VELSHI: What do you think the end game is there?
SNOW: You know, you have to imagine, I mean, here she is capitalizing. Last time, as you saw at that club, you know, got her name in the spotlight would have covered as much had he resigned? Probably not.
VELSHI: All right. Thanks, Mary.
SNOW: Sure.
CHETRY: Still ahead, we are going to be joined by Fran Drescher. She has a new sitcom out, "Happily Divorce," based on her own life after finding out that her husband was gay after years of them being married.
VELSHI: Eighteen years, yes.
CHETRY: But they're great friends today.
ROMANS: And legendary investor, Jim Rogers, folks, he's one of this country's most successful investors. He is looking at these pictures of Greece that we're all seeing, and he's seeing some something very dangerous for us here in the U.S. We're going to tell you what he says about your 401(k), what you need to do about it.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VELSHI: Twenty-four minutes after the hour. "Minding Your Business" this morning.
The Obama administration cracking down on companies that hire illegal immigrants. Notices were sent to 1,000 companies yesterday alerting them that government auditors plan to inspect their hiring records. The names of the companies were not disclosed.
Two senators want to make it easier for you to protect your mobile privacy. They've introduced a bill that would require companies like Apple and Google, along with application makers to get your permission before they collect and share information about your location.
Investors are on edge this morning. Stocks set to open lower as concerns over turmoil in Greece continue to grow. Wall Street bracing for new jobs and housing numbers coming out this week.
Most Americans are worried about not having enough money for retirement, according to a new Gallup poll. The majority of Americans are also concerned about being able to pay medical bills for a bad accident or a serious illness.
And it turns out more Americans are opting not to quit their day job during these tough times. According to "Bloomberg Business Week," between January 2009 and this past April, 28 million Americans who might, otherwise, have left their jobs have stuck with them.
We want to know what you think about that. Would you change jobs if you could? E-mail us, give us a tweet, tell us on Facebook. We'll read through some of them later in the show.
And coming up next, we're going to talk to one of the country's most successful investors about what you should do with your money in these turbulent economic times. AMERICAN MORNING is back after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: We're about to cross the half-hour right now. A look at your top stories this morning. There's a new al Qaeda boss this morning.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY (voice-over): It's the terror organization's long-time second in command, Ayman al-Zawahiri. He is reportedly a surgeon, joining forces with Bin Laden after meeting him in 1986, becoming his personal physician and adviser.
NATO stepping up its assault against Libyan dictator, Moammar Gadhafi. More explosions reported overnight in Tripoli. These airstrikes targeting Gadhafi's heavily fortified presidential compound in the Libyan capital.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: And the new NATO assault coming as a bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers file suit against President Obama. They're challenging the legality of America's military involvement in Libya. The White House drew up a 32-page response defending the president's decision to commit U.S. troops to Libya.
ROMANS: OK, guys. One thing became crystal clear after this week's CNN GOP debate. All of the Republican candidate plan to attack President Obama's record on the economy. Let's look at that record. Today, we have a 9.1 percent jobless rate, an exploding budget deficit, an economic growth that simply not enough to create new jobs. We measure economic growth in GDP.
If you look at here with that, Gross Domestic Product, you can see that growth, though, has climbed out of the gutter since 2009 when the economy was shrinking at a rate of 2.6 percent. It's now growing but not as strongly as it was last summer. 2.9 percent when stimulus measures were in full effect. It's not growing right now meaningfully enough to lower the unemployment rate.
Now, for most people, the economic indicator that matters most is their job. Where do we stand on that? Well, in January 2009, when Obama took office, 820,000 Americans lost their jobs just in that month. Overall, 3.3 million jobs are gone since the president took office.
But the White House is right when it points out that job growth over just the past year is 1.4 million jobs have been added back. You can check out more of this analysis of the economy by going to CNNmoney.com.
VELSHI: What people want to know really is what is happening next? Where is the economy headed? What should you do with your money in the meantime? We have got the man to ask about this. For people in the know, he is a legend, one of this country's most successful investors ever. When Jim Rogers talks, people listen.
Or they read about it. He has written a book with some great advice that you can understand if you're not a professional investor called "A Gift to my Children, a father's lessons for life and investing."
Jim Rogers joins us now. He has also enjoyed the spoils of his success when he retired and hit the road. Before we talk about the stuff you know a lot about, I have to tell you I'm a motorcycle rider. You have logged a quarter million miles or more on your motorcycle?
JIM ROGERS, FOUNDER, ROGERS HOLDINGS: Yes, I have. I went around the world in a motorcycle and it was great fun and I hope you do it, too.
VELSHI: Maybe we will go riding someday as if you're as good at riding as you have investing and teach me a few things.
Jim, we're in a situation where it sounds like turmoil. Greece worrying about sending the world into another credit crisis and the situation Christine was talking about, about the lack of robust job creation. When you look at the world and the world of investing, what do you see?
ROGERS: I see continued turmoil for the next few years. America has had a recession every four to six years since the beginning of time. We're overdue. We will have another recession in 2012 or 2013, so be prepared.
ROMANS: This is a debt problem. America has too much debt. Consumers still have too much debt and Greece is trying to get out of his et cetera problems. To you is that the bottom line here?
ROGERS: Christine, yes. The idea that Washington can solve a problem of too much debt and too much consumption with more debt and more consumption defies comprehension to me, anyway. It's ludicrous. We're getting deeper into debt and America is getting deeper and further behind. We have serious problems facing us.
And Washington does not seem to understand. They only worry about the next election. I have two little girls. I worry about them and I worry about me.
VELSHI: You have written a book, by the way. What are the lessons of investing? You said a moment ago things will get bad again, be prepared. Is there a way for our viewers to be prepared or do you have to be an expert like you?
ROGERS: No, Ali, you don't have to be an expert like me. The most important advice is for everybody to own and invest in what they know a lot about themselves. If you don't know a lot about something, please don't invest in it. You're going to lose money. And if you want to give your money to somebody else, to invest in a mutual fund, say, make sure they know what they are doing. Otherwise, Ali, just keep your money in the bank and earn interest until you, yourself, find something you know a lot about and then invest. Everybody wants a hot tip. I'm telling you, that is a fast way to the poor house.
ROMANS: You're not making much money if you don't have money in the bank. That's the sad part about it. Ten-year yields are just 3 percent. People on a fixed income, not a good time.
ROGERS: Christine, no, you're right. It's terrible what Washington is doing to us. The people who saved did the right things all their lives is suddenly they are finding out that Washington is paying them virtually no interest to bailout people who did the wrong things. No, it's out outrageous what outrageous what is happening.
Christine, I want to say to you. It's better to earn a very little bit of interest than lose money year after year.
ROMANS: True.
ROGERS: You made this point if it's stuff you don't understand, do it through somebody who does understand it, like a mutual fund. When you say make sure the people you give your money to understand what they are doing, how would you say our viewers should figure that out?
ROGERS: It's very simple. You ask the mutual fund for information about the person managing the money and if you cannot get enough information from the mutual fund, don't give it to them, Ali. If somebody knocked on your door tonight and said, give me your money, I want to invest it, you would tell them to go away or call the police until you knew a lot about him.
ROMANS: People say buy gold and gold is the only safe thing in these uncertain times. You talk about uncertain times. Is there something you like and something people should learn more about to invest in?
ROGERS: I and my family are learning a lot about real assets, whether it's silver or rice or natural gas. The government is debasing the currency and trying to drive down the value of the money. We have inflation in the world. So my family and I are putting a lot of our money into real assets, because that always is the way to protect yourself from inflation. But don't do it, Christine, unless you've done a lot of homework.
VELSHI: That is the take-away. You're an expert at this, Jim, and no simple answers. We appreciate that. Jim, great to see you. One of these days, let's go for a motorcycle ride. Jim Rogers is the author of "A Gift to my Children," a book with his own investing advice.
ROMANS: Thanks, Jim. ROGERS: Thank you.
CHETRY: The defense will start presenting its side of the story in the Casey Anthony murder trial. After the prosecution rested yesterday, Anthony's attorneys tried to convince the judge to dismiss the case, insisting no proof has been presented that a murder even took place. The judge, however, was not buying it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There has been in this case no evidence of premeditation.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The defense's motion, judgment of acquittal, as to counts one through seven are hereby denied. These are strictly questions for the jury to decide.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Today the defense will attempt to question a convicted felon named Vasco Thompson. It's not clear whether the judge will allow it. Thompson served time for kidnapping, and Casey Anthony's lawyers are now trying to link him to Casey's father George Anthony.
ROMANS: An update now on the case of Lawrence Speara, the 20-year-old Indiana university student. She has been missing for 13 days now. Police have released a picture of a white Chevy that was captured on surveillance video in the area where Spear was last seen on June 3rd. They would like to question the owner. They are also releasing a new picture of her wearing a white shirt and black leggings and was taken right before she vanished.
VELSHI: A major milestone for Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords. She was discharged yesterday from the Houston hospital where she's been undergoing rehab.
Doctors say her cognitive abilities and physical strength have improved she does not need to stay at the hospital. We are told that Giffords is expected to start outpatient therapy sometime soon. Mark Kelly, her husband, says she will be at the hospital every day for therapy, but will get to go home.
CHETRY: Earlier this week you'll remember President Obama became the first sitting president to officially visit Puerto Rico in the past 50 years.
VELSHI: If I was president, that would be one of my first trips.
ROMANS: There are a lot of nice places in Puerto Rico. On the roads it looks like you're anywhere in America. It's the same road signs, the same everything but you feel like you're in the way. On last night's "Daily Show" Jon Stewart had a little fun with our Ed Henry's coverage of the president's trip. Check it out.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JON STEWART, HOST, "THE DAILY SHOW": Seven hours on a plane to spend four hours in Puerto Rico. The president must be really driven to fulfill all of his old campaign promises. Or --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The 11 states with the highest Puerto Rican population have almost all of the electoral votes he would need to be reelected.
HENRY: Florida would be the biggest prize the president has his eye on, always a battleground, with 847,000 Puerto Ricans. New Jersey, Pennsylvania, another key battleground, 366,000 Puerto Ricans.
STEWART: Anyone else weirded out how Rainman specific Ed Henry's number of Puerto Ricans in America knowledge is?
(LAUGHTER)
The president landed at Dulles Airport, employer of 78 Puerto Ricans. He headed back to the White House, passing 3,700 Puerto Ricans in his 22-minute drive. I have their names.
(LAUGHTER)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: It's all about potential voters. That's why it's important.
CHETRY: They crunch the numbers.
VELSHI: In defense of my good friend, Ed, he said that he had the information written down and didn't know it off the top of his head. I don't believe that about that. I think Ed knows that stuff. People on our political team just know stuff off the top of my heads.
CHETRY: Fran Drescher is here. She's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Aren't you gay, too?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Me? No!
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I just assumed. You're over 30. You've never been married. There's no man in your life.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, honey, I'm not gay. I'm just pathetic.
(LAUGHTER)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: That was a scene from the popular 90s sitcom "The Nanny," a comedy that really launched Fran Drescher's career. She is back in action.
VELSHI: "Happily Divorced" is a TV comedy about a woman who after 18 years of marriage finds out her husband is gay.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Wait a minute here before you jump off of this cliff. How do you know this isn't some midlife crisis thing? I mean, you've never even been with a man. Trust me, it's not that great!
(LAUGHTER)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: The whole thing is take that funny. Joining us is Fran Drescher. You're happily doing "Happily Divorced." Tell us the inspiration for this project.
FRAN DRESCHER, ACTOR: Excuse me. I'm losing my voice from all of the talk shows I'm doing. Actually, I was inspired by my own life because my ex-husband came out.
ROMANS: Were you just as shocked as your TV version of yourself?
DRESCHER: No. He didn't come out until after we were divorced. I had already survived cancer. It was like, you know, what could you possibly say?
CHETRY: You two are still friends today?
DRESCHER: That is one of the silver linings of my cancer survival because he actually did not want the divorce and was upset with me. After the show ended he moved to New York and then he got a call from our manager that I had cancer and in that moment, all of the anger melted away and all that was left was love and we have been building our friendship ever since.
And our manager, in fact, was the one that very wisely advised us to not throw away all those years that we had built together, all that time that we had invested, and all of that love that we had shared. Sometimes people maybe weren't meant to be married, but they were meant to be something else with each other.
ROMANS: Right.
DRESCHER: And we put as much work into having a successful divorce as we did in trying to have a successful marriage. And it takes that kind of dedication. But as a result of that, we're now the best of friends. We have reinvented the relationship. It sits on another shelf in our life. VELSHI: That's great.
DRESCHER: And we thought that this was a very fresh relationship to explore for a new television series.
VELSHI: Now, has anybody come to you and said, "This happened to me?" I mean is this -- is this at all common?
DRESCHER: When the spouse comes out is -- is becoming quite phenomenally common now. And I think it's because we're living in a time where people feel like they want to live an authentic life, they want to be true to themselves and they want to be happy. So that's a very positive cultural shift.
And I think that coupled with that, the couple in the show, which, of course, didn't happen with us, but they, because of the tough economic times, can't seem to sell the house and can't afford to live separately until they do. So they are living as roommates.
(CROSSTALK)
ROMANS: And that really happens -- that really happens to people.
DRESCHER: I know at least three couples that that's happened to.
VELSHI: Yes.
CHETRY: So you know and one of the things I mean, that's interesting. You clearly were able to find the humor in it. I mean, you were actually just telling the story anecdotally and you know creators were like we want this as a sitcom.
DRESCHER: Yes.
CHETRY: There are -- a lot of people are saying wait a minute, I mean, you were very young when you got married. You were just 21 years old.
DRESCHER: Twenty-one, yes.
CHETRY: And there are people that say how did you not know? How do you -- I mean, did you know or did you not know that your husband was gay?
DRESCHER: Well, you know, hindsight's always 20/20 and the character on the show is always saying, "How did I not know?" But -- no, because then you start to connect the dots.
But at the time, you have to take into consideration, A, we met when we were 15, so there wasn't a lot of experience preceding that. We were the best of friends. Creatively, we have always have been very symbiotic, and I kind of thought he was metro sexual. ROMANS: Right.
DRESCHER: Which was coming into vogue --
(CROSSTALK)
VELSHI: Sure.
DRESCHER: -- when we were together.
ROMANS: Right.
DRESCHER: And also, you know, he did have a very controlling personality. So when he would tell me what to wear or as stuff, you know, I just kind of chalked it off to that. But you know, in hindsight, he did, I guess -- he -- I mean, if you met him he doesn't seem gay in a way that's very noticeable.
But a lot of his interests are, you know, kind of --
ROMANS: And all of this is fodder for the show?
DRESCHER: Yes, absolutely. And also the journey that we both took because having been with each other since we were 15. I really had never been a woman single dating.
ROMANS: Right.
DRESCHER: And for him to integrate into the gay community as a middle-aged man who basically knew how to -- a married man better than anything else.
VELSHI: Yes.
ROMANS: Fascinating.
CHETRY: Right.
DRESCHER: That's the interesting journey that the two of us take in the series, but while we're still forced to live together.
So falling into old patterns of being like a married couple comes very natural to the couple on the show. And so that's going to be the arc that the series takes for the characters and the global message of the show is love is love.
VELSHI: That's it -- that's a great message.
CHETRY: And you also wrote a book also "Cancer Shmancer (ph)". You're very active in your cancer charity "Surviving".
DRESCHER: Yes.
CHETRY: Is it eight years now? DRESCHER: No actually it's -- Tuesday, it will be 11 years.
ROMANS: Eleven years.
CHETRY: Congratulations.
VELSHI: Wow, that's great.
ROMANS: It's amazing.
DRESCHER: And I -- I -- we have a big event in East Hamptons this Sunday. People can find out more about Cancer Shmancer (ph) on CancerShmancer.org. We are doing fantastic things. We are all about early detection and transforming from being a patient into a medical consumer.
ROMANS: Right.
CHETRY: Because you were misdiagnosed. And for two years they couldn't figure out what was wrong with you.
DRESCHER: Two years and eight doctors, I was misdiagnosed before, ultimately, being diagnosed with uterine cancer. I got in the surbs (ph) -- more times than Roy Rogers.
VELSHI: Ok. That will be a perfect opportunity. Fran Drescher, it's great to have you here, congratulations.
DRESCHER: Thanks a lot.
VELSHI: Thanks for telling a great story. "Happily Divorced" is the name of the comedy.
DRESCHER: Sure.
ROMANS: Its 49 minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: It's 51 minutes past the hour right now. Here are your morning headlines.
We have live pictures for you right now. New video just in of the Stanley Cup winners; the Boston Bruins arriving back home at Boston Logan International Airport just minutes ago. They beat the Vancouver Canucks in Game Seven last night 4-0.
After the game, it was tear gas and turmoil in the streets of Vancouver. Fans throwing bottles, setting fires, overturning cars, riot police had to be called in. There are reports of some 50 injuries, including four people being stabbed. Vancouver's mayor, though, is trying to blame it on a small group of hooligans for the violence.
Al Qaeda has chosen a successor to Osama bin Laden. The terror organization's long time number two, Ayman al Zawahiri. He was bin Laden's personal physician and adviser.
NATO war planes carrying out another round of raids near Moammar Gadhafi's presidential compound in Tripoli; the latest airstrikes come as members of Congress challenge the U.S. involvement in Libya in court.
Police in New York plan to interview a prison inmate who admits participating in the 1994 robbery and shooting of rapper Tupac Shakur. The inmate indentified as Dexter Isaac is quoted on a hip-hop Web site saying that he was paid by a music mogul to do it.
The markets open in just about 35 minutes. We could be in for another down day. Right now, the DOW, NASDAQ and S&P 500 are all pointing lower.
You're caught up on the day's headlines. AMERICAN MORNING is back after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VELSHI: That is beautiful, Atlanta. Cloudy and 68 degrees, which is that fake-out you get in Atlanta in June because it's going to be 91 later on today.
ROMANS: Oops.
All right, no more flavored milk for kids in Los Angeles; the Los Angeles unified school district banning chocolate and strawberry milk on its menu.
(CROSSTALK)
VELSHI: Mean people.
ROMANS: No. No, it's not because they are mean, Ali.
VELSHI: Ok.
ROMANS: It's because they want to decrease childhood obesity. Approximately one in three kids in the area are overweight and they are very serious about getting this under control. Parents are happy saying flavored milk contains an unnecessary amount of sugar.
VELSHI: Good people.
CHETRY: Chocolate milk is out but sushi is in. Schools in Los Angeles are also ditching some of the fried food. They are definitely not serving that, they are definitely not serving octopus.
ROMANS: No.
CHETRY: And like completely raw salmon and tuna --
(CROSSTALK) VELSHI: Are we serious they're serving sushi?
CHETRY: I think they are doing California rolls. But that looks good to me. I just can't picture a bunch of middle school students chomping down on octopus.
(CROSSTALK)
CHETRY: Yes. No more corn dogs, no more chicken nuggets. More vegetarian selections like spinach, tortellini (ph) and --
(CROSSTALK)
VELSHI: And California rolls --
(CROSSTALK)
CHETRY: Officials say that future menus will be designed to appeal to kids, yet still be healthy.
VELSHI: All right. I buy that.
All right. Check out this video. A hungry lion has her eye on a one-year-old visiting the exhibit.
CHETRY: This was shot in Cheyenne, Wyoming Zoo in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Anyway, he thinks the baby's dinner -- a good thing, of course, for the glass barrier that was in between them. The mom was watching the whole thing. She didn't like it and scooped up the little guy. Then he started to cry so she put him back and there you see.
(CROSSTALK)
VELSHI: That lion is just licking its chops. He just wants to eat that kid and that would just be a snack.
ROMANS: Look at that. Oh, geez.
CHETRY: Trying so hard.
VELSHI: I think it's cute. Everybody is going, ah. Like that glass wasn't there.
ROMANS: I know, that poor lion has been tortured actually because --
All right. It appears fewer Americans are quitting their jobs during, you know, what is a recovery, but doesn't feel like it if you're at work. According to a Bloomberg Business Week between January 2009 and this past April, 28 million Americans stuck with jobs they would otherwise have left during ordinary times.
VELSHI: So we've asked you. We put that out as our question of the day. We asked you if you would change your job if you could.
Here are some of your responses.
Marie says, "I did this and I'm very pleased with my choice. About four years ago, I cashed in my 401(k) and went to nursing school and now I'm working as a nurse."
Boy, it's so risky to cash in your 401(k). But nursing school -- I mean nursing is a job in demand.
CHETRY: True.
It is. It's difficult -- people having to make some tough choices.
Bob writes, "Absolutely. I was unemployed for 15 months then hired at 55% of my previous salary. I can pay my bills but have no money to live on. It is time to get back to living.
ROMANS: And here is one from Twitter. "Yes, but it seems I have better prospects for work in China or India. It seems all of those jobs are going there anyway. Ali and I talk about this all the time.
VELSHI: Because a lot of them are.
ROMANS: The average person can't just pick up and go get a job --
VELSHI: All of those years I didn't pay attention to my grandma talking to me.
CHETRY: About moving back to India?
VELSHI: Yes. I should have listened.
CHETRY: You're doing ok here in the states.
Three minutes to the top of the hour. We will be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROMANS: Looks like a Friday shirt. It's Thursday, right? It's Thursday.
VELSHI: It's messed my Friday and Saturday and Sunday.
ROMANS: All right. Hawaiian shirts tomorrow for everyone. You're going on vacation. So we'll see you in a little bit. Have a good time.
CHETRY: Yes, he's doing -- he's conducting research.
VELSHI: Field research in Europe.
Our question of the day was would you change your job if you could? Only one person I would change jobs with if I could -- "CNN NEWSROOM's" Kyra Phillips.
ROMANS: Oh, no. She's got a lot of diapers to change.
