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American Morning: Wake Up Call
Boehner's Turn to Talk Jobs; Rogue Trade Costs UBS $2 Billion; SAT Scores Hit New Low; Boy Goes Overboard, Dad Charged; Rockies Catcher Out 100 Games
Aired September 15, 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. It is Thursday, September 15th. This is your A.M. WAKE-UP CALL. I'm Carol Costello, joining you live from New York.
Get ready for the Republicans' response to President Obama's jobs bill. House Speaker John Boehner will give a lunchtime job speech at the economic club in D.C. He and the rest of Congress have had a few days to leaf through the jobs plan, the Obama jobs plan.
So, now, we'll just have to wait and see whether Boehner picks a fight over the plan or offers an olive branch.
But President Obama is already taking indirect swipes at congressional Republican. Listen to what he told the Congressional Hispanic Caucus last night.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: If we're being honest, we know the real problem isn't the members of Congress in this room. It's the members of Congress that put party before country because they believe the only way to resolve our differences is to wait 14 months until the next election. And I've got news for them: the American people don't have the luxury of waiting 14 months.
(APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Fourteen months from now as in November 2012, probably a topic that dominated dinner conversation between two Republican powerhouses. Rick Perry and Donald Trump shared a meal in New York City last night.
Before the big dinner, Trump defended Perry for signing an executive order requiring an HPV vaccine for school girls in Texas. Here's what he told our Wolf Blitzer.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, CHAIRMAN AND PRESIDENT, TRUMP ORGANIZATION (via telephone): I'm not sure he would have done it again. I think he sort of indicated that. But he also said he believes in saving lives. And that's a pretty poignant statement. He believes very strongly in saving lives. And that was the way it was given to him and a lot of people agree with him, and some people don't.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Trump also said he would consider running as a third party candidate if the economy sours and if, quote, "Republicans choose the wrong candidate."
Twenty-eight thousand public school students in Tacoma, Washington, have been told to show up for class this morning. But there's no guarantee their teachers will there be. They've been on strike since Tuesday over staffing polices, pay cuts and class size. Now, a judge has ordered the teachers to get back to work. But some teachers say that won't keep them off the picket line today.
The final word from the federal government on last year's oil spill in the Gulf and there's plenty of blame to go around, a new 200-page report on the Deepwater Horizon spill says BP, Halliburton and Transocean share responsibility for the disaster that killed 11 workers, spilled 200 million gallons of oil, and took months to control. It says all of them violated government safety regulations.
BP agrees with the report's conclusion but Halliburton, a BP contractor, still points the finger at the oil company. And Transocean says this drilling crew is not to blame.
Natalee Holloway's father says he wants a court to declare his daughter dead. He says he wants closure for his family six years after the Alabama teenager went missing during a vacation to Aruba. It could be months before the court makes a final decision on Natalee's case. As you know, her murder remains unsolved.
Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg forced to evacuate a plane at Dulles International Airport, just outside of Washington, D.C. And the 78-year-old reportedly slid down the emergency chute just like everybody else. A Supreme Court spokesperson says she's just fine, no serious injuries were reported. Passengers on board the flight bound for San Francisco say the evacuations started after somebody reported a fire on board. United Airlines is investigating.
Fire crews now making progress in battling wildfires across the country. The Comanche fire in California almost fully contained after scorching 26,000 acres. And in Minnesota, 100,000 acres have burn. But cooler temperatures and calmer winds helped firefighters yesterday. Now let's head to Atlanta and Rob Marciano.
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Cooler weather.
COSTELLO: Cooler weather, we're talking much cooler weather, right?
MARCIANO: Yes. We're going to see temperatures that will be very October-like here in the next couple days. And some folks are feeling that.
We start with Texas because this obviously -- any sort of cool weather will help what they've been enduring. You know, 100-degree plus days, over 70 of them in Dallas. Today's high temperature will be 83 in Dallas. So, that alone is going to help things, 96 expected in Austin, and maybe a little rain. Winds are light, dew points up. A little bit of rain, trying to get into the northern part of Texas.
So, we are at least increasing the humidity as well. We're going to see downpours right over the fire lines, but we'll take any bit of improving weather that we can get. Meanwhile, rain along the front that will bring the cool weather, rolling up the Ohio River in through across the Allegheny and up across the Appalachians, up into the Adirondacks. And this will bring rainfall into the major metropolitan areas as we go through time and that will probably spawn a few travel delays, including New York metros, Boston, D.C., Atlanta and maybe some showers expected in Denver where temperatures there, along the mountain tops, cold enough to support some snow.
So, we'll highlight some of those high temperatures later in the hour. Some folks may want to even break out a fashionable fall jacket. Carol, back over to you.
COSTELLO: I can't believe it's that cool already. We're not ready.
You know, we just got word of an earthquake in southeast -- is it southeast Cuba?
MARCIANO: I saw one pop up, yes, a 6.0. I didn't have time to read the depth and the exact location. But yes, 6.0 magnitude quake somewhere near Cuba. We'll get back to you on that. There you go.
COSTELLO: Yes. You're going to check it out and you'll get back to us. But, southeast Cuba, 6.0 magnitude, no word of damages or injuries as of yet. Rob Marciano will be checking that out when he gets more information on that, we'll pass it along to you. Thank you, Rob.
As we told you yesterday right here on A.M. WAKE-UP CALL, New York's ninth congressional district elected a Republican to succeed Anthony Weiner who resigned over that sexting scandal. It is the first time since, what, 1920s, a Republican will represent that district. Comedian Jon Stewart tries to explain this one.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)
JON STEWART, COMEDIAN: A local story, a special congressional election. It was held yesterday in New York's 9th district. A predominantly Jewish and Asian area of Brooklyn and Queens -- I'm sorry, I'm being told that's footage from the movie "District Nine." Do we have images of the actual ninth district in Brooklyn and Queens? Thank you. That's much better.
If you remember, the former holder of that congressional seat was Democrat Anthony Whiner. Whoever the Democrats ran are going to take that seat.
REPORTER: This is one of the bluest districts in the nation. The number of Democrats outnumber Republicans, three to one, hasn't sent a Republican to Washington since 1923. STEWART: 1923, 88 years. The last time the 9th district had a Republican congressman, Harlem Congressman Charlie Rangel hadn't even started his 15th congressional term yet.
(END VIDEO CLIPS)
COSTELLO: The most popular friends Web site in the world ready to take your conversation to the next level. But are you willing to talk to more than just friends on Facebook.
But, first, check out our quote of the day. This is quote, quote, "You know what she was? A housewife who happened to be governor," end quote. Find out who said this about former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin. That's coming your way in 90 second.
It's eight minutes past the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: It's nine minutes past the hour. This is your A.M. WAKE-UP CALL. Good morning to you.
Now, back to our quote of the day. This is the quote, "You know what she was? A housewife who happened to be governor."
That is from a new book, "The Rogue: Searching for the Real Sarah Palin." According to the author, Joe McGinniss, a member of Sarah Palin's security detail said this about the former Alaska governor. That person also went on to say, "I'd fly cross-country with her many times and spend the whole trip looking at 'People' magazine." Now, you'll remember McGinniss is the guy who moved next door to the Palins in Alaska. He gave the preview quote to the creator of the comic strip "Doonesbury." Now you know.
NASA says it has a new reason for everyone to get excited about what's happening space. And are you willing to let your Facebook comments go public?
Let's head to Hong Kong and Kristie Lu Stout. She has our tech headlines this morning.
So, shall we start with NASA?
KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: That's right, Carol. This is a new reason to just be stoked about space travel. NASA on Wednesday unveiled the space launch system or SLS. It looks similar to the Saturn V, but this very powerful, deep space rocket will carry astronauts further than anyone has ever traveled before, even to mars.
Now, its first flight is likely to be unmanned and is set for the end of 2017. And after at least one unmanned test flight, SLS will transport astronaut on the Orion multipurpose crew vehicle, which can carry up to six people. So, Carol, this is very much welcome news for space geeks who are still mourning the end of the U.S. space shuttle program.
Back to you.
COSTELLO: But we'll have to wait until 2017 for it to take off and it won't have anybody on it.
STOUT: That will be an unmanned flight.
COSTELLO: OK. I'm still kind of excited even though it's far off. So, let's talk about Facebook. It's launching a new feature that many friends may not like.
STOUT: That's right. It's called the subscribe button. It allows Facebook users to subscribe to the public updates of anyone on the site. It's similar to following someone on Twitter or Google Plus.
So, if you think that the world needs to hear from you on Facebook, you just can click on the tab. It's beneath your profile photo that says subscription and then you can activate the subscribed feature.
Now, this new button lets you do something else, filter the status updates you want to see from your friends. So, let's just say one of your friends is talking nonstop about Farmville, you've had enough, you just click the subscribe button, toy with the options and filter which updates get through to you.
So, Carol, are you curious? You're going to try it out.
COSTELLO: Everything seems so complicated, you know, when you go to the special features on Facebook. It's like what?
STOUT: Keep it easy.
COSTELLO: Exactly. Kristie Lu Stout, thanks so much.
It's a big day for a U.S. Marine who fought and saved lives on the front lines in Afghanistan. But, first, he wanted to have a beer with the president. We'll talk about why this young man will be the talk around the White House today.
Today as you know is September 15th. It's also National Felt Hat Day. That day actually signaled men in the mid-1900s to switch from their summer hats to their winter hats in preparation for winter. They actually needed a day to remind them of that. Hmm.
It's 13 minutes past the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Good morning, Washington, D.C.
President Obama's big jobs plan, it's 199 pages, and he bound it together with a paper clip or as Stephen Colbert says clip-gate. Here's your punch line.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)
STEPHEN COLBERT, COMEDIAN: President Obama inflicted his jobs bill on America. Now, I know this plan is terrible but I also know it's 200 pages long. So, I don't know why it's terrible. Luckily, the friendly friends at "FOX and Friends" put their research team on the case and they zeroed in on the fatal flaw.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: President Obama's jobs bill hot off the presses at Kinko's? Hundreds of billions in tax hikes and new spending bound together with a tinsy clip. Look at that thing.
COLBERT: Look at that tinsy clip. They couldn't ask an intern for a Duo-Tang, which, it's important to note that it does not mean the same thing it did when Clinton asked in turn for a Duo-Tang.
(END VIDEO CLIPS)
COSTELLO: I don't think I'm going to touch that one.
TIM FARLEY, SIRIUS XM POTUS: No.
COSTELLO: So, let's head right to our Political Ticker with Tim Farley, host of "Morning Briefing" --
FARLEY: Thank you.
COSTELLO: -- on Sirius POTUS live from Washington.
Good morning, Tim.
FARLEY: Good morning, Carol. Good morning.
COSTELLO: Let's start with the House Speaker John Boehner because he's going to talk about jobs in the economy to a group in Washington, D.C. today. So, this is sort of his unofficial response to President Obama's jobs speech, right?
FARLEY: Right, exactly. They didn't have a response during the post- speech last week. And you might remember in May that the speaker had gone to the economic club in New York and sort of thrown down the gauntlet there about spending relative to the debt ceiling. And the question is, what kind of tone will he strike today? Will he be conciliatory, confrontational? Is he going to be pugnacious or truculent or will he be calling for a truce, or will there be consequences? Truce or consequences -- that's it.
The thing about it, that's part of what we'll be looking for today. And we wonder what the bottom line will be. We'll have to see if he can come up with a great video clip, if you will, the sound bite like the president because yesterday, he was making his pitch once again this time down in North Carolina and it kind of -- let's give a listen to the latest twist for the president' call for Congress to pass this bill.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I love you, Barack!
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I love you back. But if you love me, if you love me, you've got to help me pass this bill.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FARLEY: A lot of love in those rooms.
COSTELLO: Yes. Republicans are already using that line against President Obama. So you know, I don't know.
FARLEY: Of course. Come on.
COSTELLO: Of course. I know, it's all a game. It's terrible.
Let's talk about something that's not a game. President Obama is going to award the Medal of Honor today to a marine for his bravery in Afghanistan and this Marine just sounds like not only a hero but a terrific guy.
FARLEY: You know, I went to that picture on CNN.com and saw him sitting there with the president, having a beer yesterday at the White House, which is all he wanted. And he's no longer active service. Dakota Meyer, 36 -- he saved 36 lives, including several Afghans, and really, disobeyed orders in order to do this.
And if you read any of the stories about him, the kind of guy he is, this is quite something. One of my favorite quotes from him was that it's kind of uncomfortable being honored for the worst day of his life because he saw so many of his friends die. This is the ultimate honor.
I can't help but think, Carol, from a political standpoint we were talking about how much the war was a part of this president's campaign. The war in Iraq and also in Afghanistan and yet here we are still fighting.
So, it hasn't played much into the conversation so far, but maybe we can set this aside today as we see this ceremony at the White House. It's always a solemn moment. It also makes us kind of feel inconsequential in what we do when we see somebody who's gone to that level of bravery to save his fellow Americans' lives.
COSTELLO: Oh, yes. And he's such a young man. He's only 23 years old and already been through all of that. That's amazing.
Tim Farley, thanks as always. Tim Farley, host of "Morning Briefing" on Sirius POTUS radio.
Imagine, $2 billion disappearing because of a rogue trader. It happened to a banking giant, UBS. What the unexpected loss means for the company -- coming up right after this.
It's 19 minutes past the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: It is 22 minutes past the hour. Good morning. This is your A.M. WAKE-UP CALL. Here are three things to put on your radar today.
Today, at 10:00 a.m., the U.S. postmaster general will step up to the microphone and propose ways that he says could potentially save the postal service.
Happening right around the same time, International Monetary Fund Director Christine Lagarde is set to give her first economic policy address in Washington. People will be watching to hear her views on what needs to happen to aid struggling world economies.
And at 11:45 a.m. Eastern, the first lady will make a Let's Move announcement related to providing healthier choices and greater variety for families and restaurants. The first lady has been campaigning to end childhood obesity.
Banking giant, UBS, discovers a $2 billion trading loss blamed on a rogue trader.
So, let's head round the world with Monita Rajpal. She's live in London.
What more do we know about this?
MONITA RAJPAL, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Yes, Carol. You know, it's a discovery that could potentially prompt the Swiss group investment bank to report a loss for the third quarter. The bank discovered unauthorized trades amounting to about $2 billion. Yes, UBS officials say they have not identified where the trades occurred nor when. All they will say is it was caused by a trader.
This comes almost a year after French trader, you remember, Jerome Kerviel, was convicted of $7 billion worth of unauthorized trade when he worked at the French bank Societe Generale. Of course, a lot of investors will be reminded of this with this whole UBS situation. Kerviel was sentenced to five years in jail last October.
Now, in a statement, UBS says none of their client positions were affected. As if investors didn't have enough to worry about already -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Yes, you got that right.
We have to talk about the violence in Mexico because it's taken a new turn and it has to do with social media. Tell us about this.
RAJPAL: Yes. This is this crazy gruesome discovery in the Mexican border city of Nuevo Laredo. Two bodies, a man and woman, were found hanging from a pedestrian bridge showing signs of having been brutally tortured. A sign left near the bodies said the pair were killed for apparently posting messages online denouncing drug cartels and their activities.
Now, one sign said, "This is going to happen to all of those posting funny things on the Internet. You better," and there's an expletive, "pay attention, I'm about to get you." It also listed two blogs by name, al Rojo Vivo and Blog del Narco, the latter of which is a Web site that deals with news related to drug violence in Mexico. In a statement to CNN, the blog said its site is not in favor or against any criminal group. They only inform as things happen.
Now, the bodies remain unidentified and they were apparently no witnesses -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Just awful. Monita Rajpal, live in London for us this morning -- thank you.
A heart-stopping scene in California, an elderly driver crashes her car through a bike stop, narrowly missing customers. See it for yourself. That's coming up. It's 25 past the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Good morning to you. It is Thursday, September 15th. This is your A.M. WAKE-UP CALL.
Good morning. I'm Carol Costello, joining you live from New York. It is just about half past the hour.
I just want to update you now on this earthquake in southeast Cuba, a 6.0 magnitude. Apparently, it was offshore. We know of no damage to the mainland and there are no tsunami warnings. So, it seems like the damage has been limited to out in the ocean where there's nothing but Rob will have much more for you on this when we hit the weather segment of our program.
Let's catch you up on some of the wildfires, too, raging across the country.
In Minnesota, cooler temperatures, calmer winds and a bit of rain helped firefighters there yesterday. Still, some 100,000 acres have burned covering the region in a smoky haze.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAMES SCHUGEL, REPORTER, WCCO: This fire actually started way over there in the west. And then it headed through this area where we are. And you see all the smoldering areas right here, and then it headed east. Take a look right there in the distance, five or six miles away, you see the hazy sky and smoke, and that's where the fire is right now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: In Texas, at least 35 new fires started in the past couple of days, burning some 10,000 acres. Since Labor Day, more than 1,900 homes have been destroyed, but there is progress. That huge Bastrop complex fire near Austin is now 70 percent contained.
The SAT scores are in for 2011 for the graduating class, and they're not so great. Scores on every measure, reading, writing, and math fell. As a matter of fact, their reading and writing scores were the lowest ever, and only 43 percent of those taking the exam met the S.A.T. readiness benchmark.
A California father who allegedly threw his seven-year-old son from a tour boat is now charged with felony child abuse. Sloan Briles claims he and his son were just joking around last month when he says the boy jumped into the water. Authorities say Briles had been drinking and threw his son overboard after an argument with his girlfriend. He faces up to six years in prison if convicted.
White House party crasher, Michaele Salahi is assuring investigator she was not kidnapped as her husband suspected. It turns out the "Real Housewives of D.C." star ran off with Neil Shawn, the guitarist for the band Journey. The Warren County, Virginia sheriff's office says Salahi is just fine and is apparently where she wants to be.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SHERIFF DANNY MCEATHRON, WARREN COUNTY, VIRGINIA: Ms. Salahi advised that she did not want Mr. Salahi to know where she was. Mr. Salahi advised (ph) that she was very sorry that the sheriff's office had to be involved but did not want to go home right now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Salahi's husband reported her missing on Tuesday. The couple gained notoriety when they crashed a White House state dinner back in 2009.
We have some pretty amazing pictures to show you this morning.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO (voice-over): Check out what happened inside this California bicycle shop. Police say an elderly woman -- oh! You can see she drove her car at full speed through the front door and narrowly missed several customers. Watch it again from a different -- oh! Amazingly, no one was seriously hurt. Police believe the driver may have confused the gas for the brake or the brake for the gas. You know what I'm saying. Wow!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO (on-camera): New technology can be tough, fiddling around with new gadgets, not quite knowing what you're doing. So, we feel for Bruce and Ester Huffman. Their grandparents who unwittingly (ph) recorded a video of themselves while trying to figure out how to work their webcam.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Look at that monkey.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Did it capture? I put it on capture.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (singing) Hello my darling. Hello my baby. COSTELLO (voice-over): This goes on for a full three minutes. The couple's granddaughter took the video and posted it on YouTube. A clip called webcam 101 for seniors. It has more than a million and a half views so far.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When I was eight years old, my uncle paid me five cents if I'd make a monkey face.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He's doing it very well.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And I've been working out all these years.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Never knew it would make you famous.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I never knew it'd make me famous. He's up and head and he'd be amazed at what's going on right here, right now.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO (on-camera): Seems the Huffmans are good sports about their accidental fame.
Stocks ended the last session sharply higher. So, will the rally hold today? That's coming your way in 60 seconds. It's 33 minutes past the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Thirty-four minutes past the hour. An update for you now on a developing story involving a major investment bank and a missing $2 billion. We're talking about UBS, and there has now been an arrest we hear, Christine Romans.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: There has in the city of London, a 31-year-old man arrested by city police about 3:30 a.m. local time. So, it was last night here, eastern time. On fraud by abuse of position. That's the name of the charge. Police are not saying who this is or exactly if it is related to UBS, but it is widely, widely thought that this is the quote/unquote, "rogue trader" who may have been responsible or is thought to be responsible for $2 billion in unauthorized trading for UBS.
That is such a huge amount of money. Remember, Jerome Caravel from (INAUDIBLE) a few years ago, that was about six billion. If this all turns out to be what UBS thinks it is, it would be among the biggest rogue trading losses out there. Raising all kinds of questions about, you know, what kind of securities big banks have against things like this. It's interesting, Carol, the three keys on the UBS logo, in case, you're wondering.
They stand for confidence, security, and discretion. This morning, the company, the CEO in a Swiss newspaper printing an e-mail that he sent to employees saying that they are distressed by this. They might have to record losses because of this, but that the fundamental strength of the bank is intact -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Wow! $2 billion. That is a lot of money. How are the markets shaping up this morning, by the way?
ROMANS: Shaping up after three up days, up again. It's all about Europe. It's about Italy passing in both houses yesterday. Its austerity measures. It's about the phone call heard round the world between France, Germany, and Greece, where they are insisting that Greece will stay in the Euro. It looks like Greece is going to be able to qualify for its next round in the bailout.
And at least, they're going to be able to avoid a catastrophic default. They're managing the situation. Investors, so far, saying it's not the worst-case scenario in Europe right now. Stocks hoping for a rally this morning on Greece after three up days -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Thanks, Christine. I'll see you in a bit.
ROMANS: You're welcome.
COSTELLO: The catcher for the Colorado Rockies is out for 100 games. We'll tell you what Eliezer Alfonzo is accused of doing.
But first, check out our "Get Smart" question of the day. "Men's Health" is out with a new report on the most educated cities in America. The report is based on graduation rates and census numbers for school enrollments as well as college level. So, which U.S. city is the most educated? Is it A. San Diego, B. Burlington, Vermont, or C. Madison, Wisconsin? We'll have the answer in two minutes. Stick around. It's 37 minutes past.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: It is 39 minutes past the hour. This is your A.M. WAKE-UP CALL. Now, back to our "Get Smart" question. Which city is the most educated in the United States? Is it San Diego, Burlington, Vermont, or Madison, Wisconsin? The answer is Madison, Wisconsin.
Here is the rest of the top five. Number two is Plano, Texas. Number three is Raleigh, North Carolina. Number Four Is Burlington, Vermont, and number five is Seattle, Washington. The least educated city on the list, Miami, Florida.
Now, for our "Political Ticker," let's bring in CNN's political reporter, Shannon Travis. He's live with us from Des Moines, Iowa. Good morning, Shannon.
VOICE OF SHANNON TRAVIS, CNN POLITICAL REPORTER: Good morning, Carol. Excuse me. Pardon me for that.
COSTELLO: It's OK.
TRAVIS: Yes. Things are getting really a little nasty between Congresswoman Michele Bachmann and Texas governor, Rick Perry. This is the latest between the two of them. There he is onto (ph) comments that Bachmann said, basically, a gasp (ph). She has -- this is saying that her words have no truth and basis, in fact, (INAUDIBLE). Now, it's an important complex is concerned. Perry's 2007 decision to require vaccinations protect school girls against the sexually transmitted HPV virus which may cause cervical cancer. Now, you remember, they sparred over that around debate on Monday, but on Tuesday, Bachmann went on the "Today" show, Carol, and said that she heard from a woman who said her daughter took that vaccine and suffered from mental retardation afterwards.
That's when Perry pounced health experts and said that's just not possible, but who also pounced? Bachmann's former chief of staff. His name is Ron Carey. Take a listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RON CAREY, BACHMANN'S FORMER CHIEF OF STAFF: Sometimes, I'm afraid that she reads maybe 80 or 90 percent and leaves out or forgets the 10 or 20 percent that can change the outcome. So, her impulsive nature coupled with the fact that she, sometimes, doesn't digest information as carefully as she should leads to this kind of impulsive statements that, sometimes, are just enough off the mark enough that it makes her into a more of a provocative, controversial figure.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TRAVIS: Now, Carol, for as long as I've been covering Bachmann's campaign, I know that they normally stick to their guns. They're doing the same right now. They are standing by the criticism of Perry. In a statement to CNN, they said, quote, "Governor Perry abused his power of the executive order and imposing mandatory vaccines on 12-year-old girls and engaged in crony capitalism with donors in sealing the deal. That's the truth."
What they did not do, Carol, what the Bachmann campaign did not do is directly address the gaffe that he -- where she linked the HPV vaccine to mental retardation. One last important note, you heard in that statement she accused the governor of crony capitalism.
Bachmann brought this up in the debate, and she's been pushing this since that at the time of Perry's executive order back in 2007, his former chief of staff was a top lobbyist for the drug maker of that HPV vaccine and that drug maker donated money to Perry's campaign back then. But, of course, Governor Perry vehemently denies that he acted out of any political reasons at all -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Well, the thing is for Michele Bachmann because she made that statement, that the HPV vaccination causes mental retardation which is clearly not true, that's all people are hearing. Add that to the fact that her former campaign manager is coming out and saying, hey, she reads maybe 80 to 90 percent of stuff, but she doesn't digest the last 10 or 20 percent of it, and sometimes, she says things that maybe aren't really true and she says things that are too provocative, that's really damaging, isn't it, to her campaign?
TRAVIS: It is damaging. I mean, if these were isolated comments, isolated mistakes, isolated gaffes, that would be one thing, but when you string them together and they don't come few and far between, let's be honest here, they can be potentially damaging. Now, in fairness, she didn't say that it does, that the HPV vaccine causes mental retardation.
She said that she heard from a woman who said that her daughter -- that this happened to her daughter, and we, obviously, have no reason to not believe that she didn't hear this from a woman. But, for a sitting member of Congress to just basically recite what she heard from an unnamed person and not check into it herself or not even see, is this possible, the doctors, do they say this is possible, can be potentially damaging.
Again, these aren't isolated gaffes. There have been others that her political opponents probably, probably would like to string together and show that this is not uncommon for the congresswoman.
COSTELLO: Well, she's fallen like a stone in the polls. So, maybe they won't even have to do that. It will be interesting to see the next poll out, which I'm sure CNN will be conducting soon. Shannon Travis, many thanks to you, live with -- live for us from Des Moines, Iowa this morning.
The Colorado Rockies catcher is out for the next 100 games. Eliezer Alfonzo has been suspended after testing positive for a performance enhancing drug for the second time. First time he tested positive was back in 2008. He says he learned his lesson back then and hasn't taken those drugs since. The 32-year-old Venezuelan native plans to fight the suspension.
Los Angeles has been chosen to host the Special Olympics summer game. Seven thousand athletes from 170 nations will compete there in 2015. Eunice Kennedy Shriver founded the Special Olympics in 1968. Her daughter and board member, Maria Shriver, was at the announcement. The summer games were last here in the United States in 1999.
And the New England Patriots are doing some damage control this morning. It's all over a comment from star quarterback, Tom Brady. He told reporters as fans prepare for Sunday's home opener against the San Diego Chargers, they should -- listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TOM BRADY, NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS QUARTERBACK: Yes, they're drinking early. Get nice and rowdy. It's a 4:15 game, they'll have a lot of time to get lubed up, come out here, and cheer for their home team.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: A Patriots spokeswoman says Brady meant stay hydrated, drink a lot of water and drink responsibly. Right.
Fireball, UFO, satellite, what exactly was this mysterious light shooting across the sky last night? There it goes. A closer look at this thing, coming up.
But first, thank your lucky stars the next time you jump on a flight because this day in history back in 1904, Wilbur Wright of the Wright Brothers made his first turn in the air in an airplane. He made a complete circle five days later. It's 46 minutes past the hour. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Good morning to you. It is Thursday, September 15th. This is your A.M. WAKE-UP CALL. Good morning. I'm Carol Costello joining you live from New York. It is 48 minutes past the hour.
Get ready for the Republican response to President Obama's jobs bill. House Speaker John Boehner will give a lunchtime jobs speech at the economic club in Washington, D.C. He and the rest of Congress have had a few days to leaf through that 200-page jobs plan. So, now, we'll just have to wait and see whether Boehner picks a fight over the plan or offers an olive branch.
But President Obama is already taking indirect swipes at Congressional Republicans. Listen to what he told the Congressional Hispanic caucus.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: If we're being honest, we know the real problem isn't the members of Congress in this room. It's the member of Congress who put party before country because they believe the only way to resolve our differences is to wait 14 months until the next election. I've got news for them. The American people don't have the luxury of waiting 14 months.
(APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Fourteen months from now as in November of 2012 probably a topic that dominated dinner conversation between two Republican powerhouses. Rick Perry and Donald Trump shared a meal in New York last night. Before the big dinner, Trump defended Perry for signing an executive order requiring an HPV vaccine for school girls in Texas. Here's what he told Wolf Blitzer.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VOICE OF DONALD TRUMP, BUSINESS TYCOON: I'm not sure that he would have done it again. I think he sort of indicated that, but he also said that he believes in saving lives, and that's a pretty poignant statement. He believes very strongly in saving lives. And that was the way it was given to him and a lot of people agree with him, and some people don't.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Trump also said he would consider running as a third party candidate if the economy sours and if, quote, "Republicans choose the wrong candidate."
28,000 public school students in Tacoma, Washington have been told to show up for class this morning, but there is no guarantee their teachers will be there. Teachers have been on strike since Tuesday over staffing policies, pay cuts, and class size. And now, a judge has ordered them to get back to work, but some teachers say that won't keep them off the picket line today.
The final word from the federal government on last year's oil spill in the Gulf and there is plenty of blame to go around. A new 200-page report on the Deepwater Horizon spill says BP, Halliburton, and Transocean share responsibility for the disaster that killed 11 workers, spilled 200 million gallons of oil and took months to control.
It says all of them violated the government safety regulations. BP agrees with the report's conclusion but Halliburton, a BP contractor, still points the finger at the oil company. And Transocean says its drilling crew is not to blame.
Fire crews are making progress in battling wildfires across the country. The Comanche fire in California almost fully contained after scorching 26,000 acres. And in Minnesota, 100,000 acres have burned, but cooler temperatures and calmer wind helped firefighters yesterday.
So, let's head to Atlanta and check in with Rob Marciano. It's going to get cold there, actually, in the middle part of the country.
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: It is, and we won't be showing this graphic which has been very popular for the past summer. Check it out. Temperatures yesterday, 100 degrees again in places across Texas, both north and south Texas, even Northern Louisiana. 102 in Shreveport. Houston, by the way, has hit 146 times. Dallas has hit it 70 times. So, unbelievable heat there, but look at the temperatures cooling off to a chilly 96 degrees in Austin.
It will be cooler than that, but 83 degrees in Dallas all associated with a cool front that's going to be sliding across the area over the next couple of days. There you go. Calmer winds and higher levels of humidity, even some rain across parts of North Texas, we'll take it.
And there's your -- a leading edge of northern part of the front going across the northeast, and that will spawn some showers and thunderstorms later on today across that region and it could cause some travel delays if you are traveling out of the New York metros or Boston or D.C. and some (ph) morning thunderstorms if possible and some showers expected in Denver.
Chilly across the northern tier. Records falling in international falls getting below freezing last night and this morning, and tomorrow, a freeze threat. This is well before when it should be happening, by the way. All right. Just to warm you up because that looks like a very cold map.
There were numerous reports of fireballs flying across the sky last night, across Arizona, across southern Nevada, even across Southern California, Carol. UFOs, they weren't quite sure what it was. Was it some sort of satellite falling through the atmosphere? But scientists are saying it was just a meteorite or a shooting star, if you will, but it was reported and seen by thousands of people across that part of the world.
Which reminds, you know, last night I saw a movie which took aliens that they were coming to us in meteorites and asteroids. They plunged in the Pacific Ocean, they came up, and they attacked Los Angeles. Riveting stuff. So, maybe that had something to do with it.
(LAUGHTER)
COSTELLO: But that's not what that was.
MARCIANO: No. Nor will you probably see that movie and nominated for any awards.
COSTELLO: I don't think so. Rob Marciano, many thanks to you.
MARCIANO: See you.
COSTELLO: UPS unveils a new plan to put a stop to those sorry-we- missed-you notes. Details on the other side of the break.
But first, let's take a look at our word of the day, it's turmeric. Find out what it means and its connection to cancer right after the break. It's just about six minutes to the top of the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: It's three minutes to the top of the hour. This is your A.M. WAKE-UP CALL.
Now, back to our word of the day. It's turmeric. And here's the definition. It is a bright, yellow, aromatic powder used for flavoring and coloring in Asian cooking. It's also the main ingredient in curry. It is in the news because a study is coming out today from UCLA that reveals the main component of turmeric can help fight mouth cancer. Now, you know.
Let's head to the NASDAQ MarketSite and Carter Evans. He has a look at your money this morning. Hi, Carter.
CARTER EVANS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Carol. We've got a lot in terms of economic reports coming out today. We got the weekly unemployment claims as we do every Thursday. We're also getting a report on inflation at the consumer level, consumer prices. We're going to get a report on manufacturing as well as one on industrial production. Look at this. All green on the wall.
Things were looking really good yesterday. Three days in a row of gains. Futures today, pointing to another day of gains. Dow futures right now up about 47. NASDAQ up 11.25. S&P 500 up about four points. Hopefully, we can make it another day of gains.
COSTELLO: Oh, gosh, I hope so. That would be a nice change, wouldn't it? Depending on the jobs report, of course. Anyway, I'm really interested in this UPS story, so hit me.
EVANS: Yes, you know? And this is big deal for those of you who live in a big city like here in New York City and if you don't have a doormat (ph). This is a big story on CNNMoney.com. UPS unveiling a new customized delivery service. It's called "My Choice." It starts October 3rd. Basically, you can now get a phone call, an e-mail, or a text with a four-hour window of when your package is going to arrive.
For five bucks, you can reroute your package to another address or UPS store. For forty bucks a year, you have access to an online calendar which gives you much more specific delivery times, and for another five bucks, you can get a two-hour window of guaranteed delivery so you don't have to wait around all day for that package.
COSTELLO: I love that! I love that.
EVANS: I know. It sounds really cool. Hopefully, it works out.
COSTELLO: Sometimes, UPS leaves packages outside of my door and people steal them.
EVANS: Oh, really? You know what, this pays off for UPS as well. If they have to make that second or third delivery attempt, it costs them more in manpower and gasoline.
COSTELLO: Well, that's a terrific idea. Thank you very much, Carter Evans. We'll see you later.
That's it for A.M. WAKE-UP CALL. "AMERICAN MORNING" continues right now.
