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American Morning: Wake Up Call

Obama Visits Illinois Today; Ron Paul Zings Rivals in New Ad; Pentagon Investigates DARPA Contracts; Now Enrolling: Free Stanford Class; A&F To Jersey Shore: Ditch Our Brand

Aired August 17, 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: And good morning. It is Wednesday, August 17th. This is your A.M. WAKE-UP CALL.

I'm Carol Costello, joining you live this morning from New York.

Let's start here. Let's start with the last leg of President Obama's bus tour.

Minnesota and Iowa are in the can. He wraps things up today with a couple of town hall meetings in western Illinois. The president says the tour is to create job creation in rural areas. Republicans say it's to promote his re-election campaign.

For the last couple days, Obama has urged Congress to extend the payroll tax cut and approve a new road construction bill to help jolt the economy. He's also accusing Republicans of letting partisanship get in the way of recovery.

President Obama talked about that with CNN's Wolf Blitzer.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I'm going to be accountable. I think people understand that a lot of these problems were decades in the making. People understand this financial crisis was the worst since the Great Depression.

But ultimately they say, "Look, he's the president. We think he has good intentions. But we're impatient and we want to see things move faster."

And I understand that. I'm sympathetic to it. And we're just going to keep on putting forward ideas that are going to be good for the country. We're going to need a partner from Congress.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: On the other side of the political spectrum, listen to what Governor Rick Perry said in Iowa and he's not backing off. You might hear him catch more heat for it today.

Politicians from President Obama to Rick Santorum thought Perry went overboard when he talked about the Federal Reserve and its Chairman Ben Bernanke.

Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. RICK PERRY (R-TX), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: If this guy prints more money between now and the election, I don't know what y'all would do to him in Iowa, but we would treat him pretty ugly down in Texas. I mean, printing more money to play politics at this particular time in American history is almost treasonous in my opinion.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Treason you may know is punishable by death.

The guests and staff hurt when lightning hit Sea World in Orlando have been released from a doctor's care and they should be doing fine. The bolt struck Discovery Cove where you can snorkel and swim with dolphins. Emergency crews don't think anyone took a direct hit. But at least six people complained of feeling sick right afterwards. So, they were take tone the hospital.

Guests leaving the park thought the lightning struck some of the equipment, too.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I've never been scared by lightning until today because it was right above us. It was really, really scare.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They told us to clear the pool, so we came out of the pool and were all sheltering underneath. And then there's a huge crack.

(END VIDEO CLIPS)

COSTELLO: Today is the first day of school in Joplin, Missouri. Remember a tornado killed more than 130 people back in May and pretty much leveled the city, including the high school. The town is still rebuilding. But at least students will have a place to go today.

Take a look. The school district has turned part of a mall into a school. Upper classmen will go here. Ninth and tenth graders will go to a middle school.

A student who lost both of his parents in the storm still has bruises from his encounter with the tornado.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We saw it as it was hitting St. John's. And so, my mom took off shutting al the doors and letting our dogs inside. I looked up and saw sky and then something large hit my back. And that's the last thing I remember.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: To see how things have turned out and how wonderful Joplin has turned around, it's pretty simple. You know it's going to be all right.

(END VIDEO CLIPS)

COSTELLO: Over the summer, teachers got extra training.

They'll be able to help students who are still traumatized by that devastating storm.

When you hear about America's credit rating, you probably either fall asleep or think really bad thoughts, right? Well, I have some good news for you this morning, really.

Fitch Ratings has reaffirmed the country's AAA status. Take that Standard & Poor's. But Fitch did say it might revise its outlook from stable to negative if the deficit supercommittee done or with the economic recovery is weaker than expected.

This comes about two weeks after S&P demoted the U.S. to AA-plus status.

By the way, Standard & Poor's has dished out another downgrade to a company you might have heard of, that would be Google, busted down. S&P changed Google stock to a sell from a buy and slashed $200 from the price target. Google has announced plans to buy Motorola Mobility. Analysts think that is a risky move.

Now to the world's markets, the world's money, how it's doing.

Let's go to Kristie Lu Stout. She is in Hong Kong.

So, what's the buzz on world markets today?

KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Let's focus first on Europe where stocks are on retreat.

The meeting between the French President Nicolas Sarkozy and the German Chancellor Angela Merkel failed to produce a decisive plan. Investors are not banking on a breakthrough. All the key markets in Europe opened lower. And right now, we're seeing the London FTSE and the German DAX and Zurich SMI all in the red.

Now, here in Asia, it's more of a mixed picture. The Nikkei closed down about 0.5 percent. Exporters like Honda hit hard in the slowing global growth. But Australia's main index, and here in Hong Kong, the Hang Seng closed higher. That's to do a boost in the financial sector here.

Carol, back up to you.

COSTELLO: Kristie Lu, you mentioned the meeting between Sarkozy and Angela Merkel. Why were investors so disappointed in what they came up with?

STOUT: Well, let's walk through what exactly came out of the meeting between Sarkozy and Merkel were basically three things. One is a proposal to make Euro zone leaders to meet more often to coordinate economic policy. Two, a plan to tax financial transactions in the E.U. And, lastly, a call to force Euro member countries by law to balance their budgets.

But what the meeting did not produce -- and this is what the markets are focusing on -- it did not produce any proposal for so- called euro bonds. These are securities issued by Euro zone countries to spread the burden of borrowing. And economists say that would have been the best hope for solving the debt crisis there -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong, thanks so much.

This time a month ago, astronauts on the shuttle Atlantis were in space for their final mission. Comedian Stephen Colbert had them on his show last night and gave his farewell to the final frontier.

Here is your punch line and pay very close attention.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)

STEPHEN COLBERT, COMEDIAN: I say if we can't go to space, nobody can. It's time to nuke the moon. Besides helping America stay number one, it will also greatly reduce werewolf attacks.

So, space program, we bid you a fond farewell as we look back at some of NASA's greatest moments --Jim.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.

(END VIDEO CLIPS)

COSTELLO: He's so funny.

You've heard of snakes on a plane. How about firecrackers on a plane? We'll fill you in.

But, first, check out the quote of the day here it is. This is the quote. "We're not in Texas anymore." Find out who said this about Republican presidential candidate Rick Perry and why.

It's eight minutes past the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: It's now nine minutes past the hour. This is your A.M. WAKE-UP CALL.

Now, back to the quote of the day. The quote is: "We're not in Texas anymore."

Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum said that about his fellow candidate Rick Perry. He spoke to our own John King last night about Governor Perry's treason comments regarding the Federal Reserve Chair Ben Bernanke and printing money.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RICK SNATORUM (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We don't do that. We don't impeach people. We don't charge people with try son because we disagree with them on public policy. You may say that they're wrong, you might, you know, say lots of things about, you know how misguided the policies.

But you don't up the ante to that type of rhetoric. It's out of place. And, hopefully, Governor Perry will step back and recognize that, you know, we're not in Texas anymore.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Treason is pretty darn serious, Rob. If I accuse you of treason, if you were found guilty, you would be punished by death.

ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Let's not start the day that way. I want to get it going nice and easy.

Good morning, Carol.

COSTELLO: I'm with you. Good morning.

MARCIANO: Hey, listen, it will be a little more nice and easy weather-wise and travel-wise across much of the Northeast especially.

So, here are the travel delays expected later on today. A little bit smaller list than what we saw yesterday. Some early thunderstorms in Chicago, some late thunderstorms in Miami, Tampa and Orlando -- the typical stuff with that stalled frontal boundary that's over you this time of year. San Francisco, some morning clouds and fog to keep you comfortably cool.

West Coast is looking good. Some severe thunderstorms across the midsection of the country. Hot again across Texas. We'll see triple digit heat. It's back. And the Northeast is finally on the dry side.

All right. We're watching this disturbance now into the central Caribbean, a better chance of developing into something. It's moving quickly. So, that's the good news.

Here is what our computer models are saying at the moment. Bring it on a more southerly track, but a more reliable one brings it across the Yucatan and potentially into the southern Gulf of Mexico. So, that certainly bears watching over the coming days.

All right. Speaking of the Tropics, south Florida beaches, always a popular spot to cool off when it's hot out and a dip into the aqua blue waters. We've got jellyfish problem. We showed some video yesterday just north of Miami Beach. This is video out of Haulover Beach.

And 90 -- the lifeguard is saying there that you go in the water here right now, the way it is, 95 percent chance of getting stung.

Look at those puppies. Now, they don't have the long tentacles, they're not Man o' War but enough to put a little zip in your step. So, stay out of the water for now.

But, you know, it's a seasonal thing. The currents will take them somewhere else soon hopefully, hopefully.

COSTELLO: Put a little zip on your step, you'd be hopping on one foot.

(CROSSTALK)

COSTELLO: Jellyfish! Thank you, Rob. We'll get back to you.

MARCIANO: You bet.

COSTELLO: A Southwest flight leaving Las Vegas was delayed Tuesday because of firecrackers. A flight attendant found them in a plastic bag underneath the seat. Passengers were deplaned. Bags were rescreened.

Nothing more was found. The plane finally left about an hour late. No one claimed those fireworks.

The FAA is resurrecting a program to get air traffic controllers out of the tower and into the cockpit. The controllers would not fly the plane, of course, but they would able to get a firsthand look at what they do from the pilot's perspective. The program stopped after 9/11 because of security concerns.

OK. We've all seen busy airports. Look at this space shuttles Discovery and Endeavor almost butting heads at the Kennedy Space Center. The two crafts are being ready for next mission. Discovery will be heading to the Smithsonian and Endeavor to the California Science Center.

If you're slurping down a cup of coffee this morning -- good news -- you may be arming yourself against skin cancer. Preventative measures never tasted so good.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: President Obama will wrap up his bus tour today to promote job creation. But Jon Stewart is not buying it.

Here is your punch line.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)

JON STEWART, COMEDIAN: The president of the United States has the privilege and benefit of being able to stay above the fray. Months away from having to get his hands dirty from swing state bus travel.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: President Obama goes to Minnesota today, starting a three-day, three-state bus tour.

STEWART: Oh, for (EXPLETIVE DELETED) sakes.

Seriously? Obama is back in campaign mode already.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: White House officials insist this is an official event, not a campaign event.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Obama administration insists this is not a campaign trip.

STEWART: Right, no. It's not a campaign trip. I'm sure the president just had some frequent Greyhound miles he had to burn by the end of August or he'd lose them. Plus, I hear the naturally occurring swing state red, white and blue bunting fields are in full bloom.

(END VIDEO CLIPS)

COSTELLO: Time now for your Political Ticker with Tim Farley, host of "Morning Briefing" on Sirius POTUS. He's live from Washington.

Tim, let's talk about Ron Paul because Ron Paul is not feeling the love. In fact, he put out a very interesting campaign ad. We're going to play a bit of it right now.

TIM FARLEY, SIRIUS XM POTUS: OK.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, POLITICAL AD)

NARRATOR: A story of failed policies, failed leadership, a story of smooth-talking politicians, games of he said/she said, rhetoric and division. One man has stood apart.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Now, Tim, the really interesting part of that ad is Ron Paul put in both Republicans and Democrat -- President Obama, Rick Perry was in there. Michele Bachmann was in there.

Why would he be attacking his fellow Republicans in this particular way and comparing them to President Obama?

FARLEY: He is playing the short game I think, Carol, because here is what it comes down to. In 2007, Barack Obama knew, in order to win the campaign and to get the nomination, you had to get the delegate count. That was David Plouffe's strategy all along.

This year, Republicans are in somewhat the same boat as Democrats in 2008. That is they have proportional delegation decided by primaries and caucuses. Ron Paul can have a real influence on this campaign. He can take delegates.

Probably if you look at it from the big swimming pool of delegates, he's going to take more from Michele Bachmann and Rick Perry than he is from Mitt Romney. So, Mitt Romney may feel good about this, but because he can do that, he can be competitive in a state like New Hampshire where he's opening his Concord headquarters today, and he can also take delegates away and have an influence on how this turns out.

Plus, he's not running for re-election in 2012 to Congress. That's something he was doing in 2008. He's got a lot of money. He may not get the nomination but he can certainly have an influence on the way that this thing plays out.

COSTELLO: And it certainly seems he had hurt feelings because he's saying look, I came in second in the Iowa straw poll and nobody is talking about me, what's the deal here?

FARLEY: Well, he did have that in-depth conversation with Piers Morgan the other night. Plus, let's note that he's already posted some of the stuff that John Cafferty was posting on "THE SITUATION ROOM" yesterday. It's already on the Ron Paul Web site.

So, he knows he's getting some love. But this ad may actually have some people paying attention. And as I say, it's all about getting some delegates. And if he gets a few in his pocket, people will have to take him a little bit more seriously.

COSTELLO: We'll see. Tim Farley, thanks as always. Tim Farley, host of "Morning Briefing" on Sirius POTUS.

FARLEY: Thanks.

COSTELLO: A group of tobacco companies say they don't want to use those graphic new cigarette warning labels. So, they have filed a second lawsuit against the federal government. They say these new FDA labels are unconstitutional, forcing cigarette makers to turn each box into a, quote, "mini billboard for the government."

As it stands now, the new labels will be on boxes no later than September of 2012.

If you are worried about skin cancer, try drinking coffee. Rutgers researchers say caffeine guards against non-melanoma skin cancers. How you asked. Well, it helps U.V.-damaged cells die. It sounds bad, but it's better than letting them turn cancerous. And aside to say sunscreen might be improved with a dose of caffeine.

On this day in history in 1998, President Bill Clinton admitted to having an affair with White House intern Monica Lewinsky. And just as a side note, let's give a shout-out to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for standing by her man for the last 13 years.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Twenty-two minutes past the hour. This is your A.M. WAKE-UP CALL.

Here are three things that need to be on your radar today:

President Obama finishes his bus tour in his home state of Illinois. He'll host a couple of town hall meeting there today.

At 11:00 a.m. Eastern, a new study will be released revealing how U.S. students compare to other countries when it comes to math and reading -- and what that may mean for long-term economic growth here in the United States.

And we'll be waiting to hear from pop star Justin Timberlake and the new managers of MySpace to announce their plans on how to revamp the slumping social networking site.

A Guatemalan mother says her daughter was kidnapped as a toddler and then adopted in the United States by a Missouri couple and now, a judge says the American family has to return the little girl.

Let's go around the world with Zain Verjee in London.

This is just a heartbreaking case all around.

ZAIN VERJEE, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: It really is, Carol.

The Guatemalan mother says she was going home with her three kids in Guatemala and, all of a sudden, a woman grabbed her 2-year-old daughter, took her in a taxi. And she never saw her again.

What she ended up doing, Carol, was going through thousands of international adoption papers and documents, and then she finally found her daughter in it. She decided that let's do a DNA test and it checked out, the mother and daughter relationship. And it started like a three-year case to get her daughter back.

Her daughter was adopted by a U.S. couple in the state of Missouri, in Liberty. And the couple said that they had no idea that the daughter that they adopted was kidnapped. This is a situation that is really heartbreaking and so complicated for everybody involved.

A judge, though, has ruled that the Missouri couple has to return the daughter back to her mother in Guatemala.

And there are about eight arrests made over this adoption, including a judge who is allegedly been accused of taking bribes and allowing this illegal adoption to occur. It's really a sad story, Carol.

COSTELLO: All the way around.

VERJEE: Yes.

COSTELLO: On another topic, a man in Florida, he wakes up one day and he checks his bank account and says -- oh, my gosh, I'm a billionaire!

VERJEE: Those are good problems to have, Carol. You know, I don't think we should worry about that, except what happened was that he checked his bank account. He saw he had almost $1 billion, only one penny short. Then he looked again and, boom, the money just disappeared.

What apparently happened, investigators say, that there was some kind of a hacking situation, someone was moving money and they moved the money from a foreign account, from a foreign country into his account and then to an offshore account.

So, he isn't actually a billionaire. He could have been if he was quick enough, though, Carol, but he wasn't.

(LAUGHTER)

VERJEE: And, you know, what happened was, that actually triggered a fraud alert on his account. So, he was totally messed up because he couldn't use his credit cards. He couldn't have checks. He couldn't fill up gas in his car. He had no money.

COSTELLO: Well, it's probably a good thing that he didn't somehow figure out a way to keep that money because he would have been in much, much bigger trouble in many more ways.

Zain Verjee, thanks so much.

VERJEE: He would have been a billionaire for a second.

COSTELLO: Yes, and then he would have been a hunted man. Thank you, Zain.

A serial criminal known as the -- I can't even say this -- as the behind slasher, I guess, has an entire police task force trying to track him down. Officers in northern Virginia says the man has targeted at least nine young women at shopping centers, slashing them in the buttocks with box cutters or razor. None of the women seriously hurt. In fact, some of the victims originally thought they just backed up into a sharp something, but now police have discovered a man is actually doing this to these women.

A popular store is willing to pay "The Jersey Shore" cast not to wear its clothes, saying the association hurts the brand. Maybe they'll find something to wear for their gym, tan and laundry routine. Details about the deal --

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Good morning to you. It is Wednesday, August 17th. This is your A.M. WAKE-UP CALL. It's 30 minutes past the hour.

I'm Carol Costello, joining you live this morning from New York.

President Obama's three-day bus tour through the heartland hits Illinois this morning. He'll hold a pair of town hall meetings, one at a hybrid production company, the other at a farm market.

The meetings come a day after he sat down with CNN's Wolf Blitzer, talking about jobs, partisan politics, and putting country before party. On national security, the president says vigilance is key as the country approaches the 10th anniversary of 9/11.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The biggest concern we have right now is not the launching of a major terrorist operation, although, that risk is always there. The risk that we're especially concerned of right now is the lone wolf terrorist. Somebody with a single weapon being able to carry out wide scale massacres of the sort that we saw in Norway recently.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Republicans have blasted the Midwest swing saying it's a taxpayer-funded campaign tour disguised as an extended public policy discussion.

Pentagon investigators are doing some digging at DARPA, the Defense Research Projects Agency, that develops cutting-edge technology for the military. They're looking at a big contract awarded to RedXDefense, a company co-owned by the agency's director and run by her father, but Director Regina Dugan says the contract for bomb detecting technology was awarded fair and square. In case you are wondering, DARPA is responsible for creating a predecessor to the internet, stealth aircraft technology, and the predator drone.

Stanford University is offering a free artificial intelligence class available online to everyone. And at last checked, more than 79,000 people have enrolled in the fall course which will be taught by two Silicon Valley luminaries. The goal is to offer technology education beyond the elite Palo Alto Campus to the entire world. If not for Stanford credit, however, but participants will be lectured and quizzed, and they'll get a statement of accomplishment.

Wal-Mart is still stuck in a two-year sales slump at its U.S. stores, another quarterly report, another dip in domestic sales. And the implications are bigger than Wal-Mart, itself. The retailer is considered a barometer for American consumer spending, because it accounts for nearly 10 percent of all non-auto-related retail dollars spent. That said, internationally, the company saw quarterly profits rise.

Wells Fargo is getting ready to test drive a monthly fee for debit card users. Starting in October, customers in Georgia, New Mexico, Nevada and Oregon will see three a $3 monthly fee. New debit card fees have been popping up since the fed put a cap on the swipe fees that banks can charge retailers. And of course, banks are looking for ways to replace that revenue.

The Situation and his "Jersey Shore" cast mates may want to stop fist pumping when they hear this. Abercrombie and Fitch is willing to pay the hard partying crew to quit wearing their brand on television, and the all-American retailer is offering, quote, "substantial payment" for the cast mates to wear something else saying the association is damaging its image. So much for saying all publicity is good publicity.

Now time for a little laugh. Rick Perry, the newest Republican candidate to jump into the race. Comedian, Jon Stewart, takes on the Texas politician. Here's your punch line.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) JON STEWART, "THE DAILY SHOW WITH JON STEWART": Rick Perry has hit the ground running and was firing all guns, or to put that slightly more factually, campaigning around Iowa in a bus.

(LAUGHTER)

GOV. RICK PERRY, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: President Obama has been downgrading American jobs. He's been downgrading our standing in the world.

He's going to talk about jobs, but I think the only job he cares about is the one he's got.

I think you want a president that is passionate about America. That's in love with America.

STEWART: You want a president that's in love with America. You want a president who would, in a rainstorm, grab America's hand and take shelter with America in a nearby barn. It's a long campaign, man. You're going to have to dial back the Texas a notch. You're already as Yosemite Sam levels.

(LAUGHTER)

STEWART: You got to dial it back to Walker Texas Ranger territory.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: It's going to be an interesting campaign, isn't it?

More Americans are paying their credit card bills on time, but experts say there's still one big bill people are putting aside.

But first, today's businessman special is about the Play Station 3. Coming up in 60 seconds, we'll tell you about a big price slash to the video gaming system.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: It's now 36 minutes past the hour. This is our A.M. WAKE-UP CALL. Now, back to our businessman's special. As if you need another excuse to buy more electronics, Sony has cut the price of its Play Station 3 by 50 bucks. The company sold (ph) it to retail larger audience. The PS3 game came out five years ago. Sony has sold more than 50 million Play Station 3s.

For more morning money news, let's go to Christine Romans. Actually, she's one floor up.

(LAUGHTER)

COSTELLO: How are the markets shaping up this morning?

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Well, futures are looking lower right now, at this point, I mean, just a little bit, but Carol, the volatility continues. So, who knows how it's going to end up. But yesterday, you had the market off by, what, 90 points or something? So, hey, that's just a barely nothing day after what we've seen, right?

COSTELLO: Right. I guess so. I don't even pay attention anymore, because it's too depressing, and I don't understand what's happening.

ROMANS: I'll pay attention for you.

COSTELLO: Thank you. That's why I like having you here. There's also this new report that shows Americans are doing a better job of paying off their credit cards on time which is a good thing.

ROMANS: Yes.

COSTELLO: But the news isn't all good.

ROMANS: No, it's not, because here's a couple of things. The reason why they're paying their credit cards on time is because they're scared to death of having the company close their credit, right? People know that if they mess up, they're going to have higher interest rates, and the credit card company can just shut them out. So, they're trying to hold on to that credit lifeline.

Also, because the banks have been so stingy with credit, the kind of people getting cards are more likely to pay their bills on time. Also, people are taking on new student loan debt, and they're often paying their credit card bills, Carol, before their mortgage. Think of that. So, they're trying to keep a hold of that credit card bill because they're paying month-to-month bills, and they can't jeopardize that.

COSTELLO: That's a sad, sad commentary on what's happening with our economy, isn't it? Sort of says it all.

ROMANS: It is, but we cannot have all that credit card debt hanging over our heads. So, pay it down by whatever means. It's a good thing.

COSTELLO: We'll try to take your advice. Christine Romans, I'll see you in just a bit. Thank you.

Coming up, we'll talk about a mysterious and illusive beast in California. Is it a pig? Is it a rat? Is it a pig-rat? We'll let you make the call.

But first, here is your "Get Smart" question. What percentage of young adults admit to getting bored with social media? Is it 11 percent, 21 percent or 31 percent? We'll have the answer in 90 seconds. Stick around.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: It's now 40 minutes past the hour. This is your A.M. WAKE-UP CALL. Now, back to your "Get Smart" question. What percentage of young adults admit to getting bored with social media? 11 percent, 21 percent, or 31 percent. You might be surprised. The answer is C, 31 percent. See. There's hope after all.

Now, it's time for our "Political Ticker." Let's bring in our senior political -- our senior political editor, Mark Preston. He's live on the throne from Bedford, New Hampshire. Good morning, Mark.

MARK PRESTON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL EDITOR: Hey, good morning, Carol.

COSTELLO: Well, let's touch on President Obama's bus tour, because it's ending soon. I guess, what I'm wondering is after the bus tour ends, will he go on vacation?

PRESTON: He is. He's going on vacation to Cape Cod. He's going to come under some criticism for that given the fact that the economy is in such dire straits, but, you know, this is an age-old thing. We always have critics attacking the president whenever he goes on vacation. We heard that during the Bush years. So, he will be wrapping up. President Obama will be wrapping up his three-day tour that went through Minnesota, Iowa, wraps up today in Illinois.

You know, on this tour, Carol, he was very critical of Republicans. In fact, in the interview with Wolf Blitzer yesterday, really accused them of putting politics, you know, ahead of the national interest, you know, in trying to fix the economy. So, I would have to say the 2012 campaign has not only gotten under way with Republicans, it's certainly underway with President Obama.

COSTELLO: Oh, absolutely. No doubt about that any longer, right? Let's talk about one of the -- one of his opponents. One of the men who want to be president -- or men and women. I'm speaking about Rick Perry and his treason comment. He said that if Ben Bernanke, the fed chair, prints more money, then he may be guilty of treason which, of course, is punishable by death. Karl Rove even came out and said, um, we shouldn't be saying stuff like that.

PRESTON: Yes. Not only Karl Rove, some other Bush administration officials came out and said that that was an inappropriate comment. We have to say that Karl Rove and Rick Perry are not necessarily best of friends, but what the studies show is that Rick Perry is really starting to get his footing on the ground right now. The campaign is not even a week old. And he, sometimes, shoots from the hip.

And, so, we've seen comments like this. We've seen some other comments. It will be interesting to see, though, Carol, will he start to have a more disciplined message going forward? He is considered the biggest threat right now to Mitt Romney who's been leading in the polls all along. So, Rick Perry, he'll be here in Bedford, New Hampshire, and I'll be back with you in a few moments, I guess.

COSTELLO: Yes, on "American Morning," and we look forward to that. The thing about Rick Perry is if he tones it down too much, he loses his charm. I mean, that's what's making him stand out from the crowd. So, it will be interesting to see what happens. Mark Preston, many thanks.

The world's largest rodent -- I know that story came right after a political story, but there's no connection there, I swear. Anyway, the largest rodent is the capybara, but you already knew that, right? It's about 120 pounds. It's as big as a pig, and it's native to South America, but one of them is in California teasing people near a golf course. It's been seen on and off for the last three years, but no one has been able to catch it or kill it.

Authorities believe it's probably someone's pet that ran away, someone who just had to have a giant pig-rat in the house.

Coming up, we'll tell you where you and your pet, capybara, can find a house for under 150 grand.

But first, today is National Day of Thrift Shops. And if you think the resale business is only about corner stores and strip malls, check this out. In the last year, the multibillion dollar retail industry has seen a seven percent spike in sales. Goodwill Industries alone did more than $2 billion in business last year. I guess, with the economy as it is, not unexpected. It's 44 minutes past the hour. We'll be back.

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COSTELLO: And good morning to you. It is Wednesday, August 17th. This is your A.M. WAKE-UP CALL. I'm Carol Costello live in New York. It's 47 minutes past the hour. Time to get up and face the day with a dazzling smile.

The guest and staff hurt when lightning hit SeaWorld in Orlando have now been released from a doctor's care, and they should be doing absolutely fine this morning, though, lightning bolt struck Discovery Cove where you can snorkel and swim with the dolphins. Emergency crews don't think anyone took a direct hit, but at leas, six people did complain of feeling sick right afterward, so, they were taken to the hospital. Guests leaving the park thought the lightning struck some of the equipment, too.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I've never been scared by lightning until today. It was right above us. It was really, really scary,

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They told us to clear the pool, so we came out of the pool, and we're all sheltering underneath, and then, there's a huge crack.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: In Wisconsin, two Democrats have held on to their state Senate seats in a recall election. They faced Republican challengers after the controversy over collective bargaining rights for public employees. Remember, that sparked huge demonstrations in Madison this past winter. Last week, six Republicans faced a recall vote. Two of them lost their seats. The GOP still has a majority in the Wisconsin State Senate.

When you hear about America's credit rating, you probably either fall asleep or think really bad thoughts, right? Well, I have a bit of good news for you this morning. Fitch Ratings has reaffirmed the country's AAA status. So, take that Standard & Poor's. But Fitch did say that it might revise its outlook from stable to negative if the deficit super committee doesn't get something done or if the economic recovery is weaker than expected. This comes about two weeks after S&P demoted the United States to a AA plus status.

NATO says it's making significant advances in Libya. It says rebels working to topple Moammar Gadhafi are now eyeing Tripoli, and that could kickoff a new chapter in the fight. So, let's head around the world with Zain Verjee. She's live in London. So, what's going down in Libya?

VERJEE: Hi, Carol. Well, the rebels in Libya are saying that Moammar Gadhafi's days are numbers. They say that they hope to be in Tripoli, the capital, by the end of the month. What's happening right now is that they've been seizing more ground and taking more cities, they say. And there's effectively a ring around Tripoli.

It's unclear exactly when or if they would march, but they say that they're going to do it. NATO saying it's made significant advances, and that it has destroyed Moammar Gadhafi and the regime's ability to operate militarily in any kind of an effective way. So, let's see what happens, but the pressure is definitely rising on the Libyan leader. And it's unclear to many experts how he can survive this.

COSTELLO: Wow. Another fascinating story out there, this teenager with the strapped fake bomb around her neck.

VERJEE: Yes.

COSTELLO: They made an arrest in Louisville, Kentucky, and she's now talking about the ordeal?

VERJEE: Yes, she is. I mean, Carol, imagine, you think you have a bomb tied around your neck. She sat with it for ten hours. Fortunately, it was a fake. The man was looking for money, extortion, making financial demands. Listen to what she had to say, finally, when she spoke to the media.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: how are you feeling?

MADELINE PULVER, BOMB HOAX VICTIM: Very relieved.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Are you sleeping better atnight?

PULVER: I suppose, yes. It's good. It's all very surreal.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Your mom said that you're wondering why you? Were you asking that question? PULVER: Yes, yes. I think we're all wondering.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Guys, we're going to go. Thank you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VERJEE: What many people are wondering was why did he target her and that particular family? Was there any kind of a relationship between the two? And, what people are saying is that there's circumstantial evidence that they may have had some kind of a business connection, but really, this is a girl who is in a family that is extremely wealthy, living in a million dollar mansion in a suburb in Australia, and that this was really just all about extortion.

COSTELLO: Just an awful story, but I'm glad she's all right, though. It's just -- it' just such a weird story, and I'm sure more information will come out soon.

VERJEE: Yes. It is weird. I mean, he left an e-mail and a note that made references to a famous book based in Hong Kong, and it was talking about the novel and the plot. It was just all a little bit weird. So, people are scratching their heads.

COSTELLO: That's a lot about weird. Zain Verjee live in London. Thanks so much.

Now, let's head to at Atlanta and check in with Rob Marciano. Any flight delays this morning?

ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: It's going to be a little bit quieter, thankfully, after a rough couple of days, especially across the northeast, Carol. You've had your fair share of rain. A nicer day in store today. We'll be happy to know that. Take a look at the map. There you go. Heat across the southern plains again. Got up to 107 yesterday for a record high in Shreveport, Louisiana. Texarkana seeing 106. So, that's holding on.

But yes, a little bit to the north is where a cool front is coming through, and that's where you'll see some severe thunderstorms are popping up. And Florida will continue to see thunderstorms, especially in the afternoon. Miami, Tampa and Orlando, because of that, you'll probably see some flight delays. Early thunderstorms in Chicago, and San Francisco expecting some flight delays because of morning fog and low clouds.

All right. We're watching this storm -- not a storm yet, but it's a disturbance that's rolling across the Central Caribbean now, and it's getting a little bit better organized, but it's got some obstacles to get through. Right now, forecast models are bringing it towards the Yucatan, towards Central America, and potentially, towards the southern Gulf of Mexico.

And this just in, Carol, from a report out of the Scientific American, if you didn't know this one, heavy drinking before you go to bed, it doesn't get you a good night's sleep.

COSTELLO: Oh, really?

MARCIANO: Apparently, it raises your heart rate. It says late night alcohol decreases the amount of necessary overnight repair work your body can do. It doesn't say much about early evening heavy alcohol and then getting up at three o'clock in the morning, but I suppose that would go for the same thing.

COSTELLO: So, they're not talking about a nice glass of wine before you go to bed.

MARCIANO: Well, I guess you do it a couple of hours before you go to bed, you know. No, they say, you know, moderate drink -- whatever moderate means. I think that's different for everybody. But do -- you know, give yourself a good couple of hours if you're going to enjoy a glass of wine to relax with dinner before you go to bed.

COSTELLO: Gotcha.

MARCIANO: All right. Get that REM sleep, Carol. I know you get plenty of it.

(LAUGHTER)

COSTELLO: Oh, yes.

(LAUGHTER)

MARCIANO: Yes.

COSTELLO: Thank you, Rob.

MARCIANO: All right, Carol.

COSTELLO: U.S. news has crunched some numbers and found big cities where you can still get a house for $150,000 or less. Atlanta finished on top. The median price of homes is around $102,000. Other cities in the top ten, Minneapolis, Las Vegas, Rochester, New York, Phoenix, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Buffalo, St. Louis and Kansas City. Of course, some of these cities have been hit hard with foreclosures.

Now, let's take a look at the word of the day. It would be treasonous. Find out exactly what it means and why you need to know right after this break. It's 53 minutes past the hour.

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COSTELLO: Fifty-seven minutes past the hour. This is you're A.M. WAKE-UP CALL. Now, back to the word of the day. That would be treasonous, and here's the definition. It means faithless, having the character or characteristic of a traitor, a traitor to your country. Let's break down that word even more.

The definition of treason from Merriam Webster is the betrayal of a trust or the offense of attempting by overt acts to overthrow the government of the state to which the offender owes allegiance or to kill or personally injury the sovereign or the sovereign's family. That means like overturn the government and maybe like kill the leader of the country.

You need to know that because Republican presidential candidate, Rick Perry, said it would be treasonous for the Federal Reserve chairman, Ben Bernanke, to try to stimulate the economy by printing more money.

Here are three things to put on your radar today. President Obama finishes his three-day bus tour in his home state of Illinois. He'll host a couple town meetings there today.

At 11:00 a.m. eastern, a new study will be released revealing how U.S. students compare to other countries when it comes to math and reading and what that may mean for long-term economic growth here in the United States.

And, we'll be waiting to hear from pop star, Justin Timberlake, and the new managers of MySpace to announce their plans on how to revamp the slumping social networking site.

Now, let's go to Carter Evans for a look at your money this morning. He joins us live from the NASDAQ market site here in New York. And not great news early today.

CARTER EVANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Not great news, not really bad news, at least not yet. We are getting a couple reports, though, today. One on producer prices. It's a look at inflation at the wholesale level. The mortgage index, we're also going to get a reading on that. Earnings, we're going to hear from Targets, Staples, BJ Wholesale and Abercrombie and Fitch today.

So, let's go ahead and take a look at futures right now. They're kind of mixed right now. Dow futures actually up about eight points. NASDAQ down about four. S&P 500 up about two. This is a look at pre- market page on CNNMoney.com. It's a mix day. We've got a lot of reports coming up, Carol, so that can change everything.

COSTELLO: So, you're telling me earlier about this $40 million chicken order?

EVANS: Yes. What a big run to KFC, huh?

(LAUGHTER)

COSTELLO: Yes.

EVANS: Yes. Forty million bucks. Who is buying $40 million worth of chicken? Well, the U.S. government of course. See, here's the problem. The USDA, occasionally, in fact, every year over the last couple of years, has been buying chicken from chicken farmers. This year, it's $40 million worth. Why, you say, is the government buying chicken? Well, right now, people are buying less meat. So, there is a big supply and prices are down. This will drive prices back up for farmers, good for them, bad for you and me -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Ah! Higher prices at the grocery store. Carter Evans, thanks so much. "AMERICAN MORNING" continues right now.