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American Morning: Wake Up Call

Final Shuttle Landing, 5:56AM ET; Heat Wave Blamed for 22 Deaths

Aired July 21, 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 Thursday, July 21st. This is your A.M.: WAKE-UP CALL.

I'm Ali Velshi, joining you live this morning from New York.

Two big stories we're following this morning:

The final space shuttle landing and dozens of people here in the United States believed to be dead because of this incredible heat wave.

Let's start with the shuttle. We are now less than one hour away from the final space shuttle landing. Just in the last half- hour, we got a go for landing from NASA. The deorbit burn took place just in the last couple of minutes. In the deorbit burn, the shuttle's engines are fired to help it slow down before it hits the atmosphere.

In less than 30 minutes, the shuttle and crew will start to feel the effects of the atmosphere. They'll be about 80 miles above the Earth at that point.

As the shuttle comes through the atmosphere, it heats up to about 5,000 degrees on the outside. When it breaks through the atmosphere, many of the folks in Florida will hear those famous sonic booms.

About five minutes before the landing at Kennedy Space Center, the commander will take manual control of the shuttle and pilot it to the grounds.

When the orbiter hits the runway, it will be going 220 miles an hour. The shuttle will land for the last time ever at 5:56 a.m. Eastern Time.

And just so you know, NASA is considering this a night landing. The landing time is 42 minutes before sunrise in Florida.

Once the shuttle touches down on the runway, you want to listen for the commander of the Atlantis, Chris Ferguson, to say the words, "Wheels stop" -- when this happens, the shuttle program is officially over.

Right now, let's go straight over to Houston mission control where our own Ed Lavandera joins us live.

Ed, so our viewers know, the space shuttle takes off from Kennedy Space Center in Florida, but as soon as it is up, Houston takes control for that time and for the rest of the mission. How's it looking down there at mission control?

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Everything we've kept hearing all morning long is that everything is looking absolutely perfect, especially the weather. No complaints so far that deorbital burn that you were just talking, but everything there went smoothly, as well.

Look behind me. These are the men and women who have been working on this last, final shuttle mission, Ali. And you can tell there are a lot of emotional people in there. We've seen a lot of smiles this morning. A lot -- several people with cameras are taking pictures of themselves. NASA has photographers inside, as well, documenting these final moments.

These are the men and women who round-the-clock man the shuttle mission, make sure everything goes smoothly.

If you look there in the middle, there's a man by the name of Tony Ceccacci. He is the flight commander. He will be the man helping bring he shuttle down for this final minute.

It was interesting. About an hour ago, they were going through the final checks to prepare for that deorbital burn. He said, I can't believe that this -- I never thought that this moment would ever come -- kind of talking about making the call for the final systems check. So you can -- I think it speaks volumes to what these men and women are experiencing.

There's a great number of people who filled up the visitor gallery just off to our side here -- families of those flight directors who have worked so many space shuttle missions. Clearly, an emotional moment.

Remember, Houston here, mission control, this is the area where the astronauts live. This is where they train. This is where thousands and thousands of people who have worked on the space shuttle mission for 30 years have -- and they're watching this moment closely. In fact, just outside of the mission control building outside, many people gathering, setting up a viewing location to watch the shuttle Atlantis come home.

So, you can imagine, Ali, that this is an extremely emotional moment. And everyone here hoping everything here goes smoothly within the next hour.

But all of these people, you imagine, after the shuttle lands and we assume everything goes so well, everything so far looking very good, looking to go smoothly, that these people will have a lot to say and a lot to feel based on everything that they've been through the last 30 years -- Ali.

VELSHI: Ed, within about half an hour we -- about a half-hour ago, we got word that it was go for landing, which means it was beginning its final orbit, probably the final orbit, 200th orbit of Earth. What are the contingencies if it doesn't land at 5:56? Does it take another spin around and try and come back?

LAVANDERA: Yes, they have contingencies for a lot of that, and what might happen.

But, you know, I don't get any sense here that any of that is actually a concern at this point. We've heard repeatedly here this morning that the weather is absolutely perfect. That everything, all the machinery, everything on board the space shuttle is working perfectly. So, any other contingency plans, I'd be shocked if we go to at this point.

So, everything seems to be clear to -- for the space shuttle to land within the hour.

VELSHI: All right. Ed, thanks very much for that. We will be staying with us through the course of the hour. We're watching this very, very closely.

As we said, the space shuttle Atlantis now on its final orbit of Earth. It's got a go for landing. The landing is expected in the next 50 minutes. We'll stay with it very closely.

All right. It's going to be another extremely hot day on Earth as a deadly heat wave grips much of the nation. It's already been blamed for 22 deaths. The high temperatures are affecting 141 million people in more than 30 states. There are heat watches, warnings, or advisories.

Rob Marciano is live in Atlanta.

Rob, what's the situation? And when might we get some relief from this?

ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Well, we'll get relief across the northern tier. There was a little cool front that's going to clip the Northern Plains in through the western Great Lakes. But as it presses off to the East, it kind of shoves all the heat that was in Minnesota and Wisconsin to the South and to the East. So, places like New York City now, Philadelphia, Baltimore, D.C., are going to see some of their hottest weather of the season. And we'll see it for quite some time.

So, we have these heat advisories that have been posted for the area. And, basically, almost 1/3 of the country under heat advisories with heat indices that could easily get up in over 100 in some cases, 110, and that is certainly dangerous if you are out for any extended period of time. So, be aware of that and driving to the South and the East.

You know, it's a fact we don't say too much, but we've seen it in the past. A few years ago in Europe, in the '90s in Chicago -- but heat is the deadliest form of weather-related fatalities. And certainly check on your elders. Take care of yourself and do what you need to do to stay cool.

We'll talk more about this --

VELSHI: What's the weather doing for flight delays, for viewers who are traveling this morning?

MARCIANO: So far, so good. You know, we're going to have these pop-up thunderstorms in spots. For those folks, there will be cooling, but if you're traveling, you know, airplanes have to fly around those. That will add time in various spots especially across the Eastern 2/3 of the country.

VELSHI: And in this weather, some of those are unpredictable. Rob, we'll check in through the course of the morning -- Rob Marciano in our weather center.

OK. Ready or not, the debt ceiling deadline is closing in, and there's no deal even though the president said he wanted something worked out by tomorrow, giving it enough time to get through Congress by August 2nd, that's the day at which we don't have money to pay all our bills. That's when the federal government starts defaulting on its obligation.

So, now, the White House is opening the door to an idea that was off the table juts days ago: a short-term hike to buy more time.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAY CARNEY, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: We would not support a short-term extension absent an agreement to a larger deal. That's not acceptable. Obviously, if both sides agree to something significant, we will support the measures needed to finalize the details of that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELSHI: This time yesterday, we reported a burst of enthusiasm for a bipartisan plan put forward by the so-called "gang of six" in the Senate. Today, that excitement might be fading. Some Republicans complain that it raises taxes too much and cuts spending too little. Democrats, meanwhile, don't like it because it makes changes to Social Security and Medicare.

OK. A new terror report warns that an insider at a utility company could plot sabotage, giving would-be attackers detailed information about what goes on at specific facilities. Homeland security officials say they are on their toes about the ongoing threat after a series of incidents. The agency stresses there is no credible intelligence about an imminent security threat but says it will work hand in hand with state and local officials to keep the country's infrastructure safe.

Two convicted killers were set to die by lethal injection overnight. One execution went through, the other was delayed.

In Texas, Mark Anthony Stroman died at 9:53 p.m. Eastern Time. The admitted white supremacist went on a post-9/11 shooting rampage. He shot and killed two men and injured a third. The surviving victim created a Web site hoping to stop the execution, but it didn't work.

In Georgia, Andrew Grant DeYoung is still alive. His execution pushed back to 7:00 tonight. A judge has ruled that it can be videotaped. The taping is at the request of a separate death row inmate who worries that the drug in the needle, pentobarbital, causes needless suffering.

DeYoung was convicted of stabbing his parents and his sister to death for inheritance money back in 1993.

Seventy-five former NFL players are suing the league, claiming it hid information about the dangers of concussion. The lawsuit alleges the NFL knew as early as the 1920s how harmful head injuries could be, but that they kept the information a secret from players, coaches, and trainers until June of 2010.

In a statement, the NFL told us, quote, "We have not seen the complaint but would vigorously contest any claims of this kind," end quote.

Riddell, the company that makes helmets for the NFL, is also named as a defendant. They told us they don't comment on pending lawsuits.

OK. Now, for a check of world markets at this hour, the Nikkei closed slightly higher. The Hang Seng closed down. The DAX and FTSE are also both down at this hour.

Let's go across the world to Kristie Lu Stout. She is live from Hong Kong this morning.

Good morning, Kristie.

Investors are cautious about a Euro Zone meeting, a very important meeting of European leaders to discuss the Greek debt crisis.

KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right. And you can see the signs of that clearly because there's been no clear direction for markets in Asia or in Europe, a lot of uncertainty before the E.U. debt meeting. Word of a possible deal to bail out Greece -- that generated some cautious, early optimism in trading in Europe, but that has since diminished.

European policymakers, they are set to discuss a range of measures at this meeting later today, including a new loan package to Greece and the role of private investors in any debt restructuring.

But the German Chancellor Angela Merkel has warned about too much optimism. So, Ali, we just have to wait and see.

VELSHI: Yes, no kidding.

And tell us more about the $100 million deal between Tesla, the electric car company, and Toyota.

STOUT: Yes, an interesting deal. Tesla Motor has announced a $100 million deal with Toyota to provide parts for an electric Rav4. Tesla will supply Toyota with all the parts to power an electric version of the SUV, including a battery, charging system, and software. And the production is slated to start early next year. Shares of Tesla enjoyed quite a pop on the news. They jumped nearly 5 percent on Wednesday. But Toyota's stock is flat -- Ali.

VELSHI: Kristie, I know you get to China from time to time. And you -- we heard about fake purses in China and fake watches and fake software. But, now, we're hearing stories about fake entire stores.

STOUT: Yes. This is an incredible story. A blogger in China has been reporting that three fake Apple Stores have popped up in their neighborhood in Kunming. Now, she says she was initially duped by the quality of this rip-off retailer. And it's not hard to imagine, Ali, when you see the pictures.

I mean, look at them. You see the iconic clean wood interiors. You see the Apple branded posters. You've even got the employees in blue polo shirts. It's all in there.

Now, the store, it appeared to sell real Apple products. But, Ali, I have to tell you, here in Hong Kong, I've come across a fake iPad, a fake iPhone, but never a never fake Apple experience.

VELSHI: That's something. All right. Kristie, we'll check in with you later. Kristie Lu Stout for us in Hong Kong.

All right. She is one of the top contenders in the Republican presidential field. But will Michele Bachmann's migraines hurt her bid? Should it even be an issue? We're going to look at that after the break.

Plus, we're counting down to a history-making moment. Right now, the shuttle is flying east of Australia. It is scheduled to land in less than an hour. Watch it live right here on CNN.

But, first, here's the quote of the day. Quote, "I'm in better shape than he is." Can you guess who said this about the president of the United States?

Twelve minutes after the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VELSHI: It is 16 minutes after the hour.

Now, back to the quote of the day. Here it is, quote, "I am in better shape than he is." Who said this about the president of the United States? That would be First Lady Michelle Obama. She said she's able to stay in better shape because she has more time to work out than her husband does.

Check out her complete interview in next month's issue of "Better Homes and Gardens."

Now, time for the morning punch line. The late-night comedians are not about to let the Rupert Murdoch pie-throwing contest fade into distant memory.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)

STEPHEN COLBERT, "THE COLBERT REPORT": I was horrified. He is 80. He can't digest pie!

The instant Murdoch was hit with the pie, News Corp stocks spiked, regaining $395 million in market value in five minutes. This is brilliant! He needs to be hit with more pies!

Perhaps a scalding mincemeat or a savory steak and kidney or a snout and pancreas.

JON STEWART, "THE DAILY SHOW WITH JON STEWART": What about England's second most powerful man, David Cameron, whose hiring of the former "News of the World" editor, Andy Coulson, as his press secretary, despite Coulson having previously resigned from the newspaper over the first round of phone hacking allegations --

ANN CLWYD, LABOUR PARTY: He obviously cannot smell a rat when he has one in his midst?

STEWART: That was awesome! That's your C-Span? I imagine the prime minister never had a chance.

DAVID CAMERON, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: I've asked this question once already. I can set the answer to music if you like. Just once in a while, it would be nice to hear a little bat squeak of responsibility from the party opposite.

I don't recall every single conversation I had, and you'd be mad to try and pretend that you do.

STEWART: England is awesome!

(END VIDEO CLIPS)

VELSHI: Certainly was fun to watch some of that testimony.

Time now for your Political Ticker with Tim Farley, host of "Morning Briefing" on Sirius XM POTUS live from Washington.

Tim, it strikes me if we had more debates like that, this whole debt ceiling thing would be more exciting than it is. But that's not how it is for us. We've got until August 2nd to raise the debt ceiling.

President Obama said last week he is not going to extend this for 30 days, 60 days, 90 days, he didn't say for a week or 10 days. Now, it looks like he's opening up the possibility of a short-term deal.

TIM FARLEY, "MORNING BRIEFING," SIRIUS XM POTUS: You had the money quote at the top of the show, Ali, that was the Press Secretary Jay Carney, said that the president would not sign a short-term deal absent an agreement to a larger deal, which means that there is the possibility that as long as there are -- in general, is an agreement on some larger picture that he could sign.

But the "gang of six" proposal can't get done by August the 2nd. We know that the cut cap and balance is not going to get through the Senate. If it does, it would not get the president's signature.

So, essentially, it sounds like there's going to have to be a stopgap or agreement in principle to something along the lines of this "gang of six" proposal.

President met yesterday with Democratic and Republican leaders separately. No word yet exactly on where they are. We'll just have to wait and see.

VELSHI: Tim, let's talk about Michele Bachmann, doing particularly well in the presidential race -- probably a lot better than anybody would have thought she would have done six months or a year ago. But she says a lot of thing that -- that beg closer examination. But now, everybody's examining the fact that she gets migraines.

Should this be an issue in her ability to run and win the presidential nomination?

FARLEY: Well, that's classic politics, you know? My opponent's debilitating illness should not be an obstacle to his election. And you can insert the debilitating disease in here.

The question is how she handles this. And so far, she's handled it well. She issued a statement yesterday that says, look, I appreciate people's concern for my health, but the debate is in Washington over raising taxes and the debt ceiling.

And despite the fact that there's been a push from the press, it may wind up actually backfiring because people would have sympathy for a woman who suffers from something that about 30 million Americans suffer from. And so, it's how she handle it that's going to be key.

VELSHI: She tends to handle things a lot that way, though, by saying that this isn't the issue, it's something else. But in this particular case, she might be right that people should push off and worry --

FARLEY: She's disciplined.

VELSHI: That's right. That is right.

Tim, good to see you, my friend. Have a great show.

FARLEY: Thanks.

VELSHI: Tim Farley is the host of "Morning Briefing" on Sirius XM POTUS.

All right. Our big story, big story this morning. Atlantis is heading home. Right now, it is flying over the Pacific Ocean. This is not just any shuttle landing. This is the final landing of the space program, of the space shuttle program.

Watch the landing live this hour right here on CNN in less than half an hour.

But, first, get ready for the struggle today. It is National Day of Tug-of-War. When you go to work, have some laughs, get out some frustration, take the staff out back for a quick tug. And if that's just too much for you, there are tug-of-war apps there for your smartphone, believe it or not.

It is National Day of Tug-of-War.

Twenty-one minutes after the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VELSHI: Twenty-three minutes after the hour.

Here are three things you need to have on your radar today.

Ten a.m. Eastern -- the Federal Election Commission holds an open hearing reviewing an audit of John Edwards' 2008 presidential campaign books. It could decide whether he has to repay more than $2 million.

Also at 10:00 a.m. Eastern, entrepreneur and former NBA star Magic Johnson set to make an announcement out of Detroit. Magic tweeted yesterday that he's looking forward to helping put people back to work in his home state.

And on Capitol Hill at 10:00 a.m., Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke testifies, along with other regulators, to update us on whether there's been progress in setting up a new framework to better protect consumers and oversee Wall Street.

Let's go around the world with Monita Rajpal. She joins us live right now from London with an update on -- what else, Monita, British Prime Minister David Cameron, downright combative with lawmakers yesterday while he faced questions in parliament over this hacking scandal.

What's your take on it this morning?

MONITA RAJPAL, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Yes. He was really feisty yesterday when he answered -- when he attended that special session of parliament. He faced over 130 questions in 90 minutes in that special session. And many of those questions were surrounding the fact of -- his special relationship as the opposition described it with News International executive or his cozy relationship with News International executives, and, of course, the hiring as his director of communications, the former editor of "News of the World," editor, Andy Coulson.

This is what he had to say about that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID CAMERON, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: It was my decision, I take responsibility. People will, of course, make judgment about it. Of course I regret and I am extremely sorry about the furor it has caused. With 20/20 hindsight and all that has followed, I would not have offered him the job, and I expect that he wouldn't have taken it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RAJPAL: Well, many are still wondering if he can survive this. Politically, he did give a good show yesterday. But still, many are saying he did not offer a complete apology -- Ali.

VELSHI: Certainly, for Americans who are more used to the staid ways of Congress, it was entertaining to watch that question period in parliament.

Hey, Monita, tell us about Chile. Chile's got a lot more snow than it should have right now.

RAJPAL: Yes, amazing. Of course, it's the southern hemisphere, so it is wintertime there. Right now, the country -- parts of the country are blanketed by a massive snowfall that they've had that the leader of the country's calling it a white earthquake. Eight municipalities, a catastrophe has been declared in eight municipalities, and over 6,000 people are isolated in one town alone.

And, of course, they are expecting more snowfall. The army has been called to get to people that are in areas that are hard to get to. So, it's a very difficult situation, even though, again, it is winter right now. They are still expecting more snowfall.

Amazing pictures that we're getting out of there.

VELSHI: Yes. They are.

All right, Monita, you'll stay on top of that for us. Good to see you, as always -- Monita Rajpal in London for us.

Hey, listen, here in the United States, the TSA is rolling out a less revealing version of its full body scanner technology. Instead of seeing right through your clothes, new body scans will show a generic outline of a person. It's meant to protect your privacy but hold up security standards.

And with the new software, passengers will be able to see exactly what the TSA officer sees. Officers won't be cooped up in a separate viewing room and you have to stand there and wait for them to say you're clear.

Body imaging machines are currently in use at 78 U.S. airports.

OK. Goodbye, Google Labs. The most popular search engine is doing away with a Web site that lets adventurous users play around with Google products that are being tested.

Over the years it gave us Google Maps, Google Reader, and Google Group.

So, why shut it down? The company says it's streamlining.

OK. Check this out. Check this picture out. See that fish that I'm about to show you in the boat in this picture? Hard to see, but see it? It's a great white shark. It's 10-feet long, weighs 1,100 pounds. It jumped on to the boat off the coast of South Africa.

Passengers said it gave them the fright of their lives. Those passengers, by the way, were marine researchers that used a crane to get the shark back into the water.

Wells Fargo gets hit with the biggest fine of its kind. If you have a mortgage with Wells Fargo or Wachovia in the past, some of your money, some money could be coming your way. I'll tell you about that on the other side.

And the space shuttle Atlantis coming back to Earth as we speak. We will take you to Kennedy Space Center and mission control in Houston for the latest updates. That's going to happen within the next half-hour, by the way.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VELSHI: Good morning. It is Thursday, July 21st. This is your A.M. WAKE-UP CALL. I'm Ali Velshi joining you live this morning from New York. Thirty-one minutes after the hour.

The space shuttle "Atlantis" is less than a half-hour from landing. You're looking at a map here of where it is. It appears to be on that trajectory. You can see where it is at the bottom of your screen, heading between South America and North America. It's heading to somewhere around the Panama Canal. It will then cut up and head directly for landing in Florida. It will touch down as scheduled for 5:56 a.m. eastern time this morning.

Right now, it should be about 80 miles above earth and starting to feel the effects of the atmosphere. Our John Zarrella is live at the Kennedy Space Center which is where it is expected to touch down. It's dark over there right now. It's going to be a nighttime landing. John, how's it looking on your side?

JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's great, Ali, as far as the weather goes. Absolutely couldn't ask for better conditions, as you mentioned. "Atlantis" now on the last leg, coming home, the last time a space shuttle will come back and land. This is it. The last flight in the 30-year history of the shuttle program. It's going to come over the Yucatan, as you mentioned.

It will cross the United States at Naples, Florida, before landing here at the Kennedy Space Center. You know, a couple of months ago, I had an opportunity to sit down with Commander Chris Ferguson, who is, of course, at the controls of "Atlantis" right now. And Ferguson talked about what he thought it would be like when he made this historic landing.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CAPT. CHRIS FERGUSON, SHUTTLE COMMANDER: We want to make sure we get the job done. And when the job is done, we can look back and reflect and think about where the place in history lied for this final shuttle flight.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ZARRELLA: You know, Ferguson added that he was bound and determined that he was going to be the last person out of the vehicle. And of course, later today, Ali, after "Atlantis" comes home, there's going to be a ceremony out here on the runway. And then, a little bit later in the morning, there will be a ceremony back over at the orbiter processing facility as they call it, where thousands of workers will be allowed to gather and see the vehicle for the last time.

And you know, Ali, more than 2,000 workers are actually going to be laid off tomorrow. The day after "Atlantis" lands. So, pretty bitter sweet times here -- Ali.

VELSHI: Absolutely. And listen, mission control in Houston is going to be steering them in. It's going to be taking over the landing. Just explain that to us because you were with me where you are when it took off on the 8th of July, but after it takes off, it gets handed over to Houston?

ZARRELLA: Right, hands over to mission control. They handle the entire flight. They handle it until it's back here on the ground. And you may hear some noise behind me. There's a whole convoy of vehicles here waiting to go out and meet the vehicle. And as soon as its wheels stop on the ground here, then, it's turned back over to the folks here at the Kennedy Space Center.

But you're right, as soon as it cleared the tower on liftoff, it was handed off to mission control in Houston, and they have commanded the entire flight until this point when it comes back and lands here. And as you mentioned, it's re-entered the earth's atmosphere now, going through that maximum heating now on those tiles on, that thermal protection system. Several thousand degrees they are feeling right now as they're coming through the atmosphere.

VELSHI: And this will happen for the next couple of minutes or so, then, they'll finish peak heating.

ZARRELLA: Yes.

VELSHI: And then, they're going to come in. You'll hear those sonic booms over Florida just moments, about three or four minutes before it lands, is that how it goes? ZARRELLA: Yes, you'll hear twin sonic booms. It is interesting because the first sonic boom is created by the shockwave off of the nose of the vehicle, and then, that second shockwave is actually created off the tail of the orbiter. So, kind of an interesting something fact, but that's why we have the double sonic boom.

VELSHI: All right. John, we'll check in with you in just a little bit. John zarrella in Florida.

For more morning news, let's got to Carter Evans. He's live at the NASDAQ market site for us. Carter, how are markets looking this morning?

CARTER EVANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, our futures are a bit lower again this morning, Ali. Yesterday, at this time, we were talking about really good-looking futures, lots of great earnings the day before, but as soon as the market opened, it was those debt ceiling fears that current back into the pitcher. We closed yesterday a little bit lower. I think those fears are still here today, even though, we had some excellent earnings after the close yesterday.

VELSHI: Let's talk about those earnings. That's what's sort of driving markets these days. We've got more good news on Wall Street. What are we looking forward to in terms of earnings?

EVANS: Right. At least the earnings should be driving the markets these days, but there's a lot more in the mix. Intel reporting after the closing bell, it's reporting record sales, up 11 percent when it comes to its bread and butter personal computer business. And this is really an accomplishment, Ali, considering U.S. pc shipments fell nearly six percent compared to the same time last year.

Net income in the second quarter is also up to $3 billion. That's up two percent from a year earlier. Overall, sales are up 21 percent to a record $13 billion. That topped forecasts. This is Intel's fifth consecutive quarter of record revenue. Still, shares of Intel right now are down about 2.5 percent in the premarket.

Also, after the close yesterday, we heard great news from American Express, the company's second quarter earnings are up 31 percent. The reason, record cardholder spending. AmEx says card customers increased spending 18 percent to an all-time high. It appears AmEx cardholders, at least, are feeling a little better about the economy. We've got a lot of earnings coming out today, as well-- Ali.

VELSHI: Yes, just a few days for you. You'll keep us posted. Carter, good to see you, my friend. Carter Evans at the NASDAQ market site.

All right. We are just 20 minutes away from the final historic landing of the space shuttle "Atlantis" and the final landing of the space shuttle program. You're looking at dark pictures of the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. This is a satellite image. You can see the space shuttle approaching right between South America and North America. That's how it's going to make its entry. It is probably about 70 to 80 miles above earth right now. Everything looking to be on schedule.

Hey, before we take a quick break, I want to give you our "Get Smart" question today. Compared to a commercial airplane, how much faster does the space shuttle hit the runway when it lands? About the same, five times faster or 20 times faster? I'll give you the answer on the other side. It's 37 minutes after the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VELSHI: Forty-one minutes after the hour. Now, back to our "Get Smart" question, compared to a commercial airplane, how much faster does the shuttle hit the runway? About the same, five times faster, or 20 times faster? The answer is C, 20 times as fast when it lands.

All right. Time now for our "Political Ticker." Let's bring in our senior political editor, Mark Preston, who thinks 20 times faster than the average person, joins me by phone from Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Mark, new signs this morning that Texas governor, Rick Perry, might be closer to entering the 2012 presidential race as a Republican candidate. What are you hearing?

MARK PRESTON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL EDITOR (on the phone): Well, you know, Ali, what we've learned in the past day or so now is that Rick Perry has actually started meeting with people to talk about foreign policy. Specifically, his advisers reached out to the former defense secretary, Donald Rumsfeld, to ask for advice about who he should talk to on these issues.

You know, Rumsfeld offered up some names and, in fact, some of the Pentagon officials that worked for Rumsfeld during his era, during the Bush era, went down to Austin to talk to him about foreign policy and give him some advice. Now, Rumsfeld wasn't there and is not advising Perry himself on the issue.

And in fact, a source close to Rumsfeld has told our own Barbara Starr that Rumsfeld will actually meet with any serious contender for republican presidential nomination to talk about these very serious issues, but the fact that Rick Perry is reaching out and really dating his portfolio beyond any kind of domestic issues and talking more about foreign policy is a very significant step, Ali.

VELSHI: All right. We're watching this closely because Rick Perry is polling in recent polls third after Mitt Romney and Michele Bachmann, and he hasn't even declared. It's a distant third, but he's really being talked about. Mark, good to talk to you. Thank you. I love that guy, Mark Preston.

All right. We are following very closely. We're less than 15 minutes away from the last landing of the space shuttle "Atlantis" and the last landing of any space shuttle at all. That's a trajectory that we are watching. It's going to come in above Florida, entering Florida airspace at Naples, Florida, crossing over to the other side and landing at Kennedy Space Center at 5:56 a.m. eastern time. We're getting very close to folks in Florida hearing those twin sonic booms. And we're looking at -- that map says that it is over Cuba right now. So, we're getting very, very close. We'll stay on that for you live.

But first, let's take a look at this day in history. On July 21st, 1925, the monkey trial ended in Tennessee. John Scopes was convicted of teaching the theory of evolution. He was fined $100. Forty-three minutes after the hour.

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VELSHI: Good morning. It's Thursday, July 21st. This is your A.M. WAKE-UP CALL. I'm Ali Velshi joining you live this morning from New York. It's 46 minutes after the hour.

Two big stories this morning. The final space shuttle landing and dozens of people are believed to be dead here in the United States because of an incredible heat wave.

Let's start with the shuttle. We're now less than ten minutes away from the final space shuttle landing. It's expected to touch down at 5:56 a.m. eastern time. You can see it is just about entering Florida airspace right now. Right now, astronauts are feeling the effects of breaking through the atmosphere. They've gone through that now. As the shuttle went through the atmosphere, it heated up to about 5,000 degrees on the outside. When it broke through, many of the folks in Florida, they may be hearing it in the next couple of minutes.

They'll hear those infamous sonic booms. That will happen about five minutes before the landing at Kennedy Space Center. The commander will then take manual control of the shuttle and pilot it to the ground. When the orbiter hits the runway, it will be going about 220 miles an hour. Once again, the shuttle will land for the last time at 5:56 a.m. eastern time.

And just so you know, NASA considers this a night landing because the landing time is 42 minutes before sunrise in Florida. Let's go straight over to Houston Mission Control where our Ed Lavandera is standing by. Ed, how is everything looking at mission control with less than 10 minutes to go?

LAVANDERA: Ali, everyone is very calm here. And this is a fantastic vantage point to watch this final space shuttle landing. This is mission control, a lot of calm people in this room. Everything has been looking so great this morning in terms of the weather and the way all of the machinery is operating. So, people here in this room able to enjoy these final moments of the space shuttle program.

Right there in the middle, one of the men you with his back to us, the second from the left there, that is Tony Ceccacci. He's the flight director. He's the man communicating constantly with the space shuttle "Atlantis" crew. You can kind of sense the emotion of this moment weighing on him. A little while ago, they were talking about going through some of the final checks.

And before he went around the room and got all that, he said, "I never thought this moment would ever come." So, here, Ali, people preparing for the end of the space shuttle mission.

VELSHI: Not to mention, 15 seconds according to NASA's clock. Ed, thanks very much.

It's going to be another extremely hot day when these astronauts get out of that spaceship. A deadly heat wave is gripping much of the nation. It's already been blamed for 22 deaths across the country. The high temperatures are affecting 141 million people in more than 30 U.S. states. There are heat watches, warnings, or advisories. Rob Marciano live in Atlanta. Rob, what's it looking like?

MARCIANO: The temperatures that will feel like they're up over 110 to 120 degrees. We saw record-breaking amounts of humidity the past couple of days across parts of the Western Great Lakes and the northern plains. And now, that is beginning to shift a little bit farther to the south and to the east, including some of the bigger cities, including D.C., Baltimore, Philadelphia, and New York City.

Some of which will see their hottest days of the year coming into tomorrow and even Saturday, as well with heat indices that will definitely be in the danger zones. So, take care of yourself, and certainly, keep it here as the shuttle makes its trek toward KSC.

VELSHI: Absolutely. All right. Rob, we'll check in with you a little later.

Hey, for sports fans, football fans, the NFL lockout could end soon. The league's 32 owners are meeting in Atlanta in just a few hours. David Mattingly is live for us. David, we keep saying the lockout is close to ending. How close are they really?

DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Ali, this is all taking place behind closed doors. No one's being very specific, but both sides are indicating that they are ready for some football. But in Washington, D.C., yesterday, the players ended their work yesterday without announcing that they were agreeing to the new collective bargaining agreement that's on the table.

They have to do that before the owners here today can do anything with it, but we talked to a representative of the player -- of the owners yesterday. He sounded very optimistic about what they might be able to do today. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEFF PASH, NFL GENERAL COUNSEL: Obviously, a complicated agreement, but I think -- I think both sides are at the point where they can close, they should close, and we -- we should be in a position to take votes.

(END VIDEO CLIP) MATTINGLY: And they're hoping to get this done without any impact on the season. The first preseason game is on August 7th. The Chicago Bears were supposed to start their training camp tomorrow. Everyone very conscious that the clock is ticking right now. So, Ali, all we can do right now is wait and see what happens, but the players have to make their move first in Washington, D.C. before the owners here can do anything.

VELSHI: You're on it. You'll tell us when it happens. David Mattingly, thanks so much for that.

Hey, listen, we are six minutes away from the landing of the space shuttle "Atlantis" for the last time ever. It's a dark shot, but that is a shot of Kennedy Space Center right now.

Hey, before we go, let's take a look at the word of the day. Surprise, surprise, got to do with space. It's a phrase. It says "words are wheels stop." Find out what they mean and why you need to know it right after this short break. It's 51 minutes after the hour.

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VELSHI: And there it is. On the right of your screen, that is the space shuttle "Atlantis" now in visual range of the Kennedy Space Center. It's 54 minutes after the hour. Two minutes to landing. Back to our word of the day. It's wheel stop. It's a phrase from NASA. It's a phrase that will be uttered by the shuttle commander, Chris Ferguson, when the orbiter comes to a stop on the runway. It will be said once, and it will be the last time it is heard.

That's when the space shuttle lands. When these words come out of Chris Ferguson's mouth today, it will signal the official end of the space shuttle program. That's it for A.M. WAKE-UP CALL. A special edition of "AMERICAN MORNING" starts right now.