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American Morning: Wake Up Call
Snowstorm Slams Northeast; Herman Cain Responds to Allegations; World Population Hits 7 Billion; Testing Teens For HIV; Turkish Pine Nuts Recalled; Herman Cain Responds To Allegations
Aired October 31, 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: That surprise snowstorm that hit the Northeast will not be forgotten. Millions are waking up without electricity and it could be days before they get it back. The storm slamming some places with more than two feet of snow.
GOP presidential candidate Herman Cain has two events this morning, and you can be sure he will be asked to discuss allegations of sexual harassment in the '90s.
And today is the day experts put the number of people on this earth at 7 billion.
Good morning. It is Monday, October 31st. Happy Halloween.
This is your A.M. WAKE-UP CALL. I'm Carol Costello joining you live this morning from New York.
Herman Cain begins this week fighting off allegations of inappropriate behavior. "Politico" reports, at least two women accuse Cain of sexually suggestive behavior when he was president of the National Restaurant Association in the 1990s.
Here's how he responded when confronted about those allegations.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HERMAN CAIN (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'm not going to comment about two people that you won't tell me who they are, OK? That's like negotiating -- I'm not going to comment on that, because, you know, I think that that is one of those kinds of things that --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That was the last question. Last question. Thanks.
CAIN: Have you ever been accused of sexual harassment?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Cain's campaign has also released this statement, it reads in part, quote, "Since Washington establishment critics haven't had much luck in attacking Mr. Cain's ideas to fix a bad economy and create jobs, they are trying to attack him in any way they can," end quote. We'll talk more about this on our Political Ticker in just a few minutes.
More than 2 million people in the Northeast are waking up this morning without power. It's because of an unusual October snowstorm that pounded states from Maryland to Maine. It's blamed for at least five deaths, more than two feet of snow fell in some areas over the weekend. Officials say it will take days to fully restore electricity. New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Massachusetts all under a state of emergency. As for trick or treaters, Halloween has been postponed or canceled in some areas.
Let's head to Atlanta to check in with Reynolds Wolf.
Please tell us it's over.
REYNOLDS WOLF, AMS METEOROLOGIST: OK, it's over.
COSTELLO: Yay!
WOLF: It is, seriously. What we expect is we expect the temperatures actually to be above the freezing point, both during the night and during the daytime for the rest of the workweek. What we do have today will be s improving conditions, still, a little bit cleanup here and there, no question about it. But it looks in terms of your delays, your expected delays are as follows.
Let's go and take the computer full-on and as we do, you'll get an idea of what you expect. Hey, look at that. That's your forecast you have there for the trick or treat. No more trick or treats.
Here you go, Miami, Orlando, and Tampa, you got some heavy rain, as you have a chance of some delays, and Detroit, some scattered showers. San Francisco, some gusty wind conditions. Not too much in terms of the fog and the marine layer out West. So, conditions there should be just fine.
So, the nor'easter that brought the snow, the wind and, of course, some of the rain now moving farther out to sea. Right behind it, we got better conditions that we can anticipate. Take a look at what it left behind in New Hampshire, 31 inches of snowfall, some places a bit more, Massachusetts, let's see, Plainfield, Windsor, same story. In West Milford, New Jersey, 19 inches of snowfall. Millbrook also impressive. Nearly a foot in West Hartford and in Newark, about 5.2 inches of snow.
So, the low is of moving out. We see another one moving through the western Great Lakes, scattered showers possible from places like Detroit by late afternoon, maybe a little bit of rainfall this morning in places like Muncie, Indiana. Back for the upper plains, we see another area of low pressure moving through. Scattered showers in the Intermountain West and back out to southern California, nice, four corners sunny and warm.
But highs in Albuquerque going to 70 degrees, 76 in Dallas, 62 in Atlanta, New York, 53 degrees, 51 in Boston, 83 in Miami and 73 in San Francisco. Coming up, we're going to take a peek at your Halloween forecast. We'll let you know if it's going to be more of a trick or a treat.
Back to you.
COSTELLO: Thanks so much, Reynolds.
WOLF: You bet, guys.
COSTELLO: "Occupy" protesters in Oakland, California, are calling for a general strike on Wednesday. They're hoping to shut down the port of Oakland to try to show solidarity with longshore workers. Organizers say the strike will be a warning shot to the 1 percent that their wealth only exists because of the 99 percent creates for them.
In Oregon, police arrested some 24 occupy protesters last night who refused to leave a city park in Portland after warnings that it was closing. Each side blamed the other for the arrests. Men in Texas, dozens of protesters were arrested in Austin after clashing with police over foot tables set outside city hall. Police say they ignored a rule banning food tables during certain hours of the day.
There are reports this morning that a Somali American carried out a suicide bombing in the Somali capital of Mogadishu. A Web site linked to the al-Shabaab Islamist movement says the Somali American was involved in one of two suicide attacks Saturday against an African union military compound. A Somali diplomat at the United Nations says the bomber was from Minneapolis and left the United States three years ago. It says it's the third time a Somali-American from Minnesota has carried out a suicide bombing in Somalia.
NATO's mission in Libya officially ends today. The seven-month- long aerial bombing campaign played a major role in the downfall of strongman Moammar Gadhafi. Last week, U.N. Security Council voted to end military operations just days after Gadhafi was killed. He died from a gunshot wound to the head. But there are still question about the circumstances surrounding his death.
If United Nations estimates are correct, the world's population will reach 7 billion today, just exactly when it happens is anybody's guess. But not everyone agrees that today is such a big day. The U.S. Census Bureau says we'll hit 7 billion in March of next year. Most experts agree that we're on a steep growth curve and could reach 10 billion by the end of the century and this could create even more problems.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PHILIPPE COUSTEAU, CEO, EARTHECHO INTERNATIONAL: It's also the consumption challenges that we face. We already have dwindling natural resources around the world. Over a billion people go to bed every night without enough food. And as the population rises, a lot of that growth is going to happen in those countries that are least equipped to deal with it. And so, dwindling water supplies, dwindling natural resources, a growing population means for a very uncertain future.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Just about all the projected growth this century is expected to occur in developing countries like Asia, Africa and Latin America.
If you are celebrating Halloween tonight, and you need help finding a costume, say no more. Comedian Jay Leno has you covered.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAY LENO, COMEDIAN: Here's the last minute costume idea for the ladies. Because if you're on a budget, grab a bottle of vodka, strip naked and go as Lindsay Lohan. That's a good way.
Or, or if you're a guy, get handcuffs, go as her dad. OK? Either way, either way, very cheap.
In fact, one more rescue will break his daughter's record. Very competitive family.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Ouch.
Scientists are excited about a new breakthrough involving mosquitoes. They say they've actually genetically engineered these insects to kill their own offspring, but there are some serious concerns. We'll talk about them straight ahead in a live report.
But, first, time for our "quote of the day." Quote, "Even as a feminist, my whole life I'd been waiting for a man to love, who could love me. For decades, I'd thought that the man would be my father. When I was 25, I met that man and he was my brother," end quote.
We'll tell you who said that after our break at seven minutes past the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: It's nine minutes past the hour. This is your A.M. WAKE-UP CALL.
Now, back to our quote of the day. This is the quote, "Even as a feminist, my whole life I'd been waiting for a man to love who could love me. For decades, I'd thought that man would be my father. When I was 25, I met that man and he was my brother," end quote.
That was Mona Simpson, Steve jobs' sister and this is say quote from the eulogy she delivered at Jobs' memorial earlier this month.
This headline definitely caught our attention this morning -- mosquitoes genetically engineered to kill their own offspring. That's better than Off, isn't it?
Let's go to Hong Kong and Kristie Lu Stout.
Kristie Lu, they're calling this a scientific breakthrough. Could this mean the end of mosquitoes forever?
KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Not quite. Researchers, they have engineered mosquitoes that pass a lethal gene to their offspring, thus killing them before they turn to adult, before they mature.
Now, a study was just published on Sunday said 19,000 engineered mosquitoes released in a controlled experiment on Grand Cayman island on 2009. The trial has been deemed successful. And the objective here is not get rid of mosquitoes entirely but to help control insect-borne diseases like dengue fever and malaria.
But the research is sparking debate and concern about possible unintended consequences, on public health and the environment.
And authorities in the Florida Keys, they're looking at the study and hope to carry out an open air test of these modified mosquitoes as early as this December. But they're just waiting on approval from the Agriculture Department. So, wait and see -- Carol.
COSTELLO: All right. On another topic, Boeing apparently is getting into the taxi business?
STOUT: Yes. According to company sources, Boeing is indeed planning to manufacture these space taxis. It is a seven-seat capsule called the CST-100. And it would launch on the Atlas V rocket. And Boeing plans to build them at an old space shuttle hangar at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
The company is just one of four companies that NASA is sponsoring to develop vehicles that can take crew to the International Space Station. As you know, as it currently relies on Russia to fly crews there, at a cost of about $350 million a year. And that's the hopes, to buy ride from American firms by the end of 2016, less than five years away -- Carol.
COSTELLO: We have to talk about Halloween before you go because there's a Halloween costume idea --
STOUT: Yes.
COSTELLO: -- that certainly is generating a lot of buzz.
STOUT: That's right. I don't know if you've seen this YouTube clip yet. It's a good one. There's an iPad Halloween costume that's getting a lot of attention. It's both gory and extremely awesome.
And NASA engineer, his name is Mark Rober, he used some red sauce and two iPads to pretend he has a vast open wound through his body. He used duct tape to stick an iPad in the front and another in the back and he started a Facetime video chat. Voila! He has a gaping hole in his body.
And Mark adds if the Halloween party you're at is, quote, "kind of lame," you can always play Angry Birds. So, how is that, Carol?
COSTELLO: That is really awesome. I'm loving that. Hopefully, his batteries won't die.
STOUT: It's incredible. The battery life will get him through the night. He'll be OK. Don't worry about that, Carol.
COSTELLO: I hope so. Kristie Lu Stout, live in Hong Kong -- thank you.
STOUT: Herman Cain on the defensive. He's responding to allegations of sexual harassment by two former employees. You're going to hear from Herman Cain himself just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Fourteen minutes past the hour. Welcome back to A.M. WAKE-UP CALL.
It is no secret the president tends to have a hard time get something bills passed by Congress. Think late night comedians haven't noticed? Here's your punch line.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)
JIMMY FALLON, COMEDIAN: President Obama had dinner with a U.S. postal worker who won a contest to meet him. And the mailman was like, wow, someone who takes longer to deliver than do I. Pleasure to meet you.
It was a long meal. Every time Obama tried to pass the salt, it got rejected by Republicans. It was just weird.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Oh, geez.
Time now for your Political Ticker with Tim Farley, host of "Morning Briefing" on Sirius XM POTUS Radio, live from Washington.
Good morning, Tim.
TIM FARLEY, XM POTUS: If he passed the salt to the left to the right it wouldn't have been a problem. He kept trying to pass it to the left.
Good morning.
COSTELLO: Ha, ha, ha.
Good morning.
Let's talk Herman Cain because Herman Cain is responding to these allegations of inappropriate behavior toward two women while he was head of National Restaurant Association in the '90s. He did sort of, kind of, respond to those allegations. Let's listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CAIN: I'm not going to comment about two people you won't tell me who they are, OK? That's like negotiating. I'm not going to comment on that, because you know, I think that that is one of those kinds of things that --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That was the last question. Thanks. Thanks. Last question.
CAIN: Have you ever been accused of sexual harassment?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: So, it was sort of a nonissue. I'm reading the political article right here. We don't know specifically what these women were accusing Cain of in the '90s. But we do know that the two women left and they had some sort of settlement to leave.
FARLEY: Yes. And we don't have names and it is clear that there was something inappropriate. He was head of the restaurant association in the 1990s.
And this is something, Carol, you look at and go -- all right, I think most people would like to have a little more detail on this before we start rushing to judgment. It is something that he will likely, that it Herman Cain, get questions about. He's at the American Enterprise Institute and the National Press Club today in Washington, D.C.
He could play the outraged, sort of high-tech lynching argument that Clarence Thomas played during his hearings in the 1990s when he was up for confirmation of Supreme Court justice. He may say, this was taken care of long ago, things come and go. Accusations come and go. There was nothing substantial about this and we move along.
It will be interesting to see how this plays out. And that I think is going to determine how much this hurts Herman Cain. As a way he responds to it, he was a little taken aback it looked like as he was coming out of the "Face the Nation" appearance yesterday on CBS. But we'll see how it plays out when he answers those questions today.
COSTELLO: Well, Tim, I have the political article right here. And I'm just going to read a bit of it, so our viewers will understand a little bit more about these allegations. I'm reading from the political article -- Politico.com, if you want to read it for yourself.
These incidents include conversations allegedly filled with innuendo or personal questions of a sexually suggestive nature, taking place at hotels during conferences and other officially sanctioned restaurant events and at the association's offices. There are also descriptions of physical gestures that were not overtly sexual but made the women who experienced them or witnessed them uncomfortable and that they regarded as improper in a professional relationship.
So, that's as far as the description goes of these allegations. And you're right, they're not specific. "Politico" can't name the women, because as part of this settlement they agreed not to talk about these incidents. For privacy reasons, "Politico" says it is not making these women's names public.
FARLEY: It doesn't sound very detailed. It doesn't sound -- it's not a clear case of something terribly wrong. But as I say, details are something lacking. And I don't think we're going to get a lot more detail. As I say, I think it's going to be more how he responds to this and how people think he either rises above this or winds up wrestling in the mud on this.
COSTELLO: OK. So, if he responds to it well, let's say it comes up with an answer that people will accept -- will it make any difference to conservative voters? I mean, even if he doesn't come up with a great answer, people really like this man, especially conservative Republicans. Will it make any difference at all?
FARLEY: Yes, that's what it comes down to, Carol, it's credibility -- whether or not people actually believe what he is saying or whether or not two individuals who are not named in a suit from 15 or 16 years ago, that wasn't even a lawsuit, it was a settlement. As a result of that, it's just going to be whether they think that is -- how it defines the candidate or does it really just sort of point to an off incident, if you will.
And so, if people like him and they do believe him, then I think it won't hurt him at all.
COSTELLO: Tim Farley, host of "Morning Briefing" on Sirius POTUS Radio -- thanks for joining us this morning.
FARLEY: Thanks.
COSTELLO: Syria's president sends a warning to the West saying those who would interfere in his country would cause an earthquake that would, quote, "burn the whole region." Details for you just ahead.
But, first, today is October 31st, of course, it's Halloween. It's not an official national holiday but it might as well be. Halloween is believed to have originated with the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain when people would like bonfires and wore questions to ward off roaming ghosts. Now you know.
It's 20 minutes past the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: It's 22 minutes past the hour.
Here's the three things to put on your radar this week:
More than 2 million customers are waking up without power this morning after the near blizzard that rocked the Northeast. A state of emergency has been declared in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Massachusetts.
The final defense witness in the trial against Michael Jackson's doctor will face questions t today from the prosecution. We could see closing arguments and the case handed to the jury this week.
An activist with "Occupy Oakland" are calling for a general strike across the city Wednesday. Protesters are hoping to shut down the city to show their outrage over what they call a huge disparity of wealth around the world.
The Syrian president has a harsh warning for those who may want to get involved because of uprisings in his country.
Let's head round the world with Zain Verjee.
It's getting ugly there Syria now.
ZAIN VERJEE, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: It is. President Bashar al-Assad gave a pretty rare interview, Carol, to the "Sunday Telegraph" and he said any intervention by the West in Syria would be like an earthquake. He says that Syria is no Egypt, it's no Tunisia, it's no Yemen, and that it has a completely different set of political and geographical principles and importance.
And he said doing anything with Syria would be a major fault line because Syria sits at the hub, kind of like the middle of the Middle East, and it would have destabilizing effect across the region. He also said that many mistakes were made by his own security forces earlier on in the uprising in Syria but says that now they're targeting terrorists. Also just by point of what's happening today, this wasn't in the interview, but the Syrians actually, committees getting together to draft a new constitution, they say that putting together for Syria. That's really kind of an effort to defuse the protesters -- Carol.
COSTELLO: On another topic, it looks like Qantas is back up and running. They grounded flights the entire weekend. But the planes are in the sky again?
VERJEE: Yes. Well, the planes are flying again. But it's going to take until about Wednesday to get things back to normal. I mean, gosh, Carol. You know, the snowstorm in the Northeast of the U.S., so many frustrated, annoyed passengers and then with Qantas over the weekend grounding its flight.
Basically, there was a labor dispute between Qantas and the unions. The unions were mad because they were upset that so much outsourcing of their jobs is being done and they were saying that Qantas is really about profits and not looking after the employees.
And so, the fleet was grounded. There was something like 400 flights over the weekend. But, hopefully, things will get back to normal. But some pretty miserable travelers out there -- Carol.
COSTELLO: You're not kidding. Zain Verjee live in London for us this morning -- thank you.
Stranded on a frozen tarmac for more than seven hours. You heard Zain talking about that. No one may have been more frustrated than the pilot. You'll hear that for yourself.
And new recommendations for some teenagers -- regular and routine HIV testing starting at age 16? We'll have details for you, next.
It's 25 minutes past.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Good morning to you. It is Monday, October 31st. Happy Halloween.
This is your A.M. WAKE-UP CALL. I'm Carol Costello, joining you live from New York this morning.
It is 30 minutes past the hour.
This morning, crews are trying to restore power to more than 2 million people in the Northeast. A freak snowstorm that overwhelmed the region is blamed for at least five deaths. New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Massachusetts under a state of emergency following the weekend storm dumped more than two feet of snow in some areas, causing snow-caked trees to snap power lines.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You kept hearing snapping from every direction and I mean, literally, every branch from every tree fell I think.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: It could be days before power is fully restored across the region.
Many airlines had to cancel and divert flights. JetBlue said 126 of their passengers were stranded on the tarmac in Hartford, Connecticut, for more than seven-and-a-half hours on Saturday. Frustrated passengers spent much of the time without food or water or working bathrooms, and they weren't the only ones frustrated, so was the pilot.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Look, you know, we can't seem to get any help from our own company. I apologize for this, but is there any way you can get a tug and a toe bar out here to us and get us towed somewhere to a gate or something? I don't care. Take us anywhere.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: JetBlue 504, roger, I will talk to state operations to see what they can do.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My priority right now is a tug and a crowbar. Just give me a welding shop, I'll be willing to make one myself.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: But alas he could not. JetBlue has apologized to its passengers. They will be refunded their tickets and receive one free round-trip airfare.
Today, the anesthesiologist called by Dr. Conrad Murray's defense team will be questioned by the prosecution. It will try to focus on Dr. Paul White's surgeon said Michael Jackson probably died from drugs he gave himself, you might remember.
An anesthesiologist for the prosecution contains an I.V. drip set up by Dr. Murray killed Jackson. Jury must decide between the two competing theories when they get the case likely later this week.
The American Academy of Pediatrics says some teenagers should be routinely tested for HIV. They recommend testing for those 16-18 if they live an area or more than 0.1 percent of the population has HIV. The AAAP -- the AAP, rather, says some 70 percent of new infections are caused by people who don't know their status. Still, some question whether health care professionals will actually adopt the new recommendation.
Another food recall to tell you about this morning. This time, Turkish pine nuts, 5,000 pounds of Turkish pine nuts are being recalled because of possible salmonella contamination. At least 43 people have become sick, so far. The nuts in question were sold at Wegmans Groceries in New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Virginia and Maryland between July 1st and October 18th.
Business is booming for one luxury carmaker demand it's so high, company officials say they're thinking about expanding. See, someone has money out there. Details for you straight ahead. It's 32 minutes past the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Thirty-three minutes past the hour. Stocks are set to end this month on a high note, but a wave of uncertainty is far from over. For morning money new, let's head to the NASDAQ MarketSite and Carter Evans. Good morning, Carter.
CARTER EVANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: I guess the idea, Carol, is -- and good morning -- is just because we've had a couple of good weeks that turned into one of the best monthly performances for stocks ever, don't get too comfortable. The uncertainty is far from over. We've got a lot going on just this week.
Of course, investors are relieved that European officials finally have an agreement to deal with Europe's debt crisis, but they're not quite sure exactly how it's going to work and how it's going to be paid for. So, if you leave investors enough time, they're going to get concerned about that. We've got the leaders of the G-20 nations. There are going to be meeting next week in France. We've got European's central bank's rate decision on Thursday. We've got the fed with a two-day meeting this week, and then of course, we've got that all-important U.S. jobs report due out on Friday. The unemployment rate here will likely stay the same at around 9.1 percent.
COSTELLO: Yes. Probably no surprises there, sadly. But, some people do have money, and they're doing quite well because one luxury carmaker business is booming.
EVANS: Business is booming for BMW. Factories are running -- this is incredible. Factories are running at 100 percent -- 110 percent, rather, capacity right now. There's a huge demand for BMW smaller vehicles like the 3 series and the x3 crossover. And some BMW right now is having to figure out how it is going to boost production around the world.
If you didn't know this already, you may be surprised to find out that BMWs are very, very popular in Brazil right now. They're talking about boosting sales to two million a year in Brazil by 2020. Currently, they're selling about 1.6 million BMWs a year. Not just popular in Brazil, but popular around the world. That's a good problem to have.
COSTELLO: Yes, you're not kidding. Carter Evans, we'll catch you in a little bit. Thanks so much.
He's been soaring in the polls. Now, Herman Cain is facing a different kind of attention, allegations of inappropriate sexual behavior. We'll have details for you next.
But first, time for our "Get Smart" question of the day. The real-estate website, Zillow, is out with its new ranking of the best cities for Halloween. Can you guess the top city? Is it A. Philadelphia, B. San Francisco, or C. Minneapolis? Thirty-five minutes past the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Thirty-eight minutes past the hour. This is your A.M. WAKE-UP CALL.
Now to our "Get Smart" question of the day. The real estate website, Zillow, was out with its new ranking best cities for Halloween. What's the top city? Is it Philadelphia, San Francisco, or Minneapolis? The answer is B, it's San Francisco. Rounding out the top five, Boston, Honolulu, Seattle and Chicago.
Herman Cain begins this week fighting off allegations of inappropriate behavior. Politico is reporting at least two women have accused Cain of sexually suggestive behavior while he was president of the National Restaurant Association in the 1990s. Here's how Cain responded when confronted.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) HERMAN CAIN, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'm not going to comment about two people you won't tell me who they are. OK? That's like negotiating. I'm not going to comment on that, because, you know, I think that is one of those kinds of things that --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That was the last question. Thanks. Thanks.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes or no.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Last question.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Have you ever been accused of sexual harassment?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Cain's campaign has also released a statement. It reads in part, quote, "Since Washington establishment critics haven't had much luck at attacking Mr. Cain's ideas to fix a bad economy and create jobs, they're trying to attack him in any way they can," end quote. Mr. Cain is expected to be questioned about the allegations at two big speaking events. They take place today in Washington, D.C.
Ron Paul won two separate straw polls in Iowa over the weekend, both sponsored by the National Federation of Republican Assemblies. He also tells our Candy Crowley that if he does not get the Republican nomination, he has no intention of mounting a third party bid for the White House. Paul ran as a libertarian in 1988.
President Obama's top campaign strategist is taking on critics who say the president is turning his back on a campaign promise to refuse donations from lobbyists. David Axelrod says the Obama administration is the most transparent in history.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVID AXELROD, OBAMA'S SENIOR CAMPAIGN STRATEGIST: The president has imposed on himself a ban on taking contributions from federal lobbyists. He's imposed a simple ban on taking money from political action committees, but more importantly, as president, he has ended the revolving door between industry and the governments.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: A recent "New York Times" article charged that some people who ask others to donate to the campaign are, in fact, lobbyists. Axelrod says the campaign discloses everyone who raises money for it.
Occupy protesters facing more arrests and vowing a shutdown of a major American port. We'll have details for you coming up. It's 40 minutes past the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) COSTELLO: Good morning to you. It is Monday, October 31st. Happy Halloween. This is your A.M. WAKE-UP CALL. I'm Carol Costello joining you live this morning from New York. It is 43 minutes past the hour.
More than two million people in the northeast are waking up this morning without electricity. It's all because of an unusual October snowstorm that pounded states from Maryland all the way up to Maine. It's blamed for at least five deaths. More than two feet of snow fell in some areas over the weekend. Officials say it will take days to fully restore electricity. New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Massachusetts all under states of emergency.
As for trick or treaters, Halloween has been postponed or canceled in some areas. For more on the storm and the damage it caused, we're going to take you live to our Boston affiliate -- actually, we're going to take you live to Boston and Janet Wu from our affiliate WHDH. Janet, what's it like in Boston now?
JANET WU, WHDH-TV CORRESPONDENT: Well, actually I'm not in Boston. I'm in Tewkesbury, which is north of Boston. And, there's a special reason why I'm here. This was not the jackpot for snow in Massachusetts. That would be Ashburnham with 21 inches on the ground, but this town hit the jackpot for power outages.
This hour, 90 percent of the town is still without power, making for a very cold and miserable night. So, these folks are not only getting a white Halloween, which is unusual, but they're getting a very dark and freezing one as well.
COSTELLO: Janet, I understand the problem was the leaves were still on many of the trees. It was a very wet, heavy snow, and then, the limbs just came crashing down on the power lines. That usually means it will take maybe a week for power to be restored or more?
WU: It's really hard to say, in this case. Similar to when we had the hurricane in late summer, the power outages lasted, indeed, a week for some people. There's a couple reasons for that, because it's such a big event they couldn't bring in crews easily from other areas because so many people are impacted. Those crews are needed other places.
And as you said, those leaves on the trees just made it easier for those limbs to fall down. And, again, it's just painstaking work, first clearing all of that brush, clearing the leaves and then just getting crews to restore power.
So, right now, 551,000 customers, businesses, and homes are still without power, and the various companies did say it could be about a week before everyone is fully restored.
COSTELLO: Is it at least a little warmer out there?
WU: Well, I don't know if you can see my breath right now. It's certainly not feeling warmer. And, we do have some icing problems right now, because, again, this was a very wet, heavy snow. So, instead of being the very lovely white fluffy stuff that we love to see here in New England, it's not that. It's icy and pretty miserable. So, the kids are going to definitely have to be careful this evening when they trick or treat.
COSTELLO: Janet Wu reporting live for us this morning. Thanks so much.
Let's head to Atlanta now and check in with Reynolds Wolf. OK. So, the worst is over for the folks in New England and all the way down to Maryland, right?
REYNOLDS WOLF, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Absolutely. You know, the story now is basically shifting over for the long term ramifications you're going to have from all the damage that you're talking about moments ago. You know? You had temperatures in Boston now at 39 degrees. So, it's above the freezing point.
As we look ahead to the rest of the forecast, the rest of the week ahead, it looks like it's going to be fairly mild in terms of the temperatures above the freezing point. Still a very cold morning out there right now, no question about it. And certainly, very rough this weekend. We've got some videos, an amazing video, out of New Hampshire. Let's going to take that full now if we can.
It sure looks pretty, but unfortunately, all that stuff certainly causes a lot of weight on the power lines, the overhanging tree branches and then, boom, you have the cumulative effect of the freezing conditions on the trees. The trees topple over. And of course, when you have the tree damage, that's what causes a lot of power outages.
You see the lines right there. But I will tell you, things will get better, slowly but surely. Crews are going to be working around the clock. There are great men and women up there. They're truly dedicated to the task. And then, we should be fine about a week or so.
Let's jump forward and show you what else we have. Some of the snowfall totals, they are just incredible. In New Hampshire, in excess of 30 inches. In Massachusetts, Plainfield, to be more specific, 30.8, in Windsor over 20 inches, 19 or so in West Milford and in Millbrook, New York, we get 17.9.
And then, look out the numbers are still impressive in Connecticut, New Jersey, also in parts of Pennsylvania where Philadelphia just a little bit (INAUDIBLE) that happens from time to time with this nor'easter.
Some places get an abundance. Others get a little bit of a less. Take a look at the morning (ph), 20s and 30s from Philadelphia southward just to the east of the nation's capital in parts of the Maryland, the Delmarva Peninsula. As we wrap up your forecast for the delays, we're going to have them in Miami, Orlando, Tampa, due to thunderstorms and heavy rain.
Detroit, scattered showers and may keep you grounded for about an hour, and San Francisco, not the fog but gusty winds wrapping it up, might keep you on the tarmac for a little bit longer than you'd want. OK. That's the latest. You're up to speed. Let's put you back in New York.
COSTELLO: And we appreciate that. Thank you, Reynolds.
WOLF: OK. Good times.
COSTELLO: Occupy protesters in Oakland, California, are calling for a general strike on Wednesday. They're hoping to shut down the port of Oakland and to show solidarity with long shore workers. Organizers say the strike will be a warning shot to the one percent that their wealth only exists because of the 99 percent.
In Oregon, police arrested some 24 occupy protesters last night who refused to leave a city park in Portland after warnings that it was closing. Each side blamed the other for the arrest.
In Texas, dozens of protesters were arrested in Austin after clashing with police over food tables set up outside of city hall. Police say they ignored a rule banning food tables during certain hours of the day.
There are reports this morning that a Somali-American carried out a suicide bombing in the Somali capital of Mogadishu. A website linked to the al Shabaab Islamist movement says a Somali-American was involved in one of two suicide attacks against an African union military compound.
A Somali diplomat at the United Nations says the bomber was from Minneapolis and left the United States three years ago. He says it is the third time a Somali-American from Minnesota has carried out a suicide bombing in Somalia.
NATO's mission in Libya officially ends today. The seven-month- long aerial bombing campaign played a major role in the downfall of Moammar Gadhafi. Last week, the United Nations Security Council voted to end military operations just days after Gadhafi was killed. As you know, Gadhafi died from a gunshot wound to the head, but there are so many questions surrounding the circumstances of his death.
A harsh warning from the Syrian president to those of the west, do not interfere. Let's head live to London and round the world with Zain Verjee. Good morning, Zain.
ZAIN VERJEE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol. The president of Syria, Bashar al-Assad gave a pretty rate interview to the Sunday telegraph here in the UK, and he warned of an earthquake if the U.S. were to intervene at all all the west into the affairs of Syria. He said Syria's not like Egypt or Tunisia or Yemen, and that, it really is a hub, the center of the Middle East.
And that any kind of an attack on Syria would destabilize the entire region. He called it -- he said it would be like an earthquake, but he also likened it to Afghanistan. He was also asked questions about the early protests that went on, as you can see, on the streets. The Syrian government has really brutally cracked down on.
And he said mistakes were made early on by his security forces, but now, they're moving forward and targeting the terrorists, he said, that are causing these disturbances -- Carol.
COSTELLO: OK. Let's talk about the world population, because the planet Earth is fast reaching a milestone, and we could do it what, sometime today?
VERJEE: Sometime today. Now, there are reports just moments ago, Carol, already out that says the seven billionth child in our world has been born. Some reports are quoting the U.N. saying that they're recognizing a baby symbolically in the Philippines. Other reports say that the seven billionth baby was born in India.
I was reading one analysis piece, Carol, and it looks like an India, a baby is born nearly every second. China, of course, is right behind -- just ahead of India, actually, but India is catching up pretty significantly. So, there are many reports. All day today, someone is going to claim to have the seven billionth baby in their country, but it is a major milestone for us.
Now, I just want to give you an idea that for every person in the world that could fit inside the borders of Texas, as you can fit seven billion people inside just the state of Texas, if you jam everyone in --
COSTELLO: I get it.
VERJEE: Sorry. I'm losing audio here, Carol, but every -- if you can fit seven billion people inside the state of Texas, just the way you can if you jammed them in like in New York City.
COSTELLO: Wow. That'd be a pretty crowded state of Texas, wouldn't it? Zain Verjee, sorry for the technical problems. We'll check back with you. Thank you.
The Japanese government is taking action for the third time this year. Some are describing it as a battle between the market and the government. Details in a live report from the NASDAQ MarketSite.
But first, let's take a look at the "Word of the Day." In another Halloween today, the word is -- well, actually, it's two words, it's a phrase. Ghost particles. Find out what that means and why you need to know after this short break. It's 52 minutes past the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: It is four minutes until the top of the hour. This is your A.M. WAKE-UP CALL.
Now, back to your spooky kind of phrase of the day. It's ghost particles. These are tiny mysterious particles that pop in and out of existence but at speeds so fast that no one has been able to prove they exist. It's in the news today because of a proposal to build a special laser in Britain that may be used to find them.
Scientists want to point it into space, hoping it's hot enough to make these ghost particles show themselves. They believe the laser may shed some light on the mysterious dark matter if, of course, the machine can find them.
Here are three things to put on your radar today.
More than two million customers are waking up without power this morning after the near blizzard that rock the northeast. The state of emergency has been declared in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Massachusetts.
The final defense witness in the trial against Michael Jackson's doctor will face questions today from the prosecution. We could see closing arguments in the case handed to the jury this week.
An activists with occupy Oakland are calling for a general strike across the city Wednesday. Protesters are hoping to shut down the city to show their outrage or what they call a huge disparity of wealth around the world.
If you're celebrating Halloween tonight and need some help finding a costume, say no more. Comedian, Jay Leno, has you covered.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAY LENO, HOST, "THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH JAY LENO": I'm looking forward to Halloween, finally getting to see people wearing NBA uniforms. Here's the only kind you've seen it. Well, here's the last-minute costume ideas for the ladies. If you're on a budget, grab a bottle of vodka, strip naked, go as Lindsay Lohan. That's a good way --
(LAUGHTER)
(APPLAUSE)
LENO: Or, or if you're a guy, get some handcuffs, go as her dad. OK?
(LAUGHTER)
LENO: Either way, either way, very cheap. In fact, one more arrest, he will break his daughter's record. Very competitive family.
(LAUGHTER)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: All righty. Let's go to Carter Evans for a look at your money this morning. That's a perfect costume for you, Carter. The Lindsay Lohan one, I'm talking about.
EVANS: The Lindsay Lohan one or the dad one with the handcuffs?
COSTELLO: The Lindsay Lohan one. I find that would be much more interesting for you.
EVANS: Yes. The last thing I need are handcuffs right now, that's for sure.
(LAUGHTER)
COSTELLO: Being naked is so much nicer.
(LAUGHTER)
EVANS: Yes. I'm going as a proud parent. My son's first Halloween. We're going to take him out in his little cookie monster outfight.
COSTELLO: Oh, that's terrific. Have a great time. But before you do that, you have to tell us how the markets are shaping up this morning.
EVANS: Well, you know, we had such a good week last week. Investors are going to be thinking about that and wondering if they overdid it. Our futures are a bit lower today. We are getting a reading on manufacturing in the Chicago area, and on Friday, we get that all-important government jobs report. So, it's very important there.
We're going to keep an eye on that one. Our unemployment rate expected to hold steadily at about 9.1 percent. Here's a look at futures right now. Not a whole lot of action, at least, when you take a look at it, the Dow up 22.5. NASDAQ about one-and-a-half. The S&P 500 up about a fraction right now.
COSTELLO: OK. Give us the headline on CNNMoney.com this morning.
EVANS: You know, one of the big things that people are going to be talking about around the world today is what Japan did with its yen. Japan's finance minister intervened to halt the yen's rise. It had risen against the dollar to its highest value since World War II, and that is really bad news for Japan because Japan is an export country.
And when its currency is very expensive, people don't want to buy as much stuff. So, as a result, they devalued the yen. For example, for every 1 dollar that the yen -- or for every 1 yen that the yen goes up against the dollar, Toyota can lose $380 million in profits and that's why the Japanese finance minister said he intervened today. Back to you.
COSTELLO: Understand. Carter Evans live from the NASDAQ MarketSite, thank you.
"AMERICAN MORNING" continues right now.
