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American Morning: Wake Up Call
Bachmann Joins the Race; Arrest Warrants for Gadhafi; Casey Anthony Trial Resumes; Murder Suspect Didn't Want to Wait for His Trial
Aired June 27, 2011 - 05:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ALI VELSHI, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. It's Monday, June 27th. Thanks for joining me for CNN's premiere of A.M. WAKE-UP CALL.
I'm Ali Velshi, joining you this morning from our New York studios. It is 5:00 a.m. on the East Coast.
Here's a quick look at the news that you are going to hear about today:
Starting with two nuclear power plants in Nebraska -- they're in the path of a historic flood on the Mississippi River. They could be damaged. At one facility, a layer of protection has failed, but a spokesman says the plant was built with that kind of scenario in mind, and it is still protected.
We'll talk more about this with Rob Marciano in just a couple of moments.
And just a quick note about the most covered murder trial in America right now. Some kind of legal issue brought the Casey Anthony trial to a screeching halt. Anthony's lawyer says he expects things to get going again today in Orlando, Florida. Before the delay, he said the defense would rest Wednesday or Thursday. That may be delayed. Anthony, as you have likely heard, is accused of killing her 2-year- old daughter.
And a murder suspect in Oklahoma apparently didn't want to wait for his trial. He managed to overpower a couple of deputies and bust out of jail. Authorities found him yesterday hiding in some weeds in a pond. He didn't put up a fight. The man had been arrested for allegedly killing his ex-girlfriend and her two children last year.
You're also likely to hear about arrest warrant being issued for Moammar Gadhafi. International judges in The Hague are mulling it over right now for crimes against humanity. The chief prosecutor at the International Criminal Court says he can link Gadhafi, his son, and his brother-in-law to widespread attacks on Libyan civilians.
These warrants always come after a war or conflict. Not during. So, it could be looking at a first here. And, of course, you'll hear it first right here on CNN.
Congresswoman Michele Bachmann, as up today, she is, in her word, in it to win it. She officially enters the race for president. She will do it in Iowa. She was born there.
Listen to the interesting question Chris Wallace asked her.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHRIS WALLACE, FOX NEWS: Are you a flake?
REP. MICHELE BACHMANN (R-MN), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Well, I think that would be insulting to say something like that because I'm a serious person.
WALLACE: But you understand when I say that, that that's what the rap on you is?
BACHMANN: Well, what I would say is that I am 55 years old. I've been married 33 years. I'm not only a lawyer. I have a post- doctorate degree in federal tax law from William and Mary. I've worked in serious scholarship and worked in the United States federal tax court.
My husband and I raised five kids. We've raised 23 foster children. We've applied ourselves to education reform.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELSHI: And there's nothing flakey about this new poll. Look at this. It shows Bachmann giving Mitt Romney a run for his money in Iowa right now. Remember, she lives near there and she's from Iowa.
The third place finisher Herman Cain isn't even close to the top two in this particular poll.
And New York's new gay marriage law takes effect in less than a month from now. You think people here in the city are excited? Let's see.
(VIDEO CLIP PLAYS)
VELSHI: This year's gay pride parade had some extra enthusiasm, thanks to the vote in Albany to legalize same-sex marriage.
So, how about it, New Jersey? Are you next?
Here's the governor.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. CHRIS CHRISTIE (R), NEW JERSEY: Our state we're going to continue to pursue civil unions. I am not a fan of same-sex marriage. It's not something that I support. I believe marriage should be between a man and a woman. That's my view, and that will be the view of the state because I wouldn't sign a bill that -- like the one that was in New York.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELSHI: It's Chris Christie, the outspoken governor of New Jersey, who many in the United States would like to run for president.
President Obama is officially opposed to same-sex marriage as well. But he says his views are evolving. More on that.
Let's go to now to Hong Kong, where it is already happy hour, but they've already seen what this business day is going to look like.
Anna Coren joins us live from there.
Good morning, Anna. Good to see you.
ANNA COREN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A very good morning to you, Ali.
Yes, concerns of Greece's finances continuing to drive world stock movement. Generally, a down day on markets here in Asia today, with Tokyo and Hong Kong stocks closing down about 1 percent. But China's Shanghai composite bucked the trend, closing up for the day. Well, that's on the hope that China's financial tightening is nearing an end.
And European stocks also feeling the pressure from concerns of Greece. Europe's stock markets have been open for a couple of hours now. The FTSE and DAX are both in the red so far. Just a few hours ago, parliament begins debate on a new austerity plan, and tens of thousands of protesters are expected to hit the streets with parliament cannot agree on a term for a new bailout this week. It could send Greece over the edge and to default.
And, finally, Ali, U.S. futures are trading flat, but could push lower if losses in European markets continue.
VELSHI: All right. Of course, Greece is going to be the thing we're going to be watching very, very closely today.
Anna, a lot of data breaches we've been reporting on. Recently, apparently, there's a group that says it's behind us.
COREN: They are. They are claiming to be behind it. They're also calling it quits after almost two months of wreaking havoc.
LulzSec, the self-proclaimed cyber-hacking group says it's disbanding after just 50 days of targeting companies and governments. Well, no (ph) reason given in the announcement posted on the LulzSec Web site. Well, the secretive group claims it brought down the Brazilian government earlier this month, and recently hacked the CIA site as well.
Well, their reason, Ali just because they could. That's generally the reason I give when I leave my clothes on the floor or don't do the dishes. But, there you go.
VELSHI: Not when you take down an entire system.
And I want to know if you're scarred by this as I am. This is the world's ugliest dog contest.
Not sure if you have an ugly pageants like this in Hong Kong. We certainly do in America. But ugly dogs are important.
Look at this. The contest took place in northern California. Check this out. The winner is Yoda, a 14-year-old dog. So purely hideous, you can't even tell what breed it is.
Your thoughts?
COREN: A Chihuahua. Come on, Ali. You don't have a dog.
VELSHI: It's a Chihuahua. I've never seen a Chihuahua that looked like that.
COREN: It's a Chihuahua. I know. I know. He's a bit on the unfortunate side, isn't he? Not so aesthetically pleasing as a dog probably should be.
But I'll take him home.
(CROSSTALK)\
VELSHI: Looks aren't everything. That's -- I'm living proof of that.
COREN: That's right. That's exactly right.
VELSHI: Great to see you. We'll see you all this week, this morning.
Anna Coren in Hong Kong.
Hey, let's take a look at what weather is like in the United States right now and for those of you who are getting ready to travel. Rob Marciano is in the weather center in Atlanta.
Rob, any flight delays this morning?
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Well, not yet. But we've got a cluster of thunderstorms that are going to be rolling across parts of the Midwest if you are connecting in places like Chicago. I think we'll see some action there. This thunderstorm watch is in effect for the next few hours. You can see some gusty winds with that, St. Louis as well heading in through Louisville. That's going to be an issue.
So, these are the areas that we think we'll see some problems today. Likely to see major delays over an hour in Chicago and St. Louis, as mentioned. And low clouds and some fog across D.C. So, that will be a slow start this morning.
In the afternoon, if you are flying to Detroit, big Delta hub there. Delays likely. Also, afternoon thunderstorm expected in Atlanta and some fog across here in San Francisco.
Stubborn front moving across the mid-section of the country. Above it, it's fairly pleasant. Temperatures will be in the lower 80s. And below it, it will continue to be steamy, although not quite as record- breaking hot as it was the past couple of weeks.
Ali, I like that shirt you got going there. I glad you got the memo. This is the inaugural purple shirt day of WAKE-UP AMERICAN MORNING.
VELSHI: You know, it's a little early. I'm not fully dressed yet. As the show continues, I'll put more clothes on. Good to see you, as always. My friend, Rob Marciano, in the weather center.
And to get you ahead of the curve this morning, here are the stories -- three stories to keep an eye on for this week.
NASA is going to be busy with space shuttle preparations. It's holding a news conference on Tuesday about the July 8th final launch of the space shuttle Atlantis. You're going to want, you know, to be around for that. That is the last space shuttle launch that is scheduled forever.
Plus, Wednesday, you're going to hear about the home sales, how home sales have been doing in the United States, from the National Association of Realtors. Economists are predicting a bump in pending home sales. That's homes that are contracted for sale.
And the Tour de France begins on Saturday. The race covers 2,000 miles and lasts more than three weeks. Doping accusations have littered the tour in the last couple of years. We'll, of course, keep you posted on how it goes.
OK. Remember the famous Michael Jackson jacket that he wore in "Thriller?" Well, it gets sold to the highest bidder. But wait until you hear how much someone paid for it. We'll tell you on the other side.
And, now, I'm going to read you a quote. See if you can figure out who said this. Quote, "Everybody back in the business days abuse the -- didn't abuse, but they whipped the kids when they done wrong, and now, you can't do that these days because when you whip a kid now, they call 911 on you."
Think about it. Drink some more coffee. I'll tell you who said it after the break.
It's nine minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: People have talked about your alleged treatment of Michael Jackson. Some of the family members, even him, said that you were abusive in a sense that you pushed him too far.
JOE JACKSON, MICHAEL JACKSON'S FATHER: Don, no, no, no, no. I know what you're trying to do. I ain't going there.
Everybody back in those days didn't abuse the kids. They whipped the kids when they did wrong. And now, you can't do that these days because if you whip a kid now, they call 911 on you.
But if you don't train them to do right towards people and how to conduct themselves when they're young, you don't do that, you're going to have some kids in prison.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELSHI: And on Twitter, Chadcanrockyou (ph) got it right. That is our quote of the day. Joe Jackson, father of Michael, Janet, Jermaine, Tito, and other members of that famous family, talking to Don Lemon. Mr. Jackson delivered our quote of the day.
All right. Time to talk politics. What can you expect today?
Joining me now is Tim Farley. He's the host of "Morning Briefing" on Sirius XM POTUS live from Washington.
Good morning, Tim. What's biggest on your agenda today? I know we got Michele Bachmann. We just heard her talking to Chris Wallace. She's announcing her bid for presidency today.
TIM FARLEY, "MORNING BRIEFING" - SIRIUS XM POTUS: (INAUDIBLE) conversation. Good morning, Ali.
Yes. The launch is today in Waterloo. It's 10:00 this morning Eastern Time, 9:00 local time, at the Snowden House in Waterloo, Iowa. She was born in Waterloo, not in the Snowden. But it's a historic building, beautiful building.
And she will make it official, although people who are watching CNN today, a week or two ago noted that she then she was going to be running. So, it's not a big surprise. But today she will get into it.
The poll you mentioned in Iowa which indicated she was neck and neck pretty much statistically with Mitt Romney, who is presumed frontrunner right now in the Republican Party. Fascinating if you go back a couple of years at the time, John Edwards and Giuliani were the clear favorites to win the nomination, we know how that's turned out, in 2008.
The other big story is President Barack Obama today meets separately with the majority leader of the House, Senator Harry Reid this morning, and then the minority leader Mitch McConnell this evening. And that is going to be a story people are watching closely as the president now talking a very personal interest in what is taking place in these debt and deficit talks.
VELSHI: We got a little over a month before we run out of money. August 8th is the date that the treasury secretary says we're in trouble. Boy, there's a lot of posturing. We're not moving closer to an agreement on raising that debt ceiling. We almost seem to be moving farther apart.
Your sense of it, Tim -- are we moving closer to a deal?
FARLEY: Boy, I'll tell you what? Listening to the different people talk about it yesterday, it's hard to tell if there's going to be any movement. But, again, the president getting into this indicates that there is going to be something coming out of it. Nobody is going to be happy likely.
I think the other thing that's interesting, Ali, is when you look at this new "A.P." (ph) poll is that Americans by and large are not overly concerned right now, and I'm not sure if that's the fact of the time of the year or if it's the subject that's a little bit out of what they would normally think of and talk about over the dinner table. But, still, there's got to be some kind of solution at some point. It's just a question of who is going to give more and how they're going to frame it, which is, I think, part of the big issue.
Naturally, today's meetings were a big part of that.
Now, it's all about the Senate, too. There's nobody from the House, not the speaker, not the minority leader, nobody else in the House. They got to make it happen in the Senate.
If they get it from there, then they can probably do whatever they can do through the House, (INAUDIBLE).
VELSHI: Tim, good to talk to you. Thanks for joining us this morning.
Tim Farley is host of XM Sirius POTUS Radio.
This is mindboggling. I just got off a plane last night. I'm all about the planes. Engineers are working on a concept plane that could fly four times the speed of sound. It is called the Zero Emotion Hypersonic Transport. Note the "zero emission" part. It makes the Concord seem like a riding lawn mower.
Just to give you an idea how fast this thing would be. You take off from Tokyo, watch five episodes of "Three's Company" and be in Paris. Amazing. Just don't expect to see this thing in the sky for a while. It might be ready by 2050.
History has shown we're not as into fast planes as we think we are.
And the Janet Jackson -- the Jackson, all right, the jacket Michael Jackson wore in his "Thriller" video fetched $1.8 million at an auction over the weekend, $1.8 million. It is perhaps one of the most famous jackets in the world. It sold two years to the day of Michael Jackson's death.
The auction also included memorabilia from Elvis, Frank Sinatra and Bob Dillon. But M.J.'s items brought in the biggest cash. Even one of his famous crystal covered gloves sold for $330,000.
I remember being in my high school hallways, people wearing those jackets all the time.
OK. How thorough is the TSA? Ask the 95-year-old cancer patient in a wheelchair, this one, who had to take off her depends.
Seventeen minutes after the hour.
By the way, I want to show you this. It is -- on your way to work this morning, be sure to bring along your favorite pair of shades. It is National Sunglasses Day. So, go ahead and look cool as you're driving to the office. The sun is actually coming out. So, you should be fine.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VELSHI: Twenty minutes after the hour.
Let me walk you through what should be on your radar today:
The highly addictive Casey Anthony trial resumes at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time this morning.
Representative Michele Bachmann makes her bid for the White House official at 10:00 a.m. Eastern in Iowa.
President Obama meets today with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell to discuss increasing the debt ceiling.
And Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is out with the State Department's Trafficking in Persons report. That's at 2:00 p.m. Eastern today. The report ranks countries by their efforts to tackle slavery.
All right. Time to go around the world. I want to tell you what's going on.
We've got some news in from Libya right now. CNN has confirmed that about 100 kilometers or 62 miles southwest of Tripoli, there's been some heavy fighting between government forces and rebels. The town is near al-Hanan (ph). And that is according tie journalist who witnessed the battle.
NATO warplanes struck a rocket launcher system that was mounted on a government truck near the town. Casualty reports are not available right now, but the reports are that the fighting is being waged with heavy artillery.
Let's go to Zain Verjee right now in London.
Zain, we are expecting something very unusual to happen this morning. The International Court taking up the issue of an arrest warrant for Moammar Gadhafi.
ZAIN VERJEE, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Hi, Ali.
This is a really huge deal. It's very rare for the International Criminal Court to issue an arrest warrant for crimes against humanity as a conflict is going on. So, who is the target here? Moammar Gadhafi. His sons say Saif al-Islam, as well as the head of intelligence, which is Gadhafi's brother-in-law. His name is al- Sanusi.
Essentially, the prosecutor is accusing them of widespread attacks on civilians, of sniping, of using rape as a weapon of war, giving the soldiers Viagra and saying, you know what, go out and attack women.
So, what has to happen today is that three judges are going to look at the evidence and they're going to see if that supports a widespread systematic killing of civilians, and that is what is really key. A lot of critics, Ali, say that the problem here is it could just make things worse and harden Gadhafi's stance.
VELSHI: It's unusual also in the fact that usually these things come after the war, after a lot of research is done. This is unheard.
VERJEE: Exactly.
VELSHI: We'll be following that closely.
Zain, I just got back literally last night from France. I thought this E. coli business was limited to stuff in Germany, and now, you tell me that it's in France. Did I eat anything I shouldn't have eaten?
VERJEE: Well, if you went to Bordeaux and you ate bean sprouts that were sprinkled on gazpacho, you may have a problem. I know you were in Paris having something entirely different, but there were eight people that got sick.
They ended up going to a school recreation event, and they were served gazpacho. And they went to the hospital and it's been determined that they have the same kind of strain of E. coli as was found in Germany.
So, if you're traveling to Europe, if you're traveling to France, you know, just know that it's limited to Bordeaux, and they are trying to trace the source of this. But you are OK with croissants, (INAUDIBLE).
VELSHI: We both -- yes. My stuff wasn't in danger. We'll stay on top of that, too. But we'll be back to you with the Gadhafi stuff.
Zain, we'll see you on AMERICAN MORNING. Good to see you as always.
All right. Now, a story I cannot believe I'm telling you. You know that the TSA is trying to cut back on those intense pat-downs of children. This is the Transportation Security Administration in the United States. Well, maybe it should focus on elderly cancer patients in wheelchairs next. I'll tell you about that.
A Florida woman says TSA agents made her frail 95-year-old mother take off her adult diaper as part of her security screening. It happened at a regional airport that serves Fort Walton Beach and Destin, Florida.
Here's what the daughter told CNN.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JEAN WEBER, HER ELDERLY MOM SEARCHED BY TSA (via telephone): They said they felt something suspicious on her leg, and they couldn't determine what it was, so they took her into a closed room that was private, and I was left outside, and they came out and told me that it had something to do with her depends, that it was wet, and it was firm, and they couldn't check it thoroughly. She would have to remove it.
And I was -- I said I don't have an extra one with me. Normally, this isn't a problem. And she said that she couldn't complete the security check without the depends off.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELSHI: Wow.
Here's what the TSA told us. Quote, "While every person and item must be screened before entering the secure boarding area, TSA works with passengers to resolve security alarms in a respectful and sensitive manner. We have reviewed the circumstances involving this screening and determined that our officers acted professionally and according to proper procedure." Wow.
All right. We'll take a quick break. WAKE-UP CALL is back right after this. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VELSHI: And Christine just talking to me.
Good morning. It is Monday, June 27th. It is half an hour. It's 30 minutes after the hour.
Thanks for joining me for CNN's premiere of A.M. WAKE-UP CALL. I'm Ali Velshi, joining you live from New York this morning.
This morning, 15 children and eight adults are recovering from school bus accident near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. They were on their way to camp yesterday when the bus slammed into a Cadillac and flipped over. Police say an elderly driver jumped into the bus's path. Three of the children were pinned inside. They had to be extricated.
Flood waters are threatening two nuclear power plants in Nebraska. A barrier protecting one of them has already collapsed. A spokesman there says the chances of the water getting to the reactor are close to zero. Officials say critical equipment at both plants is still protected.
And more than 3,000 homes in North Dakota have also been hit by floods, heavy rains and melting snow from North Dakota and Montana. They hit the state hard. The water level on the Souris River is higher than it's been in more than 130 years.
And as the election season gains speed, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie says he is still not running for president.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHRISTIE: I'm not a halfway kind of guy. So, if, in fact, I feel really strongly about someone, that that person would be the best president of the United States, that I'm going to get out there and go full force for that person. If I don't feel that way, I won't.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELSHI: The Republican says he'll go full force for the candidate he likes. But as we've discussed, he doesn't have a candidate he likes just yet.
And prices at the pump have dropped 11 cents in the past two weeks. The average now $3.63 a gallon. That's according to the Lundberg Survey. It's predicting another drop of 5 to 10 cents over the next few weeks in part because the government has released that oil from the strategic petroleum reserve. Time to talk money. Christine Romans joins me right now with a look at how markets here in the U.S. are doing this morning.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: This will flat this morning. So far, seven out of eight down weeks. So, people are really nervous about the pace of the recovery in the U.S., also Greece. It's interesting you mentioned that gas prices are going down. A lot of people are saying that's President Obama's new stimulus.
VELSHI: Right.
ROMANS: It's really the only thing that they can do right now. Also watching a CitiGroup story this morning, you guys. A $2.7 million is now the losses from that huge hack, 340,000 of CitiGroup customers. Perhaps, your credit cards were hacked. $2.7 million in losses, but Ali, the company says you're covered. They're going to cover those losses, but still, it speaks to security of all --
VELSHI: And we've had new hacks at electronic arts. Things like that. Hey, let's talk a little about mortgages. We continue to have a mortgage problem.
ROMANS: Right.
VELSHI: We continue to have foreclosures, but there's sort of a new twist to people who are walking away from their homes. They're not the people you'd expect. People who can't make their payments.
ROMANS: The strategic defaulter, and the profile is a little bit surprising. Experian ran these numbers. You know, now is that (ph) home prices at 2003 levels. The strategic defaulter is more likely to be somebody who has two mortgages or more, who makes more than $100,000 a year, who can pay the loan, but doesn't want to, and is current on 90 percent of their other bills. So, these are people who can pay but don't want to because the value of their home is now half of what the mortgage is.
VELSHI: All right. So, it's equivalent to buying a TV because you want it, and then, in typical fashion, the price of that TV goes down, but you bought it on credit, so you decide you're just not paying anymore.
ROMANS: You're not going to pay for it. VELSHI: Because it's cheaper --
ROMANS: And it's interesting, some of the data show that they're so backlogged on actual foreclosures, the chances of actually being thrown out of that house that you're not paying bills on are pretty nil at this point.
VELSHI: Yes.
ROMANS: It'll take 62 years at the current pace for New York to go through all of that --
VELSHI: Strategic defaulting hurts everybody else because --
ROMANS: I was surprised by the profile of the person.
VELSHI: Yes.
ROMANS: I would have thought maybe it was more like the subprime borrower, somebody who didn't have experience with mortgages, and that is not the case at all. These are financially savvy people with higher credit scores, higher credit scores who make more money.
VELSHI: All right. Christine, we will see you in about half hour on "American Morning."
ROMANS: Right.
VELSHI: Christine Romans.
All right. Get this. A one-armed baseball fan catches a foul ball. It's all on tape. That's ahead.
And today's word of the day that you must know is berm. You're going to be hearing about it a lot today. Find out what it means and why you need to know right after this short break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VELSHI: It is 36 minutes after the hour. Before the break, I told you that today's word of the day is berm. Webster's defines it as a narrow shell, path, or ledge typically at the top or bottom of a slope. It's in the news because a water-filled berm protecting a nuclear power plant in Nebraska from floodwaters collapsed yesterday, but the spokesman says the plant is secure.
OK. Time to talk sports as we will do every day this morning. Pablo Torre is a reporter for "Sports Illustrated." He joins us now from New York. Good morning, Pablo. Baseball catch by a man. It was a fly ball at a Yankees game. It happens. That's not the interesting part. What's the interesting part about this?
PABLO TORRE, REPORTER, SPORTS ILLUSTRATED: Well, the interesting part is that we talk in sports about one-handed catches, one-arm catches. The guy literally has one arm, and that's --
VELSHI: Right.
TORRE: Amazing. One of the most interesting and most (INAUDIBLE) in catches I've ever seen. I've seen a guy catch a ball with a baby in the other hand, in his beer cup, but this happens to be Staff Sergeant Michael Coacher, as it turns out, a national guardsman with 11 years of experience. He brings the ball in after losing his left arm in a rocket attack in Afghanistan in June of 2008.
And so, he's actually visiting Yankee Stadium here with some other wounded veterans, happens to pull out his hat and make this catch, and he gets the applause of the Yankee stadium faithful as you can see.
VELSHI: And that's his son who he lets take the ball out. So, the son gets to have the ball, but look at him. One arm, and he's high- fiving everybody. What a great, great -- you're right. We use the expression a lot. This really was one arm. All right. Let's talk about strikes. Let's talk about labor disputes. The NBA draft is over. The labor talks are going to heat up. How is this going to be different than what's going on in the NFL?
TORRE: Well, in the NBA, the problem is that it's much worse to be an NBA owner these days than an NFL owner. And, obviously, we're talking about billionaires here, but the problem is that the NBA is reporting that 22 of 30 NBA owners didn't make money. They actually lost money on the season this past year.
(INAUDIBLE), one of the NBA's better season because of all the intrigue, of course, starting LeBron James and that kind of thing, but the problem is that we need to expect the NBA owners here to dig in their heels. The NFL owners have a lot more money to play with, a lot more money in their coughers. And so, for the NBA fans and NFL fans, we don't have a JD NBA.
It's kind of a nightmare scenario, a lot of courtroom hearings, a lot of accounting to go over, and the NBA, unfortunately, we have to expect a longer, uglier labor dispute because the owners in that sport had just so much more to lose.
VELSHI: What's that mean for the sports season for fans?
TORRE: For fans, I hope they're ready to whip out a copy of black's law dictionary because we don't really know what it's like to have two lockouts simultaneously in two of the three major sports. And so, fans, you need to get ready for a season without an NBA. That's the bottom line here.
VELSHI: Wow.
TORRE: We may not have football. We may not have basketball, and that's a terrifying nightmare scenario, as I said, but for the NBA especially. These two sides are so far apart right now talking about matters of six figures and up. I mean, of nine figures and up really, really, it's tremendous. It's tremendous to call between them right now.
VELSHI: All right. Pablo, good to see you. Thanks very much for joining us. Pablo Torre is reporter with "Sports Illustrated."
And now, it's time to talk about what really is going to be the talk of the day. It's politics with our Washington bureau chief and political director, Sam Feist, my old friend.
Sam, I always knew you got up this early. Didn't know you'd get up just to talk to me on TV this morning.
Good morning, Sam. Good to see you.
SAM FEIST, CNN DC BUREAU CHIEF (via telephone): Good morning, Ali. Good to see you up this morning early, early, early as well.
VELSHI: You're always up early because you've got a lot to watch in the world of politics. A couple of very, very big stories right now. First one is that Michele Bachmann in a particular poll is really neck and neck with Mitt Romney. What does that mean to you?
FEIST: That's right. Michele Bachmann, the congresswoman from Minnesota is going to today declare her candidacy for president of the United States. She's going to head to Iowa to Waterloo, Iowa, the town where she was born and will declare her candidacy, and Des Moines Register Poll out over the weekend showed that she was in a -- literally in a dead heat with Mitt Romney with a 23 percent.
Michelle Bachmann was at 22 percent among likely Iowa voters, and that's a pretty big deal for a congresswoman who only decided relatively short time ago to run for president in the United States. So, we'll see her big announcement today, and she's a real player in Iowa.
VELSHI: We're going to keep an eye on that. Of course, we'll cover that announcement live here on CNN. Sam, tell me about these talks that President Obama is having about the debt ceiling with senators. Nobody from the house. Senator Harry Reid, Senator Mitch McConnell, separate meetings today at the White House. What do you think is likely to happen?
FEIST: Well, we remember that Republicans for weeks have been saying that the president has to get involved in these budget talks. Last, week the house -- the house majority leader, the number two Republican, Eric Cantor, pulled out of the budget talks. Today, the president finally gets involved with the two leaders, the Senate, Harry Reid and Mitch McConnell, the Republican.
They're going to have talks at the White House, and the talks are, obviously, about the debt ceiling. Are they going to be able to raise the debt ceiling? We're just over a month away from the deadline, August 2nd f or the debt ceiling to be raised, and Republicans are saying that nothing is going to happen, unless, the president gets in. And the real question is compromise. Where are they willing to compromise?
Are Republicans willing to compromise in any way on tax cuts and where are democrats willing to compromise on spending, on Medicare cuts? It's not clear that either side has made any progress, but of course, now that the president is involved, perhaps something will move forward the big question right in Washington.
VELSHI: Sam, how you can join us? Do you think you can do this more regularly, because I love having you here.
FEIST: At 5:40 in the morning every morning, Ali? I'm not sure about that.
VELSHI: We have a long history, Sam.
FEIST: I'd rather watch, Ali. I'd rather be a viewer.
(LAUGHTER)
VELSHI: Well, you're always welcome to do that. You and everyone else who's watching right now. Sam, always a pleasure to talk to you. Sam Feist is our Washington bureau chief.
All right. A really, really awkward moment at the B.E.T. Awards. It has to do with Rihanna, Chris Brown, and the teleprompter loaded with bad information. Forty-two minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VELSHI: Good morning. It is Monday, June the 27th. Thanks for joining me for CNN's premier of "A.M. WAKE UP CALL." We'll be doing it every morning, 5:00 a.m. eastern. I'm Ali Velshi joining you from New York. It is 45 minutes after the hour.
Here's a quick look at the news you're going to hear about today starting with two nuclear power plants in Nebraska.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VELSHI (voice-over): They are in the path of a historic flood on the Mississippi River, and they could be damaged at one facility. A later protection failed, but a spokesman says the plant was built with that kind of scenario in mind, and it's still protected.
Just a quick note about the most notorious murder trial in America right now. Some kind of legal issue brought the Casey Anthony trial to a screeching halt, but Anthony's lawyer says he expects things to get going again today in Orlando. Before the delay, he said the defense would rest Wednesday or Thursday. Anthony, as you probably heard, is accused of killing her two-year-old daughter.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELSHI (on-camera): And Congresswoman Michele Bachmann as of today, well, she's in it to win it. She officially enters the race for president. She'll do it in Iowa. She was born there. Listen to the interesting conversation between Chris Wallace and Michele Bachmann. Listen to what he asked her.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHRIS WALLACE, FOX NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Are you a flake? REP. MICHELE BACHMANN, (R) MINNESOTA: Well, I think that would be insulting to say something like that because I'm a serious person.
WALLACE: But you understand when I say that that that's what the rap on you is?
BACHMANN: Well, what I would say it that I am 55 years old. I've been married 33 years. I'm not only a lawyer. I have a post doctorate degree in federal tax law from William and Mary. I've worked in serious scholarship and in work in the United States federal tax court. My husband and I raised five kids. We've raised 23 foster children. We've applied ourselves to education reform.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELSHI: There's nothing flakey about this new poll, however. It shows Bachmann giving Mitt Romney a run for his money in Iowa right now. The third place finisher, Herman Cain, isn't even close to the other two.
And remember Amanda Knox? She's the American student sentenced to 26 years in prison for killing her British roommate in Italy. Her boyfriend was convicted, too. Knox has been fighting the conviction. Her appeal hearing resumes today. Two prison inmates said earlier this month that Knox wasn't involved in the killing.
All right. Let's go around the world. Zain Verjee is live in London. We've got some explosions going on in Tripoli, Zain. Word that they sound closer than some of the explosions we've recently heard.
ZAIN VERJEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right. So, let's focus on Libya today. We heard that there have been three major explosions in or around Tripoli, and at the same time, Ali, the rebels are only something like 63 miles out of Tripoli. They are making a push. We are going to keep our eye on that. We're also keeping our eye on the international criminal court today because they could be a major move, and it would be a big deal.
What's happening is that they may issue an arrest warrant. The crimes against humanity for Moammar Gadhafi, his sons, Saif al-Islam al- Gadhafi, and the head of intelligence, al-Sanusi. This would be really significant because when there's a conflict going on, they don't normally do this kind of stuff, Ali. The prosecutors saying that they're accusing them of widespread attacks on civilians, using rape as a war weapon, hiring mercenaries, and killing people.
So, what the judges are going to do, they're going to look at all the evidence, and they're going to see whether there is a widespread systematic killing of civilians and whether there's enough evidence. Those are two crucial words, widespread and systematic. So, they're going to go yes, no, or ask for more information. We'll know in an hour.
VELSHI: All right. A protest in Chile ends up very differently than you would expect. VERJEE: If you're mad at the government, go out and do some thriller moves on the streets opposite the presidential palace. Well, that's what's going on here. Take a look at this video. These guys doing the Michael Jackson "Thriller" video moves that dressed in goblins, in bulls, and zombies. They are upset because of the education system in the country.
They say there needs to be higher education reform. They say that it's appropriate that they're dressing up as zombies because the education system in the country is rotten and dead just like a zombie. So, this is the scene in Santiago in Chile over the weekend, Ali. So, Michael Jackson big there, and also, I want to show you this other video of Michael Jackson's red and white "Thriller" jacket.
VELSHI: Yes.
VERJEE: That went on for auction and went for something like $1.8 million, Ali. There are two of these, actually. One is with the Jackson estate, and one just got sold to a Texas gold trader.
VELSHI: And you're paying a little tribute to that today, Zain, with what you're wearing, the red and black.
(LAUGHTER)
VERJEE: Yes, but I'm not going to show you my "Thriller" moves. So, no tribute there.
(LAUGHTER)
VERJEE: And they'll (ph) going on that bad, you know?
VELSHI: Zain, good to see you. You'll be joining us every morning. So, you'll be keeping -- you and along with the rest of our team will be keeping our viewers in the United States and around the world up to speed with what is going on around the world because while some of us have just woken up a couple of hours ago, you've been at it for a while.
VERJEE: I have and slowly (ph) for hours already, Ali.
VELSHI: Good to see you, Zain, as always. Zain Verjee in London.
VERJEE: You, too.
VELSHI: Let's get a sense in what's going on in the weather in the United States and around the world. Rob Marciano live in Atlanta for us right now. Rob, any flight delays?
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Not yet, but there's going to be some spots where we'll see those this afternoon, especially in places like Chicago and St. Louis. Decent storm system that's creating some thunderstorms with some rough weather. A lot of straight line winds with these storms, and they'll propagate to the east along this frontal system, and many folks east of Mississippi, really, are going to be susceptible to seeing some afternoon thunderstorms throughout the day today.
Here's the spots we think are going to see problems if you are heading out the door, get on the airplane, or on your way to the airport, or even there right now. Low clouds and fog in D.C. that may cause some delays this morning. Over an hour delay is expected through Chicago and St. Louis throughout the day today. This afternoon in Detroit and Atlanta, we'll see thunderstorms and that will slow things down.
This time of year, it's always a good idea to book in the morning, if you can, because those thunderstorms pop up in the afternoon and slow everything down. Ninety-six the expect high temperature in Memphis. Still steamy in Texas, 101 degrees. Some spots in Texas got up in over 110. My goodness, it's been smoking hot, but not too bad in Chicago and New York today. High temperatures there will be in lower to mid-80s -- Ali.
VELSHI: Rob, good morning, guys. So, I want you to just stick around with me for this next story. Just stay here while I tell you about this. If you're waiting for your caffeine fix to kick in this morning, before you pick up the energy drink, look out for how much sugar is in it. A normal size Rockstar, that's an energy drink, has the same amount of sugar as six glazed donuts.
What about your other energy favorite? We've got the answers coming up in a moment. Rob, are you an energy drink guy?
MARCIANO: Not in the morning. You know, if I need a little boost in the afternoon or evening, I'll pop on it, but typically, the sugar- free ones. It's the -
(CROSSTALK)
VELSHI: Yes. I usually have a coffee first thing in the morning, but wait a little later. I start talking too fast. Rob --
MARCIANO: That's a problem.
(LAUGHTER)
VELSHI: Good to see you, my friend. We'll see you in just a couple of minutes. Fifty-two minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VELSHI: It's almost 56 minutes after the hour. Before the break, we showed you just how much sugar was in energy drinks. A Rockstar, one of those drinks, has the same amount of sugar as six glazed doughnuts. A monster energy drink, more than a whole box of Girl Scout cookies and an eight ounce Red Bull packs the same amount of sugary sweetness as an entire vanilla ice cream cone.
And New York's new gay marriage law takes effect less than a month from now. Same-sex marriage law. You think people here in New York are excited about it? Let's have a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) VELSHI (voice-over): It's always a pretty raucous parade, but this year's gay pride parade had some extra enthusiasm. Thanks to the vote in Albany to legalize same-sex marriage.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELSHI (on-camera): So, how about it, New Jersey? Next door, are you next? Here's what the governor had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. CHRIS CHRISTIE, (R) NEW JERSEY: My view on it is, in our state, we're going to continue to pursue civil unions. I am not a fan of same-sex marriage. It's not something that I support. I believe marriage should be between one man and one woman. That's my view, and that would be the view of our state because I wouldn't sign a bill that like the one that was in New York.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELSHI: Now, some people find it interesting that President Obama is officially opposed to same-sex marriage too, but he says his views are evolving.
All right. There was a really super awkward moment at the B.E.T. Awards. It's never a good thing when the info in your hand and the info in the teleprompter don't match. Listen to what happened when a fan got on stage, it was planned this way, to announce the viewer's choice winner.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're here to announce the winner of the Coca- Cola Viewers Choice Award, and the winner is Chris Brown.
(APPLAUSE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm sorry. Rihanna "What's My Name."
(SINGING)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK. This is awkward. It's OK. It's OK. The winner is Tracy Drake. Come on over here, Dre. Congratulations, Dre.
(LAUGHTER)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(LAUGHTER)
VELSHI: The winner was somebody else altogether. Talk about hash tag awkward. Brown in the end was the winner. Chris Brown was the winner. So, they announced three winners. It ended up being Chris Brown. Now, you remember Chris Brown, of course, he pleaded guilty to assaulting his then girlfriend, Rihanna back in 2009. B.E.T.'s programming president took the blame, and he says it was human error. Unclear, whether it had to do with the device in that fan's hand or a teleprompter, but it was an awkward moment.
Just a quick note about the most covered murder trial in America right now. Some kind of legal issue, and we don't know what it was brought the Casey Anthony trial to a screeching halt over the weekend. The Casey Anthony's lawyer says he expects things to get going again today in Orlando.
Before the delay, he said the defense would rest on Wednesday or Thursday. That may be delayed as a result of what happened on the weekend. You probably know that Casey Anthony is accused of killing her two-year-old daughter.
And a murder suspect in Oklahoma apparently didn't want to wait for his trial. He managed to overpower a couple of deputies and bust out of jail. Authorities found him yesterday hiding in some high weeds and a pond. Didn't put up any fight whatsoever. The man had been arrested for allegedly killing his ex-girlfriend and her two children last year.
And to get you ahead of the curve this morning, here are three stories to keep an eye on this week.
NASA is going to be busy with space shuttle preparations. It's holding a news conference Tuesday about the July 8th final launch of space shuttle Atlantis. I'm a big space watcher, but even if you aren't, remember, July 8th is the last time you will watch one of those space shuttles going into space. It's a last launch ever if it goes on as plan.
Plus, Wednesday, you're going to hear about home sales from the National Association of Realtors here in the United States. Economists are predicting a bump in pending home sales. Those are the signs that are expected to go through.
And the Tour de France begins on Saturday. The race covers 2,000 miles. It lasts more than three weeks. You'll know that doping accusations of littered the tour in the last couple of years. We're going to let you know how it goes.
Those are all stories that we'll be covering all week and on "AMERICAN MORNING." We're going to be doing that for the next three hours with Christine Romans and Carol Costello. In fact, looks like it's a perfect time. "AMERICAN MORNING" starts right now.
