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American Morning: Wake Up Call
Casey Anthony Free Today?; Debt Ceiling Meeting; Doctor Drug Charges; Grizzly Bear Kills Hiker in Yellowstone National Park
Aired July 07, 2011 - 05:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ALI VELSHI, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. It's Thursday, July 7th. This is your A.M: WAKE-UP CALL.
I'm Ali Velshi, joining you live this morning from New York.
First up, Casey Anthony -- she could walk out of jail a free woman in a few hours. She gets her sentence later this morning. Remember, she was convicted of lying to police but acquitted of killing her daughter. She could avoid jail because of the time she's already served.
A lot of Americans are no doubt still wondering if the jury made the right call.
Here's some insight from juror number three.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JENNIFER FORD, ANTHONY TRIAL JUROR: How did she die? If you're going to charge someone with murder, don't you have to know how they killed someone, or why they might have killed somewhere, or have something -- where, when, why, how? Those are important questions. They were not answered.
I'm still confused. I have no idea what happened to that child.
If you put even just the 12 jurors in one room with a piece of paper write down how Caylee died -- nobody knows. We'd all be guessing. We have no idea.
Some people were like, you know, I feel like she did. But there's just no enough to substantiate it. Some people were just like, no, she didn't do it, like they have nothing -- they have nothing for me to even have any idea what happened. How can you punish someone for something if you don't know what they did?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELSHI: Now, again, there's a chance that Casey Anthony could walk free just hours from now.
She's not exactly the most beloved person on the planet. Barbara Walters asked defense lawyer Jose Baez about Casey Anthony's security.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) BARBARA WALTERS, ABC NEWS: Are you worried about her safety?
JOSE BAEZ, ANTHONY'S ATTORNEY: I am. And I'm afraid for her. I don't think it's fair.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELSHI: Casey Anthony could also sell her story for a movie or book or both. She might need the money. The state of Florida and a private search firm could make her pay back the money invested in the investigation and search for Caylee.
Big news about the debt ceiling talks -- we might see a big shift in the negotiations. Just hours from now, the president is going to meet with top Senate and House leaders. And Democratic officials familiar with the negotiations tell us that he's prepared to put Medicare and Social Security changes on the table. That is a big about-face and it drives home the urgency of the debt situation.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: And my expectation is, is that over the next week to two weeks, that Congress, working with the White House, comes up with a deal that solves our deficit, solves our debt problems, and makes sure that our full faith and credit is protected.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELSHI: Obama is hoping that Republicans will support some tax increases or the closing of some tax loopholes or credits. That is going to be a hard sell.
Here's what Republican Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky told CNN.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. RAND PAUL (R), KENTUCKY: Some of the most conservative members of the Senate and House will raise the debt ceiling contingent on three items. We want significant cuts, statutory caps, like Gramm- Rudman was, pay-as-you-go. And then we also want a balanced budget amendment. If we get these, we'll agree to a balanced -- we'll agree to raise the debt ceiling.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELSHI: Democratic officials say the president wants up to $4 trillion in cuts over the next decade, but he does want some increases, some lax loopholes closed.
New details now about a Marine helicopter crash in California. One of the Marines has died. Five others are recovering from their injuries. The Huey helicopter went down at Camp Pendleton in California. It's unclear what went wrong.
Time now for your daily Dominique Strauss-Kahn update. The lawyer for the maid who claims Strauss-Kahn attacked her wants the prosecutor off the case and a special prosecutor hired. Why? He claims the D.A.'s office has been leaking information to the media, information meant to chip away at his client's credibility.
Do not expect the D.A. to recuse himself, however.
Also, "The New York Times" is reporting that the former IMF chief will not plead guilty to anything at all.
OK. Look at this video and don't blink.
(VIDEO CLIP PLAYS)
VELSHI: See this by? Here. Guy carries something under his arm. The police think that thing that he was carrying -- watch him again -- is a Picasso, a $200,000 Picasso from a gallery in San Francisco. Somebody stop that man!
The cops think the thief walked into the gallery and took it. Not exactly the "Thomas Crown Affair." This video is from (INAUDIBLE) camera. It's nearby restaurant on Gary Street, just closed for the night, opened for breakfast. In five hours, just check out the menu there, eggs, breakfast meat and two pancakes, $3.95.
All right. How is this for an incentive? You buy any new G.M. vehicle by September 6th, the company will pay for your insurance for a whole year.
There's just one catch. Please make sure you live in Washington state or Oregon. G.M. says the program boosts -- if the program does boost sales in those two states, it might expand into other states.
Kristie Lu Stout joining us now from Hong Kong. See how the world's money is doing this morning.
Kristie, how is the money looking on your side of the planet?
KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Hey there, Ali.
It's been a mixed day in the stock markets here. We have seen some moderate gains in the Asia Pacific region, but the Nikkei ended that seven-day rally edging down from its four-month high.
Now, it has been a positive start to the day's trade in Europe.
And in your side of the world, the Dow, the NASDAQ, and the S&P are higher in pre-market trading right now -- Ali.
VELSHI: Kristie, the scandal that is erupting at one of Rupert Murdoch's papers, "News of the World," it's a fairly old story that's erupted into scandal, and it's starting to affect the stock price of the company.
Bring us up to speed for our American viewers who don't know what the story is. STOUT: That's right. I mean, it's a pretty gripping story. British tabloid owned by Rupert Murdoch is being investigated for allegedly hacking into the phones of a missing teenage girl who was later found dead, and families of the victims of the July 7th London terror attacks. And the scandal is sending the shares of News Corp down. News Corp dropped some 3.6 percent on Wednesday.
And the tabloid in question here, "News of the World," is losing ad revenue. So, it's affecting it's affecting bottom line. In fact, Ford and Renault both say they will not be advertising there. And the scandal has also affected Procter & Gamble, saying it's considering pulling out its advertising, as well -- Ali.
VELSHI: Yes. Rupert Murdoch saying he's not happy with the allegations, but it is starting to affect that company.
Kristie, here is a money question for you. And I truly -- I have to warn you, I don't think you're going to get the right answer to this. I wouldn't have. I know you know a lot about money.
How many $10 bills did the U.S. Treasury print last year, any idea?
STOUT: I do know the answer.
VELSHI: You know it?
STOUT: Only because I saw the article earlier this morning. None.
VELSHI: None. You're absolutely right. For the first time in history, the Treasury didn't print any $10 bills. Reason? Alexander Hamilton -- no, that's not true. It's because more people are using plastic, Kristie, instead of cash. The Treasury printed a lot fewer $1 and $5 bills as well.
Isn't that interesting? I would never have guessed that had there were none.
Kristie, you know a lot about money.
STOUT: I know, I would -- I would have guessed it because think about it, when was the last time you used a $10 bill? When was it?
VELSHI: I got one right here.
STOUT: The last time I used a $10 bill, it was at a farmers market in California about a year ago. I mean, we are increasingly becoming a cashless society. So, to me, no surprise.
VELSHI: I hear you. Kristie, good to see you. Catch up with you in a little while -- Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong for us.
Let's take it over to Reynolds Wolf live in Atlanta. He's watching weather and some flight delays this morning.
Good morning, Reynolds.
REYNOLDS WOLF, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Ali.
It looks like we're going to have quite a few delays possibly into the afternoon due to -- yes, the same old culprit, those thunderstorms, those pesky thunderstorms bringing beneficial rainfall, but yes, there's delays at the airport, Ali.
Let's show you what we got in Atlanta, in Raleigh, in Miami, as we take the switchers which are 107 or really 170, you're going to see the delays. On this particular map, you see of course the radar popping up and showing storms across parts of Omaha and back over to Wichita. What we can anticipate later on today will be more of those developing in places like Atlanta, back over in Raleigh, even into Miami and maybe even St. Louis before all is said and done.
Something else that we can also anticipate later on today, those storms to develop possibly across parts of the northern Rockies. Hot and sunny across much of Texas and maybe a few thunderstorms across parts of the lower Midwest.
All right. Ali, you are up-to-speed, my friend. Let's pitch it right back to you in the studio in New York.
VELSHI: Thanks, buddy. I'll be checking in with you a little later in the show -- Reynolds Wolf for us in the weather center.
Before I take a break, the quote of the day today. Here it goes, quote, "He is a superior man both physically and intellectually. He can have sex six times a week without overdoing it. And on the seventh day, he should rest." That is a quote from somebody's doctor. Whose?
I'll give you the answer after the break.
Nine minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VELSHI: Twelve minutes after the hour.
The quote of the day that I gave you before we went to break is this. Quote, "He's a superior man both physically and intake elect ally. He can have sex six times a week without overdoing it. And on the seventh day, she should rest." That was said by the personal physician of Italy's Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi when he was asked about the 74-year-old man's health.
Here's what's on the rundown this morning:
Freight train cars zigzagging over the tracks after a derailment in Shelby County, Indiana. Some cars even ended up in the river after the conductor says he saw a bent rail and applied the brakes. It looks pretty bad. But we're told no one was hurt.
And near Syracuse, New York, another derailment. One freight train reportedly rear ended another. Two workers jumped out just before the wreck. Officials say they are bruised up, but it's nothing serious. Terrorists are reportedly hatching an extreme strategy to get past airport security, surgically implanted explosives. A U.S. security official tells CNN that the so-called belly bombs are designed to sneak past security checkpoints. The idea has apparently been discussed in the past, but a different official says that a notorious al Qaeda bomb maker is behind the new push.
I do want to stress to you, though, we're told there is no specific threat.
We're hearing new audiotapes from Southwest Flight 812. This is the flight that found itself in an emergency situation in April when a hole ripped open in the plane's roof.
Check out these photos that passengers on board took. You know they had to be panicking when they saw that hole. But it's clear from the taped conversation between the cockpit and the control tower the pilot knew right away there was trouble.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
PILOT: We need the nearest airport.
CONTROLLER: Southwest 812, are you able to land at Blythe or would you want to go to Palm Springs?
PILOT: Let's make a turn and go -- how far is Yuma away from us right now?
CONTROLLER: Yma is at your 3:00 position and 50 miles.
PILOT: We'll take Yuma.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
VELSHI: That Boeing 737, which is what Southwest flies exclusively, was landed without major injuries. They took a few of them out of service and checked them all out; everything is back to normal now.
Former President Bill Clinton is raising eyebrows, comparing the GOP efforts to tighten voting standards to Jim Crow laws. In case you need a history refresher, those were the laws enacted after the Civil War that enforced segregation and kept African-Americans from voting.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WILLIAM J. CLINTON, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: There has never been in my lifetime since we got rid of the poll tax and all the other Jim Crow burdens on voting, the determined effort to limit the franchise that we see today.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELSHI: Clinton told liberal youth activists that some Republican legislators are trying to keep young people from voting by pushing to curb same day registration and requiring extra identification at the polls.
A top aid to Tim Pawlenty's presidential campaign says he's sorry for commenting about Michele Bachmann's sex appeal. This is what Vin Weber originally said to "The Hill" newspaper. Quote, "She's got hometown appeal. She's got ideological appeal. And I hate to say it, but she's got a little sex appeal, too," end quote.
Weber now says he made a mistake that was disrespectful to the Minnesota congresswoman who is also running for president.
OK. Time now for Tim Farley, host of "Morning Briefing" on Sirius XM radio, live from Washington.
Good morning, Tim.
Today at the White House, President Obama meeting with top House and Senate leaders. He's trying to come up with some agreement on raising the debt ceiling, reducing the deficit. It looks like he's going to put new stuff on the table.
What do you think is going to happen?
TIM FARLEY, "MORNING BRIEFING": I think you hit that pretty well, Ali, that is that the president is going long now, it sounds like. Social Security, Medicare -- we've been thinking the immovable object meets the irresistible force. We'll have to see which is which.
We will see a little pool spray, as they say, in the beginnings, as all the leaders will be with the president and the vice president. But I think at the top of the show, you got it right. This is something that's a lot more than that $2 trillion. We're talking like $4 trillion in cuts now instead of $2 trillion -- and a lot of other possible revenues that may be coming in.
Listen for code words, though.
VELSHI: Yes. All right. And Republicans still saying, though, they're not budging on anything that looks, smells or walks like a tax increase.
Hey, let's of GOP presidential candidates. We just talked about Pawlenty and his aide and what they said about Michele Bachmann. What are they up to?
FARLEY: What a terrible thing to say somebody has sex appeal. Anyway, what's fascinating is, in Iowa, they're going for the poll that's coming up later this month -- the straw poll. And this weekend, Michele Bachmann has an ad buy that's scheduled to run on the Sunday talk shows in Iowa, on the television stations, and we're going to be watching for that. Tim Pawlenty, I think, is scheduled to be on "Meet the Press." That is part of what's going on.
Ron Paul is going radio. Of course, Mitt Romney just back from England where he raised a whole bunch of money, maybe $875,000 to $1 million.
So, it's fundraising. It's all about Iowa right now for certain candidates because they're looking for that poll, that straw poll.
VELSHI: Tim, if you ever say to the media that I've got a little sex appeal, I won't sue you, I won't even get mad at you.
(CROSSTALK)
FARLEY: I thought that Silvio Berlusconi doctor thing was your medical report, Ali.
VELSHI: That's right. Who is that who can do that all the time?
Tim, good to see you, my friend. Have a great show -- Tim Farley joining us from Sirius XM radio.
All right. We've all been glued to the Casey Anthony trial. And the outcome has divided a lot of people. Casey and the jurors have been taking heat, but comedians -- well, the trial hasn't actually been off-limits.
Here's your morning punch line.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAY LENO, "THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH JAY LENO": Casey Anthony found not guilty. One of the Casey Anthony jurors -- did you see this today on paper? -- now willing to talk to the media, but only if he gets paid it first. His publicist -- he has some publicist -- he makes 6 bucks a day, he has a publicist. He says he wants a five-digit payday. Five digits.
How many want to give him just one digit? Yes. Thank you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELSHI: OK. So, this was last night. Here's the interesting thing. Listen to the crickets in the audience as Leno made a joke about the jurors the night before, the night of the verdict. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LENO: I don't get this. The stunning decision, Casey Anthony found not guilty. Not guilty.
(BOOS)
LENO: You know what this means? This means President Obama's economic team is now only the second most clueless people in America. That's what it means. Is the mike on? No, you're all good.
Now, what happened? Just tell me what happened again. I don't think they heard the joke.
(LAUGHTER)
(END VIDEO CLIP) VELSHI: All right. Before we go, let me give you a healthy but delicious reason to indulge today. It is July the 7th, which makes it National Strawberry Sundae Day. Strawberries, ice cream, whipped cream and a cherry on top. It sounds like the perfect ingredients for a delicious way to cool down on this beautiful summer day.
It is 19 minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VELSHI: Twenty-two after the hour. I'm Ali Velshi. This is your A.M.: WAKE-UP CALL.
And these are three things that need to be on your radar today:
The debt ceiling talks get pretty intense as President Obama meets with top members of Congress. That happens at 11:00 Eastern at the White House.
Casey Anthony is set to be sentenced at 9:00 Eastern this morning on four counts of providing false information to law enforcement following the death of her 2-year-old daughter, Caylee. Maximum sentence is four years. She's already served 2 1/2 years in jail awaiting trial on first-degree murder charges.
And at 11:00 this morning, a hearing is scheduled on the Atlanta school cheating scandal. The superintendent will release his cheating review report. He'll also take questions from the school board.
If you are already addicted to Facebook, here's a new feature that might get you hooked, video-calling. It's partnering with Skype to give users with webcams the option to chat live through the site. Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg called the feature awesome. Only time will tell if Facebook's 750 million users agree.
Chat me.
The next iPhone is expected to be less bulky, lighter and equipped with a better camera. The problem with these things, they're going to get so small, I'm just going to lose them.
This is what sources are telling "The Wall Street Journal," by the way, which tends to find out about these things before most people. "Wall Street Journal" reporting iPhone 5 launches in late September.
Laser printers, laser light shows, laser pointers, none catch the imagination quite like a laser that can actually blow stuff up. But now, the stuff that Star Wars dreams are made of could be inching a little bit closer to reality. A Massachusetts company is creating a laser that's driven electrically, not chemically, and that means one really powerful beam. The kind that one day may be used on a tank or ship or should it come down to it, intergalactic warfare. We'll keep you posted on that.
Don't look now, but this may be or may be the Jettisons driving up behind you. Oh, flying over you, too. Check that out, it's a flying car. It's almost ready for public takeoff and drive up. It's called the Terrafugia Transition. It's actually a drivable aircraft.
The company hopes to have it on the market next year. The cost? About 250 grand. See the wings fold up if you drive along the highway. You open it up, you take off.
My friend Monita Rajpal will look good on one of those. She joins us now from London. She's an international traveler.
You need one of those, Monita. Just pull it up and drive it away.
MONITA RAJPAL, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: I certainly do.
(CROSSTALK)
RAJPAL: -- in London, I need one of those.
VELSHI: That's perfect.
RAJPAL: All right. Let's talk about South Sudan.
VELSHI: Yes, a new country.
RAJPAL: The world's 196th -- yes, 196th nation in the world. It will become Africa's 55th new country. Preparations are underway right now in Juba which is in the South Sudan, which will become South Sudan's capital. And the celebrations are going to be underway on Saturday. It will include the U.S. ambassador to the U.N., Susan Rice, even the former secretary of state, Colin Powell, will be heading to Juba for these celebrations.
But there are reports now that trouble may be on the horizon. There are satellite images from a monitoring group showing a buildup of Sudanese troops close to the border with its new neighbor. These are troops that are allied with the north of the former, I guess, country of Sudan as whole.
So, there is trouble on the horizon. So, people are a bit concerned about what could happen on Saturday when this new country comes into being -- Ali.
VELSHI: All right. We'll keep a close eye on that.
Hey, I got a question for you. If a dude sends his girl an engagement ring in the mail and she says, no, does she have to give it back?
RAJPAL: I think she should take the ring. She should sell it and take her girlfriends and go on holiday. I mean, who does that seriously? Proposing via mail? Come on, really?
I mean, he couldn't have been that busy.
VELSHI: This is -- we're talking about Dallas Cowboys receiver Roy Williams who is suing his ex-girlfriend Brooke Daniels. He proposed to the former Texas Miss USA in February by mail, sent her a taped proposal and a $76,000 ring. She turned him down, kept the ring. He wants it is back. Come on, Monita, you can't honestly think she should keep the ring.
RAJPAL: No, she should keep the ring because if he didn't have the decency to propose in person, he shouldn't keep it. He shouldn't get it at all. She should take it and go on vacation. I mean, for crying out loud. Seriously.
VELSHI: Note to anyone who plans to propose to Monita, do it in person.
Monita Rajpal in London, we'll check in with you later.
It's time to take a break on WAKE-UP CALL. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VELSHI: Good morning. It is Thursday, July 7th. This is your A.M.: WAKE-UP CALL.
I'm Ali Velshi, joining you live from New York this morning. It's 30 minutes after the hour.
Casey Anthony -- she could walk out of jail a free woman in a few hours. She gets here sentence later this morning. Remember, she was convicted of lying to police but acquitted of killing her daughter. She could avoid jail because of the time she's already served. And she could sell her story for a movie or a book or both.
A grizzly bear mauled a hiker to death at Yellowstone National Park. The park service says the victim was walking with his wife along a trail when the couple surprised a female bear with her cubs. That's when the grizzly attacked. Now, Yellowstone, that area is home to at least 600 grizzly bears, but this is the first fatal attack in the park in about 25 years.
Teenagers trying to get high are turning to formaldehyde embalming fluid. E.R. doctors in Corpus Christi Texas are reporting a jump in overdose cases. In fact, they say there were three just last weekend. Basically, kids are taking marijuana and soaking it in the embalming fluid for an extra buzz. Apparently, it can cause an intense hallucinatory effect.
A federal appeals court has ordered the U.S. government to immediately stop enforcing a law that bans gay service members from serving openly. The Pentagon is already in the process of repealing its "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."
The online real estate company, Zillow, will be worth nearly $400 million when it goes public. That's according to documents filed with the Securities Exchange Commission. The Seattle-based company collects online information about property listings. Try it out, actually. Just go there, type in your address, and it will tell you what your property is likely work.
Let's take it to Christine Romans. She's looking at how your money is looking this morning. Christine, banks have found a new revenue stream.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: That's right, you know? And we're not talking about the fees that they keep slapping on. I think they found as many new fees as they possibly can find. This is, Ali, selling your information to retailers, and then, the retailers target for you discounting and special deals. If you act on those discounts and buy something, then the bank gets paid, so does a middle man, too.
So, this is a bank finding a new way -- because they know you better than anybody else, right? Your bank knows you better than anybody. They know what kind of bills you're paying, what you're not paying, where you're spending your money, selling that info to retailers in a new way. I know you like this in some ways.
VELSHI: I was going to say, you know, I'm not nearly -- I like the idea that retailers know what I like and then target me for what I like. So, I'm not nearly as troubled, but it does fall into that somebody taking your information category.
ROMANS: You know, and they're not doing to be nice and be convenient, you know? They're doing it to make money off of you. So, in a country where we still have too much consumer debt, you know, people need to be careful that the banks are finding ways and retailers are finding ways to separate you from the money in your pocket. The money in your pocket that probably should be in the bank.
VELSHI: Now, if anybody, while we're talking about personal information, if anybody knows of the personal information of 34,000 people where that is, Morgan Stanley Smith Barney would like to have it back.
ROMANS: That's right. Two CDs full of 34,000 different customer's information. Ali, this is personal information, tax I.D., Social Security numbers, a bank I.D., account information, on two physical CDs that apparently was lost in transit to a government agency. Credit.com reported this first a little bit earlier this week saying that customers are starting to get notices from Morgan Stanley Smith Barney saying, you know, we don't know if any of your -- we don't think any of your information has been compromised. We hear that all the time from banks --
VELSHI: Yes. It never starts off with your information has probably been compromised.
ROMANS: Right. So, look, maybe it's just gone. Maybe it just fell out of a taxi cab, maybe it's lost in a mail room somewhere.
VELSHI: Yes.
ROMANS: At the U.S. post office. I have no idea, but it's another example of how your personal information is not really safe guarded quite well, and it lives in existence so many different places. The liquidity of your personal information is really shocking. I want to give you the stocks call, Ali.
VELSHI: Yes, go ahead.
ROMANS: My stocks call for the day, slightly higher, but I'm going to say, I don't know if it matters that much because tomorrow is jobs report and the debt talks in Washington. All of that is constraining action.
VELSHI: Absolutely right. Absolutely right. There are two big things weighing on this economy and increasing concerns about Europe. Christine, thanks so much. I'll see you in about 25 minutes on "American Morning."
ROMANS: You got it.
VELSHI: All right. Talk about an awkward moment. You're facing off against the number one player in the world, and your cell phone rings. Story right after the break.
Plus, you want to make sure you know the facts before tomorrow's shuttle launch. Do you know how much the shuttle "Atlantis" weighs? Here are your choices, 105,000 pounds, 143,000 pounds, and 176,000 pounds. Thirty-four minutes after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VELSHI: Thirty-seven minutes after the hour. After today's show, I'm heading off to Florida because it's the last launch of the shuttle tomorrow or this weekend. Now, today's get smart question of the day, we asked you how much the space shuttle "Atlantis," which is taking off, weighs? The answer, of those three, is the heaviest, 176,000 pounds. Good thing we did that question because I wouldn't have known.
Big news about the debt ceiling talks today. We might see a big, big shift in the negotiations. Just hours from now, the president is going to meet with top Senate and house leaders, Republicans and Democrats at the White House. Democratic officials familiar with the negotiations tell us he's going to put Medicare and Social Security changes on the table. That is a big about face, and it drives home the urgency of the debt situation.
Now, Obama is hoping Republicans will support some tax increases. They haven't shown any indication that they're prepared to do that. Democratic officials say the president wants up to four -- or is willing to make up to $4 trillion in cuts over the next decade, but he wants some tradeoffs. Republicans aren't giving anything up right now. We'll stay on top of this today.
It is 38 minutes after the hour. Here are three things that need to be on your radar.
Casey Anthony is set to be sentenced at 9:00 eastern this morning on four counts of providing false information to law enforcement officials after the death of her two-year-old daughter, Caylee. Now, the maximum sentence is four years if served consecutively. That rarely happens, and she's already served 2 1/2 years in jail while awaiting trial on the murder charges she was acquitted of. The space shuttle "Atlantis" that I just mentioned scheduled to launch tomorrow morning if the weather holds up. Ten o'clock eastern this morning, NASA is going to give us a live status briefing. It looks like an AFB (ph) pushed back a little bit, though.
And a hearing is scheduled on the Atlanta school cheating scandal. The superintendent will release his cheating review report at 11:00 eastern. He'll take questions from the school board as well.
All right. Let's take it to our "Political Ticker." My good friend and our deputy political director, Paul Steinhauser joins me on the phone. Paul, let's talk about Mitt Romney running for president, polling way ahead of everyone else either in the race or not in the race. He's not in America right now.
PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR (via telephone): Yes, Ali. Wait, he's running for U.S. president, so why is he across the pond in Great Britain? A little crazy, isn't it? Well, he's over there for a couple of things. First of all, fundraiser yesterday. Raising money in Britain? Well, there's a lot of Americans who work and live over there. A lot of money, a lot of them Republicans. So, that was one of the things he did. Today, he's going to number 10 Downing Street, meeting with some ministers, and the Prime Minister Cameron may stop by.
Yesterday, he met with the former prime minister, Tony Blair. Is this unheard of? No. Rudy Giuliani did this four years ago when he was running for president. John McCain, as well, and Barack Obama. So not unheard of for some Americans who are running for president to go across the pond. We're going to keep our eyes on that, Ali, and everything else out on the campaign trail.
VELSHI: And with the lead he's got, he's got a little leeway, I supposed. Paul Steinhauser, good to talk to you, my friend. Paul Steinhauser is our deputy political director.
A Canadian sports doctor has pleaded guilty to charges that he brought illegal drugs into the United States to treat pro-athletes. Anthony Galea is accused of traveling to the United States multiple times with drugs like human growth hormone and actovegin, which is derivative of calf's blood. Prosecutors argue he used the banned drugs to treat athletes like golfer, Tiger Woods, and pro-football players, Jamal Lewis and Takeo Spikes.
None of the athletes are accused of a crime. The doctor faces a maximum sentence of three years in prison and fines and forfeitures of more than $275,000.
Because here's the scenario, you're getting ready for a match point in the Swedish Open against the number one ranked player in the world when this happens.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Never seen that before.
(LAUGHTER)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELSHI: I don't know it if you heard that, but her phone went off. Aliza Cornet forgot to turn off her cell phone. She did manage to reach into her tennis bag and turn it off. Damage was done. She lost the match. That's kind of sad.
Next up, stage 5 at the Tour de France. What a match. Several riders involved in a nasty crash. Back to the race. British rider, Mark Cavendish, managed to navigate that pile up, get around that, narrowing beating Belgium's, Philippe Gilbert. The next stage is the longest stage of the tour. It's 140 miles. And I am going to be picking up my bike from the shop today. I'm getting it tuned up.
Pablo Torre is a reporter for "Sports Illustrated" live from New York. Pablo, don't look for Tiger Woods at the British Open next week because he's injured.
PABLO TORRE, REPORTER, SPORTS ILLUSTRATED: Yes, you know, Tiger is dealing with this bulky left leg, specifically his knee and his Achilles, and he says he doesn't want to come back until he's 100 percent ready. But now, he's missed two tournaments in a row. And Ali, this is big only because it extends the time period since we last saw Tiger Woods be Tiger Woods on the golf course.
He hasn't played since April, hasn't won a tournament since 2009, hasn't been in the sport since 2009, actually, with the turning point being that infamous car crash that opens up the Pandora's box of personal issues that we all have come to associate with Tiger. And at age 35, Ali, it's time to wonder if Tiger Woods is -- as we remember him as this dominate force in the golf course -- if that's done, if he's gone and he's not the guy we remember anymore.
VELSHI: Yes. And I remember the day the word came out of that car accident and then subsequently what happened to him, and I remember everybody saying that golf -- you know, Tiger did so much for golf and the money in golf and the sport really needed Tiger to come back. The comeback's been a little less spectacular than expected. How badly does golf need Tiger?
TORRE: Very, very badly. And anyone involved with the PGA Tour from the corporate sponsors, to the ticket sellers, the advertisers will admit that. For so long, as golf has -- as Tiger has gone, golf has gone. And it's still a one-man game. For better and for worse, there is no other player with the Q rating that Tiger Woods has even after his car accident and the infidelities. And obviously, there are some bright young names. Rory McIlroy just won the British Open, a rising star, but Tiger Woods is Tiger Woods, and there isn't a close second even now.
VELSHI: All right. Pablo, good to see you as always. Pablo Torre, a "Sports Ilustrated."
Hey, before we take a break, it's 's 44 minutes after the hour. I want to check the calendar this day in history, July 7th, 1930, construction of the Hoover dam gets under way. Took five years and 21,000 men to build the largest dam of its time. Nice job, guys. Forty-four minutes after the hour.
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VELSHI: Good morning. It is Thursday, July 7th. This is your A.M. WAKE-UP CALL. I'm Ali Velshi joining you live this morning from New York. It's 47 minutes after the hour. Let's go around the world. Monita Rajpal joins us live from London. She is looking at South Sudan. We all should be looking at this. It's basically the birth of a brand new country -- Monita.
RAJPAL: A brand new country, in fact, it's the world's 196th brand new country. After decades of civil war, Southern Sudanese will have their independent nation. It comes in to being on Saturday. Preparations for celebrations are under way in Juba, which will most likely be the capital of Southern Sudan.
This is what it will be called, South Sudan. And, of course, among those who are -- will be attending the celebrations will be U.S. ambassador to the U.N., Susan Rice, along with former secretary of state, Colin Powell. So, there are concerns, however, as all these celebrations and preparations are under way that there are reports of trouble maybe on the horizon. There are satellite images from a monitoring group that are showing a buildup of Sudanese troops close to the border with its new neighbors. So, we'll have to wait and see actually what may happen either on Saturday or Sunday, but there is still concern even amidst these preparations for celebrations, Ali.
VELSHI: All right. We'll be watching that. Monita, there's also a coal mine fire Wednesday night in China. There are 36 miners trapped. What's the update?
RAJPAL: Yes. This is what we've been seeing in Eastern China. There was an air compressor that caught fire on Wednesday evening local time, and what happened is 36 miners were trapped underground in this coal mine in Eastern China. What we've seen earlier in the week, we were reporting of coal miners trapped in Southern China due to flooding because of the torrential downpours that they've been having in that country.
Now, this is a fire that has been caught. We don't know exactly what is happening right now. We haven't got any confirmation in terms of the rescue efforts and if the fire is even contained at this point, but, again, this is just yet another list to be added to the list of problems that coal miners have been facing in that country, Ali.
VELSHI: I'm glad you pointed that out, because I read the story. I thought, I feel like we reported on this prior to Wednesday, two different coal mine incidents. All right. Thanks, Monita. We'll chat with you later on. Monita Rajpal in London.
Let's talk about Casey Anthony. She could walk out of jail a free woman in a few hours. She gets her sentence later this morning. Remember, she was convicted of lying to police but acquitted of killing her daughter. She could avoid jail time because of the time she's already served. A lot of Americans are wondering whether the jury made the right call. Here's some insight from juror number three.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JENNIFER FORD, ANTHONY TRIAL JUROR: How did she die? If you're going to charge someone with murder, don't you have to know how they killed someone or why they might have killed someone or have something where, when, why how? Those are important questions. They were not answered. I'm still confused. I have no idea what happened to that child.
If you put even just the 12 jurors in one room with a piece of paper, write down how Caylee died, nobody knows. We'd all be guessing. We have no idea. Some people are like, you know, I feel like she did, but there's just not enough to substantiate it. Some people are just like, no, she didn't do it. Like, they have nothing for me to even have any idea what happened. How can you punish someone for something if you don't know what they did?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELSHI: Anthony can sell her story for a movie or a book or both. she might need the income. State of Florida and a private search firm could make her pay back the money they spent looking for Caylee. Generally speaking, though, you can't go after someone if they were acquitted of the crime they were accused of committing.
Big news about the debt ceiling talks today. We might see a big shift in the negotiations. Keep this on your radar. Just hours from now, the president is going to meet with top Senate and House leaders. Democratic officials who are familiar with the negotiations tell us that he will put Medicare and Social Security changes on the table. Now, this is a big about face, and it drives home the urgency of the debt situation.
Obama is hoping that Republicans will support some tax increases. So far, they have agreed to none. Democratic officials say the president is prepared to agree to $4 trillion in cuts over the next ten years.
Now, a new rule will let the government make Wall Street executives pay if they tank the bank. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation rule would let federal regulators seize up to two years of the executives' pay if they are found responsible for the collapse of a major financial firm. Good work, FDIC.
Terrorists are reportedly hatching an extreme strategy to get past airport security, surgically implanted explosives. The U.S. security official tells CNN that the so-called belly bombs are designed to be sneaked past security check points. Now, the idea has apparently been discussed in the past, but a different official says a notorious al Qaeda bomb maker is behind this new push. I want to stress, though, we're told that the threat here is not specific.
Look, if you aren't already addicted to Facebook, here's a new feature that might get you hooked. Video calling. Facebook is partnering with Skype to give users with web cams the option to chat live through Facebook itself without having to open Skype. I'm never quite sure what the benefit of that is. Why you can't just have two things open on your computer. Facebook chief, Mark Zuckerberg, however, calls the feature, quote, "awesome." Only time will tell if Facebook's 750 million users agree with that evaluation.
Take a look at this video. Take a look at this and do not blink. Watch carefully, OK? There'll be a guy walking from the right to the left and something under his arm. That's him. Police think it's a Picasso under his arm. A $200,000 Picasso from gallery in San Francisco. Someone stopped that man. The cops think that the thief walked into a gallery and took it.
This isn't exactly the Thomas Crown affair. The video, by the way, is from Lefty O'Doul's security camera. It's a nearby restaurant. Didn't close too long ago for the 19th east (ph), open for breakfast in just a few hours. We'll buy some pancakes from the Lefty's.
Let's take it over to Reynolds in the weather center in Atlanta. Reynolds, any flight delays?
REYNOLDS WOLF, AMS METEOROLOGIST: We don't have any yet, but they are sure to come, and there, we're going to see them pop up all across the nation. In fact, as we take a look at your delays, to Atlanta, to Raleigh, to Miami, due to those thunderstorms in the afternoon, you're going to have some back up. Same deal in Memphis. St. Louis also there's thunderstorms. In Salt Lake City, not only some thunderstorms, but also some straight line winds might keep you delayed for about an hour or so. And San Francisco, the one spot on the west coast where we're going to have a little bit of an issue. (INAUDIBLE)
This is going to be SFO over across the bay. In Oakland, it should not be much of an issue at all. So, certainly have that going for you. Meanwhile, look for a chances of thunderstorms across parts of the -- I would say across parts of the Midwest. Back into Little Rock, perhaps, even into St. Louis before all was said and done and maybe into Kansas City by early and midafternoon. That is a quick snapshot of your forecast and your delays. Let's pitch it back to you, Ali.
VELSHI: All right. Some of that weather is why we might be getting a delay in the shuttle launch. Hey, Reynolds, I want to ask you about this. Have you ever been to the running of the bulls?
WOLF: Have never been to the running of the bulls. It's definitely on the bucket list.
VELSHI: Taking a look at this, running of bulls kicks off in Spain today. It marks the festival of San Fermin, a full week of partying. Running the bulls has gotten major heat from animal rights groups. It starts today. All right. Reynolds, thank, buddy.
WOLF: All right. Man, take care. Good to see you.
VELSHI: All right. Before we go, today's word of the day that you must know is endocannabinoids. Endocannabinoids. Find out what it means and why you need to know it right after this short break. It is 54 minutes after the hour.
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VELSHI: Fifty-seven minutes after the hour. Let's take a look at today's word of the day. Endocannabinoids. Endocannabinoids. Researchers say these brain chemicals can produce a drug like feeling which then encourage you to eat more fatty foods. We'll leave it right there. You can contemplate that for a little while.
Here are three things that need to be on your radar today.
The debt ceiling talks continue as President Obama meets with Congress at 11 o'clock eastern time.
Casey Anthony is set to be sentenced at 9:00 this morning on four counts of providing false information to law enforcement following the death of her two-year-old daughter. The maximum sentence is four years. She's already served 2 1/2 years in jail awaiting trial on the first-degree murder charges she was acquitted of.
And Humberto Leal Garcia Jr. set to be put to death tonight at 7:00 p.m. eastern time. The Mexican national was convicted of raping a 16- year-old girl and then fatally strangling and bludgeoning her with a 35-pound piece of asphalt in 1994.
Kristie Lu Stout joins us now to see how the world's money is doing this Thursday morning. She is live from Hong Kong. Kristie, markets on your side of the planet. How are they fairing?
STOUT: Years of download (ph). It's been a mixed day in the stock markets here. We've seen moderate gains in the Asia Pacific region, but the Nikkei ended a seven-day rally edging down from its four-month high. Now, markets in Europe, meanwhile, they're off to a bright start with (INAUDIBLE) across the region. And on your side of the world, Ali, the Dow, NASDAQ, and S&P are higher in pre-market trade right now.
VELSHI: All right. Kristie, this controversy, this scandal that is surrounding one of Rupert Murdock's newspapers, "News of the World" is starting to affect the business there. Tell us what this is about.
STOUT: That's right. A phone hiking scandal in the UK is punishing news corp. I mean, the company's shares dropped 3.6 percent on Wednesday, but rising most of the year. The news crop tabloid is called "News of the World" is being investigated for allegedly hacking into the phones of celebrities, politicians, a missing teenaged girl that found dead, and the families (ph) of the July 7th (ph) London bombing.
So, the scandal is hitting its bottom line. Now, Fordi Reno (ph) say that they won't be advertising on the tabloid. Rupert Murdoch, he has weighed in. He has condemned the alleged phone hacking, and he is vowed to cooperate with the investigation. Back to you, Ali. VELSHI: Yes. It's a strange situation. They allegedly were checking her voice mails and then deleting them so that more voice mails could come in leading the family to think she might still be alive. What a remarkable, remarkable story. Kristie, good to see you. Thanks very much. I know your coverage of markets on the other side of the world is going to continue later on, and our coverage on CNN continues right now. That's it for WAKE-UP CALL. AMERICAN MORNING starts right now.
