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American Morning: Wake Up Call
More Talks, No Deal Just Yet; Netflix Combo Rates Rise; City Folks Are Healthier; Casey Cops Defending Work
Aired July 13, 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 is Wednesday, July 13th. This is your A.M.: WAKE-UP CALL.
I'm Ali Velshi, joining you live this morning from New York.
OK. Let us quickly eat our peas even though it is breakfast. We must talk about the debate over the raising of the debt ceiling.
If it were a movie, you could call it -- dude, where is my compromise? The debate is getting testier and more partisan. President Obama told CBS News if lawmakers do not have a deal in place by the August 2nd deadline, older Americans could feel it next month when the Social Security payments are due.
Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I cannot guarantee that those checks go out on August 3rd if we haven't resolved this issue, because there may simply not be the money in the coffers to do it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELSHI: Republican Congressman Ron Paul of Texas, who is running for president, thinks the president is playing the Social Security card.
Here's what he said:
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. RON PAUL (R-TX), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: That just isn't true, because the funds there for Social Security and these emergencies, the cash flow is good enough for that. If they really needed to, why don't they just quit sending the interest rate payments over to the Federal Reserve? So, no, I think he's using scare tactics.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELSHI: You can also see interest rates soar and the value of the dollar tank if the government can't pay its bills. Several business groups, by the way, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the Business Roundtable are urging lawmakers to increase the debt limit. Another meeting is set for today at 4:00 p.m. Eastern. Over in the United Kingdom, "The News of the World" hacking scandal is the talk of the nation. Both political parties say Rupert Murdoch should drop his bid to buy a major satellite broadcaster because of this mess. The prime minister, David Cameron, wants a public inquiry. And lawmakers have called for Murdoch, his son James and a former editor of the newspaper to testify before parliament this week.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN WHITTINGDALE, BRITISH PARLIAMENT: There are an awful lot of questions as to why this is allowed to continue for so long, who authorized it, the extent of the activity, not just now, perhaps, (INAUDIBLE) but also, we understand in other international newspapers, possibly even wider. There are an awful lot of questions that have to be addressed.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELSHI: The scandal has torpedoed shares in Murdoch's company. News Corp's shares are down 14 percent since July 4th.
Now, police in Florida have arrested a plan that they think shot and killed a priest. And, apparently, the suspect made the manhunt pretty easy. Jeremy Manieri allegedly Father Edward Everett gunned down on Sunday at a beach house in Mississippi, stole his money and his car, and then took the family to Disney World. Police used the car's GPS to track him. The SWAT team nabbed him outside of Orlando.
Quickly, let's talk about the alleged Tucson gunman, Jared Loughner. A federal appeals court says that he is allowed to refuse anti- psychotic medication. Loughner is in a federal mental hospital. A court found him incompetent to stand trial. The hospital staff has said he's a danger to himself and others.
Six people were killed, 13 were wounded in that Tucson shooting in January.
The detectives who built the murder case against Casey Anthony are defending their work. Even though jurors acquitted Anthony last week in the death of her 2-year-old daughter Caylee, the detectives say their case was solid.
Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SGT. JOHN ALLEN, ORANGE COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE: With regard to what we would do differently, in every case, especially a case with this many witnesses and this much evidence, you can always look back and improve on what you've done. I don't know that anybody up here could think of anything that we could have done differently that might have affected the outcome.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELSHI: Casey Anthony is set to leave jail this Sunday, by the way. The sheriff says his office is not going to offer her any special protection. The "Chicago Sun-Times" is reporting, however, that Casey Anthony is thinking about wearing several disguises and plans to live in a secret location under a fake name as if she were in the witness protection program.
And Iraq war veteran says CitiMortgage threw him under a foreclosure bust while he served in the Army National Guard. And now, he's taking the bank to court. Sergeant Jorge Rodriguez has filed a class action lawsuit. He's pegging it on a law that protects military members from foreclosure while they're on active duty. Citigroup, the parent company, says it is looking into his complaint.
Let's talk about your money. U.S. stock futures are up this morning. Dow is up 62 points in pre-market trading, the S&P 500 up about seven, NASDAQ up about 17.
Now, to see how the world's money is doing this morning, let's cross over to Hong Kong. My good friend Kristie Lu Stout is standing by.
How is it looking, Kristie?
KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Hello there, Ali.
Now, European stock market investors, they are watching Italy's debt crisis very closely right now. And the markets, they opened higher in London, Frankfurt and Zurich.
Gains here in Asia, they are moderate today. But after yesterday's bloodletting, I don't think we're going to complain. Now, the Nikkei closed up about four-tenths of 1 percent. The trading houses like Mitsubishi, Mitsui, they gained after Credit Suisse gave the sector an outperformed rating.
Now, the Bank of Japan also said it would buy about $275 million of Japanese exchange-traded funds.
Here in Hong Kong, the Hang Seng closed up about 1.1 percent. That is off its worst two-day decline in some 17 months. So, the catalyst here was a better-than-expected GDP number out of the Chinese mainland.
Back to you, Ali.
VELSHI: Now, a better-than-expected number -- it's still an order that ease for the second quarter in a row. What's the feeling on that?
STOUT: Yes, Chinese GDP showed the economy grew 9.5 percent in the second quarter -- 9.4 percent is what had been expected. Now, China's growth, as we just mentioned, it cooled just a little bit for the second quarter in a row. Again, GDP showed the economy grew 9.5 percent in the second quarter. Now, first quarter growth is 9.7 percent. What had been expected was 9.4 percent, a lot of numbers there.
Bottom line is this: China's economic engine is slowing down in the face of weaker global demand for Chinese goods and other factors. But the perspective is China's economy is still expanding at a faster pace than just about any other country -- Ali.
VELSHI: All right, Kristie, we're going to check in with you a little later in the morning. Thanks for that. Kristie Lu Stout, watching your money from Hong Kong right now.
Now, a check on flight delays this morning. All airports in the clear right now. Weather today looks pretty good so far. Some fog and rain in parts of the Midwest and the West. Nashville and Washington state may get showers this afternoon which could cause delays.
Let's go over to Rob Marciano. He is outside in a particularly counterintuitive manner, he's standing outside because it is crazy hot which is when I would normally stay inside.
Good morning, Rob.
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, guys. Well, that comes with the job, Ali.
Yes, it's going to be hot again today. But this is the time of the day, if you're going to do anything strenuous outside or be outside, do it before the sun comes up.
We had a slew of record highs again yesterday, across the Northeast. At one point we had 23 states under heat advisories or excessive heat warnings. That number is going to shrink somewhat today only because it will be a little bit drier, less humid across some of the bigger cities along the I-95 corridor from D.C. through New York City.
But here's where the heat advisories are going to be out today. That includes about 11 states. And the hottest weather is going to be in areas like Oklahoma which have seen in the last 20 days, they have seen the temperature get over 100 degrees 18 times.
My goodness. Records broken two days ago across Arkansas. You're in the heat index as well. Here's what we expect as far as actual high temperatures.
Now, the heat index couples humidity in there and makes it feel like it's over 110 in spots. But the actual temperature forecast for places like Wilmington, 98; Charlotte, 100 degrees. Expected to be 10 degrees or better in Shreveport and Little Rock. So, another steamy, steamy day, especially across the Southeast. Dangerously hot in many locations.
And we'll be reporting live here from Piedmont Park in Atlanta, Georgia, that you're familiar with, Ali. I know.
VELSHI: Yes.
MARCIANO: As the sun comes up later, there'll be folks getting out trying to get their exercise on. And if they're wise, they'll do it before the sun gets too high in the sky.
VELSHI: That's right.
MARCIANO: Back to you.
VELSHI: It's going to be pretty, but it's going to be hot.
All right. Rob, we'll check in with you later.
That heat wave, by the way, across the country isn't going to help the hundreds of thousands of people who still don't have power in Chicago this morning. Close to 400,000 homes are still in the dark. It's going to be Saturday before power is turned back on.
The high on Saturday is expected to be 88 degrees. There's also a chance of thunderstorms.
Before we go, today's quote of the day, can you guess who said this? Quote, "We're open to penetration if someone decides to penetrate." OK, get your minds out of the gutter. This is not what you think.
Who said it? I'll tell you right after the break.
It's nine minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VELSHI: It's 12 minutes after the hour. I'm Ali Velshi. This is your A.M.: WAKE-UP CALL.
Today's quote of the day could easily be taken out of context. Here it is again. Quote, "We're open to penetration in someone decides to penetrate," unquote. That was former FAA security director Billie Vincent discussing the more than 25,000 security breaches at U.S. airports since 2001. I'll have more on that story in just a moment.
But, first, Mitt Romney is the first major GOP presidential candidate who is refusing to sign a controversial marriage pledge. His campaign calls parts of the vow, quote, "undignified and inappropriate."
Two of his rivals, Michele Bachmann and Rick Santorum already put their name to the pledge, which circulated by a conservative group in Iowa. They had to clarify their support because of the introduction to the vow suggests that black children born into slavery had better family structures than black children do today.
Bit of advice for any photo-happy politicians who may be teetering on the brink of a scandal. If the world is going to see you nearly naked, hit the gym.
Take a look at this ad running in the "New York Post," "The Washington Post" and "The Boston Herald." It says, "Get in shame for your next scandalous photo." It's part of the series.
I got to hand it to the sports clubs, in the wake of Weinergate. The gym is sticking to one of the cardinal rules of business: know your clientele. A family clinic Michele Bachmann started with her husband is accused of trying to turn gay patients straight. So, what's going on at Bachmann & Associates. A gay rights activist group called Truth Wins Out posed as a patient and went undercover. This is what she heard from a Bachmann clinic counselor.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNDERCOVER ACTIVIST: You can actually leave homosexuality and become heterosexual?
COUNSELOR: Oh, yes, definitely, I believe -- all about. And it's happened before, it really has.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELSHI: The counselor admitted that he is no expert on the subject and the congresswoman's campaign gave us a statement. Here it is. "The Bachmanns are in no position ethically, legally or morally to discuss specific courses of treatment concerning the clinic's patients." Wow.
Bachmann is the focus of this morning's punch line, but not about the clinic, it's about that controversial marriage pledge that she and fellow candidate Rick Santorum signed.
Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)
JAY LENO, THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH JAY LENO: Now her campaign is saying that while, yes, she did sign the pledge, she didn't read it first. And had she read it, she never would have signed it in the first place. Well, thank God presidents don't have to sign anything so important they have to read it first.
(LAUGHTER)
STEPHEN COLBERT, THE COLBERT REPORT: It goes like this -- oh, my God. What the -- oh, no. What the -- holy (EXPLETIVE DELETED). OK.
And Michele Bachmann stands up against slavery in all forms, whether it's the slavery of health care --
REP. MICHELE BACHMANN (R-MN), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: This is slavery. It's nothing more than slavery.
COLBERT: The slavery of the national debt.
BACHMANN: It is a slavery that is a bondage to debt and a bondage to decline.
COLBERT: Or the slavery of the loins.
BACHMANN: If you're involved in the gay and lesbian lifestyle, it's bondage. It is personal bondage, personal despair and personal enslavement.
COLBERT: Yes, personal enslavement or personal domination, depending on what role you're playing that night. The important thing is to have a safe word, perhaps Bachmann.
(END VIDEO CLIPS)
VELSHI: All right. Time for your Political Ticker with Tim Farley, he's the host of "Morning Briefing" on Sirius XM POTUS live from Washington.
Tim, queue yesterday's conversation because the deadline gets closer for raising the debt ceiling. And what did you call them, the octomob? The politicians in Washington responsible for getting this done are meeting again today.
TIM FARLEY, SIRIUS XM POTUS: Yes. And, clearly, Ali, this group of eight leaders from the House and the Senate are getting together with the president and vice president. This is becoming more and more about the election of 2012.
Mitch McConnell's surprise proposal yesterday to allow the president to raise the debt ceiling in three phases by overriding a veto -- or by vetoing a proposal from the Congress against raising the debt ceiling, sets it up as a campaign slogan, I guess, for 2012. It's a very convoluted process. That's the latest we've come to.
And, of course, you played that comment from the president about Social Security. There are a lot of games being played right now. It's really in some ways becoming the ultimate game of chicken right now.
VELSHI: Tim, let me just ask you about this, because I know this is just coming out and you're just looking at it. There's been a report of the amount of money that both the Obama presidential campaign and the Democratic National Committee have raised in the second quarter, the second three months of this year. Are you seeing that yet?
FARLEY: Eighty-six million dollars so far. And this is only the second quarter. It's a combination of the DNC and the presidential campaign fundraisers. And this number wasn't due until the end of the week.
But it's just another indication that we are going to see some huge amounts of money. That's just the official amount. Think about all the other groups, Ali. We're talking about a possibility of a billion dollar campaign next year for the presidency.
VELSHI: Hey, we're talking about security, too. What -- there's a bomb-sniffing dog demonstration on the Hill today?
FARLEY: Ali, yes. You know, Jason Chaffetz is the Republican from Utah and he is the chair of the Oversight and Government Reform, Subcommittee on National Security, Homeland Defense and Foreign Operations. I wanted to makes sure --
VELSHI: Does that all fit on a business card?
FARLEY: Not very well evidently. But he's the sub -- what it is -- the chairman of a panel, as they call it.
VELSHI: Right.
FARLEY: But he says there have been 25,000 security breaches outside the nation's airports since 9/11. He wants to know why -- the TSA in the hot seat today.
And, evidently, they're going to bring out a bomb-sniffing dog just to show them what's going right in these security measures.
VELSHI: All right. It's always good. The animals will keep people at bay.
All right. Tim Farley, good to see you my friend. Thanks very much. Tim Farley is the host of "Morning Briefing" on Sirius XM POTUS.
What's the best way to squash rumors that you died? Well, for Mr. Playboy himself, it's time to hit tweeter. I'll tell you exactly what he tweeted and why.
First, how do you like them? Sweet, curly, or slathered with chili and cheese or ketchup? I made sure to grab an order of French fries today because it is National French Fries Day.
Nineteen minutes past the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)\
VELSHI: Twenty-two minutes after the hour.
Here are three things that need to be on your radar today:
First, 9:00 Eastern this morning, opening statements set to get under way in the perjury trial of former Major League Baseball star Roger Clemens. Clemens is accused of lying about his alleged use of steroids.
Right after that, 10:00 Eastern, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke delivers his second annual report on monetary policy and the state of the U.S. economy. We'll be keeping an ear on that.
And then at 4:00 Eastern, President Obama meets with top lawmakers from both sides to try to hash out the debt ceiling issue.
A California retiree finally has his $30,000 in Social Security payments. "The L.A. Times" reports Bank of America deposited the 88- year-old man's money into another customer's account with the same account number. The local district attorney's office had to step in to sort things out. As for the customer who took the money that wasn't hers, she received 90 days in jail.
Who knew plants battling zombies on a mobile could be so lucrative? Electronic Arts is buying a mobile game maker called Pop Cap for a sum that would make the Parker Brothers salivate -- $750 million in cash and stock, Pop -- I'm having trouble saying this -- Pop Cap makes the be "Bejeweled" game as well as "Book Worm" and the aforementioned "Plants versus Zombies."
Now, watch the man drop an iPad 60 feet onto the pavement. Watch this and don't try it at home.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All clear. Sixty foot!
All right. Let's see what happened.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELSHI: Do you know what happened? It took a licking and kept on streaming. The company that makes protective sleeves for iPads did this. We don't want this to be a free commercial for them. But I have to say, that's pretty impressive.
Next, they should send an iPad over Niagara Falls and see how that fares.
If you've seen the TLC reality show "Sister Wives," today, the real life drama moves into federal court in Utah. Kody Brown and his four wives plan to challenge the state's anti-bigamy law. He says no one should be prosecuted for their private relations.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KODY BROWN, STAR, "SISTER WIVES": The fear of being prosecuted is less daunting than the fear of continuing a society in secrecy and darkness.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELSHI: Hugh Hefner wants everybody to know that he's alive. Rumors circulated on social media Monday night that the 85-year-old founder of "Playboy" had passed on. So, Hef decided to set the record straight on Twitter. He tweeted, "The rumors of my death are, as Mark Twain observed in a similar situation, greatly exaggerated. I'm very much alive and kicking."
Let's go around the world with Zain Verjee from London.
Good morning, Zain.
The hacking issue will not end. New developments, Rupert Murdoch and his son, the former editor of the "News of the World" are now being called to testify to parliament. There's stuff going on in the United States. What's the update?
ZAIN VERJEE, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Yes. They are being called to testify in parliament. The big story today is that the political parties are all going to get together, go to parliament and they're all agreed to support a motion that Rupert Murdoch should -- his bid to acquire BSkyB, the cable operator here, should not go through.
Now, that is really rare, Ali. It's not legally binding. But they want to send a strong signal to him to say don't do it. Who knows if he'll care or even take notice?
The other big story that's making news here is that the Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Jay Rockefeller is calling for an investigation saying, look, if "News of the World" was hacking U.S. citizens and 9/11 victims, he says this should be taken seriously and there should be an investigation. And the big topic on that is how much is it going to affect Rupert Murdoch's empire in the U.S. as well -- Ali.
VELSHI: That's costing a lot of money in the stock. It costs the stock about 14 percent, more than $7 billion --
VERJEE: Yes, right.
VELSHI: -- since this really thickened about a week ago.
Hey, listen, let's talk about this former "Survivor" producer who's facing expedition to Mexico on a charge that he murdered his wife.
VERJEE: Right. A judge basically said there was enough evidence to send him back to Mexico to face trial, right? Because he was believed to have murdered his wife in Cancun when they were on holiday with their two kids.
So, what's going to happen now is he's going to appeal, and if that's successful, he'll stay in the U.S. for a year. But they want him to go face trial. The judge says there's enough to nail him.
VELSHI: Talk to me, Zain, about this euro millions jackpot winner. This guy -- somebody has won 161 million pounds. It's about $250 million, and he hasn't surfaced?
VERJEE: Yes. It's not me. I bought 50 of those tickets, Ali. And nothing, zero, zip, nada. We don't actually know who it is, who has the ticket, if it's one person or a group of people. But basically, they got in the U.K., $250 million. That makes them the 430th person or persons who are the most wealthy in this country.
VELSHI: Wow.
VERJEE: So, it includes David Beckham. Richer than David Beckham. Richer than Ringo Starr. It would make them richer than Ali Velshi. So --
VELSHI: Let me just queue this. Let's make a deal right now. If we win that kind of money one day, these two spots are just going to be open. I'm not going to be one of those guys that -- I'm going to still work -- I'm going to come to work like normal every day. I'll be gone. You can phone me in my yacht.
VERJEE: Oh, totally, Ali. I'll be right there with you. And I'll --
VELSHI: Very good. But until now, until then, Zain, we've got work to do. I'll catch up with you a little later on.
Zain Verjee in London for us.
Hey, listen, as we go to the break, ponder this -- the water bottle can be harmful to your health. We'll tell you why in today's "Businessman Special" coming up.
Twenty-seven minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VELSHI: Good morning. July 13th. This is your A.M. WAKE-UP CALL. I'm Ali Velshi joining you live from New York this morning. It is 30 minutes after the hour. We just got our hands on home movies from the couple that kidnapped Jaycee Dugard and held her prisoner for 18 years. Take a break from what you're doing. Check this out.
It shows a parole officer searching Phillip's Garrido's home, failing to find a girl, held captive just 30 yards -- 30 feet away in the backyard. The El Dorado district attorney's office just released the video. It was filmed sometime between 2000 and 2007.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK. And this room here?
PHILLIP GARRIDO, MAN WHO KIDNAPPED JAYCEE DUGARD: We -- we've been sleeping in them.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK. Why is this door locked?
GARRIDO: Because --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE)
GARRIDO: (INAUDIBLE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Can you move that out and open the door?
GARRIDO: Because she's convalescing. And so, we use this bathroom.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right. This door right here.
GARRIDO: That's where we sleep.
VELSHI (voice-over): There are also home movies shot over 20 years ago of the Garridos taping children in public places. Phillip Garrido is now serving a 431-year sentence. His wife, Nancy, will serve 36 years to life.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELSHI (on-camera): Rodney King is back in trouble. Police in Marino Valley, Southern California pulled him over and busted him on suspicion of driving under the influence. Remember, King was brutally beaten by officers during a traffic stop in 1991, a case that sparked the infamous L.A. riots a year later.
We're getting a look into some of the items recovered in Whitey Bulger's Santa Monica, California apartment. Federal agents say they found 30 -- 30 weapons including handguns, an automatic rifle, and a grenade. Some were hidden inside the walls. And then, there's the cash, more than $800,000, mostly in hundred dollar bills.
Fifteen states are sweating it out today dealing with heat advisories. It's going to be a scorcher. Temperatures expected to reach 104 degrees in parts of Texas today. In the southeast, temperatures could hit the upper 90s.
And Netflix subscribers, if you want to keep getting those red DVD envelopes in the mail and you want a stream online content, you're going to have to pay more. The company is no longer bundling the two options. So, subscribers who want both will actually have to buy separate plans totaling at least $16 a month. That's a big jump from the cheapest bundle option which was $10 a month and leaves me with some decision making to do because I've got the bundled option.
OK. There are city folks and there are country folks, and if you think green acres is the place to be for healthier living, think again. Americans living in big cities live longer healthier lives than their country counterparts. That's according to new research from county healthy rankings. It says rural residents are more likely to be obese, sedentary, and smokers. This, by the way, is a reversal from earlier decades. Rock on, city people.
For more money morning news -- or for some money morning news, let's go to Joya Dass. She's live at the NASDAQ here in New York. Joya, I was just overcome by the fact that we, city people, are healthier. Good morning. How are you and how are futures looking?
JOYA DASS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm good. Futures markets, actually. It's a nice breath of fresh air or looking like we're going to see a higher open today after a series of down days, and part of it has to do with, well, what the fed has to say.
VELSHI: And the fed is going to be saying something today, because this is the testimony, the scheduled testimony of Ben Bernanke to Congress. You know, I know you've been hearing this probably, too, Joya. People are asking me, oh, my goodness, if this debt ceiling thing doesn't happen and this European problems continue to happen, what am I supposed to do with my money? And a lot of people are saying get into gold.
DASS: Well, gold has hit yet another record high, a 1,562.30 an ounce. In the aftermarket this is high as 1,574, and this comes after the Federal Reserve hinted for the very first time that maybe we're going to see another round of monetary stimulus. Keep in mind, the QE2 just ended in June.
VELSHI: Yes.
DASS: And this is the first that we're actually even we're hearing any kind of a hint of that. And at the end of the day, it's because we want to figure out a way to get the unemployment rate down in a meaningful way.
VELSHI: All right. And that will be part of the discussion with fed chairman, Ben Bernanke, which we'll be covering later today. Joya, good to see you, as always. Have a great day. Joya Dass for us at the NASDAQ market site.
For those of you headed to the gym with the bottle of water this morning, listen up. New research published in the British Medical Journal suggests that drinking eight glasses of water a day can actually do more harm than good. It also says that if you drink water when you're not thirsty, it can hurt your concentration rather than boost it, but of course, take everything with a grain of salt because tomorrow, I'm sure, we'll research out that says we don't drink enough water.
But first, today's "get smart" question of the day, it's trending high on CNNMoney.com. Can you guess the world's most expensive city? Here are your choices, Luanda, Angola, Singapore, Singapore, Tokyo, Japan. Here's a clue, in this most expensive city, a club sandwich and a soda will cost you $20. Thirty-five minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VELSHI: Thirty-nine minutes-ish after the hour. It's one of the top stories on CNNMoney.com right now. The world's most and least expensive cities. We're asking you as our question of the morning, what is the world's most expensive city. According to the consulting firm, Mercer, it is A, Luanda, Angola, where you'd pay $20 for a club sandwich and a soda. Telling you I wouldn't have gotten that one right.
Now, for our "Political Ticker," let's bring in our senior political editor, Mark Preston. He's on the phone from Washington with us. Good morning, Mark. Republicans looking at this economy as President Obama' Achilles heel. You've got details on their latest effort. They're going to unveil it later today. What's it all about?
MARK PRESTON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL EDITOR: Yes, you know, Ali, I think James Carville was absolutely correct when he said, it's the economy stupid. And that's what the Republican National Committee is trying to push forward to voters, especially in four states, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin and New Hampshire. They're going to wake up today, and they're going to see a new television ad where they're going to try to make President Obama own the economy.
It's a 30-second TV ad. They use his words and his likeness in the ad, and then, they point out that they've seen the national debt increase, that they've seen more people join the unemployment line. Bankruptcies have increased. So, what they're trying to do right now, Ali, and again, we talk all the time about this, is trying to make President Obama own the economy as he heads into his re-election bid.
VELSHI: Hey, Mark, we just got these reports of fundraising totals for the second quarter, the second three months of the year from the Obama campaign and the democratic National Committee, $86 million is what the number comes in at? PRESTON: Staggering. And you know what's interesting about this is that they say 98 percent of all the donations that were made to the campaign were $250 or less, and the average donation was $69. So, you're talking about -- I guess, what they're saying, though, is 552,000 people donated to the campaign. What that means is that in the long run, these people can keep on giving and giving and giving to President Obama because they're, so far, under the legal limit, Ali.
VELSHI: Mark, good to see you this morning. Thanks for joining us. Mark Preston joining us from Washington.
It is 41 minutes after the hour. Here are three things that you need to put on your radar today.
At nine o'clock eastern this morning, opening statements about to get under way in the perjury trial of former major league baseball star, Roger Clemens. Clemens is accused of lying about his alleged use of steroids.
Right after that, 10 o'clock eastern, Federal Reserve chairman, Ben Bernanke, delivers his semi-annual report on monetary policy and the state of the U.S. economy.
And then, at four o'clock eastern, President Obama meets with top lawmakers from both sides to continue to try to hash out some solution to the debt ceiling problem.
They're going to blow the roof up today in the Metrodome.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
VELSHI (voice-over): Remember the roof collapsed back in December from heavy snow. Well, there's a new roof now. In about two hours, they're going to turn on a bunch of big fans and start inflating it.
Get a load of this. Dylan Smith is a cheerleader at the University of Kentucky. Saturday, he was teaching a class at his -- Rhode Island. Look at that. As he's doing some tumbling, he leaned back into what he thought was a secure door. Look at that. OK. Door gave way, and he started falling from five stories. Dylan's gymnastic instinct kicked into gear. He did a back-flip in midair, and he landed on his feet. Now, he did have a couple of broken bones, but he's back on his feet and out of the hospital.
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VELSHI (on-camera): The U.S. women's soccer team takes on French in just a few short hours from now in the World Cup semi-finals. Let's go to Pablo Torre. He's a reporter for "Sports Illustrated" joining me live in New York. Pablo, what kind of momentum does this team have heading into today's game?
PABLO TORRE, REPORTER, SPORTS ILLUSTRATED: They are quite a bit, Ali, because this team is coming off one of the most dramatic wins in U.S. soccer history and definitely the most dramatic women in women's soccer history. Of course, the U.S. beat brazil 3-2 on penalty kicks. And it was the type of game where, if you're an American fan, you would celebrate if you hadn't already thrown your remote through your television set. And that's kind of the tone this team has set.
The U.S. women's team is, they're expecting -- fans are -- the highest possible outcome from this team. They came back with all odds against them. They had the refs against them. They had Brazil diving all over the place, and yet, they managed to pull it out. And so, this team really has a sort of charmed look to them. There's a lot of momentum.
Now, Germany is also in this (ph) tournament. They're the host country and the favorite. So, the U.S. has a pretty nice road ahead of them for this World Cup title potentially.
VELSHI: What does this mean generally, this World Cup run? What does it mean for women's sports and women's soccer on a national level?
TORRE: Yes. The reality is that every woman's world cup is almost a referendum on women's sports. It's such a big high interest event in the world stage. And that's especially true for the U.S. where there's an uphill battle, really, to embrace these games and prove that like the men's, they're worth watching. And the U.S. women, with the performance so far, really done that.
The U.S. women are the center of American sports attention at this time of year. And you reminded over the women's attempts gold medal win against China in 1999 with 40 million Americans watched, Ali and even the best way to put. And that these women are inspiring little kids somewhere, little boys somewhere in a backyard to imitate the play of women's players which is no small statement in 2011.
VELSHI: No kidding, Pablo. Good to talk to you. Thank you again this morning. Pablo Torre reporter for "Sports Illustrated" joining us in New York.
Before we go, let's check our calendar for this day in history, on July 13th, 1977, a 25-hour blackout hit New York City leading to widespread rioting and looting. Already say (ph), it cost the city more than $300 million back then. Forty-four minutes after the hour.
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VELSHI: Good morning. It is Wednesday, July 13th. This is your A.M. WAKE-UP CALL. I'm Ali Velshi joining you live this morning from New York. Forty-seven minutes after the hour. Let's go around the world with Zain Verjee live in London. She's following new developments in the hacking scandal. Rupert Murdoch called to testify by UK lawmakers.
Here in the United States, Senator Rockefeller calling for a domestic investigation. This is just getting hotter and hotter, Zain.
ZAIN VERJEE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It is, and the big, hot story right now is going to happen in about an hour or so in the British parliament. We're going to see something really rare, because all the political parties, Ali, have gotten together, and they're supporting a motion to say no, that there should be a block to Rupert Murdoch's bid to acquire BskyB.
This is not legally binding, but it is up where public opinion in this country is at. Who knows whether Rupert Murdoch will take notice of that? The other big story here, too, the Senate Commerce Committee chairman, Jay Rockefeller, saying that there's got to be an investigation. Did News Corp hack into U.S. citizens' phones, 9/11 victims?
He said there'd be serious consequences, and the big question people are asking here is how much is the News Corp Empire and Rupert Murdoch going to be hurt in the U.S. as well -- Ali.
VELSHI: Yes, that is a good question. Hey, listen -- I'm a tweeter. You're a tweeter. One of the interesting things about this is somebody's figured out using, I don't know, GO (ph) cashing or labeling of locations where people tweet from, where people tweet. A visualization of it. Tell us about this.
VERJEE: Yes, it's really cool. It's this data visualization project from a photographer by the name of Eric Fisher, and what he's done is basically tag tweets and Flicker pictures used from around the world. And look at this pretty picture here in the U.S. You can see that the Flicker pictures are in red, and they're actually mostly on the west coast. Twitter users more on the east coast.
And then, you look at parts of Europe and Asia is where they're both used very much as well. And white show the usage of both, Ali. So, it's a very pretty picture here that he's come up with. But I want to show you an even prettier picture, because, in New York City, over at the time Warner Center, we see this image, OK?
VELSHI: That's it.
VERJEE: It is an image of Ali Velshi at his desk tweeting away because he's got thousands of Twitter followers. And I thought there was even a mirror there, too, Ali. So, even while you're off air, you can check yourself out.
VELSHI: Got to always have a mirror available. Zain, lots of good fun. Thank you for joining us with that. I'm going to tweet out. And by the way, anybody who wants to tweet us while we're on the show @alivelshi. Zain, I'll catch you later on "American Morning." Thanks.
All right. Time now, sadly, to eat our peas and talk about the debate over the debt ceiling. That's by the way, what the president said we have to do. We have to eat our peas. If it were a movie, you could call it, "dude, where is my compromise?" The debate is getting testier and more partisan. President Obama told CBS that if lawmakers don't have a deal in place by the August 2nd deadline, older Americans could feel it next month when their Social Security payments are due. Listen up.
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BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I cannot guarantee that those checks go out on August 3rd if we haven't resolved this issue, because there may simply not be the money in the coffers to do it.
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VELSHI: Republican congressman, Ron Paul, of Texas who's running for president, by the way, thinks that the president is playing the Social Security card. Paul is running for president himself, and here's what he said.
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REP. RON PAUL, (R) TEXAS: That just isn't true, because the funds there For Social Security and these emergencies, the cash flow is good enough for that. And if they really needed to, why don't they just quit sending the interest rate payments over to the Federal Reserve? So, no, I think he's using scare tactics.
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VELSHI: You can also see interest rates soar and the value of the dollar tank if the government can't pay its bills. Several business groups including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the business roundtable are urging law makers to increase the debt limit. Another meeting is set for today at four o'clock eastern.
Quickly, let's talk about the alleged Tucson gunman, Jared Loughner. A federal appeal's court says he may refuse anti-psychotic medications. He may meaning he's allowed to. Loughner is in a federal mental hospital. The court found him incompetent to stand trial. The hospital staff has said he's a danger to himself and others. Six people were killed, 13 wounded in that Tucson shooting in January.
The detective who built the murder case against Casey Anthony are defending their work. Even though jurors acquitted Anthony last week in the death of her two-year-old daughter, Caylee, the detectives say their case was solid. Listen.
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SGT. JOHN ALLEN, ORANGE COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE: With regard to what we would do differently, in every case, especially a case with this many witnesses and this much evidence, you can always look back and improve on what you've done. I don't know that anybody up here can think of anything that we could have done differently that might have affected the outcome.
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VELSHI: Casey Anthony is set to leave jail this Sunday. The sheriff says his office will not offer her any special protection. Now, the "Chicago Sun Times" reports that Anthony is thinking about wearing several disguises and plans to live in a secret location under a fake name as if she were in the witness protection program.
Let's go to Rob Marciano sweating it out in Piedmont Park in Atlanta. Sun still isn't up there which is good, Rob, because I suspect that's going to make things substantially hotter for you and people across the country.
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: It will be steamy once again, but even at this hour, Ali, you know, you're just kind of wearing that humidity, and that's been the deal, really, for the past several days with this heat wave that, at one point, was really encompassing almost half of the country. It was the amount of moisture in the air. We didn't set a ton of record high temperatures.
It was the humidity coupled with that heat. You walked out any time of day, and you were just wearing the weather. Well, today, the number of heat advisories and warnings has shrunk just a little bit mostly across the south, but places like Oklahoma City may very well touch 100 degrees again today. They've hit it 18 of the last 20 times. Heat indices, when we couple humidity in there, it could get as high as 115 in places like Northern Mississippi, Western Tennessee, and the Carolinas, as well.
Here's the forecast highs for actual high temperatures not including humidity and measured in the shade. Temperatures will be well up into the 90s and near 100 degrees in some of these spots. Look at 95 degrees in Memphis, 102 in Dallas, 95 degrees expected in D.C., and we may, we may not get into the 90s in New York City.
That may be hopeful thinking at this point, but it will be less humid, a little cool front or I should say maybe a dry front came through the northeast yesterday. So, it won't be quite as humid as it has been. So, at least somebody is getting a little bit of relief, but across the south, it continues to be steamy, and in some cases, dangerously hot.
VELSHI: It's a good thing I wore my mesh vest today, Rob.
MARCIANO: Yes, exactly. Get that air flowing through there.
VELSHI: See you, buddy. I'll check in with you later.
Hey, since this incredible heat is still one of the big stories today, today's word of the day is heat syncope. Find out what it means right after the short break. It is 54 minutes after the hour.
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VELSHI: Fifty-seven minutes after the hour. With heat advisories in several states today, our word of the day is heat syncope. It's a type of heat stress. It's a fainting episode or dizziness that usually occurs with prolong standing or sudden rising from a sitting position and usually related to dehydration. Drink lots of water today. Stay cool.
It's 57 minutes after the hour. Here are three things that you need to have on your radar today.
First, nine o'clock this morning, opening statements are set to get under way in the perjury trial of former major league baseball star, Roger Clemens. Clemens is accused of lying about his alleged use of steroids. Right after that, 10 o'clock eastern, Federal Reserve chairman, Ben Bernanke, delivers his semi-annual report on monetary policy and the state of the U.S. economy.
And at four o'clock eastern, President Obama meets with top lawmakers from both sides to try to hash out the debt ceiling.
Let's talk about your money. U.S. stock futures are up this morning. The Dow is up in pre- market trading so is the S&P 500 and the NASDAQ. Let's see how your world's money -- the world's money is doing this morning. Go over live to Kristie Lu Stout live in Hong Kong. What's going on, Kristie?
STOUT: Hey there, Ali. Well, European stock market investors, they're watching at least debt crisis very closely right now. The markets, they open higher in London, in Frankfurt and Zurich. And the gains here in Asia were moderate today, but after yesterday's sell- off, I don't think we're going to talk about that or complain.
Now, the Nikkei closed up about four tenths of one percent. Trading houses like Mitsubishi, Mitsui, they gained after credit Suisse gave that sector an outperformed rating. Now, the Bank of Japan also said it would buy about $275 million of Japanese exchange traded funds. And here in Honk Kong, the Hang Seng closed up about 1.1 percent. That's off. It's worst two-day decline in 17 months. Back to you.
VELSHI: Kristie, we're watching what's going on in Italy right now, but at the same time overnight, we've had a warning about Ireland's credit rating.
STOUT: That's right. In fact, U.S. stocks had closed near the lows of the session on Tuesday because of that news of the Irish debt downgrade. Now, Moody's downgraded Ireland's debt to junk status, raising a small market rally early in the day. Now, Moody's also kept its outlook on Ireland's sovereign debt negative, and that drew a harsh response from Ireland's finance minister -- from many investors to rethink and to perhaps sell their Irish holdings. Back to you.
VELSHI: Kristie, it's not great news, but if I'm going to get bad money news, I'd rather get it from you. Good to see you as always, Kristie. We'll see you again tomorrow morning. Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong for us.
And that will bring to an end for WAKE-UP CALL this morning. Thanks for watch. We'll be back at 5:00 a.m. Eastern Time tomorrow, but right now, it's time for AMERICAN MORNING starts right now.
