Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Georgetown Staff Blasts Representative Ryan; Marine Discharged Over Obama Comments; Murdoch Admits To Cover Up; Police Battle Angry Protesters; NFL Draft Tonight; Obama Campaign Kicks Off May 5; How Obama, Romney "Optimize" Websites; Kidney Transplanted Twice; Celebs Invited to W.H. Press Dinner; Murdoch Admits to Cover-up; 120,000-Foot Jump; Baby Boomers in the Job Market

Aired April 26, 2012 - 10:00   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 again. It is Thursday, April 26th. Also coming your way this hour, a base jumper, but not just any daredevil, get this, Felix Balmgartner is going to jump from the edge of space 120,000 feet up in the air in an attempt to break the sound barrier. That means his body will be traveling at 760 miles per hour. We'll talk to him live about his attempt to make history.

But we begin with a collision of politics and faith, and a catholic lawmaker about to get his knuckles rapid by dozens of catholic priests. Republican Congressman Paul Ryan is just about to speak at Georgetown University.

Georgetown is a Catholic institution. Faculty and administrators say they are upset with Ryan about his misuse of Catholic social teaching in defending his budget cuts.

In a letter signed by more than 90 professors and administrators at Georgetown, they say Ryan's Catholic faith is not a free pass to dismantle government programs and abandon the poor.

One of those who sign that had letter, authored the letter actually, is Father Thomas Reese, a senior fellow at Georgetown. Father Reese, welcome.

THOMAS REESE, SENIOR FELLOW, GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY: Thank you.

COSTELLO: So you guys don't object to Congressman Ryan speaking at Georgetown, right?

REESE: No, absolutely not. In fact, we're delighted that he's come because it provides us with an opportunity to discuss the role of Catholic social teaching in political life. And this is something we always want to talk to with our students.

COSTELLO: So what's the problem you have with the Ryan budget?

REESE: Well, the problem is that Congressman Ryan has been saying that his budget reflects Catholic social teaching. Well, I mean, this is nonsense. If he handed in his budget at a class on Catholic social teaching, he'd get an "F." The bishops have pointed out that this budget cuts severely into programs that help poor people and Catholic social teaching puts a stress on the importance of having programs that help poor people, help people who are unemployed, help them get jobs.

You know, we're supposed to look after the most disadvantaged in our society and this budget tries to balance the budget on the backs of the poor.

COSTELLO: Let me read to you, Father Reese, this is what Paul Ryan means when he relates Catholicism to his budget. He says, the tenets of Catholic social teaching mean don't keep people poor, don't make people dependent on government so they are stuck in their station in life.

Help people get out of poverty and out into a life of independence. I have to say, Father Reese, that a lot of Americans agree with Paul Ryan. That it isn't in poor people's best interest to make them dependant on government.

REESE: I absolutely agree, but he's cutting programs that, you know, will give a help up to people. I mean, you know, poor people today can't find jobs. There are more people looking for jobs than there are jobs available.

The program that he has, his budget, is cutting programs to help people go to school, go to college, cutting Pell Grants. This -- these are the programs that will help of people become independent.

He's cutting programs for school lunches. I mean, we're talking about kids here, you know. We don't want a budget that throws people out on the street and makes them totally on their own.

COSTELLO: But, Father, where -- where do you draw the line? At what point do you say that government is giving too much? Is it when the economy gets better, I mean, when is it?

REESE: Well, I think we have to look at the individual programs. I mean, you know, we had a welfare reform program that, you know, required that people go back to work, you know, and that's fine.

You know, if a person is capable of working, a person should work. There's no question about that, but where are the jobs right now for people who want to work?

And, you know, and can you support someone, a family, on a minimum wage job? How can a woman with three kids and no husband work if there are not programs for child care?

If it costs her more money to put her kids in child care than she's going to get from her job, how is she supposed to work? You know, these are the kinds of things we have to think about when we're looking at budgets and, you know, trying to help people get jobs and work. I'm totally in favor of that.

COSTELLO: OK, just the last question. It is unusual that Catholic priests and the Catholic bishops would get involved in a budget proposal by a politician. Why are you guys doing that?

REESE: Well, because we think that budgets are in fact moral documents because they -- they express the moral values of a society. Are our values that it's everybody for themselves?

Are we going to be social darwinists that say, survival of the fittest, if you can't make it in the free market society, tough luck. You're going to starve.

That's not the message of Jesus. Jesus said feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, and, you know, this is why we have to speak out on programs like this.

This is why the bishops are speaking out. This is why we at Georgetown are speaking out on this budget.

COSTELLO: Father Reese, thanks for joining us today.

REESE: Thank you for having me.

COSTELLO: In an e-mail statement a spokesman for Ryan said Tuesday that the congressman is looking forward to his visit at Georgetown, quote, "Chairman Ryan looks forward to affirming our share commitment to a preferential option for the poor, which of course does not mean a preferential option for bigger government," end quote.

And as you saw there, Congressman Ryan is speaking at Georgetown right now. We're going to monitor this and when we begins his speech in earnest, we'll bring some of it to you.

Marine Corps Sergeant Gary Stein waking up this morning, out of the Marine Corps after using his Facebook page to criticize President Obama.

The military board said Stein broke rules limiting political conduct by service members and gave him and other than honorable discharge for posting comments like this one.

Obama is the economic enemy. I first spoke to Sergeant Stein about his Armed Forces Tea Party page back in March, and at the time he was very vocal about his right to free speech.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Could the military kick you out for not following orders?

SGT. GARY STEIN, FOUNDER, ARMED FORCES TEA PARTY: They can kick me out for not following lawful orders, yes, they could, but I have never refused to follow a lawful order.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Well, the sergeant has now been discharged. He has been kicked out, and he seems to have some regret about his actions. He told MSNBC, quote, "People ask me would you go back and change those words? I would, most definitely. I would articulate my point better."

So let's go to the Pentagon and Chris Lawrence. Why exactly was Sergeant Stein discharged?

CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Basically, Carol, it came down to this board and finally the general deciding that he just did not honorably serve. He did not uphold the honor of the United States Marine Corps.

Really a lot of it came down to the fact of this statement of not following an order. Now, let's get down to it honestly, I can't think of a scenario where a president of the United States is going to give a direct order to an enlisted Marine.

That's not how it works, but the president devices strategy. The military then carries out that strategy, but even though he is a civilian, he still holds the title of commander in chief, and the military follows that civilian government.

So in effect what this board was deciding was what he, you know, sort of being insubordinate, was he saying ahead of time that he was going to decide what orders he would follow and which ones he would not and he would decide what is lawful and unlawful?

It basically came down to some of these statements that the Marine Corps felt they gave him a chance to sort of amend or back off of and that he kept pushing ahead.

Now there are other people who say the military is trying to have it both ways, that the military is very active on social media, pushes out press releases, pushes out recruiting and things like that on social media. And at the same time restrict how its members may use that same social media.

COSTELLO: So it's a less than honorable discharge, what does that mean?

LAWRENCE: It means he's going to lose his benefits. You know, it -- there are a lot of benefits that come with being honorably discharged that he's not going to get.

And Sergeant Stein actually posted something on a statement saying I have spent the last nine years honorably serving this great nation and the Corps. Even though I will be discharged, no one can take the title of Marine away from me -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Chris Lawrence live from the Pentagon.

Still to come on NEWSROOM, Mitt Romney's campaign now using the same web site that helped President Obama win the 2008 election. We'll explain how campaigns use that to target you, the voter, with the click of a mouse.

And a cameraman gets a face full of pepper spray during wild protests. And would you believe this protest is over a few hundred dollars? You're watching NEWSROOM. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: It's 13 minutes past the hour. Checking our top stories.

Rupert Murdoch now admitting to a phone hacking cover-up at his "News of the World" tabloid, but says his company was actually the victim. And while Murdoch wouldn't name the people responsible, he did apologize for not taking more control of the situation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RUPERT MURDOCH, CEO, NEWS CORP.: I have to admit that some newspapers are more special to my heart than others, but I also have to say that I failed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Dozens have been arrested in the scandal, which forced Murdoch to close one of his best-selling newspapers.

Police in riot gear run through the streets of Montreal to control violent crowds of protesters, dozens of people under arrest. The protests started after talks broke down between student leaders, college student leaders and government officials. College students have been demanding the government drop a planned tuition hike of $375 a year for five years.

And there is no suspense about the top of tonight's NFL draft. The Indianapolis Colts have said they will take quarterback Andrew Luck in their first pick. The Washington Redskins are expected to take another quarterback, Robert Griffin III with the next pick.

Mitt Romney will be fundraising at private events today, President Obama is getting ready to officially kick off his campaign. It will officially start on May 5th.

The president will hold re-election rallies in Columbus, Ohio at Ohio State University, and in Richmond, Virginia, too. Now, of course, those states are considered among the key states in the general election come this November. Mitt Romney's campaign, it's watching you, at least on line.

It started using the same web site that helped President Obama win the 2008 election. This is "Optimizely." It helps people customize a web site, simple things like picking colors and strategically placing buttons.

But then it tells you which setup will get you the most hits in a web trial. Here's HLN's digital lifestyle expert Mario Armstrong. This is so innocuous.

MARIO ARMSTRONG, HLN DIGITAL LIFESTYLE EXPERT: It does, but it is very effective. They call it AB testing. It's what it's called and so on my iPad right now, you can see, I'm looking at the elect Romney page.

And you can see like the donation button is in red. Let's go further down on the screen here. We'll also notice that the connect now button is in red. We also see that make a donation is in red.

There is a reason, it's not just party colors and things of that nature, just looks great on the web site. It's not about that or it's patriotic.

It really is about AB testing. What that means is this particular site, "Optimizely" works for Starbucks, ABC and CBS use this, large enterprises, Crate & Barrel, large businesses use to this to do what's called data mining, to find out exactly what works best when someone comes to a web site.

So the Romney campaign said if we make it a purple button, do more people click on that and donate. Do we get more funds because it's purple? We can test that in real time to see which changes to the web site are having the most impact.

COSTELLO: So what in my online presence would tell Mitt Romney's campaign that I'm more likely to donate money if he puts the buttons in red?

ARMSTRONG: It's really -- it's nothing personal about your personal settings or something about you, it's really a random test that's happening, but it's happening concurrently, so the web site at any given moment could have four different versions of that web site that are out there.

And then they see which one are people really clicking the button that we want to click the most. It could be donations. It could be, you know, supporting a rally, could be following a video to watch for a specific cause.

Whatever their goal is, they can see, OK, if we move this video clip here, more people click it when it's there than down in the bottom right-hand corner of the page.

COSTELLO: That really helped President Obama get elected in 2008?

ARMSTRONG: That's a part of it. That's not the only piece. This is a bigger piece. I'm calling this a data election. This is going to be won by data, and what I mean by that is the ability to understand how to manipulate your web site, your mobile apps but then also personalization, going back to your point.

If I'm one on an e-mail newsletter or I'm one on mobile app, they can get way more information like my location and other things about me to figure out how they could use me as an influential voter or rallier or supporter of their campaign.

So, yes, more than this just piece it's all about data analytics. So I think the election will probably win is the smartest, most techiest election, but I would say that being a techie.

COSTELLO: Yes, you would. But that was really fascinating, Mario Armstrong, thank you so much.

Still to come, this next story simply amazing. It's being called a medical first this morning. A transplanted kidney failing in one patient is taken out and placed in another, and it's working.

Also ahead, have you heard the latest allegations about Secret Service agents acting like oversexed frat boys, not in Colombia, but in El Salvador? A story with strippers, prostitutes and lots of alcohol. Our "Political Buzz" panel weighs in next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Welcome back to NEWSROOM. It is the first case of its kind in the United States, a transplanted kidney that was failing was removed from a patient who is still alive. It was taken out of him and it was given to someone else.

The kidney originally went to Ray Fearing who you see there in the blue shirt. His sister donated the kidney to her brother, but days later Ray's body rejected it had. So doctors decided to take out the kidney and give it to Erwin Gomez.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ERWIN GOMEZ, KIDNEY RECIPIENT: My strength is back and my appetite is good.

RAY FEARING, KIDNEY DONOR: To find out that this was going to be something bigger than, you know, just a failed transplant, you know, it's going to help someone else. It's going to help people.

GOMEZ: I owe literally my life and my function to them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: An amazing story. Our medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen is here and so how did this work? I mean, this patient's body rejected the kidney so doctors said bring Erwin in.

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Right. That's basically it. Because in the past what doctors have done is if someone's body can't tolerate a kidney, they basically kid rid of it. I mean, that's what we're told. Well, it didn't work.

There's nothing wrong with the kidney. It was that the recipient had a blood disorder that made it so he just couldn't handle it. So it was in the first recipient for two weeks, and they realized it wasn't working.

And they took it out and gave it to Erwin Gomez who actually coincidently is a physician. He's cardiovascular surgeon and now he's back at work. Sort of like this light bulb over the head moment. Why didn't we do this before? It doesn't work in one person. Doesn't mean it won't work in another person.

COSTELLO: So what happened to Mr. Fearing, the first person that the kidney didn't work for?

COHEN: He's on dialysis. And that's have he took his sister's kidney so he could get off dialysis and maybe there's another kidney out there for him, who knows.

But I mean, what an -- they said to him, look, if the kidney is not working in you, but it is your kidney. So you tell us, is it all right with you if we give it to another person, and he said yes, of course. He saved a life.

COSTELLO: Wow.

COHEN: It's amazing.

COSTELLO: So how many more kidneys could be available because this light bulb went off?

COHEN: My colleague, Stephanie Smith, who wrote this story for cnn.com asked that question, and they don't know exactly, but the doctors she talked to said this could be like 400, 500 kidneys a year that we could basically re-harvest and give to another person. That's a lot. Hundreds of people might live because they thought of this new technique.

COSTELLO: Amazing. Elizabeth Cohen, thank you.

COHEN: Thank you.

COSTELLO: Now is your chance to talk back on one of the big stories of the day. The question for you this morning, why is climate change such a hot-button issue?

We haven't heard a lot about climate change this election cycle, but that maybe change. In an interview with "Rolling Stone" magazine President Obama said, quote, "this is going to be a debate that will become part of the campaign, and I will be very clear in voicing my belief that we're going to have to take further steps to keel with climate change in a serious way," end quote.

But why the slow jam on the climate issue, Mr. President? Mr. Obama said that with more people worried about jobs and the economy the other side has been able to pour millions of dollars into debunking climate change science.

His opponent, Mitt Romney, has expressed skepticism on climate change, like in this video from an October fundraiser posted on thinkprogress.org.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: My view is that we don't know what's causing climate change on this planet, and the idea of spending trillions and trillions of dollars to try to reduce CO2 emissions is not the right course for us.

(END VIDEO CLIP) COSTELLO: Of course, the lightning rod in the climate change debate this year is the Keystone pipeline. Environmentalists oppose it in part because they say the use of more fossil fuels adds to global warming, but still, the president hasn't talked much about the climate change part.

Is it because Republicans keep talking about the much- needed jobs the pipeline would create, or is the issue just too hot to handle so the talk back question for think morning. Why is climate change such a hot-button issue? Facebook.com/carolcnn. I'll read your comments later this hour.

Still to come, Newt Gingrich finally throwing in the towel, and we've asked our "Political Buzz" panel to name their favorite Newt moment of the campaign. Now, that should be good. That's coming up after a break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: It's 28 minutes past the hour. Checking our top stories now.

Republican Congressman Paul Ryan is getting a chilly reception at Georgetown University where he is now speaking. More than 90 professors and administrators signed a letter accusing Ryan of misusing Catholic teachings because Ryan is Catholic to justify his cuts to social programs. Ryan addressed those concerns moments ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REPRESENTATIVE PAUL RYAN (R), WISCONSIN: The overarching threat to our whole society today is the exploding federal debt. The Holy Father himself, Pope Benedict, has charged governments, communities and individuals running up high debt levels are, quote, "living at the expense of future generations and living in untruth," unquote. We in this country, we still have a window of time before a debt-fuelled economic crisis becomes inevitable.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Ryan says the poor deserve help, but says big government makes people depend on handouts. He said instead help should come from neighbors, churches and local governments.

Guilty, that's the verdict for former Liberian President Charles Taylor. An International Court said he helped Sierra Leone rebels commit war crimes. Taylor is scheduled to be sentenced next month.

Attorneys for John Edwards are attacking the credibility of his former aide this morning. Andrew Young is the government star witness in the trial against Edwards. He's accused of using political donations to cover up an affair.

"Political Buzz" is your rapid fire look at the best political topics of the day. Three questions, 30 seconds on the clock. Playing with us today, Sirius XM radio host and comedian and all around smart guy, Pete Dominick on the left, CNN contributor, Will Cain, another smart guy on the right, and Chris Moody, you too, from Yahoo! News is in the middle. Welcome to all of you.

CHRIS MOODY, POLITICAL REPORTER, YAHOO! NEWS: Thank you.

PETE DOMINICK, RADIO TALK SHOW HOST, SIRIUS XM: Thanks Carol.

WILL CAIN, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Thanks.

COSTELLO: Ok, first question, CNN affiliate KIRO TV in Seattle quotes a source who said Secret Service agents got wasted in El Salvador ahead of President Obama's visit there last year. They partied with strippers. And they took the strippers to their hotel rooms and even said we do this all the time. Don't worry about it.

The Secret Service is offering no comment this morning to CNN, but the question for you, is this more evidence of a cultural problem -- Will?

CAIN: Yes. I think so. It shouldn't come as a surprise. When we heard about the Colombian incident, you know, the fact that 11-plus guys decided to venture into the world of prostitution. I can promise you this. It wasn't a spur of the moment decision. It wasn't 11 guys sitting around saying, hey you know what, there's nothing on TV I've got an idea.

This was something that kind of manifested over time. That being said, I would say be careful about this. Because I would like to know when are these guys on and off duty? Are they always on duty when they go overseas? Is it 100 percent of the time you are on duty when president is there or not there? How far in advance of his arrival? Because the truth is at some point these guys are regular human beings as well.

COSTELLO: Chris?

MOODY: I think one of the biggest problems the Secret Service might have is a flood of applications. This sounds like a really fun place to work, but that's the problem. It's not supposed to be a fun place to work. This is the United States Secret Service, not Sterling Cooper. So these guys, I mean, with the Secret Service really going to need to implement some real policy changes here and it's really going to take some time for I think this culture to change and certainly some restraint as well.

COSTELLO: Pete?

DOMINICK: No. I mean, listen, these are guys whose job it is to protect the President from -- from getting killed, from -- keeping him from being safe. That would be like me saying you know because Will Cain may or may not like to take a bath with rubber duckies, is that a sign of his ability to leave his childhood behind?

No, no, it's not. These guys deserve to blow off some steam, not -- not condoning any way getting prostitutes, but -- but, you know, when they are so focused all the time, in their free time they might do some crazy things. They are security guys, by the way these aren't diplomats. You can imagine these kind of thing may happen from time to time.

It's not going to anymore though I'm imagining.

COSTELLO: Hopefully not.

Second question. Now, President Obama -- President Obama is on the cover of "Rolling Stone." He told the magazine's founder that climate change likely will be part of his campaign in 2012. Climate change is an emotionally charged issue and I'm just wondering this morning why is it such a hot-button issue? Pete?

DOMINICK: Why? Why is it a hot button issue? Carol because the button is getting hotter, that's why, because the earth -- because we had a snow storm on Halloween, because a hurricane made it to New York, because the oil industry decided to launch a disinformation campaign paralleling (inaudible) the tobacco industry.

Because if President Obama wants to actually pass any kind of legislation the Supreme Court will -- will strike it down saying it doesn't -- it's not covered under the Commerce Clause and then we're going to have to ship everything by sea anyway because that's all we're going to have.

That's why it's a hot-button issue.

COSTELLO: Holy cow. Will?

CAIN: You didn't need an explanation, you got an illustration there with Pete. I would say it's a hot-button issue, because this is like religious belief, it's zealotry. We can't move on to debate over whether or not man is causing climate change move from there to talk about whether or not man can do anything to reduce carbon emissions to move from there and to ask whether or not if it's even worth the cost. And if we could reduce the carbon emissions, if it's worth the cost.

We can't have these debates because this debate exists in the realm of religious zealotry. Thought process and critical thinking, shuts off at the moment you start talking about anything beyond a recognition that man is causing climate change.

COSTELLO: Chris?

MOODY: You know, I'm taking the President's comments with a grain of salt. This is an election year. The economy is at the top of all the public opinion polls, and climate change is often at the bottom. I cannot imagine that President Obama is going to give this more than just lip service on the campaign trail. He's not going to use the political capital that it takes to pass forward a big piece of legislation in this election year. It's just not going to happen.

He may mention it a little bit, but this is going to be an economy-driven campaign and that's going to be the main focus. COSTELLO: Ok. On to your "Buzzer Beater" now, 20 seconds each. Newt Gingrich giving up -- he's giving up the ghost next week, he's supporting Mitt Romney. You won't have Newt to kick around anymore.

What I want from you, guys, is to name your favorite Newt moment of the entire campaign. Chris?

MOODY: There were so many and you know, Newt liked to be kicked around I think a little bit he like to play that game, but I -- I remember it was all encapsulated so well I believe it was the Arizona debate when the moderator asked all the candidates to say -- to define themselves in one word. And Newt kind of smirked a little bit, looked and he said "cheerful". And the whole Press Corps erupted, not because they were -- not because they were laughing at him, but because they knew that deep down it was really true.

COSTELLO: Will?

CAIN: Mine also comes from a debate, no surprise. Newt shined or -- or was tarnished in every single debate. It was his moments. After he kind of got after John King for asking him about his personal life and scored a ton of political points, Wolf Blitzer asked him about it again and he tried that same trick or he tried to use Wolf Blitzer as his proxy to play the victim and win political points but Wolf wouldn't let him and came right back at him and said, "No, Newt, you brought this into the debate". And it was a good moment.

COSTELLO: Yes, especially for Wolf Blitzer. Pete?

DOMINICK: Yes. I think -- I think Will Cain might be on "The Situation Room" this afternoon. My favorite -- my favorite moment, Carol, come on. All right, let's start at the beginning when he was honest and said Paul Ryan's budget was right-wing social engineering. What about when he talked about his gazillionaire salary for being a historian.

Recently at the NRA convention he said everybody in the world has a God-given right to own a gun. I mean, I don't have enough time for one moment, Carol. He will be missed as a comedian, for sure.

COSTELLO: Oh, geez. Chris, Pete, Will, thanks for playing today. We appreciate it.

DOMINICK: Thanks Carol.

CAIN: Thank you.

MOODY: Thank you.

COSTELLO: Ok we mentioned that the Secret Service has a new scandal to deal with, this one out of El Salvador. KIRO TV in Seattle reporting that -- Secret Service agents there got drunk and partied with strippers.

Well we just got a -- we got a statement from the Secret Service. I'm going to read it to you now, from the Secret Service. "The recent investigation in Colombia has generated several new stories that contain allegations by mostly unnamed sources. Any information brought to our attention that can be assessed as credible will be followed up in an appropriate manner", end quote.

And that's all they sent us. We'll have more throughout the day on CNN.

Coming up on NEWSROOM, if you are afraid of heights, wow, this next story will give you the chills. A daredevil falling from the heavens. We'll talk with an extreme test jump pilot who is planning to jump from 23 miles up in space.

Plus, could age actually be an advantage in a tight job market? Some say yes when it comes to baby boomers. I'll tell you why.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Just about 40 minutes past the hour. Welcome back.

Kim Kardashian is on the guest list for the White House Correspondents Dinner. So what's up with that? Coming up this Saturday and it looks like it's going to be a star-studded event. Every year this event is turning into more of a circus, you know a star-like circus I guess.

"Showbiz Tonight" host A.J. Hammer is in New York.

So, it's amazing how many celebrities will be at that dinner this year.

A.J. HAMMER, HLN HOST, "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT": Yes. And for Kim I don't know if the reality cameras are going to be allowed follow her around but Miss Kardashian has been invited to the Correspondents' Dinner again, Carol, and she's bringing her momager, of course, Kris Jenner will be there with her.

The trend of celebrities attending this dinner which really seems to peak during the Democratic administrations and drop off during the Republican administrations has been going on since the late '80s.

But this isn't the White House doing. These are people, who were invited by the media organizations who are paying big bucks for these tables -- not by the White House. So in the past, we've seen stars ranging from Ozzy Osbourne to Larry Flynt to yes, Kim Kardashian. And this year, in addition to Kim, you're expecting to see George Clooney, Daniel Day Lewis, Stevie Wonder, Martha Stewart, Kelly Ripa, Viola Davis, Claire Danes, the cast from "The Hunger Games" and, Carol, even Lindsay Lohan made the list this year. Quite a party, quite a party.

COSTELLO: Ok. I mean, I can remember the days when you just brought some boring congressmen to the dinner. But I guess those days are gone.

HAMMER: Yes.

COSTELLO: Let's talk about Carrie Bradshaw's townhouse from "Sex and the City". It's incredible how much this thing sold for.

HAMMER: Yes, nearly $10 million, $9.85 million to be exact, Carol. The facade and the stoop of this building has been a destination for fans who go on the "Sex and the City" tour in New York City. Fans who don't really seem to be bothered by the fact that the building actually exists in the West Village. Of course, on the show it exists on the Upper East Side.

Well, the new owners get four floors, a basement, six fireplaces, herringbone floors and some really terrific mouldings. However Carol, I have to say, after checking out the listing, I would bet it still needs some work because I noticed there were no photos of the bathrooms or the kitchen. In my experience of real estate shopping that implies they need to be upgraded.

And as crazy as that number may sound to everybody, Carol, for people who don't live in New York City the price actually does seem appropriate for this market. But I would bet that "Sex and the City" connection probably hurt the market for this townhouse rather than helped it because really who wants to have tourists trying to look into your windows a few times a day? It's not like that's going to stop.

COSTELLO: Especially on the Upper East Side.

HAMMER: No, no, it's in the village.

COSTELLO: Oh I'm sorry. It's in the village.

HAMMER: In the show it's on the Upper East Side. You see we have --

COSTELLO: Oh, I got it backwards.

HAMMER: -- we had this belief here. Yes.

COSTELLO: Sorry. I didn't watch "Sex and the City". I just don't get out enough A.J. I don't.

HAMMER: I'm sending you the DVDs.

COSTELLO: Thank you so much, A.J. Hammer.

Want information on everything breaking in the entertainment world? A.J.'s got it tonight on "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT" at 11:00 Eastern on HLN.

If you've been to a sporting event lately you probably know about the kiss cam. It shows fans kissing on a video board and usually ends by making fun of a couple of guys who are fans of the visiting team. Oakland A's pitcher Brandon McCarthy does not think that is funny. After a recent game McCarthy went on Twitter and he tweeted "They put two guys on the kiss cam tonight. What hilarity. By hilarity I mean offensive homophobia. Enough with this stupid trend."

McCarthy told the "San Francisco Chronicle" that you can't assume gay people who come to a game are comfortable with the gag. Although in my experience it's not two gay guys, it's just two guys they want to make fun of. But that's what Mr. McCarthy says and we're listening to this morning.

Coming up on NEWSROOM, a test jump pilot prepares for the jump of his life from 120,000 feet up. He would break a record falling at the speed of sound if he is successful. We'll talk to this crazy person next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Checking our top stories now.

Republican Congressman Paul Ryan getting a chilly reception at Georgetown University where he's been speaking for much of this hour. Protesters unfurled a banner that said "Stop the war on the poor." They are assembled outside of his lecture echoing complaints voiced in a letter from more than 90 members of the faculty. They accuse Ryan of misusing Catholic teachings to justify his cuts to social programs.

Rupert Murdoch now admitting to a phone-hacking cover up at his "News of the World" tabloid but says his company was actually the victim. And while Murdoch wouldn't name the people responsible, he did apologize for not taking more control of the situation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RUPERT MURDOCH, CEO, NEWS CORPORATION: I have to admit that some newspapers are closer to my heart than others, but I also have to say that I failed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Dozens have been arrested in the scandal which forced Murdoch to close one of his best-selling newspapers.

And there's not much suspense about the top of tonight's NFL draft. The Indianapolis Colts have said they will take quarterback Andrew Luck with the first pick. Washington Redskins are expected to take another quarterback, Robert Griffin III, with the next pick.

Felix Baumgartner is not like you and me. He's an extreme sky diver who is aiming to set a world record with a jump starting at 120,000 feet up into space. Think about that for a moment, 120,000 feet. That's like 82.5 Empire State Buildings stacked on top of one another.

This test jump pilot has already leapt from a space capsule at an altitude of more than 71,000 feet. But if he is successful at 120,000 feet, he will become the first parachutist to break the sound barrier. That's how fast his body would be traveling.

Felix Baumgartner is in London. So how do you prepare for such a leap?

FELIX BAUMGARTNER, TEST JUMP PILOT: Well, we have been preparing for five years in Red Bull Stratos just for this mission. And I had to become an astronaut to do a lot of practice in the capsule, trying to make sure I can push all the buttons in the right order.

Also had to become a gas balloonist. We did a lot of practice jumps in the sky with the suit, pressurized and non-pressurized. And we did also some unmanned balloon launches and three weeks ago we did a very successful manned balloon launch. Right now we're all confident, we have a very positive energy right. And we want to keep that momentum and take it forward to the next jump.

COSTELLO: So you're going to jump out of this capsule which is 120,000 feet up into the air, and you have to fall head first.

I would much rather fall feet first myself, but I'm wondering why do you have to fall head first?

BAUMGARTNER: Well, the reason is we want to break the speed of sound so you have to be aerodynamically perfect and that requires a head first position right off to the exit.

COSTELLO: And how fast will your -- I mean your body is going to be traveling what, more than 700 miles per hour? How will that feel?

BAUMGARTNER: Well, I don't know, because I still didn't travel 700 miles an hour, I only did 380 miles an hour in the last test jump. The big problem is you do not feel how fast you're traveling because you have no sensation of speed. You don't have reference points in the air. The air doesn't make any sound at all and you don't -- your suit is not flapping because it's pressurized so you travel so fast but you don't feel it.

COSTELLO: And you have this special kind of suit that actually stiffens as you fall through the air. Explain that to us.

BAUMGARTNER: If you want to go up to an altitude of 120,000 feet you need to have a pressurized suit. The reason why is because, if you cross the Armstrong line which is about 60,000 feet high, the water in your blood starts boiling and the pressure keeps the pressure with you and it's not going to happen to you.

But also at the same time it's very limiting. You have a lack of movement so it's hard to sky dive in a suit like this. It's hard to exit the capsule in a suit so that requires a lot of practicing and that's what I did in the past.

COSTELLO: So I understand you have -- your suit is equipped with three parachutes in case the first two don't work. I mean, is any of that going through your mind as you're falling? I mean, what are you thinking as you're falling that fast?

BAUMGARTNER: I don't even think about these three parachutes because I totally trust my skills, I trust my equipment and last but not least I trust my team. They did a tremendous job the last couple of years, and there's not much that you can think of in free fall because you have to be so focused on what you have to do.

Just keep in mind when I exit that capsule, right before I exit that capsule, I have to go through 45 steps to get out of the capsule safely. This is a checklist, a very sophisticated check list that we have developed over the last couple of years, and it works.

COSTELLO: I hope it does.

Thank you very much for joining us, fascinating stuff, and we'll be watching.

BAUMGARTNER: Welcome.

COSTELLO: Felix Baumgartner, thanks so much.

Coming up next, the latest in our "Age against the Machine" series. We'll tag along with some baby boomers as they get tips on navigating the job market.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Baby boomers, an estimated 77 million Americans born after World War II. They are now set to enter retirement, but those who decide to keep on working are finding a very different job market, one where age and experience can help and sometimes hurt. Christine Romans has more on our series "Age against the Machine".

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

E VON MCCANTS, JOB SEEKER: I'm not trying to move up the ladder.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: E Von McCants is a 27-year- old telecom veteran with an MBA, a baby boomer who's been looking for a job since July.

MCCANTS: If I had to describe how it's been going, well, it's not been very fruitful.

ROMANS: She's followed all the advice about networking, the resume and online job searches.

MCCANTS: I spend a lot of time looking at jobs, looking and saying is this something I really want to do? Do I have the skills that this employer is looking for.

ROMANS: The good news for E Von, the jobless rate for boomers is actually lower than the national average. The bad news, once out of work it's harder for a boomer to get a new job.

Men aged 50-61 are 39 percent less likely to get a job each month than younger workers. Women, 18 percent less likely. For even older workers that number jumps to 50 percent.

Glen Grossman found himself in Von McCants' position about ten years ago. GLEN GROSSMAN, DINOSAUR SECURITIES: I actually had no real opportunities. I got very depresses about it, and, you know, you've got to take control.

ROMANS: Now he is the one hiring. With his background in finance and accounting he started Dinosaur Securities, pun intended.

You've got basically four generations that are working for you then? Is that right?

GROSSMAN: I think more generations -- 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s.

ROMANS: Yes. It is hard to be an out-of-work boomer, but he says ideas, contacts and sales are what contacts, not age. Emphasize that.

GROSSMAN: It's not about age. It's about working and just forget about, you know, gender, age, anything like that.

ROMANS: Recruiters see better days ahead for boomers. Boomers have experience and less turnover.

FORD MEYERS, AUTHOR, "GET THE JOB YOU WANT": And that means ultimately less cost for the employer, so it's good to have some adult supervision around the office and employers are finally beginning to realize that.

MCCANT: All right. Then, you know, let's start over again.

ROMANS: Von McCants is an adult ready to supervise again.

MCCANTS: It's a New Year and I feel like ok, it's a new Year, a lot of new things are going to happen.

ROMANS: Christine Romans, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: We asked you to talk back on one of the big stories of the day. The question is climate -- why is climate change such a hot- button issue? I will read your responses after a break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: We asked to you talk back on one of the big stories of the day. The question this morning. "Why is climate change such a hot-button issue?"

This from Paul. "I don't know how many droughts, tornadoes, overall warmer temperatures, disappearing ice shelves and extreme weather occurrence it's going to take before some of us realize perhaps there may be something to this climate change nonsense."

This from Gwen. "As a student of environmental science I can say that anyone who is willing to gamble with the condition of the planet on which we live does not have the best interest of the human race in mind.

And this from Ryan. Even if America was absolutely pure, China and other countries would just keep polluting, this is a diversionary tactic for the election in an effort to shift focus from the dwindling economy and soaring gas prices."

Keep the conversation going. Facebook.com/carolcnn.

Thanks as always for your comments.

"CNN NEWSROOM" continues with Kyra Phillips.