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American Morning: Wake Up Call
American Citizen Killed in Attack; Government Shutdown Looms; Five Bodies Found In Two Homes; Patient Death Investigated; Freed Hikers Back On U.S. Soil
Aired September 26, 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, September 26th.
This is your A.M. WAKE-UP CALL. I'm Carol Costello, joining you live from New York this morning.
We start with breaking news: an American citizen has been killed in an attack on the U.S. embassy in Afghanistan. It happened overnight at part of the embassy annex in Kabul. The victim was an employee of the U.S. government. We don't yet have his name.
Another U.S. citizen was wounded. That person was rushed to the hospital with nonlife threatening injuries.
The shooting involved an Afghan employee who was also killed.
We are working to get more details. And, of course, we'll bring them to you as soon as we get them.
Here's a look at how the world markets are doing. All three major Asian indices, I should say, closed in the red. The news has been better in Europe. And U.S. stock futures have been up and down so far this morning.
We'll keep an eye on Greece today. People have been protesting the austerity measures and tax hikes the government has passed to help get it out of its deep hole.
President Obama is on the West Coast again today. He'll be in Los Angeles, to raise some big money for his re-election war chest. A dinner tonight costs nearly $18,000 per person. The president was in Seattle yesterday and he goes to Denver tomorrow.
Before President Obama left for the West Coast, he spoke at the congressional black caucuses awards dinner and he's really start to sound like a candidate now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I'm going to press on for the sake of all those families who are struggling right now. I don't have time to feel sorry for myself. I don't have time to complain. I'm going to press on. I expect all of you to march with me and press on!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: The president also will be in the Bay Area today, hosting a town hall event on the professional social network site LinkedIn. He'll push his American jobs act and answer people's questions about the economy.
How about some D.C. deja vu? The federal government could shut down, thanks to another budget face-off. I'm sure you've heard about it. Lawmakers are butting heads over spending cuts and paying for all the damage from recent storms, tornadoes and wildfires.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)
SEN. MARK WARNER (D), VIRGINIA: Can we once again inflict on the country and the American people the spectacle of a near government shutdown? I sure as heck hope not.
SEN. LAMAR ALEXANDER (R), TENNESSEE: I'll give the Senate Democratic leader credit. He manufactured a crisis all week, about disaster, when there's no crisis. Everybody knows we're going to pay for every single penny of disaster aid that the president declares and that FEMA certifies.
(END VIDEO CLIPS)
COSTELLO: Funding for government agencies is set to end on Friday. That's the end of this fiscal year. The Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has said FEMA could run out of money today.
What's happening with Rick Perry? Two states, two Republican straw polls, and the presidential frontrunner did not win either of them.
Herman Cain won the Florida poll on Saturday. He blew everyone away with more than 37 percent of vote. Perry was second with just over 15 percent and Mitt Romney was right behind him.
The other straw poll was in Michigan. Mitt Romney blew everyone away there with 51 percent of the vote. Perry got just 17 percent. Romney, by the way, is from Michigan and he won the state's primary in 2008.
Two Americans will be waking up in the United States this morning after they were freed in Iran. Josh Fattal and Shane Bauer stepped off a plane in New York. They were arrested in Iran in 2009 after allegedly hiking over the border from Iraq. They told reporters they were hostages, not prisoners, held in almost complete isolation.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)
JOSH FATTAL, FREED AMERICAN HIKER: From the very start, the only reason we have been held hostage is because we are American.
SHANE BAUER, FREED AMERICAN HIKER: Every time we complained about our conditions, the guards would immediately remind us of comparable conditions at Guantanamo Bay. They would remind us of CIA prisons in other parts of the world and conditions that Iranians and others experience in prisons in U.S.
(END VIDEO CLIPS)
COSTELLO: The two also talked about how they heard the screams of other inmates and what they called a total sham of a trial.
Let's head to Atlanta now and check economic in with meteorologist Reynolds Wolf is in today.
(CROSSTALK)
REYNOLDS WOLF, AMS METEOROLOGIST: You never know exactly what you're going to get, who might be in this chair. But today, it's my turn.
COSTELLO: I'm happy to see you.
WOLF: Well, I'm happy to see you, too. I'm happy really not to see to share this news with you, though. We had some rough weather yesterday, actually late last night, through parts of Mississippi, with a possible tornado.
In fact, let's go right to our radar. And as we do, you're going to see between Memphis and southward towards Cleveland, Mississippi. That is where we had the possible tornado, at least straight-line winds that caused some damage.
Right now, we've got reports of it affecting a couple of buildings, some tree damage also. No reports of energy -- of injuries for the time being. But plenty of energy with this associated system. Also, plenty of power with the storms, that we're going to see possibly across parts of the Great Lakes, and strong wind, gusts coming behind that system -- a nice blast, cooler, dryer air for the upper Midwest.
Rain is possible through the Southeast and into parts of Florida. In the Pacific Northwest, you could see rain in parts of Oregon and into -- even up towards Seattle. It could have breezy conditions this morning, but plenty of sunshine for much of the Great Basin.
Your delays -- you got them today, you believe it. Chicago and Detroit could see a delay or two over an hour in some spots through the heavy rain and possible thunderstorms. New York, Philadelphia, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Atlanta, and, of course, D.C. metros, showers and thunderstorms combination could give you a little delay. But we're thinking just around an hour or so.
All right. You're up to speed in the forecast. Let's pitch it right back to you in New York.
COSTELLO: Got it.
WOLF: There you go.
COSTELLO: Thanks, Reynolds. I appreciate it.
Want to see Republican presidential candidate Rick Perry jam? Comedian Jay Leno has the video, sort of. Here's your punch line.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)
JAY LENO, COMEDIAN: When Perry answered questions about Social Security -- you know, I guess he knows how to drum up a crowd. See, when you don't have an answer, you try to get the crowd pumped up. Take a look at what he did.
MEGYN KELLY, FOX NEWS: Can you explain specifically how 50 separate Social Security systems are supposed to work?
GOV. RICK PERRY (R-TX), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Well, let me just say, first, for those people on Social Security today, for those people that are approaching Social Security, they don't have anything in the world to worry about. We have made a solemn oath to the people in this country.
(CHEERS)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: So, you're on Facebook, and all of a sudden, you notice someone has defriended you. You're devastated, right? Well, a new feature of the site can help you find out who removed you, but surprise, surprise, there's some controversy.
But first, it's time for our quote of the day. "Great bumper sticker, Debbie." That's the quote, "Great bumper sticker, Debbie." That's sarcastically said to the chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee.
Hear who said and what they are referring to. That's coming your way in 90 seconds.
It's seven minutes past the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: It is eight minutes past the hour. This is your "A.M. WAKE-UP CALL.
Let's get back to the quote of the day, shall we? The quote is, "Great bumper sticker, Debbie." Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus said that on "Face the Nation" to his counterpart, the Democratic National Committee, Debbie Wasserman Schultz.
Here he is making fun of President Obama's 2008 campaign slogan.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REINCE PRIEBUS, RNC CHAIRMAN: It sounds like the new slogan is no longer "hope and change." It's, "Hey, it could have been worse." Great bumper sticker, Debbie. I hope it works for you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: So, now you have it. Now you know.
Apple is very addictive and many can't wait for the next fix. The next fix is the iPhone 5.
Let's head to Hong Kong with Kristie Lu Stout.
Do you have one? Come on, share.
KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Not quite yet. It will be coming out pretty soon. It's wildly expected that the iPhone 5 will be released next week, but now we're hearing where the big reveal may take place.
Now, the next generation iPhone is set to be revealed next Tuesday, October the 4th. And now, sources have told All Things D that the media event will not take place in San Francisco like previous big Apple demos. It's set to be unveiled at Apple Campus in Cupertino, California.
Now, why? We don't know why. But this will be the first media event for Apple CEO Tim Cook. So, a familiar venue for the new Apple chief.
Back to you, Carol.
COSTELLO: I think it will be exciting, nonetheless, no matter who unveils it. But I understand, it's kind of sad it's his first floor way into such thing.
Let's talk about Facebook because you can actually find out who defriends you now.
STOUT: Yes, there -- and this is an interesting story because we were able to access this for a while but not anymore. Now, there was once a way to find out who defriended you on Facebook but again no more. It was available. Thanks to another Facebook redesign called the Timeline which basically records all Facebook activity in chronological order.
And for a while, users accessing the site as developers were able to see who had removed them from their friend list but apparently Facebook has fixed the problem. That has prompted at least one blogger out there to say, quote, "major bummer. This is one of the best parts about the new Timeline."
So, Carol, we won't be able to find out who defriended us. We will stay happily in the dark.
COSTELLO: Oh, so you won't be able to find out.
STOUT: No.
COSTELLO: I -- oh.
STOUT: That's right.
COSTELLO: Oh, man. I like to know these things.
STOUT: Some people were able to access it, but Facebook fixed it.
COSTELLO: Well, probably saves for a lot of drama. Maybe.
STOUT: That's right.
COSTELLO: Or a lot more work it creates in trying to find out in another way.
Thank you very much, Kristie Lu Stout, reporting live from Hong Kong.
Crisscrossing three states in three days, President Obama is trying to build up his war chest and he's trying to keep his job. He's using the power of social media to get his message across. That's just ahead.
It's 11 minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: It's 13 minutes past the hour. Good morning.
Alec Baldwin dressed up as a presidential candidate this weekend on "SNL." Yes, he did an "SNL" parody about the GOP debate. So, which candidate?
Well, here it is in case you missed it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)
ALEC BALDWIN, ACTOR: I would like to attack Mitt Romney as a flip-flopper.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you sure? It's late in the debate. This is when you normally get tired and confused.
BALDWIN: Not tonight. I'm ready. Mitt Romney's city was for, against Obamacare but what about Mitt Romney? He was before -- border control.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Newt, I'm calling your bluff. Do you really want to be president?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're representative of the federal government walking down the street. You see a house on fire. Do you act?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No! That's none of my business!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thursday's debate, you said you believed Americans should pay no taxes at all. How would that work?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Chip, I believe paying no taxes can help us return to the America I love. Not the America of Ronald Reagan. Not the America of the Founding Fathers. But, rather, the America of thousands of years ago in which feral band of mud people lived in their caves, never worrying that Barack Obama was going to come and take their hard earned pelts or infringe on their rights to bear spears.
(END VIDEO CLIPS)
COSTELLO: Time for your Political Ticker with Tim Farley, host of "Morning Briefing" on Sirius POTUS, live from Washington.
Good morning, Tim.
TIM FARLEY, SIRIUS XM POTUS: Good morning. Have we been polling the feral mud people, by the way, to see what they feel about this upcoming election?
COSTELLO: We need to start doing that. We're remiss.
Let's talk about Texas Governor Rick Perry because, of course, he's long been considered the front-runner in the polls. But two of his opponents, boy, did they steal some of his thunder?
FARLEY: Yes, Herman Cain picking up the Florida straw poll on Saturday and it's Mitt Romney winning the Mackinaw poll which is a Republican leadership poll in Michigan. No big surprise Romney would win.
Now, Herman Cain was a surprise. But, remember, these are straw polls. And as the word implies, they're built on straw.
Still, it's an indication that yet again Republicans seem to be looking for something different. This is renewed talk of Chris Christie getting back into the race. I mean, Republicans are looking for the guy who can pull the sword from the stone like King Arthur.
At this point, they haven't yet found that individual. Time will tell, I guess, if it's going to be Rick Perry or Mitt Romney or somebody else.
COSTELLO: I keep hearing that wealthy Republican donors are really leaning on Chris Christie. And this time he's actually considering it. But I find that hard to believe.
FARLEY: Yes, I agree with you. I think there are a couple things at work. One, he has to get a lot of money. You jump in like Rick Perry, and all of a sudden, there's this honeymoon and then it's over with. People start to get a closer look at you, whether or not that New Jersey tough love works nationwide is still to be determined.
And he said he's not ready. Unless you're really convinced you are ready, probably not a good idea to get yourself under the microscope nationally.
COSTELLO: Well, we'll see. What? He's going to speak at the Ronald Reagan library in California, Chris Christie, I mean. So, we'll see what he says. Who knows?
FARLEY: Right.
COSTELLO: Yes. President Obama -- let's switch to Democrats -- and President Obama, he's on a three-day swing through three West Coast states. So, what's he up to today?
FARLEY: Boy, hasn't he been feisty this weekend? He was talking about the CBC on Saturday night saying "March with me, don't complain." And then he's talking about how Republicans are getting ready to turn the country into -- well, whatever he want. He's sounding more like a candidate. I think you said that properly at the top of the show.
But he's doing something with LinkedIn today which I always thought of as one of the weaker of the -- the weakest of the social networks, the copy service, if you will, of the social networks. But he's doing a town hall on LinkedIn this afternoon about 2:00 Eastern Time.
And he's also continuing the fundraising. Lots of big bucks, lots of big money -- and this at a time when he really needs to get the support of his base, Carol.
COSTELLO: Oh, he certainly does because there is a new Pew Research poll out and it matches up President Obama against the generic Republican opponent. And it ain't good for President Obama.
FARLEY: No. As a matter of fact, you look back to May where he had probably an 11-point difference over the Republican generic candidate, which as the Pew Research people say is not really an indicative of anything except for the fact it's informative. But that's dropped down to three points. It was about a point difference a month ago.
Still I think among independent voters, the key is there are about probably one in four independent voters who haven't decided to swing either way. And that is where the battle probably is going to be fought. Yes, the president needs to get his base gin up, but he also needs to be looking at those independent voters.
And that keeps raising the prospect of a third party candidate. There's been more and more talk about that and I think that will be interesting to watch over the next several weeks and months, Carol.
COSTELLO: We'll see. Tim Farley, many thanks to you, host of "Morning Briefing" on Sirius XM POTUS radio.
FARLEY: Thank you.
COSTELLO: Women -- you're welcome -- women in Saudi Arabia cannot drive. They cannot open a bank account. But soon, they will be able to cast a ballot.
Are the voting rules changing in Saudi Arabia? We'll have that for you ahead.
But, first, it is National Pancake Day. So, order up a short stack, break out the maple syrup and enjoy. Or if you're heading out the door, you don't have time -- maybe you can just take a few extra deep breathes as you pass by a diner.
It's 19 minutes past the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: It's 21 minutes past the hour. This is your A.M. WAKE-UP CALL.
Here are three things to put on your radar today:
We expect to get new details on the damage to the Washington Monument, you know, from that earthquake that hit the East Coast last month. The National Park Service has a news conference planned for 2:30 Eastern this afternoon.
Plus, the home sales numbers for August are coming out this morning. It's not expected to be that great today.
And the United Nations Security Council is scheduled to meet this afternoon to discuss Palestinian statehood. The U.S. has already promised to veto the move.
We continue to follow that bit of breaking news this morning, you know, about the American citizen killed in an attack on the U.S. embassy in Afghanistan, happened overnight at the part of the embassy annex in Kabul. The victim was an employee of the U.S. government. We don't yet have a name.
Another U.S. citizen was wounded. That person was rushed to the hospital with nonlife threatening injuries. The shooting involved an Afghan employee. That employee, the Afghan employee, was killed.
We are working to get more details. And we will bring them to you as soon as we get them.
Libya's new government says it's uncovered a mass grave holding the remains of more than 1,000 people.
Let's head round the world with Zain Verjee live in London.
Oh, this is grisly.
ZAIN VERJEE, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Yes, it is. The National Transitional Council is saying more than 1,200 dead bodies were found in what is expected to be a mass grave. And this was discovered, apparently, just outside a really notorious prison, Carol, called the Abu Salim prison. And back in 1996, it's believed that a lot of people were slaughtered and may have been buried just outside.
Now, here's the problem right now -- there are some doubts being cast over this because there was a medic team on the ground accompanying CNN who went to look at the site. What they said is that the bones in this mass grave are not human. So, there are a few questions about this.
What the transitional government is saying, they want some international help. They want some bone forensic experts to look at them and make their own professional conclusions -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Yes, that would change the story most decidedly. Let's talk about women in Saudi Arabia. They're going to be allowed to vote but they still can't drive.
VERJEE: Right. Exactly. Woo hoo, great victory for women in Saudi Arabia. They've been campaigning for this for a long time. It's been in the pipeline.
This is a huge deal. They will be allowed to vote and they can also stand in local elections.
Now, here's the thing: we don't know how deep or how fast these reforms are actually going to happen. And local elections are supposed to be happening, Carol, this Thursday. So, they are not going to be able to participate in that. Instead, they're going to participate in the next elections, but nobody knows when they're going to be.
But it is a big deal. The women are saying that this is what they've been fighting for and they want to know how serious the government is about following through.
COSTELLO: I'm sure they'll take a partial victory, at least right now.
VERJEE: Yes. They will.
(AUDIO BREAK)
COSTELLO: Well, I couldn't hear. Sorry, Zain. We'll get back to you tomorrow. Zain Verjee, live in London.
Things get a little physical on Wall Street. Here in New York City, about 80 people were arrested in New York's financial center over the weekend. They were protesting powerful financial interests they say plague our economy. Those demonstrators have been demonstrating, I should say, for nine days now.
Some good news: gas prices are taking a tumble. You'll now pay an average of $3.54 a gallon. Prices have dropped 12 cents in the past two weeks alone. That's according to a new Lundberg Survey.
To give you some perspective, $3.54 a gallon is 85 cents more than it was a year ago.
And Netflix and DreamWorks animation are cozying up to a new video deal. According to "The New York Times," what that means, you ask? Well, films like "Shrek" and "Kung Fu Panda" could be on Netflix very soon instead of current home at HBO. Each movie will bring in an estimated $30 million. Insiders think it will help Netflix which has lost half of its value over the past two months.
A patient at a California hospital given a deadly dose of medication during a nurse's strike. Now, her death has become a lightning rod in a labor fight. That's just ahead.
It's 26 minutes past the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Good morning to you. It is Monday. Happy Monday. It's September 26th.
This is your A.M. WAKE-UP CALL. I'm Carol Costello, joining you live from New York this morning. It is 30 minute past the hour.
Deja vu all over again. Congress is facing another budget deadline and another partial government shutdown. The Democratic- controlled Senate and the Republican-controlled House at a stalemate over a stop-gap spending bill that has to be passed by Friday. The sticking point, funding FEMA for disaster relief. Democrats want the funding, but Republicans want to offset the cost with spending cuts.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM, (R) SOUH CAROLINA: The government's not going to shut down because most Americans want us to deal with disasters in front of us and disasters to come. That's why we're trying to start to pay for things that we haven't paid for before.
SEN. MARK WARNER, (D) VIRGINIA: The one point about who to blame or not to blame on this current hopefully non-shutdown is that there is a group, and I do believe it is mostly centered in the House in items of some of these Tea Party Republicans who say on every issue, we're going to make this a make or break.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Senate majority leader, Harry Reid, plans to push for a compromised spending bill later today. We, of course, will keep you posted.
Police are investigating the shooting deaths of five people in Eastern Indiana. It happened in two separate locations in rural Franklin County. A child found wandering along the road gave police information that led them to the bodies. Police are trying to determine if the shooter is among the dead.
Investigators also looking into the death of a patient at an Oakland, California, hospital. Police say a fill-in nurse allegedly gave the woman a fatal dose of medication. Officials at Alta Bates Summit Medical Center say it was a medical error. The patient died on Saturday, just two days after staff nurses walked out during a labor dispute.
Opening statements are set for tomorrow in the trial of Michael Jackson's doctor. Dr. Conrad Murray is charged with involuntary manslaughter in the singer's 2009 death. Prosecutors want the judge to allow testimony about investigators' failed attempts to question Murray in the days following Jackson's death. The doctor faces up to four years in prison if found guilty.
Lady Gaga making another bold statement. This time for a bullied gay teenager who took his own life last week. Jamey Rodemeyer was only 14 years old. Gaga dedicated a song to him at the iHeart radio festival over the weekend in Las Vegas.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LADY GAGA, SINGER: Jamey, I know you're up there looking all this. Let's do this for Jamey.
(Singing) This is my prayer.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: President Obama about bullying as well.
Some world markets, well, they tanked overnight. In 60 seconds, we'll take you live to London and give you all the details. It's 32 minutes past the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: A quick check on world markets this morning. All the Asian markets, they closed way down. In Europe, the FTSE is also down. So, let's go to Nina Dos Santos. She is in London. So, why the market slump this time?
NINA DOS SANTOS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, things seems to be decidedly mixed this morning, Carol. We've been flirting with gains and losses right throughout the course of this morning's session. We're about three hours into the morning session. What I can tell you is that when it comes to continental Europe, obviously with the exception of the FTSE 100.
The British markets aren't part of the Euro zone, but when it comes to the CAC 40 and the Dax, as you can see, those markets soaring ahead today. This is largely thanks to increased optimism that the Euro zone leaders may finally be on the verge of agreeing to some kind of expensive, ambitious, and credible plan to try and knock on the head all of the problems that have undermined the single currency shed by 17 nations across Europe for two years now.
We're currently getting reports that what we could be having is The Euro zone leaders after a number of meetings between the G-25 finance members, the IMF, the world bank, and Washington over the weekend, they could be on the verge to propose to increase the European stability fund, financial stability fund. This is, essentially, Carol, the bailout for struggling euro zone nations by $2 trillion, no less.
That would mean, eventually, quadrupling the value of that fund from the current level today. And, a lot of economists are saying that that really would be the kind of signal that one would need to see to try and shore up the Euro zone, give the markets confidence, and it seems to be working today. We also have Greece in focus today. Now, according to these reports circulating in the British media, about an ambitious plan the Euro zone leaders could be on the verge of considering.
Greece, we would see the sovereign debt of Greece, about 50 percent of its value being written down as a result, but Greece is also in the focus today, Carol, because what we've got is the members of the troika. This is the IMF, the ECB, and the EU, effectively the institutions that have bailed out Greece, meeting with Greek officials today.
And on the eve of that, we have had the finance minister of Greece saying that Greece will do all it takes to try and pay its way out of its situation and stave off default. But as you can see, protests on the street. People again not buying the austerity they're putting forward, Carol.
COSTELLO: Yes. Nina Dos Santos reporting live from London. Thanks so much.
Now, it's time to "Get Smart." How much money in benefits payments does the U.S. pay to dead federal retirees every year? Is it A. $85 million, B. $120 million, or, C. $157 million? The answer in two minutes. It's 36 minutes past the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Good morning. It is 38 minute past the hour. This is your A.M. WAKE-UP CALL.
Back to our "Get Smart" question this morning. How much money in benefits payments does the U.S. pay to dead federal retirees every year? The answer would be B. $120 million. That's according to the office of personnel management, and the inspector general is fed up with that saying, quote, "It's time to stop once and for all this waste of taxpayer money". Now, you know.
And now, it's time for our "Political Ticker," so let's bring in CNN's White House correspondent, Dan Lothian. He joins us live from Washington. Good morning, Dan.
VOICE OF DAN LOTHIAN, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning. How are you?
COSTELLO: I'm great. Thanks for waking up early with us. President Obama, he kicked off this three-state west coast campaign swing yesterday. So, where will he be today? LOTHIAN: Well, he will be in Northern California. This is all part of, I guess, a two-fold effort from the president. He's not only going out there to raise a lot of money, a couple millions of dollars, but also, the president is trying to reinvigorate his base, telling them that, you know, he knows that they've been dispirited, that, perhaps, they haven't been able to realize everything that he has pushed and promised for.
But that his job is not over and that he really needs them -- he needs their support in order to win in 2012. And so, we'll continue to see the president in this swing out west, which was started in Washington State. He will be in California today and end up in Colorado. Today, the president will be holding a town hall at LinkedIn where he will be talking about jobs, pushing again in the Republican way Congress to act on his jobs plan, and again, explaining his jobs plan to the American people and taking some questions.
COSTELLO: Well, Dan, he had some fiery words for the Congressional Black Caucus. Essentially, he said, stop complaining and march with me. And a lot of people are making a lot of the word "march with me," or the phrase, I should say.
LOTHIAN: That's right. We've seen the president, at least, the campaign has really been pushing to reach out to his base. We talk so much in recent weeks about the president reaching out to Jewish voters. There are black voters as well who feel like the president has not paid enough attention to some of the issues that are important to them.
And so, what you're seeing now is a president letting them know that he needs them and embracing them, again, in a public way. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The main thing I want the African-American community to know is just those prayers are appreciated, them rooting for me is appreciated, and that I am spending all my time in this office trying to make sure that if there's some kid in the south side of Chicago that doesn't have a shot right now isn't going to a good school, parent doesn't have a job, that I'm fighting for him.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LOTHIAN: There's the president tailoring his jobs message to the African American community, on this west coast tour a broader message, not just to African Americans but also all voters pointing out that his jobs bill that he sent to Congress needs immediate action in order to start relieving some of the pressure on the U.S. economy and on the jobs situation as well.
COSTELLO: And quickly on another note, Lady Gaga, she is trying to set up a meeting with President Obama, and it's -- it's all in -- you know, it's for a good cause, I suppose, to stop bullying. Tell us about that. LOTHIAN: That's right. I mean, this has been one of the issues that she has been rallying behind now for quite some time. And so, the president who was doing some fundraisers, as I pointed out, in Northern California last night at one of those fundraisers, Lady Gaga was there, and according to the bulletin board, she was done up as she usually is with a few feet of everyone else with her high heels but had a serious message, according to one observer who was there, after the media was ushered out.
She asked the president a question or made a comment, rather, about how the president and first lady have been committed to initiatives to stop bullying. And so, she did discuss that with the president. It's something that in her heart and the president pointing out something that he and the first lady are been focusing on.
COSTELLO: Dan Lothian, thanks for joining us this morning. We appreciate it.
Here's a quick look at sports for you. Maybe the fourth time will be a charm for Diana Nyad, if there is a fourth time. The 62- year-old endurance swimmer jumped back into the water on Friday to swim the 103 miles from Cuba to Florida, but 67 miles later, she had to get out of the water. Thanks to jellyfish stings and strong currents that pushed her off course.
Nyad first tried this swimathon 33 years ago, and again, last month but had to stop after 29 hours. She made it a little longer this time, but she keeps trying.
Now, check out the drama from the tour championship in Atlanta. Bill Haas played a ball out of the shallow water. Look at there. He stays hard (ph), stayed alive in a sudden death playoff against Hunter Mahan, and ended up winning the tour championship and the FedEx cup. He got $1.44 million for the tour and another $10 million for the cup. Wow.
Matadors in Barcelona are laying down their red capes. Bullfighting has been banned across the region. Why the centuries' old tradition has ended? That's straight ahead.
But first, on this day in history back in 1960, Richard Nixon and John F. Kennedy squared of in the first ever televised presidential debate. And, JFK emerged as the apparent winner because he seemed more comfortable in front of the cameras than Nixon, who looked nervous and opted not to wear makeup. President Nixon was sweating a lot during that debate. It's 44 minutes past the hour.
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COSTELLO: Good morning to you. It is Monday, September 26th. This is your A.M. WAKE-UP CALL. I'm Carol Costello joining you live this morning from New York. It's 47 minutes past the hour.
Breaking news out of Afghanistan to tell you about. An American citizen was killed in an attack on the U.S. embassy annex in Kabul. Let's head around the world and head to London right now to check in with Zain Verjee. Any more information on this, Zain?
ZAIN VERJEE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Carol. Good morning. I was just looking at some of the information coming in right now to CNN. The shooting, apparently, happened at an annex at the U.S. embassy in Kabul. An Afghan employee was killed, but what we're also hearing that an American citizen was killed in this attack. Another's been wounded.
We understand that the injuries of the person wounded are not life-threatening, and they've been evacuated to a hospital. It's unclear who is behind this or what their motivation is. And there are indications and reports that suggest that it's really not clear whether this incident has been linked to any other previous incidents and attacks in and around the U.S. embassy. So, that's all we know, Carol. One U.S. citizen killed, another wounded.
COSTELLO: OK. Let's switch gears now and talk about what's happening in Spain. Bullfighting over?
VERJEE: Yes. Bullfighting over, but not everywhere. If you're going to Spain, you can still go catch it, but just in Catalonia, they've basically banned it. The last big spectacle of bullfighting actually happened on Sunday. Thousands of people turned out to see that. The issue here was basically that, you know, Spain is in a recession.
They don't have a whole lot of money to do a lot of things, and bullfighting is publicly funded. So, there was a real outrage about this. There's a big movement to say, you know, bullfighting is the heart and the soul of what Spain is, and it shouldn't be banned in Catalonia or anywhere else for that matter.
So, protesters are saying they need to overturn this ban. I don't know if you've read Hemingway (ph), and I think it "The Sun Also Rises" and in it, he says something like, the people that live life to the fullest, bullfighters, because they're always living on the edge, and they never know if they're going to come back. It struck me just this morning.
COSTELLO: You know, some Americans might have said, oh, that's because it's a cruel sport, cruel to the animals, in other words, but it has nothing to do with that.
VERJEE: Well, there is a contingent that does think that. I mean, you know, in Spain, because it's something that's an accepted cultural and sporting event. It's -- there's not such a powerful movement, but there are those voices that say it's cruelty to animals. It's like dog fighting, you know? Why do you want to do something like this to a bull and put it in a ring and fight it like that? But it's seen in Spain as entertainment. Mostly.
COSTELLO: Yes. And it's been postponed because of budgetary reasons. Thank you so much, Zain. We appreciate it.
VERJEE: Right. COSTELLO: Two Americans will be waking up in the United States this morning after they were freed from Iran. Josh Fattal and Shane Bauer stepped off a plane. They're here in New York now. They were arrested in Iran in 2009 after allegedly hiking over the border from Iraq. They told reporters they were hostages, not prisoners, held in almost complete isolation.
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JOSH FATAL, FREED AMERICAN HIKER: From the very start, the only reason we have been held hostage is because we are American.
SHANE BAUER, FREED AMERICAN HIKER: Every time we complained about our conditions, the guards would immediately remind us of comparable conditions at Guantanamo Bay. They would remind us of CIA prisons in other parts of the world and the conditions that Iranians and others experience in prisons in the U.S.
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COSTELLO: The two also talked about how they heard the screams of other inmates and what they called a total sham of a trial.
What's happening with Rick Perry? Two states, two Republican straw polls, and the presidential frontrunner did not win either one of them. Herman Cain won the Florida poll on Saturday. He pretty much blew everyone away with more than 37 percent of the vote. Perry came in second with just over 15 percent.
The other straw poll was held in Michigan. Native son, Mitt Romney, blew everyone out there with 51 percent of the vote. Perry got just under 17 percent.
A college bake sale with prices based on your race and gender. Just look at this price menu. Campus Republicans at UC Berkeley are stirring up trouble on purpose.
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SHAWN LEWIS, PRESIDENT, UC BERKELEY COLLEGE REPUBLICAN: It's really there to cause people to think more critically about what this kind of policy would do in university admissions.
ANAIS LAVOIE, UC BERKELEY COLLEGE REPUBLICAN: The fact that they humorized and mocked the struggles of people of color on this campus is very disgusting to me.
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COSTELLO: The sale is meant to protest a bill that would allow considering race in some college admissions.
Now, let's head to Atlanta and check in with Reynolds Wolf. Any travel delays to speak of?
REYNOLDS WOLF, AMS METEOROLOGIST: I think we're going to see quite a few up today especially up towards the Western Hamp (ph), the Great Lakes, and Chicago, maybe even Detroit, you can see delays in excess of an hour, but, this morning, might see a few delays in the southeast due to thunderstorms. We've certainly had our share just last night.
You'll see this area that we have surrounded by that big red line. That's where we had a tornado watch in effect and a possible tornado, maybe even straight-line winds in Cleveland and Cleveland, Mississippi that caused some damage. That frontal boundary is going to slowly make its way to the east.
The top half as we get there with low pressure that's going to cause your backups in places like Chicago, as we mentioned. Again, possibly up to an hour in some places. New York, Philadelphia, delays under an hour. Same story in Cleveland and Cincinnati due to thunderstorms. Atlanta, some morning low clouds are going to give way to thunderstorms in the afternoon. And, of course, we could see some backups in D.C. and all your major airports.
Now, switching gears, with the delicacy of a hatchet, we're going to talk about entirely different story. A little bit of water cooler information for you. Some incredible story about a deep sea wreckage from World War II. In fact, as we take a look at some of this video. This is actually from the "SS Gairsoppa" which is actually sunk by the Germans in World War II back on December 17th of 1941.
This particular ship was actually going from India on its way to England, actually ran out of fuel and had to detour away from its convoy, which was protecting it and try to make its way to the Irish coast so we could refuel and refit. Unfortunately, when it broke away from the convoy, it became prey to a German u-boat, running rampant across the Atlantic. One torpedo caused this thing to sink, and now, this has been found three miles down below the surface.
And get this, has up to $200 million worth of silver. They're going to rekindle recovery efforts next spring, and they think that they're going to be successful. Believe it or not, they say the ship is lying on the bottom, but with the hatch facing upward, they say it should be a very easy recovery mission. And, again, had some (INAUDIBLE), some additional good but silver, $200 million worth, is what they're going to go after. Back to you.
COSTELLO: Yes, I think so. Thank you --
WOLF: Yes.
COSTELLO: Yes.
WOLF: You bet.
COSTELLO: Reynolds Wolf, thank you.
Let's take a look at the word of the day. Well, actually, it's phrase today. The phrase is "hairy crazy ant." And no, we're not talking about some long lost relative who shows up at family reunions. Find out what that means and why you need to know right after a break. It's 54 minutes past.
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COSTELLO: Two minutes until the top of the hour. This is your A.M. WAKE-UP CALL. So, let's get back to our word of the day or shall I say the phrase of day. The phrase, "hairy crazy ant." Hairy crazy ant, they're actually tiny reddish-brown ants that run around like they're possessed. They attack in swarms, hundreds of them at a time, and they bite.
They can even find their way into computers and TVs and short them out. So, why are we talking about them today? They are spreading. Florida, Texas, Mississippi, and now Louisiana all recording hairy crazy ants. Now, you know.
Let's head to the NASDAQ MarketSite and check in with Carter Evans. I'm almost afraid to ask how the futures are looking this morning.
CARTER EVANS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: it's acting like crazy ants.
(LAUGHTER)
EVANS: Everybody's got one, right?
COSTELLO: Yes.
EVANS: Oh, ants, the little bugs. I'm just joking. OK. Hey, so, let's talk about the numbers. You see a green behind me. That's pretty good. Our futures are actually looking pretty good as well. So, it is actually good news, Carol. Dow futures up about 69 points. NASDAQ up about 12. S&P 500 up about 10.5.
We do have a report today on new home sales. We're also going to get a final reading on the second quarter Gross Domestic Product on Thursday. Take a look at gold prices. Gold prices today down 1,215 an ounce hours to $1,627, and that's what else I want to talk about, Carol. I don't know if you notice, but gold prices took a plunge on Friday.
COSTELLO: Yes, they did. They took a big plunge.
EVANS: Yes.
COSTELLO: Which means nothing good for the economy, frankly. Well, slap up with a headline that might make us smile. At least, I'm keeping my fingers crossed on it.
EVANS: Yes. OK. Well, take a look at this over here. The CNNMoney.com taking a look at the biggest price plunge in gold since 1980. You know, on Friday, gold fell about 100 bucks an ounce to about $1,640 an ounce. It's a big, big drop. There are concerns about a deflationary environment now, falling prices, and gold does very bad in a deflationary environment.
COSTELLO: OK. So, it wasn't that great. It's OK, though. EVANS: I tried.
COSTELLO: It's Monday. Thank you, Carter Evans. We appreciate it.
"AMERICAN MORNING" continues right now.
