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American Morning: Wake Up Call
Continuing Protests in Greece; Obama & Senate Dems Talk Deficit; Former Fiance Could Testify; Facebook Hires Famous Hacker; Hearing on Forced Medication
Aired June 29, 2011 - 05:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ALI VELSHI, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. It is Wednesday, June 22nd, this is you're A.M. WAKE-UP CALL. I'm Ali Velshi, joining you live this from New York.
Here's a quick rundown of the news that you are going to hear about today.
Let's start in Athens, Greece. This is day two of general strike that has literally brought Greece to a standstill. You're looking at live pictures here. Parliament meets in less than two hours to consider a harsh but necessary package of tax hikes and government budget cuts.
Thousands have rallied in the streets, sending a message to parliament that they won't accept the proposed austerity measures. Parliament won't get its bailout if it doesn't do it.
In Afghanistan overnight, smoke is seen rising at dawn from the Hotel Intercontinental in Kabul, the capital, after Taliban fighters killed 10 people in a brazen attack. This morning, all eight gunmen and suicide bombers are dead. Hotel guests called it a terrifying ordeal.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SAIZ AMHED, INTER-CONTINENTAL HOTEL GUEST: We never thought we were going to make it. So, I wrote my little will, according to Islamic law, from a little that I know., pretty much (INAUDIBLE) just in case. I just said if anything happens, then I hope I want all my property to be donated according to Islamic law and to charity.
So, this is the extent of what I'm sure everybody was thinking, especially when the last explosion went off on my floor right under me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELSHI: In Orlando, Florida, the judge in Casey Anthony's capital murder trial will decide today whether her former fiance can testify in the presence of the jury. The judge will also hear arguments on a motion related to Florida's death penalty. Casey's father, George, was back on the stand yesterday and questioned about an alleged affair with a search volunteer.
Jurors also heard from the meter reader who found Caylee, the little girl's body. The defense is trying to prove that he disturbed the crime scene enough to contaminate the evidence.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROY KRONK, METER READER: I was standing behind it. So, I was looking at it from behind and I still didn't think it was real. So I very gently took it and put it into the right eye socket and I gently pivoted it up and I looked down and realized what it was and I set it down as gently as I could and went up and called my area supervisor.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELSHI: A hearing scheduled today in California to determine whether Tucson shooting suspect Jared Lee Loughner can be forced to take mind- altering drugs make him mentally fit enough to stand trial. His lawyers say no, that violates his right. The question raises legal medical and ethical issues.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: The duality of it is that you obviously want to treat the person and help them get better, but it is the possibility that them getting better could lead them to stand trial and possibly face death. I think the medical community as a whole, you know, it's a hot button issue.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELSHI: Loughner is charged in the January shootings that killed six people and wounded 13 others, including Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords.
And in New Mexico, they're closing the Los Alamos National Laboratory, at least through tomorrow, because of a wildfire burning nearby. It's brushing up against the south border of the lab's 40 square mile facility.
The fire has raised concerns about the safety of nuclear materials on the site. The lab's director, however, says everything there is secure.
President Obama holding a news conference at the White House this morning, reporters will throw questions at him about the economy, about debt reduction negotiations, the unrest in Libya, and Afghanistan, and more. CNN will carry that news conference live from the East Room of the White House beginning at 11:30 a.m. Eastern Time.
Diana Magnay joins us now live from Athens, where it's day two of the strike.
Diana, the crucial parliamentary vote set to take place in less than two hours from now.
DIANA MAGNAY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (via telephone): Yes, it will probably be a little later than that, Ali. But you can see from the pictures, it there are thousands of demonstrators already in the square outside the parliament building. The mood a lot more relaxed than it was yesterday when of course we saw violence going on really quite late into the night. Today, it is regular demonstrators who come out on this second day of the 48-hour general strike and I expect their numbers to grow as the day goes on.
And, obviously, inside the parliament, lawmakers are very much aware of the pressure from the street, also aware of the comments that European politicians have been making. For example, European Monetary Affairs Commissioner Olli Rehn saying, you know, there is no plan B. Either they vote this austerity program through in the Greek parliament or they go bankrupt.
So, there is so much at stake on what happen here in the next few hours, Ali.
VELSHI: All right. Diana, we'll keep an eye on the situation with you. Of course, this is going to develop over the course of the next two hours. But Diana is there live for us.
Let's get a quick check of world markets. We'll go around to Hong Kong where Anna Coren is standing by live.
Good morning, Anna.
ANNA COREN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A very good morning to you, Ali.
Well, all eyes are on Greece, and gauging from the markets, there's an expectation that the Greek parliament will pass those tough austerity measures. And, Ali, as we all know, this must happen for Greece to get that $17 billion international bailout and avoid default.
Well, let's look at the European markets which have just opened. They're all up over 1 percent. Similar story on Wall Street. U.S. markets closing above 1 percent overnight.
Here in the Asia Pacific, the majority of markets, Ali, were up. The Shanghai composite is the only one to buck the trend. Hong Kong's Hang Seng was relatively flat.
But, Ali, Diana just mentioned, all will be revealed in just a few hours when the Greek parliament votes on those tough austerity measures.
VELSHI: Anna Coren, we will check in with you a little later in the show -- Anna Coren in Hong Kong for us.
All right. New this morning, Tiger Woods may have lost Gatorade and AT&T, but he's picked up a new endorsement deal in Japan. Japanese drug maker Coa has Woods for a nationwide campaign to pitch a creamy gel and adhesive patch for muscle pain. TV ads start airing July 1st, then come the newspaper, magazine and poster size ads.
All right. Let's take you down to Rob Marciano live in Atlanta for us.
Rob, folks heading to the airports this morning, any delays in sight? ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Probably going to see some in New York. Not so much because of moisture or thunderstorms today. But the wind is going to be an issue. As you know, that can be a problem especially at LGA.
Tampa, Miami, afternoon thunderstorms will be a problem, as well. And low clouds and some rain in San Francisco. Actually some late season rain for northern California. So, that's certainly unusual.
As far as the outlook today, the heat is going to be building, as well -- actually from pretty mice weather, from Chicago, to Detroit -- if you're traveling through those cities and the front that's been pestering the East Coast, at least the northern part of it, is going to be pushing off to the east.
Guess what, Ali? First tropical storm of the season, and as you know, we typically start with the name with the letter A and it's not Ali, it's Arlene.
There you go. There it is. It's rolling towards the eastern shores of Mexico. At this point, not expected to become a hurricane, but it will affect places to the Tampico, to south, as it rumbles across the Bay of Campeche. So, we'll get this first storm out of the way. The folks in Mexico will certainly see some heavy rains with this, and hillier areas, they'll see some -- maybe some flooding, because for the most part, this will stay away from the U.S.
If we can get some of the moisture from this to maybe stream up into Texas, that would be a good thing, because they're dealing with some excessive drought there. So, we'll work on that over the next couple of days.
VELSHI: Rob, good to see you. I'll check in with you shortly -- Rob Marciano at the weather center in Atlanta.
Three of the brains behind Twitter are returning to their roots. We'll tell you what they're up to now. And I'm going to read you a quote from a newsmaker. Here it goes, "What we stay on the fishing boat stays on the fishing boat." You probably heard something like this before. Soak it in, and I'll tell you who said it and why it has some pundits scratching their heads.
Eight minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VELSHI: Happy Wednesday. It's almost 12 after the hour.
Before I -- before the break, I read you a quote from a newsmaker. Who was it? It was Sarah Palin.
Here's what she had to say a few hours after her daughter Bristol hinted that mama grizzly had made up her mind with a 2012 presidential run.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) SARAH PALIN (R), FORMER ALASKA GOVERNOR: You know what I told Bristol when I heard that? I said, Bristol, what we say on the fishing boat stays on the fishing boat. You don't need to be announcing anything.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELSHI: What we say on the fishing boat stays on the fishing boat. The former Alaska governor says she has not made up her mind yet. You saw her there working the crowd at the premiere of a film that takes a sympathetic look at her political career.
After Republican presidential candidate Michele Bachmann's oops calling Waterloo, Iowa, the home of John Wayne, instead the home of John Wayne Gacy, comedy's best had some things to say.
Here's your punch line.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)
CONAN O'BRIEN, "CONAN": Bachmann defended herself and said within silly gaffe should in no way disqualify her from becoming America's next prime minister.
DAVID LETTERMAN, "LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN": Tomorrow, as a matter of fact, she will mistake Charles Bronson for Charles Manson.
(LAUGHTER)
LETTERMAN: Thursday, she will mistake Ted Kennedy for Ted Bundy.
Friday, she will make mistake James Earl Jones for James Earl Ray.
STEPHEN COLBERT, "THE COLBERT REPORT": But that's semantics. You say potato, I say mass murder in potato.
(END VIDEO CLIPS)
VELSHI: All right. Time for our Political Ticker with Tim Farley. He's the host of "Morning Briefing" on Sirius XM POTUS, live from Washington.
Tim, what's the most important thing our viewers have to look for today?
TIM FARLEY, SIRIUS XM POTUS: You're killing me with all this comedy.
Actually, the president -- you mentioned the press conference at the top of the show, Ali. But there is a big meeting at the White House today with Senate Democratic leadership, including Harry Reid, Chuck Schumer, Senator Patty Murray and Senator Dick Durbin. And this is to get down, I guess, into the Democratic message what is going to be happening with these debt and deficit agreements. This is serious stuff at the White House today.
VELSHI: Yes, it's so serious and we're about a month away from this deadline where we start having to stop paying bills. In Chicago, the Clinton Global Initiative begins its two-day America Conference, focused on generating jobs. What do you think we're going to see there?
FARLEY: Well, it's fascinating to see who is at this because you have Republican Governors like Haley Barbour and Mitch Daniels taking part in this, as well as former Governor Jennifer Granholm, some members of the administration.
This in the context of the latest McClatchy-Marist poll which shows that 58 percent don't like the way the president is handling the debt and deficit, 61 percent don't like the way he's handling the economy, and yet President Clinton is saying that he believes even with 9 percent unemployment, that Barack Obama could be reelected. He'd be surprised if Barack Obama were not reelected despite those numbers.
VELSHI: Well, Tim, that's got something to do with who is in the Republican field at the moment, I suppose.
FARLEY: I guess that's a big part of it. Yes, it all depends on who's pitching when you're hitting, I guess.
VELSHI: Yes. Yes. All right, Tim, we'll keep an eye out for those things. Good to see you this morning, again, on the show. Tim Farley joining us from XM Sirius POTUS radio.
Ohio Congressman Dennis Kucinich is getting directly involved in the uprising in Syria.
(VIDEO CLIP PLAYS)
VELSHI: The anti-war Democrat says that he's on a fact-finding mission at the request of some of his Arab-American constituents. He says they are concerned about conditions on the ground against anti- government protesters. Kucinich's trip is not without critics who see as legitimatizing Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. DENNIS KUCINICH (D), OHIO: I met with the opposition. I heard what they had to say. I met with the government, and heard what they had to say. I think it's really important that people were involved in making policy hear from both sides.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELSHI: A State Department spokesman says Kucinich did not carry any messages from the Obama administration.
Well, what is likely the single biggest settlement tied to the financial crisis appears to be near. "The New York" and "Wall Street Journal" report that Bank of America is close to paying out $8.5 billion, with a B, to a group of high profile investors. Now, this stems from mortgage securities that the investors bought from Countrywide Financial. Countrywide was bought by Bank of America back in 2008. Three of Twitter's co-creators are ready to try their hands at a new startup. Biz Stone, Evan Williams and Jason Goldman are re-launching the company that helped spawn Twitter. It's called the Obvious Corporation. Its mission is to develop systems that help people work together to improve the world. The trio says they'll still stay involved with Twitter.
And overnight, the man who launched TwitPic tweeted a picture of what he calls his own arrest. Noah Everett says the picture is from the back of a patrol car. He told his followers, quote, "I guess you can't walk down your own street half naked -- who knew. I got a free ride home by the nice police officer." No word from the police on what happened.
Speaking of Twitter, his holiness Pope Benedict is hopping on board. He's tweeting for the first time. See what he said with his 140 characters. I'll show it to you when we come back.
And you're going away on vacation for seven days. How many pairs of underwear do you need? It depends on who you asked. A British travel agency asked more than 1,000 people that question. Women say they need 10 pairs for a week-long vacation. How many pairs do men say they need?
Take a guess. Tweet me.
I'll tell you on the other side of the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VELSHI: Well, before the break, we learned that women pack 10 pairs of underwear for a seven-day vacation. That's according to a survey by a British travel agency.
How many pairs do men pack? This is embarrassing to even say. According to the survey, for a seven-day vacation, men pack three pairs of underwear. My floor director Phil is like, out of the shoot, he doesn't want to talk about this.
We should point out, by the way, that almost half the men surveyed said they will either wash them or wear a swimsuit most of the time.
That's half the men. I'm not entirely clear on what the other half are doing and I'm not sure those half are telling the truth.
Going commando -- three pairs for a search day trip.
OK. Take a look at this guy. He's on a pole in the middle of Times Square rapping, like rapping. He flat out shut down Times Square yesterday. I turns out he's a rapper and he was trying to get publicity. It turns out it worked.
(VIDEO CLIP PLAYS)
VELSHI: Coney Island Joe, his real name is Raymond Velasquez. He rapped and chatted on his cell phone up there for nearly two hours. He eventually did come down. No word yet on whether he's facing any charges.
All right. It is 20 minutes after the hour. Here are two things that you need to have on your radar today.
Number one, President Obama is holding a news conference this morning at 11:30 Eastern from the White House. You'll be able to see it live right here on CNN. It will stream live online on our Web site, as well.
And those pesky debit card swipe fees are on the agenda today at the Federal Reserve. They're meeting this afternoon at 3:30 to vote on final rules about how to deal with debit card charges.
OK. Let's take a look at what's going on in Greece. We're an hour and a half away from a scheduled important vote on austerity measures -- tax increases, more public service, job cuts. This is day two of a strike.
Let's take it around the world. Zain Verjee is standing by and watching this very closely from London.
Good morning, Zain.
ZAIN VERJEE, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Good morning, Ali.
Let's take you to the newspapers around the world and see what they're all saying.
"The Sydney Morning Herald" today has this headline, Ali. "West heads to a Greek tragedy, too," it says. It goes on to say the reason Greece is in so many trouble is that every Greek wanted a government that did all the expensive things governments do but none wanted to pay tax. Greece's politicians did not have the courage to tell the people that in the end, you cannot have one without the other."
Take a look at "The International Herald Tribune." Its headline, "Greece on the Edge." It says, "Is Greece coordinated with Europe getting down to the job of serious long term reform? That should be the focus of the elusive confidence the market seeks."
At stake here is the future of the Euro Zone, the currency. There are 16 other member countries, Ali, in the Euro Zone. So, if Greece were to tank, it would affect everyone else.
So, you know how they said Lehman was too big to fail? Well, Greek is too intertwined to fail with the rest of Europe as well. And, you know, the U.S. financial system too has links with European banks --
VELSHI: Sure.
VERJEE: -- that hold Greek debt, too. So --
VELSHI: A lot of people don't realize, here in the U.S., when you buy money market funds, you think of them as very secure funds, but they are tied to this. So, just like Lehman was tied to weigh more than things than people thought it was, so here are the Greek banks. Hey, listen, here's an interesting story. Hugo Chavez apparently been in Cuba for a long time and we're now seeing pictures of him for the first time. Tell us about this.
VERJEE: Yes. You can see him looking relaxed in his track suit with the Venezuelan flag on. There he is with Hugo Chavez in the garden and they're just chatting it up. Now, he had gone for some emergency surgery to Cuba. We understand, according to reports, that it was a pelvic abscess, but no one really knows any more detail.
But there was all this speculation that he was really, really sick. So, here he is chatting with his good friend, Fidel Castro. The two of them are buddies. Cuban and Venezuela are close. Venezuela is really Cuba's lifeline in many ways, its economic and political ally.
The other reason, Ali, it's important people are watching this story is because Venezuela is a big oil producer.
VELSHI: Right.
VERJEE: And so, they're wondering who's running the show while Chavez is in Cuba.
VELSHI: Right. Exactly. All right. Zain -- by the way, I don't ask you for your comment about that British travel agency survey about how people change their underwear. Half of all men then say they'd take three pairs of underway for a 10-day trip. Let's just leave it at that.
Take a look at this --
VERJEE: Are you asking me?
VELSHI: I'm not asking you anything. I'm just putting it out there for people to think about. Way too early in the morning to be talking about this.
I know you tweet.
VERJEE: Commando.
VELSHI: For commando.
For some people who are holding up on tweeting, this may change your mind. Pope Benedict is now on Twitter. He sent out his first tweet yesterday to announce the launch of a new Web site that's going to bring together all the Vatican news in one place. It coincides with today's 60th anniversary of the pontiff's ordination as a priest of 24 years old.
I can't really read the tweet on the screen, but I will bring it to you later on. It's there. I guess there's not much point putting it on the screen if we're not telling you what it says. But we'll do that --
VERJEE: Well, it says something along the lines of the' launching the new aggregate Web site and then he says, you know, "May the Lord bless you:" -- along those lines. So, the pope is getting social there. And his twitter handle is not @Pope, as one might think it is. It's actually @news_va_ian. But I don't think he's going to be tweeting off the homily. He likes writing in longhand speeches.
VELSHI: Right. But if you had to put a blessing at the end of your end, it sort of eats up a lot of your useful content space.
VERJEE: Yes. Well, he is the pope, so, you know --
VELSHI: I suppose. All right. I guess he has to do that, right?
All right, Zain. Later, we'll talk about that underwear survey when it's a little, everybody's had their coffee and get a chance to think about that.
VERJEE: All right. All right.
VELSHI: Zain Verjee in London.
VERJEE: OK.
VELSHI: Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain plans to unveil his jobs plan today in South Carolina. CNN's Eliot Spitzer sat down with the Tea Party favorite, hoping to find out more specifics.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ELIOT SPITZER, CNN'S "IN THE ARENA" HOST: I want to talk about any -- Wall Street, anything, any one regulation that you think is stifling innovation.
HERMAN CAIN (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Eliot, I can't give you one innovation. I'm speaking generally and you're trying to pin me down on one. Now, I'll tell you what --
SPITZER: But you're running for president. I think it's fair to do.
CAIN: I'll make a deal with you.
SPITZER: OK.
CAIN: The next time I come, I will have a specific one for you.
SPITZER: That's a deal.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELSHI: Well, Cain finished third behind Romney and Michele Bachmann in a recent Iowa poll of Republican candidates. He's holding steady at 10 percent. But another poll which talks about intensity with which ones supporters follow their candidate puts Herman Cain right at the top. His supporters really like Herman Cain.
OK. An airline is banning babies from first class. I'll tell which you one on the other side and -- because you may want to not fly that airline or you may really want to book exclusively on that airline.
And in today's businessman special where the deal of the day is MySpace. You can buy it for cheap. Find out how, straight ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VELSHI: Good morning. It is 30 after the hour on Wednesday, June 29th. This is your A.M. WAKE-UP CALL.
I'm Ali Velshi, joining you this morning from New York.
It is now mid-afternoon in Kabul and police are still combing through the Intercontinental Hotel, making sure there are no more would be attackers lurking and no victims left. At least eight Taliban and 10 other people including two policemen died in a brazen six-hour firefight last night. We talked to one guest who thought maybe -- just maybe -- his time was up.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SAIZ AMHED, INTER-CONTINENTAL HOTEL GUEST: We never thought we were going to make it. So, I wrote my little will, according to Islamic law, from a little that I know, pretty much (INAUDIBLE) just in case.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELSHI: Wrote his will.
The Inter-Continental is popular among westerners, but there's no indication any American military or diplomatic personnel were there at the time.
The judge in the Casey Anthony murder trial will decide today whether her former fiance will testify before jurors. The defense wants the jury to hear what he's got to say. The state says his testimony is not admissible because it's here say. Yesterday, the meter reader who discovered two-year-old Caylee Anthony's body was on the stand.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROY KRONK, FOUND CAYLEE ANTHONY'S REMAINS: I was looking at it from behind, and I still didn't think it was real. So, I very gently took it and put it into the right eye socket and I gently pivoted it out, and I looked down, and I realized what it was, and I set it down as gently as I could and went out and called my area supervisor.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELSHI: Facebook has hired a hacker. This guy. George Hotz gained notoriety for unlocking the iPhone. He's also known for cracking Sony's Playstation 3 videogame consul to allow users to run pirated games. The "Washington Post" reports that Hotz will work on developing Facebook's iPad application.
And no babies in first class on Malaysia airlines for some planes anyway. Malaysia airlines had already banned babies on some 747s. Now, they're extending it to airbuses. They say a lot of customers were complaining about crying infants. I have to tell you, I'm not bothered by crying kids on a plane. I'm on a plane a lot. Babies cry. It's what they do.
The company's CEO tweeted this, quote, "To be clear, we do take babies in business and economy. Our flights to North America have no first class, so there is no impact there." So, this is only on Malaysia airline flights where they actually have a first class. I've been pretty vocal about the fact that I'm not troubled at all by babies in first class, but I have no babies in my life.
Christine Romans, who does, takes a harder line on this. Christine, you think sometimes babies should be kept a little separate?
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Well, I would love it if the babies could be taken care of by somebody else in coach while we're in first class. How's that?
VELSHI: There you go.
ROMANS: Are they providing a baby-sitter? That's what I want to know. You can't take your baby in first class, we'll take care of your baby. I don't think they're providing a baby-sitter.
VELSHI: Christine, let me show you some pictures right now. We got pictures, live pictures of Greece.
ROMANS: Right.
VELSHI: This is a second day now that votes expected to take place in an hour and a half.
ROMANS: That's right. And so, we're going to be watching today to see if this is going to be a third day in a row of Greece being the influence in U.S. markets. We've got futures this morning, Ali, that are up, but, they're below fair value, and you know what that means. That means that it's not really giving us an indication that we could see follow through from some of the Asian markets overnight.
And I'll be honest that you're seeing some of the gains in other stock indices around the world tonight because of what happened in the U.S. yesterday, 140 some point rally because of U.S. housing data.
VELSHI: Right.
ROMANS: Ali, one stock I'm watching today and a lot of other people will be, too, Bank of America.
VELSHI: Yes. Tell us about this.
ROMANS: It's up more than two percent in pre-market trading. Just above $11 a share. An $8.5 billion deal is said to be near according to the "Wall Street Journal" and the "New York Times" for B of A to settle some big disputes, very expensive disputes of some of the professional investors about the garbage mortgages that were packaged up and sold to investors before the height of the housing bubble. VELSHI: Right.
ROMANS: Of course, mortgages that turned out to be packaged into mortgage backed securities that were very, very bad. This all stems from its purchase of countrywide, you know, financial back in 2008.
VELSHI: Yes.
ROMANS: It totally beefed up its loan portfolio just before the housing market crashed. It will be a big first test to the CEO, Brian Moynihan, also for investors who've been pretty bearish (ph) on the stock. Bank of America is down about, I think, 18 percent over the past three months, but it's up in pre-market. So, we'll see if investors think that B of A (ph) is putting its problems behind it.
VELSHI: Right. And that's why this stock will be up even if they have to pay a big fine. We will follow that all day. And the minute we have this confirmed, we'll deal with it. Christine, I'll see in you in half an hour on "American Morning."
ROMANS: Sure. Bye.
VELSHI: All right. Just like you know, geeks rule the world and this is why. So, you know, how Forbes ranks the richest people on the planet? Well, now, they pushed Facebook front-man, Mark Zuckerberg, ahead of the Google guys, Sergey Brin and Larry Page. According to Forbes, Zuckerberg now worth $18 billion, billion, with a B dollars. This after some Wall Street maneuverings this week.
The Google guys are now only worth about $17 billion. Yes. Just worth $17 billion. Boy, I had to take second prize in that contest any day. I'll take third, fourth, fifth, hundred, whatever.
OK. Back to our businessman's special. MySpace, you can get it for a deal if you want to buy it. It's a former social media giant. According to the "Wall Street Journal," news corporation, which by the way, is "Wall Street Journal" is owned by news corporation, it's just about ready to sell MySpace.
The original price was $100 million. According to the technology blog, All Things Digital, the price today that you can get it for is between $20 million and $30 million. Just so you know, news corporation paid more than half a billion dollars for MySpace back in 2005.
We'll keep talking about a lot of money. Tiger Woods gets a new endorsement deal. It's his first one since the scandal that ruined his marriage. We're going to tell you all about it after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VELSHI: Good morning. It is 38 minutes after the hour. I want to get right to our "Political Ticker" with CNN political producer, Shannon Travis. Shannon, what's top of mind today for you?
SHANNON TRAVIS, CNN POLITICAL PRODUCER (via telephone): Hey there, Ali. It's early in the morning. Mitt Romney and Michele Bachmann are off (ph). It's maybe an eye opener. A new poll from Suffolk University, a WHDH news out there in New Hampshire. It's a poll likely Republican voters. And take a listen at this.
It tells the spring (ph) that we've been seeing that Mitt Romney is holding steady. He has 36 percent in this new pole. Michele Bachmann is right on his heels, Ali. She's at 11 percent in this new poll. That's triple, again, (INAUDIBLE) from just in May. She was (INAUDIBLE) then, and she's up eight points now.
So, that's a real eye opener that Mitt Romney is holding steady. He has maintained, at least, in this poll, but Mitt Romney -- I'm sorry -- Michelle Bachmann is getting support. Could it be because of her big performance in our debate that was just last month? Voters were asked who do you think won the debate. Mitt Romney placed at 33 percent, Michele Bachmann at 31 percent -- Ali.
VELSHI: Shannon Travis, thanks very much for that. Shannon is going to keep his eye on politics for you all day as we will here, CNN. Just go to CNN.com/politics. Thirty-nine minutes after the hour. Three things that need to be on your radar today.
First of all, Greece. The vote on austerity measures expected around nine eastern this morning. We're keeping an eye on the markets for you. We'll tell you what goes down.
Plus, coming at 10:00 eastern this morning, we'll get pending home sale numbers for May. Economists surveyed by briefing.com expect a decline.
And President Obama holding a news conference this morning at 11:30 a.m. eastern from the White House. You'll see it live right here on CNN, and we'll stream it live on CNN.com.
Let's talk about sports right now. Pablo Torre, reporter for "Sports Illustrated" joining us now from New York. Pablo, Tiger Woods signing his first endorsement deal since the scandal with a company that nobody's heard about. Tell us about this.
PABLO TORRE, REPORTER, SPORTS ILLUSTRATED: Yes. He has a little bit of a Bill Murray lost in translation feel, but the company is Kowa. He'll be airing TV spots for them starting Friday for a creamy gel and patch for muscle pain. It's a pharmaceutical company based in Japan, and this is part of Tiger Wood's rejuvenation strategy.
They left IMG, he and Mark Steinberg did, and they're trying to expand to the Asian and European markets where his image they think isn't as tarnished. And certainly, this is the first deal towards that end. So, we'll be seeing Tiger Woods popping up in Japan where his golf image certainly is as strong as ever even if his personal life, as we know in the United States, may not be.
VELSHI: Right. All right. And what about this story about the U.S. beating North Korea in the World Cup?
TORRE: Yes. The former axis of evil isn't necessarily known for its women's soccer prowess, but United States winning its first game of the Women's World Cup, winning 2-0. They struggled in the first half but dominated in the second. And this is a game the United States needed to win to set the stone. They're the number one world-ranked women's soccer team in the country, but the favorite in this tournament is Germany.
They won the past World Cups, and this is a game that they needed to set the stone. We all remember 12 years ago when 40 million Americans watched the United States beat China, and they're hoping that this tournament can be another episode, another impact upon women's soccer culture in the United States. And this is the first step towards that long road.
VELSHI: Pablo, good to see you as always this morning. Pablo Torre from "Sports Illustrated" joining us.
Forty-two minutes after the hour. Let's take a look at some of the headlines that you're going to be seeing this morning.
The "New York Times" has the $8.5 billion Bank of America mortgage lawsuit story.
The "Washington Post" is leading with the deadly suicide bomb attack on the Inter-Continental Hotel in Kabul.
And the "Wall Street Journal" also had on the Bank of America lawsuit story. We'll have all of those for you on cnn.com.
All right. It's really, really early in the morning, but have you noticed anything unusual with this news week cover of Princess Diana and her daughter-in-law, Kate Middleton? And there are a lot of things unusual about this. I'll tell you why it's creating some buzz and criticism. You have to figure that out on your own.
On this day in history, four years ago, the Apple iPhone went on sale. I remember it very well. What did we do before that super-duper phone that allows us to talk, text, and do just about everything else in between? See you on the other side.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VELSHI: Good morning. It is Wednesday, June 29th. This is your A.M. WAKE-UP CALL. I'm Ali Velshi joining you this morning from New York. Forty-five minutes after the hour. Let's have a look at some pictures from Greece right now.
We are expecting an important vote in parliament there within the next couple of hours, a vote that has a lot of people very upset. As you can see, this is the second day of a two-day strike. Let's go around the world. Zain Verjee, she's watching this very carefully from London. The issue here, Zain, is that clearly this matters a lot to the Greek people. It matters in a very different way to everybody else in Europe, and in many cases, to the rest of the world.
VERJEE: Exactly, Ali. I mean, we're talking confidence in markets. It affects the U.S. financial system. The U.S. financial system has links to European banks that hold Greek debt. For example, de France (ph), that has something like $56 billion of exposure to Greek debt. So, it really does matter to the U.S. Also today is such an important day.
The Greek government is between a rock and a hard place. They have to have to pass this austerity plan so they can get all this bailout money, billions of dollars so they do not default on their debt. So, it's a really crucial moment. And as you can see, thousands of people are out on the streets. They're really mad. The Greeks are getting poorer. They can't survive.
They're not getting their pensions. Workers are not getting paid, and they're being asked to take a major cut here. We're talking $40 billion over a period of five years. The Greece is being asked to take out 10 percent to 15 percent of its economy.
VELSHI: Right.
VERJEE: And this kind of pain the question is, is it worth it for people to --
(CROSSTALK)
VERJEE: And where is the growth thing to come from?
VELSHI: Between a rock and a hard place is right because if they don't pass that bill, they don't get the bailout from Europe, and if they do pass the bill, they've got tens of thousands of people outside angry at them ready to throw them out of office at the first opportunity.
Hey, listen. Let's talk about this news week cover that has Kate Middleton and Princess Diana. Commemorates what would have been Diana's 50th birthday on Friday. For obvious reason this is generating a buzz because these two have never been together, but more importantly, the photo of Diana has been digitally altered to try to depict what she would have looked like today. What are you hearing about this?
VERJEE: Well, the general consensus on the blogosphere and on Twitter is that this is creepy. People don't like this. They think it's kind of disgusting for quite frankly. I mean, you know, just look at it closely. You've got -- this is what Diana would have look like if she was alive today, and it's kind of superimposed next to Kate Middleton.
You know, an inside news week, they have the slide show that compares their fashion sense, and then, there's this fake Facebook page of Diana, and they've also digitally altered another picture to show her holding a white iPhone. And they say, well, if she was alive today, she would have been remarried twice, and she would have more than $10 million Twitter followers.
I mean, imagine like Prince William or Prince Harry looking at something like this.
VELSHI: Yes. I wonder -- (CROSSTALK)
VELSHI: We've seen pictures of people and how they would have aged, people who died prematurely. I don't know what's creepier about it. Maybe the fact that they've done it is interesting, but that whole super imposition of her and Kate Middleton makes seem a little weird to me, but we'll be hearing about it a lot. Zain, good to see you.
VERJEE: You, too.
VELSHI: OK. In Afghanistan, smoke seen rising at dawn from the hotel Inter-Continental in Kabul after Taliban fighters killed ten people in a brazen attack. This morning, all eighth gun men and suicide bombers are dead. Hotel guests called it terrifying.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AHMED: Actually, I wrote my little will according to Islamic law from the little that I know. I put it in my pocket just in case. I said if anything happens, I want all my property to be donated according to Islamic law to any charity. So, this is the extent of what I'm sure everybody was thinking, especially when the last explosion went off on my floor right under me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELSHI: A hearing is scheduled today in California to determine whether Tucson shooting suspect, Jared Lee Loughner, can be forced to take mind altering drugs to make him mentally fit enough to stand trial. His lawyers say no, it violates his rights. The question raises all sorts of legal, medical, and ethical issues.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: The duality of it is that you, obviously, want to treat the person and help them get better, but it is the possibility that them getting better could lead them to stand trial and possibly face death. I think the medical community as a whole, you know, it's a hot button issue.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELSHI: Loughner charged in the January shootings that killed six and wounded 13 others including Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords.
Well, a disturbing story out of Springfield, Massachusetts today. Nine teenagers accused of a hate crime assault on a gay man. The oldest is 19. That's his mug shot on screen. The youngest is 12. The victim is 30. He told police he was taunted by the group early Tuesday morning.
Then, he says he was knocked to the ground, punched in the head and kicked in the abdomen over and over. Police who live in the area -- people who live in the area are stunned.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) JAMES GRAND, SPRINGFIELD RESIDENT: it's Shocking, and it's, you know, it's kind of, you know, bad to hear because you think, you know, this has been something that people have been aware of for quite some time, and you'd think we'd be over it by now, but obviously, it's still a problem.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELSHI: All nine of the suspects have been charged with robbery and civil rights violations with injury.
And in New Mexico, they're closing the Los Alamos National Lab at least through tomorrow because of a wildfire burning nearby. It's brushing up against the south border of the lab's 40 square mile facility. The fire has raised concerns about the safety of nuclear materials on site. The land (ph) director, however, says everything is secure.
Let's go to Rob. He's in Atlanta. Rob, any flight delays this morning?
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Right now, we don't have any, but we do expect some across the New York metros because of some wind. A little front that's been slowly making its way to the northeast is finally to go through. Afternoon thunderstorms in Tampa and Miami, boy, it's been a wet month for Miami, and some wind expected across part of the Salt Lake City and Vegas as well.
Tropical storm, Arlene, is our first tropical storm of the season across the southwestern corner of the Gulf of Mexico. It will spin towards Mexico and stay away from the U.S., and it will remain a tropical storm. Hopefully, some of that moisture will stream up into maybe New Mexico and Arizona to alleviate some of the fire threat, but today it's going to continue to be a hot and dry there.
A little cooler and a little more comfortable in New York City, 81 degrees there. Eighty degrees expected in Chicago. And still very, very hot across parts of the mid-south and the south central plains. Ali, it's day three now of WAKE-UP CALL, and I've noticed a trend here --
VELSHI: what's that?
MARCIANO: Well, you start off with, you know, just a shirt and tie. And then, it seems like the second half hour, you throw the vest on. And then, you're fully clothed for the big show at 6:00. a.m. All by --
VELSHI: It's a reverse striptease.
(LAUGHTER)
MARCIANO: You are a big tease.
VELSHI: Five a.m. in the morning is too early for a real striptease.
MARCIANO: We all appreciate that.
VELSHI: Yes. I'm sure we do.
MARCIANO: We'll see you fully clothed at six o'clock.
VELSHI: That's right. In less than ten minutes. Good to see you, Rob.
All right. After Republican presidential candidate, Michele Bachmann's oops calling Waterloo, Iowa, the home of John Wayne instead of John Wayne Gacy, comedy's best had some things to say. Here's your punch line.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CONAN O'BRIEN, HOST OF "CONAN": Bachmann defended herself and said that one silly gaffe should be no way disqualify her from becoming America's next prime minister.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Tomorrow, matter of fact, she will mistake Charles Bronson for Charles Manson.
(LAUGHTER)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thursday, she will mistake Ted Kennedy for Ted Bundy. And Friday, she will mistake James Earl Jones for James Earl Ray.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But that's semantics. You say potato, I say mass murder and potato.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELSHI: And today's word of the day is austerity. Find out what it means and why you need to know it right after the short break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VELSHI: Thirty-six minutes after the hour. The word today is austerity. The actual definition, sternness or severity of manner or attitude. You want to know that word today because of the protests in Greece over their economy. Here's what austerity means right now to Greece. Greece is cutting corners anyway it can to climb out of its enormous debt crisis.
So, for Greece, austerity means $40 billion in tax hikes and spending cuts, the two things that nobody in the street in Greece wants. Their parliament has an austerity vote in the next few hours, and because the world markets are all intertwined with Greece's, austerity there affects wallets here.
All right. Let's take it across to Hong Kong. Anna Coren joins us live now with a quick check on world markets.
Good morning, Anna. COREN: Hey, Ali. Well, as you say, all eyes are firmly on Greece. There is an expectation that the Greek parliament will pass those tough austerity measures you were just talking about, raising taxes and cutting spending. And Ali, as we know, these measures must get through for Greece to get that $17 billion international bailout and avoid default.
European markets, they're all in a positive territory up over one percent. Similar story on Wall Street. U.S. markets closing above one percent overnight. Here in Asia, the majority of markets were up. The Shanghai composite, Ali, was the only one to buck the trend, but we will know all, all will be revealed in just a few hours when the great parliament votes on those measures, Ali.
VELSHI: That will all be revealed. Something else has been revealed to us this morning, Anna. It was a British travel agent survey about underwear. How many pairs of underwear do you need when you travel? It depends on who you ask. According to this agency, they asked more than 1,000 people that question. I would have lied if I didn't have the right answer to this one.
Women say that for a week-long vacation, Anna, seven days, they need ten pairs of underwear. How many pairs do men say they need? Three. Three pairs of underwear. Now, 50 percent of those men said that it's because they have like -- they wear swim trunks sometimes and that they plan to wash them. That's what 50 percent of men say. The other 50 percent of men had no reason as to why they only needed three pairs of underwear for seven days.
COREN: I think they're just a bit dirty. How many pairs would you take, Ali? That's what I want to know.
VELSHI: I'm a numbers guy. So, I generally plan it out very well. And a couple extra pairs in case I lose one along the way. So, I'm usually more pairs of underwear than the number of days you're traveling.
COREN: And you would lose them because --
VELSHI: There's no particular reason you'd lose underwear. I'm just saying. You should always have spares of everything. That's a good way to think about life.
COREN: That's a very good point. Good point.
VELSHI: Yes.
COREN: OK.
VELSHI: All right. Back to the other stuff that you're covering for us, Anna. So, right now, you've got things going on in Asia, markets wise. You've also got this brand new deal with Tiger Woods where he has signed on with this company to have lotions and creams. It's his first sponsorship deal since his scandal. How is that going over in Asia? COREN: Well, you know, Tiger Woods despite everything that's happened, he's still very, very popular over here in Asia. And, you know, he needs his ailments. I know he's got problems with his Achilles and his knees, but I think that it will certainly go off here definitely. Like I said, he's a big guy over here, and a lot of people follow him, Ali.
VELSHI: All right. Anna Coren, good to see you as always. We'll continue following this. You'll continue doing it on CNN International. That's it for us. Thanks for joining us for AMERICAN MORNING WAKE-UP CALL. AMERICAN MORNING continues right now.
