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American Morning: Wake Up Call
Protesters Plan March to Major Banks; Countdown to Launch; Game 6: "Unbelievable!"; Exotic Animals Won't Return To Owner; E.Coli Outbreak IN N.C.
Aired October 28, 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: Big plans for "Occupy Wall Street" in New York City. Protesters say today they will march to some of the city's major banks and they're planning to make a delivery. We'll explain.
Live pictures right now from Vandenberg Air Base in California. In about 45 minutes, NASA launches a satellite that's designed to help us all.
And what a night the word unbelievable may come to mind when talking about game six of the World Series. The St. Louis Cardinals down to their last strike, they pull it out against the Texas Rangers. We'll bring you all the highlights.
Good morning to you. Happy Friday, it's October 28th. This is your A.M. WAKE-UP CALL. I'm Carol Costello, joining you live from New York.
You're waking up to some of the best economic news in recent memory. Yes, customer spending helped lift third quarter GDP in the U.S. 2.5 points, nearly double the rate of last quarter. This morning, the major indices start with gains from Thursday, up 340 points. The Dow is heading for its best month in 24 years. The broader S&P, October could close as the best month since 1974.
CNN's Erin Burnett asked trader Pete Kenny for his take.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ERIN BURNETT, HOST, CNN'S ERIN BURNETT OUTFRONT: Are you optimistic?
PETER KENNEY, TRADER, KNIGHT CAPITAL: I am optimistic and I'm optimistic for several reasons. Both of the points that you mentioned are clearly the drivers, the GDP numbers, the macroeconomic numbers that we've been getting are both incredibly positive, surprisingly positive given the weakness in some of the sectors of the economy, but also the E.U. As you had mention, there's a lot of work to be done, it still takes a lost risk off the table, particularly for the financials. So, on a day like today, you've seen tremendous leadership by the financials, that's a very good indicator that there's still some room left on this to move up.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Right now, European markets are all looking up. The FTSE, the DAX, all with green arrows. You can see it there. Same story in Asia, they are all up. U.S. futures are down but just barely.
Let's get you up to speed on the "Occupy Wall Street" movement. This morning in New York, protesters plan to march on the headquarters of five major banks to deliver, quote, "angry letters" from the 99 percent. They plan to deliver them via paper airplane, singing telegrams and bicycling pirates.
In Georgia, after getting evicted from a downtown park, Occupy demonstrators are now in Atlanta's King Center. But they'll have to be out by 8:00 this morning. A group leader says they have offers to set up on a private piece of property.
The Oakland mayor has apologized for Tuesday's clashes that put an Iraq war veteran in the hospital. CNN's affiliate reporter Scott Olsen -- I'm sorry, affiliates report Scott Olsen is now in fair condition. The mayor is promising to meet directly with "Occupy" leaders while asking protesters to stop overnight camping on public property.
Tomorrow, the United States will transport 24 wounded rebel fighters will be transported from Libya to a Boston area hospital. The U.S. government says it's a gesture of support and partnership with the Libyan people.
As for the NATO mission in Libya, that's officially over on Monday. A unanimous U.N. Security Council vote ends all military operation there. The council promises to address concerns about the number of arms remaining in Libya and reports of reprisal killings.
Post-election violence has broken out in Tunisia. It happened after election officials said they found campaign finance violations and promised to eliminate the seats won by several candidates. This video purportedly shows demonstrators attacking the office of the Islamists Ennahda Party. The moderate group won the most seats in the election, capturing 90 of the 217 seats in the new parliament. Protesters also rallied outside the building where the uprising started last December.
A key defense witness is expected to return to the stand today in the trial of Michael Jackson's doctor. Dr. Paul White is testifying on behalf of Conrad Murray who's on trial for involuntary manslaughter. The prosecution argues that Jackson died after Murray injected him with Propofol, but Dr. White testified that Jackson may have accidentally killed himself.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. PAUL WHITE, ANETHESIOLOGIST: I thought that there were questions if in fact Murray had administered the drugs that he described in his conversations with the police department and in doses that he described, I would not have expected Michael Jackson to have died.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Closing arguments are expected to begin next week.
Fans are calling game six of the World Series one of the most exciting games ever. The Texas Rangers were trying to win their first World Series title and they came oh, so close. The Cardinals were down to their last strike twice, but never gave up.
Didn't stay up for the unbelievable finish? Well, don't worry. Here's what's happened.
We'll pick it up in the bottom of the ninth. Cardinals down to their last strike and down two runs. David Freese, that's the guy, hit a shot into right field. Two runs score. Game tied. Remember that name.
Extra innings now. Texas scores two in the top of the tenth. The bottom half, Lance Berkman, two outs. He was down to his last strike. He singles to center field. That ties up the game again.
The Cards scored in the got o eighth, ninth and tenth innings and then in the bottom of the 11th. David Freese again, that's a solo shot to center field. Cardinals win, 10-9, and extend the series to a winner-take-all game seven. That's tonight in St. Louis.
Wow. I'm exhausted after that.
Let's head to Atlanta and check in with Rob Marciano.
Wow!
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: I tell you what, Carol, huh? I tell you what? Your Tigers didn't make it, my Yankees didn't make it. But I couldn't turn it off. I turned it off around the sixth inning last night. Obviously, that was a poor decision.
COSTELLO: You shouldn't have.
MARCIANO: Got to get up to make the doughnuts this morning. It should be a good night for game seven.
Weather looks good for it, all the way and have moved out of the East. Batch of rain right now is moving across the Southeast and that will trigger the showers and thunderstorms and potentially some ice. Here it is on the radar scope. Take a look at it.
All right. Well, take a look at Rina. The clicker has gone MIA. Chad, where did you put the clicker my friend? We're stuck on Rina, which is 50-mile-an-hour wind center circulation is over Cancun right now. And we don't expect to make anymore inroads towards the Gulf of Mexico.
As far as that radar scene I was talking about, Memphis, in the rainfall heading towards Atlanta, might see some delays there. New York metros will see some delays as well. But the bigger story will be the next snow event that will probably come towards the Northeast tomorrow afternoon and tomorrow night. Winter storm watches have been posted for interior parts of New England.
Let's go to outer space now and show you some pictures from the International Space Station. This is -- they've been taking these shots for the past couple of -- I guess we don't have the tape. Anyway, there you go.
At night, there you go. You see the lights of the cities, this thing traveling about 17,000 miles an hour. That's a ride.
Another spacecraft set to go for a ride. In less than an hour, Carol, I think you mentioned it already, the NPP, this is a brand spanking new weather and climate satellite that's going to go up in this show at 5:48 Eastern Time. We will carry it live for you, just minutes away -- Carol.
COSTELLO: And there will be no technical glitches, I'm sure.
MARCIANO: No. Hopefully.
COSTELLO: I hope you find your clicker.
MARCIANO: Got it.
COSTELLO: Thanks, Rob.
We just can't seem to get away from the 99 versus 1 percent, even when talking about handing out candy for Halloween.
Here's comedian Jay Leno with your punch line.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAY LENO, HOST, "THE LATE SHOW WITH JAY LENO": Well, according to the "USA Today," 74 percent of Americans plan to hand out candy this Halloween, although President Obama thinks it should be just the top 1 percent.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: When BlackBerrys around the world went down for millions of users, plenty of people were frustrated. No, they were angry. Now, one man is taking action, saying an apology and some free apps, not enough.
Plus, Facebook rolls out a new option. They're comparing it to you giving someone the keys to your house. I don't know about this.
But, first, our "Quote of the Day." There's some harsh comments aimed at Republican presidential candidate Michele Bachmann. Here it is, this is a quote, "She's a back-bencher, has been a back-bencher congressperson for years. This is not a serious presidential campaign," end quote.
Find out who said that in 90 seconds.
Eight minutes past the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: It is 10 minutes past the hour. This is your A.M. WAKE-UP CALL.
Now, back to our "Quote of the Day." There's some harsh comments aimed at Republican presidential candidate and Congresswoman Michele Bachmann. This is it, quote, "She's a back-bencher and has been a back-bencher congressperson for years. This is not a serious presidential campaign," end quote.
That's Matt Robins, the executive director of the American Majority. That's a Tea Party group. The group is asking Bachmann to drop out of the presidential race, accusing her of riding on the Tea Party's coattails.
Kind of surprising because Bachmann is one of the handful of representatives who's a member of the Tea Party Caucus. In fact, she heads the Tea Party Caucus.
Bachmann's campaign has not commented. But other Tea Party groups remain positive about her presidential run.
Remember that BlackBerry outage that affected users all over the world? Well, one outraged user has definitely not forgotten.
Let's head to Hong Kong and Kristie Lu Stout for a check on today's tech headlines.
Good morning. So, somebody is actually threatening to sue BlackBerry for the "inconvenience"?
KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: That's right, and representing many users. And they are suing Research in Motion for that days long service outage. On Wednesday, a lawsuit was filed in federal court in Santa Ana, California, on behalf of all U.S. BlackBerry owners active at the time of the outage and accuses Research in Motion of three things: breach of contract, negligence, and unjust enrichment.
The lawsuit was brought by Eric Mitchell of Sherman Oaks and it says from October 11th to the 14th, he was unable to use e-mails and other communications, quote, "in real time," without delay, reducing and interfering with his productivity and causing him damage and loss of money.
The U.S. plaintiffs are seeking damages, including cash compensation for service fees along with legal expenses.
Carol, it has come to this.
COSTELLO: Wow. On the subject of Facebook, let's talk about this, because this kind of surprises me. Facebook actually wants you to give someone else your password?
STOUT: Yes. They're calling this a new feature, you know, funny. Facebook is offering users new security options including this one, it's called trusted friends which lets you give three to five friends on Facebook a special code to unluck your account in case you forget your password.
It all raises the question, why? Why would you give family or friends your Facebook password? I mean, the feature sounds great in theory. But there is potential for abuse and some pretty good pranks.
So, Carol, I mean, what do you think? Do you have three friends you would give your password to?
COSTELLO: I probably have two friends I would trust with my password. But --
STOUT: That's pretty good. That's great. No offense to my friends and family and nearest and dearest, I don't think I would hand over the keys to them. But then begun, I've never been locked out of Facebook.
COSTELLO: I have. I've had to change my password a million times. I can understand why, but interesting.
Kristie Lu Stout, live in Hong Kong -- thank you so much.
Happy anniversary this morning to the Statue of Liberty. It was 125 years ago today the iconic landmark was dedicated. To mark the occasion, webcams have been installed on her torch. They will allow viewers to look out at the New York harbor and read the tablet in the lady's hands. A naturalization ceremony is also being held today to welcome 125 brand spanking new citizens.
Hillary Clinton for president in 2012. It seems like voters really like that idea. We'll break down a new poll that shows her trouncing the GOP front-runners. But what does it really say about President Obama?
Plus, a live look as NASA gets ready to launch a new satellite this hour. This comes with a twist. One hint: it might come in handy when you're planning your next vacation.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: It's 15 minutes past the hour. Welcome back to A.M. WAKE-UP CALL.
Michele Bachmann's campaign is seeing signs of trouble. Her New Hampshire staff has quit. There's no laughing matter unless of course you're Jay Leno.
Here's your punch line.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LENO: Starting to thin the herd a little bit. Michele Bachmann's entire New Hampshire campaign team has quit, saying her -- they said her campaign was "rude, unprofessional and dishonest and at times cruel." That's what they said.
In fact, one person even used the term "bitchy." Ooh. But they were talking about her husband, Marcus. Had nothing to do with her, nothing to do with her.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Time now for your Political Ticker with Tim Farley, host of "Morning Briefing" on Sirius POTUS, live from Washington.
Good morning, Tim.
TIM FARLEY, SIRIUS POTUS: Good morning, Carol.
Politics is a cruel business, is it not?
COSTELLO: It really is a cruel business. I don't -- believe me, I don't know who would be crazy enough to run for president although I can name some of them right now, right?
FARLEY: Yes.
COSTELLO: Let's talk about those crazy people who want to serve their country running for president. Several reason presidential candidates are stumping today at early voting states. But not one, not Herman Cain. Mitt Romney, Rick Perry in New Hampshire, Michele Bachmann is in Iowa, Newt Gingrich in South Carolina. Herman Cain, he's attending a Tea Party event in Alabama.
FARLEY: Doesn't that strike you as a little bit odd? I mean, I was looking at the schedule and I said, well, you know, it makes sense to be in Iowa. It's the first primary spot, well, it's a caucus state. And, of course, New Hampshire is going to be a very big, important event. You see Newt Gingrich and Callista speaking in South Carolina.
Herman Cain in Alabama. What up? I mean, he's going there and then he's going to a football game tomorrow in Alabama.
Now I understand Alabama's a wonderful state and Birmingham is a beautiful city and God love the people of Alabama. But when you are campaigning for president of the United States, you have to get in front of people. You have to shake hands and kiss babies. Herman Cain is not doing that.
Now, whether he says it's going to be because he has the unconventional campaign his spokesperson, Mike Block, who is on that weird and odd TV video that we saw smoking the cigarette, there's allegations out today, too, that he is engaged in voter suppression in his past and a few other shady things.
So, there are a couple of things going with Herman Cain. But by and large, the biggest thing right now is, is he really serious about running for president or is he on a book tour? That's the thing a lot of people are asking, Carol.
Well, the weird thing is, he comes in second, a strong second in most polls, in Iowa, for example, in South Carolina. So, does he really have to be there?
FARLEY: Well, is it about that or is it about people are looking for someone other than Mitt Romney? And he's the most attractive alternative at this particular point. I think that will fade rather quickly as soon as we start people -- seeing people actually get to the polls and the money run dry. That's just my prediction. It seems to be the trend we're seeing.
COSTELLO: We'll see.
Let's talk about the Democrats now and Hillary Clinton because many Democrats still are calling for Hillary Clinton to run for president in 2012. Check out this "TIME" poll. This is a "TIME" magazine poll.
It shows if Hillary Clinton were the Democratic nominee, she would easily trounce the GOP front-runners. She actually leads Romney by 17 points. She leads Herman Cain by 22 points and Rick Perry by 26 points in a hypothetical matchup.
This might be an eye opener for President Obama who has a much smaller lead among those candidates.
Can the Republicans take advantage of this because there's just no way Hillary Clinton is going to run for president in 2012?
FARLEY: No, I think you're absolutely right. And I don't know that they can take advantage of it. But I think it goes to something you ask yesterday about voter enthusiasm. That is -- is it on both sides? And, yes, there is a lot of that lack of enthusiasm on both the Republican and the Democratic side for their candidates.
President Obama has, according to a new "A.P." survey lost a lot of the donors he had in 2008. These are the smaller individual donors. And Hillary Clinton just sort of fills the void right now. She's done an extremely credible job as secretary of state. Both Republicans and Democrats look to her as being a successful leader in their role.
And, you know, it's obvious that she has not had to take ownership of any of the problems we've had in the country for the past couple years which the president had to do. That said, there are a lot of people that were wishing that.
But it's a counterfactual, it's a "what if" that will never happen, as you said, Carol. So, I don't think Republicans take advantage of it but it's not going to help the president that people are thinking, well, it would be nice if somebody else were to run for president, wouldn't it?
COSTELLO: Well, although in fairness, Hillary Clinton has not had to deal with the economic problems as President Obama has.
FARLEY: Exactly.
COSTELLO: She's sort of been removed from the fray. It's a lot easier to be popular when --
FARLEY: Right. She's not had to take ownership for the problems in the country that existed over the last several years. And that's the president. And it's on him.
So, yes, she hasn't had to deal with that. But, you know, sometimes people don't think about that.
COSTELLO: That's true. Tim Farley, many thanks to you. Tim Farley, host of "Morning Briefing" on Sirius POTUS.
FARLEY: Have a great weekend.
COSTELLO: You, too, Tim.
While it seems there aren't a lot of tears of the death of Moammar Gadhafi, there are a lot of questions what the transitional government says will happen to anyone who may have played a role in killing him. We'll have details, just ahead.
But, first, are you a choc-a-holic? Well, today is your lucky day because it is National Chocolate Day. So, grab your favorite chocolate and enjoy every single bite.
It's 20 minutes past the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: It is 24 minutes past the hour.
As NATO ends its mission in Libya, now that Moammar Gadhafi has been killed, there are some who want an investigation into how he died.
Let's head to London and check in with Zain Verjee.
Good morning, Zain.
There aren't a lot of tears over the former Libyan leader's death, but there are a lot of questions. But there's something new about to happen. What are you hearing?
ZAIN VERJEE, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: There are so many questions about the circumstances of his death. Even though we've all seen the gruesome video of some of his final moments, there's a question still being asked by the NTC as to who specifically killed him.
Now, what they're looking for, Carol, is some kind of an investigation into what exactly happened. And they're saying that whoever was responsible for killing him should go on trial. That having been said, officials in the NTC say that they want to move forward. It's important to have some sense of reconciliation within the country.
Many analysts I've spoken to, though, really point to one thing that can be worrying. They say if NTC officials can't control different militia groups, revolutionary fighters, what does the future of Libya look like?
But this is the situation right now. They want to investigate and put on trial those who killed him.
COSTELLO: On another topic, St. Paul's Cathedral in London closed when "Occupy" protests were demonstrating out front. They plan on re-opening the cathedral today.
But what's next for the city? What action will they take next?
VERJEE: Well, the Mayor Boris Johnson said that essentially he's going to call for new laws to prevent tent cities from popping up in the city of London and anywhere else in the country so that legal action can be taken against protesters.
Boris Johnson said they actually erupt like boils -- is the way he put it -- across the city. St. Paul's Cathedral is going to be opening today. That's a pretty big deal if you consider this cathedral didn't close, the last time it did was actually World War II. You can see video of the protesters, though, still out there. One senior cleric, though, Carol, actually quit his job because he said he actually supported the protesters. We'll see what happens today, though.
COSTELLO: Zain Verjee, live in London -- thanks so much.
Just ahead, I have some good news to share with you about the economy.
Plus, Republican Senator Marco Rubio -- his name has been mentioned as a possible vice presidential pick, but his family's past may get in the way. We'll explain.
Plus, a live look as NASA gets ready to launch a new satellite in just about 20 minutes. We'll show you the launch, live.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: And good morning to you. Happy Friday. It is October 28th. This is your A.M. WAKE-UP CALL. I'm Carol Costello joining you live this morning from New York. It is 30 minutes past the hour.
You're waking up to some of the best economic news in recent memory. I'm serious. Consumer spending helped lift third quarter GDP in the U.S. 2.5 points, nearly double the rate last quarter. This morning, the major indices start with gains from Thursday, up 340 points.
The Dow is heading for its best month in 24 years. The broader S&P, October could close as its best month since 1974. So should be, I don't know, should we be living la vida loco?
(LAUGHTER)
COSTELLO: Let's check in with our --
ALI VELSHI, CNN CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Ask the question with more optimism, Carol. You did not sound optimistic. Everything you just read there should have been read with more gusto and presented with more gusto.
COSTELLO: I know.
VELSHI: 2.5percent GDP in the third quarter. The Dow up three percent yesterday, all the major indices. Possibly the best month on the broader S&P 500 which looks like your 401(k) in -- what did you say, 24 years since -- I had hair the last time the Dow did that well.
(LAUGHTER)
COSTELLO: I know, but will it last? We hear this good economic news, and then, next month it's like --
VELSHI: All right. So, here's the thing. Why is the Dow up? Why were the markets up the way they were yesterday? For two reasons. One is the one that you talked, the GDP growth, which is the -- GDP is the biggest measure of the economy that we have. All of the value of everything that we produce, and it was up 2.5 percent from the previous three months.
We read GDP every three months. Now, 2.5 percent is not gang busters, particularly when China is around 9, and India is around 8, but it's certainly not zero or negative, which is recession territory. So, 2.5 was not, A, not a terrible number and, B, it was actually what we expected. So, that's a very, very big deal.
The second one is what's the greatest danger of sending us into a recession? It's Europe. And we found -- that we got the deal in the Euro zone. So, those two things added together gave us a really strong market day, probably not even going to last today, because now everybody is off the high, and they're looking closely at this European deal thing.
Is it enough? is it really going to work? And like you said, when markets go up, sometimes, they don't stand still, but this last month has been tremendous. I mean, it ends on Monday. We'll see what happens today and on Monday, but that's a 13 percent gain in one month. You'd be lucky to get that in an entire year. So, mile. Give me a big ear-to-ear smile. Big ear-to-ear smile.
COSTELLO: Is that good?
VELSHI: Very good.
COSTELLO: I'm keeping all of my fingers and toes crossed, too.
VELSHI: Good. All right. COSTELLO: As well as smiling. Thank you, Ali. See you in a bit.
VELSHI: See you in half an hour.
COSTELLO: A new twist to the story of a man who set free a bunch of exotic animals in Ohio. His widow says she wants the animals that survived, she wants them back home with her.
And you're looking at live pictures. There it is. NASA is launching a new satellite mission just moments from now. How it will benefit you? Just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: It is 34 minutes past the hour.
The widow of the man who sent Zanesville, Ohio into a panic last week after he released 56 exotic animals will not get back the six animals that survived the killing. The Ohio Department of Agriculture issued a quarantine order which means the animals will stay at the Columbus Zoo for now.
When asked if conditions of the woman's property were safe enough for the animals, this is what animal expert, Jack Hanna, told Anderson Cooper.
JACK HANNA, DIRECTOR EMERITUS, COLUMBUS ZOO: There's no way, over my dead body, it might be that pretty soon, those animals are going to go back there to the same conditions, and I'd wake up tomorrow morning saying, what -- and let's say they got out of here or something happen. Can you imagine what they'd think of not just the zoo, but the state of Ohio? Are we crazy?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: There have been reports the animals were malnourished and diseased (ph). A spokesman for Ohio's governor says that could pose a public health threat.
Health officials in North Carolina say eight cases of E.coli have been confirmed in the state, and now, 13 more possible cases are being investigated. Four of the confirmed cases are children. They're being treated in hospitals for kidney failure. While the source of the E.coli is unknown, officials believe that most of the victims attended the state fair that began on October 13th.
And students at St. Mary's College in Maryland will be cruising through the rest of the semester, literally. Starting on Monday, 240 students will be relocated to a cruise ship because the school is dealing with a mold problem.
Florida senator, Marco Rubio, has been eyed as a potential vice presidential candidate, but could questions about his family history get in the way? And you're looking again at these live pictures. NASA just about to launch a new satellite mission. Minutes away, that thing will blast off ,and we'll show it to you live.
But first, time for your "Get Smart" question of the day. President Obama unveiled his plan this week to try and help people pay off student loans, but the price of higher education continues to rise. Which state school system had the highest tuition hike from last year to this year? Was it A. New York, B. Arkansas, or C. California? We'll have your answer in two minutes. It's 36 minutes past the hour.
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COSTELLO: It is 38 minutes past the hour. This is your A.M. WAKE-UP CALL.
Now, back to our "Get Smart" question of the day. Which state school system had the highest tuition hike from last year to this year? Was it New York, Arkansas, or California? The answer is C, California. According to information from collegedata.com, the Golden State increased its state tuition by 21 percent to more than $9,000 a year.
There are those within the Republican Party who hope Senator Marco Rubio would make a terrific choice as a vice presidential candidate in 2012, but it's not that the Florida senator -- now, it's the Florida -- I should say his resume is raising questions as in his family tree. Jim Acosta explains.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JIM ACOSTA, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): During a series of events in Florida, Marco Rubio admitted what is now widely known, that he botched the details of his own family story. His parents did not come to the U.S. after Fidel Castro seized control of Cuba in 1959 as Rubio's Senate web bio once stated. They came in 1956 as his corrected site states now.
SEN. MARCO RUBIO, (R) FLORIDA: Do I wish I had known those dates earlier? Absolutely. Does it change anything? Absolutely not.
I was raised by exiles.
ACOSTA: A Democratic-leaning political action committee called American Bridge 21st Century says the dates do matter, suggesting in this web video, Rubio is not really a Cuban exile because his parents left the island before Castro took over. Rubio referred to his family as exiles in this CNN interview last year.
RUBIO: It's hard to be a political when your exiles are raised by exiles.
ACOSTA: The senator insists his parents are exiles because they couldn't go home. RUBIO: And they spent the rest of their lives, my mom is still alive, separated permanently from the nation of their birth. That makes them both exiles and immigrants.
RODELL MOLLINEAU, AMERICAN BRIDGE 21ST CENTURY: We hold Republicans accountable.
ACOSTA: But American Bridge president, Rodell Mollineau, acknowledged in an exclusive interview with CNN, his group wants to do more than just set the record straight.
(on-camera) Does it have anything to do with the fact that he's being talked about as a potential vice presidential candidate in 2012?
MOLLINEAU: Oh, yes. I think that it does. And I'm not making any bones about that. That he is a --
ACOSTA: You trying to knock him out of contention for 2012?
MOLLINEAU: Well, this is -- I think what we're finding here is that --
ACOSTA: Answer the question.
MOLLINEAU: What?
ACOSTA: Are you trying to knock him out of contention for 2012.
MOLLINEAU: I'm trying to allow the American people to know a little bit more about Marco Rubio. When he ran in --
ACOSTA: Why don't you just answer the question?
(voice-over) He finally did.
MOLLINEAU: We think that Marco Rubio is someone that is being talked about --
ACOSTA: For 2012?
MOLLINEAU: Yes, more by the media to be vice president.
ACOSTA: So, this was a consideration?
MOLLINEAU: Yes, it was.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have one junior senator that made it to the White House. Do we have a second one here?
ACOSTA: Despite pleas from Republicans, even in his home state, Rubio has ruled out being on the ticket in 2012, but that hasn't stopped the chatter in Washington. Top Republicans believe a vice presidential nominee Rubio could take Florida away from President Obama who won the state by 200,000 votes in 2008.
American Bridge has plenty of money to go after Rubio, raising hundreds of thousands of dollars from unions and big California donors like J.J. Abrams, the director of the new "Star Trek" movie, but these phasers aren't on stun, according to Rubio ally and Cuban-American Republican congresswoman, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen.
REP. ILEANA ROS-LEHTINEN, (R) FLORIDA: Marco Rubio is a conservative Hispanic. And as such, many liberal groups and many entities want to destroy his reputation.
ACOSTA (on-camera): But Rubio is fighting fire with fire. His own political action committee has put out a plea for donations that accuses liberals of, quote, "coordinating attacks on the senator."
Jim Acosta, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: As Europe basks in the afterglow of their debt deal, the French president raises eyebrows saying it was a mistake for letting Greece into the Euro zone in the first place. More details on that just ahead.
And NASA is launching a new satellite mission. It's about to take off in five minutes. We'll show you the launch. That's also next.
But first, on this day in history, on this very day in 1965, a 630-foot high monument with a unique shape was completed. The gateway arch in St. Louis took two years and nine months to build and cost less than $50 million. About four million people visit the arch each year, including me. I was just there in august. It's fantastic. It's 43 minutes past the hour.
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COSTELLO: Good morning to you. Happy Friday. It is October 28th. This is your A.M. WAKE-UP CALL. I'm Carol Costello joining you live from New York this morning. It is 45 minutes past the hour.
Let's head to Atlanta now to check in with Rob Marciano. Rob, NASA is just minutes away from launching this new satellite. We're going to watch it. It should take off in just about three minutes, but what is it carrying into space?
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: This is, well -- you know, not only am I a (INAUDIBLE) of course, as well. This has got the best of both worlds. We have a weather satellite that's going into orbit. And that is different from our everyday weather satellites with our geosynchronous.
Meaning, they're up there about 22,000 miles away, and they basically rotate with the Earth as the earth rotates on its axis. So, the same one spot all the time. they just take snap shots to the atmosphere. This satellite is going to be polar orbiting. It's going to be closer to the ground. It's going to be moving faster and not geosynchronously. This has got five inches from -- and what it's going to do is it's going to give us both climates measuring. That's going to measure ozone, vegetation, ice cover, obviously, global temperatures both sea and land. It's also going to give us every day a variable data that will help us with every day predictions.
It's got a sounder up there. It's got five instruments that will help in all of those cases. So, this is an exciting day not only for NASA but also for weather enthusiasts as well. We're "T" minus one minute out. It's on a Delta II rocket. This is the bellwether of satellites that go into orbit. This thing takes these payloads in routinely and goes up and has got some solid rocket boosters as well and takes it into orbit.
COSTELLO: The satellite itself is the size of a mini van. It weighs, like what, 4,500 pounds. It's amazing.
MARCIANO: Yes. And part of the reason for that is because it has not just one but five instruments, and that's -- this has been a long time coming for NASA and NOAA and the entire science community. And it's going to really give us a better eye in the sky as far as where our climate is going. We got "T" minus 15 seconds now. Let's listen in in the NASA as this probably goes --
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, main engine start, one, zero, and liftoff of the Delta II with the NPP satellite, blazing away a new technology for climate research and weather forecasting.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Pressure in the main engine, good temperature in the two burners and chamber pressure on all six motors. Passing 24 seconds into the flight, pressure beginning to trail off a little on (ph) as expected, coming up on the 33-second mark, mark 33 seconds, mock one.
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MARCIANO: How about that for a Friday, huh?
COSTELLO: I know. You never get tired watching these things take off. It's always unbelievably amazing.
MARCIANO: It is. And a night launch, nonetheless. The last one we covered, Carol, together was a day launch. They're both spectacular, but that is just something to see there. You never get tired of that as well. NPP, the National Polar Orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System for Preparatory project.
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MARCIANO: There you go. Heading into orbit to give us a better eye in the sky for climate and weather prediction.
COSTELLO: Awesome. Thank you, Rob. We appreciate it. It was great commentary.
In the news this morning, French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, says allowing Greece into the European Union was, quote, "a mistake." Let's head round the world with Zain Verjee. She's live in London. Ouch!
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ZAIN VERJEE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The best undiplomatic comment of the day, Carol. Yes, French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, says no, they should never have let Greece into the Euro Zone, and yes, it was a huge mistake. He said this, Greece came into the Euro with numbers that were false.
As you know, Greece has been really crushed by a debt burden. All of Europe has been really worried that this is going to engulf them, countries like Italy and Spain, as you know, European leaders struck a very important deal in order to save the Euro and protect it. But I mean, Greece is really getting knocked hard by the French president today.
And the question is, even though that they're reaching out and trying to save Greece and they've helped reduce its debt burden, Greece is still going to have to push through some very painful austerity measures. And the question is, are they even going to be able to do that? They have to.
COSTELLO: They certainly do. As far as the global economy is concerned, we hope they do. Zain Verjee live in London. Thanks.
Let's get you up to speed now on the Occupy Wall Street movement. This morning, in New York, protesters plan to march on the headquarters of five major banks to deliver, quote, "angry letters" from the 99 percent. They plan to deliver them via paper airplane, singing telegrams, and bicycling pirates.
In Georgia, after getting evicted from a downtown park, occupy demonstrators are now at Atlanta's King Center, but they'll have to be out by 8:00 this morning. A group leader says they have offers to set up on private property.
The Oakland mayor has now apologized for Tuesday's clashes that put an Iraq war veteran in the hospital. CNN affiliate reports Scott Olson is now in fair condition. The mayor is promising to meet directly with occupy leaders while asking protesters to stop overnight camping on public property.
A key defense witness is expected to return to the stand today in the trial of Michael Jackson's doctor. Dr. Paul White has testified on behalf of Conrad Murray who is on trial for involuntary manslaughter. The prosecution argues that Jackson died after Murray injected him with propofol, but Dr. White testified that Jackson may have accidentally killed himself. Proving (ph) arguments expected to begin next week.
Fans are calling game six of the World Series one of the most exciting games ever. The Texas Rangers were trying to win their first World Series title and came oh, so close. The Cardinals were down to their last strike twice but never gave up. Didn't stay up for the unbelievable finish? Well, don't worry, because here's what's happened. We'll pick it up in the bottom of the ninth inning.
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COSTELLO (voice-over): Here we go. Cardinals down to their last strike and down two runs. David Freese, a hero (INAUDIBLE) a shot to the right. Two runs score, the game tied. Remember that name. We go into extra innings now.
Texas scores two in the top of the tenth and the bottom half, Lance Berkman at the plate, two outs, and now, he's down to his last strike. You saw that. He singles into center field, ties up the game again. The Cards score in the bottom of the 8th, 9th and 10th inning, and then, in the bottom of the 11th, David Freese again, look at there.
He hits a solo shot to center field. The Cardinals win 10-9 to extend the series to a winner-take-all game seven. That takes place tonight in St. Louis. It's been an awesome series.
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COSTELLO (on-camera): New information this morning about what Medicare recipients can expect next year. And it does involve a bit more out-of-pocket expense. We'll have details in a live report from the Nasdaq MarketSite.
But first, let's take a look at the "Word of the Day." It's tebowing. Well, it's not in the dictionary yet, we're doing it, anyway, because it's trending all over the web. Find out what it means and why you need to know right after the short break. It's 53 minutes past the hour.
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COSTELLO: It's four minutes until the top of the hour. This is your A.M. WAKE-UP CALL.
Now, back to our "Word of the Day" which is what I was laughing at. It's called -- the "word of the day" is tebowing. It's not in the dictionary yet, but we're doing it anyway because it's trending all over the web. This is what it means. To get down on one knee and start praying, even if everyone else is doing something different. It's even got its own website.
People are posting pictures of themselves tebowing. It's named after the NFL quarterback Tim Tebow. As you know, he's a vocal Christian and was down on one knee praying after leading a come-from- behind victory last week. Hey, it worked for him. Maybe, it will work for all of us.
We just can't seem to get away from the 99 versus the one percent, even when we're talking about handing out candy for Halloween. Here's comedian, Jay Leno, with your punch line.
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JAY LENO, HOST, THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH JAY LENO: Well, according to "USA Today," 74 percent of Americans plan to hand out candy this Halloween, although, President Obama thinks it should be just the top one percent.
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COSTELLO: Let's head to the NASDAQ MarketSite and Carter Evans. He's taking a look at the numbers for us. Good morning.
CARTER EVANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Hey, good morning, Carol. So, as far as what we've got coming up today, we've got reports coming up on personal income, personal spending, consumer sentiment. It's a light day on the earnings calendar for the most part. So, let's kind of revel in these numbers for a second. I mean, because this is great.
So much of the uncertainty was removed yesterday. The economy is growing, not great, but better than expected. The Dow up three percent. The NASDAQ up by 3.3, 3.4 for the S&P 500. Now to today's futures, down slightly for the Dow, down about 28 points. The NASDAQ futures up almost 4, S&P of about 3.5, but markets around the world today are up.
COSTELLO: I like that. I like the sound of things, so far. Tell us about the changes in Medicare next year. What can seniors expect?
EVANS: Yes, you know, a lot of people are worried about this, because there are concern that was going to eat up all of the increase that you're going to get on Social Security, but this is the story on CNNMoney.com today. For most seniors, they're going to see a small Medicare rate hike. And for the most part, it's only going to go up by $3.50, the premium that is.
And that will leave it right below $100 a month at $99.90 a month. Now, for Medicare part A, the deductible is going to go up $24 to 11.56. There is some good news, though, for about 12 million younger or higher income Medicare recipients.
They're going to see their payments decrease by about $15.50 a month, because they used to pay a lot more because of their higher income or because they just entered the program. Now, it's going to even it all out. So, some people are going to pay a little more, a few people going to pay a little less.
COSTELLO: OK. And if you want more information, of course, you can find it on CNNMoney.com.
EVANS: There you go.
COSTELLO: All right. Carter Evans, thanks so much. Have a great weekend.
EVANS: Thank you. You, too.
COSTELLO: All right. "AMERICAN MORNING" continues right now.
