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American Morning: Wake Up Call

Boehner: No Tax Hikes to Cut Debt; Controversial FBI Training; FAA Funding Approved; DragonCon Founder Arrested

Aired September 16, 2011 - 05:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning to you. Happy Friday. It is September 16th.

This is your A.M. WAKE-UP CALL. I'm Carol Costello. Thank you for joining us this morning.

Let's start with a story out of Texas. A condemned inmate there wasn't supposed to be waking up today.

Duane Buck had already eaten his last meal and was supposed to get a lethal injection. But the U.S. Supreme Court granted him a temporary stay last night so the court can review his case. Even one of his surviving victims was glad to hear the noise.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PHYLLIS TAYLOR, VICTIM: I forgave him. Yes, sir, I forgave him in 1995. I feel that justice will prevail.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Buck was convicted of killing two people in 1995, but some people argue his sentencing was racially biased. The prosecutor in the case has said the execution should be stopped.

House Speaker John Boehner says the bipartisan supercommittee should stick with spending cuts and entitlement reform, and forget about raising taxes. Boehner says they should look to reduce the deficit because it threatens job creation.

The House Republican plan for job creation includes requiring that Congress approve government regulations that have a significant impact on the economy or small business, lowering the tax rate for businesses and individuals to no more than 25 percent, passing free trade agreements with Colombia, Panama and South Korea. They say that will create up to 250,000 jobs and increasing domestic energy production.

The Pentagon says the "don't ask, don't tell" policy in the military officially ends on Tuesday. But two Republicans in the armed services committee have asked the defense secretary to hold off on the repeal. Congressman Bud McKeon and Joe Wilson say Congress needs more information about the policy changes. The Pentagon says the repeal of the policy of gays serving in the military has already been through a, quote, "rigorous certification process," end quote. Thousands of students in Tacoma, Washington, will not be in school again today. The teachers' union has voted to keep its strike going despite a judge's order to put the signs back and get back to the classroom.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)

DAN VOELPEL, TACOMA PUBLIC SCHOOLS: We were surprised and disappointed. We fully expected students would be arriving and teachers would be arriving. We could all refocus on educating today.

FELIPA GALAVIZ, STUDENT: The district has been bullying us and forcing us no a position that's simply not right.

(END VIDEO CLIPS)

COSTELLO: The teachers union is clashing with the school district over issues like class size, teacher pay and the way teachers are transferred between schools.

Clemson University has found a way to bring professors and students closer together, put them in the same dorm. The school launched a new program that has some teachers living in residence halls. The idea is to foster a better understanding between students and faculty.

And the motorcycle rider who was pulled from underneath that burning car in Utah is now talking about his experience. Remember, some bystanders proved to be life savers for Brandon Wright. They heaved a car off of him and pulled him to safety as his motorcycle and a car burned. He's pretty banged up. But thanks to those people, those heroes, he's alive. And, boy, is he grateful?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRANDON WRIGHT, ACCIDENT VICTIM: I just want to thank all the heroes that put their lives on the line to save mine. I'm forever in debt. I can't thank them enough. And I just hope they know how much they mean to me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Wow. Wright has a broken leg, a broken pelvis, bruised lungs and burns on his skin. He was not wearing a helmet but says he is going to buy the best helmet he can find once he's ready to ride that motorcycle again.

Now, let's head to Atlanta to check in with Rob Marciano. Wow, it's chilly out this morning here in New York.

ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: It is!

You know, record low temperatures yesterday and that cold air is beginning to infiltrate the eastern two-thirds of the country.

Good morning, everybody, if you're tired of summer and ready for fall -- well, we've got a little bit treat for you. A handful of records there, this doesn't include spots in northern Minnesota where temperatures got into the teens. Can you believe that stuff?

And check this out. Earliest snowfall in north central Wisconsin, September 15th, 1916. So, you know, we'll see what happens there. Twenties and 30s across parts of the western Great Lakes this morning. So, a freeze warning and watch has been posted for some of those areas. It's going to be a chilly, chilly start there. And tomorrow morning is not to be a no bargain across parts of the Northeast.

The cool air gets down into the Gulf of Mexico as this front takes a little dip further south than we're used to for this time of year. Sixty-six is the high temperature in New York City, 61 degrees in Chicago, and only up to 72 degrees in Atlanta. By the way, hurricane Maria is heading towards Newfoundland. Winds of 80 miles an hour -- just thought I'd mention that because it's our third hurricane of the season.

All right. I also want to make this scientific discovery out in outer space. Scientists discovered a planet that orbits not one but two suns. Now, if you're a "Star Wars" person, you might remember in "Star Wars 4," there was such a planet. I believe it was called Tatooine or Tatuwine.

Anyway, scientists are referring this planet -- officially it's called Kepler 16-B. It's about 200 light years away, Carol. So, it will take us sometime to get over there travelling at the speed of light, 200 years to be exact. But nonetheless, the new telescopes we got are super-powered and they're giving us glimpses into the universe like we've never seen before.

COSTELLO: It's pretty darn amazing. But if it takes 200 years to get there, I guess both of us won't be going any time soon.

MARCIANO: No, not this lifetime.

COSTELLO: Thank you, Rob.

MARCIANO: All right, Carol.

COSTELLO: European leaders are trying to ease concerns about a default in Greece but not everybody is ready to rest easy, including Stephen Colbert. Here's your punch line.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)

STEPHEN COLBERT, COMEDIAN: I want to start by reassuring investors and calming the markets were -- for starters -- everybody close your eyes, take a deep breath, and just pretend there is no place called Greece.

We're all going to die. Suck it up. Suck it up. Suck it.

I want to address those of you who are concerned because Swiss financial giant UBS reported yesterday that they lost over $2 billion from rogue trades. How could something like this happen? I ask the television. ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Analysts say, you know, what could be the motive, it maybe intentional fraud, it could be basic stupidity or it could be known as fat fingers, maybe the trader hit a wrong button.

COLBERT: I can sympathize with that. The other day I meant to the dial 411, but instead I lost $2 billion.

(END VIDEO CLIPS)

COSTELLO: Seriously, though, things are getting worse for the popular video subscription service Netflix. Company officials say they're losing more customers than they predicted. What's behind the departures? That's coming up.

But, first, check out the quote of the day. This is the quote, quote, "What should the White House do now? One word came to mind: Panic," end quote. Find out who dished out that advice. It's coming up in 90 seconds.

It's seven minutes past the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: It is nine minutes past the hour. This is your A.M. WAKE- UP CALL.

Back to our quote of the day. The quote, "What should the White House do now? One word came to mind: Panic."

Who said that? Who wrote that? Well, it was Democratic strategist James Carville. He wrote in a CNN opinion article on CNN.com. He went on to say that President Obama should fire people, indict people, make a case like a Democrat and hold fast to an explanation. You've got to read it to believe it. Just go to CNN.com and search for the word "panic."

President Obama actually is feeling pretty good about his chances for re-election. Last night, at a fund-raiser he told donors that his odds of winning in 2012 are much higher than his odds of winning were in 2008. A recent CNN/ORC poll showed 55 percent of Americans do not approve of the way he's handling his job as president. But the president says Republicans offer a fundamentally different version of where America should be and he's confident the country will side with him next year.

Netflix customers are striking back, just weeks after the video service decided to increase prices.

So, let's head to Hong Kong and Kristie Lu Stout.

So, why are people dumping Netflix?

KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Yes, a number of Netflix subscribers are mad as hell and they are quitting the service. In fact, the company has now cut its forecast for the quarter by some 1 million subscribers.

Now, this all started back in July. And that was when Netflix said it would begin charging separate prices for its DVD by mail and streaming video plans.

Not just customers here but investors are also punishing the stock. Netflix shares traded some 19 percent lower.

And more tech drama over at Research in Motion. It has reported its first annual decline in Blackberry shipments in almost 10 years. RIM shares fell 19 percent in after-hours trade, giving the company a market cap that is now less than 3 percent that of Apple, by far its biggest rival, if you can even call it a rival. It owns the smartphone and tablet markets.

Carol, back to you.

COSTELLO: Interesting. People don't like that price hike, huh?

You always bring us new and cool and fascinating scientific discoveries. You have a new one for us morning.

STOUT: That's right. This is a great story. Researchers in Australia, they've discovered a new species of dolphin. Around 150 of these dolphins, they live around the Melbourne area. they originally thought to be bottle-nosed dolphins until DNA research proved that they were a whole new species. And there's a lot of excitement here because there's only been three new dolphin species recognized since the late 1800s. The new specie, it has a new common name, which is Burrunan Dolphin, which is from the aboriginal Australian for large sea fish of the porpoise kind.

Carol, back to you.

COSTELLO: So, can these dolphins talk? Just kidding.

STOUT: That's right. Can they even pronounce their Latin name? I'm afraid not.

COSTELLO: But they sure are cute.

OK. Kristie Lu stout, thanks so much.

They've rallied. They protested. They made their voices head in the nation's political debate. But Tea Party activists have clear distinctions from other Republicans -- the distinction coming your way in 90 seconds. We're breaking down a new national survey on the two- year-old movement.

But, first, today is National Parking Day. No, it doesn't have anything to do with actually parking a car in a parking lot. It has to do with remaking a parking lot.

Every year, people all over the country convert parking spaces into little mini parks. So, don't be frightened if you're driving to work or taking a lunch break and you see some greenery where you used to park. It only last for a day. So, enjoy it.

It's 13 minutes past the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Good morning. It's 14 minutes past the hour.

The White House isn't laughing as criticism mounts over a half a billion dollar loan to a company that went belly up. But comedians are laughing about it.

Here's your punch line.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)

JON STEWART, COMEDIAN: Welcome to our new segment. That custom- tailored Obama scandal you ordered is finally here.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The centerpiece to President Obama's pitch to the American people, the creation of more green jobs.

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A company that's now declared bankruptcy laid off all 1,100 of its workers and was raided by the FBI last week.

STEWART: That's a --

(LAUGHTER)

STEWART: Companies come and go all the time, even the ones involved in environmental technology. It's not like the American people loaned this company a half a billion dollars and the company's name sounds like one of those weird dystopian planet Captain Kirk always found himself on.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Solyndra received $535 million in federal loan guarantees.

STEWART: Dear Lord, in a situation like this, who will have the last word, the most ironic word?

JOSEPH BIDEN, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Once your facility opens, there will, 1,000 permanent new jobs here at Solyndra. These jobs are going to be permanent jobs.

STEWART: You know, Joe, I hate to say this but there's no such thing as a permanent job.

(END VIDEO CLIPS)

COSTELLO: So sadly true these days, Tim Farley.

Tim Farley joins us now, host of "Morning Briefing" on Sirius POTUS, live from Washington. Let's talk about the Republican Party. There's a brand new poll out that shows the split between Republicans who support the Tea Party wholeheartedly and those who kind of don't. So, tell us about it.

TIM FARLEY, SIRIUS XM POTUS: Well, you know what I find interesting in one of the fascinating parts about this poll, this CNN/ORC poll, Carol, is that gives you some insight as opposed to just sort of the horse race where people are thinking they would vote today.

This actually shows that the Tea Party is really not the Republican Party and vice versa. The Republican Party, if you were to divide it -- Tea Party members who more than likely are closer to Republicans and Democrats tend to be a little angrier. They tend to be split on issues. They tend to be much more conservative.

And one of the most interesting findings I saw in this and there are several different factors, if you're an active member, first of all, about half and half. Some Republicans aren't even members of the Tea Party. Eight in 10 Tea Party Republicans say they would prefer a candidate who can beat President Obama other than one that agrees them on top issues. So, ideological purity may take a backseat to pragmatic politics, which says to me that maybe the Tea Party influence on who the Republicans choose as the nominee is not determined as if in whether or not that person should be the Republican nominee. It's just a fascinating dynamic.

But they tend to be, as you can see the graphics, it's a little bit different from the mainstream Republican, if you will.

COSTELLO: Well, that will explain Michele Bachmann's drop in the polls, right? Because a lot of Tea Partiers say she's not electable. So, we can't support her, although we love her.

FARLEY: Exactly.

COSTELLO: The other thing that poll showed is that Tea Party members tend to be white, older and educated.

FARLEY: Yes, exactly. And this is not something that I think comes as a special surprise to us, but it does, as I say, give us more insight into this as opposed to telling you where it is snapshot, what they would vote on today, maybe gives us an idea of how we might see messages formed over the next several months during this campaign.

COSTELLO: It was a fascinating poll. You can catch on CNN.com.

Also, President Obama has finally signed this patent reform bill into law today. The thing about it, though, it includes a pro-life provision. So, tell us more about that, Tim.

FARLEY: The Weldon Amendment which is something that was put together by Dan Weldon, former congressman, doctor from Florida, and the American Invents Act that the president is signing today is an updated patent act. And it's changing a few things about the way patents are applied and it will be rather than first to invent, it will go to first to apply. And it gets into a lot of esoteric as far as how patents are done. This part you're talking about, though, about not being able to patent a human embryo. And it gives us a sense of how science is working these days. You can still patent tissue processes and things along those lines. And it keeps me from patenting the Carol Costello that I was working on but I guess, we all lose out when we have these things protected.

COSTELLO: Yes, I wish I had another one so that she could get up early and then I wouldn't have to.

(LAUGHTER)

COSTELLO: Tim Farley, many thanks to you as usual.

FARLEY: It would give you a permanent job, too, right?

COSTELLO: Yes, exactly. Yes, exactly.

Tim Farley, many thanks to you, host of "Morning Briefing" on Sirius POTUS radio.

FARLEY: Thanks.

Critics are concerned about some FBI training material on mainstream Muslims. They say it plays into al Qaeda's hands. We're going to take a closer look, just ahead.

It's 19 minutes past the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: It is 22 minutes after the hour. This is your A.M. WAKE-UP CALL.

Here are three things to put on your radar today:

At 11:00 Eastern this morning, President Obama is set to sign the America Invents Act. You know, we were just talking about that. The new patent law will switch from the current first to invent system to a first to file system.

Later today, Vice President Biden heads to northeastern Pennsylvania to see how recovery efforts are going for people affected by hurricane Irene.

And at 6:45 Eastern tonight, 300 vigils are planned across the country for convicted cop killer, Troy Davis. Amnesty International supporters are rallying to protest his scheduled execution.

An FBI training program about mainstream Muslims is drawing criticism. It's over some controversial teachings that the Muslim community says are simply not true.

CNN's Brian Todd has been looking into this.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In the often-tense relationship between the Muslim community in the U.S. and law enforcement, another potential problem -- fallout over an FBI training presentation which claimed that mainstream Muslims sympathize with militants.

"Wired" magazine says it obtained slide presentations from FBI whistle-blowers, slides that were shown at the bureau's training facility in Quantico, Virginia.

In a series of slides entitled strategic themes and drivers in Islamic law, it says the prophet Mohammed ordered the assassinations and execution of his critics, that Islam's world view is that there can be no peace between Islam and others until Dar al-Islam conquers and assimilates its adversaries. And it characterize as Mohammed as a cult leader for a small inner circle.

James Zogby of the Arab American Institute calls the cult reference horrific. Says Mohammed didn't order his opponents to be killed.

I read him another passage.

(on camera): Then he says the strategic themes animating these Islamic values are not fringe. They are mainstream. What do you make of that?

JAMES ZOGBY, ARAB AMERICAN INSTITUTE: Again, I say this is the propaganda of the Islamophobes. This is what they have been preaching. This is way they have been stopped the building of mosques.

They want to paint an entire community, entire faith community, as extremists and radical and violent and prone to violence. It's bigotry of the worst sort.

TODD: Contacted by CNN, the FBI wouldn't comment on that and would not allow us to speak to the analyst who wrote that presentation.

An FBI spokesman acknowledged that that training session took place, but he says that was six months ago, one time only. That it was quickly discontinued. That policy changes are under way and that instructor no longer provides training for the FBI.

(voice-over): But the instructor is still an FBI analyst. Since September 11th, the FBI has often invited Muslim leaders to talk with agents.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: True or false, all Arabs or Muslims and all Muslims are Arab?

CROWD: False.

TODD: I asked former FBI Assistant Director Tom Fuentes if the counter-terror agent he's dwelt with would believe any points in that presentation.

TOM FUENTES, FMR. ASSISTANT DIRECTOR, FBI: No, they don't believe it. And they furthermore believe strenuously in a strong outreach program.

TODD: Fuentes says the publicizing of this training segment could play into al Qaeda's hands for propaganda, says it could diminish the FBI's ability to get the American-Muslim community to the help in investigations. But he says, hopefully, the fact that the FBI acted so quickly to terminate the program may give the bureau more credibility with Muslims.

Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: Check out this arsenal, assault rifles, a grenade launcher, C-4 explosives. No, this is not something out of the movie "Rambo." where they were found, just ahead.

It's 26 minutes past the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Good morning to you. It is Friday. Happy Friday. It's September 16th.

This is your A.M. WAKE-UP CALL. I'm Carol Costello, joining you live this morning. It is just about half past the hour.

U.S. Border Patrol agents have made an alarming discovery, a bag containing weapons and explosives was found hidden in a brush near the banks of the Rio Grande. Inside were six assault rifles, one grenade launcher, one rocket launcher, 20 ammo magazines and three packages of what appears to be C-4 explosives. Authorities are not sure who left them there.

The Senate has passed a temporary funding bill that will prevent The Federal Aviation Administration from shutting down for a second time. Oklahoma Republican senator, Tom Coburn, had threatened to block the vote because of a provision that would have allowed some of the funds to be used for what he calls unnecessary things, things like the $269,000 squirrel sanctuary. In the end, both sides actually compromise.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. HARRY REID, (D) MAJORITY LEADER: This is really a good day for the American people. About two million people are breathing a sigh of relief because they're going to have jobs Monday.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: The compromise calls for more highway construction funds to be spent on infrastructure projects.

The founder of DragonCon has been arrested for violating the conditions of his bond on child molestation charges. Police say Edward Kramer was caught Tuesday at a Connecticut motel with a 14- year-old boy. He was charged with reckless endangerment of a child. A statement on the DragonCon Facebook page says Kramer hasn't had any role in the organization's activities since 2000.

The Federal Trade Commission wants to give parents more control over what information websites can collect about their children. The FTC is proposing requiring parental consent for websites to collect information about children under the age of 13, including their location. The FTC would also require parents to give the OK for a website to use a tracking software known as cookies to build a child's profile and monitor their online activities.

A Florida jury must decide if a millionaire killed his wife or if it was an accident. The trial for Bob Ward got under way with opening statements yesterday. Ward is charged with second-degree murder in his wife, Diane's 2009death. Prosecutors say he's change his story about what happened several times. Ward's defense says the death was accidental after the two struggled over a gun.

Donald Trump is getting paid in gold. He accepted three gold bars or six pounds of gold worth $170,000 as a security deposit for a ten-year lease in one of his buildings. Why gold?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, REAL ESTATE MOGUL: We all know what's happening to the dollar. The dollar is going down, and it's not a pretty picture.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Well, leave it to the Donald to make a bold statement.

Developing this morning, a prediction and a warning when talking about the U.S. and world economies. A group of economists are using the "R" word again. We'll tell you about it after a break. It's 32 minutes past.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Right now, finance ministers from all over the world are meeting to discuss the debt crisis in Europe. In the meantime, here in our own country, economists say recession looks more and more likely. So, let's talk about that with Christine Romans. She's live here in New York. So, how likely is it we could slip into another recession?

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: It looks like a one in three chance. This is according, Carol, to a survey of economists by "The Wall Street Journal." And since the "Wall Street Journal" has been surveying these economists, this is as pessimistic as they have been. And this would be a one in three chance of slipping back into a recession over the next 12 months.

Of course, you know, anecdotally and for many other economists, they've been telling us it feels like we're in a recession when you have unemployment this high. For many families, they never got out of the recession. So, take it with the grain of salt. We may find out again that a recession has happened, but with very slow growth, we know that, and we know that this group of esteemed economists are saying the chance now of an official recession is one in three, Carol.

COSTELLO: It's hard to take it with a grain of salt, frankly, but we'll try. Plus, all of this is happening on the heels of yesterday's announcement from the international monetary director, Christine Lagarde. Let's listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRISTINE LAGARDE, IMF MANAGING DIRECTOR: Exactly three years ago, after the collapse of Lehman Brothers, the economy skies today look troubled, they look turbulent as global activity slows and downside risks increase. And we have entered into a dangerous phase of the crisis.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: OK. So, that's not making me feel any better.

ROMANS: You know, I think it's important for people to understand what people like Christine Lagarde are saying and how absolutely plugged in they are to the global economy and the global financial system. It's not the first time we've heard on the record and off the record that we are in dangerous water here.

And I want to be really clear about that. You have financial system in Europe that is absolutely saddled with too much debt. In the U.S., she talked about Lehman Brothers. In the U.S., the financial crisis was sparked after all of these problems with subprime. We've moved into a new part of this crisis, all one big crisis, I will tell you, and now, it's sovereign debt. That's the crisis in Europe.

There are really big concerns that this thing is not over and that policy responses are going to need to be almost perfect to make sure that we don't have another very serious situation. She also talked about -- and this is something I think that's very important, social tensions. We've talked about, you and I before, Carol.

When you have structural unemployment, people unemployed for so long, especially young people, around the world, this causes problems in the streets. It causes problems at home. It causes problems with government stability. We've got to -- these policymakers, the fed, the U.S., Congress, European bankers, have got to get it right, because it is, as Christine Lagarde says, pretty dangerous territory here.

COSTELLO: Yes. We'll talk more about this on "American Morning." Christine Romans, many thanks to you.

ROMANS: You're welcome.

COSTELLO: A bit of developing news to tell you about this morning. There's a high-profile endorsement, another one in the Republican presidential race. Next, who's ready to throw their support behind this guy, Jon Huntsman?

But first, Facebook has more than 2,000 employees, but what about the number of jobs Facebook has created in other companies for social media? That's today's "Get Smart" question. Here are the choices, A. 50,000 jobs, B. 150,000 jobs, or C. 250,000 jobs? The answer coming your way in two minutes. Stick around. It's 37 minutes past.

COSTELLO: It's 39 minutes past the hour. This is your A.M. WAKE-UP CALL. Good morning. Now, back to the "Get Smart" question of the day. How many jobs has Facebook created in other companies, for example, your company might have a whole division that deals just with Facebook? So, we're talking about the ripple effect since Facebook launched.

So, A. Did that create 50,000 jobs, B. 150,000 jobs, or C. 250,000 jobs? The answer is C. 250,000 jobs. That's according to Facebook's chief operating officer, Sheryl Sandberg. She actually sat down with "Nightline" to talk about the most successful social company in the world. It's a great interview. You should check it out. It's probably on abcnews.com.

Time now for our "Political Ticker." Let's bring in CNN political producer, live on the phone from Manchester, New Hampshire. Good morning, Rachel.

VOICE OF RACHEL STREITFELD, CNN POLITICAL PRODUCER: Good morning, Carol.

COSTELLO: So, tell us about this big endorsement.

STREITFELD: So, CNN has learned that former Homeland Security secretary, Tom Ridge, is going to announce he's endorsing Jon Huntsman for president this morning. You remember Ridge was the first person to head the Department of Homeland Security. Before that, he was governor of Pennsylvania.

I'm told by a campaign source that Ridge was impressed by Huntsman's combination of experience both internationally and in the public and private sectors. Huntsman most recently served as ambassador to China and was also governor of Utah and worked for his family's chemical corporation.

This source says that Ridge believes Huntsman can offer the serious solutions needed to solve the nation's problem. It's a big get for the Huntsman campaign which is struggling in national polls. They're going to announce this endorsement today in New Hampshire.

COSTELLO: OK. We'll be listening for that.

Let's dive more into this CNN/ORC poll and talk about the Tea Party movement versus more traditional Republicans and what it says about both movements.

STREITFELD: Sure. Well, I can tell you, being out on the campaign trail that jobs and the economy are certainly the biggest issues out here, but this new CNN/ORC poll shows that Tea Party supporters tend to have different priorities and Republicans who don't identify with the Tea Party movement on these issues. Half of all Tea Party supporters say they want the president and Congress to focus on trimming the ballooning federal deficit, which is an issue we saw play out in that controversy that some over raising (ph) the debt ceiling. Among Republicans who don't see themselves as Tea Parties, 55 percent say Washington should focus on creating jobs and reducing unemployment numbers -- Carol.

COSTELLO: So, let's switch over to social issues, because the gay marriage statistic is pretty interesting.

STREITFELD: Sure. So, we found that Tea Party supporters or much more likely to be more conservative on some social issues. The CNN/ORC poll shows that 73 percent of Tea Party Republicans do not support gay marriage. That's compared to 55 percent of all Republicans, Republicans who don't identify with the Tea Party movement. And that 55 percent don't believe that marriage between gay and lesbian couples should be recognized as valid -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Interesting. It should be a very interesting primary, because you can see the split there and the differences in opinion. Rachel, thanks so much for being live with us this morning.

Let's take a quick look at sports now. The NFL might look a little bit like the TSA this year. The league wants fans to get enhanced pat-downs from the ankles up, not just the waist up. The idea is to keep everyone in the stands safe, so you might want to get to the game earlier than you did last year. It might take a bit longer to get in because you will be patted down, your entire body.

Don't call NBA star, Ron Artest, Ron Artest any more. As of today, his name is Metta World Peace. Hi, Metta. He is going to court in Los Angeles today to make the name change official. Metta in the Buddhist tradition means loving, kindness, and friendliness toward others. World peace, that's kind of self-explanatory. The player soon to be formerly known as Ron Artest has been improving his image since he punched out some fans back in 2004.

And a woman in Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego accidentally made it rain during a Charger's pre-season game. She's a server for the club level seats and she carries a lot cash, you know, tips with her. All of that money, all those tips went flying down to the lower level when she tripped on a stair. That's about $1,000 raining down on all those fans. But get this, she got all of the money back within ten minutes. Thanks to those honest Charger fans. You go.

A message in a bottle washes ashore more than 4,000 miles away from where it was sent. We'll tell you who sent it and what was inside.

But first, on this day in history in 1893, the man who invented vitamin C was born. We're talking about Hungarian physiologist, Szent Gyorgi. Google is celebrating his life with their Google doodle this morning. Check it out if you get a chance today. It is 44 minutes past the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) COSTELLO: Good morning. Happy Friday to you. It is September 16th. This is your A.M. WAKE-UP CALL. I'm Carol Costello joining you live from New York. It is 47 minutes past the hour.

Swiss banking giant, UBS, lost a whopping $2 billion in a rogue trade. The man accused is behind bars. So, let's head round the world with Nina Dos Santos. She's in London. So, Nina, we're now hearing that this $2 billion rogue trader thing could cause UBS to split in two?

NINA DOS SANTOS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, various people I've been speaking to, including former board member of UBS itself, Carol, have been telling me that this could be the catalyst for a major re-organization at the Swiss banking giant, even before news of this alleged unauthorized trading at the London headquarters of UBS already management have been for many years debating the merits of keeping an investment banking division that undertook rather risky operations along side a very lucrative and well-respected private client wealth management business that is primarily based in Switzerland and elsewhere.

What we should also talk about is potentially, Carol, the trade that caused this bank to lose so much money, because traders have been telling me throughout the course of today and yesterday that one of the reasons why the bank lost so much money was linked to a particular bet placed via a derivative products on silver futures, essentially, betting on the price of silver, but that bet was priced in Swiss francs.

And what the 31-year-old, Kweku Adoboli, this is the man that British media reports have been saying has been arrested in connection with alleged fraud at UBS. What they've been saying is that his job was to buy silver futures and sell silver futures to hedge the position of silver, and also to buy and sell future -- excuse me -- to buy and sell the Swiss Franc versus the U.S. dollar.

It was the latter part of that equation, the hedging on the Swiss Franc that caused the problem and the bank got called out when just a month or so ago, the Swiss National Bank decided to defend the Swiss Franc and prevent it from appreciating more.

COSTELLO: Wow. OK. I can't help it, the picture of this rogue trader, he's sleeping?

DOS SANTOS: Yes. This is the picture that has been taken off of his Facebook page. This is the picture that he put on his Facebook page. I should stress that CNN hasn't been able to independently verify whether that is actually him, because the Facebook page has now been taken down, but that was the first picture that we got in connection with the name when it was released to some of the media reports here in the United Kingdom about 24 hours from now.

Of course, what we do know, Carol, is that there'll be plenty of questions that will have to be answered, mainly, how did this trader, if he did manage to breach risk limits, how did he manage to do so? What exactly happened? $2 billion is an awful lot. It's one of the biggest incidents on history of unauthorized trading. The only thing that was bigger than that was the French trader, Jerome Kerviel with Societe Generale, price at the high (ph) to the credit crunch two or three years ago, Carol

COSTELLO: Nina, thanks.

Two developments you might hear more about today out of Libya. Rebel fighters are closing in on the last of Moammar Gadhafi's stronghold including his hometown of Sirte. Rebels pushed right into the center of the town yesterday but pulled back for the night. They've also warned residents of Bani Walid to leave, because of a plan to attack.

Also today, Libya's interim leaders are sending a delegation to Niger today to demand that the country turn over one of Gadhafi's sons.

We're also learning this morning about new charges in the sex scandal involving Italian prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi. The BBC reporting eight people have been charged with supplying Berlusconi with prostitutes. Berlusconi's lawyer says he's unaware of the alleged activities. The prime minister is facing his own troubles in another case. He's accused of paying for sex with an underage girl.

A message in a bottle washes ashore after a journey of more than 4,000 miles. U.S. navy petty officer, John Moore, found the bottle during a cleanup project in Hawaii. It had a note from a sixth grader and a picture of her class sent more than five years ago from Japan. Moore says he will definitely respond.

First Lady Michelle Obama is giving a thumbs up to the Olive Garden Restaurant and also Red Lobster. The restaurant's parent company is revamping the menus for the popular chains to offer healthier choices on their kids menu. Mrs. Obama calls the changes a breakthrough moment in the restaurant industry. She's been bringing attention to childhood obesity through her "Let's Move" campaign.

Now, let's head to Rob Marciano. I know when you think of Olive Garden, you don't exactly think of healthy food. I think of those big bread sticks they serve and the endless salad bar.

ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: It's good, it's tasty.

COSTELLO: It is.

MARCIANO: And if you eat there every day, yes, you'd get a little larger, but you know, you'd be happy. As I like to say after a good meal, I feel fat and happy.

(LAUGHTER)

MARCIANO: Hey, listen, cooler air is going to make people feel a little bit happier after the summer that we've endured, that's for sure. And it's engulfing a good two-thirds of the country. We've seen snow in the mountains of the Colorado Rockies. We've seen temperatures dip down to the 20s, even teens, in some spots, breaking record records across parts of the Western Great Lakes. And now, that's pushing off to the east. Matter of fact, parts of Northern Wisconsin saw their earliest snowfall that we've seen in a decade. How about that? All right. How much -- or decades, I should say. Let's look at the temperatures for today, right now. Freezing warnings and watches have been posted for parts of the Western Great Lakes. Temperatures in the 20s and 30s in spots right now. If you are traveling, New York metros, gusty winds, gusty winds in Philly.

This is, obviously, post-frontal stuff, but we shouldn't see a whole lot of rain with the exception of the Carolinas. And San Francisco, we'll see some low clouds, which is typical this time of the year. Some rain across the back edge of this front into the mountains and in through parts of Texas. How about that?

Eighty-seven degrees in Dallas. You'll take that. Ninety-three doesn't sound cool, but it's cooler than it has been in Houston. Seventy-six -- 61 in Chicago and 66 degrees for the high temperature in New York City.

Hey, found this video of somebody -- a father and son out fishing in Lake Michigan, and they found a fawn. A little baby Bambi was out there in the middle of the lake going the wrong way. Not like it was going towards shore somewhere. So, they grabbed the little baby Bambi and put it in the boat, Carol, and brought it back to shore. How about that?

I watched the whole thing. It took them 15, 20 minutes to do this. So, I mean, we, obviously, edited that down, but that was quite an ordeal for them -- those guys to do that.

COSTELLO: So, wait a minute. Wait a minute. The little baby deer was in the middle of the lake, swimming?

MARCIANO: Yes, well, you know, deer -- they'll traverse bodies of water to get to, you know, another peninsula or island, we've seen that, but, you know, make a wrong turn, certainly if you're a young guy, where your GPS is not quite as tuned as it should be, you might head in the wrong direction.

COSTELLO: Well, good for them.

MARCIANO: Yes.

COSTELLO: I'm glad the little baby deer is safe.

MARCIANO: Me, too.

(LAUGHTER)

COSTELLO: Thank you, Rob.

MARCIANO: See you, Carol.

COSTELLO: It's one great deal, but many Americans can't buy into it. We're talking about low mortgage rates. Details and a live report from the Nasdaq MarketSite. But first, let's take a look at our word of the day. Actually it's a phrase. It's called rare earth. Find out what it means and why you need to know what it means after this short break. It's just about six minutes to the top of the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Three minutes to the top of the hour. This is your A.M. WAKE-UP CALL. Now, back to our phrase of the day. Rare earth. According to "The New York Times," it's a group of minerals with similar properties use to make energy-efficient products. You need to know this today because China produces close to 95 percent of rare earth materials.

According to "The Times," the Chinese have temporarily shut down most of the industry. So, if you notice the price of some light bulbs going up, this is likely why. To read more on this story, just head to the "New York Times" website and search for rare earth.

Now, let's head to the NASDAQ MarketSite and check in with Carter Evans. He has a look at your money this morning. Good morning.

CARTER EVANS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Carol. Not looking quite like we were yesterday morning. We do have a report coming up today on consumer sentiment, probably not going to be so good. Our futures, in the meantime, Dow futures down about 49 points, NASDAQ off 7.5, S&P 500 down about six points right now.

COSTELLO: So give us a good headline, will you?

EVANS: OK. How about this? Mortgage rates now at a new record low. This is on CNNMoney.com today. They're nearing four percent on a 30- year fixed loan, in fact, 4.09 percent, a 15-year fixed, 3.3 percent. So, on a $250,000 loan at 4.09 percent, that would make your monthly payment $1,200. For a 15-year loan at 3.3 percent, your monthly payment would be $1,700. So, it's pretty good. It's a good time to get in and get a mortgage if you can get one.

COSTELLO: I know, because when you call the banks, you know, and shop around for the best rate, you have to wait forever for a callback.

EVANS: I know. And then, you have to have a credit score close to 800 these days.

COSTELLO: Yes. It's tough in many ways. Thank you very much, Carter. We enjoyed it, at least, the last part of that.

"AMERICAN MORNING" continues right now.