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American Morning: Wake Up Call
Obama Talks Jobs in Rural America; Merkel and Sarkozy to Meet on Debt Crisis; Flash Mob Robbery In Action; Philly's 1,300 Open Teacher Jobs; BART: Trains Running As Scheduled
Aired August 16, 2011 - 05:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning to you. It is Tuesday, August 16th. This is your A.M. WAKE-UP CALL.
I'm Carol Costello, joining you live from New York this morning.
You're going to see a lot of stories, a lot of news coming out of Iowa today. It seems to be the center of the political universe right now. President Obama will meet with farmers and small business owners to talk about jobs and opportunities in rural America. His three-day Midwest bus tour ends tomorrow in Illinois.
The White House insists the trip is not political. Republicans say, wait a minute, Mr. President, you're totally campaigning.
Here's the president talking about broken politics, and then you're going to hear from Republican candidate Rick Perry. He's in Iowa, too.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The problem is, is that we've got the kind of partisan brinksmanship that is willing to put party ahead of country. That's more interested in seeing their political opponents lose than seeing the country win.
GOV. RICK PERRY (R-TX), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: He's running for reelection. He's saying he's got a little trip. I'm saying he's got a lot of explaining to do about the economy if that's what he's out talking about. I don't think the folks in Iowa are going to be real excited about unemployment rate where it is and the number of Americans who are out of work. You know, this president has been an abject failure when it comes to the economy.
(END VIDEO CLIPS)
COSTELLO: Republican candidate Michele Bachmann's bus will be in Greenville and Spartanburg, South Carolina, today.
Today is the National Day of Action. And Latino groups will be protesting the president's immigration policies. He's been criticized for the number of undocumented immigrants deported on his watch. Rallies are set for 11:00 a.m. Eastern today in Atlanta, 1:30 Eastern in Boston, 2:00 Eastern in Charlotte and 3:00 Eastern in Miami.
Now on to San Francisco. BART says the trains are running on their normal schedules again. Transit officials closed and reopened several downtown subway stations yesterday to keep protests from getting out of hand.
(VIDEO CLIP PLAYS)
COSTELLO: Protestors are calling attention to several shootings involving BART police officers. They're also upset with BART's decision to shut off cell phone service ahead of a protest last week. The FCC is now looking into that.
It could be weeks before anyone knows why the founder of a Florida megachurch died. Zachery Tims was found dead Friday in W. Hotel in New York's Times Square. He was just 42 years old. Autopsy results could not pinpoint the cause of death. So, more tests are needed. Members of his New Destiny Christian Church in Apopka, Florida, still can't believe he's gone.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I mean, I thought that, you know, I'd see him tomorrow and say, you know, hello to him. I mean, I just -- it's a very big shock to me.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Shock and disbelief. And also pain.
(END VIDEO CLIPS)
COSTELLO: So the big question in Indiana now, is anyone to blame for the fatal stage collapse at the Indiana state fair? The company that owns the structure says an independent investigation is under way. Forecasters had warned earlier in the day that heavy rain and winds could hit the fair area.
And about four minutes before the collapse, authorities had gotten on stage to warn people to take cover. As you know, five people were killed. At least 40 were hurt when a bank of lights and metal came crashing down. The victims' families are expressing their grief and their frustration.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)
RANDY BYRD, BROTHER KILLED IN COLLAPSE: There was a great deal of lack of communication going on. At the spur of the moment, it came in so quickly that nobody really was able to act and get the orders put out that need to be put out.
LORETTA BYRD, SON KILLED IN COLLAPSE: Just hurt. I feel hurt, because of everything that happened. For anything and all the people that was hurt.
(END VIDEO CLIPS)
COSTELLO: A water park in Sacramento got a bit too clean. A leak filled a wave pool with the air and unhealthy amounts of chlorine. About 20 people went to the hospital. A lot of them complained that their eyes were burning. Fire officials believe the equipment that delivers the chlorine to the park's pool just messed up somehow.
Now to see how the world's money is doing this morning. In Asia, the Nikkei closed up, while the Hang Seng and Shanghai closed down. In Europe, all of the markets are down at this hour. Right now, all eyes actually are on Paris where a key meeting is set to take place.
Nina dos Santos joins us live from there.
What do you expect?
NINA DOS SANTOS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Hi, Carol. Good morning to you from Paris.
What we're seeing at the moment is this meeting is being billed as a make or break moment for this currency, the euro. It is a money that is shared by 17 nations across the European Union. Three hundred and twenty million people use this money. It's responsible for a quarter of the world's trade and currency reserves.
Now, the problem that the euro has been facing of late is that why we do have a monetary union for countries in Europe, we don't have a fiscal union, which means that these countries have very different budgetary and very different economies, and economies going at different paces.
What we learned today is that while France's economy was more or less flat over the last quarter, Germany's economic statistics came out worse than expected again today, almost flat. GDP growing just 0.1 percent, much worse than people were expecting. And that will be the backdrop for this kind of summit between the French President Nicolas Sarkozy and Angela Merkel.
What we're expecting the first tentative signs to try and bring these country's budgets and fiscal masses together. They may well agree to meet more often to forge some kind of cooperation and coordination for the Euro zone to try to shore up this currency and to bring bond deals down for the peripheral states like, for instance, Italy and also Spain, Carol.
COSTELLO: Nina dos Santos, thank you so much -- reporting live from Paris this.
Our own Ali Velshi -- talking about business people -- he hit "The Daily Show" last night and he's got a big idea to kick-start jobs.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALI VELSHI, CNN CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: We have a lot of people unemployed in this country who are not trained for the things we actually people need to be able to do. So, what if we had a way for those unemployed people who are trained in the wrong thing to get retrained, take the time out to do that. Maybe it's a year, maybe it's two years, maybe it's longer.
JON STEWART, "THE DAILY SHIOW WITH JON STEWART": Who would retain them?
VELSHI: Well, they could be retrained in the private sector. There are companies, there are colleges that do this. Or you go to college to become a nurse if you're in manufacturing.
STEWART: But if you don't have a job, who pays for your --
VELSHI: What if the government could guarantee the cost of that transformation?
STEWART: So, you're a socialist.
VELSHI: What if the banks -- what if the banks do it? The banks could do it. I can tell you what it would cost to reinvent yourself. What if you could take that calculation and say it's going to cost me this much money, but I'm going to make this much more and pay taxes for the rest of my life. So, why don't you finance that transformation?
STEWART: Now, these things -- when I hear you speak, you sound rational, this sounds doable. It does not sound ideologically insane. It sounds like a mixture of some suggestions and remedies from different sides of the aisle.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Wow! Jon Stewart was nice to Ali.
Coming up on AMERICAN MORNING, we'll find out what happened behind the scenes, because Ali Velshi, I want dirt. So, join us for AMERICAN MORNING.
Car fanatics listen up -- a peek at a special Vette when we come.
But, first, check out the quote of the day. Here's the quote. "He's a good looking rascal." Find out who said this when Rick Perry announced he was running for president.
It's seven minutes past the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: It's nine minutes past the hour. This is your A.M. WAKE-UP CALL.
Somehow that's fitting music for our quote of the day because it came from former President Bill Clinton, who said he got tickled when he heard Rick Perry was running for president. He went on to say that, quote, "He's a good looking rascal," that Rick Perry.
Now, let's go to another good looking rascal, Rob Marciano.
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Stop it. Good morning, carol. Got a lot of hair in this presidential campaign, don't we as well?
COSTELLO: We do.
MARCIANO: We got some good helmets rolling through here.
Good morning again.
We're looking at some flight delays. If you are traveling this afternoon, probably won't be as intense as yesterday. But New York and Boston, because of the leftover low clouds and rain, that may spawn delays, especially in the morning. Afternoon thunderstorms possible in Philadelphia, St. Louis, Kansas City, Miami, Orlando -- we'll talk about Florida cities in a second and San Francisco as well.
Big time floods yesterday across parts of the Northeast continuing with a slow moving system -- over six inches of rainfall in Willow, New York. In Concord, New Hampshire, seeing a daily record of over two inches. It shouldn't be this much today. But there'd be a few leftover showers as the stubborn system moves off towards the North and East.
Speaking of a stubborn system, Gert, it did not become a hurricane, it passed to just of the east of Bermuda last night and will continue to move off into the shipping channels. And as we mentioned, yesterday -- this is a record. We have never gotten through the letter G or through the letter G without getting to hurricane status.
So, it's been an active season -- but for the most part, it's been relatively weak.
All right. Interesting little tidbit, the most dangerous walking cities. It's been ranked and I forget what the periodical who ranked it. But there's -- the top five, four of the top five include Florida cities, Orlando being number one, Tampa-St. Pete being number two, Jacksonville, Miami and Riverside. So, I don't that what say -- Riverside, California. But the top four, Carol, were in Florida.
So, I don't know what that says about the state of Florida as far as walking or drivers or it's just so hot that you just start walking in circles and that makes it more dangerous.
COSTELLO: You mean it's not billed to walk to places?
(CROSSTALK)
MARCIANO: It's dangerous. I mean, it didn't say it's not convenient. It said it's dangerous. So, yes, probably a combination of it not being pedestrian friendly and then other factors. You know, we've got some -- you know, there's bad drivers everywhere. I guess that --
COSTELLO: I can hear people out there, Rob, right now saying -- thanks, Rob for bringing us down.
MARCIANO: But Florida is a great place to visit. Just wear a helmet when you walk.
COSTELLO: Yes, try to dig yourself out of the hole now.
MARCIANO: Just reporting what I've read. See you in a bit.
COSTELLO: I'm just teasing. Thank you, you good looking rascal.
MARCIANO: See you, Carol.
COSTELLO: Yes.
Twelve minutes after the hour.
The ejection seat -- actually, it was called the ejection seat on this ride. This amusement park ride didn't quite live up to its name at the Iowa state fair. A brother and sister got stuck on the ride 60 feet up while crowds watched. The kids cooled their heels about two and a half hours later, firefighters were able to get them down using a 158-foot crane.
To earthbound transportation now. This is the Corvette Stingray concept car and yes, a star of the recent "Transformers" movie, complete with scissor styled doors, Internet connectivity and a carbon composite material, you know, all inside there. Don't expect to see it at a Chevy dealer near you, though. But do expect some of the features to show up in cars down the road.
And a new iPhone app can help you find a parking place for a price. It's called the parking auction app. So, if you want to leave your spot, you can actually auction it off to the highest bidder. Right now, it's only available for the upper east side of Manhattan.
Being mean comes with perks. And this study says mean people make more money than nice guys. We crunch the numbers to find out just how much more it's worth. I'm talking dollars, not karmic retribution.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Comedians are slamming Republicans and Democrats as the road to the White House goes winding. Jay Leno takes on the White House.
Here's your punch line.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)
JAY LENO, COMEDIAN: President Obama gets on his bus and begins his three-state tour. I believe these states are confusion, delusion and desperation.
(LAUGHTER)
LENO: Hey, listen to this -- according to TMZ, President Obama a pretty good tipper. They said, the other day, he took some friends to lunch and left a 35 percent tip. See? Apparently, he knew the waiter. Turns out it was his old former top economic advisor. That was the guy --
(LAUGHTER)
LENO: The Obama administration, it's doing everything it can to try and raise money. But some of these things -- did you see Jay Carney at the White House briefing? See how they're raising money. It's subtle. But take a look.
JAY CARNEY, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: We ought to extend those payroll taxes and extend unemployment insurance.
REPORTER: The best argument that you can report to people for these things is that if we do this again.
(LAUGHTER)
LENO: See that.
(END VIDEO CLIPS)
COSTELLO: Pretty good. That was my own punch line.
Time now for your Political Ticker with Tim Farley, host of "Morning Briefing" on Sirius POTUS live from Washington.
Good morning, plenty to talk about this morning.
TIM FARLEY, SIRIUS XM POTUS: Good morning.
No question about it. We've got the president on the bus tour that Jay Leno was talking about. It sounds more like a campaign, I think, Carol, than it does about listening for jobs. He is today going to introduce some new rural employment initiatives which strikes me as a little bit odd given some of the statistics.
Number one, you're talking about a rather, not insignificant portion of the population but certainly a lot smaller. If you were to look at, say, the top 10 states in terms of low unemployment -- which have a lot of rural states, it doesn't seem that rural unemployment is one of the major issues right now. As a matter of fact, rural unemployment statistically is lower than urban unemployment around the country. But that's something the president is going to be talking about today.
And this in the midst of being hammered by Rick Perry while Governor Perry is on the road, talking about how -- and Mitt Romney is saying the same thing. The president should be back in Washington working on jobs. Tough road right now for the president.
COSTELLO: Well, critics are saying that President Obama actually should have presented a plan to create jobs while he's visiting these states. But he really didn't do that. It seemed like he really was playing politics.
FARLEY: Indeed. And he is saying now there is something from the office indicating that he's going to lay out a plan in September. And the top of the page in "The Washington Post" this morning says that the president wants to take a more -- wants to extend some of the federal assistance for mortgage programs around the country. But still, it does seem that, at this point the president is arguing more sort of the philosophical approach, that is whether the a government is working or not working and whether or not its big government or small government as opposed to the straight numbers which seem to make more sense to the person on the street.
It's a long time to go. But at this point, there's an awful lot of dissatisfaction. Some Gallup tracking polls indicate the president is trending down. He was down to 39 percent, which is about the lowest it's been in some time.
So, we're going to see over the next couple of weeks whether or not this argument is holding water for the president.
COSTELLO: We'll see. Thanks so much. Tim Farley, host of "Morning Briefing" on Sirius XM POTUS -- we appreciate it.
Your co-workers and acquaintances maybe using their cell phones to avoid you. Thirteen percent of people say they have faked a call to look busy and avoided interaction. That's according to Pew's new survey on Internet and American Life. Other stats from the study, just over half of Americans say they use their phone to get information ASAP. Forty-two percent, they use it to stave off boredom and 30 percent have used their phones in an emergency.
Nice guys just can't win, even when it comes to getting paid. A new study finds that mean people make more than their agreeable counterparts. And that gap is particularly wide for men. Researchers say mean main rake in 18 percent more annually than nice guys. That translates to almost 10,000 bucks. And rude women, they earn about 5 percent more.
So, tell your co-worker you hate their clothing this morning or something like that. I don't know.
Dr. Seuss, he passed away 20 years ago. But guess what? He's got a new book coming out. We'll tell you about that after a break.
But, first, if you hit happy hour after work today, have a rum drink because it is National Rum Day.
One of the oldest of spirits, rum was first distilled on plantations in the 17th century. But some believe that Marco Polo, the explorer, drank rum when he spoke of making wine made of sugar back in the 14th century. Rum is distilled from sugarcane byproducts, in case you didn't know.
It's 19 minutes past the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: A man accused of strapping a fake explosive device around the neck of a teenager in Australia is under arrest in Kentucky, right here in the U.S. of A.
Let's go around the world with Zain Verjee live in London.
They actually found this guy in Kentucky?
ZAIN VERJEE, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Yes. They did. He basically is an Australian citizen. And he hopped on a plane and went to the U.S. where he's got some connections there.
But this is a really weird story, Carol. This guy breaks into the Sydney home of a teenager and then puts what appears to be some kind of explosive device around her neck. Then there's a note making financial demands attached to it.
Now, it turns out to be a fake bomb and police, though, thought it was real. So, they spent something like 10 hours getting it off this poor girl's neck. It's not really clear exactly what the relationship is because this guy and this family. But they're looking into it. He's going to be arraigned in a court today in Louisville, Kentucky.
COSTELLO: It's amazing they found him. That's amazing.
But, anyway, let's talk about something a little more fun this morning, because I understand Brad Pitt is in Glasgow, actually filming a zombie movie.
VERJEE: Yes, Brad and I -- I mean, Brad, he is Glasgow, Scotland, and they're basically trying to make the town look like it's Philadelphia, right? So, they've brought in American cars and the front of shops and things like that.
The movie is called "World War Z." For me, Carol, it would be world war zed. But it is a zombie movie. And what they did is they've done this open casting call for people to come and try and star as zombies.
I don't know if you can give me your best zombie impression, Carol. You know, it's been a while since you were on the show at 5:00. I've got coffee for you here to help you from Kenya. I brought that for you.
(LAUGHTER)
COSTELLO: I was going to say, this is my zombie impression. I've been doing it for the last 24 minutes.
VERJEE: No. That's what a zombie impression -- this is a zombie impression. Right? Something like that.
COSTELLO: I think you need like dead skin and stuff hanging from your face. Which I'm glad you're not wearing today.
Zain Verjee, thank you. It's always fun.
VERJEE: All right, darling. Good to se you. All right. It's on its way, I promise.
COSTELLO: Thanks.
All over the world today, people are remembering the king, as in Elvis Presley. He died 34 years ago today. Thousands of fans pay their respects overnight in a candlelight vigil at his Graceland Mansion in Memphis.
More than 9 million people are now following Kim Kardashian on Twitter. Must be thoughts like this that keep the Twitter-verse clamoring for more. "I hate cilantro with a passion." And "I'm listening to iTunes on shuffle and a Backstreet Boys song came on."
Kim is the fifth most followed celeb, behind Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber, Katy Perry, and oh, yes, President Obama. Hashtag winning for Kardashian who makes thousands of dollars for a sponsored tweet. That's according to Ad Age.
Twenty years after his death, Dr. Seuss has a new book coming out. No, it's not "Horton Hears a Who" part two or "Return of the Lorax." It's called "Bippolo Seed." It's a collection of seven stories that first appeared in "Redbook' magazine around 1950. The book will hit the shelves in late September. Actually, you'll probably more likely buy it online.
Two airline crew members caught on camera in the cockpit mixing business and pleasure. Why the racy photos have the airline delaying an international ad campaign.
And if you're flying through Boston, be ready to answer the TSA's questions. Why agents will be quizzing you.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Good morning to you.
It is Tuesday, August 16th. This is your A.M. WAKE-UP CALL.
I'm Carol Costello, joining you live this morning from New York. It's 29 minutes past the hour.
President Obama is waking up today in Iowa. Day two of his three-day bus tour through the heartland. He's talking to voters about jobs, the economy and the debt crisis. And he's blasting Republicans along the way.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: See the problem we have is not with our country. The problem is that our politics is broken. The problem is that we've got the kind of partisan brinksmanship that is willing to put party ahead of country. That's more interested in seeing their political opponents lose than seeing the country win. (END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: President Obama sounding a whole lot like candidate Obama. Guess it's not too early to start thinking about November 6, 2012. But in the more immediate future, President Obama will meet with a group of farmers and small business owners this afternoon, and tomorrow he moves on to Illinois.
Hockey player, Rick Rypien, has been found dead at his Canada home. Police say the 27-year-old Rypien's death is not considered suspicious. Just last month, he signed a one year, $700,000 deal with the Winnipeg Jets. He's the second active NHL player found dead this off season.
A criminal flash mob strikes in Maryland. Surveillance video shows dozens of people pouring into a 7-11 for a lightning quick raid. They steal snacks and drinks, and then, they leave as a group. Officers say they've nabbed some of the thieves that makes you yearn for the good old days when flash mobs just rocked out with carefully choreograph dance moves.
More than 1,300 teacher positions are open in Philadelphia, and the school year starts in just three weeks.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JERRY JORDAN, PRESIDENT, PHILADELPHIA FEDERATION OF TEACHERS: I have never seen this many vacancies this late in the summer.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: That's the president of the city's federation of teachers who says almost every school in the district has vacancies. That means thousands of kids don't have an assigned teacher right now. Lesson plans aren't getting made. Classrooms aren't getting set up, and it's the result of a $600 million budget gap that led to major teacher layoffs in June. Officials say they're hiring back some of those teachers and holding interviews for the other openings.
If you're traveling through Boston's Logan International Airport, be ready for a pop quiz from the TSA. Agents at terminal A will be asking a series of questions to each and every passenger heading through the checkpoint as part of the screening pilot program that runs for the next two months. The agency says it's not trying to stump you with questions like, hey, who packed your bags and are you traveling alone? Agents are just looking for unusual reactions to those questions.
A cockpit tryst complete with racy photos has Cathay Pacific Airways delaying an international ad campaign. The widely circulated pictures, apparently, show two crew members engaged in sex. And get this. The slogan for the now-delayed ad. This is the slogan is, "meet the team who go the extra mile to make you feel special."
(LAUGHTER) The double entendre is enough to make you blush. "The New York Times" reports the airline will push the ad launch back a month to October.
Seriously now, Vice President Joe Biden heads to China to meet with its leaders today. What will Biden have to do to reassure one of America's biggest creditors? It's our hot topic in today's morning money.
But first, today's businessman special is Warren Buffett's portfolio. Find out what investments he threw millions of dollars into. That's coming your way in 60 seconds. It's 33 minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Thirty-four minutes after the hour. This is your A.M. WAKE-UP CALL. Now back to the day's businessman special. Warren Buffett's portfolio on Monday, the billionaire businessman dumped more than $50 million into dollar general. He also stocked up on Master Card and Wells Fargo. He let go of about six million shares of food giant, Kraft. Listen to what Buffet had to say about money and taxes.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WARREN BUFFETT, INVESTOR: If you make money with money, you get taxed at very low rates, 15 percent dividends and capital gains. No payroll tax. If you make money with muscle or hard work or sweat of your brow, you get taxed at rates that move on up.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: For more money news, let's go to Christine Romans live here in New York. Well, Mr. Buffet is, certainly, making people talk all across the country. He's a hero in the Twitter verse, but not so much of a hero in other places, especially Republican places, but I digress. Let's talk about the market this morning and how they're shaping up.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Well, with futures down a little bit, Carol, and that's no surprise there, really, because European markets, well, they were hurt a little bit by weaker than expected growth numbers out of Germany in particular. So, that's what they're watching today, slow growth in Europe. What that means for the U.S. because it is a huge, huge trading partner of the U.S. and a very big important partner.
So, yesterday, merger Monday, they called it on Wall Street, you had the Dow up 214, points and the reason why it was so important to see those mergers and I know everyone is talking about this, but we've got to see more of them, and here's why. Because that money sitting on the sidelines, almost $2 trillion sitting on the sidelines, when you see companies spending it, that sends the right signal about the direction of the economy. So, we want to see more of those. That's why stocks were up yesterday, Carol. COSTELLO: Yes, we really do, actually. We really, really do. Let's talk about Vice President Joe Biden. He's heading to China to meet with the country's top leaders. Why is he going there? Why is it so important for the United States?
ROMANS: Well, because, you know, Joe Biden is known for his diplomatic diplomacy, right?
(LAUGHTER)
ROMANS: His very careful diplomacy, his very diplomatic choice of words. No, I'm joking a bit at the vice president's, his -- him, but let's talk a little bit about what that means. He's going to go to Japan to, of course, to show solidarity with that country as it tries to dig itself out of the economic aftermath of the tsunami and the, of course, in the earthquake.
China, which is the largest foreign buyer of U.S. treasuries securities, China who just a week and a half ago threw a couple of commentaries in state run media and said the U.S., basically, scolded the U.S. saying the good old days of borrowing were over. We had to get our act together. So, Joe Biden will be talking, no doubt, about some of the economic issues in this country, and, you know, promising, again, to the leaders of our biggest creditor, our banker, biggest foreign banker, that, indeed, we will pay our bills in full.
There will be no problem there. And also, Mongolia, which is an interesting part there as well, because the U.S. has been making more sort of diplomatic fore ways there, but I think human rights will be the area that will be the most contentious of the two, and we're told that the vice president's office will bring up human rights as the U.S. often does when they go to China. So, that seems to be another area where if you're going to get any kind offriction, it will be on the human rights issue -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Yes. Well, we'll be watching. And he's also going to visit Japan, by the way. Christine Romans, I'll see you in about, oh, 20 minutes.
ROMANS: Yes.
COSTELLO: Thanks a lot.
Yesterday, we told you about the 11-year-old boy who made an impossible hockey shot, and he won 50,000 bucks. Well, today, we've learned he might not get the money. We'll have more on that after a break.
But before we go, here is today's "Get Smart" question. Which company is credited with inventing the cell phone? Was it Motorola, Nokia, or IBM? The answer coming your way in two minutes. It's 38 minutes past the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Forty minutes past the hour. This is your A.M. WAKE- UP CALL. Now, back to today's "Get Smart" question, which company is credited with inventing the cell phone? Motorola, Nokia, IBM? I'll get your brain work in this morning because the answer is A, Motorola.
In other business news, Google has agreed to buy Motorola, Motoral mobility, that is, for an incredible $12.5 billion. If it goes through, it would be its largest acquisition ever. Google is hoping to get deeper into the mobile business with this purchase.
Now, for our "Political Ticker," let's bring in CNN political reporter, Shannon Travis. He's live in Des Moines, Iowa. And, wow, this has been a feisty, interesting campaign, so far.
SHANNON TRAVIS, CNN POLITICAL REPORTER: It has been a feisty, interesting campaign, and it's always getting better. Let's talk about the Democrats or I should say the Democrat, President Obama, Carol. Today, he is on day two of this three-day Midwestern bus tour that he has. You remember yesterday he was in Minnesota. He made the stop here in Iowa. He'll make another stop today here in Iowa in a city called Piasta (ph). It's right on the Illinois/Iowa border.
And he wants to talk about how to basically spur job growth and innovation in rural communities. He's going to be meeting with some farmers and some small businessmen. Some Republican critics, as you can imagine, are saying that this is a big political tour, a big political campaign-style you've been on the taxpayers' dime, but the White House says it's not. This is the president doing what the president should be doing which is talking about jobs and job growth -- Carol.
COSTELLO: I just wondered what the reaction of the crowds have been, because, I think, most people want the president to come up with a bold plan to create jobs. He has a lot of little ideas that might work, but they're not hearing this big bold plan. Are voters who are appearing and listening to the president, are they disappointed?
TRAVIS: It certainly seems that they are listening to the president. I mean, this is being billed as a listening tour. And the president did say that he's going to unveil a huge jobs plan when Congress comes back in September. So, you're absolutely right. A lot of Republican critics have been criticizing the president saying where is your jobs plan. A lot of people are listening and waiting for that, and the president is responding by saying, you know what, you'll get that coming up really soon.
COSTELLO: In a few weeks. I understand you've got very close up and personal with the Governor Rick Perry. Oh, please share.
(LAUGHTER)
TRAVIS: I did. The newly mentioned Republican presidential candidate. You know, I was following him yesterday. Let me just tell you really first, he'll also be on a tour, a bit of a tour here in Iowa today. He has a lot of catching up to do, because you remember, Carol, he didn't participate in the debate last week. He didn't participate in the Ames Straw Poll. So, he's going to be hitting three cities. But you're right. Yesterday, I caught up with him at the state fair. And, myself and a few other reporters pressed him on a few things. One thing that we pressed him on were comparisons between him and the last president from Texas. That would be George W. Bush, obviously. They were both obviously Texas governor. They both have really good hair, Carol.
But Rick Perry wants the comparisons to stop there. He's saying, look, we have different records. He went to Texas A&M. Gorge W. Bush went to Yale, but take a listen at one other blow-off or kiss-off, I should say. Take a listen at this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRAVIS: Governor Perry, Romney took a swipe at you today saying that he has private sector experience and that makes him better qualified to create jobs.
GOV. RICK PERRY, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Give him my love.
TRAVIS: What do you think about that, though, sir, that he has private sector --
PERRY: I think oranges and apples. Running a state is different from running a business.
TRAVIS: And he will make that a centerpiece of his campaign.
PERRY: What I would say is, go, take a look at his record when he was governor and look at my record when I'm governor. And then, you've got some apples to apples.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TRAVIS: So, Rick Perry getting right in there, blowing a kiss to his Republican challenger -- Carol.
COSTELLO: For some reason, I thought he went like this to your face, but maybe that was someone else.
TRAVIS: You're right. He did pat my face yesterday when I first asked him a question. We didn't play that video, but yes, he did. But he was doing that with a lot of other people. Kind of glad handling and patting on the back and things like that. So, no harm, no foul.
COSTELLO: Should be charming. Exactly. He was just being nice to you in that Texas way.
(LAUGHTER)
COSTELLO: Shannon, thank you.
Time to take a look at -- a quick look at sports. Starting with a scary NASCAR crash in Watkins Glen, New York. Denny Hamlin plowed into the tire barrier there. See that. He's OK. But he's not sure what went wrong. He thinks he blew a front tire and that it cut his brake line.
In the world of baseball, Jim Thome finally did it. He reached a milestone. He is now the eighth player to hit 600 homeruns in his career. He hit two out of the park yesterday against my Detroit Tigers. Tigers fans, however, because they're the most fantastic fans in the word, they gave Jim Thome a standing ovation.
Speaking of the Minnesota twins, because that who Jim Thome plays for now, we have an update about that in possible hockey shot from Minnesota. Eleven-year-old Nate Smith won 50 grand for this, but his twin brother, Nick, paid to take the shot, but he was nowhere to be found when the time came, so Nate stepped up and has played. So, that's the problem. Nate took the shot in Nick's name. The insurance company has not said if it will pay out the prize. Still, the shot is priceless.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Good morning to you. It's Tuesday, August 16th. It's 48 minutes past the hour. This is your A.M. WAKE-UP CALL. I'm Carol Costello from New York.
Now, let's take a trip around the world. Let's head to Zain Verjee. She's live in London to talk about the disappearance of this American woman in Aruba, and the suspect, I guess, he's still in custody, right?
ZAIN VERJEE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, he's still in custody. Gary Giordano was arrested three days after the disappearance of Robyn Gardner, and the judge has ruled basically, Carol, that there is enough evidence to hold him for a little bit longer in connection with the disappearance. So, what they're going to do is hold him for 16 more days. Today, he's going to be transferred to a prison.
His lawyers are saying there's absolutely no basis for this detention. That this is going to be moving forward. There are a lot of questions, and the judge has ruled that there is enough evidence to keep him for a little bit longer -- Carol.
COSTELLO: And still no sign of this missing woman from Maryland?
VERJEE: Still no sign of her. There was some suspicion that there was clothes that were found in one area of Aruba that could have been hers, but that turned out not to be the case. She was last seen on Bailey Beach, I believe it was, which is in the more western point of Aruba. They've gone snorkeling together, Gary Giordano says.
And, when they came back to shore, he just looked around, and she wasn't there. So, he's got a lot of questions to answer, especially if the judge has ruled that there is some hard evidence to look at.
COSTELLO: Zain Verjee, many thanks.
Now, let's head to San Francisco. BART says the trains are running on their normal schedules again. Transit officials closed and then reopened several downtown subway stations yesterday to keep the protests from getting out of hand.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(CHANTING)
COSTELLO (voice-over): Protestors are calling attention to several shootings involving BART police officers. They're also upset with BART's decision to shut off cell phone service ahead of a protest last week. The FCC is now involved.
So, the big question in Indiana right now is, is anyone to blame for that deadly stage collapse at the state fair. The company that owns the structure says an independent investigation is now under way. Forecasters had warned earlier in the day that heavy rain and winds would hit the fair area and about four minutes before the collapse.
Authorities had gotten on stage to warn people to take cover. As you know, five people were killed, at least 40 hurt, when a bank of lights and metal came crashing down.
Now, let's head to the weather center and Rob Marciano. Any flight delays to speak of this morning?
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Nothing yet, but I think we will see a few later on today. Boy, the northeast, really, has been getting hit hard with heavier rain the past couple of days. I think that will continue today, but although, most of it will be winding down. New York, Boston, low clouds and rain leftover. So, you'll see some major delays in the usual spots. Philadelphia, some afternoon thunderstorms. St. Louis, Kansas City, same deal. Miami and Orlando will see some thunderstorms pop up in the afternoon.
That morning fog out there in San Francisco keeps you comfortably cool in the heat of the summer. Willow, New York, 6.4 inches of rainfall on top of what they saw the past -- the day before yesterday. Concord, New Hampshire set a daily record of 2.19 and Montpelier, Vermont seeing almost two inches as well. So, there you go. The ground is saturated. So, any more rain that we get today will cause some localized flooding in spots.
And there you can see the swirl in the radar loop there from Binghamton back through Scranton. It's going to be rotating into New York City throughout the day today. Again, most of it will be light, but it will keep things on the cool and damp side. Severe thunderstorms possible across parts of the northern plains. We had some rough weather yesterday in Bismarck with flooding and some gusty winds.
Speaking of gusty winds, the tropical storm, Gert, has not seen hurricane strength status. It moved to the east of Bermuda, and as we've mentioning in the past couple of days, that makes this a record. We've never gotten through the G storm without having a hurricane since we've been naming them, which has been going on the past 30 or 40 years or so -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Well, I'm glad Gert is dying down, and I wish the rain would stop here in New York, although, it was raining and the sun was out and I was looking for a rainbow and I saw it.
MARCIANO: Did you get one? You got one?
COSTELLO: It was awesome.
MARCIANO: If that doesn't brighten your day, I don't know what does.
COSTELLO: It does. It made me happy. I went looking for a pot of gold, couldn't find it, but I didn't get it.
MARCIANO: Now, you're stretching it, yes.
COSTELLO: I know. Thank you, Rob.
MARCIANO: All right.
COSTELLO: We saw big numbers on Wall Street yesterday. Can we expect the same today? We will take you live to the NASDAQ market site for a pre-trading preview, but first, let's take a look at the word of the day. The word would be Euro-zone. Find out what it means and why you need to know it right after this short break. It's 53 minutes past the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Fifty-six minutes past the hour. This is your A.M. WAKE-UP CALL. The word of the day, Euro-zone. It is a collective group of countries using the euro as the common currency, and right now, there are 17 countries in the Euro-zone. The word gets thrown around when people talk about Europe's debt crisis. Different countries have different debt burdens. Some are struggle, some are not, but they're all intertwined with the European Central Bank. Now you know.
So, are the markets like -- so, are the markets, rather, like a mood ring? Our Ali Velshi was Jon Stewart's guest on the daily show. You got to hear this.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JON STEWART, THE DAILY SHOW WITH JON STEWART: Ali, explain to me. So, I watch television. The stock market, terrible thing happened to the stock market.
ALI VELSHI, CNN ANCHOR: Yes.
STEWART: It went down 600 points on news of Europe.
VELSHI: Yes.
STEWART: Then the next day, from what I understand, Europe was still very similar to how it had been the day before.
VELSHI: Right.
STEWART: And it went up 500 points.
VELSHI: Right.
STEWART: And then the next day, it went down 450 points on news of something. And then, the next day it went up 300. Are they (EXPLETIVE DELETED) with us?
(LAUGHTER)
VELSHI: You know, it's exactly right what you're saying, because the companies that make up the stock market didn't change. They weren't worth five percent less the day -- the next day and they weren't worth three percent more after that. That's exactly right. The stock market is a collection of the value of underlying companies, and that's what the judgment should be, but the stock market's become a barometer of how investors around the world kind of feel about the way things are going, and that's the stuff you've seen over the last few weeks.
STEWART: It's more of a mood ring.
VELSHI: Yes. That's exactly right.
(LAUGHTER)
VELSHI: It's a mood ring with a big board that you can watch all the time.
STEWART: Right.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: Carter Evans, we get those words of wisdom from Ali every single day. I want to know what happened behind the scenes. I want some dirt.
CARTER EVANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Well, the dirt is is that people are just as nervous at the stock exchange as you are at home. Though, they've got to keep working, and they've got to keep the markets moving, and it looks like things are settling out. You know, Carol, I'm really glad that you mentioned the Euro-zone and gave the definition there, because the Euro-zone today is reporting that it's gross domestic product on average only grew at a rate two-tenths of one percent.
That's going to be one thing affecting the markets today, certainly. Our futures are a bit lower. Though, they are off their lows for the morning. This is a CNNMoney.com pre-market page. Dow futures down 78 points right now, NASDAQ off 29, S&P futures down about 12.5.
Also, on CNNMoney.com, where is the best place to live in the country? There is a big list of it here. This is a new list from "Money" magazine, the list of the best places to live, and the cool thing about this is, and by the way, the number one place is Louisville, Colorado. If you want to find out why, head to CNNMoney.com/bestplaces. You see, you can break it down by near you, housing, financial.
You can break it down by state. You can see what cities are the best, where they rank in terms of cheap places to live, wages and things like that. So, it's pretty cool tool to check it out, and you can, basically, go to an interactive map and click on cities near you and find out where the best places to live are. Where is your favorite place to live?
COSTELLO: Ahhhh, gosh, that's tough, because there are so many great places all over the country, but I must say Louisville, Colorado is absolutely gorgeous, just the landscape there, the mountains and the trees. So gorgeous.
EVANS: Never been.
COSTELLO: OK. By dirt, I meant I want to know what happened behind the scenes with Jon Stewart, and we're going to ask Ali Velshi on "AMERICAN MORNING" because, hey, it starts right now.
