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American Morning: Wake Up Call
U.S. Service Members Killed; Farewell Ceremony for Secretary Gates; Anthony Defense May Rest; Knox Case DNA Questioned; Feds: Mine Records Faked
Aired June 30, 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 Thursday, June 30th. This is your A.M. WAKE-UP CALL.
I'm Ali Velshi, joining you live this morning from New York.
We've got all the news, weather, politics, sports -- everything you need to get your day started.
Breaking news tops our rundown this morning, however. Three American service members have been killed in southern Iraq. The military is not saying yet who they are or how they died. But we're going to stay on top of this through the morning and bring you new information as we get it.
Tropical storm Arlene making landfall along Mexico's eastern coast. Arlene is packing winds of 60 miles an hour and could cause dangerous flash floods and mudslides as it moves ashore. Arlene is the first named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season.
Coming up in less than five minutes, Rob Marciano is going to show us exactly where Arlene is heading and any impact it will have on flights across the country this morning.
In Florida, the defense in the Casey Anthony trial may rest as early as today. Will she end up taking the stand? We don't know yet. But we could hear from the alleged mistress of George Anthony, who is Casey Anthony's father.
Now, yesterday, the defense tried to advance their argument that Mr. Anthony covered up his granddaughter's death and molested his daughter.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE ANTHONY, DEFENDANT'S FATHER: I never would do anything like that to my daughter.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My question is: you would never admit to it, would you, sir?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELSHI: Federal investigators say the manager of the West Virginia coal mine where 29 workers died last April had been faking safety records before the worst U.S. mine disaster in 40 years. The Mine Safety and Health Administration said this week, Massey Energy kept two sets of books. One of them included safety problems and hazards, the other one didn't. And that was the set given to government inspectors. Massey sold the Upper Big Branch Mine earlier this month.
In New Mexico this morning, they are keeping the Los Alamos National Laboratory closed through at least tomorrow because of wildfires burning nearby. The fire has consumed about 70,000 acres, about 10,000 people have been evacuated. Firefighters, however, are pleased with the progress they've made.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHIEF DOUG TUCKER, LOS ALAMOS FIRE DAUGHTER: You can see we're getting a lot less smoke and we now have an anchor point and we have a black line that's basically goes from the south point of the lab, all the way up to this area here, around Kamazon (ph). It makes me feel really good.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELSHI: It's the last day on the job today for U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates. President Obama and Joint Chiefs chairman, Admiral Mike Mullen, will attend a formal farewell tribute to Gates this morning outside the Pentagon. Secretary Gates gets bipartisan praise for restoring morale at the Pentagon and repairing its relations with Congress.
All right. Time to talk about money this morning. Let's cross over to Hong Kong. Anna Coren has got a quick check of the markets for us.
Good morning, Anna.
ANNA COREN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Very good morning to you, Ali.
A sigh of relief, you'd have to say, from the markets after the Greek parliament passed those tough austerity measures. European markets have been opened for a few hours now and as you can see, they're all in positive territory. Similar story here in the Asia Pacific with all markets up before the close.
Ali, in your part of the world, Wall Street was up overnight. But it is worth nothing that since January, all global markets have been trending downwards with investors preferring to stay on the sidelines, as debt concerns in Europe and the U.S., coupled with near-zero interest rates. That's like a rather (INAUDIBLE) in the investment going forward, Ali.
VELSHI: Anna, you were a big part of our team in Japan after the tsunami and earthquake. Just recently, I was speaking to a CEO of a nuclear energy company who said for all of the concerns about how that part was handled, Japan is likely to fix things up and get its economy back and running faster than any other country could.
And we're sort of seeing that now. COREN: We are. It's quite remarkable, is it not? Japan suffered, you know, devastating blows since the March 11 earthquake/tsunami and then a nuclear disaster. Well, the technology industries -- a supply chain was rattled by the disaster. But a new report by IHS iSuppli says there is an end in sight, claiming the industry will be completely back up and running by September.
Now, that is just six months after the disaster. Of course, Ali, companies closest to the areas that suffered the most substantial damage will have to wait just a little longer. But, certainly, that's good news for Japan.
VELSHI: Yes. Good to see that, Anna. You spend a lot of time there. Thanks very much, Anna. I'm going to check in with a little later on.
You got some good video to show us. Anna Coren in Hong Kong for us right now watching those international markets.
Anna, you know, hold on. I think I've got this video right now. Let's just talk about that, because I know you've also spent some time in the Philippines.
Look at this guy. This is a traffic cop.
COREN: I have.
VELSHI: He's dancing. He's in Manila.
COREN: He's impressive.
VELSHI: Ordinary traffic cop, right?
COREN: That's exactly right. Ordinary. I think he's certainly brightening up some people's trip to work.
What do you think? I like his moves.
VELSHI: I think it's pretty good.
COREN: I think he should practice in front of the mirror, Ali.
VELSHI: He's 54 years old. I don't know if -- my skill set is a little more limited. But, you know, I got to say. You're brightening up the mood. You got a job. It's a bit routine.
We all see traffic cops all the time. This guy has really got something. I like the way you guys do it in Asia.
We had seen stuff from a Philippine prison where they were doing Michael Jackson moves or something. I don't know what it is in Asia. But everybody else -- add some dance to your routine. Maybe you can dance our next report.
COREN: Yes. Or maybe not.
(LAUGHTER) VELSHI: Anna, we'll check in with you one way or the other. We love having you on the show, either way.
Coren Anna in Hong Kong.
COREN: Thank you.
VELSHI: Maybe Rob will dance for us.
Rob Marciano in the extreme weather center. There is extreme weather this morning. This hurricane about to make landfall in Mexico if it hasn't already. Hurricane Arlene -- or tropical storm Arlene?
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: (AUDIO BREAK) you can expect if you're traveling today, though, first off, we don't expect a ton of huge delays today. That's the good news. A couple weak fronts heading across the U.S. So, the spots that you're going to see problems are Tampa, Orlando, Minneapolis, Salt Lake.
But the major airports in New York and D.C. and Boston, relatively quiet today as high pressure builds into that area after the front moved through. Continue to be hazy, hot and humid, though, across the midsection.
Here's Arlene now making landfall across northeast Mexico, right between Tucsan (ph) and Tampico. Winds of 65 miles an hour. So, almost hurricane. A matter of fact, there are hurricane warnings up. But it likely will not become a hurricane before it goes inland.
The main threat with this is going to be the tremendous amount of rainfall that will come with this. You could see over a foot in some spots. And the bad news, Ali, is that the rainfall that is with this is not going to make it up into Texas and New Mexico and Arizona where we desperately need it -- feast or famine with this one.
It's the first tropical storm of the season, making landfall this morning across northeast Mexico. We'll give you updates throughout the morning -- Ali.
VELSHI: Rob, thank you. I'll talk to you in a little bit.
Rob, by the way, actually hold on a second. Stay with me for this one, too.
MARCIANO: Turtles?
VELSHI: Turtles. This was after my bedtime yesterday. Turtles crawling across an active runway at JFK?
MARCIANO: I think it was a fraternity prank or some sort of hazing.
VELSHI: Let's just take a look.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: American 1009, there's a report of a turtle on the runway. Do you want to have it removed first?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sure.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: American 1009, cancel takeoff clearance, hold the position.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Holding position American 1009. I was wondering where those things were.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
VELSHI: These are diamondback terrapins. They were trying to find an ideal spot to lay their eggs. They have a Twitter account.
This is what happens when you're a famous animal doing something you're not supposed to be doing. You got a Twitter account?
MARCIANO: That's what happens. Yes. Little speed bumps. But I'm glad they removed them.
VELSHI: Yes. That was -- that was --
(CROSSTALK)
MARCIANO: Nice sized turtles.
VELSHI: Yes, 150 of them. And it's kind of a mating ground, I hear, for them.
MARCIANO: Is it? Well, I love how the control tower and the pilots were very professional in their communication. Let's get little critters off the runway and we move on about our business.
VELSHI: We'll check in with you in a bit, Rob. Thank you.
MARCIANO: All right, Ali.
VELSHI: All right. I'm going to read you a quote from a newsmaker now. It goes like this. "They want to see two girls come together and have a mud wrestling fight and I'm not going to give it to them."
Scratching your head about who said it? Soak it in and think about it. I'm going to have an answer for you after the break.
It is eight minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VELSHI: Happy Thursday. It is 12 minutes after the hour.
The speaker on our quote of the day, Republican presidential candidate Michele Bachmann downplaying tensions with Sarah Palin. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) MICHELE BACHMANN (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: They want to see two girls come together and have a mud wrestling fight. And I'm not going to give it to 'em.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELSHI: All right. So, you've heard of mudslinging campaigns. I've got to be honest, this is the first time I've heard about someone talk mud wrestling in campaigns.
Well, the late night comedians who make us laugh weren't talking about mud wrestling. But they did take jabs at the president and the country's enormous debt crisis.
Here's your morning punch line.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)
CONAN O'BRIEN, TBS' "CONAN": He held a press conference we talked about how he is going to tackle the growing debt crisis. This is important.
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The money has been spent.
(LAUGHTER)
O'BRIEN: That's one of his best speeches.
JON STEWART, "THE DAILY SHOW": Democrats say we have to raise America's $14.3 trillion debt ceiling before August 2nd. If we don't do that -- wait, what happens again?
JAY CARNEY, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Armageddon.
JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Armageddon.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Armageddon.
STEWART: Each party says the other is leading us to Armageddon. It's either them being slightly hyperbolic? For more, we go to the future.
(INAUDIBLE) that no matter which party gains the upper hand in 2012 leads to a dystopian America governed (INAUDIBLE)?
PANEL: Yes.
STEWART: No third option might lead to say that not happen?
PANEL: No.
(END VIDEO CLIPS)
VELSHI: All right. Time now for our Political Ticker with Tim Farley, host of "Morning Briefing" Sirius XM POTUS live from Washington. Tim, good morning. Hey, listen, normally, I ask you what's the most important thing that's going to happen today is -- this is an interesting one. It's the ceremony -- the farewell ceremony for Defense Secretary Robert Gates.
But this is important. He's been an important and big player. I guess this makes us wonder about what the future holds?
TIM FARLEY, SIRIUS XM POTUS: You are absolutely right, Ali. And I know you mentioned it at the top of the show. But this man has been for 40 years in charge or serving the country, and served two presidents as secretary of defense.
He's being replaced by Leon Panetta, who's moving over from CIA. We also expect from the Senate today that David Petraeus will be confirmed by the Senate to take over as CIA director.
But Secretary Gates is one of those people who has the respect of Republicans, of Democrats, men, women, civilians, soldiers, yin, yang, whatever. He is just pretty about as good as it gets when it comes to being secretary of defense. We expect there will be emotion today when the president has a few remarks around 10:00 this morning.
VELSHI: And Gates has shown emotion in the past. He's a guy that seems connected to the work that he does.
Hey, we were showing late-night laughs. Stephen Colbert from Comedy Central is going before the Federal Election Commission today. Tell us why.
FARLEY: The Truthiness Train rolls into town today in Washington, D.C. Essentially, he was kidding around about starting a super PAC, which is one of those groups that can raise as much money as it wants. And he was trying to pull Viacom, his parent company, into it.
The problem with that is that it kind of gets into the area of in-kind donations. And without getting too witty about this, anytime you start running afoul of federal election laws, you are getting into weeds. So, he is going to actually be in front of the Federal Elections Commission today, pleading his case, getting some guidance, and we expect it will be a packed room, although it's not a really big room.
And in addition to that, there will probably be more interest in this than any other Federal Elections Commission meeting in the history of the United States.
VELSHI: I think you're absolutely right about that. So, it's worth looking out for. It is a serious hearing, though. He's not making fun of anything. He wants to know about the value of the stuff that he does, maybe to put a value on it.
Tim, good to see you, my friend.
FARLEY: It is serious, but I wouldn't count on it as being totally serious, yes. VELSHI: OK, fair enough. Well, that's why we're talking about it so that someone may feel like watching it as it happens.
Tim, good to see you.
FARLEY: You, too, Ali. Thanks so much.
VELSHI: A group of Democratic senators are reaching out to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transsexual teenagers. They released a YouTube video yesterday that's intended to offer hope and their message is that life does get better.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think back to the days in which I was in school and my early adulthood.
SEN. RON WYDEN (D), OREGON: Being gay was not something people talked about.
SEN. CHRISTOPHER COONS (D), DELAWARE: The number of my friends in middle school and high school and college had been gay but had hidden it.
WYDEN: Over the years, our country has learned how difficult it is for our loved ones to have to hide such an important part of themselves.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But over time, that's changed. But it's been a healthy change.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELSHI: Thirteen Democratic senators are featured in the five-minute video. They are all co-sponsors of a bill that would repeal the Defense of Marriage Act.
Speaking of gay marriage, Rhode Island hasn't gone as far as New York in legalizing same-sex marriage. But lawmakers voted yesterday to allow civil unions rather than expand the definition of marriage. The state's governor, an independent, is expected to sign the bill into law that would make Rhode Island the fifth state to allow civil unions which gives same-sex couples added rights and benefits.
OK. She's an Oscar winner, an A-list actress, but there is one thing missing.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHARLIZE THERON, ACTRESS: I need to find a man.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELSHI: Charlize Theron disses on men, her flaws and whether she said yes or no to ever getting married. And today, we celebrate one of the most common ways we greet each other. It is National Handshake Day. So, be sure to extend a hand to shows you come across today.
Remember, though, don't grip too tight, don't shake too many times.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VELSHI: Twenty minutes after the hour.
Here are three things to put on your radar today:
The unemployment numbers will be updated at 8:30 this morning, Eastern Time. That's when the weekly jobless claims came out. It will show us how many people filed for unemployment benefits for the first time last week.
Crime boss James "Whitey" Bulger is scheduled to be in court, around 11:30 this morning. He's trying to get a court-appointed attorney. You'll remember, he was caught last week after 16 years on the FBI's most wanted list.
And the last crew of the space shuttle launch Atlantis will talk to the media at 1:00 this afternoon, Eastern Time. The last launch of Atlantis is scheduled for July 8th.
By the way, I'll be at Kennedy Space Center for that.
Yemen is a country in crisis. Its government has lost control over five provinces. Security is deteriorating, anti-government demonstrations have gone from small marches to mass protests. The president was injured in an uprising and he clings desperately to office. The nation's acting president tells CNN's Nic Robertson how Ali Abdullah Saleh, the president, is doing as he gets medical treatment in Saudi Arabia.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ABDU RABU MANSOOR HADI, ACTING YEMENI PRESIDENT (through translator): I saw him immediately after the incident. He had burns on his face, burns on his hands, some burns on his chest, and there was a piece of wood was sticking between his ribs.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: How long before it comes back in your estimation?
HADI: No one can tell, this is accord together doctors.
ROBERTSON: Days?
HADI: Days, weeks, months.
ROBERTSON: Months -- it could be months?
HADI: It could be months. This is a decision up to the doctors.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELSHI: And the U.S. has reportedly been asked to leave an air base in Pakistan, one that is used to launch drone attacks against Taliban and al Qaeda targets along the Afghanistan border. Now, that is according to the state-run Associate Press of Pakistan, quoting the country's defense minister, the U.S. official tells us the comments are, quote, "news to us."
All right. We're going around the world. Let's got to Zain Verjee. She's standing by in London.
It's going to be a big, big day in London. In fact, I don't know if it's underway yet. But we're expecting to see big strikes.
Good morning, Zain.
ZAIN VERJEE, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Good morning, Ali.
Everyone is bracing themselves. It is supposed to be some of the biggest strike action that we're going to see since the 1920s, hundreds of thousands of people are going to demonstrate and get out on the streets. We're going to have things like airport delays, schools have been shut down. Courts are not operating. Teachers are on strike, and nurses as well.
They're basically mad, Ali, because the government wants to cut their pensions.
It's making front-page news all over the country. This is "The Independent." And what people are saying is, well, why should they have to deal with it and the politicians aren't getting any cuts to their pensions, too?
So, they're pretty mad about this. Ever since this government has come to power, Ali, it has been cut, cut, cut. They want to reduce the deficit and this is just part of that. But people really upset today.
VELSHI: All right. And switching over to the other side of the Atlantic, Will and Kate, the royals, headed to Canada as the beginning of their North American tour.
VERJEE: Yes, headed across the pond, your way, your country, to Canada, and then to the United States.
Let's show you a map, Ali. They're going to be out for 11 days. They're going to be in Ottawa, where they're going to celebrate Canada Day.
Then they'll go to Montreal, where I spent a number of years and school. They're going to take a cooking class, Ali. I don't know whether potin (ph) is involved in that or not. But they'll be there.
And then they're going to go to Quebec City, Prince Edward Island, Yellow Knife and the Yukon. They're going to be playing ball hockey and they're going ahead to Calgary and L.A. And then they need to squeeze in a romantic getaway in the Rocky Mountains. I'm sure you know --
VELSHI: It's very tough to talk about potin (ph) at 5:00 in the morning. It's one of my favorite foods. It's crispy French fries and you put cheese Kurd and brown gravy on top of it and it all mixes up. It's fantastic food.
Now, I'll tell you, Zain. As you probably know about me, I, like many men, have my food either prepared or buy it prepackaged. I have to say, I'm guilty of this. I buy prepackaged salads, right, because nothing to do. You open it up and you eat and you put a little dressing.
VERJEE: Right.
VELSHI: But there's some prepackaged salads --
VERJEE: Yes. Mix it easy.
VELSHI: So, they sell them at Kroger's here in the United States. And after eating some of it, a guy found a dead mouse in the bag. Yes. I know it's early.
VERJEE: A dead mouse? That's the picture? You're showing me this picture right now, first thing in the morning?
VELSHI: Yes.
VERJEE: Oh, God! It's guts are all over the place there. How did they miss that, Ali? That's huge.
VELSHI: I don't know. But this is a problem for me because like the only choice I have now is to stop eating for a few days. Kroger, by the way, the company, says they're mortified and the guy who found the mouse says he has no plans to contact a lawyer. He's not trying to sue anybody at the moment. He just got a mouse in his salad.
VERJEE: Well, Ali, if it was a cockroach, OK, I'd understand. But a mouse?
VELSHI: How forgiving. You'd be fine with a cockroach in your salad, but you draw the line at a mouse, Zain. That's what I like about you, you have standards.
VERJEE: Yes, I have standards, you know? I mean, would you like mouse with that? No, no.
VELSHI: Yes, it's a little gross.
Zain, we'll come back to you in a little while.
VERJEE: Thanks, Ali.
VELSHI: Zain Verjee for us in London.
Hey, by the way, Zain had a great interview with Jay Leno last night. We're going to bring you some of that when she comes back. Actress Charlize Theron in the flesh sat down with our own Piers Morgan. She won an Oscar. She's been on magazine covers. She shares something that we don't always see about her, though.
She told Piers about some of her flaws.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
THERON: I'm just as flawed as the woman next to me. I really am. I suffer from a bit of OCD. I inspect every closet and drawer. I need to find a man.
PIERS MORGAN, "PIERS MORGAN TONIGHT" HOST: This is not going to help.
THERON: This is not going to help.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELSHI: She inspects everything. She would have found that mouse in her salad.
By the way, for the fellows watching us this morning, I thought I'd throw this one in.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MORGAN: Do you think you'll never get married?
THERON: I don't. I don't.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELSHI: All right. To eastern Afghanistan where a U.S. military outpost comes under attack by the Taliban.
(VIDEO CLIP PLAYS)
VELSHI: We've got a CNN exclusive look at the battle unfolding with the Taliban, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VELSHI: Good morning. It is Thursday, June 30th. This is your WAKE- UP CALL.
I'm Ali Velshi, joining you live this morning from New York. Thirty minutes after the hour.
This morning, we've got breaking news, weather, politics and sports -- everything to get your day started.
And the breaking news starts the rundown this morning: three American service members have been killed in southern Iraq. The military is not yet saying who the service members are or how they died. We'll stay on top of this through the morning and bring you any new information as we get it. The defense could rest today in the Casey Anthony trial. The big question is, will Casey Anthony herself testify in her own defense?
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
VELSHI (voice-over): A gut-wrenching day yesterday, her father, George Anthony broke down on the stand while being questioned about the death of his two-year-old granddaughter, Caylee.
VOICE OF JEFF ASHTON, PROSECUTOR: Had you held out the hope that Caylee would be found alive?
GEORGE ANTHONY, CASEY ANTHONY'S FATHER: Absolutely. Every day from July 15th until the day we were told it was Caylee.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did you need a break?
ANTHONY: No, sir. I need to get through this. I need to have something inside of me get through this.
VELSHI: Federal judge says Jared Lee Loughner must take his meds. Loughner's attorney arguing that forcing him to take the mind-altering drugs violates his rights, but the judge sided with doctors who are trying to treat his mental illness. Loughner charged with that mass shooting in Tucson in January which let six people dead and 13 wounded, including Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords.
I don't know if Robert Gates will be carrying out those boxes of pictures and trinkets when he leaves work this afternoon, but today is his last day as defense secretary, stepping down after more than four years, serving under Presidents Bush and Obama. President Obama will honor Gates at the Pentagon ceremony today. Tomorrow, the name on the desk is going to read Leon Panetta, former head of the CIA.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Fire.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Go, go, go, go, go!
VELSHI: CNN got this exclusive look along Afghanistan's eastern border. Our Nick Paton Walsh embedded with U.S. forces when a military outpost came under attack by the Taliban. U.S. troops were forced to take cover until reinforcements could arrive. At least five insurgents were killed in this battle.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VELSHI (on-camera): All right. Let's talk about money. Christine Romans is standing by. Christine, I saw you covering it yesterday. President Obama is mad about inaction over the debt ceiling. How is that going to play out today if at all?
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: You know, it's interesting because the debt ceiling debate as it ticks closer and closer to August 2nd, very important, Ali. This is not a political story. This is a money and personal finance story. The world is watching to see if the U.S. can get its long-term fiscal issues under control but also short term can pay the bills. The president said it yesterday. He said, we already spent this money.
Congress already spent this money. The world is watching to make sure the U.S. isn't, at some point, deciding what bills it's going to pay and what bills it's not going to pay. So, this is incredibly important to confidence overall, because stocks have been up now for three days. Stocks and bonds and the markets have been processing the fact that the U.S. economy is a little bit slower, processing Greece, processing all of these other international issues, and have managed to find some footing here.
So, you know, how we go from here will be really, really important, but we're looking for futures. Futures are up, Ali. It looks like it could be an up day for stocks, at least, if things hold over the next four hours.
VELSHI: If you're watching us on TV this morning, you're hard driving, you're probably wired, you probably use some kind of device by Apple. What do we need to know about what's happening with Apple today?
ROMANS: All right. Big changes in Apples app stores today that could spell trouble for the e-books and those digital readers. Today, it marks the deadline for app makers to come in line with Apple's very strict view payment rules, Ali. Any apps that include links to external websites for purchases are going to be banned unless Apple gets a 30 percent cut.
That means big name apps like Amazon's Kindle could be booted from the apps store if they don't start selling products inside the app or stock including the outside payment links all together. You know, a lot of merchants, Ali, are already considering this a deal breaker and opted out. Online music service rhapsody is one of them.
They said they certainly couldn't survive a hit like paying Apple 30 percent of everything that they sell. So, you might see some changes today to the apps store, the Apple apps store, and the relationship with other vendors there.
VELSHI: I know you're active on Facebook as I am, on Twitter as I am. I don't know that you have a MySpace page.
ROMANS: I don't.
VELSHI: I set one up years ago. I haven't logged in probably for years.
(LAUGHTER)
VELSHI: But listen to this, you were talking about that MySpace got sold for $35 million. Now, for most people --
ROMANS: Thirty-five million. That's chump change.
VELSHI: News group, Fox News Corporation paid more than half a billion dollars for the site six years ago. Here's the part that I'm scratching my head. Justin Timberlake, apparently, taking a piece of this? The owners, a company called Specific Media says Timberlake is going to have an ownership stake. He'll play a major role in MySpace's future. What do you know about this? Except that MySpace is for musicians. So, that makes sense.
ROMANS: And you know, it could be a re-invention. Somebody like his name could be a re-invention for MySpace. Clearly, you know, seven (ph) years ago, Newscorp had high hopes for this company, but 35 million after, you know, almost -- 35 million --
VELSHI: Unbelievable.
ROMANS: That's crazy. Considering how much they paid for it, half a billion dollars, just a few years ago.
VELSHI: Less than 10 percent of what they paid for it.
ROMANS: Unbelievable. It shows you how quickly technology and the world's taste for how they use technology are changing.
VELSHI: Yes. I'll see you in 25 minutes on "American Morning," Christine.
ROMANS: Yes. See you soon.
VELSHI: All right. Tennis star and legend, Roger Federer, out at Wimbledon. What will happen to his legend? We'll talk about that next.
And now, it's time to get smart. Today's question, how much sleep does an average American get? Here's your options, five hours and 58 minutes, six hours and 45 minutes, eight hours and 23 minutes, or are we all lazy buggers who get 10 hours and three minutes? Think about it. The answer's coming up right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VELSHI: Thirty-nine minutes after the hour. Happy Thursday. Before the break, I asked how much sleep you think the average American gets. Survey says, eight hours and 23 minutes a night. I can't believe it. That is according to the labor department. I don't even know why the labor department has this information. All I can say is that I'm very jealous. I don't remember the last time I got eight hours and 23 minutes of sleep in a night.
All right. Let's talk about tropical storm, Arlene. First named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, making landfall. Rob, tell us what we can expect in the U.S.
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Well, we're not going to get a lot of rainfall from this. We could stand and get some up into across the border through Texas, New Mexico, but it's just not going to happen all that much. Most of the rain, and there's going to be a lot of it, is going to be across Northeastern Mexico. Right now, there are hurricane warnings that are posted for a lot of the Mexican coastline up to La Cruz. Base in the center of this thing is between Tampico, to expand, and it's about 20 miles offshore. So, as it moves onshore it will, obviously, weaken, but it's pretty much getting to be its most organized as it approaches the coastline. So, there will be some wind damage with this, a mild storm surge, but the biggest threat is going to be the amount of rainfall with this.
And here's the rainfall protection over the next 36 hours. That white means over 10 inches. And as you know, the further inland you get, the more mountains you hit. So, we're going to see some flash flooding and mudslides with this for our friends down south of the border, but as mentioned, I don't think a lot of this is going to get up north of the border which is where we needed.
Excessive, in some cases record-breaking drought across much of the state of Texas, and of course, those fires that are burning in New Mexico and Arizona aren't going to see a lot of this moisture. So, I hope --
VELSHI: Rain in the wrong place. I don't know if you saw the survey that I just pulled in from the commercial break with about how much sleep Americans get. According to the labor department, eight hours and 23 minutes on average.
MARCIANO: That is the average of what they get or what they should get.
VELSHI: No, what they get.
MARCIANO: Well, yes, obviously, we're not included in that.
(LAUGHTER)
VELSHI: I was going to say. We didn't skew the survey enough. OK. Rob, I'll talk to you in a little bit.
MARCIANO: All right.
VELSHI: It is 41 minutes after the hour.
Here are three things that you need on your radar today.
Number one, Republican presidential candidate, Mitt Romney, is holding a news conference outside a closed factory in Pennsylvania today around 4:00 p.m. eastern time.
Plus, President Obama attending a fundraiser for the Democratic National Committee in Philadelphia tonight, 5:35 eastern, just in time in mess (ph) up traffic on the drive home.
And just couldn't (ph) great, coming up in less than an hour, "Consumer Reports" will release their fast food survey. I want to see how some of my favorites did on that list.
While we're talking about fast food, let's talk about the thing that goes best with fast food, and that is sports with Pablo Torre, reporter for "Sports Illustrated" live from New York. Pablo, what is going on at Wimbledon? Players looking forward to the finals this weekend, Roger Federer, tennis legend is out after the Williams sisters out. What does this mean for Federer?
PABLO TORRE, REPORTER SPORTS ILLUSTRATED: Yes. Well, first, let's give credit to the guy who shocked the world and shocked Roger Federer, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, a guy who is more famous for physically resembling Muhammad Ali than anything else, but, you know, here's the thing with Roger Federer, Ali. Too often we measure sports years like dog years. We think these guys are aging and aging faster than the eye can see.
And the bottom line is that Roger Federer had a bad day, but the guy is 29 years old. I mean, come on. He's not done yet. He'll have another grand slam under his belt pretty soon. So, let's give a hold on the legacy being over talk and let's just wait for him to bounce back. He's one of the best ever.
VELSHI: All right. Let's talk about a story you did on a seven- footer and retired basketball star, Mark Eaton.
TORRE: Yes. I mean, as basketball fans, as sports fans, we don't often think about these guys who are seven feet tall. Endocrinologists will tell you, extremely, extremely tall for the growth spectrum and how basketball tends to be this also medieval sort of trait that they're brought into.
You know, this land imperative for them, and we sort of wonder what happens when that sport they've been trained to do for their entire life goes away? And so, I spent time serving as a physical measuring stick for people to see how tall Mark Eaton was, walking around --
VELSHI: How tall are you? How tall are you, because you look like his kid.
TORRE: Exactly. I look like his child. (INAUDIBLE) of some kind. I'm 5'10 1/2".
VELSHI: Wow.
TORRE: Yes. You can look at that video. It's ridiculous. I mean, the stares, the comments he gets walking through an airport in Las Vegas are unlike any celebrity in the world I maintain. So, the stories about what it's like for him to go about his day and being photographed, literally, against his will, involuntarily, all the time, and it's something that a lot of sports fans, I think, may get a better taste of after the story.
VELSHI: No kidding. All right. Pablo, I always thought you were a regular-sized guy until I saw that video. Good to see you. Pablo Torre for Sports "Illustrated."
TORRE: I swear I am.
(LAUGHTER)
VELSHI: Hey, Jay Leno heads across the pond to London to talk about American politics. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAY LENO, HOST: Bill Clinton was the golden age of comedy. George Bush, pretty good there. Oh, boy. Fantastic.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELSHI: So, the question Zain was talking to him that has us all waiting for an answer. What did he have to say about President Obama? Hear what he told Zain Verjee right after this.
But first, on think day in history, in 1953, the first Corvette rolled off the assembly line in Flint, Michigan. Sold for $3,250. To this day, the American classic continues to rank among the world's most elite sports cars. It's 44 minutes after the hour. We're coming right back with WAKE UP CALL.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VELSHI: All right. Forty-seven minutes after the hour. Good morning. It is Thursday, June 30th. This is your A.M. WAKE UP CALL. I'm Ali Velshi joining you live from New York this morning.
All right. Let's go around the world. Zain Verjee joins us from London where we are expecting -- there's a whole lot of news coming out of Europe, but one that you're following in particular is a runaway bride, perhaps?
VERJEE: Yes. You know, Ali, this is kind of like a Hollywood movie script, OK? The bride-to-be bolted. Now, here's what happened. This is in Monaco. Prince Albert is supposed to marry the former Olympic swimmer. Her name is Charlene Wittstock, and this marriage is supposed to happen on Saturday. What happened according to a French magazine called "L'Express" is that she bolted. She did a runner. She went to the airport in Nice and wanted to buy a one-way ticker back home to South Africa.
And according to this report, the officials at the airport said, wait a minute, isn't there a wedding going on? And they called up Prince Albert who came to the airport and persuaded her to just not leave and to come back. Now, the palace is denying that there is any rift, but they've launched this big manhunt as to who was the mole in the palace that leaked this to the media.
The wedding is supposed to happen Saturday, but you know, a lot of people are wondering whether she's going to leave him at the altar or what's going on, because --
VELSHI: So, for now the wedding is still scheduled.
VERJEE: For now, the wedding is still scheduled. It's like $100 million, loads of guests. They're flying in the eagles, you know? It's supposed to be a big deal, but Charlene Wittstock is saying, you know, there are all these rumors about Prince Albert and that his behavior is not as exemplary as she may have imagined. So, the buzz is, what is really going on? Will there be a wedding? And is there some kind of a cover-up going on with this?
VELSHI: Zain, you didn't like my topic last time when I talked about the rat in the salad. So, I got a better one for you.
VERJEE: The dead mouse first thing in the morning? No.
VELSHI: You were talking to Jay Leno. What was that about?
VERJEE: Well, Jay was here in London. He was here by invitation of Jaguar. You know, he's a big car fan. He collects them.
VELSHI: Right.
VERJEE: He actually told me he drove Princess Diana's old car, but we also talked politics in the U.S. Here's what he had to say. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LENO: Bill Clinton was the golden age of comedy, didn't he (ph) any better than that. George Bush, pretty good there. Oh, boy. Fantastic. And, of course, Obama, not so much.
VERJEE: Why?
LENO: Well, he's well-spoken and he's serious and he does not seem to have those sort of usual flaws. He reads some teleprompter a bit too much, but that's OK. But, we have Sarah Palin and some of these other people. So, it's actually -- I think it's going to be OK.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VERJEE: And then Ali, I asked him which candidate is going to give you the most material on your show shows, and he said definitely Sarah Palin, and he said this, it's not the fire in her belly, it's the air in her head.
VELSHI: Oh!
VERJEE: Ali.
VELSHI: Yes, I guess --
VERJEE: Ouch!
VELSHI: I mean, it's been a bit of a drought for some of these comedy guys for a while. They're hoping for good -- some of these front- runners in the Republican race don't offer a lot of material either, because they're sort of lower key.
VERJEE: Right.
VELSHI: So, let's see what happens. Zain, good to see you this morning, as always. I'll see you on "American Morning" in a little while.
VERJEE: All right. VELSHI: All right. Some other stories that we're following today.
In Florida, the defense in the Casey Anthony trial may rest as early as today, but is she, herself, going to take the stand and could we hear from the alleged mistress of George Anthony, Casey's father? Yesterday, the defense tried to advance their argument that Mr. Anthony covered up his granddaughter's death and molested his daughter.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANTHONY: I never would do anything like that to my daughter.
JOSE BAEZ, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: My question is, you would never admit to it, would you, sir?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELSHI: Forensic specialist told an Italian court that DNA findings used to convict American, Amanda Knox, of murder in 2009 were unreliable. The independent team said police did not follow international inspection procedures, and the evidence may have been contaminated. This may be a boost for Knox as her appeal is heard this week.
Federal investigators say the manager of the West Virginia coal mine where 29 workers died last April had been faking safety records before the worst U.S. mine disaster in 40 years. The Mine Safety and Health Administration said this week that Massey Energy kept two sets of books, one included safety problems or hazards, the other one didn't and that was the set that was given to government inspectors. Massey sold the upper big branch mine earlier this month.
All right. In New Mexico, they're keeping that fire at the Los Alamos National Laboratory. Because of that fire, they're keeping the lab close to at least tomorrow because of those fires. The fire is consumed about 70,000 acres. About 10,000 people have evacuated. Fire fighters are pleased with the progress they've made and stressed the toxic materials stored on the site are safe.
Today's word of the day is maximalist. Find out what it means and why you need to know what it means right after the short break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VELSHI: Thirty-five minutes after the hour. Today's word of the day is maximalist. The actual definition is a person who holds extreme views and is not prepared to compromise. Why do we care about this? President Obama used the word in his news conference about the debt ceiling yesterday.
He blasted Congressional Republicans for refusing to consider raising taxes on the wealthiest Americans as part of any deal. He said Congress needs to be, quote, "willing to take on their sacred cows and do tough things while moving away from maximalist positions." There you go. All right. Here are three things to put on your radar today. The unemployment numbers will be updated at 8:30 this morning eastern time. Jobless claims for last week come out, and we'll find out whether we created more jobs.
Plus, crime boss, James "Whitey" Bulger, is scheduled to be in court around 11:30 this morning. He's trying to get a court appointed attorney. You'll remember, he was caught last week after 15 years on the FBI's most wanted list.
And the last crew of the space shuttle "Atlantis" will talk to the media at one o'clock this afternoon. The last launch of "Atlantis" is scheduled for July 8th. I'll be down at Kennedy Space Center for that.
Let's go across to Hong Kong for a quick check of the markets with Anna Coren. Anna, what's it looking like?
ANNA COREN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Ali, markets are quite relieved that the Greek parliament has passed those tough austerity measures. European markets have been open for several hours. They're all in positive territory. It was the similar story here in the Asia Pacific, all markets up before the close.
In your part of the world, Ali, Wall Street was up overnight, but there's still a lot of uncertainty out there which, I think, reflects in the fact that global markets have been trending downwards since January -- Ali.
VELSHI: Anna, let's talk a little bit about Japan. You spent a lot of time there after the earthquake and tsunami. And as devastating as that was, we're now seeing that Japan is getting back on track, getting their economy and production and manufacturing back on track.
COREN: It's great news, isn't it not? Japan, as you say, suffered that devastating earthquake/tsunami and the nuclear disaster on March 11th. The technology industry was hit particularly hard. As we know, Japan is known for its technology, but a new report has come out that says the end is in sight, claiming the industry will be completely back up and running by September.
That's just six months after the disaster. Of course, companies closest to the areas that suffered the most substantial damage will have to wait just a little longer, but good news, Ali, which is great.
VELSHI: Other good news, maybe it's bad news. You and I have something in common, Anna. You're Australian, I'm Canadian. We come from big beer drinking cultures. Listen to this. Beer may make mosquitoes like you more. Some French researchers gave men three cans of beer or water, then exposed them to blood suckers. The men who drank beer were 30 percent more likely to attract mosquitoes than men who drank water. What do you think about that, Anna?
COREN: It makes sense. Complete sense. That's why I'm attacked by mosquitoes on a regular basis.
(LAUGHTER)
VELSHI: Anna, good to see you as always. Thanks for joining us, and we will see you bright and early again tomorrow morning on WAKE UP CALL.
COREN: Talk to you later.
VELSHI: As the president and lawmakers haggle over the country's debt crisis, you can bet comedians are going to find something to make us laugh about. Here's your morning punch line.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CONAN O'BRIEN, HOST OF "CONAN": He held a press conference where he talked about how he is going to tackle the growing debt crisis. This is important.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The money's been spent.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(LAUGHTER)
O'BRIEN: It's one of his best speeches.
JON STEWART, HOST OF "THE DAILY SHOW": Democrats say we've got to raise America's $14.3 trillion debt ceiling before August 2nd, because if we don't do that -- wait, what happened again?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Armageddon.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Armageddon.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Armageddon.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STEWART: Each party says the other party is leading us to Armageddon. Is either of them being slightly hyperbolic for more we go to the future? And so, you're both saying that no matter which party gains the upper hand in 2011, it leads to an America (ph) governed by apes?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
(LAUGHTER)
STEWART: No third option might lead to say that not happen?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VELSHI: OK. Remember, you're going to hear a lot of those jokes, because the deadline for figuring out how to extend that budget ceiling is August 2nd here in the United States.
Hey, Seattle cops are red faced for doing something with an assault rifle that we've probably all done a time or two with a purse or a wallet or cup of coffee. Driving off with it on the car. You left your rifle where? Leaving your coffee cup on top of your car is one thing, but a Seattle cop left an apparently loaded assault rifle on the trunk of a police cruiser.
Another cop got in and drove off for the cruiser with the rifle staying atop the trunk while that cop headed for Starbucks. A passerby stopped the photo. Now, the police chief is saying the department is embarrassed and is investigating. There are worst things to leave atop your car. We toss in a funny reality show clip where they leave a fake baby on the roof of a vehicle and drive off with the baby while they're coming up to rescue. CNN continues right now with AMERICAN MORNING.
