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American Morning: Wake Up Call
Obama to Send Jobs Bill to Congress; GOP Candidates Meet Again Tonight; Obama Remembers 9/11; Three-Year-Old Boy Back With Family; Seven Gulf Oil Workers Rescued
Aired September 12, 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 Monday. Happy Monday. It's September 12th.
This is your A.M. WAKE-UP CALL. I'm Carol Costello, joining you live from New York. Thank you for joining us this morning.
Breaking news on the world markets to tell you about this morning. They're taking quite a hit. Investors are worried that Greece could default on loan repayments.
This is what the markets looked like now. The Nikkei closed at a 2 1/2-year low. The Hang Seng down over 4 percent. European markets opened just about two hours ago. They're all down. About four and a half hours until the markets open here.
But Dow futures are down about 180 points. The NASDAQ and S&P are down, as well. Sorry. I had to tell you.
Congress is supposed to get its hands on President Obama's jobs bill today. But before sending it over, the president will hold a Rose Garden ceremony, flanked with teachers, police officers and business owners.
We talk job creation. Now, let's talk job cuts -- 40,000 Bank of America jobs are reportedly on the chopping block today. And today, we're expecting to get detail from the CEO at an investor conference at 9:00 p.m. Eastern in New York.
But "The L.A. Times" are reporting most of the layoffs are expected to come to consumer banking operations. That means branches and loan centers will feel the cuts big-time. And this is only the first step in a major overhaul for the country's largest banks.
We turn now to security concerns, 10 years and one day after the 9/11 attacks. Investigators are still checking out credible but unconfirmed information about a plot tying to the anniversary, targeting New York or Washington and maybe involving a car or truck bomb.
In New York, officers ramp up efforts to find a handful of stolen trucks. Two of them belonging to a company operating at the World Trade Center sites. Both of those trucks have been tracked down.
In Dallas, the bomb squad was called to the airport after officers found on abandoned truck full of pyrotechnics. It turned out it was for a Discovery Channel show, "Sons of Guns." A production company executive called it a colossal error in judgment.
And twice yesterday, fighter jets scrambled on reports of passengers acting strangely. F-16 trailed a Frontier flight to Detroit, and an American Airlines flight to New York. Both flights landed with no trouble.
The 9/11 Memorial at Ground Zero opens to the public today. One day after victims' family members turned out for a ceremony of somber silences, ringing bells and names slowly read aloud. Nearly 3,000 people died in the attacks that brought down the Twin Towers, (INAUDIBLE) in the Pentagon and bore a hole in a Pennsylvania field. Their names all etched in stone at the memorial.
Two wars were set in motion in the name of 9/11. And in Afghanistan, a grim reminder that the fight does go on. Seventy-seven American troops were wounded after a huge truck bomb blew up outside of Kabul on Saturday. All of them are expected to be OK, talking about the troops.
But the commander of coalition forces says this Taliban attack was meant to grab attention.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEN. JOHN ALLEN, COMMANDER, INT'L SECURITY ASSISTANCE FORCE: This attack was a high-profile attack. It was a pretty significant suicide vehicle bomb. But they have been rejected by the population. In so many places around the country, that their only ability to influence the battlefield in many cases on many occasions is simply the hope of a high-profile attack.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: General John Allen says there's much work to be done in the fight against Taliban militants.
Firefighters near Austin, Texas, are making some headway against the wildfire that has burned more than 1,500 homes. It's halfway contained now. And that means people could get the go ahead to go back to their evacuated neighborhoods this week. Six people still unaccounted for, though. So, officials want everyone to register at evacuation centers to let friends and family members know they are OK.
Now, let's head to Atlanta to check in with Rob Marciano. He's watching the weather in the tropics this morning.
Anything we should be keeping an eye on?
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Well, we chatted on Friday, we had three storms. One of which, you know, has a slight chance of maybe bringing some moisture up into Texas. Now, we're pretty much left with one in Mexico. Katia's on its way to the U.K. and tropical storm Maria still continues to turn north and east of Puerto Rico.
So, a threat to the U.S., yes, in theory. Sixty-mile-an-hour winds. So, it's almost near hurricane strength. But with these cold fronts kind of protecting us, it looks like this one will be shoved off much like Katia was. If anything, maybe a little bit farther to the east.
So, no worries there, just big surf. You're getting a late season holiday on the beaches of the East Coast.
There you go -- a mild weather across much of the eastern third of the country. That's good stuff there. But the heat is going to build across to Texas and no rain. So, that part of the forecast has not changed at all. 106 degrees expected in Dallas. Another cold front will build from Canada. But that won't get here for a while.
If you're traveling today, Chicago, Boston, Detroit, maybe some delays there. Miami, some afternoon thunderstorms, and Denver, just a little bit of wind. So, relative to the last couple of weeks, Carol, and I have to say in this Monday, relatively quiet. We'll take it.
COSTELLO: I know. We certainly will. And here's to you, Rob, in my paper cup. This is coffee. We'll see you soon, I'm sure.
MARCIANO: All right, then. See you in a bit.
COSTELLOI: I guess we won't. Thank you, Rob.
President Obama is far from done talking about how to create jobs. That's giving comedians plenty of fodder for their late-night routines. Here's your punch line.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)
JAY LENO, COMEDIAN: President Obama introduced his $447 billion jobs plan. It sounds like a pretty good plan. In fact, a lot in Congress said today it could work, you know, if we had $447 billion. It would be a fantastic -- it would be a fantastic plan if we had some money.
In his speech, President Obama called the plan the American Jobs Act. That sounded better than the original title, "the save my ass act." That seemed to fall flat.
Did you watch the Packers/Saints game? I saw the weirdest thing during the game last night. I don't know if anybody else caught this. Take a look.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A flag down here for the moment of touch back. We have a flag back at the 35-yard line.
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: You should pass this jobs plan right away.
LENO: And did you see Joe Biden and John Boehner in the speech. Did you see what Boehner did to Biden? You know, it's so petty with these politicians. Take a look.
(END VIDEO CLIPS)
COSTELLO: They're cats that literally glow in the dark. And that's not all they do. Scientists also hope they will fight against AIDS. We'll explain, coming up.
But, first, check out our quote of the day. Quote, "Can you ever imagine what would happen to the country if Lyndon was president?" end quote. Find out who said this and why it's important today. That's coming your way in 90 seconds.
It is seven minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: It is 8:00 minutes past the hour. This is your A.M. WAKE-UP CALL.
Now, back to the quote of the day. This is the quote. "Can you ever imagine what would happen to the country if Lyndon was president?" According to tapes obtained by "The New York Times," former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis was quoting her husband, John F. Kennedy, when she said that back in 1964.
The complete tapes are said to be released this Wednesday, along with a book called "Jacqueline Kennedy: Historic Conversations on Life with John F. Kennedy." The tapes were recorded shortly after the president's assassination. The tapes had been sealed until now. The Kennedys' daughter, Caroline, wrote the foreword in the book.
Remember the IBM computer that beat all the "Jeopardy" smarty pants? Well, Watson's next task is health care. Watson is able to process tons of information in just seconds. So, that will certainly help doctors find the latest research in patient information to determine diagnoses and provide the best treatments. IBM is teaming up with health insurer WellPoint for the new venture.
Let's go to Kristie Lu Stout now. She is live to Hong Kong.
Kristie, let's talk about the 9/11 Memorial because it used these really cool, complicated algorithms to help organize the list of the victims names. So, explain.
KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Yes, this is a really fascinating concept. And the idea was to arrange the names of the victims according to their relationships with one another. For example, co-workers, friends, even a shared place of death.
Now, memorial planners, they didn't want to arrange the names alphabetically or chronologically. So, they asked the families of the victims for, quote, "meaningful adjacencies" or significant links within the victims. There's a total of 2,983 names on some 76 bronze panels there at the memorial site.
And, Carol, even though an algorithm was used, it merely provided just the framework. The site, as you know, is very much a human memorial, a deeply moving experience. And it's now opened to the public starting today -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Yes. We have a live picture of it, I believe, so people can get a glimpse of what it looks like. I know it's dark but it is beautiful.
But if you ever get a chance to come to New York City, please go down to that site because it's just awesome. I'm not just talking to you, Kristie Lu. I'm talking to everybody out there.
Let's switch subjects now and talk about glow-in-the-dark cats, fighting AIDS?
STOUT: Yes. There's logic behind here. And the goal is to create cats with immunity to the feline AIDS virus. So, the study, it was just published on Sunday. It involved inserting two things. Number one, monkey genes that block the virus that causes AIDS and jellyfish genes that make the modify self-glow green and thus making the gene easy to spot.
The cats that underwent this procedure, glow green when placed under a special light, therefore showing that they're resistant to the virus that causes AIDS in cats. Scientists in the Mayo Clinic, they hope that this technique will help human medical research.
So, Carol, great story. Cute kittens, but all in the name of HIV research. Back to you.
COSTELLO: That's amazing. Kristie Lu Stout, live in Hong Kong for us this morning. Thank you.
A bitter labor dispute. And a news crew caught right in the middle. Ooh, it was nasty.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Get your camera out of here. That's none of your business (EXPLETIVE DELETED). Unless you want trespassing, get out of here now. Get out of here now!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: What exactly prompted this tirade? Coming up.
It's 12 minutes past the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: It is 13 minutes past the hour. This is your A.M. WAKE-UP CALL.
Here are three things to put on your radar today.
The National 9/11 Memorial and Museum opens to the public today. It was, of course, open to victims' families on the anniversary yesterday here in New York.
Plus, a trial date could be set today in the Joran van der Sloot murder trial. He's charged with the murder of a Peruvian woman. Prosecutors are asking for a 30-year prison sentence.
And President Obama will take to the Rose Garden today to make a pitch for his jobs creation plan. He officially sent the American Jobs Act to Congress. He will send that American Jobs Act to Congress tonight.
Time now for your Political Ticker with Tim Farley, host of "Morning Briefing" on Sirius POTUS, live from Washington.
You know what today is, Tim.
TIM FARLEY, SIRIUS XM POTUS: It is what? Monday. Of course.
COSTELLO: It is Monday. It's not only Monday, though. It's the day of the momentous CNN Tea Party Republican debate which takes place tonight in Tampa. And some are calling this crucial for Michele Bachmann.
FARLEY: Well, you know, when people have a party -- remember when you're in school and there's competing parties? Well, we have competing people for the parties now because Michele Bachmann wants the Tea Party people at her house and the Rick Perry wants the Tea Party people at his house. And tonight, we're going to see who gets them.
She is expected to take him on a little bit more because of the fact that she has been waning in the polls lately. She hasn't done anything wrong. It's just that Rick Perry and Mitt Romney seem to be taking all the oxygen out of the room.
So, we're expecting tonight that the two of them will be going at it a little bit more. She'll be probably on the offensive against Rick Perry tonight.
COSTELLO: And a little birdie told me she is falling into the single digits. That's according to a new poll that's going to be officially released at 6:00 a.m. Eastern. Because of that, she has released a new pro-Bachmann ad, where she slams Governor Rick Perry on immigration. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NARRATOR: Rick Perry signed a law to make taxpayers pay college tuition for illegal immigrants. Michele Bachmann opposes giving benefits to illegal immigrants. Michele Bachmann also supports the Arizona immigration law. But Perry opposed it in Texas.
The difference is clear. To stop illegal immigration, support Michele Bachmann.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: (AUDIO BREAK), don't you?
FARLEY: These are going to be on the radio. Obviously, they're not made for television because they're not exactly impressive. But this is one of those examples where she's going after him on an issue that he's been more nuanced on. And as a matter of fact, he's somewhat harkening back to the way George W. Bush had handled it as governor of that border state.
Governor Perry is on the record of saying the Arizona immigration law is a little bit too much for him. So, expect not just from Michele Bachmann, but maybe a hit from Mitt Romney, who is also going to have to try to take a piece of Perry flesh, if you will, to make sure that he can get the nomination. That might be part of the debate tonight, too.
COSTELLO: OK. Let's move on to this story out of Washington state. I don't know why it makes me laugh because it shouldn't because there was a horrible confrontation between longshoremen and the media.
So, watch what happens when a news crew tries to ask questions of these union people.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey. Get your camera out of here. That's none of your business (EXPLETIVE DELETED). Unless you want trespassing, get out of here now. Get out of here now!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK. OK.
UNIDENTFIEID MALE: Don't (EXPLETIVE DELETED), partner.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're not the PR staff, are you?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You don't have to (EXPLETIVE DELETED) worry about who I'm with.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(LAUGHTER)
COSTELLO: But, come on, Tim. They're longshoremen. What else do you expect?
FARLEY: Well, I understand that he identified you as blank you blank sucker. That's his official name. I'm not sure what his title is.
I also wonder what kind of top-secret information might be on these pieces of paper that are posted outside of the building so that anybody walking by could probably see what they are. But this stems a long standing disagreement between the longshoremen's union. And that was KGW in Portland and they have gone out to get the comment and one can only imagine that this guy's never heard of the Internet because he will probably be pretty famous pretty darn soon.
COSTELLO: I guess so. Do even know what they were so upset about? I mean, was the media bothering them? I mean --
FARLEY: Oh, yes, well, that was the point. It's being more heavily covered there. But this is the union that's upset about the fact the company there is outsourcing some of the jobs, they claim and they're taking away some of their rights.
This has been turned into by right wing bloggers as more of an issue that stemmed from what we were seeing from James Hoffa last week, about taking them out. It's unrelated to that. But it plays into the narrative that the unions are thugs. And that something that can't be helping the unions right now.
COSTELLO: No, no. That was unfortunate for the unions, at least from a P.R. standpoint.
Tim Farley, thanks as always. Tim Farley, host of "Morning Briefing" on Sirius POTUS radio.
FARLEY: Thanks.
COSTELLO: Remember, you can watch the first-ever CNN Tea Party Republican debate live right here on CNN. That will come your way tonight at 8:00 p.m. Eastern. Wolf Blitzer will be the moderator.
On the weekend of 9/11, four arrested on terrorism charges. We'll have details for you on that a moment.
It's 18 minutes past the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: We have just learned former IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn has been questioned by French police about the alleged attempted rape of a French writer -- this information coming from one of his lawyers. You may remember, charges were dropped against Strauss-Kahn in New York after a hotel maid accused him of sexually assaulting her back in May. He returned to Paris shortly thereafter.
We'll be sure to bring you the latest as we hear more.
Terror concerns in Sweden. SWAT teams arrested people in Gothenburg over the weekend for suspicion of plotting terror attacks. An official from the Swedish secret service said, quote, "We have been able to prevent a situation from occurring," end quote.
Police there aren't saying much about the suspects or the plot. But an art gallery in the city was evacuated late Saturday night. Sweden did not raise its terror alert level, however.
To Libya, now. And another member of Moammar Gadhafi's family -- well, he's left the country. Son Saadi Gadhafi is now in Niger. That's according to the country's justice minister. Eight other former Libyan officials were with him. At least three convoys crossed into Niger recently, carrying military officials and their families. Gadhafi's wife and two of his sons fled to Algeria in recent weeks. Both Niger and Algeria say they accepted them on humanitarian grounds.
Of course, the big question mark remains: where the heck is Moammar Gadhafi? No one seems to know.
Zoo workers in Tripoli risking their own lives to save the lives of animals going hungry and thirsty in the middle of the war zone. We reported on the dire conditions at the zoo a few weeks ago. And since then, crews have rushed into help.
Jill Dougherty was with them.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN FOREIGN AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In a city slashed by war, a tiger fights for life. Osama, a Siberian tiger at the Tripoli zoo, has been suffering for days.
(on camera): Do you know why he's so sick?
DR. AMIR KHALIL, FOUR PAWS INTERNATIONAL DIRECTOR: Honestly, we don't know. We only came some few days here. But I believe he's old, number one. Number two, it was a lot of stress surrounding here.
DOUGHERTY (voice-over): During the battle for Tripoli, there was shooting just outside the zoo. Humans fled. The animals didn't have that option.
DR. ABDULFATAH HUSNI, DIRECTOR, TRIPOLI ZOO: Our (INAUDIBLE) mammal house.
DOUGHERTY: The zoo's director, Dr. Abdulfatah Husni leads us to the mammal house.
(on camera): Oh, yes. Wow. That came right through the roof. But none of the animals were injured.
HUSNI: No animal injured. No animal died.
DOUGHERTY (voice-over): For two weeks, there was no water in Tripoli. A disaster for the hippos, who had to survive on what little stagnant water was left in their pool.
HUSNI: They are shiny now. They are good. They want the water. They're swimming normally. No problem.
DOUGHERTY: Shells still litter the zoo grounds.
(on camera): Right here. In the zoo.
HUSNI: That's coming from outside. You know?
DOUGHERTY: So, just all over the place?
HUSNI: This is for Kalashnikov. You know Kalashnikov?
DOUGHERTY: Yes.
At the height of the conflict, 15 of the staff came here every day to feed and water the animals, risking their own lives to do it. And if they hadn't, many of the animals would have died in three or four days.
(voice-over): Dr. Amir Khalil from an international animal rescue team rushed here from Vienna to help, after seeing CNN reports about the fate of these animals.
KHALIL: We don't succeed.
DOUGHERTY (on camera): Did he die?
KHALIL: It was too late.
DOUGHERTY: He just died.
KHALIL: Yes. It's too late.
DOUGHERTY (voice-over): Tripoli's zoo was being rebuilt when the war started. The director hopes that will continue. There will be exchanges with zoos around the world, he says. Something that stopped during the Gadhafi regime. Bringing new animals, unscarred by war.
Jill Dougherty, CNN, Tripoli.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: A 3-year-old boy snatched from his home in the middle of the night. He's back with his family now. But his kidnapper still on the loose. We'll have more on that story ahead.
It's 25 minutes past the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Good morning. Happy Monday to you. Yes, happy Monday. It's September 12th.
This is your A.M. WAKE-UP CALL. I'm Carol Costello, joining you live from New York this morning. It's just about half past the hour.
Look for President Obama to make a trip to the Rose Garden today, joined by teachers, veterans and small business owners. He'll be calling on Congress to pass his jobs bill, which he'll be sending to Capitol Hill today, as well.
Among the highlights of the plan: a payroll tax cut for 98 percent of businesses, a tax credit for hiring veterans, modernizing 35,000 public schools, a tax credit for hiring long-term jobless ,and a plan for mortgages at very low rates.
Last night, President Obama joined others at the Kennedy Center in Washington for a concert of hope. It capped off a day filled with 9/11 anniversary commemorations. The president spoke of the sacrifices in the wake of 9/11 of resilience, and vigilance, and of courage.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: These past ten years have shown that America does not give in to fear. The rescue workers who rushed to the scene, the firefighters who charged up the stairs, the passengers who stormed the cockpit, these patriots define the very nature of courage.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: The president said nothing can break the will of a truly United States of America. Not slavery, not war, and not terrorism.
Amid the sadness of remembrances of 9/11, a few odd things popped up on the White House Facebook page. Threats. WNBC reports at least three threats, one saying, we'll come back and kill you all. The posts have since been taken down, and the secret service is now investigating.
You may remember during the last Republican debate, Texas governor, Rick Perry, called Social Security, quote, a Ponzi scheme. Well, Vice President Joe Biden says, hold on a minute. He spoke with CNN's John King.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: No, it's not a Ponzi scheme. He go back and find the true Ponzi was. He was an individual. It was a different deal. But, no, it's not a Ponzi scheme. It is secure through 2036, and to fix it is not hard.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: You can see the full interview with the vice resident on "John King USA." That's tonight at 7:00 p.m. eastern right here on CNN.
A three-year-old Canadian boy is back home with his family this morning after going missing for four days. Investigators say Kienan Herbert was abducted from his bed last Tuesday night. His family pleaded with the kidnapper to return him. Over the weekend, they got their wish.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PAUL HERBERT, VICTIM'S FATHER: Kienan was happily home. And he's playing with his brothers and sisters. Thank you. Thank you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Amazing. Police are still looking for the suspect, 46-year-old Randall Hopley. He lives a few miles away from the toddler's family. Seven of the ten oil workers who went missing last week in the Gulf of Mexico have been found alive. Two were found dead, though, and one is still missing. The crew was on a boat in the Gulf of Mexico on Thursday in the Bay of Campeche. Tropical storm Nate's fury caused them to abandon ship. The search is still on for the missing worker.
Bank of America is reportedly getting ready to cut tens of thousands of jobs. This is just the beginning of big changes at the bank. What it could mean for customers in 60 seconds? It's 33 minutes past the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Thirty-four minutes past the hour. For morning money news, let's head to Christine Romans. She's here with me in New York. Christine, let's talk first about Bank of America, because Bank of America is reported getting ready to slash tens of thousands of jobs.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: We're not going to know for sure until nine o'clock eastern time when the CEO of this company is going to have an investor call, but widely expected to axe as many as 40,000 employees, close potentially hundreds of branches. It's no question that this is going to be a shrinking and a much smaller version of Bank of America than you might be used to during the height of the bubble.
The company not commenting publicly ahead of that conference call about just exactly what's going to happen here, but investors and customers and employees are braced for very big layoffs, 40,000. If that's true, that would be an awful lot. And I'm telling you right now that there are a lot of very nervous bankers on Wall Street and around the country. Around the country, as they can try to figure out which branches are most likely to be closed -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Something else to rattle the world markets. Speaking of the world markets, the world markets are rattled this morning over concerns about --
ROMANS: Greece. Greece again. It's another Greek tragedy, an ongoing Greek tragedy, right? Concerns that the Greek government could default on its debt. Look, this has been months and months in the making. Concerns about the weakest members of the European Union and anger among the strongest members of the European Union for how you're going to pay for it. It's got all of the global markets down. Look at some of those red arrows. You got the KAC 40. That's the French stock market average, the benchmark stock market average in France down four percent.
Concerns there about the French banks' exposure to a potential default in Greece. The concern overall about Greece is that, yes, they've agreed to austerity measures with the European Union, the European Central Bank, but they may not be moving quickly enough. They may not be doing enough concretely to get it done. So, this is that tug-of-war within Europe, quite frankly, about its weak members and its strong members and the hole being very, very strained right now, Carol.
COSTELLO: Christine Romans. I'll see you in a bit. Thank you.
ROMANS: You're welcome.
COSTELLO: Republicans just hours away from taking the stage in their next presidential debate. Could it be a turning point in the 2012 race? We're taking a closer look at what's at stake in tonight's contest.
But first, check out today's "Get Smart" question. What percentage of American drivers do not have car insurance. Is it A. 6 percent, B. 14 percent, or C. 20 percent? The answer coming your way in two minutes. It's36 minutes past.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: It is 38 minutes past the hour. This is your A.M. WAKE-UP CALL. Now, back to today's "Get Smart" question. What percentage of American drivers do not have car insurance? Is it A. 6 percent, B. 14 percent, or C. 20 percent? And the answer is. Wow! Fourteen percent. According to a new report from the Insurance Research Council, one in seven drivers drive without insurance.
Now, it's time for our "Political Ticker," and that means it's time for our political reporter, Shannon Travis. He is live in Tampa via Skype this morning. Good morning, Shannon.
SHANNON TRAVIS, CNN POLITICAL REPORTER: Good morning, Carol.
COSTELLO: I swear I heard a strange sound, but maybe, it was my imagination. Everybody is getting ready for the big CNN Tea Party Republican Debate tonight in Tampa. This could be make or break for Michele Bachmann. But, really, the last debate, we heard much more from Rick Perry and Mitt Romney. So, what's your prediction?
TRAVIS: I say sparks are going to fly between Mitt Romney and Rick Perry. Remember, this is only Rick Perry's second debate, second presidential debate last week. He and Mitt Romney sparred over job creation, and, especially over Social Security. As you just mentioned a few minutes ago, Rick Perry says that Social Security is like a Ponzi scheme. Expect Mitt Romney to continue to draw a contrast between his views on Social Security and Rick Perry's views.
I mean, look, Romney was the frontrunner just a few weeks ago up until the point That Rick Perry entered the race. And now, he's the front-runner. He's got a lot of Tea Party support, a lot of conservative support. I just Mitt Romney wants to reclaim that mantle. So, he'll have to throw a few punches at Rick Perry in order to do that. We don't expect anything less tonight, Carol.
COSTELLO: Yes. And someone else throwing a few punches at Rick Perry, perhaps, is Michele Bachmann, because in a poll that's going to coming out at 6:00 a.m. eastern, Michele Bachmann has really slipped in the polls. TRAVIS: Yes. And that's a really, really interesting thing. OK. So, you would think that this would be the perfect venue for Michele Bachmann. She is the Tea Party darling. She founded the House Tea Party caucus, but her advisers tell CNN, actually, our senior political editor, Mark Preston, that they feel like she missed some opportunities last night -- I'm sorry -- last week, in the debate last week to get in there and mix it up with Mitt Romney, and especially with Rick Perry.
She, obviously, won that big contest in Iowa, the Ames Straw Poll. So, they're telling us that tonight, expect for Michele Bachmann to really get in there. And as you just mentioned, throw some political punches, draw contrast, of course, but, of course, we know that means throwing some political punches at Perry. Trying to regain some steam. You mentioned the poll where her numbers are not looking so good. So, this will be a really big test for her tonight, as well -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Well, it's interesting because I interviewed the head of FreedomWorks last week and asked him why he thought Michele Bachmann was slipping, because, after all, as you said, she is the face of the Tea Party. He says many members of the Tea Parties simply don't think she's electable. So, they're throwing their weight behind Rick Perry. And if they feel that way, is there any way Michele Bachmann can really catch up?
TRAVIS: Yes. I've heard that same thing from them. You know, I cover the Tea Party movement. I've heard that same thing from some Tea Party members. Now, of course, she is wildly popular. Nearly all the rallies that I go to with Michele Bachmann, there are huge crowds and lots of enthusiasm, but, as you just mentioned, there is this question about electability, whether she's all flash and very little substance.
She's not a governor. She's not a chief executive in government. Rick Perry is. He's the long-serving governor in Texas history. So, there is this question about whether Michele Bachmann is electable against Barack Obama. Mind you, Tea Party activists, they may love Michele Bachmann, but they really, really hate President Obama.
And they want someone that they feel has the best chances of ousting him. So, that may be a factor in why her candidacy is kind of stagnant right now and why Rick Perry, just a few weeks into the race, has really, really taken off, Carol.
COSTELLO: We'll see how he does on the Social Security question later tonight. Thank you very much. Shannon Travis reporting live for us.
Comedians have their own commentary after President Obama's big jobs speech, but Jimmy Kimmel's favorite part, what he calls the silly traditions. Here's your punch line.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JIMMY KIMMEL, HOST, JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE: I always enjoy watching a president address Congress because they have these traditions. They're old, but they've really become silly. First of all, they sit the vice president and the speaker of the House right behind the president. So, the whole time you see Joe Biden and John Boehner position right above Obama's shoulders like a little hair plugged (ph) angel and straight-hand devil.
(LAUGHTER)
And the democrats, because Obama is a Democrat, stand up and clap after every other sentence. It looks more like an old people exercise program than a presidential address. But the silliest tradition of all is when the president walks in, as he's trying to get to the podium, everyone's grabbing him and shaking his hand and trying to say something to him. Look at this.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. Speaker, the president of the United States.
(APPLAUSE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Good luck, Mr. President.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You'll be fine.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Open with -- they'll love that.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Can you validate my parking?
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: Something you may not know about 9/11, how part of the World Trade Center wound up a world away.
But first, on this date back in history, in 1953, John F. Kennedy married Jacqueline Bouvier. JFK was 36, Jacqui was 24. Close to 800 people attended their wedding. Of course, as you know, the president was assassinated just ten years later. It's 45 minutes past the hour.
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COSTELLO: Good morning to you. It is Monday, September 12th. This is your A.M. WAKE-UP CALL. I'm Carol Costello joining you live from New York this morning. It's 48 minutes past the hour. It's time to get up.
Global markets taking a hit today. Investors are worried that Greece could default on loan repayments. This what the markets look like now. The Nikkei closed at a 2 1/2-year low. The Hang Seng down over four percent. European markets opened just about two hours ago, all down. A little under four hours until the markets open here, the Dow futures are down about 181 points. The Nasdaq and S&P down, as well. This is all because of Greece. Greece.
Here we are, ten years and one day after the 9/11 attacks, but security teams are not relaxing. They're still checking out that credible but one confirmed information about a plot tied to the anniversary, targeting New York or D.C. and maybe involving a car or a truck bomb.
In New York, offices ramped up efforts to find a handful of still in (ph) trucks. Two of them belonging to a company operating at the World Trade Center site. Both of those trucks have been tracked down.
In Dallas, the bomb squad was called to the airport after officers found an abandon truck full of pyrotechnics. It turned out it was for a Discovery Channel show called "sons of guns." A producer called it a colossal error in judgment.
And twice yesterday, fighter jets scrambled on reports of passengers acting strangely. An F-16 tailed a frontier flight to Detroit, and an American Airlines flight to New York both landed with no trouble.
The 9/11 memorial at Ground Zero opens to the public today. Check out this live shot from Manhattan of the tribute light. It's actually officially called the Tribute of Life. It was lit up at desk last night. The lights will be turned back off when the sun comes up.
Yesterday, victims' family members turned out for a ceremony of somber silences, ringing bells, and names slowly read aloud. Nearly 3,000 people died in the attacks that brought down the twin towers, ripped open the Pentagon, and tore a hole in a Pennsylvania field. Their names all etched in stone at this memorial.
Two wars were set in motion in the name of 9/11, and in Afghanistan, a grim reminder that the fight does go on. Seventy-seven American troops were wounded after a huge truck bomb blew up outside of Kabul on Saturday. All of the troops expected to be OK, but the commander of coalition forces says this Taliban attack was meant to grab attention.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEN. JOHN ALLEN, COMMANDER, INTL. SECURITY ASSISTANCE FORCE: This attack was a high-profile attack. It was a pretty significant suicide vehicle bomb. But they have been ejected from the population in so many places around the country, that their only ability to influence the battlefield on many occasions is simply hope for high- profile attack.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Gen. John Allen says there's still much work to be done in the fight against Taliban militants.
Part of the World Trade Center on mars? It's true. Seems when Mars rover spirit and opportunity left Earth for Mars in 2003, they were actually carrying some pieces of the World Trade Center with them. You see, a company called Honey Bee Robotics is located in Lower Manhattan, and it was building grinding tools for the rovers when 9/11 happened. They made a cable shield from aluminum recover from the world trade center, and that shield now covered with an American flag. Firefighters in Austin, Texas, are making some headway against that huge wildfire that has burned more than about 1,500 homes. It's about halfway contained now, and that means people could get the go ahead to go back to their evacuated neighborhoods this week. Six people, though, still unaccounted for. So, officials want everyone to register at evacuation centers to let friends and family members know they're OK.
Let's head to Atlanta now and meteorologist Rob Marciano. Any look for rain in Texas?
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: We're trying.
COSTELLO: Trying. OK.
MARCIANO: Maybe midweek towards the end of the week, a little cool front coming through. That may bring some rain, but not a lot at this point. You know, Carol, the U.S.' second-warmest summer on record. Here's how it breaks down, and of course, Texas drastically affected by all of this with the drought ongoing there. Warmest summer there for sure. and conditions drier there than in the 1930s but not quite as long lasting.
So, hopefully that will not be a record-setter. As far as how much rain we've seen, yes, obviously, the northeast and the east coast has seen a lot of rain because of the storms and also the hurricanes and tropical system that rolled in. This is the five-day forecast for rain in Texas, which doesn't show a whole lot, but at least shows some of it to try to make its way over there. Nate, which we were hoping to bring something over towards Texas is not. It's dead.
Maria is probably going to take the same path or similar path to that of Katia, which, by the way, is on its way to the U.K. right now, and Scotland is going to see some hefty winds with this one over the next few days. Meanwhile, the east coast looking a little bit better. Some leftover showers actually from Lee, kind of sort of in the way, along with parts of the east coast. And that cold front you see up there on the Canadian border, that's going to bring, yes, some colder air down across the lower 48, and maybe some rain to Texas.
But that's what's going to push Maria out to sea. Eighty-two in New York today, 86 degrees expected in Atlanta, and 100 degrees plus in Dallas. Chicago will see some delays because of wind. Boston, Detroit, also some afternoon thunderstorms, Miami, some thunderstorms, as well, and Denver will see a little bit of wind, as well. So, fall is in the air, Carol. Hope we got a little bit of taste of it, and then, temperatures will be 20 to 30 degrees below average, I think, in some spots across the northern tier when this cold front comes through later in the weeks.
COSTELLO: That will feel nice, though.
MARCIANO: Yes.
COSTELLO: Hey, did I tell you the Detroit Lions won?
MARCIANO: No, but I figured you'd point that out at some point.
COSTELLO: Matthew Stafford was brilliant.
MARCIANO: What was the score?
COSTELLO: I just wanted to share.
MARCIANO: A lot to a little?
COSTELLO: 27 -- no, I think it was 27-23.
MARCIANO: Did you have a little skin on the game? Little skin on the game for you?
COSTELLO: No. But I think -- I don't think -- never mind. I can't tell you what I was doing during the game. It would get me fired. Rob Marciano, thank you.
MARCIANO: All right, Carol.
COSTELLO: It's been called one of the biggest upsets in U.S. Open history. The Australian, Samantha Stosur, claimed the women's title over favorite, Serena Williams. Williams actually got hit with a code violation for an angry outburst.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SERENA WILLIAMS, PROFESSIONAL TENNIS PLAYER: You're totally out of control. You're a hater and you're just -- unattractive inside.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Not a good thing to do. The ninth seed, Stosur, gave a hugely impressive performance to beat Williams, a three-time champion in one hour and 13 minutes at Flushing Meadows.
NASCAR fans went completely silent as cars passed this weekend. Why? In memory of 9/11. Fans stopped cheering for laps 9 through 11. The service members attended the race, and many drivers painted their cars with patriotic colors. Nice.
Before we go, let's take look at the word of the day. It's prebuttal. Find out what it means and why you need to know after a break. It's 55 minutes past.
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COSTELLO: Two minutes until the top of the hour. Now, back to our word of the day. It is prebuttal. Here's the definition. It's a response formulated in anticipation of a criticism. Basically, it's a preemptive rebuttal. You need to know this today because the chair of the Democratic National Committee is giving a prebuttal at 4:00 p.m. eastern today before the CNN Tea Party Republican debate tonight at 8:00. Now, you know.
President Obama is far from done talking about how to create jobs. That's giving comedians plenty of fodder. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JAY LENO, HOST, THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH JAY LENO: President Obama introduced his $447 billion job plan. That sounds likes a pretty good plan. A lot of economists said today it could work, you know, if we had $447 billion. Fantastic! It would be a fantastic plan if we had the money.
(APPLAUSE)
LENO: In his speech, President Obama called the plan the American Jobs Act. That sounded a lot better than the original title, the save my ass act. That tends to fall flat. You watch the Packers/Saints game? I saw the weirdest thing during the game last night. I don't know if anybody else caught this. Take a look.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Flag down here. For the moment it touched back, we will get a flag down back at the 35 yard line.
OBAMA: You should pass these jobs --
(LAUGHTER)
LENO: And you see Joe Biden and John Boehner. Did you see what Boehner did to Biden? You know, it's so petty with this politician. Take a look.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(LAUGHTER)
COSTELLO: Loving that. "AMERICAN MORNING" continues right now.
